According to the Consumer Justice Foundation, a radio station in Illinois recently published on its website an article noting that a murder suspect is blaming a lesser-known Topamax side effect — psychotic thoughts — for causing her to commit murder.

The article was published on the website of WLS, which is a radio station in Illinois, on June 18. The article on WLS claims that the case, People of the State of Illinois vs. Christopher D. Vaughn, shows that Vaughn is intending to cite Topamax as the reason for the killing. Vaughn has been charged with “four counts of murder with intent to kill or injure stemming from an incident that occurred on June 14, 2007.” The incident being referenced is that Vaughn is being accused of shooting four people to death. The deceased include a mother and her three children.

The twist in Vaughn’s defense strategy is that he is claiming that not only did he not commit the murders, but that the mother first killed her children and then herself. Vaughn claims that she did this because she was taking the anti-seizure medication Topamax, and that the drug caused her to become a “psycho” who was “hearing thoughts in her head.” This statement is said to have been made by one of the murdered children before the incident.

Vaughn’s lawyers are requesting the judge allow doctor testimony that will prove that Topamax was in the mother’s blood when she committed the murders. Vaughn’s trial is set to begin in Joliet, Illinois on August 13, 2012.

Topamax’s horrible side effects have drawn a good deal of attention, but it is the drug’s other side effects that generally get the bad press. Topamax causes birth defects in babies whose mothers take the drug while pregnant. Some of those birth defects include PPHN, oral clefts, cleft palate, spina bifida and neural defects.

If your child was born with birth defects and you have taken Topamax, contact attorney Greg Jones today for a free consultation. I am experienced at fighting Topamax lawsuits and may be able to help you recover money for your child’s injuries.