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The Davidson defense called three expert witnesses Friday, all of whom testified that despite a lack of mental illness causing psychotic behaviors, Davidson was indeed in an altered state of mind May 2, 2002.
Jason Davidson, 33, Warsaw, is on trial for murder in connection with the shooting death of Samuel Creekmore, 30, on May 2, 2002.
Donald Marks, MD, an expert in internal medicine and a practicing physician, testified that the drugs Zoloft and Ambien, each have toxic effects. According to Marks, these effects resulted in a state of intoxication that left Davidson completely uninhibited and unaware of his actions.
Marks referred to the Physician's Desk Reference, a standard reference for physicians and pharmacists that comprehensively lists all manufacturers warnings regarding prescription medications.
Marks said that the PDR lists adverse effects for Ambien and Zoloft, as described by each drug manufacturer, to be consistent with Davidson's claim of unintentional drug intoxication.
Ambien, a sedative hypnotic, is known and warned by the manufacturer, to cause amnesia, declined inhibitions similar to intoxication by alcohol, hallucination, depersonalization, agitation and others, Marks said.
Zoloft, a selective seratonin reuptake inhibitor, is listed by the manufacturer to potentially cause activation of mania, suicide, interference with cognitive thought and interference with motor performance.
Other SSRI drugs, very chemically similar to Zoloft, are known to sometimes cause induced mood disorders, agitation, aggression, errors in thought and judgment and hypoglycemia.
Marks also testified that Zoloft does increase the dosage of Ambien by at least 43 percent.
In a Power Point presentation, prepared by Marks, he cited a Smith Kline Beechum study that examined the rates of violent behavior believed to have been caused or aggravated by SSRIs.
At least 25 homicides and multiple homicide and suicide attempts were attributed to antidepressant use by the drug manufacturer.
During cross-examination, prosecuting attorney, John Whiteleather, special prosecutor from Whitley County, questioned Marks about Davidson's alleged intoxication. Whiteleather questioned the intentionality of the alleged intoxication.
Marks responded that according to his findings, while the amounts of each drug that Davidson allegedly consumed were high dosages, they were not out of the prescribed realm or used inappropriately.
Whiteleather also noted that Davidson had no toxicology reports following May 2, 2002, to confirm the amounts and types of drugs in his bloodstream.
Defense witness Samuel Mehr, a nuclear physician from Omaha, Neb., presented the jury with testimony regarding alleged abnormalities in Davidson's brain, possibly caused by a head injury as a child.
Mehr testifed that both an MRI and two PET scans of Davidson's brain show abnormalities in the right, front side, the area affected by both Ambien and SSRI medications. These abnormalities cause Davidson's brain to function at a level much lower than is should, Mehr said.
A PET scan shows organ function as opposed to an MRI that shows physical structure.
The MRI showed that Davidson's brain is prematurely aged, with the tissue shriveled as in a much older person, Mehr said. PET scan images also show limited brain functioning, which Mehr say corresponds to the level of premature shrivelling that was apparent in the MRI because shriveled tissue has less activity that normal healthy tissues.
A final witness, James O'Donnell, Ph.D in pharmacy and a board-certified pharmocologist and nutritionist, testifed that after examining Davidson he was certain that "on the evening of May 2, 2002, Mr. Davidson was in a drug-induced intoxicated state by the prescription drugs Ambien and Zoloft."
O'Donnell also testified that Davidson's alleged pre-existing head injury may have lead to increased intoxication because of its location. Mehr concurred with that hypotheses, saying that there is a relationship between adverse drug effects and structural injuries, such as Davidson's.
The Davidson trial will continue in Kosciusko Circuit Court Monday at 9 a.m., with Judge Reed presiding. A verdict is expected Tuesday.
