In 1987, in a suburb of Toronto, Canada, a 23-year-old man named Kenneth Parks drove 23 kilometers to his in-laws’ house.
Once there, he entered the home with a tire iron.
He attacked and killed his mother-in-law, and badly injured his father-in-law.
Then and this is the surreal part he drove straight to a police station and confessed.
But there was a twist: He claimed he was asleep the entire time.
The Defense: Automatism
Parks had a history of sleep disorders and was under immense stress due to gambling debts and job loss. On the night of the attack, his lawyers argued he was in a state of non-REM sleep, where he experienced a rare phenomenon called automatism performing complex behaviors while unconscious.
Sleep experts were brought in. EEGs, sleep studies, and neuropsych evaluations followed. The defense argued that he wasn’t aware, conscious, or in control of his actions.
Parks had no motive, no memory, and even injured himself during the attack (cut tendons in his hand) but didn’t feel it — further suggesting dissociation from reality.
The Verdict
Incredibly, the court acquitted him in 1989. The jury accepted the sleepwalking defense.
He was found not guilty due to non-insane automatism.. a legal term meaning he didn’t commit the crime knowingly or voluntarily.
The case made headlines around the world. It became a landmark in both forensic psychiatry and criminal law, raising questions about free will, consciousness, and criminal responsibility.
This case still gets cited in medico-legal textbooks and neurology discussions.
Imagine killing someone in your sleep – and the court agreeing you never woke up.