A psychologist who testified at the hearing for a Colorado teen who reportedly admitted to raping and killing a 10-year-old girl said the alleged killer showed no empathy for his victim, and had a history of sexual abnormalities.
18-year-old Austin Sigg pleaded guilty to kidnapping, sexually assaulting and killing 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway in a suburb of Denver, Colo. last year. If he's convicted, Sigg could receive a life sentencing in prison. Since he was 17 at the time of Jessica's murder, he won't be eligible for the death penalty, but he is being tired as an adult, the Associated Press reported.
Madison, Wis. psychologist Anna Salter, who did not work with the teen personally but did look over police interviews with him, took the stand on Monday.
"He certainly had no empathy for Jessica Ridgeway," Salter told the jury. The sex offender expert reported she'd pored over the appalling records to gain insight into the case, but didn't mention whether she'd seen video footage of the interrogations or written transcripts.
Salter mentioned that Sigg repeatedly performed searches online concerning rape, torture and child pornography.
But Sigg's defense team maintained that her statements were mere acts of "guesswork." They have scheduled to cross-examine her at a later date.
Meanwhile, Sigg sat silently with his back to the gallery during Salter's testimony. Clad in a blue checkered shirt and khaki pants, the 5-foot-6, 160 pound boy who reportedly kept to himself at school listened to the comments of the court with a blank look on his face.
Fifth-grader Jessica was kidnapped while on her way to school on Oct. 5, 2012. Her remains were found five days after she was reported missing in a park, while additional body parts were discovered stowed away in a crawl space at Sigg's house, where he lived with his mother.
A neighbor living in Denver's western suburbs called authorities 14 days after Jessica was kidnapped, tipping them off to Sigg's erratic behavior and obsession with death. After FBI agents took a DNA sample from the boy, who was reportedly enrolled in forensics classes at the time of the murder, Sigg's mother called authorities to let them know that her son had a confession to make.
Police who interrogated Sigg said that the teen informed them he'd killed the girl with his bare hands before taking her apart, limb by limb, in a bathtub.
Sigg also admitted to attacking a 22-year-old jogger in May 2012. The woman, who was running at a nearby park in the suburbs, told police that the teen tried to grab her from behind and placed a chloroformed rag over her mouth. She escaped with no injuries.
