At times, cruel and senseless at first glance crimes are committed by people who have an impeccable reputation. A vivid example of this is Charles Whitman, who has become famous throughout the world as a "sniper from Texas." None of the experts who studied his case could confidently answer the question about the motives that govern this man.
The childhood and youth of Charles Whitman
The man, known as the "Texas Sniper," was born into the family of successful businessman Charles A. Whitman. The long-awaited first-born was born in 1941, later two more sons were born to the couple. Charles Whitman was very smart and at the age of 6 he hit everyone with his IQ tests, gaining 138 points, which is considered a good result for an adult. From an early age, the boy showed interest in firearms, however, this did not surprise anyone, because his father had a whole collection, taught to shoot all his sons and showed how to properly store various rifles and guns and take care of them. The family paid attention to religious education. All children regularly attended church and even served there. When Charles was 12 years old, he received a high Boy Scout award. In the summer of 1959, Whitman went to serve in the United States Marine Corps as a volunteer. His father did not like this decision very much, but he could not interfere.
The adult life of the "Texas shooter"
Charles Whitman returned from the army in 1961. For successful service, a young man was awarded a scholarship, thanks to which he was able to enter the University of Texas at the specialty "Mechanical Engineering". In addition to studying, Charles found time for a variety of hobbies: scuba diving, karate and hunting. However, soon the guy lost his scholarship due to problems with academic performance and one unusual misconduct. Whitman shot a deer and brought the carcass for further processing to the student dormitory. As a result, I had to quit my studies.
In 1962, Charles Whitman married Caitlin Francis Leissner. After the wedding, the hero of our story returned to military service. Soon he became a corporal, but for a long time he did not have to enjoy the new title. Very soon, Whitman was again demoted to the rank and file because of his love of forbidden gambling. Charles's military career ends in 1964. Upon returning home, he re-enters the University of Texas, choosing this time the specialty of an architect. In parallel, he also has to find a side job for himself. Not finding anything better, Whitman takes a job as an account collector. Charles then worked at the Austin National Bank, and at the time he committed his terrible crime, he was employed by the Cental Freight Lines.
I saved them from torment ...
On July 31, 1966, the Whitman family had a most ordinary day. Charles took Katie from work, they met with his mother, and then went to visit friends. Then Whitman's wife went to work (on a night shift), and he himself sat down to write a suicide note. In this message, he talked about trying to maintain adequacy, but sometimes he cannot understand himself. Having finished writing the letter, Charles went to his own mother and killed her by strangling and stabbing him in the chest. Near the body, he left another note in which he said that he loved this woman very much and did not find another way to rid her of all the sufferings of this world. After the murder, Charles returned home, his wife was already asleep. He also killed her, stabbing him three times in the chest. This is not to say that Whitman committed these killings spontaneously. He thought through everything to the smallest detail, even called the work of his wife and mother, warned that they were both sick and would not go into the prescribed shifts.
University of Texas Shooting
In the early morning of August 1, 1966, after the murder of his wife, C. Whitman began preparations for his terrible crime. He took a large suitcase, put several weapons, ammunition and other necessary things inside. Waiting for 9 a.m., Charles moved his luggage into the car and went to the nearest weapons store. There he acquired several more firearms, and then went to the University of Texas. Around 11.30, Whitman, pushing a large cart in front of him, entered the building of the educational institution, of which he himself was still a student. The killer wore overalls. To an acquaintance he met, he explained that he was going to clean the sewer. Whitman's goal was an observation deck on the upper tier of the university tower. On his way, he talked with several people, portraying complete carelessness. The first victims of Charles were visitors to the observation deck and a woman, an employee of the university, following the order during the tour. After making sure that the living were no longer nearby, Whitman barricaded himself on the site, took the starting position of the sniper, as he was taught in the army, and opened fire.
Texas Shooter Victims
Whitman's first victim was a child who was still in the womb of his mother. In cold blood, the killer shot Claire Wilson in the belly of a long-term pregnancy. Since the shot was fired from a height of the 27th floor, no one in the square heard his sound. The bullet hit the target and crushed the skull of the child. The woman was subsequently saved. Then Whitman Charles continued to randomly shoot all the people on the University Square. In total, he killed 16 people and wounded 32.
Police action
The police quickly enough found out that in the tower of the University of Texas there is a sniper shooting people. However, a quick decision to neutralize and detain the shooter was not made. The cordon was initially exposed, people were no longer allowed to enter the square where the first victims were. This measure did not bring the desired effect. "Texas sniper" was not taken aback and began to aim at people located at a greater distance from him, fired a series of shots at those who were near the local supermarket. Since firing was carried out from above with a rifle with an optical sight, the lethal force of the shots only increased. However, those who were at a distance of 2 kilometers, Charles only wounded.
The detention of the "Texas shooter"
At 13.24, the police finally managed to get to the ill-fated viewing platform. Having noticed representatives of law enforcement bodies, Charles Whitman, βthe Texas sniperβ, fired a series of shots in their direction and did not miss. When the police pointed guns at him and offered to surrender, he also resisted, as a result of which he was shot dead. Charles Whitman died as a result of eight gunshot wounds.
Interesting Facts
The very next morning, Charles Whitman, whose photo appeared on the front pages of all local newspapers, posthumously became the real local "star". This terrible story shocked all the citizens of America. Specialists immediately began an investigation. Having studied in detail the biography of the killer, having checked all his contacts lately, they did not find any grounds and motives for the commission of such a crime. Why is there so much hatred, why did one sweet and respectable young man start randomly shooting at strangers one morning, what did Charles Whitman want to achieve? The reasons for this act are not clear. The "Texas sniper" himself in his suicide notes speaks of problems with understanding himself and changing moods, and also bequeaths to conduct an autopsy of his own body after death. During a medical examination, a brain tumor was discovered in Charles. According to experts, this pathology could really provoke mental problems. What is interesting: shortly after the shooting at the University of Texas, a special SWAT unit was created, whose functions boil down to a quick reaction in emergency situations when the police are not able to neutralize the criminals on their own. It is believed that it was the Austin incident that motivated the authorities to organize this law enforcement agency.