ABSTRACT
On April 18, 2008, the residents of New Jersey witnessed one of the most horrific crimes in their state’s history-an ax murder. After buying both an ax and a knife at the local hardware store, 34-year-old Fernando Chireno drafted a letter to his mother and children. In it, he apologized for the fact that he was going to kill his estranged wife, Luisa Chireno. Later that night, he broke into the apartment where Luisa resided with the couple’s three young children (Petrick, 2010).
