Charles Whitman Research Paper

Introduction The purpose of this psychological autopsy is to expand upon the knowledge regarding the University of Texas, Austin Clocktower shooting by Charles J. Whitman. This examination aims to elaborate upon the details surrounding Charles J. Whitman’s shooting at the University of Texas, Austin and Whitman’s possible psychopathology. There are certain limitations regarding the examination of the incident. One limitation of the psychological autopsy is the amount of time that has passed since the shooting which occurred on August 1st, 1966. Due to the excessive amount of time following the event, certain avenues of inquiry cannot be explored. Interviews with Charles J. Whitman’s relatives cannot be conducted because many of Whitman’s family

Whitman’s wife was fatally stabbed multiple times in the chest (Governor’s Committee, 1966). After murdering his mother and wife, Whitman journeyed to the 28th floor of the Clocktower with a footlocker containing an arsenal of weapons, 700 rounds of ammunition, and other items (Governor’s Committee, 1966; Dietz, 1986). According to Psychiatrist Park Dietz (1986), Charles J. Whitman is an archetypal example of a “pseudo-commando”. “Pseudo-commandos” are mass murderers who carefully plan their actions and exhibit an obsession with firearms (Dietz, 1986). On the 28th floor, Whitman murdered receptionist Edna Townley with blunt force trauma to the back of the head. Whitman then killed Mark Gabour and Margarite Lamport on stairwell between the 27th and 28th floors of the Clocktower. Whitman then fired down from the Clocktower onto unsuspecting members of the public. During Whitman’s rampage, civilians and police officers returned fire after slowly coming to the realization that there was a sniper (Lavergne,

Whitman joined the Marine Corps after the passing of his 18th birthday. As a Marine, Whitman excelled in his training and was awarded the “sharp shooter” designation for demonstrating proficiency at long-range shooting (Lavergne, 1997). In September, 1961, Whitman was awarded the prestigious Naval Enlisted Science Education Program (NESEP) scholarship to study at the University of Texas, Austin (Governor’s Committee, 1966). Whitman’s scholarship in the NESEP program was repealed in February, 1963, and Whitman returned to the Marine Corps (Governor’s Committee, 1966). In July, 1963, Charles received the rank of Lance Corporal, but his rank was reduced to Private on February 7th, 1964, for illegally loaning money to fellow Marines (Governor’s Committee, 1966). Whitman was forced to serve 90 days of harm labor as a result of his court martial (Governor’s Committee, 1966; Lavergne, 1997). Charles J. Whitman was honorably discharge on December 4th, 1964 (Lavergne,