Girl Commits Sleepwalking Murder

[panopticon110]

I was trying to research a story I remember hearing about years ago of a teenage girl who suffered from sleepwalking/parasomnias and ended up shooting and killing her dad and brother while having a nightmare that she was killing robbers in her house. I tried looking up info about it, but all I can find is this old articles from the NY Times saying it was in Kentucky
http://query.nytimes.com…

Is this even a true story? I can’t find anything else out about the case or what happened to the girl (other than that she was supposedly acquitted). Any additional info would be appreciated.

[engineer_comp_geek]

There was a show on Discovery Times yesterday called “Sleepwalk Crimes” that you might be interested in. You might check to see if it is going to be repeated any time soon on one of the discovery channels.

The teenage girl is mentioned in this book:
http://www.biblio.com/books/20200638.html
Her name is apparently Jo Ann Kiger.

This link has a few more details: http://ondix.com/word/docs/Courts_of_Law_all_over_the_world_have_returned_not_guilt_report_research_high_book_1071197712.doc
(warning - doc file)

Parents have also been killed by their own innocently sleeping children. Carl Kiger, a successful local government official, was shot five time by his 16 year old daughter Jo Ann. On the night of August 16, 1943, The Kiger family went to bed early. Soon after midnight Jo Ann, who had a history of sleep walking, had a vivid nightmare. A huge madman with wild eyes was easing his way into their house. She saw him creeping up the steps and she was convinced he was going to murder the rest of her family and that it was up to her to save them.
The sleeping Jo Ann took two loaded revolvers belonging to her father and first went to the “rescue” of her little brother. He was found later with one bullet to his head and two more in his body. Jo Ann then “chased” the madman into her parents bedroom. Shooting both guns into the room, Jo Ann shot her father in the face, killing him instantly, and her mother in the hip. Suddenly, Jo Ann woke up. Still clenching the guns in her hands and with the nightmare still fresh in her
mind. She stared at her fathers dead body in horror as she said, “There’s a crazy man in here who’s going to kill us all”.
Jo Ann Kiger was arrested on a charge of first degree murder but because of the sleep walking defense, was acquitted.

Googling “sleepwalk murder” gets info about a lot of other cases.

[Wee_Bairn]

One of the old Book of Lists (I think the first) had a list of ten or so of these all throughout history, including one mom who threw her kids out the window becasue she was dreaming the house was on fire.

[Northern_Piper]

Don’t know if you’re interested in other cases, but here’s one that made it to the Supreme Court of Canada: R. v. Parks, [1992] 2 S.C.R. 871:

Respondent attacked his parents-in-law, killing one and seriously injuring the other. The incident occurred at their home, some 23 km. from respondent’s residence, during the night while they were both asleep in bed. Respondent had driven there by car. Immediately after the incident, the respondent went to a nearby police station, again driving his own car, and told them what he had done.

              Respondent claimed to have been sleepwalking throughout the incident.  He had always been a deep sleeper and had a great deal of trouble waking up.  The year prior to the incident was particularly stressful for the respondent and his personal life suffered.  His parents-in-law were aware of his problems, supported him and had excellent relations with him.  Additionally, several members of his family suffer or have suffered from sleep problems such as sleepwalking, adult enuresis, nightmares and sleeptalking.

              The respondent was charged with first degree murder and attempted murder.  At the trial respondent presented a defence of automatism.  The testimony of five expert witnesses called by the defence was not contradicted by the Crown.  This evidence was that respondent was sleepwalking and that sleepwalking is not a neurological, psychiatric or other illness.  The trial judge put only the defence of automatism to the jury, which acquitted respondent of first degree murder and then of second degree murder.  The judge then acquitted the respondent of the charge of attempted murder.  The Court of Appeal unanimously upheld the acquittal.  At issue here is whether sleepwalking should be classified as non-insane automatism resulting in an acquittal or as a "disease of the mind" (insane automatism), giving rise to the special verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity.

              Held (Lamer C.J. and Cory J. dissenting in part):  The appeal should be dismissed.

[Rysto]

At issue here is whether sleepwalking should be classified as non-insane automatism resulting in an acquittal or as a “disease of the mind” (insane automatism), giving rise to the special verdict of not guilty(bolding mine) by reason of insanity.

Shouldn’t that be “not criminally responsible”? Or did they still use “Not guilty” when this trial was held?

[Northern_Piper]

Parliament substantially re-worked the law relating to mental illness and criminal responsibility in 1991. Part of those amendments replaced the old common law term of “not guilty by reason of insanity” with “not guilty by reason of mental disorder.” Since the trial in Parks was held before the change, the old terminology was still used.

[panopticon110]

Thanks engineer_comp_geek. I had read about that years ago, but I can’t even remember what the book was. I was able to find details about other cases, but that one always seemed especially tragic.

[stormsurger]

The case you mentioned is called the Rosegate murders in 1943 in Richwood, Ky., a suburb of Cincinnati. Here is a link to the details: http://www.nkyviews.com/boone/text/boone_txt_kiger.htm

[Atakapa]

I’ve punched people in my sleep, and on one rather unnerving occasion woke up with my hands around my girlfriend’s throat. I could see how a sleep walking homicide could occur quite easily.

[Leo_Bloom]

Did she freak? I’ve kicked my wife once or twice quite violently in half-sleep thinking I was trying to defend myself from some bad guy or other. Pissed her off, but she understood.

[robert_columbia]

@Northern_Piper

Parliament substantially re-worked the law relating to mental illness and criminal responsibility in 1991. Part of those amendments replaced the old common law term of “not guilty by reason of insanity” with “not guilty by reason of mental disorder.” Since the trial in Parks was held before the change, the old terminology was still used.

Is sleepwalking itself a mental illness? I’m imagining someone being committed to a mental ward because it’s required by their Not Guilty By Reason of Insanity verdict, and the doctor examines them and finds that their only problem is that they occasionally sleepwalk and do things in their sleep. Is that a psychiatric disorder for which there are treatments? Would the doctor send her home with a restraint kit and tell her to chain herself to bed with a timed lock set to release 10 minutes after her alarm goes off?

[Sister_Vigilante]

My husband’s ex woke up once in her living room covered in blood with a knife in her hands. The door was wide open. No body was ever found. The blood was not hers. She said on the stand that an intruder had come in, killed her husband (who was living with me across the country) and she defended herself against the intruder. My ex wrote the court a nice letter saying that rumors of his demise were highly exaggerated.

We never heard another word about it.

[Dan_Norder]

@stormsurger

The case you mentioned is called the Rosegate murders in 1943 in Richwood, Ky., a suburb of Cincinnati. Here is a link to the details: http://www.nkyviews.com/boone/text/boone_txt_kiger.htm

You might have noticed that that was answered in the second post, back in 2007. The link is new to this thread, however, so thanks for that.

I’ve done some research on the case previously. I was actually interviewed by a producer of a documentary TV series on it a couple years back as an aside during another interview. I’m surprised it didn’t go any further than that, because it just sounds like the sort of thing TV would eat up.

Of course the whole concept of sleepwalking murder is pretty ridiculous. This being the Straight Dope, people here should be highly skeptical of such things.

Kiger, for example, had a doctor who was willing to make up pretty much anything to prevent her from being convicted. The sleepwalking angle is the one that caught on in the press, but he also floated the idea of multiple personality disorder (another frequent crackpot diagnosis) and some other theories. She got sent to a mental institution under his care and then was released as completely cured far quicker than anyone who really had the kinds of problems the doctor claimed she had should have been.

Certainly most of the details of her story did not fit the facts of the case. The page linked to above spells a couple of them out. Sleepwalking (or delusional nighmares, as the Boone County Historical Society apparently calls it) certainly does not explain how three different guns were used.

With the mother and brother supporting her so strongly during the trial, I wonder if there had been abuse going on that the rest of the family knew about but wanted covered up.

I’ve also looked into some other famous alleged sleepwalking murder cases, and many of them are on equally flimsy footing.

[Cayuga]

@stormsurger

The case you mentioned is called the Rosegate murders in 1943 in Richwood, Ky., a suburb of Cincinnati. Here is a link to the details: http://www.nkyviews.com/boone/text/boone_txt_kiger.htm

So let me get this straight — After the girl was committed and released, she moved to Louisville and changed her name, presumably so no one would know she was the killer, and the name she chose was “Kiler”?

[Really_Not_All_That_Bright]

The sleepwalking defense goes back to at least 1879, in fact:

The appellant was indicted and tried for the murder of Henry Smith, a porter at the Veranda Hotel at Nicholasville. He was found guilty of manslaughter, and sentenced to confinement in the penitentiary for two years. From that judgment he prosecutes this appeal.The prisoner and his friend George Welch went to the Veranda Hotel after dark on an evening in February. The weather was cold, and there was snow upon the ground. They sat down in the public room and went to sleep. In a short time Welch awoke, and, finding the deceased in the barber’s shop, in the next room, called for a bed for himself and the prisoner, to pay for which he handed the deceased a bill. Welch attempted to awaken the prisoner by shaking him, but failed. He then told the deceased to wake him up. The deceased shook him for some time, and failing to wake him, said he believed he was dead. Welch said no, he is not; wake him up. The deceased shook him harder and harder until the prisoner looked up and asked what he wanted. The deceased said he wanted him to go to bed. The prisoner said he would not, and told the deceased to go away and let him alone. The deceased said it was getting late, and he wanted to close the house, and still holding the prisoner by the coat, the latter either raised or was lifted up, and, as he arose, he threw his hand to his side as if to draw a weapon. A by stander said to him, don’t shoot; but without noticing or giving any sign that he heard what was said, he drew a pistol and fired. The deceased instantly grappled him to prevent him from shooting again, but a second shot was fired almost immediately, and a third soon followed. After the third shot was fired the prisoner was thrown down and held by the deceased. The prisoner, while being held on the floor, hallooed hoo-wee very loud two or three times, and called for Welch. He asked the deceased to let him get up; but the deceased said. “If I do, you will shoot me again.” The prisoner said he would not, and the deceased released his hold and allowed him to get up. Upon getting up the prisoner went out of the room with his pistol in his hand. His manner was that of a frightened man. He said to a witness, “Take my pistol and defend me;” said he had shot some one, but did not know who it was, and upon being told who it was, expressed sorrow for what he had done.It did not appear that the prisoner knew or had ever seen the deceased before. There was not the slightest evidence of a motive on his part to injure the deceased, nor does there appear to have been anything in what the deceased did or the manner of doing it which, the facts being understood, was calculated to excite anger, much less a desire to kill him. At that time the prisoner was about thirty-three years of age, and he introduced evidence to show that he had been a man of good character and of peaceable and orderly habits.He also offered to prove that he had been a sleep-walker from his infancy; that he had to be watched to prevent injury to himself; that he was put to sleep in a lower room, near that of his parents, and a servant-man was required to sleep in the room to watch him; that frequently, when aroused from sleep, he seemed frightened, and attempted violence as if resisting an assault, and for some minutes seemed unconscious of what he did or what went on around him; that sometimes, when partly asleep, he resisted the servant who slept in the room with him, as if he supposed the servant was assaulting him.

Fain v. Commonwealth, 78 Ky. 183, 184-86 (1879)

Bonus points to everyone who hallos hoo-wee to a total stranger today.