31: Why Almost Everyone Gets the Insanity Defense Wrong | Case Notes

31: Why Almost Everyone Gets the Insanity Defense Wrong | Case Notes

Why do so many people misunderstand the insanity defense? It's one of the most debated concepts in criminal law, yet also one of the least understood. Popular culture has created the impression that defendants routinely "get off" by pleading insanity. The reality is far more complicated. Legal insanity is not the same as mental illness, psychopathy, or a psychiatric diagnosis, and successful insanity defences are exceptionally rare. In this episode of UNMARKED: Case Notes, I speak with forensic psychologist Dr. Joni Johnston about what the insanity defense actually is, how courts determine criminal responsibility, and why so much public discussion gets it wrong. We examine the legal standards behind the defense, common misconceptions, and the role mental illness can—and cannot—play in determining guilt. If you've ever wondered what "not guilty by reason of insanity" really means, this conversation offers an evidence-based look at one of the most misunderstood issues in the criminal justice system.

32: Ed Gein: Beyond the Monster

Who was the real Ed Gein? For nearly seventy years, the answer has been buried beneath horror movies, sensational headlines, and one of the most enduring myths in true crime. To find the real Ed Gein, I travelled to Plainfield, Wisconsin, walked the cemetery where he robbed graves, visited the locations that shaped his life, and spent years uncovering records that challenge the accepted story. In this episode, I examine the psychology behind Ed Gein's crimes through newly uncovered evidence, hospital records, interviews with people who knew him, and the original confession recorded on the night of his arrest—a confession hidden for decades and fundamentally different from the version that has appeared in books and documentaries. Along the way, I explore Gein's childhood, his obsessive relationship with his mother, the murders of Mary Hogan and Bernice Worden, and how the case inspired Psycho, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and The Silence of the Lambs. Show Notes: I just released my first novel called, A Plague of Steel. It’s a grimdark fantasy war story, about what war leaves behind. It’s available now on Kindle, Amazon and Kindle Unlimited:  Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Plague-Steel-Sons-Tempering-Book-ebook/dp/B0GSPBTR49 [https://www.amazon.ca/Plague-Steel-Sons-Tempering-Book-ebook/dp/B0GSPBTR49] If you want to follow the cases as I’m working on them, you can find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbuddyday/ [https://www.instagram.com/jamesbuddyday/] If you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, my book Charles Manson: The Last Words documents years researching the story and speaking directly with members of the Manson Family — including Charles Manson himself.  Read it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7 [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7] For those who want to examine the evidence directly, complete phone calls and documents are available inside UNMARKED: Case Files, our research portal, along with ad-free episodes. Join here: https://www.patreon.com/Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcast [https://www.patreon.com/Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcast] UNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast is hosted by Audioboom.

30: Are All Serial Killers Psychopaths? | Case Notes

It's one of the most common assumptions in true crime, but the answer is more complicated than most people realise. In this episode of UNMARKED: Case Notes, I speak with Dr. Louis Schlesinger, Professor of Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and one of the world's leading experts on serial and sexual homicide.  If you've ever wondered whether psychopathy is required for serial murder, or why some killers appear cold and calculating while others seem disorganised, impulsive, or deeply disturbed, this conversation is for you.

29: Israel Keyes: Inside the FBI Investigation

Was Israel Keyes really a criminal mastermind—or have we misunderstood him all along? For years, Israel Keyes has been portrayed as one of the most methodical serial killers in modern history: a man who buried murder kits across the United States, targeted complete strangers, and evaded law enforcement for years. But the deeper I dug into the FBI files, interrogation transcripts, and the people who investigated him, the more that familiar story began to unravel. In this episode, I examine the life of Israel Keyes through an exclusive interview with retired FBI Special Agent Mary Rook, who led the investigation in Alaska, along with journalist Maureen Callahan, author of American Predator. Using FBI interrogation footage, investigative records, and current psychological research, I trace Keyes' trajectory from his isolated childhood to his final FBI interviews, asking whether the evidence supports the mythology that has grown around him—or points to something far more complex. Research in This Episode:  Rubin, Bukowski & Parker (2006) "Peer Interactions, Relationships, and Groups" in the Handbook of Child Psychology. Kuhns, J. B., Blevins, K. R., et al. Understanding Decisions to Burglarize From the Offender's Perspective (2014). Show Notes: I just released my first novel called, A Plague of Steel. It’s a grimdark fantasy war story, about what war leaves behind. It’s available now on Kindle, Amazon and Kobo:   Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Plague-Steel-Sons-Tempering-Book-ebook/dp/B0GSPBTR49 [https://www.amazon.ca/Plague-Steel-Sons-Tempering-Book-ebook/dp/B0GSPBTR49] Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/a-plague-of-steel-sons-of-the-tempering-book-one?srsltid=AfmBOoqPUTLclPMZxRqd0LvWNTzrU0k9SOGBCqaWiISo1HhMQk-RkHHK [https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/a-plague-of-steel-sons-of-the-tempering-book-one?srsltid=AfmBOoqPUTLclPMZxRqd0LvWNTzrU0k9SOGBCqaWiISo1HhMQk-RkHHK] If you want to follow the cases as I’m working on them, you can find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbuddyday/ [https://www.instagram.com/jamesbuddyday/] If you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, my book Charles Manson: The Last Words documents years researching the story and speaking directly with members of the Manson Family — including Charles Manson himself.  Read it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7 [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7] For those who want to examine the evidence directly, complete phone calls and documents are available inside UNMARKED: Case Files, our research portal, along with ad-free episodes. Join here: https://www.patreon.com/Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcast [https://www.patreon.com/Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcast] UNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast is hosted by Audioboom.

28: Son of Sam: Did David Berkowitz Act Alone?

Demonic dogs. Satanic cults. Multiple shooters. Endless conspiracies. Did David Berkowitz act alone? For nearly fifty years, the Son of Sam case has inspired theories. David Berkowitz would later claim that multiple shooters were involved, that others participated in the murders, and that the public never learned the full story. But do those claims hold up to scrutiny? In this episode, I examine the evidence behind one of the most persistent mysteries in true crime. Drawing on Berkowitz's on words, investigative records, crime scene evidence, and expert analysis from forensic psychologist Dr. R. Louis Schlesinger, I explore the origins of the conspiracy theories, what investigators found after Berkowitz's arrest, and whether there is any credible evidence. Research in This Episode:  Rebekah Binger, Prison Ain’t Hell: An Interview with the Son of Sam—David Berkowitz, and Why State-Funded Faith-Based Prison Rehabilitation Progr ams Do Not Violate the Establishment Clause, 31 Pace L. Rev. 488 (2011). Stadolnik, R. J. (2000). Drawn to the Flame: Assessment and Treatment of Juvenile Fire Setting Behavior. Sarasota, FL: Professional Resource Press. Show Notes: I just released my first novel called, A Plague of Steel. It’s a grimdark fantasy war story, about what war leaves behind. It’s available now on Kindle, Amazon and Kobo:   Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Plague-Steel-Sons-Tempering-Book-ebook/dp/B0GSPBTR49 [https://www.amazon.ca/Plague-Steel-Sons-Tempering-Book-ebook/dp/B0GSPBTR49] Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/a-plague-of-steel-sons-of-the-tempering-book-one?srsltid=AfmBOoqPUTLclPMZxRqd0LvWNTzrU0k9SOGBCqaWiISo1HhMQk-RkHHK [https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/a-plague-of-steel-sons-of-the-tempering-book-one?srsltid=AfmBOoqPUTLclPMZxRqd0LvWNTzrU0k9SOGBCqaWiISo1HhMQk-RkHHK] If you want to follow the cases as I’m working on them, you can find me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbuddyday/ [https://www.instagram.com/jamesbuddyday/] If you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, my book Charles Manson: The Last Words documents years researching the story and speaking directly with members of the Manson Family — including Charles Manson himself.  Read it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7 [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7] For those who want to examine the evidence directly, complete phone calls and documents are available inside UNMARKED: Case Files, our research portal, along with ad-free episodes. Join here: https://www.patreon.com/Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcast [https://www.patreon.com/Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcast] UNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast is hosted by Audioboom.