CHARLESTON, S.C. — A psychiatrist touted by the defense as the foremost expert on the effects of antidepressants on children testified Friday that Christopher Pittman did not know right from wrong when he shot his grandparents to death.

Dr. David Healy of the University of Wales told jurors that boy's actions were consistent with the "emotional blunting" effect that some experts have associated with the use of Zoloft by children.

Christopher, who was just 12 when he gunned down Joe and Joy Pittman, claims that a voice inside his head told him to kill his grandparents on Nov. 28, 2001.

"Dr. Healy, do you believe that Zoloft caused this boy to kill his grandparents?" asked Andy Vickery, lead defense attorney.

Story continues

advertisement

"I haven't heard any indications so far that it was factors other than Zoloft," Healy said.

Prosecutor John Meadors got Healy to concede on cross-examination that he was only familiar with "half the case."

He reminded jurors, through his questions, that Christopher initially blamed the killings on a black man and then finally confessed, saying, "They deserved it" and that he was not sorry.

Healy said that much of Christopher's behavior could be explained by an adverse reaction to the Zoloft he was prescribed by his family doctor for mild depression.

"The issue is about why he did what did," Healy said. "I believe that he wasn't in a fit state to let people know what's going on."

Christopher's murder trial, which began Jan. 31, has put the issue of antidepressant use by children back into the national spotlight.

Prosecutors contend that while there is some evidence that Zoloft, Paxil and similar drugs may cause patients to have thoughts of suicide, the mere fact that Christopher had been taking both drugs in the month leading up to the killings is not proof that his actions were the result of the medication.

Next week, a child psychiatrist who examined Christopher is expected to testify that Zoloft triggered the violence and that his behavior was consistent with the "psychotic decomposition" experts have identified with patients taking antidepressants for the first time.

The defense has not directly introduced into evidence any of the clinical trials concerning Zoloft that were conducted by the drug's maker, Pfizer.

Jurors heard from one other defense witness on Friday.

Vicki Phillips, former choir director at the church where Christopher went with his grandparents, testified that she had to ask Christopher to stop kicking her piano stool on the day of the killings.

The defense contends that Christopher was experiencing a side effect called "restless leg syndrome."

On cross-examination, prosecutor John Meadors got Phillips to testify that she watched Joe Pittman take Christopher outside, presumably to scold him for his behavior in church. Phillips said she noticed Christopher's demeanor had changed when he returned.

"He looked very angry, didn't he?" Meadors asked.

"Yes, sir," Phillips said. "It was a look I had never seen before."

In stark contrast to the first four days of testimony, Christopher, now 15, smiled much more in court on Friday.

He was released on $175,000 bond on Thursday night, but remains under house arrest in a home relatives rented about 15 minutes from the courthouse. According to sources, Christopher's family celebrated Christmas and other holidays he missed during his three years in juvenile detention facilities.

If convicted, Christopher faces life in prison.