<p>What type of evidence should there be that anyone is “going off kilter” before something is done? “Lying by omission” about something this big–not sure what that would do for employment lawyers, for either this guy or the U. Honestly, how many here would hire this guy if they knew he had been “not guilty by reason of insanity” in 1967? I suspect many would not, even if he’s led an exemplary life since. Is this a NIMBY thing? </p>
<p>I’m very conflicted and have a hard time ever getting over folks who violently kill others, especially relatives with a gun at point blank range. I always wonder what may make them repeat that in the future.</p>
<p>I think he does deserve to hold a job and it is preferable that he turned his life around, compared to some “criminals” who never do. </p>
<p>That said, I still think he is not an appropriate candidate for the job he currently holds, had the university known about this back when he was hired. Now that the word is out on his past, and given that professors are to be mentors and role models to their students, I just find it to not be the best. No easy answers here, I guess.</p>
<p>I don’t see how resigning now from a job 40 years after the fact when there is no evidence whatsoever that he is having any mental health issues is “taking responsibility” or “doing the honorable thing”. I also don’t see why he should have told the university – he was found not guilty, given a clean bill of mental health and released, and legally changed his name. Should he be hounded for the next 40 years after this? Who is served by having him resign now? I also have to ask who is served by the journalist who dug this up – I am sure her news organization made money, and people are salivating over the story. But is it news if the guy is not showing any tendancies now toward homicidal behavior? I think not… at this point it is gossip. But as a society we seem to have lost track of the difference between “news” and “gossip”.</p>
<p>Also, the act of killing one’s family, under any circumstance, is very extreme and takes a certain type of person to be willing to carry out such an act, sane or insane at the time. It did happen as a teen and he obviously went on to lead a more positive life but you have to wonder if someone who is capable of such an extreme act, doesn’t have something in them or some trigger. I just don’t put this act in the same category as say, a DUI, robbing someone, or some other crime. While he was found not guilty of a crime by reason of insanity, the fact that he was insane enough to carry out something this heinous still seems like he doesn’t have the most ideal psychological make up to be teaching psych to college students. It’s great that he is better now, but he is still the person who was capable of such an act.</p>
<p>In any case, the cat is out of the bag and I wonder how his students will view him now. Again, a teacher is considered a mentor and role model. A lot of his students are just a few years older than he was when he shot his parents and sibling dead.</p>
<p>And if this had happened recently, it might be “news”. Forty years later with NO evidence whatsoever that he continues to be a threat to society, it is now “gossip”. </p>
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<p>You have no idea what kind of teacher and mentor he is today. I personally am a VERY different person than I was at 15 – literally practically a different person, mostly in good ways. You are assuming that people never change and are not capable later of good work or good acts if they have committed one (terrible) crime in their teenage years while mentally ill.</p>
<p>I’ll be honest–my reaction is very visceral. I think about his sister–she didn’t have a chance for a second chance. The violence needed to kill three members of your family (not a on-the-spot one person, but all three, separately), might, to me, mean that the rest of your life may be a making up for that, in an honest way. Not through concealment.</p>
<p>I don’t know I can justify that, but I feel it very strongly.</p>
<p>intparent, I do believe that people can change and my first post on this thread commended that this person turned his life around. That is much preferable to those who kill others and never change their ways. I am sure he has done good deeds and been a good professor. He could be a good teacher and mentor. But if I were hiring knowing this information ahead of time for this TYPE of job, I’d likely choose another candidate. In any case, the students now know the story. Some might admire his redemption and some might look upon him differently in a way that they can’t look up to him.</p>
<p>garland, you have a good point. He has tried to conceal his past and I somewhat understand that (to get a job, move on, etc.). But if he went onto a healthy life, he could have maybe made a difference in going on to speak about turning his life around…maybe to prisoners, or something like that. He might have had an impact in that manner. It just seems odd to me that he is a mentor and that those he is mentoring have no idea he killed his family, even if he is healthy today. It is not a minor event in his life.</p>
<p>Let’s take another heinous act…a pedophile. Say a pedophile goes through therapy and is considered “cured.” How come pedophiles must register and their locations be made known? It is due to there seemingly to be some risk that a person who has the capability to do that, could relapse at some point. Then take killing your entire family. The person is cured of their insanity. The event is concealed. But if some knew this person had been capable of such heinous acts in the past, sane or insane, they might feel some hesitancy as to whether the person may be at risk to not remain mentally healthy, more so than someone who did not do such extreme acts. </p>
<p>Schizophrenia is a mental disease. If you take another disease, alcoholism, even when a person is sober and supposedly “cured,” there is always the risk of relapse, even though many never do.</p>
<p>It’s a sad story in every way. Sad for his family, sad for the people who have known him one way and now have to think of him another, sad for him.</p>
<p>I don’t know what I think should happen, but my reaction, like soozievt’s, was pretty visceral when I read the article and saw the photos.</p>
<p>Supposedly, schizophrenia cannot be “cured.” One can be in “recovery” and lead a “normal” life. That is what I was trying to say in terms of a mental disease in my second paragraph in post #49. </p>
<p>He is conveniently close to retirement age and stands to make a bundle in book & movie deals now, unless some law prevents him from profiting from his story. He can probably still collect speaking fees for going on the road to tell his motivational story for those who find his rehabilitation inspiring. So I don’t pity him too much now that the cat is out of the bag.</p>
<p>I just watched the most recent installment of the “Up” series, the documentary that follows a group of London schoolchildren as they age. It’s based on the premise, “give me the boy until 7 and I give you the man”. The documentary illustrates that, for the most part, our basic character does not change much as we age. Perhaps Dr. “St. James” is an exception.</p>
<p>I don’t think he should be institutionalized forever. It does seem like a pertinent piece of information to know when hiring a teacher. Again, I applaud him for turning his life around. Still I think that one can never know with a person like this, what they might still be capable of and there is a greater risk than with someone who has been mentally healthy their whole life and never killed anyone.</p>
<p>As an aside, and NOT really about THIS case…</p>
<p>I have never been able to wrap my head around the not guilty due to insanity. I realize there are definitions of sanity and insanity. Yet, in my view, anyone capable of killing others (murder) isn’t fully mentally healthy.</p>
<p>Tom, it may be pertinent information to hire ANYONE. Like I wrote in another post, pedophiles have to register their locations, which I imagine is in case they may relapse, people know of the risk. Knowing someone has murdered others, (even if while insane), seems like important information to know upfront when hiring. I think the person deserves a second chance and a job! I do believe that teachers have a role of mentoring and also of being role models and it just strikes me as an odd choice of candidate for a teacher, not to say it can’t work (it seems to have in this case) but if weighing candidates for a teaching position, I may opt to hire someone with a clean slate in this area.</p>
<p>I am in favor of honesty about one’s own failings, especially if they led to terrible outcomes and tragedy for others. Wherever that might lead.</p>