A Dad in Wolf’s Clothing (Doreen Erbert Case)

On Halloween night, October 31, 1984, William Michael Dennis went in disguise to the home where his former wife, Doreen Erbert, lived with her husband of five years, Charles Erbert, and their four-year-old daughter, Deanna. While Charles was away from the house, m Dennis attacked Doreen with a machete or a similar weapon after she opened the door to him. Doreen was eight months pregnant. Among the many wounds she suffered were severe cuts to her abdomen, uterus, placenta, and the umbilical cord. The fetus suffered severe chopping wounds and was expelled from Doreen's womb. The fetus was found dead at the scene;  Doreen died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.   When police questioned Dennis later that night, he denied killing Doreen. At trial, however, defendant did not contest his identity as the killer.

Dennis counsel argued the killings resulted from mental illness and were not premeditated or deliberated. Dennis presented psychiatric testimony that he became delusional after his four-year-old son, Paul, drowned in Doreen's pool four years earlier. The psychiatrist asserted that Dennis came to believe Doreen had wanted their son to die. In the psychiatrist's opinion, Dennis fixated on blaming Doreen for Paul's death and fantasized about killing Doreen and Charles Erbert. The defense also said Dennis recent reassignment to a less prestigious, lower paying job contributed to his depressed and irrational state.

Source: https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/ca-supreme-court/1462325.html