The Mind of a Criminal
(Theories and Psychology)
Part 2
Ricardo's Theory on Bill's decision to throw away Credit Card at Casino:
Bill's throwing out the Credit Card astounded me. Not because he did it, but because of HOW he did it.

It has led me to many days & nights of pondering & pouring over questions I had.

I mean, He threw the card out without cutting it up!!! Imagine if someone else would have grabbed a hold of it ..... the very idea of that nearly scares me into shaking. Yes, it was maxed out, but what if someone knew how to UP the limit? What if someone who KNEW what they were doing got a hold of it?

I imagine he must have been scared to death, and that fear pr.ompted a reaction that simply wanted the card out of his posession, but still .....  stealing it is one thing, but throwing it out without cutting it up is like a spit to my face on top of the slap he gave me. To me, it shows a great deal of disrespect and a general lack of concern for our own financial situation. Here, I attempt to piece together those last few moments before he threw the card out ...
When we talked to Bill and confronted him, he had said that he disposed of the credit card in a garbage bin at the McPhillips Street Station (a casino). I surmised that he was gonna go gamble with it, then upon realizing that it was maxed out he got scared and threw it out.

But why would he do that? Why would he gamble, knowing the risks in losing money at casinos? I have 2 theories on this question:

When he first stole our Credit Card, I imagine he began only taking for what he needed. The essentials. And I imagine he was incredibly stressed out about it. While at first he was only getting a few hours sleep at night, and sleeping later into the day, his lack of sleep changed later into the whole incident. Once he stole our credit card, these nights out involved going to bars and treating people (including my family members) to meals, games of pool, movies and trips to shopping malls.

Theory #1: In my opinion, he realized at some point that he was in over his head and made a last ditch effort to make the money back somehow. How could he get 5000$ plus? I theorize that he was gonna go gamble and try to make all the money he owed us back. I think that he was going to gamble the last dollars the card would give him, but when he realized the card was maxed out, he panicked and threw it out.

Theory #2: This one is more plausible. I think that in one of his many nights out treating girls and friends to movies and drinks at the bar, he got to a point where the card was maxed out and was no longer spitting out cash. Once that happened, the Credit Card Company began calling and sending statements. By this point, he had a part time job and, it is my theory, that he saved a couple of week's earnings. I imagine that he went to the casino with all his eggs in one basket, hoping to win the money he stole back so that he could somehow get out of the massive hole he dug for himself. I don't think he ever expected to lose. But once he lost all his money and was left penniless, he panicked and threw the card out.
The Last Word:
I believe that remorse is an interesting thing. When Bill confessed to Police, he said that he regretted everything that he did and that he felt really badly about it. But instead of taking his word at face value, which I can no longer do because of how he took advantage of us when we did, I choose to look at his actions to see if they reflect those of a man who felt any remorse for his wrongdoings.

While cleaning out Bill's room we found close to 2 dozen recepits for various establishments where he purchased goods and services illegally, sometimes even finding the goods that went along with the recepits. One of those places in particular was a Billiards & Bar a few streets away from where we lived. My brother Jimmy, when informed of Bill's treachery, dropped his jaw and remembers a specific scenario or two in which Bill paid for dinners and nights out at that very establishment, saying something along the lines of: "So that's how he was able to afford it" before trailing off into thought himself. My brother recounted how during these nights out Bill would leave for a few minutes and come back and say to him: "Don't worry about paying man, I got you." He never knew how Bill paid for these occasions, given that he knew Bill was unemployed and searching. Nor did he ever question it because we had all assumed Bill to be a man of integrity.

But I ask you this: Does a man who feels any remorse for his wrongdoings treat a family member of the person he is swindling with a straight face? How is it that, if he felt remorse, he was able to treat my very own brother not once but multiple times with my own Credit Card, even going as far as saying that HE was taking care of things? Why is it that, if he felt terrible about it and regretted it, he brought the stuff he bought with the Credit Card home and kept it in his room?

No Bill showed no remorse then. And I'm sure the only regret he felt was that of being caught. In the immortal words of Bobbito Garcia from NBA Street Vol. 2 (A PS2 game):

"Fool me once, Fool me twice ... Fool me thrice?"

Sorry Bill, I don't believe you ever felt anything but greed.