What Is Wrong With Daman Lehman
On April 27, 2012, 21 year old James Foster had the misfortune of meeting 25 year old Daman Lehman. James noticed Daman's car and said something along the lines of "Nice car. What kind of rims are those?".
Apparently this comment was too much for Lehman to deal with as any normal human would. His tiny brain could not comprehend what a casual compliment is, or how to simply say "thanks", and he exploded, and reacted in utter rage.
Lehman responded "That's a stupid question". Then he savagely punched James in the face twice, knocking him to the ground where his head hit concrete. The blow caused severe damage to James' head and put him into a coma on life support. Then Lehman remarked "That's what I do. I put people to sleep." and then he left the scene.
The incident happened over a week ago and James Foster is still in the same condition,in a coma, fighting for his life, possibly paralyzed, with severe head injuries. Meanwhile,Daman Lehman was tracked down, thanks to eyewitnesses who noted his license plate number, and arrested.
Daman Lehman was charged with first-degree assault charge in Pierce County Superior Court and is free on $75,000 bail. He confessed to the crime but pleaded "not guilty". I presume his brain and mind are not capable of feeling remorse or regret, just as they cannot process a casual compliment. Remorse and regret require higher order thinking skills and a heart, both of which seem to be missing in Daman. But hey, he's got muscles and that is apparently all that matters to him.
He appeared in court with his girlfriend and a young child. I can only assume the child was there to make him look more sympathetic. It didn't work. Instead I felt bad for the girlfriend and the child that I presume is hers. Just as Whoopi Goldberg said to Molly in the movie "Ghost", I want to say to the girlfriend "Girl, you in DANGER!!".
Daman Lehman's past includes a domestic violence charge about 6 years ago, so there is prior violence documented on his part. His Facebook page lists the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) and various gyms. His Facebook picture shows a young man whose forearms are larger than his head, which is not surprising since he apparently uses his muscles more often than his head.
If Hollywood were filming a movie and looking to cast someone to play the part of a guy who went overboard abusing steroids and succumbed to "roid rage", then Daman Lehman would be perfect for the part. He certainly looks it. His actions have supported that image.
"Roid Rage" is a term to explain the effect that abusing steroids can have on the user. Common side effects can be excessive aggression, an easily triggered temper and many other ugly changes to the body. Apparently steroid abuse can also cause testicles to shrink and cause reduced sexual function, which doesn't surprise me because Daman's actions are certainly those of a man who is trying to compensate for something. He is angry about something and it has nothing to do with James Foster's compliment.
A vigil was held for James Foster and many people showed up to support his family. It is reported that he has finally opened his eyes once and squeezed his girlfriend's hand. If he lives, he has a long road of rehabilitation to deal with and will never be the same. In effect, he has been given a life sentence.
Daman Lehman deserves a life sentence as well. If you can't be trusted to simply deal with a casual comment without almost killing someone, then you are a danger to society and you have NO business being free. He needs to be put away in prison for life, where society is safe from him. He needs a huge time out, a long time in a cell where he has little to do but think about what he has done.
I can only hope that the public continues to support James Foster and that James will have a full recovery. It won't be easy for James and it won't happen overnight. His life and the lives of his family have been changed forever.
To James and his family, I feel complete support and empathy. I send them my best wishes and prayers for his recovery.
To Daman Lehman, well, it appears he didn't learn the basic concepts of common courtesy and social skills that most people have by kindergarten. I hope at the very least that he learned his numbers in kindergarten because I think numbers will be a huge part of his future when he receives his prison sentence and his prisoner number.
