People aren’t always how they seem

They say the devil doesn’t come to you in a red cape and horns; he comes disguised as everything you ever wanted.                                 

Time and time again we hear it.  Another awful story comes out in the news and here come the people who are the family, friends and neighbors of the accused saying what a nice guy he was, he couldn’t have done this, I never would have expected it. Do we only see in people what we want to see?  Or is it that these criminals are just that good in playing two roles, separating the two sides to their lives – the one they show to family and friends and the side their victims see?

To clarify, this post is not to say that Justin is guilty of anything, which is for a court of law to decide, but to consider the possibilities.  We have read on different blogs, news articles and in newspaper commentary sections that he’s a good guy who loved and took good care of Ayla.  A neighbor recounted a time she overheard him singing “Twinkle, twinkle little star” with Ayla in the yard. There have been people who knew him as a child and then throughout school that defend him and say he could never have hurt his daughter.  But how well do we really know anyone?  Even someone as intimately involved as a sister (Jennifer Graves and Josh Powell) was blindsided by her brother’s actions.  These were all thought to be “nice guys”.

Said about Craig Michael Wood, arrested in the death of 10 yr old Hailey Owens
Craig Michael Wood, 45, a longtime employee of Springfield’s public school system, is charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and armed criminal action in the fourth-grader’s shooting death. His initial appearance in court was postponed Thursday and rescheduled for Friday.”

“James Dishman, whose son attended high school with Wood in the nearby town of Marshfield, told the Springfield News-Leader that Wood was an animal lover and “gentle type of man.””

Said about Randy Kraft, prolific serial killer
He often was described as notably warm and charismatic, intelligent, and prosperous, with an IT career, active in the Long Beach gay community, and living with a long-term partner who never was implicated in any of his crimes.

“We started chatting; he clearly was just lounging, loitering, enjoying the ocean view like me. He was engaging, intelligent, and pleasant—a warm guy with a wry smile.

Said about Josh Powell, who murdered his sons and committed suicide
While Jennifer Graves admits she would not have been surprised if Josh had kidnapped his sons, she never imagined he was capable of killing them.

Said about Aaron Alexis, Navy Yard Shooter
McDaniel described Alexis to The Daily Beast as “such a nice guy that if he needed a place for Thanksgiving or Christmas that he would have been welcome with my family.”

Said about Dzhokhar Tsarnaez, Boston Marathon Bombing suspect
“He’s a really nice kid. Like, honestly, one of the nicest kids I knew. He was friendly to everyone,” said Young. “I partied with him. I hung out with him.”

Said about Philip Markoff, the Craigslist killer
One Boston University medical school colleague yesterday recalled meeting Markoff at orientation in 2007 and studying anatomy with him more recently. She said “he seemed like a nice guy, and he was a helpful, smart kid.”

“I would assume they have the wrong person; that’s how shocked I am,” said the student, who asked that her name not be published. “He seemed to kind of get things. . . . I kind of had him pegged as a surgeon because he was good at anatomy.”

The images of Markoff as a medical student and doting fiancé contrasted sharply with the grainy police surveillance photos released since the April 14 slaying of Julissa Brisman, allegedly showing a man walking calmly from the scene of the attacks, apparently sending a text message.

“He seemed like a clean-cut guy,” said John Uva, 24, who lived next door to Markoff’s third-floor apartment in Quincy, which was swarmed by police officers last night. “It’s definitely unnerving.”

Said about Lonnie David Franklin Jr., aka The Grim Sleeper serial killer
“He seemed like such a nice guy.”

“He’s a very good guy. I don’t believe it,” Andre Wynn told the Associated Press.

One neighbor told the Los Angeles Times: “I’ve been here since 1976 — that’s how long I’ve known him. I’m not pretty shocked, I’m all the way shocked.”

Franklin was described by neighbors as the local handyman, the neighborhood mechanic whom residents would call instead of AAA.

Donna Harris, a neighbor, told ABC News “Everybody on the block, we all knew if anything was happening with anybody’s cars, he was always there for us,” before adding, perhaps ominously, “Especially the ladies.”

Dante Combs, a neighbor, told the Los Angeles Times that he was the type who would “put up your Christmas lights” and would help the elderly with errands.

Said by Chicky, recounting a personal experience with a friend
Chicky said …That’s right Mama. My soft spoken gentle friend who helped everyone, shot his ex wife point blank and when she hit the ground he shot her again. If someone had given me a list of people and said to pick the one most likely to commit a violent crime. .he would have been my last pick by far.

Maine State Police Tip Line  –   207-624-7076