Russell Obremski: A Killer's Luck

The defense was fairly quiet during the state's presentation of the evidence. Defense attorneys rarely challenged witnesses and many times did not even cross-examine them. Clearly, their entire defense rested on the insanity plea.

The first day of the defense, Obremski appeared for the first time wearing handcuffs chained to his waist. Earlier that morning, jail attendants investigating a noise found a hacksaw blade hidden in his mattress. He'd been sawing the bars of his cell. In a violent outburst at being caught, Obremski kicked in the toilet, tore out pipes and damaged the washbasin, sending water gushing down an electrical conduit passage into courthouse offices below. He had threatened to stick one of his defense attorneys in the eye with a pencil and tried to hit the other one with a chair. The attorneys asked the judge to order him chained.