The suicidal man who murdered two people named in Maine’s sexual offender registry conducted extensive research before choosing his victims and drove by the homes of four others on the state’s list, reports the Associated Press. Stephen Marshall also viewed the national registry, as well as those of New Hampshire and Vermont, said Col. Craig Poulin, Maine’s state police chief.
Marshall got information on 34 sex offenders from Maine’s online registry, then created his own list of 29 offenders, with their pictures, names and addresses, on his own computer, Poulin said. Marshall’s computer hard drives were brought back from Nova Scotia, where the 20-year-old killer lived. Police say Marshall drove to central Maine on April 16 and killed Joseph Gray, 57, and William Elliott, 24. Marshall fatally shot himself later that day when he was confronted by police on a bus in Boston. The case has prompted a national debate on whether the registries put those listed at risk.
Link: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/04/26/sex_offenders_killer_studied_states_lists/