This is a new one... "Samantha did it"...

[Guest]

Firefighter Who Blames Arsons On Alternate Personality Sentenced

POSTED: 1:09 pm EST January 27, 2005

Associated Press

YORK, Pa. -- A volunteer firefighter who blamed an alternate personality for setting a series of fires in southern Pennsylvania has been sentenced to four to 15 years in state prison.

Justin Yongue, 23, was sentenced Wednesday in York County Court for six fires set in the Hanover area from October 2001 through January 2002.

He was found guilty of the charges, but mentally ill in August.  

According to attorneys in the case, Yongue suffers from mental disorders including multiple personalities. He had blamed the fires on a personality named "Samantha."

Yongue has been in the York County Prison since January 2002. He could be paroled as early as June 2006. He will receive mental health treatments while serving the rest of his sentence.

:confused2: :confused2: :confused2:

[Guest WolfEMT]

Psychology is such crap because it relies on the "observations" and "interpretations" of the psychologist or psychiatrist. Anyone who commits a crime and then does some reasearch after the fact can come up with ideas on what to tell the shrink, ie what he or she wants to hear, and thus create a successful defense on the grounds of mental defect. Maybe this person is truly mentally insufficient, however, this case smells like the defendant wanted an easy way out.

[Guest ksneubec]

I'm not sure about this one either. It is very hard, however, to fake multiple personalities. While played up in the media, they are actually VERY rare so I would assume that a psychologist hired by the state to examine this person would be very disbelieving to begin with.

[Guest EMSwhitecloud]

If you want to be technical, Psychology is the study of the soul.....coming from the greek godess psyche its not all about interpretations. I honestly dont think someone could fake having a different personalltiy and get away with it. Its not honestly an easy thing to do. He didnt just sit down and say Samantha did it and the pyschologist was like ok....it doesnt happen that way there was obviously something wrong enough with him to be declared mentally ill.....dont underestimate pyschology it could suprise you....educate yourself about...you might understand