Black Mass Shooter Fails to Win Insanity Plea

New York Post
December 7, 2013

damel-burton
Damel Burton killed one Black and partially paralysed another, endangering other passengers on the bus.

A sociopathic gunman’s insanity defense failed on Thursday when a Queens jury convicted him of shooting three men dead — two on the Q111 bus.

“Oh thank God!” said a relative of 18-year-old Keith Murrell who was Damel Burton’s first victim on Dec. 2, 2011.

Burton, 36, was quickly found guilty for the murders of Murrell and Marvin Gilkes, 36, as well as the attempted murder of Jojuan Lipsey, 31.

The admitted “author and architect” of the shootings told authorities he was protecting himself from people conspiring to follow him since he was released from prison in 2010.

Burton’s attorney, Anthony Rattoballi, attempted to sway the juror of his client’s mental defect with medical records from Bellevue Hospital, Riker’s Island and two court-appointed doctor’s that all diagnosis the killer with delusional paranoia, to no avail.

“We did not feel he mentally fit the legal factor of insanity,” said one juror after they deliberated for almost three hours.

Prosecutor, Daniel Saunders proved Burton did not suffer from paranoid delusional schizophrenia, but rather has an anti-social personality disorder and just “does not give a damn” about his actions and was a “high on cocaine.”

John Lipsey centre was shot and partially paralysed.
John Lipsey (centre) was shot and partially paralysed.

“The shootings on the bus was definitely cold-blooded murder and shooting the kid was definitely revenge, nothing more, nothing less,” said another juror.

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