When I was growing up, one of the neighbor kids was sadistic, in the literal sense. It literally gave him pleasure to see others in pain. You could watch a movie with him, and he'd laugh any time anyone got hurt. Horrific stuff, like Saving Private Ryan. It wasn't just that. It's hard to describe, but it was hard to miss if you spent a little time with him. He'd take any excuse to hit anyone. But it wasn't about bullying. You could tell he did it because he enjoyed causing pain.

People talk about power. "Rape is about power," serial killers want to feel the power over their victims, etc. Not this guy. Observing and inflicting suffering on other living things gave him pleasure. I don't think it was anything more complex than that. My best guess is that some wires were crossed in his brain.

I've met some crazy rednecks with guns, and I've met a whole lot of people whose only morality is their own self-interest. But I've never met anyone else like him. I don't know that he ever killed anyone, but he definitely has the capacity. It was truly frightening. I'm honestly surprised his younger brother didn't disappear, or have an "accident."

You know how you ask kids what they want to be when they grow up? He wanted to be an Army Sniper. I don't keep in touch, but I heard he failed the physical exam. Probably a bad thing. Better a sniper than a serial killer, right?

The article is about a spider-and-the-fly kind of serial killer. This guy was clever, but not the same kind of emotional genius. He seemed more like the slip-something-in-your-drink kind. But his dictionary-sadism was still frightening beyond all reason to witness. It still creeps me out thinking he's out there.