The First Sin of Ross Michael Carlson

Denver resident Carlson, 19, fatally shot his schoolteacher parents in 1983; he displayed no regret or remorse for his action. The defense argued that he had multiple personalities, which Weissberg, head of the psychiatry department at Colorado State Hospital, asserts was the trendy mental disorder of the day. Carlson--intelligent, handsome, articulate, a talented actor--convinced several lawyers and psychiatrists that he suffered from MPD; Weissberg was a witness for the prosecution. After Carlson was institutionalized for five years, experts determined that he was competent to stand trial for murder. Before the trial could begin, however, he died of leukemia. Weissberg offers an interesting analysis of the possible motives for the crime, a theory that he cautions is ``informed speculation'' but which is convincing nonetheless. Photos not seen by PW. (July)