[SGVLUG] Off-topic - Hans Reiser article - murder trial

[Dustin Laurence]

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Ted Arden wrote:
|
| anyway, hope the bastard rots for what he did to the
| kids and family of Nina.

Yes, I agree with that. The worst part is the precise type of murder
we're talking about, because of what it says about the condition of his
natural inhibition to kill. The army studied what allows soldiers to
kill and why they do not (historically, it turns out most soldiers have
tended to miss on purpose, which really surprised me and seems to have
really dismayed the army), and a key factor in the degree of inhibition
is the closeness of the victim and "hands on" nature of the means. Being
close enough to see the eyes and face apparently greatly increases the
inhibition, probably because it makes it clear at a visceral level that
the victim is a human being with emotions (probably fear at the moment,
of course). Similarly, it is easier to kill with a firearm than with a
blade, and still harder with bare hands. (The reason elite units like
Gurkas continue to carry blades is sheer psychological warfare--it
implies that Gurkas are willing to kill with a hand weapon at
arms-reach, and makes them seem like one scary bunch of killers. I'm
sure they are, but the blades are a key way to communicate that.) That
means that Hans chose to kill in the most naturally inhibited possible
situation: at arms length, with bare hands.

Now add to that your point, which is that the victim was both weaker
than he is and was the mother of his children, and the lack of remorse
which is the natural emotional response during the emotional let-down
after killing (apparently this is one reason for murder-suicides being
common). I think it adds up to just about the strongest indication that
Hans is a dangerous man short of his having killed a child in a similar
way (which probably transgresses just about the maximum possible natural
inhibition).

I don't see *any* reason to mitigate the sentence--locating the body
*after* sentencing seems like simply playing the last card. I don't
believe there is any reason to think he has any real remorse, and I
don't even know what such evidence would look like at this point.

This sort of savage crime is the reason the state has the power of the
sword in the first place.

Dustin
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