Stone Rhino's Journal: Submitted story - Missed Warning Signs on Internet Forums

On Saturday, October 29th, William Freund, 19, left his home in Alieso Viejo, CA, about 9 a.m. and drove less than 100 yards to a house, where he shot and killed 22-year-old Christina Smith and her 45-year-old father Vernon Smith with a shotgun. Now, more information is coming out about what happened before the shooting. Over the past month, Freund apparently posted on various message boards about his plan, asking for information on shotguns (registration required to view thread), and describing the revenge which he planned to take on his neighbors. Some dismissed him as a gimmick or troll, while others hesitated to notify the authorities, afraid of complicating a mentally troubled teen's life further. In the end, though, no one stopped him. After the crime, posters on the Something Awful, wrongplanet.net and anandtech forums quickly drew the connection between the William Freund who had murdered two people and the William Freund who had posted on their forums. Many are in shock over the missed warning signs, but questions remain about whether action should have been taken based on a few internet posts. A spokesman for the EFF criticized potential mandatory notification laws as "onerous" and difficult to uphold. This case brings to mind the earlier incident of Brandon Vedas, a.k.a. ripper, who overdosed on drugs during a live broadcast on a webcam and IRC, the chatlogs of which have just been turned into a play.

Thanks

[rosewood]

Somehow I missed this little story.

I don't know why, but that just sends chills up my spine.