2102: Faking Insanity

PRETEND

Javier Leiva

True Crime, Society & Culture, Technology

4.7 • 2.2K Ratings

🗓️ 22 April 2025

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Can you really fake being insane—and get away with it? In this episode of PRETEND, host Javier Leiva sits down with forensic psychologist Dr. Tristin Engels to pull back the curtain on the high-stakes world of mental health evaluations in the criminal justice system. We explore how some criminals try to game the system, what psychologists look for when evaluating claims of mental illness, and why even experts can be fooled. Plus, we revisit infamous cases like Richard Speck, George Metesky (aka The Mad Bomber), Ted Bundy, and Ed Kemper to examine how psychology—and its blind spots—played a role in their investigations. Guest: Dr. Tristin Engels is a licensed clinical and forensic psychologist, published author, and co-host of the podcast Killer Minds. 👉 If you want more criminal psychology deep-dives, check out Dr. Engels’ podcast Killer Minds, where she breaks down infamous cases through the lens of a forensic expert. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Creative Babel
0:03.5	Exclusively on Disney Plus
0:08.1	I'm Rebecca, I'm Josephine's mom
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0:16.6	The missing child is Lucia Blix nine years old
0:19.4	Is about to become every parent's nightmare The people who took Lucia Blix nine years old. Is about to become every parent's nightmare.
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0:26.1	She's hiding something on her way.
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0:44.0	take a bit of me time or a weight off.
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0:52.4	Or filling the tea while you spin.
0:55.2	They said what? we're here for it
	...

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