Judge bars vet's insanity defense in Pa. killings

HOLLIDAYSBURG, Pa. (AP) — An Iraq War veteran who says he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder cannot use an insanity defense at his upcoming trial on charges he killed two people while robbing a sandwich shop, a judge has ruled.

Blair County President Judge Jolene Kopriva on Wednesday agreed with prosecutors who contended that Nicholas Horner’s own psychologist couldn’t rule out alcohol as a contributing factor to the April 2009 killings that began with the theft of about $130 from a Subway restaurant in Altoona.

Judge Kopriva said her ruling cannot be appealed to a higher court before Horner’s trial is scheduled to open next week.

Horner fatally shot 19-year-old clerk Scott Garlick, a high school senior, inside the restaurant, then killed Ray Williams while he retrieved his mail outside his home nearby, authorities said. A second employee at the restaurant was wounded.