Living a lie

I see in the news that Mark Hacking (the Utah man that confessed to killing his wife, Lori) made his appearance in court today. What strikes me is the fact that for so long, Mark was living a lie. He convinced his family and friends that he was accepted to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to attend medical school (UNC has no record of his application, let alone acceptance). Not only was that false, he also lied about graduating from University of Utah. Can you imagine the stress in keeping up a facade like that for so long? I certainly can't - I would crack.
Don't get the idea that I sympathize with Mark - assuming he did commit the crime he confessed to, he should get whatever maximum sentence could be imposed on him. Imagine if you will the final days of Lori's life: she calls UNC about financial aid for her husband, only to find out UNC has never heard of him. "Surely there must be some mistake", she must have thought. When she did become convinced that it wasn't a mistake, she must have only seen a frightening stranger when she looked at her husband.

Let's hope that justice is served, and that Lori (and her unborn baby - friends say she was pregnant) are resting peacefully.