aspergers a defense in crimes? :( (a bit graphic)

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I dunno how AS and sociopathy can co-exist. They're like complete opposites.

Impulsive... routine oriented
Lack of anxiety... neurotic
Lives in the moment... zoned out and obsessive
An ability to read others... difficulty picking up cues
Charming... off-putting
Grandiose no matter what the situation... self esteem prone to be damaged
Lack of insight... introspective
Bored easily... doesn't like changes
Isn't startled easily... heightened sensory sensitivity
Smooth and cunning... direct and awkward

Anyways, as for the thread, I don't think Asperger's is a legitimate defense for any crime unless he is purposely being overstimulated to the point of torture. Even then, the violence has to meet the legal definition of self-defense. So stomping someone out long after the overstimulation stopped and/or after the dude's already been knocked out isn't self-defense.

Another good question is: are all murderers sociopaths?

I would say no because not all people who kill are sociopaths. They might have killed because they got in a fight with someone or their partner was cheating on her so she kills him for it or a woman kills her husband because he was beating her and she couldn't get away from him.

To some extent, especially with sex crimes. People with AS are more likely to commit sex crimes because they lack knowledge of what's socially acceptable. One guy with AS was arrested for asking strange women if he could touch their breasts. I think that in cases like that, people with AS should be required to go to therapy.

What seems strange about the Robert Durst case is it wasn't a matter of self defense and yet he was found "not guilty" which is highly unusual, even for someone with a mental illness like schizophrenia, but more common in cases involving rich defendants. What if Robert Durst wasn't from a wealthy family and worth millions and just had Asperger's. Would he still have been aquitted? I doubt he would. The jury might consider the Asperger's defense in some cases, but this one doesn't seem to point to AS as a factor in his crime spree. It appears he was just someone with a bad temper who killed people much like those without AS who do the same thing. If it were true, he doesn't feel remorse or sadness because of AS, why hasn't he been killing people his entire life? At some point, he was working for his father's real estate firm. At some point, he must have known killing people is against the law and people that do it should expect to go to prison.
Of course, people from rich families who commit murder often feel above the law, and if they get caught they can weasel their way out of it somehow, which is exactly what Robert Durst did.

I used to see a LOT of that on Court TV (before it became tru TV) where they would just throw that in there randomly.

I always found it beyond frustrating that they did that and didn't address any of the other things that the person did that don't have anything to do with Asperger's. I also never understood why they would actually use it as a way to try to get them into less trouble.

Many people would go get evaluated AFTER they committed the crime and claimed to be diagnosed. That always made me REALLY mad when they would say that.