You are clinically incorrect in thinking that his medical conditions would necessarily impair his intellect. Some very intelligent, capable and/or responsible people have depression and/or a touch of autism (Asperger's is on the autism spectrum).
Depression in highly intellligent people may also be linked to a high degree of compassion, wisdom and sorrow for the fallen fate of the human race, and is not uncommon in people who have been in the intense situations of military officer training and/or combat, or who have seen dozens of friends (or persons for whom one is responsible) wounded or slaughtered. It may include a high degree of foresight to the point of clairvoyance; friends may think the person is paranoid, but forget to correct their assumptions when the fears come true. Abraham Lincoln is a prime example of this phenomenon, who grieved in advance for his nation, having foreseen that civil war was inevitable. He grieved for the deaths of so many soldiers (he wrote letters to the families of many), and he foresaw his own death.
Wheeler's actions to me have looked like someone who was being pursued and who knew his pursuer. He was trying to elude them and possibly because he believed a "hit" was coming from the sphere of his classified work, was trying to handle the situation on his own, trusting no one -- not the pharmacist, not his neighbors, etc. As a highly placed conservative, he may have understood that a cover-up would be underway shortly, and that no help would be forthcoming. And indeed, authorities have sealed information, stonewalled the family and presented it to the public as a mysterious, unsolved murder about which they are helpless, underfunded and in no particular hurry to resolve.
Asperger's syndrome gives friends and relatives a great deal of frustration and confusion because the Asberger person's actions may seem widely disparate from their intentions -- thus often causes feelings of rejection in the people they love the most; but it also gives a hypervigilance and ability to zone in on details obsessively in order to get things done, or to understand highly complex situations. Jack regularly took on highly complex situations and got things done.
Given these conditions, it is not at all surprising to me that his wife was speaking out of her frustration about his confusing behavior. A woman I knew whose husband had Asperger's said it was like living with an alien. He had several advanced degrees, but acted as if he could not understand simple concepts around the house. He appeared to need to study new concepts in writing before being able to integrate them into his professional activities or personal responses, and would gaze into the distance on hearing new information and make writing motions with his hands as he "processed" it, instead of simply asking another human being, "How so?" or "What do you mean by that?" Yet he has worked for more than 30 years in life-and-death decision-making capacities.
Asperger's is a form of social paralysis that tends to isolate individuals; however, many sufferers of Asperger's and/or autism are great systems thinkers and find that communicating by computer is precise, unemotional and much easier for them than the expectations of spontaneity in relationships and face-to-face communications.
In other words, a nerd. One who communicated mainly by computer, and whose early West Point training imposed the discipline of trying to fit in on the surfaces of socially acceptable appearances. But much more likely to inspire his wife to pity him and learn to put up with him (just go to the damn wedding, with him or without him, since he is frequently out of touch for a couple of days) than to divorce him or to kill him.
Excellent description of what Jack probably lived and dealt with in his daily life.
He could never have held the positions he did without having a great deal of intelligence and dependability among other requirements.
Catching up here. I fully realize his medical conditions do not reflect his intellect. It is because he was so smart, so driven and so accomplished that I am surprised the behavior characteristics he displayed that night were described as normal by his wife and those same behavior characteristics would not affect a clearance level.