[ WP ] After a disturbing experience a psychiatrist starts to question their own sanity .

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 The following is a transcript of the audio-recording of the case of ** [ Redacted ] ** *versus the State of New Jersey*. The identities of speakers have been omitted for security reasons. 
 
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 *'' Your honor, the prosecution offers its final piece of evidence: the recording of Mr.* ** [ Redacted ] ** *'s interrogation following his arrest. `` * 
 
 [ video recording plays ] 
 
 > [ A man dressed in a purple suit is sitting at a metal table. His hands are gloved and cuffed to the surface of the table. The room is dark and his face is thrown into shadow. ] 
 
 > OFFICER: We know you killed him. 
 
 > [ The man stares at his hands. ] 
 
 > OFFICER: Hey. [ louder ] Hey, psycho. 
 
 > ** [ Redacted ] **:... Do you ever wonder what it's like to be a pirate? I always wondered. I wanted to be one, you see. I had an eyepatch and a little plastic knife. That was before I learned about all the pillaging and raping, of course. [ pause ] I told that to my patients. They thought it was funny. They think a lot of things are funny. 
 
 > OFFICER: I do n't think you're taking this very seriously. 
 
 > ** [ Redacted ] **: Oh. I'm sorry. Should I be? It just, it did n't seem like it was very important. You were talking, and then they were talking [ indicates to the two-way mirror, behind which several detectives are standing ] and then you stopped, and then there was more talking- 
 
 > OFFICER: You're in a lot of trouble, Mr. ** [ Redacted ] **. Do you know why? 
 
 > ** [ Redacted ] **: Was it because of the blond one? Gosh, I'm sorry, I just- I *really* did n't like him- 
 
 > OFFICER: So you killed him. 
 
 > ** [ Redacted ] **: Yeah. [ nods ] Yeah. So I killed him. 
 
 > [ pause ] 
 
 > OFFICER: [ indicates to clipboard ] It says here that Mr. Falcone was the son of a patient of yours. What exactly did he do to deserve... [ flips through papers ] getting his head cut off? 
 
 > ** [ Redacted ] **: Well, Mr. Falcone Senior was n't doing so well. He has n't been quite right since that whole fear gas thing. I thought he might be happy to see that his son was... *looking up*. [ chuckles expectantly ] 
 
 > [ It should be noted for posterity that the death of the victim, Carmine Falcone Jr., was due to multiple stab wounds from a pocketknife in the abdomen, shoulders and back. The head of the victim was removed postmortem with the same knife and presented facing upwards to Carmine Falcone Sr., a patient at Dr. ** [ Redacted ] **'s asylum and the victim's father. ] 
 
 > [ OFFICER does not respond. ] 
 
 > ** [ Redacted ] **: [ sighs ] Everybody's a critic. Why do n't you see? Is n't it funny? 
 
 > OFFICER: You and I have very different definitions of the word. 
 
 > ** [ Redacted ] **: I do n't think we do. I just think you need a little *perspective*. 
 
 > [ The man leans into the light. His hair is streaked with green dye and his face is painted white. Vicious scars stretch from the corners of his mouth. He grimaces, an approximation of a smile. ] 
 
 > ** [ Redacted ] **: You get it now? 
 
 > [ pause ] 
 
 > OFFICER: [ standing ] I think we're done here. 
 
 > ** [ Redacted ] **: Not yet! You do n't get the joke yet. It's okay, I did n't understand it at first either. But my patients helped me. They showed me how funny it is. 
 
 > OFFICER: Okay, yeah, we're done. 
 
 > ** [ Redacted ] **: [ sighs ] Fine. Wan na see a magic trick? 
 
 > [ Halfway to the door, the OFFICER looks back. The purple-suited man rattles his handcuffs three times. On the third time, they drop free. ] 
 
 > ** [ Redacted ] **: Abracadabra! 
 
 > [ The man leaps over the table and crashes a fist into the OFFICER's head. The man sets a chair under the handle of the door to the room. He kneels, seizing the officer's face in both hands. ] 
 
 > ** [ Redacted ] **: Do you like my makeup? I think it's missing something. 
 
 > [ The man pulls a knife from a pocket and moves out of view of the camera. Muffled shouts and a loud banging comes from behind the door. ] 
 
 > [ After a moment, the man's face pops back into view very close to the camera. A dark red liquid is now smeared across his lips and cheeks along the lines of his scars. ] 
 
 > ** [ Redacted ] **: Hilarious. 
 
 > [ Behind the man, the door is broken through and armed guards come surging into the room. The man drops the knife and raises his hands, grinning widely. ] 
 
 [ video recording ends ] 
 
 [ shocked silence ] 
 
 *'' Your honor, the prosecution rests. `` * 
 
 *'' I see. [ turning to address the defense ] Mr.* ** [ Redacted ] ** *. You have have offered no defense. The prosecution has procured evidence which irrefutably identifies you as the murderer - in which* you, yourself, *admitted your guilt. Now I'm going to ask you again, Robert. One last time. How do you plead? `` * 
 
 [ long pause ] 
 
 *'' Why so serious, your honor? * 
 
 [ pause ] 
 
 *It was just a joke. `` *
