Jury selection begins in Zoloft killings trial
Boy faces murder charges in deaths of grandparents
CHARLESTON, South Carolina (CNN) -- Jury selection began Monday in the South Carolina trial of a boy who says the antidepressant drug Zoloft caused him to kill his grandparents.
Police have testified that Christopher Pittman, now 15, confessed to killing his grandparents with a shotgun as they slept in bed on November 28, 2001, burning down their house and fleeing in a family vehicle.
Pittman -- who was 12 years old at the time -- is being tried as an adult. If convicted, Pittman could be sentenced to 30 years to life in prison.
If he is acquitted, some of the nation's largest drugmakers could be exposed to future lawsuits linked to their antidepressants, possibly hurting sales.
At the time of the killings, Christopher Pittman was living with his grandparents, Joe Frank and Joy Pittman, outside Chester, South Carolina.
They had taken him in after he had run away from his parents' home in Florida and had spent about a week in a psychiatric treatment center. His father said that shortly before the killings a South Carolina doctor gave Christopher a sample pack of Zoloft and then doubled his dosage a week later.
Two days before the killings, according to court files, Christopher Pittman got into a school bus fight with a younger boy. His grandparents then discussed returning him to Florida.
The boy's lawyers contend that Zoloft, a prescription drug manufactured by Pfizer, made him hallucinate and drove him to kill.
"He had these command hallucinations inside his head," said defense attorney Andy Vickery. "They didn't come externally. They came from inside his head: 'Kill, kill, kill.'"
Pfizer officials declined to be interviewed but denied any connection between the drug and the deaths. The company said in a written statement: "There is no scientific evidence to suggest that Zoloft contributes to violent behavior in either adults or children."
Zoloft is not recommended for use by children with depression. Yet it -- and other antidepressants -- are widely prescribed for younger patients as well as adults.
A year ago, Christopher Pittman's father testified at a Food and Drug Administration hearing, reading a letter he said was written by his son after his fight on the school bus.
"Everything just kept getting worse, then I snapped and took everything out on my grandparents who I loved so much," said the boy's letter. "When I was laying in my bed that night, I couldn't sleep, my voice kept echoing through my mind telling me to kill them until I got up, got the gun, went upstairs and pulled the trigger."
Speaking at a 2003 hearing, John Justice, the case's original prosecutor, said the killings were among the worst of his career.
"This kid waited until his grandparents went to bed, went to sleep, came in, shot them in the face -- in the mouth -- with a shotgun," Justice said. "It's as cold and brutal an act as I've witnessed in 25 years of prosecuting."
Pittman's attorneys have won a court fight to subpoena previously confidential drug test files from Pfizer and plan to use them in the trial.
In October, the FDA announced there was a link between antidepressants such as Zoloft, Prozac and Paxil and suicidal actions or thoughts among some younger patients.
The FDA asked the manufacturers to adopt a warning to alert doctors and parents to watch carefully for signs of anxiety, agitation and aggression, particularly when children and teenagers first start taking these drugs.
However, the FDA has never suggested there is any connection between the antidepressants and violent behavior toward others.
Christopher Pittman's trial was moved to Charleston, South Carolina, after both the judge and the prosecutor withdrew from the case for personal reasons. Judge Daniel Pieper has said he expects the trial to last about two weeks.
The boy has been held in the state's juvenile facility for more than three years. In addition to the murder charges, Pittman also faces family court charges of arson. Under South Carolina law, a juvenile found guilty in family court can be held until he is 21.
Prosecutors pressed successfully to try Pittman in adult court to seek a longer sentence.
Zoloft is in a class of anti-depressants known as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) that increase the level of a brain chemical, serotonin.
In 2002, almost 11 million prescriptions were dispensed to patients under 18 for SSRIs and other newer antidepressants, to treat depression and a host of other conditions, according to the FDA.
CNN's Jim Polk contributed to this report.
