Charlot123
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I think the profilers and internet speculators are missing the mark here on this guy. I think there’s something that separates him from your usual suspects that will make this a relatively quiet conclusion. Feel free to skip down to my TLDR for my quick summary take.
Like other killers BK likely put time into physical preparation and planning. Enhanced by all that he knew about the criminal justice system. Likely surveilling and watching. Noticing surroundings, lighting. Shaving body. Carefully selecting clothing. Having disposal means and location of clothing and weapon. Wrapped his feet etc. Knowing that the use of a knife would point to someone in the inner circle. Likely left red herrings behind.
But BK recognized something else that most other killers don’t recognize. The importance of mental preparation and conditioning. And I think it’s likely he thought this would give him an advantage.
He recognized that as soon as he walked through that sliding door he would lose control. And that no matter how much work he did to prepare…there was no way he could anticipate what would happen in that house. So he did his homework and prepared mentally. He recognized that killers make mistakes in the moment because of unanticipated feelings, thoughts, reactions to unanticipated victim behavior…and he tried to account for all of that with the survey. I’m not sure I’ve read about anything like this before with any other killers. This level of mental work. And I bet he thought this would be what would separate him from other killers who were caught.
By all indicators he had been preparing for that moment for years. Laid out what he thought was the perfect plan. A plan informed by his studies, studies that would surely propel him to the highest academic achievement you can receive in his chosen field.
This is a person who seemed to beat addiction by becoming ruthlessly disciplined. Focused all of his energy into his studies (and as a result this crime). There are not many indications that he was operating by instinct like other killers people here keep comparing him to.
All of that just for me to say that he flipped the 50/50 murder coin and failed. He acknowledged and accounted for the unanticipated moments where others didnt. He was a few years from being at the academic pinnacle in his field. and he FAILED.
If this was a Dunning Kruger suffering narcissist who operated most out of instinct and his likely above average (but overestimated on his part) intelligence I’d agree and say …”ya, this guy is going to make a big spectacle at trial on in some grandiose confession” but I don’t think this is that guy.
I think BK is ashamed, confused, embarrassed and likely doesn’t want to relive or face the reality of any of his failed plan. If he doesn’t plead guilty to avoid the death penalty and coming to terms with his failure (and his family and friends learning first hand of it). He’ll sit there in his chair during trial and not utter a word. We’ll likely never hear his side of the story.
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TLDR; BK invested a lot of time and energy into planning. And they still caught him.
Very perceptive. I think he yearned for a group of likely-minded people though. An example: say, I like purses. I can easily find a purse forum. Every hobby has forums. I found a prayer forum once! But there is no killers' forum, so he tried to find a group.
Just out of curiosity……
Does anyone else think it’s highly likely that one of the other criminology PHD students (only 8 miles and 10-15 minute drive from the murders)…. Could have been who initially tipped off LE to BK as possible suspect?
I mean I’d hope that the professor and other criminology PHD students had a discussion in class about the horrific murders that took place just 8 miles away at neighboring university. I’d think this is something those students would discuss and that they themselves would be invested in trying to find who committed the murders.
That I don't know but I keep in touch with several WSU students, and I was concerned about them after UI murders. They were surprisingly unconcerned.