Christina Adams Claims to be a Sociopath
Her Victims Probably Believe her
When someone claims to be a sociopath, err on the side of caution. Believe them.
Christina Adams mugshot, courtesy of Marion County Sheriff’s office
That's how thirty-year-old Christina Adams described herself to Marion County, Florida deputies on Friday, September 16, 2022, after her arrest for two counts of attempted first-degree murder. Her victims - a male and a female roommate - undoubtedly agree with her self-assessment. I think her shopping buddy does, too.
Adams was pulled over in her gray 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe while driving home from a shopping trip at Publix supermarket. She wasn't far from home. It's a miracle first responders got the 911 call at 8:03 a.m., before Adams made it back. She would have undoubtedly finished what she had started.
Her as-yet-unnamed female companion, who was in the car with her when Adams was arrested, had no idea that anything was amiss. She told police that Adams had seemed perfectly normal as they strolled the grocery aisles; she certainly didn't mention that she had left two dead bodies at home.
A 911 Call and a Clue
Adams initially denied any knowledge of her rooommates' ordeal. She insisted that her day had begun like any other; she'd gotten up at 5:30 a.m. and started her daily chores, cleaning out her cats' litter boxes and throwing her laundry in the wash. She'd then watched a movie and played some computer games until she'd left for Publix. She hemmed and hawed about some of the timing but was steadfast in her overall story.
Officers knew better. They'd already responded to a horrific crime scene. In the obtained 911 call, the first victim told dispatchers he'd been attacked by "Christina with a knife," and that he was "fading fast." The two victims had multiple stab wounds and were in bad shape. The male victim had suffered significant blood loss but had been able to call 911 and was still conscious when the ambulance arrived. The seriously injured woman was unconscious and breathing shallowly; she was rushed into surgery and then placed in ICU.
But even without other information, Adams gave them a clue that she knew more than she was saying. This is a clue so often provided by guilty parties who can't quite pull off what comes naturally to those of us who are innocent. She never asked why she was being detained or questioned. Not once.
Think about it; how would you, as an innocent person, respond if an officer of the law suddenly pulled you over and said he needed to take you down to the station for questioning? "Why? What is this about?" Maybe initially, surprise or intimidation might keep someone's mouth shut. But it wouldn't take long before you'd want to know what in the hell happened and why they thought you might know something about it. But guilty people know why they've been hauled in and often forget to pretend they don't.
No Crime of Passion
When officers confronted Christina Anne Adams about the evidence, she decided, in her own words, to "drop the bullshit." She said she'd been planning on killing her roommates for about two months, ever since she'd found out they were planning to give her a converted studio apartment to one of their siblings. This betrayal, in her mind, was an unforgivable crime. When she'd asked her female roommate if she could use the laundry that morning, the roommate had said yes. But the male roomie reminded Adams that she needed to be out of her apartment the following day.
So, Adams said, she got ready. She remembered nodding and then leaving for her apartment. Adams allegedly said she changed her clothes there, including putting on gloves and shoe covers, before grabbing what she described as a "taser pen" and a 9-inch knife.
Adams returned to the main house with her weapons, where she shocked Victim 1 (the male roommate) from behind with the taser pen and then stabbed him at least three times. The female roommate heard some kind of disturbance, came into the room and was stabbed in the chest.
Adams said she believed they were both dead. She didn't call for help. Instead, she focused on cleaning up. She said she put the knife into a bucket containing bleach and water to wash it, then placed the knife in a plastic bag inside her vehicle. She changed clothes, setting the clothes she had worn during the attack in the washing machine and adding extra soap during the cycle. She reportedly put her "taser pen" back in her apartment and headed out to meet her friend at the grocery store.
It seems as if Adams' cover-up plans were limited. While she said she planned to wash the blood off her clothes, she had not thought through how she would get rid of the bodies. She hadn't yet come up with a viable strategy. But while the logistics have yet to be worked out, she seems to have zero emotional qualms about murdering people she's lived with.
I'm a Sociopath
Christina Adams has no criminal record that we know of. During her interview with investigators from the sheriff's office, she described a history of physical abuse and family problems. She also said she was a "sociopath" and suffered from an undiagnosed dissociative disorder.
Let's take a look at each of these. The term "sociopath" is formally recognized in the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) (which mental health professionals use to diagnose mental health conditions) as Antisocial Personality Disorder, a longstanding disorder in which a person demonstrates a consistent disregard for rules and social norms and repeated violation of other people's rights.
People with this personality disorder often:
break rules or laws
have trouble understanding (or caring about) the feelings of others but do know the difference between right and wrong
behave aggressively or impulsively
feel little guilt for the harm they cause others
use manipulation, deceit, and controlling behavior
To meet the diagnostic criteria for Antisocial Personality Disorder, the person must have demonstrated a pattern of aggressive, destructive, and/or deceitful behavior by age fifteen.
Are these claims valid? It's too early to tell. To date, we know nothing about Adams' psychiatric history, what kind of symptoms she may have experienced, or any treatment she has received. Adams certainly didn't seem to empathize with her victims or feel any guilt over what she had done. However, this - alone - wouldn't make her a sociopath.
As you might imagine, few people claim to be sociopaths, even those who meet the diagnostic criteria. These aren't behaviors that are likely to win friends and influence people. And, if you are a sociopath, shouting it from the rooftops isn't going to help you continue to manipulate and deceive others; it's giving others a "heads up." It's certainly not helpful for a legal defense.
Three dissociative disorders are listed in the DSM 5; dissociative identity disorder (formerly multiple personality disorder), dissociative amnesia, and depersonalization-derealization disorder. Since we don't know what Adams means by "dissociative disorder," we'll have to wait for clarification. I have a feeling she's not going anywhere anytime soon.
The Bottom Line
Christina Adams is at the Marion County Jail, charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of tampering with evidence. She is being held without bond. I think we will learn a lot about Christina Adams’ psyche over the next several months. But the impact it will have on her defense? Very little, I think.
Thanks for reading this edition of The Mind Detective. Please share with your true-crime friends and afficianados. See you next time.