‘Arthur Bremer Is Alone’

Bremer's personality disorders became apparent at an early age. Raised in Milwaukee by a boozing father and an emotionally distant mother, he was a loner who fantasized about suicide. As he grew older, he became angrier and more alienated. He decided to assassinate a political figure, fixating initially on Richard Nixon before settling on Wallace, who was seeking the Democratic presidential nomination. On May 15, 1972, he shot the governor and three others (all of whom survived) at a campaign rally in Laurel, Md. Months later, in the courtroom where he was convicted of attempted murder, a judge asked if he had anything to say. His response: "[The prosecutor] tells me he'd like society to be protected from someone like me. I would have liked it if society had protected me from myself." Now that he's re-emerged, both concerns seem as relevant as ever.

© 2007