The Tel Aviv District Court has agreed to a three-week recess in the trial of Yigal Amir for the murder of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
The recess was called Thursday to allow the 25-year-old to undergo additional psychiatric examinations.
Defense attorneys have so far resisted an insanity plea, but Amir did agree to undergo an initial psychiatric evaluation earlier this month at the court’s request.
One of Amir’s court-appointed attorneys, Shmuel Fleishman, has said that the defense is considering arguing that Amir was not in emotional control of himself during the assassination. Such an argument could reduce the charges against him and bring a shorter sentence.
Under the Israeli criminal code, a defendant convicted of murder can get less than a life sentence if it is proven that he suffered from emotional problems at the time of committing the crime.
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