New York: The man who killed Indian immigrant Balbir Singh Sodhi four days after the September 11 terror attacks on the United States, suffered from acute stress and brief periods of psychosis following the terrorist strikes, a psychiatrist on October 8 testified before a jury.

The jury in Mesa, Arizona State, which had convicted 44-year old Frank Silva Roque of first degree murder on September 30 rejecting his insanity plea, is now considering whether Roque should be sentenced to death.

Roque had fatally shot Sodhi, mistaking him for an Arab because of his flowing beard and turban and later shot at another gas station, which had a Lebanese clerk. After that he fired at the house of an Afghan family, but no one was injured in the later two firings.

The psychiatrist, Dr Jack Potts, said the "horrific events" would not have occurred had there been no September 11.

During the trial, Potts had testified for the prosecution and contended that it was "clearly arguable" that Roque was mentally ill. But now he says further research had convinced him that Roque's rage fits the pattern of post-traumatic stress.

The defence had contended that the crime was not racially motivated and that Roque was insane at the time of shooting – a paranoid schizophrenic.

Maricopa County deputy attorney Vince Imbordino had argued that the shooting was "not mental illness. It's hatred, it's anger."

He also noted that Roque took time to practice shooting and reloaded his gun before killing Sodhi.

The jury also heard from the family members of Sodhi, including his brother and son, who said Sodhi loved children and gave them free candy.

PTI