It’s a haunting thought — could any one of us become a killer under the wrong circumstances? Most of us have felt anger, maybe even imagined revenge, but never crossed that line. Yet according to Dr. Julia Shaw, a criminal psychologist and true crime expert, the truth is more unsettling than we’d like to believe.

Dr. Shaw, a German-Canadian criminologist, says everyone can kill — but not everyone will. “I think everyone has the capacity,” she explained, “but not everyone has the capacity right now.” Her words strike a nerve because they remind us how thin the line can be between reason and rage.

She described how small changes — a job loss, addiction, financial stress — can shift someone’s mental state. “Murder is often not planned,” she said softly. “It’s usually a fight that gets out of control.” Statistics back her up: one in three U.S. homicides begins with an argument, not a plot.

And while Hollywood paints killers as cold, calculating villains, the real picture is far messier. “It’s not like TV,” Dr. Shaw noted. “Most murders aren’t about sharpened knives and perfect plans — they’re about anger, loss, and poor decisions.”

Dr. Shaw also studies narcissism, revealing a simple way to spot it: just ask. “A true narcissist will likely admit it,” she said. “They’ll say, ‘I’m better than most people.’ That’s what narcissism is — overconfidence disguised as truth.”

In the end, her message is both chilling and human: we all carry darkness inside us — but choice is what defines who we become.