Jury: Defendant was sane when he committed murder and arson in Turlock

A jury on Thursday decided that Nicholas John Harris was sane when he stabbed to death Mark Anthony Henson and burned the victim’s car in Turlock. The 27-year-old defendant now faces a maximum sentence of 19 years to life in prison.

In June, the same jury found Harris guilty of second-degree murder and arson in Henson’s death. Harris pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, and the jurors returned to the courtroom for the defendant’s sanity trial.

For four days, the jury heard testimony and arguments about Harris’ mental health. It had to decide whether Harris was suffering from mental illness when he committed the crimes.

The jurors started deliberating Friday afternoon. They continued deliberating Tuesday and Wednesday without reaching a unanimous verdict on both charges. The jury of nine women and three men resumed deliberations Thursday morning for about an hour before notifying the judge it had reached a verdict.

As the jury left the courtroom Thursday, Harris mouthed, “I love you,” to his mother, who sat in the audience. The defendant remains in custody at the Stanislaus County jail.

Steven O’Connor, Harris’ attorney, asked the judge not to schedule the sentencing hearing just yet. He said he wanted some time to decide whether to file a motion for a new trial.

Superior Court Judge Linda McFadden scheduled Harris to return to court Sept. 18, when O’Connor will inform the court whether he intends to file the new trial motion. The sentencing can’t happen until after the judge issues a ruling on the new trial motion.

The stabbing occurred Aug. 12, 2008. The prosecutor argued that Harris wanted to eliminate the man he believed had been bothering his then-girlfriend.

Harris found Henson sleeping in the front seat of his Mitsubishi. A struggle ensued. Houston told the jury Harris repeatedly stabbed Henson in the back.

The defendant then set Henson’s car on fire as the injured man staggered down the street looking for help. Henson, 25, died later at a hospital.

In the sanity trial, attorney Steven O’Connor argued that Harris has bipolar disorder and the mental disease caused him to believe Henson was stalking his girlfriend. He said his client believed he was acting in self-defense.

Deputy District Attorney Michael Houston argued that three forensic psychologists determined Harris knew it was wrong when he was stabbing Henson and when he set the victim’s car on fire.

Psychologist Phil Trompetter, who has testified for prosecutors many times, testified that Harris suffered from bipolar disorder. Houston argued that Trompetter, who was hired by the defense, believed the mental disease didn’t prevent Harris from knowing what he was doing was wrong, which is required to produce an insanity verdict.

Two court-appointed psychologists evaluated Harris and determined he did not suffer from a mental disease.

In the sanity phase of the trial, the defense had to prove it’s more likely than not that Harris was insane when he committed the crimes.

The burden of proof in the guilt phase requires the prosecution to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Harris committed the crimes.

In the guilt phase, Harris testified that playing video games such as “Grand Theft Auto” might have contributed to his mental state that night. “I believe I was having a manic episode,” he told the jury. The defendant didn’t testify in the sanity phase.

This story was originally published August 21, 2014 at 4:52 PM with the headline "Jury: Defendant was sane when he committed murder and arson in Turlock."