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Monday, March 8, 2010

This Week in Crime: Wetsuit-Clad Reston Resident Pleads Not Guilty in 2008 Murder of Cab Driver

110508gargiuloevan.jpgReston resident Evan Gargiulo, who was charged in the November 2008 slaying of a taxi driver in Tysons Corner while wearing a wetsuit from a Halloween party, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

Evan D. Gargiulo, now 23, had been at a Halloween party in the District, and claimed his wallet and keys had been stolen at the party. He convinced Nazir to drive him home to Reston, where he apparently retrieved a 9 mm handgun, then had Nazir drive him back to his car at Tysons.

Gargiulo told police that he didn't have any cash, and that Nazir heard this and tried to climb over the front seat to attack him, so Gargiulo shot him. In a pretrial hearing, prosecutors revealed that Nazir was still wearing his seat belt when he was discovered.

This morning, Gargiulo entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. Lawyers told Fairfax Circuit Court Judge Bruce D. White the trial should take four or five days.
An update on Garguilo's insanity defense:
Renowned psychologist Stanton Samenow, who often testifies against defendants making an insanity claim, examined Gargiulo and found that he was "psychologically destabilized," defense attorney Steven Garver said, and "was unable to distinguish right from wrong as a result of that mental illness."

7 comments:

  1. His crime wasn't.

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  2. Where does one keep a 9mm in a wetsuit?

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  3. Broke in Charter Oak (BiCO)March 9, 2010 at 7:28 AM

    Agreed with Anonymous @ 8:53 PM! ;-) Growwll! Too bad all the good ones are criminals or taken! D'oh! Alas, back to flexing as I run on the W&OD to give slightly pre-menopausal women hot flashes of russet brown, mauve, and sepia!

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  4. I can testify that anwhere one can conceal something as large as a 9 in a wetsuit is gonna' be really uncomfortable! Yes, I really am a diver.

    Insanity defense? Taking a gat to a party where alcohol is consumed isn't insane, just freakin' stupid. A concealed pistol is a lot of trouble. How could he have gone to that effort yet forgot his wallet?

    Is there a stupidity defense?

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  5. scubadiver, read the article again. The guy didn't bring the 9 to the party. He hailed the cab in DC after leaving the party. The cab brought him to his home in Reston where he picked up the 9, then drove him to Tyson's to his car. They didn't mention it, but I'm wondering if when he got home he changed out of his wetsuit for the ride to Tysons. Of course this is all based on claims by the defendent, so who knows what really happened - he could indeed have taken his 9 to the party, we don't really know for sure. In any case, it'll be interesting how this guy will justify based on insanity. There's been nothing about a history of mental issues, etc. Seems like a convenient excuse, but we'll see.

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  6. He better have something substantial to offer up in court. From what I understand, the insanity defense is rarely a winning strategy.

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