Signs of a Psychopath on ID: What was Dylon R. Peterson convicted of? 

Signs of a Psychopath episode titled The Monster Has Always Been There showcases the crimes by Dylon R. Peterson. The episode aired originally on March 10, 2024, and reaired on May 13, 2024, at 11:30 p.m. EST on Investigation Discovery.

Dylon Peterson was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder of Sandra J. Torell (45) and Mathew Nagle (15) and was subsequently sentenced to 57 years and 4 months in prison.

The official synopsis of the episode reads:

"A 911 operator receives a distressing call from a man repeatedly claiming that he just stabbed and killed two people. Police quickly discover that not only is the call genuine but that the caller is a violent and unpredictable psychopath."

For the unversed, the death of a mother and son at the hands of the 25-year-old culinary student, Dylon R. Peterson, shook the community in Vancouver in 2007. Oregon Live reported that Peterson made a 911 call after the double murders and admitted to them over the phone, thereby making way for his arrest in the early morning hours of January 7, 2007.

Disclaimer: This article contains graphic mentions of murder. Reader's discretion is advised.

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How was Dylon R. Peterson caught for his crimes?

According to The Oregon Live, Dylon R. Peterson was a student in the Le Cordon Bleu Program at Western Culinary Institute in Portland with no criminal record. On January 7, 2007, he dialed 911 at 6:49 a.m. local time to report two murders that he had committed at the K Street apartment he had been residing in.

The officers who reached the crime scene found Sandra J. Torell and her youngest son, Mathew Nagle, dead. While Torell was stabbed, Mathew's throat had been slashed open. As per court records, Dylon had mentioned:

"I made sure they were dead before I called."

Dylon Peterson had reportedly lost his apartment in Portland and moved in with his classmate, Nick Nagle. While Nick lived with his father, W. Eric, and his 15-year-old brother, Mathew had a duplex in the K Street Apartment.

Per Oregon Live, Eric had been on a business trip on the unfortunate day when Nagle's divorced wife, Torell, had stepped in to stay over for the weekend. Nick Nagle had not been home as well.

The court documents stated that when the police arrived at the scene, they found Dylon R. Peterson outside the building complex in bloodied clothes and a cut on his right hand. According to The Daily News, the court-appointed defense attorney, Suzan Clark, mentioned during his trial that he had a blood alcohol level of 0.19 and 0.21. Dylon R. Peterson was subsequently arrested following his confession.

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Why did Dylon Peterson kill Sandra J. Torell and Mathew Nagle?

While the details of the double murders in Vancouver were not made public by the investigating authorities, Dylon R. Peterson admitted to the corrections officials having a history of clinical depression. According to Oregon Live, Dylon Peterson had six suicide attempts in total. Peterson subsequently underwent a mental evaluation at the Western State Hospital.

He stood trial for the murders of Sandra J. Torell and Mathew Nagle in April 2007 wherein he pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder. Peterson was sentenced to 57 years and four months at the Clark County Superior Court.

In exchange for the plea deal, Deputy Prosecutor Tony Golik did not pursue the death penalty as was applicable in case of aggravated murder charges since Peterson admitted to killing more than one person.

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Catch all the details of the murder case on Signs of a Psychopath episode on Investigation Discovery.