The evil in this episode is the mother and her horrible parenting.
I can't feel any sympathy for her, The only sympathy I have is for his ex girlfriends' family and the child.
The amount of times his mother could've prevented this but didn't!!
And how bizarre that Detek was able to go and get his very own AK-47; Good grief! At least everybody within a mile of Derek can thank God that he decided to localize all of the harm he inflicted on his own family and not somebody else's. Could've been a lot worse.
Horrible horrible mother! And she's raising Gabe now, poor Gabe, I can't see how that's turning out well.
I'm giving this a 6 rating cause I felt so pissed off from the mother, otherwise it's a good episode to watch.
68 Reviews
Mom is clueless
gmorgan51-158-6821658 July 2018
I watched this episode and kept waiting for this mother to say what advice she had sought from a doctor. She is clueless! Did it ever even once occur to her to get this child, AND HERSELF, some help?! As for the "boyfriend" looking for the numbers 666 in the child's hair - she fell for that hook, line, and sinker. And with such a disturbed child, a boyfriend should have been the last thing on her mind. This woman should be truly ashamed of herself - telling the world that she doesn't like her child, and hadn't done since he was a toddler, and after suffering a traumatic illness. She was a poor excuse for a mother, and doesn't seem to take any responsibility for the child's behavior. When the child first displayed signs of anger and behavioral issues, she should have sought help. It really seems like Derek never had a chance.
Frustrating
borgtobias17 August 2019
Warning: Spoilers
As the title...
Really good episode. But as many has said already, it's the mothers fault that he ended up like that.
If you notice something is wrong at 4 you go see a doctor. You do not buy a damn truck when he has destroyed another at the store.
And the playstation... wth was she thinking?
The mom really need to be evaluated. Sincerely hope she knows that she has to set boundaries with Gabe. Poor Gabe and his mom.
The mom really need to be evaluated. Sincerely hope she knows that she has to set boundaries with Gabe. Poor Gabe and his mom.
Unbelievable
rachelmadison15 October 2019
The mom is absolutely ridiculous. I can't believe that she is raising another little boy. She needs to be in jail right along with her son. She ignored all the signs and made decisions that were just horrible. She has those same guilty thoughts she had with Derek that she will continue to have with Gabe. I hope someone sees this episode and immediately takes action.
The mother was in denial
mstae-9903118 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Derricks mother was in denial. She needs to take responsibility because she helped create that monster. She had plenty of opportunities to stop him but she did nothing. I blame her and her inability to be a parent. Now an innocent person is dead and she wants everyone to feel sorry for her. I
WOW the mom should be in jail right alongside her son!
marinairwin12 July 2018
When a parent offers no guidance, discipline, psychological support to their child they hold the responsibility for what that child becomes. No one is a perfect parent and any child can make really bad choices and go down an ugly path in life and the parents are not responsible, but when your only desire in parenting is to make your child happy and not let him take responsibility for ANYTHING right down to the end she still doesn't want him to face the consequences of his behavior. She doesn't want him to go to prison. Now she is raising another one. HOW could they let her adopt the baby, that is terrifying!! She hasn't really learned a thing! I am shocked that she was allowed to adopt that child. Hopefully after this airs someone with the ability to do something will step in and at least make her take some life courses, parenting courses, responsibility training.
Dysfunctional Family
riane854 December 2020
I just finished watching this episode and am in disbelief. The mother is so pathetic, it's hard to feel sorry for her. It was obvious from a young age her son was a sociopath/psychopath. Her 2nd husband knew the moment he met him. I believe she exacerbated the situation by putting up with his antisocial behavior and coddling him. I have a hard time with weak, playing the victim types.
Someone take that child away from her
silkguitar29 September 2018
His mother is awful. When she calculated the 40 years until his release and was relieved that she'd be dead by that time, I could only shake my head. It's hard to believe she's raising yet another monster. She gave Derrick no boundaries, no rules, no consequences, and then has the nerve to say she doesn't like her son. He is exactly what you made him.
Not Much Insight From Narrator/Mother
rapunz-9355727 September 2020
Of course viewers reacted negatively to this mother's story that she gave this kid anything he wanted to "make him happy." It's baloney. That's just her STORY, what she tells herself. She gave him things and free rein as a substitute for the love she never felt for him, and to relieve her guilt about that. She didn't even like him, even when he was a toddler. Her entire focus was on whether he showed her affection, and whether SHE felt rejected, as if he was born to validate her as a mother. But he was a toddler, then a young boy. Sometimes children don't learn to attach properly because their parents couldn't attach to THEM. It would be interesting to know what this mother's childhood was like, and why she concluded her son had failed her and was evil even before he was school age. Psychopaths can be born, or made, or a little of both. This mother never fostered human connection or empathy in her son, and if he ever had any capacity for that, it's long gone now and he is where he belongs.
Is she most clueless mother in the history of parenting?
lshively-619121 July 2018
I so agree with Kate's review- geez Louise-- she sacrificed everybody else so she wouldn't hurt Derrick's feelings- please. she did abdicate her responsibility as a parent and a decent person, ignoring what a monster her son is. I really tried to feel sorry for her and empathize with her situation but it was to difficult because someone died because of her not facing reality.
Annoying
kjmom-0683518 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I typically have compassion towards most of the survivors on ID channel shows however this survivor in particular truly urked me to my core. Every warning sign was present for this, mother (Shelly), to get her son (killer) help however she did NOTHING..denial in its worst form and fear of abandonment/rejection. If anyone ever wants to know what denial and need example of what unhealthy attachment is, then watch this. Now there's a child without a mother and father due to poor choices and denial. Shelly needs to be with her son in prison; she aided this monster from early childhood. The fact she permitted him to physically harm her friend's child hen not say anything is disgusting. Note I believe Shelly did what the best she knew how, but didn't do what was best for her son. He obviously had emotional/behavioral disturbance and she just let it be. There is no rehabilitating her son. May the victim's family find peace.
This should've been titled, "How NOT to parent..."
Enfarine30 January 2019
No one is perfect and we all make mistakes. However, this interview was roughly 43 minutes of "How NOT to parent." This mom continually falls back on "I just wanted Derek to be happy" as her reason for never telling him "no" or attempting to set any boundaries with him.
I certainly hope she does better with the grandson than she did with her own son.
I certainly hope she does better with the grandson than she did with her own son.
She shouldn't be raising another man
jetay-3017612 February 2021
This tragedy probably could have been avoided
bkdrdav11 November 2018
This woman is a first-class enabler. I sat here watching her in utter shock. Did she ever take that child to a pediatrician ?! How in the world was she allowed to adopt her grandson when she wasn't able to handle raising her own child ?!
No one is perfect, but that kid had no discipline or boundaries because she was too busy trying to "make him happy." SMH !
Crazy sad story
jaclynrice19 June 2021
I found it interesting that they did not say anything about Dereck's biological father or grandparents or any other family.. You'd think someone would've stepped in regardless of the mother doing nothing.. Or his actions in school... No red flags with anyone else. Mind blowing that no one intervened.
Dumb cow
brandtaubrey5 December 2020
After watching this I feel like his mother could possibly be the most brain-dead person I've ever seen in my entire life and you should feel responsible for the fact that that young girl died at the hands of your Twisted son because you created a monster lady
Yikes. See a true sociopath on camera!
sonnet_fitz28 December 2018
I've been watching true crime shows ever since Unsolved Mysteries debuted, and I can honestly say that I have NEVER seen a show as terrifying as this episode. Not because of what happened, but because the mother they interviewed so clearly raised her son to kill. She is proud of all the times she taught him to treat other people as objects to do his bidding or that he can hurt others without consequences. She seems to be just eating up the attention of the film crew while trying hard to portray herself as the victim. It's beyond creepy to watch.
I've always strongly believed that personality disorders like psychopathy and sociopathy are things that just happen, and the family is never responsible. But this episode has changed my mind. I sincerely hope her son finds the help he needs in prison to overcome his childhood, and I pray for Maisie's family. Like everyone else, I'm very concerned about the little boy she is repeating this drama with.
What a scary thing to see this reality on tv.
I've always strongly believed that personality disorders like psychopathy and sociopathy are things that just happen, and the family is never responsible. But this episode has changed my mind. I sincerely hope her son finds the help he needs in prison to overcome his childhood, and I pray for Maisie's family. Like everyone else, I'm very concerned about the little boy she is repeating this drama with.
What a scary thing to see this reality on tv.
Sad story
sarahfry-295604 April 2021
From watching the first 20 mins I would say he was on the Autistic Spectrum. There were loads of signs. The lining of of toys, playing alone, the love of routine, wanting things in a certain way. I didn't blame his mother like many others but can't help feeling if he has had a diagnosis and appropriate early intervention it may have helped change their lives.. maybe he was also a psychopath so think that is born and not made.. easy to judge from afar and she was a very young parent.
lesson on how to raise and nurture a psycho
misslilia8420 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Some people should not raise children. This woman is a shining example of that. She had every opportunity to get her son some help, set boundaries, but she just kept reinforcing and enabling his clearly disturbed behavior. Beating up other kids, breaking the playstation, KILLING THE FAMILY DOG, pointing a gun in her face...like how did this idiot think this was going to end? If I was the in-laws I would sue for custody of that baby since this moron clearly doesn't know how to raise a child correctly.
EXTREMELY bad parenting.
The_Boxing_Cat31 October 2019
Someone needs to get that child away from her!
She put her own needs ahead of her child's, simply because it was easier for HER! Parenting is hard work, but once you have a child you need to do right by them.
I guess she had her head stuck so far up the bottle that she failed her son miserably. She cared more about getting drunk and locking herself up because it was the easiest for her.
Our values are learned at a very young age. If your child doesn't hug you, it's probably because they were never taught how to show affection. Seems like she resented having him because she couldn't go to college.
But she summed it up when she said "what kind of a mother doesn't love her own child?" - she was talking about when he was LITTLE. She's screwed up.
She put her own needs ahead of her child's, simply because it was easier for HER! Parenting is hard work, but once you have a child you need to do right by them.
I guess she had her head stuck so far up the bottle that she failed her son miserably. She cared more about getting drunk and locking herself up because it was the easiest for her.
Our values are learned at a very young age. If your child doesn't hug you, it's probably because they were never taught how to show affection. Seems like she resented having him because she couldn't go to college.
But she summed it up when she said "what kind of a mother doesn't love her own child?" - she was talking about when he was LITTLE. She's screwed up.
Mental Illness
missstaker2 April 2022
Warning: Spoilers
The child was for some reason emotionally ill Maybe he needed psych meds. Mom may have been self medicating. I wonder if bio father had mental Illness. At any rate very sad story. I think there must be some familial bio history of Mental Illness. She was way to permiscucous and he was spoiled insanely so. So sad the innocent had to end up dead.
History is about to repeat itself!
TheDyingGirl29 March 2020
This woman isn't capable of being a mom. She doesn't know how to discipline kids and you can clearly see how she freaks out when Gabe just has a little tantrum. She starts thinking of her son instead of discipling him like she should have her own son and not let it get out of control. Now the grandchild is gonna start having more tantrums and he won't do anything about it cause she will always remember how his mom is dead and therefore let him get away with anything
Sickening
appleallen15 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I've seen shows about how bad parenting contributed to heinous crimes but this takes the cake. Ms Leitz was too lazy or apathetic to get her son help at multiple points in his life. Would it have saved Maisie's life? No one will ever know because intervention was never pursued. Derek broke Maisie like the truck, like the video game system, like everything else he was given the freedom to destroy with no consequences.
It's horrifying to think Ms Leitz is raising another child after failing so completely at raising her son.
It's horrifying to think Ms Leitz is raising another child after failing so completely at raising her son.
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