The Sniper Case

It was only seven years ago that DC residents found themselves terrorized by an unknown killer who "experts" surmised was a white man in his 30s. John Allen Muhammad, who was ultimately captured and tried for the crimes -- with young accomplice Lee Boyd Malvo -- didn't fit the known profile of most serial killers. He also wasn't driving the mysterious white van that some witnesses reportedly saw near crime scenes.

 Muhammad faces execution today for killing at least 10 people, a murderous spree that was apparently part of some grand-scale post 9-11 terror campaign. What still isn't quite clear is if Muhammad -- born John Allen Williams -- was seeking to kill his ex-wife and gain custody of their children (a claim made in court by prosecutors) or if the events in his personal life had pushed him over the edge.

 I will always remember this case because of the manic television coverage it inspired. All of the cable news networks went into overdrive on this story, with round-the-clock reports, updates and panels incorporating the aforementioned serial killer experts who, for all their expertise, got everything wrong.

 Muhammad's story wasn't extraordinary and that may be what scared me the most about him. He seemed like to so many other people wandering around nowadays with no direction or purpose and not much to look forward to. He eventually embraced the Nation of Islam (which has since distanced itself from him) and felt an affinity for those who attacked his country a year earlier. His plan (as explained by Malvo) was to assemble an army of kids who Muhammad hoped to train in Canada and then unleash on the U.S. in a series of random attacks.

 It seems unlikely that Muhammad would have ever managed to pull this off. But it is frightening to think that a man who served in the U.S. Army National Guard and then volunteered for active service, would then become so disillusioned with his country that he would even THINK of something like this.

 It's tempting to make comparisons between him and the suspect in the Fort Hood rampage last week. It also has to make you wonder how many other people out there are disillusioned, lost, angry and looking for an opportunity to make some bold, deadly statement that only seems to make sense to them.

 Many well-known serial killers come from mangled backgrounds and have histories of strange behavior that goes all the way back to their childhoods. It's creepy to think that people who didn't have these problems -- who, in fact, had otherwise normal lives -- could suddenly reach this point, plotting out mass murders and bizarre schemes to create havoc.

 Before his arrest, Muhammad didn't fit the accepted profile for someone capable of this behavior. Well, perhaps it is time that we seriously try to understand his particular type of madness because -- unfortunately -- there are plenty of people just like him all around us. 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[lwt]

and may god have mercy...

[Evelyn]

It's just all too sad - the zealotry that drives people to kill total strangers out of hatred instead of recognizing and cherishing how unique each and every one of us is. How can you hate the snow without ever seeing a snowflake?

[bedding sets]

This is some thing different. It is very sad news. It's creepy to think that people who didn't have these problems.