Hey everyone! We wanted to correct an error. At around 18 minutes, we state that the reason the gun stopped working was unknown, but that was before we interviewed Sonny's parents. Thank you as always for watching and we have many more videos on the way for you!
She has a white thing in her hair, my grandma wears them too because of the church she used to go to with my grandpa (he passed away a couple of years ago) this church is a “profética” one ? Like evangelist but there are prophets that pray for you (while possessed by the holy spirit) God uses them to speak to you in “tongues”. My point is I’ve heard and seen and EXPERIENCED this type of voices “possessions” that this prophets perform. IT IS REAL, It happened to me. FUNNY THING? I started to watch your channel a few months ago when I was diagnosed with BPD, ADHD and depersonalization disorder. I still don’t understand what happened to me (doesn’t involve violence or anything) and I’m really into learning mental illness, psychology and understanding how the relation kind-spirit?? Works. THIS VIDEO IS CRAZY FOR ME, since it makes me feel less crazier if that makes any sense. AMAZING VIDEO, I LOVE EWU❤🎉
I saw this comment as soon as I heard that part of the video and remembered the father who was knowledgeable on guns said he re-loaded an empty magazine, thank you!
@@iveth8047hello, do you think that definitely means the mom is in that church or could it just be a fashion item that she likes to keep her hair out of her face? I'd also like to ask you if you don't mind, when you say BPD do you mean bipolar disorder or borderline personality disorder because the acronym can be used for either. I hope you're being supported well by specialists trained in your conditions and also that you have a personal support base of family and friends. I'm not sure if you actively belong to that church and I don't want to offend you however I don't trust any evangelist types. In fact I don't trust organised religion of any sort and I want you to be careful, look after yourself and don't blindly trust someone just because you know they're a Christian. Unfortunately there are shady characters that profess to being good Christians when they're anything but. Take care x
first found it a bit uncanny to see the parents speaking so matter of factly but later it really shows how they've managed to give their daughter a place in their memory and not wear themselves down by this tragedy
@@flawless1upyeah it all made a lot more sense after finishing the entire video. And i truly believe everything that Sonny said about not understanding why he did what he did.
You’ve never lost a child, have you? My daughter was murdered 6 years ago and to this day, I cannot talk about the event without breaking into tears and totally losing it! So, the interview with the parents was quite disturbing, especially HER MOTHER never even breaking voice when she speaks of her daughter being murdered by her son! There is something strange going on with those two!
"Because she babysat him, he holds so many characters of her, and I know other people want him destroyed, but he's all I have left of her." This is absolutely heartbreaking and strong.
thank you guys for covering this kind of case with empathy and understanding for sonny. i have a friend who is currently incarcerated for a similar crime with a shockingly similar motive, and its nice to see that you dont just paint people as monsters without putting in the effort to understand why they behave the way they do.
The way the stepfather talked about Sonny and Ashley is so beautiful. They are not his biological children but he treats them as such. Brings tears to my eyes.
I get this overwhelming feeling that the parents are really good people. The cops did him dirty. It’s so fucked up that they would lie to the VICTIMS of the crime that they would get the chance to be there for their son. While he should be punished and get treatment, he was clearly so off his rocker and disassociated from his surroundings. The cops knew it, but they just want to get the win. They don’t genuinely care about people and rehabilitating them.
It was a great review but sadly his blood son has been 10 minutes down the road from him for the past 4 years and he can’t even speak to him/me but yea great sorry how it’s his son he will always be there!
Autism and guns don't mix. That's for sure. Kids today seemingly lack respect for the sanctity of life as well. Whether religious or not, you have one life as all of us do. Young people today have become desensitized to human connection to the point that doing something like this doesn't only seem plausible on a mass scale, they would do this to a sibling. Get your kids off of social media, off of computers, off of games, and outside. Join organizations. Go camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, whatever. But don't let them sit inside all day for essentially years. It's unnatural and it manifests in mental illness, similar to some mental issues you see in zoo animals.
That’s about the saddest thing I’ve ever heard. He killed his loved and loving sister, put his parents through sheer hell and destroyed his own life, and he doesn’t even know why. He’s also intelligent enough to know that if he did it once for no reason at all, he could possibly do it again. So sad.
@@DaRealKing303wasn’t a smart move. But hard to just act like he isn’t clearly extremely intelligent. He’s 16 and has a full time job with GED. Could have lived a life that only 5-10% of people live, but instead he chose the psycho route. Smart kid, bad decisions. Definitely not a dumb kid.
@@BenDover-qs7vsHe didn’t “choose” the psycho one. It happened at random, like he snapped. He didn’t intend to cause his family so much pain, he just broke. And that caused him to do something that he can never take back.
Not to make this about me, but Ashley was a friend of mine from school. She was loved by all and kind to every single person she encountered. Such a gentle, radiant soul. I just want everyone to know that about her. I am subscribed to this channel and it was surreal to have this video pop up for me.
That’s very sad 😢. She seemed very sweet and he seemed very very mentally Ill. I’m surprised the parents didn’t see any mental illness prior. He definitely doesn’t speak and behave with normal social skills.
My career was repairing computers and electro-mechanical devices. When he was alone in the interrogation room and people thought, he was talking to himself, he was actually just reciting tech procedures and recollections of the changes in hardware and software within the PC industry. I used to do this also but I never did this out loud. I believe he had a dissociative break from reality for whatever reason and this was a soothing action.
More than that, they were semi-conversational, almost as though he was speaking to or recounting a conversation to a client or fellow hardware enthusiast. It was also fragmented, hopping topics and scenarios. It irked me to hear the 'experts' assessed that while he was talking to himself, he wasn't responding to hallucinations etc so must be stress and nerves. There was definitely something a little more going on there clinically than just talking to himself out of stress, during those moments alone he wasn't particularity logical or coherent in his scattered hopping thought process. When left to himself he wasn't fully grounded in the present physical world absent some external stimuli focusing his attention like the police officer.
I agree with you, he snapped. It happens people. Brains and minds are still not fully understood. what we used to believe about the brain ,we now know ,in the last 10 years isn’t so…That should say something! Much love
@@eddyr3691 I also recognized a lot of his conversation sounded like he was conversing with a customer that had questions about what sort of PC they should get or what kind of problems they might have been experiencing. At one point he was talking about Netflix on Windows 10. He stated something along the lines of '4K on the Netflix? That only works on Windows 10'. He's right. Once Windows 10 launched, Netflix and most streaming sites refused to stream more than 720p or 1080p on a web browser anymore and required you to have the app on the windows store, which was only on Windows 10. He also sounded like he was being asked questions about what PC specs someone should get and was trying to refer to the AMD AM4 platform "Ryzen" but he couldn't remember the name.
I used to work with people with schizophrenia and severe bipolar disorder. One had killed someone during an episode of psychosis. He had been living in a "supervised" independent living apartment but they hadn't been monitoring his meds and be decompensated. He swore he had no memory of the killing. He walked into a Target in bloody clothes and started shopping for completely normal things - groceries, hygiene items, the things anyone would buy. But just sort of in a fugue state. By the time I worked with him, he'd been committed to a residential facility for 12 years. He was about to be released but CHOSE to stay in the facility. Said that if it happened once, it could happen again and it was terrifying to not trust himself. He wasn't evil. He wasn't a bad man. I didn't fear him. He was very self aware. It almost made be believe in demonic possession, or at least ABSOLUTELY understand how serious mental illness/psychosis was assumed to be possession.
Demonic possession is Real.. people obviously can have mental disorders that contribute to altered behavior, reasoning , judgment , perception, behaviors , but one cannot discount the spiritual factor that can and has been at work in some cases… whwt may manifest as a physical or physiological condition can come from many sources , emotional, physical illness, issues affecting mental health , but also influence of good or evil can I feel , most def. In real ways , impact a person and contribute to or control one’s actions if a person is affected in such ways. I like your comment regarding your feelings related to the patient you’re referring to , it’s evident you were able to have good discernment to see beyond what was on the surface and obviously , of what the person was capable of , but you were still able to see any decency and heart despite what was done .. That takes a good heart imo to see into,, I do agree with you in there being a reason regarding a spiritual aspect, I’d def. Not just almost believe that is possible , but to know it Is., just as there is good in this world there’s also evil and if evil can influence people as powerfully as it does on so many levels , I’d hope one woukd certainly know that God is real , is much more powerful than any evil , that there’d be a desire to seek and know the lord , especially upon seeing the ways of this world and the influence of such horrible evils.. demon possession is very real .. but anyone belonging to the lord cannot be overtaken by any such entity .
@@breAnnasmama Sorry to break it to you, but the supernatural doesn't exist. It's an interesting idea that we'd like to believe exists since it sometimes explains things that are hard for people to understand, but that doesn't mean there isn't an explanation for those things. The mind works in complex ways and just because we don't fully understand it doesn't mean things like demonic possession are real. In our society something has to be proven true to be accepted as real and there is no concrete evidence for the supernatural.
I was thinking the same thing re demon possession. What solidified that theory for me was when his father, or was it his mother?, said that when he was sitting in the living room hé spoke in a voice they did not recognise along with the fact thàt Sonny, himself, said he can't explain why he did it. He also stated that he basically felt like someone or something else had control of his body and to him it felt like he was watching on from outside of his body. These are all classic signs of demonic possession. It does not mean that Sonny is evil or was into anything to do with the occult étc. Like others have said, this is one case where I truly feel empathy for the killer. It is quite obvious he loves his family and that he adored his sister. Truly a tragic case for all of those involved.
If this guy wasn't insane, I don't know who is. He had full crazy conversations with no one (or someone only in his mind), expressed that his sister and parents were great people, didn't say he was provoked, or abused, or pressured for grades. He admitted everything freely and answered every question asked. He just couldn't explain why. The loss of taste, the detachment was like he had sudden on-set psychosis.
@@mollydelacy9007What he did is called "scripting". Autistic people do this to practice social exchanges and conventions. He was notably talking about games and computers, an interest. This is not psychosis.
@isabelledoyle8567 I know it's just semantics, but I'm pretty sure the definition of insanity is pretty much the presence of severe mental illness. The dude decided he wanted to kill his whole family, I would consider that insane fs
It's still bizarre to hear them especially her talk like it's some quicky thing that happened and them just reminiscing about it like you would a night out or something
Autism and guns don't mix. That's for sure. Kids today seemingly lack respect for the sanctity of life as well. Whether religious or not, you have one life as all of us do. Young people today have become desensitized to human connection to the point that doing something like this doesn't only seem plausible on a mass scale, they would do this to a sibling. Get your kids off of social media, off of computers, off of games, and outside. Join organizations. Go camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, whatever. But don't let them sit inside all day for essentially years. It's unnatural and it manifests in mental illness, similar to some mental issues you see in zoo animals.
@@mariamaria2751 I thought the same, perhaps this interview was conducted months or years after and they've managed together to overcome this traumatic event. They had each other for emotional support.
@@deebest4202 It was at the very least 8 months later because the dad was saying he couldnt taste food for 8 months. But I would guess this is a very recent interview since it was conducted for this video and the crime happened in 2017.
Never thought a UA-cam channel would have such influence to get an interview and exclusive footage so often too. I don't know what strings you pull , but keep pulling them . Your content is amazing and informative yet respectful of the family and loved ones of the victims
This is actually a momentous occasion right now. No other true crime channel or on any other platform has gotten interviews with the victims and the offender, especially in a case like this. This channel is officially the greatest of them all.
@@genericamerican7574what do you not get about "UA-cam channel"? This has nothing to do with TV… of course big productions can and will get interviews! But getting exclusive interviews with the families/victims or the perpetrator is very very rare and speaks volumes about the quality and the professionalism of a UA-cam channel!
This case is literally sad for everyone. Sonny clearly had mental health issues that went unnoticed, and resulted in some sort of break in him, his sister lost her life, their parents lost both of their children, and the whole family was certainly devastated. It really does seem like sonny experienced a total loss of control over intrusive thoughts and his perception of reality. Absolutely tragic.
It was probably unnoticed because it was at rest, with no pressure or stress to bring it to the surface. I certainly know better than this, but this is one of the more shining examples I've seen to attest for the existence of spiritual oppression or possession of killers at the time of their crimes. I am merely musing and speculating here, and wouldn't be doing that except that I have known friends whom I consider utterly trustworthy who say they have witnessed oppression, and say it is not to be taken lightly.
the parents seem very aware of how unusual their son was, but they weren't as aware as they should've been to openly have guns available in the house.....I'm sure they inwardly regret that loss of awareness.....sad...
@@lindseycohn6849It isn't really a loss of awareness if they were never aware in the first place. Being aware that he's odd and being aware that he's liable to kill them all are two very different things.
I have autism and literally nobody in my life noticed until I was 31 years old. I was talking to someone one day and they told me I showed a lot of signs of it. I took some tests and it turns out I'm way on the spectrum. My life finally made sense after learning what a lot of the symptoms are for adults and children both. I'll never recover from the social isolation though. The damage is done and I'm speedrunning life as a hermit.
the way the father kept tearing up broke my heart. He's an absolutely incredible person, calm in face of a horrible situation, and able to sit there calmly discussing it like a goddamn rock, and yet showing the tenderness of love through those tears. That made me well up myself. I have no words but wish the best for that family, and while Sonny's obviously suffering from mental illness, recover, understand the extent of his crime, and make amends. Most importantly, I hope Ashley's resting in peace in heaven.
@@ashthomp97?? The responsibility is for his own. Sonny was already a grown man... Didn't you watch the whole video? There wasn't any motivation from him to did it. Probably his biological father who abandoned, but his stepfather, mother and sister were nice...
@@liablack2320A 16 yr old kid is not hardly a grown man , if you're talking about the incident time frame! Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions but I'm trying to understand!
Something that stands out to me about this interrogation is he can very vividly tell the events in explicit detail, because he did it and isn’t hiding the fact, but the second he gets to a point in the story where he has to recollect his thought process he instantly freezes. He can’t recollect his thought process and he’s very clearly not acting based on the quickness in his speech and then immediately being derailed. That strongly signifies that he was very dissociated during the attack to the point where he was almost blacked out. He did say the attack was purely impulsive. I think this case is a prime example of how fragile our minds are. As someone who has struggled with severe dissociation most of my life this really is what it’s like. You go through the motions of your life without thinking about it or really much of anything. Things just get done and you can’t recall how or why they got done.
exactly this. you hit the nail on the head. i think most folks don't like to think about that - just how close we all are to doing the exact same things that all the "evil criminals" we love to hatewatch on YT have done. it's sorta like how people choose to hate on, for example, homeless people, choosing to believe that it's their fault they've landed in that position, because that's easier than acknowledging that these sorts of things can and do happen to ANYBODY, and there's often no rhyme or reason to any of it. there is only the thinest of lines separating "good" people from "bad" people. we are all capable of doing bad shit, and ppl don't like to think about that.
Just seeing this I'd guess the odds are he blacked out in the instance and the truth of his experience is somewhat as he presents it. But in cases where such apparently "high IQ" individuals are involved it's also interesting to consider the possibility that he may have had a motive that he knows nobody else would accept, believe, or understand. Not that he wasn't mentally ill in any case. But that would mean he did to some extent fake his presentation afterwards - emphasize it was impulsive and nothing meditated. Meanwhile he could "know" exactly why he did it in his twisted mind. Not that it makes any more sense to anyone else, but it's just possible.
@williamthomas98768I can respect that you want Ashley acknowledged as the true victim, but they are victims too. they lost two children in very different, awful ways.
EWU has paid their dues.. They are excellent entertainers and deserve everything and more they have worked so hard for! They are masters of UA-cam True crime!
Man, the mom saying "he's got so many parts of her, he's all I have left of her" really breaks the heart. I can understand what she means, and empathize with her. That truly is a unique way of compartmentalized emotions. It's easy to hate your child for taking the other, it's a whole new level of love to still love the "bad" child because they hold memories/specks of the child you lost.
@@dench2695 No, they sound like parents trying desperately to hold on to the only child they have left. I can't even imagine what they have been through and neither can you unless you have personally been through it yourself. How they cope with it is their business. I hope one day they can truly heal.
the parents were nut jobs and the comment section is praising them I have been in worse trouble for coming home late at 16 than he was in for mass murder.
They raised that kid, they are responsible and deep down they know it, by pretending he's not a bad person they are absolving themselves of any responsability. If they start blaming him and admitting he's not a good person they acknowledge that they failed in raising him. Unfortunately that's what can happen when stupid people get the responsability of raising a highly intelligent kid.
@@ena1485 You'll have the right to judge my English when you'll be able to even just speak my own language as well as i write in English. English isn't my first language, i mostly taught myself and yet i write it better than 90% of the English speaking people on the internet.
This entire video is obviously sad because it is about a tragedy, but hearing Sonny tell us all the good things about his sister just broke my heart. I know we can never know if he is confessing his true feelings or not, but I can’t imagine having a true mental break and killing my sister and then never being able to undo that. Unimaginable pain for everyone involved.
I went to high school with Ashley and I remember knowing so little about her family when it happened that it was a total shock. Their parents are right about Ashley being a uniquely kind person. It was during Christmas break and absolutely heartbreaking to find out about.
He said he’d rather be in jail because of how aware he is he might do it again. I think this is the only case that I actually feel empathy for the killer. This is tragic for the everyone. So heartbreaking.
Killers who suffered legitimate mental breakdowns and other circumstances like severe abuse, it really is pure tragedy. The brain controls *literally everything* and when something malfunctions on such a level, damage to the brain is done by external circumstances, etc... there's virtually nothing that reasonably could have prevented it. We don't know enough about the mind to solve the problem, our social/healthcare safety nets aren't robust enough for early (or any) intervention, and it can happen just so unexpectedly. It really is just pure tragedy. And to lose a child, TWO children, is devastating to a parent- let alone the grim circumstances. Heartbreaking is the only word to come back to.
@@dormantlime215 Lisa Montgomery is such a good example of how mental illness and trauma can perpetuate pain. She experienced nothing but torture since her childhood, and authorities were informed about her abuse on 3 different ocassions, but did nothing at all. CPS knew when she was a toddler; the police knew when she was a teenager; and a judge heard her mother testify about the abuse in court. NOTHING was done to protect Lisa or prosecute her captors/abusers. It's no wonder that she developed severe mental illness and slaughtered a woman. IMHO, she absolutely should NOT have been executed. A person who has known nothing but severe torture should be considered not guilty by reason of insanity, and cared for in an institution. I really hope EWU does an episode on Lisa's life. It's a compelling case.
Yeah, I turned myself in to jail once, and it was worth it, because I needed the help. The hateful people in my lives always said I was stupid for turning myself in, while the loving ones understood that I did what was right. It's crazy how prideful some people can be. Those who think of themselves first tend to hate those who do the right thing after wrong choices, because they would never change themselves. But loving people who care for others, they see the value in people who want to change. It's great. His parents are great people, and the fact that he keeps himself there to protect them is so inspiring and relatable.
@@radicalturkey Such political nonsense for you to bring into this. He could have grabbed a butcher's knife and stabbed her 50 times and his father would not even have heard anything because knives make no sounds. Stop trying to use a tragedy to score stupid political points .
The number of times high-functioning individuals with serious illnesses are neglected or passed over for the help they truly need simply because they are cognizant and "too aware" of their issues is astounding. Being aware of a thing and having control of said thing, are completely different issues. Both deserve proper attention and treatment.
THANK YOU! The amounts of time society and services try to shame you for asking for help is disgusting. 'You're fine, you're okay'. NO. From the get go it was obv he had Aspergers-his parents are intelligent, why ignore blatant aspects of your son? 'We don't want to label him' Ohh you mean you don't want a label to your son.
This hits hard for me... my dad says I "grew out" of my autism as a kid. I'm high functioning, with major anxiety. It feels so discrediting to hear him say I don't have autism when that's literally how my whole childhood upbringing was based around. He has it in his head that autism is shameful and debilitating all of the time. That's not it at all. We go through phases like anyone else, just nobody notices because we feel like a burden or dismissed when we try to explain everything going on in our head.
This right here!!! One of my former friends has a pretty severe mental illness that causes her and her family a tremendous amount of pain, but she's told me point blank she doesn't get help because she's also brilliant and "the brain" of her family. So the narrative is "well, she's obviously fine" when no...she is NOT fine. To a lesser degree, I wasn't diagnosed with ADHD until my late 30s because i didn't struggle in school, outwardly. Because I'm "smart" when I did struggle I was just told I want trying hard enough. I spent my entire life hoping something would "take me out" because being a person was SO hard for me, in my mind, "i shouldn't be here" It was fckng ADHD the whole time! As soon as I started treatment it was the first time I did NOT want to unalive myself in my entire life because I could just...DO things.
Can I just say how much I appreciate the accurate subtitles, I’m really hard of hearing and I can’t exactly turn up the volume in some cases and most CC is really shit but yours is unmistakably accurate so I just wanted to say thank you for that. I thought this was just some channel that reposted a TV show. Your stuff is too notch quality and I’m excited for more! Another tangent incoming: I appreciate SOO much how this isn’t a drama where you frame us in a spot where there are hidden twists or anything stupid and overly dramatic, very factual and unbiased.
The subtitles were wrong at least 2 dozen times. 1 of the times, it was inaccurately narrated then he brain stormed on these inaccuracies. What a nightmare.
@@YTisGayi have seen many incorrect subs on this channel before. i think i’ve even commented on them. i don’t think i’ve commented on them, actually. was a diff creator’s videos
"its important to not let people get too far gone." is such an important and powerful statement, it is sad that his brain will have to sit in a jail for the safety of his loved ones
I also don’t get how his parents are mad he didn’t get a lawyer or a public defendant when HE KILLED HER SISTER WTF??? like that kid needed to be throw in jail whether they like fit or not
@@numi8985 it sounds like you haven't been exposed to this sort of mental illness. I agree that he should be in a controlled environment but it's important to consider the state of someone's mind when a crime is committed. His family could tell he had a mental break, unfortunately he had access to firearms. It's tragic their daughter lost her life over it.
@@numi8985the sad part is that police officers can try to take advantage of vulnerable populations and ignorance to get people to waive their rights for proper representation. And that's the thing he was a young sick kid that did something heinous. It still doesn't mean that officers should engage in unethical practices for the sake of a conviction
This is one of the most unique situations where you actually feel sorry for all involved. I've watched so many videos and never felt that the murder is committed due to someone's mental illness or insanity. But this kid is probably as close as they come to it. He accepts responsibility and says he loves his family and feels like he doesn't want to ever be free in case he does it again. I've never heard that before!
I agree 100%. I think this is a true story of mental or personal issues. He doesn't seem to understand why he did it, but still wants to figure scientific notations out. What he did is wrong and he knows it is but is still worried about the scientific ways on the notations he can not work out. I would love to hear interviews with him later on
This was by far the best documentary of a crime I’ve ever seen on UA-cam. You always remain unbiased and purely factual and I appreciate how respectful you are when speaking about the victims and their families
I've watched A LOT of these over the years, and this may be the only one I've seen where everyone says, "the guy just snapped and has no idea why." and I actually believe it.
@@cdes1776 To be honest, I think most people (if not all) would have to actually witness someone going through psychosis or something similar in order to (maybe) understand how it literally seems like that person was hijacked and wasn't actually there themselves. It's not something they can control; they're literally going absolutely insane. But I do get why you may have a hard time understanding how they were so forgiving.
I was going to reply, but you said exactly what I was feeling. I feel so bad for them. I don’t fall for any of this stuff normally, but if that wasn’t genuine, we should be worrying about humans rather than AI.
The only reason I feel so strongly that it is genuine and not complete act because it’s exactly how I would deal with it. I would be horrified to lose my son after just losing my daughter like that it wasn’t him. How could you be angry with him is what I ask.
this is the saddest case i think i’ve ever heard of and the way the mother and stepfather speak about their daughter and choosing love and still being there for their son is so heartbreaking. i wish these people nothing but absolute blessings. I feel so sorry for all of them but especially ashley.
Do not express sorrow for these types of foolish parents. They allow their children access to firearms to be potential mass shooters Luckily for the rest of us in this case, the shootings happened only within their own family and not in a public where anyone of us could be victims
How horrific for the dad to realise his son was going to shoot him and the only reason he’s alive is the fact he put the empty magazine back in. Great work for getting an interview with both the victims and the killer! Super impressive. I loveeee watching these interview videos and how well it’s analysed! Really great work ❤
@@kokoyaro mate. My father used to beat me over the smallest thing. What did that actually accomplish? I grew up with a LOT of repressed anger and resentment and then spent my teenage years lashing out because I didn’t know how to handle emotional responses without becoming angry.
@@mikmak2102 That quote isn't meant to be taken literally. The moral lesson is to discipline your child appropriately by whichever way is most suitable for that particular child. Some children are more stubborn than others
From the very beginning of the video, while he was being interviewed, I saw a lot of autistic traits in him. Only in minute 42, ASD is mentioned and then, later, his Aspergers diagnoses (not a diagnosis anymore) is discussed. When he is "reciting" the computer lingo, he is doing something very common in autistics, he is "scripting", which is repeating a familiar phrase or set of sentences, sometimes for social interaction, but, most of the times, like in this case, when the autistic person is anxious or stressed out. His conclusion at the end is priceless... don't let people disassociate themselves too much from the world!
I can’t imagine what Ashley was thinking in her last moments, I’m sure she was so confused by what was happening and didn’t even have time to make sense of it before her death.
I just hope her spirit moved on from this world, and is in a better place. I'm sure she forgave him, as that was the aspect of her personality and her inner being.
@@FormlessPersuasion not likely; unless you think the universe exists in a fantasy. The truth of the universe is that she decomposed into the component molecules and the elements that made up those molecules eventually ended up dispersed throughout the Earth and possibly some even floated out into the stratosphere. Some parts of those molecules could easily be a part of you now. Such is the way of the universe.
There were many heart-breaking moments in this story, but for some reason, hearing the killer say that he didn't want to be released from prison for fear of hurting someone else he loved really broke what few pieces of my heart I had left.
Wow, for me it was the best part. What’s done was done and there’s no changing that. Only the future can be changed. To me, the evidence points toward him being legitimately mentally ill and he recognizes that the most important thing is preventing future violence. To do that, he has to say “lock me up” because anything short of that would be a selfish and likely dangerous act.
Such an interesting case. It really struck me that he didn't know why he did it. You could see that logically, it didn't make sense to him either. Plus, I appreciate that he didn't make any excuses and is self-aware enough to know that he couldn't guarantee that it wouldn't happen again. Excellent video. Thank you.
It always shocks me that in US it's normal to have that many guns in the house. He had 2 loaded shotguns in his room in addition to the gun he used, that's completely insane.
why is it shocking? Is it because it is different to what you were surrounded by? A gun by it's self won't do anything, it takes a person to give purpose to the weapon. It's similar to anything that can be a potential weapon. I understand the capacity of harm a gun can cause, but it's hard not in simple mind to parallel the idea to other household items for example a knife; yes a knife can't be used at a distance but it holds the same threat of great bodily harm. All of this is to say that gun, no gun makes little difference in situations similar to this, it seems a little unintelligent to blame a tragedy of this type to the gun, it could've been way worse sans the firearm.
It’s insane bc that’s SUPPOSED to be not allowed in most states… it’s supposed to be in a safe, locked UP, not loaded… it’s SUPPOSED to be an offense that your kids can get taken away for, or at least a stern warning from CPS… regardless of any debate about owning guns, it’s just… a tragic lack of attention to safety that our (American here) culture is normalizing. I mean, there was a case recently where parents were convicted for their son using their gun to shoot up the school, which means there might be a precedent for prosecution now, but idk how that would have helped in this situation, when all the victims are just the family…
@@bayareaninjaz239 Bullshit. There would have been at least 3 deaths if he was successful with those firearms. The sad thing is, the guns they had for self defense ended up being used for the opposite of their intended purpose.
This is one of the most interesting murder documentaries I've ever seen. You can genuinely tell how the person in the interrogation room and the person being interviewed towards the end are not the same personality.
Not at all. He sounds devoided of soul and even admited it himself he would probably kill again if released and feels empty. This is what having 0 social life 0 friends and 0 girls does to a mf. Homeschooling was proably to blame. I emphatise with him partially though since I'm also gifted (the opposite of poeple on youtube) and have faced boredom, an educational system that didn't meet my needs, discrimination, isolation and loneliness. Good thing is I was always interested in social sciences as well as law and morals and I am a very moral persnon myself and not as autistic as him.
I don't know how this is possible, but this is both the saddest and happiest case I've seen on this channel so far. The peace that the whole family found in their circumstances and through forgiveness is so rare.
There are millions of diagnosis that they can give him, yet again not understand why it happened. He was possessed as his father said. Sonny also described it in exclusive interview, but what I find really weird is that they cut it off. He only said that it was a snap and two seconds later, they cut it off. I guess it's easier to give someone a diagnosis and jump all around with assumptions than actually believe possession of evil is possible. But the thing in law world, court, police, etc... there is no possession, in other words, they will never ever accept possession as a valid reason to an event that occured which just proves some things that I will not go into.
@@gratedradish6699 We can only say it's not pvroven by science, as there are no means to test it. We know too little about our mind and soul to claim it
@@gratedradish6699 No. This is reality. But I do not choose to live in your reality. I am sorry honey but that is the truth. It is very much possible but most of the people cannot comprehend that fact which is alright. Not everyone is meant to progress.
I had DP/DR for 3 years and I could immediately tell he was dissociated from the moment he began to speak. I know, because this is something I would do when talking to others, for example, that "16yo, male" thing. In my experience with disassociation, "you" are just an observer, watching your own body move and speak. You can't express emotions, other people does not seem real and you can't connect with the world. Nothing feels real. Could not feel a thing. Could not taste, colors all seem gray, even my vision was weird as it sometime felt like I was looking through a fisheye lens. I remember I would not go near train tracks because I knew I could not trust myself. I had suicidal thoughts daily, every minute. My anxiety was at a 10/10 all the time but I processed it all internally, which did not make it better. Disassociation is truly terrifying, I'm fully recovered now thankfully. My heart breaks for Sonny and his family, I feel a bit emotional since it kinda hits close to home. I hope they can reunite
I am not writing this to offend you in any way, hopefully you won't think I'm being rude. But most of the symptoms you just said are not actually related to DPDR. Speaking of yourself in third person, having no taste and not being able to express emotions is not Depersonalization. With DPDR you are completely aware that your experience of being spaced out or numb is not reality. Therefore you would not refer to yourself as "He/she" or "male/female". You might feel a sense of unfamiliarity or fear when saying "me" or "I", but being so distant from yourself that you genuinely see yourself as another human is not DPDR. Besides from having had chronic Depersonalization for 15 years, I work as a psychologist and psychotherapist specializing in dissociation. I wouldn't be comfortable lining out other possible causes for these symptoms, all I can say is that those listed symptoms are not rooted in DPDR. If a patient with DPDR drinks a glass of apple juice blindfolded, they would be able to identify the drink with a 100% certainty, even though they have an experience of "not being able to taste".
Funny you should mention the vision. I have autism and dissociate in some moments. One sign that gets me to snap out of it sometimes is when I notice that I look through people. I know they are there but I am seeing the thing that should be behind them if it's an environment that I am familiar with. Strange stuff
I started dissociating as a child due to abuse, it was my brains way of trying to protect me. I don't know if these things happen in different degrees because I've never had it happen to the point that I've done something to harm myself or others while in that state, or ever even had the desire to do so. But I absolutely get the watching it happen stuff. Iwhen I go back to memories of things that were very traumatic it's not like other memories it's like I'm watching a film. I can talk about these horrible instances of physical and sexual abuse, of my husband's death as well, like I'm recalling a plot from a movie or a book. It's definitely different from recalling upsetting or other bad memories where I did not dissociate. For me it's like I just go completely numb. No emotions, no physical sensations. I'm watching it happen to me like i'm someone else. But I guess that's why I never had any urges, because I completely shut down. It's like I lose the ability to think it do anything. Like I'm inside a body someone switched off so I'm in there but even if I wanted to or tried I couldn't do anything until that state passes and I'm back. I had to go to therapy for a few years because of some PTSD and the anxiety it brought. I'd suddenly be back in the memory and back in that locked in state where I was helpless to change it. Thank God that doesn't happen anymore. I'm very proud to say I have t had a panic attack for 11 years now. The last time I really dissociated was due to my husband's sudden out of the blue (for me at least) suicide. I barely remember those first few months still, almost 8 years later now. It was the longest I ever went, before that it would be during the abuse it during the traumatic act but I stayed in this mostly dissociated completely detached state for months til my friends finally came to my home and physically made me start living my life again. All in done was stay in bed basically. I had to move in with family for help because I was a stay at home mom and we lost our home and vehicle after he passed. Thank God I had them to help me at that point. I would have been on the street. Sorry for the life story guys b
I just wanted to block all true crimes chanels and only yours to appear on my TL lol. It's ABSURD how good and professional you are. No exposure of people doing it for likes or ego, just the case in the most respectable way possible. Seriously the best. Thanks for your work.
It broke my heart when he said he never wants to be released because he's so scared it might happen again. So sad for all involved as they all truly love each other. God bless them
The mind is such a fragile thing. It's crazy that a person with no signs of mental illness could suddenly snap, commit an atrocity like this, and remain in a stoic, dissociated state for a year and a half, and then be able to come back from that, like it was all just a bad dream. One of the few instances where an insanity plea makes perfect sense. Tragic, all around. I wish healing upon everyone involved.
Not fragile but protective, the mind blacks out things that might be able to harm you, But many times it dosent work, so you end up with, as an example soldier's getting PTSD
I've seen things suggesting that his high iq kind of overloaded his brain. I have a 160 iq, and im not robotic, etc. Im actually pretty normal. I don't think his high iq had anything to do with it, but it's always suggested.
he had plenty signs look at him he acts like robot he far gone looks like he has few diffrent mental issues has no real feelings he not in the world just observing init not participating init
Ashley’s parents’ words were touching and heart-breaking at the same time. She seemed like an incredible young woman who made a positive impact on those around her, and who was taken far too soon. RIP Ashley.
@@meganwynn372 I agree that there's something very abnormal about them. They are not well adjusted individuals and a highly intelligent child raised by such parents in such an environment is a ticking bomb.
I feel for the whole family, but my heart broke when the father described trying to talk the son down and he put a gun to his chest just for the hammer to strike and nothing happens. That moment of silence after knowing your child just very well intended to kill you would destroy me.
I genuinely feel for everyone in this video, including sunny. The kid admitted he wouldn’t want to be freed because of the possibility of hurting a loved one. A true shame what happened, such a loss of talent with both kids.
@@GRDK-97 What act you silly buffoon. This is the most honest suspect I have ever seen. The guy was forthcoming from the start rather than act and hope it minimizes his responsibility/reduce his sentence, and he is now stating that he is not comfortable been released lest he disassociates again and hurts another family member, and your silly butt is talking about an act. If he wanted to act, he will be acting to his own best interest not the other way round
I didn't understand the mothers lack of emotion when first speaking about her daughter, but she explains it perfectly when she said "I choose to remember her with love".
@@KageumiUmikage I guess we are in the vast minority considering her upvotes I personally will never understand why people seek to inject the worst case scenario into everything without actually sitting back and thinking about the situation first
This is the most profoundly heartbreaking and unfortunate situation. The fact that Sonny said, when asked, “Do you think this could happen again?” and he said, “Yes, absolutely,” was so sad to me. It just broke my heart. And the insight he shared at the end, along with what he felt for his sister, was so sad. My heart feels so heavy after hearing this story. I am glad the family, as well as Sonny, were interviewed. Their voices in the interview were quite impactful.
I feel so much for the family. This is just a heartbreaking case. I don't really believe in "possession" or anything like that, but this kind of mental dissociation sounds like the closest thing to it, and it's scary to think about.
Possession is real. I know it’s hard to believe but I PROMISE YOU, It’s real and I’ve seen it, experienced it and had to live through it. I found my faith and my life has changed immensely (for the good)
I feel like Sonny was legitimately dealing with a psychotic break. It’s used a lot as an excuse but with the testament of his parents and the way he talks about his family, along with the sheer difference between his demeanour in the initial police tapes and then the later interview, it’s clear to me. I hope he and his parents can find peace and rest easy, Ashley. She sounded like a lovely girl who deserved so much better than her end.
It makes me scared cause I've experienced derealization and depersonlization, and it is extremely weird. I got it while driving once and kept having this strange thought of wanting to ram the guard rail . It's like I knew logically I would die but the urge to do it was extremely strong. The only thing that probably stopped me was God's grace and the fact that my mom was trailing me because we were selling the car she was in. I remembered looking down and thinking, "Who's hands are those?" while I was driving. I had no sensations at all, and it felt like I was in a hyper-realistic 1st person video game. Even the colors where hyper vibrant and sounds were kinda trippy, like tunnel hearing is the only way I can describe it, and it's not even accurate enough to describe the feeling and sound. My memory was shot as well. I somehow had to ask my mom to drive in front of me to get me to the destination, one I had been to over 1000 times. I believe every word he said and the confusion he had about why he did it or lack of reason ffs sounds similar to how I felt when trying to describe to my mom why I wanted to hit the guard rail. I called her cause I got scared for a minute lol, then I realized I must be having some sort of episode and I just tried to focus on not panicking and tried to just give it time 😅
@kennysnow7647 I'm getting the help I need (professional help) but, I lean on God in Good and bad times, and I say gods grace because he must have been over me that day for me to have made it back home safe in the mental state I was in. I understand religion and spirituality is diffent for everyone and some do not believe so to each is own. High stress brings on my depersonlization, though, so now that I know this I am able to better and I know to seek help right away if my thought become abnormal. I just feel bad for the people who don't know what's going on and simply act on their impulses.
I'm only at 31 minutes but wanted to say that the boy is absolutely having a psychotic episode. I have a son who at 16 was the exact same, including talking in a voice that wasn't his own. Thankfully he never hurt us.
Be careful, take all the necessary cautious measures if you care for him and your family, Hide dangerous items such as (Knifes / sharp Tools / Guns / Etc), keep them deeply hidden and away from his reach.
For people who think the ''self talk'' he did was a clear sign of psychosis: It is not necessarily. I do the same thing for as long as I can remember but at least 12 years or so and it is not very uncommon in introverted people, highly intelligent people and especially autistic or traumatized people and ESPECIALLY lonely people. For me, it is a way of socializing when I don't have anyone else to talk to, it is also a way to practice my social skills to feel a bit more prepared and I can imagine it would be somewhat similar for him. (I am a traumatized introvert that is also highly intelligent.)
The narration, the insight to events, the outcome, the physical and mental eduction and the story telling is unmatched from this channel. Always looking forward for a new video
That part when Sonny is asked whether he is being physically abused, and he says, “Not anymore.” I can’t believe the detective didn’t pick up on that and ask him to elaborate.
Oh wow where was this at? This is astounding. Of course they didn’t hear that because to them it’s an open/ shut case. The parents were a little odd. Especially the mom being so excited to tell her story about her daughters “morbid humor.” Too weird.
yeah and the scratch he did on his neck right after was the ONLY time he did that. I dont think his outcome would change though, as even he said he doesn't want to be out of jail and around his loved ones.
Because they are only interested in collecting evidence that will bolster their case. Exculpatory or mitigating evidence will be overlooked, ignored, misinterpreted or outright suppressed. Always exercise your rights to a lawyer to hopefully keep this from happening.
My heart breaks for the parents who lost both their children that awful night. I think the way the Dad described the situation seems the most likely and how lucky Sonny is to have parents with such compassion, understanding, and forgiveness in their hearts. As a parent myself, I can’t imagine the pain of all of this; God bless them!
Also the type of god&guns family that didn't take the obvious signs of mental health issues seriously until it cost someone their life. Spare your sympathy for people who deserve it.
Well the father is in korea and probably has no idea what his son did. The miscegenating mother lost her 2 half-castes, but she talks about it so matter-of-factly that it seems odd
If one can turn off their "compassion, understanding, and forgiveness" to kill an innocent and defenseless animal in the name of hunting, it is not far fetched that they can extend such callousness to a different species - humans. You know I am saying the truth. Anyone who owns a pet knows that animals can feel emotions. Not to mention serial killers often start off abusing poor animals. That kind of mentality has an effect on how people behave in human-human interactions.
I had a close friend commit suicide in our high school parking lot. The mom's explanation about darkness around the eyes is actually true. I've seen it myself. This was a brainy kid too, generally well liked, and involved in a lot of clubs. He was the last person you'd think would do something violent. But he did. And while its been many decades, I still remember the last time I talked to him. He was so quiet that day and totally emotionless. He stared incessantly at the ground and honestly looked like he had the flu. He had just broken up with his girlfriend, but none of us could imagine what he'd do next. But his eyes looked like they were in deep shadow. It's very creepy to hear these parents describe the same feelings.
I’ve seen it myself and looked into the science behind it. Apparently when you’re in fight or flight mode your pupil dilate to full size which creates a completely dark look in and around the eyes.
I don’t think it makes sense that someone would have the same look in their eye before taking their lives as when taking loved ones’ lives. I find it so overly simplistic to point to “a look in their eye” when talking about a crime but even if you were to do that, it’s usually to describe someone with nefarious intentions or void of emotion. A boy out to take his own life is neither of those things. It sounds like he was just feeling utterly hopeless which can reflect on the outside as you saw.
With all these cases, there eyes always have dark circles....just like the Hellywood movies have on evil or possessed people. So sad. Rip angel 🕊🌹🍂 God bless 👑🙏🕊💞
Many different disorders can share some of the same symptoms but are completely different disorders. Dark circles around the eyes can come from many different: two causes are insomnia, severe depression or anemia due to not eating. Appearing emotionless can be caused by severe depression, schizophrenia, autism or being in shock, None of these conditions are related despite having the same symptom. It is similar to sneezing; this can be caused by a cold, flu or an allergy. None of it has anything to do with homicide. What it does tell you is that the person is showing a symptom that indicates something is wrong and that somebody needs to get to the bottom of it to get them help if they haven’t already done so.
Thanks for being such an amazing content creator. I’ve never felt the desire to actually support a channel in this way before watching this documentary. Your passion for what you do has never been more evident than it is here. I loved your ability to tap into what makes this story so bittersweet. It’s almost like the unconditional love this family has for each other radiated out into your research and telling of it. EWU crew has a very bright future ahead of them!
Pretty impressive for Sonny to know this could happen again and say he is ok with never seeing his loved ones again in order to protect them, most killers dont even feel remorse, only upset that they got caught and are being punished. Plus the fact he even was willing to give other people advice so they don't make the same mistakes he did, speaks a lot for his maturity level when he isn't dissociating.
It's likely he doesn't feel care nor love for his parents, it's more cognitive empathy. Like, he knows he could do such thing again, and he knows how bad that would be, so he understands that it's better that he won't live with them again.
@@chocolatefrenzieya What's maturity other than taming your emotions by rationality? He could as well mature, in his manner. I think I understand him well, partly because I am, or rather was having similar kind of lack of true emotions. Being raised with emotionally abusive mother, I haven't used to read or understand emotions of other people, except when they were too obvious. But I wanted to understand, and to know how to react properly, so I taught myself, I seen how other people rationalize faint emotions, how they treat them, etc. And used that to kind of "fake" empathy, until I started to actually feel it, intuitively. Obviously, neither me nor nearly all other people with similar behavioral difficulties are going to killing spree. Lack of emotions or empathy is not enough to do such a thing, it's rather a lack of thought. And his condition, his depersonalization is much more severe than simply emotional disability. So, the thing about cognitive emotions - they mature too, maybe slower than other people, but nonetheless. Ideally, to the point where it's impossible to tell if person have cognitive or compassionate empathy, even by himself. "Fake it till you make it", so to say. But in the end, it's still more a thought process. Like, "ah-ha, I know you experienced this thing, I notice your subtle mimics, and that means you feel this, so it's appropriate for me to do that", just without verbal thoughts. Even if you have genius-level robotic logic, you still may consciously choose to be compassionate, caring, loving, etc, when you learned how to do that.
This is an absolutely crazy case. Their brother/sister relationship before looked SO wholesome. I was never affectionate like that with my sister (kissing each other on the cheek, etc) but you can tell they were genuinely close. That's the most tragic part for me.
I have a feeling he may have liked his sister a bit _too_ much. He may have got denied and rejected and thus we have the issues right now. Or they could have been reciprocated and her leaving home was jarring for him causing this disassociative and deoresonalizing episode.
@@american_cosmic How close they are and what seems like a hidden, until the incident, trauma response. He had basically a psychotic break, probably due to separation anxiety. The father left and went back to his home country of South Korea when they were young. He seemed to have leaned on his sister. Since his mental faculties were accelerated, for a lack of a better term he may have misconstrued certain feelings or emotions as more than just familial. His sister leaving for college and having a boyfriend could have put some kind of mind-poison in the back of his psychee. However it did seem that his accelerated acumen could have stunted his social skills and ques. There is a good chance he wanted to or had acted upon baser urges. Remember the part about describing "humans" but in a detached way and how "humans" have unpredictable responses? There is a goos chance him and his sister trauma bonded, and a good chance he wanted to _bond_ a whole lot more than she did. This is mostly a "gut" feeling about it.
Never thought I'd say this but this was the most straight forward and some how wholesome video about murder. Sonny didn't hide anything and it was clear he has some kind of mental issue. The parents are really some of the most wholesome down to earth people in the world. The world could do with more people like them.
Heart breaking case. I usually have suspicion of people who claim psychosis as their motivation, but I genuinely believe something beyond Sonny's control was happening to him
@@philtanics1082this whole demon garbage needs to stop, there’s no such thing and using that as an excuse for him murdering his sister is disgusting, he’s clearly on the spectrum and was diagnosed with Asperger’s.. this demon trash is just pathetic
@@antemrkic1702Ok you need to know the difference between "Making excuses" and "Giving and explanation" Mental illness or anything associated with it does not excuse murder but it may explain why it happened.
This is an amazing channel. I’m completely impressed the parents were able to give an interview. Sometimes there’s no explanation for what a person does. It seems to possibly have been an impulsive act as he clearly did not know how to handle guns. I’m so glad the stepfather wasn’t shot and I pray he and his wife find peace.
That is because they are empathetic and normal. The mother is bonkers, detached from normal human behavior, and disassociated from the human race...just like you know who.
This guy was sharing his body with another entity, its rare you'll ever witness or encounter someone that does that, but you're seeing him ACTIVELY carry on a FULL conversation with an unseen entity when he is left alone. There is a lot more going on here that we're totally oblivious to even if its a split personality or something entirely related. The talking to himself, implies this wasn't a Psychotic Episode -- Having worked with folks that under-go such a thing, the striking deviance from "Psychotic Episodes" is that this is deathly calm, and still has the distinguished 'Full conversations with the self'.
This is the best episode you’ve produced, especially hearing the parents’ perspective of this tragedy and also Sonny’s perspective now. Such a heart breaking case on all sides. Glad to see they were able to forgive and support their son after the pain his actions caused them.
If anyone was wondering, Sonny was talking to himself mainly about at the time the newest retail pc parts. Maybe he was going over talking points he would use with customers at his job. For someone with limited social skills, practicing/memorizing his conversations would be a way of compensating.
I struggle a lot of social anxiety and when I was at my worst I would do this, just sit or stand there and have verbal one-sided conversations out loud. They mostly happen in my head now, but I do still occasionally just talking out loud. Usually its about previous or common conversations or even irrational concerns that a friend or family member is gonna be an asshole for no reason. Brains are wild
This video has been one of the best ones. It's truly heartbreaking, but the parents being so open and full of love for their kids warms the heart despite the darkness.
I know this takes a lot of time, but you're one of the most informative and insightful creators in this genre of entertainment. I absolutely love getting new content from this channel, your growth is amazing! Thank you for the new vids!
I've learned more relatable and applicable information from the four years I've watched this channel than I really did in the four years of school for my bachelors lol. EWU reached that prestigious legendary channel status in just their first few videos 😉👑
Watching the parents talk about their daughter Ashely really got the water works going for me. The amount of sympathy I have for them is astronomical. Thank you again EWU Krew for bringing this to our attention!
@@Chris-bx4vkI was thinking the same thing. Like this didn’t happen long enough ago for her to be able to talk about this like it’s a campfire story. She seems joyous almost. So wild to me
Fascinating, the difference in his speech comparing the interrogation to the interview over the phone. He really seemed disconnected from it all, can't imagine what connecting to reality must be like after basically watching yourself kill a loved one on autopilot... just wow.
The stepfather gets tears in his eyes talking about his stepdaughter, but the mom is just super excited, with big eyes, smiling while talking about her dead daughter, murdered by her own son😧🤯
Theres many things to unpack, some people react very different then they are suppose to, for example laughing when somebody dies. Its a coping mechanism and I think that theres no "right way" to react to this. She chose not hating her son because what else is she supoosed to do? Theres no justice for her daughter, bcs he had no evil intent, it was a psychotic break. I think she chose to only think about her children in a positive way for example how her daughter was kind and how she impacted everybody ect. and I think that is a powerful move. She is so strong that she chose to not hate her son.
I feel like her behavior was odd too. In a way like she probably has a inkling of a disorder of some sort. Innocent character, but not aware of herself and her emotions don’t stack where they are supposed to; depending on her environment or immediate thought, like a child.
@@BadSingerButITry Yeah, I think you are right. I was thinking the son probably got at least some of his problems from her, both genetically and through upbringing
@@BadSingerButITryI thought the same thing when I watched this. Then she started laughing when talking about her daughter being at a funeral and she will sit there and laugh, saying her daughter had a dark sense of humor. Strange.
My husband had a psychotic breakdown. He didn't kill anyone, but it was still scary as absolute hell. It's no joke people. When the father said it was his body bit not him. I understand that COMPLETELY!
Agreed. I had a loved one recently suffer the same, and it was terrifying. Lasted a few days, and he remembers none of it. It's like he wasn't even there.
@@weldingLLC Shrooms or LSD create this affect by altering the brain chemistry. It doesn't have to be drugs, there could be medical conditions that create the same de-personalization effect, or out of body experience - as is evident by the case EWU covered in the video.
This is the most confusing but strangely heartwarming case I’ve seen yet. The parents focused only on the positives of their late daughter, they forgave their son for what he did, the son was unsure of why it happened, showed love for his parents and family even years after the incident, and it seems like he did have a bit of remorse, even if it wasn’t communicated that much.
People with autism think and communicate differently. He misses his sister and notes how valuable she was. That’s still remorse… just conveyed differently.
what nicole says at 43:34 really broke my heart--this case is so tragic all around, but i'm glad nicole and allen were able to find solace in their daughter's memory and use her as a source of inspiration and motivation to be stronger and continue to move forward in their lives, despite how difficult it must be. hearing how ashley even managed to help her mother forgive her ex-husband who practically abandoned them brought me to tears; she sounds like she was a wonderful person, and i'm glad she was able to bring some good into the world in her time here. i hope sonny has received the help he needs and has been able to recover as well; i can't imagine having to suffer with the aftermath of a dissociative episode like that, all while not even understanding why you did what you did in the first place. only love and best wishes towards this family
This is a rare case that has just made me sad for all involved. He clearly wasn't of sound mind when he killed his sister. Hearing him say that he knows it could happen again, he's fine spending the rest of his life in prison, and he is worried about being around his family is just heartbreaking to me. I don't usually feel bad for the victim as well as the perpetrator but in this case I do.
Watching his interview reminded me so much of my youngest son at that age. My son has Asperger’s . Age 12 thru 17 were bad. He over reacted to everything. He was very detached and he self isolated. I remember being a little afraid of him and I watched him carefully. My son is highly intelligent as well, but not as much as this young man. Then it was like a switch got flipped. He started to come out of his shell. He participated in family events more, he kept his temper better under control. The older he gets, the better he gets. If he loses his temper, he leaves the room. A little while later he will come back, say he got himself together, gave it some thought and then he apologizes, gives us a hug and tells us he loves us. I would imagine the trigger for this was his sister, his touch stone, had gone away to college. I doubt he ever gave what he was feeling conscious thought, but her coming home to visit, and knowing she would leave again, set this in motion. If only he could have kept control for another year or two. Maturity could have made a big difference. I could hear how much more mature and controlled he sounded in the phone interview from prison. Unfortunately, not understanding why he did what he did has now convinced him he is not safe to be in society. Truly, he might not be. Being on the spectrum, being released after spending decades in prison would most likely throw him into shock and there is no telling how he would react. I, for one, am very glad his parents have not abandoned him.
You have a small valid point. But he shouldn’t get out again, based on current and past behaviour & thoughts. It’s like the 12 yr old girl killed her 9 year old brother and the. Tried to sob and apologize after.. Parents and ppl in positions that can help, need too. Selflessness should be more prominent within families and also others. Just my opinion.. I’ve got lots hahahah
I have a son that was diagnosed on the spectrum when he was 4 and he's the same exact way. The psychologist told me at the time that my son would either become a serial killer or a very productive member of society. We worked with him all those years to help him to manage his emotions and he's a very nice young man now.
This is scary that someone could just do something like this out of the blue for no reason. You never expect someone you love to do something like this to you. Poor Ashley. She had her whole life ahead of her. It reminds me of the recent case where a 12-year-old girl killed her 8-year-old little brother and kept saying she didn't know why she did it. At least Sonny seems to be aware of what a danger he could be if he was ever released.
Yeah, kid was homeschooled, meaning there were only two people who might have seen signs ahead of time. I wonder if the homeschooling started when a teacher suggested momma's little angel displayed unusual behavior. It's doubtful it was either 'out of the blue' or 'for no reason' but just an example of what happens when warning signs are overlooked or ignored.
@@DamnedSillyyou make a really good point. Being homeschooled, Sonny had no access to teachers, school nurses, guidance counsellors, etc. All those roles became his mother’s responsibility. How did she not see the extremely obvious Asperger’s? I could tell he had a severe spectrum disorder after 5 minutes of him talking. Getting a formal diagnosis, which would be initiated by his parents, might’ve helped him develop more empathy. I still don’t see Sonny’s remorse, even though he talks about how great his sister was.
I've watched a lot of videos from this channel, but this is the one that hits me the hardest. I'm sitting here crying my eyes out because I've experienced psychosis before too, and although luckily nothing bad happened to me or the people around me, coming back to reality and realizing you've killed your loved one, broke your parents' hearts, and ruined your life in a single night without ever knowing why it happened, is so terrifying and tragic. I cried so much during his interview, the way he softly says, "It was terrifying for me" when he recalls that night broke my fucking heart. He was forced to watch as he took the life of the one he loved the most, unable to control his own body, completely disconnected from reality. So much was lost from everyone involved in this case. The parents are so strong and loving, and I truly hope everyone can find solace from this horrible tragedy.
I must also say, to say one’s intelligence can outweigh a psychotic episode is FALSE. Psychosis is real, and it doesn’t matter your intelligence level. It can take over. This case is a perfect example of it. This boy loved his sister. Loved his family. He had a mental episode.
@@probrickgamer it doesnt matter how much you love someone, your psychosis doesnt simply stop existing simply because you love someone. Please educate yourself before saying nonsense.
@probrickgamer but... it wasn't his mind. It was a psychotic episode. Could happen to basically anyone. Just *click* now you're an evil monster where the intrusive thoughts are now actions and you're watching your own body do it. With zero control. It's wild. My uncle had a psychotic episode and when he snapped, he smashed his bathroom to pieces took a part of the broken mirror and sliced his own face up. That's not something people just do.
Another good example of sickness outweighing brilliance is "A Beautiful Mind". Granted he didn't hurt anyone, but he was also very highly intelligent and very sick in his,mind
This is just so goddamn sad. I’ve dealt with symptoms of dissociation, depersonalization, derealization, and psychosis all my life due to childhood trauma, and I recognize so many of Sonny’s mannerisms. The way he slips away and starts talking to people who aren’t there the second he’s alone; the detached way he recalls everything due to shutdown; feeling like he was watching someone else murder people from another dimension. At my worst, I was a raving lunatic who firmly believed I had different people living in my head and they could control my every movement. My friends and family and my early diagnoses are the only things that drew me back from over the edge. I really don’t blame the parents for not picking up on his symptoms until it was too late. My family had no idea I was dealing with these issues until I refused to respond to my own name anymore. I’ve never cried at a true crime video before - mainly because I’m able to detach so easily lmao - but this one almost made me tear up. It’s obvious that he has so much guilt, and I hope he finds peace and sanity in his own time.
I hope you find peace as well. I can’t imagine the psychological torment you’ve endured. I’m really impressed that you have the fortitude to keep on trying. Keep on keeping on, my friend. 🙏🏻
If he has guilt he doesn’t show it, in that while he speaks highly of his dead sister, never once in any interviews did I hear him say he was sorry for killing her!
@@BD1234-e8x Lol that's all you got? Cmon man, there was so much more to what he said. Just because he didn't explicitly say he was sorry doesn't mean he's not remorseful. It was horrible and traumatic and I don't blame him for speaking the way he does about it. He (rightfully) seems to not associate the person he was when he was possessed with his own true person. He said it's so scary to think about and think back on. Who he actually is would never do such a horrific thing. It's painful. And extremely uncomfortable to come to terms with. And he's had 7 years before this interview to try and deal with these emotions and accept the fact that this happened, so of course he is going to be of a more sound mind than someone who JUST came to terms with it.
Such a completely heart wrenching story. From a caring loving family to devastation in minutes because of an unknown brain malfunction. Sonny sounded scared of being released because he doesn’t trust his own brain.
Exactly. Imagine that they all have to live with this outcome. I keep thinking of how the parents probably have gone through the endless questions of "Why didn't we see this change in him?" And through his own words, Sonny still doesn't know and is equally scared (probably more than anyone else) about the possibility of it happening again. It's a tragedy all around. I'm glad his parents didn't give up on him.
This touched me. I am also an older sister to a brother who is diagnosed with Aspberger's (which is now just known as being on the Autism spectrum) and the way Sonny talks reminds me of him. Sonny is a very intelligent person who had a mental heath crisis that tragically resulted in him hurting someone he loved. I believed his parents whole-heartedly when they talked about his love for his sister. Mental illness can make people do things that their healthy-minded self would never dream of doing. I feel deeply sorry for him and his family and impressed by his honesty and strength in understanding and accepting the consequences of his actions, even considering them having been out of his control. I really wish, or rather hope, that the help he is receiving can guarantee his fears about harming other loved ones prove unneeded. I wish them all the best and justice for Sonny going forward. Rest in Peace, Ashley. You were evidently so wonderful, so loved, and I'm so sorry. I don't pretend to know what she would want, but I know that if my own brother hurt me because of mental illness, I would want him to receive all the help in the world, to be treated fairly by the justice system and be protected from hateful-minded strangers, and hope my family would stand by and advocate for him.
@@monicadonnelly4991 It's not a defence. Autistic people with low support needs (formerly known as having Aspberger's) don't have an "excuse" to be violent. Autism doesn't make you immoral
@@monicadonnelly4991Your ignorance is absolutely astonishing. Pleading insanity or any other sense of “not being in the right mind” does not fair murderers better than being in jail. They get put in psych wards for life if proven their plea true. They test you, and you cannot truly fake insanity to very experienced professionals. Aspergers is also something easily testable lol.
to be honest so many victims in true crime turn out to be undiagnosed/untreated aspergers and so many perpetrators in true crime turn out to be undiagnosed or untreated aspergers as well. it is such a vulnerable population of people because they can sort of manage normal stuff but only with extreme difficulty and stress but since they are told they should be able to do it, they try to comply and tend to hide their stress and exhaustion and needs. thinking life is just this hard for everyone and other people must just power through it. often they are trained from childhood to hide that distress in order to integrate until the person is out of touch with their emotions or struggles to externalize and express them. often they are a few years advanced in many aspects of their intellect and abilities, as well as a few years delayed in various adult skills, such as a frontal lobe impulse control and decision making. so you have someone with underdeveloped executive function skills similar to a young teenager who also appears more composed than they feel being pushed into demanding adult situations. it can result in violent outbursts, substance abuse, black and white thinking, deep shame, and at risk to lose their lives to predation or accidental death due to risky or impulsive behaviors, or being a prime target to violent offenders who can recognize almost instantly when a person seems bit more vulnerable than most of their peer group. between their decision and risk assessment skills still developing, (often they do catch up but it's a bit behind schedule compared to their other smarts and skills. and while most frontal lobes fully mature by 26 an aspergers persons frontal lobe may fully mature by 30, 35 or so on). many have a tendency to be very open and honest once out of their shell, in a way that is or at least seems quite naive, and after a lifetime of people pleasing and being trained to ignore their own boundaries and put up with things that hurt or things they hate, many lose their lives, are assaulted or abused by a partner, or take someone's life, or take their own life, or lose a chunk of their life to addiction, needing to be institutionalized, or homelessness. for a lot of these drowning young people something does "snap" by this age, but rest assured in most cases it is not in violence toward someone else, but usually inward, such as self harm, mental illness or even escapism like running away, dropping out, shutting down, self isolating to the point of being like a hermit etc. a lot of missing or murdered college aged people are aspergers or something similar on that spectrum. all of these fates are a lot less likely when an aspergers person is diagnosed and given effective understanding of their condition and effective supports, interventions and assistance across their life. the person can absolutely thrive and not need services and help eventually or only need them during life's more difficult or demanding times in an on and off nature. aspergers people can live a happy and productive life with wonderful friends family kids careers and even create or develop world changing stuff. we just need to be better at screening, diagnosing, understanding and more reasonably accommodating and integrating aspergers and maybe most of all need to understand the common signs of an undiagnosed teen or young adult who is on the spectrum and beginning to spiral and get them assistance therapy and understanding for the core issue of autism and their current state of autistic burnout, autistic psychosis or depersonalization, disordered emotional regulation and more. a common sign is any treatment resistant mood or anxiety disorder, like treatment resistant depression, a chronic eating disorder, chronic pain or chronic illness from unknown sources, a burgeoning personality disorder without a known abuse or trauma history, mood and energy swings, comorbid ocd or adhd, often attention span issues and inattentive style adhd while not being typically hyperactive, a bipolar diagnosis in general that does not respond well to medication or treatment, especially "rapid cycling" between moods which is usually just mood swings caused by sensory overload or processing issues and emotional regulation, and spikes of energy and euphoria due to a special interest or hyperfixation and autistic insomnia issues mistaken as mania, or mood crashes caused by a number of other mood and stress regulating difficulties an untreated autistic person doesn't know they have. bipolar drugs like antipsychotics may actually induce psychotic episodes and delusional thinking in an aspergers or adhd person who is not physically bipolar and ill fitted for the drug but was misdiagnosed. undiagnosed aspergers people may start to really burn out and spiral and start to feel and show immense instability rather rapidly and suddenly during their early 20s or late teens. it's normal for autism symptoms and difficulties to become more pronounced and extreme under duress, and it's normal for autistic people to experience temporary skill regression or skill loss during extreme stress or huge life adjustment. for aspergers kids, things they either could mask and push down or hide may amplify during big changes and stressful times may come to the forefront. they may no longer be manageable and start to show or inhibit the person when they didn't show or even pose a problem before, as if the disorder is new. so that can look a lot like the sudden onset of bipolar that usually appears at that age.
Man. I’ve been subscribed to this channel for ages and it’s so strange to see a crime committed in my home town. RIP Ashley. This kid got two life sentences.
The torture these parents must have gone through and still be experiencing is absolutely mind blowing. Their love and ability to find forgiveness through all of this just shows how amazing they are. RIP Ash.
@@Kozy9479 Everyone makes mistakes, some are larger than others. Victim blaming is not the way to go about it though. There is only 1 person responsible for this tragedy.
Hey everyone! We wanted to correct an error. At around 18 minutes, we state that the reason the gun stopped working was unknown, but that was before we interviewed Sonny's parents.
Thank you as always for watching and we have many more videos on the way for you!
❤
She has a white thing in her hair, my grandma wears them too because of the church she used to go to with my grandpa (he passed away a couple of years ago) this church is a “profética” one ? Like evangelist but there are prophets that pray for you (while possessed by the holy spirit) God uses them to speak to you in “tongues”. My point is I’ve heard and seen and EXPERIENCED this type of voices “possessions” that this prophets perform. IT IS REAL, It happened to me. FUNNY THING? I started to watch your channel a few months ago when I was diagnosed with BPD, ADHD and depersonalization disorder. I still don’t understand what happened to me (doesn’t involve violence or anything) and I’m really into learning mental illness, psychology and understanding how the relation kind-spirit?? Works. THIS VIDEO IS CRAZY FOR ME, since it makes me feel less crazier if that makes any sense. AMAZING VIDEO, I LOVE EWU❤🎉
I saw this comment as soon as I heard that part of the video and remembered the father who was knowledgeable on guns said he re-loaded an empty magazine, thank you!
@@iveth8047hello, do you think that definitely means the mom is in that church or could it just be a fashion item that she likes to keep her hair out of her face? I'd also like to ask you if you don't mind, when you say BPD do you mean bipolar disorder or borderline personality disorder because the acronym can be used for either. I hope you're being supported well by specialists trained in your conditions and also that you have a personal support base of family and friends. I'm not sure if you actively belong to that church and I don't want to offend you however I don't trust any evangelist types. In fact I don't trust organised religion of any sort and I want you to be careful, look after yourself and don't blindly trust someone just because you know they're a Christian. Unfortunately there are shady characters that profess to being good Christians when they're anything but. Take care x
It's interesting ewu, within seconds of seeing this boy talking I said to myself, "he's on the autistic spectrum".
I’m shocked you managed to get interviews with both the victims and the killer; this is extremely impressive! This channel never fails to deliver!
how did they talk with the dead people like wtf
@@vegasu9418😅 trolling skills level. Savage 😅
This is something I’d see at a pyrocynical video
Except on subtitles.
@@MaverickCashew5 Who, now?
first found it a bit uncanny to see the parents speaking so matter of factly but later it really shows how they've managed to give their daughter a place in their memory and not wear themselves down by this tragedy
at first it struck me too how they described it so casually like it was a day they went to tbe beach.
@@flawless1upyeah it all made a lot more sense after finishing the entire video. And i truly believe everything that Sonny said about not understanding why he did what he did.
Same
I thought the same x
You’ve never lost a child, have you? My daughter was murdered 6 years ago and to this day, I cannot talk about the event without breaking into tears and totally losing it! So, the interview with the parents was quite disturbing, especially HER MOTHER never even breaking voice when she speaks of her daughter being murdered by her son! There is something strange going on with those two!
"Because she babysat him, he holds so many characters of her, and I know other people want him destroyed, but he's all I have left of her." This is absolutely heartbreaking and strong.
This was the sentence that got me, too
It broke me
My god that moment was devastating.
I am only 2 min in and have no idea what it means
Oh😮
thank you guys for covering this kind of case with empathy and understanding for sonny. i have a friend who is currently incarcerated for a similar crime with a shockingly similar motive, and its nice to see that you dont just paint people as monsters without putting in the effort to understand why they behave the way they do.
Ur profile pic is adorable lol. Also that’s fucked up im sorry you had to go through that. It’s scary how some peoples brains malfunction.
@@1984isnotamanual creepy fuck
The way the stepfather talked about Sonny and Ashley is so beautiful. They are not his biological children but he treats them as such. Brings tears to my eyes.
He clearly has a lot of love to give, it's a beautiful thing to witness
I get this overwhelming feeling that the parents are really good people. The cops did him dirty. It’s so fucked up that they would lie to the VICTIMS of the crime that they would get the chance to be there for their son. While he should be punished and get treatment, he was clearly so off his rocker and disassociated from his surroundings. The cops knew it, but they just want to get the win. They don’t genuinely care about people and rehabilitating them.
It was a great review but sadly his blood son has been 10 minutes down the road from him for the past 4 years and he can’t even speak to him/me but yea great sorry how it’s his son he will always be there!
@@austinbrazzell2451interesting tell us more
Autism and guns don't mix. That's for sure. Kids today seemingly lack respect for the sanctity of life as well. Whether religious or not, you have one life as all of us do. Young people today have become desensitized to human connection to the point that doing something like this doesn't only seem plausible on a mass scale, they would do this to a sibling.
Get your kids off of social media, off of computers, off of games, and outside. Join organizations. Go camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, whatever. But don't let them sit inside all day for essentially years. It's unnatural and it manifests in mental illness, similar to some mental issues you see in zoo animals.
That’s about the saddest thing I’ve ever heard. He killed his loved and loving sister, put his parents through sheer hell and destroyed his own life, and he doesn’t even know why. He’s also intelligent enough to know that if he did it once for no reason at all, he could possibly do it again. So sad.
Mental illness be like that
Yeah, real smart one 👌
@@DaRealKing303wasn’t a smart move. But hard to just act like he isn’t clearly extremely intelligent. He’s 16 and has a full time job with GED. Could have lived a life that only 5-10% of people live, but instead he chose the psycho route. Smart kid, bad decisions. Definitely not a dumb kid.
@@BenDover-qs7vsHe didn’t “choose” the psycho one. It happened at random, like he snapped. He didn’t intend to cause his family so much pain, he just broke. And that caused him to do something that he can never take back.
His bones went cold and he did some evil shit. The fact is some are just bad eggs. Its not their fault but it doesn't change the facts.
Not to make this about me, but Ashley was a friend of mine from school. She was loved by all and kind to every single person she encountered. Such a gentle, radiant soul. I just want everyone to know that about her. I am subscribed to this channel and it was surreal to have this video pop up for me.
She was very beautiful, was he very controlling of her? It seems he was a bit too close to her.
That’s very sad 😢. She seemed very sweet and he seemed very very mentally Ill. I’m surprised the parents didn’t see any mental illness prior. He definitely doesn’t speak and behave with normal social skills.
Im sorry for your loss. This crazy disturbed society is heart breaking.
@@bennym5244Why would your mind even go there. Why would you even ask her friend this. Dude what’s wrong with u
I am so sorry for your loss this much of been hard to watch. So sorry
This is one impressive channel. How the heck you get interviews AND have better editing than TV shows is amazing
My career was repairing computers and electro-mechanical devices. When he was alone in the interrogation room and people thought, he was talking to himself, he was actually just reciting tech procedures and recollections of the changes in hardware and software within the PC industry. I used to do this also but I never did this out loud. I believe he had a dissociative break from reality for whatever reason and this was a soothing action.
More than that, they were semi-conversational, almost as though he was speaking to or recounting a conversation to a client or fellow hardware enthusiast. It was also fragmented, hopping topics and scenarios. It irked me to hear the 'experts' assessed that while he was talking to himself, he wasn't responding to hallucinations etc so must be stress and nerves. There was definitely something a little more going on there clinically than just talking to himself out of stress, during those moments alone he wasn't particularity logical or coherent in his scattered hopping thought process. When left to himself he wasn't fully grounded in the present physical world absent some external stimuli focusing his attention like the police officer.
I agree with you, he snapped. It happens people. Brains and minds are still not fully understood. what we used to believe about the brain ,we now know ,in the last 10 years isn’t so…That should say something! Much love
Too bad he didn’t get to see ddr5 come out lol
@@eddyr3691 I also recognized a lot of his conversation sounded like he was conversing with a customer that had questions about what sort of PC they should get or what kind of problems they might have been experiencing. At one point he was talking about Netflix on Windows 10. He stated something along the lines of '4K on the Netflix? That only works on Windows 10'. He's right. Once Windows 10 launched, Netflix and most streaming sites refused to stream more than 720p or 1080p on a web browser anymore and required you to have the app on the windows store, which was only on Windows 10.
He also sounded like he was being asked questions about what PC specs someone should get and was trying to refer to the AMD AM4 platform "Ryzen" but he couldn't remember the name.
I can see where that lack of empathy came from. The mom talks about finding her daughter‘s body like it was just any other day…
I used to work with people with schizophrenia and severe bipolar disorder. One had killed someone during an episode of psychosis. He had been living in a "supervised" independent living apartment but they hadn't been monitoring his meds and be decompensated. He swore he had no memory of the killing. He walked into a Target in bloody clothes and started shopping for completely normal things - groceries, hygiene items, the things anyone would buy. But just sort of in a fugue state.
By the time I worked with him, he'd been committed to a residential facility for 12 years. He was about to be released but CHOSE to stay in the facility. Said that if it happened once, it could happen again and it was terrifying to not trust himself.
He wasn't evil. He wasn't a bad man. I didn't fear him. He was very self aware. It almost made be believe in demonic possession, or at least ABSOLUTELY understand how serious mental illness/psychosis was assumed to be possession.
Demonic possession is Real.. people obviously can have mental disorders that contribute to altered behavior, reasoning , judgment , perception, behaviors , but one cannot discount the spiritual factor that can and has been at work in some cases… whwt may manifest as a physical or physiological condition can come from many sources , emotional, physical illness, issues affecting mental health , but also influence of good or evil can I feel , most def. In real ways , impact a person and contribute to or control one’s actions if a person is affected in such ways. I like your comment regarding your feelings related to the patient you’re referring to , it’s evident you were able to have good discernment to see beyond what was on the surface and obviously , of what the person was capable of , but you were still able to see any decency and heart despite what was done .. That takes a good heart imo to see into,, I do agree with you in there being a reason regarding a spiritual aspect, I’d def. Not just almost believe that is possible , but to know it Is., just as there is good in this world there’s also evil and if evil can influence people as powerfully as it does on so many levels , I’d hope one woukd certainly know that God is real , is much more powerful than any evil , that there’d be a desire to seek and know the lord , especially upon seeing the ways of this world and the influence of such horrible evils.. demon possession is very real .. but anyone belonging to the lord cannot be overtaken by any such entity .
@@breAnnasmamait’s just a mental disorder, not a demon
@@breAnnasmama And by "real" you mean?
@@breAnnasmama Sorry to break it to you, but the supernatural doesn't exist. It's an interesting idea that we'd like to believe exists since it sometimes explains things that are hard for people to understand, but that doesn't mean there isn't an explanation for those things. The mind works in complex ways and just because we don't fully understand it doesn't mean things like demonic possession are real. In our society something has to be proven true to be accepted as real and there is no concrete evidence for the supernatural.
I was thinking the same thing re demon possession. What solidified that theory for me was when his father, or was it his mother?, said that when he was sitting in the living room hé spoke in a voice they did not recognise along with the fact thàt Sonny, himself, said he can't explain why he did it. He also stated that he basically felt like someone or something else had control of his body and to him it felt like he was watching on from outside of his body. These are all classic signs of demonic possession. It does not mean that Sonny is evil or was into anything to do with the occult étc. Like others have said, this is one case where I truly feel empathy for the killer. It is quite obvious he loves his family and that he adored his sister. Truly a tragic case for all of those involved.
If this guy wasn't insane, I don't know who is. He had full crazy conversations with no one (or someone only in his mind), expressed that his sister and parents were great people, didn't say he was provoked, or abused, or pressured for grades. He admitted everything freely and answered every question asked. He just couldn't explain why. The loss of taste, the detachment was like he had sudden on-set psychosis.
He seemed to be speaking with a customer from his job to me talking about how to fix or get a new computer.
@@mollydelacy9007What he did is called "scripting". Autistic people do this to practice social exchanges and conventions. He was notably talking about games and computers, an interest. This is not psychosis.
@@maggiek558I don’t think we can say it’s one or the other based on a tiny snippet of footage.
He isn't insane. Insane people don't act this calm. He's probably got a textbook case of psychosis.
@isabelledoyle8567 I know it's just semantics, but I'm pretty sure the definition of insanity is pretty much the presence of severe mental illness. The dude decided he wanted to kill his whole family, I would consider that insane fs
Ever since I’ve found this channel all the others don’t hold my attention anymore. The break down is incredible. Im addicted 😅 EWU FAN!!!
Hearing thr mom say "he's all I have left of her" knowing he's who took her life was heartbreaking to me 😢
It's still bizarre to hear them especially her talk like it's some quicky thing that happened and them just reminiscing about it like you would a night out or something
Autism and guns don't mix. That's for sure. Kids today seemingly lack respect for the sanctity of life as well. Whether religious or not, you have one life as all of us do. Young people today have become desensitized to human connection to the point that doing something like this doesn't only seem plausible on a mass scale, they would do this to a sibling.
Get your kids off of social media, off of computers, off of games, and outside. Join organizations. Go camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, whatever. But don't let them sit inside all day for essentially years. It's unnatural and it manifests in mental illness, similar to some mental issues you see in zoo animals.
@@mariamaria2751 I thought the same, perhaps this interview was conducted months or years after and they've managed together to overcome this traumatic event. They had each other for emotional support.
@@deebest4202 It was at the very least 8 months later because the dad was saying he couldnt taste food for 8 months. But I would guess this is a very recent interview since it was conducted for this video and the crime happened in 2017.
that line hit me really hard
Never thought a UA-cam channel would have such influence to get an interview and exclusive footage so often too. I don't know what strings you pull , but keep pulling them . Your content is amazing and informative yet respectful of the family and loved ones of the victims
This is actually a momentous occasion right now. No other true crime channel or on any other platform has gotten interviews with the victims and the offender, especially in a case like this. This channel is officially the greatest of them all.
I think the OP is talking about this channel being the best out of other UA-cam channels, not Dr. Phil 😅
The point still stands that it's not very many. Dr. Phil has nothing to do with this interview.😂
@@genericamerican7574 everyone has to try n take away from the big guys. keep up the good work EWU
@@genericamerican7574what do you not get about "UA-cam channel"? This has nothing to do with TV… of course big productions can and will get interviews! But getting exclusive interviews with the families/victims or the perpetrator is very very rare and speaks volumes about the quality and the professionalism of a UA-cam channel!
@@lenibeni7421"or on any other platform" just sayin
"me being human" - this guy did a flawless Zuckerberg impersonation
He talks and sounds like Elon Musk.
@@peerless77 copium
@@peerless77 he almost certainly has a syndrome like autism - probably Asperger's.
He honesty does. @@peerless77
When I was human
This case is literally sad for everyone. Sonny clearly had mental health issues that went unnoticed, and resulted in some sort of break in him, his sister lost her life, their parents lost both of their children, and the whole family was certainly devastated. It really does seem like sonny experienced a total loss of control over intrusive thoughts and his perception of reality. Absolutely tragic.
Probably on autism spectrum or he has schizophrenia?
It was probably unnoticed because it was at rest, with no pressure or stress to bring it to the surface. I certainly know better than this, but this is one of the more shining examples I've seen to attest for the existence of spiritual oppression or possession of killers at the time of their crimes. I am merely musing and speculating here, and wouldn't be doing that except that I have known friends whom I consider utterly trustworthy who say they have witnessed oppression, and say it is not to be taken lightly.
the parents seem very aware of how unusual their son was, but they weren't as aware as they should've been to openly have guns available in the house.....I'm sure they inwardly regret that loss of awareness.....sad...
@@lindseycohn6849It isn't really a loss of awareness if they were never aware in the first place. Being aware that he's odd and being aware that he's liable to kill them all are two very different things.
I have autism and literally nobody in my life noticed until I was 31 years old. I was talking to someone one day and they told me I showed a lot of signs of it. I took some tests and it turns out I'm way on the spectrum.
My life finally made sense after learning what a lot of the symptoms are for adults and children both.
I'll never recover from the social isolation though. The damage is done and I'm speedrunning life as a hermit.
the way the father kept tearing up broke my heart.
He's an absolutely incredible person, calm in face of a horrible situation, and able to sit there calmly discussing it like a goddamn rock, and yet showing the tenderness of love through those tears. That made me well up myself.
I have no words but wish the best for that family, and while Sonny's obviously suffering from mental illness, recover, understand the extent of his crime, and make amends.
Most importantly, I hope Ashley's resting in peace in heaven.
This kind of trash never recovers. He should not be allowed to reproduce or get out ever.
because its his fault. may ashley rest in peace at the fault of these parents.
@@ashthomp97?? The responsibility is for his own. Sonny was already a grown man...
Didn't you watch the whole video? There wasn't any motivation from him to did it. Probably his biological father who abandoned, but his stepfather, mother and sister were nice...
BECAUSE HE HAS UNTREATED DISABILITIES YOU CUCK@@liablack2320
@@liablack2320A 16 yr old kid is not hardly a grown man , if you're talking about the incident time frame! Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions but I'm trying to understand!
Something that stands out to me about this interrogation is he can very vividly tell the events in explicit detail, because he did it and isn’t hiding the fact, but the second he gets to a point in the story where he has to recollect his thought process he instantly freezes. He can’t recollect his thought process and he’s very clearly not acting based on the quickness in his speech and then immediately being derailed. That strongly signifies that he was very dissociated during the attack to the point where he was almost blacked out. He did say the attack was purely impulsive. I think this case is a prime example of how fragile our minds are. As someone who has struggled with severe dissociation most of my life this really is what it’s like. You go through the motions of your life without thinking about it or really much of anything. Things just get done and you can’t recall how or why they got done.
exactly this. you hit the nail on the head. i think most folks don't like to think about that - just how close we all are to doing the exact same things that all the "evil criminals" we love to hatewatch on YT have done. it's sorta like how people choose to hate on, for example, homeless people, choosing to believe that it's their fault they've landed in that position, because that's easier than acknowledging that these sorts of things can and do happen to ANYBODY, and there's often no rhyme or reason to any of it. there is only the thinest of lines separating "good" people from "bad" people. we are all capable of doing bad shit, and ppl don't like to think about that.
Don’t take offense to this but does this mental disorder of dissociation make someone dangerous? Are you dangerous?
@@willowclementine I'm not dangerous, I'm lethal 👽
Yeah thats cause he lost his battle w his demons.
What he did was literally demonic shit.
Just seeing this I'd guess the odds are he blacked out in the instance and the truth of his experience is somewhat as he presents it. But in cases where such apparently "high IQ" individuals are involved it's also interesting to consider the possibility that he may have had a motive that he knows nobody else would accept, believe, or understand. Not that he wasn't mentally ill in any case. But that would mean he did to some extent fake his presentation afterwards - emphasize it was impulsive and nothing meditated. Meanwhile he could "know" exactly why he did it in his twisted mind. Not that it makes any more sense to anyone else, but it's just possible.
Buying a gun as a Christmas gift. That's the most American thing I've heard this week.
The fact that Allen still refers to Sonny as his son is just the most heartbreaking and heartwarming thing ever
Just like Jesus, he loves you no matter what, just need faith in him, he loves you so much
ol country boy adopted this family wholeheartedly.
Sadly the heartfelt love & respect wasn’t reciprocated .
This kid was suffering from demonic possession.
and sat him down and stayed in dad mode even after pulling the trigger to kill him twice 😢. It's heartbreaking what these parents went through
This is the next level of true crime on UA-cam, first-hand accounts from actually victims. Unbelievable and I have to take my hat off.
Nice
@williamthomas98768if someone murders your child are you not a victim of loss?
@williamthomas98768I can respect that you want Ashley acknowledged as the true victim, but they are victims too. they lost two children in very different, awful ways.
EWU has paid their dues.. They are excellent entertainers and deserve everything and more they have worked so hard for!
They are masters of UA-cam True crime!
Calm down and remove the testicles from your mouth. It's a pretty standard true crime video.
Man, the mom saying "he's got so many parts of her, he's all I have left of her" really breaks the heart. I can understand what she means, and empathize with her. That truly is a unique way of compartmentalized emotions. It's easy to hate your child for taking the other, it's a whole new level of love to still love the "bad" child because they hold memories/specks of the child you lost.
She sounds as crazy as her son.
Mental gymnastics.
@@dench2695do you have kids?
@@dench2695😂😂😂JES!!
@@dench2695 No, they sound like parents trying desperately to hold on to the only child they have left. I can't even imagine what they have been through and neither can you unless you have personally been through it yourself. How they cope with it is their business. I hope one day they can truly heal.
The idea of having a gift-wrapped gun under a Christmas tree is craziness to me.
Absolutely right completely insane
the parents were nut jobs and the comment section is praising them I have been in worse trouble for coming home late at 16 than he was in for mass murder.
The sister would be alive today if there were no guns in the house.
I’m sitting here bawling hearing them talk about their son and her saying he is all they have left of her. My heart absolutely breaks for this family.
They raised that kid, they are responsible and deep down they know it, by pretending he's not a bad person they are absolving themselves of any responsability. If they start blaming him and admitting he's not a good person they acknowledge that they failed in raising him. Unfortunately that's what can happen when stupid people get the responsability of raising a highly intelligent kid.
I don't know that I'd take parenting advice from someone who can't even spell responsibility right
@@ena1485 You'll have the right to judge my English when you'll be able to even just speak my own language as well as i write in English.
English isn't my first language, i mostly taught myself and yet i write it better than 90% of the English speaking people on the internet.
@@vee1766what a stupid thing to say..blaming the parents for their sons mental illness....get a grip!
The "Step"mother is simply trying to explain it away it works for her but not for the rest of society¡
This entire video is obviously sad because it is about a tragedy, but hearing Sonny tell us all the good things about his sister just broke my heart. I know we can never know if he is confessing his true feelings or not, but I can’t imagine having a true mental break and killing my sister and then never being able to undo that. Unimaginable pain for everyone involved.
He was attracted to.her it seems like
Yes, the first thing he said was that she broke up with her boyfriend. I instantly knew he had feelings for her, maybe he had abused her.
dawg whats wrong with these replies...
@@ica6399they must know what they is talking about
@@ica6399Everyone thinks they're a sleuth now
I went to high school with Ashley and I remember knowing so little about her family when it happened that it was a total shock. Their parents are right about Ashley being a uniquely kind person. It was during Christmas break and absolutely heartbreaking to find out about.
Do you know Ashley’s birthdate?
@@colombianita572 I definitely do not!
@colombianita572 Pretty weird thing to ask dude
@@kinseybruno5920She probably wanted to know for astrological reasons.
@@colombianita572I’m sure it’s on google not trying to be curt
That detective was like “wow” my job will be so easy today .
He said he’d rather be in jail because of how aware he is he might do it again. I think this is the only case that I actually feel empathy for the killer. This is tragic for the everyone. So heartbreaking.
Killers who suffered legitimate mental breakdowns and other circumstances like severe abuse, it really is pure tragedy. The brain controls *literally everything* and when something malfunctions on such a level, damage to the brain is done by external circumstances, etc... there's virtually nothing that reasonably could have prevented it. We don't know enough about the mind to solve the problem, our social/healthcare safety nets aren't robust enough for early (or any) intervention, and it can happen just so unexpectedly. It really is just pure tragedy. And to lose a child, TWO children, is devastating to a parent- let alone the grim circumstances.
Heartbreaking is the only word to come back to.
@@dormantlime215 Lisa Montgomery is such a good example of how mental illness and trauma can perpetuate pain. She experienced nothing but torture since her childhood, and authorities were informed about her abuse on 3 different ocassions, but did nothing at all. CPS knew when she was a toddler; the police knew when she was a teenager; and a judge heard her mother testify about the abuse in court. NOTHING was done to protect Lisa or prosecute her captors/abusers. It's no wonder that she developed severe mental illness and slaughtered a woman. IMHO, she absolutely should NOT have been executed. A person who has known nothing but severe torture should be considered not guilty by reason of insanity, and cared for in an institution. I really hope EWU does an episode on Lisa's life. It's a compelling case.
Yeah, I turned myself in to jail once, and it was worth it, because I needed the help. The hateful people in my lives always said I was stupid for turning myself in, while the loving ones understood that I did what was right. It's crazy how prideful some people can be. Those who think of themselves first tend to hate those who do the right thing after wrong choices, because they would never change themselves. But loving people who care for others, they see the value in people who want to change. It's great. His parents are great people, and the fact that he keeps himself there to protect them is so inspiring and relatable.
@@radicalturkey that won't do much long-term
@@radicalturkey
Such political nonsense for you to bring into this.
He could have grabbed a butcher's knife and stabbed her 50 times and his father would not even have heard anything because knives make no sounds.
Stop trying to use a tragedy to score stupid political points .
The number of times high-functioning individuals with serious illnesses are neglected or passed over for the help they truly need simply because they are cognizant and "too aware" of their issues is astounding. Being aware of a thing and having control of said thing, are completely different issues. Both deserve proper attention and treatment.
THANK YOU! The amounts of time society and services try to shame you for asking for help is disgusting. 'You're fine, you're okay'. NO. From the get go it was obv he had Aspergers-his parents are intelligent, why ignore blatant aspects of your son? 'We don't want to label him' Ohh you mean you don't want a label to your son.
This hits hard for me... my dad says I "grew out" of my autism as a kid. I'm high functioning, with major anxiety. It feels so discrediting to hear him say I don't have autism when that's literally how my whole childhood upbringing was based around. He has it in his head that autism is shameful and debilitating all of the time. That's not it at all. We go through phases like anyone else, just nobody notices because we feel like a burden or dismissed when we try to explain everything going on in our head.
Your dad sounds like an idiot. Autistic people are cool af. ✌️💕🌻
Well said
This right here!!!
One of my former friends has a pretty severe mental illness that causes her and her family a tremendous amount of pain, but she's told me point blank she doesn't get help because she's also brilliant and "the brain" of her family. So the narrative is "well, she's obviously fine" when no...she is NOT fine.
To a lesser degree, I wasn't diagnosed with ADHD until my late 30s because i didn't struggle in school, outwardly. Because I'm "smart" when I did struggle I was just told I want trying hard enough.
I spent my entire life hoping something would "take me out" because being a person was SO hard for me, in my mind, "i shouldn't be here"
It was fckng ADHD the whole time!
As soon as I started treatment it was the first time I did NOT want to unalive myself in my entire life because I could just...DO things.
Can I just say how much I appreciate the accurate subtitles, I’m really hard of hearing and I can’t exactly turn up the volume in some cases and most CC is really shit but yours is unmistakably accurate so I just wanted to say thank you for that. I thought this was just some channel that reposted a TV show. Your stuff is too notch quality and I’m excited for more! Another tangent incoming: I appreciate SOO much how this isn’t a drama where you frame us in a spot where there are hidden twists or anything stupid and overly dramatic, very factual and unbiased.
Fully agree with this comment with all of my energy!!!!
The subtitles were wrong at least 2 dozen times. 1 of the times, it was inaccurately narrated then he brain stormed on these inaccuracies. What a nightmare.
@@YTisGayi have seen many incorrect subs on this channel before. i think i’ve even commented on them.
i don’t think i’ve commented on them, actually. was a diff creator’s videos
211a
I’m partially deaf as well. I appreciate the CC. While these are not 100% accurate I’m able to follow along very well.
This is such a weird family. Totally unnatural.
"its important to not let people get too far gone." is such an important and powerful statement, it is sad that his brain will have to sit in a jail for the safety of his loved ones
That goes for voters too. 😉
@cxff33 well there goes the far left and the far right votes then
I also don’t get how his parents are mad he didn’t get a lawyer or a public defendant when HE KILLED HER SISTER WTF??? like that kid needed to be throw in jail whether they like fit or not
@@numi8985 it sounds like you haven't been exposed to this sort of mental illness. I agree that he should be in a controlled environment but it's important to consider the state of someone's mind when a crime is committed. His family could tell he had a mental break, unfortunately he had access to firearms. It's tragic their daughter lost her life over it.
@@numi8985the sad part is that police officers can try to take advantage of vulnerable populations and ignorance to get people to waive their rights for proper representation. And that's the thing he was a young sick kid that did something heinous. It still doesn't mean that officers should engage in unethical practices for the sake of a conviction
This is one of the most unique situations where you actually feel sorry for all involved.
I've watched so many videos and never felt that the murder is committed due to someone's mental illness or insanity. But this kid is probably as close as they come to it. He accepts responsibility and says he loves his family and feels like he doesn't want to ever be free in case he does it again.
I've never heard that before!
I agree 100%. I think this is a true story of mental or personal issues. He doesn't seem to understand why he did it, but still wants to figure scientific notations out. What he did is wrong and he knows it is but is still worried about the scientific ways on the notations he can not work out. I would love to hear interviews with him later on
@@jesifetters4918no kiddin 😒 he reminds me kind of someone real close to me. Maybe I watch too much of this stuff...🤦♀️
demons bro, demons lol
Most murders and mass shooting are exactly mentally ill.
its cute that you assume people are incapable of this shit if not for "demons" @@uberhuber7903
This was by far the best documentary of a crime I’ve ever seen on UA-cam. You always remain unbiased and purely factual and I appreciate how respectful you are when speaking about the victims and their families
I've watched A LOT of these over the years, and this may be the only one I've seen where everyone says, "the guy just snapped and has no idea why." and I actually believe it.
I feel terrible for the victims that lost their daughter AND their son that day. But I am incredibly relieved that Nicole and James survived.
And to forgive him and love him regardless. I am not capable of such understanding.
@@cdes1776 To be honest, I think most people (if not all) would have to actually witness someone going through psychosis or something similar in order to (maybe) understand how it literally seems like that person was hijacked and wasn't actually there themselves. It's not something they can control; they're literally going absolutely insane. But I do get why you may have a hard time understanding how they were so forgiving.
I was going to reply, but you said exactly what I was feeling. I feel so bad for them. I don’t fall for any of this stuff normally, but if that wasn’t genuine, we should be worrying about humans rather than AI.
The only reason I feel so strongly that it is genuine and not complete act because it’s exactly how I would deal with it. I would be horrified to lose my son after just losing my daughter like that it wasn’t him. How could you be angry with him is what I ask.
@@cdes1776I guess because he is not normal and they knew
this is the saddest case i think i’ve ever heard of and the way the mother and stepfather speak about their daughter and choosing love and still being there for their son is so heartbreaking. i wish these people nothing but absolute blessings. I feel so sorry for all of them but especially ashley.
Do not express sorrow for these types of foolish parents. They allow their children access to firearms to be potential mass shooters
Luckily for the rest of us in this case, the shootings happened only within their own family and not in a public where anyone of us could be victims
I agree it’s generally a horrible idea to outfit your children with guns, but show some humanity these people are good people
How horrific for the dad to realise his son was going to shoot him and the only reason he’s alive is the fact he put the empty magazine back in.
Great work for getting an interview with both the victims and the killer! Super impressive. I loveeee watching these interview videos and how well it’s analysed! Really great work ❤
Stepson though
Spare the rod and spoil the child
@@kokoyaro mate. My father used to beat me over the smallest thing. What did that actually accomplish? I grew up with a LOT of repressed anger and resentment and then spent my teenage years lashing out because I didn’t know how to handle emotional responses without becoming angry.
@@mikmak2102 That quote isn't meant to be taken literally. The moral lesson is to discipline your child appropriately by whichever way is most suitable for that particular child. Some children are more stubborn than others
That quote is definitely meant to be taken literally.
From the very beginning of the video, while he was being interviewed, I saw a lot of autistic traits in him. Only in minute 42, ASD is mentioned and then, later, his Aspergers diagnoses (not a diagnosis anymore) is discussed. When he is "reciting" the computer lingo, he is doing something very common in autistics, he is "scripting", which is repeating a familiar phrase or set of sentences, sometimes for social interaction, but, most of the times, like in this case, when the autistic person is anxious or stressed out. His conclusion at the end is priceless... don't let people disassociate themselves too much from the world!
I can’t imagine what Ashley was thinking in her last moments, I’m sure she was so confused by what was happening and didn’t even have time to make sense of it before her death.
@Italian69Boi that was the mom who shouted his name, ashley was too far gone at that point, sadly
I just hope her spirit moved on from this world, and is in a better place. I'm sure she forgave him, as that was the aspect of her personality and her inner being.
@@FormlessPersuasion not likely; unless you think the universe exists in a fantasy. The truth of the universe is that she decomposed into the component molecules and the elements that made up those molecules eventually ended up dispersed throughout the Earth and possibly some even floated out into the stratosphere. Some parts of those molecules could easily be a part of you now. Such is the way of the universe.
@@retniretep9477 Thanks for sharing your subjective opinion about that subject.
@@idkidk2573 nonsense. That's straight out of an Astronomy textbook.
There were many heart-breaking moments in this story, but for some reason, hearing the killer say that he didn't want to be released from prison for fear of hurting someone else he loved really broke what few pieces of my heart I had left.
Wow, for me it was the best part. What’s done was done and there’s no changing that. Only the future can be changed. To me, the evidence points toward him being legitimately mentally ill and he recognizes that the most important thing is preventing future violence. To do that, he has to say “lock me up” because anything short of that would be a selfish and likely dangerous act.
If he was a real angel he would have done it to himself instead of his sister.
@@aerystargaryenii2565 i mean... he tried in the detention centre technically
@@milktoast56 "tried"
It aint that hard especially if you are actually mentally loose or drowning in guilt as everyone seems to think this guy was.
For me it's when the mother said "he's all that I left of her" with her emotion even though she remains quite calm the whole interview.
Such an interesting case. It really struck me that he didn't know why he did it. You could see that logically, it didn't make sense to him either. Plus, I appreciate that he didn't make any excuses and is self-aware enough to know that he couldn't guarantee that it wouldn't happen again.
Excellent video. Thank you.
Lol cool. Go write a letter to him
Possession
@@ghostfrieza2904what letter should be written though? 🤔
sorry but you "appreciate" it? 😅 he murdered his sister
48:24 the killer’s own words that his parents still refuse to accept.
It always shocks me that in US it's normal to have that many guns in the house. He had 2 loaded shotguns in his room in addition to the gun he used, that's completely insane.
It shocks me too and I'm an American.
Cowards
why is it shocking? Is it because it is different to what you were surrounded by? A gun by it's self won't do anything, it takes a person to give purpose to the weapon. It's similar to anything that can be a potential weapon. I understand the capacity of harm a gun can cause, but it's hard not in simple mind to parallel the idea to other household items for example a knife; yes a knife can't be used at a distance but it holds the same threat of great bodily harm. All of this is to say that gun, no gun makes little difference in situations similar to this, it seems a little unintelligent to blame a tragedy of this type to the gun, it could've been way worse sans the firearm.
It’s insane bc that’s SUPPOSED to be not allowed in most states… it’s supposed to be in a safe, locked UP, not loaded… it’s SUPPOSED to be an offense that your kids can get taken away for, or at least a stern warning from CPS… regardless of any debate about owning guns, it’s just… a tragic lack of attention to safety that our (American here) culture is normalizing. I mean, there was a case recently where parents were convicted for their son using their gun to shoot up the school, which means there might be a precedent for prosecution now, but idk how that would have helped in this situation, when all the victims are just the family…
@@bayareaninjaz239 Bullshit. There would have been at least 3 deaths if he was successful with those firearms. The sad thing is, the guns they had for self defense ended up being used for the opposite of their intended purpose.
This is one of the most interesting murder documentaries I've ever seen. You can genuinely tell how the person in the interrogation room and the person being interviewed towards the end are not the same personality.
In the interrogation he sounds like he has a speech impediment, but in the interview he sounds completely normal.
Possession @@justinfowler5761
@@justinfowler5761I thought the exact same thing
@@babypluto3679 I thought he had an Asian accent!
Not at all. He sounds devoided of soul and even admited it himself he would probably kill again if released and feels empty. This is what having 0 social life 0 friends and 0 girls does to a mf. Homeschooling was proably to blame. I emphatise with him partially though since I'm also gifted (the opposite of poeple on youtube) and have faced boredom, an educational system that didn't meet my needs, discrimination, isolation and loneliness. Good thing is I was always interested in social sciences as well as law and morals and I am a very moral persnon myself and not as autistic as him.
I don't know how this is possible, but this is both the saddest and happiest case I've seen on this channel so far. The peace that the whole family found in their circumstances and through forgiveness is so rare.
There are millions of diagnosis that they can give him, yet again not understand why it happened. He was possessed as his father said. Sonny also described it in exclusive interview, but what I find really weird is that they cut it off. He only said that it was a snap and two seconds later, they cut it off. I guess it's easier to give someone a diagnosis and jump all around with assumptions than actually believe possession of evil is possible. But the thing in law world, court, police, etc... there is no possession, in other words, they will never ever accept possession as a valid reason to an event that occured which just proves some things that I will not go into.
@@repellentment Possession isn't real. If you want to believe in the super natural that's cute in all but it doesn't have a place in reality.
@@gratedradish6699 We can only say it's not pvroven by science, as there are no means to test it. We know too little about our mind and soul to claim it
@@gratedradish6699 No. This is reality. But I do not choose to live in your reality. I am sorry honey but that is the truth. It is very much possible but most of the people cannot comprehend that fact which is alright. Not everyone is meant to progress.
The family smiling when talking about this mess is scary stuff. Ashley was suppose to have a 'dark sense of humor, very dark' which is super scary.
I had DP/DR for 3 years and I could immediately tell he was dissociated from the moment he began to speak. I know, because this is something I would do when talking to others, for example, that "16yo, male" thing. In my experience with disassociation, "you" are just an observer, watching your own body move and speak. You can't express emotions, other people does not seem real and you can't connect with the world. Nothing feels real. Could not feel a thing. Could not taste, colors all seem gray, even my vision was weird as it sometime felt like I was looking through a fisheye lens. I remember I would not go near train tracks because I knew I could not trust myself. I had suicidal thoughts daily, every minute. My anxiety was at a 10/10 all the time but I processed it all internally, which did not make it better. Disassociation is truly terrifying, I'm fully recovered now thankfully.
My heart breaks for Sonny and his family, I feel a bit emotional since it kinda hits close to home. I hope they can reunite
Drug induced?
@@citydoener69not necessarily, sometimes people just come with a few screws loose. Not trying to be mean, just don't know how to better word it.
I am not writing this to offend you in any way, hopefully you won't think I'm being rude.
But most of the symptoms you just said are not actually related to DPDR. Speaking of yourself in third person, having no taste and not being able to express emotions is not Depersonalization. With DPDR you are completely aware that your experience of being spaced out or numb is not reality. Therefore you would not refer to yourself as "He/she" or "male/female". You might feel a sense of unfamiliarity or fear when saying "me" or "I", but being so distant from yourself that you genuinely see yourself as another human is not DPDR. Besides from having had chronic Depersonalization for 15 years, I work as a psychologist and psychotherapist specializing in dissociation. I wouldn't be comfortable lining out other possible causes for these symptoms, all I can say is that those listed symptoms are not rooted in DPDR.
If a patient with DPDR drinks a glass of apple juice blindfolded, they would be able to identify the drink with a 100% certainty, even though they have an experience of "not being able to taste".
Funny you should mention the vision. I have autism and dissociate in some moments. One sign that gets me to snap out of it sometimes is when I notice that I look through people. I know they are there but I am seeing the thing that should be behind them if it's an environment that I am familiar with. Strange stuff
I started dissociating as a child due to abuse, it was my brains way of trying to protect me. I don't know if these things happen in different degrees because I've never had it happen to the point that I've done something to harm myself or others while in that state, or ever even had the desire to do so. But I absolutely get the watching it happen stuff. Iwhen I go back to memories of things that were very traumatic it's not like other memories it's like I'm watching a film. I can talk about these horrible instances of physical and sexual abuse, of my husband's death as well, like I'm recalling a plot from a movie or a book. It's definitely different from recalling upsetting or other bad memories where I did not dissociate.
For me it's like I just go completely numb. No emotions, no physical sensations. I'm watching it happen to me like i'm someone else. But I guess that's why I never had any urges, because I completely shut down. It's like I lose the ability to think it do anything. Like I'm inside a body someone switched off so I'm in there but even if I wanted to or tried I couldn't do anything until that state passes and I'm back.
I had to go to therapy for a few years because of some PTSD and the anxiety it brought. I'd suddenly be back in the memory and back in that locked in state where I was helpless to change it. Thank God that doesn't happen anymore. I'm very proud to say I have t had a panic attack for 11 years now. The last time I really dissociated was due to my husband's sudden out of the blue (for me at least) suicide. I barely remember those first few months still, almost 8 years later now. It was the longest I ever went, before that it would be during the abuse it during the traumatic act but I stayed in this mostly dissociated completely detached state for months til my friends finally came to my home and physically made me start living my life again. All in done was stay in bed basically. I had to move in with family for help because I was a stay at home mom and we lost our home and vehicle after he passed. Thank God I had them to help me at that point. I would have been on the street.
Sorry for the life story guys b
I just wanted to block all true crimes chanels and only yours to appear on my TL lol. It's ABSURD how good and professional you are. No exposure of people doing it for likes or ego, just the case in the most respectable way possible. Seriously the best. Thanks for your work.
It broke my heart when he said he never wants to be released because he's so scared it might happen again. So sad for all involved as they all truly love each other. God bless them
You're delusional.
🙏🏿
Yeah, because he is possessed and can't control the demon. :( God protected the father and even spoke to him.
@@faith-hearted1449 but God couldn't protect the sister? Awesome logic
I don't know man might just be me but the mother seems odd just saying
The mind is such a fragile thing. It's crazy that a person with no signs of mental illness could suddenly snap, commit an atrocity like this, and remain in a stoic, dissociated state for a year and a half, and then be able to come back from that, like it was all just a bad dream.
One of the few instances where an insanity plea makes perfect sense. Tragic, all around. I wish healing upon everyone involved.
Not fragile but protective, the mind blacks out things that might be able to harm you,
But many times it dosent work, so you end up with, as an example soldier's getting PTSD
I've seen things suggesting that his high iq kind of overloaded his brain. I have a 160 iq, and im not robotic, etc. Im actually pretty normal. I don't think his high iq had anything to do with it, but it's always suggested.
Really hard to believe someone with "'160 iq" is saying "and" after a comma. @@poutinedream5066
he's talking to someone who isn't there about their windows 10 computer he's snapped he literally sees a person and hears them talking to him
he had plenty signs look at him he acts like robot he far gone looks like he has few diffrent mental issues has no real feelings he not in the world just observing init not participating init
Ashley’s parents’ words were touching and heart-breaking at the same time. She seemed like an incredible young woman who made a positive impact on those around her, and who was taken far too soon. RIP Ashley.
You met her?
@@lemonke5341 can you read? Ashley deserved life.
their lack of emotion . they were so fake . they didnt care about their kids.
@@meganwynn372 I agree that there's something very abnormal about them. They are not well adjusted individuals and a highly intelligent child raised by such parents in such an environment is a ticking bomb.
yea the mom describing the situation pissed me off she loved this attention@@meganwynn372
This is so heartbreaking. Those parents lost both of their kids that day.
that mother failed her son. he wasn't properly socialized or adjusted to reality
I feel for the whole family, but my heart broke when the father described trying to talk the son down and he put a gun to his chest just for the hammer to strike and nothing happens. That moment of silence after knowing your child just very well intended to kill you would destroy me.
You'd think he'd be used to that stuff, being a country boy and all
Nothing a country Boi can’t handle!
The child didn't intend to kill him. He was suffering a psychotic episode. I'd hope you'd man up and support your kid in the same situation.
@@SaintShion”wlehhhhh”
@theforrest you're not a man. You go wash some dishes my dear.
I genuinely feel for everyone in this video, including sunny. The kid admitted he wouldn’t want to be freed because of the possibility of hurting a loved one. A true shame what happened, such a loss of talent with both kids.
Yeah honestly the awareness to acknowledge the fact is not safe it is, truly heartbreaking
Pretty sure it was a act.
"cries in american"
@@GRDK-97 What act you silly buffoon. This is the most honest suspect I have ever seen. The guy was forthcoming from the start rather than act and hope it minimizes his responsibility/reduce his sentence, and he is now stating that he is not comfortable been released lest he disassociates again and hurts another family member, and your silly butt is talking about an act. If he wanted to act, he will be acting to his own best interest not the other way round
what do you mean@@GRDK-97
I didn't understand the mothers lack of emotion when first speaking about her daughter, but she explains it perfectly when she said "I choose to remember her with love".
Reading way too much into it I think lol
She is lame, totally.
Supporting the monster who killed your daughter? Just a big W T F !!!
Everyone deals with grief in their own way...
@@someone-ji2zbThank you, I hate when people do this
@@KageumiUmikage I guess we are in the vast minority considering her upvotes
I personally will never understand why people seek to inject the worst case scenario into everything without actually sitting back and thinking about the situation first
This is the most profoundly heartbreaking and unfortunate situation.
The fact that Sonny said, when asked, “Do you think this could happen again?” and he said, “Yes, absolutely,” was so sad to me. It just broke my heart. And the insight he shared at the end, along with what he felt for his sister, was so sad. My heart feels so heavy after hearing this story. I am glad the family, as well as Sonny, were interviewed. Their voices in the interview were quite impactful.
I feel so much for the family. This is just a heartbreaking case. I don't really believe in "possession" or anything like that, but this kind of mental dissociation sounds like the closest thing to it, and it's scary to think about.
Possession is real. I know it’s hard to believe but I PROMISE YOU, It’s real and I’ve seen it, experienced it and had to live through it. I found my faith and my life has changed immensely (for the good)
It’s simply a chemical imbalance in the brain 🧠
You don't have to believe in it for it to be true.
@@WeeTh3people1776god isnt real neither is possesion ur delulu seek help
@@WeeTh3people1776yeah well possessing may be true but that dude was not possessed and whether are you were not a suspect as well
I feel like Sonny was legitimately dealing with a psychotic break. It’s used a lot as an excuse but with the testament of his parents and the way he talks about his family, along with the sheer difference between his demeanour in the initial police tapes and then the later interview, it’s clear to me. I hope he and his parents can find peace and rest easy, Ashley. She sounded like a lovely girl who deserved so much better than her end.
It makes me scared cause I've experienced derealization and depersonlization, and it is extremely weird. I got it while driving once and kept having this strange thought of wanting to ram the guard rail . It's like I knew logically I would die but the urge to do it was extremely strong. The only thing that probably stopped me was God's grace and the fact that my mom was trailing me because we were selling the car she was in. I remembered looking down and thinking, "Who's hands are those?" while I was driving. I had no sensations at all, and it felt like I was in a
hyper-realistic 1st person video game. Even the colors where hyper vibrant and sounds were kinda trippy, like tunnel hearing is the only way I can describe it, and it's not even accurate enough to describe the feeling and sound. My memory was shot as well. I somehow had to ask my mom to drive in front of me to get me to the destination, one I had been to over 1000 times. I believe every word he said and the confusion he had about why he did it or lack of reason ffs sounds similar to how I felt when trying to describe to my mom why I wanted to hit the guard rail. I called her cause I got scared for a minute lol, then I realized I must be having some sort of episode and I just tried to focus on not panicking and tried to just give it time 😅
Man mental health is important and scary
@@ImTJandMJThe fact you think "gods grace" will stop you from your crazy urges is a huge warning sign. You need to seek REAL help
@kennysnow7647 I'm getting the help I need (professional help) but, I lean on God in Good and bad times, and I say gods grace because he must have been over me that day for me to have made it back home safe in the mental state I was in. I understand religion and spirituality is diffent for everyone and some do not believe so to each is own. High stress brings on my depersonlization, though, so now that I know this I am able to better and I know to seek help right away if my thought become abnormal. I just feel bad for the people who don't know what's going on and simply act on their impulses.
@@Zeft64 I agree, we literally have to tend to our minds as we do our bodys or they too can become 'sick'.
I'm only at 31 minutes but wanted to say that the boy is absolutely having a psychotic episode. I have a son who at 16 was the exact same, including talking in a voice that wasn't his own. Thankfully he never hurt us.
Be careful, take all the necessary cautious measures if you care for him and your family, Hide dangerous items such as (Knifes / sharp Tools / Guns / Etc), keep them deeply hidden and away from his reach.
He's clearly an alien and deserves to be locked up forever
"Thankfully he never hurt us."
Not yet...
Get him to a professional now
@@bradenwuesthoff5639 She phrased it like she's in the past
For people who think the ''self talk'' he did was a clear sign of psychosis: It is not necessarily. I do the same thing for as long as I can remember but at least 12 years or so and it is not very uncommon in introverted people, highly intelligent people and especially autistic or traumatized people and ESPECIALLY lonely people. For me, it is a way of socializing when I don't have anyone else to talk to, it is also a way to practice my social skills to feel a bit more prepared and I can imagine it would be somewhat similar for him. (I am a traumatized introvert that is also highly intelligent.)
he wasn't making sense, though, and other things about him were wayyyy off. His mom was loony-tunes, too.
The narration, the insight to events, the outcome, the physical and mental eduction and the story telling is unmatched from this channel. Always looking forward for a new video
That part when Sonny is asked whether he is being physically abused, and he says, “Not anymore.” I can’t believe the detective didn’t pick up on that and ask him to elaborate.
Oh wow where was this at? This is astounding. Of course they didn’t hear that because to them it’s an open/ shut case. The parents were a little odd. Especially the mom being so excited to tell her story about her daughters “morbid humor.” Too weird.
@@candacegutherie 27:57 is where it's at. It's mumbled and hard to make out.
yeah and the scratch he did on his neck right after was the ONLY time he did that. I dont think his outcome would change though, as even he said he doesn't want to be out of jail and around his loved ones.
Because they are only interested in collecting evidence that will bolster their case. Exculpatory or mitigating evidence will be overlooked, ignored, misinterpreted or outright suppressed. Always exercise your rights to a lawyer to hopefully keep this from happening.
Because arrest and conviction quotas are the only motivation.
My heart breaks for the parents who lost both their children that awful night. I think the way the Dad described the situation seems the most likely and how lucky Sonny is to have parents with such compassion, understanding, and forgiveness in their hearts. As a parent myself, I can’t imagine the pain of all of this; God bless them!
Also the type of god&guns family that didn't take the obvious signs of mental health issues seriously until it cost someone their life.
Spare your sympathy for people who deserve it.
@@Mike-os3ptwe did. And they got mine.
Well the father is in korea and probably has no idea what his son did. The miscegenating mother lost her 2 half-castes, but she talks about it so matter-of-factly that it seems odd
@@dwillbecancelledsoon4086yep, there’s something wrong with her
If one can turn off their "compassion, understanding, and forgiveness" to kill an innocent and defenseless animal in the name of hunting, it is not far fetched that they can extend such callousness to a different species - humans. You know I am saying the truth. Anyone who owns a pet knows that animals can feel emotions. Not to mention serial killers often start off abusing poor animals. That kind of mentality has an effect on how people behave in human-human interactions.
Once again, you did an excellent job with this video and narrative. Thank you!!!
I had a close friend commit suicide in our high school parking lot. The mom's explanation about darkness around the eyes is actually true. I've seen it myself. This was a brainy kid too, generally well liked, and involved in a lot of clubs. He was the last person you'd think would do something violent. But he did. And while its been many decades, I still remember the last time I talked to him. He was so quiet that day and totally emotionless. He stared incessantly at the ground and honestly looked like he had the flu. He had just broken up with his girlfriend, but none of us could imagine what he'd do next. But his eyes looked like they were in deep shadow. It's very creepy to hear these parents describe the same feelings.
I’ve seen it myself and looked into the science behind it. Apparently when you’re in fight or flight mode your pupil dilate to full size which creates a completely dark look in and around the eyes.
I don’t think it makes sense that someone would have the same look in their eye before taking their lives as when taking loved ones’ lives. I find it so overly simplistic to point to “a look in their eye” when talking about a crime but even if you were to do that, it’s usually to describe someone with nefarious intentions or void of emotion. A boy out to take his own life is neither of those things. It sounds like he was just feeling utterly hopeless which can reflect on the outside as you saw.
With all these cases, there eyes always have dark circles....just like the Hellywood movies have on evil or possessed people.
So sad. Rip angel 🕊🌹🍂
God bless 👑🙏🕊💞
Many different disorders can share some of the same symptoms but are completely different disorders. Dark circles around the eyes can come from many different: two causes are insomnia, severe depression or anemia due to not eating. Appearing emotionless can be caused by severe depression, schizophrenia, autism or being in shock, None of these conditions are related despite having the same symptom. It is similar to sneezing; this can be caused by a cold, flu or an allergy.
None of it has anything to do with homicide. What it does tell you is that the person is showing a symptom that indicates something is wrong and that somebody needs to get to the bottom of it to get them help if they haven’t already done so.
Demonic possession 👹
Thanks for being such an amazing content creator. I’ve never felt the desire to actually support a channel in this way before watching this documentary. Your passion for what you do has never been more evident than it is here. I loved your ability to tap into what makes this story so bittersweet. It’s almost like the unconditional love this family has for each other radiated out into your research and telling of it. EWU crew has a very bright future ahead of them!
Thank you! ❤
Pretty impressive for Sonny to know this could happen again and say he is ok with never seeing his loved ones again in order to protect them, most killers dont even feel remorse, only upset that they got caught and are being punished. Plus the fact he even was willing to give other people advice so they don't make the same mistakes he did, speaks a lot for his maturity level when he isn't dissociating.
It's likely he doesn't feel care nor love for his parents, it's more cognitive empathy. Like, he knows he could do such thing again, and he knows how bad that would be, so he understands that it's better that he won't live with them again.
Perhaps less maturity, than a genius-level, robotic logic.
@@aberroa1955 Cognitive empathy still counts for something.
As a diagnosed schizophrenic I recognize it all.
@@chocolatefrenzieya What's maturity other than taming your emotions by rationality? He could as well mature, in his manner.
I think I understand him well, partly because I am, or rather was having similar kind of lack of true emotions. Being raised with emotionally abusive mother, I haven't used to read or understand emotions of other people, except when they were too obvious. But I wanted to understand, and to know how to react properly, so I taught myself, I seen how other people rationalize faint emotions, how they treat them, etc. And used that to kind of "fake" empathy, until I started to actually feel it, intuitively. Obviously, neither me nor nearly all other people with similar behavioral difficulties are going to killing spree. Lack of emotions or empathy is not enough to do such a thing, it's rather a lack of thought. And his condition, his depersonalization is much more severe than simply emotional disability.
So, the thing about cognitive emotions - they mature too, maybe slower than other people, but nonetheless. Ideally, to the point where it's impossible to tell if person have cognitive or compassionate empathy, even by himself. "Fake it till you make it", so to say. But in the end, it's still more a thought process. Like, "ah-ha, I know you experienced this thing, I notice your subtle mimics, and that means you feel this, so it's appropriate for me to do that", just without verbal thoughts. Even if you have genius-level robotic logic, you still may consciously choose to be compassionate, caring, loving, etc, when you learned how to do that.
He's very aware and omitting a ton of information
This is an absolutely crazy case. Their brother/sister relationship before looked SO wholesome. I was never affectionate like that with my sister (kissing each other on the cheek, etc) but you can tell they were genuinely close. That's the most tragic part for me.
You never know with pictures. They are biased to look nice. Even a family of aliens would know what a good family photo should look like.
I have a feeling he may have liked his sister a bit _too_ much. He may have got denied and rejected and thus we have the issues right now. Or they could have been reciprocated and her leaving home was jarring for him causing this disassociative and deoresonalizing episode.
Cheek French kissing
@@redcell9636 Interesting. What gives you that impression?
@@american_cosmic
How close they are and what seems like a hidden, until the incident, trauma response. He had basically a psychotic break, probably due to separation anxiety. The father left and went back to his home country of South Korea when they were young. He seemed to have leaned on his sister. Since his mental faculties were accelerated, for a lack of a better term he may have misconstrued certain feelings or emotions as more than just familial. His sister leaving for college and having a boyfriend could have put some kind of mind-poison in the back of his psychee. However it did seem that his accelerated acumen could have stunted his social skills and ques. There is a good chance he wanted to or had acted upon baser urges.
Remember the part about describing "humans" but in a detached way and how "humans" have unpredictable responses? There is a goos chance him and his sister trauma bonded, and a good chance he wanted to _bond_ a whole lot more than she did.
This is mostly a "gut" feeling about it.
Never thought I'd say this but this was the most straight forward and some how wholesome video about murder. Sonny didn't hide anything and it was clear he has some kind of mental issue. The parents are really some of the most wholesome down to earth people in the world. The world could do with more people like them.
Yes, totally agree, those parents are truly beautiful people if only the world was populated with couples like them
@@ebihay916and we would have more cases like this it would be the perfect shitty world
yea you could have kept that to yourself.
@@tonyamartin1425it's not like he said anything bad or weird tf?? 🤨
Heart breaking case. I usually have suspicion of people who claim psychosis as their motivation, but I genuinely believe something beyond Sonny's control was happening to him
Demons are more real than we are
You are making excuses for a murderer
@@philtanics1082this whole demon garbage needs to stop, there’s no such thing and using that as an excuse for him murdering his sister is disgusting, he’s clearly on the spectrum and was diagnosed with Asperger’s.. this demon trash is just pathetic
@@antemrkic1702Ok you need to know the difference between "Making excuses" and "Giving and explanation" Mental illness or anything associated with it does not excuse murder but it may explain why it happened.
@@antemrkic1702not excusing him of the crime. Only providing a possible breaking motive
This is an amazing channel. I’m completely impressed the parents were able to give an interview. Sometimes there’s no explanation for what a person does. It seems to possibly have been an impulsive act as he clearly did not know how to handle guns. I’m so glad the stepfather wasn’t shot and I pray he and his wife find peace.
As someone who has dealt with psychosis, I couldn't fathom my parents being this forgiving and loving
That is because they are empathetic and normal. The mother is bonkers, detached from normal human behavior, and disassociated from the human race...just like you know who.
@@ASDasdSDsadASD-nc7lf lol mother and son are a piece of work
It's kinda weird/planned out-
@@foxsmith5718 Yes. Its fucking disgusting and everyone who feels bad for Sonny is dull in the head
They bought him a gun…
honestly, I'm kind of impressed with how self aware he is in being okay with staying locked up so he doesn't possibly hurt anybody else
I feel so bad for these parents. They seem like a genuinely good people and good parents. I hate that they’re having to go through this.
the mother was weird af whatever the kid has it comes from the mom
This guy was sharing his body with another entity, its rare you'll ever witness or encounter someone that does that, but you're seeing him ACTIVELY carry on a FULL conversation with an unseen entity when he is left alone.
There is a lot more going on here that we're totally oblivious to even if its a split personality or something entirely related. The talking to himself, implies this wasn't a Psychotic Episode -- Having worked with folks that under-go such a thing, the striking deviance from "Psychotic Episodes" is that this is deathly calm, and still has the distinguished 'Full conversations with the self'.
This is the best episode you’ve produced, especially hearing the parents’ perspective of this tragedy and also Sonny’s perspective now. Such a heart breaking case on all sides. Glad to see they were able to forgive and support their son after the pain his actions caused them.
Right? I saved the video for sharing later. I think this is my favourite
If anyone was wondering, Sonny was talking to himself mainly about at the time the newest retail pc parts. Maybe he was going over talking points he would use with customers at his job. For someone with limited social skills, practicing/memorizing his conversations would be a way of compensating.
Good input there mate.
Reviewing previous conversations is also common, then going over possible alternative options, and how they might have played out.
Personally it's what I do, to make up for the fact that I can't think around people.
I struggle a lot of social anxiety and when I was at my worst I would do this, just sit or stand there and have verbal one-sided conversations out loud. They mostly happen in my head now, but I do still occasionally just talking out loud. Usually its about previous or common conversations or even irrational concerns that a friend or family member is gonna be an asshole for no reason.
Brains are wild
Yea Sonny was possessed, “felt like I was watching someone else” “his spirit was not there”
This video has been one of the best ones. It's truly heartbreaking, but the parents being so open and full of love for their kids warms the heart despite the darkness.
So sad, so senseless. 😢
The mother is delusional...the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!
his mom seems like a borderline schizo lol.
I know this takes a lot of time, but you're one of the most informative and insightful creators in this genre of entertainment. I absolutely love getting new content from this channel, your growth is amazing! Thank you for the new vids!
I've learned more relatable and applicable information from the four years I've watched this channel than I really did in the four years of school for my bachelors lol. EWU reached that prestigious legendary channel status in just their first few videos 😉👑
I couldn’t agree more Professor
@DontReadMyProfilePicture.57😅😂😂😂
Agreed!!
This channel is addictive
Watching the parents talk about their daughter Ashely really got the water works going for me. The amount of sympathy I have for them is astronomical. Thank you again EWU Krew for bringing this to our attention!
What are you talking about?? The mom seems happy..
They have had time to grieve about it. Now it's time to honour Ashley and tell everyone what happened@@Chris-bx4vk
The mother tells the story like a vacation anecdote, it is something weird 😢
@@Chris-bx4vkI was thinking the same thing. Like this didn’t happen long enough ago for her to be able to talk about this like it’s a campfire story. She seems joyous almost. So wild to me
they had no remorse. i have no sympathy for anyone but the daughter.
Fascinating, the difference in his speech comparing the interrogation to the interview over the phone. He really seemed disconnected from it all, can't imagine what connecting to reality must be like after basically watching yourself kill a loved one on autopilot... just wow.
The stepfather gets tears in his eyes talking about his stepdaughter, but the mom is just super excited, with big eyes, smiling while talking about her dead daughter, murdered by her own son😧🤯
Theres many things to unpack, some people react very different then they are suppose to, for example laughing when somebody dies. Its a coping mechanism and I think that theres no "right way" to react to this. She chose not hating her son because what else is she supoosed to do? Theres no justice for her daughter, bcs he had no evil intent, it was a psychotic break. I think she chose to only think about her children in a positive way for example how her daughter was kind and how she impacted everybody ect. and I think that is a powerful move. She is so strong that she chose to not hate her son.
I feel like her behavior was odd too. In a way like she probably has a inkling of a disorder of some sort. Innocent character, but not aware of herself and her emotions don’t stack where they are supposed to; depending on her environment or immediate thought, like a child.
@@BadSingerButITry Yeah, I think you are right. I was thinking the son probably got at least some of his problems from her, both genetically and through upbringing
@@BadSingerButITryshe seems on the spectrum to me.
@@BadSingerButITryI thought the same thing when I watched this. Then she started laughing when talking about her daughter being at a funeral and she will sit there and laugh, saying her daughter had a dark sense of humor. Strange.
My husband had a psychotic breakdown. He didn't kill anyone, but it was still scary as absolute hell. It's no joke people. When the father said it was his body bit not him. I understand that COMPLETELY!
Agreed. I had a loved one recently suffer the same, and it was terrifying. Lasted a few days, and he remembers none of it. It's like he wasn't even there.
Had to be shrooms or lsd
@@weldingLLC Shrooms or LSD create this affect by altering the brain chemistry. It doesn't have to be drugs, there could be medical conditions that create the same de-personalization effect, or out of body experience - as is evident by the case EWU covered in the video.
Can I ask what your husband did during the psychotic breakdown?
@@weldingLLCNobody has ever killed on shrooms or LSD
This is the most confusing but strangely heartwarming case I’ve seen yet. The parents focused only on the positives of their late daughter, they forgave their son for what he did, the son was unsure of why it happened, showed love for his parents and family even years after the incident, and it seems like he did have a bit of remorse, even if it wasn’t communicated that much.
People with autism think and communicate differently. He misses his sister and notes how valuable she was. That’s still remorse… just conveyed differently.
The narrative was confusing. I fast forwarded thru that crap
@@tabitha9323wofeow
@@YTisGayjudo
@@tabitha9323he was diagnosed with Asperger’s not autism.
The parents are speaking as if they are telling a story to which their emotions aren't even remotely attached. They themselves are stone cold.
what nicole says at 43:34 really broke my heart--this case is so tragic all around, but i'm glad nicole and allen were able to find solace in their daughter's memory and use her as a source of inspiration and motivation to be stronger and continue to move forward in their lives, despite how difficult it must be. hearing how ashley even managed to help her mother forgive her ex-husband who practically abandoned them brought me to tears; she sounds like she was a wonderful person, and i'm glad she was able to bring some good into the world in her time here.
i hope sonny has received the help he needs and has been able to recover as well; i can't imagine having to suffer with the aftermath of a dissociative episode like that, all while not even understanding why you did what you did in the first place. only love and best wishes towards this family
💯🙏
Really nice comment, which seems to be rare.
This is a rare case that has just made me sad for all involved. He clearly wasn't of sound mind when he killed his sister. Hearing him say that he knows it could happen again, he's fine spending the rest of his life in prison, and he is worried about being around his family is just heartbreaking to me. I don't usually feel bad for the victim as well as the perpetrator but in this case I do.
They seemed happy af
@@crazycoffeehe can’t be fixed I say they just put him down like a a dog
Watching his interview reminded me so much of my youngest son at that age. My son has Asperger’s . Age 12 thru 17 were bad. He over reacted to everything. He was very detached and he self isolated. I remember being a little afraid of him and I watched him carefully. My son is highly intelligent as well, but not as much as this young man. Then it was like a switch got flipped. He started to come out of his shell. He participated in family events more, he kept his temper better under control. The older he gets, the better he gets. If he loses his temper, he leaves the room. A little while later he will come back, say he got himself together, gave it some thought and then he apologizes, gives us a hug and tells us he loves us.
I would imagine the trigger for this was his sister, his touch stone, had gone away to college. I doubt he ever gave what he was feeling conscious thought, but her coming home to visit, and knowing she would leave again, set this in motion. If only he could have kept control for another year or two. Maturity could have made a big difference. I could hear how much more mature and controlled he sounded in the phone interview from prison. Unfortunately, not understanding why he did what he did has now convinced him he is not safe to be in society. Truly, he might not be. Being on the spectrum, being released after spending decades in prison would most likely throw him into shock and there is no telling how he would react. I, for one, am very glad his parents have not abandoned him.
Very insightful reply.
This is an excellent observation.
You have a small valid point.
But he shouldn’t get out again, based on current and past behaviour & thoughts.
It’s like the 12 yr old girl killed her 9 year old brother and the. Tried to sob and apologize after..
Parents and ppl in positions that can help, need too.
Selflessness should be more prominent within families and also others.
Just my opinion.. I’ve got lots hahahah
I wonder if that’s ever been suggested to him - maybe that would be helpful in his road to self awareness and growth and ultimately rehabilitation.
I have a son that was diagnosed on the spectrum when he was 4 and he's the same exact way. The psychologist told me at the time that my son would either become a serial killer or a very productive member of society. We worked with him all those years to help him to manage his emotions and he's a very nice young man now.
This is scary that someone could just do something like this out of the blue for no reason. You never expect someone you love to do something like this to you. Poor Ashley. She had her whole life ahead of her. It reminds me of the recent case where a 12-year-old girl killed her 8-year-old little brother and kept saying she didn't know why she did it. At least Sonny seems to be aware of what a danger he could be if he was ever released.
Yeah, kid was homeschooled, meaning there were only two people who might have seen signs ahead of time. I wonder if the homeschooling started when a teacher suggested momma's little angel displayed unusual behavior. It's doubtful it was either 'out of the blue' or 'for no reason' but just an example of what happens when warning signs are overlooked or ignored.
@@DamnedSilly what?
2
@@DamnedSillyyou make a really good point. Being homeschooled, Sonny had no access to teachers, school nurses, guidance counsellors, etc. All those roles became his mother’s responsibility. How did she not see the extremely obvious Asperger’s? I could tell he had a severe spectrum disorder after 5 minutes of him talking. Getting a formal diagnosis, which would be initiated by his parents, might’ve helped him develop more empathy. I still don’t see Sonny’s remorse, even though he talks about how great his sister was.
I thought she was 13
I've watched a lot of videos from this channel, but this is the one that hits me the hardest. I'm sitting here crying my eyes out because I've experienced psychosis before too, and although luckily nothing bad happened to me or the people around me, coming back to reality and realizing you've killed your loved one, broke your parents' hearts, and ruined your life in a single night without ever knowing why it happened, is so terrifying and tragic. I cried so much during his interview, the way he softly says, "It was terrifying for me" when he recalls that night broke my fucking heart. He was forced to watch as he took the life of the one he loved the most, unable to control his own body, completely disconnected from reality. So much was lost from everyone involved in this case. The parents are so strong and loving, and I truly hope everyone can find solace from this horrible tragedy.
I must also say, to say one’s intelligence can outweigh a psychotic episode is FALSE. Psychosis is real, and it doesn’t matter your intelligence level. It can take over. This case is a perfect example of it. This boy loved his sister. Loved his family. He had a mental episode.
Umm no. If you love somebody you don't do that. That is not an act of love
@@probrickgamer it doesnt matter how much you love someone, your psychosis doesnt simply stop existing simply because you love someone. Please educate yourself before saying nonsense.
I think he loved her a little TOO much...
@probrickgamer but... it wasn't his mind. It was a psychotic episode. Could happen to basically anyone. Just *click* now you're an evil monster where the intrusive thoughts are now actions and you're watching your own body do it. With zero control. It's wild. My uncle had a psychotic episode and when he snapped, he smashed his bathroom to pieces took a part of the broken mirror and sliced his own face up. That's not something people just do.
Another good example of sickness outweighing brilliance is "A Beautiful Mind". Granted he didn't hurt anyone, but he was also very highly intelligent and very sick in his,mind
This is just so goddamn sad. I’ve dealt with symptoms of dissociation, depersonalization, derealization, and psychosis all my life due to childhood trauma, and I recognize so many of Sonny’s mannerisms. The way he slips away and starts talking to people who aren’t there the second he’s alone; the detached way he recalls everything due to shutdown; feeling like he was watching someone else murder people from another dimension. At my worst, I was a raving lunatic who firmly believed I had different people living in my head and they could control my every movement. My friends and family and my early diagnoses are the only things that drew me back from over the edge. I really don’t blame the parents for not picking up on his symptoms until it was too late. My family had no idea I was dealing with these issues until I refused to respond to my own name anymore. I’ve never cried at a true crime video before - mainly because I’m able to detach so easily lmao - but this one almost made me tear up. It’s obvious that he has so much guilt, and I hope he finds peace and sanity in his own time.
He won't.
I hope you find peace as well. I can’t imagine the psychological torment you’ve endured. I’m really impressed that you have the fortitude to keep on trying.
Keep on keeping on, my friend. 🙏🏻
If he has guilt he doesn’t show it, in that while he speaks highly of his dead sister, never once in any interviews did I hear him say he was sorry for killing her!
@@BD1234-e8x Bingo. you nailed it. Furthermore, no evidence of psychosis whatsoever
@@BD1234-e8x Lol that's all you got? Cmon man, there was so much more to what he said. Just because he didn't explicitly say he was sorry doesn't mean he's not remorseful. It was horrible and traumatic and I don't blame him for speaking the way he does about it. He (rightfully) seems to not associate the person he was when he was possessed with his own true person. He said it's so scary to think about and think back on. Who he actually is would never do such a horrific thing. It's painful. And extremely uncomfortable to come to terms with. And he's had 7 years before this interview to try and deal with these emotions and accept the fact that this happened, so of course he is going to be of a more sound mind than someone who JUST came to terms with it.
Such a completely heart wrenching story. From a caring loving family to devastation in minutes because of an unknown brain malfunction. Sonny sounded scared of being released because he doesn’t trust his own brain.
Exactly. Imagine that they all have to live with this outcome. I keep thinking of how the parents probably have gone through the endless questions of "Why didn't we see this change in him?" And through his own words, Sonny still doesn't know and is equally scared (probably more than anyone else) about the possibility of it happening again.
It's a tragedy all around. I'm glad his parents didn't give up on him.
This case underscores how broken and dysfunctional our mental health care system actually is.
This touched me. I am also an older sister to a brother who is diagnosed with Aspberger's (which is now just known as being on the Autism spectrum) and the way Sonny talks reminds me of him. Sonny is a very intelligent person who had a mental heath crisis that tragically resulted in him hurting someone he loved. I believed his parents whole-heartedly when they talked about his love for his sister. Mental illness can make people do things that their healthy-minded self would never dream of doing. I feel deeply sorry for him and his family and impressed by his honesty and strength in understanding and accepting the consequences of his actions, even considering them having been out of his control. I really wish, or rather hope, that the help he is receiving can guarantee his fears about harming other loved ones prove unneeded. I wish them all the best and justice for Sonny going forward. Rest in Peace, Ashley. You were evidently so wonderful, so loved, and I'm so sorry.
I don't pretend to know what she would want, but I know that if my own brother hurt me because of mental illness, I would want him to receive all the help in the world, to be treated fairly by the justice system and be protected from hateful-minded strangers, and hope my family would stand by and advocate for him.
Can you imagine how many killers will claim the Asperger’s defense.
@@monicadonnelly4991you cant claim the aspergers defense u have to be diagnosed
@@monicadonnelly4991 It's not a defence. Autistic people with low support needs (formerly known as having Aspberger's) don't have an "excuse" to be violent. Autism doesn't make you immoral
@@monicadonnelly4991Your ignorance is absolutely astonishing. Pleading insanity or any other sense of “not being in the right mind” does not fair murderers better than being in jail. They get put in psych wards for life if proven their plea true. They test you, and you cannot truly fake insanity to very experienced professionals. Aspergers is also something easily testable lol.
to be honest so many victims in true crime turn out to be undiagnosed/untreated aspergers and so many perpetrators in true crime turn out to be undiagnosed or untreated aspergers as well. it is such a vulnerable population of people because they can sort of manage normal stuff but only with extreme difficulty and stress but since they are told they should be able to do it, they try to comply and tend to hide their stress and exhaustion and needs. thinking life is just this hard for everyone and other people must just power through it. often they are trained from childhood to hide that distress in order to integrate until the person is out of touch with their emotions or struggles to externalize and express them. often they are a few years advanced in many aspects of their intellect and abilities, as well as a few years delayed in various adult skills, such as a frontal lobe impulse control and decision making. so you have someone with underdeveloped executive function skills similar to a young teenager who also appears more composed than they feel being pushed into demanding adult situations.
it can result in violent outbursts, substance abuse, black and white thinking, deep shame, and at risk to lose their lives to predation or accidental death due to risky or impulsive behaviors, or being a prime target to violent offenders who can recognize almost instantly when a person seems bit more vulnerable than most of their peer group. between their decision and risk assessment skills still developing, (often they do catch up but it's a bit behind schedule compared to their other smarts and skills. and while most frontal lobes fully mature by 26 an aspergers persons frontal lobe may fully mature by 30, 35 or so on). many have a tendency to be very open and honest once out of their shell, in a way that is or at least seems quite naive, and after a lifetime of people pleasing and being trained to ignore their own boundaries and put up with things that hurt or things they hate, many lose their lives, are assaulted or abused by a partner, or take someone's life, or take their own life, or lose a chunk of their life to addiction, needing to be institutionalized, or homelessness.
for a lot of these drowning young people something does "snap" by this age, but rest assured in most cases it is not in violence toward someone else, but usually inward, such as self harm, mental illness or even escapism like running away, dropping out, shutting down, self isolating to the point of being like a hermit etc. a lot of missing or murdered college aged people are aspergers or something similar on that spectrum. all of these fates are a lot less likely when an aspergers person is diagnosed and given effective understanding of their condition and effective supports, interventions and assistance across their life. the person can absolutely thrive and not need services and help eventually or only need them during life's more difficult or demanding times in an on and off nature. aspergers people can live a happy and productive life with wonderful friends family kids careers and even create or develop world changing stuff. we just need to be better at screening, diagnosing, understanding and more reasonably accommodating and integrating aspergers and maybe most of all need to understand the common signs of an undiagnosed teen or young adult who is on the spectrum and beginning to spiral and get them assistance therapy and understanding for the core issue of autism and their current state of autistic burnout, autistic psychosis or depersonalization, disordered emotional regulation and more.
a common sign is any treatment resistant mood or anxiety disorder, like treatment resistant depression, a chronic eating disorder, chronic pain or chronic illness from unknown sources, a burgeoning personality disorder without a known abuse or trauma history, mood and energy swings, comorbid ocd or adhd, often attention span issues and inattentive style adhd while not being typically hyperactive, a bipolar diagnosis in general that does not respond well to medication or treatment, especially "rapid cycling" between moods which is usually just mood swings caused by sensory overload or processing issues and emotional regulation, and spikes of energy and euphoria due to a special interest or hyperfixation and autistic insomnia issues mistaken as mania, or mood crashes caused by a number of other mood and stress regulating difficulties an untreated autistic person doesn't know they have. bipolar drugs like antipsychotics may actually induce psychotic episodes and delusional thinking in an aspergers or adhd person who is not physically bipolar and ill fitted for the drug but was misdiagnosed. undiagnosed aspergers people may start to really burn out and spiral and start to feel and show immense instability rather rapidly and suddenly during their early 20s or late teens. it's normal for autism symptoms and difficulties to become more pronounced and extreme under duress, and it's normal for autistic people to experience temporary skill regression or skill loss during extreme stress or huge life adjustment. for aspergers kids, things they either could mask and push down or hide may amplify during big changes and stressful times may come to the forefront. they may no longer be manageable and start to show or inhibit the person when they didn't show or even pose a problem before, as if the disorder is new. so that can look a lot like the sudden onset of bipolar that usually appears at that age.
Man. I’ve been subscribed to this channel for ages and it’s so strange to see a crime committed in my home town. RIP Ashley. This kid got two life sentences.
I guess it puts the person their interrogating at ease
The torture these parents must have gone through and still be experiencing is absolutely mind blowing. Their love and ability to find forgiveness through all of this just shows how amazing they are. RIP Ash.
Their "forgiveness" is a coping mechanism to avoid admitting their responsability.
@@vee1766ik you are not blaming the parents for their sons actions, he is 16, WELL BEYOND old enough to know right from wrong
the parents are responsible! They had guns laying around in the house! They're supposed to be locked in the safe so kids won't get access to them!
yeah and their parenting is what could have led to his way of thinking. ever think of that?@@jesthetic1109
@@Kozy9479 Everyone makes mistakes, some are larger than others. Victim blaming is not the way to go about it though. There is only 1 person responsible for this tragedy.
He's not just talking to himself, he's legit having a conversation with "someone". Wow.
Demonic spirits