Quentin Lasky

**Quentin Brendan Lasky** is a claims adjuster, serial arsonist, and mass murderer.

## Background

Lasky was born and raised in Rayne City, displaying a fascination with fire from his youth. Growing up, this fascination turned into an obsession, with Quentin developing an interest in firefighting, and dreaming to become a fireman. However, when he finally submitted his application, he ended up rejected for being declared mentally unfit. Nevertheless, Lasky found another way to stick close to the object of his attraction, becoming a fire damage insurance claims adjuster. He also got married, though divorce followed shortly afterwards, an event which left him severely stressed.

## Arsons, Arrest, and Trial

As a means of relieving his stress, he began starting fires. At first, he burned down vacant lots and abandoned buildings, occasionally starting fires in out-of-town grassy areas in order to divert firefighters. Over time, he improved himself, coordinating with both the fire department and law enforcement through a police scanner. With his arsons getting citywide attention, Lasky's thirst for power grew up even more, to the point that he began targeting occupied buildings he selected through companies he worked for, such as Collins Insurance Group. The first casualties of his arson spree included an entire family who died of smoke inhalation. Eventually, he set fire to a crowded nightclub where a girl had previously rebuffed him, either intoxicating, hurting, or killing nearly a hundred people.

In the meanwhile, a multi-agency task force had formed, aimed at identifying and arresting the arsonist. Members of both the fire department and of several law enforcement agencies connected a great number of the arson fires to Collins Insurance Group, and eventually connected Collins to other fires through an insurance adjuster: Quentin Lasky. The latter was put under round the clock surveillance, though the need to prevent further arsons drove the task force to arrest him. A fingerprint match ultimately framed him. Lasky accepted to confess, but was nonetheless sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

## Modus Operandi

Lasky often made use of time-delay incendiary devices, specifically a milk jug filled with gasoline and fitted with a cloth wick. Sometimes, he simply lit combustible material he found on the scene with a lighter. He selected most of his arsons' spots through the insurance companies he worked for.

## Profile

Lasky was profiled as a white male in his late twenties to mid-thirties, an emotional loner, and a sophisticated arsonist, having a long-standing fascination with fire going back to his childhood. As a child, he would probably have set a number of small fires close to home, and would also have displayed other predictive factors of antisocial behavior (cruelty to animals and/or other children, late bed-wetting...). His school record would be that of a chronic underachiever. He is probably a police and fire department enthusiast, possessing paraphernalia such as a police scanner and some kind of uniform. In all likelihood, he tried applying for a role in the law enforcement or as a firefighter in the past, ending up rejected, thus contributing to his overall frustration.

His relationships with women, if any, are unsuccessfull. As a compensation for his low self-esteem, he would be obsessed with his appearance and with always making a good impression, while, at the same time, being subject to sudden bursts of rage. He would be unable to admit fault, always blaming others for his own mistakes. His pornographic interests are much probably related to violence and control. He has a good working position, a new car, and nice clothes. He is resourceful, and his job allows him to be able to move and scout for his arsons' spots. It should not be excluded that his profession might include some contact, either directly or indirectly, with fire and/or firemen. He is not a loser in any sense, the problem being with his own self-perception: he only feels in control when he has the power to mobilize firefighters and police officers, along with the power to decide over life and death (this is why he turned from unoccupied to occupied buildings).

A precipitating stressor in his life led to his arson spree, likely a divorce or firing. Now that his crimes attracted citywide attention, he would be unusually interested in media reports about the incidents, which, in turn, cause him to be stressed, something that he probably relieves through alcohol and/or drugs. The excessive amount of combustible employed in the ballroom fire seems to indicate that he may have been prompted by a more personal motive to start that one.

## Real-Life Inspiration

* Paul Kenneth Keller: TBA
* John Leonard Orr: TBA
* Julio González: TBA
* Thomas Sweatt: TBA