TX - Beloved college prof revealed as killer of family in 1967

New Posts

And I hope you read here James!
 
He served his sentence.

What bothers me is that he chose the classroom as a career.

Though he's done nothing untoward in that career (or Millikin would not have continued to employ him for 27 years) a better position for him might have been - and with the same major - something in the field of research, with a lab a better choice of surrounding.

He was 15.

I think he's been rather brilliant, to rebound from that fatal circumstance.

He's not burdened the court system further. As for the "...but we don't know" argument in re: whether certain illegal acts might have been committed after his release, the burden of proof rests with the one making it. Ultimately it's a logical fallacy to assume that he has, or must have.

It's an imperfect system but one must trust LE to apprehend wrong-doers if they commit illegal acts.

And the jury system and the courts to punish accordingly. Perhaps in 1968 they did not. But that was the court's decision.

I'll keep checking MSM to see if anything else turns up about him, and it might.
 
wfgodot said:
He served his sentence.

What bothers me is that he chose the classroom as a career.

Though he's done nothing untoward in that career (or Millikin would not have continued to employ him for 27 years) a better position for him might have been - and with the same major - something in the field of research, with a lab a better choice of surrounding.

He was 15.

I think he's been rather brilliant, to rebound from that fatal circumstance.

He's not burdened the court system further. As for the "...but we don't know" argument in re: whether certain illegal acts might have been committed after his release, the burden of proof rests with the one making it. Ultimately it's a logical fallacy to assume that he has, or must have.

It's an imperfect system but one must trust LE to apprehend wrong-doers if they commit illegal acts.

And the jury system and the courts to punish accordingly. Perhaps in 1968 they did not. But that was the court's decision.

I'll keep checking MSM to see if anything else turns up about him, and it might.
Click to expand...

You are absolutely, 100% correct. I'm trusting my gut on this one though. Thanks for the updates and all you do. Off to the corner I go!. :)
 
Tulessa said:
Good for him! I hope he stands alone! If I had murdered my parents? I would look over my back the rest of my life, because you could bank my siblings would do a little hunting of their own. AS THEY SHOULD!!!
Click to expand...

BBM: He also murdered his only sibling.
 
I hope he doesn't read here. I think he should be left alone. He has completed his sentence, but some want to keep trying him over and over because they think it should have had a different outcome? OFGS, let the guy alone. jmo
 
I will start off by saying that I am skeptical of him being deemed as insane. My general rule of thumb is; a truly insane person will commit any criminal act within arms length of a known police officer because they truly don't know right from wrong. I heard that from a college psych professor. The fact that Dr. St James lied immediately to investigators and said someone killed his family is what makes me skeptical because like I said before, he wouldn't know right from wrong if he were truly insane, IMO.

I do believe he clearly had mental issues, however I'm not convinced schizophrenia was the correct diagnosis or if it was something else entirely altogether. I think what ever mental issues he had very well could have been exacerbated by the glue sniffing or whatever else questionable activities he may have indulged in that are unknown, but that's just my opinion.

In our society today, it seems convicted criminals are damned if they do or damned if they don't when it comes to reform. I truly believe there are some convicted criminals who really want to change their way of life and do all the things they can to excel after prison. Some get specific job training, certifications and even college degrees while in prison, however society can hold them back because of background checks.

My point is, Dr. St James has from all appearances lived a well functioning life since his release. So do we as a society continue to pay tax dollars to help "reform" these people only to knock them down when they succeed or be grateful that some people can reform and live a productive life?
 
He served his sentence and unless proven otherwise he has been a model citizen. Quite the change from the repeat offenders I am used to seeing. IMO, what he has achieved is remarkable.

One of my good friends had a psychotic episode as a juvenile and was diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic. We are still friends to this day and 30+ years later, she has never had another episode. There was a lot of drug experimentation going on at the time and I think it was a result of the drugs. People are misdiagnosed all the time.
 
But he didn't serve any sentence. He was deemed insane and spend some time being treated. That is not serving a sentence.
And he was allowed to use funds from the estate of the parents he killed. Ain't life grand?
 
One thing that bothers me about the man is that I haven't seen anywhere that he has expressed any remorse at all for killing his entire family or said that he misses any of them or that he wishes they were still alive. He seems satisfied with having killed them. Another thing that bothers me is that he is an athiest and believes there is no God. Then he can believe that when he dies that nothing exists after that and that he will not be eternally punished for his killings (or forgiven if he repented and asked for forgiveness). He also would believe that all existence ended for his murdered family and that none of them are in heaven, (or suffering in hell for lack of salvation). He would not think that he would ever see them again in an afterlife. I would feel somewhat better about his subsequent successes if he had held remorse for his killings and had regretted doing them--whether sane or insane. The murders were clearly premeditated and he knew enough to hide the gun and to say that "someone"--not him--had killed his family and to pretend to be upset about it. My oldest sister was diagnosed with schizophrenia at one point when she had psychotic breaks with reality and later diagnosed with other illnesses--doctors never could agree on what her problems were. She was an angry and bitter person and a habitual liar, but she never tried to kill anyone (except herself unsuccessfully). I do think its good that the man got an education and was able to teach and help others, but it bothers me that he has not expressed remorse for his past killings and that he has not missed his family (that we can see). It appears that he never married or had children of his own? At Michigan State University a year or so ago, a mentally ill professor who was a brilliant and well educated man rambled on more and more in his class instead of teaching the subject he was supposed to teach. Then in his classroom he took off all of his clothes but his socks and went out into the hall naked, ranting and raving until college security and police stopped him and hauled him away. He had taught previously at Yale (I believe) and had high acclaim but students said he was always socially awkward. He was taken for mental health treatment but I'm not sure what happened to him after that and I've forgotten his name now. He really scared some college kids but luckily didn't physically harm any of them. I also had an aunt who was a bitter and cruel person and a rageaholic. She hurt many people with her words and behavior. She claimed to believe in God but her prayers to him were all to ask that he give her what she wanted--not that he help her to be a better person or to repent for hurting other people. I know she had some kind of personality disorder but I don't think she was ever considered to be "insane" and I'm not sure if she fit the criteria for any official diagnosis of mental illness but she harmed many people short of murder, including making some physical attacks on people she was angry at. But her favorite method was shredding people with hateful words. To her dying day, my mother was afraid of her older sister and scared to not do what her sister told her to for fear of facing her sister's wrath. My aunt said that her psychiatrist told her that she was just as sane as any normal person on the street. Sane maybe because she knew right from wrong and did wrong anyway. I don't know that this killer turned psychology prefessor is dangerous or that he should resign from his job, but I wouldn't want one of my children or grandchildren in his class. I think the professor shoud come out and tell honestly what his current feelings are about the murders he commited back in the 60's. Also, how his thinking has changed since then and how he turned his life around and what he feels about his current life. How does HE see this entire story from the killings until now and how does HE feel about it. Does he feel that he has paid for his crimes or that he even needed to? Its a complicated situation. If he had been sentenced to life in prison with no parole (at taxpayer expense) I don't know if that would have been the better choice than trusting him to take the needed steps to turn his life around. I have mixed feelings about this story and the man its about.
 
Jan,

Would it be possible for you to edit your post to include some paragraphs breaks? It's VERY difficult to read that block of text on the screen for some of us with older eyes. Thanks!
 
I've expressed my doubts already as to the original insanity 'diagnosis' and the subsequent lack of criminal activity as 'proof' of his reform/ restored sanity/ whatever.

I don't see the murder of his entire family as schizophrenia for a lot of reasons I've already stated upthread. I see it as the work of a sociopath- plain and simple.

My final comment (as someone who has worked with and is CLOSELY related to two sociopaths): Perhaps the reason he has never killed again is that he no longer had anyone get in his way or try to stifle him (to the degree that his family did). It appear to me that he killed to eliminate people who got in the way of his plans / desires. Maybe no one has since then.
 
Students ‘creeped out,’ curious about Millikin prof who killed family. (Chicago Sun-Times)
DECATUR — The classroom was buzzing with nervous first-day chatter when the pony-tailed and bearded 61-year-old professor walked in.

That’s when the room fell into a “chilling” silence, Millikin University freshman Alex Arocha recalled Monday afternoon after Professor James St. James taught his first class since he was unmasked this summer as a teenage killer.
---
But Arocha said she thought he handled his first day back in the classroom with grace and poise.

There was one moment that will likely linger in the memory, though, she said.

When the professor “started talking about psychotic psychology, everyone kind of looked at each other,” she said, raising her eyebrows.
Click to expand...
more at the link
 
meanmaryjean said:
My final comment (as someone who has worked with and is CLOSELY related to two sociopaths): Perhaps the reason he has never killed again is that he no longer had anyone get in his way or try to stifle him (to the degree that his family did). It appear to me that he killed to eliminate people who got in the way of his plans / desires. Maybe no one has since then.
Click to expand...

Though I'm of the "he served his time" opinion, what you said there reminded me a lot of Amy Bishop.

2010 University of Alabama in Huntsville shooting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

She was a professor who was denied tenure, and went into a work meeting and started shooting. Later it was revealed that as a teenager, she had fatally shot her brother in what was deemed as an accident at the time but, in retrospect, made a lot of people wonder.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

DNASolves

Who is Escambia County John Doe (1989)?

Members online

... and 56 more.
Total: 4,204 (members: 57, guests: 4,147)

Online statistics

Members online
57
Guests online
4,147
Total visitors
4,204
Totals may include hidden visitors.

Forum statistics

Threads
592,549
Messages
17,970,876
Members
228,807
Latest member
Buffalosleuther
Back
Top