I Am A Killer

[Primetimer]

Primetimer editor-at-large Sarah D. Bunting just reviewed this Netflix docuseries and says it's much better than the title suggests.

https://www.primetimer.com/features/dont-turn-your-back-on-season-2-of-i-am-a-killer

[patty1h]

This show involves prison interviews with various individuals behind bars for capital murder, and some of the periphery family, lawyers, etc.  Being a true crime fan, I was interested.  I watched about 5-6 of these in 2 days and it was just depressing how the same themes are repeated by the prisoners:  horrible home lives growing up, with domestic violence, divorce, parents in prison, childhood molestation/rape by older males, drug use starting at extremely early ages, running away, etc.   The series seems to highlight that homelife and nature vs nurture is a big factor in creating a lot of the monsters who end up on death row.  It's also crazy how many of the people behind bars were motivated to commit their crime to get money for drugs, and another standout fact is that Florida seems to be a hotbed for fucked up individuals getting their start there.

It was chilling to hear these people talk about deciding to kill strangers, family and friends for myriad reasons... describing the event like they're chatting about a day at the park.   To get an idea of what someone decides to kill for, one of the participants was in his late teens and decided he wanted his friends nice car, just cause, so he bludgeoned and strangled his friend.   The most maddening is the majority of the guys, some who have been on death row for 35+ years, how they want sympathy and understanding and to not be looked at as a monster.   Nope, can't do it.  These stories are a hard slog - I think I can make it through 1-2 more cause I'm curious about the stories behind the two women featured in the series.   I think I'll be full up on murder after then.

 

[patty1h]

Netflix dropped season 3 of this docuseries and it's just as brutal as I remember when I watched S1/2 last year.   I noticed last year that every male prisoner has the same basic story - poor home life, distant parents, too much freedom, then comes the drug addiction and doing something desperate for money for the drugs.  Same thing this year in the episode I watched so far.  David Keith tells how his attorney father was a drunk who was distant and cold.  David took his first drink at 12 years of age, got sent to boarding school and was shooting heroin in his late teens.  David is in jail because he decided to rob a pharmacy to get money for drugs/to support his wife and 3 kids.  From his prison interview, he says he was having "a bad day".

David flees the robbery and ends up in a small plane, demanding to be flown to safety.  During a police standoff, David gets shot and then he fatally shoots the pilot in the head.  He explains from prison that he shot this poor man because he thought he was dying from his wound and he didn't want to die alone.  What made me furious is he is like all those previous lifers interviewed - they get religious in prison and start boohooing that they feel like they've paid their debt and deserve leniency.  OMG, so selfish.   I think the pilots family would like to have had their father all these years.

Edited September 4, 2022 by patty1h

[SunnyBeBe]

Just watched several of these.  Horrible people.  My compassion is with the victims at this point.  You know, killers are also pretty big liars.  

[patty1h]

Okay, so I watched one of the stories with a female prisoner.  To hear Lindsay tell her story, she meets a bad crowd as a teen, is on meth/heroin before the age of 20, then a pregnancy.  She seemed to turn things around by joining the military, but then hooked up with an abusive guy.  She leaves this situation after this guy broke her hand(s) during one of his rages, and meets up with a depressed alcoholic named Robbie who liked to ride trains like a hobo because he can't stay in any place for too long.  Seems like Lindsay makes poor choices in her partners.

Soon, Robbie is saying he doesn't want to live anymore and Lindsay says she loves him so much that she'll help him die - it will be a mercy killing.  They get in a car and she puts him in a chokehold and does the deed.  Just her luck, as soon as Robbie is dead, a cop knocks on the car window.  The rest of the story is that the police think that Lindsay is really a coldblooded killer, who says in her police interview that she always wanted to feel what it's like to kill someone.   Her taped police interview is chilling, as she laughs with the cops as she makes that statement.

We meet Robbie's parents, who have forgiven Lindsay, who visit her in prison and who give talks to groups on the nature of forgiveness.  From her cell, Lindsay says that she'd like to get out when her parole hearing comes up in 2030, but if it's God will that she stay behind bars the rest of her life, she will accept that.

Edited September 8, 2022 by patty1h

[SunnyBeBe]

I’ve watched quite a few of these episodes.  I just discovered I’ve been watching Season 1.   Some are more horrific than others, but all bad.  Granted, there are some innocent people on death row.  We know that, because DNA has exonerated executed inmates.  But, in those featured on this series , that’s not the case.  These people, mostly want mercy, early release, etc,  when it’s not warranted.  

WARNING!  SPOILER below, this information is not apparent until the end of the episode.  It’s the best episode, imo.  Very shocking twist!  The convict is Kenneth Foster.  

The most surprising case is the one where the victim’s brother, who was murdered in 1996, went to law school and is NOW the prosecutor!!!  What a story!  He agrees to meet with the convicts grandfather.  I found the convict disingenuous, manipulative, and not that bright.  He’ll serve 40 years before eligible for parole, after having his death sentence commuted to life.  A true psychopath and his grandfather doesn’t see it.  

Edited September 26, 2022 by SunnyBeBe

[patty1h]

Season 4 started this week and I've gotten through 3 of the new stories so far.  This batch differs from the theme I noticed in many of the first 3 seasons - most of the cases were not caused by drug usage.   SPOILERS AHEAD: 

One story followed an ex-military man who shot his wife while in the throes of an alcohol blackout, exacerbated by the PTSD he got during his two tours of duty.  There is the other side of this ep, which says the guy would brag to people that he could commit crimes and get away with them by using the PTSD he developed during his military service.  He had planned the murder with the PTSD scenario as a handy excuse - he could claim "diminished capacity", but it was all a ruse to get rid of his estranged wife and get custody of their young son.   Luckily, he was wrong and is serving 20+ years.

Another story followed a Muslim family, where the religious and controlling father thought that two of his daughters were straying away from their religion and disrespecting him/their beliefs.  Dad then coerced his 17 year old (?) son to help him commit a "honor killing" of two people that father believed were turning his girls away from his strict rules.  I saw this story on either Dateline or 48 Hours already, but this focused on the son behind bars even though the father is on Death Row himself.  He is using the "my dad was a tyrant" ploy to say that his environment was the catalyst for him being involved and should get leniency.  No sympathy from me.

The next story appears to be a standard murder for money scenario.  It's a poor rural area and the prisoner (vagabond type, takes odd jobs) tells how he befriended a local older man - they became great friends.  Then they go out in the woods and somehow the older man gets shot in the head when prisoner was just messing around, doing old-timey cowboy gun twirls with the mans 357 Magnum.   Instead of calling 911, shooter hides his great friend under some snow and empties out $8K from his friends safe.  The guy behind bars wants sympathy because it was AN ACCIDENT!

Edited December 27, 2022 by patty1h

[Oosala]

@patty1h I just started watching this new season and I did get through the PTSD guy.  His story seemed so believable, but then you hear the entire story and he's just another murderer.  He got so drunk he couldn't remember anything about the actual killing, like blackout drunk.  Well, that's what he claims anyway.  I don't trust a single damn one of them.

[sainte-chapelle]

21 hours ago, Oosala said:

@patty1h I just started watching this new season and I did get through the PTSD guy.  His story seemed so believable, but then you hear the entire story and he's just another murderer.  He got so drunk he couldn't remember anything about the actual killing, like blackout drunk.  Well, that's what he claims anyway.  I don't trust a single damn one of them.

I only watched a few episodes so far but not a single person took any responsibility for what happened. “My father was a tyrant.” No…there were 10 months between killings and I listened to you on Dateline talk shit about your sister and how this was what needed to be done. “The prostitutes loved working for me..” No. You exploited them for money. Pimps aren’t nice guys. He didn’t say he was their friend…he was their pimp. They are where they need to be. 

[Oosala]

Oh god, you guys.  I just finished watching The Bogeyman and I'm still shaken up.  That guy was absolutely the worst of the worse.  He is a racist with a long history of assault and now murder.  He's also a compulsive liar, all the way through to the final interview, when he claimed he had a heart attack or stroke (?) and he was on blood thinners so he is easily bruised, "especially around my eyes."  WRONG.  He had just gotten into yet another prison fight and it looks like someone worked him over really well.  Both eyes heavily bruised and what looks like a bite mark on his arm.  Total POS and I'm so glad he'll die where he is now.  Freely admits he's a racist and that he was raised around the Klan.  How's that working out for you?  He scares me, to know that there are many others like him out there.

[patty1h]

Got through another one, but it was a hard slog.  The young guy who got involved in a robbery and shot the poor police clerk wanted sympathy for a hard upbringing.  Sorry, none from me.   It's sad that he had many issues in his young life, like an addict mother, a violent absent father, joining gangs, etc. but he had a choice when he found out that he was in the wrong house, that his contact had given him bad info and the lady who lived there did not have cash/drugs, etc.  He states that he pulled the trigger because he didn't want to back to jail, and he chose murder as a solution. 

Rot in jail, I say.

[patty1h]

While on Netflix, I saw that there is an offshoot of the I Am a Killer franchise called "I Am a Killer: Released".   It follows folks who did time in jail for murder but eventually got their sentence overturned.  I only watched the first 15 minutes of one episode but it's already making my blood boil because of the jailbird creep murderer Dale Sigler who gets released after 30 years.  Dale found God while on Death Row, says his life belongs to Jesus and sheds tears while declaring "only God can judge me".   

Ugh.  I may have to avoid this one to preserve my sanity.

[sainte-chapelle]

1 hour ago, patty1h said:

While on Netflix, I saw that there is an offshoot of the I Am a Killer franchise called "I Am a Killer: Released".   It follows folks who did time in jail for murder but eventually got their sentence overturned.  I only watched the first 15 minutes of one episode but it's already making my blood boil because of the jailbird creep murderer Dale Sigler who gets released after 30 years.  Dale found God while on Death Row, says his life belongs to Jesus and sheds tears while declaring "only God can judge me".   

Ugh.  I may have to avoid this one to preserve my sanity.

Yea I would skip it. He is a manipulative piece of garbage and what he claims his victim did to him is disgusting. He should still be in prison, as an aside for some reason he reminds me of Jesse James ( the one that was married to Sandra Bullock). 

Spoiler

He says that the victim tried to blackmail him into gay sex. Stated that he believes in the bible and homosexuality is wrong etc. I guess murder is a ok though if the person is gay….he is a hateful lying sack of shit.

I recently saw a case on Evil Lives Here where a teenager was convicted of murder….he was a member of a cult that his dad ran out of a farm and helped his dad punish and kill members who broke the rules. He was eventually paroled  but I fully believe he has changed. It was prison that taught him his dad was lying to him, he took full responsibility, extremely remorseful etc.  He was also homeschooled, lived on a farm in isolation and was completely controlled since birth. He talked about the other prisoners..how some tried to help him etc. I haven’t seen that on this series this far.

Edited December 28, 2022 by sainte-chapelle

[SunnyBeBe]

I was intrigued by the woman who claims she killed her abusive husband who was lying on top of her with a gun.  She claims he said they both were going to die, so she pulled trigger to kill him.  She and her mom buried the body.  She got 10 years for manslaughter, once they found the body.  The DA says it couldn’t have happened the way she claimed, due to the multiple gun shots in the man’s face and jaw.  He took multiple shots and couldn’t have talked .  She seemed credible, but then it started to fall apart, imo.  She had also had a tumultuous relationship with her mom.  
 

People who stay in abusive relationships take a big risk that they could end up in prison due to defending themselves against the attacker.  

Edited December 29, 2022 by SunnyBeBe

[edie3]

On 12/27/2022 at 7:43 PM, Oosala said:

That guy was absolutely the worst of the worse.

He was a disgusting piece of crap. No redeeming qualities and really deserved to be on death row.

[oliviabenson]

Toby Gregory is a lying sack of poo. When backed into a corner about ptsd he refused to answer.

He killed his wife because she left him. He is blaming ptsd/military service. Try again murderer. 19 years is not enough. 4 kids have no mother.

 

[SunnyBeBe]

I find much of what the killers say suspect.  Most have terrible accounts of their childhood.  It’s difficult to say how much is true.  They have plenty of excuses, which I don’t accept.

 

Ref. Episode of two young men who beat their good friend to death with a baseball bat to steal his car.  

 I’m especially doubtful of the story the former girlfriend gives of being raped by the victim days before her boyfriend and his best friend murdered him.  The killer says it was to steal his car.  The killer says it wasn’t over the rape.  He doesn’t seem bothered by that at all, so I wonder if it’s true.  And, this same killer’s sister appears on camera and is so upset that her brother is on death row.  She keeps putting a tissue to her face, only there are never any visible tears there.  
 

The case of the murder in the Pawn shop was rather confusing to me.  They talk about two different defendants, and yet the other stories also mention Dallas’s ex wife.  I found the way they presented it confusing.  Then the only eye witness, the Pawn shop owner, tells a different story from what he said at the trial.  The physical evidence didn’t match a shooting due to a confrontation though.  

Edited March 13, 2023 by SunnyBeBe

[patty1h]

The new season is up:  I just finished the episode with Higinio Gonzalez.  His story fit the usual mold -  disruptive home life as a child, violent father who sold drugs, gangs.  His story veered in that he didn't get into drugs like his older brothers and was a pretty good kid.   

Everything goes off the rails when 16 year old Higinio is asked for help from 2 local girls who say they need to escape their own rough environment and suggested that he rob a convenience store for quick cash for them.  To make it deadly, one of the girls hands him a gun, which she said was not loaded.  Higinio says he pulled the trigger to scare the clerk and this "unloaded" gun goes off and kills the worker, a 27 year old father of 4.

CCTV video is shown from the incident and a detective from the case points out that Higinio racks a bullet into the chamber and takes the safety off before pulling the trigger.  The detective opines that Higinio has convinced himself that it was all an unfortunate accident and that the gun is the problem, not his actions.  He got a life sentence with possibility of parole after 30 - he sees the parole board in 3 years.

[patty1h]

Michael Highley is the opposite of Higinio Gonzalez - not a good kid at all.  Michael had an absent father, started drinking at 7 years old, full-blown alcoholic by 9, joined a gang, stealing guns and selling them.  Spent his teen years using substances and lots of jail time.  He mentioned that he was also "fighting certain intimate feelings".

Highley says he has always had anger issues.  When he got suspected of stealing petty cash from a bar one night, his anger simmered at the false accusation.  When he left the bar and found that his bike was missing, he saw red and innocent bar patron Paul Harris was the recipient of his rage...  he stabbed him to death after Paul said he didn't know/didn't care about his bike. 

Michael says he realized his many issues were because he was fighting his trans orientation all those years. Michael now goes by the name Ezdeth and says s/he doesn't deserve their 60 year sentence - they are not the same person now. 

Edited December 7 by patty1h