jesse imeson criminal behavior

Background and Biographical Data
The case of Jesse Norman Imeson reveals the possible connections between childhood upbringing, childhood trauma, and psychological characteristics on criminal behavior. While childhood experiences can never be used to condone violence or criminality, understanding the correlation between these factors may help identify early warning signs or risk factors that can then be used in crime prevention strategies. The story of Jesse Imeson gripped Canada because it involved the heinous killing of three individuals in the summer of 2007. Imeson was apprehended at age 22, pled guilty to all three counts of second-degree murder in 2008, and was sentenced to life in prison.
Jesse was the oldest of three children in the Imeson family. Until the first known traumatic event that occurred in Imeson’s early life, he was described by babysitters and friends as being “likeable,” “adventurous,” “happy,” and “wide-eyed...always smiling” boy who just wanted “to have fun,” (“LFP Archives: The hunt for, and truth about, spree killer Jesse Imeson,” 2018, p. 1). That all started to change when Jesse was nine years old when he found his father dead from suicide. His father was his “hero,” making the situation tremendously traumatic for the young boy (“LFP Archives: The hunt for, and truth about, spree killer Jesse Imeson,” 2018, p. 1). Instead of holding the family together, Jesse’s mother broke down under the pressure of caring for her three children. Jesse’s rambunctiousness was never diagnosed as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) but certainly could have been; ADHD being a major risk factor in delinquency and criminal behavior (Bartol & Bartol, 2016).
Within a year after her husband’s suicide, Jesse’s mother placed him—but not his siblings--in foster care with an organization called Children’s Aid. Jesse was ten years old and his abandonment first by his father and then his mother undoubtedly contributed to his deviant behaviors as a juvenile and young adult. Upbringing and the nuclear family “have long been identified in criminology literature as a crucial factor in a child’s or adolescent’s antisocial behavior,” (Bartol & Bartolp. 2016, p. 60). In fact, the string of events that occurred since his father’s suicide made for a precariously perfect precursor to criminality. Children’s Aid actually called his mother’s use of foster care to extricate herself from parenting responsibilities, separating her three children in the process, an act of reckless “abandonment” (“LFP Archives: The hunt for, and truth about, spree killer Jesse Imeson,” 2018, p. 1). The mother abandoning her eldest son constitutes neglect, which is “one of the strongest risk factors identified with delinquency and a life of crime,” (Bartol & Bartol, 2016, p. 62). Upbringing and the nuclear family “have long been identified in criminology literature as a crucial factor in a child’s or adolescent’s antisocial behavior,’ (Bartol & Bartolp. 2016, p. 60). Moreover, the mother’s behavior is even more important than that of the father when it comes to the internalization of trauma in childhood (Bartol & Bartol, 2016).
Therefore, since his abandonment by both parents, Jesse led what was then called a “rough life,” (“LFP Archives: The hunt for, and truth about, spree killer Jesse Imeson,” 2018, p. 1). He bounced from foster home to foster home, from relative’s home to another relative’s home. He started to do drugs, and was in and out of jail for crimes related to robbery and theft throughout his late teens. Yet even throughout high school, Jesse was well-liked by his peers and even adults. He was described as “a little rough” but still a “decent kid” who was never accused of bullying or violence (“LFP Archives: The hunt for, and truth about, spree killer Jesse Imeson,” 2018, p. 1). He was merely a “hard-partying hot head,” a designation that continued up until his arrest in 2007 (LFP Archives: The hunt for, and truth about, spree killer Jesse Imeson,” 2018). He used drugs heavily, and spent some time in rehab facilities, where he was called a “model client in spite of relapsing (LFP Archives: The hunt for, and truth about, spree killer Jesse Imeson,” 2018).
Childhood Sexual Abuse
As if abandonment itself was not sufficient to instigate delinquent behavior in Jesse, he also claims he was sexually abused at one of the youth treatment centers he attended in Windsor in 1996-1997. Imeson spent a few months at a residential institution named Maryvale, which catered specifically for “troubled youth,” (“Man who killed elderly couple and bartender has appeal rejected by Supreme Court,” 2019, p. 1). Jesse also claimed that a year after he left Maryvale, but while he was also in foster care, he was again the victim of sexual assault by Father Howarth, a now deceased priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of London (“Man who killed elderly couple and bartender has appeal rejected by Supreme Court,” 2019, p. 1). Imeson did undergo psychological counseling related to his experiences with sexual abuse, and his claims did make it to the courtroom, particularly during his legal appeals. For example, in September of 2016, a jury found Maryvale vicariously liable for sexual assaults allegedly committed against Imeson,” (“Man who killed elderly couple and bartender has appeal rejected by Supreme Court,” 2019, p. 1). However, in a separate trial, the jury “did not accept Imeson's claim that he was also sexually abused” by Father Howarth, who by the time of the trial was deceased and therefore unable to serve as a witness (“Man who killed elderly couple and bartender has appeal rejected by Supreme Court,” 2019, p. 1). As a result, the action against the Roman Catholic Diocese of London was dismissed (“Man who killed elderly couple and bartender has appeal rejected by Supreme Court,” 2019, p. 1). Combined with childhood neglect, being sexually abused may have had a strong bearing on his criminal behaviors. Imeson himself “said that led to his behavior as an adult, including the murders he committed in 2007,” (“Windsor man's application to appeal quashed by Supreme Court,” 2019, p. 1).
Toxic Masculinity and Homophobia
As Jesse started to ponder his career options, he ironically investigated law enforcement as a career path. He took some preliminary courses in policing before he and his girlfriend got pregnant. Being a father placed Jesse under additional pressure to perform: to live up to societal expectations of a man’s role as primary breadwinner. Jesse’s struggle with normative masculinity also began to emerge as he failed to accept his bisexual urges. The murder of Rivera was a lot less “senseless” than the media has implicated, and can in fact be traced to Imeson’s repressed sexuality and sense of toxic masculinity.
Jesse clearly knew The Tap was a gay strip bar, had been seen talking to—and flirting with--bartender Rivera on several occasions (Mellor, 2013). In fact, there was a photograph of him and Rivera at a third person’s home where they all went to party one night (Mellor, 2013). Forensic evidence found Imeson’s semen in Rivera’s mouth (Mellor, 2013). Jesse seemed torn up over his feelings for Rivera. He said to the police that he acted as if in self defense, claiming Rivera “was sexually assaulting him by performing fellatio as he slept,” (Lessard, 2008, p. 1). Jesse’s claims fall apart given the fact that his semen was found in Rivera’s mouth. Distressed over his act, Imeson drove more than 200k after strangling Rivera. He ended up in the rural area of Grand Bend, where he would go on to commit the second set of murders. Furthermore, Imeson only issued a formal apology for killing the Regier couple but not for killing Rivera.
Conclusion: Psychological Explanations for Criminal Behaviors
Imeson was found guilty of three murders. The first was of 25 year-old Carlos Rivera, who worked at a gay strip club called the Tap in Windsor. Rivera was a student of architecture who worked as a bartender at the club, and he also auditioned the male dancers who performed there. Four days after Rivera was strangled to death, Bill and Helene Regier were found shot to death in their farmhouse near Grand Bend—northwest of London, Ontario. Whereas the murder of Rivera was far from random, it seems that the double murder of the Regiers was in fact random. The crimes were collectively described as “senseless,” with no motivation (“Jesse Imeson charged in death of Windsor man,” 2007, p. 1). Lessard (2008) also agrees that there was “no explanation” for the murders (p. 1). Yet a closer examination of the facts of the case reveal that his repressed bisexuality, coupled with toxic masculinity, may have motivated the murder of Rivera.
Mellor (2013) claims the utilitarian theory of criminal behavior accounts for all three of the murders. Criminals classified as utilitarian in nature do exhibit remarkably similar patterns in their killing, in that they first kill an acquaintance followed later by strangers—which is exactly the case with Imeson who killed his acquaintance Rivera first, and then the Regiers. Jesse also seemed to savor the media attention and was “not ashamed of his criminality,” (Mellor, 2013, p. 177).
Imeson treated others in a utilitarian fashion and was known for being manipulative. He “became known to some people as a guy who’d say anything to get what he wanted.” (“LFP Archives: The hunt for, and truth about, spree killer Jesse Imeson,” 2018). He lied about being in military (“LFP Archives: The hunt for, and truth about, spree killer Jesse Imeson,” 2018) and also about making money stripping at the club Rivera worked (Mellor, 2013). However, Imeson does not totally fill the profile of a serial killer. He had “a beautiful girlfriend, the mother of his two-year-old daughter, and a circle of supportive friends and relatives,” (“LFP Archives: The hunt for, and truth about, spree killer Jesse Imeson,” 2018). He was close with siblings and cousins even when he was arrested, too, showing that he does not fit the stereotype of an antisocial loner (“LFP Archives: The hunt for, and truth about, spree killer Jesse Imeson,” 2018). However, his demeanor both before and after the arrest could be described as dichotomous. He was described as being ““hyper and high strung” and also “polite and quiet,” (“LFP Archives: The hunt for, and truth about, spree killer Jesse Imeson,” 2018, p. 1).
However, Imeson does not fully fit into the utilitarian profile. For one, he cannot be considered a “natural born criminal” or even someone who is “arrogant and self-entitled,” (Mellor, 2013, p. 177). He had a good social life, “a beautiful girlfriend, the mother of his two-year-old daughter, and a circle of supportive friends and relatives,” (“LFP Archives: The hunt for, and truth about, spree killer Jesse Imeson,” 2018). He was close with siblings and cousins even when he was arrested, too, showing that he does not fit the stereotype of an antisocial loner (“LFP Archives: The hunt for, and truth about, spree killer Jesse Imeson,” 2018). Furthermore, based on his attempt to raise his child with his former girlfriend, Jesse did not necessarily “eschew the stability of marriage” and was also not an “angry young man,” based on what others said of him even during his most troubled teenage years (Mellor, 2013, p. 177). Imeson’s case shows that it is critical to consider sociological as well as psychological variables when profiling violent criminals.
References
Bartol, C. R., & Bartol, A, M. (2018). Criminal behavior: A psychological approach. Boston, MA: Pearson Learning Solutions.
“Jesse Imeson charged in death of Windsor man,” (2007). CTV News. Retrieved from: https://www.ctvnews.ca/jesse-imeson-charged-in-death-of-windsor-man-1.251008
Lessard, C. (2008). So, why did he do it? Grand Bend Strip. Retrieved from: https://grandbendstrip.com/2008/11/so-why-did-he-do-it/
“LFP Archives: The hunt for, and truth about, spree killer Jesse Imeson,” (2018). The London Free Press. Retrieved from: https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/lfp-archives-the-hunt-for-and-truth-about-spree-killer-jesse-imeson
“Man who killed elderly couple and bartender has appeal rejected by Supreme Court,” (2019). CBC. Retrieved from: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/man-who-killed-elderly-couple-and-bartender-has-appeal-rejected-by-supreme-court-1.5129542
Mellor, L. (2013). Rampage. Toronto, Ontario: Dundurn
Paiva, M. (2019). Windsor murderer claims he was sexually abused. iHeart Radio. Retrieved from: http://www.iheartradio.ca/purecountry/bc-north/windsor-murderer-claims-he-was-sexually-abused-1.9198384
Perkel, C. (2018). Family of victims lash out as smirking killer gets life sentence. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved from: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/family-of-victims-lash-out-as-smirking-killer-gets-life-sentence/article1350382/
“Windsor man's application to appeal quashed by Supreme Court,” (2019). CTV News. Retrieved from: https://windsor.ctvnews.ca/windsor-man-s-application-to-appeal-quashed-by-supreme-court-1.4416950