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In a disturbing twist on the macabre events in Florida, the Parkland school mass murderer, Nikolas Cruz 19, is receiving stacks of fan mail, encouraging greeting cards, and unsolicited money for his commissary account in county lockup.
This phenomenon isn’t new and has been categorized by forensic psychologists as a sexual phenomenon called hybristophilia. Or in layman’s speak, Bonnie and Clyde syndrome. 
Broward County officials say the letters are from teenage girls, women, and a few random men—and it doesn’t sit well Public Defender Howard Finkelstein, whose office represents Cruz:
“The letters shake me up because they are written by regular, everyday teenage girls from across the nation. That scares me. It’s perverted. In my 40 years as public defender, I’ve never seen this many letters to a defendant.”
It should scare every American into taking a serious look at what has gone wrong in our society and how to go about fixing this sickness.
Finkelstein has shared a few generic, religious oriented letters but will not read the descriptive love letters or show Cruz the many risqué photos that have been attached. And one assumes that this kid must be evil incarnate if a public defender shies from adding ‘increased notoriety’ to his client’s growing criminal curricula vitae.
Seeing as Cruz is under suicide watch, he may be serenely oblivious to the craziness he sparked in the outside world.
Déjà vu
Killer groupies are nothing new; Ted Bundy, Charles Mason, the Menendez brothers, all attracted seemingly normal (otherwise) girls and women who wanted to share their lives with the worst kind of criminal. While the rest of the world shakes their head in disgust with these women, Katherine Ramsland, Ph.D., a professor of forensic psychology at DeSales University in Pennsylvania, says she knows the reasons why:
“Women who have married serial killers have given several different reasons. Some believe they can change a man as cruel and powerful as a serial killer. Others “see” the little boy that the killer once was and seek to nurture him. A few hoped to share in the media spotlight or get a book or movie deal.
Then there’s the notion of the “perfect boyfriend.” She knows where he is at all times and she knows he’s thinking about her. While she can claim that someone loves her, she does not have to endure the day-to-day issues involved in most relationships. There’s no laundry to do, no cooking for him, and no accountability to him.”
As pleasant as all this sounds, it points to an immoral depravity that has permeated America.
Mental Attracts
Finkelstein continues to comb through the avalanche of mail that Cruz receives and expresses horror and sadness for those compelled to seek out his client. In an interview with the South Florida Sentinel, he mentioned that one girl wrote, “I’m 18-years-old. I’m a senior in high school. When I saw your picture on the television, something attracted me to you…Your eyes are beautiful and the freckles on your face make you so handsome. I’m really skinny and have 34C sized breasts.” And he is disheartened by the suggestive photos encased in Hello Kitty envelopes covered in children’s stickers.
Instead of marching and protesting, slinging mud, name-calling, and hysterics designed to demolish the 2nd Amendment, why aren’t Americans demanding the meaning of both the violent outbursts and collateral damage left behind to inflict in perpetuity?
How glaringly obvious it is, to most, that our nation’s problems are rooted in the brain, not in weaponry. Is it fear of exposure of our responsibility for current social conditions that hamper any success of stopping this nonsensical violence and resulting copycats? Nikolas Cruz had his feelings hurt and responded by murdering 17 people. He sits in prison receiving love letters. We have an epidemic of mental illness in this country, and it appears that our elected officials have turned a blind eye to the affliction, in favor of blaming the symptom.
And Americans should loudly beg the question for their country, “Where are we going, and, why are we in this handbasket?”
