On Friday, Chambers’ defense attorney, Tony Coleman, filed the notice of intent to raise the question of mental illness or insanity in her defense.
Coleman didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment Monday afternoon.
It’s not clear whether he will pursue an insanity defense for Chambers or if the notice of intent was a procedural action. Attorneys have 30 days after a formal arraignment to file a motion of intent to raise the mental illness or insanity defense; failure to do so precludes seeking that defense later on.
In some states, the burden of proof lies on the defense to prove that the defendant is insane. In Oklahoma, however, it is the prosecution that must prove that the defendant was sane at the time of the crime. A successful insanity defense yields a not guilty verdict rather than a conviction, and the defendant is committed to a state mental hospital for treatment.