BRATTLEBORO — RE: “Visions, values, and tragedy” [Special Focus, July 17]:
Not in anyway to excuse or justify Richard Gagnon's actions, but here's a piece of information that I thought possibly could have been a significant contributing factor and helpful in understanding his tragic decision on Aug. 9, 2011.
In his letters to Joyce Marcel [“What goes through a murderer's mind?”], Mr. Gagnon wrote that he had experienced five or six consecutive sleepless nights leading up to the shooting.
Brain research studies indicate that prolonged periods of insomnia profoundly affect the brain's functioning, specifically the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain associated with executive functioning.
The prefrontal cortex controls logic, reasoning, social control (the ability to suppress urges and impulses), and the ability to understand the consequences of one's actions.
Chronic intense stress coupled with lack of sleep leads to exhaustion of the body and mind and the defense systems. (This result is why sleep deprivation is used as an interrogation technique by law enforcement and the military.)
The effects of this stress can result in hyper-emotionality, irritability, impaired memory and concentration, impaired reasoning abilities, impulsivity (acting without considering the consequences of one's actions), paranoid thinking, and hallucinations.
Mr. Gagnon wrote: “It didn't matter that I was driven crazy and had no notion of right or wrong. I am guilty.”
This is perhaps why the defense team considered a “diminished-capacity defense,” which would have argued that Mr. Gagnon was not in his right mind at the time of the shooting.
I think Joyce Marcel was able to capture the immense complexity of this story: the personalities, the psyche, the politics, the sadness.