Was this killing done, as we have been led to believe, by the defense, merely for the thrill, Your Honor, or the excitement? What does the doctor further say on that? "The patient" (Loeb) "did not anticipate the actual killing with any pleasure." It was not for the thrill or the excitement. The original crime was the kidnapping for money. The killing was an afterthought, to prevent their identification and their subsequent apprehension and punishment. He said he did not anticipate the killing with any pleasure. It was merely necessary in order to get the money.
Motive? "The killing apparently had no other significance than being an inevitable part of a perfect crime in covering one possible trace of identification." That is the motive for the murder: self-preservation; the same as a thief at night in your house, when suddenly surprised, shoots to kill.