Psychiatrists say Gordon Lasley suffered from delusions

CEDAR RAPIDS - A Tama County man accused of killing his parents with a machete believed he was infected with AIDS and syphilis, which was a 'hex” placed upon him by his parents, and he thought killing them would heal him, according to motion filed Wednesday in federal court.

According to the motion, Gordon Lasley Jr., 25, told two psychiatrists that he would hear voices and he thought his parents or someone was 'engaging in bad medicine.”

'These delusions became psychotic in nature and Gordon felt (they) required him to kill both of his parents to be healed or cleansed,” according to the opinion of Dr. Dewey Ertz.

Lasley is charged with two counts of first-degree murder. He is accused of killing parents, Gordon Lasley Sr. and Kim Lasley, with a machete in their home on the Meskwaki settlement Feb. 5, according to a criminal complaint.

The defense motion is in response to the prosecution's motion on admissibility of evidence at trial. Prosecutors objected to the defense submitting written reports by expert witnesses because it would be hearsay.

According to Wednesday's motion, the defense now agrees on that point but asks the court to allow the medical experts who evaluated Lasley to testify about these statements. They won't be offered for their truth, only to provide the bases for the experts' opinions regarding Lasley's mental condition.

The prosecution will allow the defense experts to say they believe Lasley has a serious mental disease or defect based upon his statements to them and the testing they conducted, according to the motion. Prosecutors don't think it's necessary for the experts to repeat every statement made to them about what happened that night.

The defense points out that the prosecution intends to discuss with its expert the details of every prior arrest and hospital commitment of Lasley's to discredit his state-of-mind defense. The prosecution also plans to call 35 rebuttal witnesses for corroboration of his alleged prior 'bad acts.”

In this case, two mental health professionals will testify at the time Lasley committed the brutal act he suffered from a 'severe delusional disorder” and the jury should know what the delusions entailed, according to the motion.

'The defendant cannot receive a fair trial when his hands are tied while the government proceeds to shower prejudice upon him,” defense attorneys state.

Lasley's trial is set Dec. 8 in U.S. District Court.