Courts of Law, all over the world, have returned "not guilty" verdicts
on men and women accused of a wide variety of crimes, although the people
concerned either admitted the act or were seen committing it. These people
have been involved with acts of reckless driving, shop-lifting, money thefts,
and even first degree murder. Charges have been dismissed because the
accused have convinced judges and juries that, at the time of the offense,
they were fast asleep.
I would like to start off by taking a look at nightmares and sleep
walking crimes, also known as somnambulistic crimes. When a man is
asleep, defenses of his mind are relaxed. All the rage, fear, and violent
emotions he surpressed during the day, or might not even know exist, are
now free to roam out of their dark corners. The subconscience, which is still
plagued with the primitive urges of our ancestors, takes control, and the
shackles of inhibition and convention are torn away.
A Degree of Murder
Deutsch: Phrenologie
Jo-Ann Fabrics in Ashtabula, OhioThis is why so many sleep walkers display such startlingly
uncharacteristic behavior. Why a shy and respectable woman will walk
down a busy street naked and why a gentle and compassionate man can
become a brutal killer.
Page 2
Sleep walking, which normally starts an hour or two after falling
asleep, is far more common then people realize. Britain has half a million
sufferers and America has two million. Children are far more prone to it
than adults. Five out of every hundred children will suffer from sleep
walking at one point in their life, as opposed to two out of every hundred
adult.
Two year old Craig Walsh was found blocks from his home, walking
in and out of cars during rush hour. He was found wearing only pajamas and
rubber pants. Analysis of the...