Harris's Haunting Words - 20 Years After The Columbine Massacre

“Everyone should be put to a test, an ULTIMATE DOOM test, see who can [survive] in an environment using only smarts and military skills – put them in a doom world, no excuses, no refuge, no BS copout excuses.” - Eric Harris’s Journal, p.4-5

                The picture above depicts the perspective of the gunman, Brenton Tarrant, as he livestreamed his blatantly hateful crimes.  It looks reminiscent of a first-person shooter game.  Doom was one of the first of its kind.  While video game makers are not legally liable for a customer’s criminal actions, the game platform has transcended to reality. 

                Unlike the game, the monsters are the ones with the guns.  With recurring attacks, it’s hard to disbelieve that we are in a doom world.  Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold inspired copycats after killing 13 people in Columbine High School twenty years ago.  The media circulated the idea that bullying motivated the perpetrators.  In negation, both Harris and Klebold were mistreated and then became bullies, sometimes targeting Special Ed students, much like the Virginia Tech killer they inspired.  Cho Seung Hui bought into the bullying victim motive and praised the Columbine gunmen as “martyrs,” even though they probably would have belittled him too.

                Over the past two decades, the motives to massacres have changed.  If a boy can not get sex, like Elliot Rodger, or a man hates liberal women doing yoga, like Scott Beierle, a shooting spree ensues.  Some causes weren’t viewed as petty, but more politically widespread.  Abortions enraged Robert Dear to target Planned Parenthood.  Heightened anger of any kind incentivized the active shooters.  Murder is justified in extremist eyes, and the cause could be anything from social rejection to being the rejecter – killing anyone the bully-shooter perceives as unfit for their ideal world. 

The anger has turned into hate – and the new pattern of motives aligns with white supremacy.  Dylan Roof’s rampage was rooted in racism when he shot peaceful people in a predominantly African American church in Charleston, South Carolina.  Robert Bowers unleashed his anti-Semitic rage at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh.  Fatal hatred struck once again in Christchurch, New Zealand.

On March 15th, at 1:39pm, Brenton Tarrant walked into Masjid Al Noor mosque and opened fire.  He left at 1:45pm, and traveled to Linwood mosque to continue murdering.  On route, the livestream ended; it was 17 minutes of willful self-incrimination and narcissistic claim to his crimes.  He killed 50 people and wounded 50.  He used five guns in this spree, which were two semi-automatic firearms and two shotguns.  He wrote the names of internationally recognized mass murderers on his guns, including Alexandre Bissonnette – the Quebec mosque shooter, and Luca Traini – the xenophobic killer in Italy.  Tarrant released an 87-page manifesto, praising Anders Behring Breivik and President Trump.  Breivik murdered 77 people in Norway in 2011, and Tarrant specifically stated that Trump was "a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose" as reported from Al Jazeera.  Manifestos spill motives and tomes worth of criminological information.  However, outside of the psychology community, manifestos are unoriginal gimmicks, and the general public yawns without reading one page.

Reactions to these attacks are changing.  Hearing about mass murders on the news is becoming as frequent as Tide commercials.  Some people are numb from the repetition.  Tragedy turns stale despite lives expiring.  Another spray of bullets, what else is new?  Others experience a renewed depressive state each time these atrocities occur.  While the numbness sets in, we still can not ignore the exponential growth of these unnatural disasters.

                The Christchurch mosque attacks happened last month.  The month before, there was a warehouse shooting in Aurora, Illinois.  Last November, 13 people were murdered in a bar during a line- dancing class in Thousand Oaks, California.  The Tree of Life synagogue shooting happened less than two weeks before, in October.  The Capital Gazette shooting, the Santa Fe High School shooting, and the Nashville Waffle House shooting all happened within three months.  The Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida was on Valentines Day of last year. 

“maybe we will even start a little rebelion [sic] or revolution to fuck things up as much as we can.  i want to leave a lasting impression on the world.” – Eric Harris, Online post

                Did Eric Harris get his wish?  The misspelled rebellion is open to interpretation.  In that online posting and page 12 of his journal, he expressed the desire to destroy major cities like Denver and New York City.  Halfway through the short online post, Harris contradicts himself, denying that their massacre would be repeated and de-normalized school shootings!  His metaphorical crystal ball went dark there.  However, with ironic contradictions aside, the first part signifies the possibility that he wanted his rampage to inspire more rampages, which is happening.  Statistics from the FBI support this domino effect.

                The Federal Bureau of Investigation published reports in 2013 and 2017.  During 2000-2013, there were 160 active shooter incidents, and in 2017 the total climbed to 250.  Within four years, there were 90 more incidents, which is a 56% increase from 2013.  The total number of deaths in 2013 was 486, and in 2017, it was 799.  The 90 shootings resulted in 313 casualties, averaging 3.5 deaths per incident.  The number of wounded victims more than doubled.  Either shooters are getting worse at aiming, or they are more interested in the number of people shot, not caring if their victims were killed.

My Current Analysis on Mass Shootings

                Active shooter scenarios have changed and become increasingly warped ideologically.  School shootings used to be carried out by bullying victims like Luke Woodham and Evan Ramsey.  Our education system requires children to be locked in a building for 35 hours per week for 13 years of their lives, including during early developmental years.  It can be a positive or negative experience, or it can inflict long-term psychological harm.  Abusive faculty and repetitive bullying inculcates victims to hold negative world views, especially if abused over a long period of time.  The words, “but there are mean people everywhere,” only validates that cruelty is widely accepted.  Another old phrase echoes from my past, “The more it bothers you, the more they want to do it!”  Apply that to mass shootings.

                Why do we have so many massacres?  My unpopular opinion is that, it’s effective.  If a person refuses to stop angering you, terminating their life will end the unwanted behavior permanently.  It’s not right, but to terrorists, it’s like hitting the same button to reproduce a desired outcome.  Handling conflict the mature way doesn’t work on immature people, and teaching people to improve their morals and wisdom may be a waste of time since the aggressors are unwilling to learn.  Though now virtually anything can enrage someone.  Instead of being a cornered child with emotional contents under pressure who has renounced all remaining love for humanity, people will exploit any cause just to rake up infamy.  Tolerance is lowering.  Motives used to be ending daily abuse, and now massacres are over immigration and melanin levels.  Soon are there going to be shootings over Nickleback and Croc shoes?  Point:  Massacres are becoming temper tantrums with bullets. 

                Noticeably, not as many active shooters are committing suicide afterward.  Examples include Brenton Tarrant, Anders Behring Breivik, and Nikolas Cruz.  Perhaps their causes are no longer worth dying for, they wish to experience their infamy, or they know that lethal injection chemicals are scarce.  Infamy would not encompass the whole population since the fellow extremists would cheer from afar.

                There is a pattern of “Then and Now’s.”  Motives have changed, feelings toward consequences have dulled, and little nuances have deviated over time.  Harris had Arlene carved on the butt of his rifle, while Tarrant had Alexandre Bissonnette painted on his magazine.  The former is a fictional character from Doom, and the latter is a real killer.  Contemporary perpetrators are idolizing nonfiction killers, rather than virtual ones.  The element of fantasy in committing crimes is fading, and inspiration is now being drawn from actual violence.

               What has remained constant is that perpetrators want society to change and use terrorism to spread their ideology.  Harris and Klebold’s diaries were not intended as manifestos, but when reading Harris’s writings or transcripts to his videos, it was obvious that he spoke to an audience.  Cho Seung Hui, Elliot Rodger, Brenton Tarrant, and Anders Breivik had manifestos detailing their views and intentions behind their crimes.  Conversely, Ted Kaczynski’s publication predated the Columbine Massacre.  Still, it seems like there are more book-length documents in this crime category in recent times.

                Two elements that sum up mass shootings were plainly depicted on Harris and Klebold’s T-shirts.  Under their black duster trench coats, Eric Harris wore a white shirt with “Natural Selection” in black, and Dylan Klebold wore a black shirt with “Wrath” in red.  Wrath is self-explanatory, whereas natural selection is ironic.  Mass murderers play god in deciding people’s fates.  The right wing extremists want to eliminate liberals from the gene pool, because the perpetrator selfishly believes they are weak and unfit for their narrow minded utopia.  Racists want to eliminate black genes to somehow prevent their imaginary white extinction.  Tarrant and Bissonnette were not trying to convert Muslims to another religion, but perceived them as separate from their own people.  Religion and political stances are not hereditary, but liberals and Muslims can indoctrinate their children.  Mass murderers are selecting people out of the gene pool and nurture lagoon, thus controlling who can go on to reproduce.  Their man-made natural selection is a paradox.  Murder is unnatural selection. 

Humanity’s Fate:  Division vs. Unity

Here is one last quote.  Is the Earth naturally selecting us out in favor of less harmful creatures?

“The human race isn’t worth fighting for, only worth killing.  give the Earth back to the animals, they deserve it infinitely more than we do.” – Eric Harris’s Journal, p.8

                Is this where we’re headed?  With climate change, there is a possibility that the Earth is dying prematurely.  More animals are joining the endangered species list.  There is garbage and acid in our oceans.  Humankind is the culprit, and chances are, the rest of the animal kingdom would thrive without us.  It is only a speculation at this point.  Harris was not predicting the end of the world, only that animals are more deserving of this world.  What will come first?  Will mankind destroy the only planet that supports life, or will the human race destroy itself through killing one another?

                What is the solution to all of this?  It would be nice if everyone unified efforts to heal the Earth and learned to respect one another.  Focusing on respect, we need to exercise more self-control, which is the opposite of freedom.  The United States values freedom, but people will use their freedom to take away another person’s freedom.  Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness get twisted because people enjoy schadenfreude and wrecking others’ happiness.  Without respect, there is a declining respect for life.

                So instead of faking friendliness, people should try to restrain themselves from being unkind.  When someone is dressed unfashionably, make no comments – the clothes are not on your body.  If you perceive someone to be stupid, either politely correct them or say nothing.  That rude comment you are tempted to type, withhold it.  Then you are withholding emotional poison.  If someone has never wronged you, why wrong them – why invoke their retaliation?  Try to be accepting of others, and try to understand what you don’t understand.  Seek no apologies, and don’t force forgiveness. 

If someone wants to be left alone, allow them solace to collect their thoughts.  If someone wants to speak, listen.  If someone doesn’t want to answer some inane, personal question, don’t ask again.  Always mind other people’s boundaries, physically or the space around them.  You can sense consent by knowing when you are welcome.  These may seem like a lot of rules, but start with one or two, and you may get respect in return. 

                If we treated one another better, maybe we would have fewer massacres.  Maybe, however friendliness can only go so far – bigotry is a bigger problem.  I intend no harm in the following statements, which do not apply to every member of a given demographic, but to offer a simplified conception of a societal problem.

Racism is rooted in a fear of poverty, and social climbing is harder for people with darker complexions.  The 1% hoards wealth, and impoverished minorities blame the white majority in the top one percent.  Poor white people don’t feel privileged, and the hateful ones demographically dissociate from the wealthy white people, assuming they’re all Jewish with worldly control.  Aristocrats feel entitled to their earnings and excuse their hoarding by voluntarily donating to charities annually, which can be written off on their taxes.  Corporate moguls outsource to countries with cheap labor or hire immigrants willing to work for lower wages, all to save money.  The lower middle class compete for the monetary leftovers, and then they start blaming each other.

In perceiving parasites in the job market, the sneering Neo-Nazis are probably angry at both the immigrants taking jobs and the presumably Jewish corporate figures paying them.  It can be inferred that white supremacists’ motives are derived from overwhelming conspiracy theories that Jewish power tycoons are mass-puppeteering everyone, that the white race is dwindling, and immigrants are invading the nation, possibly shifting religious statistics in their favor.  These delusions corner them mentally and internally pressure them to reduce the “enemy” population by killing them.  These are only inferences drawn through pondering, not proven.  What is tangible for comparison is that Eric Harris scrawled swastikas in his journal, but he wasn’t an actual Neo-Nazi.  Now we have real Neo-Nazis carrying out attacks.  Just being nice to a hardened bigot is like offering a flower to a tank.

If the tank is bigotry, then the flower to give is a columbine, reminding us that no one is bulletproof.  If we are divided, we will kill each other as the Earth kills us because we aren’t caring for it.

Regardless of demographics, if you extract DNA from anyone, it will be the double helix of a Homo sapiens.  If we work together, we can improve the world.    If we are ever to tackle the bigger problems on a global level, we need to unite.  In order for humanity to unite, we need to remember that we are all human. 

©2019 Caroline Friehs

Posted on:  April 20, 2019

Header photo credited to:  The Straits Times.

References

Associated Press (2019 Mar 15).  Facebook, YouTube blindsided by Christchurch mosque shooter’s livestream video.  The Straits Times.  Retrieved from:  https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/australianz/facebook-youtube-blindsided-by-christchurch-mosque-shooters-livestreaming-video

Associated Press (2019 Mar 16).  New Zealand mosque attacks suspect praised Trump in manifesto.  Al Jazeera.  Retrieved from:  https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/03/zealand-mosques-attack-suspect-praised-trump-manifesto-190315100143150.html

Britton, B (2019 Mar 16).  What we know:  How the New Zealand terror attack unfolded.  CNN.  Retrieved from:  https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/15/asia/new-zealand-christchurch-attack-what-we-know-intl/index.html

FBI (2014 Sept 24).  FBI Releases Study on Active Shooter Incidents – Covers 2000-2013 Timeframe.  FBI.gov.  Retrieved from:  https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/fbi-releases-study-on-active-shooter-incidents

FBI (2017).  250 Active Shooter Incidents in the United States Between 2000-2017.  [Map].  FBI.gov.  Retrieved from:  https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/graphic-1-map.pdf/view

FBI (2017).  2000 – 2017 Active Shooter Incidents.  [Document].  Retrieved from:  https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/active-shooter-incidents-2000-2017.pdf/view

Friehs, C (2015).  Bullying is Russian Roulette with the Student Body – Examining the Precursors to Five School Shootings in America.  Amazon KDP.  Release date:  September 30, 2015.

Lamoureax, M (2019 Mar 15).  Accused New Zealand Shooter Had Canadian Mass Murderer’s Name On Weapon.  Vice.  Retrieved from:  https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/zma5a8/accused-new-zealand-shooter-had-canadian-mass-murderers-name-on-weapon

Shepard, C.  (1999, April 21).  4-20:  A Columbine Site.  Retrieved from: http://acolumbinesite.com/index.html

Harris, E. (1999).  Eric Harris’s Journals.  [Original document].  Retrieved from:  http://acolumbinesite.com/eric/writing/journal/jindex.html

Shepard, C.  (1999, April 21).  Eric Harris’s Web Journals – Vaccines (cont.).  A Columbine Site.  Retrieved from:  http://www.acolumbinesite.com/eric/writing/plans2.gif

 

Timeline: Jennifer Morrissey's Homicide of Michael McNew

                Without taking a poll, it can be inferred that most people in Bucks County read at most one or two articles regarding the recent murder trial for Jennifer Morrissey.  Those who read about it had gotten the gist of the story, and then moved on.  People can easily scroll past articles quicker than passing clouds, and the details are quickly forgotten.  An unfair comparison is that Roseanne Barr’s racist fiasco was covered for days on CNN, but when someone is murdered, it is only a five-minute blurb on the news.  Why does a tweet get more coverage than a human life?

                In gathering information from a variety of news sources, I pieced together the story in its entirety, and presented it as a visual.  This illustrated timeline serves to simplify the events leading up to the incident, the murder, and the aftermath.  Most people do not want to waste time reading every article, and this presentation allows a quicker understanding of what happened.

                The timeline is cut into four sections to sustain a decent resolution, and a full timeline is posted at the end.  All the resources used in the making of this project are in the reference section at the bottom.

                Jennifer Morrissey dropped out of high school in 9th grade due to bullying and then became an exotic dancer – at age 15.  Later on, she became a motorcycle mechanic and still danced on the side.  She suffered from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, and somewhere down the line she started abusing heroin.  Earlier this decade, she gave birth to a baby boy. 

                Michael McNew grew up in Hagerstown, Maryland.  His Alma mater was West Virginia University, and he went on to become a District Sales Manager for AbbVie.  He was divorced with two adult children, both married.  He had one grandchild, and toward the end of his life, he learned that a second grandchild was on the way.

                Morrissey and McNew first bonded over their common interest, motorcycles.  The young woman’s difficult past appealed to him emotionally.  They met in 2013, and she moved in with McNew in January 2015.  Before deciding this living arrangement, she already had a violation of probation in 2014 for drug charges, in which McNew paid bail.  After moving in with him, Morrissey had hit a bicyclist while driving McNew’s car in 2016.  McNew paid for the damages.  Within the same year, Jennifer had a friend over while McNew was not home.  The friend overdosed, and the police got involved.  There was probably an ambulance, however sources had not mentioned it.  It is unknown what order the 2016 incidents occurred, since no dates were given, and running a search for the reported drug overdose would be under the unidentified friend’s name.

                Between October 2013 and July 2017, Michael McNew had paid over $6,000 for court costs relating to Morrissey’s growing criminal record.  He paid in monthly increments.

My Analysis at this Point

                It is hard to tell who was controlling who at this point.  Morrissey could have charmed the older gentleman and used her rough past to gain his sympathy.  He may have felt compelled to support someone less fortunate.  However, McNew could have been using money to control her, in the sense of buying her.  Having a young, pretty girlfriend was ego-fuel, or he could have just been lonely.  That claim of loneliness could be challenged, considering he had family.  The Philadelphia Inquirer said that he only paid court costs monthly, “so that she would always come back.”

                Regarding Jennifer’s earlier years, whoever employed a 15-year-old to be a stripper should have been arrested.  These sexualized experiences while underage could have significantly impacted her adulthood in terms of drug use, among other adverse situations.

                Her son is hardly mentioned throughout the case.  Custody for the boy is unknown.  Is he with his father, his grandmother?  Did Bucks County Children and Youth take the boy away since she had a heroin addiction?

                Sources say that Morrissey is from Doylestown, but her Facebook account indicates that her hometown is Jersey City, NJ, which is also where her father lives according to Whitepages.com.  Interesting to note is that under Life Events, in 2013, Morrissey realized that “im going to die old and alone.” [sic].  It’s possible that it was before she met Michael McNew? 

                Also worth noting is that Morrissey’s beginning criminal record involved only minor charges that would be non-reportable in a background check, but she is the one who becomes a murderer.  McNew had a DUI, a reportable charge, which hardly affects his career since he wouldn’t have needed a new job and was verging on retirement age.

                In 2017, it became clear that Morrissey was having an affair behind McNew’s back.  On May 15, 2017, she changed her Facebook relationship status to “Engaged to Chuck Ruthless Kudlow.”  Philadelphia’s Most Wanted and the White Pages spell it as Kulow, and Kudlow produces null results in the White Pages.  It is possible that he intentionally misspells his surname to be harder to find on Facebook.  It is also possible that Kudlow is an older spelling that he prefers.

                Charles Kulow is a member of the Breed motorcycle gang.  His criminal record included assault, robbery, and drug charges.  The Breed are a one percenter gang, which according to their website means that they are not law-abiding like the other 99% of motorcycle groups.  Their page heralds its arrested members, mostly for drug trafficking.

                At the end of July, McNew’s son and daughter-in-law visited before going on their honeymoon.  His son, Patrick McNew, later told police that he witnessed them arguing.  Then a few days before the murder, Patrick saw Jennifer looking drunk and disconnected.

                The subject of the argument was unknown, however McNew had been known to get jealous, accusing Morrissey of cheating and always reminding her of her financial dependency on him.  For nearly three years, he paid over $6,000 for her legal problems, and $24,000 was still outstanding.  Morrissey had only paid $200 toward her court fees.  The expenses of managing her problems were weighing on him.  She was also dealing with heroin addiction, which he would discourage, but he was also allegedly “buying her dope,” according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.  

August 6, 2017 – The Day of the Murder

                On the fatal day, both children of McNew exchanged their last text messages, not knowing it was their last interaction with him.

                Between the evening hours of 7:00pm and 9:00pm, McNew and Morrissey had a fiery texting argument.  McNew had been consuming alcohol at the time.  There was no complete account of the conversation available, so the sequence can only be loosely inferred through the disclosed text messages.

Thanks to the following news sources, the puzzle pieces to the conversation were available: 

The Bucks County Courier Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Post,

The Burlington County Times, ABC News, and Patch.

Texting Turmoil

This is one possible inference as to how the texting conflict unfolded:

-McNew confronts her about Kulow, calling him a “monster,” and threatens to report him to the FBI.

-Morrissey says Kulow has abided his probation officer.

-McNew expresses love……and then, but you prefer Kulow.

-Morrissey probably got defensive.

-McNew asks her to come back and stay the night.

-She agrees.

-McNew continues to disparage Kulow,

-She defends him.

…….

-McNew then decides Morrissey is no longer welcome, and to move her belongings to a storage unit,

paying the first two months.

-Morrissey starts making threats – don’t touch my stuff!
-McNew tells her to stay away and warns her that he is prepared to defend himself

if she enters his house.

-Morrissey – I already said I was coming over, you’re going to have to shoot me.

-McNew – threatens to shoot her.

Here are the quoted texts in approximate order:

McNew:  "I wanted you to be with me forever. You chose not to.  I can't compete with your love.  […]  You have a new boyfriend now.  […]  I have always loved you beyond your imagination and mine, but you chose differently.  And I guess 4 years with you is all a waste of my time." (Vella, July 2018)

McNew:  “I will never ever let myself be used like I have by you again.”  […]  Then, McNew threatened to shoot “K.”  (Menno, 30 Jan 2019)

…….

[McNew says he is going to put her possessions in a storage locker with two month’s rent paid].

Morrissey:  "You have a choice: touch my stuff or I cut your throat."  (ABC News, 2017)
McNew:  said to “stay away,” and that he would “defend himself if she came into his home.”

(Swenson, 2019)
Morrissey:  "Get the gun ready cause I'm coming, I already told you that I'll be there tonight”

(Seymour, 2017)

Morrissey:  “Guess you're just gonna have to shoot me." (Seymour, 2017)

Morrissey:  “I'm gonna stab ya."  (Seymour, 2017)

Morrissey:  "I'll gut you like I'm field dressing a [expletive] deer."  (Seymour, 2017)

[Some texts were quoted by multiple sources: (Swenson, 2019), (Seymour, 2017), (ABC News, 2017)].

McNew says he would shoot her if she entered his home, calls her “unappreciative.”  (Vella, July 2018)

[At some point, these texts were exchanged].

Morrissey texted that if McNew kept complaining, “[You won’t] have to worry about leukemia killing you, because I will put you in the [expletive] ground myself."  (Vella, July 2018)
McNew:  "Well maybe that's better." (Vella, July 2018)
Morrissey:  "It would be a lot quicker."  (Vella, July 2018)

TheMurder

                At 9:37pm, Jennifer Morrissey arrived at the Washington Crossing home, located on River Road.  She entered through the garage by punching in the code.  There is no way to know exactly what transpired within the yellow house.  Jennifer’s story kept changing.  Theory 1 and subsequent variations are from Morrissey’s multiple recants.  Theory 2 is what the prosecution believed occurred.

Theory 1:  McNew approached, holding the .380 Smith and Wesson handgun.  They struggled and the gun went off, shooting McNew in the face.

1A:  Morrissey arrived and McNew displayed a gun.  He asked, “Where’s your boyfriend?”  They wrestled on the ground.  McNew dropped the gun, and Morrissey gained possession.  She pushed him onto the recliner.  He lunged at her, and then she shot him accidentally. 

(Kimberly Wallace)

1B:  When McNew pointed the gun, Morrissey knocked it out of his hand.  They struggled, trying to get the gun.  She pushed him into the recliner.  She tried to unload the clip, and the gun discharged.  (Unnamed inmate)

Theory 2:  McNew fell asleep in the recliner after drinking.  Morrissey snuck into the house, and shot him with his own .380 Smith and Wesson.  She stole the gun and clip, and had Kulow insure their destruction.  (Prosecuting attorneys)

                Despite the variations in Morrissey’s retelling, one part was consistent.  After she shot Michael McNew, she panicked and fled the crime scene. 

Crime Coverup

                Morrissey immediately went to Kulow’s trailer in Bensalem, PA to consult him on what to do.  Kulow lived with a roommate, Jerry Watson.  Kulow advised her to return and make sure that McNew was dead.  He also urinated on Morrissey’s hand to eliminate gun residue.  The group discussed how to cover up the crime.  The first plan was to stage a suicide, which was turned down in favor of simulating a robbery gone wrong.

                Watson and Morrissey returned to the murder scene, in which Watson was emotionally jarred.  Morrissey claimed there had been a struggle, but nothing seemed to be in disarray.  Watson later testified that her story just “didn’t add up,” as reported by the Bucks County Courier Times.

Within the house, they stole McNew’s laptop, watch, gun, and phone.  Morrissey was the one to turn out McNew’s pants pockets, since her fingerprints were later discovered.  Watson exited the house moments before Morrissey.  The cellphone was still powered on, so the phone was tracked.  They left the house at 1:00pm, and they turned at an intersection in Yardley, PA at 1:34pm.

                They drove back to the trailer.  They buried the stolen items in a box, except for the gun.  The gun was not recovered.

                Later Morrissey went onto Facebook, and sent messages to McNew in attempts to sound unaware of his death.  According to New Hope Free Press, she asked him about a doctor visit, and told him about different colors she was considering for her motorcycle.

My Analysis at this Point

                With mounting court expenses in the thousands, it’s understandable for McNew be frustrated with Morrissey.  Moreover, his claims that she was cheating seem credible from her Facebook life events.  She had been engaged to another person in 2016; the short-term fiancé is unknown.  She had a relationship beginning in 2014, but that person could have been McNew.

                In the texting tirade, McNew threatened to report Kulow to the FBI, but that is not the way the FBI handles investigations.  They receive tips from citizens regarding current fugitives, but they do not take reported crimes directly from individuals, with the exception of cybercrimes.  If someone has committed a crime, a person files complaint with the local police first, and they decide whether or not it needs to be forwarded to the FBI.  McNew was unaware of Kulow’s involvement in the Brian Jones murder, so the only matter to report was his gang affiliation, which is not illegal.  Morrissey seemed to take the threat seriously.

                Her texts became violent right after he threatened to remove her belonging to a storage unit.  The most sensitive item was her sister’s ashes, according to Kulow when he later testified.  In my judgment, Kulow would be less credible since he wants to defend her, however he knows her well enough to identify specific personal belongings. 

                McNew’s text messages involved love confessions, insults, pleading her to come home, forbidding her to return, and threatening to kill her.  He was drinking heavily during the texting dispute, which could have contributed to his mixed signals.  She did not know whether or not to come to the house, or she wanted to settle the matter in person.  Her threats put him on guard, anticipating her arrival.

                The cellphone tower pinged her phone at 9:37pm at McNew’s GPS coordinates, but what transpired can only be speculated.  In addition to Theory 1, I propose a third variation.

                Theory 1C:  Morrissey entered the house.  McNew pointed the gun at her, fearing her violence or that Kulow accompanied her.  As a reflex, she batted the gun out of his hand, to protect herself.  He was drunk, and she was younger and more athletically built.  She was able to obtain the gun.  Pointing the firearm at him, she guided him to the recliner to sort out the argument.  She wanted him to appease her demands.  Either he said no, or he made a bitter remark – and she shot him.  She was shocked with what she just did, and fled the scene to seek Kulow’s advice.

                Debunking Theory 2:  After receiving death threats via text message, McNew anticipated her arrival, since she said she was coming home.  He would be too agitated to sleep.  It’s true that older people fall asleep earlier, especially after consuming alcoholic beverages.  Though, if he were asleep, the garage door would still rattle upon her punching the code.  Then, Morrissey would have to discover him sleeping before becoming quieter.  She would have to sneak upstairs into his bedroom, get his gun, come back downstairs, and then shoot him.  The house is not new, so the floorboards would have creaked.  The various noises would have woken him, and he would still be tired.  He would have stirred and moved from the recliner, changing the theoretical position where he would have been shot.

Michael McNew was murdered on a Sunday, and his colleagues noticed his absence at work for two days.  His manager tried calling him multiple times – with no response.  A close coworker, Mary Ann Stockley, and her daughter drove to his house to check on him.  According to the Washington Post, the door was unlocked, and they soon discovered his lifeless body. 

Stockley called 911.  Police came and investigated.  They found McNew’s rifle and 9mm handgun in the master bedroom, but his registrations indicated a second pistol was missing, and the caliber matched the bullet shell casings that were near the recliner.  They also found mail addressed to Jennifer Morrissey.  Eventually, a dive team was dispatched in search of the murder weapon if it had been thrown into the Delaware River.

                Since the mail showed that Morrissey was cohabiting with McNew, she was interviewed by police.  She claimed that she had not gone to the Washington Crossing home since July 31, and that she had only lived there for a few months.

                On August 24, 2017, Morrissey texted Kulow to start contacting her on her new boost phone, an Android ZTE.  She had already deleted her damning conversations with McNew on the iPhone 6S that McNew had bought her.

                Deleting text messages on one phone, sending pretentiously nice Facebook messages, and faking surprise upon hearing the news of McNew’s death hardly hid her role in the homicide.  On September 29, 2017, Jennifer Morrissey was charged with murder, burglary, tampering with evidence, and possessing instruments of a crime.  Before that date, she was already in custody for violating her probation again, regarding an unrelated incident.

                Jennifer Morrissey was held without bail at Bucks County Correctional Facility.  Her preliminary hearing was on October 16, 2017.  The recorded pre-trial hearing replayed for journalists like Vinny Vella of the Philadelphia Inquirer to quote.  Vella relayed some of her poignant arguments.

            “If it was planned out, I wouldn’t have had to come back a second time.”

“If I was there to deliberately … kill him, I wouldn’t tell him, ‘I’m on my way.'”

Regarding the text messages - “It was just the nastiest stuff I could think of.”

                The case was assigned to Judge Raymond F. McHugh with District Attorney Weintraub and his team prosecuting the case.  S. Phillip Steinberg was appointed as Morrissey’s defense attorney.

                At some point while incarcerated, the county detective and local police tried to coerce a confession in exchange for information about Morrissey’s aging dog, who was taken to an animal shelter.  Two months before her trial, Morrissey’s appointed attorney motioned to dismiss the case on the grounds of prosecutorial misconduct.  Morrissey was entitled to have her attorney present, and the interview was arranged in his absence.

                While in jail, Morrissey turned to her fellow inmates for advice on self-defense laws and cellphone tower signaling.  She recanted the murder to several inmates, who would later be subpoenaed.  Morrissey embraced her prison nickname, Sugslayer, and even hashtagged it on an inmate’s birthday card.  The Sug part is pronounced, shoug, as in “Sugar,” meaning she slayed her sugar daddy.

                The inmates involved were Tracy Ward, Ashley Connor, and Kimberly Wallace.  Wallace received the most information about the incident, and Connor dubbed Morrissey with the nickname.  One of Morrissey’s calls had already been tapped and retained for court.  She prompted Ward to call Kulow to inform him that she signed two search warrants.  Making someone else’s phone call was a violation of jail rules.

                Kulow was soon dealing with his own legal troubles.  In January 2018, he was charged with the murder of Brian Jones, aged 40, which occurred back in November 2016.  Jones was allegedly impersonating a Breed member, and an altercation turned deadly.  Kulow was then taken into custody until his trial.

My Analysis at this Point

                Instead of consulting her attorney on material sensitive to her case, she asked inmates who are not legal experts.  Nor do they take the oath of confidentiality.  It is possible that Morrissey did not want to look guilty to her lawyer as to keep him convinced of her innocence.  With less information, Steinberg was less aware of the whole situation.

                The Fifth Amendment empowers citizens not to speak and self-incriminate.  She should not have disclosed any information regarding her active case, however it is practically cliché in hear the oldest question in jail, “What are you in for?”

                Wallace’s account of the murder retold was detailed enough to make you feel like you were there.  She was probably Morrissey’s cellmate or closest friend in the women’s cellblock, or so the murderess thought.  Tracy and Ashley heard the story too, and differences between the versions are suspicious, although hindsight could be unclear in recalling the fatal struggle.  Either that, or Morrissey can not remember a lie properly.

                The Philadelphia Inquirer quoted her telling Wallace, “I wouldn’t let Ruthless go down for this.”  Yet in the police interview, she initially pointed that McNew was in “fear of his life” from her boyfriend, Ruthless, according to the Washington Post.  Morrissey was open to lying to police about the length of residency and her whereabouts on the date of the homicide, which could easily be disproven with US Postal Service records and cellphone tower signals; the latter caught her.  Even if her cellphone was turned off, license plate readers could detect her vehicle, which is how Cosmo DiNardo was caught in July 2017, two months prior to Morrissey’s arrest.  With DiNardo’s quadruple murder in the news, and the level of sophistication in homicide investigation, one might think even an angry person would be dissuaded from killing someone.  Was Morrissey following the news, and was she affected by that case which shook the county?  Whether or not she intended to kill, she was unprepared.  Most of her efforts were channeled into covering up the crime.  Inclusive to revamping the crime scene to look like an armed burglary, hiding the stolen items, deleting text messages, sending fake happy messages on Facebook, and lying to police – only made her look more guilty.  Covering up something could mean she had something to hide.  Although if it was truly intended, she would have prepared more and had less backpedaling to do.

                Telling from her mugshot, she was most likely arrested at work, wearing her mechanic uniform.  In the next segment, she is shown in a red jumpsuit.  Having once toured the county jail, I learned that common criminals wear yellow for men, and red for women.  The more dangerous, violent inmates wear orange and are held in the restricted cellblocks.  Given some thought, Morrissey wore red due to her previous convictions being non-violent in nature.  The skull tattoo on her left hand matches the tattoo in one of her Facebook pictures.

                The county detective and police used her dog as a bargaining tool in coercing a confession – not her kindergarten-aged son!  Custody and care for the boy would be more important considering no child should be around a murderer.  Chances are the child is in the custody of her parents or the boy’s father.  However, they could possibly threaten to deny contact with her child, considering she had a history of heroin usage.  Maybe there were other unmentioned factors involved, so she could still legally contact her child?  So the only family member whose custody they could threaten during an interrogation was her dog.  The dog could still go to a family member and has no bearing on the case.

                Ashley Connor gave the sticking name of Sugslayer, which sounds guilty to adopt, however credible news sources have utilized the term, “slaying,” in place of words like, murder or killing.  The word, slay, sounds like it glorifies the act.  Slaying is for dragons, not human beings! 

               As reported from the Courier Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer, the trial for Michael McNew’s murder was commenced on January 24, 2019.  A jury was selected the day before.  Opening arguments were presented, and the aforementioned inmates testified on the second day.  Tracy Ward was verging on tears as she discussed the phone call, thinking she was helping someone.  Kimberly Wallace testified that she had asked Morrissey why she did not call the police, and Morrissey doubted the police would have believed her.  Ashley Connor contradicted her testimony several times, as the prosecution pointed out.  Defense attorney Steinberg discredited the inmates’ testimonies, citing that they were motivated by shorter sentences and special treatment.  All three inmates, especially Ward, countered that they were not receiving special treatment in jail.

                Forensic pathologist Dr. Zhong Xu Hua had performed the autopsy and stated the victim’s blood alcohol concentration was 0.179.  Dr. Hua also concluded upon examination of the body, the gun barrel had been one inch from McNew’s face when it was discharged.

                The prosecution asserted that Morrissey was financially motivated, noting that McNew had added her as a beneficiary for two of his insurance policies, totaling over $360,000.  Though, in a recorded phone call, she denied ever knowing about those accounts and only learned of it after his death.

                Despite having less sufficient information from his client, Steinberg was aggressive and did everything in his power to battle the prosecution.  Though, it mildly affected the verdict.  On February 1, Jennifer Morrissey was found guilty of first degree murder.  She was acquitted for the other three charges.  One month later, she was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

My Analysis Overall

                Both Jennifer Morrissey and Michael McNew made grave errors in their judgment.  McNew could have called the police, knowing ahead of time that a threatening, unwanted person was coming.  When Morrissey saw the gun, she should have exited the house immediately.  Though she had a fight response, not flight.  Retreating may seem weak to one who is linked to a motorcycle gang.  McNew chose to rely on himself for protection, using a gun in attempts to take control.  These decisions were ego-driven, whereas other decisions were emotionally rooted.

               Considering McNew was dealing with his girlfriend’s infidelity and a potential entanglement with a motorcycle gang, this was no time to drink.  It was no time to sleep, either.  McNew may have turned to alcohol to quell his emotions, and it’s feasible that he had an alcohol problem since he had a DUI.

                Morrissey’s emotions arose when her possessions were threatened, leaving a texting trail of evidence.  She was not problem solving or thinking ahead, and she was emotionally unprepared the moment she committed murder.  If it was an accident, Morrissey should have called 911 after the gun discharged, but she was too scared – according to all three inmates.  Her flight reflexes kicked in, and she fled the crime scene.  Overwhelmed by fear, retreating no longer seemed like cowardice.  Before the fatal shot, there was a struggle for control, whether physical or materialistic concerning possessions.

                The instrument of control was the gun, and Morrissey had advantages.  She was 33, and McNew was 64 and intoxicated.  If a physical altercation did occur, then it would have been easy for her to get the upper hand.

                Michael did not foresee this morbid turn of events when he allowed Morrissey to move into his house in2015.  Some of their errors were poor long term decisions.  For Jennifer, it was dropping out of high school and starting heroin.  For McNew, it was becoming a sugar daddy and taking home a stripper.  What brought them together, enough to have her change her address?

                Both loved motorcycles, took risks, and had substance abuse problems.  Both had a wild side, whether pretentious or genuine.  Morrissey liked criminally fertile environs like the strip club and hanging out with gang members.  McNew allegedly met Morrissey at her strip joint; he also collected guns.  Risky activities like motorcycle riding bonded them.  What broke that bond was their mutual trait of aggression.  They both were more likely to fight than settle matters legally.

                It is still hard to distinguish who was the more manipulative person.  Defense attorney Steinberg described McNew as abusive, jealous, and keeping Morrissey financially dependent on him.  McNew may have used a naïve, younger woman to be his trophy just to feed his ego.  However, Morrissey seems sociopathic in her ability to seduce or invoke pity in order to gain financial support.  She also convinced Tracy Ward to break prison rules to do her a favor. 

If both the perpetrator and the victim were manipulative, the former was proven to be more deceitful.  Morrissey could exploit others to get what she wanted, whether it was a phone call, a new cellphone, or money for her court obligations.  It is possible she convinced McNew to buy her drugs.  Aside from drugs, it is also possible that he willfully doted on her, and she did not know about the insurance policies.  The gift giving could have been an attempt to buy her.  Still, even with a shower of presents, Morrissey had no remorse in cheating on McNew twice while using him as a financial cushion.  Additionally, Morrissey changed her murder story a few times between different inmates.  Either she was incomplete in detailing it, or she was forgetting lies.  Sociopath is not a term to throw around, but she had some anti-social qualities.

At the end of the trial, she was found guilty of murder, but acquitted for the other charges.  She was acquitted for burglary, logically since she was still a resident.  They never found the murder weapon, so they could not prove she was in possession of the instrument of crime.  She tampered with the crime scene, but the evidence was left.  She only added evidence in attempting to cover up the crime.

McNew is unconditionally innocent, but if Morrissey were the one killed in the altercation, guilt and innocence would be switched.  It would be an entirely different story.  However, McNew was murdered, and his mistakes are forgiven.  Morrissey’s actions are on record forever.  Competing for dominance can be overrated when battles are not chosen wisely, because the winner in a fight becomes the loser in the media.

© 2019 Caroline Friehs

Drafted:  April 14, 2019

Completed:  May 4, 2019

References

ABC News (2017 Sept 29).  Woman charged in murder of pharmaceutical exec in Washington Crossing.  6ABC Action News – WPVI-TV.  Retrieved from:  https://6abc.com/woman-charged-in-murder-of-pharma-exec-in-bucks-co/2467401/

Associated Press (2019 Feb 2).  Bucks County Woman Convicted Of Murdering Upper Makefield ‘Sugar Daddy.”  New Hope Free Press.  Retrieved from:  https://www.newhopefreepress.com/2019/02/02/bucks-county-woman-convicted-of-murdering-upper-makefield-sugar-daddy/

Facebook (2019).  Jennifer Morrissey.  [Social media account].  Retrieved from:  https://www.facebook.com/jennifermorrisse

Friestad, T (2017 Nov 6).  Police: Woman tampered with murder scene in Upper Makefield shooting.  Bucks County Courier Times.  Retrieved from:  https://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/news/20171106/police-woman-tampered-with-murder-scene-in-upper-makefield-shooting

Lozano, A. V (2017 Sept 29).  Bucks County Woman Faces Homicide Charges in Pharmaceutical Executive Michael Dennis McNew’s Death.  NBC 10.  Retrieved from:  https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Doylestown-Woman-Accused-of-Killing-Pharmaceutical-Executive-Michael-Dennis-McNew-448663933.html

Menno, C (2019 Jan 25).  Cellmates say murder defendant described shooting, aftermath in Bucks slaying.  Bucks County Courier Times.  Retrieved from:  https://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/news/20190125/cellmates-say-murder-defendant-described-shooting-aftermath-in-bucks-slaying?fbclid=IwAR2XY92H64_JxkyUNHoBEQBYl_nvnS2ZDgmToIYNB7FiO_leEqSvttkn4Jo

Menno, C (2019 Jan 28).  Boyfriend of woman on trial for ex’s murder testifies.  The Intelligencer.  Retrieved from:  https://www.theintell.com/news/20190128/boyfriend-of-woman-on-trial-for-exs-murder-testifies

Menno, C (2019 Jan 30).  Prosecution rests in Upper Makefield murder trial.  Bucks County Courier Times.  Retrieved from:  https://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/news/20190130/prosecution-rests-in-upper-makefield-murder-trial

Menno, C (2019 Feb 1).  Jennifer Morrissey found guilty of first-degree murder of Upper Makefield man.  Bucks County Courier Times.  Retrieved from:  https://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/news/20190201/jennifer-morrissey-found-guilty-of-first-degree-murder-of-upper-makefield-man

Menno, C (2019 Mar 1).  Convicted killer Jennifer Morrissey sentenced to life in prison.  Bucks County Courier Times.  Retrieved from:  https://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/news/20190301/convicted-killer-jennifer-morrissey-sentenced-to-life-in-prison

O’Malley, J (2018 Jul 7).  Prosecutors want phone access, texts in Upper Makefield murder trial.  Burlington County Times.  Retrieved from:  https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/news/20180707/prosecutors-want-phone-access-texts-in-upper-makefield-murder-trial

(Duplicate article was published on the same date in the Bucks County Courier Times.)

One percenter bikers (2019).  1%er Bikers – The Breed MC (Motorcycle Club).  [Website].  Retrieved from:  https://onepercenterbikers.com/the-breed-mc-motorcycle-club/

Philadelphia/Camden HIDTA (2012).  Philly’s Most Wanted.  [Website].  Retrieved from:  https://phillymostwanted.org/default.aspx/MenuItemID/396/MenuGroup/Public+Most+Wanted.htm?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

Seymour, K (2017 Sept 29).  Doylestown Woman, 33, Charged With Killing Bucks County Pharmaceutical Executive.  Patch.  Retrieved from:  https://patch.com/pennsylvania/doylestown/doylestown-woman-33-charged-homicide

Sofield, T (2017 Nov 7).  Woman Accused of Shooting Upper Makefield ‘Sugar Daddy’ Head to Trial.  Newtown, PA – Now.com.  Retrieved from:  http://newtownpanow.com/2017/11/07/woman-accused-of-shooting-upper-makefield-sugar-daddy-headed-to-trial/

Swenson, K (2019 Jan 25).  A pharma exec invited a troubled young lover to move in.  It ended in a deadly shooting.  The Washington Post.  Retrieved from:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/01/25/pharma-exec-invited-troubled-young-lover-move-it-ended-deadly-shooting/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.6796beffd834

Vella, V (2018 Jul 11).  Threats, rage: Court filings reveal lovers’ spat leading to Bucks slaying.  Philly.com.  Retrieved from:  https://www.philly.com/philly/news/crime/jennifer-morrissey-michael-mcnew-bucks-county-lovers-spat-murder-court-filings-20180711.html

Vella, V (2019 Jan 22).  Bucks pharma exec’s girlfriend heads to trial in violent slaying.  Philly.com.  Retrieved from:  https://www.philly.com/news/jennifer-morrisey-michael-mcnew-bucks-county-murder-trial-20190122.html

Vella, V (2019 Jan 24).  Bucks murder trial puts spotlight on tumultuous relationship between suspect, victim.  Philly.com.  Retrieved from:  https://www.philly.com/news/pennsylvania/jennifer-morrisey-michael-mcnew-murder-trial-20190124.html

Vella, V (2019 Jan 25).  Jailhouse informants said woman admitted killing Bucks pharma exec.  Philly.com.  Retrieved from:  https://www.philly.com/news/pennsylvania/jennifer-morrisey-bucks-county-murder-michael-mcnew-20190126.html

Credits for Photos and Images

People:
Jennifer Morrissey - NewtownPaNow.com, KYW
Michael McNew - LevittownNow.com
Charles Ruthless Kulow - Philly's Most Wanted

Places:
McNew’s house - 6ABC.com
Bucks County Jail/Correctional Facility - PrisonFinder.org
Bucks County Justice Center - HarmanGroup.com

Other:
Argument - The Telegraph

Bars, orange jumpsuit - Murder57.com

Bicyclist - Gallery.Yopriceville.com/Free-Clipart-Pictures

Car - FreeIconsPNG.com

Drug picture - Courtesy of Youtube user: The Richest

Figure on recliner (Edited by Caroline Friehs) - Shutterstock.com

Figure, pointing  (Edited by Caroline Friehs) - KissPNG.com

Figures struggling  (Edited by Caroline Friehs) - ShareIcon.net
Firearms:
              Gun silhouette - KissPNG.com

Rifle - Pyramydair.com

Smith and Wesson .380 - HyattGunStore.com

9mm firearm - https://cz-usa.com/product/cz-75-sp-01-9mm-black-3-dot-tritium-sights-18-rd-mags/
Gavel - Amazon.com

Handcuffs - Centralpolice.com

Laptop - Dell.com

Mail, envelopes - Clipartpanda.com

Money - Quad City Times

Motorcycle - Courtesy of Pinterest user: Peggy Wilson
Phones:
              Cellphone - Niehs.nih.gov

iPhone 6S - Verizonwireless.com

Telephone - Lifelinecentralwest.org.au

ZTE Android phone - Amazon.com
Police sirens - i.ytimg.com (Google image result)

Shell casings - Etsy.com

Trailer - Clipart-library.com

Watch - Swissluxury.com