Of the initial letters from writers who wrote ≥10, 60% were categorized as “Acquaintance” and 20% as “Romance.” The writer who wrote the most letters (43) moved during the course of her letter-writing to live in the same state as the murderer; she stated in her letters that she did so to be closer to him and to be able to attend his court hearings. Four other writers, each of whom wrote >5 letters, stated that they had traveled to the murderer’s state of incarceration to attend some of his hearings in person.
Composite examples of more common categories of letters
Names and other pertinent identifying information have been changed.
Acquaintance. Hi, Steve. I’ve been following your case and just wanted to write you so that maybe we could be friends or keep in touch since you’re probably pretty bored. I’m a 27-year-old college student studying marketing and working at Applebee’s as a waitress (for now) until I can land my dream job. I’ve enclosed a picture of me and my dachshund along with a photo of my favorite beach in the world. Write me back if you want. Jenny.
Show of support. Steve: I’ve been really worried about you since first seeing you on TV. You look different lately and I hope they’re treating you OK and feeding you decent food. In case they’re not, I’ve enclosed a little something to buy yourself a treat. Just know that there are many of us that care about you and are really pulling for you to be strong in this tough situation you’re in. Yours truly, Karen.
Romance. Dearest Steven: My mind has been filled with thoughts of you and of us since I last saw you in my dreams! Be strong, because you are going to beat this once they understand that you are not responsible for what happened! Don’t you see, sweetie, the system failed you, and now you’re caught up in something that you will soon overcome. When I think of the day that you get released, and how we’ll be able to settle down somewhere together, it gets me incredibly excited. You and I are meant to be together, because I understand you and can help you get better. I love you, Steven! Please write me back so that I know we’re on the same page about our plans for the future. Love, ♥ Your sweetie, Rachel.
Spiritual. Dear Child of God: The Lord has a plan for you. I know that things right now might be confusing, and you’re in a black place, but He is there right beside you. If you need some reading materials to give you comfort, just let me know and I can get a Bible to you along with some other books to give you solace and strengthen your walk with Him. God forgives you and he loves you so much! Much love in Christ, Mary.
Discussion
Given that the mass murderer in this study was a young man, it is not surprising that 78% of writers of initial letters were women. However, it is interesting that, among women’s initial letters, 44% were “Acquaintance” letters and only 15% were categorized as “Romance.”
Given the severity of the murderer’s crime, it is remarkable that he received only 1 “Hate mail” letter.
Initial “Spiritual” letters were more likely to be followed by letters of the same category than any other category; “Romance” letters were a close second. This demonstrates the consistent efforts of writers in these 2 categories. Highly persistent writers (≥10 letters) were most likely to fall into “Acquaintance” and “Romance” categories. The persistence of these writers is remarkable, in view of the fact that none of their letters were answered. We hypothesize that the killer did not reply because he had no interest in correspondence.
Similarities to stalking. Given that 9 writers wrote >10 letters each and 2 wrote >20 each, elements of their behavior are not unlike what is seen in stalkers.3 Consistent with the stalking literature and Mullen et al4 stalker typology, many writers in this study appeared to seek intimacy with the perpetrator through “Romance” or “Show of support” letters, and might be akin to Mullen’s so-called intimacy-seeking stalker. Such stalkers’ behavior arises out of loneliness, with a strong desire for a relationship with the target; a significant percentage of such stalkers suffer a delusional disorder.
Mullen’s so-called incompetent suitor stalker is similar to the intimacy-seeking type but, instead, has an interest in a short-term relationship and is far less persistent in his (her) stalking behavior4; this type might apply to the writers in this study who wrote >1 but <10 letters.