Hey there! It’s been a minute. Christan has launched her solo podcast (with occasional appearances by Sarah) called Character Analysis. Here’s the latest CA episode. If you like it, come on over and subscribe.
Narcissist. Psychopath. Sadist.
These labels explode every time a case like Bryan Kohberger’s hits the headlines — but do any of them actually mean something in a courtroom?
In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Ziv E. Cohen, a forensic psychiatrist, to unpack how mental-health defenses really work, including what Luigi Mangione’s potential mental-health defenses might look like — and where they fall apart. We spend significant time on Bryan Kohberger, digging into the role of sadism, fantasy, control, and narcissistic traits, and why those patterns matter when people are searching for motive. We also pull comparisons to Bundy and BTK, exploring why the same psychological questions resurface across cases.
Subscribe To Listen - Become a Character Analysis MemberIf you love diving into the psychology behind the stories we can’t stop talking about — this is where it gets even deeper. Subscribers get monthly bonus podcast episodes, weekly members-only videos, and exclusive posts that go beyond what I share publicly. 👉 Subscribe now to join the community — where true crime, psychology, and human behavior all meet in the same messy, fascinating place.
⌚Timestamp Breakdown
01:22 – 03:12How forensic psychiatry works: profiling, ethics, pattern recognition.
03:12 – 07:56Luigi Mangione case: deliberate violence, psychopathy vs sadism, why impulse and psychosis don’t fit.
07:56 – 11:59Psychosis, manifestos, grandiosity, and how writings factor into mental health defenses.
11:59 – 17:53Extreme Emotional Disturbance, insanity defenses, and why Luigi’s legal options are limited.
17:53 – 23:14Brian Kohberger: motive-less violence, criminology obsession, and psychopathy frameworks.
23:14 – 29:45Fan culture, hybristophilia, narcissism, control, and psychological sadism.
29:45 – 36:45Fear, power, sexual sadism, and why Idaho looks different from Luigi’s case.
36:45 – 39:56Final reflections, why “why” may be unknowable, bonus episode + wrap-up.
Dr. Ziv E. Cohen, M.D., is a psychiatrist and the CEO of Principium Psychiatry, a leading national mental health organization with offices in New York, Connecticut, California, and Florida. Principium’s multidisciplinary team of psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, psychologists, and therapists provides comprehensive treatment across the full continuum of care, from psychotherapy and medication management to advanced interventional and forensic services. Under Dr. Cohen’s leadership, Principium has become known for integrating cutting-edge therapies such as TMS, ketamine and Spravato treatments, ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, ECT, and IOP programs, while also expanding its expertise into civil and criminal forensic evaluations.
* YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@zivcohen5150
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/principiumpsychiatry/
* TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@principiumpsychiatry
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