Michael Mullen, Sex Offender Vigilante

Meanwhile, Idaho authorities say they intend to seek the death penalty against Joseph Edward Duncan III, who has been somewhat less chatty than Mullen about his alleged crimes.

Much of what is known about his state of mind comes from his Web postings.

From January until May 2005, he posted his thoughts on a personal blog, The Fifth Nail, a reference to a folk story about a nail that pierced the heart of Jesus Christ on the cross and has been missing for 2,000 years.

"I am scared, alone, and confused, and my reaction is to strike out toward the perceived source of my misery, society," he wrote. "My intent is to harm society as much as I can, then die."

He indicated on his blog that he had gotten away with other, unreported sexual offenses, perhaps during his time in college in North Dakota.

"I was in prison for over 18 years, since the age of 17. As an adult all I knew was the oppression of incarceration. All those years I dreamed of getting out...And getting even. Instead, I got out and I got even, but did not get caught. So, I got even again, and again did not get caught. So, I figured, well, I got even twice (actually more, but that's here nor there), even if I'm the only one who knows, so now what?"

Duncan also contributed to Talk Left, a liberal-oriented Web site concerning criminal justice. His writing frequently was marked by self-pitying complaints about the scrutiny of law enforcement and his inability to find a job as a result of the "state-sanctioned discrimination" against sex offenders.