Sleepwalking, also called somnambulism, is a mental state in which the person rises from sleep, with little awareness of their surroundings to perform what appears to be conscious motor activities. Some of the things a sleepwalker might do are look for lost objects that reflect incidents from waking life. Sleepwalking is more common among children. A person is most likely to sleepwalk during a period of their life of worry or tension.  Most sleepwalkers sit up in bed or stand near it. Some actually walk about but few perform more complicated actions. Sleepwalking does not happen while dreaming. A sleepwalker might be harmed by falling out a window or down stairs or by walking into an obstacle. It does not harm a sleepwalker if he or she is awakened while sleepwalking. Sleepwalking is often accompanied by talking. Sleepwalking is not a sign of a serious mental disorder.

Most sleepwalking is harmless but not in this extreme case. In Phoenix, a man who claimed to be sleepwalking killed his wife. Scott had stabbed her 44 times and drug her to their pool and held her head under the water. He said he does not remember killing his wife or stashing the knife and bloody clothes in his Volvo. But they ruled against him and sentenced him to life with out parole. They said his actions were too

deliberate for someone supposedly sleepwalking. Scott’s attorney said, “He will appeal the sentence, but wasn’t surprised.” “You would love to have a much different defense,” he said. “We didn’t have anything else.”
     But are they sure he was or wasn’t telling the truth? What do you think?

From my point of view,  I think that something could have happened but not to that extreme. I believe so because I myself am a sleepwalker. But the specific story of Scott Falater murdering his wife is was too far-fetched to have happened. I think if he was sleepwalking he would have woken up when he heard he scream.                 -Amanda McCabe       From my point of view, I think it could happen,

From my point of view, I think he was properly accused. Like the judges, I agree that his actions were too deliberate to be sleepwalking. It was hard to believe that he would have that much energy and direction. I think that he would have woken up. He could have stashed the knife and clothes somewhere else, but he could have put them there so he could use them as an example that he was sleepwalking.           -Megan Pulliam      My opinion is he’s guilty and a liar. The reason why is because if he was asleep, how could he find his keys. That sounds a little weird.  I would think that the guy would have woken up.                   -Kris Harris