Media sociopaths

Another school shooting. Last week, Nikolas Cruz, 19, shot up his former school, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, Florida. He killed 17 people and wounded 14 more. In the initial reporting about the incident, none of the students who knew Cruz were surprised. They feared him and mostly stayed away from him. The New York Times reported: "A lot of people were saying that it would be him," the student told WFOR-TV. "They would say he would be the one to shoot up the school. Everyone predicted it." Why would the entire school population predict that Cruz would grab a gun and kill people? The kids knew about his rants and fascination with violence. The Washington Post reported …

Florida shooter Nikolas Cruz — psychopath, psychotic or traumatized?Read More

Kaitlyn Conley, 24, was sentenced to 23 years in prison for fatally poisoning her boss. The victim was Mary Yoder, 60, of Whitesboro, New York, a chiropractor. Yoder was also the mother of Conley's ex-boyfriend. During the sentencing, William Yoder, the victim's husband, said Kaitlyn Conley "had a fight with my son … and then murdered his mother." Kaitlyn Conley sentenced to 23 years for the death of her ex-boyfriend's mother, on NewYorkUpstate.com. Story suggested by a Lovefraud reader, who was a relative of the victim.       . …

Kaitlyn Conley, 24, sentenced to 23 years for killing her bossRead More

Sociopaths just don't quit. Back in 2006, Lovefraud profiled Phil Haberman, who claimed to be special forces (a lie), claimed to have suffered war injuries in Iraq (a lie), and convinced the military to pay him money he didn't deserve (the truth). Over the years, Lovefraud has periodically heard from people who had tangled with Haberman. He frequently created fundraising campaigns for sick or injured dogs that were nothing but scams. Well, Haberman was still at it during Hurricane Harvey, which struck Texas in September. He showed up as a volunteer rescuer, convinced authorities — at least temporarily — that he was military. He took charge of a dozen volunteers, shut down a highway, lau …

12 years later, Phil Haberman still pretends to be militaryRead More

The stories coming out of the massacre in the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, are horrific and heartbreaking. The shooter, Devin Patrick Kelley, 26, walked into the church dressed in combat gear and killed congregants in the pews.  One survivor reported that Kelley became enraged that children were scared, and shot them multiple times. Kelley executed 26 people that day, including nine children. Eight members of one extended family were killed. Twenty more churchgoers were injured. Authorities release IDs of Texas church victims, on ABCnews.go.com Afterwards, of course, everyone is asking, “How did this happen?” “Were there any warning signs?” The answer is YES! There …

Devin Kelley, Texas church shooter, exhibited a pattern of psychopathic behavior, but no one saw the whole pictureRead More

Lots of men and women in the Philippines look for foreign romantic partners — and end up getting scammed. Here's how it works: Scammer claims to be from Australia, the United Kingdom or the United States and pursues an online relationship with the target. Scammer claims to send a package of expensive gifts to the target, like laptops, smartphones or designer bags. A few days later, target receives an email, supposedly from the Bureau of Customs, informing him or her of taxes and duties that need to be paid. It comes complete with official-looking documents. Target sends money to the designated bank account, which, of course, belongs to the scammer. Money is gone. BoC caut …

Another twist on love scams: Notices from the “Bureau of Customs”Read More

Like much of America, I've been watching the Harvey Weinstein scandal unfold, appalled but not surprised. More than 40 women have now accused the famous and powerful movie producer, whose films have won 81 Oscars, of sexual harassment and even rape. The Weinstein Company, which he co-founded, fired him. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences threw him out. The Los Angeles police have opened an investigation. Still, Hollywood has always been about starlets who want to make it big and powerful men who took advantage of them — that's why everyone knows about the "casting couch." So I wondered — was Weinstein just a prolific user of the couch, or was he disordered? The answer came in …

Harvey Weinstein’s psychopathic behaviorRead More

By John Kelly, Profiler STALK INC. Psychological Autopsy The first thing to do when looking at a complicated mental problem is to examine and eliminate any physical problems. Before getting into the psychological and pharmacological dynamics of a persons murderous behavior, one needs to eliminate any physical precursors to such behavior.  Paddock's autopsy should determine any brain abnormalities such as tumors or cancer. We have seen this play a role in a similar mass murder, Charles Whitman, the Texas Tower Sniper, who shot 16 people from a high vantage point in 1966. Read: Charles Whitman, on Wikipedia.org Paddock's autopsy did not reveal any brain abnormalities. After eliminating …

What criminal profiler John Kelly says Stephen Paddock’s motive was in the Las Vegas shootingRead More

Here's the big question after the horrible massacre in Las Vegas: Why? Sunday night, Stephen Paddock, from his room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Casino, started shooting at the 22,000 people attending a country music concert. From his elevation, and with automatic weapons, it was like shooting fish in a barrel. A total of 59 people were killed and more than 500 wounded. It is the worst mass shooting in recent American history. Stephen Paddock, 64, is the son of Benjamin Hoskins Paddock who robbed two banks between 1959 and 1960. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 1961 — but escaped in 1968. Benjamin Paddock, Las Vegas gunman's father, robbed banks and fled FBI, on N …

Stephen Paddock, the Las Vegas shooter, and his psychopathic fatherRead More

Fake documentation is easy to create, and romance scammers know it. I recently received the following email from a reader in Denmark whom we'll call "Grete": In december 2015 i got to know an engineer from New Jersey. He claimed he was from New Jersey. He got a contract from Shell. The job was in Ukraine. We spoke on the phone every day. He made me believe I was the one. I trusted him. When he arrived in Ukraine, his problems started. He said that his credit card didn’t work. His bank accountant send me a collateral letter. I sent the letter to my bank. They thought it was an original. Unfortunately it wasn’t. I have given him 17.500$ I contacted FBI fraud center and sent them a …

5 steps to avoid being taken in a romance scam — beware of fake documentationRead More