Christopher Pittman's Zoloft Murder Defense Falters

Comments on article "Christopher Pittman's Zoloft Murder Defense Falters"

Name	Views and Comments	Date
Debby	He was 12 years old at the time, and he should never have been charged as an adult. He should have gotten mental help. What purpose did it serve to sentence him to 30 years. That judge would not have given him that sentence if his lawyers had agreed to the plea deal. This was a new judge, and so Chris really didn't get what he would have gotten from the other judge. The first judge almost apologized for having to give him the 30 years because that was the sentence mandated by the state. The first lawyer totally misread this case, and Chris suffered because of it. Chris was 15 at the time of the first trial, and the jury was told they had to think of him as a 12 year old. I don't think the jury could actually do that. They sentenced the 15 year old that set before them, and this defendent had grown a lot in that 3 years before the trial. His grandparents would have wanted their grandson to get help not be locked in an adult prison. This was a travesty of justice, in my opinion. When you sentence a child to an adult prison you don't know what you will get when he gets out. It is ludicrous!	2/7/2012
lawrence	he should have gotten 60 yrs. that is b.s. about my daddy done this and my momma done that and i got spanked now i got to love them but i can't have my way,b.s. i lived all over with aunts and grandparents too, but, i did not hurt my family	2/7/2012
charles huesers	I disagree on the juror verdict i was on paxil and zoloft and i became very angry with things, i would beat on my kids and my wife, i was taking off the medication and i was back to normal they need to look at it again. and retry him. he was not in his right mind...	2/7/2012
jackie graves	I was put on Zoloft and I noticed a change in my whole personality- I was aware that I wasn't aware of some of the things I was doing- I had like a time lapse perception of things- then I didnt sleep at all for five days- I called my Dr and he changed my med- I remember when this case went public and I told people,"hell yeah I believe him ,that stuff made me crazy" . There's no telling what I would have done if I had stayed on it- it scared me and I was an adult at the time- I would've testified on his behalf- I've been "altered" by the same drug- I say yes- from personal experience - it is a mind altering drug that could cause someone to kill	2/4/2011
Ron Rothnie	Is it possible to write Chris? Ron Rothnie	11/30/2010
RON ROTHNIE	I THINK THAT 30 YEARS IS AN EXCESSIVE SENTENCE. ZOLOFT? FIFTEEN YEARS OLD WHEN HE KILLED HIS GRANDPARENTS, AND LIKELY DUE TO A DRUG THAT HADN'T BEEN ADEQUATELY EVALUATED IN TERMS OF CHRIS'S BODY? ANYTHING I COULD SUPPORT WITH REGARD TO CHRIS BEING RE-EVALUATED BY MORE THAN ONE NEW PSYCHIATRIST, I WOULD BE PLEASED TO DO.	11/30/2010
Connie	Wow, just read the comments. I was put on zoloft because generic prozac did not help me and insurance didn't want to pay for brand name. My rage factor went through the roof. I just watched a rerun of 48 hours, the story of chrs pittman. When i said the zoloft cause him to do it. It is only by the grace of God that i did't end up in a big mess. I could not drive anywhere that i was not screaming and cussing and driving crazy with rage. It scared my family because i just could not stop the rage. IT SCARED ME BECAUSE I COULD NOT STOP IT. i finally told the dr. he had to get me off the stuff before i hurt someone or myself.	10/10/2010
JBH	I think that the drug could have cause violent impulses, but that still doesn't explain everything else involved. He had the consciousness to burn the house down in a very methodical way,try to make a getaway, and subsequently tried to blame someone else. I just feel that Chris Pittman was a troubled kid and had all the capacity to do this on his own, without any drugs. That being said, I'm not sure that a 12-year-old should be condemned for the majority of his life. The current situation with psychiatry and pharmaceuticals is a dangerous guessing game. People looked at Tom Cruise like a nutter when he did that one interview, and he partially is, but I think he's got a point on antidepressants and all of this ADHD medication. Our society has a tendency to gloss over and put a band-aid on problems instead of getting to the heart of them.	10/10/2010
rayo	milions of people take zoloft typically unless you plan to kill two people, they both wont die maybe maimed etc this is a killer dont blame pfizer	10/10/2010
gary. v	Hope some one from south carolina invoved in chriss pittman case would call me gary 5048744688	9/16/2010
rmneimee	I've been on zoloft for several years and i know bodies react differently from prescription, but i definitely DO NOT think it was the zoloft. Why would his parents send him to his grandparents after threating to kill himself ? Obviously somethings a little fishy there. So you can't control him so you ship him off ? mmmm... I admit , i do not know all the circumstances but... Anyways, he said he was having command hallucinations, sounds like more than mild depression to me. Why blame the company who sells zoloft , his behavioral sound more severe to me . The medication is just a rogue to get him a littler sentence. Sorry, put he's exactly where he should be. No one in their right mind would even consider killing their grandparents, and NO it was not the medication !	7/22/2010
chrychek	The only reason we are different chemically is the difference between male and female... all other chemical differences are diet-related and that especially includes pharmaceutical medications that DO cause these psychotic breaks that are totally drug-induced rages that come out of nowhere and are a direct result of irresponsible corporate leadership. Sick! The boy should get out of jail and the doctor who gave this poison "Zoloft" to a 12 year-old boy should be in jail.	6/5/2010
Jeaninne	I won't go as far as to say he shouldn't be punished, he should but I think to prosecute a 12 year old as an adult is fundamentally wrong. Drug companies have the money and the power to hire lawyers and experts to opose any negative news about their meds. We are all different genetically and chemically and I think there are enough cases reported of problems with Zoloft/similar meds in children to be a causitive factor in Chris's case. I won't say the meds made him do it but I think they made it more likely to happen. My son was diagnosed with ADHD and was put in Ritilin and it caused stomach aches, headaches, moodiness and more. He was quick to anger. I think the jury didn't have enough knowledge to understand how meds effect certain populations differently. Chris was a child when this happened..period. Children do not have the tools to deal with problems that adults do. They do not have the skills or experience and that should have been taken into account. The redneck fellow that was saying he should be hanged in the cafe makes me ill. Ignorance isn't a crime but it is very annoying.	3/23/2010
E Henderson	Back then when he was on trial I sent letters to Gov Mark Sanford. Sending letters is something I seldom ever do. I believed in this kid, and felt the sentence was excessive. I never got any response from his office. Now with the recent expose of Mark Sanford I see he was too busy. What a pity that he didnt seem to do anything or did he? I never heard. I wonder if he would be interested now to help if he could. How is Chris?	12/10/2009
Jill	I agree that Pfizer is to blame. One of the jurors said he knew people that take antidepressants and they don't want to kill anyone! Duh! I think all the jurors need to do a little more research on the side effects of antidepressants before you sentence a child to 30 years! And "Ang" just because you can take it and it works for you does not mean the rest of the world would not have a reaction if they took it! Do your research! Antidepressants as well as other medications affect people differently. Some people are able to take aspirin and others are not. Was there a physician or psychiatrist on the jury? I think not! If I were a juror on this trial there would have been no way this child would have been found guilty. My heart goes out to his grandparents who lost their life. Yes, that was truly wrong. BUT, it was not out of malice that Christopher did this. How unfortunate that Christopher's jury was not familiar with the side effects of medication! So sad! Someone is making money on this one!	12/5/2009
Gladys Paredes	This message is for Chris's lawyers, family and advocates. I am willing to help in any way God wants me to help you. Please let me know. There is a saying that a whole village is needed to raise a kid, there should be a whole bunch of villages in the universe to be able to bail this child out of jail and punish the real murders here. tI was watching last night another episode of 48 hrs on this case and it is really disheartening to see Chris going through this without much going for his freedom. I really believe that good people are always the winners at the end. So, together, we should be able to do something about this. I am ready! Thank you for the opportunity.	8/6/2009
Gladys Paredes	I support fully his case regarding innocence of murdering his grand parents - I am depression sufferer and went through a lot of medications for about 12 years now. Zoloft was the first drug prescribed to me and it did make me worst that I developed a natural rejection to the drug. This is case is clearly about Pfizer being the rich side to win this battle. The lawyers and witnesses in its favor were paid for - they have no argument whatsoever - who knows more than the people who have taken the drug and experiencing the side effects? I am lucky that I did murder anyone, but let me tell you - I did have thoughts about it. Pls. let me know if I can do something about this innocent child - don't let him be wasted in jail. He does not deserve it - Pfizer should be able to bail him out if the people who own it have any conscience and lawyers and the judge. Also, do not forget about the abuse and bad environment that Chris has had to endure. Where the statements of all the analysts taken into consideration before the veredict? this case decision should be considered as an aberration of the legal system and a shame to the bad judges, lawyers, organizations making money on the misfortune of others...etc. etc... thank you for the opportunity	8/6/2009
Tracy Maxwell	I am appalled at the 30 years Chris Pittman got. Zoloft has been found to lead children under 18 to kill themselves and change their personalities. This case sould go to appeal to the State of appeals to the highist level. Plus having this case wait three years before it even got started is wrong. Shame on the penile system to take advantage of this youth. It was like they wanted him to grow up a bit more so the jury wouldn't see such a small child. The key word there is CHILD. I pray that everyone involved there never has something like this to happen to their family. My prayers are with Christopher.	6/14/2009
Pam	I think the medication could definitely have caused Chris to become violent,,,my son was on medication for ADD aderall and abilify which also alters the chemicals in the brain...he became very violent on these and could have definitely did what Chris did had i not immediately taken him off...my son became like a zombie and very violent...i think these medicarions may act different in different people but for some they can be very deadly!	6/14/2009
Freddi K.Upton	I think that Chris Pittman was given a raw dealI think with all the crazy side affect's meds.have ,he possibly could not have been in his right mind.And I also think that is was a tragady that he at that age was treated as an adult!Teenager's kil people all the time in these day's and are NOT treated (Charged ) as adult's!I think the jury and the judge should be ashamed of themselve's! I wish I could find out where Chris is so that I could write to him.I feel so sorry for him,and no I am not a teenager ,I am a 55 yr. old Mom.with a son!	5/10/2009
Barbara	I have been on paxil for years. A few years back my doctor tried to replace it with another medication. I got ahold of my doctor after a week and told her that something was wrong. I wanted to kill things. I wanted to hurt small animals. This is oppisite of my life. I am 55 years old. This happened when I was about 50. I believe that medicine can change you drasticly. I saw your show. I believe you.	5/10/2009
WORDSWORTH	I think he should have fried.	5/9/2009
pat	I am wondering if Pittman's lead counsel was trying to lay the foundation for a huge class action suit against Pfizer. His expertise was suing drug companies in civil court. I'm not sure how he was allowed to serve at lead counsel in a criminal case.	4/26/2009
Ashlee	pfizer should be sued all antidepressants have awful side effects and why in the hell did the dr higher the dosage they should be held accountable for this not this child ive been on all these medications i know first hand what they make you feel	3/26/2009
Linda	I would like to say that my heart goes out to Chris' family for the loss of the grandparents but also for the loss of Chris. I know first hand what zoloft can do to a child if the child has been misdiagnosed. Zoloft is an anti-depressant but if a child is actually bipolar, this drug can cause extreme anger, to the point that it is uncontrolable and can make the child either completely forget about the anger episode or any memory of it seems hazy or like it was a dream. My two daughters were on zoloft because the doctor said they were depressed but they were really had bipolor disorder. I went through some really scary stuff with them until they were taken off the drug. I'm talking extreme fits of rage, to include threatening to kill me. One of them took a knife one afternoon while I was at work and tried to stab her older sister. Luckily my oldest daughter got to her room and locked the door. I came home to knife marks all in her door. When I asked my daughter that did it why she did it she replied that she only remembers being extremely angry, uncontrobably angry, and the rest of it was a blank. I think these drugs are good for people who are depressed but I think the doctor's ignore the warning signs that occur that point to a child being misdiagnosed. I think Cris should be evaluated again to see if he is bipolar and given the appropriate medication but I do not think he belongs in prision.	2/23/2009
Candace's Mom	Psychiatry is FRAUD. Their medicine does nothing but hurt children. My daughter was prescribed to zoloft and right away she became a different person. She was having fits of rage. she kept telling me that she wanted to kill herself and kill me. The DR told me it would get better. He kept waiting for the meds to "kick in" and that it takes a few months in some children but I knew the meds were making it worse. The only reason that I did not take her off of them was because the DR told me and I had read in various articles that it was dangerous to take kids off meds cold turkey. I kept telling myself that I would ween her off after a few weeks. I kept waiting for it to get better and it never did. My ex husband found her dead in her room after she was on Zoloft for 7 weeks. She hung herself. 12 year old girls do not just kill themselves. These drugs are dangerous and mind altering. I have been doing research for the past 3 years about this. All of the school shootings, Andrea Yates, who drown her 5 kids, Teens commiting suicide... They are all victims of psychiatric abuse. There are so many documentaries and books about this. Why is this still happening in our country. These people should be put out of business. I know that my daughter did not kill herself. The drugs killed her. There are so many other mothers like me. I have spoken with parents who have had their children commit suicide or acts out in violence while on psych meds. I have even had contact with the Mother of Eric Harris who was one of the killers in the Columbine Massacre. She, too blames her sons behavior on the drug he was taking, LUVOX. This is too much to be coincedense! I'm researching to find out if this 8 year old was taking medicine. There are hotlines that you can call through the Citizen Commission for Human Rights (CCHR) to take your son to a psychologist who appreciates cases like mine and who work with the direct problem by talking about it and digging up anger that's hidden deep inside of you and these psychologists recognize pharmecuticals as fraud and will work with you to fix your problems without meds. After my daughter died it took me so long to find a great doctor. Every one tried to put me on anti depressants as soon as I walked in the door of their office. Years ago, When you got a divorce or lost a child you relied on your friends and family for support. Now they just put you on drugs. When I was a kid and I spoke with my mother about when she was a kid ... there were no school shootings and kids hanging them selves... and we never knew any one to take psych meds. Now, everyone is prescribed to them. I hope you take time to look further into this and spread my message to help to keep this from happening to other families. Thank you for your time and support. PLEASE HELP OUR FIGHT	11/18/2008
Katie	After threatening to harm himself and suffering other emotional incidents, the boy was diagnosed as clinically depressed. His lawyers said Pittman was then given Paxil, a mild antidepressant no longer recommended for those under 18.	11/18/2008
c ford	It is criminal what we are doing to our children	5/25/2008
Ang	This guy shouldn't be set free. He murdered two people!! His own grandparents! At age 12. I think any child at age 12 knows that murdering your grandparents is WRONG. He also set fire to the house. I've taken zoloft and paxil as an antidepressant. Both helped me feel better and I didn't experience any side effects - I didn't even get nausea. I have a hard time believing that these medications would produce severe enough side effects to kill! You have got to be kidding me. This guy needs to be held accountable for his actions.	4/14/2008
William Cairns	Years ago I too was on Zoloft. After several months on the drug something unpredictable and very dangerous happened...I almost killed someone with a baseball bat. If it wouldn't have been for a slight distraction I would be, as with Christopher, in prison. I have just published a book, The House on Telegraph Hill, that details my life as a victim of childhood abuse. Included is my dreadful experience with the SSRI's and in particular Zoloft. That ordeal is talked about on page 341, paragraph 3. If you need verbal support on Christopher's behalf such as a written statement and/or would like me to send you a copy of my book then please give me your mailing address and I will do so. Sincerely, Bill Cairns (aka Charles S. Wilson).	11/5/2007

Discuss Email Article

Use the feedback form below to submit your comments.

Use the form below to email this article to your friends.

What's the Buzz » News articles

Recipient Email Address:
	Separate multiple email addresses by ;
Your Name:
Your Email Address: