The Real Deal

"I have no doubt that there are some cases where a person has feigned some mental disorder and gotten the jury to believe it."

I recently interviewed Judge Roger Boren. Doesn't ring a bell? He was one of the key law enforcement figures who helped solve the Hillside Strangler Case in the late 1970's. I'm sitting in his chambers in downtown Los Angeles to discuss convicted killer Kenneth Bianchi's failed use of the insanity defense.

"I asked Dr. Martin Orne to come in-- one of the foremost experts in the world in hypnosis. His examination of him ended with the conclusion that he was faking the hypnosis and faking being a multiple personality."

Whenever I conclude an interview, I ask if there are photos or footage I can borrow for our documentaries. Thankfully, I've enlisted Roger's trust --Boren pointing out that other filmmakers have not been so lucky-- because out of hiding comes a very special box. I'm allowed to rifle through all of the contents. But it takes a moment to don on me that these are actual case files with photos. The real deal. Having been exposed to so much CSI-type TV, it took me a moment to realize what I'm looking at--Polaroids of the crime scenes with the Hillside Strangler’s female victims, often nude. Nausea comes over me as I try to gracefully put away the contents. The images would haunt me for many days.