For a 22-year-old high school dropout, some of Jared Lee Loughner’s concerns were typical. He had trouble landing a minimum wage job. Girls didn’t get him. He fixated on weight lifting.
But other postings allegedly made by Loughner on a private forum associated with the online game Earth Empires under the names Heroin, XTC and Erad were much more disturbing.
Loughner asked if anyone had “aggression 24/7.” He said “mentally retarded children” were “possessing teachers that are typing for money.” He claimed college women enjoyed being raped.
Reporters from the Wall Street Journal viewed 131 online-forum postings reportedly authored by Loughner between April and June 2010. Loughner, the gunman who allegedly attempted to assassinate Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) and killed six others in a mass shooting in Tucsan on Saturday, is now in federal custody.
Just like the forum members Loughner encountered on AboveTopSecret.com, his fellow gamers wondered if Loughner was using drugs or had a mental disability.
On May 15, Loughner wrote that he hadn’t had a paycheck in six months, according to the newspaper. A month after that post, he told fellow gamers he’d submitted 65 applications but couldn’t land an interview.
A blogger in Portland has also posted what he says are messages Loughner posted on MySpace. Loughner’s account was removed shortly after the shooting on Saturday.
“Wow! Im glad I didn’t kill myself. I’ll see you on National TV. This is foreshadow… Why doesn’t anyone want to talk to me?” Loughner allegedly wrote on Dec. 14.
