EPISODE · Mar 12, 2018 · 33 MIN
Unusual Criminal Defenses: The Twinkie Defense
from Once Upon A Crime
Supervisor Dan White murders San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk in 1978. His defense would claim "diminished capacity" to keep him from being sentenced to death. The media dubbed this "The Twinkie Defense". But, what really caused Dan White to become a double murderer? Resources John Geluardi, SF Weekly, "Dan White's motive more about betrayal than homophobia," Jan 30, 2008. Carol Pogash, SFGate.com, "Myth of the 'Twinkie Defense', Nov 23, 2003. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
What this episode covers
Supervisor Dan White murders San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk in 1978. His defense would claim "diminished capacity" to keep him from being sentenced to death. The media dubbed this "The Twinkie Defense". But, what really caused Dan White to become a double murderer? Resources John Geluardi, SF Weekly, "Dan White's motive more about betrayal than homophobia," Jan 30, 2008. Carol Pogash, SFGate.com, "Myth of the 'Twinkie Defense', Nov 23, 2003. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
NOW PLAYING
Unusual Criminal Defenses: The Twinkie Defense
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
Oct 3, 2025 ·28m
Sep 16, 2025 ·29m
Sep 16, 2025 ·47m
Sep 12, 2025 ·37m
Sep 11, 2025 ·40m
Sep 10, 2025 ·40m