New Crime Type? Killing miscellaneous people for fun

[Circe]

This news article started me thinking about the wave of killings of people not known to the killers, apparently just for fun or generalized anger or a dubious "terrorism" idea, but the killers don't seem to have a personal motive for the killings or know the victims.

SAN FRANCISCO 4/30/2013 – A California woman faces attempted murder charges after police say she tried to sneak orange juice bottles spiked with a lethal amount of rubbing alcohol inside a Starbucks.

San Jose Police arrested Ramineh Behbehanian, 50, late Monday. A customer reported seeing the woman take two bottles of orange juice from her bag and place them in an open-air refrigerated display case at a Starbucks in San Jose around 3:45 p.m., Sgt. Jason Dwyer said Tuesday.

When the customer told a store manager what he saw, Behbehanian fled. A store employee followed Behbehanian to the parking lot and jotted down her license plate number as she drove off. Other employees called 911 after noticing the bottles had a toxic smell, Dwyer said.

Firefighters on the scene tested the contents and determined that the bottles contained a "lethal quantity" of isopropyl rubbing alcohol mixed with the juice, Dwyer said.

Read more: California woman accused of sneaking juice mixed with rubbing alcohol into Starbucks | Fox News

The school and other crowd killings are this kind of crime, and so was the Boston Marathon bombing. It's hard to understand what kind of political motive could inspire bombing a footrace -- that's more akin to the craziness of putting rubbing alcohol into bottles and slipping them into a Starbucks, or the wave of poisonings of commercial products like the Tylenol poisonings several years ago. Some of those were targeted, but some were put back on the shelves after being poisoned, just to kill strangers! This led to the now-universal protective sealing of most processed foods and drink, and we can see why with this woman with the strange name marauding around poisoning orange juice.

Is this a new type of crime? Why do people do it? Do they have a psychotic delusion that someone they hate will get the poisoned bottle? Do they just hate everybody and want the world to die, die, die or what? Is this an inchoate response to overpopulation?

 

[PaulS1950]

That is it! We have to protect people from others like that!
Let's ban handbags and orange juice!

That might be the ravings of a person who doesn't want to blame the person involved but needs to do something to make a population feel safer.
Why some people do the terrible things they do is unimportant. The act of doing it means they should be proscuted and dealt with by the legal system.

If you have a kitchen or pantry with cleaning supplies and a garage with some things stored for use in your car the chances are very good that you have the components to make a very deadly nerve agent that could kill an entire population of a twenty story office building.

The things that we have at our disposal in modern life to create terror and death is unbelieveable. For someone to use such things to kill those they don't even know? That is simply criminal. We cannot prevent crime - that is why we have laws that allow us to prosecute criminals.

 

[TheOldSchool]

This news article started me thinking about the wave of killings of people not known to the killers, apparently just for fun or generalized anger or a dubious "terrorism" idea, but the killers don't seem to have a personal motive for the killings or know the victims.

SAN FRANCISCO 4/30/2013 – A California woman faces attempted murder charges after police say she tried to sneak orange juice bottles spiked with a lethal amount of rubbing alcohol inside a Starbucks.

San Jose Police arrested Ramineh Behbehanian, 50, late Monday. A customer reported seeing the woman take two bottles of orange juice from her bag and place them in an open-air refrigerated display case at a Starbucks in San Jose around 3:45 p.m., Sgt. Jason Dwyer said Tuesday.

When the customer told a store manager what he saw, Behbehanian fled. A store employee followed Behbehanian to the parking lot and jotted down her license plate number as she drove off. Other employees called 911 after noticing the bottles had a toxic smell, Dwyer said.

Firefighters on the scene tested the contents and determined that the bottles contained a "lethal quantity" of isopropyl rubbing alcohol mixed with the juice, Dwyer said.

Read more: California woman accused of sneaking juice mixed with rubbing alcohol into Starbucks | Fox News

The school and other crowd killings are this kind of crime, and so was the Boston Marathon bombing. It's hard to understand what kind of political motive could inspire bombing a footrace -- that's more akin to the craziness of putting rubbing alcohol into bottles and slipping them into a Starbucks, or the wave of poisonings of commercial products like the Tylenol poisonings several years ago. Some of those were targeted, but some were put back on the shelves after being poisoned, just to kill strangers! This led to the now-universal protective sealing of most processed foods and drink, and we can see why with this woman with the strange name marauding around poisoning orange juice.

Is this a new type of crime? Why do people do it? Do they have a psychotic delusion that someone they hate will get the poisoned bottle? Do they just hate everybody and want the world to die, die, die or what? Is this an inchoate response to overpopulation?

My guess is that these crazy people are trying to make a mark on the world before they die. And in their twisted minds their murder is something that will have an effect and make them famous.

It's different for terrorism. Terrorists believe they're murder is as an act of war for religion and that they'll be rewarded in the afterlife. But the guy from Sandy Hook? They guy from Colorado? They're just sick individuals with twisted ideas.

 

[Katzndogz]

It isn't new. Thrill killers have been around for a long time. What is new is that more people believe they have a right to have fun. Even this kind of fun. Look at the rise in beating up innocent people, laughing about it and posting the video to you tube.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

That is it! We have to protect people from others like that!
Let's ban handbags and orange juice!

That might be the ravings of a person who doesn't want to blame the person involved but needs to do something to make a population feel safer.
Why some people do the terrible things they do is unimportant. The act of doing it means they should be proscuted and dealt with by the legal system.

If you have a kitchen or pantry with cleaning supplies and a garage with some things stored for use in your car the chances are very good that you have the components to make a very deadly nerve agent that could kill an entire population of a twenty story office building.

The things that we have at our disposal in modern life to create terror and death is unbelieveable. For someone to use such things to kill those they don't even know? That is simply criminal. We cannot prevent crime - that is why we have laws that allow us to prosecute criminals.

 

[PaulS1950]

Why not? The criminal justice system won't prosecute you for what you do antway. Plea-bargain it down to a misdemeanor and get off with "time served".
When we fix the criminal justice system we can then get the violent crimes under control.

 

[mightydog]

Had she not been seen placing the tainted OJ back and some unsuspecting customer gotten sick or worse from drinking it the damage to the Starbucks name would have been massive. That'll teach them not to screw up her next latte.

 

[MikeK]

[...]

Is this a new type of crime? Why do people do it? Do they have a psychotic delusion that someone they hate will get the poisoned bottle? Do they just hate everybody and want the world to die, die, die or what? Is this an inchoate response to overpopulation?

While it's not very common it is not a new phenomenon. Behaviorists call it misanthropy, which is an extreme hatred of mankind. Some theorize it to be a powerful subliminal suicidal impulse turned outward.

 

[MikeK]

Why not? The criminal justice system won't prosecute you for what you do antway. Plea-bargain it down to a misdemeanor and get off with "time served".
When we fix the criminal justice system we can then get the violent crimes under control.

Paul,

How did you come by such a notion? The U.S. has imprisoned more of its citizens than any other nation -- more in fact than Russia and China combined.

Imprisonment is big business in America today. Prison construction is the only remaining growth industry in the U.S. It is in fact a clear example of unbridled capitalism feeding on itself.

 

[midcan5]

Random thoughts. Having a criminal justice system that works to the best of its ability and resources is irrelevant, the question is why, not what comes next. Why would this woman do this? And where did the idea come from? Recall the Tylenol poisonings.

Now consider serial killers. Are they too not just having 'fun' as someone mentioned above? Is killing simply an exercise of power? Why would a human, presumably rational, kill? If we say they are irrational are they sick? If we say they are irrational are we excusing them? Remember 'Son of Sam,' anyone figure that guy out? Or the BTK killer, Richard Ramirez?

Now consider religious based killers, whether Christian or Islamic. Listen to video below, demons are to blame. Are they, some think so, but suppose you don't believe in demons. What drove Scott Roeder, there's always some reason but often they seem irrational to the outsider.

What is the connection between mental illness and the activity of killing, is some of it driven or suggested by media? Consider how many shows of all kinds involve revenge of some sort or an act of retribution for a wrong, now put that idea into the mind of a psychopath.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXa_YreEFEs]Exclusive interview with BTK killer - YouTube[/ame]


http://www.usmessageboard.com/philosophy/263873-are-some-people-simply-born-evil.html#post6397602

"The remarkable thing is that we really love our neighbors as ourselves: we do unto others as we do unto ourselves. We hate others when we hate ourselves. We are tolerant of others when we tolerate ourselves." Eric Hoffer

 

[MikeK]

Random thoughts. Having a criminal justice system that works to the best of its ability and resources is irrelevant, the question is why, not what comes next. Why would this woman do this? And where did the idea come from? Recall the Tylenol poisonings.

Now consider serial killers. Are they too not just having 'fun' as someone mentioned above? Is killing simply an exercise of power? Why would a human, presumably rational, kill? If we say they are irrational are they sick? If we say they are irrational are we excusing them? Remember 'Son of Sam,' anyone figure that guy out? Or the BTK killer, Richard Ramirez?

Now consider religious based killers, whether Christian or Islamic. Listen to video below, demons are to blame. Are they, some think so, but suppose you don't believe in demons. What drove Scott Roeder, there's always some reason but often they seem irrational to the outsider.

What is the connection between mental illness and the activity of killing, is some of it driven or suggested by media? Consider how many shows of all kinds involve revenge of some sort or an act of retribution for a wrong, now put that idea into the mind of a psychopath.

"The remarkable thing is that we really love our neighbors as ourselves: we do unto others as we do unto ourselves. We hate others when we hate ourselves. We are tolerant of others when we tolerate ourselves." Eric Hoffer.

Eric Hoffer's comment (above) seems to support the theory of outer-directed suicide impulse.

 

[whitehall]

Who knows what the motive was? It could be a copycat attempted mass killing or it could be an act of terrorism or it could be a vendetta against Starbucks. One thing though the caffeine fix at Starbucks sure makes people alert. Nice job Starbucks customers.