Arizona v. Evans

In Arizona v. Evans, 104 Ariz. 434, 435, 454 P.2d 976, 977 (1969), a psychiatrist evaluating a defendant's competency to stand trial pursuant to a court order prescribed tranquilizers to alleviate the defendant's nervousness and anxiety. The Supreme Court of Arizona determined that the trial court properly permitted the psychiatrist to testify about his conclusions regarding the defendant's competency. The court explained: "We believe that the psychiatrist functioned primarily as an examiner and not as a psychiatrist." Id. at 435, 454 P.2d at 977. The court further held that the trial court erred by permitting the prosecutor to elicit from the psychiatrist specific inculpatory statements made to him by the defendant during the examination. 104 Ariz. at 435-36, 454 P.2d at 977-98.