Psychologist

CHESAPEAKE, Va. - A psychologist for the defense told jurors yesterday that sniper suspect Lee Boyd Malvo was so thoroughly brainwashed by John Allen Muhammad's regimen of hatred that he agreed to "martyr" himself in the event the two were captured. Dewey G. Cornell testified that Malvo's indoctrination was so complete that the teen-ager falsely confessed to police in November last year, hoping to protect Muhammad. Although Malvo told police that he pulled the trigger in nearly all the killings, Cornell heard a different story: Malvo said he was only the spotter, not the triggerman, in all but the last sniper shooting.

A former prison psychologist suspected of helping a convicted murderer and an armed robber escape from a state penitentiary in Jessup last week surrendered to state police in Glen Burnie about 7: 45 p.m. last night.Police said Elizabeth L. Feil, 43, appeared before an Anne Arundel County District Court commissioner on two counts of being an accessory to escape after the fact; two counts of harboring an escaped inmate; and with obstructing and hindering the investigation into the May 18 escape from the Maryland Correctional Institution -- Jessup.

A Mount Airy contractor was convicted yesterday in Carroll County Circuit Court in the beating death last year of a National Science Foundation psychologist. A jury deliberated about 2 1/2 hours before returning guilty verdicts for first-degree murder and felony theft against Randall Henry Gerlach. Gerlach was also charged with stealing more than $300,000 from the victim, Rodney R. Cocking, 59, of Taylorsville. Senior Assistant State's Attorney David P. Daggett said he will seek a sentence of life without parole for Gerlach, 57. Judge Raymond E. Beck Sr. revoked Gerlach's bail -- which a judge reduced in August from $1 million to $150,000 -- and ordered a pre-sentencing investigation.

Colleagues or patients who know psychologist Steven Sobelman may be forgiven if they sense something familiar while reading best-selling author David Baldacci's latest novel. Called Last Man Standing, and ranked No. 4 on the New York Times best-seller list last week, it tells the story of Web London, a member of the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team who decides to seek help from a psychiatrist. And while there's little physical resemblance between the Towson-based psychologist and Claire Daniels, the fictional psychiatrist invented by Baldacci, Sobelman played a guiding role in her creation.

Paul D. Imre, a retired Baltimore County public health official and decorated World War II veteran, died of a heart attack Saturday at his Columbia home. He was 83. Born in New York City, he enlisted in the Army immediately after his graduation from the Bronx High School of Science. He became an infantry paratrooper in World War II. He parachuted into Carentan, France, two days after the Allied invasion began and fought his way through the country until he reached Belgium. During heavy fighting in the Battle of Bulge in January 1945, he was wounded in the back by shrapnel near Mande St. Etienne.

A clinical psychologist treating the elementary school girl who has accused former Carroll County schools Superintendent William H. Hyde of raping her testified yesterday that the child was so "terrified" that she often curled up on the floor in a corner when talking about the alleged abuse. "She said she thought she should have been able to tell him, `No' or `Stop it,' " said Lindsey S. Daniels, who has treated the girl for nearly a year. "She said she thought it was all her fault." Daniels was one of two health professionals to testify yesterday, the third day of Hyde's trial in Carroll County Circuit Court.

A former prison psychologist admitted yesterday that she helped her inmate paramour and another convict escape from the Maryland Correctional Institution in Jessup -- avoiding a trial that threatened more public detail of their relationship and her life. Elizabeth L. Feil, 42, pleaded guilty in Anne Arundel County Circuit to one count of serving as an accessory after the May 18 prison break. The incident prompted the transfer of the warden, disciplinary action or transfers of nine guards and a review of prison security.

For 20 years, sports psychologist Dr. Jerry Lynch has tried to change the relationship between athletes and their sports. One of his greatest success stories is the Maryland women's lacrosse team. That's not because the No. 1 Terrapins have won five straight national championships and are going for a sixth this weekend. It's because they have changed their approach to the game. Despite a remarkable 115-5 record since the start of the 1995 championship season, the Terps never talk about beating other teams.

A former prison psychologist admitted yesterday that she helped her inmate paramour and another convict escape from the Maryland Correctional Institution in Jessup -- avoiding a trial that threatened more public detail of their relationship and her life. Elizabeth L. Feil, 42, pleaded guilty in Anne Arundel County Circuit to one count of serving as an accessory after the May 18 prison break. The incident prompted the transfer of the warden, disciplinary action or transfers of nine guards and a review of prison security.

When Emily Gibson was a toddler, she told her mother, "Mittens make my hands sad." A parent would say, "How cute," but a psychologist interested in human development might cite her observation as an example of a child's creativity: the ability to approach a problem (in this case having to wear mittens) in a new and unusual way.When Emily grows up she may become a great American novelist, or she might work for a public relations firm. There's no telling.Psychologists don't have irrefutable statistics on whether creativity in a child is a predictor of what he or she does later in life.