Man Who Gave Hoarding Defense Sentenced For Murder

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - A Northern California man has been sentenced to life in prison for killing an animal control officer despite defense testimony from a psychologist who stars on the reality TV show "Hoarders."

Sacramento therapist Robin Zasio testified at 67-year-old Joseph Francis Corey's trial that a hoarding disorder might explain why Corey reacted violently when the officer tried to take his pets.

Zasio appeared as a witness for Corey's defense. His lawyers argued that the same mental illness that made Corey a hoarder also made him incapable of planning the killing at his residence in Galt, 26 miles south of Sacramento.

A Sacramento County jury wasn't swayed, convicting him in October of first-degree murder for fatally shooting Roy Marcum in 2012 as he arrived to remove Corey's dogs and cats amid eviction proceedings.

The life sentence was handed down on Friday.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.