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From Melissa Holsman's tablet: Top legal point Friday in Tyler Hadley's sentencing hearing

Treasure Coast Newspapers (Stuart, FL) - 3/15/2014

March 14--A main point made by Tyler Hadley's defense on Friday centered on the testimony of a mental health expert who said the 20-year-old was suffering from "severe mental illness" when he killed his parents July 16, 2011.

Dr. Wade Myers, a psychiatrist at Brown University who conducted a psychiatric evaluation of Hadley, said he had a long history of being treated with drugs to combat anxiety and depression.

He said the last antidepressant medication he was on called Celexa, "revved up" Hadley's violent thoughts of killing his parents.

But for as much as Myers stressed Hadley was driven by delusional violent thoughts and suffered a "major depression with psychotic features," state prosecutors challenged such findings.

Chief Assistant State Attorney Tom Bakkedahl spent hours pouring over detailed reports from various mental health experts who have evaluated Hadley, pointing out inconsistencies.

He often asked Myers if it was possible Hadley was lying when being evaluated in order to manipulate the outcome of their reports.

Bakkedahl asked Myers point blank if Hadley ever lied to him or fashioned responses to influence the doctor's diagnosis.

"It's possible," Myers finally concluded. "But I saw no clinical proof of that."

Follow Melissa Holsman on Twitter @MHolsman. Engage with her @TCPalm and use #TylerHadley

Click here for all the stories, photos and videos on Tyler Hadley.

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