Motive For Murder

[Texas Mist]

I know here at my work today,most everyone is saying just another case of Workplace Violence that is so common now adays?? Dont think so, way more to this then what they are saying, not just a WorkPlace Violence situation.

perhaps we'll understand it later on, but for now I'm with you....I can only think of women who were killed at work by their boyfriends or husbands (current, estranged, or ex)...and to me, that's entirely different from being murdered in cold blood by a co-worker w/o any history of 'issues' between those involved.

can anyone else recall a woman who was killed at work by a co-worker? one who snapped out of the blue, or had had difficulties getting along?

 

[MHamby]

You seem to be describing a person with OCD. They control what they can when something in their lives are seemingly out of their control. The type of behavior you describe is consistent with certain forms of OCD. It would be interesting to find out if he was a neat freak in daily routines.

Or, if parts of his life were extremes in either way.

I have been diagnosed with ADD, and, in most people with my condition, I also suffer from selective OCD.

In some situations I have to have things a particular way, while in others, I am a complete mess.

I explain it to my girlfriend as such: I am horrible with food and dishes. I leave them lying around constantly. Eventually, sometimes days, or possibly, weeks later, I will do one massive cleanup. However, with clothes, I have to have everything 'perfect'. Everything is folded the same way, hung up the same way and direction, clothes must go in laundry basket, etc.

For as telling as him being extremely orderly and neat in other parts of his life, if there are parts of his life that were in the extreme opposite, I think that would also explain quite a bit as well.

 

['Ailina]

For as telling as him being extremely orderly and neat in other parts of his life, if there are parts of his life that were in the extreme opposite, I think that would also explain quite a bit as well.

Thanks for clarifying this. I wondered if OCD might not apply to him, because the newspapers did report his apartment "smelled like animals," which would leave me to believe maybe he wasn't as anal as I'd originally thought.

But judging from what you've presented here, it does make sense he'd be neurotic in some areas of life, and chaotic in others.

 

[TanyaT]

I don't know what the janitorial staff or animal techs would wear at work. Lab coats? Jumpsuits? Since cleaning cages could get disgusting and messy, it could be he kept an extra change of clothes to change into before leaving to go home just in case.

Well if the labcoat was the bloody clothing that they found then looking at him entering and leaving he would be wearing the same clothing which wouldn't raise any flags. So I guess that's not really what tipped them off.

 

[porkchop]

Before I start I would like to say that I'm not saying Annie deserved to die, this is just what I think may have happened.

In my life I had many jobs and I have seen workplace violence at just about every one of them. I have even seen a few that started as a heated argument between a man and woman then turned physical. In every one of those it was the woman that initiated the violence.

So maybe he texted Annie to meet about protocals and she was tired of his constant nagging. So when she got to the lab they started arguing. In the course of their arguing she lost control of her temper and either pushed or slapped him. That caused him to completely loss it and he strangles her. When he calms down he relizes what he did and hides the body then changes into his workout clothes and hides his clothes.

Again I'm not saying she deserved this but alot of people have rage issues. Some can be set of by trying to argue with somebody and not being heard. In the case of Clark I think he is like other people I know, you can yell and scream at him all day but as soon as you push him or touch him durring an arguement or if they are upset they are liable to fly into a rage.

 

[missyjane77]

Exactly! But ours are called husbandry techs. Missy, were you are, If you were messing up in the room- overcrowding, leaving dirty cages on the floor etc, after the animal tech had spoken to you about it once or twice, wouldn't they turn it over to their supervisor to handle? That's how it is here and I'm wondering if that varies by institution.
I think maybe he was using these complaints to have contact with her, since if he is an animal tech, he would have been correct to speak to hear, but then he should have informed his supervisor for follow up. I can't imagine why he would be the one to take her to task continually like that.

Absolutely! Not only would the animal supervisor be notified, but MY supervisor would be too. They call us for every single little thing! My mice had a fight and one got bitten on the ear. Guess who got a call! lol!

I wonder if he didn't have some weird obsession with her and that's why he never "forwarded" the complaints on to his boss. Or maybe he thought he was "the man" and could handle things by himself.

 

[maggieo]

I know here at my work today,most everyone is saying just another case of Workplace Violence that is so common now adays?? Dont think so, way more to this then what they are saying, not just a WorkPlace Violence situation.

I agree, and saying "just another case of workplace violence" is a way of minimizing it. A vicious murder is a vicious murder, and I don't feel that where it takes place makes it into some kind of brand new crime.

There was a very similar murder here in my town: a beautiful young Ivy League scientist inexplicably murdered, just after she put her wedding photos on FaceBook. Her body was found on a jogging trail. But in her case it didn't get much media attention, because there wasn't much mystery as to who did it, and who did it was her husband.

It's interesting what makes the news and what doesn't, isn't it?

 

[Miss_Scarlett]

I'll add a different angle. She was cute and pretty and tiny. What kind of expectation did he have of her that he would not have of a woman who is not any of those things, esp. tiny (i.e. childlike)? She was also very intelligent. Men choose women like that the way abusers choose vulnerable looking children. I'm sure there would be a huge expectation gap even if she simply responded to him in a matter-of-fact way. She didn't owe it to him to be nice and smiley and giggly for him.

 

[Miss_Scarlett]

Before I start I would like to say that I'm not saying Annie deserved to die, this is just what I think may have happened.

In my life I had many jobs and I have seen workplace violence at just about every one of them. I have even seen a few that started as a heated argument between a man and woman then turned physical. In every one of those it was the woman that initiated the violence.

So maybe he texted Annie to meet about protocals and she was tired of his constant nagging. So when she got to the lab they started arguing. In the course of their arguing she lost control of her temper and either pushed or slapped him. That caused him to completely loss it and he strangles her. When he calms down he relizes what he did and hides the body then changes into his workout clothes and hides his clothes.

Again I'm not saying she deserved this but alot of people have rage issues. Some can be set of by trying to argue with somebody and not being heard. In the case of Clark I think he is like other people I know, you can yell and scream at him all day but as soon as you push him or touch him durring an arguement or if they are upset they are liable to fly into a rage.

Wow. What kind of work do you do? I don't think I've ever seen anyone in a physical confrontation at any job I've ever had!

 

[gxm]

In all seriousness, how many cases of workplace violence involve a hands on killing method such as strangulation? It seems to me that most involve walking in with a gun and going on a shooting spree, not calling someone to set up a meeting and then strangling the person. Am I wrong here?

 

['Ailina]

Before I start I would like to say that I'm not saying Annie deserved to die, this is just what I think may have happened.

In my life I had many jobs and I have seen workplace violence at just about every one of them. I have even seen a few that started as a heated argument between a man and woman then turned physical. In every one of those it was the woman that initiated the violence.

So maybe he texted Annie to meet about protocals and she was tired of his constant nagging. So when she got to the lab they started arguing. In the course of their arguing she lost control of her temper and either pushed or slapped him. That caused him to completely loss it and he strangles her. When he calms down he relizes what he did and hides the body then changes into his workout clothes and hides his clothes.

Again I'm not saying she deserved this but alot of people have rage issues. Some can be set of by trying to argue with somebody and not being heard. In the case of Clark I think he is like other people I know, you can yell and scream at him all day but as soon as you push him or touch him durring an arguement or if they are upset they are liable to fly into a rage.

This may be true, porkchop, but we must consider history. RC has a history of impulsive violence. Annie's history shows nothing of the sort.

To boot, I don't believe she would've achieved all she had and been put into a trusted position as she was if she'd demonstrated impulsive violence, or even a tendency toward it. Sure, people bow to intimidation all the time, but to a 4'11", 90-lb. Asian female? I wouldn't think so.

 

[KeenEyes]

I'm still not convinced that this was anything related to his job versus hers, etc. I honestly believe that he was probably infatuated with her, knew she was getting married and decided to take a chance to approach her. Annie rejected him and he killed her. Now, the other thing that I am questioning right now is could this be something similar to what happened in the Texas cadet murder case? I'm am tossing this out there because of the strong accusations that the fiance posted on the MySpace page and the fact that she was so convinced that he wouldn't have an affair on her. Obviously something happened that made her post those things so is it possible that she might have helped him with this? I know it's probably a stretch but I sensed a real insecurity by his fiance, almost to the point of desperation and trying to convince herself that he wouldn't stray on her.

There does appear to be something amiss about the RC/JH relationship. I know that there are men and women who infer to their significant other that someone is flirting with them or even fully involved with them romantically and/or sexually, and not only is it entirely a fabrication, the accused would be oblivious to any reason he/she would be the topic of the couple's conversation. Apparently, the provoking of jealousy and insecurity and the ensuing argument feeds the codependency on which the couple's relationship is based. The root issue, of course, is much deeper and more twisted than romance or affection. Perhaps, RC himself was "leaking" the stories of the lab romance(s) that so inflamed JH. If there was a secret (even to Annie!) romance with her, it would have taken a humiliatingly direct hit when Annie announced plans to marry her Mr. Wonderful, Mr. Right and been very grating to a psychopathic personality.

 

[ChasingMoxie]

Before I start I would like to say that I'm not saying Annie deserved to die, this is just what I think may have happened.

In my life I had many jobs and I have seen workplace violence at just about every one of them. I have even seen a few that started as a heated argument between a man and woman then turned physical. In every one of those it was the woman that initiated the violence.

So maybe he texted Annie to meet about protocals and she was tired of his constant nagging. So when she got to the lab they started arguing. In the course of their arguing she lost control of her temper and either pushed or slapped him. That caused him to completely loss it and he strangles her. When he calms down he relizes what he did and hides the body then changes into his workout clothes and hides his clothes.

Again I'm not saying she deserved this but alot of people have rage issues. Some can be set of by trying to argue with somebody and not being heard. In the case of Clark I think he is like other people I know, you can yell and scream at him all day but as soon as you push him or touch him durring an arguement or if they are upset they are liable to fly into a rage.

I doubt that it was Annie who instigated the violence. I think in a case where we have a petite young woman without a violent history attacked and killed by a larger man with a violent history, it is reasonable to assume that she was NOT the aggressor.

 

[missyjane77]

it was on this page: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...6195134AA62Bd3, but I just checked and the entry was taken off. A girl named "Linda" claimed she worked with her and said she was condescending to lab techs and manipulative. again, not exactly a reputable source, but that's what it said. wonder why they took her entry off??

Unfortunately, this is a common attitude for the "higher level" staff in the lab. We have postdocs (people with PhDs who don't have their own lab yet) who refuse to do basic science experiements because that's "a tech's job". We even have PIs (the boss) talk down to techs because they think they aren't as good as the PI because they "only" have a bachelors or masters degree. They think they are better than everyone who doesn't hold a PhD. People in labs need to realize that without the techs (of all classes and in all departments), the work couldn't get done.

 

[bogeygal]

perhaps we'll understand it later on, but for now I'm with you....I can only think of women who were killed at work by their boyfriends or husbands (current, estranged, or ex)...and to me, that's entirely different from being murdered in cold blood by a co-worker w/o any history of 'issues' between those involved.

can anyone else recall a woman who was killed at work by a co-worker? one who snapped out of the blue, or had had difficulties getting along?

Bold by me:

Here's one Texas Mist:

Man Stabs, Kills Female Co-Worker

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/16720373/detail.html

 

[TanyaT]

I doubt that it was Annie who instigated the violence. I think in a case where we have a petite young woman without a violent history attacked and killed by a larger man with a violent history, it is reasonable to assume that she was NOT the aggressor.

It does seem like a stretch but we've heard from so many people that she was 'fiesty' and had a personality much bigger than her physical size.

 

[Emma Peel]

I agree, and saying "just another case of workplace violence" is a way of minimizing it. A vicious murder is a vicious murder, and I don't feel that where it takes place makes it into some kind of brand new crime.

There was a very similar murder here in my town: a beautiful young Ivy League scientist inexplicably murdered, just after she put her wedding photos on FaceBook. Her body was found on a jogging trail. But in her case it didn't get much media attention, because there wasn't much mystery as to who did it, and who did it was her husband.

It's interesting what makes the news and what doesn't, isn't it?

ah yes. the upstate NY post-doc (? i think) murder last spring at the state park off-campus. i have often wondered why that got no news coverage. i felt it also had so many elements of interesting case, but no one picked up on it... do you happen to know if it's going to trial?

 

[maggieo]

In all seriousness, how many cases of workplace violence involve a hands on killing method such as strangulation? It seems to me that most involve walking in with a gun and going on a shooting spree, not calling someone to set up a meeting and then strangling the person. Am I wrong here?

Plus, the hiding of the body.

 

[gxm]

Here's one Texas Mist:

Man Stabs, Kills Female Co-Worker

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/16720373/detail.html

Apparently, the killer had murdered his girlfriend in 1990:

"Two other township women lost their lives in domestic violence incidents in 1990 and 1993.

In December 1990, Paula May was reported kidnapped from Route 27 and Kingston Terrace. Her body was later found in Metuchen and her ex-boyfriend, Craig Armstead, was charged with the murder, according to police."

http://nbs.gmnews.com/News/2003/0821/Front_page/001.html

Apparently, Armstead had been rebuffed by the co-worker he killed:

"Harris told her family about Armstead's repeated advances.

"He was baking her cookies, cakes, candies...buying her gifts," said sister Stacey Young.

Harris' family says Armstead even tried to give her a palm pilot. She refused the gifts and reported the incidents to her human resources manager. "

http://www.wmctv.com/global/story.asp?S=9319785

The above link also mentions that he had beaten his girlfriend to death with a hammer. IMO this guy was another murder waiting to happen and not a good example of "workplace" violence. Hopefully, they'll put him away for good this time.

 

[maggieo]

ah yes. the upstate NY post-doc (? i think) murder last spring at the state park off-campus. i have often wondered why that got no news coverage. i felt it also had so many elements of interesting case, but no one picked up on it... do you happen to know if it's going to trial?

No, I know very little. Maybe I'm paranoid, but I feel like universities are motivated to hush up these things, or to minimize them. I don't know what kind of power they have over local LE and media, of course... but it is strange how little we've heard.

Last I heard (a long while ago), he was pleading not guilty??? Even though there was tons of evidence and no sign of anyone else being involved.