Lee Boyd Malvo Case Study

Improved Essays
Introduction
Many believe that people capable of committing serial murder or spree killing are born “evil,” and in some cases this can be perceived as at least somewhat truthful. This however cannot be the case for Lee Boyd Malvo, one of the two people responsible for the D.C. Sniper Attacks. The D.C. sniper case, also known as the Beltway sniper attacks, were a stretch of organized shootings that occurred over a three week period in the states of Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Colombia. Ten deaths and three injuries were the products of these shootings, but on October 24, 2002, Lee Boyd Malvo and his “mentor,” John Allen Muhammad, were found and arrested ending their terror spree (“Beltway Snipers,” n.d.). When crimes like these occur, many people wonder what it was that caused this person to behave the way they did. The same was
…show more content…
Although the severity and exactly which disorders Lee Boyd Malvo may have had is controversial, it is agreed that there was at least some type of mental disorder or hormonal imbalance at play. It is important to note that I believe, based on my research, that the biological factor were the factors that affected Malvo more than other factors. The strongest biological factor for Malvo is brainwashing. Brainwashing is a controversial factor many people do not believe is possible. Brainwashing is referred to as a non-scientific concept that the human mind can be altered by psychological concepts. The argument that brainwashing was a part of Malvo’s case is due to the fact that Muhammad took over care for Malvo at a young age. As a young boy, Malvo wanted a strong father figure; and this made him easily controlled by Muhammad who became the father figure Malvo desired. As Malvo grew up, Muhammad used his position as caretaker to slowly gain control over Malvo so that Malvo would do as he said without any hesitation or

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Malcolm Gladwell is a credible man, who works for the N ew Yorker. He wrote an essay about school shootings, and the threshold it took for some individuals to complete an act of violence. In order to prove his points Gladwell made sure to cite from other credible researchers like s sociologist Mark Granovetter. The main points that Gladwell discussed in his essay truly captivates the reader 's attention, even though he does not talk with excitement when discussing the essay. Not only were Gladwell 's points intriguing, they are also able to convince the audience that school shootings occur because of other phenomenon’s.…

    • 1046 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The defendant Lee Robinson is charged with manslaughter. As the defendants actions leading to the offence did not constitute acceptable behaviour and that the result ended up with a man loosing his life because of Mr. Lee Robinson actions the maximum penalty for manslaughter in the UK is a life sentence. Despite the severity of his crime in the criminal courts a defendant may be able to reduce their sentence by co-operating after the fact. In the Uk a life sentence is 20 years imprisonment before the defendant is eligible for parole. In certain cases the sentence for crimes may be reduced depending on certain factors and conditions.…

    • 1043 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Alan Watts once said “A myth is an image in terms of which we try to make sense of the world.” On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold “murdered one teacher and twelve of their peers” (Senior) inside Columbine High School. The massacre would become the “most lethal” (Senior) in the nation. Almost immediately after the killings took place, the media arrived at Columbine High School. With media comes many myths.…

    • 2233 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Two articles focus on school shootings. The reasons why students become shooters is explained by Jesse Signal. The preventive actions that can be taken towards school shootings are given by Frank J. Robertz. The article "Deadly Dreams: What Motivates School Shootings?' written by Frank J. Robertz and published on Scientific American on July 30th, 2007 describes how young adults become school shooters. Robertz explains the process of how over a long time adolescents start being more descriptive of the killings and staging how they will do it.…

    • 1155 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Americans love guns and Americans hate guns. There is a perplexing relationship within the American people and their desire for guns. American citizens are aware of the danger that follows with gun use, but still advocate to keep them legal within the states. The gruesome massacres that have occurred within American schools such as Columbine, Virginia Tech, as well as the massacre that recently occurred in Orlando, Florida at club Pulse, somehow do not resonate with the fact that this country has a very serious gun problem. The United States must figure out logical ways to make access to guns harder such as disallowing someone who has been on a FBI watch list from ever purchasing weapons.…

    • 1447 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Browning, just like the scientists, could not come to any solid conclusion to explain how a regular man could commit such horrific crimes. He did nonetheless pose an important question: “If the men of Reserve Police Battalion 101 could become killers under such circumstances, what group of men cannot?” (Browning 189). The controversy in the question of “ordinary men” exists because, whether one acknowledges it or not, the question speaks to human nature. The experiences of Reserve Police Battalion 101 during World War II suggest the terrifying concept that any random individual…

    • 1594 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Imagine a typical day in a small suburban town in southwestern Virginia. It’s around 9:00 am, and you are in your French class. Then, all of sudden, you hear banging noises coming from outside your classroom. This is the true story of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University shooting in April 2007 as told by Colin Goddard. Goddard was shot four times by the gunman: three bullets to the hips and one bullet to the shoulder.…

    • 1674 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    On the day of April 19th 1995 the unthinkable happened, a bombing in Oklahoma City. Not only did it shake Oklahoma to the core, it also took it’s toll on our great nation. The culprit of this crime was Timothy Mcveigh. His punishment was death, and it was well deserved. His death was viewed by some, but it should have been seen by the nation.…

    • 1295 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In discussions of the Second Amendment, one controversial issue has been whether the Founding Fathers considered the future use of guns. On the one hand, the federal government argues for stricter regulations towards people who bear arms. On the contrary, the people of the state contend that our rights shall not be infringed. With respect to both parties, stricter gun laws are needed to protect American’s from massacres. Guns were created for one purpose and one purpose only, to kill.…

    • 514 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Egoism And Mass Shootings

    • 1439 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Humans are motivated by what is called psychological egoism, we are always motivated by what we perceive to be in our own self-interest, and it is the reason behind many of our everyday interactions and choices we make. However, what influences interactions we never hope to have, and decisions we never hope to make, such as deadly mass shootings? Was it a form of free will, or was it a result of psychiatric disorders such as PTSD or antisocial personality disorder, or was it the unleashing their anger, such as the rage and discrimination that they might have dealt with throughout their lives. The recent attacks on police forces were not only influenced by the recent attacks of black men but also as a result of PSTD as both attackers were being…

    • 1439 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    To oversimplify, matters surrounding privacy can be color coded. There are some issues that are very black and white related to the need to “violate” privacy. However, there are also quite a few gray areas where more research needs to be conducted and statistics gathered to formulate guidelines to determine when it is indeed necessary. Privacy in general needs to be treated in a way that is different from other rights and based on the serious consequences of not revealing facts that would be considered “private”.…

    • 1280 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Author Timothy Wheeler starts out his article with an incident happened at the Cleveland’s Success Tech Academy where four people were injured with no mortality as a result of quick elimination of the shooters. He moves on to point out the vulnerable areas of the ineffective school security and the gun free zone policy that makes school ground an easy target for psychopath killers. To prove his points, he gives us the mass murder of 1999 in Los Angeles Jewish day-care center that committed by Buford Furrow’s, and the raped and the massacre that happened between September and October 2006 in Bailey, Colorado which committed by Nickel Mines. He brings his point across that allows gun at school can be effective to stop the shooter from further executing innocent victims.…

    • 687 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Gun Violence Research Paper

    • 4114 Words
    • 17 Pages

    Running head: OUR LIVES MATTER Caridad Pozo May 27, 2018 Professor Emily Smith-Miles Our Lives Matter Campaign Gun Violence and Mental Illness It is evident that there is a low connection between mental illness and gun control, and prevention measures should be put in place to reduce the increased mass shooting incidences. The efforts should work in conjunction with one another to provide a wide safety net.…

    • 4114 Words
    • 17 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Theory Of Rational Choice

    • 1707 Words
    • 7 Pages

    In the case of James Holmes, the prime accused in the 2012 shooting that killed 12 people and injured 70 others at a Century movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, on July 20, 2012, based on his actions, he portrays actions that highlights the fact that he was predisposed to criminality and was born a criminal, not…

    • 1707 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Gun control is a topic that divides the opinions of the United States citizens and creates endless discussions that until now has not reached a conclusion. The United States has faced many mass shootings during the last years making the supporters of gun control want a reform even more. Guns are responsible for over thirty-three thousand deaths in the United States every year. The United States leads the world with more gun-related homicides and suicides than any other country, according to a 2016 study conducted by the American Journal of Medicine. (“Gun Control”).…

    • 544 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays