Experts baffled by suspect who didn't fit profile

Chicago Tribune ^ | October 27, 2002 | Lisa Anderson

[fatguy]

NEW YORK -- While alleged sniper John Allen Muhammad repeatedly confounded police attempts to catch him during three weeks of random murders, he also defied many criminal profilers' efforts to describe him.

"Everybody was off-base on this, including me," said Scott Thornsley, professor of criminal justice at Pennsylvania's Mansfield University and a specialist on serial killers. "The issue is that he deviated in almost every aspect." . . .

[Savage Beast]

This is really from The Onion, isn't it?

[Thebaddog]

When it comes to political stuff, the Tribune looks a lot like the Onion.

[copycat]

That's funny, he pretty much fit MY profile... Islamic male between the ages of 20-45.

[TheRedSoxWinThePennant]

Experts baffled by suspect who didn't fit profile

the non pc crowd wasnt fooled

[Savage Beast]

You know, the more you think about it, the more the mainstream press does resemble The Onion, and vice versa.

[A Vast RightWing Conspirator]

This is too funny.
In other words, it was the killer's fault for not fitting the "experts" profile.
Darn!!!!!!!!

Or... like the killer said,

L
A
D
I
N

(Like A Duck In a Noose)

[Jeff Gordon]

This suggests that "expert" is not an appropriate label. Maybe "dilettante" would a better label for those who attempt to perfrom Voodoo under the quise of science.

[Iscool]

And this is one of the "experts"...And what's more amazing is that these people draw a paycheck for their "smarts"...

I think it's clear they don't have a profile...All they have is "wishful or hopeful thinking...They wanted it to be a white gun nut so badly they couldn't stand it...

And these idiots couldn't figure out that if you look, you can see a white van somewhere around the scene of "every" crime...

Apparently, if it wasn't for the stupidity of the killers, they could have gone on murdering indefinately, or at least until some "white gun nut" took them out...

[TinkersDam]

Overfitting of the data.

You will always have 'guidelines' or 'profiles' that are absurd reductions of complex issues and are slow to respond to any changes in trends.

White vehicles are common and noticeable, so of course they were 'near the scene at the time', particularly once a white van had already made the newscasts.

[concentric circles]

The "experts" all failed to take into account the possibility of a political agenda. They thought they could base their profiles on the traditional, twisted, criminal mind.

[isthisnickcool]

The sniper did one thing from the beginning. Or rather, he did not do one thing. He did not shoot people at the set prayer times for Muslims in the time zone he was in. I first posted about this on 10/10/2002

I'm not sure if anyone else noticed this. But if the sniper was a radical Muslim then he usually would not be shooting or doing anything else near pray time. I've read where Muslims in war time will even put their guns down while fighting each other and pray, then pick them up and start shooting again.

If I could look at this data and wonder if there was something to it I'd like to know why these "professional profilers" didn't.

[lawdude]

Except Osama's name is Bin Laden! Sorry to fold your tin-foil!

[jiggyboy]

Today's Media Bias Tip

There's a subtle difference in the headline of record:

"Experts baffled by suspect who didn't fit profile"

which subtly (unconsciously?) puts the blame on the suspect, and one that puts the blame where it belongs, on the profile, and, by extension, on the profilers:

"Experts baffled that profile didn't fit suspect"

[Oberon]

Except Osama's name is Bin Laden! Sorry to fold your tin-foil!

"Bin" in this case is a variation of "Ibn," meaning "son of." It's like a piece of verbal trimming to the surname. Think of him as "Osama, of the house of Ladin."

[PoisedWoman]

bin Laden is often spelled bin Ladin, especially in Middle East sources.

[A Vast RightWing Conspirator]

This is so funny. I did realize that the Mohammed guy was not only a good sniper but a spelling bee champ too.

[PoisedWoman]

Excerpt from article:

Thornsley pointed out that although there have been several notable black serial killers, few receive the national publicity that white killers do..... Although this case undoubtedly will be heavily studied, its idiosyncrasies probably will not force criminology texts to be rewritten, according to most scientists interviewed

So there you have it. Black killers don't get publicized. Can you guess why? And furthermore, these PC idiots are not going to change their bias against white guys.

[A Vast RightWing Conspirator]

Oh, and I forgot, could you, please, help solve that Osama vs. Usama issue? Which one is correct?

[A Vast RightWing Conspirator]

Oh, and I forgot, could you, please, help solve that Osama vs. Usama issue? Which one is correct?