Your personal choice of "most tragic" character in the assassination story

[L Verge]

I think part of Booth's "allure" (not sure that's the word I want to use) is our inability to actually define his character and determine whether we should be fascinated by him or demonize him. Personally, I follow the logic of Bill Richter and his Sic Semper Tyrannis work and put a constitutional and political spin on Booth's motives.

That said, I was watching George Stephanopolis on Sunday, and George Will was trying to determine his thoughts on James Holmes and his horrible massacre on Friday. Will made the point that at least John Wilkes Booth had a motive to his madness and expressed it with his "Sic Semper Tyrannis" statement in front of thousands in the theater. He then said that we will probably never know the motive(s) behind Holmes's madness at the theater.