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Rachel Spendlove

Ms. Moser

Period 2

20 April 2017

Mock Trial

For the case of Dale Reynolds v. The State of Washington, the jury decided that Dale was

not guilty of the murder of his stepfather Thomas Simpson. The jury determined that Dale was

simply defending himself when he shot his stepfather. Although there is no evidence to prove

that Simpson was after him, Dales perception of reality was altered by many different factors.

Dale had battered child syndrome, and he also happened to be drunk at the time of the murder.

First, Thomas Simpson had abused Dale Reynolds almost daily for the past 12 years,

since he was 6 years old. The affidavit says, Dale states that Simpson was subject to

unpredictable bursts of anger, when he would beat them, smash their toys, and threaten to kill

them for failing to do chores around the house. This caused Dale to have battered child

syndrome which makes the victim feel as if they are in imminent danger at any time. The

feeling of danger was even more amplified when, the previous night, Simpson told Reynolds that

he would, get rid of him once and for all. This clearly made Dale especially nervous, and he

felt the need to protect himself from his stepfather.

Another reason Dales perception was off is because he had been drinking some of his

stepfathers alcohol in order to make him mad, and was drunk the night of the murder. Detective

Nickie Loo said that when she arrived at the house, she could smell the alcohol in his breath.

Drinking alcohol can affect parts of the brain that control movement, judgement, and memory.
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This can lead to impulsive behavior and memory lapses. The consequences of alcohol are

especially magnified in the brain of a teenager, such as Dale.

Some may say that because Dale purposefully drank the alcohol to try to provoke his

stepfather, that he is responsible for any outburst that Simpson may have had when he returned

home just before the murder. However, Dale is not responsible for the actions of his stepfather.

Again, because of Dales battered child syndrome, he was not thinking clearly, and acted

irrationally.

If the decision was up to me, I would have exonerated Dale. In my opinion, the facts that

Dale had battered child syndrome and that he was drunk reasonably explain why Dale was not

able to think clearly, and acted in self defense, even if he was not in imminent danger. Dales

perception of reality was altered, and he was only trying to defend himself when he murdered his

stepfather, Thomas Simpson.