1 00:00:32,066 --> 00:00:33,700 Are you a family annihilator? 2 00:00:33,700 --> 00:00:36,066 You mean like, did I shoot my wife and my son? 3 00:00:36,066 --> 00:00:37,667 -Yes. -No. 4 00:00:57,967 --> 00:00:59,367 [man 1 speaking] 5 00:00:59,367 --> 00:01:00,867 [man 2 speaking] 6 00:01:00,867 --> 00:01:02,700 [man 3 speaking] 7 00:01:02,700 --> 00:01:05,066 [man 4] Being inside of me, it's like... 8 00:01:06,567 --> 00:01:08,367 The appetite, it's like a wolf that's... 9 00:01:10,266 --> 00:01:11,467 feeling... 10 00:01:12,300 --> 00:01:13,634 the hunger. 11 00:01:20,467 --> 00:01:22,467 [dramatic music playing] 12 00:01:23,467 --> 00:01:24,967 [Tussey] When we think about family, 13 00:01:24,967 --> 00:01:26,800 we think about people who love us 14 00:01:26,800 --> 00:01:28,567 and care for us and support us 15 00:01:28,567 --> 00:01:31,266 and someone who's going to be there to protect us. 16 00:01:31,266 --> 00:01:32,433 And keep us safe. 17 00:01:33,200 --> 00:01:35,700 On the contrary, family annihilators 18 00:01:35,700 --> 00:01:38,166 and individuals who have psychopathy, 19 00:01:38,166 --> 00:01:39,667 their motives are the opposite. 20 00:01:39,667 --> 00:01:41,867 They are manipulative and cunning, 21 00:01:41,867 --> 00:01:43,500 and while they might appear loving, 22 00:01:43,500 --> 00:01:46,266 they are not, and often they are scheming and planning 23 00:01:46,266 --> 00:01:48,700 to destroy their entire family, 24 00:01:48,700 --> 00:01:51,533 usually out of rage or vengeance. 25 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:54,767 [Sahni] We don't think about the person 26 00:01:54,767 --> 00:01:56,567 who sits across the dinner table from us, 27 00:01:56,567 --> 00:01:59,367 the person who sleeps down the hall from us, 28 00:01:59,367 --> 00:02:02,400 the person who watches our children when we can't be there, 29 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:06,166 is the most dangerous person in our life. 30 00:02:08,667 --> 00:02:13,667 We're going to cover a unique and particularly chilling group of murderers. 31 00:02:13,667 --> 00:02:16,467 Individuals who are not only psychopathic 32 00:02:16,467 --> 00:02:19,066 but what we think of as family annihilators. 33 00:02:19,066 --> 00:02:21,000 The people they turn on, 34 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:23,166 are the people that are closest to them. 35 00:02:32,100 --> 00:02:34,133 [dramatic music playing] 36 00:02:40,467 --> 00:02:43,400 [reporter] In South Carolina, a major fall from grace 37 00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:46,367 for a member of a prominent legal family. 38 00:02:46,367 --> 00:02:49,867 -Guilty... -Alex Murdaugh found guilty on all counts. 39 00:02:49,867 --> 00:02:53,100 For the murders of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, 40 00:02:53,100 --> 00:02:55,300 on the family's sprawling hunting estate, 41 00:02:55,300 --> 00:02:58,000 back in 2021. 42 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:00,667 [Bardey] Alex Murdaugh, from the outside 43 00:03:00,667 --> 00:03:04,200 had all the trappings of an incredibly successful, wealthy, 44 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:07,967 well-connected member of his community. 45 00:03:07,967 --> 00:03:09,500 Prominent law firm. 46 00:03:09,500 --> 00:03:12,100 Happy family. Beautiful real estate. 47 00:03:12,100 --> 00:03:14,300 It all looked pretty perfect. 48 00:03:14,300 --> 00:03:18,700 And it was his image that he worked very hard to maintain. 49 00:03:18,700 --> 00:03:22,266 And a fantasy which eventually started to crack. 50 00:03:22,266 --> 00:03:24,767 [reporter 2] Murdaugh is already facing a slew of charges 51 00:03:24,767 --> 00:03:27,400 involving millions of dollars in alleged theft, 52 00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:29,200 fraud and money laundering. 53 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:32,367 Some stemming from the death of Murdaugh's former housekeeper. 54 00:03:34,567 --> 00:03:37,533 Psychopaths, especially if they're at the head of the family, 55 00:03:38,266 --> 00:03:41,100 will use their family 56 00:03:41,100 --> 00:03:44,367 to bolster their self-esteem, their image. 57 00:03:44,367 --> 00:03:47,266 So the importance of having a beautiful wife, 58 00:03:47,266 --> 00:03:49,767 a nice car, successful children... 59 00:03:49,767 --> 00:03:51,567 it becomes fused 60 00:03:51,567 --> 00:03:54,900 with their desire to appear successful, 61 00:03:54,900 --> 00:03:59,266 and it becomes more important to protect that image, 62 00:03:59,266 --> 00:04:01,934 than to really care about the family members. 63 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:05,667 He had worked so hard to create this image, 64 00:04:05,667 --> 00:04:09,600 it became necessary for him to do anything he could to preserve that, 65 00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:13,266 including the murder of his family, 66 00:04:13,266 --> 00:04:14,667 for financial gain. 67 00:04:14,667 --> 00:04:17,900 And to shift the attention away 68 00:04:17,900 --> 00:04:21,066 from all of the other misdeeds that he had committed. 69 00:04:22,500 --> 00:04:26,100 And there's a chronic failure to take responsibility 70 00:04:26,100 --> 00:04:28,800 or of lack of willingness to take responsibility. 71 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:31,567 But there's also a lack of remorse, or guilt. 72 00:04:31,567 --> 00:04:33,767 He just doesn't feel bad. 73 00:04:33,767 --> 00:04:35,767 There's no real emotions, despite the fact 74 00:04:35,767 --> 00:04:37,266 that his wife and his younger son 75 00:04:37,266 --> 00:04:39,166 have been brutally attacked and killed. 76 00:04:47,467 --> 00:04:48,967 [reporters clamoring] 77 00:04:48,967 --> 00:04:52,000 [reporter 3] After a dramatic day in court, Murdaugh 78 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:54,100 led out into a van in handcuffs 79 00:04:54,100 --> 00:04:57,033 to continue his life behind bars. 80 00:05:05,066 --> 00:05:08,467 [Sahni] Alex Murdaugh chose fantasy over family 81 00:05:08,467 --> 00:05:10,200 and stopped at nothing 82 00:05:10,200 --> 00:05:13,667 to preserve that image, that fantasy life he had built. 83 00:05:13,667 --> 00:05:15,700 Grant Amato did the same thing. 84 00:05:15,700 --> 00:05:18,500 And both of these men showed a willingness 85 00:05:18,500 --> 00:05:22,533 to take that need to the ultimate extreme. 86 00:05:31,967 --> 00:05:32,800 [reporter 4] Breaking news. 87 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:35,533 A murder mystery emerges in the woods. 88 00:05:35,967 --> 00:05:37,567 Three people are dead. 89 00:05:37,567 --> 00:05:39,567 In a house in Chuluota, 90 00:05:39,567 --> 00:05:42,367 police discovered a family murdered. 91 00:05:42,367 --> 00:05:43,867 A couple in their 50's, 92 00:05:43,867 --> 00:05:47,100 and their son in his 30's were found dead. 93 00:05:47,100 --> 00:05:49,367 And now, this just in. 94 00:05:49,367 --> 00:05:52,266 The prime suspect is a family member. 95 00:05:52,266 --> 00:05:53,634 Grant Amato. 96 00:06:31,100 --> 00:06:34,900 [Tussey] He's an adult male living with his parents 97 00:06:34,900 --> 00:06:37,467 and not only is he living off of them, 98 00:06:37,467 --> 00:06:41,867 but he's actually using their money for this cam girlfriend. 99 00:06:41,867 --> 00:06:44,100 But online, to this cam model, 100 00:06:44,100 --> 00:06:46,634 he is this online gamer. 101 00:06:48,066 --> 00:06:52,467 He creates this impression that he's a much more independent, 102 00:06:52,467 --> 00:06:55,367 successful individual than he is in reality. 103 00:07:30,200 --> 00:07:32,266 [Tussey] His father gives him an ultimatum, 104 00:07:32,266 --> 00:07:34,000 which includes a list of rules 105 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:35,200 that he's going to have to follow 106 00:07:35,200 --> 00:07:36,834 if he's going to stay in the house. 107 00:07:58,567 --> 00:08:01,500 [Tussey] Amato is on the brink of being discovered. 108 00:08:01,500 --> 00:08:04,100 His family's going to reach out to this cam model, 109 00:08:04,100 --> 00:08:06,867 and he knows he's going to be exposed. 110 00:08:06,867 --> 00:08:08,900 So this entire fantasy world, 111 00:08:08,900 --> 00:08:11,400 this persona that he's created, 112 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:14,000 and that this cam girlfriend 113 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:15,767 believes is him, 114 00:08:15,767 --> 00:08:19,233 is about to be completely blown up in his face. 115 00:08:27,266 --> 00:08:28,834 [dramatic music playing] 116 00:08:46,400 --> 00:08:50,000 [Bardey] What's amazing here is completely the lack of any emotional response, 117 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:53,000 the lack of any sense of guilt or remorse. 118 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:56,000 He killed one member of the family after the other. 119 00:08:56,000 --> 00:08:58,100 Over the course of nearly four hours. 120 00:08:58,100 --> 00:09:01,567 That's a dedication. That's cold-blooded. 121 00:09:12,100 --> 00:09:15,667 Nobody likes to be picked last or to feel left out. 122 00:09:15,667 --> 00:09:16,867 But to a psychopath, 123 00:09:16,867 --> 00:09:22,400 sometimes even the most minor slight or element of rejection 124 00:09:22,400 --> 00:09:25,667 can feel like an enormous transgression, 125 00:09:25,667 --> 00:09:28,166 like we see in the case of Paris Bennett. 126 00:10:04,266 --> 00:10:08,400 In reality, he seemingly knew very well what he was doing. 127 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:11,900 And he did it in a very calculating manner. 128 00:10:11,900 --> 00:10:13,767 So on the night that this happened, 129 00:10:13,767 --> 00:10:17,367 he actually manipulated the babysitter. 130 00:10:17,367 --> 00:10:19,667 So that she would leave him alone with his sister 131 00:10:19,667 --> 00:10:22,433 so that he would be able to commit this crime. 132 00:10:29,100 --> 00:10:31,934 What makes it capital murder is the victim's age. 133 00:10:33,166 --> 00:10:36,767 Any child under the age of six that is murdered, 134 00:10:36,767 --> 00:10:38,166 carries the weight of capital murder. 135 00:10:39,300 --> 00:10:42,367 [Sahni] While we classically think of a family annihilator 136 00:10:42,367 --> 00:10:46,166 as somebody who kills at least two members of their family, 137 00:10:46,166 --> 00:10:49,367 the Paris Bennett case is unique. 138 00:10:49,367 --> 00:10:52,367 But ultimately he is still a family annihilator. 139 00:10:52,367 --> 00:10:56,967 Paris Bennett told authorities his true hatred was towards his mother. 140 00:10:56,967 --> 00:11:00,467 And while he had fantasies and thoughts about killing her, 141 00:11:00,467 --> 00:11:04,066 he realized that if he could take her child away, 142 00:11:04,066 --> 00:11:06,767 that would be far more painful to his mother, 143 00:11:06,767 --> 00:11:09,367 than anything he could actually do to her. 144 00:11:09,367 --> 00:11:12,367 He managed to destroy his entire family 145 00:11:12,367 --> 00:11:14,934 with that one action on that one day. 146 00:11:16,667 --> 00:11:17,600 Bennett responded 147 00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:21,266 to his perception of rejection from his mother 148 00:11:21,266 --> 00:11:23,266 in a very cold, callous way 149 00:11:23,266 --> 00:11:25,867 by murdering his four-year-old sister. 150 00:11:25,867 --> 00:11:30,100 We see a similar pattern in Russell Overlin, 151 00:11:30,100 --> 00:11:36,000 where he has lived off of his father and stepmother for many years. 152 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:38,667 And whenever they confront him about that, 153 00:11:38,667 --> 00:11:40,266 he's angry about it. 154 00:11:40,266 --> 00:11:43,367 What we see here is a rejection 155 00:11:43,367 --> 00:11:45,066 or perceived rejection, 156 00:11:45,066 --> 00:11:48,734 and he responds in a very cold, callous way. 157 00:12:46,266 --> 00:12:51,700 In 2007, Russell Overlin, a middle aged man 158 00:12:51,700 --> 00:12:53,867 who lives most of his adult life 159 00:12:53,867 --> 00:12:57,000 off his elderly father and stepmother. 160 00:12:57,000 --> 00:13:01,266 He lives this parasitic life of continuing to rack up financial debt. 161 00:13:01,266 --> 00:13:03,767 And expects his father to bail him out. 162 00:13:03,767 --> 00:13:08,367 And when his elderly parents expect him to straighten up 163 00:13:08,367 --> 00:13:12,066 and fly right and be an adult. 164 00:13:12,066 --> 00:13:15,100 Russell Overlin reacts with a level of rage 165 00:13:15,100 --> 00:13:17,734 and callousness, and decides to kill them. 166 00:14:10,066 --> 00:14:13,200 [Morgan] Russell Overlin says, "I've been thinking," about killing his stepmom 167 00:14:13,200 --> 00:14:17,233 for a very long time, and then he tells us why. 168 00:14:18,467 --> 00:14:22,300 His room smells and he-- it needs to be cleaned up. 169 00:14:22,300 --> 00:14:23,533 It smells like an outhouse. 170 00:14:24,367 --> 00:14:25,800 That's her crime. 171 00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:29,300 That's her sin and it offends him. 172 00:14:29,300 --> 00:14:35,533 She merits being killed because she doesn't accept the way he wants to live. 173 00:14:36,500 --> 00:14:40,634 But he's living in her house, on her property. 174 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:43,467 And this is the view... 175 00:14:43,467 --> 00:14:46,467 This is the selfish point of view from the psychopath. 176 00:14:46,467 --> 00:14:51,333 They don't acknowledge that other people have rights about what they feel. 177 00:15:33,367 --> 00:15:37,300 [Tussey] What's disturbing about Overlin describing this murder 178 00:15:37,300 --> 00:15:40,400 is that he's talking about it as if he's talking about 179 00:15:40,400 --> 00:15:42,467 going to the store and buying a new jacket. 180 00:15:42,467 --> 00:15:47,100 I mean, there's really no emotion behind what he's talking about. 181 00:15:47,100 --> 00:15:49,700 There's certainly no indication of remorse 182 00:15:49,700 --> 00:15:52,066 so that he feels bad about any of this. 183 00:16:18,300 --> 00:16:20,767 [Morgan] A psychopath will view the family members 184 00:16:20,767 --> 00:16:23,800 as useful to them in the moment to get what they want. 185 00:16:23,800 --> 00:16:26,800 They don't have any concern for your feelings. 186 00:16:26,800 --> 00:16:28,800 If you happen to disagree with them, 187 00:16:28,800 --> 00:16:31,667 you are simply an obstacle and an impediment. 188 00:16:31,667 --> 00:16:34,467 They figure out how to get rid of you, get you out of the way 189 00:16:34,467 --> 00:16:36,767 so that they can accomplish their goal. 190 00:16:36,767 --> 00:16:40,000 [Sahni] While Paris Bennett's case and Russell Overlin's case 191 00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:43,266 maybe look very different on some levels, 192 00:16:43,266 --> 00:16:47,667 what we see in both of these family annihilators is the same motivation. 193 00:16:47,667 --> 00:16:51,567 Which was to eliminate the people that rejected them. 194 00:16:51,567 --> 00:16:55,667 But it is also important to remember that it was their perception. 195 00:16:55,667 --> 00:16:58,967 It was how they saw the world because they weren't able 196 00:16:58,967 --> 00:17:01,333 to do things exactly the way they wanted. 197 00:17:11,867 --> 00:17:13,166 [soft music playing] 198 00:17:20,166 --> 00:17:21,667 [reporter 5] Three-year-old Michael Smith 199 00:17:21,667 --> 00:17:24,200 and his 14-month-old brother, Alexander, 200 00:17:24,200 --> 00:17:27,066 reportedly kidnapped Tuesday night. 201 00:17:27,066 --> 00:17:30,900 The boys' mother, Susan Smith, told police a lone gunman 202 00:17:30,900 --> 00:17:34,767 forced her to get out of her car without her children. 203 00:17:34,767 --> 00:17:39,433 I would like to say to whoever has my children... 204 00:17:41,567 --> 00:17:43,367 That they please... 205 00:17:43,367 --> 00:17:45,367 I mean, please bring them home. 206 00:17:45,367 --> 00:17:49,500 [reporter 5] After a massive 72-hour search, police are baffled. 207 00:17:49,500 --> 00:17:52,567 [man] Except for the mother, there were no witnesses. 208 00:17:52,567 --> 00:17:55,567 We are going to look at everything and rule out nothing 209 00:17:55,567 --> 00:17:57,166 until we can do it with evidence. 210 00:18:10,200 --> 00:18:15,467 [Tussey] Susan Smith ultimately killed her children for her own desires. 211 00:18:15,467 --> 00:18:19,467 She wanted to date an individual who said he didn't want children. 212 00:18:19,467 --> 00:18:21,200 So in order to be able to date him, 213 00:18:21,200 --> 00:18:24,000 she just took her children out of the equation. 214 00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:28,400 These types of behaviors match what we see in psychopathy. 215 00:18:28,400 --> 00:18:31,667 Whenever we see individuals that are manipulative, 216 00:18:31,667 --> 00:18:34,800 deceitful, callous, cold, 217 00:18:34,800 --> 00:18:38,000 failure to accept responsibility for their actions 218 00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:41,467 and ultimately pursue their own agenda, 219 00:18:41,467 --> 00:18:45,166 no matter what it costs to anybody else in their lives. 220 00:18:45,166 --> 00:18:46,333 [woman] Killing her two children. 221 00:18:46,333 --> 00:18:49,567 I mean, uh... You carry them children for nine months, 222 00:18:49,567 --> 00:18:52,767 and then all of a sudden, you kill them. 223 00:18:52,767 --> 00:18:54,867 This just ain't right. 224 00:18:54,867 --> 00:19:00,367 [Sahni] When psychopathic individuals engage in conventional life, 225 00:19:00,367 --> 00:19:04,867 they get into relationships, they maybe go on to get married. 226 00:19:04,867 --> 00:19:06,967 They go on to have children. 227 00:19:06,967 --> 00:19:10,467 But for psychopathic individuals, their narcissism. 228 00:19:10,467 --> 00:19:14,367 Their focus on themselves and meeting their own needs 229 00:19:14,367 --> 00:19:17,767 really remains intact even when they become parents. 230 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:25,266 [Tussey] Like Susan Smith, John Hummel is another family annihilator 231 00:19:25,266 --> 00:19:27,567 who wanted to be a free agent. 232 00:19:27,567 --> 00:19:31,567 This is an individual who he perceives his family as a prison, 233 00:19:31,567 --> 00:19:33,033 that he has to escape. 234 00:19:42,367 --> 00:19:45,767 [siren blaring] 235 00:19:47,667 --> 00:19:49,533 [man whooping] 236 00:20:11,567 --> 00:20:16,166 John Hummels saying, "Well, I'm not sure if they got out, my family of four. 237 00:20:16,166 --> 00:20:18,200 "It was four of us that were in there. 238 00:20:18,200 --> 00:20:20,667 Oh, and, by the way, my wife is pregnant, also." 239 00:20:20,667 --> 00:20:23,767 He seems eerily calm. 240 00:20:23,767 --> 00:20:26,000 It's not the reaction you would expect 241 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:29,567 if someone were watching their house burn down, 242 00:20:29,567 --> 00:20:31,467 with their family in it. 243 00:20:31,467 --> 00:20:34,500 [Sahni] John Hummel doesn't seem to be concerned. 244 00:20:34,500 --> 00:20:35,967 There's no panic in his voice. 245 00:20:35,967 --> 00:20:38,600 He's matter of fact, and he just says "There are four people 246 00:20:38,600 --> 00:20:40,133 who live in this home, including me." 247 00:21:10,900 --> 00:21:12,166 [reporter] Police say three bodies, 248 00:21:12,166 --> 00:21:14,000 including one of a small child, 249 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:17,667 were found inside this flame engulfed home early this morning. 250 00:21:17,667 --> 00:21:19,867 Family members identified the victims, 251 00:21:19,867 --> 00:21:21,867 as 34-year-old Joy Hummel and her 252 00:21:21,867 --> 00:21:23,567 six-year-old daughter, Jody. 253 00:21:23,567 --> 00:21:27,667 Hummel's father Eddie Bedford, is also among the deceased. 254 00:21:27,667 --> 00:21:28,800 [woman] She'd just been, uh... 255 00:21:28,800 --> 00:21:31,734 She was pregnant with her second baby. 256 00:21:32,367 --> 00:21:34,066 And she was so excited. 257 00:22:07,266 --> 00:22:09,266 We know that psychopathic individuals 258 00:22:09,266 --> 00:22:14,000 have a higher threshold for excitement. 259 00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:16,367 They experience boredom more intensely 260 00:22:16,367 --> 00:22:19,100 and sooner than most of us that conventional life 261 00:22:19,100 --> 00:22:21,500 oftentimes ends up feeling boring to them. 262 00:22:21,500 --> 00:22:25,800 That everyday routine and monotony 263 00:22:25,800 --> 00:22:28,867 oftentimes challenges a psychopathic individual. 264 00:22:28,867 --> 00:22:33,467 But it's hard for many of us to understand how somebody who could be driven 265 00:22:33,467 --> 00:22:36,066 to killing members of their family, 266 00:22:36,066 --> 00:22:38,000 particularly, their own children, 267 00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:41,467 when it's about a need to be in a new relationship. 268 00:22:41,467 --> 00:22:43,467 Why not just file for divorce? 269 00:22:43,467 --> 00:22:45,567 Those are still options that are far better 270 00:22:45,567 --> 00:22:48,033 than annihilating your family members by killing them. 271 00:23:16,367 --> 00:23:18,300 [Tussey] There's nothing about the way 272 00:23:18,300 --> 00:23:21,166 he's saying this that would make you think 273 00:23:21,166 --> 00:23:23,166 that he was describing murdering his family. 274 00:23:23,166 --> 00:23:25,867 There's just really no expression. 275 00:23:25,867 --> 00:23:28,667 There is no emotional drive behind it. 276 00:23:28,667 --> 00:23:30,266 He's just very calmly stating it. 277 00:23:30,266 --> 00:23:34,634 Violent psychopaths hold no value for human life. 278 00:23:42,166 --> 00:23:43,600 Hummel writes, 279 00:23:43,600 --> 00:23:47,400 "I feel a strong bond with you that I've never had with anyone else." 280 00:23:47,400 --> 00:23:50,266 And the girlfriend asked, "Not even with your wife?" 281 00:23:50,266 --> 00:23:53,400 "Nope." "Then why did you marry her?" 282 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:58,967 And Hummel said, "I truly cannot think of a reason except for my kid." 283 00:23:58,967 --> 00:24:04,200 It's really striking because in these text conversations with the girlfriend, 284 00:24:04,200 --> 00:24:06,967 Hummel is painting himself in some ways as a victim, 285 00:24:06,967 --> 00:24:11,467 almost like he just married her because she was pregnant. 286 00:24:11,467 --> 00:24:16,100 You know he's stuck and he's trapped almost by this pregnancy and his wife 287 00:24:16,100 --> 00:24:17,734 that he doesn't really want. 288 00:24:19,567 --> 00:24:21,867 [Morgan] The family's getting in the way. 289 00:24:21,867 --> 00:24:25,000 And so, rather than asking for a divorce, 290 00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:28,867 leaving or just having an affair, all of which is 291 00:24:28,867 --> 00:24:30,834 in the normal range of possibilities. 292 00:24:31,767 --> 00:24:34,700 He kills them and burns them in their beds 293 00:24:34,700 --> 00:24:36,300 and sets the house on fire. 294 00:24:36,300 --> 00:24:39,367 And he has no remorse about it at all. 295 00:24:39,367 --> 00:24:42,300 And if you're shocked by that, that's a good sign, 296 00:24:42,300 --> 00:24:43,934 because it means you're normal. 297 00:24:52,367 --> 00:24:55,567 [Sahni] They want what they want when they want it, 298 00:24:55,567 --> 00:24:59,333 and they will take out anything that presents an obstacle. 299 00:25:00,266 --> 00:25:02,967 Another reason that Family Annihilators 300 00:25:02,967 --> 00:25:05,166 act on those urges and impulses 301 00:25:05,166 --> 00:25:07,600 is simply to maintain control. 302 00:25:07,600 --> 00:25:10,700 We see this sometimes in child custody cases, 303 00:25:10,700 --> 00:25:12,767 when a parent fears that they're going 304 00:25:12,767 --> 00:25:14,600 to lose custody of their children, 305 00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:16,767 they take out their entire family. 306 00:25:16,767 --> 00:25:20,867 They take out their children, and then they turn to themselves. 307 00:25:34,266 --> 00:25:37,266 [reporter 6] Today, a special accident investigation team, 308 00:25:37,266 --> 00:25:39,567 is using drones to figure out 309 00:25:39,567 --> 00:25:43,266 how the Harts' plunged off this 100-foot ocean overlook. 310 00:25:43,266 --> 00:25:46,967 The county sheriff says the parents' bodies were found in the front seats. 311 00:25:46,967 --> 00:25:51,266 Three of the children's bodies were found along the shoreline. 312 00:25:51,266 --> 00:25:55,166 [Tussey] From the outside, the Hart family seemed magical. 313 00:25:55,166 --> 00:25:57,300 These mothers have adopted these children, 314 00:25:57,300 --> 00:25:59,967 rescued them from otherwise bad situations, 315 00:25:59,967 --> 00:26:03,500 and are providing them memories of a lifetime. 316 00:26:03,500 --> 00:26:06,800 [Sahni] In the case of Jennifer Hart and Sarah Hart. 317 00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:11,567 This is a family that seemed picture perfect on the surface. 318 00:26:11,567 --> 00:26:15,166 All social media accounts and public accounts of this family 319 00:26:15,166 --> 00:26:17,066 are that these were two women 320 00:26:17,066 --> 00:26:20,166 who loved their six adopted children. 321 00:26:20,166 --> 00:26:22,467 But what we also know from the investigation 322 00:26:22,467 --> 00:26:24,800 is that there were no brake marks. 323 00:26:24,800 --> 00:26:26,100 There were no skid marks. 324 00:26:26,100 --> 00:26:28,000 Which means Jennifer stopped, 325 00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:31,266 paused, and made the decision to drive the entire family of eight 326 00:26:31,266 --> 00:26:34,467 over a cliff to their death. 327 00:26:34,467 --> 00:26:39,967 The public image of the family and all the social media accounts of the Harts, 328 00:26:39,967 --> 00:26:42,867 was that they were a loving, close family. 329 00:26:44,367 --> 00:26:47,200 But what we also know is that the truth of what was going on 330 00:26:47,200 --> 00:26:49,600 for the Hart family, was far more dark. 331 00:26:49,600 --> 00:26:52,567 [reporter 7] In 2011, Sarah Hart pleaded guilty 332 00:26:52,567 --> 00:26:54,667 in Minnesota, to domestic assault. 333 00:26:54,667 --> 00:26:57,500 According to court records, a teacher saw bruises 334 00:26:57,500 --> 00:26:59,266 on the couple's six-year-old daughter. 335 00:27:01,367 --> 00:27:05,000 It gets uncovered that this family 336 00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:09,667 had actually been... being investigated by Child Protective Services. 337 00:27:09,667 --> 00:27:14,467 And every time these services would catch up with them 338 00:27:14,467 --> 00:27:17,500 and try to investigate allegations of abuse, 339 00:27:17,500 --> 00:27:19,166 the mothers would keep things under wraps 340 00:27:19,166 --> 00:27:21,433 by basically moving frequently, 341 00:27:23,166 --> 00:27:26,500 [Sahni] By all accounts, Jennifer was the disciplinarian. 342 00:27:26,500 --> 00:27:30,767 She was the one who determined what the punishment and interventions 343 00:27:30,767 --> 00:27:32,066 would be for the children. 344 00:27:32,066 --> 00:27:34,233 But she was also the one who enforced them. 345 00:27:35,266 --> 00:27:38,567 [woman] They portray this happy little family. 346 00:27:38,567 --> 00:27:41,367 And yet, their daughter is telling us. 347 00:27:41,367 --> 00:27:42,567 "Please, please, please," begging us 348 00:27:42,567 --> 00:27:44,700 not to make her go back and that they are abusing her. 349 00:27:44,700 --> 00:27:47,166 And then Devonte coming over here 350 00:27:47,166 --> 00:27:50,433 and telling us that you know he's being starved to death. 351 00:28:01,266 --> 00:28:06,667 Psychopathic individuals sometimes exhibit an intense amount of impulsivity. 352 00:28:06,667 --> 00:28:10,000 And when we think about the decision-making of Jennifer Hart, 353 00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:14,467 what we see is the decision to flee their family home 354 00:28:14,467 --> 00:28:17,767 because CPS is becoming aware that there is child abuse happening. 355 00:28:17,767 --> 00:28:23,133 I was trying to help them and protect them and this is the result. 356 00:28:27,467 --> 00:28:30,667 [Sahni] Ultimately, Jennifer Hart was a parent 357 00:28:30,667 --> 00:28:33,467 who felt she was losing control of the situation. 358 00:28:33,467 --> 00:28:35,567 And was at risk of losing her children. 359 00:28:35,567 --> 00:28:37,567 She made the ultimate decision 360 00:28:37,567 --> 00:28:40,166 that if she could not have them, no one would. 361 00:28:40,166 --> 00:28:44,367 [Tussey] We see in individuals with psychopathy is they become 362 00:28:44,367 --> 00:28:49,000 very myopically focused on their goal, whatever their goal is. 363 00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:52,367 And in this case, retaining control. 364 00:28:52,367 --> 00:28:53,467 Like Jennifer Hart, 365 00:28:53,467 --> 00:28:57,266 another mother that was unwilling to relinquish control 366 00:28:57,266 --> 00:28:59,967 of her children was Elaine Campione. 367 00:29:06,100 --> 00:29:07,834 [dramatic music playing] 368 00:30:19,367 --> 00:30:20,967 [crying] 369 00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:45,667 Miss Campione appears sort of lost and confused, 370 00:30:45,667 --> 00:30:50,000 as though she doesn't really understand how her two daughters ended up dead. 371 00:30:50,000 --> 00:30:54,667 She looks a little upset, but certainly not, in any way, 372 00:30:54,667 --> 00:31:00,500 in a manner that would be consistent with that genuine loss. 373 00:31:00,500 --> 00:31:04,467 I think she's trying to think on her feet in terms of, "How do I handle this?" 374 00:31:04,467 --> 00:31:10,266 She had a very deliberate plan in terms of how this was all going to happen. 375 00:31:10,266 --> 00:31:11,767 And it didn't work. 376 00:31:11,767 --> 00:31:14,834 She woke up and now she's dealing with the aftermath. 377 00:32:06,800 --> 00:32:09,300 In both, the Hart case and the Campione case, 378 00:32:09,300 --> 00:32:11,467 the children are objectified 379 00:32:11,467 --> 00:32:16,433 and used for the emotional wellbeing of the murderers. 380 00:32:17,867 --> 00:32:20,066 In the Hart case, the children are used 381 00:32:20,066 --> 00:32:24,066 to bolster the image of this perfect family. 382 00:32:24,066 --> 00:32:26,867 And when that image gets destroyed, 383 00:32:26,867 --> 00:32:29,233 then the kids get destroyed as well. 384 00:32:30,467 --> 00:32:32,800 In the Campione case, the children are used 385 00:32:32,800 --> 00:32:37,567 specifically as weapons to harm another individual. 386 00:32:37,567 --> 00:32:41,300 It's brutal in that the very children that she gave birth to 387 00:32:41,300 --> 00:32:44,166 that she had such pride in raising, 388 00:32:44,166 --> 00:32:46,867 that she repeatedly asked them who they loved. 389 00:32:48,100 --> 00:32:49,467 Her needs... 390 00:32:49,467 --> 00:32:52,667 Her psychopathic needs are so strong 391 00:32:52,667 --> 00:32:55,266 that she'd rather kill them 392 00:32:55,266 --> 00:32:58,166 than deal with losing to her ex-husband. 393 00:33:07,066 --> 00:33:09,000 [Sahni] When we look to family annihilators, 394 00:33:09,000 --> 00:33:13,100 we understand that while most of us have 395 00:33:13,100 --> 00:33:15,700 an expectation and presumption of safety, 396 00:33:15,700 --> 00:33:18,467 and trust within our family units... 397 00:33:18,467 --> 00:33:23,166 For the family that has a psychopath in their family circle, 398 00:33:23,166 --> 00:33:25,166 that's simply not necessarily true. 399 00:33:37,467 --> 00:33:40,867 [reporter 8] Good afternoon. A 19-year-old man has admitted killing his parents 400 00:33:40,867 --> 00:33:42,266 and then using their credit cards 401 00:33:42,266 --> 00:33:46,367 to spend £30,000 on trips to the US and Caribbean. 402 00:33:46,367 --> 00:33:47,567 Brian Blackwell was suffering 403 00:33:47,567 --> 00:33:49,467 from a serious personality disorder, 404 00:33:49,467 --> 00:33:53,100 when he beat and stabbed his parents to death at their home on Merseyside. 405 00:33:53,100 --> 00:33:54,900 [reporter 9] When Brian Blackwell was arrested, 406 00:33:54,900 --> 00:33:56,867 it was a shock for staff and students 407 00:33:56,867 --> 00:33:58,166 here at Liverpool College, 408 00:33:58,166 --> 00:34:00,066 they'd seen him just days earlier 409 00:34:00,066 --> 00:34:03,667 when he came in here, alone, to pick up his A-level results. 410 00:34:03,667 --> 00:34:06,200 [man] When Brian came in, Obviously his results were very good. 411 00:34:06,200 --> 00:34:07,433 He seemed very happy. 412 00:34:07,433 --> 00:34:11,300 He was part of a group of...of youngsters who were very pleased 413 00:34:11,300 --> 00:34:12,700 with what the results they had 414 00:34:12,700 --> 00:34:14,233 and it seemed perfectly normal. 415 00:34:16,567 --> 00:34:19,767 [Tussey] Brian Blackwell was an individual who, 416 00:34:19,767 --> 00:34:22,967 growing up, was labeled as very bright. 417 00:34:22,967 --> 00:34:24,500 He was nicknamed The Brains. 418 00:34:24,500 --> 00:34:26,867 His parents were really proud of him. 419 00:34:26,867 --> 00:34:28,467 And excited for his future. 420 00:34:28,467 --> 00:34:31,300 They thought he could be a great surgeon, 421 00:34:31,300 --> 00:34:32,667 and unbeknownst to them, 422 00:34:32,667 --> 00:34:38,166 this outcome for him could not be further from that projection. 423 00:34:38,166 --> 00:34:40,600 [Morgan] He's told, "You can't go on a trip with your girlfriend." 424 00:34:40,600 --> 00:34:44,100 Then the solution to this problem is to kill the parents 425 00:34:44,100 --> 00:34:47,567 so that he can go on a trip with his girlfriend. 426 00:34:47,567 --> 00:34:50,433 Most people who are normal, would say there's another solution. 427 00:34:51,467 --> 00:34:54,367 But with the psychopath, they want what they want, 428 00:34:54,367 --> 00:34:55,667 when they want it. 429 00:34:55,667 --> 00:34:57,767 There's usually lower impulse control. 430 00:34:57,767 --> 00:35:00,567 And so the action in Blackwell's case of killing the parents 431 00:35:00,567 --> 00:35:02,433 is the immediate solution to the problem. 432 00:35:15,200 --> 00:35:18,166 And it surprises people that-- when they hear that someone 433 00:35:18,166 --> 00:35:22,934 who is apparently normal has murdered their parents. 434 00:35:24,000 --> 00:35:26,100 We still have this longstanding belief 435 00:35:26,100 --> 00:35:28,300 that if you're going to commit a murder, 436 00:35:28,300 --> 00:35:30,400 there's a long track record of you 437 00:35:30,400 --> 00:35:32,867 creating havoc all along the way. 438 00:35:32,867 --> 00:35:35,100 Although that's true, sometimes, it's... 439 00:35:35,100 --> 00:35:38,967 it's not necessarily the norm with people with psychopathy. 440 00:35:40,166 --> 00:35:41,367 [Tussey] Andrew Balcer. 441 00:35:41,367 --> 00:35:46,333 This is another example of a good kid gone horrifically bad. 442 00:36:41,467 --> 00:36:43,100 [reporter 10] It is an all too real Halloween horror story 443 00:36:43,100 --> 00:36:45,700 a Winthrop teen is now charged with murdering a couple. 444 00:36:45,700 --> 00:36:50,467 He was a great kid. Smart, brilliant, good in school, focused. 445 00:36:50,467 --> 00:36:51,533 He was... 446 00:36:52,467 --> 00:36:54,200 planning on going to college. 447 00:36:54,200 --> 00:36:56,767 So it doesn't make sense. 448 00:36:56,767 --> 00:36:59,166 It's a shocker that this could happen. 449 00:37:01,266 --> 00:37:05,467 [Morgan] I think what-- what we learned, looking over multiple cases 450 00:37:05,467 --> 00:37:07,900 of people who are psychopaths, 451 00:37:07,900 --> 00:37:09,900 is that the families 452 00:37:09,900 --> 00:37:13,367 that they are linked to, often, don't know 453 00:37:13,367 --> 00:37:16,700 how much of a psychopath their loved one is. 454 00:37:16,700 --> 00:37:20,400 They're normal, and one of the things we do when we're healthy 455 00:37:20,400 --> 00:37:22,700 and sometimes it works to our detriment 456 00:37:22,700 --> 00:37:27,433 is that we tend to assume the good in other people. 457 00:37:48,500 --> 00:37:51,367 You can tell he's articulate, he responds very, very quickly. 458 00:37:51,367 --> 00:37:54,100 He appears to be quite nimble, intellectually, 459 00:37:54,100 --> 00:37:59,066 and if we do hear the superficial affect, he giggles, laughs. 460 00:37:59,066 --> 00:38:00,333 But it's just a matter of fact. 461 00:38:28,467 --> 00:38:31,967 He discusses walking into his parent's room 462 00:38:31,967 --> 00:38:33,700 and his mom hugging him 463 00:38:33,700 --> 00:38:35,300 and then him stabbing her 464 00:38:35,300 --> 00:38:39,400 in a very a shallow and glib way. 465 00:38:39,400 --> 00:38:42,867 He almost sounds proud in a way 466 00:38:42,867 --> 00:38:44,567 as he's describing what he did. 467 00:38:44,567 --> 00:38:46,467 He certainly doesn't sound remorseful. 468 00:39:13,567 --> 00:39:16,867 [Morgan] People with psychopathy do know that they're different 469 00:39:16,867 --> 00:39:19,867 and they do not connect easily to other people. 470 00:39:19,867 --> 00:39:22,100 They usually have a superficial relationship with them. 471 00:39:22,100 --> 00:39:24,367 Other people may feel that they know them, 472 00:39:24,367 --> 00:39:27,867 but from the person with psychopathy is perspective... 473 00:39:27,867 --> 00:39:29,200 They don't. 474 00:39:29,200 --> 00:39:32,233 People don't know them and they don't feel connected to other people. 475 00:40:03,667 --> 00:40:07,567 [Tussey] There is zero remorse, still, for the fact 476 00:40:07,567 --> 00:40:09,166 that she murdered her parents, 477 00:40:09,166 --> 00:40:12,567 and this attitude at the end. 478 00:40:12,567 --> 00:40:13,567 It's very glib. 479 00:40:13,567 --> 00:40:15,166 She's almost joking. 480 00:40:15,166 --> 00:40:17,867 There is an air of entitlement, also, 481 00:40:17,867 --> 00:40:19,100 that comes across. 482 00:40:19,100 --> 00:40:20,867 Because she is most important, 483 00:40:20,867 --> 00:40:24,800 and it really doesn't matter who was damaged along the way. 484 00:40:24,800 --> 00:40:27,800 She has gotten to where she wants to be, 485 00:40:27,800 --> 00:40:32,734 and everybody else should just overlook any dead bodies along the way. 486 00:40:43,000 --> 00:40:45,767 I think what we learned from the from the cases 487 00:40:45,767 --> 00:40:46,900 where people have killed 488 00:40:46,900 --> 00:40:49,600 either one or several members of the family is, 489 00:40:49,600 --> 00:40:52,367 that we learn that it's well within the realm 490 00:40:53,000 --> 00:40:54,066 of psychopathy-- 491 00:40:54,066 --> 00:40:55,967 that it's a myth that they'll only kill people, 492 00:40:55,967 --> 00:40:57,166 that they don't know. 493 00:40:57,166 --> 00:41:00,467 [Sahni] Just because somebody is a member of your family, 494 00:41:00,467 --> 00:41:03,300 doesn't mean that you're automatically safe. 495 00:41:03,300 --> 00:41:06,100 People shouldn't underestimate their gut instinct. 496 00:41:06,100 --> 00:41:07,900 And if you have a family member 497 00:41:07,900 --> 00:41:11,000 that doesn't connect to the rest of the family, 498 00:41:11,000 --> 00:41:12,266 hasn't been exhibiting 499 00:41:12,266 --> 00:41:15,867 any real conscience or sense of guilt or remorse 500 00:41:15,867 --> 00:41:19,000 for things they've done that have brought harm, 501 00:41:19,000 --> 00:41:21,867 and problems to the other members of the family... 502 00:41:21,867 --> 00:41:23,166 Pay attention to them. 503 00:41:23,166 --> 00:41:26,000 Sometimes the risk is within.