Authors: Gary M. Lavergne

Tags: #History, #United States, #General, #State & Local, #Southwest (AZ; NM; OK; TX), #True Crime, #Murder, #test

A Sniper in the Tower (67 page)

Page 232

report he had written after his now infamous session with Charles Whitman.


This is a new student referred by one of the general practitioners downstairs. This massive, muscular youth seemed to be oozing with hostility as he initiated the hour with the statement that something was happening to him and he didn't seem to be himself.

Past history revealed a youth who was one of two [sic] brothers that grew up in Florida where the father was a very successful plumbing contractor without an education, but who had achieved considerable wealth. He identified his father as being brutal, domineering and extremely demanding of the other three members of the family. The youth married four or five years ago, and served a hitch in the Marines during his married life. He expressed himself as being very fond of his wife, but admitted that his tactics were similar to his father's and that he had on two occasions assaulted his wife physically.

Heatly then left the text to explain that the preceding sentence really meant that Whitman admitted to beating Kathy on two occasions. He looked back at his written statement and continued:

He referred to several commendable achievements during his Marine service, but also made reference to a court martial for fighting which resulted only to [sic] his being reduced several grades to a private. In spite of this he received a scholarship to attend the University for two years, and remain a Marine at the same time. He said that his wife had become more comfortable with him and he says that she really has less fear of him now than in the past because he had made a more intense effort to avoid losing his temper with her.


The real precipitating factor for this initial visit after being on the campus for several years seemed to stem from

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the separation of his parents some thirty days ago. Although there has been gross disharmony through the years, his mother summoned him to Florida to bring her to Texas, and she is now living in Austin, but not with her son and daughter-in-law. The youth says that his father has averaged calling every forty-eight hours for several weeks petitioning him to persuade his mother to return to him. He alleges to have no intentions of trying to do that and retains his hostility towards his father. Although he identifies with his mother in the matter above, his real concern is with himself at the present time. He readily admits having overwhelming periods of hostility with a very minimum of provocation. Repeated inquiries attempting to analyze his exact experiences were not too successful with the exception of his vivid reference to "thinking about going up on the tower with a deer rifle and start shooting people."

At that moment the heads of many reporters lifted. Their mouths opened. "Could you please repeat that entire sentence?" Heady repeated the only direct quote from Whitman in the report. In their follow-up questions the reporters emphasized the word "shooting."

"Whitman was describing his temper tantrums," Heatly stated. "My interpretation of the remark was that it was quite transient. It meant that he was hostile enough to knock down anything in his way." Heatly continued:


He recognizes, or rather feels that he is not achieving in his work at the level of which he is capable and this is very disconcerting to him. The youth could talk for long periods of time and develop overt hostility while talking, and then during the same narration may show signs of weeping.


OBSERVATIONS: This youth told numerous stories of his childhood and of involvement with his father that were not repeated, and it was felt that this relationship together with the genetic feature is largely responsible for this present predicament. Although his father is semi-literate,

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