Randy Herman Jr., Brooke Preston’s roommate and childhood friend, fatally stabbed her in their West Palm Beach, Florida, home in 2017.
This is universally acknowledged, including by Herman, who called 911 shortly after the murder and confessed to it. It’s doubtful that he killed his friend while sleepwalking and suffering from a terrible hangover, which was his unlikely justification.
Herman’s defense is further examined in the “Dead Asleep” Hulu documentary. For more information about Brooke Preston’s life, her sleepwalking murder, Herman’s current whereabouts, and other topics, keep reading!
The Murder of Brooke Preston & the Truth About Hulu’s “Dead Asleep”https://t.co/OT4yF4Gl5h
— Kendall Rae (@KendallRaeOnYT) January 25, 2022
Brooke Preston: Who Was She?
John Edward Preston and Nancy Slabicki welcomed Preston into the world on September 1, 1995, in Sayre, Pennsylvania. The actual age of Brooke Preston was 21.
Additionally, she never failed to observe her birthday on September 1. On March 25, 2017, Brooke passed away in her Florida residence in West Palm Beach. Every year on her birthday, her loved ones showered her with well wishes and blessings.
Preston’s exact birthdate matched the Virgo sign of her zodiac.
The typical characteristics of Virgos include modesty, self-destruction, productivity, and viability. However, they are typically average, kind, and caring on a deeper level, as befits their zodiac sign.
It implies that perceptions of her personality are influenced by her zodiac sign. She was pursuing a business degree at the State College of Florida.
Brooke Preston was born and raised in the Pennsylvania hamlet of Sayre. Her parents’ names were John Edward Preston and Nancy Slabicki. Her sisters’ names were Jessica Kipp and Jordan Preston.
This Monday, Tom & Ben explore the case of Randy Herman Jr: The Sleepwalk Murder
In 2017, Brooke Preston was stabbed 25 times by her roommate Randy – this much of the case is agreed by all. However, when informing police, Randy claimed it all happened whilst he was sleepwalking. pic.twitter.com/MlVDwFZbKE
— I Could Murder A Podcast (@CouldMurderAPod) June 4, 2022
Brooke Preston Murder By Roommate Randy Herman
The story of Herman goes as follows: Preston had only a few personal items left in the Florida house as she was packing up to move in with her lover in New York, according to the Miami New Times.
She made the trip to West Palm Beach to pick up those items and say goodbye to her friends. Given his two DUI arrests, Herman was rumored to have drinking issues. He treated her visit as a last hurrah and drank more than 30 beers every day.
Preston was irritated by Herman’s intoxication and decided to spend the night with another mutual friend.
incredibly hungover The blouse Preston needed to pack the next morning in memory of a friend who had died in a drunk driving accident was the last item Herman helped Preston with.
Herman claimed to have seen Preston leave his room as he fell asleep following their hug goodnight. He claimed that when he woke up the next morning, he was holding a knife over Preston’s lifeless body.
Brooke Preston Murderer Came With Defence Of SleepWalking
Police found Herman standing next to a pavilion in Haverhill Park in Palm Beach, Florida, the location of the 911 call.
Herman was found by emergency personnel with blood all over him and a wound between his thumb and index finger on his left hand.
After picking up Herman from the park, police went back to the house he and Preston shared and discovered a bloody crime scene and the alleged murder weapon, which was later determined to be a “hunting-style knife.”
According to The Daily Beast, a police report later stated that Herman cut himself with the knife after slipping and injuring his hand. Investigators discovered Preston’s body wrapped in a blanket and discovered defensive-looking wounds on her hand.
Herman’s defense during the trial was that while he had committed the murder, he had been sleepwalking. Sleepwalkers have been known to commit murder, albeit they are uncommon.
According to The Palm Beach Post, a murder cannot be attributed to sleepwalking unless certain criteria are met.
These traits can include a victim the perpetrator adored, no evident motive, and a sleepwalking attacker in the past. In Herman’s case, the majority of these requirements are fulfilled.
Defence of SleepWalking Rejected
According to the Miami New Times, Herman’s mother reportedly told detectives that her son had significant sleepwalking episodes, including one time when he rode his bike to her workplace in his sleep even though Herman was clear that he did not remember what had happened. Herman’s mother is said to have first proposed the sleepwalking theory.
According to the Palm Beach Post, a 12-person jury rejected Herman’s sleepwalking claim on the death in 2019. A friend of his said that Herman had curled up naked in Preston’s closet the previous evening.
That he believed Herman was “crushing” on Preston, he told The Daily Beast. In an effort to provide an explanation for Preston’s death, the prosecution suggested that unrequited love was the driving force behind the murder.
The sleepwalking argument was also dismissed by the prosecution as implausible. In his concluding remarks, assistant state attorney Reid Scott remarked, “This is skin, this is bone, this is muscle (he’s stabbing).” You won’t simply drift through it, she assured.
Herman, though, still maintains that he has no memory of Preston’s demise. In a letter to the Miami New Times, he made an effort to make sense of the conflicted feelings he is currently dealing with while serving a life sentence.
The man wrote, “My mental collapse was primarily brought on by excessive stress, despair, trauma, and alcohol. I apologize honestly. Since I didn’t want to do this, I am torn between wanting a second opportunity and receiving a life sentence.
Sentencing of Randy Herman
A 12-person jury found Randy Herman Jr. guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced him to life in prison after nearly five hours of deliberation.
When he attacked Brooke Preston, he pretended to be sleepwalking, but that justification was found to be false.
As the verdict was read aloud, the families of Randy and Brooke sobbed in silence on opposing sides of the courtroom.
A jury convicted Randy responsible for Brooke’s first-degree murder in 2019 and gave him a life sentence. The judge disregarded his sleepwalking defense.
To give you a brief overview of Randy’s family, he was raised by his older sister and a single mother.
His parents split when Randy was a child. Regarding Randy’s father, he was inebriated and the key suspect in the murder of his girlfriend. Later, it was said that he took out for Alabama before committing suicide.
Hulu Documentary About Brooke Preston’s Murder
Dead Sleep is the title of the Randy Herman Jr. documentary on Hulu about Brooke Preston’s murder. The launch is slated on December 16, 2021.
The cast and crew of the film include Skye Borgman, the director, Sandrine Magloire-Szlasa, Marisa Clifford, Nelesh Dhand, Poppy Dixon, Sunshine Jackson, Jack Oliver, and Darren Valdez, the producer.
Where is Randy Herman Today?
In Florida, Randy Herman Jr. is incarcerated for life. The specific structure where he lived, however, remained a secret.
He has been behind bars ever since his first-degree murder conviction in May 2019.
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