State of Tennessee v. Lesergio Duran Wilson

The Defendant-Appellant, Lesergio Duran Wilson, was charged with first degree premeditated murder, and the State filed its notice of intent to seek the death penalty.  Wilson then filed a notice of intent to introduce expert testimony regarding his mental diseases, defects, and other mental conditions bearing on his guilt for the charged offense, and the State filed a motion to exclude this expert testimony.  Following an evidentiary hearing, the trial court granted the State’s motion.  In this interlocutory appeal, Wilson argues that the trial court erred in ruling that he could not present expert testimony during the guilt/innocence phase of trial regarding his incapacity to form the requisite culpable mental states for the offense.  Upon review, we affirm the judgment of the trial court and remand this matter for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.