Random Real-Life Crimes And Murders Inspired By The Joker (16 items)

(#7) East Bay Arsonist Allegedly Leaves Joker Cards For His Former Friends

The Joker really inspires people in an awful way, doesn't he? One East Bay arsonist who allegedly felt slighted by his groomsmen after his marriage fell apart decided to get theatrical revenge on their perceived slights.

In 2016, after Joshua Van Buskirk lost his job and separated from his wife of four years, he felt like his friends weren't backing him up, so he allegedly started setting their cars and homes on fire, while leaving Joker cards along with notes that read, "Connect the Dots." Van Buskirk denies any wrongdoing.
(#15) Teen Joker Starts A Fire At His Old School

Christopher Clancy decided to dress up as the Joker and set fire to his old high school in Clondalkin, Ireland, in May 2009. He "filled six large jerry cans with petrol," broke onto school grounds, and poured the flammable liquid in the hallways. After he set fire to the gasoline, he stood outside and filmed the incident on his phone to show off to his friends later. When police arrived, they saw him "in a purple suit, with green hair, a white face and red painted lips."

Clancy was charged with arson, but instead of jail time, he was sentenced to get medical assistance for his psychological problems given his young age. No one was harmed in the fire, but Clancy did do over a million dollars' worth of damage to the school.
(#1) James Holmes Really Wanted To Be The Joker

The most famous criminal inspired by the Joker was James Holmes, the Aurora, Colorado, theater shooter. On July 20, 2012, Holmes entered a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises dressed in tactical clothing. He set off tear gas canisters and shot indiscriminately into the crowded theater. He killed 12 people and injured 70 others in the attack. According to two federal agents, Holmes had dyed his hair red and was referring to himself as "the Joker" during the attack. After police captured Holmes, he told agents that he had placed explosive devices in his apartment. This sent everyone into a panic and caused a mass evacuation of not only his apartment building, but also the buildings surrounding it.

After going back and forth for three years about whether or not his mental illness played into the attack, Holmes's trial finally got underway. On July 16, 2015, a jury found Holmes guilty of 24 counts of first-degree murder, 140 counts of attempted first-degree murder, and one count of possessing illegal explosives. The court sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
(#12) 20 Guns Confiscated From A Joker

This is an interesting story because it's the case of a criminal perpetuating the idea that there are multiple Jokers, perhaps based on the concept that the Joker is more of an idea than a specific person. In 2012, Neil Edwin Prescott, a former subcontractor for Pittney Bowes, was arrested after he allegedly referred to himself as “a joker" and threatened to shoot up his old place of business.

After Maryland police took Prescott away, they removed 20 firearms and 40 boxes of ammunition from his home.
(#10) Drunk Joker Arrested In Maine

It's a shame that even the Joker can't stay sober long enough to get home safely. In 2013, police officers in Maine arrested 64-year-old Dennis Lalime after he lost control of his 2002 Buick Regal at around 2 am and ran into multiple trees and a rock.

Police said Lalime was not hurt in the crash and cooperated with officers during his arrest, but they didn't mention anything about whether or not he had asked if they wanted to see a magic trick when they pulled him out of his vehicle.
(#3) Two Teens Were Charged With Conspiracy To Commit Acts Of Terror

Right after The Dark Knight was released in 2008, two teenagers from Pembroke, Virginia, were arrested after they admitted to creating "a series of playing cards that were defaced with threatening writing and left at stores in Christiansburg and Pearisburg."

The teens admitted that they were inspired to do this after seeing the Christopher Nolan film, and even though this seems like a fairly innocuous "crime," the jokers were hit with a serious charge: conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism.