Every one of us harbors evil and malicious intent. It is completely normal to have dark thoughts. The difference between the everyday person and a psycho is intent and lacking empathy. It's frightening to realize that someone you may have spent a significant amount of time with could take a life with cruelty, but it happens more often than we want to realize.
When I was 18 I used to play in a weekly game of pool, I was awful, still am. My friends would sneak me into this bar/club in Ft. Lauderdale that was 21 and up. We met an enormous amount of fascinating people.
One couple in particular (let's call them Jack and Dave) always stuck out. They were hilarious, great pool players and genuinely in love. One night "Dave" and I had a heart to heart about him and "Jack". He wanted to get more serious but wasn't sure "Jack" was on board. I forget the drunken advice I gave and the rest of the conversation, that's what stuck out. I remember them leaving together with grand smiles, hugs, and the $200 pot from their winnings. I also remember thinking... they're so good together, hope it works out.
It didn't; two days later Jack's body was found under a pile of unfolded laundry by his roommate. He had been stabbed over ten times and his eyes gauged out. And there was a manhunt on for Dave. Dave, the guy I had two days prior listened to about love, cheered with about relationships and admired in his pool game proficiency. You just never know.
***ADULTS ONLY. TRIGGER WARNING. RATED R MATERIAL***
Redditor u/dishnotaman wanted to hear from people who have known evil before it blossomed into tragedy by asking.... People who were friends with someone who later became a murderer, what where they like?
In the Room
Not friends but I worked at a charity with two hilarious guys. A year or so after I left, one killed the other with a car bomb. It feels so unreal, like it was complete fiction. Can't believe I was in a room with them both on multiple occasions. I live in Northern Ireland and it appears that the motive involved some lingering sectarian/paramilitary tensions. That stuff has been quiet for most of my lifetime but there are still wounds.
Normal
He was completely normal from as far as we could tell, just a regular high school kid. Played soccer, was in the advanced classes, kind of quiet but a nice kid.
Then one weekend he and another kid went and murdered a couple of professors with the intent of stealing their money and absconding to somewhere in South America I believe.
They got picked up at a truck stop a few states away a couple days later.
Anyway, we didn't see him anymore and he's in prison for a few more years. Complete waste because he could have had a productive, good life. Don't kill people, kids.
Rodman
I knew a girl that let her boyfriend into her family's home and he killed her sister and brother that were around 10 years old, her brother who was 15, her father, and stabbed the crap out of her mother.
She's in prison for life. She was quiet. I didn't know her as well as I did her other siblings. Her boyfriend didn't attack her older sisters. We had always thought that the sister who was a year older than her was going to be the psycho. Her sister had anger issues.
We used to call her Rodman because she would get kicked out of games all the time because she'd freaking lose it.
Anyway, she let her boyfriend into the house, he killed a bunch of her family, why? Because her dad didn't let them date. She was a senior in high school. They only had to wait a couple more months and she could have just left. Such a waste. So much stupidity.
A Normal Dude
A normal dude. Somebody tried to rob him during a drug deal and he did what he felt he needed to do. Got 10 years for it and was released not long ago. From what I can recall, he was set up. Some neutral guy acted as the buyer, and when he went to make the deal. A few guys he had fought with in the past showed up trying to rob him but had no weapons, they just outnumbered him.
He took offense and began shooting at them. Again, if I recall correctly, it wasn't self defense because he had a chance to leave the situation and shooting wasn't his only option. This was all about 12 to 13 years ago so I might be omitting or mis-remembering some details.
The Roommate
I was childhood friends with a guy who beat his roommate to death with a bat. He was a regular middle class kid who got good grades etc. The roommate's dog was not fixed and was having her period all over the house and the roommate wouldn't clean it up or go to the vet. He just snapped one day and started beating the guy as he slept on the couch.
Hostages
Not friends, but I grew up with a guy (neighbor) who held his dad hostage for hours and then killed both of them. he was a couple years older, so i didn't know him too well, but my brother was closer in age. Said he was quite nice, really quite funny, but obviously doesn't say much.
The Creeps
My boyfriend and his old roommate were friends with this guy who seriously gave me the creeps. He would always try to hit on me, even though it was my boyfriend's house, and was really awkward. One night after a party my boyfriend and I were asleep when I heard his door open. It was the creepy guy. I shook my boyfriend awake and he asked what the guy was doing.
He said, "Oh, uh, I just wanted to say goodbye." After that I refused to go over if I knew he would be there. They eventually lost touch, then a few years later we read in the news that he had shot and killed two police officers, then killed himself.
ISIS
I had a chem lab partner in college in the midwest, 2013 or 2014, he was a very nice guy, very smart too. We were both into the walking dead, so we talked about that frequently. Then one day I saw the news, as well as a campus wide email, and it turned out that he had just been arrested at the airport for trying to flee and join ISIS. So ya, he may not have been a murderer, but I think eventual terrorist fits here.
The Fisherman
Perfectly normal kid. We went fishing and hiking together, and attended the same church. Lost touch after high school. In his thirties he murdered the boyfriend of his ex-wife.
Augustus
So I was friends with Augustus. He was on the quiet side but was into MMA and UFC stuff and I remember driving him to a few amateur fights when he lived at my home. I've known people that I didn't like and even feared but knew they were the kind of people you would want on your side if crap hit the fan, Augustus was that but I never felt I had anything to fear from him. He was a 'gentle giant.' Well he moved away and I hadn't heard from him in several years when another mutual friend told me about the trouble he found himself in. You can read about it here: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/montana-man-pleads-guilty-double-murder-putting-bodies-acid-n948196
I do not know any of the other persons involved in the story whatsoever, but I strongly suspect that Augustus was likely manipulated into his involvement. He would not describe him as bright, and I absolutely could understand him acting in violence if someone convinced him. That part isn't elaborated on in the news story but as I know several of his family members and mutual friends its what I've been able to piece together over the years since this occurred.
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
@GregAbbott_TX/X
