<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=24o23i_0wC2Er4D00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=24o23i_0wC2Er4D00" width="1500" height="1000" ></figure>Jeremy Dailey Arrives at Clarion County Complex Center for the third day of his murder trial on October 17. Gavin Fish/EYT Media.SHIPPENVILLE, Pa. (EYT) – Day three of the murder trial of Jeremy Dailey–the man accused of killing Thomas Kemmer with his own gun in January of 2023–became the battle of expert witnesses, each with drastically differing opinions on whether Dailey was legally insane when he pulled the trigger.Besides the criminal homicide charge, Dailey is facing charges of burglary, criminal trespass, and aggravated assault. Thursday’s proceedings began with Chief Public Defender Jacob Roberts calling his first witness, Sara G. West, M.D., a forensic psychiatrist. Dr. West testified she reviewed records in the case provided to her by the defense, watched video of Dailey’s police interview, interviewed his family members, reviewed his past medical records, and conducted a two-hour and forty-five-minute evaluation of Dailey. After reviewing everything, she was of the opinion that, to a reasonable degree of medical certainty, Dailey suffered from schizophrenia. Because of his condition, he didn’t know, on the morning of January 29, 2023, when he shot and killed Thoman Kemmer, that his actions were wrong. Specifically, Dr. West said Dailey did not know wrongfulness, did not act intentionally, responded in a psychotic way, was not using substances, and thought he was defending himself. Dr. West said Dailey’s condition meets the requirements of legal insanity in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Dr. West testified the medical records showed Dailey’s first mental health crisis occurred in 1993 when he was 17 years old. He was diagnosed at the time with psychotic features and PTSD at the Clarion Psychiatric Center. Dailey later joined the United States Marine Corps where he served for two years before being honorably discharged after he was diagnosed with a personality disorder. In 2001, when he was in Kentucky at a truck driving school, Dailey was hospitalized for a mental health episode. He was diagnosed at that time with schizophrenia and prescribed Zyprexa, an antipsychotic medication that can treat several mental health conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. He then went on full disability. In paperwork related to disability benefits, he was shown to have PTSD in 2005; intermittent explosive disorder, PTSD, and ADHD in 2012; and schizophrenia spectrum disorder, PTSD, and ADHD in 2017. Following his arrest and confinement in 2023, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia after being examined by a psychiatrist at the Clarion County Jail. Later that year, after Dr. West’s interview with Dailey, she diagnosed him with schizophrenia, as well. While in custody, Dailey was prescribed Zyprexa again. Dr. West testified that because of the medication, Dailey’s mental health had improved to where she could successfully interview and diagnose him. Following Dr. West’s testimony, which occurred via Zoom from her Ohio office, the prosecution called Philadelphia Psychiatrist John O’Brien II, MD, as a rebuttal witness. Dr. O’Brien testified that he, too, had reviewed the case file and had reviewed Dr. West’s report. He interviewed Dailey at the Clarion County Jail in June 2024 and concluded that Dailey’s actions on the morning of January 29, 2023, resulted from substance abuse, not schizophrenia. In previous testimony, the jury learned NMS Labs had conducted a toxicology screen of Dailey’s blood and had found no drugs in his system. When asked to do an expanded drug panel, they only found caffeine in his blood. Dr. O’Brien testified it was Dailey himself who told him he was using CBD products to attempt stopping the use of marijuana. These synthetic marijuana products, testified Dr. O’Brien, caused the symptoms that were apparent in the videos of Dailey’s arrest and interviews taken the day of Kemmer’s murder and do not show up on a toxicology screen. Dr. O’Brien said Dailey’s symptoms are consistent with Autism Spectrum Disorder, not schizophrenia. “He’s a quirky guy. He has a history of quirky behavior,” said Dr. O’Brien. According to Dr. O’Brien, Dailey was fully aware he was at the Kemmer’s house, that a gun was pointed at him, and that he shows a full appreciation of the nature and quality of what took place, making him not legally insane under Pennsylvania law. The fourth day of testimony in the trial of the Commonwealth versus Jeremy Dailey will continue at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, October 18, at the Clarion County Complex Center in Shippenville. Clarion County District Attorney Drew Welsh is representing the state. Clarion County Court of Common Pleas President Judge Sara Seidle-Patton is presiding over the case. </div></body>

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Expert Testimonies Clash Over Jeremy Dailey’s Mental State in Kemmer Murder Case

SHIPPENVILLE, Pa. (EYT) – Day three of the murder trial of Jeremy Dailey–the man accused of killing Thomas Kemmer with his own gun in January of 2023–became the battle of expert witnesses, each with drastically differing opinions on whether Dailey was legally insane when he pulled the trigger.