Aaron Foust | Father Contemplated Murdering Son, Concerned He Would Grow into a Killer

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[00:00:32] This is True Crime Psychology and Personality where we discuss the pathology behind some

[00:00:44] of the most horrific crimes and those who committed them from a scientifically informed perspective.

[00:00:51] I'm Dr. Todd Grande, I have a Ph.D. in Councilor Education and Supervision and I'm a licensed

[00:00:57] professional counselor of Mental Health.

[00:00:59] Dr. Todd Grande, that's my YouTube channel.

[00:01:03] Today's question is can I analyze the case of Aaron Faust?

[00:01:07] First I'll look at the background of this case, move to the timeline of the crime then

[00:01:11] off from my analysis.

[00:01:13] Aaron Christopher Faust was born on July 28, 1972 in Macinton, Tennessee.

[00:01:19] He was raised near Fort Worth, Texas.

[00:01:22] Aaron was the only child of Robert Faust and Robert's wife Caroline.

[00:01:27] In 1977, Aaron's parents divorced and he stayed with his father.

[00:01:32] Robert remarried the same mere as the divorce, the marriage lasted for about ten years.

[00:01:37] According to Robert, Aaron was normal until he was four years old.

[00:01:42] After this, Aaron had one behavioral problem after the other.

[00:01:47] He was about four and a half.

[00:01:49] Aaron wandered off with the family dog.

[00:01:51] He called from a restaurant a few miles away.

[00:01:54] About a month later, Aaron wandered off again this time he was found sitting on someone's

[00:01:59] porch.

[00:02:00] Aaron stayed with a babysitter as his father worked.

[00:02:03] On one occasion, Aaron attempted to strangle the babysitter's cat.

[00:02:08] The cat survived.

[00:02:10] Aaron was unable or unwilling to explain his behavior and did not have any remorse.

[00:02:15] Sometime when Aaron was about six years old, his father found him sitting in a doghouse

[00:02:19] in the backyard.

[00:02:21] It was about forty degrees outside.

[00:02:23] Aaron appeared to be in a trance.

[00:02:25] This happened a few more times over the course of about a week.

[00:02:29] At the time, Aaron was eight years old, his father wondered if his son may have been

[00:02:33] possessed by a demon.

[00:02:36] As Aaron progressed through school, he found himself in trouble frequently, sometimes for

[00:02:40] fighting.

[00:02:41] On one occasion, he broke a bone in his hand while attacking another student.

[00:02:46] Aaron had no remorse and justified his behavior by suggesting that his victim was a bully

[00:02:51] and deserved it.

[00:02:53] When Aaron was fourteen years old, he was arrested after attempting to steal a car.

[00:02:57] At the age of fifteen, he was caught in school with a knife after engaging in a fight.

[00:03:02] At this point, he went to live with his mother in Iowa, but that did not improve his behavior.

[00:03:08] At the age of eighteen, he was arrested after causing a high-speed chase with the police.

[00:03:13] Aaron moved back to Texas and lived with his father.

[00:03:16] Eventually, he moved into an apartment and was employed at various times.

[00:03:21] Aaron was the welder, a carpenter and a drug dealer.

[00:03:25] In February 1997, he was pulled over after driving with his headlights off.

[00:03:30] The police found that he was in the possession of a butterfly knife, a baseball bat, two magazines

[00:03:35] for a pistol and shotgun shells.

[00:03:39] In April 1997, Aaron punched the girlfriend of an acquaintance in the face and physically

[00:03:44] attacked a neighbor who attempted to intervene.

[00:03:47] As the police were arresting him for assault, Aaron was screaming.

[00:03:51] He was threatening and aggressive during the whole process.

[00:03:54] At one point, he pointed to a police officer and said, quote, when I get out, I'm going

[00:03:59] to kill you."

[00:04:01] During another incident when he was in jail, he threw a razor blade at a corrections officer

[00:04:06] I imagine this incident made the jail rethink their policy of having frequent razor blade

[00:04:11] giveaway days.

[00:04:12] Aaron was released from jail on May 16, 1997.

[00:04:17] Now moving to the timeline of the crime, on May 18, 1997, two days after Aaron fast was

[00:04:23] released from jail, he decided to visit an acquaintance of his named David Ward.

[00:04:28] Aaron was angry with David because David refused to bail him out of jail.

[00:04:33] In addition, Aaron needed money to pay for his attorneys.

[00:04:36] He thought he could get that money from David.

[00:04:38] Allegedly, David owed Aaron $500 for drugs that Aaron had sold to him.

[00:04:45] According to Aaron, David would use these drugs to entice young black men to visit his

[00:04:49] house for all night parties.

[00:04:52] Aaron and a man named Jamal Brown were given a ride to David's residence and David let

[00:04:57] them in.

[00:04:58] When Aaron asked for the $500, David refused to give it to him.

[00:05:03] At this point, Aaron attacked David and bound his wrists and ankles with speaker wire.

[00:05:08] He took David's ATM card, left the residence, and attempted to withdraw money.

[00:05:14] After failing at this, he returned to David's home and strangled David with his hands and

[00:05:19] arms.

[00:05:21] Aaron also held a pillow over David's face and stepped on his neck in an effort to break

[00:05:25] it.

[00:05:26] As Aaron was murdering David, Jamal was busy loading stolen items into David's BMW.

[00:05:33] After the homicide, Aaron and Jamal put graffiti on the walls of David's residence to make

[00:05:37] it look like the crime was related to a gang.

[00:05:41] They left in David's BMW and later set the vehicle on fire.

[00:05:44] It was not very difficult to figure out who was responsible for the murder.

[00:05:49] The police arrested Aaron and Jamal a few days later after they attempted to use David's

[00:05:53] credit card at a restaurant in Arlington, Texas.

[00:05:57] Aaron confessed to the murder.

[00:05:59] He said that he didn't mean to kill David, rather he was just trying to render him unconscious.

[00:06:04] Jamal said that he witnessed Aaron kill David but had nothing to do with the murder.

[00:06:08] The police discovered evidence that Aaron had planned the crime in advance.

[00:06:13] He had specifically mentioned murdering a man, stealing his money, stealing his BMW,

[00:06:18] and making it look like a gang committed to murder.

[00:06:22] Jamal was charged with murder.

[00:06:24] Less than a year later, on April 14, 1998, he was convicted.

[00:06:29] Three days later, he was sentenced to death.

[00:06:31] Ultimately, Jamal was convicted of robbery and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

[00:06:37] Considering he was engaging in a felony when the murder occurred, Jamal should consider

[00:06:41] himself quite fortunate.

[00:06:43] Being on death row was not a happy experience for Aaron, mostly because of the execution

[00:06:47] part.

[00:06:48] In addition, he did not want to spend the rest of his life without having sex with

[00:06:52] the woman.

[00:06:53] In an effort to speed up his demise, Aaron sent a letter to the court indicating that he

[00:06:57] did not wish to appeal his conviction or sentence.

[00:07:01] The court reviewed Aaron's request and decided that it had been made voluntarily and intelligently.

[00:07:08] Aaron received his wish.

[00:07:10] There would be no appeal, and his death would come relatively quickly.

[00:07:15] In Texas, the average amount of time a condemned prisoner stays on death row before being

[00:07:20] executed is about 10 years.

[00:07:22] Aaron managed to get executed on April 28, 1999, only a year from when he was convicted.

[00:07:29] His last words were quote, adios amigos.

[00:07:33] I'll see you all on the other side.

[00:07:36] I'm ready when you all are unquote.

[00:07:50] Thanks for watching.

[00:08:13] Ohio is a land of mystery.

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[00:08:21] through her skies.

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[00:08:29] and disappearances that keep her communities wondering what happened.

[00:08:36] Find Ohio mysteries on your favorite podcast app and let's explore the inexplicable

[00:08:42] Ohio mysteries.com.

[00:08:50] I'm moving to my analysis.

[00:08:52] Here are my thoughts in a few areas that stood out to me in this case, item number one.

[00:08:56] During his trial, Aaron stood out for being incredibly arrogant.

[00:09:00] He blew kisses at the jury, rocked back and forth in his chair, and frequently smiled.

[00:09:06] During one point in the trial when someone was counting how many bottles of liquor Aaron

[00:09:10] had stolen, he leaned over to his attorney and said quote, killing makes you thirsty.

[00:09:17] When he was found guilty, Aaron laughed.

[00:09:20] Item number two, Aaron made a few statements in the time leading up to his execution.

[00:09:25] He recognized that he did not feel any remorse.

[00:09:27] He indicated that sometimes he wished he did kind of feel something.

[00:09:32] Aaron said quote, the bottom line is if I was the type to feel remorseful, I wouldn't

[00:09:38] have done this in the first place.

[00:09:40] It takes a good deal of determination to put a man in a chokehold and choke the life

[00:09:44] out of him.

[00:09:45] Aaron continued by casting aspersions at his murder victim by saying quote, I didn't like

[00:09:51] the guy.

[00:09:52] Mostly it was his attitude.

[00:09:54] He had a real arrogant snobbish kind of attitude.

[00:09:58] Here's a guy who's got a blank good job education.

[00:10:03] He's got this attitude.

[00:10:05] He's better than me.

[00:10:07] It seems like to me he's worse than me.

[00:10:10] He thought he was untouchable.

[00:10:13] As I mentioned Aaron had claimed that David owed him $500, he said quote, the situation

[00:10:19] with Mr. Ward it was just business.

[00:10:22] He entered into a contract with me.

[00:10:24] Obviously I couldn't take him to court.

[00:10:27] When Aaron was asked what he might say to the victim's brother, he said quote, adios

[00:10:33] what's to say?

[00:10:34] I don't know them.

[00:10:35] If I felt sorry for what I did, I would say so, but I don't.

[00:10:40] Item number three, throughout his life Aaron had seen many different mental health clinicians

[00:10:45] at the age of 18.

[00:10:46] He was diagnosed with anti-social personality disorder or ASPD.

[00:10:52] This is a cluster B personality disorder.

[00:10:54] So it's in the same cluster as narcissistic, borderline and histrionic.

[00:10:59] ASPD has seven symptom criteria, repeated unlawful behaviors, consistent deceitfulness, impulsivity,

[00:11:07] aggressiveness, a reckless disregard for safety, consistent irresponsibility and a lack of

[00:11:13] remorse.

[00:11:14] Only three symptoms are needed for a diagnosis of ASPD and it appears as though Aaron had

[00:11:20] all seven.

[00:11:21] The prevalence of this disorder in the population is about 3.6 percent, although 60 to 70 percent

[00:11:27] of prisoners qualify for this diagnosis.

[00:11:31] One of the strongest predictors of ASPD is aggression.

[00:11:35] A child who is chronically aggressive is 27 times as likely to develop ASPD as one who

[00:11:41] is not.

[00:11:42] The median survival time for a person with ASPD is 13 years less than a person without

[00:11:48] it.

[00:11:49] In Aaron's case, that shortened survival time would have been pretty good considering he died

[00:11:54] at only age 26.

[00:11:58] Item number four, it appears as though Aaron's father Robert tried to help him.

[00:12:02] He was quite frustrated with Aaron and did not know what to do.

[00:12:06] Robert took Aaron to see mental health clinicians but none of them were helpful.

[00:12:10] At one point, Robert said that he briefly considered murdering Aaron because he was worried

[00:12:15] about Aaron murdering someone else.

[00:12:19] That's how bad Aaron's behavior was.

[00:12:21] It was clear that Aaron was going to get more dangerous.

[00:12:25] Robert of course dismissed this homicidal idea, instead he prayed and decided to give

[00:12:29] Aaron to God.

[00:12:31] Typically a man with ASPD would not have a good relationship with his father.

[00:12:36] Aaron's case is different, he appeared to value his father.

[00:12:40] As Aaron was awaiting execution, he sent Robert a poem for Father's Day.

[00:12:46] Aaron talked about how he only knew misfortune and pain and only connected with a world of

[00:12:51] darkness and sin.

[00:12:53] He said, quote, all my life I've never been able to keep a friend but Dad you've been

[00:12:58] true blue to the bitter end.

[00:13:01] As a father you've been a real treasure, you tried to take away the pain and bring pleasure.

[00:13:07] My life has been full of sadness in my mind clouded with madness.

[00:13:12] But when it's all said and done, and I'm laid to rest, I hope you'll know you did your

[00:13:17] best.

[00:13:18] It sounds like Aaron wanted to free his father from any feelings of guilt or shame which

[00:13:23] is curious because Aaron didn't have those feelings himself.

[00:13:27] This indicates that Aaron appreciated the concepts at the cognitive level.

[00:13:32] Item number five, what do I think happened in this case?

[00:13:36] This is just a theory, my opinion.

[00:13:38] Aaron Faust had characteristics of both factor one and factor two psychopathy.

[00:13:43] He was deceptive, manipulative, charismatic, dominant, fearless, cold, calculating, impulsive,

[00:13:50] irresponsible, and frequently committed crimes.

[00:13:53] Aaron never appreciated the consequences of his behavior.

[00:13:56] When he was sentenced to death, Aaron turned to religion, specifically, he became a Christian.

[00:14:02] He came to believe that when he died, he would ascend to heaven and experience joy for

[00:14:07] eternity.

[00:14:08] As a psychopath, Aaron was good at making calculations.

[00:14:12] His decision to die was nothing more than a calculation consistent with his hedonism.

[00:14:18] Based on his belief that he would go to heaven, he realized that dying soon was a better

[00:14:22] deal than waiting years to be executed.

[00:14:25] What was the point of suffering in prison when death would lead to paradise?

[00:14:31] Aaron wanted to die in order to obtain pleasure.

[00:14:34] When asked about his impending execution, he said, quote, I can't wait.

[00:14:38] Death has never scared me, especially knowing that now I will be going to heaven."

[00:14:44] In a strange way, I believed that Aaron's execution made sense to him.

[00:14:49] He had always justified his bad acts by saying his victims deserved to suffer because they

[00:14:53] were evil.

[00:14:54] When he viewed himself as evil, he believed that his execution was fair.

[00:14:59] He thought that it would even the score and settled the matter as far as his moral responsibility

[00:15:04] for the murder.

[00:15:05] I think he was really looking forward to being executed in order to be granted the keys

[00:15:10] to the gates of heaven.

[00:15:12] Some people believe that Aaron was handed a set of keys for a much warmer destination.

[00:15:17] Now moving to my final thoughts, Aaron never had remorse although he did understand that

[00:15:22] he should have it.

[00:15:24] He realized how unusual it was for the remorse to be absent.

[00:15:28] I think this illustrates quite well how frustrating it can be for family members, mental health

[00:15:32] clinicians, law enforcement officers and others to deal with individuals who have personality

[00:15:38] disorders.

[00:15:39] The lack of insight can be so profound that there is no common language.

[00:15:43] Normal behavior is completely foreign to some people who suffer from personality pathology.

[00:15:50] If someone has never experienced remorse, explaining it to them will only do so much.

[00:15:55] They may come to understand it cognitively but it will never make sense to them emotionally.

[00:16:09] This has been True Crime Psychology and Personality from R's Lunga Media.

[00:16:14] This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only.

[00:16:19] R's Lunga Vita Brebus

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