Appeals Court Overturns Subway Pusher's Conviction

A NY State Appeals Court overturned Andrew Goldstein's murder conviction yesterday, paving the way for a new trial. Goldstein fatally pushed Kendra Webdale in front of a subway in 1999. Goldstein's defense team used an insanity defense, as Goldstein was off his medication for schizophrenia. The outcry over Webdale's death prompted "Kendra's Law," which forces "mentally ill people to comply with treatment"; it was also one of the events that spurred then Mayor Giuliani to crack down on homeless people. Goldstein's appeal was based on the fact that a prosecution witness psychiatrist made a diagnosis of Goldstein based on witness accounts - and the defense wasn't even able to talk to those witnesses. And as the conviction ruled out the possibility of insanity, this appeal may impact other mental illness court cases.