Workplace Tragedy: Obsession Leads to Fatal Shooting
Merrill had meticulously tracked Collazo’s movements for months, feeling increasingly angered by what he perceived as unauthorized long breaks. Despite HR’s intervention, his obsession grew, leading him to purchase firearms and rehearse using them. On the day of the attack, Merrill admitted to following Collazo into the office and shooting her in a premeditated act intended to make her feel the pain he believed she caused him.
This act of workplace violence shook the company, which closed its office indefinitely following the shooting. Merrill was arrested at the scene and charged with murder. His bond was set at $10 million, and the company is cooperating with authorities while providing support to the victim’s family and other employees who witnessed the tragic event.
6 Chilling Cases of Workplace Obsession and Violence
A professor denied tenure, Bishop developed a deep resentment toward her colleagues. Her obsession with the perceived injustice of the tenure decision led her to shoot six of her colleagues at a faculty meeting, killing three. The act was the culmination of years of grievances and festering emotions within the workplace.
Flanagan, also known as Bryce Williams, became increasingly fixated on his perceived mistreatment by colleagues at a Virginia news station. After being fired, he obsessively blamed former coworkers for his struggles, eventually returning to murder two of them during a live broadcast. His actions were a shocking act of revenge against the people he felt had wronged him.
Carpenter, a maintenance worker, became infatuated with a female coworker, obsessing over her and repeatedly making romantic advances. When she rejected him, his behavior grew more erratic and aggressive, leading to a deadly confrontation. In a tragic escalation of his obsession, he murdered her at the workplace, unable to cope with her lack of interest.
Merrill became fixated on coworker Tamhara Collazo, obsessively tracking her break times and movements at work. His obsession escalated after Collazo reported him to HR for harassment. Feeling rejected and ignored, Merrill meticulously planned a violent act of revenge. He shot Collazo multiple times at her desk in front of their coworkers, ending in a tragic case of workplace violence.
A former NYPD officer, Valle became disturbingly obsessed with his female coworkers. His fixation led him to participate in online discussions about kidnapping and harming women, including detailed plans involving coworkers. While he never acted on these fantasies, his arrest for conspiracy to commit kidnapping exposed the extreme dangers of unchecked obsession within professional environments.
Steven Kazmierczak (Northern Illinois University) – A graduate student with a troubled history of mental health issues, Kazmierczak developed fixations on his classmates and instructors. His unresolved feelings of isolation and anger eventually culminated in a mass shooting in a university lecture hall, where he killed five people. His case demonstrated how workplace and educational environments can be impacted by unchecked obsessions and untreated mental health issues.
These cases underscore the severe consequences of workplace obsession when it escalates into violence, highlighting the importance of early intervention and mental health resources.
