In today's true crime documentary, we're covering the case of Sonny Kristopher Kim and analyzing it from an educational legal and psychological perspective.
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!
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.
"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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 kind of wild to me that he wasn't deemed psychotic during the interrogation... He's giving disjointed IT advice to no one and doesn't even seem to comprehend deception. That's decidedly more than Asperger's and even he seems to know it, fearing himself all these years later... This is somehow more haunting than the evil liars we usually see in these documentaries.
It wasn't advice. He is thinking out loud. He stating his opinions about invidia and amd gpus. I talk to my self sometimes or rather speak my thoughts. My brain tend focus in more on that train of thought especially there's a lot I'm thinking about partially. He was emotionally distressed and he finding comfort in the thoughts of his hobbies.
Did you not watch the Video? They said that this talking to himself behaviour was to cope with the stress of killing his sister. He was detatching himself from the murder but if you get the later statements and his parents information it clearly seems that he has extreme regret for that murder and and he is actually able to understand the feelings of others and feels regret for his actions because he killed her and not because it landed him in prison. He even is completly open with everything because he wants to suffer for that murder (also selfharming). He is not like all those other killers. He is someone that has suffered threw abuse in childhood and got cooked in the brain. I dont really feel symtpathy for the Explore with us killers but this one was really sad.
@@jedrickgonzales4388 I sometimes talk out loud to myself and it is more likely when I have mental trauma. I normally, keep talking to myself to a minimum and when no one is around. Usually, it happens because of frustration. If I have something dealing with recent mental trauma, I'll start talking to myself like someone with tortes. Again, I don't try to do it in-front of people. I think the poor dude had the biggest impulse of his life, got committed to it, then realized how bad of an idea it was once he was lost in the mix.
The mother is clearly the one to blame here. She appears to have even less social awareness than her son, it would have been a nightmare growing up with a mother like that, it is no surprise that he has no familiarity with social norms and behaves so oddly.
They both have a very flat affect. The mother is outright bonkers, detached from normal human behavior, and disassociated from the human race...just like you know who.
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.
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.
jayyy4491 What’s the diagnosis? Are you just putting it to the side as ‘mental illness so you don’t have to acknowledge the some people can just be evil? I feel like diagnosis’s like psychopathy, narcissisism, etc. are just unproven (yes I’ve seen the brain scans, and find them highly unconvincing) substitutes for the concept of evil people existing.
@@Bambotb, the fact that you just watched a really smart CHILD have a mental health breakdown, and made the decision to blame it on supernatural forces is why it's so dangerous to not divide church and state. People have been blaming mental illness on demons since we started believing in higher powers, and even though we have a much more thorough understanding of the human mind, you have chosen to fall back on archaic beliefs because humanity's capability for evil actions is too scary to you. That's like trying to "pray away" autism, and only does more harm to the person struggling and the people around them. Falling back on superstition does nothing to help HEAL actual issues. Please, do better.
@@araleana go see interviews with exorcists prieets if you think they are lying from every corner of the world you are the psycho one…also evil exists he could just be evil there is no other cause than these 2 unless he was on drugs and he clearly was the
As an IT specialist, I can tell you that he's speaking nonsense. He just brings up random companies/technologies/abbreviations and tries his best to sound like an expert, but he's barely making any sense. I highly suspect he was acting for the camera to fight for that insanity plea.
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.
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 think she shouted his name in the 911 call. and then she prob lost consciousness with 8 bullet holes in her chest probably puncturing the aorta or vena cave which is a death sentence usually 😢
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.
This has been one of the most emotionally challenging videos of yours that I have watched yet. My heart and prayers go out to this family. It's amazing to see such forgiveness and the resilience of the parents. It's heart breaking to think Sonny has such a deep struggle to reconcile with his own actions to provide true closure to his family. I have never cried before when watching these videos, but something about the loving heart of those parents was deeply touching.
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.
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.
It's important to note that depersonalization doesn't always lead to uncontrollable episodes where something happens. It can also be an uneventful but very unpleasant side effect of anxiety.
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 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.
@@ashb2995?? 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!
Wow, by the end of this i found a lot of respect, almost admiration for Sonny (as weird as that sounds) by his admittion that he doesnt think he should be around the people he loves for fear of hurtinv them. I also appreciated his words of wisdom about noticing mental illness and acting upon it early so that cases like these become fewer and farther between.
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.
EWU videos are like those true crime pieces on 60 Minutes or Dateline, but much more thorough and far more tightly structured and edited. Amazing channel
The way he talked with the Detective is like a walk in the park for him and at the same time he just murdered his sister and also had in his mind to annihilate his whole family. 😢😢
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
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".
@@ipassingthrough 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 one got me in the feels for everyone involved 🥺 This poor girl was shot, parents had to witness, and son has completely disassociated from everything until nearly 2 years after the incident. I genuinely feel bad for the whole family, and his awareness of his level of danger, and expressing that he can't be around his loved ones. Man.... Everyone lost 😥😥
If you've ever experienced depersonalization and derealization, you probably understand this a bit better than most people. It truly is like a cross reality or an out of body experience. It's terrifying while going through it...
lmfao, DP/DR is not going to make you kill somebody. if you relate to this, you don't have DP/DR you have violent homicidal tendencies. you obviously don't understand the difference between derealization and an actual loss of grip on reality and you saying stuff like that makes us with DP/DR sound like violent people
My girlfriend has it pretty bad. Not so much anymore since shes been living a happier life but beforehand, she would become completely numb. And i mean that emotionally and physically, she felt no emotion, and could feel no physical pain. Its a crazy thing to watch happen.
@@CommunistsarentpeopleI 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 CZcams True crime!
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 "CZcams 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 CZcams channel!
Father's got a strong fool's fortune working for him. Terrible call made twice (leaving own gun behind when moving towards the threat, leaving a killer free and unattended with an unsecured weapon nearby), and he still lives to tell the story.
"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
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 narrating and the coverage this EWU puts out is very under rated . Maybe I’m just clueless to it but they seem to be top notch. The CZcams aspect is huge to this page but I almost think they can survive on Audio Alone this EWU is fantastic.
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.
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.
That sound byte and the visual at "Depersonalization" was a really nice touch by the video editor. Appreciated the snap back into reality - stuff like this can be hard to watch
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.
That’s just heartbreaking to hear. Not that her life would be worth more or less depending, but she just has such a sweet look about her and it’s only more heartbreaking to hear how much people seemed to appreciate her. What a tremendous loss. God.
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.
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.
Never thought a CZcams 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
@@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.
For me within a minute into that interrogation I knew that Sonny had Asberger’s. Completely reminded me of the kid Max in the show Parenthood which was my first introduction to the disorder. But the whole disassociation during the murder and even his recalling the events was fascinating because I believed everything he said. Great parents but wished they had seen his issues earlier.
we'll never know why the bio dad left, but there could be a connection there with the son's psychosis...he appears to be having a conversation with a specific someone, but only when there is no one in the room. And the conversation picks up where it left off when people leave. Behavior identification can be so difficult when multiple mental disorders are at play, especially if they contradict each other. Thanks EWU for doing these deep dives into behaviors. Very enlightening!
@@AkitaMix Don't the majority of people have an inner voice? I do this all the time for problem solving; might seem crazy but it's just a different form of visualization. Some people draw graphs, some talk to themselves.
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.
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've watched so many crime documentaries but I think this is the first time I've actually cried at the end of the video. This is such a heartbreaking video honestly but I'm really so glad that the family has stayed connected. RIP to Ashley ❤
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.
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
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
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.
It's so tragic that a beautiful soul can be taken from us way too early, for no reason. I hope families observe loved ones closely to avoid this type of tragedy.
Whay Sonny left out in his advice at the end was, if you have a person with such a disorder in your family, do not keep firearms in the house and lock up the knives.
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.
I noticed that the mother seems to be detached also. Has anyone else here noticed thesame? Normally, mums are the most emotional when talking about their deceased child/children, even decades later.
Yeah my aunt lost her son when he was only 31. It was traumatic and tragic. 15 years later she can’t talk about this without breaking down…. She would NEVER giggle or smile while talking about that day. Very strange
@@kingvxnny I understand that but I’ve never known anyone in my life who has lost someone and be able to giggle or laugh about the actual death. Normal people don’t do that. Maybe they are looking at it from a positive POV which is great but it doesn’t explain the smiling and giggling when talking about your daughter being murdered.
They are attempting to forgive their son, and only child they have left, and I can imagine it would be difficult to do while dwelling over the past and their loss. Which will only cause hatred and anger.. it’s not our place to judge how people grieve
Y'all are soooo weird. So, you blame the mother for what exactly? For actually being the victor, not the victim of the most gruesome tragedy that a mother could face? She seems like she worked through that trauma and decided not to live in misery for every day of her life. And then someone is talking about their aunt being traumatized for 20 years after having her son killed and y'all think this is normal..
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
What's really sad is how his conscience told Allen not to bring his gun, because deep down there was some part of him that knew it might be his son out there with a gun and he didn't want to shoot his own son in the fear of the moment. Even though consciously he could never imagine it, somewhere deep inside part of him knew there was a chance, and his love for his son kept him from bringing his gun. Because if nothing else, when Sonny put the empty gun to his chest, Allen would have probably had to shoot him to defend himself, only to learn the empty mag had been put in. And that would have just been all the more tragic.
These parents are amazing and full of love. I can see that her daughter got that beautiful kindness they spoke of from her mother. What a tribute to their children looking back on this tragedy and remembering why they love(d) each child. Not a lot of families are this emotionally intelligent.
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.
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.
12:10 Now that was honestly some brilliant breakdown of a person's mannerisms 👏👏👏👏👏 Most of the mannerisms or pattern of movement that are expressed through the narrator are blatantly obvious to me and I'm sure to those people as well and I don't really need explanation on it. Now this was some insightful breakdown of mannerisms that I wouldn't have readily jumped to that conclusion
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.
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
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.
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
This is prpbably the most sad case ive watched. You can see such joy and love she had for her brother in the pictures, and you can tell he felt loved. Just insane this happened. Parents lost both kids.
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.
The fact those parents have no hate but just sorrow shows how amazing they are. They've effectively lost both their kids, yet still try to make sense of it all. The murderer is pure evil though, disguising his actions with mental health
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!
@@billdisalvio9159 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.
First of all, I have to give tremendous credit to Allen and Nicole. I mean, wow. The amount of empathy, emotional self-awareness, wisdom, and understanding that they’ve shown in being to be able to forgive their son for taking their daughter’s life is quite frankly unimaginable to me, even if he’s also their child. Allen, especially, since he’s not the biological father (although he was more his father than his actual one, DNA aside) and was still able to care for those two kids as if they were his biological children already takes a level of capacity for love and acceptance that is beyond many of us in our best moments. I’m sure that their journey here has had plenty of dark moments and set backs and anger over it’s course and they’d probably be the first to tell you that they’ll never fully heal from this… but the it really does seem that they’ve been able to live their lives with real joy even given what they’ve gone through and that’s just such a rare thing for people who have had to endure such things. And I know that we don’t know all that much about them, but if this interview is any indication I’d say this world could use a whole lot more people like them and I’m sure Ashley would be so proud of them for being able to live their lives again without so much hate and anger and resentment as is understandable and usual with people in their place. I’m rooting hard for these folks.
I was really weirded out by Nicole telling about the murder of her daughter in an almost happy exited fashion... I honestly don't think the kid is the only psycho in that family....
It all seems a certain way, but like... it just feels so creepy. Its literally only the dad that seems normal. The mom joking about how her dead daughter had such a morbid sense of humor and how you cant sit next to her at a funeral was just like... wtf is going on here?
I’m like that way at times when discussing my sibling who died of cancer when he was 3, a horrible thing to ever speak about that can only be kept steady through lighthearted thinking or distracted thinking. With that said she did seem off
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.
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.
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!
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
9:02
"Hey, my name's Josh. You can call me Josh."
Right on dude.
Same thing i do
There's a time skip between those two moments.
Because he's Josh-O only for the homies
got that Josh in me
All interrogators are called Josh. Well the one in the previous video I watched was called Josh. '197 IQ Scientist Murder', if you don't believe me.
"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😮
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
It's kind of wild to me that he wasn't deemed psychotic during the interrogation... He's giving disjointed IT advice to no one and doesn't even seem to comprehend deception. That's decidedly more than Asperger's and even he seems to know it, fearing himself all these years later...
This is somehow more haunting than the evil liars we usually see in these documentaries.
It wasn't advice. He is thinking out loud. He stating his opinions about invidia and amd gpus. I talk to my self sometimes or rather speak my thoughts. My brain tend focus in more on that train of thought especially there's a lot I'm thinking about partially. He was emotionally distressed and he finding comfort in the thoughts of his hobbies.
Did you not watch the Video? They said that this talking to himself behaviour was to cope with the stress of killing his sister. He was detatching himself from the murder but if you get the later statements and his parents information it clearly seems that he has extreme regret for that murder and and he is actually able to understand the feelings of others and feels regret for his actions because he killed her and not because it landed him in prison. He even is completly open with everything because he wants to suffer for that murder (also selfharming). He is not like all those other killers. He is someone that has suffered threw abuse in childhood and got cooked in the brain. I dont really feel symtpathy for the Explore with us killers but this one was really sad.
@@maxweel2715 Mindless sheep.
@@jedrickgonzales4388 I sometimes talk out loud to myself and it is more likely when I have mental trauma. I normally, keep talking to myself to a minimum and when no one is around. Usually, it happens because of frustration.
If I have something dealing with recent mental trauma, I'll start talking to myself like someone with tortes. Again, I don't try to do it in-front of people.
I think the poor dude had the biggest impulse of his life, got committed to it, then realized how bad of an idea it was once he was lost in the mix.
The mother is clearly the one to blame here. She appears to have even less social awareness than her son, it would have been a nightmare growing up with a mother like that, it is no surprise that he has no familiarity with social norms and behaves so oddly.
dad misses his daughter , mom is just glad they had a wonderful daughter , such a sad story told beautifully
They both have a very flat affect. The mother is outright bonkers, detached from normal human behavior, and disassociated from the human race...just like you know who.
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
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.
This case is a real example of how mental illness is real, and malice isn't always involved in the bad actions of the mentally ill.
Can also be the case of how demonic possession is real plus evil people gave always been evil you just never knew they can do it
@@Bambotbno you completely missed the original point. This is mental illness not mumbo jumbo magic.
jayyy4491
What’s the diagnosis? Are you just putting it to the side as ‘mental illness so you don’t have to acknowledge the some people can just be evil?
I feel like diagnosis’s like psychopathy, narcissisism, etc. are just unproven (yes I’ve seen the brain scans, and find them highly unconvincing) substitutes for the concept of evil people existing.
@@Bambotb, the fact that you just watched a really smart CHILD have a mental health breakdown, and made the decision to blame it on supernatural forces is why it's so dangerous to not divide church and state. People have been blaming mental illness on demons since we started believing in higher powers, and even though we have a much more thorough understanding of the human mind, you have chosen to fall back on archaic beliefs because humanity's capability for evil actions is too scary to you. That's like trying to "pray away" autism, and only does more harm to the person struggling and the people around them.
Falling back on superstition does nothing to help HEAL actual issues.
Please, do better.
@@araleana go see interviews with exorcists prieets if you think they are lying from every corner of the world you are the psycho one…also evil exists he could just be evil there is no other cause than these 2 unless he was on drugs and he clearly was the
When he speaks to himself it actually sounds like there is another person talking to him. He sounds like 2 people.
Yeah like he is discussing about computer things with another person.
That’s what I thought
As an IT specialist, I can tell you that he's speaking nonsense. He just brings up random companies/technologies/abbreviations and tries his best to sound like an expert, but he's barely making any sense.
I highly suspect he was acting for the camera to fight for that insanity plea.
Yesss. I literally thought a detective had walked in.
Yeah, I didn’t think he sounded sane at all tbh.
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.
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 think she shouted his name in the 911 call. and then she prob lost consciousness with 8 bullet holes in her chest probably puncturing the aorta or vena cave which is a death sentence usually 😢
@@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.
This has been one of the most emotionally challenging videos of yours that I have watched yet. My heart and prayers go out to this family. It's amazing to see such forgiveness and the resilience of the parents. It's heart breaking to think Sonny has such a deep struggle to reconcile with his own actions to provide true closure to his family. I have never cried before when watching these videos, but something about the loving heart of those parents was deeply touching.
Why is every single 911 operator the absolute worst? I swear its like 9 out of 10.
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¡
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
Thank you for this video it invokes a profound reflection on the human condition and is very moving. I appreciate the work you do.
It's important to note that depersonalization doesn't always lead to uncontrollable episodes where something happens. It can also be an uneventful but very unpleasant side effect of anxiety.
Yea I have borderline personality disorder and I have it and it’s not pleasant
@@katiebearksame it's there 24/7 and i can't recall most of my days, especially busy ones
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 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.
@@ashb2995?? 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!
Crazy its considered acceptable for these guys to have unsecured guns laying around the house.
Wow, by the end of this i found a lot of respect, almost admiration for Sonny (as weird as that sounds) by his admittion that he doesnt think he should be around the people he loves for fear of hurtinv them. I also appreciated his words of wisdom about noticing mental illness and acting upon it early so that cases like these become fewer and farther between.
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
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
EWU videos are like those true crime pieces on 60 Minutes or Dateline, but much more thorough and far more tightly structured and edited. Amazing channel
The way he talked with the Detective is like a walk in the park for him and at the same time he just murdered his sister and also had in his mind to annihilate his whole family. 😢😢
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
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
@@ipassingthrough 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 one got me in the feels for everyone involved 🥺 This poor girl was shot, parents had to witness, and son has completely disassociated from everything until nearly 2 years after the incident.
I genuinely feel bad for the whole family, and his awareness of his level of danger, and expressing that he can't be around his loved ones. Man....
Everyone lost 😥😥
If you've ever experienced depersonalization and derealization, you probably understand this a bit better than most people. It truly is like a cross reality or an out of body experience. It's terrifying while going through it...
lmfao, DP/DR is not going to make you kill somebody. if you relate to this, you don't have DP/DR you have violent homicidal tendencies. you obviously don't understand the difference between derealization and an actual loss of grip on reality and you saying stuff like that makes us with DP/DR sound like violent people
My girlfriend has it pretty bad. Not so much anymore since shes been living a happier life but beforehand, she would become completely numb. And i mean that emotionally and physically, she felt no emotion, and could feel no physical pain. Its a crazy thing to watch happen.
This is the next level of true crime on CZcams, first-hand accounts from actually victims. Unbelievable and I have to take my hat off.
Nice
The actual victim was shot 8 times with a .45
@@Communistsarentpeopleif someone murders your child are you not a victim of loss?
@@CommunistsarentpeopleI 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 CZcams True crime!
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 CZcams 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 "CZcams 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 CZcams channel!
This is one of the saddest stories I've seen on your channel so far 😞 Truly heartbreaking 😢💔
Father's got a strong fool's fortune working for him. Terrible call made twice (leaving own gun behind when moving towards the threat, leaving a killer free and unattended with an unsecured weapon nearby), and he still lives to tell the story.
yeah that doesnt seems right at all and suspisous
So yall wanted him to kill his son
So yall wanted him to kill his son
So yall wanted him to kill his son
"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
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 narrating and the coverage this EWU puts out is very under rated . Maybe I’m just clueless to it but they seem to be top notch. The CZcams aspect is huge to this page but I almost think they can survive on Audio
Alone this EWU is fantastic.
Best true crime channel on the youttubes. Great work, research and loves the interviews in this episode
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.
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.
That sound byte and the visual at "Depersonalization" was a really nice touch by the video editor. Appreciated the snap back into reality - stuff like this can be hard to watch
I can hear my daughter giggling in another room right now, and I am counting my blessings as my heart breaks for those parents!
Write a lovely little note for her 🥰 she will probably keep that forever
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.
That’s just heartbreaking to hear. Not that her life would be worth more or less depending, but she just has such a sweet look about her and it’s only more heartbreaking to hear how much people seemed to appreciate her. What a tremendous loss. God.
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
LOVE THE NARRATION in these videos! Helps me understand what’s going on in certain interrogations!!! NEW SUBSCRIBER!! ❤❤❤
Ok
@@thefatherfintanstack ??? OK what?
I'm a bit late but welcome to the EWU audience!
Absolute tragedy . To be responsible for killing the person you loved most , and have to live with it. The whole family is going through hell.
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.
Are we sure he isn’t just saying it was impulsive to get out of first degree murder, a more severe crime?
This brought tears to my eyes.. it’s such a mix feeling 😢
Never thought a CZcams 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
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
For me within a minute into that interrogation I knew that Sonny had Asberger’s. Completely reminded me of the kid Max in the show Parenthood which was my first introduction to the disorder. But the whole disassociation during the murder and even his recalling the events was fascinating because I believed everything he said. Great parents but wished they had seen his issues earlier.
we'll never know why the bio dad left, but there could be a connection there with the son's psychosis...he appears to be having a conversation with a specific someone, but only when there is no one in the room. And the conversation picks up where it left off when people leave. Behavior identification can be so difficult when multiple mental disorders are at play, especially if they contradict each other.
Thanks EWU for doing these deep dives into behaviors. Very enlightening!
he has an inner voice which apparently majority of people don't have
@@AkitaMix Don't the majority of people have an inner voice? I do this all the time for problem solving; might seem crazy but it's just a different form of visualization. Some people draw graphs, some talk to themselves.
@@xhan1167just Googled it. Only 30-50% of people has it.
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 👹
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'.
When you look at the parents you see something is off.
I've watched so many crime documentaries but I think this is the first time I've actually cried at the end of the video. This is such a heartbreaking video honestly but I'm really so glad that the family has stayed connected. RIP to Ashley ❤
You should watch the one 'the moment the interviewer realises the suspect is dying'...that one is truly horrific and made me so furious and upset!
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
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.
In for life plus 25yrs? That’s crazy, like he’s gonna be dead for the last 25yrs
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
@@kokoyaro just because you got shitty parents does not mean they are foolish.
I agree it’s generally a horrible idea to outfit your children with guns, but show some humanity these people are good people
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.
It's so tragic that a beautiful soul can be taken from us way too early, for no reason. I hope families observe loved ones closely to avoid this type of tragedy.
Whay Sonny left out in his advice at the end was, if you have a person with such a disorder in your family, do not keep firearms in the house and lock up the knives.
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.
I noticed that the mother seems to be detached also. Has anyone else here noticed thesame? Normally, mums are the most emotional when talking about their deceased child/children, even decades later.
Yeah my aunt lost her son when he was only 31. It was traumatic and tragic. 15 years later she can’t talk about this without breaking down…. She would NEVER giggle or smile while talking about that day. Very strange
@@bridgettecoffey1083your aunt is your aunt, tho. Everyone grieves differently.
@@kingvxnny I understand that but I’ve never known anyone in my life who has lost someone and be able to giggle or laugh about the actual death. Normal people don’t do that. Maybe they are looking at it from a positive POV which is great but it doesn’t explain the smiling and giggling when talking about your daughter being murdered.
They are attempting to forgive their son, and only child they have left, and I can imagine it would be difficult to do while dwelling over the past and their loss. Which will only cause hatred and anger.. it’s not our place to judge how people grieve
Y'all are soooo weird. So, you blame the mother for what exactly? For actually being the victor, not the victim of the most gruesome tragedy that a mother could face? She seems like she worked through that trauma and decided not to live in misery for every day of her life.
And then someone is talking about their aunt being traumatized for 20 years after having her son killed and y'all think this is normal..
i can’t help but feel bad for everyone in this case. his parents still have so much love for both of their children.
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
What's really sad is how his conscience told Allen not to bring his gun, because deep down there was some part of him that knew it might be his son out there with a gun and he didn't want to shoot his own son in the fear of the moment. Even though consciously he could never imagine it, somewhere deep inside part of him knew there was a chance, and his love for his son kept him from bringing his gun. Because if nothing else, when Sonny put the empty gun to his chest, Allen would have probably had to shoot him to defend himself, only to learn the empty mag had been put in. And that would have just been all the more tragic.
Coulda dodged a bullet by leaving those single mothers alone
@@samjohnson2801some of us love being stepparents.
@@samjohnson2801😂😂
@@stevemurphy3730 Its noble. I've just seen it often backfire
That was God.
These parents are amazing and full of love. I can see that her daughter got that beautiful kindness they spoke of from her mother. What a tribute to their children looking back on this tragedy and remembering why they love(d) each child. Not a lot of families are this emotionally intelligent.
This is tragic. They all seem like such good, generous and forgiving people.
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”
@@dummekunst7708”man up and let your son put a gun to your chest and pull the trigger” 😂😂
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
Sonny had a Demon.
12:10 Now that was honestly some brilliant breakdown of a person's mannerisms 👏👏👏👏👏
Most of the mannerisms or pattern of movement that are expressed through the narrator are blatantly obvious to me and I'm sure to those people as well and I don't really need explanation on it. Now this was some insightful breakdown of mannerisms that I wouldn't have readily jumped to that conclusion
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.
@@itscarlito 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.
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
Once the officers found LoL on his computer, motive should have been immediately solved.
Facts
Favorite channel for crime
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.
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.
This is prpbably the most sad case ive watched. You can see such joy and love she had for her brother in the pictures, and you can tell he felt loved. Just insane this happened. Parents lost both kids.
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.
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
That mother tells the story as if she's relating an afventure during a holiday.
The fact those parents have no hate but just sorrow shows how amazing they are. They've effectively lost both their kids, yet still try to make sense of it all. The murderer is pure evil though, disguising his actions with mental health
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!
@@billdisalvio9159 Bingo. you nailed it. Furthermore, no evidence of psychosis whatsoever
@@billdisalvio9159 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.
First of all, I have to give tremendous credit to Allen and Nicole. I mean, wow. The amount of empathy, emotional self-awareness, wisdom, and understanding that they’ve shown in being to be able to forgive their son for taking their daughter’s life is quite frankly unimaginable to me, even if he’s also their child. Allen, especially, since he’s not the biological father (although he was more his father than his actual one, DNA aside) and was still able to care for those two kids as if they were his biological children already takes a level of capacity for love and acceptance that is beyond many of us in our best moments. I’m sure that their journey here has had plenty of dark moments and set backs and anger over it’s course and they’d probably be the first to tell you that they’ll never fully heal from this… but the it really does seem that they’ve been able to live their lives with real joy even given what they’ve gone through and that’s just such a rare thing for people who have had to endure such things. And I know that we don’t know all that much about them, but if this interview is any indication I’d say this world could use a whole lot more people like them and I’m sure Ashley would be so proud of them for being able to live their lives again without so much hate and anger and resentment as is understandable and usual with people in their place. I’m rooting hard for these folks.
What an amazing comment. 🙏You said what most of us were thinking. God bless that family. I pray they can heal from this tragedy the best they can.
48:10 strange, it doesn't seem like the sort of home where people smoke indoors.
Maybe they hide more than you'd think.
@@Valchrist1313it’s a vape
I mean, the mom seems excited just to have an interesting story to talk about so I doubt she really cares all that much
I was really weirded out by Nicole telling about the murder of her daughter in an almost happy exited fashion...
I honestly don't think the kid is the only psycho in that family....
This is the best true crime channel I've come across.
It all seems a certain way, but like... it just feels so creepy. Its literally only the dad that seems normal. The mom joking about how her dead daughter had such a morbid sense of humor and how you cant sit next to her at a funeral was just like... wtf is going on here?
yep i agree she seemed psycho
I’m like that way at times when discussing my sibling who died of cancer when he was 3, a horrible thing to ever speak about that can only be kept steady through lighthearted thinking or distracted thinking. With that said she did seem off
@@jakebhenry2228 sorry to hear about your brother, that makes sense..
@@rmrmte3288 Thank you, he was a good brother.
i think one off the parrents did it and the son took the blame to get less charged
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
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.
💯
Incredible forgiveness and support from his parents given the situation