But first a quote:
There are two kinds of folks who sit around thinking about how to kill people: psychopaths and mystery writers. I'm the kind that pays better.
-Rick Castle
I was thinking about the situation in Colorado and how it was orchestrated like an episode of CSI. Guy shoots up a location, gets caught, and then goads the police into going to his house which is booby trapped to hell and back, hoping to blow up some more people.
In fact I think it DID happen on an episode of CSI: Las Vegas.
So, here's a question: Are they related?
As I thought about it, I could almost hear the TV executives planning their "Ripped from the headlines" episodes of CSI, Law and Order, and dozen other crime dramas. The pacing of it was all there. Act 1 is the shooting, Act 2 is the intorgation, then in Act 3 they rush to the home just barely realizing it's trapped before it's too late.
But I've seen that. It's been done.
Which starts to beg the question how much our media driven world is starting to drive the world around it. Would someone have thought about such creative ways to kill so many people without assistance.
Now don't take this out of context and think I'm blaming books or CSI or Castle for this mindless shooting. That's not my point. You can't blame anyone but the shooter in this case. Just because someone does know how to do something doesn't mean they will do it. He made choices and he must be held, solely, accoutable.
But curious as I am, I do wonder how many of the particulars started in his mind and how many were inspired by other events. It's mostly an idle curiosity as there's no action to take regardless of where he got his ideas.
As a budding writer I find so many of these dramas inspiring because they present crimes in ways I would not have thought of. They put out clever twists that most people don't see. And why would they? Most people don't think outside the box on a regular basis. So many things are open and shut, or appear to be.
Why would the police expect a house to be booby trapped?
Maybe he was smart enough and sick enough to plan this all on his own. Or maybe he wasn't. Maybe he took his cues from the same shows I watch for entertainment, the ones I enjoy to see if I'm as smart as the writers.
Some of these writers are amazingly clever and I do give thanks that they're using their powers and wit to entertain rather than to harm. It does make one wonder, though, doesn't it? We'll have to watch the trials unfold to see for sure, and have curiosity satisfied.
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