Jack Teitel
Jack TeitelFlash90

The Supreme Court rejected on Tuesday an appeal filed by Jack Teitel, who was convicted in 2013 for the murder of two Palestinian Arabs, dismissing claims the killer suffered from temporary insanity and was thus not responsible for his actions.

Teitel, a 43-year old American-born immigrant, confessed to murdering an Arab taxi driver and a shepherd, along with a host of other attacks, though police determined that Teitel was not responsible for all of the acts to which he confessed, including the 2009 shooting of a Tel Aviv LGBT center. That latter attack was later found to have been carried out by a member of the center over a personal dispute.

While Teitel’s lawyers had claimed that he was mentally unfit to stand trial, the court found him sane and therefore fully responsible for his actions. His attorneys later agreed to a plea bargain. A 2010 report by a district psychiatrist found him unfit for trial, though the court later rejected this opinion.

Teitel appealed the decision ruling him responsible for his actions, requesting the Supreme Court consider his claim of temporary insanity.

According to the claim, Teitel was under the influence of delusional thoughts during the killings. Teitel has claimed that prior to the murders an angel “revealed itself to me”, commanding him to carry out the killings.

The court responded to Teitel’s appeal, saying that the claims of delusional visions of angels this late in the process raised doubts about the credulity of his appeal.