Fifteen: Inside the Daniel Marsh Murders — Episode 5: "A Killer's Mind"

Podcast: Fifteen: Inside the Daniel Marsh Murders
Host: Erin Moriarty (CBS News)
Release Date: September 24, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode delves into the psychological state and legal battle surrounding Daniel Marsh, a 15-year-old who brutally murdered beloved Davis couple Claudia Maupin and Chip Northup in 2013. Through interviews with law enforcement, prosecutors, family members, jurors, and psychiatric experts, Erin Moriarty explores the chilling confession, the complexity of prosecuting a teenage killer, the defense’s plea of insanity, and the aftermath for victims and community alike.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Daniel Marsh’s Confession and Mindset

• Interrogation Details
  • FBI Special Agent Chris Campion describes Marsh’s lack of conscience, planning for another murder, and chilling detachment.

    “Absolutely, without a doubt. That if he had been allowed to keep on going, he actually talked about how he was going to take his next victim.”
    – Chris Campion (00:20)

  • Marsh admits to rehearsing future attacks, even casually describing how he might kill Campion:

    “Choking you to death with your tie… Beating your face into the mirror until it broke and using the glass… gouging your eyes out and just smashing your face into the wall.”
    – Daniel Marsh (as recounted by Campion, 02:09)

• Psychopathy and Fantasy Life
  • Campion is adamant that Marsh is a psychopath, describing his fantasy life of harming nearly everyone he meets.

    “I think he literally thinks about that with anybody he meets. That’s what he thinks about doing. That’s his fantasy life.”
    – Chris Campion (03:04)

The Immediate Aftermath for the Family

• Family Shock and the Arraignment
  • Victoria Hurd, Claudia’s daughter, recalls the shock of learning the killer was a teenager, and struggling to see Marsh’s face at the arraignment.

    “He looked like somebody who would be one of my niece’s boyfriends. He looked like some hippie kid from Davis.”
    – Victoria Hurd (05:59)

  • Bill Marsh, Daniel’s father, reflects on Daniel’s early heroism and the baffling shift after age 10.

    “He was all over the media, they were touting this young American hero. And look at this. He might actually be a future doctor.”
    – Bill Marsh (07:59)

Profiling Daniel Marsh: A Portrait of Dual Lives

• Early Life: Publicly celebrated for heroism, privately descending into darkness, including history of animal cruelty (09:03)
• Trauma and Family Dynamics: No warning signs noticed by family; Daniel’s mother left, father’s heart attack, bullying at school (13:01)

The Legal Process: Prosecution vs. Defense

• Prosecution’s Argument
  • Deputy DA Amanda Zambor emphasizes Marsh’s calculated, premeditated violence and emotional coldness.

    “He had been fantasizing about it since he was 10, 11 years old about killing somebody. So it wasn’t this spur of the moment murder… he planned and stole items and sharpened the knife.”
    – Amanda Zambor (13:26)

  • Prosecutors illustrate Marsh’s planning and his intent to kill again.

    “He would have gotten away with these murders if he had not bragged to his friends…”
    – Amanda Zambor (14:07)

• Testimony and Evidence
  • Friends, police, psychiatrists testify to Marsh’s meticulous preparation and lack of remorse (14:47–15:35)

    “Claudia fought, made him mad, and it just invigorated him to keep going. He describes how her pleas for him to stop just enthused him, made him want to keep going.”
    – Amanda Zambor (15:19)

• Emotional Toll on the Family
  • Victoria Hurd describes the agony of watching Marsh’s confession:

    “He talked about… she was begging for her life. And that was hard. I felt like I was experiencing the death of my mother. I couldn’t sit. I stood.”
    – Victoria Hurd (16:08)

The Struggle Over Insanity

• Defense’s Argument: ‘The Drugs Made Me Do It’

  • Defense cites trauma, medication (SSRIs) side effects, and claims of ‘out of body’ experience.

• Expert Witness: Dr. Matthew Soulier (Child Forensic Psychiatrist)

  • Explored Marsh’s life history; did not find evidence of legal insanity.

    “He was a different kind of kid. There was a coldness to him… I didn’t feel that there was a feeling in him.”
    – Dr. Matthew Soulier (19:12)

  • Marsh confided ongoing violent thoughts; struggle, then surrender, to dark compulsions.

    “He told anybody that he wanted to kill everybody. I have these thoughts. I don’t want to have them. Ultimately, he did act on them…”
    – Dr. Matthew Soulier (21:43)

  • Soulier insists Marsh was not psychotic or unaware of morality/consequences.

    “It shows that he’s engaging in logical and linear behaviors. He’s calculating, he’s planning in a logical manner… it’s not psychotically driven in any way.”
    – Dr. Matthew Soulier (24:36)

• Alternate Defense Expert: Dr. James Marikangas

  • Claimed SSRIs contributed to Marsh’s violence (26:46), but this was contradicted by records showing Marsh’s violent fantasies predated medication and that he often did not take his prescribed meds (28:38).

Jury Deliberations and Verdict

• Guilty Verdict, With Enhancements

  • Jury swiftly finds Marsh guilty on all counts (30:20), with juror Cheryl Gleason citing overwhelming evidence and Marsh’s meticulousness.

    “The more evidence that came out… how meticulous and precise his actions were, how things leading up to that, like going through the junior police academy… He was a smart kid.”
    – Cheryl Gleason (31:15)

• Sane or Insane?

  • Jury also quickly determines Marsh was sane at the time.

    “It was just really clear that he was not insane.”
    – Cheryl Gleason (33:55)

• Family Impact Statements

  • Victoria Hurd pleads for maximum sentence, recounting family trauma.

    “Therefore, in honor of my mother… I request… the maximum sentence allowable for the torture and murder of my mother and her husband.”
    – Victoria Hurd (34:46)

• Sentencing

  • Marsh receives 52 years to life (maximum allowed for his age), eligible for parole in 25 years (35:52).

    “It was the maximum that he could have done… So we were very happy with that.”
    – Amanda Zambor (35:52)

Ongoing Impact and Legal Fears

• Family finds a sense of closure, but new state legislation threatens early release, reigniting fear.

  “It wasn’t over, Erin. No, it wasn’t over.”
  – Victoria Hurd (36:44) “If he’s out in four years, he knows us, he knows our names.”
  – Amanda Zambor (37:12)

Timestamps for Notable Segments

• Interrogation and Confession: 00:20–02:36
• Family Learns Daniel’s Identity: 04:44–06:20
• Bill Marsh on Daniel’s Childhood: 06:29–09:03
• Early Planning and Fantasies: 13:26–14:47
• Trial, Testimony, and Family Testimony: 14:47–16:53
• Daniel’s Psychiatric Evaluations: 18:23–24:50
• Drug Defense and Rebuttal: 25:17–28:38
• Jury Deliberation/Verdict: 29:36–34:14
• Sentencing and Aftermath: 34:46–36:04
• Continuing Legal Fears: 36:36–37:25

Memorable Quotes

• “I believe Daniel Marsh is a psychopath. I knew it when he was talking to me. He actually admitted it. 'I don’t feel sorry for other people at all. Don’t feel empathy for them. And whether I like that or not, it’s the way it is. Just like I want to hurt people.'”
  – Chris Campion (01:33)
• “My mind can’t process that degree of evil. So hearing that was just something that… I just can’t go there. I can’t. It’s so dark. It’s just so dark.”
  – Victoria Hurd (16:56)
• “He showed zero emotion. He didn’t seem scared. He would just face forward. He never cried.”
  – Amanda Zambor on Daniel Marsh during trial (11:05)
• “He had a lot of goth followers… thinking that he was innocent… it was like he was a celebrity, like he was the celebrity that he wanted to be.”
  – Victoria Hurd (17:27)
• “I just fundamentally don’t believe putting someone on an antidepressant generates any level of risk that you’re going to go and do what Daniel did.”
  – Dr. Matthew Soulier (28:04)

Summary & Thematic Takeaways

• Complexity of Evil: The episode confronts the challenge of understanding how a socially integrated teenager became a calculating killer.
• Nature vs. Nurture: Experts and family debate the origins of Marsh’s pathology—trauma, genetics, medication side effects—all weighed but ultimately unable to justify or explain away Marsh’s actions.
• Justice and Its Aftermath: The legal process exacts a heavy toll on families, jurors, and the community. Sentencing brings some peace, but evolving state laws threaten resolution.
• Chilling Remorse (or Lack Thereof): Marsh’s admission of his fantasies and lack of empathy leave a lingering unease about the boundaries of rehabilitation and release.

For Listeners

This episode provides a gripping, thorough breakdown of one of California’s most disturbing double murders. It combines legal drama, psychiatric exploration, and profound human loss, while leaving listeners with unsettled questions about mind, morality, and justice.

[Next episode will explore how new California law impacts Daniel Marsh’s sentence and the victims’ families.]