GOLDEN, Colo.—The judge in the case of a teenager charged with killing a 10-year-old girl ruled Wednesday that the defense can try to introduce expert testimony about adolescent brain development.
District Judge Stephen Munsinger warned that the expert only can speak generally on the topic—including the effects of trauma—but not specifically about the mental state of Austin Sigg, The Denver Post reported ( ).
Sigg, 18, is accused of kidnapping, killing and dismembering Jessica Ridgeway of Westminster in October. He has pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors expressed concern Wednesday that Sigg’s defense was trying to set up a mental state defense. The judge told Sigg’s attorneys that they will have to justify the testimony’s relevancy to the case.
Under Colorado law, defense attorneys cannot introduce expert opinions about a defendant’s mental condition if that defendant has not undergone a court-ordered mental health evaluation.
Sigg is charged with murder, kidnapping, sexual assault and robbery, as well as three counts of sexual exploitation of a child after authorities said they found child pornography during the investigation. Detectives say he has confessed to killing Jessica but denied sexually assaulting her.
Sigg also has denied charges stemming from an attack on a 22-year-old jogger at a Westminster lake in May 2012.
Jessica, a fifth-grader, was kidnapped on her way to school on Oct. 5. Her torso was founded in a secluded park Oct. 10. Sigg was arrested Oct. 23 after allegedly telling police by telephone that he killed Jessica.
Sigg’s trial is set to begin Sept. 20. If convicted, he would face life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years.
He cannot face the death penalty because he was 17 at the time of the slaying.
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Information from: The Denver Post,
