Austin bomber Mark Conditt showed ‘no remorse’ on confession tape
Man who killed two people in separate attacks described himself as a psychopath in video confession before his suicide
The 23-year-old behind the bombing spree in Austin, Texas, earlier this month described himself as a “psychopath” in a confession tape he made before killing himself.
In a video he recorded on his phone, Mark Anthony Conditt, who lived in Pflugerville, Texas, showed “no remorse for his actions,” US congressman Michael McCaul told a news conference on Saturday.
“Why would someone do such a senseless act of random violence? To many of us it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense,” said McCaul, who referred to Conditt as a “sick individual”. “All we really have at this point in time... are his own words from his confession tape where he describes himself as a psychopath, apparently expressing no remorse for the killings that he committed.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The 25-minute clip was discovered on a mobile phone recovered after Conditt blew himself up when police officers closed in to arrest him, following a series of bombings across the city that left two people dead and five more injured over 10 days in early March.
Three of the devices were left as parcels outside victims’ homes, two were shipped as FedEx parcels and another was placed on a pavement and attached to a tripwire mechanism.
The two victims killed by the bombs, Anthony Stephan House, 39, and 17-year-old Draylen Mason, are both black, and suspected racial motivation for the attacks is being investigated by police. McCaul said that the confession did not appear to include any suggestion of a racial motive.
Police identified Conditt as the bomber after intercepting a FedEx parcel containing “unusual screws and batteries” which could be traced back to him, The Independent reports. “An investigation is underway to find out whether anyone helped him build or plant the devices and to uncover his motives”.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - September 7, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - football widows, meddling kids, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Smoking ban: the return of the nanny state?
Talking Point Starmer's plan to revive Sunak-era war on tobacco has struck an unsettling chord even with some non-smokers
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: September 7, 2024
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Texas governor pardons man convicted of BLM murder
Speed Read Gov. Greg Abbott granted a full pardon to Daniel Perry, who shot a Black Lives Matter protestor
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
The Red Army Faction: German fugitive arrested after decades on run
Why Everyone's Talking About Police reward and TV appeal leads to capture of Daniela Klette, now 65
By The Week UK Published
-
Uvalde parents want indictments after DOJ's scathing school shooting report
Speed Read The Justice Department's damning review of the May 2022 school shooting in Texas details 'cascading failures,' but families of the victims want justice
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Police video shows GOP Rep. Ronny Jackson profanely threatening Texas trooper in rodeo altercation
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Survivors describe chaotic scenes during Texas mall shooting
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Texas fugitive accused of killing 5 neighbors found in closet under laundry, police say
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Texas governor seeks to pardon man convicted of BLM protest murder
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Attacking the grid
Speed Read Domestic terrorism targeting the U.S. electric grid is exposing dangerous vulnerabilities
By The Week Staff Published