A newly surfaced 2013 court document has shed more light on Stephen Paddock, the 64-year-old gunman who fatally shot 58 people in Las Vegas last week.
The 97-page deposition, which was obtained by CNN, was a part of a civil lawsuit filed against the Cosmopolitan Hotel, where Paddock reportedly slipped and fell in 2011. Though the document doesn’t provide any clear indication of what may have prompted him to carry out the horrific massacre, it does provide a deeper look into his unconventional lifestyle and bizarre behavior.
Paddock described himself as the "biggest video poker player in the world," spending all day sleeping and all night inside the casinos.
"I averaged 14 hours a day, 365 days a year," he said when describing his play in 2006. At the height of his gambling fixation, Paddock claimed he bet up to $1,350 per game and $1 million per night.
"That's a lot of money," the lawyer said, according to the deposition.
"No, it's not," Paddock replied.
The transcript suggests Paddock seemed arrogant and sarcastic throughout the questioning. Though he claimed to be a successful and prolific gambler, he revealed he would wander around the casinos wearing Nike sweatpants and his favorite pair of flip-flops, and would take his own drink to the high rollers’ area to avoid tipping waitresses.
Paddock also claimed he had no criminal record or a history of mental health issues though he did admit to being prescribed Valium for anxiety. The doctor who prescribed the drug was Nevada internist Steven P. Winkler, whom Paddock had "on retainer."
"He's like on retainer, I call it, I guess," Paddock said. "It means I pay a fee yearly ... I have good access to him."
CNN points out there was no discussion of guns during the deposition, other than the time when Paddock said he had a concealed weapons license in Texas.
The New York Times reports that Paddock had been purchasing guns as far back as 1982, but it wasn’t until October of 2016 that he started bulking up his arsenal at a fast pace.
Paddock’s girlfriend Marilou Danley told investigators last week that her partner "seemed to be deteriorating in recent months both mentally and physically."
