This is the story of Brian Blackwell, a 19-year-old man (or should I even say boy?) who told his friends he was a professional tennis player and brutally killed his parents when they discovered he had fraudulently opened and used credit cards in their names. He admitted to "manslaughter with diminished responsibility," claiming that his Narcissistic Personality Disorder diminished his responsibility. As this 2005 article discusses, "Blackwell's personality disorder meant he fantasised about unlimited success, power and brilliance" and he resorted to murder when his fantasy began to crumble.
It seems that nothing about Brian Blackwell's life was quite the truth, until he really, truly murdered his parents and then went on vacation with his girlfriend using their stolen credit cards. Is the liar's truth the lie he makes others believe, or the reality only he knows? It almost seems as though his lies about himself became so profound that he was no longer held accountable for his real actions, as though those were made untrue as well. Blackwell was the first person to use Narcissistic Personality Disorder as a criminal defense, and I wonder to what extent he opened the floodgates for others like him. Should Blackwell's actions get more leniency than those of criminals who aren't compelled to lie, who kill for money, or food, or love? Are his fantasies less controllable than others' avarice, gluttony, or lust?
Yikes! Those are good questions you pose, and my guess is his successful defense is a frightening look at things to come!
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