On September 5, 2014, Sheldon, Flood & Haywood partner Joseph Flood succeeded in persuading the Madison County Circuit Court and Commonwealth’s Attorney that capital defendant Rashad Riddick was insane at the time he killed three members of his family in Madison County, Virginia. Mr. Riddick had been charged with six death penalty-eligible capital crimes and five other felonies for the murders that occurred on February 10, 2011. Over the course of nearly four years of pretrial litigation, Mr. Riddick was hospitalized at a state mental hospital four separate times, assaulted Mr. Flood in open court, and repeatedly attempted to represent himself. After Mr. Riddick was found insane and that evidence was not disputed, the trial court entered the acquittal.
This was the second successful insanity murder case Mr. Flood has litigated in the last four years, and represents no less than a remarkable achievement in light of the gruesome nature of the crime, the impact of Mr. Riddick’s psychiatric disabilities on the attorney-client relationship, and the fact that Mr. Flood fought to remain Mr. Riddick’s counsel — even after being assaulted by him — in order to save his life. Several times during the course of litigation it appeared inevitable that the case would proceed to trial with Mr. Riddick representing himself, a course that would have all but assured a death sentence. Thanks to the unflagging advocacy and determination of Mr. Flood, Mr. Riddick is not only alive, but he has been acquitted on grounds of his mental illness.
The insanity acquittal of Mr. Riddick has been covered widely by media outlets throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. More about the case and the result can be found here: READ MORE.
