Reflection Essay On In Cold Blood

This sample essay on In Cold Blood Essay reveals arguments and important aspects of this topic. Read this essay’s introduction, body paragraphs and the conclusion below.

Although the novel, In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote, shocked the nation in its description of a heinous murder of an entire family, the initial crime theory Included a murder-seclude since the husband and wife slept In separate bedrooms. However, through careful, descriptive analysis of the crime scene, the actual culprits of the cold, blooded killing were found and determined to have serious mental illness of schizophrenia and other brain injuries leading to a series of events that ended in a brutal crime.

The state of Kansas lacked money to examine Dick and Perry, but Doctor W.

Mitchell Johns volunteered his services, as a specialist in criminal psychology and determining criminally sane and Insane. However, Perry felt they know they Just want to be entertained and hear the killers own terrible lips” (268). Dry. Mitchell worked with twenty-five murder cases and he ran a series of test on Perry and Dick.

He found that Dick was not mentally ill, but Perry on the other hand, had mild type of Schizophrenia. Finally, the Judge said, “we will find out if they are insane, imbeciles or idiots, unable to comprehend their positions and aid in their defense” (266).

Once Dick and Perry were In court, Perry decided to give a part of his life story saying “l was very severely beaten by the cottage mistress, who had called me names and made fun of me in front of all the boys for wetting the bed at night” (275).

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“In 1948, Perry joined the Army got in fights and pushed a Japanese police officer off of a bridge into the wattВ« (276). It seems Perry become upset whenever he remembers events of the past because of his alcoholic mother and a father that never spent time him. Whenever his father was stationed in Alaska, he made sure Perry went to school and never missed a day.

Killing In Cold Blood Meaning

Yet, the only person he loved and cared about was his brother, but he committed seclude shooting himself with the same type of rifle used to kill the Clutter family. Seems, when the killings occurred, Perry was “destroying a key figure in some post traumatic configuration” (302). As Perry told the Judge “they never hurt me, like people have all my life. Maybe it’s just that the Clutters were the ones that had to for pay it” (290). “Am I sorry? If that’s what you mean I am not. I don’t feel anything about it” (291). “It’s easy to kill, a lot easier than passing bad checks,” said Perry (291). The Clutter family would of suffered severe traumas to brain and vital cranial structures inflicted by a shotgun,” if they were still alive According to Dry. Mitchell, during the trial, the Clutters family lawyer showed pictures of the brutal death of the family members (298). Yet, Mr… Fleming the lawyer said “The sole reason the pictures are being introduced is to prejudice and inflame the minds of the Jurors” (281 ). “However, Smith related that he did not yet mention,” the reason he broke into the house was to rape Nancy and the other was to kill the entire family (288). Mr…

Hickory talked in rout by saying “my son suffered head Injuries In a car accident In July 1950, and since then he has never been the same” (292). Yet, the judge orders a doctor specializing in physician, whom he found Dry. Jones that worked criminally insane. Within the usual definitions of sane and insane, Mr… Hickory did know from wrong (294). Upon, Hickory had an “average in intelligence, grasps new ideas easily and he is alert to what’s happening around him, and shows no sign of mental confusion or damage, or concrete concept formation, yet, Hickory does show signs of emotional abnormality’ (294).

Since his uncomfortable in his relationships to other people, and has a pathological inability to form and hold enduring personal attachments” (295). Later, Perry talked in court saying “was a likable kid, well liked around the neighborhood, he never done one thing out to acknowledge” (296). “Perry Smith shows definite signs of severe mental illness. His prison records, was marked by brutality and lack of concern on the part of both parents” (296). Dry. Jones said, “Perry has a paranoid orientation toward the world and distrustful of others and thinks that other people discriminate against and has a type of paranoid schizophrenic” (294).

At the time of the murder, Perry was at a stage of Schizophrenia, where he was not himself and was unable to control himself. Yet, the Judge found the crime it to be murder without apparent motive. Perry killed Mr… Clutter, but he didn’t want to leave any witnesses, so he killed the entire family. “Attempting to Assess the criminal responsibility of murders, the law tries to divide them into two groups, the sane or insane,” which sane is murderer is thought of ‘sane’ acting upon rational motives that can be understood, though condemned, and the ‘insane ‘one as being driven by irrational senseless motives” (298).

Yet, the Judge was doing as many things possible to give the death penalty. Half of the men DRY. Johns studied had suffered severe physical violence or were rejected by the parents as children. Dry. Staten said “the circumstances of the crime seem to fix exactly the concept of “Murder without apparent motive,” because three of the murders were logically motivate” (301). The mother and her three children were because Smith killed Mr… Clutter. “Smith was under a mental eclipse, deep inside a schizophrenic darkness, for it was not entirely a flesh and blood man he ‘suddenly discovered,’ but a key figure in some past aromatic configuration” (302).

Yet, Smith replied by saying “l didn’t want to harm the man, her was a very nice gentlemen. I thought so right to the moment I cut his throat, but the Clutters never hurt me like people have all my live. Maybe it ‘Clutter were the ones who had to pay for it” (302). Still, Judge Tate wanted to prosecute both of them, regardless who pulled the trigger Smith or Hickory them both were found guilty. Mr… Fleming was Smith’s and Hassocks lawyer he talked in trail and said “Man is not an animal. He has a body and a soul that lives forever (303). ” Yet, Perry told the judge all we ask is for mercy; surely live imprisonment is small mercy (303).

Yet, one of the Juror told Perry “you have Just heard two energetic pleas of mercy in behalf of the defendants, but Mr… Fleming and Mr… Smith, were not at the Clutters house that fateful night very fortunate for them that they were not present to plead mercy for the doomed family’ (303). Still, Mr… Green didn’t take their plea and he threatened them the killers by saying “our state provide death or by hanging for those who commit a murder in the first degree (304). Judge Tate turned and looked at the killers by saying “they went armed with a hooting and a dagger, but they went to rob and kill” (305).

Their voices crumbled, when they heard these words coming out of the Judge’s mouth. One of the Jurors said ” what are we going to do with these men then bind a man’s hand’s, feet, and cut his throat and blew out him brain” (305). Yet, the Judge replied “give them the minimum penalty and that’s only one of four counts” (305). The other counts were from guilty of Mrs… Meier the prison cook over heard Dick crying like a baby and praying to god. They were both sent to the same Federal Prison at Fort Leavenworth, their cells were ext to each other.

Yet, Dick became depressed and tried to end his life, by starving himself, and he didn’t talk to anybody. Still, Perry Smith was taken out of the prison and sent to the hospital for nine weeks, and then he started to take law classes to appeal his charges; moreover, Dick wrote several letters to the Chairman of the Legal Aid Committee of the Kansas State Bar Association to ask for an appeal (326). Inexplicably, they rejected his as time passed, “Richard Eugene Hickory and Perry Edward Smith, partners in crime, died on the gallows at the state prison on June 22, 965, for one of the bloodiest murders in Kansas criminal annals” (337).

In this novel, In Cold Blood, a heinous murder took place in the small town of Holcomb in Kansas. Were the entire family died in cold blood, due to the fact they had money. Yet, the town thought it was murder suicide because husband and wife slept in separate rooms. However, through the bloody foot print left behind, the killers found and determined to have serious mental illness of schizophrenia and other brain injuries leading to a series of events that ended in a brutal crime. It was a murder that shocked the nation and brought attention from several states.