“I was driven by voices… They said I had to do it.” — Daniel M’Naghten
This Throwback Crime Thursday, we’re going way back to 1843, to one of the most pivotal criminal cases in British — and global — legal history. A crime committed in broad daylight would not only shock the British elite but also create the foundation for the modern insanity defense.
Let’s talk about Daniel M’Naghten, the paranoid killer who claimed he was under government surveillance — and whose actions forever changed how courts view mental illness.
The Crime: A Political Assassination Gone Wrong
On January 20, 1843, Daniel M’Naghten walked up behind Edward Drummond, the private secretary to British Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel, and shot him in the back.
Drummond died five days later.
M’Naghten was arrested immediately and claimed that he thought Drummond was the Prime Minister — and that the government was conspiring against him. He believed spies were following him, and that his life was in danger.
A Mind Unraveling
Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Daniel M’Naghten was a woodturner by trade but had long shown signs of paranoia and delusional thinking. He told police that he had been persecuted by the Tories (the Conservative party) and that his only option was to stop them — even if it meant murder.
At trial, his defense team argued that M’Naghten was criminally insane and could not distinguish between right and wrong.
This was revolutionary — and controversial.
The Verdict: Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity
The jury delivered a shocking verdict:
Not guilty by reason of insanity.
M’Naghten was committed to Bethlem Royal Hospital, also known as "Bedlam," where he remained for the rest of his life.
But the real impact came in what followed: public outrage, media frenzy, and legal reform.
The Aftermath: The M’Naghten Rule
In response to the verdict, Queen Victoria herself demanded clarification on how the law treats mentally ill offenders. This led to the creation of the M’Naghten Rule — a legal standard that is still used (in various forms) in many courts today, including in the U.S.
The rule asks:
Did the defendant understand the nature of their act, or know that it was wrong?
If not, they may be found not guilty due to insanity.
Why This Case Still Matters
The M’Naghten case opened the door for discussions on:
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Mental illness in criminal law
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Moral vs. legal responsibility
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And the balancing act between justice and compassion
To this day, courts around the world wrestle with questions raised by this 180-year-old crime. And it all started with a man who believed the government was out to get him.
Final Thoughts
Daniel M’Naghten wasn’t a monster — he was a man deeply unwell, caught between reality and delusion. His actions caused real tragedy, but they also forced society to confront a question we still debate:
Can you punish someone who didn’t understand what they were doing?
Join Killer Thoughts and Twisted Plots every Throwback Crime Thursday for deep dives into the cases that shaped the justice system and left a lasting mark on history.
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