The Connecticut Medical Examiner who conducted the post-mortems on the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre of December 14 has asked geneticists at the University of Connecticut to conduct a study of the killer’s DNA to look for clues as to why he carried out the mass murder.
The Daily Mail is reporting that Medical Examiner H. Wayne Carver is hoping a study of Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza will reveal if there are any abnormalities or mutations in his DNA that might explain why he went on the shooting spree that left 20 children and six adults dead.
The request marks the first time a study of this nature was performed on a mass murderer.
Geneticists will analyse Lanza’s entire genome in great detail while searching for any kind of mutation or abnormality that is related to aggressive or violent behavior.
“They might look for mutations that might be associated with mental illnesses and ones that might also increase the risk for violence,” explained Arthur Beaudet, a professor at Baylor College of Medicine.
He believes scientists should conduct these tests because there are “some mutations that are known to be associated with at least aggressive behavior if not violent behavior.”
While no single mutation would explain all of the mass murders that occur, but “some of them would have mutations that might be causing both schizophrenia and related schizophrenia violent behavior,” Beaudet said. “I think we could learn more about it and we should learn more about it.”
However, tests such as these are controversial because of the risk that people with certain genetic characteristics could be discriminated against or stigmatized in some way.
Thus far, law enforcement has found no motive for the killings.
While Lanza did not have a history of violence, he was known to spend hours in the basement of his home playing violent video games. One of his favorites was “Call of Duty”, which is described as a wartime role-playing game where players used assault rifles and machines guns to slaughter large numbers of people.
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