Some time around 1994, I was watching Inside Ed.ition and they were referencing a case, an early one to use DNA.
I began screaming and crying hysterically, which really freaked out my husband.
The case they referenced was of someone who'd gone to college with us. He and I'd gone out (we saw Hall & Oates!) and kissed once, but we were immersed in a racially tense Southern campus, so that's as far as it went, sort of a strong mutual admiration. Then he went off to play pro sports and didn't finish college. He and I had been great friends, him the consummate gentleman, so humble, polite, and kind. And gorgeous. Really. Very.
Not a serial rapist. Not when I knew him. I couldn't have imagined it of him.
Ex decided to research it for me, as I was crushed - and he was highly suspicious about the relationship in question, as he had a real thing about crossing racial lines. Through Le.xus/Nex.us, ex obtained several news articles which explained the situation, his otherwise upstanding life, and various rapes.
Seems my friend was always the consummate gentleman, as that was his rapist MO, too.
~~
Two nights ago, I was reading online at my hometown newspaper. It mentioned the Police Chief and, although I didn't scream and cry hysterically this time, I wanted to.
The Chief is an old neighbor of mine, lived across the street and down two. He's maybe three years older than me and I was something like 13 or 14 then; we only lived in that house for two years. For a time, I went over to his house to vacuum, with his Southern, genteel mother paying me a quarter or so. He had a little sister who was adopted and would waltz around the yard with a banner across her chest, proclaiming herself to be Misssss Adopteddddd Americaaaaa. Although she was half my age, I liked her gumption.
Now the brother's gumption...not so good and rather misguided. As I walked home probably after midnight from babysitting down the street, out of the blue and with no prior indication of anything, Future Chief grabbed me from behind a large bush, mauled me, trying to kiss me and essentially proclaiming "you know you want it" before such a phrase existed. Although he griped my wrists, I tore, twisted, got away and ran home. Generally I didn't share my travails with my parents, but I did with this because they saw me frazzled as I came in the door. I don't know if they ever confronted him or his parents - kind of doubt it knowing them. We moved across town the following summer, so I kind of forgot about the pathetic guy until now. And he's the chief of law enforcement for the county.
One's a serial rapist, one's a Police Chief.
You just never know.
5 comments:
It can be scary to wonder what paths people chose to follow...a good friend of both my husband and I shot & killed his wife and then hung himself. I knew him from college when he dated one of my dorm-mates and Mr. DD knew him just from living here. We think we know someone b/c you either grew up with them, or hung out, but the human mind? It's capable of acting on the most horrific thoughts.
Good gods, Cricket, I'm glad you got away from both of them.
So true, you do never know...and sometimes, even when you do suspect something, it would never occur to you that they might do the sniper rifle thing from a highway overpass. No, you think, Oh, someday I'm going to hear how he committed suicide. Just not suicide by cop. Or in the case of the fellow college student, saving himself by leaving a suicide note, detailed plans, and weaponry on his bed for his mother to find.
People are whacked.
Sigh.
I went to school with a really awesome girl who ended up setting fire to her dorm and that ended up killing someone in the dorm.
Sigh.
Right now, a lot of EMS and Firefighters I know area trying to figure out what set off one of their own. He just up and shot his wife on Christmas day. They speculate that he found he she'd been cheating on him, but no one knows. They had two small kids, which he had taken to his parents (or sister's, I can't remember which) the night before. They're hoping that he didn't plan it, that he went to talk to her and just lost it. I guess it doesn't really matter if he planned it or not, since they're not completely sure he's gonna live. He wound up in a stand off with the cops and fired at them, who returned fire and shot him.
I don't think I've known anyone who's done anything more than petty theft. Well, there is the guy that I was "seeing" one summer who decided to drive drunk in another state and wound up killing someone. Heh. i guess you just never know with people...
That's freaky.
Nothing quite as odd, but my old first boyfriend is now in jail for almost killing some kid while he was driving drunk.
Nice guy, known him forever, but what an idiot!
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