In this episode, we examine the case of Pieper Lewis through a lens rarely centered in true crime: the complex intersection of sex trafficking, adolescent trauma, survival psychology, and a legal system that punished a victim for defending herself. Rather than focusing on shock or spectacle, this episode explores the psychological, medical, and behavioral questions at the center of a case that continues to ignite national conversation about justice, girlhood, and what it means to survive.

Drawing on research in trauma neuroscience, adolescent brain development, forensic psychology, and behavioral science, we explore:

• How chronic trauma and sex trafficking reshape the developing adolescent brain and why this matters in courtrooms.
• What the neuroscience of survival tells us about fight responses in victims of repeated abuse.
• How the legal system defines self-defense, coercion, and criminal responsibility in trafficking cases, and where it fails.
• Why adolescent victims of sexual exploitation are uniquely vulnerable to institutional and legal re-traumatization.
• What Pieper's sentencing (including restitution payments to her abuser's family) reveals about systemic failures in how we respond to trafficking survivors.
• What psychology and behavioral science say about accountability, healing, and justice when the system gets it wrong.

With a background in public health and behavioral science (graduate training at Johns Hopkins), The Murder Mindset prioritizes education, prevention, and understanding over sensationalism, asking difficult questions about trauma, accountability, and how systems respond when the most vulnerable people are failed at every level.

⚠️ Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of sex trafficking, child sexual abuse, violence, and the criminal prosecution of a minor. Listener discretion is strongly advised.

🎧 This episode is intended for listeners interested in true crime, forensic psychology, neuroscience, adolescent development, trauma science, and the behavioral science behind survival and violence.

Follow The Murder Mindset on Instagram and TikTok @TheMurderMindset for case insights, short-form analysis, and episode updates

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we examine the case of Lindsay Clancy, a labor and delivery nurse accused of killing her three children in January 2023, through a lens rarely centered in true crime: what happens when a postpartum brain, already undergoing massive neurological restructuring, is destabilized by rapid psychiatric medication changes.

Rather than framing Clancy solely through the tragedy of three children's deaths or questions of guilt and innocence, this episode explores how hormonal crashes, medication-induced side effects, and systemic failures in postpartum mental health care can create catastrophic neurological crises.

Drawing on research in neurobiology, psychopharmacology, postpartum psychiatry, and medication-induced psychosis, we explore:

• How pregnancy physically restructures the brain and creates windows of extreme vulnerability
• The neurological mechanisms of SSRIs and how they can trigger paradoxical reactions in destabilized brains
• What akathisia is, why it's so dangerous, and why it's rarely recognized or treated
• The difference between postpartum psychosis, medication-induced psychosis, extended suicide, and premeditated murder
• What neuroscience can and cannot explain about criminal responsibility and moral culpability

This case is currently awaiting trial. Lindsay Clancy is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The theories presented here are based on publicly available court documents and scientific literature, not determinations of fact.

With a background in public health and neuroscience (graduate training at Johns Hopkins), The Murder Mindsetprioritizes education, prevention, and understanding over sensationalism, asking harder questions about how we treat maternal mental health, monitor psychiatric medications, and define accountability when brains are in crisis.

⚠️ Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of child death, strangulation, suicide attempts, self-harm, postpartum depression, psychosis, and medication side effects. Listener discretion is strongly advised.

🎧 This episode is for listeners interested in true crime, forensic psychology, neuroscience, maternal mental health, psychopharmacology, and the behavioral science behind tragedy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we examine the case of Blake Leibel and Iana Kasian through a lens rarely centered in true crime: the anatomy of narcissistic violence. Rather than focusing on shock or spectacle, this episode explores how pathological narcissism, entitlement, control, and emotional detachment can escalate into extreme interpersonal violence.

Drawing on research in personality pathology, trauma psychology, attachment theory, and behavioral neuroscience, we explore:

• How narcissistic traits exist on a spectrum and when they become dangerous
• The role of entitlement, objectification, and lack of empathy in escalating violence
• How coercive control and power dynamics function as psychological drivers of violence
• Warning signs that often precede intimate partner violence and femicide
• What neuroscience and psychology can and cannotexplain about accountability and intent

With a background in public health and behavioral science (graduate training at Johns Hopkins), The Murder Mindsetprioritizes education, prevention, and understanding over sensationalism—asking harder questions about gendered violence, systemic failure, and why warning signs are so often missed.

⚠️ Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of intimate partner violence, psychological abuse, graphic violence, and homicide. Listener discretion is strongly advised.

🎧 This episode is for listeners interested in true crime, forensic psychology, neuroscience, trauma studies, and the behavioral science behind violence.

Follow The Murder Mindset on Instagram and TikTok @TheMurderMindset for case insights, short-form analysis, and episode updates.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.