Criminal Like a Bad Dream
Jan 9, 2026
Ramya Nagesh, a lawyer and author focusing on sleep-related automatism in criminal law, shares her expertise on an intriguing topic. She recounts the bizarre case of Lindsey Schweigert, who awoke in police custody after a sleepwalking incident. Ramya discusses historical cases, the complexities of sleepwalking behavior, and the legal implications, including the infamous Kenneth Parks case. They also explore the effects of medications like Ambien and how they can lead to sleep-related crimes, raising questions about responsibility in sleepwalking.
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Waking Up To Arrest And Confusion
- Lindsey Schweigert woke up in a police car, cold, wet, and handcuffed with no memory of driving.
- Her garage was open, the dog gone, and an overflowing bathtub, suggesting complex actions happened while she slept.
Sleeping Pills Can Produce Complex Amnesia
- Zolpidem (Ambien) carries rare warnings that it can cause complex behaviors while the user is not fully awake.
- The next morning you may not remember those actions, making liability and memory unreliable.
A Sleepwalker Cleared After Homicide
- Kenneth Parks drove 23 kilometres while apparently sleepwalking, then brutally attacked his in-laws, killing his mother-in-law.
- The jury found he was sleepwalking and he was acquitted on non-insane automatism grounds.
