Superior Court Judge Michael L. Ravin ruled a defense expert cannot testify Krisla Rezireksyon belonged to a religious cult and had been brainwashed by her pastor
NEWARK -- At the upcoming trial for a woman accused of killing her 8-year-old daughter in 2011, a defense expert will be barred from testifying she belonged to a religious cult and had been brainwashed by her pastor, a judge has ruled.
In a written decision issued on Friday, Superior Court Judge Michael L. Ravin said the expert could testify Krisla Rezireksyon suffered from "diminished capacity" at the time of the May 2011 death of Christiana Glenn.
But the judge ruled testimony about her being in a cult and being brainwashed was inadmissible at the trial, because those findings of the expert, Joel Morgan, are not supported by factual evidence.
"Dr. Morgan's characterization of Defendant's beliefs as being 'cult-like' and of her being (the) victim of brainwashing are problematic because they are speculative and do not appear to be within the scope of Dr. Morgan's expertise," according to the judge's decision.
"He neither defined 'cult' nor did he provide support for his conclusions, other than inferring from her low IQ and symptoms of depression that she was particularly vulnerable to brainwashing."
Morgan, a clinical neuropsychologist, described Rezireksyon's pastor as "a 'pathological narcissist' who preys on vulnerable individuals," but Ravin said that conclusion was "not based on sufficiently reliable information, as the expert did not examine the pastor or any other followers of the pastor besides Defendant," the decision states.
MORE: Judge OKs statement of mother, who said she spoke with 'Christ,' in alleged murder of her daughter
Rezireksyon, 34, and her roommate, Myriam Janvier, 27, have been charged with murdering Christiana Glenn, and abusing and neglecting Rezireksyon's two younger children.
Authorities have said Glenn was emaciated and had an untreated broken leg when she was found dead on May 22, 2011 in the family's Irvington apartment. Her siblings - Solomon and Christina Glenn - were also starved and sustained fractures that went untreated, authorities said.
Rezireksyon is scheduled to go on trial on Oct. 26, and Janvier is expected to be tried separately at a later date.
Ravin ruled in January that a statement Rezireksyon made to police would be admissible at her trial.
In the statement, Rezireksyon described how she and Janvier treated Glenn's injuries after the child fell while taking a bath two days before her death. After the girl's leg became swollen. Rezireksyon said she applied "sea salt" and "cornmeal and salt" to the leg.
When she found her daughter not breathing, Rezireksyon said she, her two younger children and Janvier prayed over the girl's body for an hour to 90 minutes before she called 911.
But in her statement, Rezireksyon denied belonging to a cult or being brainwashed.
Rezireksyon's attorney, Adrien Moncur, had argued the statement should be suppressed, claiming she was under "delusional spells" due to her pastor's teachings.
As part of her defense of "diminished capacity," Rezireksyon is preparing to argue she suffered from a "mental defect or deficiency" at the time of the alleged offense, according to the judge's decision.
Based on his evaluation, Morgan determined Rezireksyon's "mental capacity was significantly impaired, and that she was depressed and delusional around the time of the incident," the decision states.
Morgan diagnosed Rezireksyon with "mild mental retardation, dependent personality disorder, and psychosis, and found symptoms of schizoid personality disorder," the decision states.
The decision states Morgan "believes that Defendant suffers from a mental deficiency that affected her cognitive capacity to form the requisite mental states for the crimes with which she is charged, specifically those requiring 'knowing' and 'purposeful' conduct."
Ravin said Morgan could testify in regard to Rezireksyon's "diminished capacity," but noted that the jury would make the ultimate decision about that evidence.
"Dr. Morgan's testimony at trial would therefore be relevant to proving that Defendant had a mental disease or defect; the question of whether or not the condition in fact constitutes a mental disease or defect is a question reserved for the jury," the decision states.
Bill Wichert may be reached at bwichert@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillWichertNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.