The irony is she was worried about the truck drivers daughter, but didn’t have the foresight to see she was the one who raised a killer.

His mother didn't approve of his girlfriend because her dad was a truck driver??! Ah, the good ol' days when people let their petty stereotypes and prejudices just hang out 🤦🏻‍♀️

As the son of a domineering narcissistic mother, I can relate. Had he grown up in a truly caring family, I'm willing to bet his life would have been much different.

I have a feeling that any girl that Leslie showed an interest in would be called no good. If the girl’s fathers occupation was Neurosurgeon, Leslie’s mother would have found another reason why the girl was no good. Toxic parents suck!

I'm not diagnosing but only speculating it's safe to hit like b4 watching Dr Grandes videos.

My Australian father used to employ men who had no interest in returning to their overseas homes after WWII. Usually they had a wife and children they wanted to forget about and mostly wanted to lay about and drink all the time. Some American magazine television show even did a segment on one of his employees who didn't go back home and his wife and children had thought he was dead from the war for 20 or 30 years but somehow he was finally traced to Australia. He had no remorse for the agony he had caused his family.

With a mother like that who needs enemies?

I think this case falls in line with a long list of cases which serve as good examples why you shouldn't say things like "What are you gonna do, shoot/stab/explode me?"

The guy had a better life on the run from prison then most people that never commit a crime.

What happened to Crystal? She was probably a nice average person who had spend the rest of her life dealing with the guilt of being peripherally involved in these horrible murders. And poor little brother Jim!

You have to give him some credit for not getting in trouble ever again.

The mom sounds like a narcissistic mother with a golden child and a scapegoat for her two sons. Thanks for the video.

Once again, a great analysis. Even though he was free, he was still in prison. I don't know if serving his full sentence would have given him any peace....murdering your parents is top notch up there. I was relieved to hear he didn't commit any other crimes.

I remember my mom fuming in anger one night because she couldn’t believe her daughter was going to marry someone who went to a junior college. My sister didn’t marry her fiancé. His father died and my sister gave him less that week to get over it. He didn’t, and the relationship was over. Seems like she lost interest in someone that couldn’t live by our standards of not getting over problems within 10 minutes.

"And a justified dislike of surprise parties." lol. I had to laugh when you said that. Unbeknownst to me, my son was passing by....and I heard him laugh from behind me! 🤣 He said, "I love that guy, Grande's the best!" 🤣 YES, son, he IS! 😆✌️❤

That reverse psychology trick shouldn't be attempted on someone who is prone to rageful violence and is angry in the moment.

"In a sense, he traded one prison for another" haunting.

“He traded a physical prison for a mental one” I felt that. I can’t imagine living in constant fear. U are never supposed to put down ur guard even for a second. That’s very hard. How he managed to pull thru shoes he was a very determined man. At least he took care of his family.

His mother’s treatment of him was evil. Better for him to walk away forever than to react, obviously.

I hated my mother for her abuse, lies and manipulation but I never thought about hurting her in anyway. I just wanted to be loved and accepted like my brothers. When I’d had enough, I cut her out of my life completely. She died alone and forgotten by her real children

It's so weird that he escaped from prison when he was going to be released anyway. That makes little sense.

His family referring to him makes me think of my old man. No one knew much about him or his origins and he NEVER spoke about them, just vague references to 'back home.' You know that they don't want questions asked when no one ever asks them.

This is a very interesting story. I've heard a few other stories of people who escaped prison after being incarcerated for murder at a very young age and they went on to lead a good life, at least in the eyes of those around them. It's all so confusing and sad in so many ways.

His mother didn't deserve to die but she deserved to be held accountable for her abusive behaviour. And by the system not even thinking about that, this is what you get. She didn't treat him "like a child", she was abusive, and that's not a normal way to treat any human. We can't just pretent like her cruelty towards her own child didn't exist. This was the cycle of violence in action, and in a weird way it's lucky Leslie didn't kill other, innocent people but turned on his abuser instead.

In this case, we differ on the meaning of "didn't do anything wrong" the effect horrible parents have on the psyche of helpless children is criminal.

Geez. What’s wrong with being a truck driver? Why did this make the daughter no good?

I confess that when listening to the story, when it came to Leslie plotting his escape from prison I went "nooo you'll be released in a few years anyway, what are you doing, you're messing it up," and then when I heard that he escaped successfully and was never caught I went "yaaay good job mate." I wonder if ultimately it would've been better or worse for him if he hadn't escaped and had been released a few years later. He wouldn't have had to hide from the authorities for the rest of his life, he could've talked about his true past freely but on the other hand everybody would've known that he killed his parents as a kid, which might also have isolated him -- maybe he wouldn't have found a spouse and had a family? I mean, having killed your own parents is a huge guilt and a huge burden for any non-psychotic person obviously (and Leslie wasn't psychotic), not being able to talk about it to anyone must also be a huge burden, but everybody knowing about it probably isn't so easy either.

The abused pull the trigger right on time ! after that William Leslie Arnold was freed. He lead a good life and he never went back. Very rare personality type .

Mom was a narcissist and didn’t get it how she wanted it. Some people can’t handle mental abuse without losing it. It can be hard.

Thank you for the Mother's Day 2023 upload, Dr. Grande. Good timing before I go to Pho dinner.

“Became angry when neighbors threw him a surprise party” oh man, that’s actually pretty funny. I’m imagining an escaped convict with a secret identity walks into his house fumbling through the dark and a whole bunch of people leap out at him dressed as cops with a cake.

Really fascinating story. Sounds like something you could base a movie off of.

Im really conflicted about this one. Treating a child like that can create such a dark place inside of them. It sounds like she tried to break his spirit. Maybe his mom didnt deserve to be gunned down like that, but im not sure what people expect when they mistreat their children and pick favorites. His father had to know this was happening, which i feel makes him partially to blame for that resentment; but im sure he was only killed because he showed up.

I am an only child who suffered neglect. At one point I lived with my Grandparents, because my Mother was unable to take care of me. I was dropped off in the middle of the night and was not able to bring the few toys I had. Not all only children have wonderful lives. I suspect this myth may stem from people who had siblings. I may have misunderstood your comment, but thankful to be able to comment on this regardless

There's no excuse for murder ever unless it's self defense but his mother's treatment of him was terrible. For her to call a girl "no good" just because her father was a truck driver is pathetic! His explosive temperament and his mother's controlling and unfair favoritism was a lethal combination. In saying that, I want to repeat, there is zero excuse for murder!

It doesn't sound like 1st degree premeditated murder. It sounds like his mother emotionally abused him for years and he snapped. Not saying that it is right, but should have been 2nd degree.

Imagine always looking over your shoulder, giving up everything you love, all because you couldn't wait another year or two to be released.

Nebraska has their fair share of scary people.

Happy Mother's Day to all the Grande Dames™out there! 💐

I'm surprised that you say the dad did nothing to provoke Leslie. The fact that he did nothing to protect his son from the mother's abuse is very concerning. In any case, Leslie probably felt compelled to kill his dad because of how his dad was reacting to the death of his wife.

While not condoning the murders, I would take a look at what appears to be the passive attitude of Leslie's father with respect to the mother's treatment of their son. It is unfortunate that he did not step in and take control of what was taking place in the home. Adolescent and teen boys benefit greatly when their development has a productive paternal influence as they grow to adulthood. There are many exceptions, I know, but if possible it is best to have a positive father figure. Part of today's societal problems stem from the prevalence of broken homes or those that were mother-only from the start.

10:00 Is it just coincidence that this was posted on Mothers' Day? I'm not making a diagnosis, only speculating about what could be happening in this video.

I love your 'older crime' case content. ❤

That mother was something else

“A tremendous sense of entitlement “? Because he irrationally fled prison? So if he’d served a few months more and completed his formal sentence, according to Nebraska law, he could have been categorized as repentant as taking responsibility? Perhaps that’s true but it could also have been calculating and unrepentant. His escape shows deeper paranoia: I’m behind the eight ball and all I can do is run, try to make my best of it. With a mother like this it’s likely he’d have such a worldview. His father, who “did nothing”, was not guilt free: he passively allowed his wife to create this horrible home. Was he justified in killing? No. Should he have served out his term? Yes. But those would ideally be signs of a soul at peace. He hadn’t found that. I wouldn’t call that entitled.

Dr. Grande I know all of your content these days is geared towards current affairs and events which is great but I was wondering is there anyway you could do a bit on the Lindbergh baby kidnapping cuz there was a lot of interesting stuff there...thnx

There’s a great passage in the Bible about not provoking one’s children to wrath. Maybe because it’s addressed specifically to fathers, the mother didn’t think it applied to her. I believe children of emotionally/psychologically abusive parents can feel as though they’re being destroyed, internally. Unable to escape destruction, they react as though one would who is in mortal fear of their life.

Love how your studio and audio set up has evolved. Great content as always. Thanks!

The mother was more than controlling; she was sadistic, emasculating and, I suspect, relieving her own childhood experiences by rejecting one son and spoiling the other.The father's interest in ameliorating the situation was, in a word, underwhelming. Nothing justifies murder, but family dynamics like this rarely turn out well.

This is but one of the many cautionary tales of the DNA tests that "reveal" the origins of your ancestry. "You are 23% Italian" is absolute rubbish, but the other uses of your DNA are downright scary. Yes, some say that it has been instrumental in apprehending previously unknown subjects of horrendous crimes. How might it also be used against the very person who submits his DNA? We don't know yet, but time will tell.

The Omaha World Herald did a 4 part story on this back in 2017. His high school classmates liked him a lot. We drive by his house on Poppleton quite a bit (I’ve had my eye on another house on Poppleton for a few years now). Omaha is a fantastic city with lots of beautiful neighborhoods. The Aksarben area where this is located is a lovely.

Because he was a truck driver? Dude, my buddy is a truck driver and makes over 100 grand a year. Maybe times have changed but still. I’ve always respected with those guys have to do with long hours, stress, and a hell of a lot of intelligence, to be able to figure all that stuff out

Wow! That’s incredible! Thank you Doc!

SCTV "The Taxidermist" from SCTV 1980s was a classic comedy skit about introducing his girlfriend to his "stuffed" parents.

Whoa! So glad for your final analysis, Dr G! For a while there i thought you were going to say that not everyone needs life in prison for killing. But you punctuated that nicely for me. I mean, I feel bad for Michael Bever, but he still belongs in the clink. Thanks for all your hard work!

Dr Grande’s conclusion surprises me. Througout the video he shows us how Leslie despite his crime was actually a decent, loving and productive person. The crime was triggered by very specific circumstances and not a product of his true character. Nothing would have been gained by him sitting out his life in jail just out of principle.

The old fashioned term "while the balance of his mind was temporarily disturbed" applies in this case, I feel. Leslie was driven to a moment of madness by a mother who was struggling with her own mental health issues, teenage boys are impulsive and guns nearby sometimes make it too easy to do harm that can't be undone. Question is, is Leslie led a productive crime free life after he escaped prison, why didn't he just serve his term quietly? I think it's because he didn't want to live life with the label of reformed ex con and parent killer affecting his chances of employment, romance, etc..... I think he decided to start a new life on his own terms - his ego felt, as he had no desire to kill or harm anyone else ever again, that there was no need to serve full sentence, he felt ready for freedom and didn't want to waste any more of his youth. Just as he decided he needed to be free from his parents via an inappropriate and illegal solution, he decided to be free from jail via an inappropriate and illegal solution. Haunted by fear of capture for rest of his life, although apparently made positive contribution to society with family and employment and never got into trouble again. Pretty powerful argument against the death penalty.

Dr. Grande, despite the morbid subjects that you cover, your dry humor is just the best 😂

I only recently discovered Dr. Grande's channel here. I'm hooked. Mostly because of his humor. He throws in the lines that make me have to stop the video because I'm laughing too hard and then keep me giggling far too long afterward.

I recognise the mother's personality. My lil sister is the same monster to her son, but worships her daughters. If we had guns in the UK, Im sure the son would have shot her by now. Even Im tempted.

Love this video! I find your content is so interesting and informative. 👍

This has to be one of the most fascinating, polarising (within one's self, even) and saddest cases covered yet. Ambivalence is the keyword here for sure. I'm grateful I had the upbringing my parents gave me as I was growing up. I do think he was narcissistic but surely his mother's relentless ego-malforming abuse shaped him so. You could argue he inherited her cruelty but even then the murders may never have happened had she not bullied him from birth to the extent that she did. My upbringing had many of its own moments and as time passes I'm aware of how all of them, every single one, occurred when the pain and sadness that struck my heart came from the pain that struck my father's heart, and that which struck his father's too, and so on..One of the reasons I believe I don't want children of my own.

Happy Mother's day to your family Doc. Blessings.

I feel like this guy drug out his prison sentence by escaping. He was never truly free and I bet he realized it. But it was too late by then. He already had a family and life outside of prison. If he had just finished his sentence, he could have lead a freer life post prison.

I’m sorry. I’m not cutting the grass three times.

I believe that he was truly sorry for the murder of his parents. His narcissistic mother pushed him way too far, she was very disrespectful to Crystal and in an instant, he snapped. He obviously moved on and was a productive man that provided for his family. I’m sorry but I blame the mother.

I'm surprised that the authorities didn't opt to throw the book at William Leslie Arnold because of the Starkweather case.

Always an interesting story! A daily stop with Dr Grande "makes my day"....🎉

Dude I don't know how you always nail the comedy like that. One of the few things on YT that makes me crack up out loud. "In a strange twist it appears that Leslie had killed to see the Undead." I can only imagine how bad it was....1957. Edit: Now finished the whole thing, a really great script / presentation. Thx Dr. Grande.

In a sense Leslie Arnold traded one prison for another. 14:52

The mother sounds like a sadistic abuser, who was aided and abbetted by her weak husband. Maybe they had it coming. That's sometimes what happens when you ruin a child's life with psychological torture for years on end, the person on the recieving end can't take it any more and finally snaps. Many people should not be allowed to procreate as they do not value the lives they are responsible for.

Dr Grande, this analysis is one of your best. Thank you.

Even after escaping he continued to be a prisoner of his own mind.

All I picture in my head when someone describes a person as a “model prisoner” is a guy in a striped jumpsuit and stilettos prancing down a runway.

Interesting case, great analysis always. I agree the parents didn't deserve to get killed, he was very selfish. Thanks Dr G😉💖💖

Excellent analysis and explanation. Thanks for posting Dr. Grande

No Time for Sergeants was always an amusing flick.

Wow what a story, the best you can say is I am glad he went on to never hurt anyone again.

Perfect ending to my wonderful Mothers Day!!!!! Thank you Dr, Grande!!!!!

Your videos are worth repeating Dr. Grande. I learn so much. Thank you!

Good evening Dr Grande, excellent analysis. As always I learn something new from your videos. Have a wonderful evening.

Great video Dr grande

I actually felt bad for the kid

Ugh it's not ok to kill but also not ok to have a kid just to push around. Had parents like this. Constantly pacing standing over me demanding I get it done faster. I thought I did a good job on my chores but they were never done right and I would get grounded for doing it wrong. Then they would redo it. I would get grounded for asking how they wanted it done. I would get yelled at for hours for doing it wrong. I just quit trying. my boss at subway thought I did fine. they wonder why we don't call and they can't keep help.

Dr Grande is in rare form with this one 😊

Anybody that blows up this easily, is not someone you would want to be a friend of

Thanks, as always, Dr. Grande!

Thank you for another entertaining video, Dr. Grande. I hope Mrs. Grande has a wonderful Mother's Day!

What a morbid Mother’s Day treat 😅

Thanks for covering this Dr. Grande. It’s pretty atypical turn of events.

Yes! I was waiting for you to analyze this case!

I hope he lived the best life he could after the oppressive upbringing he had! My parents were not quite as bad, but a lot of this rang true to my own childhood!

Always interesting - thank you. One angry young man.

I guess he felt like he couldn’t stand another day in confinement.

“…and a justified dislike of surprise parties…” 😂 so dry, Dr G

This is such a peculiar life story. It’s unfortunate that justice wasn’t served for his parents. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this intriguing case, Dr. Grande.❤

Your dry humor keeps me in stitches.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers in the comment section!❤

Great video one of your best.

Great Case Doctor Grande! Thank you