NEW YORK (AP) -- The jury hearing the trial of a writer who posed as a firefighter and sexually abused a co-worker will hear the defendant's written musings about killing the editor in chief of Vogue magazine, a judge ruled Monday.
Lawyers for Peter Braunstein had argued to keep those writings away from the jury, along with his journal entries about serial killer David "Son of Sam'' Berkowitz, fictional cannibal Hannibal Lecter, the Columbine massacre, and a quote from the Notorious B.I.G. about killing.
State Supreme Court Justice Thomas Farber said the case is only about the night of Oct. 31, 2005, when Braunstein is accused of carrying out his attack. So the judge excluded everything except Braunstein's rants about Vogue's Anna Wintour; he said that material is relevant without being especially prejudicial.
Braunstein worked as a fashion writer, and the victim was a former co-worker at Fairchild Publications, parent of Women's Wear Daily and W magazine. Braunstein also dated the beauty editor at W magazine, and was accused at one point of harassing her.
Braunstein's writings about Wintour include the remark, "So I'll tell you why I'm going to kill Anna Wintour -- because I just feel like it.''
At another point Braunstein writes that Wintour would go to a hell run and guarded by large rats. He said she wouldn't need furs because, being in hell, she would only need "tropical'' wear.
Many commentators on the fashion industry have said the main character in Lauren Weisberger's novel "The Devil Wears Prada'' was meant to resemble Wintour. Weisberger was Wintour's personal assistant in 1999-2000.
Braunstein has pleaded not guilty to kidnapping, burglary, sex abuse and robbery charges, although his lawyers concede he attacked the woman. Braunstein's lawyers say their client is mentally ill and should not be held criminally responsible for the attack.
Prosecutors say Braunstein ignited smoke bombs while wearing firefighter gear and bluffed his way into his former co-worker's apartment, where he held her prisoner and sexually abused her for nearly 13 hours.
In support of their psychiatric defense, Braunstein's lawyers have called a psychiatrist and a clinical psychologist.
The psychologist, Dr. Barbara Kirwin, testified Monday that she found Braunstein to be a "textbook'' case of paranoid schizophrenia and a person who was determined to kill himself.
Kirwin said people with Braunstein's type of mental illness "are sort of crazy in a narrow range.'' She said that means they may be very intelligent and functional normally except in that narrow range where they "talk to God.'' They don't think everybody's out to get them -- just certain people or institutions, like the government or their boss.
Kirwin said Braunstein told her he bashed his own head against his jail cell bars, and was amazed he survived the stabbing in the neck he inflicted on himself when he was about to be captured in Memphis after six weeks on the run.
The psychologist said Braunstein told her he intended to continue trying to kill himself.
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