Jeff Keehr asked Dave Cullen:

This is off-topic but I wonder if you have any insight into the motive behind Stephen Paddock's mass murder? Having read your Columbine book, I am thinking this guy was a psychopath who kept himself out of trouble for most of his life but his disdain for human beings finally surfaced in this rampage. His father was nuts; I believe he was too.

Dave Cullen Hi Jeff. It's far too early to say, because while the cops have probably discovered a lot about him, and perhaps found some writing, only scraps have reached the public. Psychopathy is a definite possibility to keep an eye on, but not nearly enough info to make a call. (And just scanning down the checklist, most of the items, I respond with "Not nearly enough info to know.)

BTW, for what it's worth, psychopaths are not nuts, and very aware of what they're doing--though maybe you're using "nuts" a different way than crazy or insane.

I do think it's interesting that his father was diagnosed a psychopath by someone (not clear who--last I read), since it seems to be inborn. However, this was long before Dr. Hare created the Psychopathy Checklist, or anyone had come up with anything close to an agreed-upon criteria for what a psychopath was. (Hervey Cleckley's book was still the basis.) So any diagnosis at that time is a bit dubious. They may have applied the same word to a different understanding of what it meant. So I would not throw this info out by any means, but treat it with a grain of salt.

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