Trial of Daniel Sickles

The trial of Daniel Sickles was an American criminal trial. It was the first time that a defense of "temporary insanity" was used in American law, and it was one of the most controversial trials of the 19th century. Daniel Sickles was a U.S. representative from the State of New York, and Philip Barton Key II was the Attorney General for the District of Columbia. On 27 February 1859, Sickles, after learning that Key was having an affair with his wife, Teresa, approached Key in Lafayette Square and shot and killed him. Sickles turned himself in and was charged with murder. Sickles' defense team, which included lawyers James T. Brady and Edwin Stanton, argued that Sickles had been "temporarily insane" at the time of the murder, and therefore was not guilty. The trial was the subject of extensive media coverage, which created its own controversies and destroyed Teresa's reputation. The jury acquitted Sickles after deliberating for 70 minutes.