A Man Murdered His Wife While Sleep Walking

Scott Falater, also known as the ‘Sleepwalking Killer’ murdered his wife Yarmila Falater while sleeping. This type of crime is known as homicidal somnambulism/sleepwalking. To kill while asleep. Somnambulism itself is a sleeping condition. Many people say it is dangerous to awaken a person who is sleepwalking. This is because in the process of trying to awake a sleepwalker can trigger a stress response causing the individual to act towards themselves or the person who woke them.

Scott and Yarmila were high school sweethearts and did not have any criminal records or history of relational violence. Family members and friends could attest to this as well. So, what was Falater’s motive in all of this? Could it have been a real accident or was this all one big cover-up?

Here’s a breakdown of the event that occurred:

The ‘Sleepwalking Killer’ Case

The incident occurred on January 16, 1997, in Phoenix, Arizona. There are two sides to the story given by the neighbor Greg Koons and Falater.

Around 10 PM the neighbor was with his girlfriend and suddenly became startled by something that came off as a woman screaming. Along with the sounds of moaning, and a dog barking. He went outside to investigate what was going on and looked over the fence that divided their property. He saw a woman lying on the ground, slightly moving.

His assumption was she could’ve been drunk but he noticed Falater calming down the family dog. Afterward, he dragged his wife to the pool, rolling her in, and holding her head underwater as if he was attempting to drown his wife. It didn’t take long for Yarmilas body to soon float up to the surface. Without hesitation, Greg called 911 and mentioned he was worried about something suspicious going on with Falater.

Falater’s story took a different turn. His claim was set around the early morning (3 am to be exact). He and his wife woke up from what sounded like someone walking on the gravel outside of their bedroom window. The story was explained in a way that there was a burglary that occurred. Their sleep was disturbed because of it.

He gets up and doesn’t suspect anything weird is going on so he heads back to bed. A few hours later Falater had a job to attend at Motorola. His job role consisted of being an electrical engineer. That day he came home stressed from work but ate dinner with his wife and his two children. His wife asked him if could he fix the pool filter.

Around 9 PM he went to the yard and attempted to fix the pool filter but after a while, he gave it a rest. He went inside and kissed his wife goodnight who was sleeping on the couch. He mentioned that he would fix the pool filter the next day. Around 9:30-10 PM, Falater said he was exhausted so he eventually fell asleep. All he remembers is standing on the top of the step in his pajamas. In the process of this, a police officer was threatening him with a firearm. He claimed he didn’t know what was happening. Everything felt unreal.

He didn’t deny the killing of Yarmila, he just said he didn’t remember doing it. He even accepted the fact that the neighbor witnessed the event but he said he wasn’t consciously aware. Falater stabbed his wife 44 times before drowning her and because of this, he was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. He showed no emotions toward killing her whatsoever.

Police Search — Unraveled

Police searched through Falater’s house along with his property and came across something interesting. In the trunk of his car, they found a plastic container filled with bloody clothes and a hunting knife. This means Falater changed his clothes and hid the bloody evidence just in time before the police arrived.

What Do Experts Say?

Dr. Cartwright is a Ph.D. specialist who examines sleep disorders. Her theory is that Falater went to bed thinking of the pool pump that needed to be fixed. Due to his frustration, he got up, got dressed, grabbed a flashlight, and a knife to cut off a plastic piece from the pump. Yarmila hears a noise in the backyard so she gets up to see what is going on. Without the realization of him sleepwalking she could have startled him, causing a violent reaction. Dr. Cartwright states that when you wake a sleepwalker it causes a flight or fight reaction.

She went on to say that Falater probably didn’t realize he was rolling his wife’s body into the pool and bumped into her as if she wasn’t a person but instead something else. During the 911 phone call, the neighbor also mentioned that he was in a trance-like state filled with confusion. Dr. Cartwright points out that he might just have been sleepwalking. Falater’s sister Laura even stated that he was most likely sleepwalking too because he had a history of doing so. When they were younger she experienced a situation where she tried to wake Falater up but she was immediately slung across the room.

Dr. Mark Pressman was another sleep expert hired by the state of Arizona. He analyzed his behaviors the night of the incident. Dr. Mark paid no attention to the four-day sleep study. He found that the delta waves can also be found in people suffering from sleep apnea. When Falater grabbed a flashlight Dr.Mark didn’t understand it because he said sleepwalkers can distinguish the difference between night and day.

He also insisted that all the things he did shows he was in his right mind the whole time. Knowing exactly what he was doing. Once he touched the cold water it should have woken him up, and him healing his cuts by applying a band-aid was questionable. Dr.Mark noted that Falater’s behavior was inconsistent and not the signs of a typical sleepwalker.

Where Is Scott Falater Now?

Until this day, Scott still says he doesn’t remember the incident that happened. He seems to have a good relationship with his daughter who testified for him in 1999 but the jury found Scott to be guilty. The first prosecution given was the death penalty but he’s currently facing life in prison without the possibility of parole. He is serving his sentence in the Yuma Prison Complex Cibola Unit in San Luis.

Does Sleepwalking Violence Exist?

In some cases yes, but in most cases no because it’s used more as an excuse than an overall truth. Although this is true, this type of crime should not be overlooked. According to Michael J. Bree, he states that 1.7-2 percent of the population has experienced some form of violent behavior while sleeping. Forensic experts point out that sleep-related violence can easily be mistaken for violently hurting someone intentionally. Here’s a small list of sleep conditions that can cause dangerous behavior. All of these are forms of parasomnia which is a sleeping disorder that can lead to violent actions.

• Sleepwalking

• Sleep driving

• Nightmare disorder

• Sleep terror

• Medications affecting sleeping and dreaming

• Narcolepsy

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Resources

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sleep-newzzz/201806/what-causes-sleep-violence?amp

https://criminaldiscoursepodcast.com/scott-falater/