Mass Murder On School Campus

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Mass Murder On School Campus Mercedes
Estevez
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Mass Murder is defined as an act in which a
person kills more than three person at a time at
a certain location. This should not be confused
with Murder sprees, which are when mass murderers
follow the pattern of serial killers by killing
several people in one place at one time, and
striking again somewhere different.
Columbine Massacre Victims
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Characteristics of Mass Murderers
Jack Levin and James Alan Fox, authors of Mass
Murder Americas Growing Menace make the claim
that mass murders are rarely crazy but more than
anything are usually characterized by being
sociopaths, if anything.
A sociopath is a person who is asocial or
antisocial.

• Mass Murderers tend to
• Be men in their late twenties to thirties
• Be Caucasian
• Target people in familiar environments (schools,
  work, etc)
• End their lives at the end of their attack either
  by turning their firearms on themselves or
  suicide by police officer.
• Leave behind information giving us insight into
  their motives

School shootings, usually occur when students
resent their classmates, and are considered
social outcasts.
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Charles Whitman was born in 1941 the son of a
brutal and aggressive father. As a child he
showed signs of being extremely intelligent,
scoring 138 on an IQ test at the age of 6. He
joined the marines, but after several incidents,
including his threat to a fellow officer with a
firearm, Whitman was honorably discharged. As
early as 1964, Charles Whitman began to show
symptoms of depression. Upon visiting the school
physiatrist, it was said he showed no symptoms of
psychosis, however he was prescribed medication.
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M1 Carbine .30 caliber. A lightweight
semi-automatic firearm.
Remington 700 a bolt action hunting rifle.
Charles Whitman like many mass murderers who
attack campuses, planned his attack carefully
buying the weapons and materials, such as
binoculars, that he would need, the day before.
The fact that Whitman had a brain tumor has led
to the rise of many theories that he might have
possibly turned aggressive and violent because of
his brain tumor.
Luger Pistol semi-automatic, self loading pistol
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On July 31st, 1966 he killed both his mother and
his wife, feeling that the world was too bad of a
place for them to continue living in. The next
day, he went up to the UT at the center of the
campus square and open fired on the students
below. Whitman killed 16 people and injured 31.
He was killed by police 96 minutes later, and on
request, when an autopsy was performed it was
seen that he had a brain tumor in a part of his
brain that could have affected his behavior.
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Notes left behind by Whitman read I don't quite
understand what it is that compels me to type
this letter. Perhaps it is to leave some vague
reason for the actions I have recently performed.
I don't really understand myself these days. I am
supposed to be an average reasonable and
intelligent young man. However, lately (I can't
recall when it started) I have been a victim of
many unusual and irrational thoughts.
To Whom It May Concern I have just taken my
mother's life. I am very upset over having done
it. However, I feel that if there is a heaven she
is definitely there now...I am truly sorry...Let
there be no doubt in your mind that I loved this
woman with all my heart.
I imagine it appears that I brutally killed both
of my loved ones. I was only trying to do a quick
thorough job...If my life insurance policy is
valid please pay off my debts...donate the rest
anonymously to a mental health foundation. Maybe
research can prevent further tragedies of this
type.
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Eric David Harris
Eric Harris was born on April 9th, 1981. Although
myth claims Eric Harris was a loner,
investigation into the matter seemed to prove
otherwise. When both boys broke into a van, and
were arrested he was put on anger management
medication called Luvox. The drug is known to
create adverse affects such as suicidal thoughts
the combination of this with his hatred for the
world proved to be a lethal one. He was also
known to draw swastikas, his writings indicated
that he not only favored Nazism, but he supported
Social Darwinism and genocide as well. Later upon
reading his writings, psychologist Dr. Robert
Hare, would diagnose him as being a psychopath.
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Dylan Bennet Klebold
Dylan Bennet Klebold was born on September 11,
1981. He was described by his friends as being
shy and the victim of teasing and bullying.
However, when he met Eric, he became mischievous,
setting fire to dumpsters behind his job at a
pizzeria called Blackjack Pizza, bringing pipe
bombs to work as well as setting aerosol cans on
fire to make flame throwers. It is said by his
friends he was a follower and easily persuaded
into doing things.
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The Columbine Massacre was planned as much as a
year before it actually happened. The boys both
felt a hatred toward society, mirroring a time of
unrest that gave birth to occurrences like WACO
which the boys planned to overshadow. It is
thought that the boys were trying to make a
statement to the entire nation, however, it is
unclear as to what that message was.
The students killed 13 people and injured 25.
Originally their plan was to set bombs off in
the cafeteria and shoot all survivors. However,
when the bombs failed to detonate they open fired
on the students in the cafeteria.
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(No Transcript)
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Klebold left behind a notebook in which he wrote,
on what is believed to be April 19th, 1999,
"About 26.5 hours from now the judgment will
begin. Difficult but not impossible, necessary,
nervewracking fun. What fun is life without a
little death? Its interesting, when im in my
human form, knowing im going to die. Everything
has a touch of triviality to it."
When Harris and Klebold received their year books
in April of 1998 they left comments in each
others books. Klebold wrote in Harriss year book
referring to the holy April morning of NBK
(Natural Born Killers. They referred to the
massacre a full year before they set the plan
into action. Another entry said killing enemies,
blowing up stuff, killing cops!! My wrath for
Januarys incident getting arrested will be
godlike. Not to mention our revenge in the
commons another name for the cafeteria at
Columbine..
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Common themes in the writings of Eric Harris and
Dylan Klebold included not fitting in, not being
unaccepted and a lack of self-esteem. They
discussed their ideas on natural selections, and
both believed they were superior. They also
plotted against their fellow classmates who they
believed had made them feel this way jocks,
girls who had rejected them, African Americans
and Christians.
Klebolds last journal entry Walk in, set bombs
at 1109, for 1117 Leave Drive to Clemente Park.
Gear up. Get back by 1115 Park cars, set car
bombs for 1118 Get out, go to outside hill,
wait When first bombs go off, attack. Have fun!
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Harris Daily Planner 500-Get up 600 meet at
Ks 700 Go to Rebs Klebolds House 715 he
leaves to fill propane I leave to fill gass 830
meet back at his house 900 made d bag, set up
car 930 practice gearups Chill 1030 set up for
things 11 go to school 1110 set up duffel
bags 1112 wait near cars, gear up 1116 HAHAHA  
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Seung Hui Cho
Seung Hui Cho was born on January 18, 198, in
Korea. As a child he was exceptionally smart
despite the fact that his family had thought him
mentally ill or mute because of the fact that he
was quite anti-social. He begin to get teased for
his accent, speech impediment and shyness. He had
been building up anger since middle school. At
Virginia Tech, he was removed from his poetry
class for writing obscene and violent poetry, and
photographing his female classmates legs
underneath their chairs. He was known as the
question mark kid as he never told anyone his
name. He was also accused of stalking three
separate females on three separate occasions.
When he was finally admitted into a mental health
agency, although it was stated he was mentally
ill, he was released and treated as an
outpatient. A loophole in state and federal law,
allowed him to purchase firearms anyway. This
loophole presented itself in a discrepancy in
what mentally ill meant at a state and federal
level.
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Seung Hui Cho
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The Shooting
On April 16th, 2007, Cho killed 32 people and
wounded many more. At the end of the attack he
committed suicide. At 715am he killed two
students by the name of Emily Hilscher and Ryan
Clark at West Ambler Johnston Hall, a co-ed
dormitory. He then returned to his room to rearm
and it is during this time that he is said to
have mailed a package to NBC news, containing
pictures, digital video and documents outlining
his plan, which would spark controversy in the
media. At around 945 he then entered Norris Hall
a building of classrooms where he shot 30 people.
He then killed himself. The Virginia Tech
Massacre is the deadliest campus shooting in
modern history since Charles Whitman open fired
in Texas.
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Cho criticized debauchery (extreme indulgence in
sensuality), rich kids, he also claimed that they
had forced him to do what he had done. In his
"manifesto" Cho mentioned the Columbine Killers
Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold as martyrs. The
package he sent was called incoherent, and the
wrongs which he claimed had been committed
against him were never specified.
"I didnt have to do this. I could have left. I
could have fled. But no, I will no longer run.
Its not for me. For my children, for my brothers
and sisters that you fucked, I did it for them
When the time came, I did it. I had to...You had
a hundred billion chances and ways to have
avoided today, but you decided to spill my blood.
You forced me into a corner and gave me only one
option. The decision was yours. Now you have
blood on your hands that will never wash off..."

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Other comments he made You have vandalized my
heart, raped my soul and torched my conscience.
You thought it was one pathetic boys life you
were extinguishing. Thanks to you, I die like
Jesus Christ, to inspire generations of the weak
and the defenseless people. Do you know what it
feels like to be humiliated and be impaled upon
on a cross? And left to bleed to death for your
amusement? You have never felt a single ounce of
pain your whole life. Did you want to inject as
much misery in our lives as you can just because
you can?
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What do these three incidents have in common?
Each and everyone of these mass murderers were
disillusioned with the world. From Whitman, who
believed that the world was not fit for his
family to live in to Cho who believed that the
society he lived in had compelled him to commit
mass murder.
Being a Psychopath, does not necessarily make you
crazy. It is usually characterized by
surprisingly rational, but violent thought. A
Psychopath is characterized by having above
average intelligence and superficial charm, they
are usually compulsive liars, insincere, and show
no remorse or shame. They tend to show antisocial
behavior, and have a lack of emotion, compassion
or feeling for fellow human beings. Anger and
feelings of grandeur or superiority are also
manifestations (Chos comparison between himself
and Jesus Christ, etc).
Cho, Harris and Klebold all felt they were
outcasts. Feeling unaccepted by their classmates,
they sought their revenge. Their actions acted as
messages to the nation and to our society. They
all seemed to fit the pattern of psychopaths.
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Bibliography Mass Murder Americas Growing
Menace, Jack Levin and James Alan Fox, New York,
Plenum Press 1985 -Fox, J. Levin, J. (2001).
Will to Kill. Boston Allyn Bacon.-Fox, J.
Levin, J. (2005). Extreme Killing Understanding
Serial and Mass Murder. Thousand Oaks, CA
Sage.-Green, G. (1990). Occupational Crime.
Chicago Nelson-Hall.-Holmes, R. Holmes, S.
(1992). Understanding Mass Murder. Federal
Probation 56(1) 53-61.-Owen, D. (2004).
Criminal Minds The Science and Psychology of
Profiling. NY Barnes Noble Books.-Petherick,
W. (2005). The Science of Criminal Profiling. NY
Barnes Noble Books.-Jefferson County,
Colorado, Sheriff's Office Report
http//www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2000/columbine.cd/fram
eset.exclude.html http//www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2000
/columbine.cd/Pages/SUSPECTS_TEXT.htm -Gunman
sent package to NBC News, Alex Johnson
http//www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18195423 http//www.sl
ate.com/id/2099203/ -http//visualpalate.typepad.c
om/photos/uncategorized/mourning.jpg