There are just some people who always trigger the spidey senses.
The problem is that we don't trust our instincts enough.
How many people have just left you feeling... ill at ease?
Probably more than we care to admit.
We don't want to be wrong about someone.
That is the main problem. Then we'd be embarrassed.
That feeling changes to relief when we see them on the news or a Dateline NBC episode.
RedditorLucky_Solution7999wanted to hear about the people who inexplicably rubbed us the wrong way. They asked:
"Hey reddit, what is one time you knew something was off about someone but couldn't prove it?"
When I was doing online "love" browsing a bunch, I was always good about being in tune to my icky feelings.
the guitarist...
"My buddy and the guitarist in my band started dating this girl we were on the same forum with. I raised concerns based on some red flags she posted, but everybody in my band said I was overreacting."
"Cut to about a year later. The girlfriend cheats on him and gets pregnant. When my friend goes to confront her about it, she has the baby’s daddy and five of his friends jump him and beat him into hospitalization. Hate to say I told you so, but…"
gothdaddi
A Guy
"I hired a guy a long time ago and worked with him for years. Very talented and smart, plus a nice guy. At some point, he started making super strange decisions. Kinda impulsive, very odd stuff (asking if he can invite his girlfriend to a staff meeting, for instance). A lot of crap that didn’t make any sense. He got hired to a better job and I lost touch."
"A few months later, he died of a large number of brain tumors. The timeline his girlfriend-turned-wife offered matched up with what we’d been noticing for years. I look back in the arguments and realize there’s no way I could have known. At the same time, that’s kinda the point: you really can’t know what’s going on with someone, so act accordingly."
patricksaurus
psycho
"My parents had a close friend when I was pretty young, maybe between 8 and 10 years old? He came over a lot, to drink or shoot guns with my dad, but I didn’t like him one bit. He just gave me a bad feeling. I remember sticking my tongue out at him every time his back was to me. Never said anything to my parents though, I just stayed away when he was over."
"My mom ended up hiring him to work at the pawn shop she ran, and after he started things went missing. I don’t remember how they figured out he was stealing but he had a gallon ziplock FILLED with jewelry. The cops tried to convince the owner not to press charges (since he got the jewelry back) but the owner went through with it."
"As soon as they booked him, his finger prints came back from an unsolved double homicide- he had brutally murdered an elderly couple when they came home mid-robbery. After he killed him, he drank their milk, leaving his prints on the jug on the counter."
AlwxWrites
“too comfortable”
"My mom used to have this friend years ago when we lived in a pretty nice looking house, and she would often show up uninvited and act 'too comfortable' in our house. my mom would always just say that it’s probably just because that lady comes from a different culture but i was suspicious of the lady stealing some stuff from our house. one day the lady invites my mom to the beach."
"My mom has a huge fear of water and can’t swim at all so she avoids it, but she tends to be overly polite, so she decides to go. at the beach, the lady pressures my mom to go swim assuring her that they’ll stay close to the shore and what not. the lady ended up shoving my mom in and standing back to watch as my mom had a difficult time keeping herself up and trying to swim back to shore."
4bunny44
2 Days...
"My best friend at the time worked with a guy who I had met a few times as I'd join them for afterwork drinks, clubbing, etc. I always felt uncomfortable being around him but didn't know why. He was nice enough and quite funny but something just seemed... off. Anyway, we were out one night and he seemed extra off and ended up disappearing from the club. We found out 2 days later that he had gone home, killed his gf, dismembered her body and put her in the bin out the front of his house."
lilpinaylander
What in the world? Talk about nightmares.
The Former
"A former friend's husband. He always tried just that bit too hard to fit into the group and be involved in everything. Always had to be the smartest guy in the room. I don’t know what it was but I disliked him from the moment we met and there’s not that many people I dislike."
"Long story short, he turned out to be a controlling, emotionally abusive sack of crap who hated me because I kept encouraging my friend to be independent and my husband and I encourage each other to have a life outside of each other."
Yanigan
“too comfortable”
"My mom used to have this friend years ago when we lived in a pretty nice looking house, and she would often show up uninvited and act 'too comfortable' in our house. My mom would always just say that it’s probably just because that lady comes from a different culture but I was suspicious of the lady stealing some stuff from our house. One day the lady invites my mom to the beach, my mom has a huge fear of water and can’t swim at all so she avoids it."
"But she tends to be overly polite, so she decides to go. at the beach, the lady pressures my mom to go swim assuring her that they’ll stay close to the shore and what not. the lady ended up shoving my mom in and standing back to watch as my mom had a diffcult time keeping herself up and trying to swim back to shore."
4bunny44
he's weird...
"I was friends with this kid for awhile and he was always weird. he always made some sort of sexual joke or comment about you or something he wanted to do to you, although the comments were weird everyone brushed them off as if they were a joke."
"Me and him were really close at one point and decided that we would get drunk, at first I felt uneasy as i do not drink and i wasn’t really comfortable with the idea of being around him and getting drunk as i know his personality. eventually he persuaded me to drink with him and after a few shots we were pretty drunk."
"After that we headed over to his place and had to act completely sober in front of his parents. After awhile it had been quite awhile since we had drank i was starting to feel/act more sober than a few hours before and from my point of view, he did too."
"After awhile he was starting to act his usual self and make the sexual comments but out of nowhere he started acting upon it too. The friendship had ended shortly after that experience."
BitLimp5448
"broke up"
"My best friend was a wealthy only child. We went to the same college and he had his own apartment off-campus. His party lifestyle attracted good and bad attention. Eventually, an older (mid-twenties) guy latched on to him and moved into the spare room with his girlfriend."
"This guy had a big fake smile and was constantly talking about holistic medicine, aromatherapy, blah blah blah. His girlfriend was basically a slave that cooked and cleaned up after him. I spent less time with my friend but I was there the day things boiled over. Items had gone missing and my friend was upset."
"He accused Mr. A**hole of stealing from him and that led to a fistfight. I (6'4" 250 Lbs) 'broke up' the fight and kicked out the unwelcome guest and told his GF to pack their s**t. Turns out the 'holistic medicine' they favored was heroin. The girlfriend was a runaway whose family was desperate for her return."
"She made it home and went into rehab after he got arrested in an airport out West carrying two ounces of sneezing powder in his hand luggage. He was wanted in three states for trafficking and someone who hated him even more than I did set him up for a 20-year stay at Club Fed."
patmcgroin
That Guy
"A guy in my college friend group. Nice, funny, seemed like a really good guy. He and I shared a lot of interests so we would hang out a lot just the two of us, but always in public places. I would get a slightly weird vibe from him but ignore it since he was being nothing but friendly."
"One night we had all been drinking at his place. I realized too late that I had missed the last bus home so I asked if I could crash on his couch until morning. Which in hindsight might have been the most stupid decision of my life, but I didn't think any of it at first as I was used to hanging out with him."
"The other people left and it was just him and me. I started getting a really bad feeling out of nowhere so instead of going to sleep like had planned I pretended I wasn't tired and kept talking to him. He offered to show me around his house. I agreed, but again had a very bad feeling about."
"It so I made sure to put my phone in my pocket before I followed him and never put him between myself and the door. Nothing happened, we just stayed up talking and I felt really stupid as I left in the early morning hours. Two weeks later he assaulted another girl in our group while she was at his house. After that I never ignore my gut feeling about a person."
SupaFroosh
Bullets Didged
"Was going to a very big university in a college town. Barely 18. Worked at a fast food restaurant that had people bring you food on skates. I got hit on a lot by college kids. Big football player asked for my number, I gave it to him- he looked handsome and nice. He texts me later and asks to go to a party with me. Idk why, instantly got bad vibes from him. Don’t know what made me feel that way."
"I said no thanks, I’m busy. He instantly tried to guilt me into going and I felt good about my decision about not going. YEARS later, I see his face on the news- he’s been found guilty of multiple assaults. He’s still in jail to this day. BIG BULLET DODGED. Always listen to your gut."
marlzbarkley23
fake...
"This guy seemed great at first. His situation was exactly what I was looking for, we were so compatible, he was pretty much perfect. Slowly he started to get pushy about certain things. I couldn’t put my finger on what was off, but how perfect he was suddenly seemed… fake?"
"We’d just had sex and he went to the bathroom. I noticed the condom on the floor and picked it up. It was empty. I asked him why and he said 'Oh, I thought you were okay with me taking it off.' I freaked out and left. Never spoke to him again. That was a few months ago."
HuffleSl*t_
One Shot
"In law school, I had a guy who' sat in front of me for contracts every day for a year. He definitely gave off some serious red flags when he would answer questions, etc Second year of law school and I didn't have any classes with the guy that I know of. Apparently he wasn't going to class anyway."
"I have no idea what took place but one day the dude shot his mother and then himself with what I remember to be an AK 47. https://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/local/2014/09/17/officials-vt-law-school-student-kills-mom-self/15811161/. Off topic but That same year one of our professors from 1L shot herself."
getyourgolfshoes
Block Him
"Had a guy in high school who was overly pushy about wanting to hangout with me after only knowing me for a day. Would constantly message at all hours of the night. One day when on my way home I took a back way and passed by him laying in his car down the road from my house just watching."
"Needless to say I blocked him on everything and cut all contact. Fast forward three years, and he was charged for murdering his sisters son who he was fostering. The little boy was only 18 months old and had evidence of months of excessive physical abuse that eventually lead to him dying."
EmBreezy1997
"retreats"
"It always seemed strange to me, when growing up, that a particular priest spent an inordinate amount of his free time with boys:"
"Coaching basketball, organizing canoe trips, 'retreats' for boys, boys choir, altar boys training sessions, etc. Sadly, later in life my doubts proved warranted as he was eventually defrocked for sexual abuse and indulging his pedophile urges."
Back2Bach
“bad seed”
"My mom's coworker was a good friend of hers. Her son was a few years older than me, it was a family of mom, dad, son, 2 daughters. The son was always a 'bad seed' as my mom put it and did drugs and went to a school for 'troubled kids' etc. He kicked my baby carriage type of stuff. Giving the family lots of stress. Many years later my parents and her and husband are at a Christmas party."
"The husband seems really really off, and my parents made comments to each other about what must be going on with him, he seemed like he’d kill himself tomorrow. A few days later the daughters find their dead brother and father in the house. The father did a murder suicide and left the women for themselves. He probably thought he was doing her a favor."
wowguineapigs
Bye Bye
"I got pulled off from all projects at work. I thought it was strange to see my schedule so empty. I consulted my boss. He said everything is fine. Took me out for coffee. I could see through his bullshit. Turned out I was right because I got canned."
theatre_gang
Paranoia...
"Ya know, that one friend some girlfriends/boyfriends have that make you feel they don't want to be just friends with your SO? There was one my ex girlfriend had that gave me that feeling. Very hard to prove when it could be just me being paranoid. I guess I was right since my ex gf and that friend of hers is now her husband and the father of her kid."
mizukata
This is a lot. This is why I avoid people. People are crazy.
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People Who Knew A Murderer Share The Exact Moment They Knew Something Was Off
I just had a feeling....
Evil lurks among us and we must adhere to the signs. More often than not the signs are big and flashing in neon. When you feel that slight unease or "sense" in the pit of your stomach upon interacting with certain people, listen close, you already know that you're too close to trouble--your body is trying to tell you. I can't tell you how many stories on "Dateline NBC" start with.... "I had a feeling." Well if you have a scratch, itch it.
Redditor u/peasantchoker was wondering who else has been able to sense when they were surrounded by evil by asking....
People who knew Murderers, when did you know something was off?
The Boyfriend
I moved to a new town when I was 19 and was making new friends at my new job. I met this girl at work and she invited me over to hang out with her and her best friend. I went and the best friend's boyfriend was there and the vibes were waaay off. I was uncomfortable. He was cold, and just seemed angry for no reason.
They had mentioned to me before he got there that he was always controlling and had hit the girl before.
Turns out controlling was an understatement. She came home one day and he was digging a hole in the backyard and she asked what he was doing and he replied "digging your grave." He hit her, said if he can't have her, nobody could have her, all of that. So eventually she left him and had to get a restraining order and everything.
He somehow persuaded her to get in a car with him on her work break and they went missing for a few days. Turns out he stabbed her to death, threw her in a river.
I met the girl only a few times and him only the once but the face that I was in such close proximity to someone capable of that gives me chills. She was so young, it was really sad.
The Roommate
The murderer I know was more of an acquaintance or casual friend - he lived down the hall from me and we hung out sometimes but not like just the two of us. Still, we'd chill at each other's place regularly.
I passed him one day in the stairwell and I said hi. He said hi back but called me by the wrong name. He was really distracted and kind of awkward. He didn't make eye contact and kept moving.
I remember thinking maybe we we don't know each other as well as I thought. Later he was playing Nintendo (yep, my N64 - this was a while ago) with my roommate when I came home. He apologized and said his mind was elsewhere.
A couple days later there are cops all over the building, interviewing people and searching his place. They'd found the guy's roommate with a bullet in the back of his head in an abandoned lot across town. The next day he confessed.
The Gentle Giant
I didn't.
He was the sweetest, kindest, gentle giant kind of guy. Kind of a weirdo, but still a great guy overall. I remember once that he shed a tear just by talking about his kid, because he was so filled with emotion from having him in his life.
He turned out to kill his wife, kidnap his child, start the longest Amber Alert in the history of Canada, as he tried escaping to a different province he killed another man to steal his car.
I'm still unsure today if I should have seen anything at any point. It comes to haunt my nightmares from time to time.
That Kid
There was a kid i went to high school with who always gave me the creeps, we had a lot of mutual friends so we always ended up hanging out and it always made me feel really uncomfortable. Our senior year he got suspended for like a week because someone had found and turned in a hit list he had made, no one really took it too seriously. About three years after we graduated he was in the news for murdering a man in our town that he barely knew.
He told the police that he held the man's eyes open so he could watch his life leave his body.
Editing for spelling and adding to this because I remembered that I actually knew a second murderer. Im related to someone who attempted to murder his wife by stabbing her in the back several times with a butter knife when she found out he was gay and then many years later stabbed his partner to death after they broke up.
He Said So
When he said there was.
A teenager, his mother and his step father lived around the corner from me. My mother knew them better than myself, but we all thought they were lovely.
A couple of years ago the son went to the hospital several times asking for help. He claimed he had voices telling him to kill his stepfather, but each time he went he was released and told to come back (they would give an appointment).
A few weeks later during a small argument he stabbed his stepfather to death in the front garden.
He turned himself in the next day, and wasn't convicted as he sought help before it happened. Instead, he got the treatment he needed.
Edit: I see a lot of people wondering if it might've been a defense/planned murder. It wasn't. The way he was killed, and how the son acted after removed any doubt.
The Burns
Had an employee on my work crew, acted strange and wouldn't listen to direction. Had goofy huge sideburns. Ended up going to jail for a short time, when he got out he shot his GF and her parents.
The Uncle
My uncle murdered somebody and is currently serving life in prison. From my earliest memory I knew he had some screws loose.
Edit: I was at work when I originally commented so I didn't have time to provide details. He caught his wife at her lovers house so he shot the guy.
He was going to shoot her too but she convinced him she wouldn't tell anyone. He burned the guys house down in an attempt to cover his tracks. As soon as his wife could get free of him she immediately reported him.
As far as me saying I always got creep vibes from him, he always reminded me of a poor mans Charles Manson
The Customer
Obligatory didn't know him as a friend, but a regular customer in my shop. He would come in after his shift to buy beer and tobacco, on one occasion he caught and helped us to evict a shoplifter. He seemed friendly enough. Then a local girl went missing and was eventually pulled out of a river a few weeks later.
They announced they were looking for somebody in connection with her death and it was him. They had CCTV footage of him tailing her through a park and footage of him buying beer in a shop, still unconfirmed to this day being our shop as they blurred out the surroundings.
Anyway, as we had a TV in our shop switched to the news channel as it was a rolling story local to us, we started to discuss the guy, if we saw him on the day she went missing, that kind of thing.
We hadn't, but it was at that point when one of my staff, a young girl, who had previously said to management that she didn't want to work the closing shift anymore because there was "too many creepy men around", told us that he used to stare at her when he came in to the store in a way that made her uncomfortable enough to not want to be on the floor when he came in.
They never got to question him about the murder as he was found dead in a local park a few days later. \
The Bully
I went through primary and high school with a guy in the year below me who seemed a little... distant. We lived near each other and caught the bus from the same stop. He was a bit of a bully but it was something more. Like you could tell he wasn't a bully because he was hurting inside or because he felt threatened in some way, he was a bully because he did what he wanted to do and didn't realize that it hurt other people. Like the kind of kid who enjoyed pulling wings off flies.
Not long after I left my hometown I heard that he had been charged with the murder of a 2 year old. Apparently his girlfriend at the time left her daughter with him for an hour or so while she ran an errand. He couldn't deal with the toddler crying anymore so he beat her. He caused severe internal bleeding and she died in hospital not long after. He would have been around 22 when he did it. He was sentenced to 36 years with a non parole period of 27 years.
The Co-Worker
My ex-coworker was always a huge angry moron who nobody liked to work with. He'd always be on his phone and talking to someone, even when he had a customer waiting to order in the drive-thru. The moment I knew he had something wrong with him was when I caught him "looking for his dab pen" in one of the lockers in the backroom. He always used a top locker, but he was searching through one at the bottom, which happened to be my locker for the day.
I told him that, so he just stared me in the face for a second, and walked away.
Later that same year, I learned that he shot and killed someone at a gas station.
Edit: to clarify, he was (most likely) trying to steal from me, and the fact that he made up his lie on the fly set me off (not to mention the creepy stare at the end).
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