Georgia appeals court says woman who argues mental illness caused crash can use insanity defense

 A Georgia appeals court has ruled a woman who was suffering from a psychotic break stemming from mental illness when she caused a fatal car crash can use an insanity defense at trial.

Michelle Wierson was speeding through the streets in DeKalb County in her Volkswagen Tiguan in September 2018 when she hit a Toyota Corolla stopped at a traffic light, forcing it into the intersection, where it collided with another car. Miles Jenness, a 5-year-old passenger in that car, sustained a traumatic brain injury and a severed spine and died from his injuries.

That Wierson caused the wreck was not in dispute, but defense lawyers and prosecutors disagreed on what arguments should be allowed at trial.