Etan Patz Killer Confessed; Truth Easier on the Psyche than Freedom
PHILADELPHIA, PA – With the recent confession after more than 30 years of Pedro Hernandez, the alleged killer of Etan Patz, the first child to appear on a milk carton as missing, speculation abounds about what made this outwardly free man confess. While he was likely to live in apparent freedom for the remainder of his life without the confession, noted psychiatrist and founder of The Lighthouse Network, Karl Benzio, M.D. surmises that the effects of guilt and lies on this man’s mental health held him psychologically captive and created moral and psychological decay that was too difficult to bear, forcing a confession.
Comments From Lighthouse Network Founder and Executive Director, Dr. Karl Benzio
“In the tragic case of little Etan Patz, we see how lack of truth can create unbearable stress that actually eats away at a person from the inside and can lead to mental illness, as seen in this case where the alleged killer had been diagnosed with both bipolar disorder and schizophrenia,” said Benzio. “In addition to the individual corruption that occurs as a result of crime that goes un-confessed, we also see distinct corruption in our justice system that can lead to moral decay within our society as a whole.”
“Our justice system is the butt of so many jokes and trust in the system is at an all-time low. Why? Because the primary goal of our high courts is not the exposure of the truth, but rather attorneys who simply want to win one more case. The result is a culture of lies that pervades the so-called justice system and trickles down to the daily ‘justice’ that we implement in our everyday lives. What a terrible message we are modeling to our children.”
“As a society, we used to adhere to a Judeo-Christian standard of morality that insisted on truth as a precursor to justice,” Benzio commented. “By returning to the light of truth and the light of God, we can strengthen hearts and minds and begin to reverse the decay that we’ve created in American society. For those caught in a web of lies, a Christian counselor or other mental health professional can help you face the truths in your life.”