Casino robbery suspect was sleepwalking, lawyer says - Polidicks

[img]http://d2om8tvz4lgco4.cloudfront.net/archive/x40874550/g12c000000000000000ad783f0ad67070b9c26a87c450eea371732859d7.jpg[/img] [quote] New London, Conn. — A Bridgeport man whose robbery attempt was thwarted by an 81-year-old casino patron was sleepwalking at the time of the crime, his defense attorney claims. Winston A. Riley, 27, of Bridgeport, was arrested on March 18, two hours after Riley allegedly confronted a Mohegan Sun casino patron with a knife in a parking garage elevator. The two were alone in the elevator at 10:39 a.m. when the woman said Riley flashed a large knife and tried to grab the woman’s purse, police said. The victim resisted, according to police, and pushed Riley away when he tried to cut the purse loose. Riley fled when the elevator door opened but was tracked by casino surveillance cameras, police said. Riley, still held in lieu of bail, was in a New London courtroom Wednesday with defense attorney Nicholas D’Amato. Judge Patrick J. Clifford agreed to lower bail from $100,000 to $85,000 — presumably because Riley has a clean record. D’Amato said he has prepared a “medical defense” that relies on Riley’s history of sleepwalking. D’Amato, of the Bridgeport-based firm Tina Sypek D’Amato LLC, said he has already spoken to Riley’s family to confirm he has been sleepwalking since he was a child. “It is the first time we’ve encountered this,” D’Amato said. “This is a legitimate medical condition.” D’Amato plans to argue that Riley wasn’t feeling well and had napped in his car on the morning of the incident. Riley was actually woken up by the woman in the elevator, running away in confusion and fright, he said. D’Amato said while he has anecdotal evidence, he is in the early stages of gathering medical records in his attempt to gather proof and convince prosecutors they should take the claim seriously. “This is not going to be an easy defense to present,” D’Amato admits. “We really have the burden to prove this. The prosecutors are not going to drop the case because we say so.” Police say that after his arrest in Madison, Riley confessed to the crime, but “he did not know why he did it.” “He had a momentary lapse of judgment,” according to the police report. “He just wanted some money. When she fought back, he became scared and ran away.” D’Amato said the facts don’t add up. “I told the judge and prosecutor, ‘Here’s a guy who’s (27), no criminal record, married,’ ” D’Amato said. “ ‘Do you honestly think he woke up one morning, drove across the state and decided to rob a woman’ ” in a place full of security cameras? “It doesn’t make sense if you think about it rationally.” [/quote] Read more: Casino robbery suspect was sleepwalking, lawyer says - Norwich, CT - The Bulletin [url]http://www.norwichbulletin.com/news/x181342472/Accused-casino-robber-claims-sleepwalking-defense#ixzz1xMMpV24T[/url] those are some incredible sleepwalking skills

Do it so much it becomes subconscious.

talk about lucid dreaming!

Dam Stereotypes. Oh wait.

wait is this really possible? sounds like the most pathetic defense I've ever heard of.

[QUOTE=Azzator;36268519]wait is this really possible? sounds like the most pathetic defense I've ever heard of.[/QUOTE] [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homicidal_sleepwalking[/url] Yea, this sort of stuff is technically possible.

well, he does look like he's asleep in his mugshot.

[QUOTE=Xion12;36268770]well, he does look like he's asleep in his mugshot.[/QUOTE] Sleep walk through court Wake up in prison "What the fuck is going on!?"

I guess it's a plausible defense in theory but I seriously doubt they will get any support from a judge or jury on this.

I used to sleepwalk when I was little, you're capable of doing anything you would do in the day: running, driving, eating, opening doors, turning on and off things and so on even talking, you're just not conscious about what you are doing, and when awake you have no memory of it..

[QUOTE=Azzator;36268519]wait is this really possible? sounds like the most pathetic defense I've ever heard of.[/QUOTE] I once sleepwalked when I was smaller. I apparently "woke up" at 2 AM, went to the living room and talked with my parents. Then went back to bed.

"You murdered two people, shot them dead in the street" "Sir, I dreamed that I killed people! I was asleep! I don't know what's going on!" "..."

I occasionally sit up in the night and speak to people, there have times my family have awoke to see me streching my arms for a workout or even "watching" tv while I was asleep.

This requires a brutal crackdown on sleep.

[QUOTE=KnightSolaire;36274662]I occasionally sit up in the night and speak to people, there have times my family have awoke to see me streching my arms for a workout or even "watching" tv while I was asleep.[/QUOTE] Reminds me of that one thread about filming yourself sleep. Some Facepuncher found out that he talks to himself and masturbates in his sleep.

Ban sleeping.

He actually looks tired.

[QUOTE=Da_Maniac_;36275348]Ban sleeping.[/QUOTE] Save our children

[QUOTE=Secrios;36275672]He actually looks tired.[/QUOTE] Wouldn't you be? You're going to sleep so you get rested but instead you go rob a casino and get arrested.

Tie people to beds.

[QUOTE=SatansSin;36271648]"You murdered two people, shot them dead in the street" "Sir, I dreamed that I killed people! I was asleep! I don't know what's going on!" "..."[/QUOTE]The scary thing is this kind of thing actually happens.

I sleepwalk often but I seriously, seriously doubt I could try to rob someone in my sleep. It's usually just talking to others or getting out of bed and into another bed (occupied or not).

I sleepwalked once. In my sleep, I apparently went to the closet and just grabbed all the food inside, then collapsed in my bed. I woke up with a face full of chips ahoy and a bunch of crumbs everywhere.