Slipknot Fan Murders Schoolmate, Injures Others
Band Photo: Slipknot (?)
Blabbermouth.net reports: According to News24.com, a schoolboy who stabbed a fellow pupil to death with a sword in Krugersdorp, South Africa this morning (Monday, August 18) was apparently high on drugs and was dressed like SLIPKNOT drummer Joey Jordison, saying Satan had told him to kill the children.
He also stabbed two gardeners at Nic Diederichs technical high school, said Captain Jacob Raboroko of the Johannesburg police.
The matriculant, wearing a black balaclava over a face smeared with black paint, entered the school premises with the sword and stabbed and killed a boy just before school assembly,
"He stabbed one of the schoolkids in the neck and he died. He then went further and stabbed a gardener in the back and another gardener in the face. They were taken to hospital in serious conditions," said Raboroko.
Read the full article at News24.com.
Source: Blabbermouth
What's Next?
- Previous Article:
Satyricon Completes New Album, Sets Release Date - Next Article:
Nightmare Parts Ways With Guitarist
119 Comments on "Slipknot Fan Murders Schoolmate, Injures Others"
Member
2. writes:
a f***in' sword? Wow. Kids have come a long way since I was in high school. I don't know. I'm bothered by behavior like this, but I had a lot of enemies in high school, so I get the anger, and the feeling of being fed up. I'm not saying I sympathize, but I'm not condemning him, either. All I know is if I had had the chance back in my high school days to Hattori Hanzo one of those jock d***heads in the hallway in front of every cheerleader skank hanging on him, I might have done it if I was on drugs. Good thing I wasn't, or, you know...who knows? Rage does funny things to a human brain.
3. writes:
I live in S.A. and I live close to Krugersdorp. My school often plays tournaments against them and I myself played hockey against the school this year. It's scary to think that one of those students would go so far as to stab another with a sword...I heard about this news on the radio aswell and it seriously disturbs me...I dunno if Slipknot really has any influence in the case but you never know...All I know is that this is an all time low for South African schools...Oh and the news said it was 2 security guards not gardeners. Which sounds more reasonable considering their everywhere even in my school...
Member
Member
Member
7. writes:
And nobody has ever killed anyone because God told them to, right? Anyway, metal sure is turning a lot of people into murderers, I should really stop listening to it in case I turn into one too! You know, it never fails, whenever a teen murders someone they always find something other than the obvious reasons to blame. Poor parenting, or whacked out psycho to begin with, anyone? Nah, they're right, it was probably the music.
Supporter
8. writes:
Ya as soon as they find out the kid listened to ANY kind of metal it turns into, "ohhhhh shyt he listened to slipknot case closed" I mean I'm not a huge fan of this band but they are not the fukking reason why he killed someone with a..........SWORD!!!!!! Holy sh**
9. writes:
i cant wait til i turn on the news later on and hear about this
i swear if theres a number to call to talk about the topic....im f***ing calling, they're not gonna give metal ( even though slipknot is horrible ) the murderer music label
its the parents fault for either a: having a f***ing sword within reach of this dumbass or B: not finding out this guy had a godamn sword c: not watching their kids drug use
religion once again raises its ugly f***ing face, yet we continue to force it down our childrens throat
and that kid probably went around being the f***ing weird kid.....but, u cant really use that as a defense
but still, if hes making death threats get him the f*** out of their
10. writes:
I live in SA and I'm a Satanist. Anyone who knows anything about true Satanism knows that kid was no more motivated by Satan than the Dalai Lama. They also know that we're not big on drugs. Do whatever you want and then say "Satan made me do it".
Perhaps his brain was just fried from the drugs. Perhaps he's just a f***wit.
This reminds my of Columbine on a smaller, more retarded scale. Apparently a police spokesperson said he had "Satanic material" on his PC. Therefore he was a Satanist and murder and drugs are common in Satanism.
I can see use entering a new "Satanic Panic".
Supporter
Member
13. writes:
yeah seriously, why is this even titled "Slipknot fan murders schoolmate.." it should just be "some psycho druggie murders schoolmate..".
The fact that he liked Slipknot is completely irrelevant to anything. Seriously, to what extent can they get away with blaming his actions on something irrelevant. "HP Lovecraft fan murders schoolmate"? "Sopranos fan murders schoolmate"? "football fan murders schoolmate"? wtf..
Supporter
Supporter
17. writes:
Supporter
Member
Member
Member
23. writes:
I know 3 guys from SA. They moved here with their mum so she could marry a mate's mum. Apprently SA is a pretty rough place. They were shocked when I told them you can't buy knuckledusters legally and you can't buy knives until you turn 18. One of them said he had a machete next to his bed. Crazy.
Supporter
Member
Member
Senior News Correspondent
28. writes:
A knuckle duster is like a metal bar with four rings attached to it. You put your fingers through the rings then you have the bar locked over the top of your fingers, then when you punch somebody, you f*** them up. I've also heard them been referred to as brass knucks if that helps.
Supporter
29. writes:
Yes that's the term most common in the U.S.
In any event here we go againe.They blamed Columbine on Manson & the MATRIX.What I wanna know is when does individual responsibility become a factor?Look at it this way according to both the Bible & multiple types of folklore.Lucifer can't read mind's so how can you hear him in your head(niether him or any other demon for that matter)This being the case the kid's obviously nut's.WHAT DOES THE MUSIC HAVE TO DO WITH THIS !!!!!!!!!!!
What the f*** is this scape goat bullsh** ?Was this kid abused by someone,was he simply niglected?Did the people who reported on this even bother to look into any of that ?
Supporter
Member
Member
Writer, Reviewer
33. writes:
Member
34. writes:
i know its to late to say "before anyone says "blame it on metal"
but i'd like everyone who hasn't got the memo to know that slipknot are nothing close to metal, and is just a 9 piece band of circus clowns banging on beer kegs in a recording studio.
np: cannibal corpse: hammer smashed face
Member
37. writes:
haha wiggles, where in s.a. do you live? im at glenelg and its pretty safe there, unless you go down jetty road on a saturday night where all the unnecessarily aggressive metro d***heads hang out, then you might have a reason to fear for your life. my mate bought a scoped rifle a few years back, so it's not too hard to buy big-ass rifles. it's funny, anything concealable is illegal, e.g. knuckldusters and handguns and knives, but you can buy katanas and spears and broadswords and rifles, as long as you're 18. and with rifles, you need a license obviously.
i agree with Dark_Funeral with half of your comment, can't say i agree on your view of slipknot though, but hey, that's just me. some people are just f***ed up, and blaming the band of someone who committed such a useless act of violence is pointless. i could go stab someone tomorrow and say the devil made me do it, i listen to slipknot, so would that mean the blame would be passed on to them and i'd get off scott free? f*** that sh**.
Supporter
39. writes:
when i was in s.a. staying with my grandad his friend was shot six times in the chest, the night i got there! scared the sh** out of me the rest of the trip
yes, blame metal for a psychopath... just scapegoat minority bullsh**....
how do we know he wasn't actually some nutjob escaped convict posing as a student, who happened to be trying to disguise himself (albeit poorly) with a paint and a clava?
ugly bob, i agree with you entirely, but i doubt if you killed someone and blamed slipknot you'd get of completely free.... maybe $200 bail?
Supporter
Member
Supporter
Supporter
Writer, Reviewer
46. writes:
S.A. - South Africa, South Australia... damnit I'm getting confused with who lives where! Glenelg sounds like a typical Australian town name though (not that I approve lol).
Gotta agree with Just Another Number, props for not being a huge p***y and using a gun. At least a sword takes SOME sort of manliness! I hate it when people try to talk themselves up because they've got a gun. If you ask me, guns are for p***ies.
Now Playing: Some psytrance song I don't know the name of :)
Supporter
Writer, Reviewer
49. writes:
^A palindrome lol :P I dunno, but it sounds similiar to Glenreigh and such, so I'm assuming it's Irish/Scottish in origin, with the 'Glen' part pertaining to some old clan or something. That's if it's in Australia, if it's in Africa I have no bloody clue hahah.
Writer, Reviewer
Supporter
Member
Supporter
Member
56. writes:
Sorry guys. Footyhead is like a jock for you guys. They are like guys obsessed with AFL (Aussie football). They are mostly pigheaded idiots but some are alright, well the ones I hang with are. Metro guys are worse. They wear bright tracksuit pants and spike up their hair and shiz.
I meant I know some dudes from South Africa too haha. I have my own knuckle dusters. Made from a rod of metal haha. But yeah it gets pretty bad at parties and local shows sometimes. Always have to watch out. Some f***wits around these days.
Member
Supporter
59. writes:
Well, a few months ago there was this horrific murder in South Africa where a bunch of Christian kids killed both their parents because "God told them to!" One of the accusers claimed he was the 3rd son of God. I didn't see the media pointing the finger at the gospel music these kids were listening to! If you listen to black metal gospel music like demon slayer, you can also argue that their lyrics are violent and encouraging violence towards non christians?
At the end of the day one can not blame the artist for their fans f***ed up decisions. The root of the problem is far greater than the lyrics contained in a metal or rock song.
I also live quite close to Krugersdorp where this occured and there is quite a large number of metalheads in this area of Johannesburg. We have been listening and following the scene for years and this is the first time such an incident occured. Now, surely all the churches and community leaders will hace a field day to try and prove Metal killed that kid...
Urggg, God help us!
60. writes:
xWIGGLESX
I cant believe that story you are telling about your 3 South African friends!! They are lying... JC!! I never met anyone walking around with knucklebusters and machetes.. That is absolute bull.. Unless they were from the extremely wrong side of the track.
Contrary what people believe the most extreme crime in this country are situated in specific areas. Although krugersdorp is a middle class, rough little town, you will find that these types of things dont just happen there. Kids dont just walk around carrying knives and sh**!
Oviously the community is in absolute shock. Pity that Slipknot is dragged into this.
Yet again, get rid of those scummy friends of yours... Send them back to their hell hole!! LOL
Member
61. writes:
I dunno what town they were from, I'll ask. One has an old knife wound (apparently). I saw last month people over there were attacking people from other African countries and were rioting.
I don't see any reason to not believe them. But hey, I live in a "beautiful" capitalist country... oh guys I'm not a lefty or liberal. Just anti-government.
62. writes:
LOL - Sound like the wrong side of the tracks to me XWigglesX!! yes there were attacks but it was in the townships. Yet again it is a big country and Joburg is a big city. Well, I suppose crime happens everywhere even is Aus.
Update on the story if you are interested.
Two kids were arrested. They dont say much about the other one but he was apparently involved in some way.
The kid that killed the boy was named as 18 year old Morne Harmse. He was wearing Corey's mask during the attack (Not Joey's). He also had other masks in his backpack including Joey's white mask, Shawn's clown mask and Sid's gas mask.
The school where the attack occured also never had a security analysis done which is compulsory for all South African Schools. I can actually see that the school can get into a lot of trouble for this.
The media is going crazy at the moment, because there has not been an attack like this ever in a school here and everybody is blaming "Satanic Music". It is quite stupid if you ask me.. I think it had nothing to do with Slipknot.
Anyway, a few of my friends are teachers in the area and they say that the kids are a bit panicked.
Well I recall an incident where the media blamed Aussie band Silverchair over a similar incident... This story sounds rather typical if you ask me. A kid goes crazy, the world needs a scapegoat and they blame Metal.. f*** that sh**!
63. writes:
And for those who wondered, the kids involved where all white kids in a predominantly white suburb. I suppose that is why the media is going crazy over this. In this country the media gets into a frenzy when white people gets killed, but if it happened in a black neigbourhood, I suppose the story wouldnt have made headlines.
Writer, Reviewer
66. writes:
I live in South Africa and the youth of today grow up listening to bands like this and they dont go chopping up people all over the place. This was an isolated incident and nothing new. Things like this have been happening since the 70's. Its not the music, blame it on drugs parents and alcohol. Slipknot have millions of fans and I know a few thats normal with no anger or rage in them. I guess something needs to get the blame and blaming it on Slipknots music isn't a surprise. If he was dressed like a Spiderman or Batman they would have blamed it on that. The boy's brain fu..ked out and thats it. Period
67. writes:
I agree Mavericks. I also live in South Africa and we grew up listening to Ozzy, Slayer, Pantera, Iron Maiden, Megadeth and all those good old "Satanic Music". This has never happened in South Africa before, after all these years of kids listening to good music.
The problem is far greater than Metal bands.. They should stop pointing the finger at Slipknot and look into the actual causes ie drugs or abuse, mental disorders etc!
I am sick of the media's biased reports on this..
68. writes:
i stay in sa not far from krugersdorp i think its a load of bull sh** i mean you cant blame music for the kids actions come on ...... dont blame music for what the kid has done .
you dont hear rap music or pop music is related to murder yet ppl blame rock music as the cause
that is just wrong i love rock music and hardcore goth music and i am still fine its not like i am going to cause havoc now that kid was just bored tried to seek attention and become famous even if it means jeopradising music and satanism
i say screw the public dont blame and relate rock music to satanism and murder
69. writes:
Well guys, then you have to agree with me on this:
For Slipknots "involvement" in this case they should jump on the first plane to South Africa and come do a huge concert in memory of the kids that got hurt!!
I will be there!!!! I am sure they will make millions.
I am almost sure that slipknot cd's are also selling out at the record shops as we speak.
70. writes:
i stay in randfontiein not far from krugersdorp
first of all i want to say that is bull dust dont blame rock and heavy metal to the kids massacre
music is a part of a persons life but ppl shouldnt relate rock music to murder or satanism
rap music and other types of music always stays clean yet rock music is always a cause of our dillema ppl should not jump to conclusions and i am sick and tired of that the kid was mentally sick
rock music had nothing to do with it
Member
71. writes:
I am going to say this again like I did in the other post, but if you blame Slipknot for this act, you are really missing the point. You would have to look at every person that listens/has listened to Slipknot and show that they have commited murder to prove that point, but in reality it is going to be like 1 in every 1 milliion that does this so you'd almost have a better chance of winning the lotto than this occuring. I know that this is not exactly true, but c'mon, that idea to make them the scapegoat is so ridiculous. Please quit pointing fingers and think logically for one second.
Supporter
Member
76. writes:
I have written the entire story about the 18-year-old swordsman on my blog page, with pictures. http://censorbugbear-reports.blogspot.com He was definitely not 'some nutter'. He was a boy who was well-behaved from all report. He'd been showing some signs of withdrawing for the past five months, which is exactly when he started listening to Slipknot music at home. He was wearing a Slipknot mask when he was running around the school. He'd shown up with a number of Samurai swords and was trying to get other pupils to 'join the satanic ritual.' Another friend was arrested with him who'd also shown up wearing a Slipknot mask. I am sure the trial will reveal that the music from Slipknot had a powerful influence on this youth. This school in Krugersdorp - a goldmining town - is a technical school which has a lot of youngsters from broken homes and orphanages. The teachers had started picking up on his withdrawal and were worried about it, but couldn't get him to open up about it. He's a white Afrikaans kid and said during councelling sessions that 'there's no future'. Which is an accurate assessment of the situation this boy and many other white South Africans find themselves in - they have no future there and more than one-million have already left the place, one of the most violent in the world. Slipknot's music clearly triggered something in this boy, who was described as intelligent and a diligent student. In South Africa, there's a lot of new laws under the black-majority government which bars whites from most of the job-market. Its not that they don't qualify - they just aren't allowed to even apply for job-openings because they belong to the 'previously advantaged racial group' and thus are excluded from the job market. The kid's assessment that he didn't have any future therefore was a very accuate and intelligen one.
79. writes:
Rofl, in the articles linked in your blog, they mention satanic SO much it's ridiculous. I'd like them to 1. Prove Heaven is a real place 2. Link it to this mystical hell and it's almighty ruler "satan" and 3. Find any slipknot lyric that is even remotely satan.
Last I checked, slipknots lyrical content was all about how the human race has f***ed itself and knows no limits.
Supporter
83. writes:
Schoolboy 'planned a bloodbath'
20/08/2008 Johannesburg - The 18-year-old matric pupil who allegedly killed a fellow pupil with a sword on Monday, had envisaged a bloodbath.
'THE MUSIC OF SLIPKNOT CHANGED HIM'...
One of his friends, Shaun Collins, 17, a Grade-12 pupil at Nic Diederichs Technical High School in Krugersdorp, spoke on Tuesday about how the schoolboy had told him and other friends what he planned to do.
"He wanted to wait until the children assembled in the hall and then kill them.
"He used the word 'massacre'; I understood he meant a bloodbath."
Minutes before the assembly began, the schoolboy put on a Slipknot-mask, pulled out a samurai sword and slashed open 16-year-old Jacques Pretorius's carotid artery.
He then walked around the school and apparently injured three other people - two workers Sam Namamela, 43, Joseph Kodisang, 26, and a Grade-11 pupil Stephan Bouwer, 18.
Shaun told on Tuesday evening how he and his group of friends had seen the teenager "losing it". Shortly after Shaun arrived at school at about 07:10, three of his friends came to him and said the boy's "head isn't right".
When Shaun and the others got to him, he was already wearing his mask - similar to the one worn by Corey Taylor, the lead singer of the heavy metal band Slipknot.
He was rearranging three swords, including a smallish Katana and a Sekizo Ninja sword, in his belt, and putting on gloves. He had apparently made the mask about three weeks before the attack.
"At first we thought he was joking but then we saw a bomb in his right hand."
It is believed he had been making bombs since last year.
"We kept our distance the whole time because we were really scared of him. I told him to put down the bomb but he refused.
"I took the bomb from his hand and threw it away. It didn't do anything.
"The whole time he was speaking with a weird voice, almost like the Joker's voice in Batman.
"He also kept saying things like, 'Today I'm going to do it. Today is the massacre.'"
Shaun said the boy then insisted that Max Brechlin, 18, also put on a mask.
The next moment he turned to Shaun and said, "Do you want to see something cool?"
He then pulled out his sword and Jacques - who happened to be walking past with a group of pupils - was hacked to death.
"That sword was as blunt as a butter knife. I couldn't believe the force with which he struck. It was a very deep wound," Shaun said.
The pupils of his eyes apparently looked "smaller than usual".
Shaun said he had noticed earlier that the pupil had two other masks in his school bag: a gas mask and a clown mask, similar to those worn by other members of Slipknot.
Shaun and his friends also made similar masks and wore them at school on two occasions.
"I was very interested in Slipknot. The drummer is amazing; I would like to be able to play like him one day. But after I saw my friend? It's as if the music had changed him. I think about it very differently now," Shaun said.
The suspect will appear in Krugersdorp Magistrate's Court on Wednesday on a charge of murder and three charges of attempted murder. Max will appear on charges of conspiracy to murder and possession of a dangerous weapon.
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2379049,00.html
Member
84. writes:
Look, maybe the kid was wrong, f***ed, and overrated. The dude was gonna be sick and it was HIS fault. He was the end of everything. He's not supposed to be here.
In retrospect, what a SH1TTY band to murder someone for. SNOOORRREEEE!!!!
Jeez, kids, listen to some Eyehategod or Skrewdriver. If you're gonna be a dumbass, at least be cool about it. f***in' trendy a$$ kids. Dude probably found a class ring or three in his girlfriend's snatch and then listened to the title track from IOWA while he was smokin' a big meth-ball.
Man, GG Allin, Mayhem, Rotting Christ, f***in' Mr. Bungle, man! There's so many other better bands out there that deserve this attention right now.
Founder, owner & programmer
85. writes:
Adriana clearly lacks the ability to understand causation vs correlation. Regardless of what causes the murderous acts. Does one withdraw (do to some life even, depression, etc) and then do drugs, or do drugs and then withdraw? Does a depressed or angry person listen to a certain type of music by choice or does the music make them so? It can go either way really. It's absolutely ridiculous to put the blame of a long term change in personality on music (much less one band) alone. Drug use, perhaps. Obsessive personalities will find something to obsess over. Should we take away heavy metal, horror fims and books, and everything that can have a negative influence to protect these people? This reminds me of the movie Demolition Man. People who enjoy those things or need those outlets would then be the ones going crazy.
The kid was clearly screwed in the head regardless of what people think. The conversations about suicide on this site will show you that people don't always know what's going on inside someone else's head - even close friends. So to honestly think that the kid was just fine and did this horrific act just because of a band/music seems to be nothing more than denial to me. Denial that the kid had issues or anyone should take responsibility.
Member
86. writes:
they proved there is no correlation between music causing aggression. Someone aggressive listens to metal because they like it. I'm not saying everyone who's aggressive listens to metal, but some tend to. The correlation where he starts listening to Slipknot then does this stuff it that his anger could have been brought to the surface and started coming out, so he listened to it. Or he's just one of the biggest conformists ever. In any case, unless Slipknot visited him in his sleep and told him to kill that kid and stab the gardeners, then it wasn't their fault. It was the kid being a dumbass. If metal really made you kill people, everyone on here would be out killing people at the BK Lounge.
Member
87. writes:
Kalis_wrath writes:
B.b, in "Heritic Anthem" Slipknot do have Satanic lyrics, and they do use 666 and The Star of Baphomet on their stage set up. They are not as true as Black Metallers are, but not Satanic-free.
right kalis! on the iowa cd slipknot used all that satanic sh** as a gimmick to be more controversal.
bristowe has a point though, while not all slipknot songs are about satan, they are themed about rejection and anger and all that other crap and continue to drone on about "rawr nobody likes me cuz i'm ugly blah blah blah".
these idiots care more about their image than anything else, otherwise they'd be making better music, wouldn't they?
np: cradle of filth- scorched earth erotica
i havn't listened to cradle of filth in a long time lol
Member
88. writes:
I'm sick of the music a person listens to being blamed for things, rather than the person's mental state or chemical imbalances. A person could be f*cked up on drugs or alcohol and commit a crime for any kind of reason and music always seems to get blamed. Always looking for a scapegoat.. a way to bring down the metal community.
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
98. writes:
This debate has been going on for years. The conclusions after all the investigations of these deaths linked to heavy metal music has always been that the type of youths drawn to this often are very intelligent, and also loners. The Harmse youngster, described by his parents as 'always bullied because he is very small for his age', falls into this category. He was bright, bullied, and a loner.
There have also been many court cases about it. I found this student thesis on this subject, noting that 'there have been many incidents where metal music has been blamed for violence or tragedy caused by those listening to metal. There have even been court-cases -- such as the Judas Pries suicide-death case, where the band was sued unsuccessfully with claims that their subliminal lyrics were telling people that 'killing themselves was good and fun and to do it now'... But none of these cases have ever proven a direct link between the message inside the music and the resultant deaths. According to this thesis, the conclusion was tht 'those who say that this violence is caused by music are the same people who then believe more violence is the key to stopping the problems ' (by making stricter laws to allow parents to punish their children physically, i.e. more violence). This student concluded that 'these sorts of issues give a far more convincing argument that societal problems are the cause of violence rather than something as trivial as metal music.
see more: ....
http://www.degree-essays.com/coursework/music-essays/cases-of-metal-music-associated-with-violence/
Member
99. writes:
there are so many posts after mine. i can't remember what i even said. wiggles, there are a lot of footyheads and metro c***-smokers in adelaide, you even glance at them and they get fired up. same with wogs, (no offense if you are one) but they go ballistic if you even turn your eyes slightly in their direction. the world is full of a$$holes. not you guys though, you guys are awesome. Drak_Funeral i love post #90, i wouldn't be surprised if that becomes a headline one day, as it's so typical of the media in modern society, trying to blame the thing that is a) easiest to blame and b) everyone else seems to be blaming. it's all so stupid. i hate the media.
p.s. glenelg is a coastal town for anyone who is interested anymore.
Member
Member
101. writes:
im from south africa and i was extremely disturbed by the whole situation.
first of all, i believe the kid was possessed.
i have known somebody who has been possessed, whether it is my satan or some other "god" i dont know but i believe that whoever possessed him used the lyrics of slipknot to get to his head.
i am not blaming or saying its slipknots fault at all, i think they are a very talented band but i do believe that the lyrics were used to get to this boys head and thats what happened.
thats my opinion, i never say im right, thats just how i see the situation knowing that i know people that do go that high school and that have witnessed what happens, it just seems to me thats the case.
besides just because slipknot is a heavy metal band and that is considered "darker" than other music that does not mean that that is the reason, i mean Charles manson says the music his family was listening to during the murders they committed was the Beatles, and theyre a happy clappy band.
Member
Member
Member
104. writes:
Seriously, possession is a strong possibilty though the demons don't need the inspiration from Slipknot music....they merely enjoy listening to it as it becomes a fitting soundtrack to their schemes and devices. though i don't approve of satanic metal - satan is the force behind such killings and not the music.
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
114. writes:
How about this version
A storm has broken over Krugersdorp. At the centre of the relentless media attention, the grief of the community, and the national speculation, is a scrawny boy sitting in a police cell, perhaps still unsure of what occurred on the morning he brought his swords to school.
Morne Harmse's parents said in an open letter that when they visited him on Tuesday, he seemed confused. "He only realised yesterday (Tuesday) that someone had died. He remembered basically nothing about the event," they said.
To some the small-boned boy with the heart-shaped face is a symbol for everything that has gone wrong with the youth.
But who is the real Morne Harmse and what is that made the normally shy boy turn into a masked terror nobody could recognise?
One of Harmse's friends, who didn't want to be named, told The Star that Harmse had been a different person when he killed 16-year-old Jacques Pretorius and wounded three others on Monday. "Those eyes were not the eyes I saw everyday," said the friend.
Department of Education spokesperson Panyaza Lesufi reported that the police found "disturbing elements of Satanism" when they searched the suspect's room.
As Satan entered the picture, Bible-carrying crusaders joined the scores of journalists camped outside the school.
During the frenzy of media attention, Harmse has been branded "masked swordsman", "the tiny boy behind the horror mask" and "a sword-wielding killer" by various newspapers.
It's easy to jump to conclusions and join the bandwagon of popular opinion about who is to blame for the tragic masquerade on Monday.
Did heavy metal music, an interest in the occult and a fascination with ninjas really lead this teenager to kill?
Thousands of youngsters are interested in the same type of things and Morne's friends were delving into the same hobbies. None of them lifted the sword that day and killed another child.
Whether Morne deserves these labels is a matter that will be decided in court over the next few months or years.
It will be a long and anxious wait for both families.
In their letter, Harmse's parents appealed to the public not to judge them. They said their son had been raised "strictly, but with a lot of love".
They hadn't realised that the life-long physical and emotional bullying suffered by their son - who was always much smaller than others in his age group - had led to such unbearable feelings of powerlessness that he would resort to a drastic act to "make a stand".
"Because of Morne's build, he was often belittled during his formative years. He wanted to release built-up frustration and his feelings of powerlessness," they said.
An education psychologist from the University of Johannesburg, Jace Pillay, said that it is normal for the parents to respond in this way.
"After all, who would want to believe that their loved one, especially the one they had nurtured for so long, could be capable of such an act of violence?" Pillay said.
Pillay said that while bullying could have negatively affected Morne's self-esteem, and he could have turned to Satanism, drugs and a fixation on pop-idols to escape his psychological distress, it does not make sense that he would randomly attack other learners because of it.
"Victims who plan to retaliate will usually target the bullies that have harmed them the most, whether it's physically, emotionally and/or psychologically," said Pillay.
It seems the quiet boy needed elements of the mass media to make him feel like he belonged to something.
He adopted things that he saw as strong: the ninja, Satanism and music groups. He wore the mask of revered music group Slipknot when he swung his ninja sword to kill.
In a spilt second, Morne stepped from fantasy into horrible reality, a second that two families will always have to deal with.
Member
Member
119. writes:
I still don't understand how they(parents and people who believe this cR*p was because of Slipknot) can accept that the band had anything to do with this. I'm not such a huge Slipknot fan but hell, I listen to some metal and I dont see how that can motivate someone to f****ng stab someone.
This guy was just a drugged up f***ng psycho who just happened to like Slipknot.
DONT BLAME THE METAL!!!!!!
To minimize comment spam/abuse, you cannot post comments on articles over a month old.
Member
1. Fantasy_and_Torture writes:
-SIGH- No words come to mind. Disgusted barely sums up how I feel.