He strikes me as a rather average - above average man. He was a second year university student, successfully held a job as a cab driver for 3 years, successfully held a job in the hospital and was recently promoted. He knows how to do the right thing when he wants to.
JLM apparently studied
psychology as a university student — rather than something less directly intellectual, like sports management, for example.
It seems as though he might have even learned a thing or two — about how to con people into believing him, spotting a potential victim, etc. That's a sign of a certain kind of intelligence, on top of having eluded capture despite several serious, very high profile crimes.
Plus:
— He taunted / misdirected police by placing MH's Pantera shirt in a place where it would be easily found, very far from her body.
— Managed to get / stay employed despite his rap sheet.
— Is familiar with court procedure; i.e., obtained a lawyer instead of speaking to LE; requested to be freed on bond upon capture in Galveston; has had prior charges dropped by negotiating with the victim.
— Fled from authorities by going where they least suspected (TX instead of the Northeast where he has known associates/family), after trying to purchase a different vehicle (albeit unsuccessfully.)
— Seems to understand the need for getting rid of evidence and technology (disabling phones, etc.)
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He was never going to be a MacArthur Genius Award recipient, of course. He's just a run-of-the-mill, evil, opportunistic, brutal psychopath who used physical strength over others to his advantage. But there's
no way he could be considered incompetent, imho.