Understanding the warning signs of potential murderers or psychopaths can help prevent future tragedies and keep you safe. While you would have read much about it, this article covers people’s personal experiences.
A Redditor took to the forum and asked, “People who know murderers- Were there any signs that something was off? If so, what were they?” here are the best picks:
1. Enjoying The Kill
“I’ve posted about it before, but a kid down the street talked about killing squirrels for fun. He was 7ish years old. He moved away, and we forgot about him. Twenty years later, we saw him in the news for brutally killing his parents.” a Redditor shared.
2. Losing Temper On Small Things
“I spent much time at a friend’s house when I was 6-9. He had a brother who was like three years older than us, who I remember as being generally nice, but I have one weird memory of him losing his temper when he tried to teach me and his brother to rollerblade, and I couldn’t get it–like throwing things and weeping uncontrollably. When I was in high school, I found out that he had joined the military, and while he was deployed, he got court-martialed for killing civilians and keeping body parts like fingers, and ears as trophies.” another shared.
3. Violent Tendencies
“One of my uncles murdered his wife. He was out of jail by the time I was a kid. Yes, there was always something off about him. My mother told me he was always violent and had a sadistic streak – he liked to make people afraid.
He mellowed out as he got older but was always a user and looking to take advantage where he could. I’m pretty sure he was a sociopath. My mother had a lot of siblings, and he was the only one like this.” said one.
4. Ignoring Mental Health Concerns
“Knew a girl as a freshman in college who was mean, obviously mentally unstable, and not too bright. When her fraternal twin sister fell in love with a good friend of mine, she became enraged with jealousy and could not let it go.
Her sister begged her to get help, and there was a massive blowout in a hallway on campus where my friend had to intervene to prevent his girlfriend from getting stabbed by her sister. The police were called to campus, and she spent a week in jail before her sister decided not to press charges. Her remaining friends dropped out of her life because of her actions and unwillingness to get help.
She got kicked out of college shortly after threatening the guidance counselor, who was giving her one last chance and moved back in with her parents. When her sister went home for Christmas with my friend to introduce him to her parents, I told him to watch his back. They hadn’t even entered the house before being attacked and repeatedly stabbed. My friend died on the porch, and she died at the hospital the next day. The murderous sister was beaten to death in a jail fight a few days later.
I met their older brother, who I didn’t even know existed, at the funeral for the excellent sister. He said he had gone no contact with the family years before for his own protection because his parents refused to do anything about the mental health problems that his little sister always had, even as a small child.” a user shared.
5. Uncontrolled Anger With Gun Access
“One of my former co-workers decided to shoot a house because a dog was barking in the back yard of a different house, went on a shooting spree killing the entire family except for the infant on the second floor. Only thing that was off was his drinking problem.” said one.
6. When You Can’t Spot What’s Wrong!
“My dentist killed his wife in self defense. They were having marriage troubles and were planning on getting a divorce. One night she attacked and stabbed him through the leg with an 8-foot spear. He killed her with his pocket knife.” a Redditor said.
7. Too Religious
“My former manager killed his wife and attempted to make it look like a suicide. He did this because he was ultra-religious and cheated on his wife with multiple women he found online. The church he was a member of frowned upon divorce, so he thought murder would be a better alternative. The story has been on the dateline and other shows. He was a super strange dude, and when I found out, I wasn’t shocked. His office always smelled like farts.” said one.
8. Absolutely Normal Looking:
“My parents had a pool at their old house and hired this guy to clean it. He worked for us for 10 years and brought his daughter with him sometimes and played with our dogs. Nicest guy ever. Suddenly, he didn’t show up for several weeks without any explanation. He was also the pool guy for some of our neighbors. Somebody did some research and found out he was arrested for murder. He shot some lady while driving on the freeway. No idea why. He’s awaiting trial last time I checked and was either expecting the death penalty or life in prison.” a user shared.
9. Criminal Acts
A man takes matters into his own hands to confront his daughter’s molester, resulting in a deadly altercation.
“I worked for a guy that went to kick the guy that was molesting his daughter. The molestor pulled a gun, and in the fight, my old boss killed him with his own gun. My boss served six years in a Louisiana prison. Last I saw him, he had full custody of his daughter.” said one.
10. Being A Skinhead And Abnormal Tattooes
“My upstairs neighbor dated one of the Freeman brothers. They famously killed their parents and little brother in the 90s. I met them several times before hand. Yes, there were serious red flags. Things like being a skinhead and having the word berserker tattooed on their forehead immediately come to mind.” shared one.
What are your thoughts on these stories? Have you ever experienced or witnessed something similar?