At least 6 people have been arrested for helping Clemons avoid arrest, and according to SPD, more arrests are in the works. On the local news last night, they interviewed a young woman who went on and on about what a great guy Clemons was…always there when anybody needed help, she hung out with him, went to movies with him, and went on to say that had he asked her to help him find a place to hide out, she would have done it in a heartbeat. Even knowing what he had done.

WTF??? There was a $125,000 reward offered for this asshole’s arrest. Like the lead detective said, any one of the people that helped him had 125,000 reasons to turn him in. Yet, they chose to help him.

I just don’t get the honor among thieves mentality, I guess.

Val, you got me thinking our own neighborhood “Billy”, which is really his name. My kids could tell you more about him than I can, because they were among the very few who dared to talk to him. Most everyone else ran the other way, locked their doors, and closed their blinds when they saw him bee-bopping up the street, in his usual way, arms flailing, always talking to himself, laughing at nothing or smashing his fists into whatever got in his way. That’s pretty much how both of his legs got smashed, landing him in the hospital for all of 2 months. A car didn’t stop to let him cross the street, and so he just started beating on it. The poor woman inside was so terrified she stomped on the gas and ran him right over. He was in leg braces for years, but that didn’t stop him from bee-bopping up and down the street and flailing his arms and talking to himself and laughing at nothing, and telling everyone who would listen, “Who’s the greatest! You know who’s the greatest! Billy’s the greatest! You know it’s true!”

One really had to watch so as not to be struck by one of his hands at the end of his flailing arms, when he got started. His hands kinda snapped at the wrists and if one struck you, it hurt. So whenever he was around you had to stand way back or risk being smacked. That was always disconcerting. He was insane so his father, a retired deputy sheriff would keep a close eye on him, up to the time Billy got mad at him and shot him, at point blank range and with his own Glock. He didn’t die, but he almost did, and of course Billy was charged with attempted murder and various other things, but because he was nuts, he was (and this is what he would say) he was sent to “a special place, because …. “I’m the greatest!”

He served 18 months in a mental health facility that was part of one of the prisons here. Hamilton I think it was, and then he was out, and of course, because he was nuts, he came right back home to live with his father, and did what he always did — you got it! Bee-bopped up and down the street, talking to himself and laughing at nothing, with arms flailing and wrists snapping, and eventually his father decided it was time for Billy to drive. He was pushing 30 afterall, and so what if it took him upteen tries to become licensed and never mind that he couldn’t drive in a straight line. His father was higher up in the Sheriff’s department, and besides, Billy was the greatest, especially cruising in his car. I always thought what man in his right mind would let Billy drive?

We haven’t seen Billy since the last time he stopped by. Near hit the mailbox pulling into the drive, and managed to park half on the grass and half in the road. That was Billy, in the car he’d crashed so many times that his father threatened to take the keys from him, to which Billy said if he did that he’d just have to shoot him again. It’s rather strange that no one’s seen nor heard so much as a word about Billy in a quite a while now. Perhaps he’s dead. Perhaps someone else is, and perhaps Billy’s back in that “special place”, and if he is, I hope they keep him this time.

Willow

Thanks for responding. I agree he’s amoral. I also agree that he should not have had access to any sort of freedom until it was fully determined that he was no longer the menace to society that he had proven himself to be. I’d be most interested to know where he was for 14 years. It’s frightening to think that he may not have been locked up somewhere and what damage he’s caused that hasn’t been found out.

Another sad fact is that now, in the wake of the nightmare, in the wake of his mother’s death that shouldn’t have happened, as he should never have been in a facility such as Lakeside, our legislators might wake up and take notice and so something. It always takes a tragedy, doesn’t it? Though I have to admit, I rather doubt that too much of anything will change until enough people are no less than outraged, or many more fall victim, and that too has to change.

Perhaps that’s the answer to all of the WHYS, Val, because we as a whole society have stopped caring enough so that we might become outraged enough and raise our voises loudly enough so as to be heard, “Enough is enough!

Willow

Looking at the court records available without going to the court house (and I’m not sure if I could even look at the diagnosis then what with the protections of HIPAA) it does not state what the exact diagnosis is. However, I will point out that over almost 2 decades multiple doctors and institutions have appeared to rally in the cause he needs to be institutionalized.

Now, to address your other statements. I know there is the “abuse of the system” factor involved when talking about an insanity plea. There is always an “abuse of the system” factor when talking about anything. BUT, I don’t believe “they pull it off” near as much as we might fear. And it’s not those I’m as worried about as it is those that are truly insane…to the point of “not knowing right from wrong”.

This is where “immoral” and “amoral” come into play. An immoral person (well…like our dear Princess Poopie Pants) knows right from wrong and chooses to do the lesser of the two paths. While that has its own inherent punishable aspects to it, I question where our priorities are when addressing the “good of the greater” – i.e. the welfare of society.

An amoral person does not recognize that there is good or evil (this is where I have to default to my opinion only), which to me is NECESSARILY insane. It is my position that a person that cannot tell right from wrong is INHERENTLY more dangerous than a person who can – whether that person chooses to do wrong or not. To not even be able to discern wrong and then commit a criminal act is far more of a threat to society (in this person’s mind) as some one who (possibly due to circumstances – lack of funds? fear? desperation?) chooses an errant path.

WHY do we have a system that allows a person who has been diagnosed to not be able to perform the most basic requirement put on us by society – that of recognizing right and wrong – able to be rendered “not guilty” by that very unacceptable trait?

And what I mean is this…IF that person is diagnosed to be of a condition that society should immediately reject (i.e. they cannot discern what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior) some times THE EVIDENCE IS NOT EVEN PRESENTED IN COURT. So, let’s take Lizzi’s example. He tries to run over two troopers in his car. THAT IS A CRIME. But because he has a defect that leads to a lack of conscience, the court doesn’t even hear that he TRIED TO RUN OVER TWO TROOPERS WITH HIS CAR. Because he is declared incompetent to stand trial.

OR – what I believe is worse yet – to have a court hear that he DID try to run over two troopers, but because a doctor takes the stand and says “he has been diagnosed with XXX and he clearly didn’t know what he was doing was wrong” that court then returns – “not guilty by reason of insanity”. That reads – at least to me – “he didn’t do it because he was crazy”.

But he did do it! Why can’t it be “guilty by reason of insanity” if the evidence proves he did do it? THAT’S where things are gimped up.

me

I absolutely and utterly sympathasize/agree with your above post; and isn’t this even why so many attempts are made at the insanity defense? It’s the easiest way to escape a more serious offense such as cold blooded, first degree (or second) murder.
What does one get when one is awarded such a ruling but some down time in a state run institution, or perhaps the protected parameters of a psychiatric ward at a specially staffed prison, and enough medication to cause one to appear more normal than not after the course of say, 30 something days (see your comment #3) when most psychotropics kick in and actually alter the chemical imbalances (if in fact chemical imbalances are the cause of such behaviors) and improve behaviors, which quickly revert back to the same old same old within a handful of days spent missing doses.

But of course the full blown psychotic behaviors progress over time, so unless the courts are willing to appoint round the clock babysitters for these people, I believe (see your comment #4) there should be such a policy as two strikes you’re out, not three, not four, not the half a dozen that we deal with now. Two strikes and your locked up for 5-10 mandatory, so there would be no more, “You were sick in the head then, but you’re alright now; just be sure to take your meds because we don’t want to see you back here anytime soon.”

I guess I have to tell you, though, that I’m not at all convinced that Lizzi has a mental deficiency, as much as he seems just plain old mean, yet well knows how to play the system. Do we have a formal diagnosis, or a sound evaluation on this joker?

Most respectfully and all the more impressed by you and your remarkable successes here,
Willow