over the past years, i have had unlikely encounters with three unlikely murderers. one was my former tenant, one an opposing counsel, and the other a defense witness at a trial.
my former tenant was one of the most normal tenants we ever had. he was always nice. he was polite. he was never a problem. eventually, he went on to have his own law firm and was involved in a partnership.
my opposing counsel was someone i had experience with him over quite a number of cases. we had done a trial together that was contentious. he was one of the most calm, nice, and gentle human beings i ever met. he never lost his temper or got agitated. he was a true gentleman.
the defense witness was one i met at a trial he was polite. he was respectful. he did not get angry. while he was on the witness stand and i was cross-examining him, i couldn’t get him to break down on an emotional level. my observations when he was present in the court room prior to his testimony was that he was even keel. he was somewhat nerdy.
these were my impressions before the murders. in retrospect, there are still my impressions of these individuals. there were no signs that i know realize i missed. yet. they became murderers. the tenant killed one person and himself. the opposing counsel killed his wife, son, and himself, and the witness killed himself. six in total.
what happened to these individuals to make them into murderers?
on an observational standpoint, it would appear that they all had profound life changing events. for each of them, there were things that happened which changed their life forever. the acts of murder followed suit. the former tenant was in a serious financial dispute with his business associates. the opposing counsel, i had heard, was dealing with serious medical problems. the defense witness, after my cross-examination, had been arrested and charged with multiple counts of child molestation.
it would appear that they gave up on life. unfortunately, two of them decided to take others with them.
for those in these life changing situations, there may not be many people that they can counsel with to address these issues. they may be afraid of the consequences if they discuss them. in light of that, what should they do to get themselves started? perhaps, reflection on the ten commandments’ prohibition against murder would have helped. perhaps, they should have tried to have a conversation with the master and creator of the universe. perhaps, these actions could have given them an outlet to allow for an alternative path. there was a need to confront their problems without harming others and themselves. thus, besides seeking out help from others, introspection is a good start. perhaps, they can blame the ten commandments for not engaging in their future transgression.
be well!!
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