Man found guilty of stabbing says he was attempting exorcism

Author: the associated press
Published:
MGN Online

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) – A Florida man has been found guilty of first-degree murder in the 1998 stabbing death of his wife.

The Orlando Sentinel reports (http://bit.ly/1PiuPK7 ) 60-year-old Bobby McGee was sentenced to life in prison Friday after his wife, Helene Ball, was stabbed 19 times. McGee’s defense team says McGee was attempting an exorcism to cast out demons inside her.

McGee’s defenders argue he never tried to kill his wife. In 1998, McGee wrote in his diary that he thought Ball was possessed by the devil. The defense team says he thought an exorcism would help save his marriage.

His defenders, Jane Matheny and John Swisher, say McGee received psychiatric treatment while in custody for much of the last two decades. They maintain their client was insane at the time of the killing.

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