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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 22, 1985)
Professor testifies in arson, beating trial By Jolayne Houtz Of the Emerald A University professor, the victim of a Nov. 8 arson and alleged beating, testified Friday about the mental problems and “delusions” of the case’s defendant. Harry Wolcott, 55, an educa tion and anthropology pro fessor, said that Douglas An drew Briles’ mental problems appeared to begin in January 1982 when Briles believed he had murdered his father. Briles, 24, of Escondido, Calif., is accused of beating Wolcott with a wooden dowel and burning down Wolcott’s Eugene house at 85711 S. Willamette St. Briles is charged with first-degree arson, first degree burglary and second degree assault. Defense attorney Ted Carp contends that Briles, a diagnos ed paranoid schizophrenic, was suffering from a mental disease or defect when he committed the crime and cannot be held responsible for his actions. Wolcott said Briles. who lived in a lean-to shack he had built on Wolcott’s property from May 1980 to April 1982, continued to believe he had killed his father, Ted Briles of Eugene, during an argument over his father’s refusal to buy his son a motorcycle. Wolcott said Briles men tioned feeling what he called “a sledgehammer to the brain” during this time, and Wolcott believed he was experiencing deep mental anguish. Wolcott said he finally suc ceeded in getting Briles to visit a local mental health counselor, but it did not appear to help what Wolcott saw as Briles’ worsening mental condition. Briles decided to leave Eugene soon after this visit, Wolcott said. Wolcott said Briles lived on his property, although without Wolcott’s express or written consent, for almost a year before the two entered a homosexual relationship. Briles eventually returned to Escondido, where his mother lives, and Wolcott began writing him there in July of 1982. Wolcott said he decided to use Briles' life history for an ar ticle in the fall of 1981 and paid Briles approximately $100 out of the grant money for his time and some editing Briles did on the article. The article, published in spr ing 1983, is entitled, “Adequate Schools and Inadequate Educa tion: The Life History of a Sneaky Kid.” The article ex amines “Brad,” a young man with a history of juvenile problems and petty thefts, who unsuccessfully attempts to rob a convenience store. Defense attorney Carp and Wolcott debated over whether Wolcott would have used Briles as the subject of the article if he had believed Briles had brain damage. “Does Mr. Briles have brain damage?” Wolcott asked Carp. “1 damn well do!” Briles shot out angrily from the counsel table. Both the defense and Deputy District Attorney Frank Papagni agree that Briles has been diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic, but Papagni said a psychiatrist has diagnosed Briles as also suffering from an antisocial personality disorder. Papagni said he will try to prove that Briles was under the influence of this disorder when he acted last November. In Oregon, a person who lacks the ability to understand that he or she is committing a crime can be determined “guil ty except for insanity.” Per sonality disorders or antisocial tendencies do not qualify as a “mental disease or defect” under this law. Wolcott said he returned to his house Nov. 8, unaware that Briles was in Eugene and that he was in fact hiding in his Measure 9 to increase student involvement in health insurance Increased student participa tion in the health insurance pro cess is the goal of Ballot Measure 9, one of nine measures students will vote on in the general elections Wednesday and Thursday, says Mike Grossmann, chair of the ASUO Student Insurance Committee. The measure, a proposed amendment to the ASUO Con stitution, would allow the ASUO president to appoint students to a permanent Health Insurance Committee. This committee would oversee and set policies for the ASUO health insurance program, which pro vides coverage to University students and their dependents. There has been an acting in surance committee for some time, Grossmann said, but this group has met on an irregular basis, primarily when an impor tant issue arose. Grossmann said the establish ment of a permanent committee would be more effective than maintaining the current system because it would provide the continuity and active student participation that has been lack ing in the past. The amendment proposes that the committee be composed of five students, to be appointed by the ASUO president and sub ject to confirmation by the Stu dent University Affairs Board. Three of the five students will COUPON COUPON COUPON COUPON COUPON COUPON aerlachEs New 20”X30 poster prints by Kodak! Made from 35mm Kodacolor film negatives or transparencies. SPECIAL COUPON OFFER $1395 With Coupon Good Through 4/28/85 WHEN YOU CAN'T TAKE 'EM OVER. TAKE 'EM TO GERLACH'S! „ qerlach’s CAMERA CENTERS Centennial Center On Campus l,> i W i ••ntpnnial Blvlt •/46 65II H49E»SI 1 3lh• 344 88*0 COUPON COUPON o o c ■O o COUPON z serve one-year terms, and the other two will serve for stag gered, two-year terms. The responsibilities of the committee will include contract negotiation and renewal, evaluation of the agent of record, and review of the schedule of benefits offered. The Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) is more than a college program. It's a tradition. And for 165 years, ROTC has been training people to do a job which is also a tradition. The job of an Army officer. In 1819, Captain Alden Partridge, former superintendent at West Point, started what we know today as Army ROTC. He felt that our country needed more "citizen soldiers.” So he established the first private school to offer military instruction. It didn't take long for his idea to spread. By the turn of the century, 105 colleges and universities across the country were offering military instruction on their campuses. Today, with Army ROTC available at more than 1,300 colleges and universities, the program is stronger than ever. The Two-Year Program If you're about to graduate from junior college or a community college, the Army ROTC Two-Year Program is designed for you. This program is also available to service veterans, junior ROTC graduates and students at four-year colleges who missed enrolling in the Basic Course. The Two-Year Program is essentially the ROTC Advanced Course. But before enrolling, you must complete the Army ROTC Basic Camp. You'll find it invaluable in helping you catch up with cadets who have already had two years of ROTC training. You'll also get paid for attending this six-week camp. Army ROTC. A great way to begin your future as an officer. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: MAJOR PEACOCK 686-3102 or visit 1679 Agate St. (across from Hayward Field) house. Briles allegedly knocked Wolcott to the floor and began beating him with a wooden dowel he brought with him from California, where he had lived until two days before ar riving in Eugene by bus. When Wolcott grabbed the dowel, he said Briles picked up a two-by-four and continued beating Wolcott, repeating, “I’m going to kill you.” r Wolcott said he escaped from the house and Briles apparently fled after setting fire to the house, which he had soaked with 500 gallons of stove oil from a nearby storage tank before Wolcott came home. The Lane County Circuit Court trial will resume today at 1:30 p.m. and is expected to continue at least through the end of the week. ^German AUTO SERVICE VW’S MERCEDES BMW’S DATSUN TOYOTA Reliable service >oryour OQ1 O 2025 Franklin Blvd foreign car since 1963 \ £m Eugene, Ore 97403 Coffee Bean of the Month Panamanian Coffee Good through month of April KINKO’S 860 E. 13th • 344-7894 —- Great quality-Great price nahcuA M-F 9 30-600/Sat.930 -500/Sun.-noon- 4 00 Northwest corner of 29 th L Willamette no appointments 343-1182
