NCJ Number
95941
Date Published
1984
Length
13 pages
Annotation
Events leading to the murder of psychiatrist Alan Woods by a 33-year-old former mental patient, Raymond Colette Thompson, are chronicled, as a step in determining indications of violence prediction.
Abstract
Profiles of the victim and the murderer are provided. Woods, 37 years old, married, and the father of three, had been on the staff of Lexington County's Devon Hills Medical Center for 18 months before his murder. Thompson, who at the age of 10 had severely beaten his brother and consequently been a mental patient at the same hospital on 12 different occasions, had had a conflict with the law 2 years before the murder. Charged with vehicular grand theft, reckless driving, and eluding arrest by flight, he was found incompetent to stand trial and was committed to the State hospital. He was subsequently released to another hospital and then discharged to a group home. Thompson visited Devon Hills on two occasions, both times for a medication review. The second time, the attending psychiatrist was Alan Woods. Two months after their 10-minute session, Thompson returned to the hospital and shot Woods to death. Characteristics which aid in evaluating the likelihood that an individual will commit murder are listed: Thompson was a high-risk candidate in 12 of the 23 areas. Additionally, he displayed several behavioral changes before the murder that could have indicated that violence was pending. Whether the indicated that violence was pending. Whether the murder could have been prevented is considered, and the crime's implications are addressed. Four references are listed.