Oedipus Perry Personality Essay

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Another psychopathic characteristic displayed in Perry’s personality is “inability to feel guilt or shame.” (Schmalleger, 2017) Clues that Perry left at the crime scene are quite chilling, although can give insight into the mental state he was in at the time of the murder. In a statement about the investigation of the murder, an officer says, “Now, what kind of person would do that - tie up two women, like Bonnie and the girl were tied, and then draw up the bedcovers, tuck them in, like sweet dreams and goodnight? Or the pillow under Kenyon’s head. At first I thought maybe the pillow was there to make him a simpler target. Now I think no, it was done for the same reason the mattress box was spread on the floor - to make the victim more …show more content…

This is where the conflict of convicting people who may show signs of being mentally ill can come into play, but during the 60s in Kansas, that thought wasn't in the minds of the persecutors. Making the victims comfortable did not save Perry from the death penalty. One can also point out yet another characteristic of a psychopathic personality in Perry from this evidence, which is “absence of nervousness of psychoneurotic manifestations.” (Schmalleger, 2017) Perry did not prove to be absolutely crazy in all of his behaviors. As portrayed before, he talked with decent sense when he recognized his lack of opportunity due to his past experiences with life. Perry also didn't flinch when he killed the four Clutter family members, meaning he either had no control of his actions or he knew what he was doing. It was thought that Perry and Richard originally went to the family’s house in attempt to rob them, making it unclear if the intent was to murder as well. Adding robbery into the picture is just another way to further complicate the case and not understand why Perry felt the need to make his victims comfortable. However, these things do not rule out the possibility of a mental illness, but further support the claim that Perry was turned into a sociopath after having gone through all he

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