This is the Minnesota Security Hospital in 2017. When it opened in 1911, it was called the “Asylum for Dangerous Insane.” The insanity plea is complicated. You can be mentally ill, but still face legal consequences if it is determined you were competent at the time the crime was committed. Here’s a couple cases I worked, that have already been made public:
I completed an assessment in a case where a man murdered a woman he briefly dated, during a jealous rage. When his fury dissipated and he was left in the company of her lifeless body on his living room floor, he slipped in and out of psychotic thinking. He painted her body green, believing this made it easier for him to avoid thinking of her as a person. He wrapped her body and then dumped her at a construction site. After two weeks went by without the body being discovered, he called the police. He claimed he still didn’t feel guilty over killing her, but he felt tremendous guilt over her not receiving a proper burial. He was found competent to stand trial, as anger over jealousy is a sane motive. He also hid the body, suggesting he knew that what he did was wrong. I completed an assessment in another murder case where a man had spent all of his free time on the internet reading about conspiracy theories. He became convinced someone was trying to kill him, and one night when he was surfing the internet, he saw an ad which read, “Tonight’s the night.” Convinced he was being warned through a secret code, he loaded his gun, went to a parking lot, and shot and killed the first person who pulled in. He then dialed ‘911’ and reported he had killed a man in self-defense. This man was insane. He had no logical motive and like most insane killers, was at the crime scene when the police arrived. An insane person believes the crime is necessary; therefore there is no need to run from the police or hide the body. “Malingering” is the psychological term for feigning insanity. Psychologists are reluctant to diagnosis this since it could potentially open them up to a law suit. However, even if only 1 in 6 psychologists states a killer is malingering, this is enough to sway a jury since people like to see consequences for serious crimes. In Murder Book, I examine how psychologists evaluate malingering. Insanity is more difficult to fake than people might guess. One of the worst cases of ‘faking crazy’ occurred when two criminals pretended to be monkeys and ate bananas whole in the same waiting room. The odds of two unrelated men going into the same psychotic episode at the same time are minuscule. Plus, monkeys peel bananas before they eat them. Psychosis is scary for people who experience it, because the delusions are real to them. You can’t counsel people out of severe paranoia; medication intervention is necessary. Anti-psychotic medications work gradually rather than immediately. I recommended a psychiatric consultation for a teen who was convinced that someone was trying to kill him after school. (I first verified that this wasn’t the case.) So every day he sprinted home, hiding behind cars and any other coverage on the way dodging potential assassination attempts. Two weeks after the meds were started he told me people were still following him, but he believed it was teens doing it for a joke. Three weeks later he reported no one was following him. There is often a light at the end of the tunnel. Some people just need help finding the tunnel. I want to end by adding some of my favorite insights and quotes from individuals in the above settings:
There’s a tenderness in my heart for those labeled mentally ill. I think of women and men who struggle, pouring their heart out to someone, only to have even their moments of insightful clarity dismissed as part of their mental illness. Thanks for listening, Frank
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AuthorFrank F. Weber is a forensic psychologist specializing in homicide and sexual and physical assault cases. He uses his unique understanding of how predator’s think, knowledge of victim trauma, actual court cases, and passion for writing true crime thrillers. His Award Winning books include "Murder Book" (2017) "The I-94 Murders" (2018) "Last Call" (2019) and "Lying Close" (September 2020). Archives
April 2024
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