A few years back, some of you may remember the Versace killer. It was a huge news story for several reasons, but mainly because he killed a household name. I have always remembered this particular case because I watched an interview on a cable news channel with an FBI profiler. The show’s host was raising a stink about how this animal was on the loose and “enjoying his freedom”.
I remember well the agent calmly looking across the table and saying something to the effect of, when you are #1 on the FBI’s list, there is no enjoying anything. Every second of every day you are looking over your shoulder. Every want and need carries the risk of being captured. The world becomes a lonely place, and he will come to realize that he will live out his life like this or be caught and off to jail.
A few days later Andrew Cunanan was found dead on a boat, he committed suicide. The pressure was just too much.
This guy may still be alive. He may have found a spot to hide. He may even kill again, but I believe he is and will be in a misery that few of us can imagine for the rest of his life.
Two reasons this is different:
One, Cunanan wasn’t military. A mil or ex-mil guy is going to have *way* more training in dealing with mental stress.
Two, Dorner specifically and exclusively went after law enforcement, and is former LEO himself. He knew going into this that the FBI was going to be after him the minute he enacted his plan. He therefore was already prepared to deal with the potential pressure. Knowing their methods ahead of time no doubt makes it easier for him to not worry, since he can more or less anticipate what they are going to do in any situation.