CFO, or murderer? or both?

So last night I learned that I had worked along side a convicted murderer for about a year. Suspecting nothing. In fact, no one in the company had any idea he had been in prison for anything, let alone 12 years for murder.

Killed his own wife, in a passionate moment. Strangled her in a fight. Blood and broken objects also found at the home.

And he was the CFO (and also head of human resources) of this small medical company that I worked for, which I will decline to name for fear it will show up in google searches.

This man was given control over all of the financial accounts, credit accounts, employee records, health care plans, you name it.

Everything was locked away safely in George's file cabinets. Crisp, clean, meticulously organized.

I had multiple interactions with this fellow, all of them very pleasant.

He was a very clean, actually quite handsome man in his - 50's? Unbelievably healthy looking, with a chiseled jaw line, he said he ran 6 miles every morning, and clearly tanned and also worked his upper body in a gym. Beautiful guy. Said he was a "widower." Loved happy hour. Had a girlfriend but sometimes appeared to be gay.

Pleasant, straight-forward, organized, personable, driven, focused.

The model employee, and CFO.

But come to find out, no one had thought to run a background check when he had interviewed. Or bothered to notice that his references and past work experience had been fabricated from thin air. (Or so it seems now, since he spent that time in prison. According to the very obvious newspaper articles readily accessible on google which describe the ordeal.)

How was this recently revealed? After he spent 3 years at this company?

The handball partners of the CEO, Richard, turned out to be the parents of the wife that was murdered.

George was careful, calculated, good at his job,

But how ironically tragic for him that he happened to pick a company to apply for, whose CEO would be handball partners with the poor gal's parents!

George survived a good 3 years at the company, doing apparently a great job. (As I said, I loved the guy. Always willing to help me out with my health care plan, giving everyone regular feedback from a human resources standpoint. Fighting to keep me on board when I put in my notice. Giving me a heartfelt exit interview. Interested in hearing suggestions and putting them up for approval at the executive meetings. All in all, a professional.)

Of course... maybe money has been leaving or coming or going to strange locations, but... at this time he appears to have been honest...

So... after a conversation on the handball court,

a few things clicked in poor Richard's head. "The CFO of my company murdered these people's daughter!"

And that was that.

"Freeze George's account access!"

And he was out the next day.

And it's weird

Because now that I know all this, I still feel like "It's George!" "He's cool!" And I simply cannot believe he fabricated his references and lied about his past. Oh yeah, and I can't believe he murdered his wife.

But what's a man to do who just got out of prison? Work at 7-11 when he has the skills to run a company? No way!!

The creepy part is, I think he did a great job. So this again, confirms my uneasy suspicion that criminals and non-criminals are sometimes hard to differentiate. And it wasn't like it was premeditated... or was it...

Crimes of passion, calculation, who cares... murder, is, well... (shiver)

This just makes me wonder what other criminals I've worked with.

Besides my patients of course.