Joseph Corey, 67, admits shooting animal officer Roy Marcum, 45, but lawyers say he should not be found guilty of first-degree murder because his hoarding disorder means he could not have planned the killing
A TV psychologist has testified at the trial of a hoarder who shot and killed an animal control officer as he came to take the man's pets away.
Joseph Corey, 67, fired on officer Roy Marcum, 45, as Mr Marcum came to take eight dogs and two cats away as Corey was being evicted.
Prosecutors have been arguing for a first-degree murder conviction, but the defense says because of Corey's obsessive disorder he was unable to plan the killing - a necessary condition for a first-degree charge.
Today the jury heard from Robin Zasio, from the show 'Hoarders', who said Corey appeared to be suffering from the disorder.
Looking at images of Corey's house, with garbage piled six feet high, small alleys cleared between the trash, and animals locked in small cages, Ms Zasio said it he bore all the hallmarks of a hoarder.
Ms Zasio, who also founded the Sacramento-based Compulsive Hoarding Center, told the court the threat of somebody taking a hoarder's possessions away would be 'devastating'.
According to the Sacramento Bee, she said: 'For somebody whose existence is based on caring for these animals and protecting their stuff I can’t think of any other word to say but devastating.
'It’s chemically driven. You will see very extreme anxiety and fear because of the chemicals going through their brain.
'They believe they’re doing these animals a favor. [The animals] are almost like their children in their own mind. That’s what their interaction is during the day, between them and their animals.'
When asked whether such a threat could drive a hoarder to become suicidal or homicidal, she said 'absolutely'.
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ShareZasio estimated that there are around 4million hoarders living in America, but under cross-examination from the defence, admitted that she had never before seen a case of a hoarder killing someone who had come to take their possessions.
Corey, a retired mechanic, shot and killed Mr Marcum on November 28, 2012, at his home in Galt, about 20 miles south of Sacramento, California.
Robin Zasio, from TV show Hoarders, said Corey appeared to be suffering from a compulsive disorder, and suggested that threatening to take his possessions away could have made make him homicidal
Corey was in the process of being evicted after failing to make a payment on his house for more than three years, and a sheriff's deputy served him with an eviction notice.
Corey was forced to move out of the house, and the locks were changed. While he was able to put his physical possessions into storage, his eight dogs and two cats were left behind.
Corey was told they would be taken from him unless he found a suitable home for them.
The following day Mr Marcum was sent to Corey's house to retrieve the animals, but unknown to him, Corey had suck back inside, blocked the door and was armed and waiting.
As Mr Marcum approached the front door, Corey grabbed a high-powered a 35 Whelen bolt-action hunting rifle, crouched at the top of the stairs, and fired down through the porch glass.
Corey shot Mr Marcum with a high-powered hunting rifle in November 2012 as Mr Marcum came to take his pets away, sparking an 17-hour standoff with police (pictured)
Mr Marcum was hit in the left side, and later died in hospital. The shooting sparked a 17-hour standoff with police, after which Corey gave himself up.
The trial also heard from Charlotte Marcum, Mr Marcum's mother, who said she visited Corey while he was in jail to challenge him over her son's killing.
When she asked him why he had opened fire, she claims Corey responded: 'Because I wanted to kill an officer.'
The defense has now rested, and the attorneys are scheduled to present their final arguments to the jury on Wednesday, after which the panel will begin its deliberations.
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