Domestic Terrorism is defined by the Federal Bureau of Investigations as “acts dangerous to human life that violate federal or state law; Appearing to intend (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination. or kidnapping”(Definitions of Terrorism). This definition describes the case of John Allen Muhammad, 42, and Lee Boyd Malvo, 17 . Although they did not have an agenda, people to persuade, or a government to attack, clearly their assault on was meant to intimidate and frighten the citizens of the Washington D.C. area. This was the solitary goal in the Beltway Sniper case.
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Stockholm Syndrome is defined as “feelings of trust or affection felt in certain cases of kidnapping or hostage-taking by a victim toward a captor” (dictionary.com). Malvo expressed that he was sexually abused and bribed into doing these crimes in order to please Muhammed, a man he viewed as his only father figure. The description of these actions coupled with the fear of being Muhammad 's next victim lead Malvo to feel brainwashed and hence unaware of the consequences of his actions …show more content…
sniper victims. In that sense he is guilty of committing the crimes. However, I do not believe him to be responsible for the wrong doings. In his testimony, he clearly came out of a hypnotic state when addressing the judge and jurors. By placing Malvo in the care of a sexually and emotionally abusive older man, Malvo became incapable of breaking Muhammed’s psychological grasp. Muhammed’s twisted control of Malvo could not be broken even though Malvo’s own sense of morals may have been clearly at odds with Muhammad 's. Lee Boyd Malvo’s actions reflect his belief that keeping John Allen Muhammad content was the only way he could insure his own self-preservation (Holmberg). This subsequently led Malvo to survive physically unharmed but emotionally unstable. I believe Malvo should have been given a chance to visit a psychiatric facility. I do not believe he was competent to stand trial and the label of guilty is not accurate. Though the trigger might have been pulled, the young boy did not realize the crimes he was
The bond …show more content…
Stockholm Syndrome is defined as “feelings of trust or affection felt in certain cases of kidnapping or hostage-taking by a victim toward a captor” (dictionary.com). Malvo expressed that he was sexually abused and bribed into doing these crimes in order to please Muhammed, a man he viewed as his only father figure. The description of these actions coupled with the fear of being Muhammad 's next victim lead Malvo to feel brainwashed and hence unaware of the consequences of his actions …show more content…
sniper victims. In that sense he is guilty of committing the crimes. However, I do not believe him to be responsible for the wrong doings. In his testimony, he clearly came out of a hypnotic state when addressing the judge and jurors. By placing Malvo in the care of a sexually and emotionally abusive older man, Malvo became incapable of breaking Muhammed’s psychological grasp. Muhammed’s twisted control of Malvo could not be broken even though Malvo’s own sense of morals may have been clearly at odds with Muhammad 's. Lee Boyd Malvo’s actions reflect his belief that keeping John Allen Muhammad content was the only way he could insure his own self-preservation (Holmberg). This subsequently led Malvo to survive physically unharmed but emotionally unstable. I believe Malvo should have been given a chance to visit a psychiatric facility. I do not believe he was competent to stand trial and the label of guilty is not accurate. Though the trigger might have been pulled, the young boy did not realize the crimes he was