ABINGDON -- A psychiatrist testified yesterday that convicted murderer William Morva suffers from a personality disorder -- a circumstance, his lawyers plan to argue today, that should keep him off death row.

"He has a condition, based in genetics, a way of seeing the world that's not fully under his control," Dr. Bruce Cohen, a psychiatrist at the University of Virginia, told jurors. However, Cohen acknowledged under cross-examination, Morva was not mentally impaired when he killed two men in Montgomery County during a jail escape.

The jury could recommend today whether Morva, 26, gets life or death listened to hours of testimony yesterday from former friends and high school classmates of Morva's, as well as a former teacher and guidance counselor. Brought to the courtroom by defense attorneys, they painted a picture of the killer as a kind-hearted, free-spirited hippie who strolled around Blacksburg in his bare feet, loved long walks and good conversation, championed liberal causes and held odd jobs only long enough to get food money.

Morva "was the type of person to give you a hug on a bad day," testified Kyla Trice, a classmate of Morva's at Blacksburg High School a decade ago. "He used to come up and give us a kiss on the forehead."

The jury, sitting in Washington County Circuit Court, convicted Morva of capital murder on Tuesday for shooting unarmed hospital guard Derrick McFarland, 32, and Montgomery County sheriff's deputy Eric Sutphin, 40, in the back of the head.

Morva, formerly of Chesterfield County, was an inmate at the Montgomery County Jail on Aug. 20, 2006, awaiting trial on robbery charges when he escaped from a deputy who had taken him to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries. He killed McFarland while fleeing the hospital and shot Sutphin the following day as Sutphin searched for Morva along a wooded trail.

Montgomery prosecutor Brad Finch is asking the jury to recommend the death penalty.

Hoping to convince jurors that there were extenuating circumstances behind Morva's violent acts, defense attorneys Tom Blaylock and Tony Anderson brought Cohen to the courtroom to testify that Morva's brain is not quite wired the same as the typical person's. Morva's mental condition, coupled with problems with his bowels, left Morva feeling abandoned and tormented as he sat in his jail cell awaiting trial, the attorneys contend.

Cohen told jurors that Morva suffers from "schizotypal personality disorder." He explained that, even before Morva turned to crime, he believed "police had it in for him"; held odd beliefs such as thinking he had extraordinary powers of perception; became so preoccupied with his health he began eating nothing but meat and nuts; acted overly suspicious; made no close friends; and developed a speaking style in which his conversations bordered on lectures.

Morva also had a false impression of himself, Cohen said. He lived in downtown Blacksburg, refused to get a job and hung out barefoot in cafés, a lifestyle that he told Cohen prompted others to think of him as "cool." In reality, Cohen said, the people interviewed about Morva recalled him as nothing more than odd or eccentric.

Under cross-examination, Cohen added that he found no evidence that Morva was mentally impaired or didn't know he was committing a serious crime when he escaped. He also acknowledged that Morva showed signs of narcissism. Finch pointed out to jurors that traits of narcissism include feelings of superiority and entitlement, a lack of empathy, arrogance and unreasonable expectation of others.

Finch was able to turn one of the defense attorneys' own witnesses to his advantage. Amber Erbschloe, a bar employee in Blacksburg, came to court to testify that Morva once helped police find a man who tried to rape her. Under questioning from Finch, she told jurors she let Morva stay at her house for a couple of weeks when he didn't have a place to live but kicked him out when he failed to look for a job or offer to buy groceries.

"He never looked for work," she said. "I feel that a lot of people opened up their hearts and homes to him to make sure he didn't have to live on the streets, and he took advantage of it.

"He didn't believe in work."
Contact Rex Bowman at (540) 344-3612 or rbowman@timesdispatch.com.