NEWS OF THE WORLD - Current Events (May Be Disturbing, No Politics Please)

[Fester]

When I was a kid, I read up on almost all of the murderers and serial killers.  I think it dated to the time Richard Speck murdered all those student nurses back in 1966.  My parents were kind of worried that I could name all of Jack the Ripper's victims; knew about Ed Gein's influence on the movie Psycho; and how Dr. HH Holmes (Herman Mudgett) stalked his victims at the 1893 Pan-American Exposition in Chicago.
Eventually they asked me why I was reading up on them.  (Maybe as a prelude to having me committed?)  My answer was simple:  I wanted to find out all about them so maybe I could figure out how to stay the heck away from people like them!

[Halloween Jeff]

I've read about serial murders and crime for many years....I remain interested in serial profiling, and decided to major in psychology in college, and have yet to kill anyone, although I do have the heart of a small boy...I keep it in a jar on my desk...

I was interested in Ed Gein, William Heirens, Jack and the Yorkshire Ripper, Paul Bernardo and Paula Homolka from Canada, even that fella in Canada who feed hookers to hogs and sold their meat....

Its still interesting reading.



Bizarro Jeff

[The Creeper]

It is crazy how some people think.  I have read a lot and watched a lot movies on serial killers and it is crazy the way they think.

[Halloween Jeff]

I've read books that support the theory that serial killers have sustained head injuries, that in some way predispose them to commit such heinous acts....the diagnostic manual used in mental health, the DSM-IV-TR, isn't sophisticated enough to diagnose serial criminals....I would suspect that many are true psychopaths - and a psychopath can't be "cured"....you might think of it this way - suppose you bake a cake, and accidentally dump a cup of salt into the batter, but decide to bake the cake anyway...so you bake it, frosten it, decorate it, and eat a piece, which tastes, oddly enough, like salt.  And you think if there was only some way to take the sale out of the cake, it's be fine.  But you can't.

I suspect that whatever is wrong with people like Shawcross (from my own neck of the woods), and others like him, can't be cured....in most cases, there is no way to tell - there aren't any therapies or techniques that will work....I remember decreasing about one offender some years ago who said he had been "saved" while incarcerated, but couldn't say with certainly that he'd refrain from killing if he was ever released.....

Some serial killers, and I'm not sure that Gein could be considered a serial murderer, based on the definition of serial killers, are clearly insane.  Gein was, I think, a paranoid schizophrenic, who died in the stae mental health system of Wi back in the 80s...there was also a fella back in CA in the 70s (Herbert Mullin) - who also appeared to be schizophrenic, and he murdered 13 people - Howard Unruh, of NJ (just died last year), shot 13 people in NJ after WWII, and was hopelessly insane.

But still, an interested subject.

Bizarro Jeff

[Scatter]

Bizarre......

[long live kong]

I like the analogy of a psychopath and baking a cake! The very definition of a psychopath leaves no doubt that they are probably incurable. You cant teach empathy and you cant put it in a pill. There is a list of criteria (including head trauma) that psychologists use to explain the 'making' of a serial killer. Profilers split serial killers into two main groups; Organised killers, who appear lucid and are able to function in society, who may be married and hold a job, and Disorganised killers; who are in the grip of a serious disorder such as schizophrenia and will stand out visably in a crowd as disturbed. An organised killer is aware of forensics, the consequences of being caught, and basically plans each killing meticulously and is always the hardest to catch. Disorganised killers attack randomly and in a frenzy. An Unorganised killer usually lives relatively close to the crimescene, as they may be unfit to drive, or are unemployed. The list goes on and the process is complicated by the fact that organised and disorganised killers can have some characteristics from the other group! All these factors go towards profiling and it really is a fascinating subject. 'Whoever fights Monsters' by Robert Ressler is a great introduction and a must read.

[Halloween Jeff]

Yes, I've read a lot by Resseler and John Douglas....Douglas is where I borrowed the bit about the sale cake.



Bizarro Jeff

[DollFace]

I do have the heart of a small boy...I keep it in a jar on my desk...

Nice King reference.

I also enjoy reading and studying serial killers. I haven't found any other females though who do which is a shame especially since I kind of believe that every girl should know about this stuff. They have told me that they would get too scared. .......

Anyway, as much as I like researching them, I have not killed anyone and don't plan to. It is interesting to think "what if" but never make it a reality.

[Wolf Man]

There is an excellent film about Russia's serial killer called Citizen X.  Top notch acting and just a well made film considering the subject material.  This was a very demented man.  I won't spoil the end for anyone who hasn't seen it but I will say the US could learn a lesson by how Russia dealt with this situation. 

[long live kong]

I saw Citizen X quite a few years ago and I agree about the ending! I did enjoy it, it's a bit of a hidden gem and was quite accurate to the real case. Didn't Donald Sutherland play the narrow-minded police chief? They don't come much more messed up than Chickatilo.  

[Wolf Man]

D Sutherland played the higher ranking Police Official who was the good guy even standing up to the political Officer when it became necessary.  He did a good job in the film.  The "diplomatic immunity" guy from Lethal Weapon 2 was the idiot Political officer who ordered the killer's release earlier in the film when they had him caught.  Or you may be thinking about that idiot police chief who was appointed to the case and really mucked it up.  I forget that guy's name too. 

[long live kong]

Ah yes I remember now, Donald Sutherland was the good guy, I was thinking of the idiot chief!

[toysoldierman2001]

We had a case years back in the town where I worked as a Police officer.It was a Sunday morning when we recieved a call to go to an address in our town and when we got there to just walk in cause no one was alife to answer th door.(This was before 911 where the callers name,etc shows up)
When we arrived at the address given we entered the property and found a women and 7 children stabbed to deaths.The women was in the kitchen and all the children were in their beds.While we were investagateing the phone rang.Myself being the ranking Sgt on the scene answered the phone and the caller was the same male who called the station.He told me to go to another address and that we would find more bodies.When we arrived at the 2nd address when found 5 more people all adults also stabbed to death! The phone also rang there and it was the same male caller and he gave us a third address.When we got there we found 4 more bodies all stabbed to death.
We would up catching this guy later in the afternoon and he turned out to be the Husband and Father of the first address that he called in.The 2nd address was his parents home and the 3rd was the home of his wife's parents.We found the murder weapon a bowie knife in a trash can out side the k-mart where in made the calls from a telephone booth.
This guy turned out to be a very respected Doctor in our town and said he wanted to find out how it felt to take lifes instead of saving them!
He was given the death penalty but is still sitting on death row because all the Liberals in Penna don't carry any of the death sentences out!

[Wolf Man]

That is a really sad and terrible story.  When people flip out they "really" flip out.  One thing I hate about the death penalty is that they don't carry it out much sooner. 

I feel like there are two kinds of cases, one where you know who did it, the person admits it, all the evidence points to that person and it is an open and shut case, a no brainer.  With that kind of case the punishment should be swift, especially the death penalty. 

The second kind of case, as we experienced in Norfolk Va.  A sailor was coming home from a long deployment.  His wife was getting ready for his return.  When he docked she was not there.  He had to take a cab home and found her dead.  She had been killed the day before.  Five men, all friends of both the husband and wife.  All in the Navy as well were accused of the murder.  Four of them vehemently denied it while one confessed.  The four who denied were tortured by Police using psychological ways of torture that was allowed during that time.  Eventualy, exhausted the other four made half hearted confessions.  They were all five convicted.  When DNA testing became available the history channel did a forensic study of the case to find that the one who confessed indeed did the murder while the four who initially denied any involvment were in fact innocent.  The female prosecuting attorney was interviewed and showed absolutely no remorse for convicting four innocent men claiming they confessed and that was that.  The psychologist brought in by the history channel examined how the men were interrogated and indeed said they were tortured by the Norfolk Police.  He described all sorts of ways for a person to be tortured such as used in this case they were given lots of water but not allowed to use the restroom.  Many different techniques like this one were used on these men.  When the story broke they were still in prison and I have not heard if they were ever released. 

Our system is still not perfect.  Innocent people do get wrongly convicted.  But, as in the first type of case, there are those who are guilty without any shadow of doubt.  These should be swiftly executed and not left in jail with our tax dollars supporting them for ten years or more before sentence is finally carried out. 

Also, as with the Sunday School teacher in California that raped and murdered an 8 year old little girl has plea bargained to avoid the death penalty.....WTF?  That is also a jacked up problem with our legal system.  Now, she will be convicted but our tax dollars will support this woman the rest of her life including medical expenses when she gets sick or old.  WTF? 

As so called "civilized" as we are supposed to be I believe we should take a good throwback lesson from our beloved Westerns and hang some people out in public.  This woman deserves to be hanged.  She took a child's innocent life so she could have one moment indulging in her sick twisted sexual perversions and will live out the rest of her days in prison rather than getting death.  Plus, our way of putting someone to death is far more humane than what most of these killers do to their victims.  A hanging is a terrible way to die and is what many deserve.  It sickens me that we pretend to be so civilized but over and over we prove that the guilty murderers have more rights than the victims.  Tragic

[Halloween Jeff]

I heard a rant by Dennis Miller some years ago, who made the point that there are crimes that call for blood....and, once these crimes are committed, you give up your right to be treated as human.....

I read reports on Yahoo all the time, with Man's inhumanity to Man....I remember reading about a 2 yr old girl who was beaten to death by her mother and boyfriend, and as they beat her, the little girl told the mom she loved her.....

I have no problem with the death penalty - but it needs to be carried out ASAP, and not let the criminal linger on death row for years......

Overall, people suck.


Bizarro Jeff