Killing 'nonwhite people' was motive in Brockton shooting spree, police say
(AP Photo/The Enterprise, Tim Correira)
This story was reported by John Ellement, Brian Ballou, Jonathan Saltzman, and Andrew Ryan of the Globe staff. It was written by Ellement.
BROCKTON -- Maria DeSilveira stood on the front porch of a relative's home yesterday clutching a framed photograph of her handsome father as tears rolled down her face.
"My dad didn't deserve this,'' she said of Arlindo DePina Goncalves, 72. "There's too much racism in this world.''
Police said Goncalves was the third and final victim of Keith Luke, a 22-year-old Brockton man who authorities said devised an "evil plan'' fueled by racism to kill as many "nonwhites'' and Jews as he could before taking his own life.
Luke, authorities alleged yesterday, killed Goncalves and a 20-year-old woman, raped and shot the woman's 22-year-old sister, but failed in his plans to attack a Jewish synagogue and end his life.
Luke stood in Brockton District Court, hands manacled behind his back, his face scratched and bruised, the outcome of a gun battle, police chase, and car crash.
Luke pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder, one count of aggravated rape, and two counts of armed assault with intent to kill. He was ordered held without bail by Judge James Sullivan.
Sitting in court with tears in his eyes was the father of the two sisters he had brought from their native Cape Verde about a year ago for a better life here.
According to authorities, Luke, for reasons that are unclear, targeted the sisters and attacked them Wednesday afternoon in the Clinton Street apartment building where Luke and his mother had once lived. Relatives of the women said they did not know Luke and believed that the sisters did not know him, either.
One 20-year-old woman was shot and killed and her older sister was repeatedly raped and shot, but survived. She was listed in stable but serious condition at a Boston hospital yesterday.
The Globe is not naming the sisters because its policy is not to identify victims of sex crimes without their permission.
In court, First Assistant District Attorney Frank Middleton described Luke's alleged rampage and how two men -- one white, the other described as a person of color -- braved gunfire to try to help the mortally wounded woman.
"Yesterday this defendant methodically began an evil plan of mass murder and rape in the City of Brockton targeting victims he identified as nonwhite,'' said Middleton. Luke wanted to "kill as many Jews, blacks, and Hispanics as humanly possible ... before killing himself,'' he said.
Defense lawyer Joseph Krowski Jr. asked that his client be sent to Bridgewater State Hospital, a request rejected by the judge. Krowski suggested Luke had a history of mental illness but did not elaborate.
Luke allegedly forced his way inside the sisters' apartment with a 9mm handgun and a backpack containing two pairs of handcuffs, a blindfold, and a gag he had bought with his mother's credit card. He used the handcuffs to bind the elder sister's hands and then repeatedly raped her. When her sister came to the door and banged on it, Luke shot her multiple times, police said.
After shooting the woman at the door, Luke looked to her sister in a bedroom covering herself with a white teddy bear. He shot her through the stuffed animal, according to the police report.
Out on the street, as two men tried to help the younger sister, who had retreated from the door, Luke fired at the nonwhite would-be rescuer, but missed and then drove off, police said.
A few blocks away, Luke happened upon Arlindo Goncalves, whom he knew from the neighborhood, police said. Luke stepped out of his van and fired, police said.
"Goncalves raised one hand in front of his face to protect himself,'' police wrote. They said Luke shot him again in the back to make sure he was dead. A passerby who had followed Luke provided police with his license plate number.
Luke reportedly fired on and missed two Brockton police officers as they pursued the van until it plowed into two vehicles and crashed near East Ashland and North Quincy streets.
Police said Luke told them he bought a handgun on the street six months ago and purchased 200 rounds of ammunition.
"I'm sorry I shot at the cops,'' he said, according to a police report. "But I am not sorry I shot those people at the house.''
After he shot as many "nonwhites'' as he could, he reportedly told the police his plan was to head to a synagogue near his mother's Pleasant Street home and kill as many Jews as he could as they left a bingo game. He would then kill himself.
Rabbi Joshua Cohen of Temple Beth Emunah, the Conservative synagogue Luke planned to attack, said he had never heard of Luke and believes he randomly targeted the synagogue. He said investigators told him Luke was acting alone.
"As much as we like to think we've moved forward in our society and culture, hate and racism still exist, and it's really unfortunate,'' Cohen said.
About a year ago, Luke and his mother, Dara Paparo Luke, moved back to Pleasant Street, where she had grown up. Neighbors said the extended Paparo family had lived in the racially mixed neighborhood more than 25 years, and that Keith Luke was close to his mother and grandparents.
Richard W. Sullivan and his wife, Beth, said they watched Keith Luke grow up and were surprised to hear of the charges. They never saw signs of racial hatred in him, they said.
Mayor James E. Harrington of Brockton said investigators are inspecting a computer found in Keith Luke's home.
"It's very disturbing,'' he said. "We're a very diverse community. Like any community, every so often you will have somebody that will commit a crime of hate, but it's generally not something you ever see in Brockton, and it's certainly not something we tolerate.''
Arlindo Goncalves's sister, Amalia Goncalves, 37, speaking Cape Verdean Crioulo, said her brother was "an old man who lived out on the street, didn't hurt anyone.''
Arlindo Goncalves worked as a bricklayer in Cape Verde and arrived in the United States about 18 years ago, his sister said.
A father of eight, he sometimes lived with three adult children who are in the United States but ultimately insisted on his independence.
"He had been talking about going back to Cape Verde, because he would have a better life there with his [five] children and the rest of his family,'' Amalia Goncalves said.
The two sisters had worked for about a year in the Brockton production plant of Zoots, a chain of dry cleaning stores, said Patricia O'Leary, co-owner of 17 stores. O'Leary said co-workers were close to them and were weeping in the plant yesterday.
"They all spoke about these two girls and how friendly they were and how funny they were,'' O'Leary said. "They were very well liked. It's just awful.''
A close friend said the woman who was killed was a "poderosa meiga,'' a person with a magnetic personality respected by her peers.
"She acted the mother to all of us,'' said the friend, Lori, who asked that her last name not be published because of the ongoing criminal investigation. "She was very strong, a very strong girl. She was always smiling and she was brilliant.''
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Sick World
Another right wing wacko.
If he was wondering about the demise of his people, all he had to do was look in the mirror. What a sad, sad excuse of a human being.
WOW .... Please, Please don't ever let this person loose. He must stay behind bars the rest of his life with no parole.
now that hes lived he needs extreme help.this is very sad and i cound not think of y its not lawful to carry guns for folks like this. its so common for folks to flip out but this is a life violation and any violent death is vile but this is just the exact reason y somthing about this case should be brought into the national spotlight.when he was outside shooting homless folks some one should have been there for his challange im very sick of this way of killing unarmed folks its very threating to our very existence. the way the girls suffered has made me highly upset. father of two and an angry african american this will make national news
What about this atrocity is "right wing"? I may not agree with most right-wing positions, but I'm mature enough to understand that right-wing doesn't mean evil. Grow up. We need to get past partisanship and blaming the "other side" for everything. This has nothing to do with politics or values. This guy is a vicious psychopath, period.
Where's my property tax cut?
How is committing an evil act the moniker of a "right-wing wacko"? This is evil, plain and simple. I don't want to hear about his crappy childhood and years of abuse. To have zero empathy for human life is evil, plain and simple.
when is this world going to wake up and realize every one of us is equal!
Do you notice how they always intend of killing themselves in the end but never get around to it! How much do you want to bet he pleads insanity they all claim to be insane after all is said and done and we get to foot the bill for their so called recovery - "Only in America"
Ask him who is favorite right wing talk radio host is.
Do not pass god - do not collect $200. Go directly to jail!
This man is obviously suffering from some sort of psychosis, and the globe is reporting this as if he had some sort of political agenda. He is not "right wing" or racist, or offensive. He is very sick, and his clearly inadequate treatment has lead to deaths of innocent people.
The discussion here should not be about race, but about the fact that we are cutting funding to mental health workers in a time when obviously there are some cracks in the system. The Globe's coverage of this is completely misleading and missing the point of what happened.
Why isn't this guy being charged with hate crimes?
At a loss for words.....my heart goes out to their families.
Thank you Brockton Police, for stoping that criminal.
Ever since Obama (God Bless Him) was elected, there have been racial problems springing up. Perhaps as a people, we need to look at ourselves before we "help the world."
What!?!?!, No outcry from the masses on what an animal this guy is?
Funny how there are always plenty of folks ready to voice their opinions when it's the other way around.
So typical.
My heart goes out to the victims and the families who were innocent and still fell prey to this seriously, mentally ill man and his sad, misguided delusions. I would also like to thank the Boston PD for reacting when they did ensuring he could not harm anyone else. I only hope Luke gets the help in prison that he should have received before this all happened.
Wacko yes.... right wing, i do not think that is true statement
I completely disagree... just because you are right wing doesn't mean you're racists and want to kill people... stop generalizing and comparing this monster to good men and women
Right wing? What the heck does politics have to do with that? More left wingers than right wingers get arrested.
Notice the Globe leaves out what the Enterprise added. This person did not have a legal license to own a gun. He purchased it illegally outside of a local school a few months ago.
what a horrible person. right or left. horrible person.
Kid's punishment should be to get the same done to him. See how he likes handcuffs and a bullet
Too many similar hate crimes going on, from our schools to our communities, well before President Obama came on the scene. I have no clue what sets people off to commit these atrocities. Have we allowed an entire generation of psychotic killers and gangstas to emerge into manhood, bent on exterminating those that have different skin? In this case, this young man was swayed by the doom and gloom available to all who venture to their web sites. It's as if the white supremacy and the KKK was resurrected via the Internet spewing their hatred for all other races and cultures. Instead of hiding behind their white hoods and secret meetings, they've turned to the web to lure and misguide those with no real direction in their lives.
To bad the police were not able to finish this useless human off.
Too bad this state doesn't have the death penalty, perfect suspect for it..... Too bad he didn't shoot at the police, would have loved to read "Brockton Police returned fire and killed the man."
This has nothing to do with the atrocity of this story, but actually this guy is a product of the left wing if anything:
He is a criminal with a gun, which is the only type of person with a gun when left wingers get their way.
He's a product of divorce, which the lefties love and perpetuate with their diminishing of the roles fathers play.
And he will not be killed for this, we will pay to feed, house, and care for him until he dies of natural causes.
NOW THAT OBAMA IS PRESIDENT THERE WILL BE MORE...
THIS ISN'T GOOD...
PEACE TO THE PEOPLE LETS STRIVE TO BE EQUAL!
Anyone saying that the guy would have been stopped if more people carried guns is completely wrong. It would have led to more bloodshed. Also, it doesn't matter one bit whether he owned the gun legally or not. Its the horrible actions he commited with it that matter. He's not "sick" This was a premeditated attempt at mass murder of people who didn't look like him. He doesn't need a shrink, he needs to never see the light of day again.
I'll go as far as to call the guy a rightwing wacko. Racist websites and idealologies almost always identify with "conservative" views. How often have we heard ridiculous claims about the demise of the white race being spouted by rightwing radio hosts like Drudge and Michael Savage? So is it possible that these talking heads know that they have a crazy base, and that they would try to play to it? Of course. H
He is right wing because he discriminates against non-whites! How more right wing can you get that a white supremacist?
On another note, I was so suprised to find out that he lives with his mother......
great job..officer Joseph Tegan...successful arrest once again,,,you rock!
joseph
Oh, how many of you feel sorry for this "sick" man. This mentally ill man..what a bunch of crap! If these murders were just the untreatable actions of someone with a mental disorder then how do you explain the hundreds of years of rape, murder, lynchings, etc. suffered by non-whites in this country? The very same type of actions. Were all those people suffering from a mental disorder? If so, what is this disorder called?... "The overweight, still lives at home with his mother, un-socialized loser white guy who chooses to blame everyone who is non-white for his inability to thrive syndrome"? Oh my, that could be the title of my thesis.
wacko, yes, right -wing, no-- wing-nut is more like it. conservatives might argue that this guy is a perfect advertisement for the death penalty. So, Rushisfat, do you want your tax dollars used to feed and "rehabilitate " this guy, or do you want them put to more productive uses?
WHAT A SICK PERSON.I MEAN WHO COULD DO SUCH A THING TO AN INNOCENT PERSON.NOT TO MENTION THE TWO YOUNG GIRLS!!
JUST WHAT IS THIS WORLD COMING TO?THIS KIND OF STUFF MAKES ME SO SICK TO MY STOMACH.HE IS A SHAME TO OUR COUNTRY...
He needs to be locked up and throw away the keys.
its crimes like these that completely justify the need for capital punishment in massachusetts. politics aside, there are some people who cannot be and refuse to be rehabilitated by the corrections part of the criminal justice system and the only option is to remove them from our society permanently.
Last time I checked... I'm white and I'm Jewish! Shocker--white Jewish people!
What a sick world. Makes to think twice about bringing more children into this world.
:'-(
Speechless. I can't believe this kind of hatred is living just around the corner.
How many people think that the present (and possibly ongoing) recession will lead to a dramatic increase in crime as it did in many places in the 70's? I hope not.
It's amazing that when a white man do all this and the media can protect him. But any other race do this,it's Oh my God! And everybody will know. He became ill when he got caught! And he have a nerve to boast about it.
too bad he survived the car crash. I'd rather my tax dollars didn't go to waste on a trial for this idiot.
The perpetrator of these horrendous hate crimes is mentally ill. His diagnosis is probably be "borderline personality disorder." A recent study found that
this mental illness is on the increase with an estimated 6% of the population suffering from emotional instability and rages, related to fear of abandonment and paranoia. Instable youth who have been rejected by parents, peers and schools are often filled with hostilities. Gangs and hate group websites appeal to such youth, encourgaging violence. Public safety depends on troubled kids getting more than punishment and rejections from schools . They need help. everyone. pprpreventpreventradgedies, s.
Beth to say this crime had no racial issues to do with it is absurd. regardless of his mental illness, he did not have intentions to kill whites. he had intentions to kill everyone but white people. clearly he had a racial agenda.
Being a Cape Verdean myself, this hits me right at home, because i have family in Brockton...this man gets no sympathy from me. if he is put into a mental institution then he's there forever. if he's placed in jail then he's there forever. nothing less.
my condolences to the Goncalves families.
this
Beth to say this crime had no racial issues to do with it is absurd. regardless of his mental illness, he did not have intentions to kill whites. he had intentions to kill everyone but white people. clearly he had a racial agenda.
Being a Cape Verdean myself, this hits me right at home, because i have family in Brockton...this man gets no sympathy from me. if he is put into a mental institution then he's there forever. if he's placed in jail then he's there forever. nothing less.
my condolences to the Goncalves families.
this
So you allow comments like "Where's my property tax cut?" and "Another right wing wacko" but you don't allow me to point out that right wing and zionist occupation don't align?
This guy is an animal and a savage and my heart breaks for those poor victims and their families.
I am right wing and he in no way represents the views of right wing conservatives. He does not represent people who didn't vote for Obama. No matter how hard some people will want to use this as a right v. left / black v. white issue, it won't work...this was an example of pure evil and makes me wish we had the death penalty. Not because it would be a deterant but because it would satisfy our wish for revenge.
Too bad Mass does not have a death penalty.
hey RUSHISFAT. he may or may not be right wing but the wackjob lefty judges in this state will be the reason he finds his way back on the streets.
I think he is a sick man that needs help. The state should help this man get better so he can come back and become productive again.
We have a huge problem of not curing mentally diseased people and this is what happens. The state has failed.
We should embrace our liberalism here in this state and get behind helping this guy instead of making him an outcast. Let's stay true to our liberal, open-minded, synpathetic roots of beinng educated and elite here in Massachusetts.
This guy is obviously insane. It has nothing to do with politics/right or left. For anyone to say that is sickening.
This is a horrible tragedy. I am soo sorry for the victims and families of the victims.
As much as I think this guy needs to sit in a small concrete box 400 feet underground, where rats can gnaw off his fat rolls, remember, in America, no matter what the media says, people are innocent until proven guilty.
But can we please hurry his trial up and add Hate Crimes to the list as well? My thoughts go out to the surviving victim and her kin.
I find it interesting that those who are most passionate about preserving racial "purity" are those who have nothing else going for them. If this loser ever admitted to himself that his "racial identity" really DOESN'T trump all else, no matter what one's character is, he would probably need a room with restraints and megadoses of tranquilizers.
After having such a wonderful event this past tuesday, one would think that this country will rise above racisim and ignorance...its sad to see that there is still people out there that just cant have love and respect for all races.
I hope and pray this man goes to jail for the rest of his life.
The guy is sick..PERIOD, no question or coma. Has nothing to do with politics and all you dummies out there trying to make a connection are just blowing air. Wheres the connection? There is NONE. The guy clearly needs help better yet, he just needs to be locked up. Someone wasn't paying attention to this ticking time bomb, or they just flat out ignored it. My prayers and condolences go out to the victims and their families. All you people out there, take a second and actually think about what your gonna write before you right it. You look silly.
typical - it is glaring that other media outlets note that this worthless piece of scum obtained the firearm and ammunition illegally. More evidence of the Globe's tacit or at least implicit campaign against legal gun owners.
Um, actually, this IS right-wing conservatism to its fullest extent. It takes that kind of close-minded ignorance to start with, then add the psychotic factor, and here you go! Doesn't matter if it's "non-whites", abortion clinics, whatever... only right-wing wackos pull this kind of cr@p. Better yet, name me the last person who went on a murderous rampage in the name of protecting the "liberal agenda"... For example, you don't see very many people going on mass killing sprees because most states don't allow gay marriage. However, would it be out of the realm of imagination to read that someone killed a whole slew of people at a church simply because they ALLOWED gay marriage?? Hmm??? Just an example, but still -- hopefully you're smart enough to see the point.
Look, you still need the psycho factor for this to happen. It's not to say that every right-winger is liable to do this. But whether you like it or not, the fact that this guy was psychotic was the only deliniation between him and much of middle America. When you focus your "values" on exclusion and exclusivity (or "preservation"), as are the cornerstones of the conservative movement, you breed hatred. Sad, but true.
Did he go to the Brockton public schools? I wonder how much he got beat up.
//It described Luke as an obese, young white man who lived with his mother and spent much of his time on the Internet//
Another left wing wacko.
Kidding, unlike others. Obviously, the only wing this guy has in his future is one in a mental hospital or prison.
Rushisfat "Right wing Wacko" I think this is more than just what your political veiws are. Jay Severin is a "right wing wacko". This guy is just a WACKO. Stop trying to make this political...you fool.
Until you have witnessed mental illness destroy a family member you can't understand that it's not evil or political, but sick brain chemistry and mental illness that causes people such as Luke to commit such horrific acts. I am very sad that the judge didn't send him to Bridgewater.
to Mikey "Insane" - ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND - He is beyond help
That man is sick, but how is he a right wing wacko? 'Rushisfat' is just another close minded troll, trying to divide instead of unite.
Hey Rushisfat: You're an idiot. Grow up and think the next time you speak. A right-wing view on politics is not a killing spree. The killer was a sick man....period.
He's sick......He needs help. blah blah blah. He's right wing. He is none of these things. He is animal, he should be treated as such. Put down humanely.
YOU KNOW HE IS A VERY SICK INDIVIDUAL...
MY HEART GOES OUT TO THE FAMILIES OF THESE VICTIMS ASWELL.
BUT DO YOU REALLY THINK SOMEONE COMPLETELY SANE COULD DO SUCH A THING??
WHAT HE DID WAS A HORRIBLE THING....WHAT IS THIS WORLD COMING TO? I COULD JUST IMAGINE WHAT THOSE GIRLS HAD TO GO THRU...IT MAKES ME SO MAD!!IN MY OPINION...LOCK HIM UP AND THROW AWAY THE KEY.MAYBE HE WILL GET ALL THE HELP HE NEEDS IN PRISON.
-CYNTHIA
Hey Terry Von, I'm just guessing, but I don't think white supremists turn out in droves for democrats, at least not since LBJ backed desegregation. But I do know of some examples of Republicans appealing to racists in their election campaigns.
Hey...DJMcG - Hello.... tree huggers torching Aspen mansions, destroying SUVs, burning new houses in suburban Virginia subdivisions.. firing on whaling ships legally out on the ocean...shooting guns into the houses of judges who do not support their right to abortion positions....do I need to go on??
I'm a stark raving (sometimes mad) liberal...and this has nothing to do with left or right wing...this dude was just NUTS!
Nah, we don;t need the death penalty. My tax money will feed him for sixty years. What is wrong with this picture. Bring back the death penalty in Massachusetts!!!!
no doubt he is a right wing hate monger
I am inclined to be more liberal socially and conservative fiscally. Now that said how do you call this guy a right winger?????. My brother is a right winger and a real good guy. This guy is a real sick puppy. This is a hate crime. He needs a lot of help, but, behind bars.
Life without parole is too good for this piece of sub-human crap. We should all demand the death penalty. When will we wake up to the fact that some so called "people" are pure evil and do not deserve to live among us. This piece of garbage deserves to rot in hell!
He said that a little voice that sounded like Al Franken whispered in his ear and told him to do it.
Rushisfat it has nothing to do with right or left. He is just a sick individual, not unlike yourself for trying to turn this into a political debate.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of the victims of this horrible act of insanity and hate.
What does this say about the public health crisis we have been enduring in the country for decades? We can't control handguns getting into the hands of mentally ill people who have seriously violent delusions. Chalk another one up for the body count that the NRA and their ilk are responsible for.
This defies political affiliation. The man is sick, needs to be put out of his misery.
What does this say about the public health crisis we have been enduring in the country for decades? We can't control handguns getting into the hands of mentally ill people who have seriously violent delusions. Chalk another one up for the body count that the NRA and their ilk are responsible for.
Time for all the right wingers to distance yourselves. Go ahead, deny this guy's politics.
Wonder why the cops didn't protect these two women? We're told countless times that we don't need guns, and instead can rely upon the police. Why didn't the police prevent this guy from raping and shooting one, and shooting the other? Brockton cops have a reputation for competence, so what happened?
Maybe this is the price that these women had to pay to live in a "progressive society. It's the duty of every citizen to surrender when chosen as a victim by a vicious criminal.
The stuff about white supremacy is a smokescreen. This man set out to rape two women. He bought a gun and he brought two sets of handcuffs with him to rape his former neighbors and probably to kill them, too. The poor homeless man was just a target of opportunity when his plan went awry. If there is justice, Luke will be locked up in prison for the rest of his unnatural life. I have no sympathy for him, only for the family and friends of those beautiful young women and the poor man who was killed and, possibly, for Luke's mother. The story behind the story (how much she knew about her son's Internet use, etc.) has yet to be told.
He isn't crazy or sick.
He spent a great deal of time on his computer most likely frequenting violent porn sites, thus the rape, and Nazi or skinhead sites. As he got more engrossed in this material he began to believe it was all true and feared for the demise of the white race, so he decided to do something about it.
He should spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Ok, Aron, let's try to get a few things straight.
First, your comment regarding: "..Now that hes lived he needs extreme help.."?
Try immediate institutionalization with no trial, or better yet: immediate execution, since help in any manner will not do this demented individual any good. Look at his face. Look at the blank eyes simply telegraphing mental illness that simply oozes from his stare. He's scary.
When I was a kid my Father always pointed people like him out to me and warned me: "...see him? When you see people that look like that, don't make eye contact and cross the street..." This guy is the poster child for that sentiment.
Second, your comment: "...i cound not think of y its not lawful to carry guns for folks like this...: is also ridiculous. Despite your grammatical and spelling errors (there are too many to pass as typing errors) I assume you believe that gun control laws would have stopped this kiling spree. I'm certain the gun he used was not legally registered nor purchased. I'm not an anti- or a pro gun supporter, but gun laws will not stop people like this from getting guns. If they want them bad enough, they'll get them...it's that simple.
Third, your comment that: "...when he was outside shooting homless folks some one should have been there for his challange..." Are you serious? This guy is running down the street shooting aimlessly at anything and anyone that moves and you want an unarmed citizen to challenge him? Where were you? What would you have done? Have you ever witnessed a shooting or violent crime in process? I have. It isn't pretty. If you aren't trained and ready, you simply freeze and will likely end up his next victim. Challenge him? Get serious Aron.
Reports are now saying that he has a "history of mental problems, and was probably off his medicine..." Great. Some psychiatrist probably argued strongly in favor if keeping him locked up, and another shrink argued just as strongly that he deserved "his freedom, and has rights..." What about the rights of his victim NOT to have a demented time bomb walking the streets?
Where was his family? Why were they not able to commit him and get him the help he obviously needed? Was he in treatment and funding was cut or the institution was 'privatized' and he was turned loose?
Stop whining, stop wringing your hands and complaining, and pressure your legislators to restore funding to programs that get sickos like this off the streets. Be part of the solution....not just another complainer. He should never have been out of a lock-up.
DJMcG permit me to correct you. Right wing conservativism is core conservative principles which include outspoken belief in God and country, and most U.S. conservatives support a fiscal policy rooted in small government and supply-side economics.
It has nothing to do with exclusion or exclusivity or an inate desire to murder someone based on the color of their skin..
Let me think here oh wait how about abortion? Sounds fairly liberal to me and reeks of death just as much as what you like to pin on us "right wing wackos."
Whether it be by a gun, or a tidy little vacuum used in an abortion clinic....murder is murder and it knows no color or political viewpoint.
Somebody wanted to know why this guy isn't called an animal, and that he would be if it "were the other way around," whatever that means.
Well, I'll spell it out for you: THIS GUY IS AN ANIMAL...BENEATH AN ANIMAL, in fact. Animals kill for food, defense, and overall survival. This CREATURE did it of his own free will, and he should rot behind bars for the rest of his-- it's-- miserable life.
How's that?
You people are sick this has nothing to do with politics left or right...get a life
It's ironic that the left gleefully proclaims the killer to be a "right winger" (as opposed to his true ideology-insanity). However, the right would treat him much more harshly (death penalty) than the left (no death penalty, no overcrowding in prisons, more civil rights, more pay for public defenders, close Gitmo for symbolism purposes, etc.).
GregP, you asked "What about this atrocity is "right wing"?"... Well, white supremacy is indeed considered a right wing ideology. Its fascism, and although in the USA right wing doesn't have the fascist connotation, everywhere else in the world, and all through history, fascists are considered right wing.
AL5000:
Precisely. Right-wingers love to distance themselves from their own once they go on the rampage. Then they were "simply an animal with zero political affiliation". But hey, you can't be conservative without being delusional, so it kind of works itself out! They're able to delude themselves from fact and reality in these instances (just like so many others). It's just so sad how their mentality FEEDS these people. Most conservatives vent these bitter, ignorant frustrations through joke emails about race, religion, nationality, etc., etc. But then, when a wacko takes the SAME EXACT MENTALITIES, and turns it into muder and mayhem. Well, you see how quick they are to create as much distance as possible and wash their hands of any of the responsibilty their idiotic messages foster. It's really pathetic.
And as for the moron who likened liberal tree-huggers throwing paint or defacing property to killing-spree maniacs... well, your mentality just proves my point. Great job!
It disgusting that people are bringing up politics right-wing this left-wing that... there are multiple innoccent people DEAD because of this horrible excuse for a human being. Its not about what political side people are on, its about the fact that this sicko was living in the Boston area, the fact that we have (had? maybe?) a person who violent against other races, its a disgrace.
I am so sorry to the families who have been effected by this sicko. As much as I usually am in favor of the death penalty, this man wanted to die, so why should he be given that satisfaction? I say lock him up for good and have his cell wall decorated with the crime scene photos and having to write an apology letter everyday to the family, he should suffer.
He wasn't the only delusional person. A black church torched on election night and a man rapes and kills non-whites while stating he wants to kill jews following the inaugurationof the first african american president, and none of this was racially or politically motivated? "There are none more blind than those who will not see..."
Absolute agreement w/ Mel! This was a mentally sick human being, period! You can attach politics and race, however you like, plenty of crimes do warrant looking at that as a motive. This was a crime of a very sick individual. His sickness was his motive. He needed help before he did what he did, apparently no saw the help he needed. Now because of what he did - Yes he needs to be locked up in what ever way keeps him out of society to do this again. PERIOD. My condolences and prayers are with the families of the victims who lost their lives.
I agree with you lynch its not political it's a sick person. Why do people always have to jump on the band wagon and make it that way?
Right wing, left wing--nothing to do with the two. Crazies are everywhere, history backs that up.
One does not point to the leftist FARC guerrillas who kidnap civilians in Colombia and associate them with folks on the left in America. We don't look at Pinochet in Argentina and associate him with those on the right in America.
Dont worry... with MA having such strict liberal judicial processes, he will be out in a week instead of 4 days.
This has nothing to do with Politics, Obama, right wing, left wing or chicken wings. This is a mentally ill individual who sits on the computer all day long reading things that warp his sick mind. Let's not use this to push your personal political agendas, please.
So many comments focused on how to punish the attacker and so few about the victims. My sincere condolences to the Goncalves families and friends of the young woman who lost her life, her severely injured sister, and the poor elderly man (Arlindo.) I hope that they can find some solace during this very difficult time.
And whether the vengeful among you admit it or not, this deranged perpetrator was indeed sick. Does that mean he doesn't deserve punishment? Of course not. But no person of sound mind could be capable of such random violence. If his doesn't fit the definition of a "sick mind", I'm not sure what does.
Michael:
Not necessary... you did absolutely ZERO correcting there. So don't worry about it! I didn't even begin to address economics, which is, of course, the only point of focus you would like us to be distracted towards...
No, rather, we are discussing the SOCIAL ramifications of the conservative "ideal".
Do you know what the biggest problem is with conservatives?? They really are ignorant enough to think that we simply don't get where they're coming from! It is quite possibly the most frustrating aspect of the argument. They don't realize that liberals are born out of conservative families. Some of us actually grew up in places like Indiana and Nebraska. We know the mentality. We have family members who are still stuck in the middle of last century, errr, I mean "conservative".
But then we see the error of our ways. We see how close-minded, small-town mentalities breed hatred. And when you put that hatred-base ideal into the head of a psychotic (again, conceding that the two are not mutually exclusive), THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS.
So... nice smokescreen with the economic focus. Rejected.
This isn't a gun issue. He aquired the gun illegally. Assuming you could ban and confiscate every pistol in the US, guns would be streaming across the Mexican border in an hour.
"Better yet, name me the last person who went on a murderous rampage in the name of protecting the "liberal agenda"
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DJMcG-
So let me see if I get what you're saying, the conservative agenda is for racial purity, or something like that? Exactly what part of the current conservative agenda was this guy try to protect or support? Please provide evidence.
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"However, would it be out of the realm of imagination to read that someone killed a whole slew of people at a church simply because they ALLOWED gay marriage?? Hmm??? Just an example, but still -- hopefully you're smart enough to see the point. "
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Apparently you're not smart enough to make any point, because what you're saying makes no sense. So because a crazy psychopath doesn't believe in gay marriage, and then kills people, that means what exactly? What does that have to do anything? Show me one prominent opponent of gay marriage that advocates killing people because they support it.
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But whether you like it or not, the fact that this guy was psychotic was the only deliniation between him and much of middle America. "
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DJMcG you're such an ignorant fool for that statement. So much of middle America shares the beliefs of the KKK? You mean much of the states in Middle America that voted for Obama? Are you nuts? Show me one prominent contemporary conservative who advocates for racial purity and "killing nonwhite people"?
Apparently the irony of your hateful and biogted comments towards conservatives and middle America is lost on you, but it's not surprising. I'm sure you think that you're such an open minded-tolerant liberal, but then you go on stereotyping an entire group of people (i.e. conservatives, middle America) for the psychotic actions of one deranged person. Not exactly being so tolerant there are we? Nothing like judging a large group of people for the actions of one, huh?
You spout the same kind of ignorance and intolerance that you claim to be against, but you're so blind that you don't even know it. What one crazy person says or does doesn't make others guilty by association, get it?
Anyone who tries to make a political issue out if this is a LOSER! A person is dead and some people have to use this as a way to spew their hatred for the other side's politics - GET A LIFE! Did Obama's election and message not get through to you?
Wow, that's some mighty fine reactionary police work. They probably prevented a massacre.
I'm all for police brutality in this particular instance, they earned it.
I am the first person to say that mentally ill people should be treated differently and provided with quality care in the hopes of rehabilitation. But, in this case, the "suspect" had a clear agenda. He was trying to wipe out people that weren't like him. He even said as much (though putting Jewish people in with non-whites should speak at some level to his cognitive ability). People that truly need help are the ones that can't differentiate between right and wrong. The ones that don't know what they are doing is wrong. Anyone that starts a plan like this that admits to planning on ending it by shooting himself, knows what he is doing isn't right. Someone that was truly "insane" would have done the things he did and then gone about his daily life, not realizing what a horrible thing he had done. Either way, this person should spend the rest of their lives behind bars, preferably in a jail with a lot of "non-whites" he hates so much.
No. 81 AL5000 and No. 91 DJMcG .. How do you explain calling this guy right wing when he used the term "zionist occupation" .. of mcourse you'd have to read the whole story and use logic to make that connection .. that sounds like one of your boys, so I turn it back to you to start distancing yourself ..
Come on, he just believes what the dem Sen Byrd used to believe.
To even think that a man who has a mind this distorted is committing these crimes because of political views is pathetic. Knowing that such a confused and sadistic person did so much damage, how can you look to politically divide the people who are actually interested and feel sympathy for those innocent people?
How can you (the citizen) decide that one political party is evil and another is good? Both have their defects, and both will be rivals as long as they both exist. But politics are not the cause or the solution in this case. This man did not act on politics, but on his own stupidity.
this man is obviously mentally ill and should be heavily medicated and locked up forever....or put down.
You want an example of a left wing wacko that killed someone.
Teddy Kennedy.
There you go.
Now what's more evil;
someone who kills because he's a mentally disabled paranoid schizophrenic?
-or-
someone who leaves a helpless woman that was his “friend,” behind to die, not to save his own life but to save his political career?
I’ll take a crazy any day.
You people are idiots.
The article mentions the man being extremely racist which seems to be true, but I can't conceive of someone being so racist that they would just go do something like this without being mentally ill as well. Not that they should take it easy on him either, just saying... you cant be all there will a "plan" like that...
Sad... very sad.
"GregP, you asked "What about this atrocity is "right wing"?"... Well, white supremacy is indeed considered a right wing ideology. Its fascism, and although in the USA right wing doesn't have the fascist connotation, everywhere else in the world, and all through history, fascists are considered right wing."
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Yeah, and communism is a left wing ideology, so what? Sorry, but that is ridiculous to say that this was a "right wing" atrocity.
This whole thing is so sad and pointless...
If those poor girls had applied for a long gun permit (which cannot be denied in MA for law abiding sane citizens) , and had a shotgun or two in the house, there would have been only one person dead and no rapes.... While we can all feel sad for the mentally ill perp here, the rights of the dead/raped victims to NOT be killed are more important than the rights of the perp to be alive...
Don't worry, Cadillac DeVille will pardon him!
We have lost a young beautiful soul. A young lady who's smile lights up a room and offered this world nothing but good! The person resposible is a truly sick individual ,but instead of giving him the attention and satisfaction we should take the good that Selma had to offer and help it live on in all of us! just smile!
DJMcG,
So when a radical communist out there kills someone they see as their ideological enemy, it is your left wing views that are responsible and that "feed his mentality". How do you like that one?
It is beliefs like yours that are responsible for Stalin's purges, the Ukranian famine, Mao Tse Tung's "great leap forward", and the Khmer Rouge genocide. You have exactly the same beliefs as they do, but then when such atrocities happen, you then try and distance yourself from them.
See, I can mock your beliefs and make ridiculous generalizations out of them too! Should I continue, or do you get it yet?
abe lincoln was a right winger
I bet dollars to doughnuts that this nut was on steroids. Look at him. He looks like the poster boy for roid rage. Wait and see. I bet they find that he was seriously abusing steroids.
"He is a criminal with a gun, which is the only type of person with a gun when left wingers get their way."
Sorry but as someone with a Canadian with an interest in gun control I have come to realize that it will not work in America. America's gun problem is a culture issue and gun violence will only go away when you collectively grow up.
"And he will not be killed for this, we will pay to feed, house, and care for him until he dies of natural causes."
It costs more to execute someone than it does to keep them in prison. Period.
I am appalled to read some of the arguments posted here. For the record, I consider myself a moderate conservative and a Republican. In no way, shape, or form does that hint that I am somehow a racist, fascist, or murderer. To imply otherwise would be to make a hateful generalization, similar to the generalizations that played out in the mind of Keith Luke.
There are many documented cases of extreme liberals using violence to achieve their ideological goals (almost the textbook definition of terrorism). On the same token, one could argue that most racists would consider themselves "conservative," as apposed to "liberal," and justify their violent crimes with their own twisted ideology. The fact of the matter is that any viewpoint can be taken too far and thus tips the scales toward extremism. Luke may have considered himself to be "right-wing," but that does not mean his views are shared amongst right wingers or should be labeled as such. See the difference?
It seems that in our generation, we look to place the blame elsewhere so often that atrocities like this could be justified by the "it wasn't my fault" defense. I agree that Luke is mentally ill, but to argue that "The state has failed" is ludicrous. The blame should be raining on himself, his mother, and the sick bastards that had a hand in molding his young mind. The state can do nothing for a person's mental health unless reported, which should have been done in this case by the mother. Responsible parenting guides our youth toward greatness, and this is the case of horribly irresponsible parenting.
After any crime committed with a firearm, there is usually a public outcry for "stricter" gun laws. Luke reportedly bought the handgun over the counter at a local store without a legal license, and the store owner should be dealt with accordingly. On the other hand, we DO want trained law abiding citizens who are motivated and willing to intervene in situations like this to be carrying a concealed weapon whenever possible. Police cannot be everywhere, and I'm sure had there been a responsible man's gun in his face, the perpetrator wouldn't have gotten very far. So many of you view "concealed carry" as a negative term, when in reality it is extremely effective in STOPPING violent crimes, not creating them.
Let me add that Brockton PD officers saved dozens of lives by responding quickly and refusing to let the situation escalate. Job well done. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families.
Paranoid Personality Disorder: In response to stress, individuals with this disorder may experience very brief psychotic episodes (lasting minutes to hours). If the psychotic epidose last longer, this disoder may actually develop into Delusional Disorder or Schizophrenia. ..."More severely affected individuals (that is, those suffering from Paranoid Personality Disorder) may be perceived by others as fanatics and form tightly knit cults or groups with others who share their paranoid beliefs. They may exhibit thinly hidden, unrealistic grandiose fantasies, are often attuned to issues of power and rank, and tend to develop negative stereotypes of others, particularly those from
population groups distinct from their own..." American Psychiatric Association DSVM Manual. 18 Mllion U. S. Citizens suffer SEVERE mental illness, 47 million Americans are uninsured. A 22-year old is a legal adult and cannot be locked up for more than three days in Massachusetts without consent. Should this mother have assumed that lack of a job, excessive computer time equalled crazed killer? Can we lock people up permanently because they are mentally ill unless they commit a violent crime? If so, what state? The American Psychiatric Association believes that 1 out of 200 people suffer from this disorder in America, but since they are suspicious of treatment givers, they rarely see these people and can only go by involuntary hospital admissions for statistics.
Regardless of his political beliefs, religious beliefs, right-wing, left-wing, chicken wing (obviously for this guy it was too many chicken wings), this is a textbook case of someone who somewhere along the line, or perhaps never, had the ability to tell between right and wrong. Plain and simple. This is someone who feels that they've been left behind by society, who had no guidance at home, who feels that they've been wronged by the rest of the world and, probably most significantly, who's mind is weak enough to be brainwashed by others who preach nothing more than garbage about how anyone who doesn't have the same color skin, or wear the same clothes, or go to the same church is the enemy. They're going to show the world, make a real statement, by taking out innocent defenseless people in what essentially mounts to nothing more than a cry for help...the only way this guy feel's like he can get any attention. He shoots at a homeless guy. Someone who's living on the streets in the 10 degree weather, who probably has nothing more than what he can fit in his shopping cart, who's misfortunes probably exceed this guy's by 10-fold yet still has the capability to carry on with his life without hurting anyone else.