Welcoming The Year of the Rat
Happy New Year to everyone!
Yesterday, Cheri and I went over Kate and Jason’s apartment to celebrate New Year’s Eve. Since we were drinking, we decided to stay the night. Cheri and I brought over our sleeping bags and we crashed in the living room.
All evening we spent cooking food, eating food, playing the Wii and watching TV. We played some Super Mario Galaxy, Cooking Mama, Smarty Pants, and Wii Sports. We (haha get it?!) had a great time. Kate and Jason’s dog, Dylan, especially had a good time.
Postcard from Cambodia
Yesterday Cheri and I got a postcard from our good friend Cameron. He’s out on vacation in East Asia. He’s visiting Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. I knew that he was going out there sometime this month, but couldn’t for the life of me remember when he said he would be going. And since I hadn’t heard from him in a long time, I began to worry if he was still alive. But luckily the postcard proves otherwise :).
Some Analysis of the Killings at Virginia Tech
As a part of my Homicide Investigation class at George Washington University, my instructor has asked us to write a brief analysis of the killings that occurred at Virginia Tech on Monday. Even though I am only a student and haven’t had the experience, statistically speaking, there are many things that are common when this type of crime occurs. I am in no way stating that any of the following is fact, it is just my interpretation of the events as based on my knowledge gained in my Homicide Investigation course.
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It appears that the offender’s motivation for the first shooting is domestic. There have been much speculation as to the offender’s relationship with the female victim. Some feel that they may have been in a relationship or that Cho had feelings for the female victim. It is possible that his motivation to kill her was caused by Cho’s apparent hatred for “spoiled, rich kids.” Is it possible that Cho had feelings for the female and was rejected? Thus taking his hatred out on her? Based on the fact that Cho walked across campus (at least half a mile) to Norris Hall to commit his crimes shows he had been planning this. The killings at Norris were not spontaneous at all.
Cho wanted to destroy what symbolized the high class that he felt such disdain for. Since he associated many, if not all, students at Virginia Tech as being in this class, he felt that everyone encountered could potentially be his victims.
This murder seems most likely to be an authority murder. The perceived authority being the higher class. If Cho grew up in a middle or lower income family, then this could explain his problem with the higher class. Northern Virginia can have very large gaps in the income levels among families. Cho probably felt this gap during his time in school in Northern Virginia and this is what probably helped escalate his hatred.
But the question remains of who was his primary target? Was it the first two victims? Or was his primary target someone in Norris Hall? Usually in an authority killing, the killing ends once the primary target is killed. Did Cho find his primary target in Norris Hall, then end his life?
Weapon stockpiling and verbalization of hatred towards a particular authority is also common in this type of murder. It seems that Cho did both of these things by purchasing two semiautomatic handguns and writing disturbing poetry and plays in his creative writing classes.
Cho probably had a history of mental illness, including isolation, paranoid behavior, etc. Cho’s post offensive behavior did not seem to change at all. Especially since he shot two people, and calmly went back to his own dorm, then walked across campus to execute another batch of killings. Cho’s history of being isolated and calm continues to his post-offensive behavior. This is probably why nothing was suspected of his behavior in between the two shooting incidents.
Who Likes Presents? I do! I do!
I haven’t had a chance to get on here and explain how awesome a Christmas I had this year. Cheri and I got to travel down to Chesapeake to visit both Cheri’s and my parents. It was a great time. We were able to spend lots of quality time with both parents and eat good food and just enjoy the time off from our jobs. On top of that we were also able to visit with Cameron for a small bit–always a bonus! Along with Christmas comes the great gifts everyone was so generous to bestow upon us.
Cheri and I both got each other Nintendo DS Lites. Cheri got the white version, and I got the black onyx version. This is probably the most fun I’ve had with a game system in a long time. Cheri got me Mario Kart DS and I got her The New Super Mario Brothers. Both games are super duper fun. And the games don’t end there. Rob and Bobbi (my brother-in-law and his girlfriend) got me Trauma Center: Under the Knife (yes, that’s correct, a surgery game!) and I got Big Brain Academy from my mother-in-law. There will be plenty of work not getting done around here next semester!
The other present I’ve been excited about is the guitar amp that Rob got me (isn’t he a great brother-in-law?). Its my first ever guitar amp. Its a Behringer 15 Watt Vacuum Tube amp. It sounds so damn good yet it is so tiny, it is unbelievable. This is probably the perfect amp for apartment living. I also got a guitar method book from my parents. So soon enough I will be rocking with the best of them.
I also got a ton of new music for Christmas. I got American V: A Hundred Highways by Johnny Cash, Brushfire Fairytales by Jack Johnson, The White Album by The Beatles, The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance, How to Save a Life by The Fray, and Eyes Open by Snow Patrol (the last three were bought with gift cards). So I have lots to add to my iPod and enjoy on my way to and at work :).
