BULLIES KILL
& KIDS WHO ARE BULLIED KILL
An opinion concerning Westley Alan Dodd, Child Killer
by Thom Spencer, Television Newsman and Reporter
Not too many years ago, I conducted the last two interviews ever
granted with child killer, Westley Alan Dodd. Literally dozens of
psychiatric doctors and law enforcement officers had tried to "get inside
his head" to find out the motivation behind the killings. Nothing
they found explained the rage that could have led a quiet, intelligent
and by all accounts gentle person to kidnap and brutally murder three young
boys.
Later, I conducted interviews with some of his classmates in Richland
(WA). They told me horrific stories of Dodd being bullied in school.
There are too many to recount here, but a single example shows how far
things went:
Two boys grabbed Dodd, one on each leg... and dragged him spread-eagled
into a flagpole.
Every former classmate recalled numerous incidents of his suffering
at the hands of the larger, stronger, tougher kids. "You know," they
told me, "the big, blonde jocks. The guys who would go on to excel
in sports." And each person I spoke to expressed regret at having
stood by in silence. As one told me, "I cannot help but think if
I had said something, anything, maybe he wouldn't have gone down this path."
Dodd was a small, slender person; almost frail looking. Sitting
across from him on Death Row, I felt repulsion, but no fear for my personal
safety. My feeling then, well before talking to his classmates, was that
he was more afraid of me than I was of him.
Meeting someone like Dodd, and corresponding with him for a year
before his execution, I spent a lot of time reflecting on the whole tragic
affair. After much thought, I came to the conclusion that Dodd had
sought out children to kill in revenge for his own treatment as a child.
Dodd wrote in journals that he was seeking a specific child: male, blond,
handsome. Still small in stature as an adult, he'd have little chance against
a grown man.
So, in my opinion, he sought to kill kids who fit the profile of
his tormentors, before they had grown big enough to threaten him. (In fact,
when Dodd was finally confronted by just one adult during a kidnap attempt,
he meekly surrendered and confessed everything.)
After your recent posting, (http://www.jaredstory.com/been_harassed.html),
I felt impressed today to share these thoughts with you.
Your friend, Thom
Thom is a respected businessman and former newsman
in the Tri-Cities, Washington. You can read some of his other writings
as "The Patriot Newsman" at http://www.jaredstory.com/tread_on_me.html.
