In the trial of Rene Patrick Bourassa Jr., the defendant and his attorneys made no effort to deny he had killed 80-year-old Lillian Wilson. Bourassa even walked the authorities through the murder, re-enacting it for them. He had been sleeping at the church that week, first outside, and then in the chapel, presumably to escape the heat and mosquitoes. When Wilson walked into the church that morning, Bourassa picked up a brass cross from the Communion table, beat her to death, and stole her car.
The crime could have been set in 1930 or 1970; most of the details seemed familiar, almost old-fashioned. But what was decidedly modern was the question of moral culpability that arose during the trial: The lawyers didn’t argue over whether Bourassa had committed the crime; they argued over whether his brain made him do it.
Read the full, original story: My Genes Did It!
