A Jigsaw Picture of an Accused Killer (long article on Loughner)

[jakeXT]

Leaving an Impression

At a small local branch of a major bank, for example, the tellers would have their fingers on the alarm button whenever they saw him approaching.

It was not just his appearance — the pale shaved head and eyebrows — that unnerved them. It was also the aggressive, often sexist things that he said, including asserting that women should not be allowed to hold positions of power or authority.

...

And employees at the Sacred Art Tattoo shop would not forget that day in November — the same month in which Mr. Loughner bought a Glock — when he walked in wearing jean shorts and a muscle shirt and holding up a 9-millimeter bullet that he said he wanted replicated on his right shoulder.

It took less than a half-hour and cost $60. And when it was done, Mr. Loughner insisted on shaking the artist’s hand.

Then, a week later, he returned to get a second bullet tattoo.

“I started talking to him about what he liked to do, hobbies, pastimes,” recalled Carl Grace, 30, who drew the second tattoo. “He said he dreamed 14 to 15 hours a day. He said he knew how to control his sleeping and control his dreams.” But when the artist asked about the meaning behind the tattoo, the customer just smiled.

“When he left, I said: ‘That’s a weird dude. That’s a Columbine candidate.’ ”

...

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/16/us/16loughner.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

[snagglepuss]

1. to read later. nt

[bbinacan]

2. Interesting article n/t

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

3. Excellent Article n/t

[Kali]

4. I feel like I'm starting to obsess about the shaving thing

but I wish there would be some real documentation (and this is the first I've seen) that it was or wasn't done at booking.

So did he do that to himself, or did it happen after he was arrested?

[riverwalker]

5. head was shaved before the booking

When the bank tellers talked of being afraid of him: "It was not just his appearance — the pale shaved head and eyebrows — that unnerved them."

[RamboLiberal]

6. Looks like he hated Bush as well

He became intrigued by antigovernment conspiracy theories, including that the Sept. 11 attacks were perpetrated by the government and that the country’s central banking system was enslaving its citizens. His anger would well up at the sight of President George W. Bush, or in discussing what he considered to be the nefarious designs of government.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/16/us/16loughner.html?hp

[chatnoir]

7. How incredibly sad that no one got this kid help....

His supposedly 'doting' mother? A counselor at school? Someone? Anyone?

[boston bean]

8. I wonder if he watched the Leonardo DiCaprio movie inception...

[Little Star]

10. His dream crap sounds like "Inception". I hated that movie......

It was so far out there. I must admit with all Laughtner's ramblings about dreams this movie came right to mind.

Here is a snippit from a review for those who didn't see the movie:

snip~~
There are plenty of explosions, sure, and fight scenes, and gadgetry. There’s Leonardo DiCaprio as the hero, Marion Cotillard as the femme fatale and enough globe-trotting locations to fuel two 007 films.

But it also takes place in the mind — or, rather, in several minds at once, as our heroes pursue their prize through dreams within dreams. In fact, by the climax, the action is occurring in at least four separate and simultaneous realities.

To quote our old friend Neo — “Whoa.”

As in “Memento,” though, the fractured storytelling is not only in service of the story, it’s the only way to tell the story. Our hero Cobb, you see, is a thief of the subconscious — hired by corporations to slip into a business rival’s dreams and steal an idea.
~~snip
http://www.nj.com/entertainment/movies/index.ssf/2010/07/inception_movie_review_diving_into_a_dream.html

[Tutankhamun]

9. Thx for the post. I just finished reading. Apparently he was paranoid schizophrenic.

The article never mentions anyone taking him to a medical/psychiatric professional for diagnosis/treatment. Did his parents or anyone urge him to go but he refused? Was his family simply in denial? This is what I'm left wondering.

[marions ghost]

11. SO many signs of derangement

but so little action. :banghead:

Nobody wants to point the finger or get involved but obviously we need much more immediate help for such people.

[jakeXT]

12. Shooting suspect displayed downward spiral that accelerated a year ago, records, interviews show

...

When he was 16, Loughner was the victim of a nasty prank in the school cafeteria. Another student poked him in the upper arm with a weapon fashioned from a plastic ballpoint pen and a needle. Loughner became dizzy and pale. Unable to stand, he had to be helped to the nurse's office. He did not press charges.

...

On Oct. 2, he walked into the Pima County Sheriff's Department to report that someone had stolen his identity to create a phony MySpace page. A report noted that Loughner was worried prospective employers would see the page "myspacedotcomscrewupretard."

...

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/15/3327357/shooting-suspect-displayed-downward.html