Murderers
Apparently, most clever murderers are fictional. Agatha Christie came up with some of the most ingenious and bizarre plots, in which the murderer remains unknown until the very end of the story—and often it was a person that the reader did not expect. Columbo could unravel the well-laid plans of a conniving criminal—whether male or female. In real life, however, those who mercilessly take the lives of their fellow human beings are often dull and stupid. One would think they do not understand that: 1) murder is morally and ethically wrong—not to mention illegal; 2) the police always begin by suspecting family members and friends; and 3) there is a strong likelihood they will be caught and imprisoned for life.
These conclusions come from having watched numerous episodes of Snapped, a program that runs on the cable network, Oxygen. On several occasions, the plot involves a custody battle, and the wife did not want her husband to have the children; so, she either kills him herself (and then acts hysterically when phoning 9-1-1 to report finding him dead), or she finds a male to kill him. She accomplishes her goal either by coming on to him and convincing him how her husband abused her (thus making her husband worthy of death), or she hires some sleazeball to do the job for a few thousand dollars in cash. In the end, the husband is dead, and she's received a life sentence; so, neither parent is around to raise the children.
One particular program highlighted a woman who needed a place to stay, and a generous soul (a hard-working, 29-year-old woman) provided her a room in a shed on a temporary basis. She shortly thereafter took up with a man who was a drug addict. After two weeks of this arrangement, the ungrateful guest and her boyfriend (a married man with five children) murdered the young woman who owned the property, thus reaffirming that no good deed ever goes unpunished. He took a crowbar and beat her while she was asleep on the couch. Then the pair of them went off to the bedroom while the victim lay dying. After she had expired, they took her truck, credit cards, and cash. Then they traveled to another state.
As a punctual, responsible employee, the murder victim was immediately missed. An investigation began the same day; police found her body as the result of a welfare check at her house. They immediately put out a BOLO for her truck and began tracking credit card purchases. They called police in the state where the fleeing couple had charged their breakfast. The officers went to the restaurant and found the killer couple asleep in the vehicle. They apprehended them immediately, and although their accounts of events varied, they received 40 and 20 years in prison; it should have been the death penalty (Rom. 13:4). Did they really think they would not get caught and be punished? Or did they just not think (Ex. 20:13)?