PONTIAC, Mich.—A teenager who killed four students at a Michigan school in 2021 was not mentally ill at the time and understood the tragic consequences of his actions, a psychiatrist testified Friday as prosecutors tried to bolster their argument that a life prison sentence fits the mass shooting.
“I can absolutely understand how it would be difficult to imagine how a sane person could commit mass murder,” said Dr. Lisa Anacker, who evaluates criminal defendants at a state psychiatric hospital. “But the research does show us that mental illness does not account for most of the violence in our country.”