In August 2020, a book came out that caught true crime readers off-guard.
A man named Jack Steed claimed to be a night nurse revealing the deathbed confessions from some of the worst killers who have ever been caught.
The stories had just enough detail to make them sound real. And readers became obsessed. Reddit threads were formed and speculation ran rampant.
Was Jack Steen telling the truth? Were these stories somehow based on actual killers in an asylum?
Here’s everything we know about The Asylum Confessions.
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What Are the Asylum Confessions?
The Asylum Confessions are a series of books consisting of between three and five admissions from killers on their deathbeds.
Each one features the patient by number or name, and Steen presents them as a story, unfolding during his shifts in the Asylum. Some of the patients come to him more willingly than others, but they’re all disturbing.
But why would killers who have kept these secrets for years tell a random night nurse their hidden truths? These inmates are dying. In exchange for revealing these secrets, Steed promised to make their deaths easier.
Over the course of eight books, we hear the confessions of thirty-three killers. But are they real? That’s the question that has become readers latest obsession.
Who is Jack Steen?
When trying to figure out if the Asylum Confessions are real, the first place to start looking is at the author.
But Jack Steen is as elusive as the criminals in his books. He claims to be a night nurse at an Asylum for the Criminally Insane.
According to his bio, he’s seen as the Angel of Death. They come to his ward alive, but they’re dying. And these are the worst of the worst.
The serial killers and psychopaths that make up our nightmares.
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Now, we all know that even when convicted, these murderers and psychopaths always hold back what they tell the police. Those are the details Steen is interested in.
And since they’re already dying, he offers them a deal: tell him what they’ve never told anyone before and he’ll make their deaths easier.
Is it possible that an actual Angel of Death is collecting these confessions before sending these killers to the great beyond? If they’re already old and dying, we’re guessing no one is going to question if their death came a little faster than expected.
But what are the odds that no one would start asking questions when the books started releasing?
Maybe Jack Steen is a brilliant psychopath in his own right. Maybe he’s figured out how to mask his crimes while keeping the details of the confessions true.
Maybe he’s making it all up. It’s an intriguing mystery and, at the very least, he writes some good horror.
Are The Asylum Confessions Real?
Of course, even if Jack Steen is a real person, the next question is are the confessions themselves real? Again, it’s possible. It’s even plausible.
If Jack Steen truly works in a facility for the criminally insane and is specifically assigned to the ward where they bring the dying, these confessions could be true.
According to Reddit, several of the stories are based on actual people and events. Take the Barbie and Ken killers. In one of the books, Steen alleges that “Ken” is one of his confessions.
But the real “Ken”, Paul Bernardo is still in prison, and “Barbie”, Karla Homolka, is alive, free, and remarried.
In another story he mentions a Canadian pig farmer killer, which could be Robert William Pickton. Redditors tracked down a P.O. Box in Montana as an address for the author, perhaps as a return address for his merchandise.
Montana does share a border with Canada, but unfortunately, the prison where Pickton died was in Quebec City, which is roughly a thirty-hour drive to Montana.
We live in a connected world, so maybe Steen has an assistant or friend who lives in Montana.
But it’s more plausible that Steen is simply a pen name for someone who created a clever way to weave these true crime stories into something entirely addictive.
The Asylum Confession Books
There are eight books in The Asylum Confession Files. Here is every book in the series, in order.
The Asylum Confessions
Jack Steen works as a night nurse in an Asylum for the Criminally Insane. When he sees his patients, they’re dying. In exchange for an easy death, he collects their confessions.
Inside this book are four killers on their deathbed revealing the truths they’ve never shared before.
Patient 1024 has an unusual appetite. Patient 871 was a nanny—but not one you’d want watching your kids. Patient 1203 seems sweet until you hear her confession. And then there’s patient 974.
The perfect Ken to his beautiful Barbie. Listen in as he tells you exactly how far he’d go to keep her happy.
The Asylum Confessions: Family Matters
In this second collection of killer stories, we meet four more killers whispering their confessions in exchange for dying. This time, it’s all about family.
There’s patient 983, the misunderstood mother who did everything for her children. Patient 1001 should have stuck to raising pigs. Patient 424 only wanted to protect his daughter.
And patient 523 was a loyal brother. It wasn’t his fault that his brother was a mob boss. These patients came in alive. But they’re leaving dead. These are their final stories.
The Asylum Confessions: Murder for Marriage
You know the saying: the couple that slays together, stays together. At least until their arrest.
The Angel of Death is back, this time focusing on the crimes people commit in the name of love. Patient 852 is a patient preacher who kept a book with all the couples he married.
Patient 1123 should never be trusted—even now. What patient 643 has to say ensures you’ll never look at gardens the same.
And patient 901 is a farmer who buries their secrets. Are these patients manipulating Jack? Are they manipulating you?
Read their stories to find out.
The Asylum Confessions: Killers & Cults
This time the Angel of Death is sharing stories of how cults can corrupt in the vilest of ways.
Take patient 922. He grew up in a cult that believes in a “pure” race.
Patient 835 claims he was part of a secret test run by the government. Patient 983 gave birth to the antichrist, or so she says.
Do you follow the rules? After hearing what patient 727 confesses, you might think twice before breaking any.
And finally, we hear from patient 962. His nickname was the Candyman. He's going to tell you why.
The Asylum Confessions: Murder & Madness
Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. These confessions sound like fairy tales of the most demented kind.
The patient named Kevin could be a modern-day Sleeping Beauty. If Rapunzel were terrifying, she might be patient Jesi.
And then there’s patient Oliver. Like Cinderella, he has a thing for shoes.
These stories are too horrifying to believe. But that’s why they’re in the Asylum. Now, you can judge if they’re true.
The Asylum Confessions: Merry with all that Murder
Everyone loves the holiday’s—even killers. The five confessions brought to you by the Angel of Death all show killers who enjoy a little holiday cheer.
Some of them have been through a lot. Like patient Birdie Bleu. She loves candy cane shortbread cookies, and she wants to tell you why.
Patient Clyde likes to eat sugar cookies as he watches his victims die. Patient Becca doesn’t get any cookies, but patient Andrea likes her gingerbread cookies with a side of revenge.
And finally, there’s patient Penny. She has a thing for replacing the jam in thumbprint cookies with blood.
The Asylum Confessions: Serial Killers
Serial killers always have more secrets than most. A killing they got away with. The real reason they chose their victims. One who got away.
Jack Steen brings you four confessions from killers who weren’t satisfied with murdering just one time.
There’s the woman who religiously attends church, but you shouldn’t eat her cupcakes. A carny who embraces his psychotic side.
The Sister who is somehow the ultimate killer. And the color-blind patient except for one bloody color.
These are master manipulators. The worst of the worst.
Are these their final truths? You be the judge.
The Asylum Confessions: Murder for Hire
There are the people who kill themselves. And then there are the people who murder for a price.
Patient Tommy sails the seas. But you don’t want to sail with him.
Patient Jimmy likes hunting—two-legged prey, that is. Killing comes easy for patient Ernest.
And patient Shannon is a widow of several varieties.
But can killers who murder for money be trusted to tell the truth? These are their confessions.
