The homicide of Lothar Laux: Preliminary Psychological Profile

Posted on Fri Sep 30th, 2016 @ 7:42pm by Lieutenant Commander Marit Lantry M.D., Ph.D.

I'd like to note for the record this is a very preliminary report, given the brief information provided to me concerning the death of Lothar Laux, the civilian owner of Laux’s Fine Jewelry, located on Deck 621 of Starbase 332.

All observations mentioned in this preliminary report are based upon crime scene photos and preliminary notes regarding the crime scene provided by the first responders and investigative staff called to the scene after the discovery of the body. Such staff members include Lieutenant Marc Madigan Madigan, who reportedly found the body during a routine sweep of the deck, and Commander Jordan Gunning and WO Arathenar ch'Darnath , who came to the scene as soon as they received the call. In addition, my findings are based on preliminary reports provided by the Lead Forensic Specialist, CWO Vortai Gotte and those of Warrant Officer Marcus Lazlo, Lead Detective assigned to this case.

Absent at this time of the report are:

Any reports provided by the medical examiner, including preliminary findings pending autopsy.
Lothar Laux’s complete profile, including medical, psychiatric, employment, and social histories.
Any witness statements concerning the death or the events leading up to the discovery of the body.

As it is early in the investigation, it should be noted every effort is being made to gather this information in as thorough and timely a manner as possible, and this report will be updated as this additional information becomes available.

According to CWO Gotte’s preliminary report, Mr. Laux could not of been dead for more than a few hours at the time he was found behind the counter of his jewelry store where the front glass window appears to have been completely shattered. Given the small window between the time the lockdown was lifted and the time the patrol took place, it is believed the person or persons responsible couldn't have had much time to escape the scene undetected.

This alone suggests an offender or offenders who are organized and a bit more than passingly familiar with the Starbase's patrol routines. On the other hand, the shattered glass suggests an offender or offenders who are impulse driven and not particularly criminally sophisticated. This is consistent with the multiple stab wounds, which were seemingly confined to Mister Laux’s chest and neck area, suggesting the killer or killers were filled with uncontrollable rage at the time of the attack. At first glance, it appears the killer or killers involved appeared to have staged the scene to look like a robbery gone bad, though this effort appears to have been sloppy because nothing was actually taken, and except for the glass, the rest of the store appears to be in order. A careful killer or killers would have to know we'd easily discover anything missing from the store's inventory.

Of course, there are other facts which suggest the killer or killers were considerably more organized. Namely, the fact that no murder weapon was found, no usable prints were discovered and the video feeds and their backups were erased. The lack of video evidence suggests someone fairly well-versed in computer operations was involved.

All of this conflicting evidence leaves me with several questions. Was there more than one person involved? Perhaps one person was impulse driven and had the primary motive of ending Lothar’s life as brutally as possible, while the other was more thoughtful and committed to ensuring their identities wouldn't be discovered?

Or are we dealing with one person who acted impulsively but is generally more controlled and organized when it concerns his or her criminal behavior?

There's also the possibility the crime scene reflects behavior committed by separate individuals, with time in between, who are utterly unrelated one another. Did someone intended to commit robbery, but then fled upon discovering the body, in which case the lack of forensic and video evidence reflects the careful planning of one organized murder and one sloppy would be robber?

Whatever the case may be, it's clear more information needs to be gathered. In particular, I'll be focusing my attention on who Lothar Laux was in life. I know the investigators involved are focusing on the blood evidence, but I have a feeling there is more to all of this than any one of us knows.