About this episode

The episode explores the disturbing case of Zachary Davis, a teenager who attacked his mother with a sledgehammer and set fire to their home, raising questions about his mental state and motivations.

Springfield, Tennessee, 2012: 15-year-old Zachary Davis walks into his mother’s bedroom in the middle of the night and attacks her with a sledgehammer. He then sets fire to the family home, leaving his older brother asleep inside. But when Zachary is arrested, investigators are confronted with a teenager whose behaviour is difficult to understand. He speaks in a strange, emotionless voice, claims his dead father had instructed him to kill his family, and later says he had planned the attack for weeks. As the case heads to court, questions begin to surround Zachary’s mental state. Was he a severely disturbed teenager experiencing psychosis and struggling with the death of his father? Or did he understand exactly what he was doing when he carried out one of Tennessee’s most disturbing family murders? Resources: ⁠https://linktr.ee/eleanornealeresources⁠ Follow Outlore Podcast here: YouTube - ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@EleanorNeale⁠ Insta - @outlorepodcast ⁠https://www.instagram.com/outlorepodcast/?__d=16d⁠ TikTok - @outlorepodcast ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@outlorepodcast⁠ Get to know me on my Personal Channel YouTube - @ellieneale1 ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@ellieneale1⁠ Insta…

People in this episode

Host: Eleanor Neale

Topics covered

• family murder
• teenage psychosis
• mental health
• crime investigation
• court case
• sledgehammer attack

Keywords

• Zachary Davis
• sledgehammer killer
• family murder
• psychosis
• Tennessee crime
• mental health
• court case

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Springfield, Tennessee

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