PAXIL: Man kills wife & daughter and attempts to kill another daughter: Greece,

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Tue, 26 Apr 2005 20:33:34 -0400

[sSRI-Research] PAXIL: Man kills wife & daughter and attempts

to kill another daughter: Greece, New York

 

 

 

Paragraph 8 reads: " Prescription drug use. Zacher was taking the

antidepressant Paxil, which a British study has claimed can cause an

increase in suicidal thoughts among new users.

 

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050426/NEWS01/5\

04270304/1002/NEWS

 

Zacher pleads not guilty in death of wife, daughter

 

 

Michael Zeigler

Staff writer

 

 

(April 26, 2005) - A Greece man pleaded not guilty today to charges

that he killed his wife and daughter and seriously injured another

daughter in their home.

 

David M. Zacher, 35, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder

in the deaths of 34-year-old Karelin J. Zacher and 4-year-old Halle J.

Zacher, and first-degree assault in the wounding of 2-year-old

Elizabeth H. " Libby " Zacher.

 

An indictment alleges that Zacher stabbed his wife and daughters April

8 in their home on Cameron Hill Drive.

 

State Supreme Court Justice Joseph D. Valentino ordered Zacher held

without bail in the Monroe County Jail after Zacher's lawyer, John R.

Parrinello, reserved his right to apply for bail at a later time.

 

Parrinello raised the possibility of several defenses, including:

 

Self-defense. During the attack, Zacher suffered wounds to two fingers

on his right hand. The wounds could be construed as defense wounds,

Parrinello said.

 

Insanity. Parrinello has hired a forensic psychiatrist to examine

Zacher and determine whether he was incapacitated by mental disease or

defect.

 

Prescription drug use. Zacher was taking the antidepressant Paxil,

which a British study has claimed can cause an increase in suicidal

thoughts among new users.

Parrinello, however, said it's too early to say whether any of those

defenses would be used.

 

Assistant District Attorney Douglas A. Randall turned over 14 pages of

documents that outline alleged statements made by Zacher to law

enforcement officers after the attack. The nature of the statements

haven't been disclosed.

 

Valentino ordered them sealed after Parrinello said he may challenge

whether the statements can be used in Zacher's trial.

 

Valentino also signed an order of protection barring Zacher from

having any contact with Elizabeth, who is now three and was

hospitalized for six days, and her 7-year-old brother Tyler, who

allegedly witnessed the attack then ran to the nearby home of an uncle

for help.

 

District Attorney Michael C. Green said he doesn't know if Tyler will

be called as a witness, if the case goes to trial.

 

" We'll have to spend a lot of time with this prospective witness and

decide whether it would help the case or whether it would cause

potential harm to the witness, " Green said.

 

MZEIGLER