Insight to a Murderer’s Rights and Motives Murder is an inexcusable kill of a victim. The motives behind each murder or crime are different, depending on the murderer or criminal. They are often said to plead guilty under mental illnesses (genetic or by cause of cultural conditioning, etc.). There are even cases where they plead guilty under the cause of genetic defect and cultural upbringing, or even more ridiculous reasons such as the devil made them do it, or even the cat. However, the question is, are they responsible for their own desires and their murders even if they are mentally ill? The answer is yes. Although they are mentally ill, they are held responsible in each crime they commit, even if it was against their will. Every …show more content…
Department of Justice, 2005). However, in April of 2009, a man, Raymond Williams, was gunned down, followed by a teenager, and then a wounded a woman in central Pennsylvania (an attempted murder). All hurt by Nicholas Horner, a veteran soldier, a husband, and a father to his children. This was a man who could function properly. He lived a normal life with his family, so what caused him to snap? PTSD, post traumatic stress disorder, a disorder that occurs when the patient experiences a life threatening event, such as military combat shown by Mr. Horner, natural disasters, serious accidents, physical or sexual assault in adult or childhood, and many other incidents. Many people have stated that Mr. Horner was a man who could never hurt another being, let alone kill someone. The morning of the shootings, Mr. Horner did normal things with his family, dropping off his kids at school and shopping with his wife. Mr. Horner got into an argument with his wife and stormed away with his hand-gun. He then left Walmart and went to a bowling alley. He drank, he ate, and then he left to Subway. He pounded on the doors trying to get in. When he wasn’t allowed into the store, he “cut the electrical wires and even attempted to shoot out the utility box”(Rizzo and Lawrence, 2013). Horner’s mother, Karen Horner, has stated that, “he has seen things and done things that probably none of us should ever see” (Rizzo and Lawrence, 2013). This mental stress, after coming
Many of those affected have been wondering, what was the motive? Was he mentally stable? CNN said the motive for this chaotic shooting spree is unknown, and Dalton has no record of any mental health issues. The Kalamazoo County Prosecutor said, "There is this sense of loss, anger (and) fear. On top of that, how do you tell the families of these victims that they were not targeted for any other reason than they were a target?"
Mark Harbin is a 27 year old male, who is presently detained in the Cook County Jail, awaiting sentencing after being charged with first degree murder. He shot a man named Gentille Williams during an armed robbery on November 30th 2013. His 27 years of life have been far from ideal and contain elements that have terrorized him throughout his lifetime. Moreover, he has faced malignant events that no human should have to battle in their life. This report will present glaring evidence that he is a victim of a vicious environment that has morphed him into the person that he is today.
If a person is born with a mental disorder does it allow them to escape getting punished for their terrifying actions? If a murder has mental issue does it make the murders he/ her caused seem less horrific? In the editorial “James Holmes trial: Jury begins deliberations in sentencing phase” by Michael Martinez it talks about how James Holmes killed 12 people and injured 70 others and his punishment. It also informs us that his attorneys believe since he has a mental disorder he doesn’t deserve the death penalty because he was born this way. I strongly disagree with the attorneys thoughts because he is saying if someone else did this crime they deserve the penalty but since he was supposable born this way the penalty shouldn’t affect him.
There is a collective amount of murderers in society, and have existed throughout history. Each murderer has a backstory, with different reasoning on why they committed their crimes, and what influenced their motives. For some instances it was outside influences, and some cases were of genetic or mental disorders. From extensive research, majority of these influences that created these murderers are by their environment/upbringing.
Is there any case in which a murderer would be justified in killing? What if the murderer suffered from a severe form of mental illness? In William Faulkner chilling short story called A Rose for Emily, we see a character who murders her lover, but was it her fault? Emily had been mentally unstable for a long time and her family had a long history of suffering from mental illnesses as well, but at the end of the day there is no justification for murder. Some of the most notorious serial killers and murderers have suffered from one form or another of mental illness. People like Ed Gein, John Wayne Gacy, and Jeffrey Dahmer all suffered from some form of mental illness ("Dangerous Minds: Mental Illnesses of Infamous Criminals"). Although there is an understanding on how a person with mental illness is more susceptible to commit violent crimes, it is still wrong. In a study it was found that “no significant difference in the rates of violence among people with mental illness and other people living in the same neighborhood” (Publications). Emily killed Homer due to lack of morality caused by a combination of terrible parenting and a system that put her above the law. The relationship she had with her father was a distinct one, he pushed her into a little bottle and never let her out. She wasn’t allowed to be a person, but instead a trapped soul yearning for attention and love. The town in which she lived, held her on this pedestal that separated her from the rest of the
The question of whether or not man is predetermined at birth to lead a life of crime is a question that has been debated for decades. Are serial killers born with the lust for murder, or are their desires developed through years of abuse and torment? Many believe it is impossible for an innocent child to be born with the capability to commit a horrible act such as murder. But at the same time, how could we have corrupted society so much as to turn an innocent child into a homicidal maniac? Forensic psychologists have picked apart the minds of serial killers to find an answer as to what forces them to commit such perverse acts. Their ultimate goal is to learn how to catch a serial killer before
Due to the complexity of the human brain there is an extreme difficulty in being able to scientifically discover all the facts about these disablements. The Atlantic interviewed Dr. Christine Montross, a psychiatrist at Butler Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island about defining Mental Illness. To summarize the interview the conclusion that Montross came too is that mental ailments are extremely delicate issues, there is difficulty in separating an actual problem from something such as temporary depression caused by the human condition. This difficulty in diagnosing creates confusion on treatment and the next steps required to prevent the patient from making poor choices. Due to this very troubling diagnosis many patients end up without care, or given substance to combat their mental state (Resse). A study conducted by Harvard medical school shows that people with ailments such as schizophrenia are over 50% more likely to commit a dangerous crime when addicted to a substance such as those prescribed to combat a vast majority of mental ailments (Harvard Medical School). The vast majority of those with these problems however do not seek help and are left to deal with their problems themselves, never seeking expert attention or help. These individuals that are more likely to commit crimes and specifically homicide most commonly have schizophrenia, psychopathy, brain damage, or
Often in violent crimes, the perpetrator can be tied to having a mental illness and/or disorder. In the instance of the Columbine shooting, one of the assailants, Dylan Klebold, dealt with ongoing depression and had numerous suicidal thoughts. In his private journal, he described how he was cutting himself, thus, showing he had a desire to end his life (citation). Klebold refused to seek help due to his self reliant attitude, feeling like he could deal with his problems himself (My Son Columbine Shooter). When someone is in a suicidal state, their thinking becomes impaired; they lose access to their self governance skills (My son Columbine Shooter). Due to Klebold's disoriented perspective, this made him especially vulnerable to be influenced
Murder is the most vindictive crime society can commit. As individuals in society, the belief of being born a murderer is false. No one is born a murderer; society gives birth to that murderer. In Ted Bundy's case the lack of parental guidance and constant rejection of women contributed to him evolving into a vicious serial killer. Bundy was a man who let his fantasies run his life, he believed that life was a game. All this contributed to making Bundy revengeful, bitter, and not quite mentally stable. Bundy took countless numbers of young female lives in the 70's. This man seemed to have a highly unstable personality and was often confused in life, some have suggested that, "Bundy was insane and that he should have been in a mental
Serial killers aren't any different. Some were raised with wonderful childhoods but suffered from mental illnesses. Others grew up with traumatic childhoods but did not suffer from mental illnesses. Abuse (sexual, physical, or mental) or head injuries that might have cause brain damage have the effect to create a serial killer. Some illnesses like schizophrenia, personality disorders, and or psychopathy can affect serial killers’ thinking.
What makes a murderer? The mind of someone who commits such heinous crimes has never really been diagnosed. The chromosomal patterns have yet to be determined. So what causes someone to kill? Are serial killers and mass murderers more of a product of their own upbringing and environment or of delusional thoughts from a chemical imbalance? Someone who kills is an obsessed individual who lacks a conscience and who has no remorse. All the known characteristics of someone who kills point to something beyond our comprehension. Ted Bundy and Charles Manson are both infamous in the world of criminal history. Not all killers are the same: they may have grown up differently, used certain killing methods, and had a unique pool of victims.
Three days after the attach they ran some tests and there were no signs the shooter was faking mental illness. A neuroscientist who ran tests said that “he heard voices in his head commanding him to kill all 400 people at 12 pm watching a premiere of a Batman film.” They diagnosed him with schizophrenia which is an illness that makes you withdrawal from reality and personal relationships into fantasy. Doctors stated that “he related himself to Of Mice and Men he related to Lennie, the tragic protagonist with the mind of a child in the body of a giant, a man who killed without meaning to.” They believe that he was very calm and collected when he stated he was killing them and that he wasn’t
Insanity and Murder A murderer is a murderer. There is no other excuse or way to excuse an ‘insane’ person who killed another human. An insane person can not get away with murder by not serving time in jail for any excuse. At the end of the day, it is murder and that is all it will ever be.
In the article ‘Inside a Murdering Mind,’ Anne E. Schwartz argues this exact point. She uses Jeffrey Dahmer as an example of someone who should be at fault writing, “serious mental illness or psychosis is rarely present. In background, in personality, and even in appearance, the mass murder is extraordinarily ordinary” (Schwartz 296). Opposite this thought process many people – since the days of Sigmund Freud – like to blame believe that a child’s upbringing has a lot to do with how a child turns out as an adult, including being keen to killing. Although it has been proven that the way a parent raises their children does affect them as adults, one cannot blame them for their children turning out to be killers. The last thing a parent would want is their child to be a murder, as they also are ‘losing’ a loved one in the process. Dahmer’s parents were grief-stricken to find out their son was the killer of sixteen men. To their dismay, many psychologists started to pry into their private life trying to figure out ‘where they went wrong.’ And to the psychologists’ dismay, they could not find anything that the parents did wrong. All they found out was that Dahmer used to kill and skin animals behind the shed in his backyard, which his parents did not even know about, and that is a common precursor to murderous behavior in the future. So the blame needs to stop going to the poor parents of these lost souls, and to the actual creator of the monster – which in this case is Dahmer himself for hating the fact that he was homosexual. No one could do much of anything to stop him before he started, as he is the monster. Not many people kill because their parents fought when they were young, but many people kill because they want to
It was a snowy Friday at a Planned Parenthood facility, when shooter, Robert L. Dear, had the intention of killing. It has not been said weather this was related to a mental disorder but many would assume something is wrong, if this was his motive. Insanity is something that is usually linked to killings and other crimes of such. But it has not been released yet, if this was his mental state. There are also many other factors and mental disorders that are common in killings. I’m not a psychologist and this is my first psychology course, but personally, I think that this killer had an Antisocial personality disorder that can also be known as a form of psychopathy. People with this disorder can act in violent ways and show no remorse which is related to this case because his motive for this is not clear. There was no reason for this to occur.