MI- Where are the tears in 'thrill kill' testimony?

4-12-2008 Michigan:

The trial of Jean Pierre Orlewicz, now 18, is only about one kid -- a Plymouth teenager standing trial for allegedly committing a particularly gruesome and inexplicable killing.

The well-off kid who plans "the perfect murder" was pioneered in 1924 by Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold -- Chicago boys who summered in Charlevoix and killed a 14-year-old acquaintance largely, it turned out, for the challenge of getting away with it.

Their story has captivated people over the years, in books, film ("Compulsion") and a Broadway play, because rich, accomplished and clever boys who kill for fun are just so hard to figure.

To most of us, murder seems to require a motive, or at least a root cause. Adolescent angst, or too many viewings of "Pulp Fiction," don't.

But what's so unsettling and repellent about the murder of Daniel Sorensen is the matter-of-factness of the testimony from suburban high school students.

'That's messed up'
Orlewicz and Alexander Letkemann, who confessed to being his accomplice, inspire some wonder, mostly because this story isn't nearly as unusual and shocking as the 1924 story was.

This is testimony in a no-tears formula. Levi Webb, of Westland, testified that Orlewicz shared his murderous fantasies with him. Did he believe him at the time?

"He said, 'Yeah. I just wish I could get away with it,'" was Webb's testimony, according to Detroit News reporter Doug Guthrie.

Webb's response? "I said, 'That's messed up' and walked away."

It was messed up, sure, but six months after Sorensen's life ended with a stabbing from behind, and a hacksaw to the head, I'd feel more comfortable if these teenagers could express some indication of being human -- complete with heart and soul -- to the jurors.

Detached and disengaged
Webb wasn't the hero that day: He didn't intervene, call the crisis center, or -- apparently -- even tell his mother about the teen who allegedly wanted to kill people.

Instead, these youths seem so detached, so disengaged from reality, that they're looking for credit for what they didn't do: actively participate in the slaying.

And Orlewicz, through the testimony of his high school friends, wasn't shy about expressing his criminal aspirations.

This was a killing that required a knife, a hacksaw and a blowtorch. No part of the "plan" went perfectly, and the testimony was so gruesome that jurors couldn't contain their horror.

In "Pulp Fiction," the Harvey Keitel character is a professional who knows how to efficiently remove blood from a car. "I'm Winston Wolfe, I solve problems," was his glib laugh line.

Funny in fiction. But in real life you wish for more tears. ..more.. by Laura Berman at (248) 647-7221 or lberman@detnews.com.