Stephen Paddock Described ‘Bizarre’ History, Behavior In Previous Deposition Interview, Visited Middle East
Stephen Paddock, the infamous Las Vegas strip shooter, reportedly described his own “bizarre” history and behavior in a previous deposition interview and had also reportedly visited the Middle Eastern region more than once during his “bizarre” 64-year life. As investigators continue to figure out a motive for Stephen Paddock’s shooting rampage on the Las Vegas strip on Sunday, October 1, reports are still surfacing that show a better overall view of who the madman really was and whether or not he had led a double life, much like his late gambling, bank-robbing, “psychotic” father, Ben Paddock.
Two new reports that surfaced recently suggest that Stephen Paddock was an anxious man who gambled all night, slept all day, and actually did visit a region of the world where members of the jihadi terrorist group, ISIS, are present.
According to KFOR on Monday, Stephen Paddock spoke out about himself in a lengthy 2013 deposition interview for use in a lawsuit that Paddock had filed against the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas hotel and casino in 2012 after he slipped and fell in 2011. Both Paddock and the hotel agreed to dismiss the lawsuit two years later, as noted by the Kansas City Star, but, as a result of the lawsuit, KFOR said that Stephen Paddock outlined his “unusual” daily habits in nearly 100 pages of a written court deposition.
Las Vegas killer in his own words: 2013 deposition gives insight into Stephen Paddock’s private life https://t.co/Acrg52OduK
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) October 9, 2017
Radar Online called Paddock’s written deposition a “tell-all” about the “bizarre” life the Mesquite, Nevada, resident lived before he took his own life, following the deadly mass shooting, that also claimed the lives of 58 innocent onlookers. Stephen Paddock reportedly had a history of “bizarre” behavior, including a gambling addiction, a prescription drug addiction, and an addiction to traveling for three weeks out of every month, which police say took him to the “Middle East during a series of cruises,” as noted by the Independent on Sunday.
Conflicting statements about Stephen Paddock’s personality have come from family, friends, former neighbors, a prostitute, and even his hairdresser, as police try to figure out the “mystery” of who Stephen Paddock really was and what drove him to commit the Las Vegas strip massacre using semi-automatic weapons, before taking his own life with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Paddock has been called a “kind, caring, quiet man” by longtime girlfriend Marilou Danley, and also a “violent, obsessive, paranoid” man who bragged that he was “born to be bad” by a prostitute who said she had been with Paddock nine times in less than a year.
Friend of Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock describes him as caring person who sought to "make people happy." https://t.co/JygQiVtZkX pic.twitter.com/4R2vSIIiu3
— ABC News (@ABC) October 9, 2017
Stephen Paddock’s younger brother, Eric Paddock, 55, said in an interview that the “deed” that Stephen had done, referring to his brother gunning down thousands of people through broken windows in a Mandalay Bay hotel room that overlooked the Las Vegas strip, isn’t the Stephen he knew. However, Stephen Paddock himself claimed that his life closely mirrored that of his late criminal father, Ben Paddock, who police described as an avid gambler and an “armed and dangerous” man, according to the Daily Mail.
Paddock said in the written deposition that he suffered from anxiety and took the anti-anxiety prescription medication Valium “year-round,” which KFOR noted could cause “rage, aggressiveness, and irritability” as common side effects. Stephen Paddock also described himself as a “big gambler” who spent “14 hours a day, 365 days a year” playing video poker — sleeping all day and playing all night.
Despite Stephen Paddock saying, “I do not do the sun,” investigators are now saying that he took a series of cruises to the Middle East and other destinations over the last several years, according to the Independent. Paddock’s visits to the Middle East are reportedly being scrutinized by investigators, especially since ISIS is claiming that Stephen Paddock became a radicalized Muslim just six months ago.
Stephen Paddock also wrote in his deposition that he had “no mental health issues, no history of addiction, and no criminal record,” but FBI investigators still believe that Paddock had an undiagnosed “severe mental illness,” according to another new report in the Independent.
[Featured Image by Eric Paddock/AP Images]
