How many murderers do you know?

I recently saw a meme that said you walk past 36 murderers on average in your lifetime. I don't know if that's true or not. I do know I have walked past at least two, and both were when I was in high school.

One was Lee Boyd Malvo, the younger half of the DC snipers duo. He went to my high school for about two months. I didn't know him, but I'm sure I walked past him. Even though he only went there for a few months, it was enough for the national media to surround our school after he was arrested. Lots of students went to talk to the news vans. I doubt any of them actually knew him. None of my friends ever remembered him there.

I found his apologies after the fact interesting. I think he was sincere. I know a thing or two about mentally abusive relationships and manipulation, and not just from my experience with an abusive ex. Obviously he needs to face the consequences of his actions, which were really really horrible, but it also wouldn't surprise me if his apology was genuinely sincere.

The other one I actually shared half my classes with. Before the DC snipers, I actually shared half my classes with Ryan Alexander, who killed an 8-year-old boy named Michael Busby in a rather cruel and brutal fashion. It involved leading the boy into the woods, tying him up with duct-tape, injecting him with insulin, and cutting him with a razor, all because Michael was "annoying" him. 

Ryan was my lab partner in high school. He actually stole my palm pilot once (remember those things?). He was the very stereotypical quiet loner. After the incident, I remember being called to the vice principal's office. The VP wanted to make sure I was okay, but really the meeting was just me sitting there while he bawled his eyes out. I think he needed it a lot more than I did.

Ryan was supposed to be on antipsychotics, but his mother apparently had been withholding them because she thought God would "cure" him.  I don't know his specific diagnosis for why he was prescribed those medications, but I always wonder what would have happened if he was properly medicated. Would Michael still be alive if he had been properly managing that condition?

Take your meds if you need them, people. And let other people take their meds. Maybe it would have saved a life.

Both of these incidents happened within a year of each other. That's the public high school experience, I guess.