Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Jury rejects Zoloft defense, teen gets 30years in prison By BRUCE SMITH THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CHARLESTON — A 15-year-old who claimed the antidepressant Zoloft drove him to kill his sleeping grandparents and burn their house down was convicted of murder Tuesday and sentenced to 30 years in prison. Christopher Pittman, now 15 and being tried as an adult, hung his head as the jury’s verdict was read after about six hours of deliberation. “I know it’s in the hands of God. Whatever he decides on, that’s what it’s going to be,” Pittman told Circuit Judge Danny Pieper shortly before the sentence was pronounced. The judge’s only other option was life behind bars. The trial, coming at a time of heightened awareness of the side effects of antidepressants, was billed as the first in the United States in which Zoloft was blamed for driving a youngster to kill. Defense attorneys told jurors that the then-12-year-old’s mind was so clouded that he could not tell right from wrong when he killed his grandparents, torched their home and then drove off in their car in November 2001. But prosecutors said Pittman was actually motivated by anger because his grandparents disciplined him for choking a younger student on a school bus — and they reminded jurors of the vicious nature of the crime: Both Joe Pittman, 66, and his wife, Joy, were killed by shotgun blasts to the head as they slept. Afterward, he told police they “deserved it.” Pittman’s father, Joe, told the judge he supports his son even though the victims of the November 2001 shootings were Joe Pittman’s parents. “I love my son with all of my heart, as I did my mom and dad,” he said. “And mom and dad, if they were here today, would be begging for mercy as well.” Later, Joe Pittman called on South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford and President Bush to pardon his son. He said he is a Gulf War veteran and urged the officials to “give my son the benefit of the doubt.” Christopher Pittman cried as several other family members asked for mercy before sentencing. “We’re devastated. We’re heartbroken. We’re mystified the state chooses to treat a 12-year-old as an adult,” defense attorney Andy Vickery told reporters later. “Is it consistent with our notion of decency ... to try 12-year olds for murder?” Prosecutor Barney Giese said he has sympathy for the teenager, “but I also have sympathy for Joe and Joy Pittman.” Christopher Pittman had been hospitalized when he lived in Florida. He ran away from home there and then threatened to kill himself about a month before the slayings. Initially, the youngster told police that a black man had shot his grandparents, burned the house and kidnapped him. Prosecutors said the Zoloft defense was just another smokescreen. “He just happened to be on an antidepressant when this happened,” prosecutor John Meadors said later. Zoloft is the most widely prescribed antidepressant in the United States, with 32.7 million prescriptions written in 2003. Last October, the Food and Drug Administration ordered Zoloft and other antidepressants to carry “black box” warnings — the government’s strongest warning short of a ban — about an increased risk of suicidal behavior in children. Pfizer, the manufacturer of Zoloft, issued a statement saying it was a tragic case and that the testimony showed Pittman needed help before the slayings. “Zoloft didn’t cause his problems nor did the medication drive him to commit murder,” the statement said. “On these two points, both Pfizer and the jury agree.” In April, a Santa Cruz, Calif., jury acquitted a man of attempted murder after he beat his friend then blamed the episode on Zoloft. In at least two cases last year, however, juries in Michigan and North Dakota rejected similar claims. Vickery said he plans appeals, one on the question of whether the state can constitutionally try a 12-year-old in adult court lor murder. Joe Pittman said he embraced his son after the verdict. “We held each other. We cried. We told each other we loved each other and said it’s not over.” SvIa.Vv'tT- i""*: *KX&1jnM3!' ■ FIVE POINTS Continued from page 1 Vacchio seemed perplexed by the idea that white students seem to enjoy hip-hop music but don’t want to be around black clientele. “I don’t understand, but when we started out, I wasn’t playing hard rap. But that’s all anybody wants to hear anymore. That’s all. No one’s going to go out and want to listen to Vanessa Carlton,” he said. Steven Franks, a first-year business student and Five Points frequenter, disagrees with Vacchio’s assertion. “Of course you’re going to have bars that serve one kind of people and bars that serve another kind of people, but I don’t think they should be, at admission, told to purposefully not try and let a race in,” Franks said. Vacchio isn’t the only person coming forward with descriptions of Five Points discrimination. Charles Eaddy, a fourth-year exercise science student, said he was discriminated against at the Knock Knock Club on Harden Street. Eaddy said that even though he was dressed in a collared shirt and slacks, he was denied entrance because his dreadlocks were too long. “Racism discriminates against everybody — not just against black people,” Eaddy said. Rafter’s patron Teresa Berg blamed instances of racism on bouncers, but Vacchio contends that sometimes the management is a part of the problem. “I’ve had people come up here, applying for jobs, saying, ‘Look, I’ve worked at this place, but flat-out, they’ll look at you and say, “We don’t want any niggers in here.”’ That’s just the way it is,” Vacchio said. “And they can’t work in those kind of conditions, because it puts a tremendous amount of strain on door staff.” Still, every bouncer interviewed gave the same answer as to what was acceptable in clubs — that athletic wear, camouflage, beanies, excessively baggy clothing, large chains and plain T-shirts were not allowed. Also, no bouncer admitted to refusing entrance to people because of the color of their skin or to being pressured to discriminate by someone else. Comments on this story? E-?nail gamecocknews@gumi.sc. edu How would you score? Take a FREE practice test at Kaplan’s Test Drive and find out. Saturday, February 26, 2005 10:00 am USC - Gambrell Hall Call or visit us online today to register! 1 -800-KAP-TEST kaptest.com/testdrlve Test Prep and Admissions § ‘Test names are registered trademarks of their respective owners. | THEfeAMECOCK Online five days a week. Stellar. www. dailygamecock. com LIVE PERFORMANCE OF -HARRIET TUBMAN THE CHOSEN ONE Wednesday, February 16 • 8pm Russell House Ballroom • Free of charge * I