"Laughing Killer" Terrorized Family for Years But No One Listened | Michael Swanson Case Analysis
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- Опубліковано 26 лют 2024
- This video answers the question: Can I analyze case of Michael Richard Swanson?
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Michael was my first friend in pre school, and I remained friends with him up until kindergarten when he randomly decided to destroy my neighbors sprinkler with a bat and my parents decided to cut off that friendship. He went to my summer kids program(got kicked out for running away) and was in my Jr. high(got expelled for exposing himself in the lunchroom) but didn't keep up with him at all and would always dread seeing him because I knew there was something very wrong with him. I hadn't seen him for years by 2010 and then he just so happened to be at a friend's house. We were punk little kids who drank and smoked and did stupid stuff, and I remember my friend beat up this other guy outside of the house we were all at for assaulting his girlfriend minutes after we arrived. I remember Michael's blank and emotionless demeanor the entire night, and in particular during the fight. It was like there was nothing behind his eyes and almost like he was in a semi trance-like state. When it came time to leave I said bye to everyone and Michael then said he wanted to walk home as well. I was really creeped out at this point and knew his history, and so I kept putting off leaving in hopes he would leave first but Every time I got up to leave he would get up as well. Eventually I just gave in and left with him walking home with me as well. Aside from getting pulled over by the police on our way home to be asked about the fight, it was a pretty uneventful walk home with very surface level communication between us, although the entire time I was waiting for him to pull out a knife and do something to me. After I saw him on the news for the killing just a few months later, I couldn't help but wonder if I dodged a bullet(or stabbing) that night and wondered what his intentions were to absolutely need to walk home with me. I'm sure I'll never know.
Phew...you must have been really frightened, I could just completely feel it the way you wrote about that walk home...
@@birgithaan1036It scares me to this day! I think about writing him sometimes to ask why he was so insistent on walking with me home late at night, but I'm honestly afraid of the answer and truthfully would prefer not to know(I also don't know his information to write him). His demeanor that night was frightening looking back. Another thing that I forgot to mention is that my mom knew his mother Kathy well when we were kids, and she told me after she found out about the murders that Kathy told her that Michael was diagnosed with conduct disorder when I was friends with him at 5 years old. I find it interesting that it's not brought up in any videos or articles on the case considering that it tends to be diagnosed before an adulthood diagnosis of Anti-Social Personality Disorder.
WOW 😱
I imagine it feels very surreal. Hearing all of Dr. Grande's and your own stories about him really stumps me. I can usually empathize, relate, or understand a lot of cases to at least some degree. Everything about Michael confuses me. I used to work with troubled teens and I don't think an adolescent treatment center would have been able to handle him. I imagine a detention center with a big focus on therapy may have been best equipped. This is going to drive me crazy thinking about it bc him/his problems don't fit neatly into 1 box that makes sense. When someone said it's cases like these that will keep you up at night thinking about them, I agree. It's so hard to imagine what the right/best course of treatment/ placement would be, as well as what he may have going on psychologically.
Q: Was he typically laughing/smiling at inappropriate times? Incongruent to the situation (similar to how he didn't react or seen fazed by the fight). Did he have many friends or was he more of a loner? Are you aware of him hallucinating? (Like witnessed it yourself?) I wonder if mental illness runs in his family.... So many questions.
Glad you're safe, though. It's no wonder you can't help but think about his true intentions.
Take care❣️
Really sorry you experienced that & had to witness it manifest first hand. Happy and safe wishes to you comrade. Be well. 💙
Despite the terrible circumstances, his family is probably relieved that he is no longer their problem
Oh they are absolutely relieved.
Took two murders.
I had the same thought
i just wanted to post something like that, and here it is the first post i read. Imagine after all the dust settles down , you all of a sudden sleep well for the first time in somewhat 15-17 years. And they never shunned away from him or trying to treat and help him. These poor people , i feel very sorry for them.
I know someone who has a son who has health problems , but not mental. His chield was born with diabetis , asthma and now has adhd in addition. This kid is socially completly fine , but these parents allready had such a hard time and so little help, it costs them their marriage. I can only imagine how that felt for the parents of this boy here. Or to be honest i cannot, no matter how hard i try and i am actually glad i can't.
I hope these people have friends in their community.
So you don’t give the parents ANY blame for creating a monster like this?? Sounds like his parents fed the monster whether it was directly or indirectly. Yall are pathetic to pick and choose when to lay blame.
Him attempting to jump on top of an infant made me unwell! So glad his mother actually closed her daycare-business after this!
They’re just wrestling it’s ok
Mom must have really understood her kid to close up her own business.
Me too 😢
Have you seen a psychiatrist about this?
when Christians warn of demons and what they do, ignorants say it is outdated mythology. well then demons live nothing more than humans denying their existence. Mothers get off your phones and nurture your children. No mother should be travelling without their family. Horror movies, the music and movie industry are full of gateways for demons and if u smoke weed or do drugs, u already under demonic influence!!!
I knew the dad. He tried EVERYTHING to keep him in line. He would always be on the phone during those times when his son's behavior was getting better, just to make sure that he was where he was supposed to be and doing what he was supposed to be doing. I'm glad the comments here are somewhat sympathetic.
I grew up with siblings with severe mental illness. Far too often people blame family for not doing more, not realizing how little support there is for families dealing with troublesome members. So I definitely believe his parents did what they could
Psychopathy is usually caused by kids being given insufficient attention as infants.
Could be something the mother would know about.
What a horrible situation for parents to have to struggle within a family situation
@@DustWolphy
Um,
Nope.
No way, I knew his mom. Small world
How did the system miss this kid? I can't believe they told his parents they were being hysterical. What a disservice to that family and the community at large. Damn. We have got to get better at identifying and treating mental illness.
I agree. This seems to be a case of a child who got failed at every level. Of course other child killers probably got failed just like he did. We don't know enough about human brains.
I am just very concerned about who gets to decide who has mental issues and what gets called a mental problem. I trust nothing the authorities get their hands on.
@@mikepalmer2219 I mean, they aren't even authorities man. There just private citizens with credentials that come to a conclusion based on the evidence they see and the experience they have. Fact is, some of these people making these assessments are just not doing a good job. You get the same problem in other areas of healthcare of course, but when someone dies from an untreated medical issue, they normally don't murder other people as a result. With mental illness, that's unfortunately not always the case. It's just hard. The entire process is terribly difficult. I honestly don't know how I ever got through my own troubles, much less how anyone else does it.
@@DigitalNeb Well said.
Personality disorders are not a mental illneas. They are generly something you are born with that can not be fixed. I survived one. He csa me and pulled guns on my brother. And also cut my older brothers finger off when he was 4. Narssasitic and a psychopath. ppl, destroy everything they touch. And there is no way to treat them when they are that bad with what we know right now.
As a teacher, I once had a student who chilled me to the bone. A few year after I " tried" to teach him, he murdered 3 people.
Why the quotation marks around tried?
@@sammygirl6910 because the kid clearly did not learn.
I had a classmate that fit that description, 8 years after graduation, he killed his wife, son, and then himself, after setting their home on fire.
@@sammygirl6910I think because it was impossible. Tried but failed miserably.
Holy crap
If a clinician says that your child is a “Lost cause” you might just want to keep a close eye on that kid. A very close eye.
Well, it sounds like they did, but he was a snake.
encouraging story to raise a child
That said, many clinicians don't even have 4 year psychology degrees.
@@SirenaSpades. They have to have at least 6 years of education, unless they are frauds. Anyone who works for a private substance use treatment program can call themselves a counselor, but I don’t know about a clinical psychologist. That does require a license.
@@SirenaSpades can you provide evidence to support this?
“Someone who always tells the truth can’t be a politician.” The way you delivered that line. 💀
Always telling the truth is a sign of autism. People lie constantly.
Esta , : It's Funny , because it's True
This is the content we subscribe for 🔥👍🏾
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ONE HUNDRED PERCENT... TRUTH! 🤣😂🤣
The idea that an official would commute his sentence from life without parole to sixty years us unreal.
Well it's the same thing really - is he going to live to 96 (wasn't that he new earliest parole age?) and just how dangerous are 96yr olds if they live that long?
They could possibly get hold of a gun, but can they walk or run, or even carry it?
@@user-mc9qh9xc6v This mope will be dangerous at any age.
@@user-mc9qh9xc6vyou new my dude? The minute anything less than a life sentence and parole is introduce is the moment the potential for early release is triggered. I just watched a case where a guy was sentenced for 40 years before the possibility of parole for a pretty heinous murder and got out in 8 because of the prison system. This guy could be out in the next 10 years.
@@tropistan7735 Thanks for your interesting observation, I'll keep my eyes open for things like this happening in the US... but I'm in New Zealand and our system is different here, sentences are WAY shorter here anyhow 🤨
Clearly a move by that judge to get reelected.
Whoever said he was a lost cause who should be locked away was right. The parents had to be relieved when he was put away.
For sure! I'm relieved, and I've never met him!!
He was so clearly insane from an early age. That is wild, I can’t even imagine what that must feel like as a parent.
I've found that many parents can SEEM okay when they're not at all and no one really knows what goes on behind closed doors, so to speak, especially in regard to sexual abuse, which is extremely common!
Of course, there can be other reasons for children's difficult, or disturbed, behaviour such as fetal alcohol syndrome and psychiatric drugs are causing huge issues due to the millions of pregnant women who are advised to continue taking them nowadays as well. 🙁
This is the kind of case that keeps me up at night. The thought that there are young people out there beyond redemption. Poor family.
Isn't that the most sad thing? That there are people that are (born obviously) beyond help? 😔 How horryfying is this?
He may have not been but it doesn't sound like he ever truly got the help he needed in childhood.
@@TwinBleakssome people are just born sociopaths. Nothing anyone can do to change that. It’s obvious his parents tried to no avail.
it's not "sad" it's reality. there are evil people without cause or reason. accept it. live with it and understand it.
@@TwinBleaks no medication helps psychopathy. This is nothing like bipolar......
I'm bipolar and I don't go around killing, never wanted to harm no one.
I really believe he was beyond help
I know! I have bipolar, too. It was kind of offensive. I have never murdered anyone.
Being bipolar kind of sucks. But other times it's GREAT!
@@christopheranthony6706 damn straight. Greatest mental illness ever
Yes, there is clearly something else going on with this guy, even if he is bipolar, that is just the tip of the iceberg. I have known three people with some degree of bipolar (it is a spectrum), and none of them was prone in any way to violence. Even on their worst day, they would just be really bitchy, rude, a little paranoid or hurt, or depressed, but never violent. They are all kind and empathic as well. I suspect this Swanson guy was a malignant narcissist, because he displayed total lack of empathy for others. I'd even hazard to guess maybe it was some kind of demonic possession, if there is such a thing.
I’m only a psych postgrad, but it doesn’t sound much like bipolar to me, especially with how consistent his behaviour was. I’d be inclined to think it’s more likely he had a personality disorder. Conduct disorder -> antisocial personality disorder, pr maybe schizoaffective? Whatever it is, it ran extremely deep in him.
If he was bi-polar it was the least of his worries.
I took care of a boy who was diagnosed with ODD, ADHD and bipolar disorder. His mother told me she feared he would kill her one day! He's on medication, sees a psychologist weekly and a psychiatrist monthly. He was 9 at this time, now 15. He is doing well and is active in school sports and is very intelligent. He has never attacked his family or friends. This boy was just PURE EVIL.
Do u know which medication?
Many moons ago I worked at a child care centre with a 2-3 year old girl who seemed to live to physically attack others for no reason. She was always so happy during the attack and almost proud of herself smirking at the staff as if she'd managed to out smart us despite the fact we kept a closer eye on her than the other children. I thought she was destined to kill one day.
A couple of decades passed and I caught up with someone who knew this girl and her family and was pleasantly surprised to hear she was doing very well and was very talented in a team sport playing at an international level. Sport might be very helpful for these kids. Getting rid of physical aggresion, stategy, working in a team, following rules.
Not sure if she was ever diagnozed and treated for her behavoir but proves they don't all end up like this story.
@@shez5964 nah I think they put her on medication. I wish I knew which one
Wait till he is an adult in his 30s before you say that. Looks can be deceiving. What I know is children/people rarely change who they are, mental illness or not.
yes, this is psychopathy..... no medication helps.
I just feel like the person who thought it was a good idea to name a gas station Kum n Go should also be charged with a felony
Got em
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
I was pretty much thinking the same thing when I saw that😂😂😂
Famous for their glory hole bathrooms?
Yeah, the jokes my husband makes when we pass one of those has gotten very old. LOL
14:06 "Someone who always tells the truth, can't be a politician." Right on, Dr. G. lol
I've met a child exactly like Michael. He had no fear of punishment, he was sly and violent from a young age. He attacked my husband with a power tool, driving it into his leg. His parents didn't know what to do with him and schools would only allow him to be on campus for a short time before asking his parents not to bring him back. What do you do with a child like that because no-one seems to know.
I was thinking the same thing. They used to have places like this called insane asylums but even then they werent for children. You need guards and strong men to staff these types of places because often they patients are strong and violent. They deemed insane asylums were inhumane and did away with them and now you have this.
@@jcdesantis69In most of Europe we have high security mental health facilities separate from forensic institutions. The hospitals have different security tiers, the most dangerous patients are kept in setting similar to a forensic one, some spending their entire lives in these facilities on varying levels of security. The conditions aren't ideal everywhere, sure, but there's no other solution.
There is a research going on for treating psychopathy. Its mostly via microchips inserted into the brain, biofeedback and so on. I suppose it takes time to find the "cure", and until then those people should be just kept away
parents/guardians of the minor can have them involuntarily "committed"
It's sad that it took the death of two people to finally get him locked away like he always should've been.
How often do we have to see this terrible progression to finally understand that life is at stake!
Yes and it's interesting that they were both "mid-life" women, a bit older than his mother, the mother he repeatedly said he wanted to harm.
Imagine being his mother. He was openly hostile toward her yet the authorities kept returning him to her. Like having a venomous snake in your bed and every time you throw it out, someone throws it back in.
@@user-mc9qh9xc6vI was exactly thinking that! Psychopaths like him are one of the many reasons I don't want kids. Sometimes that shit is genetic and my family isn't exactly upstanding
Also, it ended up being the kid who diagnosed his own bi-polar disorder and treatment with Lithium. For that people, society, etc spent 100,000 dollars of "health care" advise and nothing worked until the Lithium? Why? I was finally diagnosed with clinical depression, and put on Prozac (at that time the depression drug of choice) when I was 33 after feeling suicidal and miserable every year before then. I remember because it wasn't until I took the drug that I first "felt normal."
BP here. I got put on lithium at 18. I am a huge advocate for people needing meds to not be a certain way.
Im “just” chronically depressed & anxious (dangerous only to myself) and getting medicated changed my world. I almost forgot how it felt to be normal, now I appreciate what I have. I loath the idea how you & me are supposedly mere pawns for big pharma, meds for mental ailments arent necessary, doctors are prescribing too much for too many and so on. Sometimes the meds are very necessary, I wouldnt be here without them. Keep rocking, my unknown BP friend, and shine on :)
@@janemiettinen5176 Excellent commentary. Thank you for sharing ❤️❤️❤️
That bastard will still be evil no matter what drugs he's on.
@@beestingza you seem like such a lovely empathetic person
off on a tangent, but what do you think about Britney Spears' allegation that she was forced to take lithium?
I raised a nephew from the time he was a year old. He too was diagnosed with ADHD and ODD as well as RAD and fetal alcohol syndrome.
Here’s what stood out to me in his case. Everyone who had any dealings with him, teachers, staff, residential facilities for troubled youth, probation officers, social workers, therapists, you name it, wanted only one thing from this kid: for him to be somewhere else. I can’t say as I blame them.
Only one who has tried to raise such a child has the slightest idea of the difficulties and obstacles involved. I took it on but wouldn’t wish it upon anyone.
Thank you & bless you for at least trying. And thanks too for the post.
I have a Grandson with the same issues. It has been hard work but his parents, teachers, social workers and therapists have worked miracles. We are blessed to have found the help we needed. He is 14 and is truly amazing. He struggles everyday but succeeds more often than he fails.
@@robinmaynard1640 I applaud your efforts. I can't imagine how difficult it is to do the work your doing with your grandson.
God bless you 🙏🏻
I came across a psychopathic 6 year-old when I was a teenager. My cousin (one year older than I) and I were just hanging out at the play area of the apartment complex where my cousin lived, acting as semi-adult supervision for the kids playing there unattended, and this hellion showed up and just started picking fights. With everyone. Swung with all his might at a poor kid who did nothing to provoke him. My cousin and I tried to get between the two to shield the victim from further harm, and the psycho came after *us.* Understand, we were fully-grown high-school boys, both over 6 feet tall, and this kid was doing everything he could to hurt us, including kicking and swinging his fists. (We couldn't help but laugh, which infuriated the kid even more.) The poor victim was crying, and his father came out to see what was going on. "Hellspawn hit me!" the kid exclaimed. The father, helplessly, took his son inside. The other kids scattered home, too, leaving us with Beelzebub. We told him to just go home, because it was getting dark. He finally did, and we left, too.
A couple of years later, my cousin told me the kid was dead; he had jumped out of a moving car on the freeway. He seriously had something wrong in his head; something that made him angry, violent, and unstable. Some kids just do (adults too,, of course). Bless you for doing what you could for your nephew, @CAROLUSPRIMA
"Beyond All Hope" deserves a place in the DSM.
BAH humbug
No, it doesn't. I hope you aren't a professional who uses the DSM.
@@flingonber I think it's a joke
@.6371 Do you? I don't. That's basically the average American's view one the intersection between mental health, crime, and rehabilitation. I mean, in this very case we're talking about an actual *child* was originally sentenced to life without parole.
Some people cannot be rehabilitated, one can only hope to manage the behaviors. It's rare, but true.
I worked with a child like this. He was 4 and was hurting other children and teachers. The things he would say with a grin on his face stay with me to this very day. He calmly told me that his dad has hammers at home, and he (the child) will pack them in his bag tomorrow, bring them to school and hurt all the children and teachers. He said many things like this… the final straw for the school was when he began saying he will poison and kill and the people in the school. I observing him screaming at children, and telling his friend that he wants the other kids to feel terror. I fear for the people who will come across his path, I have zero doubt that he will seriously hurt someone most likely even before becoming a teen. I’m so curious as to what in the brain would cause a desire to terrorize and hurt others :-(
So threats with a hammer were acceptable. But poison took it too far. Guess you gotta draw the line somewhere.
I’ve listened to people talk about the frontal cortex being damaged or even without function
If he was 4 and knew what poisoning people was, someone at home was exposing him to concepts that were not suitable for his age.
No, you tell tiny children about poison so that they don't drink paint or whatever.
@robynmarler1951 We teach our children that you don't eat or drink certain things, but that's not nearly the same thing as them understanding the concept of deliberately poisoning other people.
A 4 year old would not make the leap from knowing certain things are not to be ingested, to the idea of sneaking those substances into someone else's food with the intention of harming them.
So often outsiders blame the parents. This is a clear case of the parents doing everything under the sun to untangle this mess, be safer, get help. There dont seem to be effective resources when dealing with psychopaths. Unfortunately I know this first hand.
You write, "when dealing with psychopaths...[no] effective resources....I know this first hand." For some reason, I believe you. I also think that depriving children of love and the resources to pursue their dreams helps, but not in this case. I have a brother who probably needed help, but we were also denied resources as a family when we most needed them, which didn't help. But society (which is any random person) cannot afford someone walking around with random murder on their mind.
@@jcjcviews”depriving children of love and the resources to pursue their dreams helps”……. Huh
Me too. I went to the hospital with the psychopath and was turned away. We failed to get help.
I knew them. If you only knew what Bob and his wife had to do just because of the behavior of their son. They had to quit jobs, move, etc.
@iamthebroker I'm confused by this. Typo maybe?
I am not a psychologist but I have believed for many years that not all anti-social behaviour is due to mental health problems. There are many different types of personalities. Some are warm and inviting while others are shy and prefer to be left alone, but they still interact positively at work and at home. Then there is a subset of people who, just like the previously mentioned, have no underlying mental health issues and are normal in every way, however they choose to act in ways that most people would find disgusting, including killing people. As a society we like to believe that they are sick, for being sick infers that they can be treated and get well. But sadly, that is not the case for these individuals. They will continue down this wicked path until they are stopped.
Sometimes people are simply EVIL.
"As a society we like to believe that they are sick..." Well no, I think a large chunk of 'society' is fully aware that some people are plain evil (for want of a better word) and beyond any treatment. Some politicians, sociologists, doctors and lawyers may make a very good living out of publicly claiming otherwise, but let's not confuse these people with 'society'.
We come from animals. Animals steal and kill. The traits still appear now and then, some more than others.
They tend to be sneaky cowards
No. I was very much on a path of violence and had zero empathy for others as a child. Once I left my horrible family behind I was able to meet people that weren't monsters I slowly started to "wake up" and see how my actions hurt others.
Yes, there will a few that will require a lifetime of confinement. Looking at the issue from the opposite perspective it is easier to understand. There are many child prodigies that at the age of 2-3 show signs of having talents that can't be explained; very you children that can play musical instruments at a skill level that exceed adults that have trained for decades and others that are able comprehend math and physics at a Phd level. This suggests their briain is wired in such a way that gives them abilities that 99% of the population does not have. Given such examples, this further suggests there will be children that have violent and other extreme anti-social behavior that can't be explained. Such individuals will baffle very skilled professionals that can't explain the extreme destructive tendency nor be able to apply behavior modification techniques that have any long term effect.
interesting hypothesis. glad that he was not gifted with intelligence as well as sociopathy, or he would still be out there.
A very interesting way to put it, and I agree with you. Of course the nature versus nurture thing is always still out there, but I do believe that some people are a "lost cause" due to irreparable mental health issues. Of course our good Doctor could not say that even if he believed it. I am not in that line of work so I can say exactly what I think. If a professional in that field said it out loud, they might lose their license (?).
I agree, although the system failed him in that when his parents FIRST tried to get help when he was the youngest (and most impressionable) they told the parents that he had NO issues & accused them of being hysterical. There's something REALLY fishy & wrong about that. The parents should have tried to relentlessly keep looking for help. Perhaps if he were on medication early enough, it would have helped level out his brain chemistry and he wouldn't be where he is today. There's always a chance it wouldn't have worked..but I guess we'll never know.
There could well be something to what your saying.
@@MelissaJoyArtistry Yeah! My thinking was that those first mental health clinicians were terrified of the kid and didn't want to go anywhere near him, so they blamed the parents (wrongly) for being hysterical over nothing. Ugh. Super-lame! I've encountered enough bad therapists to realize that a lot of them just aren't trying hard enough.
I have a cousin who had a childhood behavior similar to this and ironically his name is Michael as well. He's in and out of prison with ASPD and schizophrenia. I have no doubt he's kill people and just not gotten caught yet because those are the kind of people he hangs around and he absolutely used to torture animals and tear stuff up and beat up his teachers when he was a small kid. Haven't spoken to him in years cuz he scares me
@@robert5697 The demon seed is actual. You only need to observe one of these people and "you know."
@@robert5697 Ain't that the truth. That's the distinction most people don't understand. Police don't protect people. They enforce laws.
@@robert5697 Why didn't his housemates just kick him out??
@@robert5697 we've called the police on my cousin before during one of his rages. They literally never came. They just forgot about our call. He eventually just wandered off to his friend's house because we told him to stop breaking stuff. The police do not care
The nature vs nurture argument always intrigued me. There are cases where you can make a strong case for either/or.
I had a niece who, from infancy, was insistent on cutting off her own circulation. People accused her parents of abuse but they insisted otherwise and claimed she did those things to herself.
I was skeptical until I had to babysit her a few times. She'd slam doors and cabinets on her limbs, lean in until her appendages turned blue and bled from the pinched area. She was 18 months doing this. She'd try to scrape the skin off her fingers with her teeth so you'd have to tape socks to her hand at night.
No one would diagnose her with anything because of how young she was.
She grew into her teens and all sharp edges in the house had to be rounded off or capped because she had a compulsion to slice herself on them. You couldn't have a gas stove because she would insist that she would blow up the house with it by lighting a match. All knives had to be put up because she was legit worried, she'd harm herself or others. Not because she was mad or whatever, but knives are meant for cutting and so would try to cut EVERYTHING with them with absolute indifference because "knives cut."
But other than that, she was sweet. I know that sounds weird but there was no maliciousness in any of it. Doctors couldn't find out what was wrong with her, as she bounced around with schizophrenia to personality disorders to unspecified psychosis. No meds or treatment worked. Parents had to lock all the doors with deadbolts at night. The parents have no social life anymore. Her IQ was tested around 80 so there was no academic hope, and due to lack of absolute focus no career options.
Last I checked, she still stumps her psychologists.
You can have a family without a long history of mental illness and be relatively stable, fairly loving. Yet a kid still comes out aggressive and malicious; if not that, just dangerous because they lack the ability to understand real world implications. Where does it come from now? Some latent genetic factor yet detected, or some otherwise random event the kid catalyzed into something sick and twisted?
We like to say people aren't born bad or broken, but some sadly are.
Does she have that disorder where the norciceptors don’t work? Like does she feel pain at all? Or Lesch Nyhan syndrome? Kids hurting themselves to that degree at such a young age is pretty unusual, it seems strange they would be completely unable to find out why.
I had a step daughter similar to this! Fascinating with knives and household cleaners which she used on me. She abused several pets before we found out and loved to lie and make shocking false allegations. Laughed all the time to herself and had a lot of dark thoughts.
how is her situation rn .
My younger brother chased me around the house with a knife when i was in middle school.
He also handcuffed me to a highchair. They were real handcuffs and needed bolt cutters.
I had a knife unsheaved at me and i could feel threat in the air. Anger.
That was freaky for me.
This boy did so much more. That is terrifying.
Hunting "accidents" are sometimes for cases like this.
Yes!
I was thinking a BOATING " accident " , ably aided by our pals The Sharks .
Seriously? I mean, I see your point but no one can expect to get away with murder anymore.
@@adriel7229you do realize like 60% of murders go unsolved right?
@@mikepalmer2219 You do realize that technology makes it more difficult than ever to get away with, right?
Everybody’s gangster until Grande moves to the timeline of the crime.⭐️💯
haha
I do believe that there is such a thing as a bad seed. Sometimes the wiring is so off, there is no way to fix the issues.
Michael as a child reminds me of an old 1950s movie called, The Bad Seed. Except the kid in that movie was criminally smart.
Whereas Michael was more what one might consider "criminally imbellic". He might well have been afflicted with what might be termed Born Criminally Fucked in the Brain Syndrome. (Which I think I might've just made up.)
Excuse an addendum: it occurred to me that a great many of our current political figures could just as well be viewed as "criminally imbecilic". I'm just saying is all.
Oh I remember that movie it was a great movie😮
That is a really scary movie. I saw it as a child, when my mother had me watch it with a smile on her face. It reminded me of the queen bee in my family of origin, her worker bees, and her drones.
Michael is more interesting than that character. She was based on a true crime story but, as you mention, she was more calculating. I think there's something refreshing about Michael's thoughtless spontaneity.
Most people don't seem to understand what antisocial personality disorder (old terminology psychopath/sociopath) really means. It's symptoms start early on, but cannot be diagnosed in children (they get conduct disorder, defiant disorder, mood disorder and so on). It cannot be cured. It's not the parents fault - they are born this way. There is no empathy, conscience, understanding of right and wrong. The only thing they can learn is to mask better.
They do understand what wrong is. They just don't care.
@@MF-ty2zn There's more nuance to this. Psychopaths are downright sadistic. They're aware of the hurt and want to inflict it. They don't care about morality and don't care about rules. They don't suffer from seeing others suffer. There's no incentive to do the right thing. Except when they gain something from it. Narcissists on the other hand, live in a fantasy world where they are somehow always entitled to hurt people. They are completely blinded by their vindictive feelings. They always manage to see themselves as "the good guy". People and rules are just too stupid to know what's right. No harm is done, in their eyes. Except to themselves. They are the victim. So in a sense they're not aware of the wrongness of their doing. They are in such a complete denial, that it borders psychosis. But this doesn't take away that they're guilty.
Some of them are born that way, but others are made that way. ASPD can be both congenital (the type colloquially referred to as "psychopathy") or acquired (the type colloquially referred to as "sociopathy").
Also, it's honestly strange that ASPD is not diagnosed until 18, since 18 is not at all biologically significant; your brain fully develops at or around age 25.
Two videos in one day??!! Lord Almighty Dr grande you sure feed us well 😂👍
Stupid batch
He's probably slacking, and trying to take the 29th off! Haha.
Pause
What would Dr. Grande do if there were fewer mentally ill and/or evil people running around?
@@McGeeification my guess is he would still be a legend, just more of the hidden gem kind🙂
I don't have bipolar disorder but My best friend growing up developed her first symptoms when she was a teenager and it was heartbreaking watching her change and withdraw from everyone. Later, a family member was diagnosed after having a late life episode of psychosis. It was horrific and changed their life dramatically. They have never thought of themselves the same way again and lost every bit of confidence they had.
I've also known a couple of people with schizophrenia. Not to mention depression, anxiety, eating disorders and addiction issues.
Not one person who suffers from mental illness raised their hand and asked to be ill and suffer from the stigma, isolation and confusion that comes with that type of suffering.
We don't blame the dementia patients for their angry outbursts and send them away to mental institutions.
We don't kick them out of the house and remove them from the family.
The diabetic isn't hated if they forget their medications or become tempted to eat foods they shouldn't, resulting in a medical emergency.
The kid born with bone cancer isn't treated like a failure when their medications cause severe side effects and they beg to try something different or to skip it altogether.
It's such a horrible irony that the people who will emotionally suffer from their disease the most are the ones that people scorn and fear the most..I hate the fact that this is what a lot of people think of when they hear. Most of them are perfectly nice, reasonable people, I swear. This type of stereotyping is exactly why a lot of people with 'mental issues' go untreated. It's sad on a level I can never express in a UA-cam comment chain.
This psychopath is rotten to the core, and it's because of people who do nothing but try to excuse his bad behavior, that he had the chance to kill in the first place.
This was chilling to watch. I know, cognitively that some people simply have no empathy, but to be confronted with that reality with stories like this always makes me shudder. I hope his parents can find some peace in the aftermath of their son’s crimes. I think he doesn’t need peace-he probably sleeps just fine. Thanks for covering this Dr. Grande.
Makes one believe there are just bad seeds.
Some people do have hereditary factors at play. In many cases, the right environment can overcome heredity and certain genes aren’t expressed. I don’t think we should give up on finding treatments for such disorders, though there are refractory cases.
@@sciencenotstigma9534 lethal injections always work.
Psychopaths are born Psychopaths, they are not 'nurtured' into being Psychopaths. He definitely sounds like one. Parents can do nothing about that. Some Psychopaths become serial killers because of abusive childhoods, but these parents did their best with this poor soul. In old fashioned terms... born a wrong 'un!
@@nhmooytis7058 imagine still being edgy online in 2024 lmao just sad man
@@JustMe-fo4ev umagine you with a real job besides shilling.
I have seen a few kids like this...I am understand the label of lost cause is not good, but what treatment is available for antisocial personality or psychopathology
What in the hell is wrong with the mental health of the Governor of Iowa ??? How could he possibly feel that Michael deserved any degree of commutation of sentence ?
The Supreme Court ruled that juveniles can't be given mandatory life sentences without the possibility of parole. Because any decent person knows it's not right to lock up children for the rest of their lives without any chance of ever being released. But I'm sure the Governor of Iowa probably wasn't a decent person, so he probably did it because he had to.
Possible that when the governor was a kid he too
Liked to wheel a 🔪
Late at night, creep around the house in a threatening manner and cut 🧼
It turns out that the Governor of Iowa is himself afflicted with mental health issues.
@@McGeeification So it would seem !!!
This kid was evil from the start. Imagine having a child like that, what a terrible life . His parents, especially the mother, are lucky to be alive.
Those poor parents 😔
Ya that has to be such a horrible thing to deal with. I cannot imagine bringing a monster like that into the world. It has to weigh on them. It’s heart breaking.
Just remember people who are hiding terrible secrets are usually the best at playing victim.
@@DustWolphyBingo! There's more to this than meets the eye.
VIDEO REQUEST: Please analyze Jacob Wood, former Commerce, Georgia cop, who was finally fired for arresting multiple people for DUIs despite the fact that they don’t look drunk in bodycam footage & their bloodwork proved they were sober. The police & media are pretending it was an honest mistake by a cop who just needed more training on how to tell if someone is drunk; however, Helen Keller, Ray Charles, & Stevie Wonder have released statements describing how they could see those people were sober almost immediately. We are all curious about what mental health illnesses, personality disorders, etc. would lead a cop to purposely arrest innocent people for DUI.
Stevie wonder is blind 😂😂
How after the first time he opened the safe the father didn't make sure it won't happen again?
maybe they should have put a rattlesnake in the safe.
Well done Dr. Grande.
I’m sure many viewers, as do I, feel sad for his parents-who were delt a very bad hand. its one of those stories that makes us wonder why.
Unfortunately many socialworkers and other professionals seem to avoid a realistic view of their most destructive young clients prognosis, as if that would result in some kind of abandonement of their duty to find hope and solutions. The outcome of this self-betrayal and denial is often catastrophic!
His mother was on the show ' evil lives here '
She stated she begged authorities and psychologists etc to get help for her son , they failed the family and the son! He was so out of control , no one wanted him around either!
It's sad really! There isn't a cure for that kid except solitary confinement
If you read Howard Dully's autobiography, his mother was the same way.
Reminds me of the movie WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN
We took in an older teen, that was diagnosed with bipolar, autism and adhd.
We only knew about the autism and adhd, until he cut himself when he thought a girl was dumping him. By then, I started realizing he lied constantly, was abusing alcohol, etc.
After living with him and doing alot of research, I figured out he was a diagnosible narcissist, most likely has borderline personality disorder and a full blown alcoholic.
This kid was extremely charismatic. If you called him out for something, he was right away "yes sir, no mam". Meanwhile laughing about it behind your back and doing it again. He made friends so easily and was the center of attention. If he wasn't the center he would pout and do reckless things, to be that.
I really do not see how a clinician can give a good diagnosis in an office setting. With some people, it would be almost impossible.
We kicked the kid out after he stole tequila (not ours) and was drinking it at work.
I also read that bpd can get so bad, it can turn into anti social personality disorder or a psychopath.
We got lucky we were able to get him out and had enough knowledge to stay safe.
I really feel for this kids family.
I know how hard it is live with someone who has BPD. He wasn't a psychopath in my case but he definitely was a Narcissist. Honestly it's super tricky to get a proper diagnosis with cluster B personality disorders. He was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder in his early 20's but several years later his psychiatrist during a session (I came in a few of them for couples counseling) had him take a 300 question assessment test. The psychiatrist told us both he believed he had BPD but wasn't going to write that diagnosis down because and I quote "There is a stigma once you get labeled BPD. Many counselors do not like dealing with them and it may be hard to get treated" which honestly floored me cuz I thought it was already a bad stigma to have Bipolar. The psychiatrist conveniently forgot to mention because he had BPD he would need Dialectical Behavior Therapy or even just behavior therapy in general which there is very few counselors in our state back then that did DBT. Maybe he thought he was doing him a favor by leaving that off the diagnosis but it was detrimental in the long run to him and everyone around him. Throwing only meds at him wasn't gonna solve anything.
@roguechevelle Yes, something needs to be done with mental health in America. This kid had meds(he refused) and therapy (I'm not sure what kind), but obviously that didn't work. Now he's just released into the public.
He does have a following of girls that try to warn every new girl friend he gets. But most of them don't understand, until it's too late. The ex girl friends have formed their own support group though lol.
NPD and BPD are two different disorders, and whatever you read was worthless shlock. BPD can't turn into ASPD. Personality disorders don't turn into other personality disorders.
@@Keznen NPD and BPD are often diagnosed together. He didn't have the other things.
@@sweetpeasandyarrowaranchdi8327 Where exactly did you hear that?
Only one word to describe him….
SCARY!
This guy was screwed up from day one. Not sure how you fix that
You do not fix that.
"People who tell the truth all the time can't be politicians."
Best ever Dr. G!!
I had a step brother who was weird like Michael, only not quite as extreme. He did end up going to prison for a very long time. To this day he still lives with his mother. Nothing could change him, although age has mellowed him some. I don't know if anyone could have helped Michael. He did seem like a lost cause.
I wonder if there was any type of treatment that could have ever worked for this young man. The movie 'Bad Seed' comes to mind.
A lobotomy.
Haven't seen that movie but the term "and seed" comes to mind.
Psychopathy? I believe no treatment exists for these people... Never hear of such thing...
@@lilyjane1011 That's sad. There's no hope for people like him then.
Hello Dr. Grande .... I missed your videos as I have been ill but I just want to catch up so here I am. I missed your humor most of all.😊 Thank you ❤
Appreciate your succinct analysis. So refreshing from the typical pap that usually shows up on cases like this.
Sounds like the plot from "Cape Fear" with Robert Mitchum in the 1962 version as the killer. DeNiro played the same character in a 1991 remake but I'll go with Mitchum's version.
Me too. The remakes are never as good as the original.
That original film with Robert Mitchum I found to be very frightening. Very.
Mitchum’s Max Cady was truly chilling, De Niro just chewed the scenery so bad it was cringy. They should NOT mess with classics.
6 minutes into this story, and this kid has had more access to firearms than the most military veterans. 😕
Always interesting
Thank you❤
Great video, Dr. Grande. Keep them rolling!
This reminds me of the 10 year old girl who killed 2 little kids.
She was assaulted at a very young age.
Same with the “I hate mondays” school shooter.
Not all sociopathic kids were hurt by others
@@magdam8290 of course not all, but some.
@@magdam8290Yes they are. Something terrible happens to them when they're little. May not be standard abuse. Very often it's neglect, or exposure to an adult with very poor mood regulation.There are many ways small children can be damaged.
@@ardenalexa94 I didn't say it was 'abuse'. In fact I made that very clear.
@@ardenalexa94 Sure, but that's not what I meant either. My point was that it doesn't have to be trauma/abuse at all. It can be low level but highly damaging emotional neglect, for example. A parent who is effectively 'checked out', and not focused on the child. It can come from the child being exposed to parents who are not emotionally well-regulated. There are many ways a parent can damage a child without direct abuse or trauma.
It's not genetics. There is zero evidence of that.
Awesome, 2 videos today. Mental health diagnostic methods only go so far, agree the therapist who gave grimmest outlook was right. Great points again. Thanks Dr G😊💚💚
Had to get my daily dose of the good doctor while eating my breakfast. Thank you for these videos.
Love your thoughts and analysis. Thank you for your work.
Had a cousin with two sons. One “good”, one “bad”. Good son died young (27). Far as I know, Bad son is still out there criming.
What did the good son die of?
I don’t remember@@mightymouse8026
A pipe wrench? 🤔 Were his parents Professor Plum and Miss Scarlet?
I watched his mom on Evil Lives Here and I got the impression she wanted every opportunity to save herself and her other children while possibly not having to kill Richard - just injure him until he's no longer a threat. All while making sure *HE* couldn't get ahold of a firearm. I can't imagine how she must've felt. Especially after begging for help. Having to think about killing your child must be awful, no matter how horrendous his behavior up until the murders.
@@alexisavenged6538 My heart goes out to everyone involved. 😢
@@KidFreshie same!! I didn't mean to seem like I was disparaging the victims at all. I think his family are victims as well, albeit not as severely as the women that lost their lives or their families.
maybe they couldnt find the candlestick
Michael bears a striking resemblance (IMO) to former child actor Macaulay Culkin; this story reminded me of his 1993 movie, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘚𝘰𝘯 (about an "evil" preteen). Interestingly, it was released the same year Michael was born.
As I listened to the story unfold, I was already thinking that Michael's parents were doing the best they could, in light of the lack of help/support they received (though I would have gotten that gun out of the house, too). Thanks, as always, Dr. Grande.
Obviously the mental health clinicians who thought he was a lost cause and should be locked away weren't wrong. That child's thousand yard stare is haunting.
They are quite a set of photos aren't they
My parenting dilemmas involved my son’s lying about his homework sometimes and it was really hard to get him to mow the lawn. Boy I had it easy.
Very relaxing and reassuring voice love the true crime aspect of it also..Love to listen before sleeping ❤
I cannot believe the dad kept a loaded pistol in the house with Chucky. Ugh.
Totally agree, and it was stolen twice.
With chucky Lol. All jokes aside, I agree!
I assumed Chucky is why he got the gun.
@@LetMeAtomExactly what I was thinking
this is typical Americans. Behave!
Excellent work, as usual, Dr. Grande!
I knew a Richard Michael Swanson.
He passed before year 2000.
He was an Accountant & my friend. Rip Richard Swanson. 🇦🇺🧡🇦🇺
Amen 🌄
Thanks Dr G!
Thanks for doing what u do while I wait for mindhunter to continue
We appreciate your insights, Dr Grande. You'll always have our support.
I am watching from the Highlands of Scotland.. ❤ love your channel.
Even when you ask and persist for help, there’s none available. Only the super rich. And in those cases, there’s an overindulgence.
It’s always healthy to have a good laugh occasionally. Probably not maniacal laughter while thinking about hurting your mother, stalking and murdering though. It could be considered a bit of a red flag.
😂
A mood disorder is not a personality disorder. I'm bipolar and have done exactly none of this shit.
Personality disorders are not inherently dangerous either. Some people are simply dangerous, unrelated to their mental health issues. Sometimes mental health issues make their urges harder to manage. Let’s not stigmatize.
Stigmatizing any mental health disorder is not productive.
Great video!
As always, thenks, Doc!
*thanks
It is highly advantageous for the system to put all blame on the parents. It considerably reduces the workload for many agents that are otherwise obliged to lend support. And store clerks as well as prison inmates are readily replaced, hence not much damage is really done in a case like this.
What a terrible situation for the parents but especially those gas station clerks. Losing their lives over absolutely nothing. RIP
Our system is built on punishment not prevention. Another awesome video by Dr. Grande.
In the kitchen with my partner and he says "you've left Dr Grande upstairs, talking to himself"
Me: "oh no, I hope he isn't lonely"
I love how these conversations are normal in my home 😅 I'm in a no-contact emotional affair 😅
ew weird comment
Too many of these mental health clinicians are a bad joke, as well as lazy.
Can you blame them 😂
I'm surprised the parents didn't resort to getting the kid an exorcism. You might as well try everything when the doctors and therapists fail you.
Lazy Clinician 1: "He's acting like a normal kid."
Lazy Clinician 2: "He's beyond all hope."
Mostly it's a scam. And often a high priced one to boot.
@@McGeeificationincorrect
His poor family!! My kiddo sporadically asks for a sibling. I tell my baby we lucked out and aren't taking our chances. We all get along well and have so much in common. Every kid is a gamble. You never know what you'll get. Could be a dream come true. Could be your worst nightmare.
What happened to mental health in this country? How many parents have gone through or are going through something similar? Even a governor attempts to shorten his sentence which obviously would have eventually meant more harm to innocent people.
We need more dedication to improving the mental health industry and less towards using drugs as bandaids that ultimately mask severe mental health issues.
The hell these parents went through to help their son while probably knowing one day something like this would happen.
He was a perfect storm for those victims. Including whoever he killed in prison. What do they do knowing this guy was being allowed to eventually kill their loved ones. He could have been stopped many, many times before his horrific murder spree.
Just by the grace of God the fast food worker recognized him before he would have killed his coworker. It’s bone chilling, to think of how close to death they were.
Than you Dr Grande for your analysis of the Michael Richard Swanson case. Bringing light to cases like this is incredibly important. People should know about this struggle.
God bless ❤️🙏🏻
My adopted brother (all of us are adopted) was adopted from an orphanage in Germany at 4 years old. We don’t know what happened to him at the orphanage but he was ultimately diagnosed with attachment disorder much later in life. He had all of the warning signs at a very young age of psychopathy. He abused animals, wet the bed, set the school on fire, and sexually abused my sister and I. He was older than me by 7 years and was 10 days older than my sister. He would threaten us to keep us from telling on him, not that I was old enough to understand what was happening. My sister finally told our mom and dad and he thankfully got sent away to a boys home, but only for a while. He came back when I was 6 years old. That’s when he stole our neighbors gun. Our neighbor the police officer. Dumb move! I won’t go into the entire story but my mother and I were hiding in a closet until the police arrived and surrounded the house to rescue us. To this day I am afraid of guns. They finally arrested my brother and I didn’t see him again until I was in my 20’s and he decided to start following me.
I moved after getting a restraining order and once I got married I haven’t had any problems with him. He doesn’t know my married name. We didn’t announce it in the newspaper and my social media is fairly private. No one in our family has contact with him. Last I heard from our dad (who runs background checks on him) was that he was in prison for rape of an underage girl.
I always wonder if he would have turned out normal if my parents would have adopted him as a newborn rather than at age 4. That East German (he was born in 1963 long before the wall came down in 1989) orphanage probably didn’t have the funding to hire caregivers for the children. He likely didn’t get the hugs, kisses and attention along with the mental and physical stimulation that newborns and toddlers need to develop into healthy adults. It probably didn’t help that my family was living in Italy when he was adopted so he didn’t know Italian or English which were the two languages that were spoken in our household at the time.
@LibralnSeattle That's absolutely heartbreaking and your brother had the symptoms of being sexually abused, which was extremely common in orphanages, or similar places, especially many years ago!
He might not even remember what happened due to the repression that often occurs, then they act out and get misdiagnosed with one or more so-called disorders.
Of course, I don't know for sure but I do have a lot of experience in this area. It might be helpful to do reasearch on the effects of childhood sexual abuse, if you want to.
He has obviously gone WAY too far now though and there's not much hope of him changing, UNLESS he can do healing work on his immense past trauma issues. I'm thinking that you'd probably know that adoption causes trauma as well. ❤
I hav
This sociopath was completely without any redemption. None. Zero. Nada. Zip. Sociopaths are 4% of the population, psychopaths are a type of sociopath and they are 1% of the population. (The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout)
Sadly society's wish to see the bright side of youthful offenders ( that they will grow out of it) had tragic outcomes too often! Rather than risk vulnerable lives some offenders should be restrained. It is sad but necessary!
He seems more like a low tier psychopath…
He qualifies as a psychopath.
Sociopaths can feel some empathy and even love. Psychopaths can't.
@@KarisPigNose No, rubbish. ...read The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout. Psychopaths (1%) are a type of violent sociopath (4%). A sociopath is not capable of love, as 'no conscience' would imply.
My heart breaks for this unlucky child. Sad on so many levels💔😢
Those poor parents 😢 I can't get my head around the fact that NOBODY could or would help them. That's shameful and they (the professionals in mental health) need to be accountable as well for those murders, except the ONE pro who said he is untreatable and should be locked away into a facility. He/she was 💯 spot on.
I can't wait to hear this analysis this kid is a psychopath I heard the story on ID channel “signs of a psychopath” I feel sorry for his parents because he was a problem and diagnosed as antisocial before he ever took a life!
That's a great show
Hmmm so restorative conversations didn't work?? Shocker.
More Dr. Todd grande videos😊
Thanks for a second informative and thought-provoking video today, Dr. Grande. You’re my favorite UA-camr.😊
Are you a gun enthusiast Dr.Grande? You always use correct terminology when you mention firearms. Just curious, not trying to get you cancelled 😅.
Dr. Grande seems to be extremely knowledge about firearms.
@@maryfrancesbeckerhaggerty5353Yes! And its very refreshing, especially with these types of horrible crimes he analyzes. Love this content Dr!
Oh, please don't get him started. I very much dislike when Dr. Grande panders to right wingers.
Then that audience rewards him with compliments, and he does it more, ugh.
Even in his baby picture he has crazy eyes.
Manson lamps.
I went to school with him. I remember when this story first broke in our hometown. I wasn’t surprised. Hopefully he gets the help he needs
At a former job I was tasked with watching a group of boys and one of them was just evil. I remember one instance the boys all had popcorn and were tossing pieces in the air to catch with their mouth. So they're doing that and this kid picked up a tiny white rock, pretends it's popcorn, throws it in the air so another kid try to catch it, and it broke his tooth. The kid who did it laughed and laughed about it. Such a twerp
It’s giving David Dobrik