Profiling experts across the United States were puzzled Tuesday when Lucas Helder’s arrest showed him to be a blond-haired college student from a small town in Southeastern Minnesota.
They had speculated him to be an older man, based on writing samples. Some said they thought he was violent; some assumed him to lack education. Although experts and media were wrong about logistics, days after his arrest, the public still remains unsure about the true personality of the suspected pipe bomber.
“It’s very frustrating that people are saying different things,” said Kris Anderson, who went to high school with Helder.
Nancy Blum Cumming, Helder’s art teacher at UW-Stout, described him as “calm” and “sensitive.”
“He was just a really nice kid,” she said. “Even sweet at times.”
This picture of Helder is quite a contrast to the one known to Ryan Swan, another high school friend who played in several bands with Helder. Swan said he has known Helder to be overdramatic and aggressive at times. During his arrest and Nevada hearing, Helder appeared almost giddy, smiling widely as he entered the police car and the courtroom.
While some have suggested Helder’s former band Apathy may be the source of his anger, UW junior Molly Webb, who was close to Helder during his time with the band, dismissed the idea.
“The band hasn’t played together for a year and a half and would have no impact on his current life,” she said. “Music is an expression of emotion rather than a cause of action.”
Webb said Helder’s major downfall might be his tenacity.
“He just has such strong ideas about everything,” she said. “I think he just got to the point where he had to do something drastic.”
But U.S. District Court Magistrate Robert McQuaid Jr. said stronger forces could be at work inside the suspect’s head.
“It’s apparent to me that he suffers from some apparent mental-health problems,” he told Associated Press Writer Don Thompson.
Webb stressed that Helder’s moves were calculated.
“He’s not a psychopath,” she said. “The letter [to the Badger Herald, postmarked May 3] was rational and well thought out. It’s the methods that weren’t.”
For now, the signed, eight-page letter to the Herald may be a strong indicator of Helder’s inner thoughts.
“Wake up people!” Helder wrote. “You’re here for such a short time, why have regrets? I’m taking very drastic measures in attempt to provide this information to you. You people have failed long enough ? can we now grow?”
