Richard “Darren” Emery is accused of killing four people on December 28, 2018. Prosecutors say he planned the murders; his lawyers say it was a dissociative episode.
ST CHARLES, Mo. — When defense attorneys made their opening statements more than a week ago, they admitted their client “he killed four people he lovedbut they spent their second day of testimony explaining why the crimes don’t meet the criteria for first-degree murder.
Emery is accused of killing his girlfriend, his two young children and his mother in 2018. He faces four counts of first-degree murder and several other felony charges allegedly committed in the hours-long chase that followed the shooting.
Psychologist Michael Hendricks spent more than five hours on the stand Wednesday, testifying that he had diagnosed Emery with borderline personality disorder and major depressive disorder, adding that Emery was likely in a dissociated state after his girlfriend told him that leave the house, provoked by an old fear of abandonment.
“He had invested a lot in this relationship emotionally and what was happening now was that he was being told that it was all over,” Dr. Hendricks said. “Everything she had left, she had left for nothing.”
Hendricks listed experiences where friends, family and co-workers had left Emery behind. He explained that Emery felt she had made significant sacrifices, including giving up her beloved dog, to make the relationship work.
Emery’s girlfriend, Kate Kasen, 39, was found at her home with her two young children, Zoe Kasen, 8, and Jonathan Kasen, 10, along with their mother, Jane Moeckel, 61.
The prosecution argued that there are millions of people with the same diagnosis as Emery who are not homicides.
Defense attorneys also called Emery’s ex-wife, Karen Austin, to the stand Wednesday, explaining that she had never seen him display violence.
“The police came to my house and told me what was going on. I didn’t believe them. It was very hard for me to understand. It just didn’t make sense,” he said.
Judge Michael Fargas sent jurors home early Wednesday, telling them he expected “tomorrow’s testimony to be extensive.”
5 On Your Side will continue to bring you developments from the courtroom.
