Chronicles of crime: the crime news, as it unfolded, day by day. Based on the ongoing feature in True Crime magazine.
Chronicles of Crime: December 2007
True Crime News:
7/12/2007
Robert Hawkins
THE MAN who committed the mass killings at the Omaha shopping mall has been identified as Robert Hawkins, a 19-year-old former McDonald’s restaurant worker. Wearing a camouflage vest and sporting a crew-cut, Hawkins took the lift to the third floor of the Van Maur department store and started shooting at Christmas shoppers immediately the lift doors opened.
Police identified the victims as two customers and six shop workers aged between 24 and 66.
Hawkins left two “suicide notes” and a “will” in the bedroom of the house where he had been living since being thrown out of his home. One said he was “sorry for everything” and would not be a burden on his family any more. More ominously, he wrote: “I’m a piece of s*** but I’m going to be famous now.”
Hawkins, who recently broke up with his girl friend and was sacked by McDonald’s for theft, also wrote of his plan to “go out in style.” He stole the AK47 from his stepfather and showed it to his landlady, who thought him so gentle that she thought nothing of it.
Hawkins had been treated for depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but was not on medication. Police records showed that he had a criminal record for drug and alcohol offences. Court records show that at least once he was termed as a ward of court, and legally removed from his parents’ custody. Crime news stories from True Crime Library.
>December 8th
True Crime Library provides a full range of crime information, including our Chronicles of Crime section, offering an insight into the minds of criminals and murderers. Buy a variety of crime publications, DVDs, books, magazines and back issues online.
|
.jpg)
