A vulgar display of power: courage and carnage at the Alrosa Villa

"For the 4"
(Law Enforcement
Training Program)

About the Author

With seemingly more random shootings and mass murders being carried out by people afflicted by mental illness, Chris Armold's recently published book "A Vulgar Display of Power: Courage and Carnage at the Alrosa Villa" takes on added importance, in fact it could contain very real answers to potential solutions. The book tells the story of the people, places and circumstances leading to the horrific murders of guitarist Dimebag Darrell Abbott, bodyguard Jeffery "Mayhem" Thompson, roadie Erin Halk and fan, father and husband, Nathan Bray. All were murdered on a cold Ohio night at the Alrosa Villa, a concert venue in Columbus, Ohio. The killer was an ex-US Marine who was identified as a paranoid schizophrenic. Despite an extensive criminal background, he was able to legally purchase a handgun. Several months before his murderous rampage he stopped taking his anti-psychotic medication.

The story as told in this book will give readers an erie "deja vu" feel. It reads as a template for so many recent mass killings in the United States. However, unlike so many true crime books, "A Vulgar Display of Power: Courage and Carnage at the Alrosa Villa" avoids sensationalism as the stories of Jeff Thompson, Erin Halk, and Nate Bray, three heroes who died trying to save Dimebag Darrell Abbott, are recounted. The heroism shown by these three murdered men can't be overstated and the meticulous research and detailed presentation of the actual crime in the book will leave readers shaken.The book also ventures into the dark mind and background of the killer. A man with an unhappy, frighting youth filled with delusions, disturbed voices and haunting visions. His mental demons turn him from a happy friendly little boy to a disturbed, "beast." His youth is spent in and out of police stations, juvenile detention facilities, meetings with probation officers, counselors and dozens of well meaning public servants.

But they never really realize what they are dealing with.

These well intentioned professionals simply haven't had the training required to help identify a person suffering from a true mental illness. As mental illness rates climb in the United States, education and training is going to be vital. An unidentified person suffering from paranoid schizophrenia is potentially a ticking time bomb. Police officers need to be armed with the knowledge of the traits, characteristics and ideations of true mental illnesses and know how to refer the people for help. The book also contains resources related to schizophrenia and provides additional resources and references for additional education on the topic.

"A Vulgar Display of Power: Courage and Carnage at the Alrosa Villa" also points out fatal flaws in the well-intentioned, but woefully inadequate and underfunded, National Instant Background Check. This program is designed to prevent criminals and the mentally ill from obtaining firearms but it's complexity, loop holes, and lack of standards make it a paper tiger. The fact that the killer in Columbus had a felony conviction yet was able to legally purchase a firearm is confirmation that something's not working.

"A Vulgar Display of Power: Courage and Carnage at the Alrosa Villa" presents one of the most detailed examinations of a mass murder by a mentally ill psychotic ever written. It doesn't just examine the crime, the killer, his history and the lives of those he callously murdered. It digs into the root causes that led to the event and provides the clear evidence that murders such as the Alrosa Villa murders, Virginia Tech, and Northern Illinois University CAN be prevented or at the very least be exponentially decreased in frequency. It's an important book in that it goes beyond telling just the story.