Murderous Minds on Trial: Terrible Tales from a Forensic Psychiatrist's Casebook

by Stanley Semrau, Judy Gale

Each murder trial brings its own tangle of evidence, legal parameters, medical factors, social circumstances, and personalities. The tangle gets trickier when we must keep in mind that: "A person shall not be criminally responsible for an act or omission if they suffer from a mental disorder such that they were not able to appreciate the nature and quality of their act or to know that it was wrong."

Forensic Psychiatrist Stanley Semrau takes us through some of the more terrible and fascinating tales from his career and from historical sources, including several cases that came to national attention: Clifford Olson and Terry Driver (The Abbotsford Killer) and the Daniel McNaughten case that marked the beginning of the insanity defense in Britain in 1843.

These chilling and thought-provoking stories delve deep into the psychiatric aspects of homicide law and into the psychology of the muderous mind. Semrau's examination of these thrilling cases also offers a critique of the existing laws in Canada as he argues for profound changes.

Genres: True Crime, Mental Health, Nonfiction

340 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Erika Nerdypants · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid read about forensic psychiatry in Canada. As a former psych nurse much of this book resonated with me. But the weaving of fiction and truth, I just don't know. Even though the authors make it clear that's what they're doing, it takes away from this book's credibility for me. Still, if you like true crime that gets inside the perpetrator's mind, this is a great read.

[Teresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was written with a great amount of detail relating to law and the working of the criminal justice system. The author points out shortcomings of the system and makes recommendations for how things should be. If you like that kind of thing, it is a good book.

[Loki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read shed some light on the legal processes associated with the Canadian justice system concerning insanity, impaired judgements pleas etc..

[Ellis Amdur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stories of crimes and trials from an eminent forensic psychiatrist. He explains, in very entertaining fashion, just what a legitimate insanity defense based on diminished capacity should be.