Sword and Scale - Episode 233

Episode Date: February 6, 2023

Philosopher John Locke believed that we have no innate ideas; our minds are blank slates upon which experience writes. Modern geneticists argue that we are nothing but the stage on which a play written by our genes is performed. The nature versus nurture debate is one of the oldest philosophical issues within psychology, and countless experiments tested which theory is correct. However, none have ever come close to explaining what happened to 65-year-old Nancy Noone and her twin children.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sword and Scale contains adult themes and violence and is not intended for all audiences. Listener discretion is advised. This is why these psychos, you don't fucking psychos, you just killed my mom! Hello and welcome to season 10 episode 233 of Sword and Scale, a show that reveals that the worst monsters are real. Well, thank you once again for joining us. Just wanna let you know we have a new show coming up soon that we've been working on behind the scenes. I hope you're gonna like it. It's gonna be free at first and then it's probably gonna go to plus. I might go to plus. It's almost definitely gonna go to plus. Might go to plus. It's almost definitely gonna go to plus.

Hey, have you heard about plus? It's our premium service. You have all kinds of bonus content available on there. And you can sign up right now if you go to swordenscale.com slash plus. It's how we're able to do this every week. So if you got a few bucks, you know, Plus, it's how we're able to do this every week. So if you got a few bucks, you know, you know what I'm saying? You know what I'm saying.

Nothing is free in this world. Nothing at all. Get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, get that out, It's an age-old question. Does life experience shape our personalities? Or does our genetic code predetermin them? The nature versus nurture debate has raged since the dawn of philosophy, and scientists have conducted many experiments to try and settle it. In the 20th century, scientists separated twins at birth and raised them apart from one another.

They concluded that the twins had the same chance of being similar in behavior and psychological traits as twins raise together. In conclusion, environmental effects are primarily random rather than systematic effects of parenting or culture. That means it probably doesn't matter how you raise them all that much, because no matter what you do, they might still grow up to be yet another messed up kid. On February 27th, 2019, at 8.30pm, Orange County Sheriff's Office received a frantic 911 call from 18-year-old Amelia King. In between the violent sobs and gasps for air, Amelia explained to the operator that she had returned home from work and found her mother, 65-year-old Nancy Noon, in a pool of

her own blood. As Deputy's rushed to the 600 block of Cornwall Road near Winter Park High School, the dispatcher kept Amelia on the phone and tried to calm her down. When deputies arrived, they immediately noticed the King family car parked horizontally across the road in an unintentional fashion. Amelia darted from the house and into the safe embrace of the officer outside. She was covered in blood and begged the deputy to save her mother, but he waited for backup before clearing the house. As the deputies tactically moved down the hall, they noticed that Nancy locked each door from the outside.

They kicked them all down until they reached the back bedroom. As the deputies exited the empty house, paramedics arrived on the scene. Oh my god! What happened? Did you guys run up here for me? No, did you see her? Only one left! I need one FD1! Yeah, come on, come on, come on, come on!

Maybe on the phone told me to apply pressure, but she wasn't leading. She, She lied? When's the last time you saw her? The last time I saw her, she dropped me off for work. As the paramedic rushed to the bedroom, a sweet metallic smell tainted with the tinge of feces overwhelmed him. Nancy's body lay beside the bed in a lake of blood, her throat cut from ear to ear. Nancy likely would have died in seconds as nearly a gallon of blood pumped out of her throat

and onto the floor. Unfortunately, she also suffered multiple stab wounds to her chest and abdomen before the fatal injury. Amelia claimed her mother wasn't actively bleeding because she was already dead. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. All the medical. Was it painful? I can't say yes or no. I don't know. All right. I would give you the answer if I knew, right? Alright, give me one second, alright? I'm just all over the floor and footsteps, bloody footsteps, on her back like this. And she wasn't moving. She had to move the whole time. Amelia wasn't exaggerating about the bloody footprints.

Red Prince, made by bare feet, started at Nancy's body and wandered around the entire house. The deputies followed the prints out of the back door and onto the yard, hoping to track down Nancy's killer. That was only your honor. You good? I don't want to be a little sick. I don't want to talk about that very kind of stuff. Well, we got to make sure it's fucking secure. Hey, sir. We have a lady for our friends that go from the house out to the backyard, which backs up to the Katie Way Trail. Right?

The Katie Way Trail is a 7.5 mile concrete trail that cuts through Orange County. The deputies lost the footprints along the path and requested a search dog for assistance. As they waited for the dog to arrive, a million formed them that her twin brother Michael was missing and not answering his phone. No. While the dog was tracking Nancy's killer East on Katie Way Trail, her estranged husband Richard King showed up on the scene and, you're going to use my hair. I was, I was, I was, I was going to use her.

Under any other circumstances, that wouldn't have been a problem. But police had no idea why Richard was on the scene because they never contacted him. Or yet, he kept asking his daughter about what the police were saying, directly interfering with their investigation. Before long, law enforcement and rich were fighting, which spiraled into him fighting with his daughter. to move out two years ago, she wanted me out of that house. No, I'm not telling you anything. What a minute, just please quiet. Just three thinking everything's not going to change that she's dead. Despite his daughter's verbal barrage,

the slaughter of his wife and his son missing, Richard didn't shut a tear. He calmly acknowledged the officer's request not to discuss the investigation and held his daughter tighter. I'm sorry, I yelled at you. I'm sorry. I just don't know what's happening to me. I love you. I love you. I love you. Oh my god. Get me off the 13th. Let me check it.

Oh my god. Oh my god. I didn't hear the only one I have loved. Oh my god. I got a video of whatever I love. Oh my God, I can't believe it. Oh my God, this is so horrible. As the K9 unit returned from an unsuccessful trail search, Orange County Detectives arrived on the scene. The detectives allowed Amelia and her father to spend the last few minutes together. At the same time, they examined the house but advised the duo to separate upon their return for questioning. practice to watch replay football

he watches the watch As law enforcement split Amelia from her father, one officer overheard an intriguing whisper. Amelia, let me ask you a question. We weren't here originally when your father showed up. When your father showed up, he started telling you to not speak with us. Why were he sad? I don't know. Do you remember here in Ams that? I don't know. Do you remember hearing him say that?

Yeah, I do. I didn't. And you thought you thought that it was a horrible one? No, I did not. I did not have my phone. Thankfully, Amelia was legally an adult and could speak if she wanted to. Unfortunately, the detectives had their hands full between tracking Nancy's killer, figuring out how Richard knew about the murder, and finding his son. On February 27th, 2019, 18-year-old Amelia King arrived home to find her mother Nancy, slaughtered on the bedroom floor, and her twin brother, missing. While the police were securing the scene, Nancy's husband Richard wandered in to comfort

his daughter. Richard was a military man that served multiple combat tours overseas before he married Nancy. She was perfect, patient, beautiful, and the breadwinner with a career in fashion. They had a wonderful loving marriage that resulted in the birth of their twins Michael and Amelia on October 3rd 2000. To give her children the full attention they deserved, Nancy put her career aside and became a stay at home mother.

In 2010, I was unemployed. I got laid off by Florida Rock and Tanklines. I was a terminal manager and a colleague in DC, there at Trucks and not. So I was unemployed for a while and then I got a job with this company called Fleur and it went overseas to Afghanistan to work as a movement control officer in logistics at Bogger and Air Base. So I was gone for a year. So right there she had them for a whole year and I was when they went to Glenridge Middle.

When I came back from Afghanistan, I came back, I had some money money and were trying to find a job and i'd like to be in a terminal manager being boss and stuff so i went to work for a company called mccenzie down in four lot of the tank company i was going again i live down there for you so then i move back and it was kind of you know now that i'm back at the house again the marriage at some point just started that be a good marriage

which i grew apart, I think so. I think we'd be in overseas. I mean, I'm an ex-army officer so I wasn't married when I was in the military, but I seen a lot of spouses when the spouse is out, the woman runs the house. So it got to a point where she just said, listen, I need you to move out. Adding to the turmoil of his marriage, young Michael started showing concerning behavior. Richard wasn't around enough to witness it, but it peaked with his son being Baker acted. The Florida Baker Act takes place in situations where the person has a mental illness and has

lost the power of self-control, making them a threat to themselves or others. She asked me to leave about two years ago. I guess my wife, it's been, you know, it's one of these things where, you know, all marriages, it's just things were starting to go down and then she asked me to leave back around, I guess it was before my birthday in the Super Bowl January of 2016. I moved out, temporary housing. I worked at the time for an air freight company. It was a manager for them, an area manager. So I moved to the Hunter Creek area because I worked off a satellite boulevard in that area.

So the company had me start traveling after that. So it traveled to Philadelphia, Dallas, different places. You know, divorce is expensive and I knew that once they graduated we would kind of get to that. Maybe it was kind of like the elephant in the room. We'd never talked about divorce or anything. Because I was just happy to see the kids on the weekends and was never any issues between her and I. And when I had the kids I never asked about what was going on the house. You know what you mom do.

I really didn't care to be honest with you. I mean I cared about the kids because they're good kids. Richard and Nancy agreed that he would see the children every Saturday and that's how it stayed while they were in high school. Yes. In a sense where when I, again, when I have them with me, I'm always speaking positive about life. Hey, you guys got a lot going on, you're smart, Michael. You got a good idea, Amelia. You got all these great things.

I told them, I said, listen, your mother moved to this neighborhood. She bought the house. We used to live off at Dykes Road in Hal Branch, and over there by Lake Hal High School. She came, we moved specifically here in 2005 so they could go to an A-plus elementary school and A-plus middle school. I said, you have all the advantages that she had. That's more potential than some people do. Yeah, we don't live in, you know, winter park, winter park, but we lucked out with the good schools.

At least you have a good education to start your life. And that was hurtuous, not mine to move here. Well, things in the King family always seemed dapper while they were with their father. Richard always heard inquiries of a less pleasant atmosphere at their mothers. So I know there was friction. There's always friction, mother, son, mother, daughter friction.

You know what I mean? Just a normal adolescent stuff. But when I had them, the last time I had them with me, I talk about upbeat stuff. How school going? What's going on, Michael? How was it going that McDonald's were you working in? You know, just keep it positive. I wanted their time to be positive with me, because I didn't know what they were dealing with at the house with their mother

nancy wasn't afraid to let Richard know that her relationship with her children was getting bad oh yeah he's just not talking to the yells at me all the time they both would get into a heated stuff with her i guy was as soon as you just kid you know by your parents my parents yelled at me and when they get older you know you know how the domestic thing was with them but she would say that he was getting you wouldn't talk to her about stuff

or she wouldn't do stuff to just a normal stuff you know she would tell me that you know michael's not being talkative amiria's on social media too much gradually we started talking more because she was helping a million with her neighbor academy you know she's an alternate for the navel academy she i don't know she told you that but she's an alternate a neighbor can just

got accepted to emberry and i told nancy do whatever you can to help her get this stuff and she would help a million making sure that the paper the navel academy she had a c or blue and gold officer for an interview she had to take a pt test her mother made sure all that was happening for that's why she's so devastated and with michael was just trying to get him a job and hopefully get

him into the lensee at some point but she was the one where we're all kind of focused on because she had all these things all these irons in the fire as Nancy and Richard rekindled their relationship over their daughter's successes michael drifted further and further away from them. While doing so, Michael isolated himself and his behavior became quite unpleasant. I guess in our world, we will legally separate it. I was never gonna move back

because I think once my kids graduated, she had talked about going back to Miami. She's originally from Miami because she worked for Federated. She's in the fashion world. Those were all the jobs that are done in the garment type stuff. But the main thing was to get these kids out of school. When she was doing great, he quit school, got a GED, passed in on the first time. The GED test is not easy, depending for some people. He matched it on the first time, the GED test, and not easy, depending for some people. He masked it on the first try.

We looked like he was got a job, and then, you know, he just, I just don't know what happened. Michael's behavior wasn't totally out of the ordinary. It just was unusual for a kid his age. Michael never went out, didn't have friends, and couldn't drive. He told his sister he had a girlfriend, but Amelia never met her. Michael spent every single day locked in his room watching YouTube. Sound familiar? I think he was involved, just, I thought he was involved just with minor, maybe smoke at the pot or anything anything i never heard anything about

you know he was doing vape and stuff all the stuff that's going on with kids and all this stuff so i think he was involved in that think it was some alchemy was all the semalcohol abuse think it was some alcohol in the house that she had like with not both drinkers at all really you know i just have it like know, no drinking at all. And I think he was getting involved in that typical young stuff that they were doing.

And I think maybe he was doing that. She doesn't do any of that. So, I mean, there was a time she said that she thought it was real high. And then one time she smelled marijuana in the house. This is before 18th birthday. I told him, I said, once you're 18, I'm sorry, you're fucked. The system's got you by the balls, you're like, you're the belly and the beast. Rough lesson for an 18-year-old kid. But what do you expect from a military man?

The twins received the same attention, education, love, and time. But as they grew older and developed different personalities, the only thing that differed was the expectations. Her grades are good. She has leadership. She's an infant in the ROTC unit. She, part of the flight academy at Blum. She's been doing that since she was freshman. Her FATs were a little school.

I think her FATs are like 1200. The Naval Academy wants her 30, 40, but her GPA is good. She's got leadership, community service, working. Her blue and gold officer is a guy who works for a Marine pilot Naval Academy grad work for a company called Corsair here. I think they do that stuff out in research. He thought she was excellent. So he had a lot going for. He, I just wanted to get a job. Nancy ran a tight ship to produce successful children, which caused Michael to rebel even further. As far as Richard could tell, the kids still respected their mother.

Well, I think she was, I mean, I, she never said she was scared, but she, they're both, I mean, she was only five, six, then, they're both physically imposing. And he's probably, he's not as he, I mean, she was only five, six, then, they're both physically imposing. He's probably, he's not as he like I am, but he's like Tom and Leigh, and she, you know, he's a little bit tall than her. On February 27th, 2019, Richard spoke with Nancy,

and everything appeared to be completely normal. I asked her about Amelia, and I said, did you go to the u-s-f-f-divis portal when you apply to check on your status i got the phone here three forty five i talked to her and i said you know you know a million login code for the u-s-f-portal i said you need to check and see if they haven't they haven't said that she's been approved it like she embriza already said i think you go in there and see what the status is? Do you need more

documents? Do you need this and that? And that was around 3.45 and then I asked her, I said, what's Michael doing? Is he working? And she said, no, he's in his room. I said, okay. I said, where's Amelia? She's in her room and she's getting ready to go to work and I drive her to work. And the last I talked to. The rest of his day was an eventful until 9 p.m. when he received a phone call from the fire department. He and Nancy were legally married, so the fire department called Richard without notifying the police or asking any questions.

Richard advised his daughter not to speak with the police until they had an attorney present to avoid incriminating herself, but she changed his mind. My name is Amelia Rose King. Okay, and what's your date of birth? Okay, and what do you live? What do you live here with? My mom and my brother. Okay, what's your mom's name? That's the end of the year. Okay, and what's your brother's name? The end of the nude. Okay, and what's your brother's name?

Michael Anthony King. I'm the same, you and Michael are twin. Yes, sir. Amelia started her day that morning differently than she did most days. So I didn't go to school today because our school had a thing called senior safari, but I didn't go because it was $80.

But it was basically like a senior skip day, so you could not have to go to school. So I just went out with my friend Jay. We went to the lake and then we went to, we just drove around. I don't know. We went to Panera on Park Avenue and then he dropped me home and then he was home to be the work at five. He was a lot of time. Michael wasn't at school that day either, but that was part of his routine. He flung out last year and we tried to send him to the Aloma School, he just would not go. He would not go ever any day.

My mom would drive him to school with me in the car and I'd get out and he would not get out. He'd have like a mental breakdown like he would not go in in he'd become a sterile so we took him out he flowing down the winter party so we put him in a loma and he stopped going there to he wouldn't so we forced him to get a gd and he passed it and then he recently just got fired from his job or it might be Donald it was his own fault though he didn't show up my mom would ask him every day, do you have work today?

Do you have work today? Do you have work today? Do you have lied or anything? No, so they fired him. Unlike his sister, Michael was lazy and enjoyed lying in bed on the internet. He says he hates us. He's always said he hated us and that. Were there reason not for everything that's happened to him and

my mom just wasn't taking this shit anymore. She had been taking you stuff for so long. She had been dealing with this bullshit for so long and she started telling him, you keep acting this way, I'm going to kick you out. You keep acting this way, I'm going to kick you out. We've always argued. We've always been like any argument we've ever had is between me, my mom, and him,

because he would argue with her, and then I'd have to get involved because he'd get mad at her, and like, but every time it would just be about something that was his fault. You know what I mean? He'd be yelling at her because he didn't go to school. She caught him with drugs because of like this all the stuff

knowing that police placed michael on a mental hold as a child they assumed he had a history of violence but he didn't he has been bigger acted yes do you remember the circumstances around that he was cutting himself and he ran away and he was at the Walgreens, Nancy still loved her son and wanted him to be safe. She threatened to kick him out of the house, but that was no more than a threat.

At the end of the day, she believed he was stuck in a teenage funk and would come out of it. My mom was like, she won nicest person in high school. In what you would call it, permafrost or whatever, what do you call it? Superlatives, she won nicest person. Literally, it was like the nicest person. And my brother just walked all over her. That makes you wonder,

who would murder the most considerate lady on earth in such a brutal fashion. Let's start with Monday. Let's start with Monday. Apparently something happened just in one Monday. Okay. I was sitting in my room and my mom was just walking through the hallway. And all of a sudden my brother runs out of the room and my mom's just screaming,

Amelia, Amelia, Amelia, he's attacking me. And he was trying to get the keys out of her hand. The keys to what? OK, so my brother has had a problem for a while. So my mom changed all the locks on our bedroom doors so we could lock them when we leave and only she had a key. So he was trying to get the keys to start the car, I guess, but it was just the keys to our door, like one of our locks doors.

So I had him in a full headlock and he would not let go and i was like to find out his name got and he ran out the door and he was trying to open the door to the to my mom's car but he couldn't get in and then so he came back to the door and he was banged on the door and my mom and i would not let him in we did not we just we told him you're gonna stay out there tonight that's what you get and then he told her earlier this we got saved was talking to him. And like, she is like, I assume.

According to Amelia, Michael became a kleptomaniac in the last few months. Michael would steal anything that wasn't locked up and pawn it for a few dollars. If that wasn't enough to explain the locks on each door, speaking to Satan, certainly was. How long has this issue been going on? He's been like this forever ever since he was little when he was young. He got a big, directed. How about this behavior, though?

He. This extreme behavior. Okay, he didn't start acting really, really weird until maybe a month ago. He will look it off into the distance and not even say anything. And we would be directly talking to him and he would not acknowledge us. And then he said, he said that to my mom, but he wasn't talking to him. And then he, but he told me the next day

that he said that he was just saying that because he wanted her to stop talking to him, but I don't think that's true. Despite being constantly at odds with his mother and confining himself to his bedroom, Michael attempted to have a relationship with his twin. I said, no, I gotta go to work. I should have talked to him though. Amelia felt guilty, realizing that if she had stayed home with her brother that day, their mother might still be alive.

Those hindsight thoughts were eating her alive as they would anyone in a similar situation. And then everything was normal yesterday, and then today I just dropped me on to work. And I waited for her till 820. I called her a couple of times before that, but there was no answer. And then I finally, after calling back so many times, my brother answered the phone. And my mom, he would never be late.

And if she was late, she would answer me. And right when I heard my brother answer the phone, I knew he had done so. I didn't knew it. There's no reason he would have had her phone. If her phone is in his, her phone is in her purse on her body body and there's no way and he told me he said she's out running errands, you have to walk home and I knew

right there. I yelled at him. I said, if you heard her, I'm going to... Amelia was heartbroken over what she believed happened. But answering someone's cell phone was a far cry from being caught red handed. I have to hear my said where's mom and he says she's out running errands. And I said I knew that was a lot. I knew he was lying to me. And I was like oh she's out running errands like because why would she peel out running errands if her, because why would she pee out running errands if her phone was at home?

And I was like, and he said, oh she just left her phone at home. She told me she's out running errands, and I said, I don't remember what I said, but I just remember that there was a point when I just started screaming. I just was like, if you heard her, you better not have heard her, you better not have heard her, because I just knew, but like by the tone of his voice, he's my own brother, you know?

I know when he was lying, I know when I knew. It sounded like Amelia had the entire case packed up and tied in a pretty little bow. But detectives couldn't take everything an 18-year-old girl in hysterics had to say is factual. What do you sound like? Completely like trying to be calm. Like he sounded like, I don't know.

He didn't sound like himself, so that's how I knew. He didn't sound like how he usually talks to me. Like the monotone or was he excited or is more monotone? Very monotone. He was like, she's not here, she's running errands. And I was like, okay, so I'm supposed to Uber home. Or I said I'm supposed to walk home. And he was like, yeah. And I knew then, I asked him, I said,

mom told you that I was supposed to walk home. He said, yeah, I knew right then. He was lying. Because my mom literally made it a point, made it a point to always pick me up because it's so dangerous to walk home as a girl. I have to walk through the parking lot, I have to walk all the way down, like that's a far walk, you know, and I don't have a car.

My mom would never make a walk, but she actually gets mad at me when I offer to walk it. Take a moment to think about what you would have done in Amelia's shoes. You're an 18-year-old girl, speaking to your twin on the phone, and you're under the impression that he just harmed your mother. Well, Amelia called an Uber and rushed home to kick his ass. And then I got in my list, and I came home, and I came around the corner and I saw the car like that. And I ran into the house and the door was locked. I ran up to the house and I got my keys and I opened the door and I walked in and I saw the bloody footprints on the floor and I just knew right then and there.

So I ran into my room and I grabbed my baseball bat because sir if my brother had been in that house, if my brother had been over my mom, he'd be dead right now. He'd be dead right now. I would have taken my baseball bat and smashed him over the head for when he did to my mom. My mom is laying in there with her throat cut open and my own blood. And my mom was my name was wonderful lady. All she ever did was try to help my brother. That's all we ever tried to do.

It wasn't just me there for him and help him. And he just was so mean to us. Whether you consider it fortunate or unfortunate, Michael was long gone before Amelia arrived. And when I walked in there her purse was right nice to her body. So I know he was right there on the phone doggy to me, right nice to her. Why should she keep her phone in her purse? Always, never leaves her purse.

She even has a little carrying case. She put their phone in her purse. And he would never have access to her purse, because he does not trust him. She has not trusted him for so long. And this is why, because he's psycho. He's a fucking psycho. He just killed my mom, our own mother. My twin brother just killed my mom.

And then I have no idea what to do. There was one hole in Amelia's story. Michael had zero access to any type of weapons. My mom, our knife drawer, in our kitchen, completely empty. The only knives we have, and you can go look, is butter knives. Because she knew he was going to do something. So she hid all the knives, all of them. You know where she hid them? No, I have no idea. of them you know where she hit them

no i have no idea i have no idea where she hit them my brother is a very disturbed soul like longed out of high school he doesn't have his learners permit he lost his job in the dawn

we had been trying everything to help him it is getting like worse and worse and worse. Wait, do you think your brother could be right now? He's on the trail. He's somewhere. He's getting trail. He has, he's somewhere. He's, yeah, he's on the Katie way trail somewhere. Because there is nowhere else he could go.

Nobody else. No, he does not. If it was Michael that tried to steal Nancy's car during his escape, he didn't get very far, given it was in the middle of the road outside their house. Assuming he had left on foot, he didn't have money for a cab or a bus ticket. So the detectives believed Amelia was right. My mom's credit card's missing out of her purse than he took it. Okay, so it looked like it's missing? Or do you know it's missing? I don't know it's missing. It looked like her purse has been rummaged through and I

weren't looking at her. I think she was the only looking at her. She's there. There was the biggest cash I've ever seen a girl tonight. I can't believe I just saw my mom like that. My own mother was just laying in front of me like that. Law enforcement closed the scene and failed to find Michael along the trail. They put out an alt points bulletin describing the 510 170 pound 18-year-old possibly on a bicycle, but no one spotted him. The police searched Michael's social media for 11 hours, tracking his phone and knocking on doors with no luck.

And the detectives' mind, Michael could have been anywhere in the city. And that's if he was still even there. That is when they received a phone call from the same 24 hour Walgreens that Michael was found at a decade ago when he was Baker acted. At seven in the morning on February 28th, a man walked into the store with a curly haired teenager behind him. The teen wore a red shirt and black shorts with legs soaked in so much blood that it appeared he was bleeding profusely from his groin. According to the man,

he found the teen in the park off Cady Way Trail. When the police arrived, the teen identified himself as Michael King. He also calmly advised him that he had a knife in his pocket. The police didn't arrest Michael, after all, their only evidence was Amelia's statements, but they took him into the station for questioning. No, I was not. You went out home at all today? No, I was in a blood-scarred and in a truce. Is that how you have all those cuts and scratches on you? Yeah, this is the one. You have some scratches right there just above the adidas. So, see it?

Yeah, so I got one. Yes. You said you got caught on your leg. That's why you have all that blood on your legs? No, sir. It's not. How do you have so much blood on you? Thank you, over. Oh, my mom. That didn't take long.

The way Michael said, no sir, it's not. Sounded more like he was being inconvenienced than anything else. It was as if he was caught cheating on a test, not murdering his mother. What is going to be what happened? I... It's a pin right? And that kilter? Huh. By stabbing your little arms and slitting it through. Is that the knife that we took from your pocket?

No, it was a kitchen knife. It was like a regular kitchen knife, steak knife, butcher knife. What kind of knife? a kid. Michael's description matched his mother's wounds, but Amelia told them that Nancy knew what was coming and hid the kitchen knives. Or do you use it? Where did you find it? She, uh, from all the lies in this, like, place in the garage in a box, and took it out there.

Why? What happened? I just snapped. I haven't been. Actually. Just snapped. Was there something that's a place today that you're going to? Not particularly about the car. What happened with the car? Why is it kind of like in the street? I'm trying to leave it afterwards.

Yeah. What happened? Well, I don't know what would be the gear. Got to stop. I'm just gonna shift. Imagine being too young to operate the gear shift on a vehicle, and sending it across from a detective explaining why you cut your own mother's throat. According to Michael, he was on medication for either depression or anxiety, but he couldn't remember which.

Michael being all over the place explains why bloody footprints covered their entire house. Nancy's murder was no methodical hit. According to Michael, it was barely a thought at all. And you won't know how you went about stabbing your mom, where did it start? It started up to the neck. Where was she when you started to stab her? She was in her room where she got it. She said she wasn't any place else in the house. She wasn't walking around.

She wasn't walking around. She wasn't. So, she's on her own, which he's doing something specific. If you know when you were coming, you know, how did you plan this? I didn't plan it at all. Michael didn't kill his mother out of anger or hatred. Instead, his actions had a much more horrifying motive. 18-year-old Michael King confessed to stabbing his mother and then cutting her throat.

King told police where to find the murder weapon he had stashed in his dresser drawer to prove he was telling the truth. When the police went to retrieve the knife hidden in Michael's bedroom, they also discovered a handwritten note. That note read, I'm possessed, and you are possessing a woman. You need to kill her. Michael also left his computer playing YouTube, and the last thing he watched was a video about Fortnite minutes before he murdered his mother. The idea just came to you

to grab the knife. Go to your father? Yes? Yes. Were you still angry about something that happened early in the week? No. No? No. So just on the blue you. I got a knife. I walked into her room. And I'm filled with it. Would she say anything to you when you open the door?

Please don't do it. Nancy knew there was a possibility that this day would come. But when Michael walked in carrying a kitchen knife, it became all too real. She begged her flesh and blood to spare her life, but she didn't know that pleading was a waste of breath. She would have. What a response. Michael felt nothing. No sadness, no fear, no anger, nothing after killing his own mother. Michael's indifference is almost worse than anger or hate because there is no rationale

behind his actions. Meanwhile, his sister who only saw the aftermath was a panicked heartbroken mess of a person. half of you. What is your family like in the realm? Yeah. Do you ever feel sadness? Sometimes. I usually just feel nothing. Anything bring you joy or happiness? Nothing does About anger Sometimes good like It's really like Not specific things It's just sort of

Reactionary Chris Randoly Somebody you react into something is not that you're just sitting there and you get angry. I can't really think of anything that makes me angry. You don't think what you did to your mom had some anger in it? You done? Okay. You almost feel bad for the detective trying to scrape a conversation out of Michael like he's Damien Thorn. Yes. You got it. You didn't feel any remorse for it? No. Did your mother ever change your poorly? Yes. Tell me, buddy.

She was always very rude to my sister. I was in your constant agitation with us. She was just always going off all the time, and then you're going off. I mean, she'd like just yell in your face for no reason. According to Michael, his mother was constantly rude and agitated with them.

I can't imagine that the fact that his school kicked him out, his job fired him, and he refused to leave the house had anything to do with that. Did any of that happen today? No. Any of it happened any time this week besides the incident on Monday when you want the decarquise. Yeah. You know, I will feel wish you'd be like that with you. Every day. Every day.

Every single day. Do you believe you mother loved you? I do not. You do not. I'm on heavy debt's hill in that way. Right, I'll work. I'll work. How about your dad?

I feel the same way. How about your sister? I feel the same way. Yeah, where's everyone? Do you don't think there's anyone out there that loves you? Michael could claim that no one loved him, but Nancy treated her two children the same way. An Amelia talked on and on about how much she cared for them. Michael was beginning to sound less like a psycho killer and more like a teenager

confusing appearance reaction to their behavior with how much they are loved. I'm pretty familiar stuff like well. I'm rather not sure. Is this something that's like what you do today? What's the first time I've ever really done something like this? That was true. Michael had no history of torturing animals or testing the limits of violence other than, of course, cutting his own mother's throat. you intention today what did you want to achieve today we've been wrong what you did you don't remember I guess that is you said you said that multiple times she's on the back and took a little bit for her to die was the goal to try to get? Like, what do you call this? The negativity out of the house? Or did you just want to kill her?

I didn't really want to. I just kind of thought of it and did it. Like, within minutes, hours, you thought out of bed. You say hours? That was a minute. Minutes. Like a child, Michael had no impulse control. Within minutes of thinking about killing his mother,

he did it. According to Michael, he didn't even really want to do it, but once he had the thought, it was already too late. And that's when you walked into the garage, got the knife. So did you already have the knife? I think I've been there before. Sorry, walked into the garage. Yeah, but was that before what the thought popped into your head? Or asked it?

Asked it. So, no one said the garage straight, has to the garage garage you go where? Timon rolls where? Nothing. And then you do what? Right here with. Okay, bye.

Stabbing her and cutting her throat. Did you cut her throat while she was on the ground? I wish you fine, you would at that time. We started, you know, above ground, and we were on the ground, and then we, um, and then she died. She was like blocking it with her hands. Michael physically couldn't sound any more inconvenienced by describing how his mother put her hands up to block the knife as her son swung down upon her. at all. Yeah. Call it. My sister. Do you pick up her hair and she said, are you sure that you

do something? And I said, no, she left her phone on the kitchen counter. And I said, no, she left a sort of like a recent interpretation. Why do you tell her she was running errands? That I could hide the body. It was going to leave. I know where. Anywhere I guess. Michael just validated Amelia's fear. While he spoke calmly to his sister over the phone, he actively stood above their mother

while she bled to death. way you run into that gentleman we saw you with Walgreens. Yeah. What do you do while you're at the park? I wait. I'm hot. You're high in there? Yeah. Did you see when the enforcement started arriving at your house? Yeah.

No. You didn't see any of the police started showing up already, did you? No. Jenny. So what are you doing next after you're at the park? I get a water. I moved from one spot to another. I didn't wait. That's about it.

When do you run into that man that you was with that Wal-Grenk? He was in the park, he was laying down on a table. You just started talking to him, you got one? Does he just start talking to you? Yeah, I just started talking to him. You know him? Yeah. How do start calling him to him. You know him? Yeah. How do you know him?

I just met him. Okay. Did you guys talk about anything? Not really. Did you tell him about what you did? Yeah. The detectives arrested Michael shortly after his confession and charged him with the second degree murder of his mother.

King's defense immediately started throwing around mental illness and understandably so. No average human goes from watching a child's game to cutting their mother's throat for no reason, other than they felt like it. Michael's father attempted to wrap his head around what might have driven his son to such an unexplainable violent act. But he couldn't find one. You know, one of you guys asked me if I saw any drug abuse. I don't know.

I could his age. I mean, you know, one police officer made a comment that this history at the house. If there is, I didn't know. I could his age. I mean, you know, one police officer made a comment that there's history at the house. If there is, I didn't know about any history. Now, he was Baker after years ago, and I don't know about any history. Again, I never asked, and I didn't dwell on that stuff with them, because I only had a foreshort time on Saturday. Why are I not a deal with the negative? In April of 2019, three psychologists hired by Michael's public defender took the stand and testified that he wasn't fit to stand trial.

All three psychologists agreed that Michael suffered from a psychotic disorder possibly caused by schizophrenia. Their theories were believable, backed by Amelia's claim that her brother spoke with Satan, and that he was bakeracted as a child. The psychologist agreed that Michael could rehabilitate his competency with treatment, and argued that months in a state hospital would do him wonders. Those state hospitals are often so successful, don't you know? The Orange County Jail's doctor testified that Michael had improved his mental state since taking anti-psychotic medication. The prosecution also argued that it was too soon to determine whether Michael belonged in a mental institution or not.

The judge took everything into account and ordered King's medical records before ruling that he was unfit to stand trial. Later that fall, the judge overturned his ruling. Nearly a year went by before the judge again ruled Michael and competent. As of the writing of this episode, Michael resides in limbo in the Orange County Jail. Michael's father justifiably stands against continuing a relationship with his son. And I really don't want to talk to him. I really don't want to talk to him. To me, to me, to me you own him. He's in the belly of the beast now. You own him. He's fucked. The system's got him by the balls. And I have no any, I don't even, what he's done to James too live is destroyed.

Actually, it's three lives. That little little girl he's destroyed his sister destroyed his mother destroyed himself all the potential not some fucking crack deal with some fucking pine heels you know can't blame the system can't blame that I didn't have this advantage that advantage just another fucked up middle class kid Nancy noon sacrificed her adult life for her twins. Nancy quit her highly successful job to become a state-home mother and moved away from her home in Miami to live in a suburb for the better schools. Nancy gave Michael and Amelia the same attention, education, love, and discipline. She never beat either of them or starved one

and not the other. Their genes were essentially the same, and so was their environment. So no nature versus nurture argument was needed because there was no difference between any of it. Yet Emilia went in one direction and Michael went in the opposite. Emilia was playing sports and making friends at a young age, while Michael was cutting himself and admitted to a mental hospital. By their teen years Emilia was getting offers from the naval academy and was an honor student. But her twin dropped out of high school and was fired by McDonald's. Then seemingly out of nowhere while watching a YouTube video, Michael decided to murder his mother. He walked into the garage to steal the knife she had hidden for this particular scenario,

and then he walked to her room, and then she begged her son for mercy. And as he stabbed her, she fought for her life. Michael then cut her throat from ear to ear because why not? He didn't kill her out of anger, frustration, or any other reason. According to Michael, he didn't even want her to die. He just did it. Then while standing above their mother's corpse, he talked to Amelia. His voice never shook, his heart never raced, and he never shed a tear.

Michael felt nothing at all. When Amelia arrived home and discovered what her brother had done, When Amelia arrived home and discovered what her brother had done, her reaction was the opposite. She was traumatized, devastated, and would never be the same. Again, Richard was heartbreakingly accurate when he said Michael ruined three lives for seemingly no rhyme or reason. for seemingly no rhyme or reason. Michael was what all good parents do everything in their power to avoid producing. Just another fucked up middle class kid. Alright, that's going to do it. Thank you so much for joining us once again. Again, that's Sword and Scale.com slash plus if you want to join. You can also check out our store at store.swordandscale.com

Until next time, remember that people are shit and it's a dangerous world, so stay safe. 1.0-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5-1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5%

1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% Hey my name is Jill, I'm from Massachusetts and I just wanted to call in to what you know that I was very good friends with Lizzie Marriott from episode 195. I've heard a few stories about her and nobody actually told her full story. Her true self and like what actually happened to her. And you're the only one that did it. And I'm so, so appreciative of that. I love your stories. I love listening to you every time I get an email it says, you saw in scale episode, I am Tom and I grabbed my fiancee. Get in here, we're gonna do episodes.

So thank you for everything that you do. I know you also have great writers. You guys are just awesome. And awesome team all together. And I wish you guys the best and I can't wait to hear what's coming up soon. Hey, I'm probably not in the right place. But I just finished episode 142 because I'm binge-looking everything after I found your podcast. This is amazing by the way. But I heard of the name, I heard a lecture being suggested, and man, that would be chill, because I used to work with him when I was in the maze. So that's really wild, but I love your stories, I love all the information, I know it, and I really enjoy it, so I just wanted to call on him, and I really tell you that I knew that man, and it is very wild of experience, so take care, and keep killing it, and thank you. Terry Mike, MrPodcast, we're here today.

It's Dave calling for rest of Australia. I reckon you should look up the word, podcast, dictionary, and there'll be a photograph of you. I've been listening to this show for years and years, you are the best. No, I can't even close to you. And for all those hated out there, well, they're, and multiply.

Stay safe, staff holds. Thank you.