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verdict-stands

Wisconsin ex-deputy sheriff with ALS not guilty of double killing

By Brendan O’Brien (Reuters) – A terminally ill former Wisconsin deputy sheriff was found not guilty on Thursday in the shooting deaths of his wife and her sister in his home due to his degenerative neurological disease, court documents showed. In a 10-2 decision, jurors found Andrew Steele, 40, was not responsible for the 2014 killings, by reason of mental disease, according to the records. His attorney had argued that his judgment was impaired by his amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. “The verdict stands for the recognition that brain disorders can and should be considered in evaluating criminal responsibility,” said his lawyer, Jessa Nicholson, in a phone interview.