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Center of the universe
- elwell 13y agoGives a different meaning to "Hacker News". But seriously: a very engaging, honest story.
- BlackDeath3 13y ago...And now for something completely different!
- lnanek2 13y agopsychopaths are pretty good social hackers :) to them a person is just a machine they have to act the right way towards to get some benefit
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- enraged_camel 13y agoYou know, you really did not have to go there.
- michaelwww 13y agoI was impressed by the fact checking: http://www.orangecoast.com/webexclusives/2013/09/24/a-factcheckers-journey-to-a-1980-afternoon http://www.orangecoast.com/webexclusives/2013/09/24/a-factch...
- skunkworks 13y agoBy an intern, nonetheless.
- mutagen 13y agoI was as well, I'm glad they shared the process that they went through.
- Pxtl 13y agoThat's moderately horrifying. It's also a sad reminder - so many of us go through life having to chisel and scrape that kind of affection out of the world. I can see how having it freely given could be very enticing.
- jessaustin 13y agoParents of young children: the time to inoculate your children against this tool of sociopaths is now. Communicate your love with every word and embrace, and you'll fill a reservoir that will never go dry.
- moocowduckquack 13y agoThis'll get turned into a multi series drama on HBO.
- nnnnnn 13y agoNot sure if I'm excited that the first time I've seen an alum from my college (Claremont McKenna) at the top of Hacker News it is Randy Kraft...
- VexXtreme 13y agoMore facts: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Steven_Kraft https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Steven_Kraft
- revelation 13y agoHe is still alive. Maybe theres a reunion in the future, death row should be safer than a motel.
- InclinedPlane 13y agoInteresting reading. Some things to think about related to the experiences of the author. At the time of coming into contact with Randy Kraft he had already killed at least 20 people, and during that year had committed at least 5 separate murders. Pretty sobering to think about. Also, reading these details I can't help but be extremely critical of the criminal justice system's failures in regards to the case. There were so many opportunities to catch Kraft in the earlier days of his "exploits" that were wasted by either poor police work or poor judgment of the district attorney.
- Pxtl 13y agoJesus, it just goes on and on and on... and in the end, there's no heroic manhunt, no great victory. He was caught driving drunk with a corpse in the passenger seat, so used to murder that he'd gotten lazy about it. You can't help but feel outrage that nobody stopped him... that the public wasn't sufficiently warned that any of these boys, these kids could have known there was a serial-killer stalking them.
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- __david__ 13y agoYeah, I've lived in this area my whole life and I'd never heard of Randy Kraft. Granted I was a kid during the time so perhaps I just had been kept in the dark (though I was keenly aware of the Night Stalker as a kid). So I just asked my dad and he'd never heard of him either. Crazy that something that large was happening under our noses and nobody knew...
- sethev 13y agoI'm not sure if this anything to do with why this is on HN but Jay Roberts is Jason Roberts's brother (Jason Roberts is co-host of the TechZing podcast).
- robdimarco 13y agowhoa, I used to work with Jay about 10 years ago. Small world.
- mistercow 13y agoOh oh! I remember this technique from Cialdini's Influence. During the Korean war, the Chinese used the same technique on American POWs: For instance, prisoners were frequently asked to make statements so mildly anti-American or pro-Communist as to seem inconsequential (“The United States is not perfect.” “In a Communist country, unemployment is not a problem.”). But once these minor requests were complied with, the men found themselves pushed to submit to related yet more substantive requests. A man who had just agreed with his Chinese interrogator that the United States is not perfect might then be asked to indicate some of the ways in which he thought this was the case. Once he had so explained himself, he might be asked to make a list of these “problems with America” and to sign his name to it. Later he might be asked to read his list in a discussion group with other prisoners. “After all, it’s what you really believe, isn’t it?” Still later he might be asked to write an essay expanding on his list and discussing these problems in greater detail.
- judk 13y agoIn Muppet form: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NpYEJx7PkWE&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DNpYEJx7PkWE http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NpYEJx7PkWE&desktop_uri=%2Fwatc...
- elwell 13y agoSounds like an entry-level liberal arts course at any major private institution in the US.
- aaronem 13y agoCareful there, Citizen.
- pudakai 13y agoIn retrospect, I'm pretty convinced he was going to try to get me to undress myself at his escalating suggestion w/out him ever touching me. He was extremely careful about not touching, "accidentally" brushing, etc, and keeping out of my personal space. I realize now that this was a survival mechanism for him, as if the spell were broken by some wrong move, he really could have gotten hurt badly in this sort of situation.
- blahedo 13y agoOnce again, some admin has changed the title from better to worse---it was "How I met a serial killer when I was a marine", which is considerably more descriptive.
- marknutter 13y agoSeriously, why are admins doing this?
- scott_karana 13y agoMight even be algorithmic...
- alphakappa 13y agoI agree. It makes sense to use the original title so that people don't editorialize. However, it may be the case that the site uses a vague title for artistic reasons. What benefit do we get by using that cryptic title instead of a descriptive one (as long as it doesn't editorialize)?
- lnanek2 13y agoAgreed. I saw the old title and liked it better.
- vnchr 13y agoConsidering there is frequently space-related articles here, it is particularly misleading.
- noarchy 13y agoI have to concur. I clicked on this article wondering if there was some sort of new discovery in astronomy. Still an interesting read, but the old headline was much more appropriate.
- simonebrunozzi 13y agoBah. Disappointing. No reason to change the title.
- HaloZero 13y agoIsn't Randy Kraft still alive? I imagine the author has decided not to actually try to arrange some type of conversation with him?
- avalaunch 13y agoIn the comments under the article someone asks him whether he's contacted Kraft. He has by mail but got no response.
- FrankenPC 13y agoWOW! That's some powerful stuff! Lots to think about in the mind of a serial killing monster. This is a great premise for a indie drama.
- peteforde 13y agoCreepy and fascinating story. Thanks for sharing. I do have two questions, though: 1. Polaroid wasn't making a black and white integral film in 1980, and FujiFilm didn't make instant film until 1981. Kodak's instant film was color. So how did Kraft produce an instant B+W image? 2. Did you really drink 2-3 beers and then get on a motorbike?
- coolsunglasses 13y agoI don't know the timespan in the story, 2-3 beers over the course of several hours results in a terminal state that is best described as sober for somebody with a marine's physical profile.
- pudakai 13y ago1) I really don't know. Maybe he had a stockpile? Maybe it really was color, but the room was somewhat dark/shaded, and I'm only remembering/assuming it as B&W? 2) We used to do a lot, lot, lot worse than that in the USMC in those pre-MADD days. Different era. Fun fact - same motorcycle, I was struck by lightning on it several months later, riding home from California (to Ga) on I-70 in Missouri. This was following my discharge (actually, end of active service) in late August.
- ars_technician 13y agoThe fact that you are surprised by 2-3 beers is fascinating. Social stigma is definitely powerful enough that the younger generations completely overestimate the effects of alcohol. 2-3 beers over the length of time in the story would leave you well below the legal limit and your motor skills would not be impaired unless you never have alcohol, which he clearly stated wasn't the case. Tldr. Cut the melodrama. It's like being shocked when someone has a beer and walks down some stairs.
- MrJagil 13y agoIf any of your would like to read more about "underrated" serial killers after this harrowing story, Albert Fish comes to mind. Even just the wikipedia article is about as scary a horror tale as they come. Many friends have been unable to finish reading: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Fish http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Fish
- drpgq 13y agoPopular Crime by sabremetrician Bill James has a good chapter on Fish, plus some other American serial killers.
- Sarien 13y agoSomebody should extend this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superficial_charm#Psychopathic_charm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superficial_charm#Psychopathic_...
- popee 13y agoThis story is for great (non-blockbuster) movie. Almodovar, but with good ending :-) But it's interesting to think why is author still alive. Is killer possessive gay that is willing to kill guys that are ignoring/rejecting him? Because author didn't reject him as many others that are now in the grave? Also, even if author is wrong, really interesting and non-intrusive emotional overview.
- drderidder 13y agoI know there's a policy to keep the title of the source article, but if admins are going to blindly change post titles to remove all useful context and revert to meaningless, misleading headlines, can't they at least come up with a prefix for it? There's Ask HN, Show HN... in this case "Distract HN" might have been appropriate.
- ffrryuu 13y agoIt's the Earth.