This case has held special interest for me for the mere reason that I truly believe, as a society, we are seeing more and more people who, IMO, are probably diagnosable with NPD/Sociopathy/Psychopathy.
Not sure if it's just that we hear about it more via social media/internet, or if the prevalence is increasing...probably a bit of both.
If it is increasing, it's probably due to population growth, increasingly bad parenting (drugs, alcohol, lack of morals), and, as a Christian, I do believe evil is walking the earth with greater strength and frequency. :-(
As a member of several on-line communities dedicated to learning more about these personality issues, I read about many men/women/children/employers/employees who have suffered under the thumb of those who are blatantly causing grief.
Again, IMO, we need to increase awareness of the signs and parameters of NPD, particularly when it bleeds over into the extremes that can and do lead to harmful behavior. All NPD is emotionally/psychologically harmful and some physically. When empathy is removed, all hell breaks loose, literally.
As for forgiveness...again, as a Christian I see the need for, and heartily believe in, forgiving others. For their sake, and ours. BUT, there has to be criteria met in order to forgive. Acknowledgement of the crime, understanding the depth of damage caused by the crime, and TRUE repentance. Don't know if the families have heard that from CW , don't know if CW is even capable.
I don't know. We just categorize things better. The world I think has become a less violent place in many areas, since Jesus walked the earth.
And the reason I kept using the term "Greek tragedy" at the beginning of the case is because that's what it was. Horrific things like this have been described since antiquity.
There's a book called Wisconsin Death Trip which is a gruesome little "coffee table" book about the reality of the pioneers to places in what was then the west, like Wisconsin.
It has tons of photos, newspaper clippings, letters, and various recorded information.
The number of family annihilations that took place in Wisconsin alone, during that period in the late 1800's, is astonishing. And these were very religious folk.
Evil has always walked the earth. IMO we've just gotten fancier at categorizing it. And IMO, the less people struggle with things they need to obtain a happy and healthy life, the less we see of such things.
That being said, I don't think there was one thing that would've enabled any intervention or diagnosis that could've helped CW or prevented him from becoming the monster he is today.
The signs were too subtle. The façade was too well crafted. I don't see how anyone could ever guess that a man who carefully wiped his kids' noses, and played with them, and bathed them, and snuggled them, would becomethis unrecognizable thing. You know what I mean?
He never showed real anger. He didn't have a real romantic relationship before CW. His mother was a terrible monster-in-law. He was a quiet guy who wasn't very social, really. Studious. Determined. But not into having fun.
In retrospect, they are signs, even though countless normal people have very similar characteristics.
But signs that could've led anyone to intervene?
That would be things like starting fires, abusing animals, a criminal record, failing grades, domestic violence incidents. Drugs. Alcohol abuse.
We have none of that here. Nothing.
If we had any of that I don't think this case would've gripped us the way it did. It's the stark normalcy of this family that makes the whole thing so darn sinister and shocking.
I don't think there's much that could prevent a unique monster like this from unleashing his evil in the future, except maybe the gut instinct of whatever lucky woman encounters a man like him in the future, sees perfection, but feels doom. And gets the hell out before it's too late.
