Accused Reno cop killer to get drunk to test reaction

RENO -- The man accused of killing a Reno police officer during an August 2001 standoff will get drunk Thursday night so a psychiatrist can observe his reactions while intoxicated.

Larry Peck's attorney says his client is one man when he's sober and a very different one when he isn't.

Peck is scheduled to go on trial starting Monday for the killing of Officer John Bohach.

On Wednesday, Washoe District Judge Brent Adams refused to cancel trial the morning after the intoxication, saying that it was up to the defense lawyers to assure that Peck can participate.

Peck lawyer Paul Quade said the defendant is undergoing tests for trial, including a "chemically facilitated interview" that could not be scheduled before next Thursday.

Between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m., Peck will become intoxicated and a psychiatrist will observe Pecks actions under the influence of alcohol, Quade said.

He is scheduled back in court the following morning and Adams said a defendant's condition is the jurisdiction of his lawyers, and not the judge.

Defense attorney Kenneth McKenna said on Thursday that one way to save Peck's life is for the jury to understand the effects of alcohol on him.

"He's a different person when he's sober than when he's drunk," he said.

Peck also underwent a magnetic resonance imaging on Thursday and will continue to undergo psychiatric testing until jury selection begins on Monday if not beyond.

McKenna said Peck has a long history of alcoholism and his perspective is skewed when he has been drinking, raising a doubt the killing was premeditated.

District Attorney Richard Gammick said the jury will hear the evidence and decide what happened.

"If Mr. Peck had decided not to pull the trigger, then officer Bohach would not have been killed," Gammick said.