Mikita Brottman’s Couple Found Slain: After a Family Murder is a true crime volume with a twist. Most true crime accounts focus almost entirely on the crime, and on the identification and incarceration of the party responsible for committing it. This, however, is only the beginning of what Brottman has to say about Brian Bechtold’s 1992 murder of his parents in Silver Spring, Maryland. The author focuses instead on what happens to the 22-year-old after he turns himself in to authorities in Port St. Joe, Florida - and what his life has been like for the almost three decades following the murder.

That Brian Bechtold would shotgun his parents to death should have come as no surprise to anyone paying attention to what life in the Bechtold home was like, least of all to Brian’s parents. The Bechtold family is one that has been plagued with mental illness for generations, and neither of Brian’s parents were entirely free of the problem themselves. Perhaps that is why neither of them seemed to feel physically threatened by Brian’s behavioral problems right up to the moment he turned his shotgun on both of them on the morning of February 21, 1992.

But that is only the beginning of Brian Bechtold’s story.

Brian was so obviously mentally disturbed (eventually being diagnosed as schizophrenic) that he was held “not criminally responsible” by a jury and confined to Maryland’s Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center for an indefinite period of time during which doctors would supposedly work to cure him of his mental illness so that he could eventually be released back into the public. And that’s right where he would still be when Mikita Brottman encountered him in that same facility more than two decades later — no closer to being released back into society or even, according to his doctors, “cured” of his illness.

Couple Found Slain is Brottman’s reaction to what she learned about Brian and the situation in which he now seemed to be trapped forever. Her well researched recounting of daily life inside Perkins explains how difficult it became for Brian to cope with what seemed to him to be an endless stream of reliving the same day over and over again. What Brottman describes as life inside Perkins, especially in the maximum security unit where Brian spent so much of his time, makes clear how difficult it must have been for Brian or anyone else to retain their sanity, much less try to regain it under those conditions.

Bottom Line: Couple Found Slain is an eye-opener for those of us who do not pay attention to what happens to people confined to psychiatric facilities by the courts. That longterm residents of the facilities often come to see being transferred into the prison system — and act out, accordingly — as their only way out of the grind of living in a psychiatric hospital tells you everything you need to know about the mental torture of living life under such an indefinite sentence.

The audiobook version of Couple Found Slain, with the exception of brief remarks by the author herself, is read by Christina Delaine whose voice and pacing are such that her words are always easily understood. Delaine’s delivery, however, does tend at times to swing into a monotoned, almost robotic, style reminiscent of computer-generated narration, and that can be distracting.

This audiobook tells the story of a man named Brian who one day decides to kill his family. He then goes on the run but eventually turns himself in. Brian is committed to a mental institution as a jury has found him guilty.

The rest of the book goes into detail about Brian’s experience in the mental institutions and the overall challenges that patients experience while being housed in one of the institutions.

True crime novels are becoming my favourite genre and so I was excited to get an early copy of this book. I found this book to be written in a very different way compared to many true crime novels. Instead of a majority of the book being about the crime and the subsequent investigation this one focused on the aftermath. At times it was difficult reading about Brian’s experience because mental health is still such an unknown. I thought the narrator was enjoyable to listen to and had a great tone and pace. I would recommend this to true crime enthusiasts.

Couple Found Slain: After a Family Murder is definitely one of the stronger true crime books that I've read lately. I navigated the story by alternating between audiobook and the written book, and the audiobook was much stronger. This book started right into the case of Brian Bechtold and his family's murder. We dive into a world people tend to forget - post conviction prison life. This book provides an in-depth account of Brian's post-arrest and his psychological diagnosis. The narrative was very strong and at times I felt like I was listening to a show on Investigation Discovery (my favorite tv channel). Highly recommend.

This is a very different type of True Crime. I like that it focuses on the killer's history before the event. In most books this is covered in a few chapters, then plunges into the investigation and beyond. It is all too easy, without this kind of book, so simply demonize the criminal. I can easily see how everyone in that family was a victim. I can also see how a pebble in the river of their lives could have produced a very different ending. I see it as good material for an Abnormal Psychology class. Powerful and moving.

I thought I would be interested in this book because I love listening to True Crime podcasts, but this wasn't for me. I was bored, and the narrator didn't have emotion in their voice. As a result, I felt disconnected from the story and wasn't interested.

Looking for a true crime book that covers the life span of those involved in the crime and then dives into the the mess that are the mental health institutions in the United States? Look no further than this one.

I'm throughly impressed by the work that Mikita put into this book. I had never heard of this case before. Before I started this audiobook, I searched online to see if anyone had covered the case on a podcast, unfortunately it looks like no one has. So congrats Mikita on bringing forward a case that many true crime lovers like myself haven't heard of out of the cracks of the system since 1992.

Mikita Brottman has brought forward the story of Brian Bechtold, who has spent 27 years in a maximum security psychiatric center after being found not criminally responsible for the murder of his parents in 1992. She starts off talking about his childhood: the youngest of five children to a PhD father and a stay at home mom who are strong on their catholic faith and not afraid to throw their kids in a mental institution at the first sign of depression or anxiety.

This was truly an eyeopening book on an aspect of the judicial system that many do not delve into: what happens to those you are found criminally insane and sent to a psychiatric center instead of prison and what happens the longer they stay there.

I highly recommend.

Thanks netgalley for the ARC


I have read a few books on the mental health system in our county so I feel like this didn’t really give me much more on to topic. However, what this country has done to those seeking mental health services is pretty disturbing. I was hoping to read something more like the podcast serial so I was a little disappointed. The crime did take place in the area I live so I was familiar with some of the places described. It was fine. Not one I would recommend necessarily if you’ve read other books similar to this

This was different than any other true crime story I have read or listened to. I feel like the title is misleading from what the book is really about. This story is not about the actual crime committed but more about Brian's life AFTER the murder of his parents. It was about his life in the mental institution and his struggle. I did enjoy the insight to what happens to those patients but it was just not what I was expecting or what I enjoy in a true crime story.

Interesting and incredibly informative book. There is the lead up to the murder, the murder and the aftermath. Really delves into criminal insanity here and I was amazed.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for this advance listener'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. Narrated by Christina Delaine and 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. The narration, by Christina Delaine, is very well-done. Delaine's voice is pleasant and she is able to modulate the tone of her voice to indicate the differences between certain characters. All in all, Couple Found Slain was a very good listen and a definite recommendation for any true crime fans out there.

A fantastic narration for a truly real and sad story. I loved all of the details, side stories, and looks into the past as well as life after the crime was committed. The narrator did a perfect job reading this factual story.

This book achieves the goal set by its gifted author to objectively present the true story of a young man who killed his parents and spent 27 years in a psychiatric hospital. While Dr. Brottman, an Oxford-educated psychoanalyst as well as accomplished author, does not soften the brutality of Brian Bechtold's family life, she does not minimize in any way the horror of the murder or severity of Brian's mental state. She presents Brian's terrifying hallucinations and delusions without comment. Rather than being charged with murder, Brian is committed to Perkins Hospital Center in Maryland. At times his life there is less restrictive than at some institutions as when Brian is moved from one level to another, gaining more freedom. However, the power of staff, especially psychiatrists, to determine what kind of life a patient will have is frightening. Reminiscent of David Rosenhan's 1973 article ,"On Being Sane in Insane Places " (which Dr. Brottman references), the reader gets a close view of how innocent behaviors or comments can be interpreted by staff as symptomatic, resulting in heavier medication or even in the patient being moved to a more restrictive "level of care". When Brian Bechtold attempts to minimize this risk by not volunteering thoughts and comments to his psychiatrist, he is deemed to be restricting his communication which "means" he is returning to his internalized withdrawal and possibly paranoid condition. I'm avoiding spoilers because this is a book that the reader deserves to enjoy in full. It is wonderfully written and on a par with Hidden Road by Robert Kolker, and I will be reading Dr. Brottman's other books.

Couple Found Slain: After a Family Murder by Mikita Brottman (Author, Narrator), Christina Delaine (Narrator)

This story deals with a real life crime and the aftermath for the man who killed his parents. True to the title, although we learn of Brian Bechtold's family life, starting from before his parents married all the way until he killed them in the family home, the story's main focus is on Brian's life in the Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center where he has been since the death of his parent in 1992. This story is disturbing on so many levels and I feel in no way competent about choosing sides or making a decision on the right and wrong of Brian's fate. It does seem that if you compare him to others who have been released from the hospital within a few years of their crimes, that Brian should also have been able to fit the requirements for release, either to prison or to living in the outside world. 

Brian came from a very dysfunctional family and had already exhibited mental problems for several years before he murdered his mother and father in 1992. After driving from his home, through various states, for almost two weeks, Brian picked up a Bible and started reading. It's then that he feels like he was cured of his mental disorder and he walked into a Florida police station and confessed that he had killed his parents. He was found not criminally responsible for his crime and was sent to Perkins. Unlike the majority of residents at this hospital, who usually are released from the hospital in a few years, Brian has remained there for decades. He does seem to be a changed man from the person he was in his teens and early 20s but according the many of the doctors who have examined him and his records over the years, many of them say that he is even more of a danger to himself and others and that his mental illness is as bad or worse than when he committed his crime. 

The author presents us with Brian's history over his years at the hospital. He seems to be caught in a catch-22 black hole. Anything he says or does will be used against him. Anything he doesn't say or do will be used against him. Anything and everything can be used to diagnose him with various illnesses and disorders. Brian has no say over anything in his life and even wanting to make his own decisions is considered more evidence of his mental illness. Through various means Brian has tried to escape the hospital, both legal means and illegal means and he seems more entrenched there than ever. 

I'm not in a position to decide what is best for Brian or for society, in regards to Brian. This book is interesting but more than that, it's very disturbing, and will appeal to those who are interested in true crime and/or the fate of those who experience life in a mental hospital and all the bureaucracy and indifference that might entail. I can understand how trapped and helpless patients might feel and I have no answer to their situations. At the same time, I feel for those who are there to care for and help the patients. 

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ARC.

I want to thank #netgalley for an ARC of this book

This book is not for someone wanting to read true crime in the traditional sense and that is a good thing. This book digs into the inner life of Brian Brottman, who confessed to killing his parents and the aftermath of the trial that ruled him not criminally responsible for those shooting deaths.

By showing us the repercussions, we get a good look at his complicated life after the verdict in a maximum security psychiatric hospital. I have often wondered what happens to those who are not put in prison yet are not free. And in that story was many eye opening experiences that I will not give as spoilers. I have to admit I felt for this person due to those experiences but obviously do not condone killing of his parents.

What happens to those tucked away in facilities such as those described? We need to know. This book will open your eyes.

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 truly interesting and enlightening book. Well written and touching on a subject so important, far reaching and scary. What does happen to people who are judged to be “criminally insane”? Where do they go and can they ever be let back into the outside world? This is a story about Brian Bechtold, who seemingly out of the blue one day just up and kills his parents. They were abusive in every way and he was clearly mentally ill, but no one ever did a thing about it until one day he was done, he “snapped” and shot both of his parents and left the house. Days later he turned himself in to the police. Now what? This story examines his experience through his almost three decades at the mercy of those in charge of him at the hospital. It is a difficult, depressing, horrifying time he experienced. Hospitals and doctors are supposed to “first do no harm” and his experience was the diametric opposite. How does this happen? How do these types of places exist and not only survive, but thrive? They take advantage of people who truly need help and then lie lie lie and lie some more. No actual services, they drug people into oblivion and when patients do want to better themselves get beaten down emotionally and often physically. I am confident that most people who go into the mental health field are in it for the good. That they spend their time trying to help to heal those most vulnerable and in need. So how does Perkins and other facilities like it continue to thrive with such destructive awful people in charge? This is in no way an easy read, but an important one.

*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!

3 stars

This is a compassionate & nuanced account of a man who was abused, suffered from mental illness, committed parricide, & was committed to a state mental health institution for decades. The book is well written & detailed, but I’m uncomfortable with some of the writer’s un-nuanced, negative views on psychiatric healthcare & medications (though many of the criticisms of the state hospital & the overall system are well founded). The writer’s perspective seemed a bit biased on several points.

[What I liked:]

•The narrative doesn’t gloss over the abuse & neglect that went on in the Bechtold household, but doesn’t sensationalize it either. Among the parents & Brian, no one is portrayed solely as a victim nor as a villain. I appreciate the nuanced approach to telling this story, which includes the perspectives of Brian’s four siblings & their complex feelings about the abuse Brian survived & the crime he committed.

•The writer taught a writing class at the Perkins hospital for years & got to personally know Brian & the other patients she mentions in the book. She has clear empathy for them, & firsthand knowledge of their situations & perspectives.

•This book sheds light on the reality of life in Perkins hospital, the mistreatment of some patients, the imbalance of power between patients & their healthcare providers, & insight into the gaps & failings in the system. This is information most of the public likely isn’t familiar with, & I think is important for society to understand so things might improve.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•The writer emphasizes that psychiatric diagnoses can be subjective, & goes to lengths to claim that mental illnesses aren’t like other physical diseases. As a person with mental illness, this is a complicated issue for me. So many people view mental illness as a personal or moral failing & not a physical disease that can be successfully treated, so I’m wary whenever someone like this writer tries to discredit mental health issues as “real” illness.

•The writer also makes certain claims that aren’t factual, or at least not nuanced, such as: “Once a person has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, the label remains for life.” Actually, it’s common for people with mental health issues to get their diagnoses adjusted over time as new symptoms may present. For example, someone initially diagnosed with depression may later be diagnosed with bipolar disorder instead after experiencing a manic episode. Or, a person diagnosed with schizophrenia may have their diagnosis later adjusted to bipolar with schizoaffective disorder. She criticizes the older DSM versions for having subjective criteria for diagnoses, but also criticizes the current DSM for having more “streamlined” & empirical criteria, and never explains what she thinks an appropriate solution would be.

•The writer has a background as a psychoanalyst, but has no psychology or medical degree as far as I can find. She seems very skeptical of psychiatry, the DSM, & prescription medications. Her critiques of the mental health system seem heavily based on Brian’s opinions (although she does include differing opinions from other patients she knew there), rather than on research by professionals. I know there is plenty of room for critique of the US mental health care system, the debilitating side effects of some psychotropic medications, the possibility of misdiagnosis, etc. I also don’t doubt Brian’s experiences, some of which definitely seem unjust & cruel. Yet the evidence provided in this book is anecdotal & it’s possible that while Brian believed he was stable enough to be released his healthcare providers had good reasons for not releasing him (he was suicidal, refused medications, assaulted staff with weapons, & denied he had a mental illness).

CW: suicide, child abuse, domestic violence, mental illness, murder, abuse of institutionalized patients, physical assault, repeated use of a trans person’s dead name, rape

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

I'd like to start with the opinion that this book should be titled differently, very little is about the couple.

This is quite a different take on a true crime story than I've ever heard before. It’s focused primarily on what happens to the murderer after he’s killed his parents and is sent to a psychiatric facility.

There is quite a bit of information included about his parents & upbringing. The narrator did a good job, listened at 1.5 speed and helped to move the story along.

This true crime, non-fiction account of the forensic mental health system over several decades was incredibly accurate and disturbing. This is the story of Brian Bechtold, a 22-year-old man who wandered into a police department in Port St. Joe, Florida and confessed to killing both of his parents. This crime was occurred in Maryland where the family was living and therefore Brian was arrested and tried in Maryland. He was found guilty by reason of insanity or what was called "not criminally responsible". He was sentenced to "treatment and incarceration" in a state mental facility for the "criminally insane". The system at the time was one of maximum security with step down units based on good behavior. A problem with this approach is that it is incredibly subjective. In addition to this, there is very little true review of a case. In other words, the history and documentation that is in place from the beginning remains an active part of the chart throughout the sentence. When new doctors and nurses assume care for the individual, they often adopt the previous diagnoses rather than "start over" and formulate their own diagnosis. Therefore, Brian, who was highly intelligent and educated, was stuck in a monotonous loop of mediocre or poor treatment and lack of new ideas.
From my personal experience having worked in the forensic unit of a psychiatric state hospital, I can absolutely see both sides of this situation. From the caregiver side, it would be difficult to have the resources and time to fully review and rediagnose every person you care for when taking over from a previous provider. In addition, resources for treatment options are limited as is staffing. This can lead to less than stellar care. However, I can absolutely see that the person who is admitted to a facility may feel as though they have done everything right after they are admitted and yet are no closer to discharge and feel like there is no hope.
I believe that the other issue is that mental healthcare has gone to a rehabilitation model, where the expectation, on both sides, is for functional improvement and ultimately the ability to resume as normal a life as possible. The ability to control impulses and take care of activities of daily living is a goal that may be obtainable or not. The decision that someone is at risk to themselves or others is a vital consideration as well. I have seen people who do rehabilitate and can be safely discharged to a forensic group home and then some do return to their homes. I have also seen the opposite situation, where the mental health issue is intractable and the likelihood of fully returning to society outside of a psychiatric institution is low.
This book brings up some excellent points and was a great read. I was allowed an early release of the audiobook. I flew through it, knowing many of the places and the situations. It gives a fantastic look at how this system works, or doesn't work, and is highly worth the time. The narrator, Christina Delaine, did a great job with this as well.
#CoupleFoundSlain #Netgalley #MacmillanAudio