A psychologist called by prosecutors said Michelle Lodzinski has a personality disorder with antisocial traits.
NEW BRUNSWICK -- A forensic psychologist testified Tuesday morning that Michelle Lodzinski, on trial for the 1991 murder of her 5-year-old son, Timothy Wiltsey, has a personality disorder with borderline and antisocial traits.
Louis Schlesinger said Lodzinski told him that eight of the nine statements she gave police in 1991 about the disappearance of her son were lies, which she tells to be "manipulative and deceptive."
Schlesinger would be used by the prosecution as a rebuttal witness to a doctor being called by the defense later this week or early next week. His testimony on Tuesday was done without the jury being present. Superior Court Judge Dennis Nieves will review his statements and determine if some, or any, of what he said could be repeated with the jury present.
Schlesinger wants to refer to incidents that occurred in Lodzinski's life after her son was killed, incidents in that the judge has already ruled are inadmissible, to explain how he reached his diagnosis. The incidents include one in 1994 when she faked her own kidnapping by the FBI for which she pleaded guilty.
Lodzinski reported her son missing from a carnival in Sayreville the evening of May 25, 1991. She originally told police the boy was with her when she went to buy soda at a concession stand, but was missing after she turned around to pay for her drink.
Later, she told police that a woman she knew from when she worked at a bank and two men abducted her son. She also told police one of the men threatened her with a knife, but she told Schlesinger that was a lie.
Lodzinski became a prime suspect after she gave several different statements to police of his disappearance, according to testimony during the trial, now in its second month.
Timmy's skeletal remains were found in a swampy area of Raritan Center in Edison 11 months after his mother reported him missing.
Lodzinski was charged with her son's murder in August 2014 after the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office reopened the case in 2011.
Sue Epstein may be reached at sepstein@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @susan_epstein. Find NJ.com on Facebook.