Joel Cauchi | Man with Mental Health History Goes on Stabbing Rampage in Mall

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER_03]: This is True Crime Psychology and Personality, where we discuss the pathology behind some of

[00:00:12] [SPEAKER_03]: the most horrific crimes and those who committed them from a scientifically informed perspective.

[00:00:19] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm Dr. Todd Grande.

[00:00:21] [SPEAKER_00]: I have a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision, and I'm a licensed professional

[00:00:26] [SPEAKER_00]: counselor of mental health.

[00:00:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Dr. Todd Grande, that's my YouTube channel.

[00:00:31] [SPEAKER_01]: Today's question is, can I analyze the case of Joel Couchy?

[00:00:35] [SPEAKER_01]: First I'll look at the background of this case, move to the timeline of the crime, and offer

[00:00:40] [SPEAKER_01]: my analysis.

[00:00:42] [SPEAKER_01]: Joel Couchy was born sometime around 1983 and lived in Tuwumba, Queensland, Australia.

[00:00:48] [SPEAKER_01]: This is two hours west of Brisbane.

[00:00:50] [SPEAKER_01]: He lived with his father Andrew and his mother Michelle.

[00:00:54] [SPEAKER_01]: In 2000, when Joel was 17, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

[00:01:00] [SPEAKER_01]: In addition to this disorder, he used substances at various times in his life, including psychedelics

[00:01:06] [SPEAKER_01]: and methamphetamine.

[00:01:08] [SPEAKER_01]: Joel graduated from high school and attended the University of Queensland.

[00:01:12] [SPEAKER_01]: According to his Facebook page, he had worked as an English tutor, but it appears

[00:01:16] [SPEAKER_01]: as though this claim is not true.

[00:01:19] [SPEAKER_01]: Joel lived in Brisbane, Kangaroo Point and Carina before returning to his parents' home

[00:01:25] [SPEAKER_01]: in Tuwumba.

[00:01:27] [SPEAKER_01]: At some point, Joel departed again.

[00:01:29] [SPEAKER_01]: The last time his parents saw him was in December 2023.

[00:01:33] [SPEAKER_01]: This same month, he was stopped by the police in Queensland, but no rest was made.

[00:01:38] [SPEAKER_01]: He was well known to law enforcement.

[00:01:40] [SPEAKER_01]: They were aware of his mental health challenges for about five years.

[00:01:45] [SPEAKER_01]: Sometime around March 2024, Joel traveled about 10 hours south to Sydney in New South

[00:01:51] [SPEAKER_01]: Wales.

[00:01:52] [SPEAKER_01]: There is no evidence that Joel was employed.

[00:01:55] [SPEAKER_01]: He was living in a motor vehicle and in hostels.

[00:01:59] [SPEAKER_01]: In the Waterloo neighborhood of Sydney, Joel rented a very small storage unit.

[00:02:04] [SPEAKER_01]: Joel's mother would occasionally get a text message from him with an update.

[00:02:09] [SPEAKER_01]: The last message was sent in March, the same month he moved to Sydney.

[00:02:13] [SPEAKER_01]: I'm moving to the timeline of the crime.

[00:02:16] [SPEAKER_01]: On Saturday, April 13, 2024, at 10.05 a.m., 40-year-old Joel Couchy was in Bondi Junction,

[00:02:24] [SPEAKER_01]: which is in the eastern suburbs of Sydney.

[00:02:27] [SPEAKER_01]: He stopped at a restaurant on Oxford Street called Saigon Noodles.

[00:02:32] [SPEAKER_01]: Joel ordered chicken curry, but departed after failing to produce a method of payment.

[00:02:37] [SPEAKER_01]: At 12.22 p.m., he returned, ordered the same meal and paid for it in cash.

[00:02:43] [SPEAKER_01]: At 3.10 p.m., Joel Couchy entered the Westfield Bondi Junction Shopping Center.

[00:02:49] [SPEAKER_01]: This is a massive seven-story, 1.4 million square foot mall containing over 300 stores.

[00:02:56] [SPEAKER_01]: Joel left the shopping center but returned 10 minutes later.

[00:03:00] [SPEAKER_01]: Now he was carrying a knife.

[00:03:02] [SPEAKER_01]: It was about one foot in length.

[00:03:05] [SPEAKER_01]: Over the next few minutes, Joel went on a rampage.

[00:03:08] [SPEAKER_01]: He ran around the mall erratically, lunging at and stabbing people in the shopping center.

[00:03:14] [SPEAKER_01]: Some people he ignored, many people ran away from him, and others confronted him.

[00:03:19] [SPEAKER_01]: For example, a French construction worker blocked Joel from ascending an escalator

[00:03:24] [SPEAKER_01]: by holding a metal post.

[00:03:26] [SPEAKER_01]: An officer named Amy Scott and a few customers in the mall pursued Joel.

[00:03:31] [SPEAKER_01]: He confronted him on the fifth floor and ordered him to drop the weapon.

[00:03:36] [SPEAKER_01]: Joel decided to try something different.

[00:03:39] [SPEAKER_01]: He lunged at the officer, leading Amy to shoot him multiple times in the chest.

[00:03:44] [SPEAKER_01]: Despite the officer's efforts to save his life using CPR, Joel did not survive.

[00:03:49] [SPEAKER_01]: He had murdered six people during his attack, five women and one man.

[00:03:55] [SPEAKER_01]: Five victims died at the scene and one died later at a hospital.

[00:03:59] [SPEAKER_01]: At least 12 people were injured, including an infant.

[00:04:03] [SPEAKER_01]: The police indicated that no one else was involved in the attack

[00:04:06] [SPEAKER_01]: and they have no evidence that Joel was ideologically driven.

[00:04:10] [SPEAKER_01]: It's clear from the police statements that they will be looking closely at Joel's mental health

[00:04:16] [SPEAKER_01]: as a potential explanation for his actions.

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[00:05:19] [SPEAKER_06]: He was a very knowledgeable young guy.

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[00:05:24] [SPEAKER_03]: He was the type of guy that was betting over backwards to help you.

[00:05:27] [SPEAKER_06]: Now you could be forgiven for thinking that Barry sounds like a great guy

[00:05:30] [SPEAKER_06]: and you'd be right.

[00:05:32] [SPEAKER_06]: Well, right up until the point, when you're wrong.

[00:05:34] [SPEAKER_03]: It was all bititious.

[00:05:36] [SPEAKER_03]: You stole from my son who has a disability.

[00:05:38] [SPEAKER_06]: Chris never knew.

[00:05:40] [SPEAKER_06]: He died believing that we're all taken care of.

[00:05:43] [SPEAKER_05]: A psychopath is somebody who lacks empathy, acts impulsively.

[00:05:48] [SPEAKER_05]: I think there's a strong case that Barry might be all of those things actually.

[00:05:51] [SPEAKER_06]: To find out how Barry Clue stole over $15 million from 81 victims,

[00:05:55] [SPEAKER_06]: subscribe to Clueless, the long con.

[00:05:58] [SPEAKER_06]: That's Clueless spelt K-L-O-O-G-H-L-E-S-S.

[00:06:05] [SPEAKER_01]: Now moving to my analysis.

[00:06:07] [SPEAKER_01]: Here are my thoughts in a few areas that stood out to me in this case.

[00:06:11] [SPEAKER_01]: Item number one.

[00:06:12] [SPEAKER_01]: Throughout his life, Joel Couchy lived in a few different areas

[00:06:16] [SPEAKER_01]: and interacted with a variety of people.

[00:06:18] [SPEAKER_01]: Here are some of the ways he has been described.

[00:06:22] [SPEAKER_01]: A troubled young man who kept to himself and behaved oddly.

[00:06:26] [SPEAKER_01]: A weird looking man who was confused and maintained a vague expression.

[00:06:30] [SPEAKER_01]: His presence caused others to feel nervous.

[00:06:34] [SPEAKER_01]: He looked like he wasn't all there.

[00:06:37] [SPEAKER_01]: And Joel would frequently wander around and talk to himself.

[00:06:41] [SPEAKER_01]: People said it was very obvious he was suffering from mental health symptoms.

[00:06:45] [SPEAKER_01]: As I mentioned, Joel had been diagnosed with schizophrenia.

[00:06:49] [SPEAKER_01]: He was treated by public mental health services from 2000 until 2012.

[00:06:54] [SPEAKER_01]: From that point on, he saw a private mental health clinician.

[00:06:59] [SPEAKER_01]: Joel was well known to law enforcement,

[00:07:01] [SPEAKER_01]: but he had no criminal history and had never been arrested.

[00:07:05] [SPEAKER_01]: The attention he attracted from the police

[00:07:07] [SPEAKER_01]: was due to mental health concerns.

[00:07:10] [SPEAKER_01]: Item number two.

[00:07:12] [SPEAKER_01]: Joel appeared to have an intense fascination with knives.

[00:07:15] [SPEAKER_01]: In 2021, when he was in Queensland,

[00:07:18] [SPEAKER_01]: he took ordinary kitchen knives to be sharpened,

[00:07:21] [SPEAKER_01]: telling the knife sharpener that they were hunting knives.

[00:07:25] [SPEAKER_01]: The knife sharpener implied that the knives were cheap

[00:07:27] [SPEAKER_01]: and not really worth sharpening.

[00:07:30] [SPEAKER_01]: He was surprised that anyone would want to have them sharpened.

[00:07:33] [SPEAKER_01]: Joel was not pleased about the knife sharpening job.

[00:07:36] [SPEAKER_01]: He left a one-star review online

[00:07:38] [SPEAKER_01]: suggesting that the knives were now useless.

[00:07:42] [SPEAKER_01]: In 2023, he called the police on his father

[00:07:45] [SPEAKER_01]: for hiding knives from him.

[00:07:47] [SPEAKER_01]: This makes it seem as though Joel

[00:07:49] [SPEAKER_01]: may have been doing something disturbing with those knives.

[00:07:53] [SPEAKER_01]: In addition to knives, Joel had an interest in firearms.

[00:07:56] [SPEAKER_01]: In 2020, he made social media posts

[00:08:00] [SPEAKER_01]: looking to meet up with people who would shoot guns.

[00:08:04] [SPEAKER_01]: Item number three.

[00:08:05] [SPEAKER_01]: In the time leading up to his death,

[00:08:07] [SPEAKER_01]: Joel demonstrated an intense interest in sexual activity.

[00:08:11] [SPEAKER_01]: He posted profiles on three websites

[00:08:14] [SPEAKER_01]: which promoted escort services.

[00:08:17] [SPEAKER_01]: Joel stated that he was looking for sex work

[00:08:19] [SPEAKER_01]: and that both male and female customers would be accepted.

[00:08:23] [SPEAKER_01]: In order to entice potential customers,

[00:08:25] [SPEAKER_01]: Joel described himself as good-looking and athletic.

[00:08:29] [SPEAKER_01]: A wide range of closed door services were available,

[00:08:33] [SPEAKER_01]: many of which were graphic in nature.

[00:08:36] [SPEAKER_01]: It's not clear if Joel had functioned

[00:08:37] [SPEAKER_01]: as a sex worker before,

[00:08:39] [SPEAKER_01]: but he did appear to be familiar

[00:08:40] [SPEAKER_01]: with several clothing-challenged clubs and brothels.

[00:08:45] [SPEAKER_01]: He even left them positive reviews online.

[00:08:48] [SPEAKER_01]: In addition to wanting to connect to people to have sex,

[00:08:51] [SPEAKER_01]: Joel actively attempted to explore other interests.

[00:08:55] [SPEAKER_01]: For example, he was looking for someone

[00:08:57] [SPEAKER_01]: to teach him how to surf

[00:08:58] [SPEAKER_01]: and he wanted to be part of learning exchanges

[00:09:01] [SPEAKER_01]: to study German, Swedish, and Russian.

[00:09:04] [SPEAKER_01]: Item number four.

[00:09:06] [SPEAKER_01]: Did Joel have the same profile

[00:09:08] [SPEAKER_01]: as a mass shooting perpetrator?

[00:09:10] [SPEAKER_01]: He had an interest in firearms.

[00:09:12] [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe he only used a knife

[00:09:14] [SPEAKER_01]: because he could not access a gun.

[00:09:16] [SPEAKER_01]: There were a lot of factors that Joel had in common

[00:09:18] [SPEAKER_01]: with a typical mass shooting perpetrator.

[00:09:21] [SPEAKER_01]: He was male, just like 97% of the perpetrators.

[00:09:26] [SPEAKER_01]: He had a mental health history,

[00:09:28] [SPEAKER_01]: 59% of perpetrators share this characteristic.

[00:09:31] [SPEAKER_01]: Substance use problems plagued Joel,

[00:09:34] [SPEAKER_01]: 43% of perpetrators have the same struggle

[00:09:37] [SPEAKER_01]: and Joel had a psychotic disorder,

[00:09:39] [SPEAKER_01]: just like 27% of mass shooting perpetrators.

[00:09:44] [SPEAKER_01]: Despite the similarities,

[00:09:45] [SPEAKER_01]: Joel was not like these perpetrators in two key areas.

[00:09:49] [SPEAKER_01]: He did not have a criminal record

[00:09:51] [SPEAKER_01]: like 65% of the perpetrators

[00:09:54] [SPEAKER_01]: and he did not have a history of violence

[00:09:56] [SPEAKER_01]: like 63% of the perpetrators.

[00:09:59] [SPEAKER_01]: Item number five.

[00:10:01] [SPEAKER_01]: What is the attack perpetrated by Joel

[00:10:03] [SPEAKER_01]: attributable to schizophrenia?

[00:10:06] [SPEAKER_01]: The theory that schizophrenia played a part

[00:10:08] [SPEAKER_01]: in Joel's decision to kill

[00:10:09] [SPEAKER_01]: is reinforced by the absence

[00:10:11] [SPEAKER_01]: of any identifiable ideological motive.

[00:10:14] [SPEAKER_01]: There's no way to know for certain,

[00:10:16] [SPEAKER_01]: but let's take a look at the evidence

[00:10:17] [SPEAKER_01]: both for and against the idea

[00:10:19] [SPEAKER_01]: that schizophrenia was involved.

[00:10:21] [SPEAKER_01]: Starting with the factors supporting this theory.

[00:10:25] [SPEAKER_01]: In the time leading up to the murders,

[00:10:26] [SPEAKER_01]: Joel appeared to have a lot of big plans.

[00:10:29] [SPEAKER_01]: For example, he wanted to learn new languages.

[00:10:32] [SPEAKER_01]: This was in the absence of any clear plan

[00:10:34] [SPEAKER_01]: to make a living.

[00:10:36] [SPEAKER_01]: It was like he was disconnected from reality.

[00:10:39] [SPEAKER_01]: Joel had a history of talking to himself in public,

[00:10:41] [SPEAKER_01]: which is consistent with psychosis.

[00:10:43] [SPEAKER_01]: He was desperately trying

[00:10:44] [SPEAKER_01]: to initiate sexual contact with people.

[00:10:47] [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe these schizophrenia symptoms

[00:10:49] [SPEAKER_01]: were keeping him isolated.

[00:10:51] [SPEAKER_01]: Right before Joel conducted the attack,

[00:10:53] [SPEAKER_01]: he ordered food in a restaurant.

[00:10:55] [SPEAKER_01]: A worker there said that Joel appeared to be confused.

[00:10:59] [SPEAKER_01]: When he exited the restaurant, he fell into a storefront.

[00:11:02] [SPEAKER_01]: A man who assisted Joel described him

[00:11:04] [SPEAKER_01]: as appearing to be drug affected.

[00:11:08] [SPEAKER_01]: When drugs are combined with schizophrenia,

[00:11:10] [SPEAKER_01]: the risk of violence increases tremendously.

[00:11:13] [SPEAKER_01]: For example, another killer from Queensland

[00:11:16] [SPEAKER_01]: who had schizophrenia, Rena Thayde,

[00:11:19] [SPEAKER_01]: killed eight children after heavy cannabis use.

[00:11:23] [SPEAKER_01]: Moving to the factors that contradict the theory

[00:11:25] [SPEAKER_01]: that the attack was attributable to schizophrenia,

[00:11:28] [SPEAKER_01]: schizophrenia is associated with being disorganized,

[00:11:31] [SPEAKER_01]: yet Joel was spotted at the shopping center

[00:11:33] [SPEAKER_01]: the day before the attack as if he planned it.

[00:11:36] [SPEAKER_01]: Furthermore, he had to take several deliberate steps

[00:11:39] [SPEAKER_01]: to stab so many people

[00:11:41] [SPEAKER_01]: before being killed by a police officer.

[00:11:44] [SPEAKER_01]: Pursuitory and paranoid delusions

[00:11:46] [SPEAKER_01]: are associated with violence,

[00:11:48] [SPEAKER_01]: but there has been no mention of Joel's suffering

[00:11:50] [SPEAKER_01]: from these types of delusions.

[00:11:52] [SPEAKER_01]: For example, no one has talked about Joel

[00:11:54] [SPEAKER_01]: believing that he was being tracked by the CIA

[00:11:57] [SPEAKER_01]: or perhaps more appropriately for his location,

[00:12:01] [SPEAKER_01]: the Australian Secret Intelligence Service.

[00:12:03] [SPEAKER_01]: Joel appeared to select his victims at random

[00:12:06] [SPEAKER_01]: and he selected a shopping center to maximize casualties.

[00:12:10] [SPEAKER_01]: These are not the actions of someone who was afraid,

[00:12:13] [SPEAKER_01]: rather of a predator.

[00:12:16] [SPEAKER_01]: There's this sense that Joel went from being

[00:12:17] [SPEAKER_01]: a little bizarre and under the influence of substances

[00:12:21] [SPEAKER_01]: to being a violent killer.

[00:12:23] [SPEAKER_01]: He had schizophrenia for years.

[00:12:26] [SPEAKER_01]: Why would he become violent now

[00:12:27] [SPEAKER_01]: in the absence of any obvious trigger?

[00:12:31] [SPEAKER_01]: When weighing all the evidence,

[00:12:32] [SPEAKER_01]: was schizophrenia to blame for Joel's behavior?

[00:12:35] [SPEAKER_01]: In my opinion, a clear connection

[00:12:37] [SPEAKER_01]: between his schizophrenia symptoms

[00:12:39] [SPEAKER_01]: and his violent behavior has not been clearly established.

[00:12:43] [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe schizophrenia caused it,

[00:12:45] [SPEAKER_01]: especially since Joel was not being actively treated

[00:12:48] [SPEAKER_01]: for the disorder when he became violent,

[00:12:50] [SPEAKER_01]: but perhaps there were other causes.

[00:12:53] [SPEAKER_01]: For example, depression, mania or substance use.

[00:12:57] [SPEAKER_01]: Perhaps it had nothing to do with any of those.

[00:12:59] [SPEAKER_01]: Rather, it was just based on his personality.

[00:13:02] [SPEAKER_01]: Joel could have been psychopathic,

[00:13:03] [SPEAKER_01]: narcissistic or sadistic.

[00:13:06] [SPEAKER_01]: Society may never know the answer

[00:13:08] [SPEAKER_01]: because for the most part,

[00:13:10] [SPEAKER_01]: Joel spent the months leading up to the attack

[00:13:13] [SPEAKER_01]: in isolation.

[00:13:14] [SPEAKER_01]: Now moving to my final thoughts.

[00:13:16] [SPEAKER_01]: For some people, sharing the same fate

[00:13:18] [SPEAKER_01]: as the victims in this case is a tremendous fear.

[00:13:22] [SPEAKER_01]: The victims were peacefully shopping in a mall

[00:13:24] [SPEAKER_01]: and all of a sudden an erratic individual

[00:13:26] [SPEAKER_01]: with a knife was stabbing them.

[00:13:29] [SPEAKER_01]: He did not know them,

[00:13:30] [SPEAKER_01]: there was no animosity between them,

[00:13:32] [SPEAKER_01]: there was no connection whatsoever.

[00:13:35] [SPEAKER_01]: There was nothing they could have done

[00:13:36] [SPEAKER_01]: to prevent the attack.

[00:13:38] [SPEAKER_01]: Adding to this fear is how Joel

[00:13:40] [SPEAKER_01]: did not appear to have any clear motive

[00:13:42] [SPEAKER_01]: and was using a weapon anyone can access

[00:13:44] [SPEAKER_01]: regardless of their history.

[00:13:47] [SPEAKER_01]: How can attacks like this be prevented

[00:13:48] [SPEAKER_01]: if there is no warning

[00:13:50] [SPEAKER_01]: and if anyone can be dangerous at any time?

[00:14:00] [SPEAKER_03]: This has been true crime psychology

[00:14:02] [SPEAKER_03]: and personality from Ars Langa Media.

[00:14:05] [SPEAKER_03]: This content is for educational

[00:14:08] [SPEAKER_03]: and entertainment purposes only.

[00:14:10] [SPEAKER_03]: Ars Langa, Vita Brevis.

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