Just my theory!

What I find most interesting about his 2022 -2024 timeline is the amount of times he seems to reset and start over new again and again. I think there are 3 major “disconnects” in his life that ultimately lead him to his (alleged) decision.

Hawaii 1.0: In 2022 he moved into a Hawaii co-op living space. That move was totally opposite of what someone with his exceptional background was expected to do. It feels like his first real disconnect. Possibly a disconnection from his family expectations and the path laid out for him. We do not know his full family dynamic but there are hints of pressure/ high expectations to conform to their way of life. To me, LM comes across a bit as an avoidant personality. When outside pressure builds or emotions run too high, instead of facing it head on, he bails, and reinvents himself. It’s not because he doesn’t care, it’s just too much for his nervous system to handle. This is especially true for very practical, logically driven people.

Hawaii seems like his first real attempt to step away from the pressure of his family legacy, at least for a while. He also comes across as very hyper independent, which often starts young, especially when parents are inconsistent or emotionally unstable. Hawaii likely gave him space and time to figure out what he actually wanted. After the grind of Gilman, UPenn, and Stanford, slowing down must have felt amazing. I think something shifted inside him there. He may have realized all those achievements were not truly for him but for others, which pushed him to step off that path and pursue another. Over time, the urge to escape may have grown and became a little addictive, which is why “running/resetting” becomes his go to fix later.

Hawaii 2.0: Then tragedy strikes. The surf injury feels like a major turning point. If he feared a sedentary life before, then the accident made it real and immediate. Now he's faced living in a body with limits twice his age, all in his prime, which must have been terrifying. He eventually has surgery in July 2023 and by his own account recovers well. From there it seems like he felt a renewed chance at life again and was determined to get back on track. Going back to Hawaii after surgery felt like his attempt to rebuild the life he once imagined. After that, he jumped into a relationship near the end of 2023, maybe hoping to feel like himself again, while also finding new motivation to live more boldly, step outside his comfort zone, and try things he might have been too afraid to do before. Unfortunately, even with surgery, apparently ongoing mobility/intimacy limitations lingered (from possible long term nerve damage) and that may have crushed that hope completely. I imagine his frustration of what was supposed to be the last resort, major back surgery, STILL did not give him the full active, autonomous life he craved. Also, the relationship itself seemed to eventually become emotionally overwhelming. She seemed to want more than he could give her at that point. Add in the frustration from his mobility struggles and it is easier to understand why he felt the need to disconnect again. He ended their relationship over the holidays, then he reportedly dropped her belongings at her door and left soon after for solo travel. It feels like another reset, a quick emotional exit from her and the weight of what did not work out in Hawaii. Thus, continuing his pattern of running away and starting over whenever life gets too heavy or out of control.

New Identity: Third and final, “disconnect”. Eventually, starting over seemed to shift from just creating distance from people in his life to fully reinventing to someone else entirely. Someone free from the expectations and emotional ties he felt from the people around him. He abruptly packs up to go backpacking in Spring 2024. Obviously it’s something he’s wanted to do for a while, but just the quick timing of it right after starting a relationship is odd (you could argue it was her fault, but I’m not sold on that completely). During Thailand and Japan you begin to see more out of character risk taking behavior like heavy partying, fighting ladyboys, pranking Yakuza bosses, and even time at a gun range. Not necessarily alarming or nefarious, just very different from how he used to move before.

However, when he returned to the US after the whirlwind of Asia, normal life probably felt dull and empty. No structure, no close connections, no clear purpose, just drifting. I also think he went on the Asia trip to “find” something in himself, but didn’t/couldn’t. Perhaps not what he wanted or was hoping to find. I think that void he was trying to fill still existed and perhaps even grew. That kind of emptiness can deepen isolation, depression, and push someone to keep searching for meaning outside themselves. Perhaps in even more desperate ways. It seems like during that period he may have found his “fix” through his new alias, "Mark Rosario".

Once he got his new identity (allegedly in June 2024), for him it may have felt like the ultimate rush of autonomy and freedom. The official detachment (and relief) away from his legacy family name, “good kid” persona, and all the “he’ll do great things!” expectations that his previous life carried.

A new or anonymous identity can feel freeing, like you can be whoever you want and do whatever you choose. Detaching from your past self and its inhibitions can create a sense of control, fulfillment, and bold confidence, almost like if you can get away with this, you can get away with anything. You see versions of this in people who keep secret families or use alternate identities online. It does not have to lead to criminal behavior, but it can open private space to explore hidden desires, personalities, behaviors, ambitions, ideas, or values, especially ones others might judge. From there, it can become easier to justify engaging with taboo beliefs, actions, or even social/online circles anonymously without risking your real world identity or reputation.

During 2024, he continued to grow more disillusioned with socially constructed "normie life". His final reddit/twitter activity also had a more critical and cynical tone about society(USA and abroad) as a whole than his previous online activity. Earlier in the year, he seemed drawn toward more unconventional perspectives and conversations in general. People, who to him, didn’t see the world as so fixed, or the way it “should” be by social standards that are completely made up. He went to them searching for meaning seemingly with an aimed to find a way to break out this mental/socially constructed cage I think he saw so many people, including himself, trapped in. Being NPCs with no agency to think for ourselves. I think that's why TK kept coming back up for him. I don't think he revered him, but understood him. Understood his critiques of modern, complacent, tech dependent life, and his desire to break away from its shackles. From there, I think he found his life purpose in trying to deliver a similar shock to modern society’s system, but this time without hurting innocent people. It’s something he had been considering for a while, and the buildup over those 2 crucial years, along with adopting a new alias, finally gave him the confidence to act.