Mock Trial Micah

Introduce yourself

I’m Dr. Micah Lin, and I'm a board certified clinical and forensic psychologist. I currently serve as the Chief Clinical Psychologist at the Forensic Evaluation Center, or FEC, in Santa Ivo, Midlands.

History in psychology

1. B.S. Cognitive Science from Carnegie Mellon, Psy.D from Pepperdine 

2. I started my career as a cognitive behavioral therapist, then became a psychological consultant for a production studio where I specialized in Reality TV show contestants, and I’ve been working as a clinical psychologist at the FEC for the past 15 years.

1. What do you do at the FEC?

I’m a little different from a regular psychologist; while I do clinical work, diagnosing and treating psychological disorders, I also apply those same principles to legal and criminal justice issues, which is forensic psychology. I’ve evaluated hundreds of criminal defendants, have testified in court countless times, and have multiple publications on the subject.

How did you get involved in this case?

The defendant, Charlie Martin was referred to the FEC for an evaluation and opinion on an insanity defense. I did the evaluation on May 14, which was about 6.5 hours of clinical interviews and psychological testing.

Did you review anything to supplement your evaluation?

Yes, I reviewed footage from seasons 2 and 10 of the reality show The Saboteurs, as well as the two psychological assessments of Ms. Martin done in preparation for each season.

Are you getting compensated for your work?

Yes, for the evaluation and report I charged a total of $7,500. It's also FEC policy to charge a $10,000 flat fee for testifying in court.

Did you come to any opinions to a reasonable degree of scientific certainty?

Yes, I developed two conclusions, clinical and forensic, based on my review of the evidence provided and my assessments of Ms. Martin.

Let's start with your clinical opinion, what did you find?

In my professional opinion, Charlie Martin suffers from anxiety, depression, and emotional instability caused by PTSD. I can't say for certain whether these conditions developed before or during Season 10 of The Saboteurs, but I believe they likely stemmed from the events of Season 2.

What part of your evaluation led you to that opinion?

I did a four step process, starting with a preliminary interview to get background on Ms. Martin. Then I moved into a more in depth interview to gather more information about her state of mind and perspective of what happened before and during the incident. After that, I had Ms Martin take the BFI assessment, and finally I reviewed all the external supplements provided to me.

Let's go through those step by step. First, can you tell us what you learned through that preliminary interview?

That was simply to learn about Ms Martin's personal and family history. To my understanding, she has no history of illnesses or disabilities, mental or physical; has not abused drugs or alcohol; there's no history of physical abuse; and she has had no prior legal troubles.

Now, you mentioned a BFI assessment, what is that?

The BFI, or Big Five Inventory Assessment, measures five personality traits; openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. Those five traits don't encompass an individual's entire personality, but the ones measured generally stay stable throughout adult life.

Is this test reliable?

Yes, it's widely used throughout psychological research, counseling, and in clinical settings. There are critiques, of course, that show the possibility of intentionally altering their personalities. Those are outliers and I do not believe that occurred in today's case.

Now let's go over your forensic opinion. What conclusion did you come to?

It's my opinion that having Ms. Martin participate in Season 10 essentially retraumatized her, which led to a decline in her mental health up to the point that she may have experienced a temporary break from reality prior to the events of Episode 9.

What did you use to get to that conclusion?

I used two methods, the MSE and R-CRAS. The MSE is an evaluation that basically ensures Ms. Martin didn't commit an offense due to a severe mental abnormality. The R-CRAS measures the reliability, psychopathology, cognitive control, behavioral control, and organic factors affecting her.

What did those tests tell you?

First and foremost, Ms. Martin doesn't have any severe mental abnormalities that forced her to act in any manner. But using these evaluations to supplement what I learned from watching the footage of Season 10 and my interviews, I have some concerns about her ability to fully appreciate the threat of harm she was creating for Mr. Armstrong and her impulse control.

Would you be able to recognize a transcript of season 10 if it were shown to you(ex. 24)?

Yes

You just gave us a lot of information so I want to make sure we get a clear picture of your opinions. Can you give us a full overview of the opinions you came to about the defendant's psychological state?

It is my professional opinion that the events of Season 2 of The Saboteurs likely traumatised Ms. Martin, causing her to develop anxiety, depression, and emotional instability. Returning to the show retraumatised her, and her mental state declined the longer she was there. This likely resulted in a temporary break from reality during the filming of Episode 9.