Proff James StJames

[WitchSabrina]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/0 ... d%3D353107

A downstate Illinois university is standing by one if its award-winning professors after a recent story in a Texas newspaper revealed him to have brutally killed his entire family as a teenager in a small Texas town more than 40 years ago.

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james st james



Millikin University professor James St. James
Last week, a reporter from The Georgetown Advocate tracked down the department chairman of Millikin University's psychology department, Professor James St. James, and connected the dots between the 61-year-old's peaceful life as an academic and his violent past as Jim Wolcott, known murderer.

"Millikin University has only recently been made aware of Dr. St. James' past. Given the traumatic experiences of his childhood, Dr. St. James' efforts to rebuild his life and obtain a successful professional career have been remarkable," Millikin officials said in a statement according to the American-Statesman.

When reached for comment at his central Illinois home in Decatur, St. James told the Sun-Times, "The university has issued a statement and that will, that will have to do."

St. James, who at the time was known by his given name of Wolcott, murdered his parents and sister in their Georgetown, Tex. home in 1967, according to the Advocate. Huffing airplane glue and professing to be mentally ill, the 15-year-old St. James was ultimately found not guilty of his crimes by reason of insanity and ordered to be hospitalized until he "became sane." He would be released six years later and go on to pursue multiple degrees in psychology.

Despite calls for his resignation -- including one from the mayor of Millikin University's hometown of Decatur -- St. James will remain part of Millikin's staff and, according to the Sun-Times, is expected to teach classes this fall.

Those who knew St. James only in the past three decades of his life as an academic expressed support for him, though many wondered how the university never picked up on his shocking past. St. James filed for a legal name change in 1976 after he was released from the hospital.

Douglas M. Benold, the now-retired doctor who declared St. James insane after a 1968 examination, told the Sun-Times, of St. James' new life: "I think that's wonderful, if it's for real. Knowing his background, I'm glad he's there instead of in Georgetown."

[Solitary]

My best friend shot his wife and killed her and was found not guilty because of temporarily insane from drugs. He was put in a mental hospital for six months and let out. I never even knew he did drugs. I don't know what happen to him after because I left town with my family before he was left out. Her funeral was the most depressing day of my life.    Solitary

[LikelyToBreak]

Do I understand this correctly.  A kid goes nuts from sniffing glue, kills his family, gets psychiatric treatment, gets advanced degrees, becomes a pillar of the community, isn't harming anyone and doesn't seem to be any threat to anyone, then some reporter searches him out and outs him to the world.  For no apparent reason, other than to write a story.  And people ask me why I don't like the press.    :roll:

[Poison Tree]

If our system is about rehabilitation, not punishment; If our society really values "redemption" as much as it pretends to, then I don't think there is any choice other than to accept that he has experienced one or both and let him continue with his life of being a law-abiding, productive member of society.

[rickcopeland648]

If our system is about rehabilitation, not punishment...

But you're aware that's not what our system is about. You're aware that, to more accurately capture the reality, the words "rehabilitation" and "punishment" need to be reversed.

[Poison Tree]

If our system is about rehabilitation, not punishment...

But you're aware that's not what our system is about. You're aware that, to more accurately capture the reality, the words "rehabilitation" and "punishment" need to be reversed.

Of course, and I think the reaction to this story shows that people don't actually want rehabilitation (or redemption) for "bad people", they just want to pretend they do and feel self-righteous and look holier-than-thou.

[Hijiri Byakuren]

Considering this happened when he was a teenager and what he's done to try and "redeem" himself since then, I don't see why he shouldn't be left alone.

[Colanth]

Because leaving him alone doesn't sell papers, and the only "should" a lot of companies (and people) are interested in is "should profit".

[LikelyToBreak]

Hijiri Byakuren wrote: Considering this happened when he was a teenager and what he's done to try and "redeem" himself since then, I don't see why he shouldn't be left alone.

Colanth wrote: Because leaving him alone doesn't sell papers, and the only "should" a lot of companies (and people) are interested in is "should profit".

I agree with you both.  Damn! That's unusual.   :-k

[The Skeletal Atheist]

Do I understand this correctly.  A kid goes nuts from sniffing glue, kills his family, gets psychiatric treatment, gets advanced degrees, becomes a pillar of the community, isn't harming anyone and doesn't seem to be any threat to anyone, then some reporter searches him out and outs him to the world.  For no apparent reason, other than to write a story.  And people ask me why I don't like the press.    :roll:

Just the media keeping it classy like it always does.

Edit:
Geeze, some of the comments are perfect examples of the type of bloodlust and stupidity I hate in people.

[AllPurposeAtheist]

Well clearly he's a monster parading around as a decent human being. Society would be much better served if he was made unemployable and had to live on tax payer dollars.