Savannah Watson

For months now, Owen – like the rest of the country – had been following Ray’s story.

The first thing that caught Owen’s attention when he stumbled upon the story for the very first time was how normal Jason Ray looked. There was nothing inherently scary, odd, or unsettling about his appearance. In every picture, Ray looked docile, approachable, and vaguely familiar, like a stranger he might have said ‘hello’ to in passing.

Owen was fascinated by Jason Ray, in a morbid kind of way. Not exactly by the brutality or death (although, if he was being completely honest with himself, he was mildly curious about some of that as well). What really interested Owen, though, was the psychology of a killer… of this specific killer.

For months, Owen had been trying to answer the question asked by lawyers, reporters, and spectators alike: Why?

Owen had read countless articles debating nature versus nurture. Some sources cited one over the other, while most claimed it was a combination of both. He had researched how life experience played a role, with the majority of sources blaming childhood trauma. Many debates had been held about the traits of a psychopath and whether true evil exists.

Ray checked all the boxes of a psychopath. According to the news, he came from an abusive home with a violent father-figure. There was a consensus that he was pure evil. Despite all this, Owen was fascinated.

Obsessed.

• Facebook
• Spotify

---