US: LA Gym shooter kept online diary, , page 1

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Topic started on 13-8-2009 @ 07:18 PM by asala

A 49-year-old man, George Sodini, has been named as the LA gym shooter who shot 12 women then turned the gun on himself. His killing spree left 3 women dead and 11 others in the hospital, some suffering multiple gunshot wounds.

August 13, 2009 by Julie Smith

On the 5th of August 2009 George Sodini walked in to the LA gym, Turned off the lights and opened fire.

George kept a disturbing online Diary which had told of his plans since January 2009, this was no random attack but a fully thought out one that he had planned and wrote about for a long time.

George appears to have been a loner; desperately trying to seek out women and not getting the attention he felt he should have gained. He often refers to women not wanting him and his obsession with watching them.

He classed himself as a good looking well kept man that should not have an issue finding a woman, but went on to say that he felt ignored and always the “nice guy”.

Sodini, a computer systems analyst, wrote the last installment for his online diary on August 3, 2009, it stated that he had taken days of work to make sure his plan was perfect, and in a chilling line stated that he had a trial run of it,

He wrote...

“I took off today, Monday, and tomorrow to practice my routine and make sure it is well polished. I need to work out every detail; there is only one shot. Also I need to be completely immersed into something before I can be successful.”

His diary reads as a lonely and desperate man, He often refers to his childhood and his father not being there for him, not giving him the love that he feels that he should have. Sodini even goes as far as blaming his father for the way he turned out, stating on July 23rd in the writings

“Dad, old man, for TOTALLY ignoring me through the years. All of you DEEPLY helped me be this way.”

According to Georges writings he was meant to carry out this attack much earlier in the year, He had planned to carry out the brutal shooting in January of 2009 even down to the time that he would carry the act of violence out, In the diary he states at 6.30pm on January 6th he only had an hour and a half till his plan would be in full force, at 8.45 he came back online to update he diary and told that he had not been able to carry out the attack saying that he had “Chickened out”.

This startling diary all started on November 5, 2008 and was quite consistent all the way through to his plan finally surfaced in to a shocking murder leading to his own suicide.

On Tuesday night George walked in to the LA Gym to a small room that was about 20ft by 20ft in the middle of a Latin dance class, where up to 30 women where enjoying there weekly exercise, Carrying a bag that almost right away made him look out of place. According to witness he obviously knew where he was going as he just walked right in.

He proceeded to the light switch without saying a word then carried out a shocking attack that would have fellow gym members running for there lives, Its believed he carried 2 guns and fired a possible 50 rounds before turning the gun on himself, slumping to the floor, Police found 4 guns on the scene.

Panic raged through the Gym located in Bridgeville, a community of about 5,000 residents. Witness’s speak of absolute mayhem, People running and falling off treadmills, Others running out of the building and in to the nearby woods, People were running for there life’s and trying to get as far away as possible.

Three women where shot dead, the victims were named as Heidi Overmier, 46, who worked as a sales manager, Jody Billingsley, 37, and Elizabeth Gannon, 49, an X-ray technician at Allegheny General Hospital. It’s believed that none of the women knew George Sodini...

It has also come to light that Sodini also made videos via youtube. Posting at least 2 of himself. February 29, 2008 he made a Youtube Video taking his camera on a detailed view of his home. Sodini, a sex obsessed man took the camera to his coffee table that shows an arrangement of books, including one seen 'Date younger women'

His online diary tells that he had not had sex since 1990 and that his last relationship was in the late 80’s

The Video goes on to show his bedroom, which appears crisp and clean. He makes a comment that “‘she’ll be impressed', But never refers to who he may have been talking about.

(click to open player in new window)

The second of the videos posted on June 23, 2008 called “Hide from emotions”
He appears upbeat and confident, and talks about how he needs to be for a younger women, He says “My objective is to be real and to learn to be emotional and to be able to emotionally connect with people”

(click to open player in new window)

In a calculated effort it seems Sodini posted his online diary just days before he carried out the shooting, He wanted it to be found after the attack concluding:

“Also, any of the "Practice Papers" left on my coffee table I used or the notes in my gym bag can be published freely. I will not be embarrassed, because, well, I will be dead. Some people like to study that stuff. Maybe all this will shed insight on why some people just cannot make things happen in their life, which can potentially benefit others. “

And finishing with the comment

“Death lives”

The diary reveals his feeling of isolation and his doubts over whether he could continue in life. Which we all now know he could not…

The LA fitness center said in a statement 'Each of us in the LA Fitness family are shocked and saddened by the senseless acts of violence that took place.'
As in any event such as this it will cause much debate, with topics such as do gun laws need to be reevaluated?

Did George Sodini have a record of mental health?

Are there Gaps in the U.S. system for treating mental health issues?

Could this have been prevented?

Sodini also seemed to have been influenced by the Love Guru Done Steele, another interesting aspect that may come to light in the coming days. According to psychiatrists it remains unclear where the line lies that separates lonely from homicidal. It’s a fine line and one that cannot often be determined until a tragic event like this takes place.

A member from AbovetopSecret.com, kosmicjack, brings up interesting points on George Sodini saying:

“Obviously every lonely guy isn't going to be a killer but certainly many if not most notorious killers have been lonely or emotionally isolated in some way. It seems that something about our society is producing this behavior at an increasing rate. We're pervasively connected by technology at every turn yet isolated by that same technology because it allows people - like Sodini - to rely on the Internet for their social interactions and expectations.

For instance- Facebook and MySpace. It's not real. It's marketing. It's what people want you to see of their lives - it's the "best of" - not how they are day to day. But lonely and misguided people like Sodini, people with poor real life social skills, see it as a reality that they can't measure up to. Some internalize that ineptitude until they snap. Of course they don't all kill but people these days sure are doing more and more crazy stuff for attention and validation.”

Going on to state:

”I fear regular, everyday modern American life played a big part in this guy's unraveling and it makes me very concerned for our future.”

As more of this case unravels over the up and coming months, criminal psychologists will be able to get a greater understanding of the point at which a person stops being a loner and a mentally unstable spree-killer starts, due to the in depth diary’s and videos of George sodini. Although prevention is almost impossible it may help to be able to raise “warning flags” to someone’s mental state.

Links,
From Sodini's personal Youtube.

From Sodini's Home site.

***George Sodinis full online diary in text***

[edit on 3-9-2009 by asala]

[edit on 3-9-2009 by asala]