1846: America's First M'Naghten Defense AKA 'Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity'

One Nation Under Crime

This case was NOT easy to find and seeing it's a FIRST for the United States it's honestly impossibly to understand why it's not more known. Cases like this are the reason this podcast exists. Pulling cases from the metaphorical back shelves of the library, dusting them off, and giving them a voice again. This week the gals are discussing America's first M'Naghten defense AKA America's first insanity defense.
Join the ONUC gals as they discuss the origins of the Kentucky Derby, what the Auburn System is, what a bifurcated jury is, exactly what the M'Naghten (or McNaughten depending on the source) Rules are in court, and the tragic case that combines an insanity plea, racism, and murder to expose a trifecta of all that is evil in this world.
Trigger Warning Level: Low
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Remember, there isn't always liberty and justice for all.
Sources: Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, Case of William Freeman, the Murderer of the Van Nest Family. By Blanchard Fosgate, M. D., of Auburn, N. Y., and Psychology Today

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