Michael Koenigs, an expert on brain lesions, said that the position of Whitman’s tumor - pressing against the amygdala - definitely had the potential to affect his mental state. “The highly malignant brain tumor conceivably could have contributed to his inability to control his emotions and actions,” wrote Stuart Brown, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine, in the initial 1966 report.īut not all experts agree on whether the tumor affected Whitman’s thoughts and actions on that August day. Whitman’s suicide note requested an autopsy to examine his brain, because he was convinced it would show some “visible physical disorder.” The shooting - the deadliest college shooting until Virginia Tech in 2007 - left the nation in shock and clamoring for answers.Īlthough the initial autopsy was inconclusive about the role of the tumor in the shooting, a follow-up investigation by a group of scientists under a commission requested by governor John Connally showed it could have played a part in the events of that day. His 96-minute reign of terror killed 13 people on campus and injured over 30, and only ended when he was killed by Austin police. Then, one sweltering August day in 1966, Whitman did something no one expected: He climbed to the top of the UT tower with a sawed-off shotgun, and began shooting.

A brain tumor, nestled between his thalamus, hypothalamus and amygdala, developed quietly to the size of a pecan.ĭuring his 25th year, Whitman began to complain of headaches, a severe, persistent pain that he later described as “tremendous.” He wrote increasingly troubled journal entries detailing his mental state: “Recently (I cannot recall when it started) I have been a victim of many unusual and irrational thoughts.” He paid a visit to the campus mental health center complaining of violent impulses. Smart, strong, talented and popular, the young Charles Whitman seemed, outwardly, like a poster child for the “all-American boy” stereotype.īut as the sandy-haired boy grew up into a tall, athletic ex-Marine, beneath his mop of blond hair, something else was also growing.

Charles whitman