From News 14 Carolina:Updated: 3/11/2006 11:10 AM
By: Kate Barker, News 14 Carolina
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- David Crespi, the former bank executive who is accused of stabbing his twin 5-year-old daughters to death, has a long history of depression, according to medical records made public Friday.The documents show that Crespi, 45, of Matthews, has been battling depression for more than 20 years. He even attempted suicide on several occasions.
According to the documents, Crespi started taking Prozac just days before he allegedly stabbed his daughters Jan. 20. He had been taking Paxil, another antidepressant, on and off in the past.
Melinda Harper, a doctor from Queens University of Charlotte, read Crespi's medical records Friday. She said antidepressants, in isolated cases, can lead to erratic behavior."There have been some reported cases of some more extreme side effects, which can include abnormal thinking, hallucinations, increased aggression and hostility," she said.Paul Whitfield, a defense attorney from Charlotte, predicts that Crespi's lawyers will use an insanity defense. "If I were the defense lawyer, I’d get the very best psychiatrist I could and not let my client talk to anyone but him and me," Whitfield said.
A medical evaluation was done on Crespi three days after his arrest. The doctor said Crespi was severely depressed and constantly having suicidal thoughts.Crespi is being held at Raleigh’s Central Prison on two counts of first-degree murder. He was originally being held at the Mecklenburg County Jail, but his doctors, citing safety concerns, recommended the transfer.“Central Prison has a 144-bed mental health center," prison spokesman Keith Acree said. "It has psychiatrists and psychologists. … Those mental health services are available around the clock."A trial date has not been set.
