Two Troubled Boys with Opposite Outcomes

Today's show looks at two men with troubled beginnings who became polar opposites: one a mass murderer and one a scientific advisor to presidents. The murderer was Devin Patrick Kelley, who made headlines for shooting up a Texas church. The scientist is Mark Kingston Levin. Both came from dysfunctional homes and showed signs of trouble from an early age. But, Devin fell through the cracks and manifested psychopathology, including: cruelty to animals, domestic violence, a mental hospital escape and ultimately mass murder. Mark's childhood trauma was his father's early death and his mother's remarriage to an alcoholic abusive stepfather. But, Mark found mentors who guided him on an ambitious path: a coach who got him into football and a teacher who had him join the rocket club and fall in love with science. Football gave him confidence. The rocket club launched his prestigious career in science. Now he uses his real-life science background to write award-winning science fiction.