2. A Long Shot That the Jury Bought
Steven Steinberg’s defense was helped by evidence of sloppiness and incompetence on the part of the Scottsdale police in their investigation. Steven himself testified that he was unaware of the homicide at the time, that he was asleep when it took place, and so it must have happened while he was sleepwalking. The defense brought in a psychiatrist as an expert witness, who testified that Steinberg killed his wife in the midst of a dissociative reaction. As such, the defendant’s lawyers argued, he could not have been aware of what he was doing at the time. Steven himself was a presentable person who came across as a nice guy. After their deliberations, the jury returned its verdict. They found that the defendant was not guilty on grounds that he had suffered from temporary insanity when he killed his wife.
