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Henry Waller was a retired schoolteacher, in the Colorado Springs area, who had suffered a stroke, in his late fifties. His recovery was not easy. Neither was the fact that his 54-year-old wife, Olla Mae, was suffering from Multiple Sclerosis, confined to a wheelchair.
This is not a pleasant situation for anyone. And, with the stroke, Waller began to decline mentally, becoming increasingly unstable! What I do not understand is why no one took notice of this, and did something about it, namely get him some mental help!
It might have prevented the tragedy.
Somewhere around August of 1987, Waller, who was 56, strangled his wife in bed, and then shot his daughter Lucinda, 30, and his grandson, Brandon, only 7 years old!!!!!!!!!!!
In addition to worsening health problems on both sides, what tipped the hat with Waller, I think, was moral zealousness. The family were regular churchgoers, at Sunrise United Methodist Church. Lucinda, their daughter, was having trouble in her marriage, and the disgrace of her being divorced, and Brandon having no parental guidance, (though the grandparents often babysat for him!!!!!) led him to calculatedly plan out their demise. He reasoned that they would be better dead.
And he left an explanatory note to his pastor.
If this sounds like John List of Westfield, New Jersey, back in 1971, you would be right. Except List didn't have the integrity to kill himself; he just wanted to go on his merry way, unencumbered. But Time caught up with him. What goes around, comes around, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am telling you, every time I hear about these family annihilators being religious
zealots, it makes my skin crawl. These are the ones you have to watch out for. Did you know the night before the Wallers were slain, he and his wife convened a prayer group, to pray for them all???????? How sick and narcissistic is that???????????? You better believe Bernadette and Sister Camille would not approve!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So, do I feel sorry for Henry Waller????????? No!!!!!!!!!!!
I could feel sorry for his health situation. No one deserves that. I could even
feel sorry for him, had he only taken his own life!!!!!!!!!!!!
But not when he takes the lives of everyone else around him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Burn, baby, burn, Hank!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
14 comments:
I just saw this story on ID so I did some additional research. Bam! Here is your blog post about it. It's too bad that you feel so negatively about Mr. Waller. Let me explain something to you:
It is a difficult task to be a caregiver. I know because I have a daughter with a disability and she suffered from cancer, as well. The fact of the matter is that, even without suffering the effects of stroke altering a mind, the stress and depression can cause one to think about life being better for everyone on the other side of the ranbow. I considered driving my car into a canal with my children because life was so overwhelming. Luckily, I had the good sense to reach out for help. It was NOT easy!
As for your summation of "religious zealots" I'd like to say that feeling like a total failure in God's eyes can cause people to think themselves unworthy. Crazy, right!? But discounting Mr. Waller's mental issues is irresponsible. He still has a living child.
The Waller incident is more like the Andrea Yates tragedy then John List. All 3 were religious zealots but Waller & Yates had mental issues were List didn't. The problem with most, if not all, religions is their hard push of installing fear that if you don't live by the "good book" you'll burn in hell. They should be teaching that we are ALL Gods children & need to be more open minded. Like the saying goes 'to much of a good thing can be very bad' this includes religion.
Virginia,
I cannot imagine your situation. I saw it with
my mother taking care of me, when I was a health
problem childm her brother, of cancer, and my
grandmother, her own mother. I believe that, with
her smoking habit, combined to her death from lung cancer,
at 64.
And, I too wondered bout Waller's living child. How would
that child deal with all this when grown?
Madeline,
I agree with you about the consequences of relgious
extremity, and while I see the Yates connection clearly,
I do think List had mental problems of his own that never
got addressed. Read up on him. The wife and mother were
both very controlling.
Religion is the root of many evils.
Many evil things are done in it's name.
Hopefully, one day we'll evolve from a belief in the supernatural and do good to others just because it's the human thing to do.
Religion is the root of many evils.
Many evil things are done in it's name.
Hopefully, one day we'll evolve from a belief in the supernatural and do good to others just because it's the human thing to do.
I certainly hope so. But there are some out
there who do use religion for good.
I became aware of this tragedy through Joe Kenda, the Homicide Hunter on ID. I went directly to google and typed in Hank Waller to find out more. I read an article from a Colorado newspaper that contrasted kenda's version of the event. The article was very cut and dry, evidently there was a note in waller's hand with instructions about his will. Yhere was no mention of the note being found in his hand on the ID show. Im guessing in order for this particular case to be included on the program, there had to be some additions and omissions?? Perhaps kenda wanted this case highlighted so people are aware of the possibility of side effects from strokes? Im not sure. Just found the details from each source interesting and worth questioning. Why include a clear case of murder-suicide with no investigation on that type of show; hence the omission of the letter being found in his hand....idk.
Much as I enjoy all the ID programs, I have found that,
when you read up more on what was featured, some things get
left out, or raise questions as one watches. They actually
ignite in me a desire to find out more on what was presented.
Which I think is a good thing!
Hank Waller was my junior high social studies teacher. He was a good, happy man. Mercy is so lacking in America but oh how we abound with endless bitterness, condemnation, and judgement of other people's lives.
Mr. Waller was as you said, during your youth.
But decline made him into the monster he became.
Killing those you love, playing God, is not the
way to handle things. When these crimes were
committed, I believe he knew what he was doing.
So, he should be judged!
I disagree completely. Understand that I am a stroke survivor. Little is known about the brain. I was paralyzed on the right side for over a year. The focus after stroke is not what happens mentally, but rather what can we get back physically. I'm 10 years post stroke and just now dealing with the mental side of it all. I can't imagine if I was wrapped up in a religious community.
When people would say "Thank God"!
Because I was paralyzed on the right side and had to learn to be left handed, I would become a little pissed because to get my arm and hand working took a lot of sweat and tears of frustration! Well meaning friends would bring me a ball and tell me to "just keep squeezing it"..but it wasn't my hand it was my brain. I eventually was well enough to go back to work as a mail carrier, but my inhibitions were rendered useless.. long story short..a wild child emerged..
Kimber,
My grandmother, at 82, had
a stroke, leaving her paralyzed on
her left side, and she spent the
last seven years of her life in a
nursing home.
I admire that your survived and
persevered, and I wish you continued
success. A wild child may have emerged,
but you did not kill anyone!
While not thrilled with the original blog, I can understand someone not involved seeing it from that perspective.
However because of this post I discovered the tv show about them. They were my great uncle and aunt and my father went up to help out after. My family has all seen the show and while the "who, what, where, when, why" were accurate. It was pretty clear what happened. There was not that big of an investigation. Once the officers arrived and looked through, they knew what happened. Filled in details with interviews, but what they saw was what they got.
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