¶ … Criminal
Capote, like the investigators to the case of the Clutters in examining the crime scene, felt that there were certain aspects that "speak" to the character of the murderers. It is of interest that none of the women was sexually molested, that Mr. Clutter was laid upon a mattress, to presumably make him more comfortable. In addition, that Kenyon's head was propped upward with pillows. In examining these facts of the case, was Capote fascinated with what kind of killer (s) could take the time to make their victims comfortable, and yet also shoot them mercilessly in the head and tie them up? Setting out to find answers to these questions, Capote invariably began extensive interviews with the killers, which reached into the depths of their background and lives. The fascination with how human beings can commit horrendous crimes was most likely sparked by In Cold Blood, and modern day media coverage of criminals is used to sensationalize crimes as well as to try to understand the criminals themselves; have they always been socio-paths with murderous tendencies (i.e. something that could have been prevented and stopped?), or did something happen to turn a person into a murderer? These topics and questions are what Capote sets out to answer in his thorough account of the killers and the Clutter murders, and what The Washington Post set out to do when they provided information about John Lee Malvo in their article about the backgrounds of the D.C. Snipers.
Certain parallels can be drawn between the Clutter murders and the mass killings in Washington D.C. that occurred in 2002. Four people were brutally shot in the head, in their own home, for the sole...
Then in Washington D.C. mass sniper killings happened, at the hands of John Muhammad and John Lee Malvo. In each case, there was a plan that didn't get completed, in each case there were two males involved; one being the "director" and one being the "follower." Capote focuses quite a bit on the backgrounds of each of the killers from the Clutter case, especially with Perry Smith, who details his biography and his life with his parents. Although smith lived with his mother off and on when he was younger, he lived mostly with his dad until he left for the marines at the age of sixteen. Most of his life was spent with alcoholics or with people who were desperate for money to the point of stealing to get it. Smith met Dick Hickcock in prison, who eventually met up again once they got out to pursue "the perfect score," as Hickcock put it, which of course turns out to be a massive mistake. However, in noting the two killers it is at once obvious that Smith is more compassioned of the two, but is also the follower, as was Malvo. Even so, both Smith and Malvo committed murderous acts even while feeling guilty and disgusted for doing it. Capote retells Smith's confession, to which Smith admits that he felt as though he were outside himself during the murders, was the one who made sure his victims were comfortable, and also protected young Nancy Clutters from any sexual assault at the hands of Hickcock. Similarly, Malvo sent letters of apology to the daughter of one of victims associated with his crime, as well as letters to one of the surviving victims. In later testimony, Malvo states that he…
