 Mystery: March 11, 2020 Issue [#10065] |
This week: I did it because... Edited by: Arakun the twisted raccoon  
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Quote for the week: "When an actor comes to me and wants to discuss his character, I say, 'It's in the script.' If he says, 'But what's my motivation?, ' I say, 'Your salary.'"
~Alfred Hitchcock |
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Why do people commit crimes?
There might be as many answers to that question as there are criminals. Motives often involve basic human needs and wants. We all need food, shelter, safety, love, and acceptance.
If they are desperate enough, even the most law abiding people might commit a crime. Parents might steal food or money if their children are starving. A man might attack someone who threatens his wife, and a mother might kill to protect her children.
In more sinister cases, motives are not as pure. A jilted lover might kill a rival for their loved one's affections or kill their former lover out of spite. A person who is already rich might lie, cheat, steal, or even kill to get more. Corrupt politicians or business leaders might stop at nothing to keep their secrets from getting out.
When the criminal has a twisted mind, the motive might only make sense to the criminal. A serial killer's victims might seem unrelated to anyone else, but might all have some quality that unites them in the mind of the killer.
If there is enough evidence that a person committed a crime, investigators might not try too hard to establish a motive. If a suspect is captured on video committing the crime, has the weapon or stolen good sin their possession, and their fingerprints or DNA is found at the scene, no more evidence may be needed. However the motive does help understand the character and is an important element of a mystery story. In some stories, the motive is the true mystery.
Something to try: Write a mystery story where a character is known to have committed a crime, but the motive is a mystery.
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