The killer is abnormal by definition. That he doesn't appear to be is the point. Most pathological killers appear to be (superficially) normal.I think this is a very wrong line of thinking. Just because the killer did what he did doesn't mean he is abnormal (or at least doesn't appear to be to the public).
Daniel Marsh is a diagnosed psychopath and wished to be a serial killer. He plotted until he had 'had enough' of the urge to kill and then compulsively did so. Additionally, both of those you mentioned were ghosts until they weren't. Indeed, they were sick, depraved individuals who plotted and left little to no evidence. That's my point.Similar cases to this one were mentioned in the thread, but let's focus on the - 2004 They are very quickly apprehended. or Daniel Marsh. Both were individuals who appeared normal on the outside and people couldn't really fathom that they could do something like that. Sure, Marsh had his quirks, but friends nevertheless seemed shocked at what he did. Both were inexperienced and had no prior killings to their name. Both were stabbings (personal and rage filled). Both killers left little to no trace and in the case of Daniel Marsh he basically left virtually no evidence for the police to followt. Marsh at the time was only 15 and while his victims were very old, he was still basically just a kid. And if he wasn't for his bragging and basically confessing (with his friends and girlfriend initially took as a joke) he likely would have never been caught.
As you mention, the Napa killer was indeed in the victim's circle and was found when his cigarette butts were identified. That's not the case here, because the car is analogous to the cigarette butts in that if someone in the victims' circle, near or far, knew someone who knew someone who drives/drove that car, he would almost certainly be in custody at this point.
I'm not saying a 20 year old student couldn't. I'm saying it isn't likely.I fail to see why a 20 year old student wouldn't be able to kill 3 girls. Ethan would be the only one to put up a fight given his large stature, but against a combat knife and being drunk and sleepy, nobody has a chance.
He was also a ghost.Look at the Delphi killer. People were speculating for years how brazen and experienced he must have been to just escape like that, leave little evidence and be capable of such brutality. Turns out the guy is just your average Joe with a happy family and everything. There's really absolutely nothing that would make you think this guy is a killer.
He didn't have to know the house or the maze of roads prior. There was enough information about the house online and via location sharing that he could've found it easily. The maze of roads could've been navigated many times prior on dry runs or stalking ventures, but he didn't even have to do that with the advent of apps like Google maps/earth. The most likely scenario, in my view, is he did just that. He probably followed them anonymously on social media (their profiles were public) and tracked them like prey.I don't know the personality of the killer or anything about his personal life, but I do know this with almost a certainty - he likely knew the house, hated the victims personally or what they represented, planned this for some time and knew the area exceptionally well. The area is specifically a huge clue because this guy went in and out without so much as being tracked apart from some ghost car we don't know if its' related or not. And I bothered researching the area - it's literally built like a maze. There's only two roads leading out of the whole area - through Taylor Ave where there are a bunch of cameras or Walenta Dr from which there are only two real "escape routes" from. The rest are dead ends. This speaks volumes as to the knowledge of the killer of the area to me. He either lives there, has lived there or knows the area very well (parties and such).
The 'urge to kill' isn't typically an impulse like an overt fit of rage. It is a persistent compulsion. It doesn't mean he didn't stalk them prior and picked his opportunity in much the same way Daniel Marsh did.You also have to take into account that "picking the urge to kill" is highly unlikely given that he either knew when the victims would be home or he stalked the house extensively prior to them going to bed. The reason for that is that certainly this guy didn't just wake up one day and said "hey, i'm just gonna go out to this house and kill at 3:00-5:00 AM in the morning". He specifically waited for these victims, who came home late, to go to sleep. If he wanted to kill for the sake of killing, the roommates downstairs were there earlier.
As far as the lower floor surviving roommates, he likely didn't even know they were there. If he stalked the victims from the parking lot behind the house, there was little to no way of gauging whether a downstairs unit existed from that vantage point. They were merely lucky, IMO.
My opinion.
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