10, you did it again! Your knowledge, experience and insight make you the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) on Reddit. I’m soooo glad you are here!
Oh thank you so much! I should mention that obviously, I wasn't talking to criminals every day. Or in mental hospitals all the time (I did a two year stint studying a group of long term locked wards and a summer research project at the criminally insane hospital at one point). I studied juvenile delinquents too. And was, for 15+ years working as a consultant in a large jail. The state mental hospital was the most enlightening - I was assigned to the serial rapists ward (across the hall was the pedophile ward - I didn't have the stomach for that, still wouldn't). Just a glance at the two wards showed vastly different demographics.
The overt goal of that serial rapist project was to send in some young women (I was in grad school) and see how the rapists behaved toward us and what they told us. Part of their treatment plan was that they were supposed to practice honesty.
I interviewed a lot of law enforcement, as well. Including LEO's who had broken the law. I interviewed victims any chance that I got. I am very interested in victimology, particular that little corner where victims (especially of domestic violence) refuse to leave a situation where they are being harmed.
What's interesting as we head toward trial in this major case is that law and evidence are at the forefront. Behind all that are real people, with vastly more facts, thoughts and ideas than what we are able to see in the courtroom. There's tons and tons of irrationality in the commission of almost any crime (and a specific life history leading up to each crime). Each victim has complex reactions and ideas, unique to themselves, often with high emotion that is obviously rarely exhibited in court. The trauma of the various parties (people in the defense office; people in the prosecution's office; people at the ME's office, on and on) is not shown in court either. Many have likely seen the autopsies, for example. If they are barred from talking about what they've seen (to anyone), that's a difficult burden because the path to healing trauma is to speak about it and share it and to some extent, relive it by accepting care and empathy and sympathy from others. The gag order in this case makes that nearly impossible.
I do wonder how many people on the defense team have seen the autopsy reports (I'm guessing only a handful - they need to keep morale in order and obey the gag order as well). For those who haven't followed many trials (I haven't followed very many here on WS), that moment when the jury had to see Gannon Stauch's autopsy picture (they were shown just one, I believe) was horrific and mindblowing and could not be unseen. Not a single member of the public had seen that photo before.
It will be 4 deceased victims in this upcoming trial. Some with defensive wounds.