A parasocial relationship is a one-sided connection where someone feels an imagined personal bond with a public figure. This week, the docs explore the research behind why these relationships form and the different ways we experience them. They also delve into real-life cases where fans crossed boundaries, causing harm to content creators. Related past episodes: Crazy in Love: Erotomania Assassinations The Violence of Sports Fandom Stalking: The Crime of the 90's You can find all of our...

This week, we focus on correctional staff who become romantically or inappropriately involved with inmates. Inspired by Dr. Scott’s recent panel with Generation Why at The Berkshire Podcast Festival, we explore the ethical boundaries and implications for forensic psychologists and correctional personnel in maintaining professional relationships within the correctional system. We discuss the cases out of Clinton Correctional Facility and Lauderdale County Detention Facility.  Join our Patreon...

Welcome Back Folks! In this episode, “The Ladies Who Love Lifers,” the docs dive into the fascinating, and sometimes disturbing, world of hybristophilia—a condition where individuals are romantically or sexually attracted to those who have committed heinous crimes. From infamous serial killers to lesser-known convicts, we’ll explore what drives some people to seek out relationships with “lifers” and why these connections can become so powerful. Join us as we unpack the psychology behind...

The docs have covered a lot of disorders of the brain that lead people to harm others, but this time the injurious behavior turns inward. Today they explore the behaviors and etiology of Body Integrity Identity Disorder and discuss the associated ethics behind the treating the condition, before covering two cases involving drastic measures to live as a person with disabilities.  Jewel Shuping video Chloe Jennings-White video Join our Patreon family!   You can find all of our resources on...

Please enjoy this live recording from our presentation in London at CrimeCon UK 2024! We yap about our trip before getting into the recording. This presentation is a bit of a mashup of previous topics and cases; false victimization, personality disorders, the cases of Sister Aimee McPherson and Sherri Papini, among others.  Berkshire Podcast Festival October 2024: Tickets Get 20% off tickets with the code:FALLINTOTHESOUND at www.berkshirepodcastfestival.com   Join our Patreon family!   You...

We are in the UK! Therefore we are bringing you a conversation with forensic psychologist, Dr. Joni Johnston, from a live stream in June 2024. We discuss her work doing psychological autopsies, specifically when murders are staged to look like suicides. Dr. Johnston's website, book & Newsletter: https://www.drjonijohnston.com/ Berkshire Podcast Festival October 2024: Tickets   Join our Patreon family!   You can find all of our resources on our...

This week, Dr. Shiloh & Dr. Scott review the Sandra Birchmore case and then examine the problem of sexual abuse in American Police Explorer programs. They look at sexual crime power bases, behavioral drift, how this is similar to the research on teacher-student sexual abuse and what can be done about it; before looking at two other high profile cases.  The Case podcast What Happened to Sandy Beal? podcast Farwell Indictment CrimeCon UK September 2024: Tickets   Berkshire Podcast...

This week the docs take a brief jaunt OUT of Los Angeles to the sunny and gorgeous sands of Hollywood’s Desert Playground - aka  Palm Springs. Although a year round destination for relaxation and glamour, there are dark aspects among the glittering sapphire pools of the Oasis of the Desert’s past. After all, a place with golden age ties to Hollywood is bound to have some sordid stories to tell - case in point: the tumultuous life of Tom Neal, a promising Hollywood actor in the late 1930s,...

This week the docs dive into the murky pool of "Body Language Experts" to discuss the explosion of self proclaimed subject matter experts on a field that lacks empirical evidence. The success of the 2009 American television series "Lie To Me" brought widespread attention to the dubious field of deception detection through body language, facial expressions, and micro-expressions, encouraging many people with both legitimate science, law enforcement and military backgrounds to present as...

Bullying in American schools from elementary education through the college years has gained a LOT of traction over the past few decades: attention that is much needed and very much delayed due to characteristics of a culture that has accepted these terrible behaviors. Mental health and risk assessment professionals have brought more light to this topic making difficult and complex conversations more likely to occur than in the past. From threatening and coercive behaviors to outright criminal...

Today we are covering a very misunderstood disorder and the very small space it has overlapped with the criminal justice system. We explain what Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is NOT and review the many faces of OCD including Harm OCD, Pedophilia OCD, and Relationship OCD. We also get into some interesting cases in which defense teams' experts have tried to use OCD as an excuse for criminal behavior. CrimeCon UK September 2024: Tickets Berkshire Podcast Festival October 2024: Tickets You...

As an added bonus this week, LANSC is sharing a sneak peak episode from the season 15 premiere of Truth and Justice with Bob Ruff.  We know if you’re a listener of LA Not So Confidential, that you’re familiar with Bob’s wildly impressive show where he uses his investigative skills to bring to light yet another story of wrongful conviction in the tragic murder case of Demorrio Lowes.   "Truth and Justice with Bob Ruff" is a popular investigative podcast hosted by Bob, a former fire chief...

In this episode, the docs refer back to their original episode #28  on the phenomenon of shared delusion.  What do the Slenderman attack, Lori Vallow and Chad Daybed and Ruby Franke have in common? All of them exhibit significantly altered thinking and beliefs that unfortunately caused tragedy and trauma to the children in their path. Crooked Timber YouTube video on Mormon influencers Yeah No Yeah podcast CrimeCon UK September 2024: Tickets Berkshire Podcast Festival October 2024:...

While thankfully rare, Necrophilia, the act of sexual abuse of the deceased, has a long and storied history. Through myth, legend, history, psychological and criminal classifications, this Paraphilia inhabits one of the most disturbing and dark corners of the human psyche. This week, the docs go deep into history, research and case studies of Carl Tanzler and Karen Greenlee to explore a rare and disquieting practice that is a far outlier on the constellation of sexuality. CrimeCon UK...

lovelustfear is a podcast series that exposes the darker side of dating and relationships. Every episode explores true dating and relationship stories—from the awkward and uncomfortable to the shocking and bizarre to the disturbing and downright dangerous. Host Jake Deptula welcomes storytellers into candid conversations, revealing the decisions they made and dilemmas they faced when better judgment got lost in a haze of desire. lovelustfear is a compelling, terrifying, but always...

This week the docs tackle case studies and psychological motivations for the development of extremism within US military and law enforcement. The growing threat of extremism presents a substantial threat to the security of the US as a nation and on the community level with law enforcement.  Some of the most notorious extremists in the U.S. military are responsible for the bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building, brutal racially oriented murders by soldiers at Fort Bragg and the Fort...

The doctors are back in! We ease back into regular episodes with some interesting updates and news stories from some of our most explosive topics including QAnon, Familicide, and Soveriegn Citizens.  CrimeCon UK Tickets Berkshire Podcast Festival  Join our Patreon family! ScentAir is celebrating Memorial Day starting May 22 through May 27 with 50% off sitewide, but LA Not So Confidential listeners can take an EXTRA 25% off their entire order with promo code LANOTSOPOD.  You can find all...

This week the docs review the true crime documentary, “I AM VANESSA GUILLEN”. The doc is a 2022 Netflix original directed by Christy Wegener that recounts the horrific story of a young U.S. soldier who was brutally murdered at Fort Hood military base by another soldier. As well as guiding the audience through the brutal commission of the crime, the documentary also follows Vanessa’s family - who are determined to reveal the truth of their daughter’s experience of assault by taking their case...

This week, the docs explore the psychology behind groups of people acting out in violent and sometimes murderous ways while taking justice into their own hands. They cover a brief history of lynch mobs in the US, before revisiting vigilantism and look at "mob mentality" before covering a couple of case studies. Join us on Saturday March 30th at 4pm PST for a livestream on YouTube with From Beneath the Hollywood Sign podcast! Faces of Meth Get our new Shrink Rap feature on Patreon You can...

This week, the docs delve into the sequence of events that precipitated the tragic and disastrous "Zoot Suit" riots in Los Angeles. Despite the Zoot Suit riots receiving far less attention than deserved in the annals of the civil rights struggle in the United States, they represent a pivotal moment in both Los Angeles and national history. The docs investigate how the media exacerbated tensions by demonizing the Latino community, while also shedding light on the pervasive racism and...

As requested by listeners, we take a look at Copycat Crimes by discussing news and fictional media influences, low-level neighborhood crime, mass shootings, and case studies of infamous murders that inspired other killers. CrimeCon UK tickets. Use code: CONFIDENTIAL for 10% discount. Raymond Surette's chart on films and copycat crimes You can find all of our resources on our website: https://www.la-not-so-confidential.com/  L.A. Not So Confidential is proud to be part of the Crawlspace...

This week we watched and reviewed the CNN (now on MAX) documentary, Chowchilla. In the late 70's, in the farming town of Chowchilla, California, 26 children and their school bus driver were stopped in the middle of a rural road by three armed men. The men systematically kidnapped the driver and the children and sequestered them in a dark and virtually airless truck trailer and then buried them. While all of the victims survived, they have spent their lives dealing with a multitude of symptoms...

This week the docs dive into the subject of "Sovereign Citizens," individuals or groups in the United States, and increasingly, around the globe who adhere to a fringe legal theory asserting that they are not subject to the authority of government entities. In Part 2, the docs review the research literature and discuss Sovereign Citizens' engagement with law enforcement, court systems and the general public and the mental gymnastics have moved this once fringe movement into violence. Part 1...

This week we return to the 1950's, but this time to the height of Hollywood glamour. But the other side of that golden coin is a dark underbelly that seemed to follow actress Lana Turner around in her personal life, leading up to the death of her gangster boyfriend at the hands of her teenage daughter. We discuss her success and evolution as a legendary film actress, her many failed relationships fraught with deception and worse, and the events of the night that her abuser was stopped dead in...