Christopher Lanum seemed like any soldier to most people, it would seem. Unbeknownst to those around him, though, he idolized "The Joker", the criminally insane Batman villain. Somehow, in his mind, there was a point and purpose to everything the Joker did and he wanted to emulate him. His girlfriend, the estranged wife of another member of the military, allegedly helped him embark on his short-lived life of crime, including assaulting another member of the military with a stun gun as Lanum attacked him with a knife.
A clip from the story as reported by The Daily Press:
However, she said her boyfriend idolized the Joker — the fictional criminal from the Batman film. Separately, investigators also noticed masks and pictures or paintings of the Joker in Lanum's room, as well as face paint on the hutch and dresser. She told investigators that her boyfriend "said everything the Joker did he did for a reason, like killing people, and that he agreed with the philosophy of doing things for a reason."
Hours before the stabbing, Montowski said her boyfriend was "'preparing for war,' as he often did" — a ritual that involved cleaning his knives. Later, she went out for cigarettes and Lanum would not let her back in the room. Stone allowed her to walk through his room to get to the common area, then to her boyfriend's room.
The fight between the two soldiers happened shortly afterward. Stone told police he went into the common area for a drink of water, and Lanum attacked him. Also, he said Montowski attacked him with the stun gun.
A real life Joker and Harlequinn. Who'd a-thunk it?
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