I learned a new word while investigating the topic of this article, which was suggested by a Lovefraud reader. Here it is:
“Contumacious (adj) Stubbornly perverse or rebellious; willfully and obstinately disobedient.”
This word was used in a court decision to describe the behavior of Joseph D. Morrissey, 57, a lawyer and former member of the Virginia House of Delegates who is running for re-election tomorrow. Here is the context:
Frequent episodes of unethical, contumacious, or otherwise inappropriate conduct mar Joseph D. Morrissey’s career as prosecutor and private defense attorney. Evidence gathered by F.R.D.E. Counsel and made a part of the record during the hearing before this panel demonstrates Morrissey’s fifteen year history of contempt citations, reprimands, fines, suspensions, and even incarcerations arising from unprofessional conduct mostly involving an uncontrollable temper, inappropriate responses to stress and dishonesty.
That’s what judges in the United States Court of Appeals wrote on September 11, 2002, upholding Morrissey’s disbarment as an attorney, which he had appealed.
What did Morrissey do to lose his license?
- Released a court case witness interview at a press conference
- Lied to his probation officer, after trying to claim he had performed his community service hours, when he didn’t.
- Berated a judge in court
- Wrote a threatening letter to a judge
- Fist fight with a home repair contractor
- Multiple contempt of court convictions
- Fist fight with an opposing lawyer during a criminal trial
Another scandal
All of that happened more than 10 years ago. So why did the Lovefraud reader suggest that I investigate this guy now?
Despite his history of legal problems, Morrissey, calling himself “Fighting Joe Morrissey,” was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2007. In January, 2013 he made national news by waving an unloaded AK-47 on the floor of the House of Delegates during a debate on gun control.
Last month Morrissey was convicted of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Authorities had evidence that he engaged in a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl who worked in his law office. This girl is pregnant, although no one has confirmed the identity of the father.
A naked photo of the girl was found on Morrissey’s phone, but he tried to claim that the phone had been hacked.
By the way, Morrissey already has three kids with three different women.
Morrissey was given a work-release arrangement. That means he is allowed to work at his legal practice during the day (yes, he got his license back) and sleep in the jail at night.
Under pressure, Morrissey agreed to resign from the legislature. A special election is being held to replace him tomorrow and Morrissey is running in it, hoping to be re-elected.
I swear I’m not making this up. Read:
Incarcerated Va. Del. Joseph Morrisssey running for reelection as independent, on WashingtonPost.com.
Del. Joseph Morrissey resigns in wake of conviction and promises to run again, on WashingtonPost.com.
Virginia State Delegate Joe Morrissey drops F-bomb on live TV over sex scandal, on NYDailyNews.com.
The Warrior gene
Unbelievably, while researching this story, I came across a 2011 article by Curt Autry of the NBC12 television station in Richmond, Virginia. Autry wrote about the “warrior gene,” and Joe Morrissey had actually consented to be tested for it.
Genetic research has produced evidence that the warrior gene officially the MAO A gene (monoamine oxidase A) may predispose some men to sociopathy.
Dr. Liane Leedom wrote about this on Lovefraud:
The mutation related to sociopathy makes it less likely that the MAO A gene will be expressed, resulting in lower levels of MAO A. MAO A is an enzyme that breaks down dopamine and other monoamine neurotransmitters such as serotonin and norepinephrine that are critical in emotional responses and impulse control.
Dr. Leedom explained research showing that, “high testosterone levels were only associated with ASPD and aggression in individuals with the low expressing MAO A genotype.” See:
MAO A gene interacts with testosterone to predict sociopathy
Unsurprisingly, Joe Morrissey’s test for the MAO A gene came back positive.
NBC12 Investigates: Warrior gene test, on NBC12.com.
“Works for me”
So Joe Morrissey has a history of lying, aggression, violence and multiple sexual relationships. And, he tests positive for the “warrior gene.” So if he were to be evaluated for sociopathy, there’s a good chance he’d come out high on the scale.
What does he have to say about his behavior?
Morrissey told Curt Autry, the NBC12 reporter that, compared to prior years, he was in control of his aggression:
JOE: “I would say I’m probably a better person because I’ve changed some of my focuses, and the way I deal with aggression.”
CURT: “But you’re still the same guy?”
JOE: “Yeah, I mean Fighting Joe works for me.”
I think his last comment really shows insight into how Morrissey views himself: “Fighting Joe works for me.”
In other words, he’s just fine the way he is.
Crazy story! The classic is he resigned then runs again…like you said you cant make up the craziness sociopaths do this is why it is so hard for friends/family of victims to believe the stories they are told by the victim. The scary thing is he will probably be reelected
Crazy story! The classic is he resigned then runs again…like you said you cant make up the craziness sociopaths do this is why it is so hard for friends/family of victims to believe the stories they are told by the victim. The scary thing is he will probably be reelected & like he said he will just “fight” his way with coworkers/other legislators and nothing will get accomplished in his own office.
I believe Donna you posted similar to this article but what I took note of in this article is they use the words narcissism and psychopathy. Too bad the newspaper article did not list the traits of psychopath or how common they are in our society.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (CBS Cleveland) ”“ Men who regularly posted photos of themselves online scored higher on a measure for narcissism and psychopathy. According to Medical News Today, a study out of Ohio State University has found that men who took “selfies” were more likely to exhibit psychopathic traits when compared to control group.
“That makes sense because psychopathy is characterized by impulsivity. They are going to snap the photos and put them online right away. They want to see themselves. They don’t want to spend time editing,” explains Jesse Fox, lead author of the study. The study included 800 men between the ages of 18 and 40. The men took an online survey asking questions regarding their photo posting behavior on social media.
The study also found that men who edited their pictures before posting also scored higher on the scales of narcissism and self-objectification. “It’s not surprising that men who post a lot of selfies and spend more time editing them are more narcissistic, but this is the first time it has actually been confirmed in a study,” says Fox.
Oh my goodness. He has not changed, maybe better at not landing in jail. Goes to show that society is not aware really of sociopath s and they are willing to believe these people can change.
I wish they had called it a psychopath gene instead of a warrior gene. Warriors fight for truth, justice and the American way. Remember Superman? Psychopaths selfishly lie, cheat and destroy good people, eat their souls and spit out the mush that is left. That is a vampire gene, not a warrior gene.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/morrissey-in-midst-of-six-month-jail-term-wins-special-election-to-virginia-house/2015/01/13/8676f33a-9b2b-11e4-a7ee-526210d665b4_story.html
This guy actually won re-election! What are the people of this district in Virginia thinking?
here’s another story:
http://wtvr.com/2015/01/13/special-election-underway-for-vacated-74th-house-district/
Thanks wishicouldrewind
society is always confused why victims stays with their abuser = it’s the same reason why society is also duped = a sociopath can con their way out of any type of trouble with their manipulative cunning words!
Even though this is shocking that he was reelected, it’s easy to see how it happens once you are educated.
I truly feel sorry for his 17 year old victim in the fact that she has to watch this man being put back up on a pedestal for him to control more people/abuse more woman/to blame her and for her to be triggered every time he is on tv spouting his manipulative words. Hope he goes to jail!!
Thank you for posting the news clip as it gives great insight into his county’s divide thinking.
I stayed with my abuser ONLY because I was in a Catch-22. He had convinced my child to chose him in a divorce and I refused to leave her behind. Had I Known he was a sociopath, I would have understood why everything I tried FAILED. Had I known what he was, I would have known how to counter his headtrips and I think I could have broken the spell he had on my teenager… he doesn’t have her fooled anymore.
Sometimes I tell people, “his actions don’t match his words”, and that’s it. If people chose to excuse his behavior, nothing I can say will matter.
NotWhatHeSaidofMe, after I had proof of my husbands affair I was done right then and there I had started packing…but of course he was masterful at manipulating me with his words and convinced me to go to counseling with him. At counseling he just manipulated the counselor.
Prior to couples counseling with my ex the counselor had us each sit down with her separately where she asked me what the problems where in our marriage….I stated every trait of a sociopath without even knowing it ie he lies about everything, he has no remorse for his actions, he is manipulative, he cheated, etc etc
At one point in counseling I stood up and said I am done I want a divorce because my ex was being manipulative. The counselor said “that’s not what you want”…I told her “YES that is what I want a divorce”. She convinced me to “work” on the marriage…so crazy when looking back that a counselor would have to convince a person to stay in a marriage. Mean while my ex h was telling me over and over “not to trust the counselor” every time we went to her office and left her office he was brain washing me so sick and twisted. Between the two of them my head was spinning away from listening to my gut, I stayed another 7 years and was broken down to nothing by the time I escaped.
I am so glad your daughter sees her father for who he is…I hope you have educated her on how to spot a sociopath so that she will not get sucked into a abusive relationship with one. Sadly I think a lot of woman stay for that very reason you did = to protect their children. So sad that girls/women are not educated in middle school & high school about this subject.
That is a very good way to let people know who your ex is….I say “we are the complete opposite” but I think combing it with your quote is much better.
Jan7
My daughter sees my ex as manipulative and a liar. But she does not see him as a sociopath. She refuses to let me have that conversation with her. I suspect he has manipulated her so much that she’s done things for him that she doesn’t want to face. I know she was responsible for encouraging some community members to abuse and exclude me, but she doesn’t understand that she’s not to blame for that. I’ve told her directly that she’s not to blame for anything mean. After all, he set her up, his biggest win was using the person I loved to abuse me. NEITHER me nor my daughter understood at the time that he IS a sociopath and that his “perspective” went far beyond a man who no longer loved his wife. He was a terrible, manipulative, cold hearted man when I lived with him, but he got far worse when I left him. That’s when the sociopathic, murderous side of him was revealed. He became a hedonist, he scammed people for money, he defrauded me, and he told the community that he scammed them because WE made him (he accused us of being gold diggers). Some people actually believed that. It was a nightmare as everyone here of LF can imagine, our details are different but the curse is the same.
NotWhatHeSaidofMe…just aweful. I wish society would see the truth!
Your a good mother, your daughter is very blessed to have you in her life. When she is older she will see the truth in her father, it just takes time for a child to see the truth in a abusive parent.
Jan7
It’s unlikely my daughter will see the truth. He’s not her birth father, I married him when she was young. So all her childhood memory is of me being emotional and anxious. He was perfectly calm and unemotional. And of course, she was grown and moved away when I left him. In her memory, she hasn’t seen me any other way. She doesn’t remember much before his abuse was obvious to me. And sadly, she has suffered emotional issues, probably a combo of inherited anxiety that was exacerbated by his backstabbing mindgames. My ex was very covert about his mindgames; so much “felt off” and I’d know something bad was going to happen but couldn’t put my finger on what the trouble was… the bomb didn’t fall until the reveal but it was always an awful and terrible emotionally devastating BOOM when it did. Back then, when she was a kid, how could I explain to her what was happening when I couldn’t figure it out?? I was TOTALLY naïve about the shenanigans of a sociopath, and the games they play in their quest to control and destroy. (Remember the days when it was like trying to nail down jello?!!)
I know him NOW; he follows the classic sociopath behavior, but I am sure my daughter was confused by it and just decided to shove it in the past and never look at it ever again… which as you know, makes her vulnerable to sociopaths targeting her in her life because a sociopath will feel NORMAL to her.
I’ve had a problem logging in so I could not comment for a while but Donna just fixed that. Thanks Donna.
I read a comment from a woman that I think her name was something like “flicker.” There are so few people on this forum that are victims of their own children that I really wanted to reach out to this woman who is a victim of her five children. It is soooo hard for anyone to understand that we can have multiple children that are sociopaths.
I am a victim of three of my four children who are sociopaths. The daughter that is not a sociopath has been so manipulated by her siblings, it is impossible to sort out decades of lies and that has damaged my relationship with her. For thirty years, I went through agony, confusion, and self-doubt. One of my sons was a sociopath since birth, the other two, a son and a daughter, began to show signs of sociopathic behavior around puberty. Through the course of decades these sociopathic children kept getting worse, until I finally lost my home due to embezzlement by one of my sons. I was then hospitalized with an emotional breakdown. I then needed to start from scratch at the age of 53. All these years, I was always confused about my children, tried to fix them, and of course that could never happen.
Because I started to research Sociopathy and joined LoveFraud in 2010, I was clueless as to why my children were so awful. It wasn’t until 2010 that I realized that these children are sociopaths. I have been writing a Memoir since the late 1980’s, just adding to it but never having read it from the start. When I read this Memoir from cover to cover for the first time, as they say, “It was a lightbulb moment.” Their father was a sociopath and I finally had the answer to what was wrong with my children.
After 30 years of giving in to hope, I’m finally able to see that there is no hope and I have accepted my lot in life. I’m 71 years old and I am in good health, both physically and spiritually. These people are out of my life now. I truly believe that I would not be here if I continued a relationship with them. I could never give up my peaceful life and go back to chaos. I gave birth to children with all the hopes and dreams of any mother. As time goes on, the peace I have in my life comforts me, but we will always long for the children of our dreams.
Katie – I’m glad we got your log in worked out. thank you so much for sharing your story.
More on Joe Morrissey – he is indicted again – documents he submitted to the court were allegedly forged.
Morrissey, mother of ex-office worker indicted on felony charges, on Richmond.com
http://www.richmond.com/news/local/crime/article_71674a59-af2e-56a9-9abe-f886c04a0cdb.html
link supplied by a Lovefraud reader
I do recall that the Bad Man said something about this gene. He said he had the genetics of astronuats, heros and risk takers. He often referred to himself as a hero… or Jesus… he did imply that he was akin to Jesus. Ugh.
Aloha