Vol 1: The Infinity Killer

His eyes had no emotion in them as he spoke about his past, about what brought him to this penitentiary. You could see that nothing haunts him, not his actions, not his fate. Finn Harlow, aged 31, is an admitted killer of four people, claiming to feel no remorse for what he has done. Yet, there is more behind this story that makes one question whether he should die for these crimes, and whether his life could have more value than his death.

I found myself struck with a familiar feeling as he said, "I was a good kid who got led down a wrong path by someone I trusted a little too much."

Nearly every single person in the world can recall that person who tempted them to do wrong, and each of us has been challenged to go down the dark path or rise to the light. But what if you were never able to make that choice because you had never seen the light? That there was only the dark path set out, and you could not deviate? In Finn's case, when he met his tempter, he was already at a disadvantage, for this Infinity Killer was not the first.

His father, Merle Abrahams, was suspected to be the original Infinity Killer. He died while awaiting bail in Bolingbroke Penitentiary at the age of 57, believed to have killed eight men in 1999. Their bodies were never found, but police were able to make some connections to the late Mr. Abrahams, who seemed to have an obsession with the number eight, leading to his nickname. Finn believes his father was the Infinity Killer, despite his father never confessing.

Finn made it clear as we spoke that he wasn't looking for a psychological evaluation of his childhood, nor would this writer be qualified to give one, but it was quickly obvious that whatever happened to him as a child changed him forever. How does one go from being a good kid to a cold-blooded killer? Perhaps a lot of that has to do with his tempter, who groomed him young.

After his father's death, Finn was raised by a friend of Merle Abrahams who acted as a father figure to him. He never told me the name, but every time he spoke of him, he voice got darker, an edge to his tone, as if he was reliving some of those moments in his mind. Even as emotionally dead as he claimed to be, the thought of this man stirred something inside.

From the ages of eleven to eighteen, Finn was molded slowly into a killer. There was a twisted insistence that he follow the same path as Merle Abrahams by his father figure, and as such, Finn was broken down, groomed to become someone without remorse, and being ordered to do these killings. Finn may consciously know he did the murders, and he may not feel anything about them as he saw the blood on his hands, but his mind was never his own. Not really.

Imagine your own teen years, reader. Imagine the figures that changed your life, how much they influenced you, your way of thinking, your hand motions, your words, your life. Have you ever stopped to realize how much of your language or your way of thinking came from the people around you? Our decisions and our thoughts have never been entirely our own because those around us helped to shape what they are.

As for Finn, he was raised this way. Raised to be a murderer. Surrounded by a crew that encouraged these actions and fashioned his every thought and deed. I cannot even fathom the things he has seen in his life that brought him where he is. And yet, when I asked him if he was haunted by any of the people he killed, he paused for a moment and said yes. Despite blacking out with his first victim, he remembers his third victim, her face, her screams keeping him up at night, distant echoes of his past reaching out. Even though he claims no remorse, it's hard to believe when he has this voice in his head. Perhaps there is a sliver of good hiding deep within, a hint of guilt that could blossom and help reform him.

I asked if he could go back and change his past, knowing his current fate, what would he do. He says he wouldn't have killed those people. And his voice got a bit darker as he said, "I would have killed my father figure a long time ago."

These are not the words of a remorseless killer. These are the words of a man who lost his past to the evil desires of others. He never had a choice but to become this. None of us would have a choice either, if we were in his position.

He is at peace with his own mortality and accepts his fate, if he should die by the state. When asked if he had anything to say to the people of Los Santos, he wasn't selfish, not pleading for his life nor putting on a front. Instead, he offers a warning to all to help protect the people of this city. Perhaps his last known action in this world is to provide this call that we should all heed.

Finn says there is more than him and his crew lurking in the dark of Los Santos. There are many other killers out there, and we need to watch the dark alleys and corners. They don't care about their victim's age, wealth, status, or state of mind. They are hunters seeking out their prey, and the citizens of Los Santos need to be more aware with eyes in the back of their heads if they want to survive.

If even one person has more caution because of this warning and is able to escape harm, perhaps his true legacy will be one of saving lives and not the deaths at his hands. His lawyer, James Anthony, truly believes that Finn's life has more value than his death. And after speaking with him, this writer agrees. He has much more to give this world, even from behind bars, and perhaps over time, he will gain back the soul he lost when he was young.

His death sentence is scheduled for Tuesday April 13th at 10am EDT/7am Pacific. If you have an opinion you want heard regarding this man's death sentence, reach out to the Mayor's office and speak with her. She alone has the power to spare Finn's life.

Editors Note: Finn Harlow was executed on April 13th at 10amEDT/7am Pacific, as noted above. If you are reading this story posthumously, please take his lessons to heart. For those who say this story may not be entirely accurate, no it may not be. This was the side given by a specific individual. There may be other sides to tell in this tale. Truth is in the eye of the beholder.

May Finn find the peace in death that he couldn't find in life.