When Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb murdered Bobby Franks, within an affluent Chicago suburb, on May 21, 1924, they coined the concept of "thrill kill." But others followed in their wake.
One of the more disturbing, which caused me not to sleep well last night, was the murder of Daniel Sorenson, who, at the age of 25, was tragically murdered on November 7, 2007. He was, when it came down to it, a "gentle giant," like Lenny in "Of Mice And Men," or Spiros Anonopoulous, in Carson McCullers' "The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter."
It wasn't just the murder, itself. It was who and how did it, and how the formula all came together to create a perfect storm.
First, I have something to say about Dan. Despite what I am writing, I feel sorry for him. He did not deserve what happened to him.
Dan was no angel; in fact, he was a problem kid. Petty theft, drugs, and even a sex offense charge. This is where things get murky.
My impression of Dan was that he was socially immature. Today, this might be labeled as autism or Asperger's, but I sure don't know enough to designate that. But it seemed as though Dan related better to those younger than he. When he was 17, he took up with a young girl, who was 14--both were minors. After a parental fight at home, he moved in with the girl friend, and lived with her as a couple. But--get this!!!!!!!!!--her mother allowed it! Now, right away, I said to myself, something has to be the matter with her.
In a way, there was. Because, once Dan turned 18, the mother's boy friend talked the women into charging him as a sex offender. He was, had to register, and, of course, found it impossible to get any kind of work. Though there was never further evidence of any predatory behavior, though I feel bad for Dan making a stupid choice--and that mother!!!!!!!--technically, the boy friend was right.
So, Dan became a kind of local itinerant. picking up jobs and money where he might, crashing with friends from time to time. All within the confines of Plymouth, Michigan.
Not far from there was the Inner City of Detroit. Going from Plymouth to there was like going from my Brooklyn neighborhood, to Manhattan. And it was in Detroit that Dan was seen at, and often hosted parties, with beer and other things procured for guests, who were often teens younger than himself. One evening, Dan had the misfortune of meeting two teen boys, J.P. (for Jean Pierre) Orlewicz, and Alexander James Letkemann, both in their late teens.
J.P., was from an affluent family, knew it, and was full of himself. Alexander was not from wealth, and became Orlewicz' acolyte. They began a friendship with Dan, who was invited to J.P.s house, and later his grandfather's, (whom the boy was supposed to be taking care of) where they hung out, partied, and thought themselves the coolest of dudes. Dan, unfortunately, was on this maturity level, and he craved the social acceptance, but he, like Alexander, under estimated the lethality of Orlewicz.
J.P., like Richard Loeb, had grandiose plans for being a gangster, which he shared with the two others. Dan showed them some easy petty theft tricks. What he did not know was that J.P. also harbored fantasies of wanting to kill someone--which Alex did not--and, in time, came to focus on Dan Sorenen as his target, because, even though his parents were still alive, he figured no one would miss him, or care that he was gone. Very much the same thinking as Lili Reinhart as Courtney Lane, in the 'SVU' episode "Lost Traveler," based on Brooklyn's Leiby Kletzky case.
On the evening of November 7, 2009, J.P. invited Alex and Dan over to his grandfather's house, ostensibly to hang out, and plan an extortion. Alex arrived first, and when he went with J.P. into the grandfather's garage, and saw how it was set up, that is when he was told Dan was invited over, not knowing J.P. was going to kill him, because he "wanted to." Alex went into shock, and before his eyes, witnessed J.P. luring Dan into the garage, pulling out a knife and slitting his throat, and then stabbing the man over thirty times!!!!!!! Overcome with disgust, Alex went outside and threw up. But he witnessed everything. Why didn't he run? Was it shock? Fear for his own life? Probably a bit of both.
With Alexander unable to function, J.P. called another friend, Isam Ayyash, who, with his help and, I believe, finally Alex's, moved Dan's body, wrapped in a blue tarp, dumping it in an isolated spot along the highway, in a field.
Oh, but there was a trophy kept in the grandfather's house, on the top shelf, for a time. In a cylindrical tube, covered, contained the severed head of Dan Sorensen, which J.P. delightfully had chopped off. The head was later moved to an isolated spot, where a distraught Alex, finally tracked by police, led them to it, so that Dan's family could give their poor, unfortunate and misguided son, a proper burial. And closure for them.
This was a trio of human scum. Though Ayyash helped in disposing the body, he was not charged or convicted, maybe because he was not actively involved in the murder. Alexander Letkemann, who at least had some remorse, was sentenced to 20-30 years in prison, on April 23, 2008, because of active involvement in the murder.
And J.P.? Well, scum rich kid's Mommy and Daddy couldn't buy him out of this. Though I think they should have been charged with raising and enabling a monster. A sociopath, clearly. That poor grandfather. Neglected while his grandson was supposed to be taking care of him!!!!!!!! Bad enough, but who knows? Had J.P. gotten away with Dan, he might have killed again. And Gramps might have been the next victim. Or Alex. Or J.P.'s parents. Or anyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!
J.P. got his on April 16, 2008. He got LWOP, and ten additional years, for the mutilation of a corpse. Judge Annette J. Berry told him she had no doubt, that, if paroled, he would kill again.
Why didn't J.P.'s parents, teachers, doctors, or other authority figures in his life, not see signs of his sociopathy?????????? Sad as Dan's death is, it was mostly due to his misfortune in crossing paths with Orlewicz. Had he not, he might have worked things out for himself.
But then someone else would have been Orlewicz' victim!
This future Ian Brady is right where he belongs!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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