He nurtured orchids and raised hamsters - the neighborhood is still in shock!

He was a 'normal, average guy' friends and neighbors tell reporters

There's some buzz over at JustCara that people think he's innocent because he just seems so... normal. People who knew him are shocked that he's even accussed of such a crime. Wrong place, wrong time is what's being said.

Now, I'm not passing judgement. Maybe he did it, maybe he didn't. Time and evidence will tell. I'll leave that up to the police and the proscecuters and the jury. And I firmly believe in 'innocent until proven guilty'.

But I do want to say that people's reasoning behind thinking he's innocent (he was a nice guy) is a bit funny. Think back to all the really big mass-murders (not Charles Manson, the loon, because he never actually killed anyone himself, I don't think). Every single one of the was described by people as 'nice' or 'charming' or 'normal'.

Frankly, I'd be more shocked if they interviewed the neighbors who promptly said 'he was as mean as a snake and I'm not at all surprised.'

EDIT: For anyone interested, Sarah linked this thesis on serial killers in a comment on JustCara's blog. I've only skimmed it, but it seems interesting (not in the LJ 'like' way, in an intellectual 'learning' way).