Question N

[Jonetta]

Amanda Wallace killed Ivy and Travis, then tried to kill Bella and Austin, too. While the poisonous rhetoric of their mothers and the apathy of Bill Wallace certainly were largely responsible for her psychological issues, do you think there were other factors that turned her into a psychopathic killer?

[Anita]

Yes, there were certainly deeper issues than the nasty divorce and the way the mothers parented these kids.

[Jonetta]

It’s hard to tell since the parents’ bad behaviors began when she was so young and impressionable. But her deliberate planning for the attempted murders of Austin and Bella were downright scary, as was Travis’s. Now, she’s definitely a candidate for an asylum of the criminally insane.

[Sharon]

It is hard to tell what made Amanda the way she is. I think she has some mental health issues, but her parents made it worse, if that is possible. I don't know how she would have turned out if Bill had stayed with the family. She does have series abandonment issues.

[Anita]

I think the abandonment issues are the key here for Amanda. Her father leaves and then her best friend leaves. No one seemed to notice that Amanda was having real problems with this because she was a great kid, excellent in school and no problem at home. She was totally ignored by her father and used as an emotional dump by her mother.

[Jonetta]

She masked her issues really well.

[Melissa]

Amanda is your typical psychopath. She's cunning, manipulative, smart, and comes across as a normal kid getting good grades in school and socializing with friends. No one ever suspected her. I agree that we will never know what she may have done if her parents had stayed together, but I'm afraid that her violent nature would have come out another time under different circumstances.

[Jonetta]

I fear you’re right, Melissa.

[Sharon]

I agree Melissa. Her true nature would come out eventually.