Man fakes heart attack in court room, then sentenced to 42 years in prison
The second time Keison Wilkins acted as his own attorney for a felonious assault trial didn't work out so well.
Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Mary Katherine Huffman sentenced Wilkins to 42 years in prison Monday, June 30.
The sentencing capped off a week of Wilkins' antics, which frequently caused Huffman to clear the courtroom. At one point he began yelling about lynchings. On Thursday, he apparently faked a heart attack, collapsing to the floor while uninterested observers watched
After the "attack," during which medical personnel checked him out and found nothing wrong with him, Wilkins sat in a chair, pretending to be unconscious. When a deputy put an ammonia stick under his nose Wilkins responded, opened his eyes, then went back to feigning unconsciousness.
Wilkins, 33, who has an eighth-grade education, successfully represented himself before. In March 2005, a jury acquitted him of a different felonious assault charge, but a judge convicted him of being a felon in possession of a weapon. -- Dayton Daily News
As ridiculous as he looked, I actually have to admire his devotion to the role. The only time he broke character was after they waved that ammonia stick under his nose, but then he immediately went back to feigning unconsciousness. That type of theatrical resolve is nearly Shakespearean. I know anytime I try to trick someone into thinking that I'm pretend-sleeping, I end up cracking up and smiling after five seconds. I can't act.
No comments:
Post a Comment