Park Dietz
Park Dietz | |
|---|---|
| Born | Park Elliot Dietz August 13, 1948 |
| Alma mater | Cornell University (BA) Johns Hopkins University (MD, PhD, MPH) |
| Occupation | Psychiatrist |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Employer(s) | Park Dietz & Associates, Inc Threat Assessment Group, Inc. UCLA School of Medicine Forensic Sciences Unit, New York State Police Critical Incident Response Group, National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime |
| Known for | Forensic psychiatry Expert testimony in high profile criminal cases |
Park Elliot Dietz (born August 13, 1948) is a forensic psychiatrist who has consulted or testified in many of the highest-profile US criminal cases, including those of spousal killer Betty Broderick, mass murderer Jared Lee Loughner, and serial killers Joel Rifkin, Arthur Shawcross, Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Kaczynski, Richard Kuklinski, the D.C. sniper attacks, and William Bonin.
He came to national prominence in 1982 during his five days of testimony as the prosecution's expert witness in the trial of John Hinckley Jr., for his attempted assassination of President Reagan on March 30, 1981. Then an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Dietz testified that at the time of the shooting, Hinckley knew what he was doing, knew it was wrong, and had the capacity to control his behavior thus was not legally insane. He heads a forensic consulting firm, Park Dietz & Associates.