M.O. by julie salzman

FEB 2012

$4.99 US

Features 11

UNHAPPY ENDINGS

INSIDE THE MIND

The trial of Els Clottemans who is accused of killing Els Van Doren, with whom she shared a passion for skydiving and a lover.

The story quickly took a bizarre twist when investigators learned the motive behind the murder.

bizzare crimes

NOVELS OF THE MONTH

A robber shoots himself in the foot, a man refused to leave jail, and a man’s wife meets his girlfriend through a surprisingly brutal way

We go inside the minds of America s most popular novelists to explore the crossover from fact to fiction.

SCALE OF EVIL

new forensics

Take Hitler, Stone says. “He thought we were evil, we thought he was evil.” But, “in that particular case, we were right.”

From the scrime scene to the crime lab, forensics uncover some unsettling evidence this month.

The Juice 03

fictional versus reality

SUSPECTS: PROFILES

Do real P.I carry around guns from door to door?

Mr. Harvey ,our fictional criminal of the month

detective in traininG See the latest in technology and gear

KILLER INFOGRAPHICS Who exactly is being killed and where

From the most

infamous cold cases to

outrageous crimes in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s courtrooms, delve into compelling cases on Investigation

Discovery and get the inside scoop.

This months issue may be less bloody but more psychotic. Sometimes itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about the lure for mystery rather than blood. M.O. puts you in charge of the scene of the crime and gives you an inside perspective to detect a killer or to free the innocent. This periodical delves deep into the world of human motivation, and helps you to look darkness in the eye with all the tools of modern forensics.

A marriage without the fairy tale ending.

The case had everything: secret trysts, subterfuge and a sabotaged parachute. The victim, Els Van Doren, 38, perished after leaping from a Cessna to perform a routine with her skydiving club — only to find that her chute ropes had been cut. The investigation brought a bizarre love triangle to light: the married Van Doren was also sleeping with a Dutch member of the skydiving club, Marcel “Mars” Somers. Love crimes of passion sparked by a spurned lover’s snap from provocative paramour to predacious threat. See the dark side of love with a voyeuristic peek into the lust and obsession that fueled some of the most senseless, but definitely not emotionless, crimes to make front-page headlines. The stories featured in scorned pair sexual intrigue with bedded betrayal to form a recipe for murder. Dan and Trish Willoughby have the

INSIDE THE MIND OF A

That last feeling can be the real problem.

As Jon Ronson undertakes one of the journalistic escapades that make up “The Psychopath Test,” he describes renting a car and savoring its smell. This aroma “never fails to bring back happy memories of past sleuthing adventures.” The particular episode that springs to his mind is “trailing the conspiracy theorist David Icke around as he hypothesized his theory that the secret rulers of the world were giant, blood-drinking, child-sacrificing pedophile lizards that had adopted human form.” The word “psychopath” conjures up movie images of brutal, inexplicable violence: Jack Nicholson chasing his family with an ax in The Shining or Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter, his face locked into an armored mask to keep him from biting

According to Dr. J. Reid Meloy,

Dr. Meloy writes that in early

author of The Psychopathic Mind:

childhood development, there is a

Origins, Dynamics, and Treatment,

split in the infant psychopath: the

the psychopath is only capable

“soft me” which is the vulnerable

of sadomasochistic relationships

inside, and the “hard not-me” which

based on power, not attachment.

is the intrusive, punishing outside

Psychopaths identify with the

(neglectful or painful experiences.)

aggressive role model, such as an

The infant comes to expect that

abusive parent, and attack the

all outside experiences will be

weaker, more vulnerable self by

painful, and so he turns inward.

projecting it onto others. As multiple

In an attempt to protect himself

murderer Dennis Nilsen put it, “I was

from a harsh environment, the

killing myself only but it was always

infant develops a “character armor,”

the bystander who died.” t was

distrusting everything outside, and

always the bystander who died.”

refusing to allow anything in. The

child refuses to identify with parents, and instead sees the parent as a malevolent stranger. Soon, the child has no empathy for anyone. The wall has been built to last. “Human nature is a nuisance, and fills me with disgust. Every so often one must let off steam, as it were,” said “Acid Bath Murderer” John Haigh. In normal development, the child bonds with the mother for nurturing and love. But for the psychopath, the mother is experienced as an “aggressive predator, or passive

stranger.” In the case of violent

not a person, but again the image,

psychopaths, including serial

or something desirable, the last

killers, the child bonds through

thing we would expect him to want

sadomasochism or aggression.

to do would be to personalize this

According to Meloy, “This individual

person. ... Chattering and flattering

perversely and aggressively does to

and entertaining, as if seen through

others as a predator what may, at any

a motion picture screen.” And later,

time, be done to him.”

“They wouldn’t be stereotypes necessarily. But they would be

The Victim Through the Psychopath’s

reasonable facsimiles to women as

Eyes. When they are stalking a

a class. A class not of women, per

victim, psychopaths don’t consciously

se, but a class that has almost been

feel anger, “but the violence shows

created through the mythology of

the dissociated effect.” Many killers

women and how they are used as

seem to go into a trance during their predatory and killing phases.

The quiet is the problem,The anger and rage just get bigger and bigger

and seep into a fantasy life, and the person becomes increasingly alienated and isolated and contemptuous.

objects.” If Bundy got to know anything too personal about the

The psychopath seeks idealized

victim, it ruined the illusion.

victims in order to shame, humiliate, and destroy them.”’I must have’ ends

In a manic state, the psychopath is

with ‘It was not worth having,’” says

fearless and thinks he is omnipotent,

Meloy. By degrading the victim,

sometimes evil incarnate, as we have

the psychopath is attempting to

seen in Richard Ramirez’s “Night

destroy the hostile enemy within his

Stalker” run. They are completely out

own mind. At Gacy’s trial, forensic

of touch with reality. One psychopath,

psychiatrist Richard Rappaport said

while in custody, would dress himself

that “he is so convinced that these

as an Indian warrior using his own

qualities exist in this other person, he

feces as warpaint. Many serial

is completely out of touch with reality

killers identify with the myth of the

... and he has to get rid of them and

warrior. Calavaras County torturer

save himself ... he has to kill them.”

Leonard Lake was fascinated by medieval knights, and on a more

Richard Ramirez - The victim is seen

modern cinematic note, many serial

as a symbolic object. Bundy described

killers, including Gacy and Kemper,

it by using the third person: “Since

worshipped John Wayne, the

this girl in front of him represented

American archetype of the lone warr

Psychopaths know society’s rights

That is where the hard work of trying

and wrongs, and will behave as

to make sense of a crime like that

if they sincerely believe in these

at Virginia Tech always hits a wall.

values. “There are individuals who

We can debate, as we predictably

We can debate, as we predictably do

are so psychopathically disturbed

do in these cases,

in these cases,

that, in my opinion, no attempts

what an incident

should be made to treat them,”

like this means for

like this means

says Meloy. Many psychopaths will

our endless national

for our endless

read psychology books, and become

argument about

national argu-

skilled at imitating other more

guns and violence

ment about guns

“sympathetic” mental illnesses, such

and the coarsening

and violence and

as schizophrenia. They will use any

of the culture. That’s

the coarsening

means possible to manipulate their

well-mapped ground.

of the culture.

evaluators. Do psychopaths ever

What remains un-

That’s well-

legitimately hear voices in their

charted is the unlit

mapped ground.

heads? According to Meloy, “most

places in the minds

What remains

functionally psychotic individuals

of the people who

uncharted is the

do not experience command

are capable of doing

unlit places in

hallucinations, and those who do

these things — and,

the minds of the

generally successfully resist them.”

by extension, in all our minds. What

people who are capable of doing these

is it that makes individual members

things — and, by extension, in all our

John Gacy was “a smooth talker and

of a usually empathetic species turn

minds. What is it that makes individ-

an obscurer who was trying to white-

rogue?

ual members of a usually empathetic

wash himself of any wrongdoing. He

species turn rogue?

has a high degree of social intel-

How does one of our most primal

ligence or awareness of the proper

faculties — the ability to understand

How does one of our most primal

way to behave in order to influence

that things that cause me pain or fear

faculties — the ability to understand

people,” said Eugene Gauron, who

would do the same to you and that

that things that cause me pain or fear

when thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

TOOLS

1. HotShot Developer When we’re lying about emotion—pretending to be happy when we’re sad, for example—microexpressions can flash across our faces before we can get hold of them. And if most people aren’t great at lying about their emotions perfectly, then it’s also true that most people can’t detect those little facial lies. , then it’s also true that most people can’t detect those little facial lies. most people can’t detect those little facial lies.

Eye brows down and together. There is a glare in the eyes and a narrowing of the lips

2. Magnetic Applicator

3. MAGNIFYING EQUPTMENT 1 2 3

Classifying the scene Forensic evidence falls into two categories – physical and biological.

Evidence Collection is the foundation of crime scene investigation. CSI Forensic Supply knows that wasted time and incomplete or unclear evidence collection is frustrating and counterproductive. Wouldn’t it be great to have the best quality supplies at your fingertips to enable you to get the job done effectively and efficiently every time?

Dexter:

Psychological Profile Take a look at the most notorious fictional characters on TV

Walter White

Walter Hartwell “Walt” White is a fictional character and the protagonist of the American television drama series Breaking Bad on AMC. He is portrayed by Bryan Cranston and was created by series creator Vince Gilligan.

Dexter is a forensic blood spatter analyst who works for the fictitious Miami-Metro Police Department; in his spare time, he is a serial killer who preys on other murderers who have escaped the justice system. He follows an elaborate code of ethics and procedures taught to him in childhood by his foster father, Harry Morgan (which he refers to as “The Code” or “The Code of Harry”), which hinges on two principles: Dexter can only kill people after finding evidence that they are guilty of murder, and he must dispose of all evidence so he never gets caught.

Theodore “T-Bag”

A native of Conecuh County, Alabama, Theodore Bagwell was born of both incest and rape after his father sexually assaulted his sister, who is implied to have been mentally handicapped;

Jimmy Darmody

Jimmy is the son of Commodore Louis Kaestner, a political power broker and one-time boss of Atlantic City, and the showgirl Gillian Darmody.

Dexter is a forensic blood spatter analyst who works for the fictitious MiamiMetro Police Department; in his spare time, he is a serial killer who preys on other murderers who have escaped the justice system. He follows an elaborate code of ethics and procedures taught to him in childhood by his foster father, Harry Morgan (which he refers to as “The Code” or “The Code of Harry”), which hinges on two principles: Dexter can only kill people after finding evidence that they are guilty of murder, and he must dispose of all evidence so he never gets caught.

BY JON TROCK PHOTOGRAPHED BY JASON KOFFLER

DIT

[DETECTIVE IN TRAINING]

ANGER Eye brows down and together. There is a glare in the eyes and a narrowing of the lips Eye brows down and together. There is a glare in the etogether. There is a glare in the

CONTEMPT

SADNESS A drooping of the upper eyelids. Losing focus in the eyes and a slight pulling down of the lip corners. Losing focus in the eyes and a slight pulling down of the lip corners.

Catching a lie The Real Science behind Lie to Me, Fox’s law enforcement-themed drama.

Lip corner tightened and raised on only one side of the face. and raised on only one side of the face. and raised on only one side of the face. and raised on

When we’re lying about emotion—pretending to be happy when we’re sad, for example—microexpressions can flash across our faces before we can get hold of them. And if most people aren’t great at lying about their emotions perfectly, then it’s also true that most people can’t detect those little facial lies. That’s where Ekman’s consultancy comes in— his programs help train FBI and TSA agents to tell when someone is lying. A very small percentage of people (less than 1 percent, according to Ekman are natural lie detectors who can detect microexpressions and lies without being trained. The show takes this into account in the form of character Ria Torres (Monica Raymund), a “natural” whom Lightman recruits from the TSA in the show’s pilot episode.

EVALUATING

Why are we so fascinated with true crime literature? The books about infamous criminals and crimes, recent and historical almost fly off the shelves. Investigators who solved the crimes are besieged with requests to share the details with reporters and authors. There can be no doubt that we are intensely curious about these crimes, and the criminals and crimes, recent and historical almost fly off the shelves. Investigators who solved the crimes are besieged with requests to share the details with reporters and authors. There can be no doubt that we are intensely curious BY DAN ROSEN

ruel intent is the basis for our fascination with evil, There are those who are clearly psychopathic and the ones that go in for the prolonged torture.

child endangerment, sexual harass-

called good and evil.

ment, and elder abuse. We have also

Because of this vulnerability we have

been guilty of our religion, national

questions that need to be answered to

origin, skin color, sexual prefer-

ensure our safety. One such question

ence, gender, and, now and then, of

is, what would happen if â&#x20AC;Ś? What

the blood in our veins. Guilt is the

if you saw a man shoot somebody?

mainstay of who we are and how we

Should you tell the police? Would they

are organized, and is, seemingly, our

protect you from murky vengeance?

undeniable destiny, along with Death

You saw a true-crime TV show once

and Taxes.Our relationship with guilt

that profiled a man who identified a

is as old as the DNA that defines our

murderer and was himself murdered

species. But the nature of culpability

for giving evidence. Would you be

of Nazi Germany.

changes with technology and tech-

guilty of being stupid for doing what

nique. These changes affect the way

you were taught was right? wealthy

In 2,000 years of Western civiliza-

we see the world and the way we seek

property owners, and local ministers.

Everybody is guilty of something. This is a truism of the West. It goes all the way back to Cain and original sin and has been a central topic of discourse among members of society from the construction of the laws of ancient Rome, through the Inquisition, into the Jim Crow system of the South (and North), stopping to wallow in the culture of the Soviet Union, and going right to the rotted heart of the race laws

to understand our predicament

tion we have been guilty of heresy, perversion, theft, and murder; of

fighting and refusing to fight;

of loving, lusting after,

and sometimes just looking. We have been

guilty of speaking

out and keeping silent,

of walking, marching,

and running away.

We have been found culpable for following orders and for refusing to follow them, for adultery,

This is because most of us see our-

Face-to-face meetings and friendly

selves as powerless cogs in a greater

gossip gave us at least the illusion

machine; as potential victims of a

of understanding where we stood

society so large and insensitive that

and what was right. But today the

we, innocent bystanders in the crowd,

working urban dweller gets all this

might be caught at any time in the

information from TV and computer

crossfire between the forces of so-

screens â&#x20AC;Ś and so often, we know, the

eprived is guilty of something. This is a truism of the West. It goes all the way back to Cain and original sin from the construction of the laws of ancient Rome, through the Inquisition, into the Jim Crow system of the South (and North), stopping to wallow in the culture of the Soviet Because of this vulnerability we have questions that need to be answered to ensure our safety. One such question is, what would happen if …? What if you saw a man shoot somebody? Should you tell the police? Would they protect you from murky vengeance? You saw a true-crime TV show once that profiled a man who identified a murderer and was himself murdered for giving evidence. Would you be guilty of being stupid for doing what you were taught was right? wealthy property owners, and local ministers. Because of this vulnerability we have questions that need to be answered to ensure our safety. One such ques-

Because of this vulnerability we have

questions that need to be answered

to ensure our safety. One such ques-

tion is, what would happen if …?

What if you saw a man shoot some-

body? Should you tell the police?

Would they protect you from murky

vengeance? You saw a true-crime TV

show once that profiled a man who

identified a murderer and was him-

self murdered for giving evidence.

Would you be guilty of being stupid

for doing what you were taught was

right? wealthy property owners, and

local ministers.Would you be guilty

of being stupid for doing what you

were taught was right? wealthy

property owners, and local ministers.

See if you can find which suspect has been doing too much clowning around. BY ROSIE SALZMAN