The Upsetting News Thread

[honeybee]

Not to be morbid, but it will be interesting to see what the suspect's motive/situation is - I'm glad it wasn't random and you're not in danger. But what a horrible thing for the family. My heart goes out to the survivors.

[Aquarius]

I think that statistically speaking, most murders are committed by someone the victim knew. I mean yeah, sometimes you get the serial-killing nutjob, and things like that, but oftentimes, it's very personal.

The only murders that were ever close to where I lived happened years ago when I lived in Ypsilanti, and they were all drug-related. In the cases where the victim was not acquainted with the suspect, it was a stick-up situation, a mugging for drug money gone wrong.

[Aikiweezie]

Not to be morbid, but it will be interesting to see what the suspect's motive/situation is - I'm glad it wasn't random and you're not in danger. But what a horrible thing for the family. My heart goes out to the survivors.

Yes, we are all curious as to what the motive was. It is quite unsetling to have your hometown leading the local news, "Darien Triple Murders."

My sister lives two blocks away from Drew Peterson, if you know who that is. He is in jailawaiting trial for murdering wife number 3, but is mostly known for the disappearance of his 4th wife, Stacey. My sister is used to news helicopters overhead and TV trucks all around the neighborhood. So much for living in the "quiet" suburbs.

[honeybee]

Drew Peterson. There's a Psycho.

I remember when I was in high school, there was a double murder of an affluent couple who lived not far from my parents. It freaked everyone out - but as it turns out it was kind of an "In Cold Blood" style motive. One of the perpetrators was a handyman who knew their alarm system was off and thought incorrectly that there was lots of cash in a safe in the house. There wasn't.

The scary part was that only the handyman was ever caught. He never gave up his accomplice, who apparently fled to Mexico. The handyman is still in jail, though.

[Aikiweezie]

Drew Peterson. There's a Psycho.

No kidding. I know several people in Bolingbrook, including my sister, who have had the misfortune of running into him around town. One was stuck with him in the waiting room at her child's dentist while both of their children were getting their teeth cleaned. Talk about an uncomfortable situation.

Drew's in jail now thanks God so no one has to deal with him anymore. Let's just hope he gets convicted.

[Alelou]

In the last year people in my little sleepy town have either been indicted or found guilty of...

-- Trying to buy a sex slave
-- Running a sports gambling ring
-- Embezzling thousands from a state fund for the disabled
-- Having inappropriate sex with an underage student in what was supposed to be a counseling situation

AND there's a son suspected of doing in his father, who has disappeared, but they can't find the body or prove it was foul play (the man apparently had Alzheimer's).

(Sleepy town indeed!!!!)

[justTripn]

If I recall correctly, about 5 years ago, a man escaped naked from a house two blocks away where he had been chained up in the basement by his wife, who was mad at him for suspected cheating.



I am limited myself to remembering the slightly humorous crimes (humorous if they didn't happen to you.)

[Alelou]

Oh dear. I'm trying to decide whether I hope it wasn't just suspected cheating. Would that make it better or worse?

I had the most fervently participated-in online discussion boards ever in one of my computer lab classes today. We had read Judy Brady's sarcastic essay "I Want a Wife," which essentially blasts men for all the things they expect their wives to do. I had them come up with reasons a man might write "I Want a Husband" and started them off with my own reason: "To kill spiders -- I want a husband to cheerfully wake up in the middle of the night to kill any spider I notice, without being annoyed or betraying the least bit of fear himself."

Maybe it helped that I made it competitive -- only the first person to get a reason up could get points for it. Last time I looked it had 78 posts. (From a class of maybe 18 students.) They were REALLY into it. LOL.

[Aikiweezie]

Arrests have been made and murder charges filed over for the triple murder here Tureday. The daughter and sister of the 3 who were murdered was involved in a custody battle with her ex-boyfriend. He allegedly persuaded a friend of his to kill her and her entire family - she was hiding in a closet and he couldn't find her so he killed her mom, dad and brother. Looks like the state has a good case against them and that justice will be served. And the residents of Darien will sleep better.

[Pegmumm]

Hi, am new to the forum.
I work as the discharge planner in an inpatient psychiatric facility in Washington State near the Canadian border. There was notorious case a year ago of the murder of 6 including a female police officer I have worked closely with.

A friend of mine works with a woman that found 2 dismembered construction workers on her deck and lost a number of neighbors to this murderer. I got to explain to my friend how the perpetrator could slip through our mental health network and was allowed to walk free. She mentioned to her co-worker that I was a mental health professional who would know the protocols. She wanted explanations.

Not a pleasant experience, believe me.

peg

[Aikiweezie]

Hi, am new to the forum.
I work as the discharge planner in an inpatient psychiatric facility in Washington State near the Canadian border. There was notorious case a year ago of the murder of 6 including a female police officer I have worked closely with.

A friend of mine works with a woman that found 2 dismembered construction workers on her deck and lost a number of neighbors to this murderer. I got to explain to my friend how the perpetrator could slip through our mental health network and was allowed to walk free. She mentioned to her co-worker that I was a mental health professional who would know the protocols. She wanted explanations.

Not a pleasant experience, believe me.

peg

Welcome the boards! Most of our discussions are much more fun than this one!

[Bether6074]

In the last year people in my little sleepy town have either been indicted or found guilty of...

-- Trying to buy a sex slave
-- Running a sports gambling ring
-- Embezzling thousands from a state fund for the disabled
-- Having inappropriate sex with an underage student in what was supposed to be a counseling situation

AND there's a son suspected of doing in his father, who has disappeared, but they can't find the body or prove it was foul play (the man apparently had Alzheimer's).

(Sleepy town indeed!!!!)

Hmm...I missed a few of these...but it was very hard to miss the search for the elderly man. The search teams combed everywhere around here for him. They were across the street from our house going over every inch. A shame...

[Aikiweezie]

OH NO! My hometown of Darien, IL is in the news again, this time because some big-time Chicago Mafia (aka "the outfit") guy who lives here was arrested for "bid rigging."

[Alelou]

RIP Fess Parker.

That man really knew how to wear a fringed leather jacket and a coon-skin cap. Sigh.

[enterprikayak]

We had read Judy Brady's sarcastic essay "I Want a Wife," which essentially blasts men for all the things they expect their wives to do. I had them come up with reasons a man might write "I Want a Husband" and started them off with my own reason: "To kill spiders -- I want a husband to cheerfully wake up in the middle of the night to kill any spider I notice, without being annoyed or betraying the least bit of fear himself." LOL.

Yeah, I was involved in this whole sticky logic last night. The chicken coop has a few sketchy spots where the wires are a bit far apart. No problems up till now. But then last night, I bolt upright, hearing outside a clutch of chickens all warbling extreme concern, vexation, and grandmotherly brrrrbrrrrrrrrrrping. Also generalised flapping and other various fight-or-flight noises.

Now: *If* I had been home alone (ie. while hubs was at work) I would have instantly been jumping out of bed swearing and bolting down stairs into my boots and out into the yard to try and kick some coon ass with a long handled rake. Eat my chickens?! Get out! I have done so most dauntlessly in the past.

But last night, the poor old Y chromosome was sawing it off in bed next to me, and therefore I instinctively did a whole squealing and rousing thing with much fierce wifely exhortations to Get up! Get out! Go! Go! GET UP AND GET OUTSIDE! GO! NOW!

And then I just cowered there under the covers reeeeeally hoping I didn't hear any hideous avian death rattles before he managed to shamble out there.

All of this behaviour came perfectly naturally to me at 4 am or whatever. It was only later that I realised that it seems a bit hard on the man. However, it IS normal. It's 4 in the flipping am? I'm not going out there if there's a big f***ing MAN lying in bed snoring like some huge cave dweller! You eat more food than I do! So go out there and throw yer weight around!

The accountability for running out into danger totally follows this step stair hierarchy. If it's just me, I will leap into action. But if I *have* this big person to hide behind, well, then I'd be stupid *not* to, yes? Logically.