Page 106 of Don't Shoot Me Santa

He was in the rhythm now, grounded in theory. Teaching through structure. It felt almost safe.

“These types of killers often see themselves as ‘correcting’ something. They’ll sometimes create patterns at the scene. Arranging the body, leaving objects, even choosing a particular location for symbolic value. The goal isn’t chaos. It’s message.”

He turned to write one more word:Staging.

As he did, the door at the back of the classroom clicked open.

He didn’t turn. It was probably a latecomer or another staff member doing rounds. The presence lingered in his periphery. Watching.

“Now, from a forensic psychology perspective, staging gives us insight into motive. The more emotionally intimate the scene, the more personal the connection between killer and victim. That tells us they’re not killing to eliminate. They’re killing totransform. Make something out of the body that aligns with their own beliefs.”

He underlined the word.Transformation.

“In the recent case, some staging suggests the killer sees themselves not as a monster, but as a redeemer. The bodies weren’t mutilated or degraded or sexually assaulted. So this leads us to believe they are someone who believes they’re saving their victims from something worse. Not destroyingthe victim butcorrectingthem. Transforming them into something they were meant to be.”

The class stayed silent.

“And that,” Kenny said, glancing at the back of the room and meeting with the watchful eyes of Principal Harrow. He gave her a small, professional nod, then returned to the students. “That kind of thinking is incredibly dangerous. Because it removes moral boundaries. The killer starts to believe their crimes are acts of mercy. And when someonetruly believesthat they don’t stop because they’re afraid of consequences. They stop when they feel understood.”

He capped the marker.

A hand shot up from the front row. Kenny nodded to him.

“What’s the connection to Christmas? Why the Santa suit? Or the staging by the church nativity?”

“Good question.” Kenny stepped back from the whiteboard and glanced towards the classroom windows, where thin frost still lined the corners of the glass like old lace. “Christmas isn’t only a holiday. It’s a season loaded with meaning. Cultural. Religious. Emotional. For most people, it’s a time of family. Tradition. Being seen, wanted, loved. But that also makes it a psychological pressure cooker for anyone who feelsoutsideof that warmth.”

He paused, scanning the room.

“For someone who’s been abandoned, shamed, or forced into conformity, Christmas can become a symbol of everything they were denied.It can take on a darker weight. Instead of joy, it becomes judgment. Instead of belonging, it becomes punishment.”

A few students nodded.

“Let’s talk about the Santa suit.” Kenny tapped his pen on his chin. “Santa Claus is one of the most recognisable moralfigures in modern culture. Instantly iconic, emotionally loaded.”

A hand went up. “Does that make it easier to lure someone to their death?”

“Potentially, yes.” Kenny waggled the pen at the class. “But we’re not dealing with children here. These victims aren’t wide-eyed believers. They’re teenagers, young adults. Most of whom likely never had the luxury of believing in Father Christmas to begin with.”

He let that land for a moment, then continued.

“But that in itself is telling. The killer isn’t targeting innocence in the traditional sense. They’re targetingperceived moral failure. And Santa, when you strip away the sentimental branding and Coca-Cola trucks, is essentially a figure of surveillance and judgment.”

He turned to the board and wrote:

Santa = The Watcher. The Judge. The Decider.

“In the original myths, he doesn’t bring gifts. Heknows. He sees what you do, all year long. He keeps lists. Naughty or nice. Good boys and girls, bad boys and girls. Reward or punishment. And crucially, he does it all in secret.That’s not fantasy. That’s doctrine. And if someone grew up believing punishment was how you showed love, this role becomes prophecy.”

Kenny looked out across the room, the weight of it building.

“Imagine someone already fractured by guilt, shame, or unresolved trauma. Now give them a persona rooted in silent authority and moral power. That’s not a costume anymore. That’s a transformation.”

He turned and wrote on the board:

Santa = Surveillance + Morality + Myth.

“The killer isn’t dressing as Santa for theatrics. They’reinhabiting the role.They’re creating a delusion where they are the moral authority. One who gets to decide who is pure enough to be saved… and who isn’t.”