Collin County case may force courts to rethink autism

COLLIN COUNTY (1080 KRLD)- A Collin County case may force courts to rethink how to treat a defendant with autism.

It sounds simple enough. John Crumley was arrested after he tried to meet a 13-year-old girl he had met online for sex. He was an undercover cop. But this case is more complicated.

Crumley has a form of autism that causes him to lock himself into a belief, whether it's right or wrong. When Crumley was arrested, he told a story that he thought the person he was dating was a middle-aged online scammer, not a 13-year-old.

His brothers and a psychologist were on hand to testify that the story made complete sense because Crumley had previously been created by a middle-aged woman and that woman even testified that she had done it. But the judge did not allow the brothers or the expert to testify.

Now, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has sent the case back to an appellate panel to see if some of the testimony should be allowed.

LISTEN in the Audacy app
Tell your PLAY 1080 KRLD smart speaker
Sign up to receive our KRLD Insider newsletter for more news
Follow us Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | to YouTube