60: Creepypasta Laughing Jack - J.T. & The Serial Killer Clown - Shades of Murder: A True Crime Podcast

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
On July 23rd, 2015 in Elkhart, IN, firefighters arrived at the
bizarre scene of an apartment building.
Outside, near the door laid a bloody knife.
Inside one of the bedrooms they discovered the body of a mother
of two. Who was this victim and who was
the monster who had murdered herand set the family's house on

(00:25):
fire? Hello and welcome to Shades of

(01:09):
Murder. I'm your host, Alita Caldwell.
In this podcast, I discuss casesof murder from around the world
and throughout history, attempting to unravel the layers
of darkness that help make humans and are monsters.
Please be forewarned that each episode contains specific and at

(01:30):
times very graphic and disturbing details of the case.
This show is not intended for all audiences and listener
discussion is strongly advised. Late in the night of July 23rd,
2015, the first responding officer, Daniel Meyer, arrived
on the scene of an apartment fire in Elkhart, IN.
He observed a large amount of blood in the hallway of the

(01:52):
building. There was a trail of blood that
ran up the stairs and stopped onthe 3rd floor.
Near 1 of the doors he discovered a bloody knife.
The apartment was overflowing with smoke.
Officer Meyer donned a gas mask he had inside his car before
entering the residence. When the fire department arrived

(02:14):
and surveyed the apartment, theyfound a woman lying on the floor
of one of the bedrooms. They rushed the woman to the
hospital where she was pronounced deceased.
The victim was identified as 50 year old Maria Torres.
Autopsy results would reveal that the woman's official cause
of death was from multiple stab wounds to her torso and face,
including a stab wound made to her chest that was three and

(02:38):
three quarter inches deep. Edwintors and his daughter were
traumatized by the night's events, barely able to speak to
officers about the horror that had transpired.
The father told the police that his 12 year old daughter had
attacked his wife, stabbed him, and set their home on fire.
The girl, identified only as JT,had fled to unknown whereabouts

(03:00):
after he had gotten the knife away from her.
Officers were stunned by what they were hearing.
A 12 year old girl who had stabbed her stepmother to death
attacked her father and started a fire and hopes to kill them
all, and APB was immediately dispatched to locate the missing
child who was now a suspect in first degree murder and arson.

(03:26):
Early the next morning, a man was abruptly awakened by an
unexpected knocking at his frontdoor.
There stood two young girls he had never seen before.
They claimed that they had been hiking in the area with their
families, but somehow they got lost on the trail.
The girls were very hungry and asked him if he had some food.

(03:47):
The man, who was later identified as Zachary Slaver,
found their claims to be a bit suspicious since there were no
hiking trails nearby and he noticed that one of the girls
was barefoot. He told them though he was happy
to call their families, but theyavoided this and never gave him
any contact information. Mr. Sleeper told them that he

(04:11):
would go inside and cook them something, but he wanted them to
remain on the porch. Hungry, desperate and without a
real plan. The girls obliged.
He called the police while he made some food for the girls,
believing them to be runaways. Little did he know he had just
helped capture a murderer. When the police arrived at his

(04:33):
residence, they immediately brought the girls into custody
due to minor privacy laws. The 212 year old girls are
referred to by their initials JTand JP.
Inside one of the girls backpacks, officers discovered
pants with blood stains. When investigators interviewed
the girl, known as JP, she sworethat the pants were not hers.

(04:55):
She told them they belong to herfriend JT.
She also shared with the police how her friend JT had more than
one personality. It was determined that the girl
had no involvement in the crime and she was released into her
parents custody. While under investigation, 12
year old JT remained in custody at the Elkhart County Juvenile

(05:16):
Detention Center. During the homicide
investigation, it was learned that the following sequence of
events occurred on the night of July 23rd, 2015.
After she made plans via text tomeet up with her friend JP.
Later that night, 12 year old JThung out with her family as if
everything was normal. She talked with both her father
Edwin and stepmother Maria whilethey eat dinner together and

(05:38):
watch TV. Her father would later describe
the bizarre and disturbing grin his daughter wore on her face.
He said she kept exposing all ofher teeth when she smiled.
Edwin Torres also shared how hisdaughter had been standing in a
weird, unnatural pose, although she kept reassuring him that

(05:59):
everything was fine. Later that night, when her half
brother was out of the house andher half sister had already gone
to bed, JT lit her room ablaze. Her stepmother suddenly awoke to
a loud sound and smelled smoke. She walked over to JT's bedroom.
As she opened the door, smoke bellowed out into the hall.

(06:21):
Then she saw JT. The young girl was standing in
the middle of her bedroom. She wasn't saying a word.
Her father awoke to this commotion and rushed into the
room. A fire was burning on the floor
and an even larger 1 was blazinginside her closet.

(06:42):
Maria pulled JT away from the fire and into the hallway as her
father tried to extinguish it. Then he heard his wife screaming
saying that JT had a knife. When he came back into the
hallway he watched as his wife Maria was knocking on their
daughter's door. She opened the doors till half
asleep and saw her mother soakedin blood.

(07:07):
I'm dying. Call the police.
With the last words her mother ever spoke to her, she
frantically dialed 911. Meanwhile, JT's father saw her
standing by the front door of the apartment.
She was wielding a knife and wasstanding strangely.
He told her they all needed to leave or they would die in the

(07:28):
fire. JT looked into her father's eyes
and warned him to stay back, telling him to not get any
closer to her. She spoke to him in a creepy
clown like voice. He ignored what she said and JT
swung at her father with the blade.

(07:51):
Edwin Torres opened the door andthey struggled with the knife
toward the hallway of the building.
He got the knife away from his daughter, tossing it aside, but
he could not stop JT as she ran away from the apartment into the
night. Once Edwin Torres stopped moving
around, he saw that JT had slashed one of his arms and he
was bleeding profusely. Even so, he ran back into the

(08:14):
apartment to rescue his other daughter, who told him that she
thought Mom was dead. The two rushed to safety outside
the apartment and waited for lawenforcement and the fire
department to arrive. When officers interviewed JT
hoping trying to understand whatpossible motive this young girl
had for wanting her parents dead, she told them she did it

(08:38):
because Laughing Jack told her to.
Laughing Jack is a creepypasta character.
Creepypastas are horror related legends that have been created
and shared online. Coined in 2007, it's the
blending of the words creepy andcopypasta which is sling for
copy and paste. Essentially they have become the

(09:01):
modern day Internet form of legends and folklore.
This user created content features stories and images of
the paranormal including ghosts,rituals, zombies, aliens,
cryptids, and more, often with ahomicidal or suicidal edge.
Their appeal is similar to talesof legend and lore shared around

(09:22):
a campfire, except these are spread via the Internet.
They weave some truths with first person narration around
make believe characters and stories instead of by word of
mouth. These dark tales spread like a
virus, being copied and pasted through digital channels,
reaching a massive audience. Creepypastas are also

(09:44):
represented through images, videos, and even interactive
games. They have also found influence
in various films like Slender Man and all seasons of sci-fi
Channels Channel 0 which are based on different creepypasta
characters. Channel 0 is one of the most
compelling, fascinating and disturbing series I have ever

(10:07):
seen. Especially creepy during this
spooky season. But really anytime I would
highly recommend watching this bizarre and extremely unique
show. Being into dark and creepy
characters sounds relatively normal for teens and preteens to
be interested in. I myself watched very violent,

(10:29):
disturbing slasher horror films as a preteen.
Although I was fascinated by these evil characters portrayed
on screen, even at 7 years old Iknew the villains weren't real,
much less did I attempt to emulate them.
Creepypasta characters are oftenportrayed as being ominous,
mysterious, and extremely violent, and the line between

(10:53):
reality and fantasy has been known to blur for some of its
fans and users. Creepypastas are now infamously
associated for inciting fanatic,even erratic and homicidal
behavior shown by some of its viewers.
The Slender Man character has become infamous when 212 year

(11:15):
old girls who were obsessed withthe fantasy villain lured to the
woods and stabbed their friend, 12 year old Peyton Lautner, to
appease Slender Man and prove tothe world that he was real.
Fortunately, and incredibly, this brave young girl survived
despite being stabbed 19 times. As a result, web administrators

(11:38):
of many creepypastas posted statements reminding their users
and fans of the line between fantasy and reality.
Creepypasta stories and images seem to hold an abnormally
strong impression over especially young children, some
of whom have become confused about what is real and what is

(12:01):
fantasy. This violent and disturbing act
committed by 212 year old girls against their friend occurred
less than a year before JT murdered her stepmother.
No one in J TS life was paying attention to the media she was
consuming, specifically the subject of her fascination, who

(12:22):
was a clown called Laughing Jack.
Yet JT never hid her obsession with a dark, sinister clown
character. JT and her friend JP, who was
one of the few friends the girl had first met in fifth grade.
They shared a love for the spookier side of things and

(12:42):
wrote horror stories they referred to as creepypastas.
A lot of their time together, aswell as alone, was spent writing
and reading these tales of sadistic and bizarre
supernatural beings who commonlykilled and tortured innocent
people, including children. So who is Laughing Jack?

(13:04):
You may be curious to know. Laughing Jack would be a typical
looking clown, except that he wore a black and white costume
and was properly illustrated holding knives.
What may be the most disturbing aspect about Laughing Jack is
his origin story. Laughing Jack is the story of a

(13:25):
clown who became consumed by darkness and twisted by
vengeance when he was portrayed by the child he loved.
Originally, Laughing Jack was a fun, light hearted creature
created by a guardian Angel. Laughing Jack was a bright and
colorful jack-in-the-box clown who mirrored the personality of

(13:48):
his owners in 1800s London. He was sent to be the imaginary
friend of a young boy named Isaac Grossman.
Isaac Grossman was a very impoverished and lonely little
boy. His father was a violent drunk
who abused and sexually assaulted his mother.
Little Isaac would cry in silence and shiver in his pea

(14:11):
stained bed, listening and waiting for the terrifying
sounds to stop. The boy would dream about having
a friend, one whom he could playgames with and laugh together
and help him escape his dark existence.
Then one Christmas, when Isaac was seven years old, a wooden

(14:32):
box appeared with his name on its tag.
It was a Laughing jack-in-the-box.
At first he thought the toy was broken, because when he wound it
up, nothing happened except thatthe song Pop Goes the Weasel
Blade. Then, out of nowhere, Laughing
Jack appeared. He was very tall, brightly

(14:55):
dressed and real. The boy and his clown had great
times together and all was happyand well and Laughing Jacks and
Isaac's world, at least for a little while.
That is until the little boy forgot about him.

(15:16):
Isaac left for boarding school and abandoned Laughing Jack. 13
years passed without Isaac ever saying hello to his friend in
the box. Over time, the clown began to
lack any emotion and he lost hisbright colours, slowly turning

(15:39):
black and white. As Isaac Grossman grew into an
adult, he turned brutal, violentand buried in darkness.
He had become a serial killer. He mercilessly kidnapped,
tortured and murdered multiple people in his neighborhood.
Isaac would commit heinous acts in front of the clown's box.

(16:03):
Laughing Jack was shocked and horrified at what his once
innocent and gentle young friendhad turned into.
But just as the guardian Angel had created him, Laughing Jack
began to reflect the evil insideIsaac.

(16:23):
One day, Laughing Jack freed himself from the box.
This time he appeared as an eventaller, darker, and sinister
version of who he once was. The clown was seething with
rage, hatred, and vengeance toward his owner, who would

(16:44):
abandoned him and become a monster.
So he found Isaac laughing. Jack tortured and killed him
with the exact weapons Isaac hadused on his victims.
But murdering Isaac Grossman wasnot enough to satisfy the hunger

(17:05):
of the murderers. Twisted Clown.
He went on a killing spree. First he would befriend lonely
and neglected children, and thenhe would torture and murder them
one by one. In one of Laughing Jack's
stories, he stabbed his victims before removing their organs,
which in turn he placed pieces of candy inside.

(17:29):
Laughing Jack trapped these innocent young souls within a
twisted fairground. The place was abandoned and full
of nightmarish creatures and sights, and the song Pop Goes
the Weasel accompanied them for eternity.
JT became obsessed with LaughingJack and even wrote a story

(17:53):
about him featuring herself. Together, they shared candy.
There was even a picture JT drewof herself and Laughing Jack
together, which JP later described to the police.
Sometime in late May or beginning of June, in the year
she killed Maria J TS father discovered inappropriate and

(18:15):
dark pictures she had drawn of Laughing Jack.
JT began to emulate Laughing Jack.
She mimicked his dress and behavior.
She began wearing black and white clothes like Laughing Jack
does. She painted her face in white
and black, just like him, and the young girl became obsessed

(18:40):
with candy, laughing Jacks favorite thing.
After the night of the murder, JT was initially held at the
Juvenile Delinquency Correctionsfacility.
When she arrived, she told staffmembers that she would fight for
any reason at any time, but thatif she carried some candy, it

(19:03):
decreased her urge bite people. 11 days after the murder and
arson occurred, the staff discovered 2 pieces of paper
inside JT's room. She had written the word candy
over and over and over again on the first piece, and on the
second piece she had written outthe lyrics to Pop Goes the

(19:26):
Weasel. When the Slender Man related
attack happened, members of the community wanted to understand
how some children have difficulty distinguishing
between reality and fantasy. Doctor David Lowenstein, a
psychiatrist, specifically addressed some of the factors
that may culminate in this issue.
Desensitization has long been a factor in the study of violent

(19:49):
media on adolescence. Research has consistently shown
that repetitive exposure to violence can lead to increased
aggressive behavior. Such overexposure to violent
media, no matter its form, whether it is movies,
television, video games, can create emotional detachment and
prevent some individuals from perceiving death and homicide

(20:11):
within the context of reality. Doctor Lowenstein also addressed
how adolescents who struggle with their mental health.
Are particularly vulnerable to being negatively affected by
violent media. For children who use the online
fantasy world to escape their lives, some become so entranced
by this imaginary world that it is difficult for them to

(20:34):
distinguish between the two. The third main factor is the
developing brain of the child orteenager.
It is a simple fact that young people process information
differently from adults when their emotions dominate their
thinking. This can lead them to behave and
think in irrational ways. Doctor Lowenstein's main

(20:55):
recommendation for avoiding a potential concerns with a child
who is incapable of deciphering between reality and fantasy is
to monitor their media usage. I think that is the mere
starting point and that parents must discuss with their children
what they are viewing and what it means to them.
Censoring what a child watches does not prevent them from
becoming an aggressive or potentially violent individual.

(21:18):
It is well known that when a parent tells their child not to
do something, this typically only drives the child to want to
do it more. I have discussed in past
episodes the impact of violent content on an individual's
psyche and their potential for or risk of committing violent
acts. I covered the psychotic
delusions experienced by David Gonzalez of England, who

(21:40):
believed he was Freddy Krueger in episode 55, A Nightmare in
England, and in episode 11, DeadRising, I discussed the brutal
slaughter committed by Spain's video game obsessed Andrew
Coulter. By the way, if you have not
listened to either one of these,please do.
They're both compelling and horrific stories and very

(22:01):
relevant to this discussion. Now, the research has been mixed
on the impact of violent media has on people, specifically
adolescents and their brains. One side states that violent
content is known for escalating aggression and can trigger
violence in some viewers, where the other side argues there is

(22:23):
no direct correlation between violent media and violent acts.
There are arguments presented with empirical evidence to
support both sides. However, almost all studies and
mental health professionals agree that when someone, in
particular a child or adolescent, has a propensity for
violence, being exposed to a large amount of violent and dark

(22:46):
material can harm their psyche. Whether it is a result of a
mental illness or psychopathy, overexposure to violent media
can trigger aggression and even violent behavior.
It was evident that no one was paying attention to, much less
caring about, the violent, twisted stories and imagery 12

(23:08):
year old JT had become obsessed with.
Her already fragile mental health was further impacted by
her unhealthy infatuation with aserial killer clown, Laughing
Jack. There was strong evidence that
supported JT's mounting symptomsof her mental illness,
specifically her dissociative identity disorder, before, on

(23:29):
the day of the act, and days andmonths after the crime.
Studies on individuals diagnosedwith DID are intimately
associated with serious and incessant childhood trauma and
are very often linked to sexual abuse.
JT was faced with many traumaticcircumstances in her upbringing.

(23:52):
Up until the age of 12. The same year of the murder, she
had resided with her mother, Deshea.
Her mother was a victim of childhood trauma herself and
reported she had been sexually abused by more than one relative
and grew up in a House of addicts.
As her mother, Deshea grew up, she imitated this behavior and
had abused both alcohol and drugs most of her life.

(24:16):
It was also learned through the investigation that Deshea had
been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, depression, and PTSD.
It is unknown whether she ever received treatment for her
conditions, but based on the history of her daughter, I would
presume she never did. At the tender age of 15, Deshea
had a son and then a couple years later, a daughter.

(24:37):
A few years after her second child was born, she had JT.
All three children had differentfathers.
JT had been the result of an affair with a man named Edwin
Torres, who was married and already had two children.
Initially, Edwin left his familyand lived with JT and her mother
for almost 7 years. As a small child, JT was exposed

(24:58):
to her mother's ongoing struggles with substance abuse
and the constant fighting between her parents.
She was also a victim of her half brother's rage.
Who punched her, choked her, andverbally abused her.
JT was terrified of her half brother, but she never told her
parents about the abuse he put her through.
When JT turned 8 years old, Edwin Torres left the house and

(25:21):
returned to his wife and other children.
Her mother, Deshea spiraled intoa darker cycle of violence and
abuse. She ended up marrying a
registered sex offender who physically abused her in front
of JT. One incident was so severe that
her mother Deshay was hospitalized for three to four

(25:41):
days. JT also witnessed her mother cut
herself with a knife during thisperiod of her young and
impressionable life. Fortunately, someone was paying
attention to the abuse and neglect JT was supposed to, and
the Department of Child Serviceseventually removed her and her
half brother from her mother's home.
Her mother Deshay would attempt to clean up her life by

(26:03):
divorcing her abusive husband, but she could not get hold of
her addiction and along with a pending criminal case, this
prevented her from regaining custody of her children.
During a psychological evaluation, a psychologist
reported that it was almost certain that JT had been the
victim of sexual abuse by someone who had lived inside her

(26:24):
mother's house. Whether it was her half brother
or her abuse of stepfather, GT continued to deny ever having
been sexually abused. Once JT was removed from her
mother's home, she was placed with her father, Edwin Torres,
her stepmother Maria, and their two kids.
Imagine how awkward and potentially hostile in
environment that would have beenfor this young girl.

(26:46):
JT was ripped away from her mother, who exposed her to
violence and neglected her her entire life.
Then the court places her with her father, her stepmother, and
two teenagers she doesn't know. Given the circumstances, they
undoubtedly felt some resentmenttowards her, at least
indirectly, since their dad had left them and their mother to

(27:07):
live with JT and Dishea. Understandably, it would have
been a complicated and challenging living situation for
all involved. At one point, Maria moved out of
the apartment with her two kids,leaving JT to live alone with
her father. About a year or two later, they
would move back in. Although you would think her
relationship with her stepmother, Maria would have

(27:29):
been strained, at the very least, JT claimed.
They got along really great. She later would tell
psychiatrist how Maria was not areplacement, but a real mom.
To me. Any abuse or negative behavior
directed toward JT had allegedlybeen coming from her father.
JT reported how her father verbally abused the entire

(27:51):
family. Her father would call her a liar
and tell her she made horrible decisions just like her mother.
His abuse wasn't limited to his daughter.
JTJTS half sister once contactedthe police when Edwin threatened
to assault his son. School wasn't much better than
her turbulent and violent home life for JT.

(28:12):
She was often the target of bullies and had few friends.
Her friend JP was in many respects the closest person in J
TS life. She even shared with JP her
struggles with her mental healthand sanity.
JP later revealed to investigators how JT experienced
extreme mood swings. In fact, according to JP, she

(28:35):
became a different person. JP described how one day at
lunch, JT all of a sudden didn'trecognize any of the friends
they were hanging out with. JP believed it had been Star
sitting with her at lunch that day.
JT also told her friend JP that she didn't like Star, that she
was scared of her and feared that Star was becoming strong

(28:56):
enough to take over. It wasn't just JP who was aware
of her friend's battle with mental illness when she lived
with her mother. JT heard voices, including those
of Stars and Anna's, and would see things.
No, we're not there. JT told her mother about what
she was experiencing, but nothing was ever done to help

(29:16):
this poor, mentally ill young girl.
The voices only grew in intensity and frequency once she
moved in with her father, who told her to shake it off.
And when Maria and her father Edwin were reunited, the other
two personalities only became louder and stronger.
JT spoke of how Starr screamed at her and pushed her to start

(29:39):
fights. GT also believed that someone
was watching her always. Even when she was in her own
room, she could feel their eyes watching her.
It got so extreme that she dressed behind the shower
curtain on some occasions. JT would not remember her

(30:00):
actions or events that had happened at all.
These blackouts sometimes even occurred while she was at
school. When they did, other kids would
tell her what she did or said, but she had no recollection of
doing saying anything. During this time, JT began
experiencing horrible, debilitating headaches.
JT later reported on several occasions that she did not

(30:20):
remember much of that night. She said she blacked out several
times earlier in the evening andafter she went into her bedroom
and closed the door. She did not remember anything
else until after she met with JPlater that night.
JT cried and begged for help formore than one person in her
life. She never hid what she was
experiencing. She was terrified and wanted

(30:43):
someone to stop the voices inside her head, but no one
listened until it was far too late.
Two months before the murder, she told her mother, father,
aunt, and aunt about what she was experiencing, but no one
took her symptoms seriously. She specifically described to
her father the blackouts, headaches, and that she was

(31:05):
hearing voices. GT also discussed all of this
with her school counselor, who contacted her father, Edwin
Wright, right away and encouraged him to get
professional help for his daughter.
He even gave her father the contact information for two
different mental health clinics,but instead, her father, Edwin
Tors, insisted that she go to the family doctor.

(31:27):
The doctor, Doctor Thomas Sutula, reported that JT was
hearing voices in her head and not their names or * and Anna.
But this doctor was not an expert to diagnose muscles
properly treat this girl's mental illness.
When she had appointments set upfor counseling, JT was forced to
miss them first due to issues ofinsurance and then later on

(31:48):
because her father couldn't takeher since he had back surgery.
This child's escalating mental health concerns were not
prioritized and as a result, everyone in her life, including
her, would suffer for this neglect.
On August 3rd, 2015, the state filed A petition for authority
to file juvenile delinquency action and tendered A

(32:11):
delinquency petition. It's cited that JT's actions
would constitute A felony if an adult had committed them.
The juvenile court authorized the state to file the
delinquency petition. Elizabeth Bellan was assigned as
JT's guardian at Lytum, also known as a GAL.
The Gals are essentially court appointed individuals who are

(32:33):
impartial and represent the interests of the juvenile during
legal proceedings. She initially filed a report
detailing the severity of G TS mental illness.
The court immediately ordered the GT be placed under
psychiatric evaluation and directed that the Elkhart County
Probation Department look into alternative placement options.

(32:53):
Only two days later, at the initial hearing, the State
announced that they weren't actively seeking a juvenile
waiver for the offender at this time.
On August 13th, 2015, JT filed amotion to determine her
competency to understand and engage in legal proceedings.
The juvenile court granted her motion and appointed mental
health professionals to evaluateJT's mental state.

(33:16):
It was during this time that theprobation department looked into
several alternate places for JT to receive treatment, including
private and state-run facilities, but none of them
were willing to accept her. Almost two months would pass
until the Juvenile Courts evidentiary hearing was held.
One evaluation revealed how JT was preoccupied with the clown

(33:38):
Laughing Jack, and that she was suffering from paranoia and
hallucinations. 2 psychiatrists and one psychologist both
testified that JT's symptoms were consistent with DID and
PTSD. Another healthcare professional
concluded that JT was quite immature for 12 years old and
that her behavior and the way she processed her thoughts and

(34:00):
feelings mirrored a child much younger.
They all supported the finding that JT was not competent to
participate in her defense. The court directed that the
Division of Mental Health and Addiction in Indiana house JT in
a psychiatric facility until thetime she was deemed competent.
They initially objected to this request and sought a Deputy

(34:22):
Attorney General to dispute thisorder.
However, the juvenile court reaffirmed the direction and on
December 1st, 2015, JT was transported to LaRue Carter
Hospital for psychiatric treatment.
Yet still this severely mentallyill girl was not taken care of
as she needed. The staff there claimed to have

(34:44):
no experience restoring the mental competence of a juvenile,
and they had doubts that it could be successful.
Over the next year and a half, the juvenile court held a review
hearing to gauge JT's advancement in treatment.
Although there were some signs of her improvement, the girls
still showed signs of both the ID and PTSD.

(35:05):
It was noted by more than one specialist that JT had been
suffering from PTSD. We often correlate PTSD or Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder with adult victims of trauma and
violence, in particular veterans, but anyone who has
experienced a traumatic event can develop PTSDPTSD is

(35:25):
characterized by symptoms which adversely affect mood,
cognition, bodily experience, and behavior.
Dissociative reactions, such as a flashback, can occur when a
person feels or behaves as if they are re experiencing the
traumatic event. Such a reaction could be a brief
momentary reaction or a total loss of awareness, including of

(35:46):
oneself and their environment. This is reflective of the
dissociative incidents JT continued to experience.
The symptoms of PTSD mirror those of adults, but teens in
particular are more likely to act out in more aggressive,
risky, and self-destructive ways.
PTSD can cause chronic impairment, result in

(36:07):
comorbidity, specifically comorbid psychiatric disorder,
which means simply that more than one disorder exists at once
and increases the risk of suicide for children.
They exhibit the symptoms in different ways and therefore the
criteria for evaluating childrenyounger than 6 and older than
six are distinct. Psychotherapy is encouraged to

(36:30):
be the first line of treatment in children with medication
being avoided. It has been reported that
children as young as one years old have experienced PTSD.
Trauma is unique to the individual who experiences it.
There is no way to predict or determine who may develop long
term mental health concerns as aresult.

(36:52):
Trauma, when concerning PTSD, isdefined by the DSM 5 as exposure
to actual or threatened death, sexual violence, or serious
injury. This trauma can be experienced
directly or indirectly. It may be the result of an
individual's personal experienceor they're witness to trauma or
even learning about trauma that someone else, particular, a

(37:15):
close friend or family member has dealt with.
I have mentioned the concept of generational trauma in relation
to Indigenous people and other cultures and groups of people
who have suffered great inflictions of violence,
disparity and genocide. This trauma and the emotional,
physical, and psychological aftermath that results from

(37:37):
these experiences can transfer itself onto other and younger
generations. Research has also shown that
this phenomenon exists within generations of a household where
they have suffered personal violence and trauma.
Similar to the theory of the intergenerational cycles of
violence, the abuse continues from one generation to the next.

(38:00):
When a child experiences and is exposed to violence within their
home, they become victims of andoften perpetrators of abuse.
The child equates this treatmentand these toxic violent
relationships as the norm and itis what they expect and they
often repeat as they become adults.
Studies on children brought up in abusive homes show that they

(38:22):
commonly develop behavioral problems, including regression
out of control behavior, and imitate the behaviors they are
exposed to. Children are the most vulnerable
to being victims of abuse and neglect, which can have long
term psychological effects on their brains during the most
critical stages of development. Much of the research on trauma

(38:44):
and its impact on children has been based on studies of child
sexual abuse. Emotional trauma has a negative
impact on a child's emotional relationships, profoundly
affecting how they view themselves and the world.
Physical, emotional, and mental abuse damages a child's basic
sense of safety. Children who are physically

(39:06):
abused and treated violently often become violent themselves.
Proposed by Yanov Bohlman in 1992, the Shattered Assumptions
theory helps to explain the massive impact trauma can have
which leads to a child sufferingfrom PTSD.
Trauma in a child's life can drastically shift the way in

(39:27):
which a child views themselves in the world around them.
The basic beliefs that the worldis kind, holds meaning, and that
they are of worth are shattered once a traumatic event occurs.
It is not surprising that intentional trauma versus
nonviolent or accidental trauma is correlated with a much higher
risk of developing PTSD, especially when the trauma is

(39:51):
repetitive and prolonged. Studies show that females are
more predisposed to PTSD. The males.
As far back as 1890, the strong connection between a
psychological trauma and mental illness has been established.
Psychopathy is not to be confused with psychosis.
Psychosis is the presence of either delusions or

(40:12):
hallucinations, sometimes both. They impair a thought disorder.
Can create behavioral disorganization, which includes
patterns of illogical, inconsistent, and erratic
actions and even catatonia. Catatonia is characterized by
abnormal movements, behaviors, or actions, or a complete lack

(40:34):
of response to one's own environment.
Research has shown that before the onset of psychosis, it is
very common for individuals to exhibit irregular or abnormal
signs of social and cognitive development.
Also known as the prodrome, thisinterim stage of psychosis is

(40:54):
often manifested in social withdrawal and strange, extreme,
and even suspicious behavior. Youth in this stage frequently
recognize that they are experiencing strange and
abnormal sensations or feelings,although typically they have
trouble acknowledging what they are seeing or hearing.

(41:15):
Unless specifically asked, this behavior is often inaccurately
diagnosed as a stage of major depressive disorder, which can
lead to improper treatment. The emotions or affect shown by
youth diagnosed with schizophrenia have traditionally
been described as flat, but theycan also display themselves in
silly, even goofy behavior. The thought process is

(41:38):
characterized by abstraction anddisorder, exhibited in symptoms
such as illogical or erratic thinking, a loss of sense of
self, and poor judgment and impulse control.
Childhood or adolescent schizophrenia is believed to be
caused by a combination of factors including behavioral,
environment and genetic. The research has been extensive

(42:03):
on the high risk of developing schizophrenia in addition to
other severe mental health disorders and relatives who have
the disorder. The despite of childhood
psychosis in children younger than age 12 is extremely rare,
with appearances of symptoms being a 60th as common as seen
in adult onset psychosis. Long before any symptoms of

(42:26):
psychosis are presented, children with schizophrenia in
particular exhibit other signs. It can also be exhibited in
delays in language and other cognitive functioning.
Even children in their first fewyears of life may present
psychological disorders in behaviors like posturing,
rocking, or arm lapping. As babies grow, it may show

(42:48):
itself an unusual crawling and later in anxious and disruptive
behavior. Psychotic symptoms in children
and adolescents are more likely a result of non schizophrenic
conditions, specifically bipolardisorder, major depression and
dissociative identity disorder. Symptoms of psychosis in

(43:09):
children are most often manifested in impaired
functioning flat a fact social isolation and hallucinations.
DID or Dissociative Identity disorder is an extremely rare
kind of mental health disorder formally known as multiple
personality disorder. There is no exact data on how

(43:31):
many individuals suffer from this condition.
This is mainly due to the diagnosis being very complicated
and the symptoms can resemble other illnesses, specifically
bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
I covered this topic quite extensively back in episode 22,
Killer Inside My Mind, which details the tragic story of

(43:53):
Juanita Maxwell. It's a fascinating and a
heartbreaking story of how a woman dealt with her childhood
trauma, believed to impact roughly 1.5% of the US
population. There are still minimal research
done on this mental health disorder, and some mental health
professionals dispute its existence at all.

(44:15):
DID is even more rare in children.
But since the disorder is known for being triggered by the
result of severe and prolonged trauma in childhood, it is not
surprising that some children begin to show symptoms very
young. According to Frank Putnam, a
psychiatrist for the National Institute of Mental Health, when

(44:37):
a young child is a victim of severe abuse, whether it is
physical, sexual and or extreme neglect, they are helpless to
fight off or even avoid their perpetrator.
In order to escape this dark reality, dissociation may be the
only way for them to endure their suffering by shielding

(45:00):
themselves from the truth. When an individual dissociates,
their brains processing of memory is disrupted so there is
little if any memory left of thetrauma.
Traumatized children may dissociate anywhere at any time,
very much like JT. It could be at home, inside the

(45:21):
classroom, or somewhere in public.
It makes perfect logical sense that the more dissociation a
person, but especially a child, experiences, the more their
memories, emotions and thought processes counteract with normal
functioning and can cause a major increase and socialization
problems, as with adults. And accurate diagnosis for a

(45:43):
child has faced many obstacles. Children are often misdiagnosed
with depression and ADHD, which results to improper treatment
and therapy. According to Jeffrey Haugart, a
professor of human development at Cornell University, there are
specific symptoms that children in particular who suffer from
DID are known to experience. These may include what others

(46:06):
describe as daydreaming or spacing out, but they are
experiencing trance like states that the children escape to.
Children may also not understandwhy someone is upset with them
because they don't remember whathappened during an episode.
A child may also exhibit extremechanges in how they look, what

(46:28):
they're interested in, what foods they eat, games they play,
and even severe, unexpected, andsometimes hard to believe
changes shown in their language,accent, or even how they speak
or write. DID is frequently associated
with periods of lost time, and children may experience not

(46:49):
remembering an entire day. Children with DID have also been
reported as having an imaginary friend at a much younger age
than is usually seen. They are more likely to develop
these imaginary friends as youngas two to three years old and
frequently have more than one. These friends may not always

(47:10):
behave or act in the best interest of the child.
Children with DID may break out into periods of rage or violence
that seemingly arise for no known reason.
Children with this disorder havedifficulty distinguishing
between reality and imagination.Typically, where as a child

(47:32):
stops believing in imaginary friends at the latest 10 years
old, a child with dissociative identity disorder may believe in
them for years. Much after this mark.
On March 23rd, 2017, J TS competency was formally
reassessed by two mental health care professionals.
They filed that JT was competentto stand trial.

(47:55):
The court then held a hearing todetermine if her competency had
been restored. A week later, the state filed a
motion for waiver of Juvenile court.
They sought to prosecute JT as an adult.
For a juvenile to be waived to Criminal Court in Indiana, there
are specific requirements that the court must determine.
The juvenile court shall waive jurisdiction if, following a

(48:18):
full investigation and hearing, the court finds that the child
is charged with an act that would constitute murder if
committed by an adult. Second, there is a probable
cause to believe that the juvenile has committed the act.
And 3rd, the child was at least 12 years old when the ACT was
allegedly committed. That is, unless the court
determines that it is in the best interest of the child and

(48:41):
the safety and welfare of the community that they remain
within the juvenile system. After the initial hearing on
October 4th, a secondary evaluation was ordered to be
performed on JT. After the final evaluation was
conducted on January 19th, 2018,it was officially determined

(49:01):
that JT was now competent. The State will now present their
case to prosecute her as an adult.
Multiple evidentiary hearings took place between April and
June of that same year. The court determined that the
State had provided sufficient enough evidence to meet the
statutory elements of the juvenile waiver, but that the

(49:22):
mitigating circumstances surrounding JT changed the
course of this direction. It was determined that JT and
her counsel had proven that it was in the best interest of the
child, as well as the safety andwelfare of the community for her
to remain in the juvenile systeminstead of being handled in

(49:43):
Criminal Court. The State filed a motion of
discretionary interlocutory appeal.
This is an appeal made in the intermediate stages before the
conclusion of legal proceeding or judgement of a case.
The reason this is done is that so one side can address critical
issues without having to wait for the final decision.
This motion was granted by the court with the exception of

(50:05):
holding JT in a secure residential facility for the
duration. Although she contains to receive
treatment, it was addressed in her cross appeal how several
residential mental health providers refused her treatment
due to the pending case in the interim of the appellate
hearing, JT was transferred backto the Juvenile Delinquency

(50:26):
Corrections in 2018 after she was declared competent to stand
trial. Her ongoing symptoms only
escalated after she was taken into the JDC.
According to her GAL, Bell and JT told her she was hearing
voices in her head telling her to do things and that her
hallucinations were increasing in frequency.

(50:47):
She was suffering from blackouts, headaches, and she
couldn't sleep. JT told Gal Bellin that six
months before the incident, she had asked her mother, father,
stepmother and her aunt for help, but no one paid attention
to the desperate pleas she made.If only the adults in her life
had listened when JT began exhibiting signs of psychosis,

(51:10):
her violent behavior and exacerbated mental illness may
have been prevented. The situation was also traumatic
for Gal Bellin. Each visit was accompanied by JT
screaming, crying, and begging for help.
One moment she would be rationaland coherent, the next she would
be talking in circular form and not make any sense.

(51:33):
Based on her experiences with JT, Galbel and firmly believe
that the hospital may have been safer JT but it was not treating
her appropriately or effectivelyenough in terms of therapy.
JT was also openly frustrated with the doctors for not
treating her for DID because shestill felt Anna and star with

(51:55):
her. According to Gal Bellin however,
JT symptoms seem to come back infull force.
She was suffering from episodes of self harm.
JT was plagued with headaches and insomnia.
Most concerning is that the voices were back and they were
stronger and angrier than ever. In April of that year, JT was

(52:15):
having suicidal ideations and communicated this to her
probation officer. In response, she was placed on
five minute checks. A week later, they rushed her to
the emergency room with a panic attack.
She spoke about the voices she was still hearing and told them
about her. Her family had done nothing to
help her. A couple weeks later, JT once

(52:38):
again reported thoughts of killing herself.
Two days after this she identified herself as Star and
Anna. To the staff members of the JDC.
She exhibited 2 glaringly different personalities.
One was full of rage, the other childlike.
Getting us. Then they found JT cutting

(52:58):
herself, to which she said she had all intention of continuing
to harm herself again. They took her into the ER where
she was treated and then returned back to the JDC.
On May 15th she contacted a therapist describing how people
kept screaming at her inside herhead and they just wouldn't
stop. This time when JT was

(53:19):
transferred to the emergency room, she was unresponsive.
Except she told the doctors I didn't want to come.
She is going to be pissed off. 3days later she called her
therapist terrified. She told them that she was
scared of switching and someone else getting hurt.

(53:40):
When JT was moved from the JDC to the hospital in December of
that year, a doctor placed her on Risperdal, which is an
antipsychotic drug. She continued on this medication
through early March 2016. Contrary to the initial
physicians who evaluated JT's mental state, the primary doctor
there who treated her, Doctor Syed Khan, did not see any signs

(54:03):
of DID. He did, however, believe that
she was suffering from PTSD. The medication and therapy
seemed to have made a drastic change in her mood and behavior.
By the end of that period, JT had a positive contact record
and was reported as being one ofthe most well behaved residents.
She also began to improve in school and was earning good

(54:24):
grades while a resident at the hospital.
JT talked with a counselor everyweek, and she was finally
capable of processing the grief and regret she felt over causing
Maria's death. Although JT's mental state did
exhibit some positive signs, shecontinued to experience symptoms
of dissociation, PTSD, severe depression and psychosis.

(54:48):
The young girl's battle with hersanity was far from over.
A report by Doctor Jeffrey Vanderwater Piercey, who assess
her competency, found that JT's mental state illustrated a very
severe and complicated clinical picture.
It was also recorded how she held a great amount of anger
toward her parents, whom she believed had let her down by not

(55:12):
getting her the psychiatric helpwhen she asked for it.
Her gal Bellin visited every month while she resided in the
hospital. JT continued to tell her very
disturbing things that she was hearing and seeing, which was
sometimes the opposite of what she was conveying to the staff.
JT confessed to Galbellan while she was at La Rue Carter

(55:34):
Hospital. She saw shadows and figures
moving around the room at night.She became so paranoid at one
point she even booby trapped herroom.
She prevented the bookshelves from falling forward or the
doors opening. There was a painting of a tree
on the wall which JT described how the tree had arms and they

(55:54):
were waving around. The voices she heard were more
or less whispers and most of thetime JT couldn't make out what
they were saying. Gal Bellin later testified in
court that she believed JT was actively minimizing her symptoms
with a hopes that she would be released.
The exact type of mental illnessor illnesses JT was inflicted

(56:16):
with very depending on her diagnosis from psychiatrist.
In November 2015, she was assessed by Doctor Alan Barsman,
who was a specialist in the field of child psychiatry.
He recommended that she undergo extensive therapy for both TID
and PTSD as soon as possible. However, as mentioned earlier,

(56:38):
Doctor Syed Khan from the hospital disagreed that she
suffered from dissociative identity disorder, but he did
believe she was experiencing severe PTSD.
Around the time she was experiencing heightened symptoms
of her mental illness, Doctor Antoinette Kavanaugh, A forensic
psychologist, was brought on to assess JT's competency.

(57:01):
She interviewed JT, her parents,her half sister, and Gal Bellin
to determine whether or not it was appropriate to try JT as an
adult. When she had JT fill out several
diagnostic questionnaires and personality assessments, she was
taken back by the extent of abuse and neglect the young girl
had endured in her life. JT indicated that she had been

(57:24):
emotionally and physically neglected and abused and had
been severely sexually abused. In fact, her scores in
comparison to other female juveniles who were in
residential treatment programs who had committed similar
felonious acts revealed levels of abuse and neglect that were
much worse than any others she had previously assessed.

(57:47):
The doctor also determined that GT had severe issues of
depression, memory, and sufferedfrom disordered thinking.
She believed that the goal needed to be focused on fusing
her personalities together whilebeginning to understand the
trauma that had triggered her mental illness.
Doctor Kavanaugh also testified in court that JT did not exhibit

(58:09):
any kind of antisocial or conduct disorder, which many
other juveniles who act out in violent ways have.
She stated that if it weren't for her severe mental illness,
JT would not pose a threat to herself or anyone else.
During the State's presentation of evidence to support JT being
waved to Criminal Court, they introduced elements of

(58:32):
premeditation. J TS behavior on the night of
the attack brought into questionher lack of criminal culpability
due to her mental illness. It was learned that JT had made
specific plans to leave her homeon the night of the murder.
She had sent a text to her friend JP to meet her at the
park near her house at 10:00 PM.JP, who was her friend, was

(58:52):
fully aware of her alternate personality, Star and Anna, with
whom she had had more than one interaction with.
Within the text in all caps, shewrote that she could not take it
anymore, and she expressed to her friend JP how she was about
to snap. The text between the two girls

(59:13):
discussed what to bring for supplies like food, water, and
clothes. JP shared later with the place
that she believed it was * who was texting her that night.
The search on her mobile phone revealed that JT had looked up
some bizarre and suspicious things online.
The girl had searched how to make poison and sharpen knives.
JT looked up how to hide from law enforcement and survive in

(59:36):
the woods. There was also a very disturbing
video. She had searched with
individuals stabbed to death, a website with violent stories
like creepypasta, and for the song Pop Goes the Weasel.
That song, as aforementioned, was in connection with Laughing
Jack. JP later told investigators that
JT said her signal upon arrival at the park that night would be

(59:58):
whistling that song. She also had hidden weapons that
were used in the attack, specifically the knives in her
room. JT had also started a fire in
her bedroom and disabled the smoke alarm to help lure Maria
to our room and initiate the assault.
Now, what I find to be so interesting, and tends to make
me a bit hesitant to believe that JT does have DIT, is that

(01:00:23):
she was aware of her alternate personalities.
Based on the in depth research Ihave done on this subject, the
host personality, that is the primary individual, is unaware
or conscious of the other personalities.
Apparently, some physicians disagree on whether the factor
of this condition is true, and in some circumstances, the host

(01:00:46):
may be aware that they have multiple personalities.
I'm not an expert on the matter,nor a psychiatrist, but it seems
that if the host is aware, then that defeats the primary purpose
of the other personalities, which is to protect and shield
the host. Nevertheless, it can't be denied
that GT is a severely mentally ill young girl.

(01:01:08):
Even on, the state presented a strong case for waving juvenile
jurisdiction over the young defendant.
The juvenile court denied its request based on evidence you're
hearing. This is a required procedure
that occurs when the state has filed A petition to waive a
juvenile offender. As mentioned in previous
episodes, it provides both sidesthe opportunity to present their

(01:01:31):
reasons for or against the waiving of a juvenile.
Everything from delinquent history, known childhood
background, and mental health, in addition to the specific
circumstances including aggravating and mitigating
factors of the case surrounding the incident are presented
during this hearing. It couldn't be denied that JT
fared far worse after she was returned to Corrections versus

(01:01:55):
her residential stay at the hospital.
The juvenile court would come tothe conclusion that JT needed to
remain in a secure residential facility versus being sent to
the Justice Department of Corrections and be given proper
treatment by medical professionals, ideally those who
specialized in DID. The state did their best to

(01:02:15):
argue that JT may still be placed in a residential facility
within the Department of Corrections if tried as an
adult, but the juvenile court wasn't taking their chances.
In addition to the fact that theDepartment of Corrections is not
trained to treat DID, nor do they treat underlying trauma, GT
will be held at a residential facility and continue to receive

(01:02:38):
psychiatric treatment for her mental illness until she turns
21. Unless something radical,
especially something violent, occurs during the time frame
that requires the juvenile courtor the state to intervene, JT
will be released back into society with no record of any
kind. What is encouraging is that if a

(01:02:59):
child is diagnosed and begins treatment early, their prognosis
is very positive. Adults and children alike are
most often treated with psychotherapy.
Nonverbal forms like art, play therapy, and hypnosis are
especially effective for youngerpatients since it helps them to
act out or express the trauma differently and can be much

(01:03:20):
easier than openly talking aboutit.
Children diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder
have a much higher rate of recovery than adults.
Mental health disorders affect alarge number of adolescents, and
the numbers only continue to increase each year.
In 2023, one in 512 to 17 year olds were diagnosed with

(01:03:42):
suffering from some form of mental health condition.
Anxiety was the most common, followed by depression.
The third most common was contact behavior disorder.
Individuals with schizophrenia and similar mental health
disorders face an increased riskof suicide.
Research has revealed that 90% of youth who killed themselves

(01:04:03):
had a mental disorder. An upward of 30% of
schizophrenic patients attempt suicide at least once.
Population based studies, which often involve self reporting,
have discovered that higher than25% of children and adolescents
have experienced some form of psychosis.
Some studies done on suicide prevention in high school

(01:04:26):
students have shown an unexpectedly high correlation of
34% of students who experienced auditory hallucinations and
those with suicidal ideation. Ideally and most often a parent
or guardian of the child would report concerns of mental
health, in particular when thereare signs of psychosis.

(01:04:48):
But what can be done for someonelike JT?
When a child's symptoms are ignored, a young girl's fears
and cries for help are pushed aside.
In the case of JT, her counselorimmediately reached out to her
father and encouraged him to gethis daughter professional help.
He minimized and did not prioritize getting his sick

(01:05:10):
daughter treatment. Her father and all of the adults
in her life failed this poor sick young girl.
She was desperate, wanting theirhelp.
I told them everything she was experiencing and how scared and
sick she was and they did nothing to get the help this
girl needed until the worst possible scenario played out.

(01:05:36):
I wonder whether her mother and father have supported her
throughout this process and try to make amends for the trauma
they put her through and acknowledge how they failed her.
There are many cases in which I struggle whether a young
offender should be tried as an adult or remain within the

(01:05:56):
juvenile court, but in the case of JTI, agree a wholeheartedly
with the juvenile court's decision to prioritize her
psychological well-being and treatment over penalizing her.
All of the signs of mental illness were there and this
young, sick little girl begged for professional help multiple

(01:06:17):
times. Unfortunately for her victim and
the entire family, her cries were not taken seriously enough.
I can only hope that time and treatment will heal her trauma
and that JT can fully recover from her mental illness.
Thank you so much for listening.I would love to hear your

(01:06:38):
thoughts on this case. Please share your opinion on
whether or not you agree with the Juvenile Court's decision.
Please participate in the poll Ihave provided.
Until next time, stay safe and watch over shades of Murder
happening in the streets next door, especially inside your own

(01:07:04):
home. Shades of Murder is created,
researched, written and edited by Alita Caldwell.
Original music Stranger composedby stereo code.

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60: Creepypasta Laughing Jack - J.T. & The Serial Killer Clown

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}60: Creepypasta Laughing Jack - J.T. & The Serial Killer Clown