Shankar VedantamHost, Hidden Brain · Journalist, Writer, Science Correspondent

The Innocent Man Who Confessed To Murder

21 Jul 2026 · 1 min

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In this Hidden Brain audio excerpt, Shankar Vedantam recounts the 1973 murder of an 18‑year‑old’s mother in New York and the subsequent false confession of Peter Reilly. After finding his mother slain, Peter is interrogated for many hours; detectives claim he failed a lie‑detector test, repeatedly suggest he is guilty, and eventually he comes to believe he committed the crime despite having no memory of it. He confesses, is convicted, and sentenced to prison. Years later, a new prosecutor uncovers undisclosed evidence, including a witness who saw two other men fleeing the scene. A judge grants a new trial in 1976 and later dismisses the charges, exonerating Peter. Vedantam uses this case to illustrate how coercive interrogation can lead innocent people to believe they are guilty, highlighting the psychology of false confessions. The segment ends with a call to listeners to explore more of Hidden Brain’s work on the science of the mind.

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September 28th, 1973. 18-year-old Peter Reilly comes home from a church youth group meeting and finds his mother lying on the floor, her throat slashed. He calls for help. The police arrive almost immediately. Soon after, his mother is pronounced dead. Peter becomes a prime suspect in her murder. His interrogation goes on for many hours. Detectives tell Peter he failed a lie detector test. They tell him all the evidence points to him. But there's a problem. Peter doesn't remember killing his mother. But hour after hour, the interrogators offer him an explanation that makes it feel possible. And eventually, Peter starts to believe them. After nearly a full day of cross-examination, he confesses. 8 months later, he's sentenced to serve years in prison. But something doesn't make sense, and people can feel it. A new prosecutor uncovers evidence that hadn't been disclosed earlier. Including a witness who says he saw 2 other men fleeing the scene that night. In 1976, a judge grants Peter a new trial before eventually dismissing the charges against him later that year. Peter was always innocent, but his case is a chilling example of how, under the wrong conditions, you can come to believe you are guilty of a crime you didn't commit. For more insights about the science of the mind, tune into Hidden Brain on Apple, Spotify, or hiddenbrain.org.