Both prosecution and the defense agreed that in 2002 Dennis George Roache killed another man in 2002 by decapitating him. The prosecution argued that the killing was premeditated because Roache became jealous of the decedent's relationship with Roache's ex-girlfriend. The defense argued that Roache, who had a history of mental issues including paranoid schizophrenia, wasn't capable of murder due to insanity. After two weeks of testimony, the jury of 12 Pinellas County citizens sided with the prosecution and found that Dennis Roache was indeed guilty of murder. Circuit Judge Robert Morris immediately sentenced him to life in prison.
In a previous blog post, I had stated that the defense would have an uphill battle in this case particularly with the gruesome circumstances surrounding the killing. I was right. The jury was unmoved by the defense's argument of insanity in spite of Roache's history of mental illness.
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