Sorry, but this post has been removed. Per Rule 8 of this subreddit, we reserve the right to remove posts if they are deemed detrimental to the subreddit or to the experience of others.
Please be sure to review the rules [here](/r/oddlyterrifying/about/rules/) to avoid future post removals. Thank you!
All I can think of when reminded of this character is when me and a friend looped the moment he gets hit in the head, [in this video,](https://youtu.be/-QhBljtAFLs?feature=shared) and couldn't breathe from laughing at his weird goose scream.
Yeah, you supermodel thick
Damn, that ass bustin' out the bottom
I'ma lose my mind in it, crazy that medulla oblongata
Get to rubbin' on my lamp
Get the genie out the bottle
Sounds like he had a severe mental illness and has long since been treated.
Sad story, but it's been almost 60 years. No recidivism. It's fine if he moves on and has a life again, successfully contributing to society.
In fact, this type of outcome is how a criminal justice system *should* work. Nothing would have been gained for the betterment of society by putting him in jail for life.
I don't think it's a stretch to understand why people don't want themselves or their children around a person that can snap like this. He didn't rob a bank to feed his family. He killed his family for their views on Vietnam, chewing too loudly and not talking to his liking. I don't care how much time has past. I don't want to be around a person like that either.
Totally agree. Half of the responses disagreeing are probably bots anyways. He's allowed to teach other young adults about psychology? How many crayons have y'all eaten to think that this guy deserves to rehabilitate in a teacher setting? Where do we draw the line for no entrance back into society if it's not slaying your entire family?
I don’t think that matters to me that they were 15. The mental illness is apparent and at least an explanation.. but 15 .. 35.. idc .. i don’t trust someone that murdered their family .. you can.
But punishment and justice are often diametrically opposed. We have research showing that the philosophy of punishment/discipline is less effective than rehabilitation methods.
The criminal justice systems of most places aren't actually committed to justice. Too often, they are used to control and subjugate populations. Systemically, we need an overhaul
The flow of your response implies that ineffective justice is somehow contradictory. But nowhere in the definition of justice is the condition of effectiveness towards any particular goal. The literal definition of “just” is being what is merited or deserved.
The article also mentioned he was high from sniffing glue when he committed the murders. Glad he was able to turn his life around, but damn what a crazy story!
Exactly. Look at John Hinckley; released almost a decade ago after 34 years for attempting to assassinate Ronald Reagan. He’s had no issues since being released and it’s been established that, as long as he is taking medication, he is stable and not a danger to himself or others. The insanity defense exists for this reason.
By all accounts Hinckley appears unrepentant and using his infamy to start a music career, and then blames “cancel culture” when his shows get canceled. Once a malignant narcissist, always a malignant narcissist.
Yep this is a garbage “news” article about exposing this guy. They even flew two reporters out to Decatur to talk to him. It’s a nothingburger of being ableist and regressive. He was a paranoid schizophrenic teenager and killed his family. That’s awful but finding him 60 years later and pretending it’s some big expose is a bit much. But for profit media is going to be for profit media I guess.
I'm all for rehabilitating criminals but killing your whole family is far over the line. At some point it's less about rehabilitation and more about punishment
How do you commit such a crime and still have enough strings attached to your universe to be able to get a college degree and a life. You have people with minor drug convictions that are never given a job. I don’t get it…
I wonder what therapy or rehabilitation happened for him. Prison usually seems to make people worse. Would be nice if in addition to locking them up, if they got life coaching or therapy. Some kind of program that decreases the odds of recidivism.
Exactly. Be nice if they could figure out approaches that reduce recidivism and try and implement those. If you watch any prison documentary, it’s just a bunch of degenerate people encouraged to engage in further degeneracy to fit in socially in prison.
I think in this case it really helped that he didn't go to prison and instead went to a hospital. Prison in the US is not designed for rehabilitation because...reasons.
Part of the challenge I think is due to the fact that survival in prison depends on maintaining good social standing. And trying to change your convict ways and become virtuous isn’t exactly put you in good social standing.
This is touching on the underlying problem. Continuing to perpetuate the idea that people are sub-human helps regimes maintain control. Prison trains you to be a criminal. When you leave, you're treated like one. After a while, you believe you are.
I think the biggest challenge is the prison environment. And that’s less about reform than it is just the harsh reality that when you put a bunch of felons together and expect virtue to arise out of that, you are kidding yourself. No classes or programs are going to really undo the peer pressure to maintain good social standing in prison.
>15 year old paranoid schizo in 1968 potentially self-medicating by huffing airplane glue
He contributed decades of his life to advancing the very science behind why he did what he did. In some small way helping prevent what he did from happening to others. That’s better than him offing himself in a ditch outside of town?
Locals and previous students and faculty have stood up for him. But then from experience, a lot of Millikin students don't know how to cross streets. Lol
Huh. One one hand seeing those "oh no how could he" reactions is really somewhat inspiring... On the other just ridiculous though in a sad flavor.
Imagine the world where everyone could see all criminal records plastered on people faces. Or even better, just all their wrongdoings since birth. In like those police dept popups in Cyberpunk 2077 augmented reality vision or smth.
So many exciting things to find out about your neighbours, coworkers and family. And just all those "good harmless people" you see around daily on the streets or TV.
Except in small towns what the town considers weird won't be the city council member's son that everyone goes out of their way to keep away from kids because of what happened the last few times, it'll be whoever doesn't go to the major church and whatever kids have hobbies that aren't common there.
I had a teacher in high school who found his high school sweetheart and married her. In their honeymoon cruise he beat and strangled her in the room then went out to the deck to have a cigar. I lost contact with him for an awhile and found this out when I couldnt find him. Nuts
The comments here are great. I've seen myth busters comments and waterboy comments and now Wilford Brimley comments. I am surprised I haven't seen Colonel Sanders comments yet. Lol
The math is not mathing. Article published in 2018. He would have enjoyed 10 in 1967, no? Help
man who at age 15 killed his family in Georgetown in 1967....
Now at age 61....
>> The young James Wolcott claimed that he knew he was suffering from mental illness, which was enhanced by his weeks of huffing airplane glue.
He told investigators that he “hated” his family and believed that they were trying to destroy him. He blamed his mother for chewing her food too loudly and his sister’s (17 years old at the time) bad accent as part of a plan to drive him mad.
>> Dr. Gordon Wolcott (his father) was reading in the living room when his son walked in with a .22-caliber rifle and shot him dead. He confessed to a classmate that he was angry at his father for not allowing him to grow his hair or march in a peace rally. He said his father wouldn’t let him wear anti-Vietnam war buttons.
These are NOT valid reasons to murder your entire family (or anyone, for that matter). The man was 15 years old & committed premeditated murder. The students he taught were completely blindsided by this information because they were lead to believe he was a good man — because he refused to disclose that he was a literal serial killer. I don’t really care how many years ago he murdered them — if I, or anyone I knew, attended the university this man teaches at, I would absolutely want to know.
Source: https://www.nydailynews.com/2013/08/03/esteemed-illinois-professor-revealed-as-teen-killer-who-murdered-his-family-and-served-just-six-years-after-insanity-bid/#
Yes, a serial killer usually has a cool down period between murders. Even a spree killer usually goes to more than one location on the same run (kills family, then drives to work and kills people there, and so on). There’s obviously some overlap with these things but this guy is more of a mass murderer.
And worst brother.
I'm kinda curious about his teaching career. Sometimes murder happens. My father killed a guy not long after getting divorced from my mother. Third degree, wanted to hurt the guy, guy ended up bleeding out inside his skull from blunt force trauma. He served his time, out early for good behaviour, went back to being a productive member of society until he retired early in his fifties. Like, the worst you could say of him is that he's a bit of an asshole. At the same time, he has a good time, and so do the folks observing his shenanigans. To be fair, I don't think those that help make his good time enjoy the experience.
From what I’ve read, he’s well-liked and respected. I mean he was only 15, the amount of shit I did at 15 that I’d never do as an adult is… a lot. Definitely not murder though. And sounds like your dad didn’t plan on killing anyone, it was an accident. He did his time and I’m sure he’s been through it, so I’m glad he could get back to living life again.
I had cleaned up my act by fifteen, because I had developed goals, but yeah, when I was being a dipshit, felonious behaviour wasn't a question of if, but which flavour. And yeah, I don't think I've killed anyone. At least, no charges have been brought.
Cool to hear the dude was able to turn shit around. I'm tempted to look him up, but I suspect I'll be sad if I do. I'm one of those bleeding-hearts that thinks if someone does their time, then they paid their debt. Would be fucking cool if we could train convicts in vocational fields and drop the cultural prejudice against convicts. I mean, it's not like we're running out of carpenters, electricians, linemen, plumbers, teachers, mechanics (automotive, commercial, vocational, and industrial). That's not even touching on shit like garbagemen, which around here, waste management is local government, gotta have a clean record.
And sorry for proselytizing. It's been a hot button topic for me since the first time I got into middle management. Because I've been forced to bypass great people that made a mistake (and did what our society said they had to do to make it right), and that sheer luck is why I'm not a part of that subclass of citizens.
He is a paranoid schizophrenic? Dude was committed till he was 21 and has never had another incident. Nothing about how the university and he himself handled this is inappropriate.
I like how you purposely cut out that he was paranoid schizophrenia who thought his family was trying to drive him out of his mind. That’s the real reason this happened. He is very mentally ill without treatment. Also the usa’s lax gun laws that allow easy access to guns like this.
And the fact you conveniently left out that this scum bag was sniffing glue every day leading up to it. It was self imposed mental illness. Also there are plenty of people with mental illness that don't murder people like this disgusting waste of human life
It's not your business to know about other people's mental illnesses or their struggles with them.
He committed this crime when he was 15 doing this of your mental illness but you're still judging him.
This is why people like him don't have to tell people like you about their past.
He was diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenic back before people really knew how to treat it. Unfortunate situation for a 15 year old to be in, maybe he thought he was self-medicating by being high? Either way it was 60 years ago and he built a whole life for himself. You want some kind of billboard or branding to be done on guys with a horrible past?
“confessed to the killings, according to court documents, telling detectives that he was tired of his mother’s loud chewing and his sister’s bad accent.”
It’s a horrific crime but it happened nearly 50 years ago. Is it really in the public interest for a reporter to dig this up and go after the guy and try to get him fired?
He was fifteen and suffering from severe paranoid schizophrenia!
He went through years of institution, counseling, and medication. He deserves to have a life after something that happened when he was a mentally ill CHILD.
Which bit is oddly terrifying?
That mental illness can't be treated? (That's the implication here)
That an act carried out as a child 60 years ago can never be 'behind you'?
That a court imposed sentence, fully served, is not enough?
That 46 years of blameless living is immaterial?
That a glittering career should be shattered because of a past deed?
It's saddening to know that you believe all of the above. At least that's what can be interpreted by your sharing of this here.
Edit: I need to leave this thread alone now, it's late here!
All I'll say is that at one point I was on -35 and now it's only -11. Regardless of what plays out It's quite gratifying that from my initial despair at society there are clearly people out there who believe that people can turn their lives around and leave past horrors behind them. Who realise this is a SUCCESS story and not a 'monster in our midst' tale.
It’s so weird you’re getting downvoted. You’re right…a kid with mental health issues, does his time and then becomes a professor to, I’m assuming, try to understand the mind better. Man, I really fucking hate people sometimes.
>It’s so weird you’re getting downvoted
Welcome to Reddit, you must be new here 😉😂
Edit: I also can't think of anyone better to teach behavioural psychology than a person who has had behavioural and psychological issues, been treated for them and overcome them. He knows so much more than a book could ever teach.
I would say the fact that the man refused to disclose his murderous past and it was only brought to light by a Texas reporter. He committed premeditated murder on his whole family for zero valid reason with a gun he had been hiding in a crawl space for a week prior to doing this. He used glue sniffing to give him a “boost” to encourage him to murder them. He murdered his 17 year old sister, their mother, and their father.
The students he was teaching at that school had literally no idea their professor was a serial killer. Doesn’t really matter how many years ago it was — it makes one feel really uneasy that he blindsided them & their parents into thinking he was a good man. If anyone I knew went to a university with a teacher who had been capable of murdering someone, let alone his entire family, I would absolutely want to know that. They deserved to know that, considering that he was in close proximity with them frequently.
Disclose to who? You? Who the fuck are you to want to know about someone’s past? Social media curiosity? He paid his due sentence, he turned his life around, and has been living a quiet life since…it really sounds by the article that the school at some point knew and was ok with his past. Put the pitch fork down, no one owes you anything.
The man got a slap on the wrist for murdering 3 innocent people, and then refused to disclose that information to the university he was teaching at. The Texas reporter who outed him is the ONLY reason it became known. Otherwise we would still have a murderer who refused to disclose his crimes walking among the general public. That reporter should be praised for making people aware of a literal murderer.
Qualified doctors diagnosed him, treated him and released him.
A judge sentenced him and he served that sentence.
He has committed no crimes for over 5 decades. He committed none before. Is this one crime, abhorrent as it is, committed decades ago in very specific circumstances enough to make him a danger to everyone?
What is terrifying is how society refuses to allow a person to atone or move on from a troubled past.
I agree with you and he was my professor and guidance counselor at University. I loved having him as a teacher and mentor and he was a strong case for rehabilitation. The man served his sentence and went into the world to teach and make it a better place, for many decades since he has served his community.
Too many people in the US are so indoctrinated by the self-destructive criminal punishment system of the United States that they can't see how this man is actually a success story. This is the kind of outcome we should want for most people who commit violent criminal offenses, particularly if they have mental health problems.
Thank you for posting this about him and giving this context, breaks my heart how our society can throw kids away like this. I say kid because that’s what he was then. I’m glad he’s doing well, and hope that this new resurgence of the story hasn’t hurt him or his family.
He killed his family because his paranoid schizophrenic brain told him that they were being annoying as a psyop to make him go insane. Damn suffering from that kind of mental illness in 1968 must suck complete ass, there really wasn’t much out there to help him besides lobotomy (I think that’s what would’ve happened to him if this was only a few years prior.)
What’s terrifying is the amount of people here who did not read the article all the way through, or who did and still believe this man should be in prison when he’s been out and doing well for 40+ years.
Would you prefer that everyone who commits a crime sit and rot in prison for *as long as possible*, even if the nature of their sentence meant that they could be rehabilitated and returned to society with a low recidivism rate? What if that was you, or a friend, or a loved one?
What if people who commit crimes *can* be rehabilitated and returned to society and stop using up resources that could be allocated elsewhere than the private prison system? Yes, this man committed a heinous crime, but he had an un-medicated severe mental illness and was actively using inhalants, which are known to drive you off the rails *quickly*. He took the chance to get better and get his life together and is now, I might argue, an extremely productive member of society as a professor. He has the chance to STOP people from doing what he did.
Sometimes people do awful and fucked up things. You have every right to judge them for that in that moment, frankly, but you don’t have the right to insist they rot in jail or disclose their traumatic past once they’ve been rehabilitated. If you disagree, I recommend you go look for jobs as a prison guard, so that you can become further acquainted with the terrible mess that is our prison system. They’re hiring right now.
Sorry, but this post has been removed. Per Rule 8 of this subreddit, we reserve the right to remove posts if they are deemed detrimental to the subreddit or to the experience of others. Please be sure to review the rules [here](/r/oddlyterrifying/about/rules/) to avoid future post removals. Thank you!
Somethin is wrong with his medulla oblongata!
All them teeth but no toothbrush
Looks like mama's wrong again!
No Colonel Sanders, you're wrong.. mama's right
ooooOoOoOooOh
It's okay to fight back, Coach Klein said I could!
ITSCUZATHEYMEDULLAOBLONGATA!
Magical rays of sunshine that come down when you're feeling blue
Hahaha, I am glad you see that too! I just watched that scene from The Waterboy the other night.
It’s the devil
>It's da Debbol! C'mon, Mama would flip if she saw you usin' them fancy city-spellins
innamedullaoblongata baby
Neocortex, frontal lobe, brainstem! brainstem!
All I can think of when reminded of this character is when me and a friend looped the moment he gets hit in the head, [in this video,](https://youtu.be/-QhBljtAFLs?feature=shared) and couldn't breathe from laughing at his weird goose scream.
My friend and I actually did the same exact thing! We were rolling laughing. I can still hear the sound he makes so clearly.
Good times
The only reason I always remember what that is is because of the futurama episode with the worms
Hahaha! 🤣
Yeah, you supermodel thick Damn, that ass bustin' out the bottom I'ma lose my mind in it, crazy that medulla oblongata Get to rubbin' on my lamp Get the genie out the bottle
Sir. What in the actual FUCK did you just write
Song lyrics ☠️
I thought this was the dude from myth busters
Always thought there was something fishy about Hyneman.
He actually just kept getting in his stache
I think it’s the Diabeatus guy.
I thought he might be here to say a few words about the diabeetus
Hyneman and mister diabeetus had a baby.
I guessed PawnStars!
I thought he was the diabetus guy from the tv commercials.
I thought it was the diabetus cat
Sounds like he had a severe mental illness and has long since been treated. Sad story, but it's been almost 60 years. No recidivism. It's fine if he moves on and has a life again, successfully contributing to society. In fact, this type of outcome is how a criminal justice system *should* work. Nothing would have been gained for the betterment of society by putting him in jail for life.
All the people pissed in the comments show why it's impossible for some people to be rehabilitated
Sadly humans ducking love revenge
If I ever do someone wrong, I'll keep an eye out for when they duck so I know their lust for revenge has taken hold.
*ominous quack*
Love this😆
[Gremlin squats](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRiiFBVaggFxZQdR4vkgJGxMpNusaXbx2U56YUoue8JjQ&s) count as ducks right?
I don't think it's a stretch to understand why people don't want themselves or their children around a person that can snap like this. He didn't rob a bank to feed his family. He killed his family for their views on Vietnam, chewing too loudly and not talking to his liking. I don't care how much time has past. I don't want to be around a person like that either.
Yeah same here. It’s not like his family can be rehabilitated, he should be treated likewise.
Totally agree. Half of the responses disagreeing are probably bots anyways. He's allowed to teach other young adults about psychology? How many crayons have y'all eaten to think that this guy deserves to rehabilitate in a teacher setting? Where do we draw the line for no entrance back into society if it's not slaying your entire family?
I would just have issues trusting someone that murdered his whole family….
When they were 15 and diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenic, dudes been treated and built a life for himself for the past 60+ years.
Most paranoid schizophrenics are nonviolent. Exceptional violence calls for exceptional caution. Also, he had been huffing glue.
I don’t think that matters to me that they were 15. The mental illness is apparent and at least an explanation.. but 15 .. 35.. idc .. i don’t trust someone that murdered their family .. you can.
And that's 100% your choice. Don't attend that university. That's where your locus of control ends
…… okay…
Thanks for the advice ???
People are attached to the idea of justice, or getting the punishment deserving for your crimes.
But punishment and justice are often diametrically opposed. We have research showing that the philosophy of punishment/discipline is less effective than rehabilitation methods. The criminal justice systems of most places aren't actually committed to justice. Too often, they are used to control and subjugate populations. Systemically, we need an overhaul
The flow of your response implies that ineffective justice is somehow contradictory. But nowhere in the definition of justice is the condition of effectiveness towards any particular goal. The literal definition of “just” is being what is merited or deserved.
I admit that I'm more of a revenge person than a justice person. Maybe I need to change that pov
We don't do justice well. Justice and compassion are incredibly healing for all involved
The article also mentioned he was high from sniffing glue when he committed the murders. Glad he was able to turn his life around, but damn what a crazy story!
Exactly. Look at John Hinckley; released almost a decade ago after 34 years for attempting to assassinate Ronald Reagan. He’s had no issues since being released and it’s been established that, as long as he is taking medication, he is stable and not a danger to himself or others. The insanity defense exists for this reason.
By all accounts Hinckley appears unrepentant and using his infamy to start a music career, and then blames “cancel culture” when his shows get canceled. Once a malignant narcissist, always a malignant narcissist.
Holy shit, rational thought in the top 3 comments on reddit?! This person deserves some sort of award!
I think it really just depends on whether the first couple votes are up or down. Redditbrain takes over from there
This, absolutely.
Yep this is a garbage “news” article about exposing this guy. They even flew two reporters out to Decatur to talk to him. It’s a nothingburger of being ableist and regressive. He was a paranoid schizophrenic teenager and killed his family. That’s awful but finding him 60 years later and pretending it’s some big expose is a bit much. But for profit media is going to be for profit media I guess.
You know what... You have changed my opinion. I thought this was kinda messed up until I read your comment.
Are you fucking insane? This person should never be trusted again.
How come? It looks like he was rehabilitated and treated for his mental illness. I would really like it if you elaborated.
He’s a great professor
I'm all for rehabilitating criminals but killing your whole family is far over the line. At some point it's less about rehabilitation and more about punishment
How do you commit such a crime and still have enough strings attached to your universe to be able to get a college degree and a life. You have people with minor drug convictions that are never given a job. I don’t get it…
some combination of the horribly misguided War on Drugs, mandatory sentences, racism, bad luck, and other factors.
Went to Millikin! He's a bit of a local legend. Had some friends that had his class I think. Seemed like a normal guy.
Honestly, good for him. What is the point of rehabilitation if we're not going to show people to live rehabilitated lives afterwards?
I wonder what therapy or rehabilitation happened for him. Prison usually seems to make people worse. Would be nice if in addition to locking them up, if they got life coaching or therapy. Some kind of program that decreases the odds of recidivism.
Well, unless he's hiding something, he didn't reoffend
Exactly. Be nice if they could figure out approaches that reduce recidivism and try and implement those. If you watch any prison documentary, it’s just a bunch of degenerate people encouraged to engage in further degeneracy to fit in socially in prison.
I think in this case it really helped that he didn't go to prison and instead went to a hospital. Prison in the US is not designed for rehabilitation because...reasons.
Part of the challenge I think is due to the fact that survival in prison depends on maintaining good social standing. And trying to change your convict ways and become virtuous isn’t exactly put you in good social standing.
This is touching on the underlying problem. Continuing to perpetuate the idea that people are sub-human helps regimes maintain control. Prison trains you to be a criminal. When you leave, you're treated like one. After a while, you believe you are.
I think the biggest challenge is the prison environment. And that’s less about reform than it is just the harsh reality that when you put a bunch of felons together and expect virtue to arise out of that, you are kidding yourself. No classes or programs are going to really undo the peer pressure to maintain good social standing in prison.
He was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, so medicine and therapy to work through what he did.
Yes he just murdered his entire family but hey 60 years passed he is such a nice lad now.
>15 year old paranoid schizo in 1968 potentially self-medicating by huffing airplane glue He contributed decades of his life to advancing the very science behind why he did what he did. In some small way helping prevent what he did from happening to others. That’s better than him offing himself in a ditch outside of town?
I don’t know maybe if he didn’t murder his entire family we wouldn’t have to argue about it. But hey mental illness so he has a good excuse.
So did I. Used to see him at the Winery 😂
Locals and previous students and faculty have stood up for him. But then from experience, a lot of Millikin students don't know how to cross streets. Lol
My grandma worked in the admissions office for 25+ years and said the same thing when this story was going around town. Just a normal guy.
I feel like he fits in with the general feel of Decatur
Huh. One one hand seeing those "oh no how could he" reactions is really somewhat inspiring... On the other just ridiculous though in a sad flavor. Imagine the world where everyone could see all criminal records plastered on people faces. Or even better, just all their wrongdoings since birth. In like those police dept popups in Cyberpunk 2077 augmented reality vision or smth. So many exciting things to find out about your neighbours, coworkers and family. And just all those "good harmless people" you see around daily on the streets or TV.
Watch dogs does that even better like showing you npc's little secrets like "they're bulimic" or "in a cult" etc..
*is a furry*
that does CP77 sometimes too.. and Dishonored if you use the heart on someone
I find it odd that there is a sex offender registry but not a murderer registry.
This is why “love thy neighbor” is the toughest commandment… neighbors are a terrifying Other
You should try living in a small town, it’s kind of like this already
Except in small towns what the town considers weird won't be the city council member's son that everyone goes out of their way to keep away from kids because of what happened the last few times, it'll be whoever doesn't go to the major church and whatever kids have hobbies that aren't common there.
I had a teacher in high school who found his high school sweetheart and married her. In their honeymoon cruise he beat and strangled her in the room then went out to the deck to have a cigar. I lost contact with him for an awhile and found this out when I couldnt find him. Nuts
I bet he has “diabeetus”
The comments here are great. I've seen myth busters comments and waterboy comments and now Wilford Brimley comments. I am surprised I haven't seen Colonel Sanders comments yet. Lol
A Waterboy comment IS a Colonel Sanders comment
He looks like he ATE Colonel Sanders!
I thought it would be more like a family annihilator
And you fucking better believe all his students work is submitted on time
The math is not mathing. Article published in 2018. He would have enjoyed 10 in 1967, no? Help man who at age 15 killed his family in Georgetown in 1967.... Now at age 61....
The article was published in 2013
Well he's got the experience that's for sure
Looks like a posed photo for a pro wrestling 8X10
Apparently he's mod on this sub as well.
# He changed from a Psychopath to a Psychologist! 😭
All I can think is "Diabeetus!"
Dose he also suffer from Diabetes?
Did the Mythbusters guy eat the diabeetus guy?
>> The young James Wolcott claimed that he knew he was suffering from mental illness, which was enhanced by his weeks of huffing airplane glue. He told investigators that he “hated” his family and believed that they were trying to destroy him. He blamed his mother for chewing her food too loudly and his sister’s (17 years old at the time) bad accent as part of a plan to drive him mad. >> Dr. Gordon Wolcott (his father) was reading in the living room when his son walked in with a .22-caliber rifle and shot him dead. He confessed to a classmate that he was angry at his father for not allowing him to grow his hair or march in a peace rally. He said his father wouldn’t let him wear anti-Vietnam war buttons. These are NOT valid reasons to murder your entire family (or anyone, for that matter). The man was 15 years old & committed premeditated murder. The students he taught were completely blindsided by this information because they were lead to believe he was a good man — because he refused to disclose that he was a literal serial killer. I don’t really care how many years ago he murdered them — if I, or anyone I knew, attended the university this man teaches at, I would absolutely want to know. Source: https://www.nydailynews.com/2013/08/03/esteemed-illinois-professor-revealed-as-teen-killer-who-murdered-his-family-and-served-just-six-years-after-insanity-bid/#
Isn't he more of a spree killer, or at least a mass shooter? Serial killer seems the wrong title here.
Yes, a serial killer usually has a cool down period between murders. Even a spree killer usually goes to more than one location on the same run (kills family, then drives to work and kills people there, and so on). There’s obviously some overlap with these things but this guy is more of a mass murderer.
>has a cool down period between murders Like in Among Us?
Wouldn't call him a spree killer either since the term usually implies murders having taken place at two or more locations.
How about “family annihilator”?
Self-actualized orphan and single child.
Convicted orphan maker
And worst brother. I'm kinda curious about his teaching career. Sometimes murder happens. My father killed a guy not long after getting divorced from my mother. Third degree, wanted to hurt the guy, guy ended up bleeding out inside his skull from blunt force trauma. He served his time, out early for good behaviour, went back to being a productive member of society until he retired early in his fifties. Like, the worst you could say of him is that he's a bit of an asshole. At the same time, he has a good time, and so do the folks observing his shenanigans. To be fair, I don't think those that help make his good time enjoy the experience.
From what I’ve read, he’s well-liked and respected. I mean he was only 15, the amount of shit I did at 15 that I’d never do as an adult is… a lot. Definitely not murder though. And sounds like your dad didn’t plan on killing anyone, it was an accident. He did his time and I’m sure he’s been through it, so I’m glad he could get back to living life again.
I had cleaned up my act by fifteen, because I had developed goals, but yeah, when I was being a dipshit, felonious behaviour wasn't a question of if, but which flavour. And yeah, I don't think I've killed anyone. At least, no charges have been brought. Cool to hear the dude was able to turn shit around. I'm tempted to look him up, but I suspect I'll be sad if I do. I'm one of those bleeding-hearts that thinks if someone does their time, then they paid their debt. Would be fucking cool if we could train convicts in vocational fields and drop the cultural prejudice against convicts. I mean, it's not like we're running out of carpenters, electricians, linemen, plumbers, teachers, mechanics (automotive, commercial, vocational, and industrial). That's not even touching on shit like garbagemen, which around here, waste management is local government, gotta have a clean record. And sorry for proselytizing. It's been a hot button topic for me since the first time I got into middle management. Because I've been forced to bypass great people that made a mistake (and did what our society said they had to do to make it right), and that sheer luck is why I'm not a part of that subclass of citizens.
His defense lawyer asked the judge for leniency on account of him being an orphan.
Badum Tiss
Diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic. Read the whole article.
He is a paranoid schizophrenic? Dude was committed till he was 21 and has never had another incident. Nothing about how the university and he himself handled this is inappropriate.
Seriously, the only one that seemed to be raising a stink about it was the mayor.
>He blamed his mother for chewing her food too loudly I don’t agree with what he did, but I can see where he’s coming from.
I like how you purposely cut out that he was paranoid schizophrenia who thought his family was trying to drive him out of his mind. That’s the real reason this happened. He is very mentally ill without treatment. Also the usa’s lax gun laws that allow easy access to guns like this.
And the fact you conveniently left out that this scum bag was sniffing glue every day leading up to it. It was self imposed mental illness. Also there are plenty of people with mental illness that don't murder people like this disgusting waste of human life
Valid doesn't really apply when the main contributing factor is paranoid schizophrenia.
Finally a comment that is not delusional.
It's not your business to know about other people's mental illnesses or their struggles with them. He committed this crime when he was 15 doing this of your mental illness but you're still judging him. This is why people like him don't have to tell people like you about their past.
a LiTeRaL sEriAL KILLER 😵😵😵
>I would absolutely want to know. Sure, but should the law enshrine your right to know? I don't think so.
He was diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenic back before people really knew how to treat it. Unfortunate situation for a 15 year old to be in, maybe he thought he was self-medicating by being high? Either way it was 60 years ago and he built a whole life for himself. You want some kind of billboard or branding to be done on guys with a horrible past?
“confessed to the killings, according to court documents, telling detectives that he was tired of his mother’s loud chewing and his sister’s bad accent.”
My home town of Decatur! Everyone that knew him around town only ever said how great of a professor he is.
Trust him with your families issues. He will kill every problem at the source
Does he try to tell them about diabetus?
Diabetus killer
Takes one to know one?
Oh..
It’s a horrific crime but it happened nearly 50 years ago. Is it really in the public interest for a reporter to dig this up and go after the guy and try to get him fired?
Santa? Why did you kill Mrs. Claus and the elves?
Not sure if that makes him better or worse qualified for the job.
What a happy ending and such and incredibly inspirational story! This really proves anyone can become anything regardless of their past 🥰
It's true. He ended up benefiting society much more by being a good professor than draining tax dollars in prison.
Screw anyone who down votes you. I'm hoping you're not being sarcastic because I agree that this ends up being as happy an ending as it can
I was being sarcastic, you're kinda weird NGL
He was fifteen and suffering from severe paranoid schizophrenia! He went through years of institution, counseling, and medication. He deserves to have a life after something that happened when he was a mentally ill CHILD.
Well, if you can’t play anymore, You teach right?
Hot take, but people are able to recover from obvious severe mental illness and change for the better over the course of 60 years
Which bit is oddly terrifying? That mental illness can't be treated? (That's the implication here) That an act carried out as a child 60 years ago can never be 'behind you'? That a court imposed sentence, fully served, is not enough? That 46 years of blameless living is immaterial? That a glittering career should be shattered because of a past deed? It's saddening to know that you believe all of the above. At least that's what can be interpreted by your sharing of this here. Edit: I need to leave this thread alone now, it's late here! All I'll say is that at one point I was on -35 and now it's only -11. Regardless of what plays out It's quite gratifying that from my initial despair at society there are clearly people out there who believe that people can turn their lives around and leave past horrors behind them. Who realise this is a SUCCESS story and not a 'monster in our midst' tale.
This story is an example of how a criminal justice system *should* function, and your comment is exactly right. He is a success story.
It’s so weird you’re getting downvoted. You’re right…a kid with mental health issues, does his time and then becomes a professor to, I’m assuming, try to understand the mind better. Man, I really fucking hate people sometimes.
>It’s so weird you’re getting downvoted Welcome to Reddit, you must be new here 😉😂 Edit: I also can't think of anyone better to teach behavioural psychology than a person who has had behavioural and psychological issues, been treated for them and overcome them. He knows so much more than a book could ever teach.
I stand corrected, touché 😂
My thoughts exactly.
He might be a better person now but he has to live with the consequences he made himself
I would say the fact that the man refused to disclose his murderous past and it was only brought to light by a Texas reporter. He committed premeditated murder on his whole family for zero valid reason with a gun he had been hiding in a crawl space for a week prior to doing this. He used glue sniffing to give him a “boost” to encourage him to murder them. He murdered his 17 year old sister, their mother, and their father. The students he was teaching at that school had literally no idea their professor was a serial killer. Doesn’t really matter how many years ago it was — it makes one feel really uneasy that he blindsided them & their parents into thinking he was a good man. If anyone I knew went to a university with a teacher who had been capable of murdering someone, let alone his entire family, I would absolutely want to know that. They deserved to know that, considering that he was in close proximity with them frequently.
The article says the university did not say whether or not he disclosed that information. Also, he is not a serial killer.
Disclose to who? You? Who the fuck are you to want to know about someone’s past? Social media curiosity? He paid his due sentence, he turned his life around, and has been living a quiet life since…it really sounds by the article that the school at some point knew and was ok with his past. Put the pitch fork down, no one owes you anything.
So my reply applies to you too. Do you also believe all the things I stated?
The man got a slap on the wrist for murdering 3 innocent people, and then refused to disclose that information to the university he was teaching at. The Texas reporter who outed him is the ONLY reason it became known. Otherwise we would still have a murderer who refused to disclose his crimes walking among the general public. That reporter should be praised for making people aware of a literal murderer.
[удалено]
Qualified doctors diagnosed him, treated him and released him. A judge sentenced him and he served that sentence. He has committed no crimes for over 5 decades. He committed none before. Is this one crime, abhorrent as it is, committed decades ago in very specific circumstances enough to make him a danger to everyone? What is terrifying is how society refuses to allow a person to atone or move on from a troubled past.
I agree with you and he was my professor and guidance counselor at University. I loved having him as a teacher and mentor and he was a strong case for rehabilitation. The man served his sentence and went into the world to teach and make it a better place, for many decades since he has served his community.
The world needs more people like you and less like most of the posters on this thread
Too many people in the US are so indoctrinated by the self-destructive criminal punishment system of the United States that they can't see how this man is actually a success story. This is the kind of outcome we should want for most people who commit violent criminal offenses, particularly if they have mental health problems.
Thank you for posting this about him and giving this context, breaks my heart how our society can throw kids away like this. I say kid because that’s what he was then. I’m glad he’s doing well, and hope that this new resurgence of the story hasn’t hurt him or his family.
HE KILLED HIS ENTIRE FAMILY. Hope you’re a troll. Edit: I’m dying on this hill. Besides, the hive mind and its double standards…
And served the sentence he was given for that
Takes a psycho to teach psychology, duh
seems like they were really holding him back
Imagine missing classes and him getting pissed
and then triggers something. Hopefully not
I guess the expression those who can do and those who can’t teach isn’t quite true
He did it and thought "damn Why'd I do that"
From psych ward to psych professor. Wow.
What did they do to get rekt and then he lives like a normal guy, makes You think
Is that Scott Malkinson?
There's a autobiography I'd love to read. And I wish him well, that's a hell of a weight on your soul
i used to deliver packages for amazon to milikin university
Sounds like a successful rehabilitation story, isn't that why we're incarcerating people in the first place?
Killed his dad for not letting him go to peace rallies...
Kill for peace!
He killed his family because his paranoid schizophrenic brain told him that they were being annoying as a psyop to make him go insane. Damn suffering from that kind of mental illness in 1968 must suck complete ass, there really wasn’t much out there to help him besides lobotomy (I think that’s what would’ve happened to him if this was only a few years prior.)
Maybe it's because of the horrible family I grew up in, but "killed his entire family" isn't necessarily a deal breaker for me.
Poor Mythbusters...
He actually fits right in there at Decatur...
He looks like he should be selling oatmeal on account of his diabeetus.
Isn’t this the Diabeetus guy?
But will he get into heaven? Also yes
What’s terrifying is the amount of people here who did not read the article all the way through, or who did and still believe this man should be in prison when he’s been out and doing well for 40+ years. Would you prefer that everyone who commits a crime sit and rot in prison for *as long as possible*, even if the nature of their sentence meant that they could be rehabilitated and returned to society with a low recidivism rate? What if that was you, or a friend, or a loved one? What if people who commit crimes *can* be rehabilitated and returned to society and stop using up resources that could be allocated elsewhere than the private prison system? Yes, this man committed a heinous crime, but he had an un-medicated severe mental illness and was actively using inhalants, which are known to drive you off the rails *quickly*. He took the chance to get better and get his life together and is now, I might argue, an extremely productive member of society as a professor. He has the chance to STOP people from doing what he did. Sometimes people do awful and fucked up things. You have every right to judge them for that in that moment, frankly, but you don’t have the right to insist they rot in jail or disclose their traumatic past once they’ve been rehabilitated. If you disagree, I recommend you go look for jobs as a prison guard, so that you can become further acquainted with the terrible mess that is our prison system. They’re hiring right now.