September 18, 1999
Web posted at: 10:42 p.m. EDT (0242 GMT)

In this story: Gunman chronicled use of prescription drugs Pushed over edge by father's death? Kicked out of Navy for marijuana 'Never a satisfactory explanation' RELATED STORIES, SITES

FORT WORTH, Texas (CNN) -- Why did Larry Ashbrook kill seven people and himself in a Fort Worth church? The question has haunted authorities, neighbors and family members, who offered new insights into the workings of the gunman's mind.

The composite sketch reveals a man who seemed not only to have spiraled into psychological turmoil in the weeks before the Wednesday massacre, but who exhibited signs of mental instability for years.

Ashbrook apparently was taking the prescription medication of his father, whose death in July could have made Ashbrook mentally snap, an FBI official told CNN on Saturday.

Gunman chronicled use of prescription drugs

Investigators found a "log or diary" in which Ashbrook documented the drug use and chronicled its effects, said Bob Garrity, assistant special agent in charge of the Dallas division of the FBI. Garrity did not know which drug was involved.

No illegal drugs or prescription drugs were found with Larry Ashbrook's name on them. The only prescription drugs in the house belonged to his father.

The drug diary was found when authorities searched Ashbrook's home following the shootings. The modest single-story home was a wreck: Furniture was overturned, holes were punched in doors and walls, and cement was poured down a toilet.

Ashbrook frequently assaulted his father, Garrity said. When neighbors saw scratches on the elder Ashbrook, he acknowledged with embarrassment that his son was responsible.

Pushed over edge by father's death?

Garrity speculated that the elder Ashbrook's death was the pivotal factor that pushed the gunman over the edge.

A longtime friend of the Ashbrooks agreed. "Everybody thinks this is what brought this on, that he just went crazy," said the woman, who declined to be identified.

Ashbrook held a series of jobs, but was unemployed at the time of the death of his father, his sole means of support.

Family members had told Ashbrook they did not intend to support him financially indefinitely, acting Fort Worth Police Chief Ralph Mendoza said. A brother has described Larry Ashbrook as a "paranoid schizophrenic" to police.

Eleven days after his father's death, Ashbrook sent the first of two rambling letters to a local newspaper. In them he refers to a CIA conspiracy, being drugged by police, and fears that authorities suspect him in some Fort Worth area murders.

Ashbrook was known throughout his community as somewhat of an eccentric. Neighbors described him as scary, angry, weird.

Karen Ivey, a neighbor, recalled one harrowing example of Ashbrook's bizarre behavior. "We were sitting there laughing, and he pulled up and he said, 'What are ya'll laughing about?' and he exposed himself, shook himself at the neighbors, put it back in his pants and went in the house."

Kicked out of Navy for marijuana

Larry Ashbrook had professional difficulties dating back to his service in the military. Ashbrook was court-martialed and discharged from the U.S. Navy for smoking marijuana, according to Pentagon sources.

Ashbrook earned five promotions during two stints in the Navy between 1972 and 1983 before receiving an "Other Than Honorable" discharge, according to the Pentagon.

Fort Worth police have said Ashbrook was arrested in 1971 on a marijuana-related charge but served no jail time.

'Never be a satisfactory explanation'

No reference to the Wedgwood Baptist Church, the site of the massacre, was found in the Ashbrook house. Neighbors speculate that the gunman learned about the church from a flier describing the youth rally that was taking place at the time of the shootings.

While police continue to search for a motive, a statement issued Friday from Ashbrook's brother, sister and other relatives said "there can never be a satisfactory explanation for this action."

The statement went on to say, "We only know that we are heartsick along with everyone in Fort Worth and the nation."

Correspondent Anne McDermott contributed to this report.

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