SeekingJana
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The DSM-IV states that Sociopathy/ Anti-Social Personality with criminal behavior, what society usually calls a psychopath often
begins with cruelty to animals or fire-starting, or both.
This record of multiple arson, if MH was the fire-starter, ( disclaimer added because we do not have irrefutable legal proof at this time) is clearly added evidence of a pattern of classic Ant-Social Personality disorder with criminal acting out.
I'm sure this is what most of us suspected, but to have two incidents of arson by a female without a huge direct incentive perceived by the arsonist is also very unusual and is a feature of Anti-Social Personality Disorder ( at least).
What I mean by the above statement regarding a direct perceived incentive: Women who commit arson usually do so for extremely personal reasons. They perceive great personal gain or freedom- to murder children, or an abusive spouse, to cover up murders of same committed prior to setting the fire, or to attempt to collect insurance money for the property (and perhaps life insurance in the case of homicide).
Since MH didn't own the house, there was no financial gain. Since no one was killed either time, apparently her intent was not to destroy the property with a person inside ( murder) or she was unsuccessful in her multiple attempts to kill another person. Suicide would not be considered by the true AS personalty disordered during the commission of arson. Suicide is sometimes an impulsive drive in the moment before the AS personality disordered person is punished for the crime which would destroy their autonomy- in this case, either LWOP or the DP for the murder of Sandra Cantu with special circumstances.
MH may still think she can " get away with it' at this point. She has a history of " getting away with it", it seems.
IMO, unless she was upstairs with NO hidden rope ladder, knotted sheets or any other possible way to get out of the burning house at the last second, there' s a good chance that she started the second fire mentioned as the one where she was found still in the house by firemen, but started it far away from her living space, and actually exited the house through a back window in her room, sneaking back into the room just as the firemen arrived. Thus, the criminal becomes the rescued. Attention and sympathy for a young mother and her little baby..
The gasoline in a baby bottle is also pathological symbolic behavior. I wonder what her daughter has endured.
Her daughter may or may not have been with her if she did exit the building until time to be " rescued".
She would have no emotional ties or consideration for her baby, but her ideation may not have progressed to " accidental" death ( murder). or maybe she simply miscalculated the accelerant and rate of combustion. I don't know which is true, but since her daughter is still alive, I doubt she was targeted for death. The daughter was an " it", not a person. A sociopath of MH's depth could not possibly genuinely love or even have consideration for another human being. She probably has had the ability to " act like" other people in the same situation, crying, fussing over the child or children in the fire, etc, but her actions would only be mirror actions of those around her or doing what she believed would be appropriate.
The overwhelming majority of AS personalities with arson as a feature of their criminality are males. The crimes usually start in the teens and escalate from small fires to criminal arson, to crimes against others, such as rape and murder.
Since I do think Melissa Huckaby is a Sociopath/ Anti-Social personality disordered criminal (or a psychopath in cultural language) with overt actions of extreme cruelty, it is only one more piece of the puzzle to find this in her background. Again,assuming that the probable is true and that Melissa did start the fires.
She may well have killed small neighborhood or family pets as a child, but I seriously doubt her relatives will ever tell it, if they know.
It's clear that her family members have been her enablers.
One more thing- I read tonight on CNN.com that all court records related to her past crimes have been ordered sealed and a gag order is now in place in CA.
Edited to add: Regarding the supposition of more than one personality disorder-- of course this is a possibility. When present, the diagnosis is usually Personality Disordered- Mixed. Anti-Social Personality Disorder noted as being the prevalent indicator of criminality.
There's also the off chance that she has bouts of true delusional psychosis with auditory hallucinations, undiagnosed. She could perceivably be somewhat like Andrea Yates, for example, who was declared criminally insane because she heard voices telling her to drown her children. MH could have had PPD or PPP at the time, but 5 years later? I don't recall any instance of post partum psychosis lasting 5 years.
We also MAY only know a bit of what Melissa Lawless Huckaby has done or had any psychiatric treatment and medications for.
Now it appears that a gag order is in effect and records have been ordered sealed.
begins with cruelty to animals or fire-starting, or both.
This record of multiple arson, if MH was the fire-starter, ( disclaimer added because we do not have irrefutable legal proof at this time) is clearly added evidence of a pattern of classic Ant-Social Personality disorder with criminal acting out.
I'm sure this is what most of us suspected, but to have two incidents of arson by a female without a huge direct incentive perceived by the arsonist is also very unusual and is a feature of Anti-Social Personality Disorder ( at least).
What I mean by the above statement regarding a direct perceived incentive: Women who commit arson usually do so for extremely personal reasons. They perceive great personal gain or freedom- to murder children, or an abusive spouse, to cover up murders of same committed prior to setting the fire, or to attempt to collect insurance money for the property (and perhaps life insurance in the case of homicide).
Since MH didn't own the house, there was no financial gain. Since no one was killed either time, apparently her intent was not to destroy the property with a person inside ( murder) or she was unsuccessful in her multiple attempts to kill another person. Suicide would not be considered by the true AS personalty disordered during the commission of arson. Suicide is sometimes an impulsive drive in the moment before the AS personality disordered person is punished for the crime which would destroy their autonomy- in this case, either LWOP or the DP for the murder of Sandra Cantu with special circumstances.
MH may still think she can " get away with it' at this point. She has a history of " getting away with it", it seems.
IMO, unless she was upstairs with NO hidden rope ladder, knotted sheets or any other possible way to get out of the burning house at the last second, there' s a good chance that she started the second fire mentioned as the one where she was found still in the house by firemen, but started it far away from her living space, and actually exited the house through a back window in her room, sneaking back into the room just as the firemen arrived. Thus, the criminal becomes the rescued. Attention and sympathy for a young mother and her little baby..
The gasoline in a baby bottle is also pathological symbolic behavior. I wonder what her daughter has endured.
Her daughter may or may not have been with her if she did exit the building until time to be " rescued".
She would have no emotional ties or consideration for her baby, but her ideation may not have progressed to " accidental" death ( murder). or maybe she simply miscalculated the accelerant and rate of combustion. I don't know which is true, but since her daughter is still alive, I doubt she was targeted for death. The daughter was an " it", not a person. A sociopath of MH's depth could not possibly genuinely love or even have consideration for another human being. She probably has had the ability to " act like" other people in the same situation, crying, fussing over the child or children in the fire, etc, but her actions would only be mirror actions of those around her or doing what she believed would be appropriate.
The overwhelming majority of AS personalities with arson as a feature of their criminality are males. The crimes usually start in the teens and escalate from small fires to criminal arson, to crimes against others, such as rape and murder.
Since I do think Melissa Huckaby is a Sociopath/ Anti-Social personality disordered criminal (or a psychopath in cultural language) with overt actions of extreme cruelty, it is only one more piece of the puzzle to find this in her background. Again,assuming that the probable is true and that Melissa did start the fires.
She may well have killed small neighborhood or family pets as a child, but I seriously doubt her relatives will ever tell it, if they know.
It's clear that her family members have been her enablers.
One more thing- I read tonight on CNN.com that all court records related to her past crimes have been ordered sealed and a gag order is now in place in CA.
Edited to add: Regarding the supposition of more than one personality disorder-- of course this is a possibility. When present, the diagnosis is usually Personality Disordered- Mixed. Anti-Social Personality Disorder noted as being the prevalent indicator of criminality.
There's also the off chance that she has bouts of true delusional psychosis with auditory hallucinations, undiagnosed. She could perceivably be somewhat like Andrea Yates, for example, who was declared criminally insane because she heard voices telling her to drown her children. MH could have had PPD or PPP at the time, but 5 years later? I don't recall any instance of post partum psychosis lasting 5 years.
We also MAY only know a bit of what Melissa Lawless Huckaby has done or had any psychiatric treatment and medications for.
Now it appears that a gag order is in effect and records have been ordered sealed.
