Last week, a Dutch arsonist (20 year old Johnny B.) was arrested. With help from Amsterdam police and infrared cameras from the Dutch army, police were able to arrest the suspect during an arson attempt in the small Dutch northern village of 900 people, which has recntely had 17 homes, sheds and buildings deliberately set on fire.
For those watching the clip: he’s the fresh faced young man with the caption of “Johnny Brondijk” about two minutes into the interview. What he says hasn’t got subtitles, but it is something along the lines of: “Well, I suddenly heard noises so I went outside and there I saw the house was on fire” . He delivers a straight, bald-faced lie. I added the link because it isn’t everyday that you get to see footage of a perpetrator when he’s still unsuspected, and lying through his teeth and probably enjoying every minute of it.
yojimbo, thanks! I find it fascinating to figure out what the body language of these two lying perpertrators got in common; if it possible to catch them on their lie somehow.
If anything, both guys seem a little less shocked then they should have been. Johhny B 's family, as he says, might have lost a barn to the flames, and in Huntley’s case he not nearly as upset as he should be considering the fate of the two girls he saw last.
Both men have a smile just lingering below their face, and it isn’t an nervous smile. With Johnny B, the smile might be mistaken for that of a boy proud to be a hero (because he was the one who “discovered” that particular fire). But compared to Huntley, the similarity is telling.
Also, at the end of the Huntley video, the reporter walks away still talking to the camera and rounding off his story, while we see Huntley turning away and walking away in the background. That is weird behavior; a normal person would keep looking at the reporter. I can’t help but imagining that huntly turns away because he can’t keep his smile from breaking through on his face.
Both of them definitely looked like they were lacking in the shock and horror generally attendant to these crimes, to me. Could’ve been biased by already knowing they were guilty, though.
My first link is no longer valid, but here’s a YouTube link of even better quality. The perp Johnny Brondijk is seen at 10 seconds, and, even more poignantly, at 1.10, where he earnestly says he hopes the Police will catch the bastard (bear in mind he’s talking about himself at that point!).
Samclem, here are a few tips on how to spot home and garden variety lyers. On of those is indeed the narrowing of pupils, an indication of stress. However, none of the listed giveaways can be seen in Huntly of Brondijk. Maybe there is a difference between ordinary people lying and lying sociopaths.
Does anyone else have a link to a sociopathic perp lying? I’m not sure if “I did not have sexual relations with that woman!” qualifies.
