In 1930, inventor Helene Shelby patented a bizarre police interrogation device—a life-sized talking skeleton with glowing red eyes, designed to scare criminal suspects into confessing. Hidden cameras and microphones recorded the suspect’s reaction as the skeleton "spoke," creating what Shelby believed would be a foolproof confession tool. Though never used, this eerie interrogation tactic highlights a strange chapter in the history of confessions and coercive police technique

False confessions persist because flawed assumptions go unchallenged. This article uses red teaming to critically test the belief that innocent people never confess, exposing how coercive tactics, bias, and psychological vulnerability undermine investigations. Grounded in research and real-world cases, it shows how Science-Based Interviewing (SBI) and key assumption checks strengthen critical thinking, protect memory and decision-making, and produce more reliable, ethical inv

Brown v. Mississippi marked a turning point: confessions obtained through brutal interrogation violate due process and are inadmissible.