Nevada Revised Statutes 174.098 – Motion to declare that defendant is intellectually disabled: When authorized; procedure
1. A defendant who is charged with murder of the first degree in a case in which the death penalty is sought may, not less than 10 days before the date set for trial, file a motion to declare that the defendant is intellectually disabled.
Terms Used In Nevada Revised Statutes 174.098
- Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
2. If a defendant files a motion pursuant to this section, the court must:
(a) Stay the proceedings pending a decision on the issue of intellectual disability; and
(b) Hold a hearing within a reasonable time before the trial to determine whether the defendant is intellectually disabled.
3. The court shall order the defendant to:
(a) Provide evidence which demonstrates that the defendant is intellectually disabled not less than 30 days before the date set for a hearing conducted pursuant to subsection 2; and
(b) Undergo an examination by an expert selected by the prosecution on the issue of whether the defendant is intellectually disabled at least 15 days before the date set for a hearing pursuant to subsection 2.
4. For the purpose of the hearing conducted pursuant to subsection 2, there is no privilege for any information or evidence provided to the prosecution or obtained by the prosecution pursuant to subsection 3.
5. At a hearing conducted pursuant to subsection 2:
(a) The court must allow the defendant and the prosecution to present evidence and conduct a cross-examination of any witness concerning whether the defendant is intellectually disabled; and
(b) The defendant has the burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant is intellectually disabled.
6. If the court determines based on the evidence presented at a hearing conducted pursuant to subsection 2 that the defendant is intellectually disabled, the court must make such a finding in the record and strike the notice of intent to seek the death penalty. Such a finding may be appealed pursuant to NRS 177.015.
7. For the purposes of this section, ‘intellectually disabled’ means significant subaverage general intellectual functioning which exists concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior and manifested during the developmental period.