Buzz
Defendants have come up with outrageous claims to justify their illegal actions. Ethan Couch argued he was afflicted with “affluenza.” Dan White pointed to junk food as the culprit (though not entirely). However, the most debated defense remains dissociative identity disorder (DID), formerly referred to as multiple personality disorder.
Dissociative identity disorder is shrouded in skepticism. Mental health experts suggest that individuals with this condition fragment their psyche to cope with trauma, often stemming from childhood abuse. Under this theory, a person with DID might commit a heinous act without awareness—attributing it to one of their alternate personas or “alters.”
Critics argue that offenders fabricate this disorder to evade accountability, and the portrayal of DID in sensational films like Fight Club, Identity, and M. Night Shyamalan’s Split doesn’t help. Nevertheless, some courts have recognized this defense, as seen in three real-life cases. However, the remaining two highlight the ongoing controversy surrounding DID as a legal strategy.
1. BILLY MILLIGAN
The multiple personality defense is often linked to Billy Milligan. In 1978, Milligan faced charges of rape, aggravated robbery, and kidnapping. His case gained widespread attention when his legal team argued that the crimes were committed by two distinct personalities, not Milligan himself. This groundbreaking defense led to his acquittal, and he was instead sent to a psychiatric facility. Milligan briefly escaped in 1986, was released in 1991, and passed away from cancer in 2014.
Experts believe Milligan exhibited up to 24 personalities, ranging from a Yugoslavian weapons specialist to a young girl. His life inspired the nonfiction book The Minds of Billy Milligan, which has been in development for a film adaptation. Leonardo DiCaprio has expressed interest in portraying Milligan if the project moves forward.
2. JUANITA MAXWELL
Juanita Maxwell’s legal troubles began in 1979 when she was accused of murdering 73-year-old Inez Kelly, a resident at the hotel where Maxwell worked as a maid. Maxwell claimed that her alternate personality, Wanda Weston, was responsible for the crime. While Maxwell appeared reserved, Weston was outspoken and admitted on the stand to killing Kelly with a lamp over a dispute involving a pen. The dramatic courtroom transformation convinced the jury, and Maxwell was acquitted by reason of insanity.
Maxwell was placed in a mental institution with her husband’s support. However, after her release in 1988, she was arrested for robbing two banks in St. Petersburg, Florida. By then, she had developed seven personalities, but Wanda remained the primary suspect in her criminal activities.
3. BILLY JOE HARRIS
In 2011, Billy Joe Harris was apprehended and labeled by police as “one of Texas’s most wanted criminals.” Infamous as the “Twilight Rapist,” he targeted elderly and disabled women in early morning assaults. DNA evidence connected him to numerous attacks and burglaries across multiple counties over two years. Harris, however, claimed that his crimes were committed by one of his alternate personalities, not himself.
As reported by Psychology Today, Dr. Colin Ross testified in court that he believed Harris suffered from dissociative identity disorder, though with some doubts. Ross noted Harris’s unusually high scores on DID screening tests—administered by the defense—and caught him lying about his personal history. The courtroom was skeptical, with jurors stifling laughter when Harris switched to his supposed alter, “Bobby,” during testimony. Further undermining his defense, Harris was recorded boasting to his girlfriend about putting on a “good show” in court.
The judge dismissed Ross’s testimony, and the jury found Harris guilty. He was sentenced to life in prison and has since attempted to appeal the verdict, though without success.
4. DWAYNE WILSON
The legal proceedings against Dwayne Wilson started on September 20, 2005, after his nephew, Paris, contacted the police. Paris reported that his uncle had attacked him, his siblings, and their mother in their New Jersey residence, leaving Paris as the sole survivor.
During Wilson’s hearings four years later, his defense claimed that one of his three personalities, “Kiko,” was responsible for the murders, arguing that Wilson should not be held accountable. However, the judge dismissed this defense and handed Wilson a 40-year prison sentence.
5. THOMAS HUSKEY
Thomas Huskey, nicknamed “Zoo Man” by Tennessee prostitutes due to his former job at Knoxville Zoo’s elephant barn, became infamous for a series of brutal crimes. He admitted to killing four women and was accused of raping and robbing two others. Police found jewelry they believed he took from his victims as keepsakes. Huskey’s lawyers argued that their client was innocent, claiming his alternate personality, “Kyle,” was the true culprit.
The first jury in Huskey’s case deadlocked on the murder charges, leading the prosecution to drop them. However, he was convicted of the earlier rapes and sentenced to 64 years in prison. The Knoxville News Sentinel described his trial as one of the costliest in the state’s history.
