Psychologist: Murder suspect was delusional

Adam Christenson appeared calm and seemed to understand what he was doing when he confessed to murdering a neighbor in 2004, police officers testified Wednesday.

Only because he was delusional and wanted the police to protect him from two killers Christenson had imagined and believed were out to get him, a psychologist countered.

In the first day of a hearing to determine if Christenson's confession to the July 14, 2004, stabbing death of Elizabeth Willding can be used against him, two different pictures of the 19 hours of questioning emerged.

Detectives Michael Keller and John Scheltz of the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force said Christenson readily agreed to answer their questions.

He waived his right to remain silent twice and confessed to killing the girl when she interrupted his second burglary of her Ingleside home in as many days.

But psychologist Antoinette Kavanaugh said Christenson's long history of mental illness had led him to create a delusional belief system that police took advantage of.

The real reason Christenson agreed to speak to police was because he believed two other people had committed the murder and were out to harm him, she said.

In the world Christenson created with his mind, confessing to a murder he did not commit was a better option than being released by police and having to face the two people alone.

Assistant State's Attorney Michael Mermel challenged Kavanuagh's opinion by asking her why Christenson originally denied his involvement in the killing if his need to remain in police custody was so overwhelming.

Kavanaugh said she could not explain why Christenson would do that, nor could she say exactly what his mental condition was three years ago based on conversations she had with him this year.

Assistant Public Defender Keith Grant said that Christenson's bipolar disorder, which was among the reasons he was found unfit for trial in 2005 and resulted in a year's worth of treatment in state facilities, was not being treated with medication at the time of his arrest.

Circuit Judge James Booras is expected to rule on the issue this morning after final arguments by the lawyers.