On February 21, 1992, 22-year-old Brian Bechtold walked into a Florida police station and confessed that he'd shot and killed his parents in their family home in Maryland. After he was was diagnosed with schizophrenia and found not criminally responsible based on grounds of insanity, Brian was sent to Perkins Hospital Center, Maryland's only maximum security forensic psychiatric facility. In this unique true crime, Mikita Brottman tells the story of Brian's life leading up to the crime and his afterlife at Perkins. Normally I'm a big fan of true crime and learning more about a topic I'm not familiar with, but I struggled with this book because the author seemed so biased. She spends much of the book justifying Brian's behavior (good or bad) and casts the narrative from the perspective of him being victimized. There are absolutely shortcomings in mental health treatment and room for continual improvement, but it was hard to read this book when the author's telling was so biased. I think the book would've benefited from a more even-handed tone and some additional research weaving in changes to mental health diagnosis and treatment over the years and/or insights on how to best help someone in Brian's position. I was actually a bit surprised the book didn't do this and read like it was written by someone not familiar with mental health when the author, who is a psychoanalyst and teacher, is trained in this field. Thanks to @henryholtbooks and @netgalley for the ARC. This hits shelves July 6, 2021.

Wow, this book was absolutely fascinating! I couldn't put it down. I'm a sucker for a good murder story but I was really drawn to the psychiatric aspect of the story and what happens to the "criminally insane" after the crime and conviction. Couple Found Slain doesn't disappoint. The author does a fantastic job telling Brian's story and I am still torn on whether or not he should have been released. This is a book I won't soon forget and one I highly recommend. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5!

Thank you to Netgalley and Henry Holt & Company for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this ARC of Couple Found Slain. I hadn't heard of Brian Bechtold prior to reading this book. His case appears to be a prime example as to why mental illness needs a treatment revamp. The author paints a picture of a bright, competent man who understands what he did and knows that he is now just being unfairly incarcerated. This book does get clinical in parts but it's very informative. I would recommend this to anyone interested in true crime and/or psychology/psychiatry.
Trigger warnings for murder, rape, and mistreatment of vulnerable populations.

Thanks to the publisher, author and NetGalley for an advance copy of this true-crime thriller!

This is a fantastic, in-depth look at what happens to suspects after they're bounced out of the legal system and into the mental health world. Bechtold's story is as haunting as it is riveting, still playing out today.

In 1992, he murdered his parents during a schizophrenic break. But in the nearly three decades since, he's proven every day that it's not that simple. He can't go to prison, because he's mentally ill. But he's recovered enough that inpatient treatment hardly seems necessary. At every turn, Bechtold has shown a clear understanding of his condition, and the motivations behind his misbehaviors have been clear and almost rational. But still, he's trapped in limbo, "imprisoned," but not in prison, even though he requested to be, many times.

This tale reflects a massive shortcoming of America's mental healthcare system: are we helping the patients, or are we helping society avoid them? As I read, my opinion of Bechtold changed several times, but even at my worst opinion of him, it was clear that the system has failed this man, and probably countless others in similar situations. It's a must-read for fans of true crime who are interested in what happens after the jury hands down a verdict. I've truly never read anything that reflects that aftermath, and certainly not in such a thought-provoking way. This book can spark discussion of all sorts, from the relative merits of "good" and "bad," to healthcare and legal reform. I look forward to keeping an eye out for updates about Bechtold's future, hopefully as the system is able to give him the future he's spent three decades earning.

Couple Found Slain is an excellent non-fiction book for anyone interested in psychology, true crime, or the inner workings of a psychiatric institution.

Brian Bechtold is 22 years old when he shoots his two parents to death. He is found “not criminally responsible” due to schizophrenia and he is sentenced to Perkins Hospital Center until he is deemed no longer a danger. At the time of this writing, Brian has been in Perkins for 29 years and there is no end in sight.

Whether all of Brian’s recollections or statements are accurate (I suspect they are not, entirely, but don’t we all lie about ourselves a little from time to time?) this book made me feel deeply concerned about the workings of psychiatric institutions. This books reveals that some patients didn’t have adequate therapy, many were drugged beyond what was necessary to force compliance on the ward, and multiple murders have been committed at Perkins due to the lack of supervision even among the most dangerous patients. I am stumped at how such human rights violations have occurred- I thought we put the days of Willowbrook behind us.

Despite being the most depressing book I’ve read so far this year, I got pretty sucked into it. Mikita Brottman is a fantastic writer and she made me feel a lot of empathy for Brian even though I am typically very skeptical of anyone who has committed murder (naturally). I found myself rooting for Brian as he attempts escape and throughout his hearing in court. I think only a writer this talented could make me feel so strongly for a person like Brian. I can’t wait to read more from her, and I will probably go back to read her other books as well.

Thank you to NetGalley, Mikita Brottman, and Henry Holt & Company for this fantastic ARC.

Interesting read of the person who did the crime. Also mental health in this country. A thought provoking and a must read for trure crime fanatics.

I love reading true crime books, the fascinate me. I like getting into someone else’s mind and figuring out why someone would commit such a heinous crime. And a lot of the times it’s a crime against a loved one.

Couple Found Slain definitely engrossed me, I listened to this in a day. This book was so much more than a true crime book though. It followed Brian Bechtold’s stay at the mental hospital after being found incompetent to stand trial. I felt for him throughout his torturous stay in that hospital. He was treated horrible by several doctors. And after seeing numerous patients leave while he was left behind, he tried to escape in hopes of being put in prison over staying in the mental hospital.

I think that Mikita did a great job of telling Brian’s story and letting the public know of the injustice some of these mental patients receive. I would recommend Couple Found Slain to anyone who likes true crime or mental health books.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* They weren't lying when they said this was a different kind of true crime book! Was really excited to read this book and it was worth the read!

A book written about the murder of a couple. This book takes a different approach. It tells us of the person responsible and the complications of being sentenced to a mental facility.

Fast paced true crime book that differs from the typical. The book expands beyond the crime into forensics psychology and the aftermath of a brutal murder. Reminiscent of one flew over the cuckoos nest.

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for this advance reader's copy of Couple Found Slain by Mikita Brottman.

Couple Found Slain is the true crime story of the murder of the parents of Brian Bechtold by Brian Bechtold himself. Written by Mikita Brottman, this was a fascinating deep dive into the life of a man found incompetent to stand trial for the murder of his parents who is then caught in a system that holds mentally ill patients in an indefinite cycle of punishment and medication. As all true crime stories do, Couple Found Slain begins with an examination of Brian's parents lives, their marriage, the births of their children and the breakdown of their married life as they try to parent children that they were not really capable of parenting. It should come as no surprise to the listener when Brian eventually murders his parents. What is a surprise is that the system that is intended to restore Brian's mental health is worse than a prison sentence, with no end in sight for Brian or any of the other patients.

Brottman does a great job of retracing the family history, making it clear that this murder did not happen without provocation. All in all, Couple Found Slain was a very good listen and a definite recommendation for any true crime fans out there.

An extremely sad, yet all too real look into the lives of people who have committed a crime, but do not end up in jail. These people have ended up in a place that seems to be much worse, a psychiatric facility. For years, people who have a mental illness have not been understood. Throw in a violent crime and that confusion just grows. It was amazing to read about how some people seem to be trapped and feel that prison is a much better place to be.

This review has already been posted to Goodreads and will be posted to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Instagram upon its release.

“True crime deals with the victim’s before and after, the communities suffering, the hunt, the cops, the capture, the trial, the verdict. This book is about another part of the story, the part that begins when the verdict is announced the sentence handed down. ‘Couple Found Slain’ is a compelling headline. The scene it conjures up is lurid and frightening. It shuts out further thought. It’s like a burst of gunfire, explosive and short lived.

The rest of the story, dense and messy, lies beneath.”

Couple Found Slain by Mikita Brottman tells the story of Brian Bechtold, who at the age of 22 had a psychotic break and murdered his parents. He was found not criminally responsible for their deaths on the grounds of insanity and hospitalized at Perkins hospital. The author does tell the story of the crimes and of Brian’s history, but the focus of the book is on his time at the mental health institution and the struggles he has faced during his many years there.

This book was truly eye opening to me. I knew a bit about what things are and have been like at psychiatric hospitals and residential treatment centers due to my former career, but seeing things from Brain’s perspective was very different. It’s a book I would encourage many to read, as its an issue that is not often considered and honestly should be more. I give this unforgettable read 5 full stars.

“‘There are dark corners in America where people are trampled, broken and forgotten,’ the column reminded its readers. ‘The saddest of these-and the most demeaning to our society- are those institutions, paid for and run by the public. Where people are stashed away for the safety of and convenience for the rest of us and then left to rot untouched by the collective conscience of the community.’”

Couple Found Slain is a very different True Crime story. Instead of focusing on the crime itself, its focus is Brian Bechtold and his life after he killed his parent. I had never realy thought about what life would be like for someone that was found to be "not criminally responsible" due to insanity. This was a very interesting book and I highly recommend it!

This was a different perspective of a true crime. The author takes us on Brian journey, after he was found not competent to stand trail. He’s sent to a mental hospital. We see the ups and downs and the going ons behind closed doors.

Couple Found Slain by Mikita Brottman

Like a lot of people these days, I love true crime. And I especially love it when a true crime book throws me a curve and takes me someplace unexpected. Couple Found Slain did that.

In the case of most true crime books, the focus is on events leading up to the crime and its subsequent trials, but that’s not what we have here. While Brottman does spend some time discussing Brian Bechtold’s life prior to murdering his parents in the winter of 1992, the thrust of the book is a record of his time at Maryland’s only maximum-security psychiatric facility, the Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center. Following a diagnosis of schizophrenia, a vague and largely misunderstood illness at the time, Bechtold was found “Not Criminally Responsible” for the murder of his parents and committed to Perkins for treatment.

This book, at its heart, illustrates the hamster wheel that is the American mental health system and how hard it can be to get off the wheel once it starts turning. The horrors Bechtold and others experienced during their commitment for “treatment” are astonishing. Crushing bureaucracy, incompetent and abusive medical staff, and unproven therapies made the likelihood of their genuine recovery and release from Perkins (and other hospitals like it) little more than a crapshoot.

Nearly 30 years later, Brian Bechtold remains at Perkins. It’s hard not to read this book and think the murders of the Bechtolds weren’t the only crimes committed here, and I guess that’s the author’s point. Bottom line: this is a solid true crime endeavor by Brottman which will resonate with those drawn to the intersection of crime and mental health.

Thank you, Henry Holt & Company, for this digital review copy. We can’t wait to get this one on our shelves.

This story interested me from the blurb. It’s unique and gives a fresh perspective that I’ve thought about when reading true crime stories. I’m a fan and found this to be a page turner I’m recommending to everyone. Add it and read it. You will be a fan as well.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s an account of a brutal crime and the aftermath of the crime. The court cases are very detailed. I love good court coverings. It wasn’t your run of the mill true crime book, as it didn’t just focus on the crime itself.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

So good! I am intrigued with true crime so this was my book. It lays out the aftermath of murder and how mental illness is treated. So interesting to see the other perspective of how the criminal is treated and what happens when they plead guilty and are send to a psychological institution and what happens to them. People usually tune out at this step in the life of a criminal and this book gave a good peek into the next chapter.

I really enjoyed this book, it’s such a different angle than the usual true crime read. It was so unusual to find a book that follows the killer after the crime when he’s sent to a mental hospital instead of prison, after being found not guilty by reason of insanity. Its very eye-opening to see what its like there from his perspective. Seeing how he is treated by doctors and staff during his years there is revealing as well. Excellent writing and detail. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Mikita Brottman, and the publisher.