A Little Learning

IN 1976 Beverly Ibn-Tamas shot and killed her husband, Yusef, in his medical office in Washington, D.C. She was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to spend one to five years in prison. Beverly testified that she had been subjected to repeated beatings and threats during her four-year marriage to Yusef. Other witnesses, including Yusef’s first wife, also testified to his violent behavior. Events on the day of the shooting were disputed, but what is clear is that Beverly shot Yusef twice, once from close range. Obviously, however, the jury did not think the crime was premeditated (hence second rather than first degree), and the judge found her a sympathetic defendant (hence the short sentence). Beverly’s lawyers appealed, however, claiming that the court had improperly excluded the testimony of Dr. Lenore Walker, a psychologist who described a condition called battered-woman syndrome, and who had frequently served as an expert witness.

A divided appeals court told the trial court to hold an evidentiary hearing on the issue of admitting Dr. Walker’s testimony. It did and concluded that Dr. Walker had not established that her methodology was generally accepted by experts in the field. The conviction was upheld. Beverly served one year in prison.

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James Q. Wilson

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IN 1976 Beverly Ibn-Tamas shot and killed her husband, Yusef, in his medical office in Washington, D.C. She was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to spend one to five years in prison. Beverly testified that she had been subjected to repeated beatings and threats during her four-year marriage to Yusef. Other witnesses, including Yusef’s first wife, also testified to his violent behavior. Events on the day of the shooting were disputed, but what is clear is that Beverly shot Yusef twice, once from close range. Obviously, however, the jury did not think the crime was premeditated (hence second rather than first degree), and the judge found her a sympathetic defendant (hence the short sentence). Beverly’s lawyers appealed, however, claiming that the court had improperly excluded the testimony of Dr. Lenore Walker, a psychologist who described a condition called battered-woman syndrome, and who had frequently served as an expert witness.

A divided appeals court told the trial court to hold an evidentiary hearing on the issue of admitting Dr. Walker’s testimony. It did and concluded that Dr. Walker had not established that her methodology was generally accepted by experts in the field. The conviction was upheld. Beverly served one year in prison.