An Essay On Sleepwalking

John Friedrich, charged with and eventually convicted of the murder of 38-year-old Gayle Meggyesy, gestures as he testifies on the seventh day of his trial in Holmes County Common Pleas Court. The 1988 trial came nearly two years after Meggyesy 's murder.

Steven Crook’s, the husband of the victim returned home that same day in the afternoon. Mr. Crook contacted the police after not being able to find his wife and noticing that his home had been ransacked. A fisherman discovered Mrs. Crook’s body in the river that same afternoon.

Beth Wilmot also fell victim to Randall Woodfield’s sadistic ways in January. Her body was discovered in Salem, Oregon after being sexaully assaulted and shot in the back of her head with a .32-caliber gun. At this time the police in the states the crimes were being committed were realizing there was a serial killer on the loose and they need to catch him promptly. However, Woodfield would prove it was going to be difficult to catch him after going under the radar for an additional five months (nydailynews.com, 2014).

A poor and abusive childhood for Kemper resulted in an unexpected anger and violence towards women. Like most serial killers, until Kemper was arrested and had time

After killing 17 men and sexually assaulting various men he got charged with 15 life sentences with no parole. Jeffrey Dahmer was able to stand trial for his crimes of murder and sexual assault. Dahmer got use to prison life fairly well, and was kept from the population. As he moved with the population a fellow inmate Christopher Scarver beat Dahmer down with a metal bar and he died on sustained

In 1990, Dennis DePue was on the run. According to authorities, DePue murdered his wife and left her body behind an empty schoolhouse. Since he was never charged, the real reasons for the murder are unknown. Most people think that DePue's wife filed for divorce, and he killed her in a fit of rage. He would never have been discovered, but an unlucky turn of events led to him becoming the main suspect.

Not long after his dishonorable discharge, Dahmer was sent to live with his grandmother where he got a job, but before long was arrested for drunkenness and disorderly conduct. Soon, the offenses worsened as his alcoholism and emotional issues intensified, including but not limited to indecent exposure, child molestation, and culminating with his arrest for multiple murders in July of 1991. At the 1989 sentencing of Dahmer for child molestation, his father, Lionel Dahmer stated, “There was something missing in Jeff.... We call it a "conscience"... that had either died or had never

The human brain is a remarkably intricate organ. Therefore, simple mutations in its complexity can result in devastating conditions leading to acts of violence. Kinkel, a fifteen-year-old boy, demonstrates his partaking in the unnecessary murders of both his parents and innocent bystanders. Kinkel is said to have shown signs of his intentions through inconspicuous matters. Later holding the guilt of four deaths and twenty-six attempts via semi-automatic weaponry (para. 5). The mental instability of the subject is proven to be in effect, and a suitable cause for these behaviors. The document in question is “The State of Oregon v. Kipland Philip Kinkel”, in which encompasses a trial the young boy capable of murder. Kinkel is convicted of the absolute minimal sentence for the nature of his crimes, followed by his seemly confession. The defense and prosecution contemplate proper arguments given the defendants substantial witnesses to the crimes and articles of law. Justice is debated among the courts and how to satisfy these reprimands. Judge Haselton effectively uses ethos, logos, and pathos to support the higher courts decision to deny the appeal because the original sentence was constitutional and just.

The “Sleepwalking Defense” has been used, though not frequently, as a criminal defense in court. In the US News article assigned, they touched on seven murders that used the “Sleepwalking Defense” in court to fight the charges against the person that was proved to have committed the crime. It was argued that the murders/crimes were committed when the defendant was asleep and totally unaware of their actions. Some of the sleepwalking actions committed during the murders led to the defendant being physically injured. Actions were also carried out in what seemed like clear awake and conscience thought, like hiding/disposing of evidence or actually telling the family dog to lie down during the murders. I did notice that most of these cases

Sleep paralysis is a common condition with a prevalence of 5-62%, although most affected people have single or infrequent episodes (Dahlitz). Occasionally sleep paralysis is found to run in a family, and it can be associated with other disorders of hypersomnia, such as sleep apnea (Becker 81). Narcolepsy has also been linked with sleep paralysis; both are thought to be REM sleep disorders (Siegel). Gender and race do not seem to be a factor of risk for this disorder. The episodes of sleep paralysis seem to range from ages 5-35 (Dahlitz). The use of anxiolytic medicines, psychiatric disorders and high anxiety can also contribute to sleep paralysis (Larkin).

The sleep cycle is often the first symptom to pre-schizophrenia. "Infants were reported to ‘sleep almost constantly' during the first few months, yet by the age of six months, they refuse to sleep at all". (Cantor, 1988) Severe nightmares are very common in the first two years of life, where the child is unable to be awoken, or the child wakes spontaneously, vomits, and falls back asleep. (Cantor, ‘88) By the time the child is three or four, serious sleep disorders begin to develop. "The child just can't fall asleep, and it seems like they just can't relax". (Cantor, ‘88) These children are more likely to sleep walk, and have no fear in doing anything while in this state. "Both sleep behavior and understanding of danger improve as the child matures; in fact, schizophrenic children become cautious and fearful as the awareness of their alien world

His background and early life mentioned earlier proves his actions of aggression and impulsivity. His diagnosis is ASPD comorbid with substance abuse, and accompanied with sadistic, necrophilia, and obsessive features. The sadistic and obsessive feature comes from his sexual pleasure to harm and control others. Also his obsessive features can be linked with his canabalism. “Dahmer reported that he felt an intense need of consuming the flesh of the dead body in order to incoporate the other in his own self, and he experienced this as a sexual sense of closeness and unification” (Martens,2011, pg.504). His necrophilia feature has been present sense his early adolescence. His low self-esteem, and unsocial behaviors may have easily led him down the path to developing ASPD and his other features. Jeffery’s mother also “suffered from hysteria, depression, suicidal

Sleepwalking is commonly seen in older children. It ranges from getting out of bed to prolonged and complex actions. "Sleepwalking occurs relatively often among children; one can even cause it intentionally simply by picking up a child or adult in deep sleep and standing them on their feet" Borbely (1986). In adults, sleepwalking could indicate a personality disturbance. For instance, a good amount of adults that sleepwalk are suffering from depression. It is thought that this condition is hereditary and can be brought on by stress, also by not getting enough sleep or a high fever.

Somnambulism, or sleepwalking, belongs to a group of parasomnias. This disorder of arousal is characterized by complex motor behaviors initiated during stages 3 and 4 of non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep (slow-wave sleep) (3). Behaviors during sleepwalking episodes can vary greatly. Some episodes are limited to sitting up, fumbling and getting dressed, while others include more complex behaviors such as walking, driving a car, or preparing a meal (2). After awakening, the sleepwalker usually has no recollection of what has happened and may appear confused and disoriented. The behaviors performed while sleepwalking are said to be autonomous automatisms. These are nonrelfex actions performed without conscious volition and

As with sleepwalking, it can be hereditary. But thankfully our bodies change as we age, which is why we see children who no longer sleep talk or have night terrors. There are still some teenagers and adults who suffer from sleeping disorders, and in certain cases (such as narcolepsy, a brain disease where you have uncontrollable sleep attacks) some may never grow out of their illness. Either way, I am very fascinated by sleeping disorders and will educate others who suffer the new information that I