 | The Making of Lee Boyd Malvo: The D.C. Sniper Subjects: Malvo Lee Boyd 1985–; Serial murderers -- United States -- Psychology; Criminal snipers -- United States -- Psychology; Serial murders -- Washington Metropolitan Area -- Case studies; In October 2002, 10 people were killed and four injured in attacks attributed to the "D.C. Sniper," soon identified as John Muhammad, and his 17-year-old protege, Lee Boyd Malvo, now serving life imprisonment. In this incisive account of a young life eroded by neglect and manipulated by a powerful father figure, forensic social worker Albarus details her involvement as a mitigation specialist during Malvo's trial. Growing up in Jamaica, Malvo was routinely abused by his mother and shuttled between relatives and boarding houses. Still, he excelled at school while seeking the approval of parental figures. While living on Antigua, at age 15, he bonded most strongly with John Muhammad, whom he soon referred to as his father. The two headed to the U.S. to carry out Muhammad's mission of a form of race war and Muhammad's desire to regain custody of his three children. Muhammad drilled Malvo in combat training, systematically brainwashing the teen and subordinating his identity into Muhammad's own. Albarus's challenge was not only to understand the pair's motivation but to help Malvo reclaim his identity. The forensic psychological analysis by Mack, while dense, is fascinating and provides further insight into the troubling case. Illus. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. Carmeta Albarus, MSW, LCSW, is a forensic social worker of national prominence with more than twenty years of experience as a mitigation specialist. Qualified as an expert in psychosocial investigations and assessments in both state and federal courts, she has participated in more than five hundred criminal cases and is president and founder of CVA Consulting Services Inc., a forensic social work agency based in Harlem, New York. Jonathan H. Mack, Psy.D., is a forensic and clinical neuropsychologist and psychologist with a national reputation as a specialist in the forensic neuropsychological and psychological assessment of homicide cases. He has testified in approximately two hundred cases as an expert witness in his fields and is director of Forensic Psychology and Neuropsychology Services, PC, and Neuropsychology and Rehabilitation Associates, which trains postdoctoral fellows working under Mack's supervision in clinical neuropsychology. |
