Homicide Assessment A-3

Dan wishes Sarah, one of his classmates, would die.  Although he is teased by “all the jocks” in school as well as teased by Sarah, he says he does not want to kill anyone. Dan, however, reports that if he were ever to get even he has specific plans in his head of how to use either firearms or poison.  Upon further questioning, Dan admits to having access to the means to kill if he ever does carry out his desired act.  At one point, Dan says he did attempt to act out those desires but then he “chickened out.”

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[OFF CAMERA]: Do you have anybody that you wish they would die but you don’t have plans to hurt them or kill them?

[DAN]: I wish people would die.

[OFF CAMERA]: Like who?

[DAN]: Sarah.

[OFF CAMERA]: Who’s that?

[DAN]: She’s the reason I’m here.

I didn’t hurt her.

[OFF CAMERA]: Okay.

[DAN]: But I just… I mean, I guess I wish she wasn’t around.

[OFF CAMERA]: Is this a family member? Friend?

[DAN]: A girl at school.

[OFF CAMERA]: A girl at school, okay. Do you have any active thoughts where you are planning to hurt or kill someone?

[DAN]: I plan things. I wouldn’t do anything.

[OFF CAMERA]: So you just make plans?

[DAN]: Yeah.

[OFF CAMERA]: Okay. Do you have thoughts or values that would prevent you from killing someone?

[DAN]: You mean like religion?

[OFF CAMERA]: Religion, anything. Values.

[DAN]: Science, knowledge. I’m not stupid.

[OFF CAMERA]: So would that prevent you from killing someone?

[DAN]: It depends.

[OFF CAMERA]: So do you have vague thoughts about where you would kill someone? Or specific thoughts?

[DAN]: I’ve thought of things. I’m not going to kill anybody, okay?

[OFF CAMERA]: But do you ever think where you would do it? Just vaguely, or do you very specifically think about where you would do it?

[DAN]: I guess, yes, I’ve thought of places.

[OFF CAMERA]: How specific? Like where?

[DAN]: Places at school where I know lots of those kids will be.

[OFF CAMERA]: Okay. Do you ever think of a time you would do it? Whether it’s a vague time or a very specific time.

[DAN]: Probably end of the school day.

[OFF CAMERA]: Mm-hmm, okay.

[DAN]: After teachers have left.

[OFF CAMERA]: Do you think about how you would it? Either vaguely or specifically?

[DAN]: Uh-huh.

[OFF CAMERA]: What?

[DAN]: My parents have guns and things. I’ve figured out how to break into certain parts of the school where there’s cleaning supplies that I could poison people with.

[OFF CAMERA]: Okay, so either guns or poison.

[DAN]: Yeah.

[OFF CAMERA]: Any other means?

[DAN]: No.

[OFF CAMERA]: And are those means… You said those are available to you pretty easily.

[DAN]: Yeah.

[OFF CAMERA]: Have you ever tried to kill someone and didn’t succeed?

[DAN]: No, I’ve never gone through with it.

[OFF CAMERA]: Have you ever had thoughts about killing someone and at the same time, you were having hallucinations, like hearing things or seeing things that are not there?

[DAN]: Like being on drugs?

[OFF CAMERA]: Either on drugs or just naturally some people do.

[DAN]: No.

[OFF CAMERA]: Have you ever thought about killing someone at a time you were intoxicated?

[DAN]: No, I don’t drink. I don’t do drugs. I’m not an idiot.

[OFF CAMERA]: Okay. Do you think you have any kind of mental illness that would make you more likely to use violence to hurt or kill someone?

[DAN]: I don’t know, you tell me.

[OFF CAMERA]: Sometimes people have bipolar disorder, where their moods jump up and down, or they have delusions about something.

[DAN]: I don’t know. I’m having to deal with fucking idiots every day. Maybe that’s something.

[OFF CAMERA]: Okay. Have you ever started to kill someone and then you had thoughts and you changed your mind?

[DAN]: One time. I broke into the cafeteria and I just stared at
the food in the fridge. I thought about it. I thought, you know what, I’m doing to do it today. I stared and I stared and I chickened out, I guess. Or maybe I knew better. I don’t know. I didn’t do it.

[OFF CAMERA]: Have you ever been committed to a psychiatric hospital?

[DAN]: No.

[OFF CAMERA]: Okay. You look very sad right now. What are you thinking about?

[DAN]: It’s not fair that I’m here. I didn’t do anything wrong.

(thump)

[OFF CAMERA]: Have you ever experienced violence or somebody attempted to kill you?

[DAN]: Violence, yeah, I experience it every day.

[OFF CAMERA]: What kind of violence?

[DAN]: The jocks gang up on me. I mean, I’m used to it. Nothing new. Been that way since elementary school. So, yeah, I’ve experienced violence.

[DAN]: Okay.