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Schizophrenia3

Schizophrenia3 Schizophrenia is a serious debilitating mental illness in which the victim is afflicted with bizarre delusions and prominent hallucinations. The delusions are profoundly invalid beliefs, and the hallucinations are equally invalid perceptions. There is also a disordering of the reasoning process, disordered emotional expression, and loss of motivation for work and social living. Typically, the illness starts in adolescence or early adulthood and, if untreated, usually worsens with age. (Lickey, Gordon, 1991) The first description of schizophrenia was first given by Emil Kraepelin in 1896, and not until 1952 the “false” idea of what that disease was ceased to exist. DSM – IV Criteria for Schizophrenia A. At least two of the following symptoms lasting for as least one month in the active phase (exception: only one symptom if it involves bizarre delusions or if hallucinations involve a running commentary on the person or two or more voices talking with each other). 3. Disorganized speech (incoherence or frequent derailment) 4. Grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior 5. Negative symptoms (flat affect, avolition, alogia, or anhedonia) B. During the course of the disturbance, functioning in one or more areas such as work, social relations, and self-care has deteriorated markedly from premorbid levels (in the case of child or adolescent, failure to reach expected level of social or academic development) C. Signs of the disorder must be present for at least six months. D. Schizoaffective and mood disorders with psychotic features must be ruled out. E. The disturbance is not substance-induced or caused by organic factors. (Source: Adapted from DSM-IV Draft Criteria)  Auditory hallucinations 74%  Voices speaking to patient 65%  Delusions of persecution 54% (Source: World Health Organization, 1973b, 1981). Relationship to the Schizophrenic Person Morbidity Risk (%) Child of two affected parents 36 - 46 Child of one affected parent 12 - 13 In truth, the term `mental illness' causes more problems than it solves: Ashworth and Gostin note that mental illness is not defined in the Mental Health Act and therefore `much will depend upon medical opinion' (1985: 212). In practice the term is used for a wide range of diagnostic categories including psychoses, affective disorders, anxiety states, hysteria, and so on (see Prins 1980). Inspection of admissions to Special Hospitals shows that by far the greatest number of mentally ill serious offenders are diagnosed as schizophrenic, with depression the next most frequent diagnosis (Craft 1984; J.R. Hamilton 1985). Does any special relationship exist between these two particular disorders and crime? Schizophrenia The most important indicators of schizophrenia, which would not all be found in one person, include disturbances of thought, perception, affect, and motor behavior (Cutting 1985; Neale and Oltmanns 1980). Thought disorder refers to a disturbance of the process of making associations between thoughts. Perceptual disturbances are evinced by hallucinations, which may be visual or tactile but are most commonly auditory, typically as voices commenting or giving instructions. Affect can be flat and expressionless or alternatively it can be inappropriate such as anger without provocation, or laughter at misfortune. Finally, motor disturbances can take the form of bizarre facial grimaces, repeated gesturing, or excited agitation of the body; alternatively unusual postures can be adopted and held, in a state of immobility, for long periods. As noted, not all these behaviors would be found in the same person, although some pattern does emerge: disorganized or hebephrenic schizophrenia is characterized by hallucinations, delusions, and inappropriate affect; catatonic schizophrenia by motor disturbances; and paranoid schizophrenia by delusions of persecution, incorporating `ideas of reference' in which personal significance is continually perceived in the actions of other people. Given this range, it may well be expedient to think of schizophrenia as a group of disorders rather than a single disorder which always manifests' itself in the same fashion. While of uncertain etiology, contemporary theories favor a complex interaction between genetic, neurochemical, and social factors as an explanation for schizophrenia. It is generally accepted that the incidence of schizophrenia is close to 1 per cent in the general population: this sets a baseline against which to compare the rates of schizophrenia in offender populations. Spry (1984) reviews the evidence on the incidence of schizophrenia and crime and notes a division in research findings: with studies of non- disordered offender groups the incidence of schizophrenia is around the 1 per cent mark (although P.J. Taylor's 1986 figures for life-sentenced offenders were substantially higher); with selected samples of offenders referred for psychiatric treatment, typically having committed serious offences, the incidence is much higher. For example, Green (1981) reports that 74 per cent of a sample of fifty-eight men admitted to a Special Hospital having committed matricide were schizophrenic. Does this suggest that schizophrenia is related to serious offences? As Spry notes, many people associate schizophrenia with crime, particularly violent crime. Indeed, there are indications that a relationship may exist between paranoid ideas and violence, and that the victims of violent attacks are often those who figured in the schizophrenic's delusions (Hafner and Boker 1982; Planansky and Johnston 1977). Crimes of this type catch the public imagination: Prins (1986) notes the case of Ian Ball, in which delusional thought processes were manifest in a plot to kidnap a member of the royal family: Prins (1983; 1986) discusses the crimes of Peter Sutcliffe, the `Yorkshire Ripper', in which there was some controversy as to the role of his paranoid schizophrenia in the murders he committed. It should be stressed, however, that the publicity generated by these cases is in inverse proportion to their frequency; the deluded and paranoid people who commit such crimes are rare. While these extreme cases are infrequent, the finding remains that schizophrenics are slightly more likely to commit violent offences than other disordered groups or the general population (Sosowsky 1978). While schizophrenia may be directly related to violence, with delusional and paranoid beliefs of apparent importance, a simple relationship between the disorder and the crime is unlikely to exist. P.J. Taylor suggests that: `It is not unusual to find that the violent act of a schizophrenic cannot be directly explained by the current psychopathology. This does not, however, negate the relevance of the illness . . . social and illness variables must be considered together' (1982: 280). The point Taylor makes is an important one: as well as considering a causal relationship between schizophrenia and violence, attention should also be paid to the similarities in social, environmental, and organic antecedents common to both violence and schizophrenia. More recent findings by the same researcher reinforce this point. From a survey of 121 psychotic offenders, Taylor concluded that `20% of the actively psychotic were directly driven to offend by their psychotic symptoms, and a further 26% probably so' (1985: 497). When social factors such as homelessness were considered along with the nature of the crime, so that `the direct and indirect consequences of psychosis are considered together, then over 80% of the offences of the psychotic were probably attributable to their illness' (1985: 497). Let it be known to the nations of earth and to the people that inhabit it, this document carries more power than any other written before. Such a tragedy as what has happen to us should not have happened and because of this action which I take on my own free will I am making it impossible f or it to occur again. For while I can be here I must guide and protect my dynasty. -Herbert W. Mullin, 1972 The voices became louder and more persistent in October of 1972, and they sounded like Martin Mullin. The message was, "Why won't you give me anything? Go kill somebody-move!" Herb was living more and more in a delusional world that he shared with no one. He had long since abandoned his psychiatric treatment and medications, and his parents were finding it impossible to "reason with him." Herb's writings over the next several months were filled with references to Albert Einstein, charts and prayers relating to reincarnation of the "H.C. Baker Dynasty" (Herb's grandfather), birth rates, death rates, terms from seismology (like "thrust fault," "gravity fault," and "lag fault") and quotations from the Bible, such as Job 14:14, "If a man die, shall he live again?" On October 13,1972, while driving along a usually deserted stretch of highway in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Herb spotted an old man staggering along the roadside. Herb stopped the car, lifted the hood, and asked the fellow to take a look at the engine-something seemed to be wrong. The man, Lawrence White, was obliging. Herb clubbed him over the head several times with a baseball bat and pulled the body off the side of the road. It was found in a few days and finally identified. Nobody got very excited about White's death; in fact, no one ever came to claim the body. Eleven days later, Herb picked up a Cabrillo College coed, Mary Guilfoyle, who was hitchhiking. He stabbed her once in the chest and then in the back. She apparently died instantly. He drove up into the mountains and removed the body from the front seat of his '58 Chevy station wagon. There was no outcry about the disappearance of Mary Guilfoyle. Her body was not found for almost four months, and by then all that remained was the skeleton. The cause of death could not even be determined on the basis of the remaining evidence. The first of Herb's killings that attracted attention in the press was the stabbing of a Catholic priest, Father Henri Tomei, in the confessional of St. Mary's Church in Los Gatos, about 15 miles from Santa Cruz. The killing occurred on All Souls Day, November 2, 1972, and appeared motiveless, although speculation went on for a week or so in the press about a "satanic or ritualistic cult killing." For Herb, there was no relief in sight. Not only had voices told him to kill again, he was now receiving telepathic messages from victims who were "asking" to be killed or at least assuring him that it was all right; they "understood" the need for it. At his trial, Herb attempted to explain this phenomenon to the jury, saying: I, Herb Mullin, born April 18,1947, was chosen as the designated leader of my generation by Professor Dr. Albert Einstein on April 18, 1955. . . . His hope probably was that the April l8th people would use his designation and its resulting power and social influence to guide, protect, or perfect the resources of our planet and universe. . . . One man consenting to be murdered protects the millions o f other human beings living in the cataclysmic earthquake/tidal area. For this reason, the designated hero/leader and associates have the responsibilities of getting enough people to commit suicide and/or consent to being murdered every day. To Herb, in the context of his schizophrenic delusions, this made perfect sense-to the jury, it made no sense at all. Herb decided it would be easier to continue with his mission if he had a gun. January was approaching, and this was going to be a crucial month for earthquakes. Many sacrifices might be required, particularly if others did not do their share. On December 16,1972, Herb walked into a store and asked to look at handguns. He selected a 22 caliber revolver and filled out the required form. He answered "No" to questions about previous arrests and mental hospitalizations, though this was actually unnecessary since under California law only "aliens, narcotics addicts, convicted felons and minors" are prohibited from purchasing handguns. On December 22,1972, having complied fully with the state gun laws, which require a five-day waiting period between purchase and delivery, the manager of the store handed Mullin his weapon. During the next month Mullin seemed to be making a last-ditch effort to please his father and carry out his "mission" in a socially accepted context. He made repeated trips to the local Marine Corps recruiting office in an effort to enlist. The recruiting officer considered Herb "weird" and tried to discourage him. Herb had his father and various old family friends write letters of recommendation. He finally was allowed to take a physical examination at the Oakland Induction Center on January 15,1973. He passed the exam, but was still turned down. Feeling rejected and ashamed, Herb moved out of the family home and into a one-room apartment in an old, run-down section of Santa Cruz, increasing his isolation. He was more and more preoccupied with his bizarre internal world. On January 25,1973, at about 9:30 a.m., Herb drove out Branciforte Drive, a long road extending from the city of Santa Cruz well up into a remote area of the Santa Cruz Mountains. (It is named for a settlement of ex-convicts, alcoholics, and other "undesirables" who were attracted to the area after the founding of the Santa Cruz Mission and settled nearby in 1797. Interestingly, within a few years the mission priest had been murdered and the settlers from Branciforte had robbed enough from the Santa Cruz Mission to discourage its expansion. The pueblo of Branciforte thrived, however, as smugglers found the hilly areas close by the ocean harbor a useful combination. Even today, small ships loaded with marijuana and other drugs have been known to unload their cargo at Santa Cruz for dispersal by "delivery personnel" who live in the remote hills and valleys of the Santa Cruz Mountains.) Jim Gianera, the high school acquaintance-turned-drug-dealer, had been on Herb's mind lately. He believed that Gianera had given him marijuana in order to destroy his mind and to prevent him from being too powerful in his next life. Herb knocked on the door of the small primitive cabin on Branciforte Drive where he thought Gianera lived. Kathy Francis, 29 years old, answered the door. Her husband was out of town and she wasn't expecting visitors. The cabin had no electricity and the only source of heat was a small stove which was out. As briefly as she could, she told the stranger at her door what he wanted to know-the Gianeras didn't live there anymore. They had moved the previous year, and she gave Mullin their Santa Cruz address. Kathy closed the door and heard the stranger drive away. Within the hour he was back. In the interval, he had shot and killed Jim Gianera, 2S, and his wife, Joan, 21, at their home. Now he shot and killed Kathy Francis and her two young sons. No words were exchanged, but the telepathic messages had assured Herb that the victims knew they had to die and had accepted their fate. An intensive investigation of these five killings was undertaken; within a week a long list of possible suspects was compiled by the Santa Cruz police and district attorney's office. Most of the suspects were people thought to have been involved in drug dealing with Jim Gianera or Bob Francis, Kathy's husband. Bob himself was considered a suspect initially, and I interviewed him at the request of the district attorney's office. He was able to establish that he was out of town on the day of the killings and provided me with the names of all conceivable "enemies" he could think of. Herbert Mullin was not on the list of suspects. A witness who lived down the hill from the Francis cabin reported to the police that he had seen a 1958 Chevrolet station wagon with a male driver heading up the hill the morning of the killings. He remembered the car because he used to have one like it, but he didn't recognize the driver and was not certain he could identify him if he saw him again. Herb was beginning to have new thoughts about the source of the voices that seemed in control of him. Although they sounded like his father, perhaps they were from the devil. On January 30,1973, he went to a Lutheran Church in Santa Cruz and talked to the pastor about the Lutheran faith. A few days later he returned to the church and sat in on a Bible group. Other members of the group recalled that he made them distinctly uncomfortable. His only remark during the meeting was, "Satan gets into people and makes them do things they don't want to." A week later, Herb was hiking in the state park in Santa Cruz, in the same remote area from which he had been evicted for illegal camping a few years before. He came across a wood frame structure covered with sheets of plastic and entered the makeshift door. There were four teen age boys inside. "You must leave here immediately or I will report you -you are camping here illegally," Herb told them. They tried to talk him into leaving them alone and not reporting them. Herb pulled out his revolver. In his boyhood Herb had been trained in marksmanship, winning certificates from the National Rifle Association. Although the boys had a rifle in their makeshift tent-cabin, none had time to reach for it. Robert Spector,18, Brian Card,19, David Oliker,18, and Mark Dreibelbis,15, died instantly of gunshot wounds to the head, fired in rapid succession by the black-haired gruff stranger they had never seen before. Herb took the rifle and left. On February 13,1973, Herb awoke in his apartment and prepared to deliver a load of firewood to his parents' house. The "messages" were insistent and clear: "Before you deliver the wood I want you to kill me somebody." Driving through town, Herb saw an older man working in the yard. He was Fred Perez, 72, someone Herb had never seen before in his life. A neighbor had just opened her living room drapes when she heard a "loud, sharp crack" that sounded like a shot. She went to her front porch and saw a 1958 blue and white station wagon driving off. There was a load of something bulky in the back and a young white male was driving. There was a red "STP" sticker on the right front door, she noted. She glanced across the street to the Perez house, saw someone lying on the ground face down, and suddenly realized what had happened. She called the police, reported the shooting, and described the station wagon she had seen. She was not able to give a clear description of the driver. The description of the station wagon went out immediately to all police in the area. Within minutes the vehicle was sighted. Herbert Mullin was arrested en route to his parents' house with a load of fire wood. He offered no resistance. At the trial, the district attorney cross- examined Herbert Mullin about the Perez killing: Q: Who decided to kill Mr. Perez, Mr. Mullin? Q: You mean that you were instructed as to how to go about this killing, then, by the voice? A: The thought I heard that morning was, "Don't deliver a stick of it [the firewood) until you kill somebody." Q: Would it be fair to say that every decision made there- A: I don't believe decisions were made. I think it was-a rock doesn't make a decision while it's falling, it just falls. Four days after the killing of Mr. Perez, on February 17, Brian Card's older brother, Jeff, hiked up to see what his brother and his friends were doing. He was horrified at what he found and called the police. Bullets obtained at autopsy matched those from Mullin's .22 caliber revolver, already in the hands of the police. Four more counts of murder were added to the charges against Herbert W. Mullin. Bibliography:

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