The Psychology of “Undoing” After Murder

After some murders, killers do something unexpected.

They cover the body.

They clean the victim.

They pose the scene.

They call 911.

Sometimes they even express grief or remorse immediately afterward.

In forensic psychology, this behavior is often referred to as “undoing” — a disturbing phenomenon where offenders attempt, psychologically or symbolically, to reverse, soften, deny, or emotionally distance themselves from the violence they’ve committed.

In this episode, we’re diving into the psychology behind undoing after murder: what it means, why it happens, what crime scene behavior can reveal about emotion and intent, and why investigators pay close attention to what offenders do after the violence ends.

We’ll talk about guilt, shame, dissociation, emotional attachment, staging, remorse, domestic homicide dynamics, and the uncomfortable reality that some offenders still feel emotionally connected to their victims even after killing them.

Because murder is not always emotionally cold.

Sometimes the aftermath tells investigators far more than the crime itself.

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