Schizophrenic convicted of murdering NYC psychologist

NEW YORK - A schizophrenic man was found guilty Friday of stabbing a psychologist to death in a botched robbery in Manhattan six years ago, reports the New York Times.

David Tarloff, 47, was convicted of the first-degree murder of psychologist Kathryn Faughey and other offenses, in the third attempt by the Manhattan district attorney's office to reach a verdict in the case, according to the Times. In 2010, the first trial against Tarloff was aborted during jury selection when the defendant became unstable. Last year, a jury deadlock resulted in a mistrial.

Tarloff's history of mental illness was a big hurdle in the prosecution's attempts to convict him. The paper reports that prosecutors argued Tarloff's mental health problems were never so severe that he lost touch with reality or could no longer tell right from wrong.

According to the paper, Tarloff told police that on Feb. 12, 2008 he attempted rob Dr. Kent D. Shinbach, a psychiatrist who had previously treated him. He thought he could get $50,000 from the doctor's account, which he told detectives he planned to use to flee to Hawaii with his mother and buy a villa.

During the botched robbery, Tarloff encountered Faughey - who shared an office with Shinbach - and bludgeoned and stabbed her to death, the Times reports.

The defendant was found guilty of all counts and could face life in prison without parole, the Times reports. Had the insanity defense been successful, Tarloff would have been ordered held indefinitely in a psychiatric hospital.