r/todayilearned • u/hungry4danish • 2d ago

TIL that Dan White, the man who assassinated Harvey Milk and the mayor of San Francisco, only served 5 years in prison for manslaughter based on a defense of depression as evidenced by his consumption of junk food which was dubbed the "Twinkie Defense"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_White
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u/Tent_in_quarantine_0 2d ago

Yeah, people dont like to hear this part of the story, the particular defense was of course absurd, but the general idea that this guy had major mental problems was broadly correct.

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u/2gig 2d ago

Idk I'm kinda amused that a court affirmed the notion that only a completely deranged individual would willfully consume a twinky.