10- Brian Thomas
Brian Thomas had been suffering from sleepwalking ever since he was a child.
It had never proven a dangerous condition until July of 2008, when he strangled his wife to death.
The couple were on vacation and sleeping in a camper van. When Thomas awakened, he claims to
have been horrified upon discovering his wife lying dead next to him. He called the police in
shock, telling the operator he thought he’d killed his wife. Later, Thomas would explain he dreamed
about fighting an intruder. In 2009, he was declared not guilty and released, free of charge.
9- Willis Boshears
US serviceman Willis Boshears was spending the New Year abroad, serving in the UK.
He’d spent the night drinking with a local woman, Jean Constable,
and passed out next to her in his apartment. Boshears awakened to discover he’d strangled
his one-night-stand. Instead of calling the authorities, Boshears took the body to a
remote area and disposed of Constable. A few days later, Boshears ended up confessing to the police.
The serviceman was arrested and charged with the woman’s murder. Boshears maintained his innocence,
explaining he’d been asleep during the attack, and had no recollection of that night.
It took the jury only two hours to decide he was not guilty, acquitting him of murder.
What is it?
Somnambulism, popularly known as sleepwalking, is a disorder that causes people to unconsciously
perform activities while asleep. These activities usually last less than thirty minutes
but may lead to violence or self-injuries, and are most frequent in children. In the US,
around 1 to 15% of the population continues sleepwalking after adolescence.
8-Michael Ricksgers
In 1994, Michael Ricksgers murdered his wife and afterwards claimed to have no recollection
of the incident. His defense attorneys argued he’d committed the crime while sleepwalking.
They claimed his sleep apnea had triggered this condition. He reportedly woke up with a gun in his
hand and his wife bleeding profusely. Ricksgers explained that he’d been dreaming about an
intruder breaking into their home. The prosecutor rejected this theory and revealed Ricksgers’ wife
had been planning to leave him. They believed this prompted the man to murder her. Ultimately,
the jury believed the prosecutor’s version, and Ricksgers was sentenced to life in prison.
7-Scott Falater
On the night of January the 16th of 1997, Scott Falater stabbed his wife 44 times while
holding her head underwater. He was immediately charged with murder. The prosecutor tried to
map up what had happened during and after the attack, using witness and expert testimonies.
They claimed Falater had changed his clothes after killing his spouse and placed the knife in a box.
He’d disposed of the murder weapon in a trash bag, along with his socks and shoes. Finally,
he put the bag in the spare tire well in his car. Falater’s actions seemed too complex and planned,
and the jury didn’t believe he had carried them out while sleepwalking. Two years
after the murder, he was sentenced to life in prison, and denied the possibility of parole.
Where is it located?
People all around the world can suffer from this disorder. Most sleepwalkers have no memory of
what they do while asleep, and people around them have a hard time when it comes to waking them up.
It’s recommended never to try and force people dealing with this condition to wake up suddenly,
as they might react violently. It’s best to guide them to a safe place and try to get
them back to a deep slumber. Screaming or acting inappropriately while sleepwalking
is common, especially during childhood. Urinating in closets, bumping against walls or furniture,
and falling off high places are the most common consequences of sleepwalking.
6-Stephen Reitz
Stephen Reitz was having an affair with Eva Weinfurtner, back in 2001. They decided to travel
to Catalina Island for a romantic getaway, where Reitz claimed to have suffered from
homicidal somnambulism. He’d grabbed a flower pot and broken it against Weinfurtner’s head. Coroners
would find shards buried in her scalp. While attacking the woman, Reitz dislocated her arms,
fractured her jaw, wrist, ribs, and skull, then cut the back of her neck with a pocketknife.
After discovering Weinfurtner was dead, he claimed having no recollection of the attack.
During his trial, Reitz’ parents testified their son had sleepwalked since childhood. However,
he had a history of violence, having broken into Weinfurtner’s apartment and threatening
to “gut her like a fish” while holding a knife. He was convicted of first-degree murder in 2004.
5-Jules Lowe
Manchester resident Jules Lowe confessed to his father’s murder on October the 30th
of 2004. Lowe had been drinking heavily before going to bed. He claimed to have been sleepwalking
when he attacked his father, killing him. Over 90 injuries were discovered during the autopsy,
and the 83-year-old victim had been kicked, punched, and stomped on. After the murder,
Lowe cleaned the scene inefficiently before going back to bed. A neighbor discovered the body lying
in the driveway the following morning. Lowe was declared not guilty by reason of insanity
and the judge ordered he be placed in a mental hospital
How will it kill you?
A particularly dangerous variation of sleepwalking is known as homicidal somnambulism. The veracity
of such events is usually highly disputed. This abnormal activity is usually linked to
fatigue, anxiety, and stress. Studies have also determined sleepwalking, especially with violent
results, is hereditary. If both parents suffer from this condition, a child has a 60% chance
of dealing with sleepwalking episodes throughout their lives. As sleepwalkers are not conscious
of their surroundings or nightly activities, they may harm others or themselves. There are several
documented cases of people claiming to have harmed or even killed their loved ones while asleep.
4-Raymond Lazarine
Raymond Lazarine was convicted to 75 years in prison after murdering his wife, in 2013. He
was also ordered to pay a $75,000 fine. During the trial, Lazarine claimed he’d committed the crime
while sleepwalking. He had called his son, telling him that after having a dream about shooting the
victim, he woke up to discover it had actually happened. Lazarine shot his 63-year-old wife
six times, allegedly while fast asleep. The prosecutor called witnesses that described
Lazarine as an abusive husband and a heavy drinker. He’d threatened his wife’s life multiple
times before the murder, making it hard for the jury to believe the homicidal somnambulism theory.
3- Alyson Bair
31-year-old Alyson Bair woke up late one night in 2012, feeling disoriented and cold. While
sleepwalking, she’d swum in the Snake River, in Idaho, and was suffering from severe hypothermia.
Bair eventually managed to make it back to shore, but wouldn’t be rescued until the following
morning. That wasn’t the first time she found herself in such dire situations. The mother-of-two
had woken up in several different rooms of her home and even out on the streets. To prevent this
from happening again, the family installed an alarm that Bair didn’t know the code to
so that she couldn’t turn it off while asleep. If she tried to get out of the house,
her husband and children were immediately awakened and could rush to her aid.
How to survive?
If a person discovers they’re sleepwalking, it’s best to immediately visit a doctor. Medicine can
be prescribed to deal with this condition, as well as therapy and other treatments. Several doctors
have also warned about the risks of allowing this defense in court, as it can be appropriated
by people trying to use it as a cover for their crimes. In order to prevent this from happening,
the defendant should have a clear history of suffering from sleep disorders and,
to have been seen behaving in ways they wouldn’t during their normal lives.
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2-Kenneth James Parks
Kenneth James Parks was a 23-year-old man known to his in-laws as a gentle giant. He was married,
had a 5-year-old daughter and reportedly enjoyed a good relationship with his wife’s parents.
However, Parks had developed a gambling addiction which had caused him to start
embezzling money from his workplace and stealing from his family. He was allegedly asleep when,
in May of 1987, he drove to his in-laws’ house in Ontario, 12 miles away from his residence.
Parks used his key to enter the home and then bludgeoned his wife’s mother with a tire iron.
Though he attempted to choke his father-in-law to death, Parks was unsuccessful. Afterwards, he
simply got back in his car, covered in blood, and drove to a police station. He turned himself in,
claiming he couldn’t remember the incident at all. Few people believed him at first,
until an electroencephalogram was conducted. Its readings were highly irregular, even for
a person suffering from insomnia. The jury would eventually acquit Parks. Several doctors consulted
on the case, some of whom believed he should’ve been declared not guilty by reason of insanity.
1-Matthew Phelps
On September the 1st of 2017, Matthew James Phelps stabbed his wife, Lauren, over 123 times
in their Raleigh home, in North Carolina. He later claimed to have taken too much cough medicine the
night before. Phelps’ attorneys argued that this drug had caused him to sleepwalk and
murder his wife without being conscious of his actions. The prosecutor, though,
painted a different picture of the crime. Phelps was unable to keep his spending under control and,
although his checking account was empty, he kept on purchasing new video game related items
and subscriptions. He eventually accepted a deal offered by the prosecution and
plead guilty to the murder of his wife, to avoid the death penalty.
Thanks for watching! If you were a sleepwalker, would you rather wake up in the middle of a
freezing lake or on the edge of a tall building? Let us know in the comments section below!