THE LINK BETWEEN BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER AND HOMICIDAL BEHAVIOR

When someone is murdered, the first question asked is, why? This article will attempt to provide one possible explanation to that question. The authors will also discuss the impact that a defendant's borderline personality disorder has on legal issues such as criminal responsibility, legal strategy, sentencing and the attorney-client relationship. Matthew Smith was a fifty-year-old divorced male with three children ranging in age from three to sixteen. Although most relationships have their ups and downs, the Smiths' relationship had taken this to the extreme. Despite maintaining that his wife was the love of his life, Mr. Smith constantly accused her of infidelity, made suicidal threats, and complained about her spending. After several trial separations, the couple finally divorced. After having entertained these suicidal thoughts over the course of their relationship, he finally decided to take his own life. On what would have been their twentyfifth wedding anniversary, Mr. Smith got into his car and drove to his ex-wife's apartment. As he waited for her to come home, he obsessed about what his life had become and how all of his problems were her fault. Wanting to make her suffer, he felt strongly that she needed to witness what she had driven him to do. He then saw her talking on the phone as she got out of her car. He approached her car, taking his gun out of his pocket. He called out to her, causing her to turn around. Upon hearing her laughter, he shot her. He then calmly called the police and confessed to the killing