The Curse of "Helter Skelter"?

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Media plays up role of storied, antiquated Beatles tune as possible motive....all that's old is new again?

From CNN.com......

http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/06/19/teenager.killed.ap/index.html

Teen's brutal beating death called 'something
out of the Dark Ages'

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (AP) --Jason Sweeney had money in his
pocket and plans to see his teenage sweetheart when he headed out the door on
the last Friday in May.

For a 16-year-old from a blue-collar section of Philadelphia, the end of the work week couldn't have seemed much brighter. But he never made it back home that night.

According to police, Sweeney's girlfriend lured him to a vacant gravel path by the Delaware River where three teenage boys were waiting. They attacked Sweeney with a hammer and hatchet until his heart stopped, authorities said.

The four teens -- after a group hug -- then robbed the victim, dividing up the $500 that Sweeney had
earned at his construction job and went on a drug binge, police said.

"We took Sweeney's wallet and split up the money, and we partied beyond redemption," Dominic Coia, 18, told detectives, according to a transcript of his June 3 confession.

Coia, his younger brother, Nicholas, 16, and Sweeney's friend, Edward "Eddie" Batzig Jr., 16, are charged with first-degree murder and could face the death penalty if convicted. Sweeney's girlfriend, Justina Morley, 15, is also charged with murder but is too young to be executed.

The brutal nature of the crime stunned even the veteran city judge assigned to Tuesday's preliminary
hearing.

"This is something out of the Dark Ages," Judge Seamus McCaffery said in upholding the murder charges against the four. "I'm not so sure we can call ourselves a civilized society when stuff like this
happens."

In the hours before the slaying, as Sweeney changed out of his work clothes and showered at his family's cozy brick rowhouse in Fishtown, the defendants met nearby in Batzig's basement.

"We must have listened to 'Helter Skelter' about 42 times," Dominic Coia told police, referring to the Beatles song that also fascinated serial killer Charles Manson.

In 1969, Manson and his followers killed nine people in the Los Angeles area in what prosecutors said was an attempt to start a race war that Manson believed was prophesied in "Helter Skelter."

Sweeney's mother, Dawn, works as a bank teller while her husband, Paul, who grew up in Fishtown, runs a small construction company. Their son had been working there after dropping out of 10th grade, with plans to join the Navy when he turned 17 next month.

Jason had spent his 16th birthday with Batzig at Dawn Sweeney's parents' house in Florida. Afterward, Dawn Sweeney told her son to end the friendship. She thought Batzig was heading down the wrong path, she said.

"Jason came from a home that none of them had," Dawn Sweeney said Wednesday about her son's alleged assailants. "We love our kids and our kids love us. We enjoy spending time together."

The Coias had been raised by their father since their mother left when they were young, said defense lawyer Charles Mirarchi III, who hopes to negotiate a plea for Nicholas, his client. Lee Mandell, a
lawyer for Dominic Coia, said he will try to have his client's confession suppressed.

All four defendants are charged as adults, but defense lawyer William Brennan hopes to have Morley's case moved to juvenile court. She has a history of depression and had been on medication for about a year, Brennan said.

In his police statement, Batzig said he struck his friend in the head with the hatchet four or five times, as hard as he could. Philadelphia Medical Examiner Ian Hood testified that the attackers broke all but
one of the bones in Sweeney's face.

After the murder, Dominic Coia told police that the group bought heroin, cocaine and the tranquilizer Xanax with the victim's money, according to his police statement.

Melissa Sweeney, the dead teen's 15-year-old sister, said juvenile crime was not unique to places like Fishtown.

"Everywhere you go, you find kids like this," she said Wednesday as she and her mother played a board game in their living room. "It's just a question of how much the neighborhood can hide the bad."

What say you?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 21 June 2003 10:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Jesus what a horrible story.

― Ronan (Ronan), Saturday, 21 June 2003 10:51 (twenty-two years ago)

that would be SO COOL if it were the Pat Benatar version

― dave q, Saturday, 21 June 2003 11:01 (twenty-two years ago)

I had comment even snider than Dave's but Ronan's right, this is wretched; I remember my first paycheck when I was 16, I went directly to the record store and was all "Yes! I am going to buy TEN ALBUMS!"

Nothing to say, really, Alex, it's just more awfulness I think

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Saturday, 21 June 2003 11:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Party Beyond Redemption!

― andrew wq, Saturday, 21 June 2003 11:21 (twenty-two years ago)

philadelphia has produced some of the most interesting psychos ... b/w these kids, ira einhorn, whoever eviscerated that homeless guy and left his corpse in an abandoned tenement, jess harvell, ...

― Tad (llamasfur), Saturday, 21 June 2003 12:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Once again "Helter Skelter" has been stolen from the Beatles; we need Bono to steak it back.

― Mark (MarkR), Saturday, 21 June 2003 13:42 (twenty-two years ago)

am i buggin' ya?

― Tad (llamasfur), Saturday, 21 June 2003 13:42 (twenty-two years ago)

we need Bono to steak it back.

I get this vision of him standing up on a table in a high-end restaurant bellowing out for his filet mignon...

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 21 June 2003 13:46 (twenty-two years ago)

god I wish you could edit posts...I always screw up the jokes.

― Mark (MarkR), Saturday, 21 June 2003 13:47 (twenty-two years ago)

apropos to nothing, the Iron Chef has a restaurant in Philly.

― Tad (llamasfur), Saturday, 21 June 2003 13:52 (twenty-two years ago)

"Charlie, why'd you do it?" "I heard the album. I heard that goddam White Album. Why don't we do it in the road? Whadda you think he was sayin', man? No one will be watching us." And you're sitting there going: IT'S A FUCKIN' ALBUM! YOU WERE ON ACID, MANSON! IT'S A FUCKIN' ALBUM! You'd have gotten the same message out of the Monkees, you fuckin' dickhead.
--Sam Kinison

― My name is Kenny (My name is Kenny), Saturday, 21 June 2003 13:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Somehow Bill O'Reilly will still find a way to blame this on rap.

― Nate Patrin (Nate Patrin), Saturday, 21 June 2003 14:25 (twenty-two years ago)

i blame DJ Jazzy Jeff. or Beanie Seagel.

― Tad (llamasfur), Saturday, 21 June 2003 14:30 (twenty-two years ago)

I've been following the story (not that there's much too follow--the murder happened and that's about it) too closely to be ready to joke about it. I kind of think that they his mom (quoted in another article) is right: they didn't do it primarily for the money, they did it for the thrill of killing him.

― Rockist Scientist, Saturday, 21 June 2003 14:41 (twenty-two years ago)

"We must have listened to 'Helter Skelter' about 42 times," Dominic Coia told police, referring to the Beatles song that also fascinated serial killer Charles Manson.

42 = meaning of life. might as well tie douglas adams in this too.

― Farmer Al (King Kobra), Saturday, 21 June 2003 14:51 (twenty-two years ago)

I like the 'partied beyond redemption' part, that's heavy. Pretty sad stuff, as this victim seems completely innocent of anything deserving such brutality. It's a shame. Thrill killings are always weird.

― roger adultery (roger adultery), Saturday, 21 June 2003 16:50 (twenty-two years ago)

What a great song, though, eh? Can't deny that. At least they weren't all hopped up on Evanescence or whatever.

― roger adultery (roger adultery), Saturday, 21 June 2003 16:51 (twenty-two years ago)

I dined with Vincent Bugliosi once. Absolutely one of the nicest humans I've ever met, ever.

― hstencil, Saturday, 21 June 2003 16:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Did anyone ever think that paul would end up being the most dangerous songwriter of his generation? that dude is scary.

― scott seward, Saturday, 21 June 2003 17:09 (twenty-two years ago)

I remember my first paycheck when I was 16, I went directly to the record store and was all "Yes! I am going to buy TEN ALBUMS!"

that's pretty much what ive done with every paycheck ive ever had. as for the killings, extremley disturbing.

― Bob Shaw (Bob Shaw), Saturday, 21 June 2003 17:25 (twenty-two years ago)

OK, what exactly is in the lyrics to Helter Skelter that induces brutality and cultish leanings? Be forewarned that it's one of my favorite Beatles songs, so none of you should hang out with me, I'm probably going to kill you.

― Ally (mlescaut), Saturday, 21 June 2003 18:25 (twenty-two years ago)

i could understand why "band on the run" might induce brutality

― Bob Shaw (Bob Shaw), Saturday, 21 June 2003 19:12 (twenty-two years ago)

I dined with Vincent Bugliosi once. Absolutely one of the nicest humans I've ever met, ever.

Get the fuck out, really? I poured over "Helter Skelter" last summer and fuckin' loved it. Glad to hear he's a good guy.

I think if I listened to ANY song forty-two times in a row, I'd probably go out and kill someone....which is probably why I once beat the living daylights out of my local green grocer once after listing to The Complete Funhouse Sesssion box set (28 consecutive takes of "Loose"!!!).

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 21 June 2003 19:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Mr. Bugliosi, as I called him, was as you can imagine from the book very erudite, polite, and all-around cool. Imagine debating politics with any other Republican public figure who you can say that about! Also, he didn't get too mad when I pulled out the "So, what's Charles Manson really like?" joke.

― hstencil, Saturday, 21 June 2003 19:58 (twenty-two years ago)

OK, what exactly is in the lyrics to Helter Skelter that induces brutality and cultish leanings?

i had a college roommate who was obsessed with "hey jude" and played it half-a-zillion times on "repeat." i wanted to kill him after that!

― Tad (llamasfur), Saturday, 21 June 2003 21:16 (twenty-two years ago)

From the story:

They attacked Sweeney with a hammer and hatchet until his heart stopped, authorities said.

The four teens -- after a group hug -- then robbed the victim

Group hug? WTF!!!???

There's something both monstrous and poignant about that.

― David A. (Davant), Saturday, 21 June 2003 23:32 (twenty-two years ago)

I had to stop reading about a third of the way through. what a horrible, horrible fucking mess

― M Matos (M Matos), Sunday, 22 June 2003 04:05 (twenty-two years ago)

it's incredibly sad

― James Blount (James Blount), Sunday, 22 June 2003 04:11 (twenty-two years ago)

I feel obligated to point out that I didn't post this grizzly tale strictly for the purposes of bumming everyone out, but to spark a discussion about how the media loves to highlight seemingly trivial aspects of a story in order to assign some sort've pop cultural scapegoat for an otherwise decidedly more complicated problem. I also apologize for my "beating up a green grocer after listening to 'Loose' twenty-eight times' joke. It was in rather bad taste,.......even for me.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 22 June 2003 15:33 (twenty-two years ago)

*sigh*
You have a point, Alex. Pop Culture always ends up the boogeymen.
But I ask you this: if you add up the people who have (ALLEGEDLY) been killed by nutjobs inspired by video-games, heavy metal, comic books, HP Lovecraft Novels and the Teletubbies...does it come close to the number of CONFIRMED kills inspired by the Spanish Inquisition/Burning Times?
"Who causes more kids to end up dead: Ozzy Osbourne or Military Recruiting ads?"

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Sunday, 22 June 2003 15:50 (twenty-two years ago)

It's so weird though that these obviously troubled kids turned to something as comparatively benign and non-edgy as the Beatles. With all that's readily available and even DIRECTLY marketed towards troubled teens, I mean, what's up with that?

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Monday, 23 June 2003 15:15 (twenty-two years ago)

In a world where even yer high school jocks listen to Marilyn Manson, the only truly subversive act is to listen to yer parents' music.

― kate (kate), Monday, 23 June 2003 15:17 (twenty-two years ago)

But are the Beatles even teens' parents' music anymore?

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Monday, 23 June 2003 15:22 (twenty-two years ago)

I keep waiting for someone to kill a bunch of people and blame it on messages they heard in an album by (pick one:)
Frank Sinatra
Stryper
Pat Boone*
Mannheim Steamroller
Mozart
Up With People

Note: something other than his metal album, I mean.

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Monday, 23 June 2003 15:25 (twenty-two years ago)

(By subversive I mean perverse)

If I'd had a child at 18, that kid would be in high school, so I suppose these days Beatles = high schoolers' GRANDPARENTS music, which makes it even creepier and weirder.

― kate (kate), Monday, 23 June 2003 15:26 (twenty-two years ago)

I'd be curious as to what *ELSE* these kids were into. I mean, had they read about the Manson family and somehow become intrigued with that aspect of it? Also, isn't "partied beyond redemption" quite a turn of phrase for an 18 year old from the suburbs of Pennsylvania to come up with?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 23 June 2003 15:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Nah, just sounds quite Bill and Ted to me.

― kate (kate), Monday, 23 June 2003 15:33 (twenty-two years ago)

that's really one of the strangest phrases. does he really mean it? or is it, like kate cross-posted, merely a D&D/metal style hollow sombriquet (I just made that word up).

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Monday, 23 June 2003 15:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Sombriquet....isn't that a type of cheese?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 23 June 2003 15:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Also, isn't "partied beyond redemption" quite a turn of phrase for an 18 year old from the suburbs of Pennsylvania to come up with?
As someone from the suburbs of Pennsylvania, I can vouch for the fact that there aren't enough people Partying Beyond Redemption (except maybe the Amish, but they keep real quiet about it.)

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Monday, 23 June 2003 15:40 (twenty-two years ago)

so·bri·quet
P

Pronunciation Key (sbr-k, -kt, sbr-k, kt) also sou·bri·quet (sbr-k, -kt, sbr-k, -kt)
n.

1.An affectionate or humorous nickname.
2.An assumed name.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Monday, 23 June 2003 15:40 (twenty-two years ago)

I had erroneously thought it merely meant a turn of phrase.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Monday, 23 June 2003 15:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Ah, so much for my plans to serve hors d'oevres of diced pomagranates dipped in a bubbling Sombriquet fondue.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 23 June 2003 15:47 (twenty-two years ago)

and here I was going to bring over that bottle of Chateau de Cognomen, 1972 to go with it.

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Monday, 23 June 2003 15:51 (twenty-two years ago)

okay...enough thread hijacking.
Here's the really obvious questions:

1) Does anyone think its perfectly reasonable to think a perfectly ordinary person can be turned psycho by the music they listen to...or were they always psycho and just needed something to channel their psychosis through?
2) Is there such a thing as an artform that is so "pure" and "innocent" that not even the most deranged malcontent could use it as inspiration for mayhem?

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Monday, 23 June 2003 15:55 (twenty-two years ago)

1) For crazies, if it's not "Helter Skelter" it's anything else. Berkowitz got his instructions from his dog or his neighbours dog or whatever. A crazy will find something.
2) As far as I know, there have never been any Origami-related killings.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Monday, 23 June 2003 16:20 (twenty-two years ago)

The origami guy in bladerunner is quite sinister though... think on.

― Zora (Zora), Monday, 23 June 2003 19:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Edward James Olmos == The Antichrist.

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Monday, 23 June 2003 19:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Fishtown isn't the suburbs. (Agree though: it is quite a turn of phrase. Maybe kids who commit coldly thought-out murders tend to be more intelligent?)

― Rockist Scientist, Monday, 23 June 2003 20:52 (twenty-two years ago)

two years pass...

I personally know Dominic and Nicholas coia along with jason sweeney. I went to school with them. The term "partied beyond redemption" is deffinately something dominic would say, he had a very large vocabulary and didnt sound like a normal teen, very articulate. Nicholas was kind of reckless but never seemed violent, and jason was quiet but always had a smile on his face. it's just a shame that these kids would sink that low for 500 dollars and the shitheads only made 125 a piece, how much drugs could they possibly buy with that....dumbasses. Any way, they should all be tried as adults, it was pre meditated and they knew exatly what they wanted. they get what they deserve, and justina should get life without perole too.

― Lilly may, Tuesday, 25 April 2006 19:23 (twenty years ago)

would it be worth it if it was 20 grand???

― Tracey Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 19:29 (twenty years ago)

two years pass...

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/slideshow/ALeqM5jAKvzCn_hKVD-W5hSkpuagdYhHPQD970U0DG0?index=0

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/media/ALeqM5jz8cvD35kvLTc1AwYdv_ObIzVf5g

― StanM, Thursday, 19 March 2009 15:17 (seventeen years ago)

GUY IN OFFICE: Why are my tax dollars being used to keep Charles Manson alive?
OTHER GUY: I had no idea you lived in California.

― •--• --- --- •--• (Pleasant Plains), Thursday, 19 March 2009 15:18 (seventeen years ago)

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