And, of course, this kind of thrill crime is nothing new. How is this guy different from Leopold and Loeb? Clearly, there's something wrong in his brain chemistry that enables him to behave this way.

Tamar, I don't have any personal gripes or beefs against you - but I have heard these same views many times from people, and the views are not only in error, but also seriously corrupt. If you were simply a college student, I'd chalk it up to you being naive, but you are old enough to know better.

Point of fact: murderers CHOSE to commit crimes and kill people. It is not a matter of brain chemistry (which you carelessly confuse with the criminal mind), Regardless of how sick the crime, the criminal is calculating and deliberate in his actions...not insane. They know the law (sometimes better than the naive attorneys who chose to represent them). if your views were correct, we'd have far more murders than we do.

No matter how much you may deny it, your views on who is responsible, are rooted in a belief that society somehow bears the blame.

A question - how much do you know about brain chemistry and the mentally ill? Surely you must know that those with brain chemistry issues are a much bigger threat to themselves than they are to others.

Any endeavor to "habilitate" (as opposed to rehabilitate) those who are on their way towards physical violence, must begin with getting the person to take a rational view of themselves, to accept accountability, and to try to lead them towards rational actions. So yes, I believe in the possibility of preventing someone from becoming a calculated killer, through different forms of cognitive therapy to help them spot their own thought processes and to understand consequences.

But I also believe they should be punished (including put to death) if they CHOSE to kill. A person's actions are ALL THAT MATTER.