Edgewater Tech Killings

[TonyG]

with apologies to Juliangel. I had been thinking of this at the same time you were.


Michael McDermott, the accused killer, is said to have gone over the edge when the IRS wanted to garnish his pay. They found bomb making supplies and other weapons in his home, ammunition in his desk and guns in his locker.

Here's some thoughts and I would like your opinion.

When one starts to purchase and horde bomb making supplies and semi-automatic weapons hasn't that person already gone over the edge? Are they not just waiting for something to strike their fancy? Or are they as normal as you and I and at a certain event "become" sick and sadistic?

 

[Guest]

No people who horde assault weapons, ammunition and explosives are perfectly sane.

I had this real problem with gophers one time...

 

[Bobtoad777]

I would say that a person hording bomb making supplies and semiautomatica wepondry is very seriously close to the edge so much taht thier feeting are slipping or have already fallen over the edge. It just does not seem to be rational thinking or a rational hobby to be collecting those type of supplies.

I do not believe that they are as sane as most normal people.

Sadl most of these people I believe could be helped if the docotors had been able to make a diagnosis. our brain relies on a complex chemical mixture and some times that gets messed up. That's when situations such as these happen.

I also believe that in the majority of situations that these individuals that do these sorts of things are very intellegent, higly intellegent even. However, without a proberly balanaced brain chemistry things get thrown askew and these sad event have to happen.

Thats my two cents for whats its worth.

 

[Juliangel]

No need to say sorry, my thread was more of a Do you pay you taxes and could you see yourself going to this extreme but that part was missed.

 

[TonyG]

I also believe that in the majority of situations that these individuals that do these sorts of things are very intellegent, higly intellegent even. However, without a proberly balanaced brain chemistry things get thrown askew and these sad event have to happen.

I have noticed the same sort of thing. I believe the Son of Sam killer (or maybe someone else) had a very high IQ.

 

[Bobtoad777]

Son of Sam
Ted Kazinski aka unabomber

canadian serial killers not neccessarily bobmbers but killers nonetheless:

Noel Winter had a genius IQ as did Alan Legere

 

[Chuckus]

I also believe that in the majority of situations that these individuals that do these sorts of things are very intellegent, higly intellegent even. However, without a proberly balanaced brain chemistry things get thrown askew and these sad event have to happen.

I have noticed the same sort of thing. I believe the Son of Sam killer (or maybe someone else) had a very high IQ.

How about the Uni-Bomber guy, Kacinski?, he was a Professor wasn't he and he had a big IQ?

 

[Closet Desire]

Just an observation...

McDermott was displaying a number of signs that should have been a warning if the right person(s) had seen it. It is my understanding that he was already being treated for a mental disorder and on medications.

It's a delicate thing. A therapist has this horrible responsibility to try and protect a client's privacy while at the same time take appropriate measures if he/she believes the client will harm himself or others. I'd like to think, and hope, that many others who are potentially like him get intercepted before catastrophe strikes.

It's a sad, sad thing and I can't begin to imagine the hurt his action has caused.

 

[teresafannin]

Unfortunately, I know more about this type of thing than I ever wanted to. People like this man & the man who killed my son & 6 others show signs of serious mental problems. However, in many states, including Texas, until they actually make contact with someone, there isn't much the law can do. Because no one could do anything, 8 people, including the shooter died that night. In Texas, it is very difficult to have someone committed if they don't volunteer to go & even if they are willing to go, they are in for 72 hours & are back on the streets. Many of these people are intelligent & many can be helped by the right medication & treatment. You can't, however, force someone to see a therapist. It is a vicious circle & until people are more educated about the signs of mental/emotional illness, these kinds of things will happen. It is terrible & my heart grieves for all of the families who lost a loved one. I know the 8 families affected by what happened the night our loved ones died will never be the same.

[Edited by teresafannin on 12-28-2000 at 06:59 PM]

 

[KillerMuffin]

No, there is no logical reason for anyone to hoard weapons like that, particularly explosives. There is no earthly reason for a citizen to require explosives outside of certain trades. I got flamed to hell and gone last time I brought up the subject, but what the hell, if you know someone who is suddenly stockpiling ammunition and talking about bombs and how to build the big one, then yes, it's time to pay attention. There isn't anything the cops can do until the crime is committed, but maybe some help can be gotten before they can kill someone.

 

[Closet Desire]

terresfannin

I'm so sorry to hear about your experience. I can't even imagine the heartbreak and anger you must feel.

One frightening thing about people who are going off the rails is that their friends and family don't recognise it even though it happens right in front of them. CD-able has explained the fundamentals of this to me and I've seen it happen in my own family.

I was living in Oklahoma City at the time of the bombing. Ironically enough I was teaching investigation, security, and protective courses at a school near the blast. Even more ironic, my boss, was a lieutenant with the OK Highway Patrol and the OIC in the first hours after the bombing. What came out later, of course, was that all the warning signs were there in these people, but nobody acted on them.

My VA counsellor was in the stairwell opening the door when the bomb went off. She was seriously injured but every single one of her associates in the office were killed instantly. She was a tremendous woman and took months to recover physically.

It was even a miracle they got caught. I remember that all Middle Eastern persons were suspect, being stopped at the airport, bus stations, on the roads. A trooper pulled over an old car because it had expired plates on it. The trooper noticed that the driver had a weapon, had no license for it, and arrested him. It was several days before they figured out his role in the plot.

Even here in England, where laws are tight about weapons and explosives, doesn't prevent the unstable from causing such grief. I'll never forget the quiet engineer who planted nail bombs all over Soho because he thought gays were evil. He killed three (including a pregnant woman) and injured six.

Sometimes I think we are just helpless against this. Sad.

 

[teresafannin]

Thank you CD, it has been a terrible year for us. One of the things I am doing is becoming involved in mental health awareness here in Texas. I hope by that by speaking out, we can prevent tragedies like what happened to us. The shootings that took the lives of my son & 7 others traumatized our entire city. One of my best friends lives in OKC & still has nightmares about the bombing. If anyone has an opportunity to go to the OKC Memorial, I encourage you to do so. I went this summer & it was a very touching experience for me.

 

[Closet Desire]

It's happened again...

Last night a mental patient aboard a British Airways flight from London to Nairobi entered the cockpit, attacked the crew, shut off the autopilot, killed the engines, and wrestled with the controls. The pilot reports that if he had not recovered it within another five seconds they would have lost the plane as it was about to flip onto its back. They regained control at 10,000 feet. It had 379 passengers, 16 attendants, and 3 flight crew.