Oslo Terror Attacks: Norwegian Terrorist Anders Behring Breivik Was Insane

December 06, 2011

 [ By Dr. Kenneth J. Ryan, a criminologist at California State University.  Read his Bio >> ]

Following the recommendations of court-ordered psychiatrists, Oslo prosecutors have announced that Anders Behring Breivik was insane at the time of his attacks on July 22, 2011, in which 77 people were killed.  Breivik has confessed to exploding a bomb at a government building and later, dressed as a policeman, shooting attendees at a political youth camp.  If the criminal court that shall hear Breivik’s case agrees with this finding, it is doubtful that the terrorist will ever be imprisoned for the greatest mass murder in peace time Norway.

The legal systems of Continental Europe differ substantially from those of the United States, as those who have followed recent cases such as that of Amanda Knox well know.  For example, the civil law system of Norway uses police, prosecutors and examining magistrates as co-investigators of criminal cases.  Therefore, for a prosecutor to announce that defendant Breivik was suffering from a psychotic break at the time of his murderous rampage, rather than hearing this news from Breivik’s own attorney, is to be expected.  In the U.S., this revelation more likely would surface during the opening of the trial when a criminal defendant would plea “not guilty by reason of insanity” or, in some jurisdictions, “guilty but insane.” 

In any of these circumstances and no matter if here or there, if a defendant is found to have been insane at the time of the offense, different guidelines apply at trial, notably that the defendant first must admit that he or she actually committed the crime; however, at the time the defendant did not know right from wrong or in some fashion misunderstood reality.  Breivik’s psychiatrists have told prosecutors that he was suffering from paranoid-schizophrenia at the time of his terrorist attacks.  In fact, at the time of the murders he believed that he was the leader of an organization that didn’t exist; an anti-Islamic movement; a counter-jihad, if you will.  But he led nothing, he organized nothing, no one supported him.

And so, for argument’s sake, let’s assume for a moment that Breivik was insane at the time he murdered 77 people.  What will possibly happen to him?  To show how the systems differ, it is possible that in the United States he could be set free.  If the psychiatric evaluation shows that the defendant was suffering from a psychotic break at the time of the offense but is no longer impaired and no longer poses a danger to himself or to society, the court might simply release the defendant.  In Norway things are a little more structured and a defendant found insane but guilty must serve a minimum of three years in a psychiatric institution.  Thereafter, the defendant’s case will receive periodic review.  And so, an insane defendant will serve somewhere between three years and life, depending on the conduct of the defendant.  In the U.S., the reality is that more often than not a defendant found not guilty by reason of insanity will suffer the same fate.  American criminal courts frequently sentence those who have been found to be insane at the time of their respective offenses to indeterminate times of incarceration in psychiatric hospitals.  One need look no further than the case of would-be presidential assassin John Hinkley for an example of one who was adjudged insane and soon may be released from confinement.

Another question that has surfaced is this: if Breivik was insane and the terrorist organization was only a figment of his imagination, were his murders actually terrorist acts?  Oddly enough, the answer has some rather expansive ramifications.  The families of the victims stand to receive compensation for terrorist acts; but if the acts were merely those of a madman, they might not.  In this case, I believe that we should take Breivik at his word.  His motives were that of a terrorist and his victim targeting was specific, not random, and intended to send a message.  No matter how sane or insane Breivik was at the time of the murders, his motive was terror.  There is no requirement in law that a terrorist must belong to a terrorist organization to commit a terrorist act (a nuance that al Qaeda has benefited from for years).  And that should demonstrate to all that even the most pathetic among us can strike terror at will.

The preliminary date for Breivik’s trial is set for April 10, 2012.

 

Related Links

Crimes of the Century
Fearbook: Most Gruesome Killers
Crime Countdown: Top 10 Lists
Quizzes: Test Your Knowledge of the Notorious

ID Exclusive Q&A With FBI Special Agent: The Whitey Bulger Case

June 28, 2011

[Cynthia M. Deitle is the Supervisory Special Agent
at the Boston FBI Office.  Read her Bio >> ]

Q: What was your or the Boston FBI office's involvement in this case? 
A:  The Boston FBI Office’s James Bulger Task Force has been responsible for searching for Mr. Bulger and Ms. Greig, and gathering evidence regarding their current whereabouts.  My involvement has been quite minor and was limited to assisting FBI Boston’s Media Coordinator in the preparation and dissemination of the Public Service Announcement.

Q: How long has the FBI been searching for James“Whitey” Bulger and Catherine Greig?
A: The FBI has been searching for Mr. Bulger and Ms.Greig for the past 16 years after they fled Boston.

Q: How did or what led the FBI to getting tipped off as to where James “Whitey” Bulger and Catherine Greig were located?
A: On Tuesday, June, 21, 2011, just after 8:00 p.m. (PST), a tip was received by the FBI’s Los Angeles
office. The tip was generated as a result of the FBI’s unique publicity campaign organized by Boston’s
FBI office that began on Monday.  As part of that campaign, the FBI paid for a Public Service
Announcement to run in 14 media markets across the country including in San Francisco and San
Diego.  Those places were strategically chosen.  Although Los Angeles was not one of the markets in
which the PSA ran, news coverage of the campaign aired in Los Angeles, on national news and cable
outlets, and the publicity saturated the Internet.  The FBI had no knowledge of the whereabouts of
Ms. Greig and Mr. Bulger prior to the initiation of this campaign. Los Angeles agents immediately
relayed the tip to the FBI’s command post in Boston.  The command post had been set up to  quickly
and methodically analyze tips, and direct leads to FBI personnel around the country and world that
were expected to be generated by the PSA.  FBI agents, analysts and other staff in Boston reviewed
the tip. They recognized that certain information appeared to be credible and promising.  By
Wednesday at 10:50 a.m., (PST), at the direction of FBI Boston, members of FBI Los Angeles’ fugitive
task force were requested to conduct surveillance at the pertinent location.   That task force
included FBI agents and members of the Los Angeles Police Department.  Just after 4:00 p.m. (PST),
the task force members began conducting surveillance at the location.   The task force concluded
that the tip was fruitful after observing two individuals who appeared to resemble the fugitives. 

 At approximately 5:45 p.m. (PST), using a ruse, agents and other task force members lured Mr. Bulger
 out of his apartment.  Agents determined that the individual was, in fact, Mr. Bulger.   He was placed
 under arrest without incident.  Agents then went back to the apartment and arrested Ms. Greig
 without incident.

Q: Would you consider this the most successful on-air PSA campaign in FBI history to find a fugitive?
A: The FBI has often used the media as well as electronic billboards and social media networking sites
including Facebook and Twitter to locate fugitives.  This PSA, however, while not the first PSA
utilized by the Bureau, was  innovative and creative in that we switched the public’s focus from
Mr. Bulger to Ms. Greig, by targeting women in certain cities who may have seen her.  Considering that
the FBI located Mr. Bulger and Ms. Greig three days after the start of the campaign is a remarkable
testament to every member of the public who contacted the FBI to provide assistance in this
investigation.

Q: In the process of looking for a fugitive, when is an on-air campaign launched and what leads investigators to pursue this technique?  
A: Every fugitive matter is handled on a case by case basis as no two criminal investigations are the
same or involve the same perpetrators or criminal activity.  All logical investigative steps are taken
and all investigative strategies techniques are considered.

Q: What are some of the other public awareness campaigns or tactics  the FBI pursues in order to enlist the help of the public?
A: In 2009, the FBI aired a PSA on the History Channel following the release of a documentary on a Civil Rights Era Cold Case.  In the PSA, the FBI requested the public’s assistance to provide information on the murder of an African-American female, Johnnie Mae Chappell, in Jacksonville, Florida on March 23, 1964.  The FBI also participated in “The Injustice Files” with Discovery ID in February 2011 to bring attention to three other racially-charged murders in the South in the hopes that public would
yet again call the FBI with information.

Q: It's been stated that "Bulger was next to Osama bin Laden on the list and had a $2 million reward on his head". Now that he's caught, who is next in line on the Top 10 Most Wanted Fugitive list?
A: I cannot comment on who would be added to the list.

 
Q: If someone has a tip about a most wanted fugitive, where should they go to let the FBI know? What should they do?
A: Someone with information about a fugitive, or any other criminal activity, can contact their local FBI office, visit fbi.gov, or contact the FBI through Facebook or Twitter.

 

Related Links:
Top 10 FBI Cases
FBI: Criminal Pursuit
The Ten Most Wanted List
Got Info? Submit A Tip To The FBI

 

Alleged SC Spree Killer, Patrick Burris, Shot Dead by Police

July 07, 2009

Police in North Carolina shot and killed 41-year-old career criminal Patrick Tracy Burris, a man whom they believe is the spree killer responsible for at least five murders in South Carolina in the past week.

According to authorities in Gaston County, N.C., the case began to unfold Monday morning, when police received a report about a suspicious vehicle parked at an abandoned house on Dallas-Spencer Mountain Road. When a patrol unit arrived on the scene, the officer approached the vehicle —a beige Ford Explorer — and asked the occupants to identify themselves. Inside the vehicle were Patrick Burris and Mark and Sharon Stamey, a brother and sister who explained that they grew up in the house that was still owned by their family. Satisfied with their explanation, the officer drove off, and the trio went inside the home.

Roughly ten minutes later, police knocked on the door and announced that they had an open warrant for Burris's arrest. At that point, Burris allegedly brandished a firearm and shot Officer J.K. Shaw. Burris was then shot and killed by return fire from officers on the scene.

"I just heard gunshots. I think maybe two or three gunshots went off in the house," Sharon Stamey said, according to a story on charlotteobserver.com.

As authorities secured the area, evidence found at the crime scene led them to suspect that Burris might have been involved in the South Carolina spree killings. While they attempted to connect the two cases, the Stameys were taken back to police headquarters for questioning. It was there that they allegedly told police they had been hanging out and partying with Burris since Thursday. They claimed they did not know him very well, and both denied any knowledge of the spree killings. The Stameys were eventually released, and police have not indicated whether they are facing charges.

A background check on Burris shows he had a rap sheet totaling 25 pages, including arrests for armed robbery, larceny, forgery and breaking and entering. He served nearly eight years behind bars in a North Carolina prison before earning parole in April.

The case unraveled further during a press conference yesterday evening when Cherokee County Sheriff Bill Blanton announced at a press conference that Burris's gun was the same weapon that had been used to kill five residents in Gaffney, some 30 miles from the scene of the shootout.

"Through forensics, we were able to prove today that the weapon he shot the officer with was the same weapon all five of our victims were shot with," Blanton said.

Blanton also said that items found in Burris's possession place him at three of the spree killing crime scenes.

Investigators will now concentrate on tracking Burris's movements since the time of his release in an attempt to see whether he could be responsible for other unsolved murders.

"Now we have someone we can focus on," Blanton said. "We want to know where he's been."

State Law Enforcement Division Chief Reggie Lloyd also spoke at yesterday's press conference, specifically about Burris's lengthy criminal history.

"At some point the criminal justice system is going to need to explain why this suspect was out on the street," Lloyd said.

It is interesting to note that Maurice Godwin, a criminal profiler who was interviewed by Investigation Discovery prior to yesterday's events, correctly predicted the final outcome of the case.

"Watch out for the murders to continue in another state," Godwin said. "It is likely that this killer will barricade himself in and have a stand-off with law enforcement."

So while we now know who, what, when and where, we still don't know the answer to the key question, and that is why? Unfortunately, because of Burris's death, that is one question we may never know the answer to.

History

The South Carolina spree killings began on June 27 with the murder of 63-year-old peach farmer Kline Cash and continued on July 1 with the shooting deaths of 83-year-old Hazel Linder and her daughter, 50-year-old Gena Parker. The last known murders occurred the following day when 48-year-old Stephen Tyler and his daughter, 15-year-old Abby Tyler, were gunned down inside the Tyler Home Center near downtown Gaffney. Stephen died almost instantly; however, Abby managed to survive until July 4 when she finally succumbed to her injuries.

The five killings all occurred within 10 miles of one another and, according to Sheriff Bill Blanton, each victim was killed with the same gun. Multiple agencies were involved in the hunt, including profilers and agents from the FBI. Authorities had also implemented a special tip line and offered a reward of $20,000.

Some media outlets erroneously reported that a "serial killer" was responsible, but by definition the murders were spree killings.

Related Links:
Spree Killer Terrorizes Cherokee County, South Carolina

Photo Credits: Cherokee County Sheriff's Department

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission from Discovery Communications. All quotes must include a link back.

Spree Killer Terrorizes Cherokee County, South Carolina

July 06, 2009

Investigators in Spartanburg, S.C., are desperately hunting for a spree killer who has murdered at least five people in the last ten days. A common thread linking the killings could be the key to finding the murderer; however, to date, authorities have yet to uncover what that thread is.

The killings began on June 27 with the murder of 63-year-old peach farmer Kline Cash. According to Kline's wife, he was alive at about 3 p.m. when she left their house to run some errands, but when she returned at 6:45 p.m., she found his lifeless body on the floor. A coroner's autopsy revealed Kline Cash had been shot and killed.

"Regardless of this tragedy that we have experienced, we still firmly believe that God placed the finest and most loving people on earth here in Upstate South Carolina," reads a statement from the Cash family issued by the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office.

As unexpected and mysterious as Kline's murder was, authorities had no reason to suspect that his would be the first of five. That realization came on July 1 when relatives of 83-year-old Hazel Linder and her daughter, 50-year-old Gena Parker, discovered their bodies inside their house on Buck Shoals Road in Cherokee County. Like Cash, both victims had been shot.

An eyewitness reported seeing a dark blue van parked in the driveway of Hazel and Gena's house at about 3 p.m. – roughly 30 minutes before their bodies were discovered.

The following day, 48-year-old Stephen Tyler and his daughter, 15-year-old Abby Tyler, were shot inside the Tyler Home Center near downtown Gaffney. Stephen died almost instantly; however, Abby managed to hang on until July 4, when she finally succumbed to her injuries.

The five killings all occurred within 10 miles of one another, and according to Sheriff Bill Blanton, each of the victims was killed with the same gun, indicating a single killer is responsible for the murders.

Some media outlets are erroneously reporting that the suspect is a "serial killer," but by definition he does not qualify. According to the FBI, a serial killer is an individual who commits at least three murders in at least three separate locations, with a "cooling-off" period (roughly 30 days) between each murder. The killer could, however, be called a "spree killer," an individual who murders two or more people, at separate locations, in a short period of time. The lack of a cooling-off period marks the difference between the two categories.

"An example of a spree killer is the murders carried out in 1974 by Paul John Knowles," criminal profiler Maurice Godwin said in an interview with Investigation Discovery. "After he was rejected by a woman, Knowles went on a murderous spree across northern Florida and was eventually caught in Georgia."

Godwin believes that, like Knowles's, the South Carolina spree killer's rampage was triggered by an emotional setback. Godwin also warns that the killer could cross state lines and most likely won't give up without a fight.

"Watch out for the murders to continue in another state," Godwin said. "It is likely that this killer will barricade himself in and have a stand-off with law enforcement."

Authorities are hoping to prevent any more violence, and in the past week they have involved multiple agencies in the hunt, including profilers and agents from the FBI. Unfortunately, they have yet to determine what the common denominator is that connects the victims. Were they selected for a specific reason, or were they all random, murders of opportunity?

"Right now we don't have any motive or connection between the murders," Sheriff Bill Blanton said, speaking live on CNN. "With a community this small, I knew all the victims, and it's possible that all the victims knew each other, but other than that, there is no connection," he said.

Investigators have established a special tip line, hoping that the public may be able to help them identify the killer. Since its inception last week, they have received over 1,000 leads. It is not yet known whether any of them have provided valuable information.

A witness account has helped authorities create a sketch of a person of interest in the case. The individual is described as 6-feet-2 inches tall with salt-and-pepper hair. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office at 864-489-4722, ext. 113. Authorities are offering a reward of $20,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the killer.

Photo Credits: Cherokee County Sheriff's Department

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission from Discovery Communications. All quotes must include a link back.