Mitigating Factors: "I'm a Werewolf"
Understandably, one of the most pressing questions facing any person convicted of a criminal offense is some version of “How can I avoid jail time?” The unfortunate truth for many of those convicted of a criminal offense is that jail time is sometimes impossible to avoid. Luckily, the State of Tennessee recognizes several mitigating factors that can serve to aid defendants in obtaining shorter sentences or possibly even qualify for an alternative sentencing method and avoid jail time altogether. One such mitigating factor recognized by Tennessee is that the defendant had a mental or physical condition that significantly reduced his or her culpability for the offense. It should be noted that the voluntary use of intoxicants does not qualify under this factor. Thinking that you are a werewolf, however, probably does.
A girl from San Antonio, Texas is under investigation by authorities after she admitted to decapitating a dog, boiling its head, and mounting the head on her wall. The girl, who literally claims to be a werewolf, and goes by the name Wolfie Blackheart, told the authorities that she only took the head after finding the dog dead and that she would never hurt the dog because she herself is a canine. This is important because in Texas, just as in Tennessee, the statutes pertaining to animal cruelty and intentional killing of an animal apply by definition only to living creatures. It is unknown whether Wolfie will be charged at this time.
Assuming Wolfie is convicted in connection with this incident, she would have a legitimate claim that the mitigating factor discussed in this article would apply in her situation. For such a claim to be successful, she would basically have to prove that she does suffer from the mental condition that causes her to believe that she is a werewolf and that it somehow served to reduce her culpability (make her less deserving of blame) for the offense. If the court agreed with her claim, this factor could serve to net Wolfie a less severe sentence than she would have faced originally.
Source: http://www.truecrimereport.com/2010/01/wolfie_blackheart_professed_we.php#more
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