Newton on alert after triple homicide (Worcester: insurance, hotels, dangerous)

[msRB311]

I am not saying you specifically but I do think many people feel empathy for someone when they learn the reason they killed is because they were mentally ill. Many felt sorry for the Duxbury mother who killed her 3 kids.

there's been times I've learned of a killer's upbringing or childhood (aileen wuornos for example) and it's typically bad so I feel a little sorry, but most humans don't go on to kill.

This guy was told to get mental health help back in 2005...who knows if he did. I also don't know if there's much that can be done for some mentally ill people...you can throw meds at them, have them talk to someone on a weekly basis but if they're ill they're ill. It isn't always fixable. That's why i get so frustrated when I hear people blaming this country or someone else that there aren't enough mental health resources. They are there, some people choose not to use them. It's like if you have diabetes, you have to take care of it and treat it. You have to go to your dr appts and be on the right medications and avoid certain foods.

I'd like to say thankfully things like this don't happen often...but they seem to be happening more and more. This killer didn't even have a gun but he killed 3 adults in one evening.

When it's mental illness people always want to blame this country or some hospital on why that person wasn't helped. BS

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by msRB311

I am not saying you specifically but I do think many people feel empathy for someone when they learn the reason they killed is because they were mentally ill. Many felt sorry for the Duxbury mother who killed her 3 kids.

I can't speak for everyone, but for me, it depends on the case. I have zero empathy for this Newton guy. Lots of people have untreated or under-treated mental illnesses. The vast majority do not horrifically murder their neighbors.

I think the Duxbury mother resonated with a lot of people because she posted publicly about feelings (specifically, PPD) that a lot of mothers experience. That is relatable and I don't think it's crazy to feel sorry that she went through that only to have it it turn out so tragically. Obviously most mothers don't reach a point where they kill their children. And any shred of empathy for the mother is a microscopic drop in the bucket compared to how awful most people feel for the kids, the dad/husband, the extended family and friends, etc. They're the true victims and she's a monster - no question about it. But that doesn't mean you can't wonder if things could have turned out differently had she gotten more help. It's sad to think about.

there's been times I've learned of a killer's upbringing or childhood (aileen wuornos for example) and it's typically bad so I feel a little sorry, but most humans don't go on to kill.

This is what I'm talking about. It's possible to feel a little sorry for someone without excusing their behavior. Most murders aren't or weren't always pure evil. Something typically happens along the way that points them down that path - rough childhood, abuse, mental illness, neglect, etc. Understanding that those things are factors is not making an excuse. That's empathy. And just because you feel a little of it, it doesn't mean you believe that they don't deserve consequences for their actions or that they're just as much victims as the people they harmed.

[newenglandgal123]

Originally Posted by htfdcolt

I'm a liberal and think this guy should be locked away forever, throw away the key.

I'd be curious if you agree that repeat drunk drivers who have vehicular homicide incidents should be locked away and throw away the key too? I do, no excuses for that behavior either yet our liberal judges seem to keep letting these folks off scotch free and they go on and repeat the behavior, sometimes w/worse outcomes for innocent bystanders.

[htfdcolt]

Originally Posted by newenglandgal123

I'd be curious if you agree that repeat drunk drivers who have vehicular homicide incidents should be locked away and throw away the key too? I do, no excuses for that behavior either yet our liberal judges seem to keep letting these folks off scotch free and they go on and repeat the behavior, sometimes w/worse outcomes for innocent bystanders.

^Absolutely. I'm in favor of severely restricting drunk drivers period...why wait till multiple offenses are committed? Maybe even stronger penalties if the drunk driver is a politician or member of law enforcement.

[Igor Blevin]

A) We are doing a lousy job treating mental illness

B) We have a massive epidemic of mental illness

C) I don't know the answer, but we are really dropping the ball. Forced treatment in mental hospitals needs to be part of the solution, but a huge segment of the population opposes that.

Perp was bi-polar and was manic because he refused to take his meds. His family sought help, but either they didn't try hard enough or they were blown off.

Now the perp is a murderer and he is bound for prison instead of the mental health treatment he has needed. A lose-lose.

I have no clue how we dig out of our mental illness epidemic today. There are just too many million people addicted to drugs, bi-polar, have schizophrenia or depression or anxiety or personality disorders.

I am convinced man was not meant to live the way we do in modern day America. We are too detached, anonymous, unsupported, stressed, divisive, and envious. I am not saying we all need to be dirt farmers, but we didn't have an epidemic of mental illness when we were. Life was sane and stable and there weren't a bunch of crazies running around. Today, we have millions upon millions of crazies and every one of them is a ticking time bomb.


I always have to go to the UK Daily Mail to get in-depth answers so here is a link.


https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...mother-97.html

[Igor Blevin]

Originally Posted by msRB311

I do wonder why so many empathize with killers these days. I mean killing two people is a serial killer. Too many people these days make excuses for these folks. Oh he snapped, or oh they blacked out. Who cares, they killed innocent people. Done.

It is not empathy. We have a massive epidemic of mental illness. Being evil is one thing. Being a criminal is one thing. Just walking into someone's house and slaughtering everybody "because the voices in your head said to do that" is completely different.

We are dropping the ball on identifying and treating mental illness from an early age. I have no clue what causes bi-polar disorder -- if it is a brain dysfunction or if it is just a set of behaviors someone develops in response to stress or mental trauma. I have no clue why bi-polar disorder is suddenly so common today. Something in the water? Diet? Vaccines? The culture? Monsanto and Round Up?

Life is very stressful today. I understand stress triggers bi-polar disorder. When all you had to do was plow fields and pick crops, you were exhausted at night but you weren't crushed with stress all the time, the way many people are today in modern US society.

Our culture is rotten in many ways.

[msRB311]

I agree about the stress. People have a lot to live up to today. Social media isn't helpful either and many have become addicted to living life through that. I have no answers really. People are allowed to live how they want to until they commit a heinous crime and get caught. Folks will forget about this incident by next week. Too many people have a philosophy of, oh well this doesn't happen, the majority of people don't behave this ways blah blah. It doesn't affect people until it happens to someone they know.

[newenglandgal123]

These random killings by mentally deranged individuals are happening around more frequently....here's another one from a couple weeks ago in Maine. https://www.wmtw.com/article/their-b...lling/44362547

[massnative71]

Hindsight is great, but a lot of what I read shows this dude as just another dysfunctional loser. These days, it's as though that's every 3rd person you come across on the street. You can say "mental illness" or whatever, but are we realistically going to commit or lock up a third of our population?

[in_newengland]

Originally Posted by massnative71

Hindsight is great, but a lot of what I read shows this dude as just another dysfunctional loser. These days, it's as though that's every 3rd person you come across on the street. You can say "mental illness" or whatever, but are we realistically going to commit or lock up a third of our population?

Looks like we should do something. This guy was bi polar and off his meds. I don't know the answer but bi polar people can be fine as long as they take their pills. Maybe we do need some sort of mental hospitals again but not like the old ones which were like prisons anyway.

This guy can't be depended upon to take his meds so he needs to be confined and I would say to a mental ward or some sort of mental hospital if we still had them. But if/when we get mental hospitals again, let them be there to help the people who can be helped. They shouldn't be for locking up anyone who has a mental problem and then throwing away the key. For instance, if a mother is there for PPD, she should receive some help, not just be held there like a prisoner. If someone is suicidal, they could stay there and get help. It shouldn't be prison with no rehab, no therapists, no counseling.

In the case of this guy, the mental hospital would be forever though. He already had his chance. I don't think his confinement should be cruel and punishing though. He is definitely mentally ill. He was out of his mind and the family was trying to get help for him. That's another issue: Why was there no help available?