Professor Bruno Kappes presents research on death-qualified jury at international psychology conference

UAA Professor Bruno Kappes, Ph.D., and his senior teaching assistant, Michael Arnatt, M.S., presented their research on the death-qualified jury last week.

Their research, "American Death-Qualified Juror's Verdicts & Punishments on Insanity," was recently presented at the Ninth Annual International Conference on Psychology in Athens, Greece.

Their expanded study with more than 500 subjects investigated the death penalty, insanity knowledge, attitudes and personal dispositions, as well as several essential opinion questions regarding subjects' responses to rendering a NGRI, GBMI (Guilty but Mental Ill), Not Guilty or a Guilty verdict for accused mass-murder James Holmes. Subjects as prospective jurors were further requested to render specific death or life punishments.

The current death-qualified jury in Colorado are listening and evaluating evidence as the actual trial is in progress and expected to be completed by next month.

Holmes is charged with multiple counts of first-degree murder, 116 counts of attempted murder and was arrested as the suspected perpetrator responsible for the killing of 12 movie patrons as well as inflicting injuries on 70 other persons during the July 20, 2013, movie theater murders in Aurora, Colo.

For more about Kappes and his research, visit his website.

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