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Psychopathic Manipulation
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gave their first news conference after the trial began. “His major
concerns weren’t Laci at the beginning of this case,” explained
Modesto Detective Al Brocchini. “He is very calm, cool, nonchalant,
polite, arrogant. He thinks he’s smarter than everybody.”
Anne Bird, who desperately wanted to believe her half brother
was innocent, thought his behavior was strange when he lived
with her family during the investigation of Laci’s disappearance.
“He is the most empty person. Everything he does seems to have
been copied from someone else,” said Bird, who last visited Peterson
at the San Mateo County Jail in January 2005.
Peterson seemed in utter denial as he talked about getting
out of prison and leading a quiet, simple life somewhere, she
said. “I was wondering if he really understood the extremity of
the whole thing. I think he’s very bright, but he’s kind of soulless.
He’s very empty. Somehow he’s been lost.”
Psychopaths need greater stimulation than most other people
in order to feel anything, Meloy said—a phenomenon that struck
Bird as particularly true in Peterson’s case. “The drive from
Modesto to Redwood City was a really big deal,” she said.
“There were blocked-off streets, lights were going, it was really
intense. He actually seemed excited about it. I thought, ‘This is
not something to be proud of. This is your life.’ ”
Peterson exhibited similar behavior upon his arrival at San
Quentin, where he’ll most likely spend the rest of his life. After
arriving at 4 A.M. on Thursday, he told a guard he was “too
jazzed” to sleep. “The most intense emotion he’s derived through
his whole trial was the excitement he received when he darkened
the doors of San Quentin,” Meloy said.
Psychopaths are very effective at masking their true selves from
those they wish to manipulate and con. Merely having a mental
checklist of the traits that define psychopathy does not guarantee
success in spotting the psychopath. In fact, it is not uncommon for
well-trained researchers in this field of study to be fooled and manipulated
by known psychopaths they have just met.
Your ability to recognize psychopathic manipulation is increased