After TruTV’s live coverage of the Michelle Kehoe trial ended yesterday, the prosecution put on a rebuttal witness, psychiatrist Michael Taylor, who explained that the defendant was neither delusional nor hallucinating at the time of the crime. As I heard his testimony this morning, it reminded me of something else that defense psychologist Marilyn Hutchinson testified yesterday, about which I feel compelled to comment.

Ms. Hutchinson testified that the defendant was under the “delusion” that she was “a bad mother,” despite what everyone else told her. What? A woman who plans to slice her children’s throats is delusional if she thinks she’s a bad mother?

Ms. Hutchinson also testified that the defendant was hallucinating or delusional when she fabricated a tale in advance that a “bad man” was responsible for the murders in order to spare her husband the shame of knowing that his wife was a killer. As Dr. Taylor explained, “the fact that she devised a tale that someone else had done it clearly indicates that she knew what she was doing.”

Dr. Taylor’s testimony may be the first prosecution expert’s testimony that sounded like the truth to me. Thank goodness for this clear, responsible, and ethical expert.