William Freund

Timeline

• October 15, 2005 — Freund wrote that he had tried suicide before.
• October 29, 2005 — Freund went on a shooting rampage in the city of Aliso Viejo, California; he killed Vernon Smith, 45, and his daughter Christina Smith, 22, then walked home and killed himself with the 12-gauge Remington shotgun.
• November 1, 2005 — Los Angeles Times published “Killer Sought Solace Online.”
• November 18, 2006 — Relatives filed a lawsuit in Orange County Superior Court regarding the shotgun slayings.

Background

William Freund (c. 1986 – October 29, 2005) was a nineteen year old male who donned a cape and ski mask and went on a shooting rampage in the city of Aliso Viejo, California.

Freund had Asperger's syndrome, described as a neurological disorder and a variant of autism that hampers people's ability to interact socially. According to his former employer, Forrest Fuster, 24, of Mission Viejo, Freund “He was incredibly smart, but he lacked social skills severely,” and “He was a very deep thinker.”

Freund worked for a while repairing computers and fixing viruses.

Freund graduated from Aliso Niguel High School in 2004, the same school as Christina Smith, who graduated in 2001.

In his online profile, Freund described himself as an only child of adoptive parents. He was a student at ITT Technical Institute in Anaheim and he enjoyed “computers, role playing, fantasy, pugs, Food, guns.”

The offence

On Saturday morning, Freund put on a dark cape and paintball mask and entered a neighboring house, killing Christina Smith, 22, and her father, Vernon, 45. He then shot at a house across the street and tried to fire at a neighbor, but the shotgun jammed.

Freund then walked home and killed himself with the shotgun.

In the days leading up to the shooting, Freund sent emails and posted comments on WrongPlanet.net saying he needed a “real life” friend and that he was contemplating suicide. He also threatened to start “a terror campaign to hurt those that have hurt me.”

There were no relationships or other links between Freund and the victims.

Investigation

Orange County sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino said investigators did not know what sparked the shooting or why Freund targeted the Smiths.

Amormino said, “We're looking into his mental health at the time of the shooting.”

An autopsy completed Sunday showed that Freund died of a single gunshot to the upper torso.

Toxicology tests were being conducted, and Amormino said, “We don't expect drugs and alcohol set off his bizarre behavior.”

Arrest

No arrest was recorded.

Trial

No trial was recorded.

Sentencing

No sentencing was recorded.

Appeals

No appeals were recorded.

Outcome

Freund committed suicide by shooting himself the same day he went on the rampage. After leaving the Smith home, Freund walked slowly back to his own house on Sunbury Drive and shot and killed himself with the 12-gauge Remington shotgun.

Aftermath

Lawsuit

Relatives of a father and daughter who were killed when a neighbor burst into their Aliso Viejo home and opened fire filed a lawsuit seeking damages for wrongful death and emotional distress.

Denise Smith and her son, Brandon Smith, filed the lawsuit in Orange County Superior Court seeking damages for wrongful death and emotional distress.

The Smiths alleged that the gunman's parents, Karen and Dennis Freund, “permitted” their son to keep a weapon in their home, failed to supervise him, and failed to warn and protect them from their son's violent nature, according to the lawsuit.

Reached by telephone, Dennis Freund declined to comment on the lawsuit.

An attorney for the Smiths said each of the defendants contributed to the deaths, saying, “In various ways, these people are responsible for what happened,” and “This was a preventable incident. Had he not had a shotgun, had he not been on this medication, this wouldn't have happened. There are many layers here, and sometimes tragedy occurs when all the pins line up the right way.”

Investigators had interviewed the Smiths shortly after the shootings; Dennis Freund and his wife told investigators they did not know that their 19-year-old son owned a shotgun.

Wrongful death claims against the gun dealer and website

The suit accused WrongPlanet of failing to alert police, the victims, Freund's family or any authorities to prevent harm.

WrongPlanet founder Alexander Plank declined to comment Friday. During an interview last year, he had said volunteer moderators in Virginia tried to call Freund's parents but were unsuccessful.

The Smiths also accused the Saddleback Valley Gun Center and its owner, George Hueneman, of negligently selling the shotgun to a teenager suffering from a disorder. Hueneman said he ran a state background check on Freund, which came up clean.

Hueneman said, “The state did not log a person's medical history.” He also said he was not aware of Freund's condition and that the law did not require him to determine it before selling a him gun.

Hueneman asked, “How am I supposed to know that he was a mentally disturbed teenager who was on prescription medication?” and said, “I checked with the state, and they told me to sell it to him.” He added, “The state of California and the FBI didn't even know that.”

Other details

Online messages and community responses

In the weeks before the rampage, Freund reached out for help on the Internet and wrote more than two dozen online messages in October.

Freund asked for a “real life” friend and said he was contemplating suicide.

Freund threatened to start “a Terror Campaign to hurt those that have hurt me.”

In a prophetic message written Oct. 16, about the “Terror Campaign,” he also said, “My future ended some time ago.”

Other postings included “Everybody hates me” and “I feel like I need to kill myself.”

Freund disclosed he had bought a 12-gauge shotgun and had gone online to buy ammunition.

Forum members responded with information, and volunteer moderators tried to find his parents; their efforts failed.

Freund had posted on the message board of the comedy website Something Awful under the alias “forbiddenforum” asking for information on where to buy buckshot ammunition.

Freund claimed he was going to be shooting at people attempting to vandalize his Halloween pumpkins; the thread was closed a few days before his shooting spree.

He also posted on AnandTech but never commented on suicide or his plans to kill.

Members of the online community for Asperger's tried to reassure Freund and offer suggestions.

Alexander Plank, 19, said, “People at our site tried to contact his parents, but apparently there are a lot of Freunds in Orange County,” and he said, “There are 38 Freunds registered to vote.”

Plank said moderators blocked Freund from posting links to pro-suicide websites, and he said, “After seeing articles about the weekend shooting, Plank said. he called the Orange County Sheriff's Department.”

By Monday evening, some of Freund's messages had been removed from the website.

Family and local reactions mentioned in interviews

His parents were not home Monday, and employees at their Laguna Hills printing business said they had not heard from them.

Members of the Smith family were also not home.

Blake Melcher, 21, of Laguna Niguel said many students had picked on Freund since middle school, saying, “It happens at all schools, where some kids are always picked on.”

Additional messages about medical treatment and support

Freund said in the messages that his health was deteriorating because of a new medication, and he said, “I'm not getting any better and nobody can figure out what it is.”

He said he wanted his parents to switch doctors but said that they were happy with his treatment.

Details of Freund's medical treatment were unavailable Monday.

On Oct. 19, Freund asked for references to a mental hospital, saying that he needed counseling and social skills training.

He wrote that he had no friends and emphasized it with 75 exclamation points.

Alexander Plank and volunteer moderators monitored messages; moderators also blocked links to pro-suicide websites.

In one online message, Freund said he had “no friends, all enemies” and bought the shotgun for home defense.

Freund's messages contained spelling and grammatical errors, alternating between depicting a self-aware person desperately seeking help and depicting a frustrated, angry man who wanted to lash out at others.

Noted plan for Halloween

The record stated that if he made it to Halloween, he planned to equip himself with body armor, an airgun and a laser to “just scare any little kids that try to destroy my pumpkin.”