BJ Penn’s delusions and arrest: “He thinks I killed his family and stole his mother’s identity”

BJ Penn is one of those athletes who, once his career ended, began a steady descent into chaos. Following multiple street incidents – including being beaten outside a nightclub despite once being among the world’s most lethal fighters – it now appears his own mind is dragging him all the way to rock bottom.

BJ Penn’s tragic downward spiral

Several US outlets have reported that his mother, Lorraine Shin, has filed a complaint accusing him of “extreme psychological abuse”, after police were forced to arrest him twice in two days.

According to reports, Penn believes his family members have been replaced by impostors and has become obsessed with kicking them out of his home. “He says I’m not Lorraine Shin, that I killed his family and stole his mother’s identity. He wants me out of his house,” she stated.

Some time ago, Penn contacted the Hilo Police Department in Hawaii through Instagram, claiming his entire family had been murdered and replaced. “I need your help. My mother and siblings were killed. I need you to investigate these people. Get them out of my house and off my property,” he wrote.

Surveillance shutdown and stolen belongings

Penn’s mother has alleged that, on several occasions, all her personal belongings and the furniture in her room disappeared, and the former fighter refused to tell her where they were. She even filed a theft complaint against him as a result.

It has also been revealed that Penn installed new locks around the house and sealed his mother’s bedroom door locks with silicone. He reportedly covered the security cameras on the property with tape to prevent being watched.

What is Capgras Syndrome?

According to Shin, who has consulted with various doctors and psychiatrists about her son’s condition, Penn appears to be suffering from Capgras Syndrome – a severe psychological disorder in which a person believes their loved ones have been replaced by impostors.

While an official diagnosis has not been confirmed, the years of head trauma, combined with possible genetic factors and inadequate recovery from brain injuries, may have led Penn to this state – a downward spiral similar to that of Tony Ferguson, another fighter plagued by public scandals.