A Trifling Matter

A few weeks ago, I was faced with another interesting case. While it did not involve a royal family as my last case did, it was still a case I enjoyed. On the day the case was brought to me, I was sitting in my office reading over the other cases that were going on in the institute. I had the windows open to let the fresh air in. It was a nice warm day as spring was quickly approaching.

I was interrupted when I got a call from my secretary. A woman named Mrs. Peters had come to see me. I put down my files and had my secretary see Mrs. Peters into my office. We went through the customary greetings and I asked why she had come to see me. She had told me that there was recently a murder in her hometown and a woman named Mrs. Wright had been taken as the primary suspect because it was her husband that had been murdered. Mrs. Peters said that the chance of Mrs. Wright being convicted for the murder was getting more and more likely and wanted her examined by a psychologist to see if Mrs. Wright was mentally healthy. Mrs. Peters had been able to have this happen because her husband was the sheriff. If Mrs. Wright proved to having mental conditions the actions taken against her would vary and possibly keep her from a traditional conviction.

Mrs. Peters also informed me of what Mrs. Wright’s life was like. She told me Mrs. Wright was happy and beautiful in her youth. She was even admired among the church choir. However, after marrying her husband, her life took a turn for the worst. She no longer sang in the choir and stopped leaving her home. It was rumor around town that her husband was even abusive.

I agreed to help Mrs. Peters with determining the mental well-being of her friend Mrs. Wright. Mrs. Peters gave me her contact information and the address to the county jail that Mrs. Wright was being kept in. After that Mrs. Peters thanked me and left. On the next day, I got up early and drove to the jail to meet Mrs. Wright.

The jail was a simple building and it showed that the town was not very big. Upon entering the jail I was greeted by the Sheriff. He did not seem very happy to see me, probably because his wife was the reason I was here. Nonetheless, he took me to an interrogation room where Mrs. Wright was already sitting down.

I introduced myself to Mrs. Wright and took a seat across from her at the table. I told her that Mrs. Peters had sent me to talk to her and that talking to me could help with her involvement in her husband’s murder. She looked nervous and a bit reluctant but she agreed to talk to me. I asked her questions about her marriage. I asked questions such as if her husband was abusive or controlling. She told me that after they had been married for a few years he became more and more controlling. He did not want her to leave the house or talk to people of the town. He would also hit her if she would try to act out against him.

I was surprised by the fact of how quickly Mrs. Wright opened up to me. In all my years of being a psychologist nobody has ever been so willing to share such personal information about themselves so quickly. I suppose Mrs. Wright had not had anyone to talk to but her husband in a long time and she would talk to the first person willing to listen. I talked to Mrs. Wright for a while longer before I decided that I heard enough to draw my conclusions about her.

In the case of Mrs. Wright, I believe that she is not mentally insane but may suffer from depression. She had no erratic behavior or any signs that may prove otherwise. In her years with her husband she has gone through a lot. Not being able to go into town and being kept in solitude may have been the cause of any possible depression. In the situation of whether or not she killed her husband, I think it may be possible. Some women who are victims of abuse do eventually decide to fight back and kill their husbands in crimes of passion. This very well may be the case for Mrs. Wright, but that's for the court to figure out.