Authorities are considering vigilantism as a motive in the shooting deaths of two registered sex offenders in Bellingham, Wash., reports the city’s Herald. Hank Adolf Eisses, 49, and Victor Manuel Vasquez, 68, were found dead Saturday in a house they shared after a visit by a man who posed as an FBI agent. The man arrived at the house Friday night wearing a black baseball cap with an FBI insignia and a blue jump suit with a white stripe down the legs, a third roommate told police. The visitor knew the men were sex offenders, and he said one of them was on a “hit list” on an Internet site, according to the police.
The third roommate left for work while the FBI imposter was at the house. He returned later and found the bodies. “There are a myriad of motives that could present themselves,” said Police Chief Randy Carroll. “The motive of vigilantism, of targeting these two victims because they are Level III sex offenders, may be a ruse. … (We need) to make sure we don’t focus on one motive to the exclusion of all others.” The paper cites five cases of vigilantism against registered sex offenders, which have raised questions about the policy of releasing detailed information about sex offenders. While the notification law is meant to protect the community, it also makes it easy for someone to target a sex offender.
Link: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050831/NEWS09/508310347