Crime!

[Mdlerth]

So there I was, rooting through online obituaries looking up a few old friends I'd lost touch with and wondering whether they might still be kicking.

Then I entered one gentleman's name and the search didn't come back with a death notice. It returned a local news story from the old town detailing his arrest, trial, conviction and sentence to prison!

We're not talking about a sober-up overnight in the Mayberry lockup for drunk and disorderly. We're talking 7 years hard time in the state penitentiary.

It's okay, I understand; this ain't no Never Never Land. Just because somebody seems nice and pleasant at work doesn't mean they don't have a dark side.

But conversely, just because somebody has a dark side doesn't mean it manifests itself in serious crime! God only knows the number of times the thought of administering street justice has crossed my mind, but I always manage to maintain control instead of acting on it.

What's more surprising (to me, at least) is that this guy is over 70 years old. The story is sordid and disturbing and now I can't shake it from my mind.

Anybody else find out a former friend turned out to be a fiend?

 

[Car-Guy]

I've seen a few "acquaintances" turn to the dark side in my lifetime. To be honest, the two I'm thinking of didn't really surprise me.

 

[MichaelB]

I did, and posted about it here http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f27/what-happened-to-my-college-mate-54573.html We were shocked when the news first came out, as he and I were close college friends, as were DW and her brother, who were not that close but still friendly.

I read the reporting on the trial. He’ll spend the rest of his life in federal prison. I’ve looked for but can’t find contact info for him on the gov’t prison search tools.

 

[aja8888]

Many of my old friends from Connecticut during the 1960's - 1970's were Mafia. I have no idea what they became after they made millions and moved to Florida to retire.

 

[pacergal]

A friend of our DS is currently in state prison. Very sad situation, but definitely needs to be there for the crime he committed.
He spent a lot of time at our house while they were growing up.

 

[easysurfer]

You never really know a person behind the appearance they wish to present.

I attended a presentation years ago where the speaker (I think was from law enforcement, but my memory might be wrong) was talking about crimes. Somehow the topic of serial killers came up and he was saying the Jeffery Dahmer's our there could be a neighbor instead what you'd expect in the movies.

 

[MRG]

It's truly sad what can and does happen to some. My sister called some time ago, her first husband had murdered his current wife in a fit of rage. He had some untreated medical problems that made his anger worse.

 

[chris2008]

The german icon Goethe said once:
There is no crime I cannot imagine to be able to commit under certain circumstances.

I just hope that I never feel such circumstances in my life. Sometimes the ice is thin...

 

[Breedlove]

True Story : When we moved to Texas in 1981, I worked for a large Pipeline Company . We had so many people moving from the north as we did . There was a guy from Michigan he used to work in the shop filling the thermos water . He would come into the office now and then to change light bulbs (maintenance ) . He would always have his hard hat on backwards and a real red face. When the oil crunch came we all got laid off the company went out of business. Years later I ran into a friend who asked me did you see where they executed our old Maintenance man. WHaaaaaaaaT yep looked it up he murdered an 84 year old lady in her apartment . Beat her to death . I sometimes wish I could have helped him but I think his problem was drugs.

 

[Spock]

Went googling for my best friend in kindergarten.
Found out he had been shot and killed while trying to rob a pharmacy.

 

[braumeister]

Many of my old friends from Connecticut during the 1960's - 1970's were Mafia.

Oh, please!
Everyone knows there's no such thing.

 

[Breedlove]

Remember a night in Cleveland as kids we screwed up and ended up at Murray Hill . Followed and told ……….Time to get out of here you don't belong here . Nice but firm men . We left .

 

[W2R]

So there I was, rooting through online obituaries looking up a few old friends I'd lost touch with and wondering whether they might still be kicking.

Then I entered one gentleman's name and the search didn't come back with a death notice. It returned a local news story from the old town detailing his arrest, trial, conviction and sentence to prison!

We're not talking about a sober-up overnight in the Mayberry lockup for drunk and disorderly. We're talking 7 years hard time in the state penitentiary.

It's okay, I understand; this ain't no Never Never Land. Just because somebody seems nice and pleasant at work doesn't mean they don't have a dark side.

But conversely, just because somebody has a dark side doesn't mean it manifests itself in serious crime! God only knows the number of times the thought of administering street justice has crossed my mind, but I always manage to maintain control instead of acting on it.

What's more surprising (to me, at least) is that this guy is over 70 years old. The story is sordid and disturbing and now I can't shake it from my mind.

Anybody else find out a former friend turned out to be a fiend?

Wow. Could it be that this was a case of two people having the same name?

No, I have never found any online evidence of any criminal activities by anybody that I knew. I have found a LOT of obituaries, though, to the point that I really have to steel myself first if I am going to Google anybody's name that I ever knew or liked or cared about.

 

[bbbamI]

I know a few. The longest sentence was for money laundering.

 

[braumeister]

I just read the other day about a guy I knew in college. He was an extremely independent type, but super smart and a nice guy. Dropped out after sophomore year, talking about hitching around the country to experience life as it is lived.

Turned out he had become severely mentally ill, and wound up in jail. Murdered a fellow inmate and got a life sentence. But then was locked away in a psychiatric hospital for many years. He threatened suicide frequently and tried it at least a couple of times. Then he was forced out into the street when there was a push to reduce the number of inpatients. Soon afterward he finally succeeded at suicide.

A very strange, disturbing and sad story.

 

[steelyman]

Is this the Nextdoor thread?

 

[kcowan]

I have two friends worthy of mention:
1. Pursued a career in politics, and
2. Under investigation for securities fraud.
I am pretty sure both are innocent of crime but you never know.

 

[FIREd]

Someone that I knew pretty well (or so I thought) was charged by the SEC for defrauding investors of several million dollars. The case is still pending. I always had some reservation about that person’s character so I was not completely surprised.

 

[Bigdawg]

True Story : When we moved to Texas in 1981, I worked for a large Pipeline Company . We had so many people moving from the north as we did . There was a guy from Michigan he used to work in the shop filling the thermos water . He would come into the office now and then to change light bulbs (maintenance ) . He would always have his hard hat on backwards and a real red face. When the oil crunch came we all got laid off the company went out of business. Years later I ran into a friend who asked me did you see where they executed our old Maintenance man. WHaaaaaaaaT yep looked it up he murdered an 84 year old lady in her apartment . Beat her to death . I sometimes wish I could have helped him but I think his problem was drugs.

I had to reread those last few sentences. Thought maybe you knew and disliked the 84 year old lady also. LOL

 

[Winemaker]

My first and only crime spree was soaping car windows coming home from basketball practice in th 7th grade, with my best friend at the time. Sorry, I can't embellish my life of crime any more, nor can I hide it.

 

[Bamaman]

Guy in my Sunday School class was convicted for possession of child pornography. The Feds are watching certain websites for "hits". Some they prosecute and some are referred to the local state courts for prosecution. He got 226 years in hellish Alabama state prisons. Had the Feds handled the prosecution, he'd probably gotten 10 years in a much cleaner Federal prison. He was an ex-Army Ranger, college grad and hadn't even had a parking ticket in 39 years.

 

[Mdlerth]

So many questions still linger...

Wow. Could it be that this was a case of two people having the same name?

Nope. The local news story included a photo.

Is this the Nextdoor thread?

It might have been had I not moved out-of-state. But if I still lived in that old town I'd have heard it right away instead of having to find out from the interwebs afterward.

My first and only crime spree was soaping car windows coming home from basketball practice in th 7th grade, with my best friend at the time. Sorry, I can't embellish my life of crime any more, nor can I hide it.

It's time to stop running from the law. Turn yourself in and pay your debt to society. Only then can the healing begin. With good behavior, they might let you out of the slammer early.

 

[HawkeyeNFO]

We don't have any crime in my neighborhood, because it's now illegal.

 

[ckelly78z]

A guy I once worked with got pissed off, and drove his truck through the plant door, and damaged multiple machines to the tune of about $150,000.

Another one was mad that he was walked out "unjustly" and posted all sorts of crazy social media videos of himself confronting management after he walked back in one day.

 

[gwraigty]

I had to reread those last few sentences. Thought maybe you knew and disliked the 84 year old lady also. LOL