EXCERPT #2 FROM THE PSYCHIATRIC INTERVIEW
DR. RESNICK: LET ME ASK YOU SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT TRIAL PROCEDURE NOW.
I'M THROUGH WITH THE OTHER AREA FOR NOW. FIRST OF ALL, DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'VE
BEEN CHARGED WITH?
JOHN SALVI: Okay.
DR. RESNICK: THIS IS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT AREA. DO YOU KNOW WHAT
CRIMES YOU'VE BEEN CHARGED WITH?
JOHN SALVI: Yes, I've been informed.
DR. RESNICK: WHAT ARE THE CHARGES?
JOHN SALVI: I have them written down somewhere. I don't wish to get
into that. And I'm stating that right now. So, please don't keep up on
it.
DR. RESNICK: WE NEED TO, MR. SALVI.
JOHN SALVI: No, we don't need to do anything.
DR. RESNICK: WE DO.
JOHN SALVI: No.
DR. RESNICK: JUST GO THROUGH THIS PERIOD OF TRIAL PROCEDURE WITH ME
AND THEN WE'LL--
JOHN SALVI: Do you think I'm simple?
DR. RESNICK: NO. NO, I THINK THAT YOU'RE BRIGHT. AND I THINK YOU'RE
DETERMINED. BUT, THE QUESTION HERE IS WORKING WITH YOUR ATTORNEYS TO LOOK AT
SOME ISSUES WHICH YOU HAVE NOT BEEN SO WILLING TO DISCUSS. SO, MOVE WITH ME INTO
THIS AREA. JUST TELL ME WHAT ARE THE THINGS YOU'VE BEEN CHARGED WITH. THAT'S
NOT A TOUGH QUESTION. LET'S JUST GO THROUGH THIS.
JOHN SALVI: Then I'm going to decline this interview within the next
few minutes if you keep up on questions on I don't wish to ask. That's rude. I
mean if I'm--
DR. RESNICK: LET ME TRY ANOTHER AREA. DO YOU BELIEVE YOU'LL BE ABLE
TO GET A FAIR TRIAL?
JOHN SALVI: Do I think I'll get a fair trial? Yes, I'm sure I
would.
DR. RESNICK: DO YOU TRUST YOUR DEFENSE ATTORNEYS?
JOHN SALVI: Yes. I have a lot of faith in Mrs. Bassel and Mr.
Carney.
DR. RESNICK: WHAT IS THE PROSECUTOR'S JOB IN THE COURT ROOM? WHAT IS
HE GOING TO TRY AND DO WHEN YOU'RE ON TRIAL?
JOHN SALVI: What is he going to .. (inaudible) on trial? Well, you
are technically part of this defense.
DR. RESNICK: YES, THAT'S CORRECT. AND A CONSULTANT TO YOUR DEFENSE
ATTORNEYS.
JOHN SALVI: Right.
DR. RESNICK: BUT, I'M ASKING WHAT WILL THE ROLE OF THE PROSECUTOR BE
IN YOUR TRIAL?
JOHN SALVI: What would the role of the prosecutor be in this trial?
Of the prosecutor?
DR. RESNICK: YEAH, WHAT'S HE GOING TO TRY AND ACCOMPLISH AT THE
TRIAL?
JOHN SALVI: A conviction.
DR. RESNICK: OKAY, GOOD. AND WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE PENALTIES THAT
YOU'RE FACING?
JOHN SALVI: That's not good. You keep up on different angles on the same
question. I told you, I didn't want to get into it. It's not something I feel
like thinking about right now.
DR. RESNICK: LET ME UNDERSTAND, MR. SALVI, YOUR REASONS FOR NOT WANTING
TO THINK ABOUT THOSE THINGS.
JOHN SALVI: No, You're not getting on to the same question. The reasons,
not good. Same question. I don't wish to-- I told you once. Are you going to
keep at every little angle, as if ... I'm not going to know? And I want you to
think about something here. You can attack me from several different angles.
But I mean like, I'm going to know.
DR. RESNICK: WELL, IT'S DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF IT. IT'S DIFFERENT ASPECTS
OF THE TRIAL.
JOHN SALVI: Yeah. Right. If I say something, okay, in this interview, I
mean it. Not to say that you couldn't get me to -- how would you say this? I'm
telling you what I want to tell you.
DR. RESNICK: EXACTLY. EXACTLY. AND I WANT TO HEAR SOME OF THAT.
JOHN SALVI: I'm telling you about how I feel.
DR. RESNICK: RIGHT. BUT YOU SEE--
JOHN SALVI: Now, I don't like it when we turn this into some sort of
interrogation. That's not what this is supposed to be. If you're on my side,
you're working for me.
DR. RESNICK: WELL, I AM ON YOUR SIDE.
JOHN SALVI: Yes. You're part of the defense.
DR. RESNICK: I AM WORKING FOR YOUR ATTORNEYS, AND--
JOHN SALVI: Working for my attorneys. You're working for me.
DR. RESNICK: IN A SENSE, THAT'S TRUE.
JOHN SALVI: No. You're working for me. If you're a part of the defense,
you're working for me.
DR. RESNICK: IN A SENSE, THAT'S TRUE.
JOHN SALVI: No. You're working for me.
DR. RESNICK: YES.
JOHN SALVI: You're hired on by the state, to serve me.
DR. RESNICK: YES. ULTIMATELY, THAT'S TRUE.
JOHN SALVI: As my defense.
DR. RESNICK: THAT'S TRUE.
JOHN SALVI: Nothing else should interfere. Nothing else should be any
part of it.
DR. RESNICK: RIGHT. BUT I--
JOHN SALVI: Right?
DR. RESNICK: RIGHT, BUT SEE, YOU--
JOHN SALVI: What is this cloud that there's like two different groups of
defense?
DR. RESNICK: NO, THERE'S NOT TWO DIFFERENT GROUPS.
JOHN SALVI: Exactly.
DR. RESNICK: NO. I AGREE WITH YOU ON THAT. BUT I'M TRYING TO DO WHAT
YOUR ATTORNEYS WOULD LIKE, WHICH IS TO BRING OUT CERTAIN INFORMATION WHICH MAY BE
HELPFUL IN THE TRIAL AND THEIR PLANNING OF LEGAL STRATEGY. AND THAT'S WHY I'M
GOING OVER THESE QUESTIONS. AND YOU TRUST YOUR ATTORNEYS. THEY--
JOHN SALVI: Do I trust-- I already told you that. Are you going to ask
me that again?
DR. RESNICK: NO, NO. IT WASN'T A QUESTION. IT WAS A BEGINNING OF A
SENTENCE. I SAID, YOU TRUST YOUR ATTORNEYS. THEY BROUGHT ME HERE. SO IN THAT
SENSE, I'D APPRECIATE YOUR COOPERATION, WORKING WITH THEM. IF YOU THOUGHT YOUR
ATTORNEYS DIDN'T HAVE YOUR BEST INTERESTS AT HEART OR WERE WORKING AGAINST YOU,
THEN I CAN SEE WHY YOU WOULD BE MORE RELUCTANT TO ANSWER MY QUESTIONS. BUT IN
THAT SENSE --
JOHN SALVI: You know, it's the way you're going about this. It's as
though you're not on my side, and I don't like it.
DR. RESNICK: REALLY? BECAUSE I CONSIDER MYSELF ON YOUR SIDE.
JOHN SALVI: It's the way you're asking the question. If you were working
for me and you were employed by me, and I said-- mentioned that, you know, out of
politeness, I don't wish you to ask me a certain question, and you kept up on it,
that wouldn't be good for me. It would aggravate me. It's not something I would
want-- do to you.
DR. RESNICK: WELL, OKAY. I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. BUT ON THE
OTHER HAND, SOMETIMES YOU'LL HAVE AN ATTORNEY IN A GIVEN CASE, WHO WILL ASK YOU
TOUGH QUESTIONS, WHICH MIGHT BE PAINFUL OR AWKWARD OR HUMILIATING. BUT THE
ATTORNEY SAYS, "LOOK, I NEED TO KNOW THIS INFORMATION TO REPRESENT YOU IN COURT."
AND SO IF YOU LET THE DEFENDANT CALL EVERY SHOT, IT TIES THE ATTORNEY'S HANDS IN
TRYING TO DO AN EFFECTIVE JOB. WHAT I'M TRYING TO DO HERE IS, EVEN THOUGH YOU
MAY NOT SEE THE RELEVANCE OF SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS --
JOHN SALVI: There's one problem in the Catholic church that has always
puzzled me. I don't feel that we're dealing with a group of people who are
entirely all there. I mean, rationally, anyone who accepts the thought of
eternal punishment has to be someone who's decently in balance(?). I don't
believe that Jesus did mention eternal punishment. I think, somewhere along the
lines, the scriptures got a little bit altered. I think he mentioned along the
lines of: everyone will pay a certain price, according to what they've done or
haven't done. Sometimes it's worse if you haven't done something. That's what
the Catholic people don't understand. Everything in the Catholic-- it's like
talking to a monkey. You say that you did something. "Slap. Now apologize. Go
to confession." What about saying, "slap, slap," because you didn't do something
you should have? If you don't help out the priest, then slap, slap. There's a
reason. You don't understand how awful that is, how evil it is to take power
away from priests. That's an apostle. Not to say that all of them are
completely balanced or are really good apostles. That's an apostle. You don't
take power away from him.
DR. RESNICK: I WANT TO GO INTO ANOTHER --
JOHN SALVI: If you do, you're foolish. You shouldn't go to church. That
way, everyone in the church should know ... (inaudible).
DR. RESNICK: OKAY, MR. SALVI. I WANT TO MOVE ON TO AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT
AREA NOW. I'M NOT GOING TO ASK YOU QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TRIAL.
(Next excerpt)
