Where’d he get all that money though?
1. We don’t know if his parents subsidized him.
2. As a PhD Student, he was probably on a full ride (almost all the fulltime PhD students at decent schools are).
3. He would still be eligible for student loans, giving him extra money.
4. Credit cards.
5. Not paying bills for a few months. It takes a while for that kind of behavior to catch up with you. If you pay the rent so that you aren’t on the street, you can put off paying a lot of folks for a long time.
Where he got the money would be the least of my concerns. The planning with no military or law enforcement background is more curious. That said, there’s a ton o’stuff on the internet. All he would need is interest and time. You’d be surprised at the stuff I learned how to do, right here on FR. : )
Any 3rd rate novelist with half an imagination could dream this up. Why would one need law enforcement or military background????
If you want to be a mass-murderer, there are thousands of ways to do it, and you certainly don't need military or law enforcement training to think it up.