The making of a serial false confessor: The confessions of Henry Lee Lucas

Abstract

This report describes the case of Henry Lee Lucas, who is estimated to have confessed to over 600 murders in the early 1980s. He is the most prolific serial confessor in recent history and is currently on death row in Texas, awaiting his execution. The author interviewed Mr Lucas in 1996 and conducted a detailed psychological evaluation at the request of his defence team, the results of which were presented to an appeal judge by way of two lengthy depositions. The psychological evaluation provided an important insight into the factors that make a serial false confessor. It showed how personality disorder, combined with poor self-esteem, an eagerness to please, high anxiety and compliance, a pathological need for notoriety, custodial pressures and manipulative interrogation tactics, can result in multiple false confessions to murder.

Key Words:

• false confession
• serial confessor
• special knowledge
• personality disorder
• the ‘orange socks’ murder
• death row