Fox & Friends is reporting that WUSA (DC) has just broken the news that a tarot card and shell casing have been found near one of the shootings. There was a message on the card: Dear Mr. Policeman, I am God.

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2002

Answers

NY Daily Post

Report sniper left clue

Cops find tarot death card with note: 'I am God'

By HELEN KENNEDY

DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU

Montgomery County, Md., Police Chief Charles Moose (c.) with Gov. Parris Glendening (l.) and D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams. WASHINGTON - The serial sniper stalking the suburbs of the nation's capital left cops a chilling calling card: a taunting note written on a tarot card, a local television station reported last night.

"Dear Policeman, I am God," it said.

The note was scrawled on the death card, the most ominous of the fortune teller's deck.

The card was found — along with a shell casing — in an area of matted grass overlooking the entrance of a Bowie, Md., school where a 13-year-old boy was shot and nearly killed Monday, WUSA-TV quoted law enforcement sources. Police believe the psychopathic sharpshooter laid there watching kids through his rifle scope as they filed into school.

Professional profilers have speculated that the marksman — who shot eight people at random in the last week, killing six — is reveling in his ability to choose who lives and who dies.

Waiting helplessly for a new attack, officials lashed out with words, branding the killer an unmanly coward who won't get away.

"We will catch you, there is no question," Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening said. "You have got to understand that. That's why we're saying turn yourself in. Stop this insane killing."

Flanked by an impressive array of top cops from half the Eastern seaboard, the governor jeered at the sniper.

"We're talking about a person here who is basically a coward," Glendening said. "This is not an individual who is doing something strong or manly. This a person who is shooting elderly men, shooting women — and now shooting little children. No one is looking up to him."

But officials had little more than tough words to use against the sharpshooter who began picking off suburbanites in parking lots and gas stations one week ago. In every case, the sniper opened fire unseen and vanished like a malevolent specter.

Cops ran down 1,400 credible phone tips — searching the apartment of a man they later cleared — and returned to previous shooting scenes to take a fresh look.

Several hundred yards from the Washington street corner where 72-year-old Pascal Charlot was gunned down Thursday night, cops found gunpowder residue on a secluded rock wall encircling a church — suggesting the sniper took up a position there, NBC4-TV reported.

Living in fear

Police gathered the largest task force in area history, and the reward quintupled to $237,000. But even without a fresh attack — the first calm weekday since the rampage began — the area was gripped with fearful dread, waiting for the next shot to ring out.

"I would like to have the words to keep people calm, but I'm not sure I do," said Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose.

Across the county, blinds were drawn in homes, kids were kept inside and sidewalk cafes were deserted. Shoppers stayed away from malls or scuttled quickly to and from their cars.

Schools in the area went to "code blue" emergency lockdown. Attendance was close to normal, but many parents took their kids to school, holding their hands until they were safely inside the building. The rattled kids didn't mind.

Police also were taking a new look at the Sept. 14 shooting of a 22-year-old clerk outside a suburban Maryland liquor store. The man, who survived, was shot once in the back by a high velocity, small-caliber bullet. No one saw a shooter.

Federal agent Mike Bouchard said that bullet cannot positively be linked to the others, but a connection has not been ruled out.

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2002

...the death card, the most ominous of the fortune teller's deck.

Who said it was the most ominous? It usually refers to change, nothing more, depending on when and where and how it is drawn.

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2002

The Death Card: The End Is A New Beginning by Christopher Penczak

Samhain is the time of year when witches honor the spirits of those who have passed before us. The veil between the worlds of the living and dead are the thinnest. Images of death surround us. As a professional Tarot card reader, I find most people frightened by the concept of death. The Death card evokes strange images for us. Skeletons, scythes and the grim reaper come to mind. Most people do not want to see the Death card in their reading. But in the world of the Tarot, Death, usually the thirteenth card of the Major Arcana, is not what it seems.

The Death cards does not often indicate a physical death as one might think. Rather it refers to a more metaphysical death. The Death card can be a blessing. Although change and especially endings can be frightening to many people, the Tarot teaches us that with every death comes a rebirth. As Wiccans, we seek to understand the lessons of nature. Just as Mother Nature has her cycles of death and rebirth, so do we.

Samhain is associated with the Death card. Astrologically the Sun enters Scorpio at the end of October, right before this holiday. Scorpio is the sign of death and transformation. I think the Sun sign is the true reason why this time of year has always been associated with death, spirits and the otherworld. Through the darker totems of the scorpion and serpent, the sign goes through a rebirth, hopefully becoming the phoenix, the mythical bird of fire. This phoenix represents the power to change, break limitations and transmute your past hardships, obsessions and negative energies into purest light. This transformation represents Scorpio in its highest form, taking the dark and transmuting it. Scorpio is very powerful, often associated with will, psychic abilities and intuitive insight. On the darker side, Scorpio can indicate obsessions, secrets, hidden danger and a desire to control others. Power is a two edged sword, used to help and to harm. In the Tarot, the Death card is associated with Scorpio. Many decks have Scorpio's astrological symbol on the card, because this card has all the associations of Scorpio, both good and bad.

When the Death card makes an appearance in a reading, it comes as a friend preparing you for unexpected change. It signifies the end of a cycle. All cycles end eventually, but the beautiful thing about their nature is another cycle will always begin again. It may be different, but different can be good. Don't fear the changes in you life. Even the physical end so may of us fear is just another change leading to a new world.

The cycle ending may be an unhealthy relationship, situation or way of being. It marks possible illness, unhealthy attitudes needing change of danger from an unexpected quarter. If you head the warnings from the Death card, you can avoid these trials, or flow gently with them. Often it is the death of self, when applied to the "old you" and outdated ways of thinking. You release the old patterns of behavior and break new ground. You transform yourself into someone closer to who you want to be. I find these readings to be very empowering for my clients, confirming and affirming the new choices they are making. In these cases, Death is not the end of it all, but a new beginning.

The fall season is a great time to teach us about cycles. In the fall, the leaves wither and die. The land is fallow and the trees no longer bear fruit. It looks pretty bleak by all accounts, but we all know winter is followed by spring in a few months. The end of the warm weather may feel like a death, but the trees are resurrected every year without fail, like the phoenix. The phoenix is the Egyptian bird of fire, sacred to Osiris, the resurrected king. Every year the phoenix's flames would consume itself. But the bird of flame would rise up from the ashes completely reborn. Like the vegetation and the phoenix we are all born again. Each choice we make is a chance a rebirth, to change our lives for the better.

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2002

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2002

"I am God"

Thou art God -- Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land -- story line: human boy raised on Mars by Martians returns to Earth. With no human mores to guide him, the boy is essentially Martian. He thinks about everything in a completely different way and responds accordingly. He makes several people "go away" permanently, no morality-based guilt.

Just a thought.

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2002

Ve-ry interesting! Hmmm. I had vaguely imagined the shooter as a redneck type guy, likely ex-military, i.e., not a serious science fiction reader, but that's just my stereotypes kicking in.

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2002

My stereotype, right or wrong, is another Son of Sam.

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2002

From Son of Sam:

Dear Captain Joseph Borrelli,

I am deeply hurt by your calling me a wemon hater. I am not. But I am a monster. I am the 'Son of Sam.' I am a little brat. When father Sam gets drunk he gets mean. He beats his family. Sometimes he ties me up to the back of the house. Other times he locks me in the garage. Sam loves to drink blood. 'Go out and kill,' commands father Sam. 'Behind our house some rest. Mostly young -- raped and slaughtered -- their blood drained -- just bones now. Papa Sam keeps me locked in the attic too. I can't get out but I look out the attic window and watch the world go by. I feel like an outsider. I am on a different wavelength then everybody else -- programmed too kill. However, to stop me you must kill me. Attention all police: Shoot me first -- shoot to kill or else keep out of my way or you will die! Papa Sam is old now. He needs some blood to preserve his youth. He has had too many heart attacks. 'Ugh, me hoot, it hurts, sonny boy.' I miss my pretty princess most of all. She's resting in our ladies house. But I'll see her soon.

I am the 'Monster' -- 'Beelzebub' -- the chubby behemouth. I love to hunt. Prowling the streets looking for fair game -- tasty meat. The wemon of Queens are prettyist of all. It must be the water they drink. I live for the hunt -- my life. Blood for papa. Mr. Borrelli, sir, I don't want to kill anymore. No sur, no more but I must, 'honour thy father.' I want to make love to the world. I love people. I don't belong on earth. Return me to yahoos. To the people of Queens, I love you. And I want to wish all of you a happy Easter. May God bless you in this life and in the next. And for now I say goodbye and goodnight.

POLICE: Let me haunt you with these words: I'll be back! I'll be back! To be interrpreted as - bang, bang, bang, bang - ugh!!

Yours in murder Mr. Monster.

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2002

washingtonpost.com

Tarot Card's Message a Killer's Cry for Respect

By Patricia Davis and Carol Morello Washington Post Staff Writers Thursday, October 10, 2002; Page A22

The tarot card left near the scene of one of the sniper shootings suggests a man who is hungry – even desperate – for respect and credit for his crimes, experts in mass killings said yesterday.

"The people who do that are usually losers seeking attention," said Robert K. Ressler, a former FBI profiler and Virginia criminologist. "It's a logo to give themselves recognition: 'I'm the guy. I'm doing it all.'‚"

Those who have tracked and interviewed mass killers agree that the tarot card, which declared, "I am God," offers insight into the state of mind of a man who is trying to establish power and dominance through his decisions about who will live and die.

The card was found near Monday's shooting at a Bowie school that left a 13-year-old boy critically wounded. It was a tarot death card on which was written: "Mister Policeman, I am God." The message also contained a request that the card and the note not be revealed to the news media, sources said.

James Alan Fox, a professor of criminal justice at Northeastern University, said the sniper is trying to show how powerful he is, not only by deciding who his next target will be, but also by telling the police how to run their investigation.

"It gives us tremendous insight into his behavior, into his state of mind," Fox said. "This man feels extremely important. Through the killing spree, he feels immortal, in control and in command. He's likely an ordinary individual who doesn't get the respect he deserves. Now he gets it with a gun."

Ressler said that by telling police not to share the card with the media, the sniper really was sending a message to do the opposite. That conclusion was at odds with the opinion of investigators directly involved in the case, who said they believed that the shooter wanted to communicate privately in hope of developing a "relationship" with his pursuers.

Both Ressler and Fox said the tarot card does not change their opinion that this gunman is different from other mass killers they have encountered. He is detached from his victims – or targets – by firing a single shot from a high-powered weapon at long range.

Park Dietz, a psychiatrist who runs a forensic consulting firm in Newport Beach, Calif., said snipers ideally try to leave nothing behind as evidence. He declined to speak specifically about the sniper being sought in the Washington area, but he said the tarot card suggests "he's trying to get some credit."

"The random selection of targets in a serial crime means it's not about the victims, it's about the shooter," Dietz said. "An important aspect of why people do such things is to feel a sense of accomplishment at their skill at committing the crime undetected and discharging some of their anger at the world, which has usually been expressed for a long time, if somebody would listen."

Michael McGrath, a forensic psychiatrist at the University of Rochester and president of the Academy of Behavioral Profiling, said the sniper is "toying" with authorities, but he cautioned against drawing too many conclusions about a gunman whose actions are unique.

"All you really have is a pattern of someone going around shooting indiscriminately," McGrath said. "This kind of behavior is extremely rare."

The fact that the gunman addressed the card to "Mister Policeman," rather than using slang or profanity or calling them cops, says to Fox that respect is an important issue with him. He wants respect, so he gives respect.

David Berkowitz, who became known as Son of Sam, wanted credit for his string of killings and wrote letters to the media and the detective on the case, said Ressler, who has interviewed Berkowitz.

"The most frustrating part was he couldn't tell anyone, 'That's me, Son of Sam,' " Ressler said. "He was very thrilled when he saw the letters in the media."

A tarot card was also left by John Linley Frazier, who killed a prominent Santa Cruz County, Calif., ophthalmologist, his wife, two sons and his secretary at the family residence in 1970. Frazier, who considered himself an ecologist, also tucked a note for the media and police under the windshield wipers of the family's Rolls-Royce.

The note declared World War III against "misuses" of the "natural environment." Although the differences between the cases are obvious – Frazier bound his victims, argued with them and shot them up close with a handgun before leaving behind fingerprints on the Rolls-Royce – experts declined to speculate on similarities.

Brent E. Turvey, a forensic scientist who has written a textbook called "Criminal Profiling," said the mere fact that the gunman left a tarot card Monday suggests he is not a formally trained sniper.

"The defining quality of a military sniper is patience," he said. "He waits for the perfect shot and leaves. He has no need to leave a trace behind."

Turvey said the tarot card more likely is the sniper's response to public officials who have belittled him and spoken of him scornfully.

"The profilers are all saying, 'He thinks he's God, but he's not – he's a pathetic loser and a coward,' " Turvey said. "So he leaves a card saying: 'I am God.'‚"

Turvey said the sniper also may have seen movies such as "Navy Seals," a 1990 film in which one character is a sniper who uses "God" as a code name.

"This is a wannabe," Turvey said. "He wants to be a sniper. He wants to be a cool, stealthy, feared person. But he's not. Police have to look for people who may have wanted to be a sniper."

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2002