French Cannibal Gets 30 Years

Court rejects lung eater's insanity defense
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 25, 2010 2:00 AM CDT
French Lung Eater Gets 30 Years
"He killed him because he is mad, totally mad," Nicolas Cocaign's lawyer told the court.   (YouTube)

A French con who killed his cellmate and fried up the man's lung with garlic has been sentenced to 30 years in prison, where he presumably won't be sharing a cell. The court—rejecting a defense argument that Nicolas Cocaign should be found not guilty by reason of insanity—ruled that he should serve at least 20 years before being eligible for early release, the Telegraph reports.

"A man who plunges into horror is not necessarily afflicted with madness," the prosecutor said in her closing arguments, a view supported by the majority of psychiatrists who testified at the 4-day trial.
(More Nicolas Cocaign stories.)

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