Ok is it just me or does anyone think that Colleen Ritter (the girl whose parents were murdered by her psycho ex-boyfriend, and she was attacked by him) looks like the Singer Kelly Clarkson? i saw this segment the other day and I kept trying to figure out who she looked like and then it hit me. Does anyone else think this?

Ok is it just me or does anyone think that Colleen Ritter (the girl whose parents were murdered by her psycho ex-boyfriend, and she was attacked by him) looks like the Singer Kelly Clarkson? i saw this segment the other day and I kept trying to figure out who she looked like and then it hit me. Does anyone else think this?

Yea, I can see that.

Hey does anyone else think Colleen Ritter had a sort of cheeky under-smile, that's the only way I can discribe it. She doesn't come off quite as bad as say Sarah Beard who laughed through her whole interview but it's there. I'm not saying Colleen deserved this but I would think there's alot more to this story than UM portrayed.

She looks like a little woodchuck.

Hey does anyone else think Colleen Ritter had a sort of cheeky under-smile, that's the only way I can discribe it. She doesn't come off quite as bad as say Sarah Beard who laughed through her whole interview but it's there. I'm not saying Colleen deserved this but I would think there's alot more to this story than UM portrayed.

If both my parents had been murdered, and I was on unsolved mysteries telling what had happened, I would be extremely sad. I know that I would be in tears and have a hard time telling my story. I don't think that Colleen shed a tear. So yes, I can see what you are saying.:eek:

What did you expect her to do? Sob for you? Don't you think she and her surviving family have been through enough? Do you have ANY FRICKIN IDEA what its like? To never be able to sleep at night from nightmares? Ever?
To loose your parents????????? To someone you thought you knew? I'll tell ya what, you sound like the type that would like to befriend the killer, maybe you would like to marry him? Poor, misunderstood young man........he's at Menard Correctional Center Illinois, knock yourself out!!!

What did you expect her to do? Sob for you? Don't you think she and her surviving family have been through enough? Do you have ANY FRICKIN IDEA what its like? To never be able to sleep at night from nightmares? Ever?
To loose your parents????????? To someone you thought you knew? I'll tell ya what, you sound like the type that would like to befriend the killer, maybe you would like to marry him? Poor, misunderstood young man........he's at Menard Correctional Center Illinois, knock yourself out!!!

http://www.showcaseyouth.com/Oh%20the%20Drama%203.jpg

Steady on :eek:

What did you expect her to do? Sob for you? Don't you think she and her surviving family have been through enough? Do you have ANY FRICKIN IDEA what its like? To never be able to sleep at night from nightmares? Ever?
To loose your parents????????? To someone you thought you knew? I'll tell ya what, you sound like the type that would like to befriend the killer, maybe you would like to marry him? Poor, misunderstood young man........he's at Menard Correctional Center Illinois, knock yourself out!!!

Yeah, she has a round chubby face. Kind of sweet looking, friendly all American type.

Did they ever find her boyfriend? I remember seeing the segment semi recently (when UM was still on LRW) but I don't think there was any updates to the story.

Did they ever find her boyfriend? I remember seeing the segment semi recently (when UM was still on LRW) but I don't think there was any updates to the story.

Yep, they did. Rick Church (I believe that was his name) was captured after an off duty cop spotted him working at a fast food restaurant.

The update is on the bizarre murder DVD set.

What did you expect her to do? Sob for you? Don't you think she and her surviving family have been through enough? Do you have ANY FRICKIN IDEA what its like? To never be able to sleep at night from nightmares? Ever?
To loose your parents????????? To someone you thought you knew? I'll tell ya what, you sound like the type that would like to befriend the killer, maybe you would like to marry him? Poor, misunderstood young man........he's at Menard Correctional Center Illinois, knock yourself out!!!


I understand what you're saying, but she could've at least TRIED to look a little sad, for the sake of the show and the fact that she was going to be on national television.

Rella I don't want you to get the impression we think of Colleen Ritter as anything other than a victim. It was more of an observation that some made that she didn't show much emotion in the interview. Of course some people show emotion more than others. There's no doubt she is a very strong and courageous woman and I did like her attitude in that Rick Church had already taken so much from her and she wasn't going to allow him to take any more.

I do believe that he was apprehended shortly after the segment aired and I too remember them saying he was seen while working at a fast food restaurant. I can't seem to find anything on him. Maybe our resident inmate lookup expert Kadrmas will have better luck. :)

Rella I don't want you to get the impression we think of Colleen Ritter as anything other than a victim. It was more of an observation that some made that she didn't show much emotion in the interview. Of course some people show emotion more than others. There's no doubt she is a very strong and courageous woman and I did like her attitude in that Rick Church had already taken so much from her and she wasn't going to allow him to take any more.

I do believe that he was apprehended shortly after the segment aired and I too remember them saying he was seen while working at a fast food restaurant. I can't seem to find anything on him. Maybe our resident inmate lookup expert Kadrmas will have better luck. :)

I couldn't agree more, I'm sure Colleen has gone thru a lot of grief and pain, it just didn't show that much, I mean we're talking about a 10-min. segment here.

Well Rick Church is now 38 years old, he is currently serving his time at the Menard Correctional Center in Chester, Illinois as the poster above indicated. In 1992 he took a plea bargain that spared him the death penalty, he was sentenced to two concurrent life sentences for the murders, plus he was also sentenced to 30 years to run concurrently for attempted murder and another 30 years to run concurrently for home invasion. Here is the link: go to it and then type in the last name of whoever you want to find and their picture and info will pop up.
http://www.idoc.state.il.us/subsections/search/default.asp

Of course in hindsight, I bet Church wishes he would have went to trial, since George Ryan ended up commuting all the death sentences to life in 2003 anyway. I am not sure if Church will ever be eligible for parole, I want to say that in Illinois, if you got a life sentence for a crime committed after 1978 you get an automatic LWOP sentence if you are sentenced to life, but I could be wrong, it might be up to the judge to decide parole eligibility, I dont know.

It said on the update (although strangely not the one thats on the DVD) that Church is inelligible for parole. The update they occasionaly aired on "Lifetime" was a bit different from the one included on the DVD as it showed a photo of Church being lead somewhere in handcuffs and mentioned his sentence and that he was never going to be elligible for parole.

This case is so senseless, I mean all the murders are obviously but here we have a young man who just threw away his entire life due to one snap fit of rage. Rick Church had no record and wasn't a criminal by any means - I think Robert Stack said it best when he said "he became unhinged". Its just a shame that Church himself didn't seek out help for the problems in his life (the breakup with Colleen, his parents divorce) instead of letting his problems eat at him to the point where they led to this tragic conclusion.

UM interviews are sometimes shortened for content. I tend to believe that when people break down in a big way on the show, the producers cut that out of the interview segment. They want to show the viewer the important parts of each interview. If a person is crying and can't speak clearly for several minutes, the show's producers will not show that as they have to cut segments for time.

What did you expect her to do? Sob for you? Don't you think she and her surviving family have been through enough? Do you have ANY FRICKIN IDEA what its like? To never be able to sleep at night from nightmares? Ever?
To loose your parents????????? To someone you thought you knew? I'll tell ya what, you sound like the type that would like to befriend the killer, maybe you would like to marry him? Poor, misunderstood young man........he's at Menard Correctional Center Illinois, knock yourself out!!!
You are reatarded. I was only implying that I thought she should be sadder. And another thing, you don't know anything about me, so how can you say I seem like the type to befriend the killer or marry him. Hun, you need to come up with something better than that. Get over yourself and stop being an Idiot. I wasn't trying to be mean to that girl I just found it a little odd she wasn't saddder. I vave seen other segments of Unsolved Mysteries of people losing loved ones, and if they didn't cry, they were pretty shook up.

Frankly, who are you to judge how sad she should be? Just because she isnt sitting there, balling her eyes out doesnt mean she wasnt terribly sad about losing her parents, some people handle grief differently, that is just how it is. Where your statement generated controversey is because it seemed that you were implying that because she wasnt balling her eyes out that she must have been in on Church murdering her parents.

Lets not get carried away here. Babydollz simply stated her opinion and I just wanted to clarify for Rella that we weren't implying anything concerning Colleen Ritter. Its just a matter of difference of opinion and I'm sure everyone on the board has a lot of sympathy for Collee Ritter, so lets not argue.

Frankly, who are you to judge how sad she should be? Just because she isnt sitting there, balling her eyes out doesnt mean she wasnt terribly sad about losing her parents, some people handle grief differently, that is just how it is. Where your statement generated controversey is because it seemed that you were implying that because she wasnt balling her eyes out that she must have been in on Church murdering her parents.

Trust you to stir the pot.

It could have been that she figured that Rick Church might be watching, and just didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

Charli-Ann

Well SI, we all know you have never gone out of your way to stir the pot before.....

I am not trying to start stuff with you SI, you were giving me crap, so I gave it right back, dont take it personal.

Okay back to the actual topic. I am curious to know a bit more about Church's past life before he turned into a murderer. They never really said much like if he had a history of violence. Was this something that had been building up for a long time or did he just snap under the combination of his parents breaking up and Colleen dumping him?

I would say its the latter - its really unfortunate on many levels what he did. I really can't feel bad for him having murdered two people and attempted to murder more than that but it really is a shame. If he would've taken a few steps back and thought rationally about what he was about to do I really have to wonder whether those events would've ever taken place. I mean its possible that Rick Church had "snap potential" all along or maybe had a borderline personality I don't know. I just think in someways this is so rare and over the top for someone with no criminal history or history of violence to do. I think it may have just been Rick's desire to have the "final word" in his relationship with Ritter.

I'm not saying anyone should sympathize with Church (I certainly don't) but what may seem outrageous to us if we put ourselves in his shoes on the night of the murder with the fight with Colleen any little thing could've set him off and been what sent him over the edge so to speak.

Wasnt Church actually a college student? I think he had completed his first year of college, I am trying to remember if Colleen was a year younger than him or what, I remember her saying something about how they had dated in high school but when Church graduated and went to college they went to different schools or something, I cant remember if her and Church graduated together or what, Church actually looked like a clean cut kid, I think he treated Colleen well from what she said, it wasnt until she broke up with him that he got all obsessive and **** and then Church's parents splitting up, I think it was just too much for him to take but that is just my opinion based on what was said in the segment.

Yeah, Church was a college student and Colleen was still in high school. In the segment, they showed Rick calling her from college to check up on her.

As for his appearance, I agree, he was clean cut and didn't really look like the type to become homicidal but looks are deceiving I suppose.

Christopher

Frankly, who are you to judge how sad she should be? Just because she isnt sitting there, balling her eyes out doesnt mean she wasnt terribly sad about losing her parents, some people handle grief differently, that is just how it is. Where your statement generated controversey is because it seemed that you were implying that because she wasnt balling her eyes out that she must have been in on Church murdering her parents.
OMG, ok forget I ever said anything since everyone seems to want to start a fight with me about all this. Look I am sorry that I stated an opinion, and for one thing, I didn't even know the girl. I actually only started this discussion to say that Colleen Ritter looked like Kelly Clarkson, and then things got blown out of proportion. Oh and by the way, I would never imply that she was in on her parents murder, I never believed that at all. She just got mixed up with some guy who turned out to be a psycho. That definatley was not her fault. So to anyone that I offended, I am sorry, please don't make this out to be something its not. We are all here to discuss these cases, and what we think not start arguments with one another. :)

As for his appearance, I agree, he was clean cut and didn't really look like the type to become homicidal but looks are deceiving I suppose.

*coughs* Scott Peterson!

What did you expect her to do? Sob for you? Don't you think she and her surviving family have been through enough? Do you have ANY FRICKIN IDEA what its like? To never be able to sleep at night from nightmares? Ever?
To loose your parents????????? To someone you thought you knew? I'll tell ya what, you sound like the type that would like to befriend the killer, maybe you would like to marry him? Poor, misunderstood young man........he's at Menard Correctional Center Illinois, knock yourself out!!!

Methinks Rella is Colleen or one of the relatives based on how emotional this post is. Some people can be judgmental over the emotions expressed of others; not everyone reacts to things the same way and most of us wish nothing but the best for Colleen.

I would say its the latter - its really unfortunate on many levels what he did. I really can't feel bad for him having murdered two people and attempted to murder more than that but it really is a shame. If he would've taken a few steps back and thought rationally about what he was about to do I really have to wonder whether those events would've ever taken place. I mean its possible that Rick Church had "snap potential" all along or maybe had a borderline personality I don't know. I just think in someways this is so rare and over the top for someone with no criminal history or history of violence to do. I think it may have just been Rick's desire to have the "final word" in his relationship with Ritter.

I'm not saying anyone should sympathize with Church (I certainly don't) but what may seem outrageous to us if we put ourselves in his shoes on the night of the murder with the fight with Colleen any little thing could've set him off and been what sent him over the edge so to speak.

To me it seems as though Church had an ongoing mental disturbance of some sort that flared wildly with such trigger events as his parents divorcing, moving away from Colleen (who he might've considered his main support during the divorce), and then finally Colleen breaking up with him and apparently not wanting any of his attention. In fact, he seemed rather like someone suffering from severe major depression towards the beginning of the segment---the compulsive need to contact Colleen (probably stemming from the immense fear of being alone and/or rejected), the irritability, the mood swings. I do think that if that's the case, however, he definitely had some sort of complication working in conjunction with the disorder. You don't just kill someone's parents, run off, and start a life anew---especially if you're only suffering from depression.

It may seem unusual that Church would just "snap", but I can't help but think of Herb Baumeister---a well-respected, well-liked member of the community and successful businessman. Wife and three kids. Highly intelligent. We know him today as the I-70 Killer. That guy definitely had problems long before he started murdering, but "no one saw it coming" just the same.

Well Rick Church is now 38 years old, he is currently serving his time at the Menard Correctional Center in Chester, Illinois as the poster above indicated. In 1992 he took a plea bargain that spared him the death penalty, he was sentenced to two concurrent life sentences for the murders, plus he was also sentenced to 30 years to run concurrently for attempted murder and another 30 years to run concurrently for home invasion. Here is the link: go to it and then type in the last name of whoever you want to find and their picture and info will pop up.
http://www.idoc.state.il.us/subsections/search/default.asp

Of course in hindsight, I bet Church wishes he would have went to trial, since George Ryan ended up commuting all the death sentences to life in 2003 anyway. I am not sure if Church will ever be eligible for parole, I want to say that in Illinois, if you got a life sentence for a crime committed after 1978 you get an automatic LWOP sentence if you are sentenced to life, but I could be wrong, it might be up to the judge to decide parole eligibility, I dont know.

He is so cold and creepy looking. I know every time I watch the UM segment, his pic of him, probably his senior photo, always gives me the creeps.

To me it seems as though Church had an ongoing mental disturbance of some sort that flared wildly with such trigger events as his parents divorcing, moving away from Colleen (who he might've considered his main support during the divorce), and then finally Colleen breaking up with him and apparently not wanting any of his attention. In fact, he seemed rather like someone suffering from severe major depression towards the beginning of the segment---the compulsive need to contact Colleen (probably stemming from the immense fear of being alone and/or rejected), the irritability, the mood swings. I do think that if that's the case, however, he definitely had some sort of complication working in conjunction with the disorder. You don't just kill someone's parents, run off, and start a life anew---especially if you're only suffering from depression.

It may seem unusual that Church would just "snap", but I can't help but think of Herb Baumeister---a well-respected, well-liked member of the community and successful businessman. Wife and three kids. Highly intelligent. We know him today as the I-70 Killer. That guy definitely had problems long before he started murdering, but "no one saw it coming" just the same.


On another segment on the case over at YouTube there is a profile of how Rick Church eluded capture for four years before being a policeman spotted him at a fast food restaurant.

As for why he committed the murders, he says he has no memory of it. Assuming this is true, it could be that the crime was so horrendous he blotted it from his mind and he himself cannot explain what drove him to it.

Does he feel remorse? I have no idea. He did plead guilty, much to Colleen's relief. It would be interesting to know what his feelings for her are now, and what he thinks every day about what he did and how it has ruined his life.

Does he feel remorse? I have no idea. He did plead guilty, much to Colleen's relief. It would be interesting to know what his feelings for her are now, and what he thinks every day about what he did and how it has ruined his life.

agreed...it would be interesting to know Rick Church's feelings. I do feel immense sympathy for Colleen and I do wonder how she is today and what she is doing with her life. It can't be easy getting on with you life after something that terrible has happened to you.

I found Colleen to be very strong. My guess is that she had already cried and been very upset and then went on UM to show that she was powering on and would not stop until Rick was captured, a sign that she would never give up. Some people can bottle their emotions really well in front of other people. I don't think I would be able to show such restraint, but I found her to be quite inspiring. This case is so eerie and one of the earliest I remember seeing. Hopefully Colleen is happy and doing well now.

I found the Ritter home on Google Street View, where Richard's rampage took place. It's located at 209 West Greenwood Ave. in Woodstock, Illinois.

http://i922.photobucket.com/albums/ad64/andy80_bucket/Colleen1.jpg

http://i922.photobucket.com/albums/ad64/andy80_bucket/Colleen2.jpg

Looks like this was one of those segments where Unsolved Mysteries went to the exact location to reenact the crime. Here are screen caps from the segment...

http://i922.photobucket.com/albums/ad64/andy80_bucket/Richard.jpg

http://i922.photobucket.com/albums/ad64/andy80_bucket/Richard2.jpg

Thanks dynoguy! Oh look, it's for sale? Who wants a house with that history??

Old thread, but has anyone ever found a more recent article about Colleen? All I've been able to find is one that mentions that she was engaged (circa 1991). Hopefully she and her siblings are having good lives now.

I read an article on this recently and UM changed some of the details. Church was allegedly drunk and high on the night of the murder. Church also bludgeoned the Ritters with a hammer from there own shop.

I just watched it on Prime and that was 1 of the scariest reconstructions UM ever did.
Colleen was so calm and collected, really respect how she was able to talk about what happened considering how horrific it was.

Thanks dynoguy! Oh look, it's for sale? Who wants a house with that history??

I would as I bet the house is cheaper than normal exactly because people think that.
In saying that I am sort of person who looks for deals on airlines that just had a major crash for much the same reason. That Malaysia Airlines deal was sweet.

but I can't help but think of Herb Baumeister---a well-respected, well-liked member of the community and successful businessman. Wife and three kids. Highly intelligent. We know him today as the I-70 Killer. That guy definitely had problems long before he started murdering, but "no one saw it coming" just the same.


Going off topic a bit, but - the I-70 killer was identified??????

I just watched it on Prime and that was 1 of the scariest reconstructions UM ever did.
Colleen was so calm and collected, really respect how she was able to talk about what happened considering how horrific it was.

Without a doubt, one of my favorite interviewees. After what she had been through, I wouldn't have blamed her if she had turned down the interview or was sobbing during it. She was amazingly calm and strong.

And I've said it before but also kudos to the actress who played Colleen. Those screams as she was being chased down the driveway were very believable.

It may seem unusual that Church would just "snap", but I can't help but think of Herb Baumeister---a well-respected, well-liked member of the community and successful businessman. Wife and three kids. Highly intelligent. We know him today as the I-70 Killer. That guy definitely had problems long before he started murdering, but "no one saw it coming" just the same.

Reminds me of a guy near my neck of the woods who killed his family in the late 1970s because his wife wanted to divorce him. Murdered his six kids and the family dog, then drove to his wife's hotel in Milwaukee and beat her up. No one saw that coming, either.

Going off topic a bit, but - the I-70 killer was identified??????
Different I 70 killer. Not the one who killed the female employees at strip malls and let a groom to be get away.

I may be reading into the re-enactment on this too much. If Rick went to the Ritter's house intending only to attack them, why didn't he pack his things/take the family truck on his way to the crime scene, so it would be ready once he finished the attack? Was he going to try to talk first - or did he intend to commit suicide after, but was unable to complete the attack first? Seems like he was risking being caught in the subsequent 30 minutes or so until he left town in the truck.

Methinks Rella is Colleen or one of the relatives based on how emotional this post is. Some people can be judgmental over the emotions expressed of others; not everyone reacts to things the same way and most of us wish nothing but the best for Colleen.

I tend to agree, given that Rella posted just once and that was 12 1/2 years ago.

I tend to agree, given that Rella posted just once and that was 12 1/2 years ago.

That reaction wasn't out of line either. It's pretty easy to read a conspiratorial tone into the post that set it off. Reading old posts this forum used to be really catty.

If Rella is in fact Colleen Ritter or anyone in her family, I don't blame them in the least for that reaction.
That was one of the more chilling cases I can remember from the entire series.
Hope Colleen and her family are doing well today!

Colleen married her fiancé and is a teacher. Her younger brother seems to be doing well in real estate. They all appear well adjusted considering what happened to them.

I may be reading into the re-enactment on this too much. If Rick went to the Ritter's house intending only to attack them, why didn't he pack his things/take the family truck on his way to the crime scene, so it would be ready once he finished the attack? Was he going to try to talk first - or did he intend to commit suicide after, but was unable to complete the attack first? Seems like he was risking being caught in the subsequent 30 minutes or so until he left town in the truck.

This is just my opinion, but I think that Rick probably planned to kill the entire Ritter family that night, and figured that with all of them dead he would have plenty of time to head back home, pack his things and leave town. It was only when things didn't go according to plan - Matthew talking to 911 and Colleen escaping the house and being helped by her neighbors - that he had to escape in a hurry.

Below is a link to an article that discusses some of what Matt Ritter has been doing since the attack:
http://www.signatureflip.com/sf01/article.aspx/?i=4975

If this has already posted, then I sincerely apologize for the redundancy.

Hey does anyone else think Colleen Ritter had a sort of cheeky under-smile, that's the only way I can discribe it. She doesn't come off quite as bad as say Sarah Beard who laughed through her whole interview but it's there. I'm not saying Colleen deserved this but I would think there's alot more to this story than UM portrayed.

Yeah, there were a couple of times that she smirked. Being calm and not emotional, okay, but that was just weird and it didn't look like nervousness.

Yeah, there were a couple of times that she smirked. Being calm and not emotional, okay, but that was just weird and it didn't look like nervousness.

The segment aired not too long after the actual attack. I always assumed Colleen’s calm interview was because she was still somewhat in a sense of shock. Trauma as extreme as that is going to affect people in a number of ways and it’s very inconsistent. You may be able to recount an event calmly one time and then have a complete breakdown recounting it another time.

I just rewatched the segment. So many things go through my mind. The "thump thump" music is eerie.

What makes a person snap like that?

This is just my .02 and I am not a psychologist, but in the segment, Robert Stack said that Rick's parents were getting a divorce at the time of his breakup with Colleen.

My gut instinct is that Rick didn't have a healthy relationship model in his life. That being said, I know that a lot of kids have divorced parents and don't turn possessive and homicidal when someone breaks up with them. Rick Church is guilty, no question, not a doubt in my mind (and he was arrested and convicted and is serving a life sentence.) He did this. He's responsible. But if he was having psychological problems, how much did his home life feed into that?

The segment aired not too long after the actual attack. I always assumed Colleen’s calm interview was because she was still somewhat in a sense of shock. Trauma as extreme as that is going to affect people in a number of ways and it’s very inconsistent. You may be able to recount an event calmly one time and then have a complete breakdown recounting it another time.

Like I said, it wasn't necessarily her being calm that I found weird, but the smirking she did a couple of times.

.

The segment aired not too long after the actual attack. I always assumed Colleen’s calm interview was because she was still somewhat in a sense of shock. Trauma as extreme as that is going to affect people in a number of ways and it’s very inconsistent. You may be able to recount an event calmly one time and then have a complete breakdown recounting it another time.

Agree 100%. I also didn't find any of Colleen's facial expressions to be smirks, if anything, calm smiles. I thankfully can't relate to what she went through, but from a grief perspective I can say that I worked very hard to not show my pain/grief in public when people would speak to me about family loss. I would smile politely and keep it all inside because that felt right to me (shock may have also been a factor). It's possible that Colleen felt the same way and wanted to be composed on camera. Maybe she even felt that she didn't want Church to see the segment and feel any pleasure from her pain. She also could have been on medication because she was so seriously injured.

I really hope she is doing well today.

Ialso didn't find any of Colleen's facial expressions to be smirks, if anything, calm smiles.

At some point she sort of chuckled when describing her relationship with Matt.

I guess it's a possiblity she had brain damage or something. All I'm saying is that she made a strange impression on me. Other survivors on the show did not react in a similar way at all.

Her relationship was with Richard "Rick" Church, not "Matt."

Her parents were brutally murdered. She was savagely attacked and her brother was attacked too, all in the same night.

There's no demonstrable evidence of brain damage. The chuckle? Some people laugh at funerals.

Give this survivor a break. And keep in mind we don't know if she is reading these posts.

.

Her relationship was with Richard "Rick" Church, not "Matt."

Her parents were brutally murdered. She was savagely attacked and her brother was attacked too, all in the same night.

There's no demonstrable evidence of brain damage. The chuckle? Some people laugh at funerals.

Give this survivor a break. And keep in mind we don't know if she is reading these posts.

I retract what I said previously and I'll agree with this take

At some point she sort of chuckled when describing her relationship with Matt.

I guess it's a possiblity she had brain damage or something. All I'm saying is that she made a strange impression on me.

If my family were killed in cold blood by a boyfriend/girlfriend, I would probably leave a strange impression in an interview as well. I don't fully understand what you are getting at.