In this episode of True Crime Culinary, Leah unpacks one of the most misunderstood legal moments in American history: the so-called “Twinkie Defense.”

In 1978, former San Francisco supervisor Dan White murdered Mayor George Moscone and civil rights icon Harvey Milk inside City Hall.

At trial, White’s attorneys argued diminished capacity, pointing to severe depression and sudden changes in behavior — including a reliance on junk food like Twinkies — as evidence of mental collapse. The media flattened that nuance into a headline-friendly myth: The Twinkie Defense.

But Twinkies didn’t cause murder.

So what really happened?

Leah explores the crime, the courtroom, the cultural fallout — and the surprising food history behind America’s most famous snack cake. Along the way, she reflects on mental health, adaptation, and why a soft yellow sponge cake became shorthand for something far heavier.

This isn’t just a story about dessert.

It’s about suffering, change, and what happens when we miss the point.

1. Cornell Law School — Twinkie Defense (legal definition & context)
   https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/twinkie_defense

2. Famous Trials — The Trial of Dan White (full case background + testimony)
   https://famous-trials.com/danwhite

3. Famous Trials — Dan White Chronology (timeline of events)
   https://www.famous-trials.com/danwhite/591-chronology

4. Wikipedia — Twinkie Defense (media framing + public reaction)
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twinkie_defense

5. The Spruce Eats — History of the Twinkie (food origin story)
   https://www.thespruceeats.com/the-history-of-the-twinkie-1328770