Good day my friends! And blessings on this Good Friday and Easter Weekend. Welcome to the America’s Criminologist Podcast for April 18, 2025. This is Dr Currie Myers with some interesting criminal justice news and events that have occurred in the United States recently.
My Podcast is brought to you by the Howard Wagyu Ranch. Raised on a family ranch in Central Kansas, Howard Wagyu serves Wagyu beef with the highest quality and excellence. Just go to their website Howard Wagyu!
My new book, “The Advent of Feral Man” is now available on Substack drcurriemyers.substack.com for all paid subscribers. In this book, I present compelling evidence that within the last decade, America is going into a quick decent into the “wilding” of human beings. A phenomenon that is perpetuated by the lack of faith, family, and formation in our human development. If you are a paid subscriber to my Substack you will have access to my book and all my other published works. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Don’t forget my podcast also available on Spotify on America’s Criminologist with Dr. Currie Myers. And please join me on X. This is a very important platform for distributing my work. @DrCurrieMyers. I also have a new podcast out dedicated to reigniting faith, family, and formation in our lives. It called the St Michaels Group Podcast that’s stmichaelsgroup.substack.com and it is also available on Spotify. This podcast is once a week and totally free for listeners.
This week on The Lou Desmond & Company Show! My guest was Pueblo Colorado Police Chief Chris Noeller. On this show we talked about what happened in Pueblo, what’s broken in the Colorado justice system, and what leaders like Chief Noeller are doing to fix it. You can watch the show here!
Chief Noeller is a true leader in law enforcement and a voice of reason in the ongoing battle to keep our communities safe. Noeller has served for nearly three decades in law enforcement, bringing with him not just experience, but a deep dedication to protecting the public and standing up for the men and women who wear the badge. Chief Noeller’s recent call for tougher laws in Colorado has gained serious momentum following a shocking and tragic incident on March 18, where a suspect—out on bond for multiple felony charges, including homicide—ambushed officers and fired over 80 rounds, injuring three before being killed. In the aftermath, Chief Noeller did not mince words, holding lawmakers accountable and calling out the consequences of soft-on-crime policies.
For 2024, the total line of duty deaths in law enforcement was 145 officers. So far in 2025 there have been 21 law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. For April we have three officer deaths as of this date. St Michael Pray for Them and Us!
Ok my friends, here is my riff for this week:
Media Statement from Dr. Currie Myers on the Florida State University Shooting
April 17, 2025
A tragic mass shooting occurred today at Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee, Florida. The perpetrator, identified as 20-year-old FSU student Phoenix Ikner, opened fire near the student union building, resulting in the deaths of two individuals and injuries to six others. Ikner, the son of a Leon County sheriff’s deputy, used his mother’s former service weapon in the attack. He was apprehended after being shot by law enforcement and is currently hospitalized. But law enforcement should be commended – as the do so many times - for their quick, direct to threat, response to neutralize the shooter.
This incident underscores a disturbing trend in modern criminal behavior. In my book, The Advent of Feral Man, I explore the emergence of a new criminal archetype, shaped by what psychologists refer to as the Dark Tetrad, a cluster of personality traits encompassing narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism. These traits, when left unchecked, can lead to increasingly destructive behavior and are exacerbated by cultural and moral decline.
Understanding the Dark Tetrad
The Dark Tetrad refers to four antisocial traits:
· Narcissism: Excessive self-focus, entitlement, and an insatiable need for admiration.
· Machiavellianism: Strategic manipulation, deceit, and a cold focus on personal gain.
· Psychopathy: Impulsivity, shallow affect, lack of empathy, and a disregard for societal norms.
· Sadism: The enjoyment of cruelty, humiliation, or the suffering of others.
These traits tend to develop through a mix of genetic predispositions and adverse environmental factors such as early trauma, neglect, and family dysfunction. Individuals who exhibit these traits often lack remorse and moral grounding, making them more likely to engage in manipulative and violent acts.
Demographics of the Dark Tetrad
Recent research highlights significant demographic patterns associated with these traits:
· Gender: Men consistently score higher across all four Dark Tetrad traits, particularly in psychopathy and sadism (Paulhus & Williams, 2002; Buckels et al., 2013). Women may exhibit narcissism and Machiavellianism differently, often in covert or relationally aggressive forms.
· Age: Traits are most pronounced between ages 18–25 and tend to decline with age (Jonason et al., 2010).
· Socioeconomic Status: Instability in the home, exposure to violence, and economic hardship correlate with higher incidence.
· Education: Certain academic or business environments may foster narcissistic or Machiavellian traits, especially in males.
These traits are not limited to any one group, they emerge in societies where moral formation is weak, and structure is absent.
Digital Culture and Social Contagion
Social media platforms act as echo chambers for narcissism, aggression, and emotional desensitization. Studies have shown that digital environments reward attention-seeking, deceptive, and abusive behavior, hallmarks of Dark Tetrad traits (Garcia & Sikström, 2014). Online anonymity encourages trolling, harassment, and the glorification of violence, desensitizing users and fueling antisocial behavior.
Collapse of Moral Anchors: Faith, Family, and Formation
The erosion of traditional values, particularly those grounded in faith, family, and formation, has fueled the rise of these antisocial tendencies. Communities with high religious engagement and strong family structures demonstrate lower crime rates and stronger youth development outcomes. Data from the Pew Research Center and the Institute for Family Studies consistently affirm that religious and familial stability is one of the most reliable predictors of prosocial behavior and emotional resilience.
Youth Mental Health and Cultural Decline
The United States is experiencing a severe mental health crisis, especially among its youth. According to the CDC, 42% of adolescents reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2021—up from 28% in 2011. Mental health hospitalizations for youth increased 124% between 2016 and 2022.
However, we have become a society of enablers, not treaters. Many mental health professionals today are under institutional and ideological pressure to validate identities, avoid confrontation, and sidestep structured therapy. Affirmation-based practices are often substituted for evidence-based treatments such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which have proven success in correcting behavioral and emotional disorders. A 2022 study in the Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research found that over 60% of clinicians reported an inability to apply structured therapeutic methods due to fear of professional or social backlash.
Mental health systems also operate in silos, or stovepipes. HIPAA and FERPA regulations, while important for privacy, have created barriers that impede communication between mental health professionals, schools, and law enforcement. This has critically weakened our capacity for preemptive intervention. The U.S. Secret Service’s 2018 threat assessment on school violence emphasized that most school attackers had exhibited red flags, yet a failure to communicate those signs among key stakeholders left students and staff vulnerable.
Firearms and Public Safety
In the aftermath of tragedies like this, the focus often shifts to gun control. But this narrow lens ignores the root cultural and psychological conditions behind violent acts. As noted in More Guns, Less Crime by Dr. John Lott, responsible gun ownership has been linked with decreased crime rates in areas where moral standards and law enforcement cooperation remain high. Disarming citizens without addressing mental illness, moral decay, and broken institutional frameworks only treats the symptom, not the disease. By the way, FSU is a gun free zone.
Policy Recommendations
To address this growing crisis, a multifaceted approach is required:
1. Restore Moral and Civic Formation
a. Reinvest in religious, community, and civic institutions that instill purpose, morality, and discipline in youth.
2. Reform Mental Health Practices
a. Prioritize evidence-based therapeutic models like CBT and DBT over affirmation-based or ideologically driven methods.
b. Hold providers accountable to measurable outcomes, not social trends.
3. Break Down Silos
a. Implement federal and state frameworks that allow for targeted information-sharing between mental health providers, schools, and law enforcement under public safety exceptions.
b. Expand multi-agency threat assessment teams modeled on U.S. Secret Service recommendations.
4. School-Based Intervention Programs
a. Increase funding for early intervention initiatives focused on emotional regulation, trauma recovery, and ethical formation.
5. Support Law-Abiding Gun Owners
a. Protect Second Amendment rights. We have enough laws on guns already. Just enforce the laws that exist. From a public policy perspective just take care of 1-4 on my list.
This tragedy is not isolated; it is the latest in a long line of societal failures. We must confront the collapse of our moral architecture, the fragmentation of our institutions, and the enabling culture surrounding mental illness. The time for half-measures has passed. This isn’t about more gun regulations. We need restoration, not just regulation.
Okay here is my five-minute blitz on CJ News and Information for this week:
Trump Administration Enforces Laken Riley Act to Detain Dangerous Criminal Aliens
This week, President Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law, mandating the detention of all dangerous criminal aliens who threaten public safety. The legislation comes in response to rising public outcry over violent crimes committed by previously released illegal aliens, especially those protected by sanctuary policies.
Dr. C’s Take: Enforcing immigration laws isn’t xenophobic, it’s common sense. The Laken Riley Act is a righteous step toward prioritizing American lives over activist politics. It puts teeth back into federal immigration enforcement.
UnitedHealthcare CEO Murder Suspect Indicted; Death Penalty Sought
Luigi Mangione has been federally indicted for the December 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Prosecutors allege premeditated political violence. The Department of Justice is pursuing the death penalty, a rare move in corporate-targeted cases.
Dr. C’s Take: When political violence crosses the line into assassination, the full weight of justice must come crashing down. This is exactly the type of heinous act capital punishment was designed for.
Man Mistakenly Released from Georgia Jail After Murder Conviction Found in Florida
Kathan Guzman, convicted of murdering his girlfriend in 2022, was mistakenly released from jail on March 27. Authorities didn’t realize he was missing for nearly two weeks. He was recaptured in Florida on April 11.
Dr. C’s Take: This isn’t a paperwork error, it’s a systemic failure. Someone dropped the ball, and the public paid the price. Bureaucratic bungling of this magnitude should carry professional consequences.
Kwame Kilpatrick Advocates for AI in Criminal Justice Reform
Former Detroit Mayor (and convicted felon) Kwame Kilpatrick is now on an advisory board pushing AI-based clemency tools to reduce prison populations. The “20% Project” aims to use algorithms to identify prisoners eligible for early release.
Dr. C’s Take: You can’t spell “algorithm” without “grift” these days. While tech has promise, this initiative looks more like redemption theater for elites than reform that helps victims or communities. I’m not against AI-base clemency tools but they need to be evidence-based. Remember AI is only as good as the information you input. It can be highly spurious with the wrong data in its memory!
DOJ Disbands Cryptocurrency Enforcement Unit to Refocus on Cartels and Terror
The DOJ quietly shut down its National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team. Instead, it will redirect efforts toward digital crimes tied to terrorism, organized crime, and drug cartels, especially along the southern border.
Dr. C’s Take: Good. Chasing teenage crypto traders while fentanyl pours across the border was always a misallocation of resources. The DOJ finally hit “refresh” and focused on real threats.
New Jersey Woman Charged in Murder-for-Hire Plot Against Cop and His Daughter
Jaclyn Diiorio allegedly tried to hire a hitman to kill her police officer ex-boyfriend and his 19-year-old daughter, offering $12,000 for the job. The “hitman” turned out to be an undercover officer.
Dr. C’s Take: When your breakup plan includes homicide and a Craigslist contract killer, it’s safe to say you’re not emotionally stable. Glad law enforcement intercepted this train wreck before it derailed a family.
Online Predator Lures Girl Through Roblox and Discord
A 10-year-old girl from California was abducted by a 27-year-old man she met through the gaming platform Roblox. She was found four hours away with the suspect in his car. He now faces kidnapping and exploitation charges.
Dr. C’s Take: The digital world is a playground for predators. Parents, wake up—your kid’s “online friends” could be sex offenders with avatars. Silicon Valley must stop dragging its feet on child protections.
California Democrats Pivot Toward Crime Crackdown
In an election-year turn, California Democrats are backing tougher criminal justice bills, including SB 286, to combat rising crime. The same lawmakers who cheered "Defund the Police" are now sounding the alarm on public safety.
Dr. C’s Take: When even San Francisco liberals are sprinting toward law and order, you know the experiment failed. Welcome to the party, but we’ve been here all along. This isn’t a pivot; it’s a political panic attack.
Florida Man Tries to Rob Bank with Live Alligator
A Florida man was arrested after he walked into a Wells Fargo wielding a live alligator and demanded cash. Witnesses said the reptile appeared “confused but cooperative.” No one was injured, and the gator was safely released into the wild.
Dr. C’s Take: This is what happens when you mix bath salts with Discovery Channel reruns. The man didn’t get the money, but he’s now the prime suspect in a future “Shark Tank: Everglades Edition.”
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This is Dr Currie Myers, America’s Criminologist. To view my work please visit drcurriemyers.substack.com and please share and like our page! Stay safe and have a great weekend!
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