Episode 355: In this episode, we explore a phenomenon that blurs the line between consciousness and culpability: homicidal somnambulism. Can a person be held responsible for murder if they commit the act while sleepwalking? We'll examine two haunting cases that have grappled with this very question. First, we'll unravel the infamous story of Kenneth Parks, who, in 1987, drove 23 kilometres from his home in Pickering to Scarborough, Ontario, where he brutally attacked his in-laws, Dennis and Barbara Woods, killing his mother-in-law. Then, we'll turn our attention to the lesser-known case of Clayton John Vickberg, who attempted to kill his friend Hugh Heglin in Victoria. B.C., in 1996, while allegedly in a state of automatism. These cases challenge our understanding of criminal intent and raise unsettling questions about the nature of consciousness itself.
Sources:
Sleepwalking - Symptoms and causes
5 Possible Causes of Sleepwalking
Sleepwalking: What Is Somnambulism?
Sleepwalking (Somnambulism)
Sleepwalking Doesn’t Have To Stop You From Resting Easy
Dark Poutine 115: The Homicidal Sleepwalker (ON)
1992 CanLII 78 (SCC) | R. v. Parks | CanLII
1998 CanLII 15068 (BC SC) | R. v. Vickberg | CanLII
Sleepwalking — Sleep Forensic Medicine
Homicidal somnambulism: a case report - PubMed
Killer Sleep: An Overview of Homicidal Somnambulism
Nov 15, 1985, page 17 - Times Colonist at Newspapers.com
Nov 17, 1989, page 19 - Times Colonist at Newspapers.com
Sept 19, 1991, page 21 - Times Colonist at Newspapers.com
Apr 25, 1998, page 2 - Times Colonist at Newspapers.com
Apr 27, 1998, page 11 - The Kingston Whig-Standard at Newspapers.com
Hugh Heglin Obituary (2006) - The Times Colonist
If you kill someone in your sleep, are you a murderer?
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Homicidal Somnambulism: Are You a Murderer if You Kill in Your Sleep? | Dark Poutine - True Crime and Dark History podcast - Listen or read transcript on Metacast
