Reply #30: The amount of planning

[H2O Man]

that went into this included a substantial amount of manipulating those around him. For example, he had convinced his wife to sign off the deed to their house last fall. I suspect that he had her believing that it was for tax purposes, considering the environment he grew up in, and found employment after his military service.

What sociopaths lack is conscience, and the ability to view others as human beings with needs of their own. They tend to view others as objects, there for their personal gratification, and to be discarded once they become a burden.

It's no coincidence that his crime is very similar to Dr. Jeffrey McDonald's. Like sociopaths tend to do, both of these fellows over-estimated their own intelligence, and underestimated that of others.