4 ms·

Derrick Dewayne Charles seems to fit the description. Executed in 2015; black; Houston area; age 19 at offence; 3 victims.

by kr7 11y ago

JoeAltmaier 11y ago
That could be it. I was assuming the case must have been nearer the beginning of the author's tenure in Houston. But it could have been just last year; nothing in the article contradicts that. This puts a different light on the article. That case involved premeditated murder, rape, assault and strangulation. I find it harder to be empathetic with the defendant.
- erikpukinskis 11y ago
  When you see someone who was sadistically abused until they became a sociopathic abuser, you don't feel any empathy?
  - JoeAltmaier 11y ago
    "Harder" The article was carefully written to engender empathy - no mention of the sociopathic tendencies. No mention of victims at all. Stress was on how much he liked sports. But knowledge of all that he was, recasts that story irreparably. He was clearly sociopathic, lacking empathy. Any appearance of normality could not have been sustained. Even the stories of his supposed attachments were probably misinterpretations. These are just observations. Please don't read it as an endorsement of Texas capital punishment, or callous disregard for those broken by a warped society. Also, its not clear that sociopathic abuse was the problem. Empathy is learned before the age of 4(?) or not at all. His mother's mental problems were more likely at the root of it.
    - themartorana 11y ago
      Whatever was the root of it, it'd be nice if just once, something was black and white. Life seems to be made of nothing but shades of gray, even though to hear people argue, you'd think everything was black and white. At the same time.
  - iofj 11y ago
    But that is actually one of the worst truths I've ever learned. I know several people who have this problem to various degrees. And yes, they don't really seem in control, at least not all of the time. Even if they are consciously aware of what they're doing and taking control of it, it takes years for that control to become a 99% thing. I even think it's true that I wouldn't know these people if they didn't try to fix themselves, because otherwise a job would be out of the question, and without a job, they'd never be near me. I wonder how many there are that are just sitting by themselves, sinking deeper into problems and never even try to save themselves. I imagine it's a lot. But there it is : people who get/got abused do not want the abuse to end, they want to become the abuser. This means that a significant fraction of them is dangerous. Lots of people who try to help are destroyed by this effect.
- danielschonfeld 11y ago
  Can you not see past the first degree at all? Or does it just escape your mind that if the boy didn't grow up in the house and family he did these 3 wouldn't have endured such a tragic death? Poverty and mental health. The two most taboo under-and-mis-treated topics in America. The author didn't want you to feel bad for one guy, or his victims, the author wanted you to understand that the death machine isn't solving anything, she wanted you to understand that military grade armed police and pretending that economical imposed segregation doesn't exist don't absolve all of us of the problem. Eye for an eye doesn't build a better society and it def doesn't fix what's wrong. Oh and you're paying for it btw. All of this has to end. We need basic income, we need a mental health system that by using it doesn't reward you with lost job and societal joining opportunities. Yet... in 2016, I have yet to hear one presidential candidate mention either one of those two topics, much less have I seen one citizen, journalist or blogger try to solicit a response from our politicians about it. In 2016, it seems that even our privacy is in question giving one the feeling that we're headed backwards instead of forward in becoming a better society.
tzs 11y ago
Victims were his girlfriend, age 15, her mother, age 44, and her grandfather, age 77. The mother had told police that Charles was having sex with the daughter. This upset Charles, so he killed the family. The grandfather was beaten and strangled to death. The daughter was choked with an extension cord, beaten with stereo speakers, and hit with a TV. The mother was thrown into a bathtub filled with water and a plugged-in TV, but that failed to electrocute her, so he dragged her through the house, raped her, and then strangled her. Previous conviction for burglary, for which he received three years in prison, but was paroled after eight months. Met once with his parole officer and then ignored subsequent required meetings, and so there was a warrant out for his arrest. Sources: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/12/derrick-charles-executed-texas_n_7270144.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/12/derrick-charles-exe... http://murderpedia.org/male.C/c/charles-derrick-dewayne.htm http://murderpedia.org/male.C/c/charles-derrick-dewayne.htm

Derrick Dewayne Charles seems to fit the description. Executed in 2015; black; Houston area; age 19 at offence; 3 victims.

by kr7 11y ago

Derrick Dewayne Charles seems to fit the description. Executed in 2015; black; Houston area; age 19 at offence; 3 victims.

JoeAltmaier 11y ago

That could be it. I was assuming the case must have been nearer the beginning of the author's tenure in Houston. But it could have been just last year; nothing in the article contradicts that. This puts a different light on the article. That case involved premeditated murder, rape, assault and strangulation. I find it harder to be empathetic with the defendant.

erikpukinskis 11y ago
When you see someone who was sadistically abused until they became a sociopathic abuser, you don't feel any empathy?
- JoeAltmaier 11y ago
  "Harder" The article was carefully written to engender empathy - no mention of the sociopathic tendencies. No mention of victims at all. Stress was on how much he liked sports. But knowledge of all that he was, recasts that story irreparably. He was clearly sociopathic, lacking empathy. Any appearance of normality could not have been sustained. Even the stories of his supposed attachments were probably misinterpretations. These are just observations. Please don't read it as an endorsement of Texas capital punishment, or callous disregard for those broken by a warped society. Also, its not clear that sociopathic abuse was the problem. Empathy is learned before the age of 4(?) or not at all. His mother's mental problems were more likely at the root of it.
  - themartorana 11y ago
    Whatever was the root of it, it'd be nice if just once, something was black and white. Life seems to be made of nothing but shades of gray, even though to hear people argue, you'd think everything was black and white. At the same time.
- iofj 11y ago
  But that is actually one of the worst truths I've ever learned. I know several people who have this problem to various degrees. And yes, they don't really seem in control, at least not all of the time. Even if they are consciously aware of what they're doing and taking control of it, it takes years for that control to become a 99% thing. I even think it's true that I wouldn't know these people if they didn't try to fix themselves, because otherwise a job would be out of the question, and without a job, they'd never be near me. I wonder how many there are that are just sitting by themselves, sinking deeper into problems and never even try to save themselves. I imagine it's a lot. But there it is : people who get/got abused do not want the abuse to end, they want to become the abuser. This means that a significant fraction of them is dangerous. Lots of people who try to help are destroyed by this effect.
danielschonfeld 11y ago
Can you not see past the first degree at all? Or does it just escape your mind that if the boy didn't grow up in the house and family he did these 3 wouldn't have endured such a tragic death? Poverty and mental health. The two most taboo under-and-mis-treated topics in America. The author didn't want you to feel bad for one guy, or his victims, the author wanted you to understand that the death machine isn't solving anything, she wanted you to understand that military grade armed police and pretending that economical imposed segregation doesn't exist don't absolve all of us of the problem. Eye for an eye doesn't build a better society and it def doesn't fix what's wrong. Oh and you're paying for it btw. All of this has to end. We need basic income, we need a mental health system that by using it doesn't reward you with lost job and societal joining opportunities. Yet... in 2016, I have yet to hear one presidential candidate mention either one of those two topics, much less have I seen one citizen, journalist or blogger try to solicit a response from our politicians about it. In 2016, it seems that even our privacy is in question giving one the feeling that we're headed backwards instead of forward in becoming a better society.

tzs 11y ago

Victims were his girlfriend, age 15, her mother, age 44, and her grandfather, age 77. The mother had told police that Charles was having sex with the daughter. This upset Charles, so he killed the family. The grandfather was beaten and strangled to death. The daughter was choked with an extension cord, beaten with stereo speakers, and hit with a TV. The mother was thrown into a bathtub filled with water and a plugged-in TV, but that failed to electrocute her, so he dragged her through the house, raped her, and then strangled her. Previous conviction for burglary, for which he received three years in prison, but was paroled after eight months. Met once with his parole officer and then ignored subsequent required meetings, and so there was a warrant out for his arrest. Sources: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/12/derrick-charles-executed-texas_n_7270144.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/12/derrick-charles-exe... http://murderpedia.org/male.C/c/charles-derrick-dewayne.htm http://murderpedia.org/male.C/c/charles-derrick-dewayne.htm