Loughner is "faking it," says high school ex-girlfriend

The suspected shooter's former sweetheart does not believe the many rumors about schizophrenia

Published January 14, 2011 11:15PM (EST)

Ashley Figueroa believes that Jared Lee Loughner's behavior is a deliberate part of a bigger plan. In an interview with ABC News yesterday, she remembers Loughner as "a drug user with a grudge against the government" and provided some insight into his history of violence and rage.

"He used to scare me sometimes and that's kind of the reason why I left him," said Figueroa. "He kind of makes me feel uncomfortable at times. He'd get really mad and he would clench his fists really tight and kind of almost like have a little tantrum. He'd kind of like flail his arms and walk off."

As for the bizarre behavior leading up to the attack, Figueroa said it was all a farce.

"I think he's faking everything. I think the outburst that he had in class -- I think he's planned everything. I think that he has been planning this for some time," said Figueroa.

Figueroa is not a doctor, and these claims conflict with the opinion of top doctors in the field of psychiatry. (Dr. E. Fuller Torey actually told Salon that Loughner looks like a "textbook" case of paranoid schizophrenia.)

But we'll add this to the list of weird things we know about Loughner anyways.


By Adam Clark Estes

Adam Clark Estes blogs the news for Salon. Email him at ace@salon.com and follow him on Twitter @adamclarkestes

MORE FROM Adam Clark Estes


Related Topics ------------------------------------------

Gabrielle Giffords Jared Loughner