PRECEDENT: Daniel M’Naghten
In 1843 Daniel M’naghten gunned down another man in broad daylight. But when he was taken to trial things got complicated. His defense argued that he shouldn’t be held fully responsible because he wasn’t in his right mind. However, the courts didn’t know what to do with that because there was no precedent for this kind of thing. So his defense team got to work putting in place a defense strategy that is still used, almost in the exact same way, almost 200 years later.
For our friends in the Deaf and Signing community, you can view an ASL version of this episode.
We’d love to speak with you and see how we can support.
If you’re a law enforcement agency or family member of one of the people we mentioned in this episode, or if you’re looking for more coverage on a case, please reach out. You can email us at:
Episode Source Material
- Report of the Trial of Daniel M’Naghton archives
- The M’Naghten Rule
- M’Naghten Rule Definition
- 10 Uses of Insanity Defense
- M’Naghten Case
- R v. McNaughten M’Naghten Case Summary
- Timeline: British Prime Ministers
- The Old Bailey Archives: M/Naughten
- Merriam-Webster Dictionary : Insanity
- Cornel School of Law: The M’Naughten Rule
- A Case of Insanity: PBS Frontline WGCU
- California’s Insanity Defense The M’Naghten Rule
- America’s First M’Naghten Defense and the Origin of the Black Rage Syndrome
- Historical Society of the New York Courts People v. Freeman
- The Case of Daniel McNaughton: Let’s get the story straight, by John Thomas Dalby
Suggested Episodes
WANTED: Justice for Rhys Pocan & MMIW Part 2
In 2021, we set out to cover the case of Rhys Pocan, a 35-year-old Indigenous woman who was murdered in Wisconsin in the ‘80s. In Part 2, we look into cases of two other female dismemberment victims in Wisconsin with striking similarities to Rhys Pocan’s.
WANTED: Justice for Rhys Pocan & MMIW Part 1
In 2021, we set out to cover the case of Rhys Pocan, a 35-year-old Indigenous woman who was murdered in Wisconsin in the ‘80s. But while we were in the field, we uncovered a disturbing pattern of murders with similarities to Rhys’ that were just too blatant to ignore. So, we spent the next three years working with local and federal law enforcement to try and get to the bottom of it.
WANTED: The Keddie Cabin Killer
A family’s brutal murder rocks a tiny California town and leaves behind too many unanswered questions.
Join our Fan Club to listen to this episode and more!
Unlock all of the exclusive benefits and dynamic listening experience as a Crime Junkie Fan Club member.
Join the Fan Club now to reap the rewards!
