Psychology Expert Witness & Self Defense Trial

The Arizona Court of Appeals has reversed and remanded the high-profile case of Harold Fish, who’s serving time for shooting a man in what he calls self-defense. The new trial will allow Fish to introduce testimony that was barred from his first case in which the state disallowed Fish from having a psychology expert witness testify that his “fight or flight” instinct could have interfered with his memory.

The case began in 2004, after Fish ran into Grant Kuenzli and his dogs while hiking on a lonely trail in northern Arizona. According to Fish, the only witness, Kuenzli charged aggressively at Fish after failing to control his unleashed canines. Fish pointed a his 10-millimeter handgun at Kuenzli, yelled at him to stop, and then fired three shots that hit the man in the chest.

Excerpted from PhoenixNewTimes.com.