By Steve Huff
(Continued)
Confronted with the facts of the case as they were known when the murder charges were filed against Underwood, people who once thought they knew Kevin Underwood reacted with understandable shock, dismay, and horror.
A former friend of Kevin's named Alicia posted to the blog attached to her personal profile at a popular social networking site on April 16, 2006. Her reaction to Underwood's arrest and the resulting media circus was intense. Alicia wrote, in part:
"The reports are saying that there are several other targets. I'm so afraid that I was one of those targets. It's so scary, but today, so far, I'm doing all right. I'm level headed, and I haven't cried, and I'm feeling all right. But who's to really tell, I could have a breakdown in the middle of the day....I can't count how many times, over the past few years, that I've been over to his house, to hang out, or to go out to the movies, or to go over and get drunk and pass out on his couch. He could have killed me any of those times.... It makes me sick to my stomach. Everything that I've read, news articles, press releases, press conference releases. He told everyone what he was going to do. They gave a list of the things that he was going to use. Friday's press conference made me sick to my stomach, and I physically got sick. I just read the transcript of Saturdays. If I would have seen it, it would have been over for me....Leave me alone. This is all I have to say about it."
Another friend Underwood mentioned off and on in his main weblog was Melissa. Using the same networking site, she also posted about the case on April 16th:
"Stop leaving me messages about that vile, disgusting so-called "friend". Yes, I happen to be on his friend list. Check mine. Is he there? No. I deleted him AFTER what I saw last night on television. This is scary and shocking enough as it is, but NEVER in my LIFE have I ever suspected my so-called "friend" would do something so horrendous—well guess what, now I KNOW!! Please, leave the negative comments to yourself! I now am aware of what he did, and I have NO interest in thinking otherwise, especially after what I saw on the news! Mind you, I live in California and the news got to me rather late! Again, please quit harrassing me, I'm having a hard time. You never know if a "friend" is a psychopath until UNFORTUNATELY after the fact!!! Get to know your neighbors and keep your kids off the streets!"
One unfortunate aspect of crimes with strong internet elements is how those connected somehow to the suspect can be harassed by websurfers who seem to have some need to tell someone how awful everyone and everything associated with the accused must surely be. The alleged criminals' act begets some innate human desire for retribution, but the supposed anonymity of the worldwide web allows the people leaving comments to perform their own little antisocial act, giving them some vague, perhaps ultimately unsatisfying sense of vengeance.
Writing in a separate weblog unearthed by crimeblogger Shadowraiths, Alicia posted an entry the day before her April 16th blog entry that was perhaps even more emotional. She titled it, "Please, I'm begging you," and said:
"I haven't been able to sleep since I found out. My mind's been racing with 'What ifs' and 'Whys.' I never could have imagined all of this happening. Not in my safe, little hometown of Purcell. Not somebody I knew.... If you want, you can remove me from your friends list. I don't care. Just please. Leave me alone...."
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