America has recently witnessed brutal killings and attempts to murder with unusual motives. Here are some thoughts on what law firms deal with on a regular basis.
Murders and Murder Attempts - What Law Firms Deal With
1. Murders and Murder Attempts - What Law Firms Deal With
America has recently witnessed brutal killings and attempts to murder with unusual
motives. Here are some thoughts on what law firms deal with on a regular basis.
If one would go through files of law firms or courts in America, “culpable homicide”,
“rape” and “brutal murder” are some of the terms that would stand out. Much of
legal transcription in the US revolves around files describing strange acts of violence.
Murders and murder attempts aren’t a thing of the dark middle ages of a bygone era
alone. They seem to be a byproduct of civilization if the spate of recent callous
killings in the United States is anything to go by.
Topping the list is the stabbing of a 12-year-old girl in Wisconsin by her friends which
fortunately did not result in death. Another equally, if not more, brutal act was the
stabbing of two kids below the age of 10 in an elevator, of which one died and the
other is fighting for her life. Another shocking murder is the killing of a teacher by a
14-year-old student who then also assaulted a female staff at a Dorchester youth
services center where he is being lodged pending his trial for the teacher’s murder.
Slenderman Wisconsin Stabbing
Gruesome acts of violence almost always conjure up images of burly men with
brutal-looking eyes perpetrating the crimes. But at Waukesha in Wisconsin the
perpetrators were two schoolgirls who attempted to murder one of their friends all
because of their fetish with Creepypasta.com’s ‘Slenderman’ fiction-based character.
According to one of the girls, this Slenderman character is the supposed leader of the
site who demands that users kill someone to enter his realm.
However, Creepypasta issued a statement of condolence on its website where it said
that it did not encourage any kind of violence though it expressed its disappointment
at being blamed for the atrocious act. The Slenderman character had originated in
someone’s mind, but it ran way beyond the intended objectives or scope, penetrating
the psyche of many a young user of the website. It apparently influenced these girls
to perform such a hideous crime, though the site owner clearly denies the claim
2. made by the girls that Slenderman wants users to commit murder to endear
themselves to him.
A Narrow Knife Miss
The stabbed girl was fortunate to survive since one of the stab wounds missed her
heart by a mere millimeter. The prompt assistance provided by a bicyclist in alerting
the authorities as soon as he saw her lying on the sidewalk at Waukesha probably
helped her get back to stable condition. But it could have been much worse for the
victim and her family.
The fact that there are many such ghoulish websites out there makes this a murkier
situation. The worst part is that the parents of one of the stabbing girls were also
obsessed with freaky stuff as is revealed from their Instagram accounts. The girl’s
father was aware of her obsession with Slanderman and did nothing, but was
apparently happy about it. What more can we expect then?
Brooklyn Elevator Stabbing
While the unconvincing ‘fictional’ motivation behind the Waukesha stabbing is hard to
comprehend, the apparent lack of motivation is what bemuses us in the horrendous
stabbing of a 6-year old and 7-year old kid in an elevator in Brooklyn, New York.
Why would anyone possibly want to kill innocent children who had gone to get
themselves some ice cream? While only the 6-year old boy succumbed to the
injuries, the 7-year old girl is also in a critical condition. The emotional trauma is
experienced by both the families, not to mention the fear that would be lurking in the
entire community and in children whenever they enter the elevator.
Investigators have a hunch that the murderer could also be the perpetrator of
another recent fatal stabbing in the neighborhood, that of an 18-year-old girl. The
pattern of crime appears similar and the proximity of the murders seems to be
crucial. The accused was finally caught.
3. Massachusetts Colleen Ritzer Murder
Students killing teachers strikes our conscience. It is hard to comprehend how one
could inflict harm on the very person imparting knowledge to him. Philip Chism’s
brutal rape and murder of his Danvers High School, Massachusetts, algebra teacher
Colleen Ritzer sent shockwaves throughout the school and the community. Chism
was only 14 in October 2013, when he committed the murder.
To add to the toll of violence, he has also attacked a staff member of the youth
services center in the Essex County region where he is housed till the completion of
his trial. The woman had to be hospitalized. This does reveal a strain of attacking
women in Chism. Though he has pleaded not guilty of the charges in the rape,
robbery and murder of his teacher, his attack on the Essex County youth center staff
fails to make the pleading a convincing one.
Planned Attack or Fit of Rage
Chism’s modus operandi seems to blend impulsiveness and planning. Ritzer had
asked Chism to stay after school for helping her with some work. During those hours
Chism allegedly followed Ritzer to the bathroom where he brutally raped her after
attacking her with a box cutter which he also used to slit her throat and kill her. She
was sexually assaulted twice after which she was stripped, her credit card, cell phone
and driver’s license stolen, and her body carted away in a recycle bin to a remote,
forested place behind the school and dumped before camouflaging it with leaves.
Surveillance camera at the school revealed that before following Ritzer to the
bathroom Chism put on gloves and a hood, suggesting that he had come prepared
for such an encounter. Chism’s school clothes were bloodied, so he removed them
and put on his soccer clothes before catching a movie. He was found by police
walking along a highway past midnight after being reported missing from his home.
In his pocket was the blood stained box-cutter and the teacher’s underwear. At the
crime scene was also found a bloody note which stated “I hate you all.” Chism was
charged as adult offender with murder and as juvenile offender with robbery and
aggravated rape.
4. Teachers and authorities were baffled as to how such a polite and well-mannered boy
could murder someone in such a hideous and brutal manner. On investigating
Chism’s background, police found that the boy had moved to Massachusetts from
Tennessee with his two siblings, aunt, and mother who was in the midst of a
“stressful divorce” that both parties had, however, wished not to complete. He has
now been taken for a mental health evaluation.
The unusual murder attempts in these cases highlight the need for increased mental
or emotional care for youngsters. Law firms handling such cases are often hard
pressed for time. The legal professionals would need witness interview transcription
and compiling of important information that is relevant to their case. Needless to
say, scientific evidence that is developed by lawyers from the facts recorded in
various legal transcripts is that which helps the jury to take the right decision.