This puts a different light on the article. That case involved premeditated murder, rape, assault and strangulation. I find it harder to be empathetic with the defendant.
The article was carefully written to engender empathy - no mention of the sociopathic tendencies. No mention of victims at all. Stress was on how much he liked sports.
But knowledge of all that he was, recasts that story irreparably. He was clearly sociopathic, lacking empathy. Any appearance of normality could not have been sustained. Even the stories of his supposed attachments were probably misinterpretations.
These are just observations. Please don't read it as an endorsement of Texas capital punishment, or callous disregard for those broken by a warped society.
Also, its not clear that sociopathic abuse was the problem. Empathy is learned before the age of 4(?) or not at all. His mother's mental problems were more likely at the root of it.
I even think it's true that I wouldn't know these people if they didn't try to fix themselves, because otherwise a job would be out of the question, and without a job, they'd never be near me. I wonder how many there are that are just sitting by themselves, sinking deeper into problems and never even try to save themselves. I imagine it's a lot.
But there it is : people who get/got abused do not want the abuse to end, they want to become the abuser. This means that a significant fraction of them is dangerous. Lots of people who try to help are destroyed by this effect.
Poverty and mental health. The two most taboo under-and-mis-treated topics in America.
The author didn't want you to feel bad for one guy, or his victims, the author wanted you to understand that the death machine isn't solving anything, she wanted you to understand that military grade armed police and pretending that economical imposed segregation doesn't exist don't absolve all of us of the problem. Eye for an eye doesn't build a better society and it def doesn't fix what's wrong. Oh and you're paying for it btw.
All of this has to end. We need basic income, we need a mental health system that by using it doesn't reward you with lost job and societal joining opportunities. Yet... in 2016, I have yet to hear one presidential candidate mention either one of those two topics, much less have I seen one citizen, journalist or blogger try to solicit a response from our politicians about it.
In 2016, it seems that even our privacy is in question giving one the feeling that we're headed backwards instead of forward in becoming a better society.
The mother had told police that Charles was having sex with the daughter. This upset Charles, so he killed the family.
The grandfather was beaten and strangled to death.
The daughter was choked with an extension cord, beaten with stereo speakers, and hit with a TV.
The mother was thrown into a bathtub filled with water and a plugged-in TV, but that failed to electrocute her, so he dragged her through the house, raped her, and then strangled her.
Previous conviction for burglary, for which he received three years in prison, but was paroled after eight months. Met once with his parole officer and then ignored subsequent required meetings, and so there was a warrant out for his arrest.
Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/12/derrick-charles-exe...