The First Sin of Ross Michael Carlson: A Psychiatrist's Account of Murder, Multiple Personality Disorder, and Modern Justice

by Michael Weissberg

An account of the crimes of Ross Michael Carlson describes how actor Carlson killed his parents in cold blood and then convinced lawyers that he suffered from multiple personality disorder.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 1, 1992

Reviews

[Fishface · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good and unusual read -- pits good against evil, good science against bad science and naive shrinks against the cannier ones. And every word of it is true! You won't read many like this one. Highly recommended.

[♥ Marlene♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very quick and interesting read. I am surprised that not many people have read this book depending on amazon and goodreads. Probably because it is hard to get. This is proof to what i said just recently while reviewing Satan's Children by Dr. Robert S. Mayer about some psychiatrists who are so exited about multiple personality disorder, that they do the craziest things. Even suggest to the patients they are suffering from it. Only thing I very much did not like was the order this book was written. I prefer my books in chronological order.

[Lori Hvizda ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had just moved to Denver from the East Coast when news of Ross Carlson invoking a multiple personality defense in the killing of his parents filled both Denver newspapers and radio and TV as well. I never knew there was a book, though, until a few weeks ago when I discovered a dusty, cob-webby copy in a Little Free Library in my neighborhood. A fascinating re-telling of the crime and how both the legal and psychiatric worlds attempted to deal with this relatively new condition known as Multiple Personality Disorder. There’s a truth-is-stranger-than-fiction plot twist at the end, too. The author’s writing style and all the various attorneys, judges, and doctors make the story a bit hard to follow; otherwise, I’d have given it 4 stars.

[Anna Sallee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a true story written by Dr. Michael Weissberg, the psychiatrist who served as expert witness in the trial of Ross Michael Carlson, a 19 year old who murdered his parents in Douglas County, Colorado in 1983. His book documents the case from the beginning, through all of Carlson's manipulation of the judicial system through his fraudulent claim of having Multiple Personality Disorder and the 3 competency hearings he had, to the very end. It examines how he fooled the first Judge into truly believing his MPD act and how he tried to fool the second Judge on his case. Weissberg ends the book with his educated speculation of the key question: WHY did Ross Michael Carlson kill his parents? And it is not a simple explanation. I'll always remember this one!

[Jennifer Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is disturbing, gripping, and deeply unsettling. It walks the reader through the alleged crimes of Ross Michael Carlson with a chilling level of detail, focusing not just on the violence itself but on the psychological manipulation that followed. What stayed with me most was how convincingly the narrative shows the legal system being drawn into a web of performance, diagnosis, and doubt. It’s less about shock value and more about how easily truth can blur when identity, trauma, and narrative collide. A difficult but compelling read for true-crime readers who want to understand how devastating crimes can hide behind convincing masks.

[Shawna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well written analytical read!

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book because the author is a professor I've really liked during medical school. I had no idea that this true account of a young man who murdered his parents and used multiple personality disorder as a defense took place in the same neighborhood where I grew up. (Really - his mother taught at my elementary school and he attended my rival high school - about 5 years before my family moved to the area. The Dairy Queen the victims went to the night of their deaths was a frequent Sunday afternoon stop for my mom, brother, and me. The examples go on. Very eery, and strange that I'd never heard of this case before.) This connection with Dr. Weissberg's dark tale made it all the more gripping and unbelievable. Fascinating story and example of the adage that fact is truly stranger than fiction.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I vaguely remember this case, as I was in elementary school when it started, and had graduated high school when it ended. Some of the cops mentioned early on in the story were friends of mine. The crime happened near where I grew up, and I recognized the places and such that were mentioned. It is a fascinating story, and it is probably the best written True Crime book I have read.

[Danette · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good look at a fascinating case...a bit dry/boring at times. It read more like a report than a book, but interesting nonetheless.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this years ago and found a copy a little while ago. Not quite as good as I remember, but an interesting study of a psychopathic killer.