"Possessed" Teen Stabs 3 Younger Siblings

"Possessed" Teen Stabs 3 Younger Siblings

www.nbcnewyork.com

Suspect told cops he was "zombie-like," paper says

Updated 1:28 PM EDT, Thu, Aug 20, 2009

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The eldest victim, a 13-year-old, fled the butcher scene at his apartment and ran downstairs for help.
NBCNewYork

A troubled Bronx teen allegedly in a zombie-like trance stabbed his two younger brothers and sister yesterday – and was prevented from murdering them by a Good Samaritan, authorities said.

Cops say 17-year-old Nelson Santos lost it at about 3:30

(visit the link for the full news article)

Another one. I can't believe it. There seems to have been dozens of reports in the past few months of people committing horrible crimes with reports tied to possession, etc.
Has anyone else been noticing this or collected any data?
I will try to search through some news archives and tally up the reports.

Something is going on.

www.nbcnewyork.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Originally posted by SailorinAZ
Something is going on.

Yes, it's called mental illness (sufferers often turn to religion and vice versa) and vindication.

Originally posted by Goathief

Originally posted by SailorinAZ
Something is going on.

Yes, it's called mental illness (sufferers often turn to religion and vice versa) and vindication.

There may be something in the air or water causing this behavior. The environment should be checked out.

I'm opting for the 'mental illness' explanation too. Cuts through the BS and is known to be a cause of most, if not all, of these situations. Some time ago, a friend had a similar breakdown, paranoid delusions, blank, black eyes. Not very good. One night he had a knife in each hand and tried to stab me. Luckily for him (and me) a breadknife doesn't have a point! Leaves a good bruise, no blood.

reply to post by Kandinsky


But, it is not just this. There have been many, many crimes committed recently by those who appear to be possessed or under some type of demonic influence.

reply to post by SailorinAZ


That's the result of instant global communication.I doubt the statistic have risen much,just more reported.Although i think due to the 21st century lifestyle many more people who deal with mental illnesses snap more often than they would at any other time.

Originally posted by Kandinsky
I'm opting for the 'mental illness' explanation too. Cuts through the BS and is known to be a cause of most, if not all, of these situations.

not that i'm saying you're wrong, but come on, known by who? if a shrink does an assessment and a kid says "i'm possesed", promptly pukes green goo all over the room, twists his head around 280* and levitates 5ft off the bed, a shrink will still say the kid is manifesting a psychological disturbance.

to be honest, i have no idea what's going on with all these possession reports. they do seem to be happening quite often but what i haven't seen is an atheist family claiming their son is possessed. is it easier for a family to blame demons than unhealthy situations?

Think we're so clever as to deny the obvious? Cannot fit it into our limited minds. He was possessed.

Go watch a movie called "The Signal" (2008), it's in the television!!


Seriously. watch it.

reply to post by pieman
I guess it's down to the belief system through which you explain the world. Possession doesn't really fit into my window on the world and neither do demons or aggravated spirits. I studied psychology at University and, to a degree, abnormal psychology. The systems in place are borne of decades of clinical studies, case notes and statistics. DSM categories allow for diagnosis. Not perfect, because everyone has aspects of uniqueness. Still, it provides a framework.

It's understandable that mental illness can be interpreted as demons. I once helped to restrain a guy having a psychotic episode. His strength was enough to need 5 grown men to prevent him from assaulting people or hurting himself. He made a few references about Jesus before he p***ed down his leg. I was holding that leg. Nice. My point here is that some people would be repulsed by this and suspect demonic possession. In fact, he had been left by his friends after he stopped taking his meds and assaulted several people.

In other cases, such as drink or drug-related mental illness, a lifestyle change makes very quick progress. It seems counter-intuitive that some demon can be overcome by simply avoiding excess. Most of the evidence points towards organic differences in brain structure and/or chemical imbalances. When these are successfully treated, presto! No demon.

God forbid, I should ever have a psychotic episode. If I did, the last thing I would want is a guy with his candle and Bible saying his spells over me. I'd prefer medical treatment. In the 21st Century, it bemuses me that so many people still subscribe to wholesale superstition. Of course, this is just my opinion.

Originally posted by Kandinsky
In the 21st Century, it bemuses me that so many people still subscribe to wholesale superstition. Of course, this is just my opinion.

it bemuses me that people dismiss superstition so easily. psychology has been around a few hundred years, tops, the belief in spirits and demons have probably been around tens of thousands. our brains and minds haven't changed, just our frame of reference. clearly there's something in it.

most cultures seem to have been doing it a very long time, clearly it works often enough for the belief to be passed on.

seeing as you believe the issue to be in the mind, a mental disturbance, convincing someone that they are cured and are able to control themselves seems to be a reasonable treatment.

reply to post by pieman

most cultures seem to have been doing it a very long time, clearly it works often enough for the belief to be passed on.

Possibly. Incorrect diagnosis or wrong meds doesn't lead to people being lynched, burnt or murdered. Neither do the relatives of 'mentally ill' face some of the brutal consequences acted upon the 'possessed' by superstitious hysteria. Thanks, but I'll err on the side of mental illness.

You can talk and discuss about psychology, religion and the meaning of life all you want but we need some facts if we want to find "the cause" .

I'll start with some news snips:

neighbors said he practiced black magic. [1]

Neighbor John Flores, 19, told the News Nelson Santos was screaming something about the Armageddon [1]

John Flores, the 19-year-old man who intervened, told reporters, "He said the world was going to end so he had to kill his brothers and sister." [2]

A very similar thing happened in 1997:

A 14-year-old boy who warned last week that "something big's going to happen" today inserted earplugs, drew a gun and shot eight students who had just ended a prayer meeting in a high school lobby. [3]

Personal thought:
This might be something caused by depression, extreme paranoia and some major (intentional or unintentional) hallucinations, similar to a millennium cult mass suicide ([4] for a news link). If you combine all the chemicals we absorb, magnetic influence, bad vibrations, poor education, hostility, pressure and others' expectations - it's not even such a mystery really. I suspect that person collided with some really bad mojo.

Sources:

1 * www.nbcnewyork.com...

2 * gothamist.com...

3 * www.encyclopedia.com...

4 * www.nytimes.com...

reply to post by SassyCat
Some very good points there Closer to home...I sometimes wonder if one or two ATS Members aren't a few pushes away from 'bad mojo.' Some of the ingredients are there at times...Once or twice, I've felt genuine concern for the state of mind of the occasional poster. I've almost u2u them, but what can you say? It's more likely to be taken badly than positively. A couple of threads in February/March had a lot of posters voicing real concern for a member.

Mental illness or 'possession' scares people away or makes them uncomfortable. The increased isolation (in some cases) makes matters worse without anyone being honestly responsible. It's a shame, but whats the solution? It's human nature and the unknown...we all do it one way or another. It's sad...

"possessed"? More like murderous sociopath. I wonder how many dogs & cats he killed before he did this. You know that's where serial killers usually start.

Just my 2-cents

reply to post by SailorinAZ
Consider brain tumors before giving people who are behaving strangely psyche medication. The woman who chopped off her babies arms had a history of brain tumours but her psychiatrist sent home with anti deprssants. A cat scan ordered by her defence lawyer revealed a brain that looked like swiss cheese. The Austin sniper also had a brain tumour. In any event a toxin or poison in the environment might be responsible.