Bad choice for a doctor to diagnose her. He doesn’t seem to be educated on neurology psychopathy or modern medical diagnoses discovered since he’s been in school. This girl has borderline personality disorder on the psychopath spectrum. Ptsd doesn’t explain her personality. Borderline personality perfectly fit her personality. She could blend in easily, couldn’t keep healthy relationships, no sense of self identity, depression, fear of abandonment, impulsive, manipulative in every relationship she has. Very good at lying and manipulating and on her spectrum explains her flashbacks and thoughts that she doesn’t want to have but take over. I can go on…
It’s interesting to watch this years later and realize, at the time of the trial, we were just weeks away from the pandemic taking over the world. It makes the coughing even more unnerving
Ever notice during interims (at presentations or any pause or transition) everybody starts hacking and throat clearing like pavlovian dogs. It’s so annoying to me, like children who get excited only they cough and sputter almost like they’re proud of it. Control yourselves people, it’s not hard.
Totally agree… after that sigh I would have gone after that judge “So the prosecution can drone on and on reading txt and I can’t present scientific evidence”
I've been looking for this comment to show up somewhere. 🤣Honestly, this defense team is almost like karmic debt being paid; it's like a gift to the prosecution and Alex's family. Not only do they interrupt everyone while they are speaking, including the judge, but their body language, collectively, seems to send a message to the jury. It's like they are all rolling their eyes, shifting in their chairs, and acting like, "I can't believe we have to listen to this nonsense." I really hate when defense attorneys do this, and most of them do. If I were a defense attorney, I would adopt the opposite attitude completely, because it really impacts the family. It's bad enough that they have lost a loved one in such a horrific way, but to act as if it's no big deal, and listening to these comments is an annoyance, is beyond disrespectful. It doesn't matter how the victim died. If the victim died, and they are claiming their client didn't do it, and someone else did, then instead of acting annoyed, they should go completely the opposite way. They should be stressing how horrific the crime was, how much the victim didn't deserve it, and by focusing on convicting "THEIR" client, they've given up looking for the real murderer, and he/she is getting away with it, and is still at large. If their claim, like in this case, is that their client did do it, but it was self defense or some extraordinary situation, it would be a more believable argument, imho, if their argument was that the victim was acting out of character, and for some reason, displayed jealousy or anger or a sense of betrayal; some behavior that is uncommon that surprised and threatened the defendant and she reacted in self defense. More like "a perfect storm" type of scenario. I'm no attorney, but it seems like it would be more believable to a jury; that all of a sudden something the defendant did or said, caused the victim to "lash out or react" and the end result was this tragedy. I think not only would this be more believable than to imply that every single person that knew him, or had ever had a relationship with him was deceived and that in actuality, he had this Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde mentality. Not only does it make more sense, I think it is more respectful to the family, and means that the defense doesn't have to make up a bunch of BS acting as if he had a hidden life of BDSM, CSA, domestic violence and everything else they can think of.
The judge is biased and unprofessional! I can't believe him interrupting defense and keep saying hurry it up, then Twirled his thumbs with time to spare.
I 'm sure that most people who commit murder for the first time don't expect it to be as gory, physically strenuous, and time-consuming, as it really is. I can only imagine that the sights and sounds are horrifying. It's probably different for a serial killer, who's practiced on animals, all of their lives. Like anything else, I would imagine that you'd build a tolerance for it over time. I'm sure that police officers get PTSD from killing a suspect, but probably only with their first few, same with soldiers.
Firstly, Ezra's crime wasn't that horrific. Compared to women who later chopped up, cooked, and disposed of their victims by the bucketful what she did was pretty tame. Secondly, this "expert" is a bunch of 💩, half-truths, adages and speculations. He has no idea even what he's talking about. PTSD... sure, haven't we heard about it? Isn't that what the soldiers get after having been in combat? Yeah, we know it from there. And they were perpetrators, right? No, because they didn't choose to do what they did but were forced into the situation! They were actually victims which were acted upon. It's very different with Ezra. This psychologist is either a "hired mouth," probably for the defense but (in case they miscalculated) maybe for the prosecution. His "diagnoses" (which expert presents more than one?!) are off. Ezra is suffering from BPD, not from PTSD. It's hard to keep all these abbreviations apart, Mr Expert?!
@@1man_crowd I think you need to add “the manner” in which she committed the crime.. using the term “tame” in reference to killing someone is hardly an appropriate term.?
I am so confused. My head hurts listening to this with the defense atty jumping all over the place. Traumatic event? Which one? Ezra being born? Something with her parents? Weird sex with Alex? A rape that didn't occur with John? An attack by Alex that didn't happen? The murder? Ezra is a walking traumatic event...
The only thing I didn’t agree with was when they were asking about perhaps a lie could be just a lie not because of the PTSD and the Dr wouldn’t agree. Hogwash!
Edit/now I understand what you meant and i agree. Almost immediately after a traumatic event like this, your brain will compartmentalize certain things and it will also subconsciously black out certain parts of the event that should still be fresh in your head. It will essentially lie to itself in order to cope. So he wasn't speaking in generalities about it, he was just inferring specifically about what is assumed to be typical, as opposed to what happens when the brain is exposed to very traumatic events and stressors. Her problem solving and ability to think in the moment, was comprised and her brain immediately kicked into protecting itself and blocking out certain aspects...It fits perfectly and there's a carry over effect that still remains, even post the traumatic event. I think she was lying. I'm just not entirely sure myself, if she was lying to lie, or because her brain tricked her into believing things happened that really didn't, in order to cope.
I think she's absolutely guilty. I also think there were things she purposefully lied about, and things that she lied about happening, that didn't happen, because it's just how her brain went into black out protection mode. Nobody wants to think they're cold blooded killers. Sometimes people who commit murder the way she did, will remember things differently because they just can't come to terms with reality. I think we watched a little of both during her testimony. I agree with your point of view too.
The monsters lawyers are the most unlikeable lawyers I’ve ever watched ! The smirk smile of the male lawyer makes my skin crawl 🤮🤮 his facial gestures are so creepy !
It seems so disingenuous, too. Comment, weird smile. Question, weird smile. Objection, weird smile. He punctuates each thing he says with that smile at the end. I think it's meant to come across as affable, but, it also reads as a bit condescending.
I feel this witness made phycology into an exact science.. it’s not.. no 2 individuals will react in the same way to a particular trauma.. he is entitled to his opinion on it and I don’t think this was highlighted enough that there is never a “textbook” reaction to trauma .. I felt he moulded ezras reactions to give her a defence which was wrong IMO of course.
She only cares about herself. You can tell by her demeanor here… Even during the medical examiners testimony when they presented photos she didn’t even flinch and seemed so uninterested in a violent death she caused to someone she claims she cared about at some point and yet here she’s just in awe about herself and sitting at complete attention to everything.
I haven't commented on this case til now. This Dr is so full of himself, so smug, he's hard to take seriously. Yes he knows the criteria. But its all on a continuum, no two patients show ptsd the same way. Also, ptsd doesnt always lead to re-traumatization. There are people who become hard, deadened husks after repeated trauma. They don't react in an extroverted way.
That'll be the Ezra-spell. Have you not noticed wherever she goes, she causes discontent, arguments and drama! She's not so much the drama-queen, but has an aura, a cloud of drama that surrounds her and affects everyone near her. I'm kidding. I think the defense team had no choice but to be as difficult and as petty as possible as they were defending an obviously guilty client, with clearly self-inflicted injuries, and a crime scene that was just short of having the words "Ezra did it" painted on the car's window demonstrating her story was pure fantasy; any one of which was strong enough evidence to put her behind bars.. I think the defense team's one and only aim was to drag out the procedure as much as they could to make this as profitable for themselves as they could make it. I think even the Judge recognised this case was a mockery of the law and court process and that's why he brought up timing and speeding things up so much. Have you ever heard of Judge in a murder case reference speeding up the process as much as this?
I can only imagine the LOAD OF BULLSHIT she fed him and acted out in those brief meetings. “I was terrified l was outside of my body, l blacked out the sick stuff l did, lm TRAAAUUUUUMAtized, he was gonna kill me l just know it so l went into my trauma state!” BULLCRAP!
@@kaerbear You think so? I don't know; I like the fact that he is very precise, and he doesn't just automatically do what most doctors do today which is to just talk to you for 5 minutes and hand you a stack of prescriptions. I especially like the fact that he not only acknowledges, but actually respects and adheres to the time constraints attached to certain diagnoses. He doesn't just spend 50 minutes with someone and then slap a diagnosis on them that will follow them around forever, even if it is found later to have been an incorrect diagnosis. I've spent more than 20 years in the medical field, both clinically and as a professor. Having the correct diagnosis code applied, especially in the U.S., is absolutely critical because diagnosis drives treatment, and determines whether a claim will even be paid or not. Unlike when I first entered the field in the 80s, when charts were paper, you can't just cross out a mistake. Once the diagnosis is attached to you, even if you get a second opinion with a different diagnosis, your claim might not be paid, because treatment is only covered for certain diagnoses and not others. Also, which is even MORE critical for a mental health diagnosis, being diagnosed with certain mental disorders or symptoms can affect your ability to obtain life insurance, a firearm, security clearance, and particular jobs; and once that diagnosis is applied to you, it will follow you everywhere. The unfortunate thing is, in the U.S., in order for ANY medical claim to be paid for anything, the claim must have a diagnosis code; which basically means that your psychiatrist or therapist has to pick a diagnosis code to bill your claim under from the time of your very first 50 minute visit. No claim can be paid without one, yet how can your psychiatrist know exactly what is wrong with you after one visit? They can't; for all of the reasons this psychiatrist explained. He actually gets it, while apparently some of his colleagues who saw this woman before he did, rushed to a diagnosis without there even being enough time to elapse to qualify for that diagnosis. Having the correct mental illness diagnosis is critical, not only so you get the correct treatment, but so that you aren't mislabeled for the rest of your life. So, it's really important that therapists are like this guy. He saw her 5 times to confirm her diagnosis. You wouldn't want to show up for your first therapist appointment sleepy and hungover (because you were out late the night before), and after one visit be diagnosed as flat affect or rule out schizophrenia, would you? That's why it's better to have a doctor that really takes time to get to know you, instead of just slapping a number on you (that you'll wear forever) like a winning raffle ticket.
I think he does, especially when he mocked the defenses comment "we're on the same page... literally." I think he was trying to be funny, but it seemed sarcastic and not in a good way.
Experts in forensics - particularly so medics and psychiatrists - mostly do. Not seldom has it happened they were trying to single-handedly solve cases.
Right? Of course people who kill are scared to tell the truth. They are scared of the consequences, the punishment. And often they are scared of what people will think of them. But, she proved that she intentionally lied about Alex carving into her arm, when it was her (she also lied about the reason). She said she lied because she was SCARED that they would NOT believe her story about what happened. Not because she didn't feel safe, or that she felt she was on danger. She already knew when they saw the evidence, the scene, Alex's body, that they would know the truth. She knew she was not in danger. She said when she walked away from the scene she knew Alex was dead. She also said, she was AFRAID that when they saw the scene that they "would think WHAT HAPPENED TO HER was her fault." Interesting choice of words she used. If she had "amnesia" (at the farmers house) and absolutely no memory of what happened, why did she say she was attacked? Maybe she was in a car accident? Why use "neutral preferred pronouns?"
@@ld-zj1bn I know. 🙂 I was just purging my frustration about her, all the lies, and how she constantly says shes scared of this or that, but her actions say otherwise. I do think though, that she actually believes she's a victim, in every situation since she met this group of people. She's not, but she thinks she is. I'm REALLY curious about what went on before she met the Racys group? Like, what the people she knew before them would say? Her chaos and mess probably didn't just start when she met Jason.
@@Winter-Lake he also took her story bout the sa with John happened which was proven otherwise as part of her ptsd. Also the way he said the way she was questioned at the hospital was terrible. They were trying to find Alex and what happened. I still can’t get over the defence pathologist saying he could have lived. If Ezra had said at the farm that she was attacked and it was self defence they might have found Alex in time, it haunts me how he suffered that awful death
All these results seem consistent with a monstrous girl who viciously killed an innocent man who found herself in prison being punished for those acts. She's realised that her total selfcentredness has caused her to lose her whole future. I'd be depressed and having flashbacks too.
I bet she’s really happy now because she got in the end what she somehow always wanted: not having to worry for employment and endless time for art. I could also imagine it’s not a too big problem for her having to concentrate on women for sex. So her future may look good in her eyes
It made me laugh when Dr Benson was talking about disruption to memory and regression and used as examples how Ezra gave her earlier name before she changed it and couldn't remember what happened initially ... it seems obvious to me that Ezra was being deliberately manipulative and evasive to try and avoid the consequences of having murdered Alex.
Completely. Her memory is perfectly FINE. She’s what a smart shrink would call a pathological LIAR who is trying but failing to successfully backpedal.
My mum has untreated BPD. I see what you mean but also see antisocial personality in her.. but my mum is the ‘quiet borderline’ type and lacks some of the classic overt traits etc. I had a friend who had ASPD who Ezra reminds me of so damn much, it makes me uneasy.
The IQ, based on those variables, becomes increasingly hard to measure with huge differences found. Wow you don’t hear that very often! So I imagine some of those supposedly genius serial killers were not genius at all by current standards.
Well, not quite. To have an IQ in the 99th percentile, by definition you must score highly on all axes. He is noting, around 1:20:22, that her subscores were all significantly lower than her verbal comprehension scores. IQ test scores in someone who is not suffering brain damage, schizophrenia or other paranoid disorders, or who is not in shock/“exposed to trauma” as he says, will have subsection scores that are not all EQUAL in terms of value/score, but in terms of PERCENTILE (what % of the comparison population set of test takers did you score as least as well as) generally fall into same general ballpark - percentile-wise. When you see major discrepancies between subscores, especially verbal (these language questions tend to be more hard wired, or at least easier to answer under stress/less affected than recall or speed tests for ex in sb recently gone through trauma/high stress) it is a result that indicates abnormal mental state/altered cognition at time of testing (and therefore significantly impaired in their function and processing speed, working memory, etc.) that indicates to the psychologist administering the test that there is something abnormal about the result and that the (here, extremely low subscore percentiles) are indicative of cognitive impairment. This is important for evaluator to register because otherwise her, for example, subscores for testing other types of cognitive ability was so exceptionally low in other non verbal sections, that her cumulative result would indicate severe mental retardation. This is obviously not the case - the girl was savvy enough to manipulate the whole town it seems or at least the coffee shop! Such low scores in contrast with a significantly higher verbal ability indicate only that the patient was testing poorly that day because of her emotional state at the time of assessment, and is therefore not representative of severe, inherent and persistent intellectual disabilities as the score would otherwise indicate (had she tested lower, like in the 10th percentile, on the verbal questions as well… which she wouldn’t, because you dont ‘lose’ those abilities in the same way as you lose processing speed and spatial reasoning and so on under extreme stress). It is written this way in the instructions for administrator that such a score is not valid, and that test only shows temporary impairment and cannot generate an IQ result/value unless retested at another time.
I got interested in the Manson case a few years back, so I watched all the documentaries, and interviews with him that I could find. In one documentary, the (then retired) prosecutor described Manson as (I'm paraphrasing here...) clever and manipulative!!!!! I watched an interview and he came across as incredibly dumb, poorly educated, ridiculous, and clearly falsely trying to come across as a bit mad. Bearing in mind he didn't kill a single person, he spend more time behind bars than an average murderer. The worst crime he'd committed as far I remember was stealing cars, small-time theft, and selling drugs. But I suspect taking advantage of a dumb loser criminal, when you can sell to the public an intelligent, master criminal mind and potential mass murderer is far more satisfying for the public making law enforcement look amazing, and the law and court system appear incredibly efficient. I think you're absolutely right. I've always fallen for this story, which certainly always seems to pop up when serial killers are discussed, that they're generally of reasonably high IQ. I wonder if it's also part of the Manson-illusion, that society needs to know that the worst criminals are geniuses, which is how they were able to (often and sometimes for so long) get away with the worst of crimes. It does look better if you catch a criminal genius mastermind than a dumb-criminal idiot.
@@marguerilla I am not a professional, but I believe scores like these are also associated with "nonverbal learning disorder", a diagnosis that is thought to be given to some women who would otherwise be diagnosed as autistic if they were male. It's also comorbid with BPD and ADHD. All of these conditions have at least a small correlation with gender nonconformity too. My knowledge about this comes from having been tested and diagnosed with a few (won't specify which) of these conditions, and a big chunk of my social circle is the same. My cognitive scores show similar discrepancies even when I'm not under stress. I don't know if this means anything, but Ezra has some characteristics of ALL of these categories which I find interesting. She's really a "type". It does make me wonder how the information gets used in the rest of the video though, I am still watching.
Assuming that her IQ scores were informed by her PTSD more than her being a young adult with a passable vocab, that postures as smart and philosophical but can't actually back it up seems like a stretch to this layperson. Also, saying the working memory being that low and saying that indicates poor problem solving seems indicative that she would murder her lover to try to solve her problem of trying to get back with her boyfriend.
The Psychologist was really good. He didn't let anyone on either side push him around for what they "wanted to hear". I like most of his independent thoughts as well on treatments, PTSD, generalizations, and more.
This forensic psychologist is the best I’ve seen in these kinds of trials. Most of them are highly paid for their opinions for the defense. They make hundreds of thousands a year testifying for the defense and they are almost always wackos. At least this guy seems to be unbiased. Now, whether he is or not who knows…..maybe he’s just better at hiding it. Little Miss Ezra may very well have PTSD…..but it’s because she saw the wreckage from her murdering, in cold blood, her lover friend Alex. I feel so sad for Alex’s family. I’m sure they have nightmares and trauma knowing what happened to him. RIP Alex. You didn’t deserve what this manipulative sub-human did to you.
Well I have to say as a patients it’s our responsibility to inform ourselves and not just wait on our therapist for answers.! They can provide you with information but you are an expert in your own life remember that..! They are not there to fix your problems, they are there to guide you to find your own solutions within yourself. Speaking from what my Ph.Ds are telling us at this very moment in my master degree in counseling.
This is all a complete waste of time and money---- _'she lied/she has PTSD and so didn't lie'----_ She admitted to lying anyway---- but it's irrelevant with regard to the ACTUAL crime!!!
I love this psychologist! It seems so hard to find a decent psychologist here in Australia. I’d love to be able to see this doctor…I have complex PTSD & still haven’t murdered anyone. I have been abducted & trafficked for years while working as a professional ballet dancer and sure, I’m not the calmest person in the world but I still haven’t killed anyone because of my life choices. PTSD sucks but it is no excuse in and of itself. The mess Ezra got herself in was created by her & her alone. If I make a bad decision, I live with the consequences. Sometimes those consequences suck and it makes me unbelievably sad. Ezra hasn’t it seems, sat with the consequences of her actions & accepted what she’s done. I guess she’ll have time for that now. Such a travesty that Alex had to die to facilitate her being put away. If not Alex I think it would have been someone else down the track. So sad.
Unbelievable!!! Steven Benson (I refuse to use his professional title), in just one sentence demonstrated such a blind faith, inability to question the process he's dedicated his life to, or accept the fragility of part of a system his 'industry' relies on, he outright killed the credibility of himself and psychology to some extent! Ezra, it seems, used the genuine experience of a previous traumatic experience to help fabricate another, combined with the aged old (and I assume guaranteed failure of 'not remembering') to literally pull the wool over someone's eyes. If psychologist were the only obstacle a criminal had to face to be put in prison, she'd be free right now. Fortunately that 'industry' carries as much weight as the words and testimony of a criminal. Shocking. Disgraceful. But perhaps not completely unsurprising. Remember future criminals... if you've a past traumatic event to help enhance your story of not remembering your crime, you'll always have one advocate in court (well two, as there's always a lawyer that'll defend you!).
Well said, surely there is a disorder / diagnosis listed in the DSM-5 for the "Smartest Guy in the Room" syndrome. In my opinion the man loved hearing his opinions spewing out to a captive (literally captive) audience. Psychology/ Psychiatry is broad in nature and fluid in presentation as well as interpretation of the parties involved with varying contributing factors including but not limited to, maturity, age, history, current and past trauma, development, physical injury / drug use altering levels consciousness / perception of events and reality, and equally if not more importantly, motivation. Ezra had motivation for every action taken, motivation to appear innocent, motivation to repeatedly present as the victim to others, motivation for sexually attention, motivation not to take accountability for her own actions, welfare, or lies. Ezra had no motivation to grow up, maintain employment, and contribute to society, Ezra accomplished her goal in this regard, she will not be a contributing member of society, she will be taken care of by others, including food, housing, utilities, medical, and she will not have to seek employment or a meaningful career, she is where she chose to be at the expense of others. Why anyone, specifically an "expert" in the field, believe anything Ezra said is beyond understanding, she lies like others breathe, freely, automatically, and without thought. Anyone who presents as a victim of everyone in their life is questionable at best, with the individual being the common element of the issue, raises an awareness of the possibility of them being the problem. Ezra spent a lifetime creating and recreating herself, her identify, name, persona, and character.
This guy is full of crap and being paid by the defense obviously ! The lawyer should have asked him to read the DSM 5 criteria and then say no where in that list does it state lying as a symptom of PTSD. And it all becomes a business…
If u watch the trailer the defence asks the same exact question. 7 times in a row even when it's been answered he still proceeds 2 ask the same Damn thing until someone objects he waisted almost half a day holding up the clothing when it had been shown and will b available to the jury anyway henhas no argument or tacktic at all do hes waisting time if u had to deal with idiotic uneducated attorneys I'm sure u would aswell atheist the prosolicution takes there time they ACTUALY HAVE A ARGUMENT AND DONT JUST WAISTE TIME by asking the same pointless thing 10x I can't blame the judge these morons have to be so frustrating and the ridiculous objections and back answering that make no sense and every word rhay comes from there gobs is a obvious lie 😂
I respect this psychologist for not taking anyone side and just doing his job but he was just being extra and difficult at times and that’s just getting under my skin so bad 😂
Dr Benson insight would be more beneficial after the verdict. not when her freedom is at stake .its equal to forcing a drug addict to rehab. They do the bare minimum to appease others fully knowing they are going to do what they want . It's only when they are ready to face their demons that therapy actually works.
He’s horrible. He looks and sounds extremely uncomfortable and confused. He seems unsure of himself and comes off as very weak. He lacks the personality necessary to control a courtroom.
