The skeletal remains of Kelly Currin Morris have been found on November 17, 2009, near Creedmoor, NC. She was missing since September 3, 2008 from Stem, NC, in the same county of Granville. Her husband, William "Scott" Morris, was arrested shortly afterward. The number of people actively searching for her was very impressive. The search went on for 14 months.
The home in which Kelly shared with her husband and two children caught fire the day after she went missing, on September 4, 2008. Hours later, her car was found a mile away, with her purse and cell phone inside. The keys were in the ignition. SBI concluded the house fire was deliberately set. Scott Morris was always suspected of Kelly's murder, as well as arson, but as often happens, a lack of evidence kept him from being arrested - until recently. He is charged with first-degree murder and held without bond.
http://www.helpfindthemissing.org/forum/showthread.php?t=7546
In spite of massive search efforts, it took over a year to finally find Kelly's remains. Where they were found was at the Tar River Fox Pen, a 900 acre facility surrounded by an electric fence and barbed wire. It is believed the body was ravaged by the foxes and coyotes being kept there. There was only a skull and a few other bones, with a bed comforter. The skull included teeth, and ID was possible via dental records.
This discovery brought to public attention the controversial sport of wildlife "penning," in which wild animals are hunted by packs of dogs in a confined area, often getting torn to pieces. This is considered a cruel practice, and many groups concerned with animal rights, including the Humane Society of the United States and the Animal Welfare Institute, are seeking to have it banned in this state. There is an "NC Senate Bill 515" to stop wildlife penning, currently seeking public support.
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/4812128/
A petition to support NC Senate Bill 515
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/stop-wildlife-penningsupport-nc-senatebill515
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Merry Christmas
Wishing a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season to all my readers, my friends, and my fellow bloggers, whose moral support means more to me than I can express in words, but I keep on trying!
You will also find me in Who Killed Theresa? and Chris's Crime Forum.
My Internet Family - God bless us, everyone!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Jason Young Arrested
It was three years ago last month when Michelle Young was found murdered in her home in the Raleigh area of NC, on November 3, 2006.
Her husband, Jason Young, was the prime suspect from the beginning, but a lack of physical evidence kept him from being arrested.
Today it finally happened.
http://www.ncwanted.com/ncwanted_home/story/6336335/?d_feature_story=1
Thanks NC Wanted!
You've just made my Holiday Season a little brighter!
Her husband, Jason Young, was the prime suspect from the beginning, but a lack of physical evidence kept him from being arrested.
Today it finally happened.
http://www.ncwanted.com/ncwanted_home/story/6336335/?d_feature_story=1
Thanks NC Wanted!
You've just made my Holiday Season a little brighter!
Friday, December 11, 2009
Santa Visits Carrboro
'Twas awhile before Christmas when all through the town,
not a person was smiling. They were all pretty down.
I was walking down Main Street 'til I came to this spot
called the Bank of America parking lot.
Whenever I come here I always remember
a friend who went missing the first day of December.
At the Jade Palace Restaurant across the street
I was joined by some friends who I happened to meet.
We greeted each other and remembered the reason
we tend to be sad on the Holiday Season.
A fellow spoke up and said "That's enough!
I'm tired of hearing this old Debbie stuff!
"Get on with your life. Get this through your head.
Life is for the living and Debbie is dead."
Then down on the street came a reindeer-drawn sled
with a fat jolly fellow all dressed in red.
We knew right away just who it was.
Who else could it be but Santa Claus?
He was handing out gifts as he stepped from his sleigh,
and everyone's sadness seemed to just melt away.
As a crowd gathered 'round at the sight to behold,
he turned to the fellow who had spoken so bold.
"Regardless of if you've been naughty or nice,
listen to me and I'll give you advice.
"Everyone you encounter becomes part of you.
Remember that someday you will die too.
"With those who are living share your love and your cheer,
and also with those who are no longer here."
Santa then turned his head and he looked right at me,
saying "I too remember your friend Debbie Key.
"The Spirit of Christmas she held close to her heart,
and she still shares our love even though we're apart.
"She celebrated life from beginning to end.
My advice to you... Keep on blogging, my friend!"
He returned to his sleigh and said "I believe
I will see you again on this Christmas Eve!"
He then shook the reins and took off down the street
to the sound of thirty-two reindeer hoof beats.
The people were standing in shock and in awe,
each asking if this really was Santa they saw.
And I heard him exclaim as he rode out of sight,
"Merry Christmas to all, and keep up the good fight!"
not a person was smiling. They were all pretty down.
I was walking down Main Street 'til I came to this spot
called the Bank of America parking lot.
Whenever I come here I always remember
a friend who went missing the first day of December.
At the Jade Palace Restaurant across the street
I was joined by some friends who I happened to meet.
We greeted each other and remembered the reason
we tend to be sad on the Holiday Season.
A fellow spoke up and said "That's enough!
I'm tired of hearing this old Debbie stuff!
"Get on with your life. Get this through your head.
Life is for the living and Debbie is dead."
Then down on the street came a reindeer-drawn sled
with a fat jolly fellow all dressed in red.
We knew right away just who it was.
Who else could it be but Santa Claus?
He was handing out gifts as he stepped from his sleigh,
and everyone's sadness seemed to just melt away.
As a crowd gathered 'round at the sight to behold,
he turned to the fellow who had spoken so bold.
"Regardless of if you've been naughty or nice,
listen to me and I'll give you advice.
"Everyone you encounter becomes part of you.
Remember that someday you will die too.
"With those who are living share your love and your cheer,
and also with those who are no longer here."
Santa then turned his head and he looked right at me,
saying "I too remember your friend Debbie Key.
"The Spirit of Christmas she held close to her heart,
and she still shares our love even though we're apart.
"She celebrated life from beginning to end.
My advice to you... Keep on blogging, my friend!"
He returned to his sleigh and said "I believe
I will see you again on this Christmas Eve!"
He then shook the reins and took off down the street
to the sound of thirty-two reindeer hoof beats.
The people were standing in shock and in awe,
each asking if this really was Santa they saw.
And I heard him exclaim as he rode out of sight,
"Merry Christmas to all, and keep up the good fight!"
Thursday, November 05, 2009
To Solve a Cold Case
John Allore has written this up, with some input from me and Doreen Prior, and suggested that we all post this in our blogs.
Naturally, I agreed.
----------------------------------------------------------
How To run your own Cold-Case – Top Ten
Doreen Prior made an interesting comment recently that she was equally dialed in to unsolved cases in the Montreal region from the 70s. If you don’t know Doreen, she has been advocating longer than me for a resolution to the unsolved death of her sister, Sharron, http://www.sharronprior.com/ who was murdered in 1975. Doreen knows this process better than anyone. As well, Bill Widman has been actively seeking to solve the murder of his friend, Debbie Key. In the interest of helping other families who may be trying to conduct their own investigations, Doreen, Bill and I offer these top ten suggestions for conducting your own cold-case investigation:
1. Information Management – The Internet: If you can afford it, get a subscription to Lexis-Nexis. http://www.lexisnexis.com/
This will allow you to data mine old newspapers back to the early 80s. There’s gold in them hills.
2. Information Management – Your local library: Most major libraries keep copies of all regional newspapers on microfiche. For Theresa’s case I was able to have the Provincial Library in Quebec mail me microfiche of old newspapers like the Montreal Star, Photo Police, Allo Police to my local library in North Carolina! I know Doreen Prior also accessed local libraries for Sharron’s case. Newspapers offer you good information about activities in the area of investigation leading up to, and immediately after any murder.
3. Google is your best friend: http://www.google.com/alerts
I have Google Alerts set up for all key words associated with my sister’s death (names of regional towns, suspects’ names, the name of each regional police force). This is a good way to stay a step ahead of anything that may be relevant to your investigation.
4. Accessing public records: Things like medical records and autopsy reports… these are public information and readily available from your local medical examiner or coroner.
5. Makes friends with the appropriate law enforcement agency: In many circumstances a case grows cold due to perceived ineptitudes of the investigating police force. Despite the frustration you must ultimately make peace with the investigating force. Ultimately they are the only body that can bring the case to justice. Despite friction, you must work to find an understanding. This doesn’t mean you can’t continue to challenge the force, just realize that you must retain balance. Crime scene reports? Evidence? Primary information? All of this is in the hands of the investigating force. You must make amends if you hope to gain access to this information.
6. Psychics: Useful? As secondary evidence, possibly. Just realize that anything psychic / medium offers is not admissible as evidence. It can be a great resource (myself and Bill have used them), but be aware of their limitations. And don’t get strayed into kooky theories: you can see patterns in any amount of randomness. Remember that some things are a coincidence.
7. Network: Read everything. The internet is an incredible resource. Become familiar with advocacy and justice initiatives. Make friends, get educated, attend conferences.
8. Publicity: The media can be a great tool to get your story out. Remember one thing: ultimately they are exploiting you, so feel free to exploit them. “If it bleeds it leads”… and the stories the media usually are attracted to in cold cases are something gruesome or something very personal ( perhaps too personal for a crime victim… I always hated when they asked me about “closure”). Be professional, cautious and guarded. Don’t offer up anything you feel is crossing a line. You have a right to say, “no, that’s too far” with these people. Also, don’t feel bad if they don’t want to cover your story. I have spent many hours offering up angles to media (suspects, new information, a personal-interest moment, a tidbit that is relevant to a current case), if they aren’t interested, don’t take it personally. Move on. It’s a business. One of the main reasons myself, Doreen and Bill started blogs was to control the distribution of information. So you can start one too! That too is media attention!
9. Get support: Guess what? You’re only human. And very quickly you will reach a burnout threshold. Get help. Find something positive other than this cold-case that gives you energy ( a hobby, your family, a sport, your shrink). We’ve all been to the bottom. It’s no fun, but we will support you on your journey back up. One of the best things I did? Made friends with fellow victims and investigating colleagues on Facebook. At first this seemed counter-intuitive: I wanted to isolate my personal life from my cold-case life. In the end it was the right decision because it was healthy to see these people without the victim stigma, in a normal light: families, loves, interests.
10. If all else fails: Contact the Vidocq Society, http://www.vidocq.org/ a group out of the Washington area comprised of retired forensic and investigative experts dedicated to solving old cases. Slightly pretentious, but if you’ve exhausted numbers 1 – 9 at this point you have nothing to lose. A word of caution: Vidocq will only consider your case if you have support from your local police jurisdiction (so no coming here if you’ve got a beef with how the police screwed up your case).
Go forth and solve!
Naturally, I agreed.
----------------------------------------------------------
How To run your own Cold-Case – Top Ten
Doreen Prior made an interesting comment recently that she was equally dialed in to unsolved cases in the Montreal region from the 70s. If you don’t know Doreen, she has been advocating longer than me for a resolution to the unsolved death of her sister, Sharron, http://www.sharronprior.com/ who was murdered in 1975. Doreen knows this process better than anyone. As well, Bill Widman has been actively seeking to solve the murder of his friend, Debbie Key. In the interest of helping other families who may be trying to conduct their own investigations, Doreen, Bill and I offer these top ten suggestions for conducting your own cold-case investigation:
1. Information Management – The Internet: If you can afford it, get a subscription to Lexis-Nexis. http://www.lexisnexis.com/
This will allow you to data mine old newspapers back to the early 80s. There’s gold in them hills.
2. Information Management – Your local library: Most major libraries keep copies of all regional newspapers on microfiche. For Theresa’s case I was able to have the Provincial Library in Quebec mail me microfiche of old newspapers like the Montreal Star, Photo Police, Allo Police to my local library in North Carolina! I know Doreen Prior also accessed local libraries for Sharron’s case. Newspapers offer you good information about activities in the area of investigation leading up to, and immediately after any murder.
3. Google is your best friend: http://www.google.com/alerts
I have Google Alerts set up for all key words associated with my sister’s death (names of regional towns, suspects’ names, the name of each regional police force). This is a good way to stay a step ahead of anything that may be relevant to your investigation.
4. Accessing public records: Things like medical records and autopsy reports… these are public information and readily available from your local medical examiner or coroner.
5. Makes friends with the appropriate law enforcement agency: In many circumstances a case grows cold due to perceived ineptitudes of the investigating police force. Despite the frustration you must ultimately make peace with the investigating force. Ultimately they are the only body that can bring the case to justice. Despite friction, you must work to find an understanding. This doesn’t mean you can’t continue to challenge the force, just realize that you must retain balance. Crime scene reports? Evidence? Primary information? All of this is in the hands of the investigating force. You must make amends if you hope to gain access to this information.
6. Psychics: Useful? As secondary evidence, possibly. Just realize that anything psychic / medium offers is not admissible as evidence. It can be a great resource (myself and Bill have used them), but be aware of their limitations. And don’t get strayed into kooky theories: you can see patterns in any amount of randomness. Remember that some things are a coincidence.
7. Network: Read everything. The internet is an incredible resource. Become familiar with advocacy and justice initiatives. Make friends, get educated, attend conferences.
8. Publicity: The media can be a great tool to get your story out. Remember one thing: ultimately they are exploiting you, so feel free to exploit them. “If it bleeds it leads”… and the stories the media usually are attracted to in cold cases are something gruesome or something very personal ( perhaps too personal for a crime victim… I always hated when they asked me about “closure”). Be professional, cautious and guarded. Don’t offer up anything you feel is crossing a line. You have a right to say, “no, that’s too far” with these people. Also, don’t feel bad if they don’t want to cover your story. I have spent many hours offering up angles to media (suspects, new information, a personal-interest moment, a tidbit that is relevant to a current case), if they aren’t interested, don’t take it personally. Move on. It’s a business. One of the main reasons myself, Doreen and Bill started blogs was to control the distribution of information. So you can start one too! That too is media attention!
9. Get support: Guess what? You’re only human. And very quickly you will reach a burnout threshold. Get help. Find something positive other than this cold-case that gives you energy ( a hobby, your family, a sport, your shrink). We’ve all been to the bottom. It’s no fun, but we will support you on your journey back up. One of the best things I did? Made friends with fellow victims and investigating colleagues on Facebook. At first this seemed counter-intuitive: I wanted to isolate my personal life from my cold-case life. In the end it was the right decision because it was healthy to see these people without the victim stigma, in a normal light: families, loves, interests.
10. If all else fails: Contact the Vidocq Society, http://www.vidocq.org/ a group out of the Washington area comprised of retired forensic and investigative experts dedicated to solving old cases. Slightly pretentious, but if you’ve exhausted numbers 1 – 9 at this point you have nothing to lose. A word of caution: Vidocq will only consider your case if you have support from your local police jurisdiction (so no coming here if you’ve got a beef with how the police screwed up your case).
Go forth and solve!
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Guy Fawkes Night
Image by Photobucket
The 5th of November is a holiday that never did catch on in the USA, at least not since Colonial times. It is said that George Washington forbade the celebration of the holiday by his troops, for he saw it as anti-Catholic and pro-British. It is the 4th of July that we Americans celebrate with fireworks.
Most Americans that I know have never heard of Guy Fawkes until the movie "V for Vendetta" came out in 2005, exactly 400 years after November 5, 1605. I myself have not heard of Guy Fawkes until I met a friend of Debbie's who had contributed photos to this website and blog. This person told me all about it.
There's a poem that I've heard referred to as a nursery rhyme, but the actual title to it (I have learned recently) is "The Bonfire Prayer." This, I am told, is recited at the lighting of the bonfire on November 5th. Since those of us here who know it at all know only the first few lines, I present it here in it's entirety.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Remember, remember the fifth of November
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot.
I know of no reason why Gunpowder Treason
should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, t'was his intent
to blow up King and Parliament.
Three-score barrels of powder below
to prove Old England's overthrow.
By God's providence he was catch'd
with a dark lantern and burning match.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, let the bells ring.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!
A penny loaf to feed the Pope
A farthing of cheese to choke him.
A pint of beer to wash it down
A faggot of sticks to burn him.
Burn him in a tub of tar.
Burn him like a blazing star.
Burn his body from his head.
Then we'll say ol' Pope is dead.
Hip hip hoorah!
Hip hip hoorah hoorah!
----------------------------------------------------------------
Whether you perceive Guy Fawkes as a hero or a villain may depend on whether you are a Catholic or a Protestant, or how you may feel about the political climate of Old England at the time.
Whether or not you choose to celebrate Guy Fawkes Night, let us always try to remember the lessons that history has to teach us.
Monday, November 02, 2009
Beyond This Place
My favorite story about what happened to Debbie Key is "Bad Dream House" by John Allore. During our Halloween weekend I have learned that John had written a sequel to the story. It is called "Beyond This Place," and the first chapter now appears in his WKT? blog.
http://theresaallore.com/?bloggerURL=/.com/
Below is a sample of the first chapter, edited by me.
(...) indicates where I left out sentences.
(You don't have to tell me I'm biased because I already know that, but I also want to make it shorter for this post)
------------------------------------------------------------
I live in a house once inhabited by a psychopath. (...) Each day there are a dozen little things reminding me that Deborah Key – the young woman who was most likely murdered by the former owner of our home – is still missing. Working in the garden, I’ll unearth some artifact belonging to the former owners. Inevitably, it will be some weapon or instrument of torture – an arrow, a spear, the broken blade from a sword. One time I found a gigantic hunting knife with brown stains on the blade. (...) Another time I found the remains of a dismembered Barbie doll.
Last year my wife started a business; a children’s resale shop in downtown Carrboro. Carrboro is a little bedroom community of Chapel Hill in North Carolina. My wife’s shop is cute. She has a lot of nice stuff. (...) As fate would have it, my wife rented the space where the bar Sticks and Stones was formerly located. The same Sticks and Stones where Deborah Key was last seen alive. Every day after work I pull into the parking lot to pick up the kids. I always park in the spot where Deborah was last seen kissing Andrew Dalzell against the hood of her car. Deborah’s mother placed a small memorial on the spot with flowers and a plaque. It’s nice that it’s there to remind me. Just in case I forgot.
Not long ago I got another call from our local police. Deborah Key’s body still had not been recovered. Chief Henderson wanted to return and search our property. This time they weren’t bringing a cadaver dog; they were bringing a psychic.
I don’t understand this “psychic” business. They always seem to be able to see everything that is totally extraneous. They do everything but the one thing police ask them to do: solve the crime. (...)
“She had a vision that Deborah’s body was in a place with woods and a lake.”
(...) That was the thing, it wasn’t a gimmick; my friend had done it. It was amazing. She had a conversation through the medium with her dead relatives. It was creepy. There were details this medium knew about my friend’s life that only people who had “passed” could have known – little pieces of knowledge that no one could find through deception. My friend came to a conclusion. Either the medium was really a psychic and she was reading your mind; or it was for real, and she talked to the dead. My friend suggested I arrange for a consultation with my sister. The medium charged two hundred dollars an hour. I said I’d think about it.
On the weekend I phone my parents and ask them about the medium. They say, why not? I talk with my brother. He can’t think of a reason not to do it either. Curious. I was hoping one of them would stop me. At Barnes & Noble I “inadvertently” wind up in front of the New Age section. My medium’s staring at me from the cover of her book. What’s going on here?
--------------------------------------------------------------
IN OTHER NEWS:
Today is the day the trial begins for Curtis Lavelle Vance, who last year murdered TV news anchor Anne Pressly in Little Rock, Arkansas. I plan to keep up with this case.
Here is some more news on the prison release issue.
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/6304543/
Tomorrow will be the 31-year anniversary of the murder of Theresa Allore - November 3, 1978.
Also on this day, 3 years ago, Michelle Young was killed near Raleigh, NC - November 3, 2006.
http://theresaallore.com/?bloggerURL=/.com/
Below is a sample of the first chapter, edited by me.
(...) indicates where I left out sentences.
(You don't have to tell me I'm biased because I already know that, but I also want to make it shorter for this post)
------------------------------------------------------------
I live in a house once inhabited by a psychopath. (...) Each day there are a dozen little things reminding me that Deborah Key – the young woman who was most likely murdered by the former owner of our home – is still missing. Working in the garden, I’ll unearth some artifact belonging to the former owners. Inevitably, it will be some weapon or instrument of torture – an arrow, a spear, the broken blade from a sword. One time I found a gigantic hunting knife with brown stains on the blade. (...) Another time I found the remains of a dismembered Barbie doll.
Last year my wife started a business; a children’s resale shop in downtown Carrboro. Carrboro is a little bedroom community of Chapel Hill in North Carolina. My wife’s shop is cute. She has a lot of nice stuff. (...) As fate would have it, my wife rented the space where the bar Sticks and Stones was formerly located. The same Sticks and Stones where Deborah Key was last seen alive. Every day after work I pull into the parking lot to pick up the kids. I always park in the spot where Deborah was last seen kissing Andrew Dalzell against the hood of her car. Deborah’s mother placed a small memorial on the spot with flowers and a plaque. It’s nice that it’s there to remind me. Just in case I forgot.
Not long ago I got another call from our local police. Deborah Key’s body still had not been recovered. Chief Henderson wanted to return and search our property. This time they weren’t bringing a cadaver dog; they were bringing a psychic.
I don’t understand this “psychic” business. They always seem to be able to see everything that is totally extraneous. They do everything but the one thing police ask them to do: solve the crime. (...)
“She had a vision that Deborah’s body was in a place with woods and a lake.”
(...) That was the thing, it wasn’t a gimmick; my friend had done it. It was amazing. She had a conversation through the medium with her dead relatives. It was creepy. There were details this medium knew about my friend’s life that only people who had “passed” could have known – little pieces of knowledge that no one could find through deception. My friend came to a conclusion. Either the medium was really a psychic and she was reading your mind; or it was for real, and she talked to the dead. My friend suggested I arrange for a consultation with my sister. The medium charged two hundred dollars an hour. I said I’d think about it.
On the weekend I phone my parents and ask them about the medium. They say, why not? I talk with my brother. He can’t think of a reason not to do it either. Curious. I was hoping one of them would stop me. At Barnes & Noble I “inadvertently” wind up in front of the New Age section. My medium’s staring at me from the cover of her book. What’s going on here?
--------------------------------------------------------------
IN OTHER NEWS:
Today is the day the trial begins for Curtis Lavelle Vance, who last year murdered TV news anchor Anne Pressly in Little Rock, Arkansas. I plan to keep up with this case.
Here is some more news on the prison release issue.
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/6304543/
Tomorrow will be the 31-year anniversary of the murder of Theresa Allore - November 3, 1978.
Also on this day, 3 years ago, Michelle Young was killed near Raleigh, NC - November 3, 2006.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Monsters on the Loose?
When I first read this article, I had trouble deciding whether to believe it or not.
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/6218918/#
I kept thinking this had to be hoax, such as the one that occurred many Halloweens ago, when Orson Welles made a radio broadcast of "War of the Worlds," pretending to be news coverage of an actual event.
Just in time for Halloween, on October 29, the state of NC will release 20 inmates who were sentenced to life for violent offenses.
The news article was dated October 15. They didn't give us much time to prepare for it.
"How can they do that?" I kept asking myself. Surely they don't intend to release dangerous criminals back into society. But that's what it says. Five pages of Google Search shows the same news story on many different websites. If this was intended to scare us, it is certainly working on me.
WRAL is a news source that I trust, and I like Gerald Owens. I read what he had to say about it, and it isn't comforting.
http://www.ncwanted.com/ncwanted_home/blogpost/6221200/
Visions of angry mobs storming the state courthouse flash through my mind, with torches and pitchforks like in old movies I've seen.
Visions of murderers and rapist turning up in our towns are even more disturbing, with more victims, and more horrible deaths.
"They can't let this happen!" I keep telling myself over and over again.
For the rest of the evening my mind desperately searches for some comfort from my fears. After serving an 80 year sentence, they must be too old to do much harm. Wrong! These have only served 30-some years. I didn't know time off for good behavior and work could cut a sentence down to less than half. If they got good behavior and other brownie points, maybe these inmates are considered less at risk for repeat offenses. Wrong! Many of them have several infractions on their prison records. So what exactly is "good behavior" anyway?
All of these inmates due to be released were sentenced for murder or rape, except for one, who was sentenced for attempted rape. Some of these rapes include victims who are children. Is this what "life sentence" means now? I don't like even the thought of it. I'd rather take my chances on vampires, werewolves, and ghosts, then to chance an encounter with someone who until recently was on death row for murder.
Finally I convinced myself that this is probably some political publicity stunt, so that the politician who manages to stop the release in time is sure to get re-elected. Yeah, that's it. That worked for me, and so I was able to sleep on it.
The next day I thought I would probably write the angriest blog I have ever written, but then decided it would be better to talk to some people, and see if I can get a better perspective on it. I decided I would bring up the subject with whoever I could talk to that I come across today.
One such person gave me a "f--- you!" and one I never thought I'd hear such words from. I was accused of being self righteous for thinking that convicted criminals who have served their sentences do not deserve the opportunity to make a better life for themselves. I tried to say that people who murder and rape are dangerous, and should never be released, but I am told that most people like this learn their lessons in prison, and they should get a chance to redeem themselves.
I was told that once a person is sentenced, that sentence cannot be changed unless another offense could be added to it. A sentence is determined by the laws that were in place at the time, and there is nothing we can do to change it once it has been passed.
I thought about Charles Manson. Wasn't he given the death sentence? Didn't that change after the State of California decided to ban it? Isn't that why he's still alive?
Another person I talked to said 'yes' to my idea of storming the courthouse, but without the torches and pitchforks. Let's leave our weapons at home and keep it peaceful, like good citizens, but make sure our voices are heard.
Even the NC Fraternal Order of Police are against the release.
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/6235442/#
We have seen in our history that whenever people loose faith in the law to protect them, they tend to take the law into their own hands. I have heard more than a few voices say it's time for vigilante justice to return. I have made a promise to never support vigilantism, and now I'm afraid it will be getting harder for me to keep that promise. I'm sure that if these inmates are released as planned, and if any one of them ever kills or rapes again, our state justice system will be blamed for it. I'm afraid to think about what would happen after that.
Citizens of North Carolina, I say that if we don't get tough on crime, then crime will surely get tough on us.
Now let's hope the scariest things we see this Halloween are bats, spiders, and pumpkins.
Special thanks (again) to NC Wanted and WRAL News.
-----------------------------------------------------
UPDATE - Oct 22
http://www.wral.com/news/state/story/6261276/#
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/6218918/#
I kept thinking this had to be hoax, such as the one that occurred many Halloweens ago, when Orson Welles made a radio broadcast of "War of the Worlds," pretending to be news coverage of an actual event.
Just in time for Halloween, on October 29, the state of NC will release 20 inmates who were sentenced to life for violent offenses.
The news article was dated October 15. They didn't give us much time to prepare for it.
"How can they do that?" I kept asking myself. Surely they don't intend to release dangerous criminals back into society. But that's what it says. Five pages of Google Search shows the same news story on many different websites. If this was intended to scare us, it is certainly working on me.
WRAL is a news source that I trust, and I like Gerald Owens. I read what he had to say about it, and it isn't comforting.
http://www.ncwanted.com/ncwanted_home/blogpost/6221200/
Visions of angry mobs storming the state courthouse flash through my mind, with torches and pitchforks like in old movies I've seen.
Visions of murderers and rapist turning up in our towns are even more disturbing, with more victims, and more horrible deaths.
"They can't let this happen!" I keep telling myself over and over again.
For the rest of the evening my mind desperately searches for some comfort from my fears. After serving an 80 year sentence, they must be too old to do much harm. Wrong! These have only served 30-some years. I didn't know time off for good behavior and work could cut a sentence down to less than half. If they got good behavior and other brownie points, maybe these inmates are considered less at risk for repeat offenses. Wrong! Many of them have several infractions on their prison records. So what exactly is "good behavior" anyway?
All of these inmates due to be released were sentenced for murder or rape, except for one, who was sentenced for attempted rape. Some of these rapes include victims who are children. Is this what "life sentence" means now? I don't like even the thought of it. I'd rather take my chances on vampires, werewolves, and ghosts, then to chance an encounter with someone who until recently was on death row for murder.
Finally I convinced myself that this is probably some political publicity stunt, so that the politician who manages to stop the release in time is sure to get re-elected. Yeah, that's it. That worked for me, and so I was able to sleep on it.
The next day I thought I would probably write the angriest blog I have ever written, but then decided it would be better to talk to some people, and see if I can get a better perspective on it. I decided I would bring up the subject with whoever I could talk to that I come across today.
One such person gave me a "f--- you!" and one I never thought I'd hear such words from. I was accused of being self righteous for thinking that convicted criminals who have served their sentences do not deserve the opportunity to make a better life for themselves. I tried to say that people who murder and rape are dangerous, and should never be released, but I am told that most people like this learn their lessons in prison, and they should get a chance to redeem themselves.
I was told that once a person is sentenced, that sentence cannot be changed unless another offense could be added to it. A sentence is determined by the laws that were in place at the time, and there is nothing we can do to change it once it has been passed.
I thought about Charles Manson. Wasn't he given the death sentence? Didn't that change after the State of California decided to ban it? Isn't that why he's still alive?
Another person I talked to said 'yes' to my idea of storming the courthouse, but without the torches and pitchforks. Let's leave our weapons at home and keep it peaceful, like good citizens, but make sure our voices are heard.
Even the NC Fraternal Order of Police are against the release.
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/6235442/#
We have seen in our history that whenever people loose faith in the law to protect them, they tend to take the law into their own hands. I have heard more than a few voices say it's time for vigilante justice to return. I have made a promise to never support vigilantism, and now I'm afraid it will be getting harder for me to keep that promise. I'm sure that if these inmates are released as planned, and if any one of them ever kills or rapes again, our state justice system will be blamed for it. I'm afraid to think about what would happen after that.
Citizens of North Carolina, I say that if we don't get tough on crime, then crime will surely get tough on us.
Now let's hope the scariest things we see this Halloween are bats, spiders, and pumpkins.
Special thanks (again) to NC Wanted and WRAL News.
-----------------------------------------------------
UPDATE - Oct 22
http://www.wral.com/news/state/story/6261276/#
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Jennifer Schuett: Voice of Victory
This story may sound unbelievable, but I have checked out several sources and found it to be true.
On August 10, 1990, in Dickinson, Texas, a little girl, 8 year old Jennifer Schuett, was abducted from her bed out of her bedroom window. The abductor carried the girl to his car, drove her to a field, raped her, then slit her throat. She was left lying naked on an ant hill bleeding to death. 12 hours later she was found and brought to a hospital.
Now here is the amazing part of the story.
That little girl is still alive! She is now a young woman of 27 years. Doctors told her she would never be able to talk again, but she proved them wrong. Her voice is still being heard. She lived to tell her story, and to seek justice.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/09/25/texas.rape.victim/index.html
Now here's the really good news!
On Tuesday October 13, 2009, Dennis Earl Bradford was arrested in Little Rock, Arkansas, thanks to DNA evidence he left behind at the scene of the crime. His drivers license photo from that time 19 years ago is a near perfect match with the composite sketch from Jennifer's description.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/13/texas.rape.arrest/
America's Most Wanted tells the story of Jennifer Schuett's victory, the arrest of Bradford, and to top it off, an interview with John Walsh and Jennifer in a video I'm sure you'll enjoy!
http://www.amw.com/fugitives/video_photos.cfm?id=64363
A nice reminder that sometimes justice does prevail!
Thank you Doreen Prior for calling this story to my attention.
On August 10, 1990, in Dickinson, Texas, a little girl, 8 year old Jennifer Schuett, was abducted from her bed out of her bedroom window. The abductor carried the girl to his car, drove her to a field, raped her, then slit her throat. She was left lying naked on an ant hill bleeding to death. 12 hours later she was found and brought to a hospital.
Now here is the amazing part of the story.
That little girl is still alive! She is now a young woman of 27 years. Doctors told her she would never be able to talk again, but she proved them wrong. Her voice is still being heard. She lived to tell her story, and to seek justice.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/09/25/texas.rape.victim/index.html
Now here's the really good news!
On Tuesday October 13, 2009, Dennis Earl Bradford was arrested in Little Rock, Arkansas, thanks to DNA evidence he left behind at the scene of the crime. His drivers license photo from that time 19 years ago is a near perfect match with the composite sketch from Jennifer's description.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/13/texas.rape.arrest/
America's Most Wanted tells the story of Jennifer Schuett's victory, the arrest of Bradford, and to top it off, an interview with John Walsh and Jennifer in a video I'm sure you'll enjoy!
http://www.amw.com/fugitives/video_photos.cfm?id=64363
A nice reminder that sometimes justice does prevail!
Thank you Doreen Prior for calling this story to my attention.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Birthday for Charley Project
The Charley Project will be 5 years old on October 12, 2009.
The predecessor for the Charley Project was the Missing Persons Cold Case Network, (MPCCN) founded by Jennifer Marra, who was also one of the founders of the Doe Network. She resigned from MPCCN on December 2003, turning over control to Meaghan Good, who ran it until March 2004. At that time the site was attacked by hackers and had to be taken offline. Meaghan founded the Charley Project on October 12, 2004, using much of the original content of MPCCN.
Meaghan Good also has her own birthday just one week earlier. She was born October 5, 1985, and has recently turned 24 years old. You can read about her here.
http://www.charleyproject.org/administrator.html
On August 23 this year Meaghan was interviewed on Blog Talk Radio, and you can check it out here.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/PEASINTHEIRPODS/2009/08/24/News
Here is the Charley Project data on Debbie Key.
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/k/key_deborah.html
Here is the Blog.
http://charleyross.wordpress.com/
The Charley Project is named after Charley Ross, a boy who was kidnapped for ransom on July 1, 1874 in Germantown, PA, when he was 4 years old. He has never been found since.
Families and friends of missing persons owe a debt of gratitude to this one-person network, who has done a great service for all of us. Meaghan has earned my personal thanks a long time ago.
Happy Birthday Meaghan. Happy Birthday Charley Project. Keep up the good work!
The predecessor for the Charley Project was the Missing Persons Cold Case Network, (MPCCN) founded by Jennifer Marra, who was also one of the founders of the Doe Network. She resigned from MPCCN on December 2003, turning over control to Meaghan Good, who ran it until March 2004. At that time the site was attacked by hackers and had to be taken offline. Meaghan founded the Charley Project on October 12, 2004, using much of the original content of MPCCN.
Meaghan Good also has her own birthday just one week earlier. She was born October 5, 1985, and has recently turned 24 years old. You can read about her here.
http://www.charleyproject.org/administrator.html
On August 23 this year Meaghan was interviewed on Blog Talk Radio, and you can check it out here.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/PEASINTHEIRPODS/2009/08/24/News
Here is the Charley Project data on Debbie Key.
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/k/key_deborah.html
Here is the Blog.
http://charleyross.wordpress.com/
The Charley Project is named after Charley Ross, a boy who was kidnapped for ransom on July 1, 1874 in Germantown, PA, when he was 4 years old. He has never been found since.
Families and friends of missing persons owe a debt of gratitude to this one-person network, who has done a great service for all of us. Meaghan has earned my personal thanks a long time ago.
Happy Birthday Meaghan. Happy Birthday Charley Project. Keep up the good work!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Michaela Garecht
For anyone who is still not 100% completely outraged yet over the slack job of keeping tabs on Phillip Garrido by his parole board, I think this story would do it.
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/09/02/crimesider/entry5281480.shtml
As investigators continue to look into possible connections between Garrido and some unsolved missing children cases of the same time and space, the one that stands out the most is the case of Michaela Joy Garecht. It will soon be 21 years since this girl was abducted, supposedly by the same fiend, November 1988 in Hayward, CA. The parallels between Michaela and Jaycee Dugard go on and on and on.
The mother of Michaela Garecht, Sharon Murch, has never given up hope that her daughter may yet be found alive. This mother deserves much credit for making sure everyone gets the chance to learn about her daughter's story. Here she is being interviewed by one of my favorite people, Todd Matthews, for the Missing Pieces Show.
http://missingpiecesshow.homestead.com/MissingPiecesEpisode33Archive.html
Sharon Murch was at the scene while police were digging up bones at the Garrido home, and has been the guest on several TV and radio shows telling her story. Her faith has inspired many parents who are still hoping to find their own missing children.
This is Michaela's story on America's Most Wanted.
http://www.amw.com/missing_children/brief.cfm?id=23712
Michaela's story in The Charley Project.
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/g/garecht_michaela.html
A childhood friend who had witnessed Michaela's abduction describes what she has seen.
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?id=7018517
Her official website,
http://www.missingmichaela.com/the_investigation
and her mother's blog.
http://www.thewonderingheart.blogspot.com/
Whether or not you believe the cases of Michaela Garecht and Jaycee Dugard are connected, you would have to agree that the parallels are remarkable, and that the spirit of Michaela's mother is truly impressive.
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/09/02/crimesider/entry5281480.shtml
As investigators continue to look into possible connections between Garrido and some unsolved missing children cases of the same time and space, the one that stands out the most is the case of Michaela Joy Garecht. It will soon be 21 years since this girl was abducted, supposedly by the same fiend, November 1988 in Hayward, CA. The parallels between Michaela and Jaycee Dugard go on and on and on.
The mother of Michaela Garecht, Sharon Murch, has never given up hope that her daughter may yet be found alive. This mother deserves much credit for making sure everyone gets the chance to learn about her daughter's story. Here she is being interviewed by one of my favorite people, Todd Matthews, for the Missing Pieces Show.
http://missingpiecesshow.homestead.com/MissingPiecesEpisode33Archive.html
Sharon Murch was at the scene while police were digging up bones at the Garrido home, and has been the guest on several TV and radio shows telling her story. Her faith has inspired many parents who are still hoping to find their own missing children.
This is Michaela's story on America's Most Wanted.
http://www.amw.com/missing_children/brief.cfm?id=23712
Michaela's story in The Charley Project.
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/g/garecht_michaela.html
A childhood friend who had witnessed Michaela's abduction describes what she has seen.
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?id=7018517
Her official website,
http://www.missingmichaela.com/the_investigation
and her mother's blog.
http://www.thewonderingheart.blogspot.com/
Whether or not you believe the cases of Michaela Garecht and Jaycee Dugard are connected, you would have to agree that the parallels are remarkable, and that the spirit of Michaela's mother is truly impressive.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Phillip & Nancy Garrido
Good evening, Friends.
I don't claim to be psychic, or a prophet, or that God tells me things He doesn't tell other folks.
I do claim, however, to be able to tell when a news story is about to take off big time, and this is one of those stories.
My first clue is rather obvious. Anytime you see a story getting heavy coverage by every major news station in the country, it's a pretty safe bet it's gonna continue for awhile.
But that's not all, Folks!
We clearly see that Phillip Garrido has a long history of violent sexual offences, and that he SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN OUT OF PRISON when he began abducting young girls, of which Jaycee Lee Dugard was but only one.
Things like this tend to really piss me off, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. So there's my second clue that this is likely to really hit the fan. SHEER OUTRAGE!
But there's still more to come!
There are 3 other girls, besides Jaycee, that this deranged person is suspected to have kidnapped, whose bodies have never been found.
Yep! That's right! Three!
Michaela Garecht, age 9, abducted 3 months after Garrido was released from prison for (guess what?) kidnapping and rape, in Nov 1988.
Ilene Misheloff, age 13, abducted Jan 1989. (2 months after Michaela)
And little Amanda Campbell, only 4 years old, in 1991.
Oh but wait, there's STILL more!
Garrido has been also declared a "Person of Interest" in the murders of up to 10 prostitutes near Antioch in the late 1990's.
Then in 1999, while still on parole, he was arrested again for rape, and sentenced to seven months. (WTF?)
And to top it all off, this deranged individual claims to be a messenger of God! (Excuse me while I puke.)
So what was happening today in Antioch, CA? Police continue to search the Garrido home with cadaver dogs, underground radar, and other equipment, where they have already found a few bones which may be human.
Phillip's wife, Nancy, is just as crazy. She is now being kept in solitary confinment, because other inmates have threatened to rape and kill her, as she has done to innocent children. So Nancy spends most of her time reading her Bible. I hope she reads Leviticus 24:20 while she's at it.
So you see, Folks, this story is only just beginning!
Get ready for the storm!
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2009/08/30/2009-08-30_i_remember_monster_someone_dropped_ball_sez_cop_who_busted_sicko_in_1976_rape_an.html
I don't claim to be psychic, or a prophet, or that God tells me things He doesn't tell other folks.
I do claim, however, to be able to tell when a news story is about to take off big time, and this is one of those stories.
My first clue is rather obvious. Anytime you see a story getting heavy coverage by every major news station in the country, it's a pretty safe bet it's gonna continue for awhile.
But that's not all, Folks!
We clearly see that Phillip Garrido has a long history of violent sexual offences, and that he SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN OUT OF PRISON when he began abducting young girls, of which Jaycee Lee Dugard was but only one.
Things like this tend to really piss me off, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. So there's my second clue that this is likely to really hit the fan. SHEER OUTRAGE!
But there's still more to come!
There are 3 other girls, besides Jaycee, that this deranged person is suspected to have kidnapped, whose bodies have never been found.
Yep! That's right! Three!
Michaela Garecht, age 9, abducted 3 months after Garrido was released from prison for (guess what?) kidnapping and rape, in Nov 1988.
Ilene Misheloff, age 13, abducted Jan 1989. (2 months after Michaela)
And little Amanda Campbell, only 4 years old, in 1991.
Oh but wait, there's STILL more!
Garrido has been also declared a "Person of Interest" in the murders of up to 10 prostitutes near Antioch in the late 1990's.
Then in 1999, while still on parole, he was arrested again for rape, and sentenced to seven months. (WTF?)
And to top it all off, this deranged individual claims to be a messenger of God! (Excuse me while I puke.)
So what was happening today in Antioch, CA? Police continue to search the Garrido home with cadaver dogs, underground radar, and other equipment, where they have already found a few bones which may be human.
Phillip's wife, Nancy, is just as crazy. She is now being kept in solitary confinment, because other inmates have threatened to rape and kill her, as she has done to innocent children. So Nancy spends most of her time reading her Bible. I hope she reads Leviticus 24:20 while she's at it.
So you see, Folks, this story is only just beginning!
Get ready for the storm!
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2009/08/30/2009-08-30_i_remember_monster_someone_dropped_ball_sez_cop_who_busted_sicko_in_1976_rape_an.html
Thursday, September 17, 2009
WKT? is Back Online
We don't know how or why, but it seems Google has decided to restore "Who Killed Theresa?" for the good of all concerned.
Now when you go to that Links list over there -->
and click the WKT? link, it will take you here.
http://www.whokilledtheresa.blogspot.com/
Thank God!
And thanks to all the people who signed the petition.
Now when you go to that Links list over there -->
and click the WKT? link, it will take you here.
http://www.whokilledtheresa.blogspot.com/
Thank God!
And thanks to all the people who signed the petition.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Megan Maxwell
Since Jaycee Lee Dugard has been found alive, the missing persons I have heard the most about are Kelly Morris and Megan Maxwell.
Monica Caison, who has become a special person to me this year, was the first to call the case of Megan Maxwell to my attention. For me, this is a story that, the more I learn about it, the closer to home it becomes.
After checking out what YouTube has about Megan, I've decided this video gives a pretty good idea of how people are affected when a person goes missing. So much of what I see here is so familiar.
If you wish to learn all you can about Megan Maxwell without spending all day web surfing, I suggest you try 'Help Find the Missing,' where they have, at this time, four pages about her story.
http://www.helpfindthemissing.org/missing_database/index.php?s=megan+maxwell
Friday, September 04, 2009
Shanksville PA 9/11 Memorial
We all know the story of what happened in America on September 11, 2001. Evil terrorists made a series of attacks on our nation using American commercial airliners as weapons. The attack that got the most attention was the World Trade Center in New York.
An attack that didn't get as much attention was near Shanksville, PA. That one made the least amount of damage, as the plane crashed down on an empty field, killing only those who were on board. Yet, it was the most heroic.
The courage of the passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93 defeated the efforts of the hijackers, causing the plane to crash a long way from the intended target of Washington, DC, and away from any heavily populated areas. Because these people were brave enough to fight back, hundreds of lives have been spared.
New York City was a major disaster area, and the Pentagon in Arlington, VA was under heavy guard. But in that field in rural Pennsylvania, there was nothing to keep people away who came to see where the plane went down. People were walking around with tears in their eyes, thinking about those who lost their lives to save others. After the flames were out and the smoke had cleared, people began working on a memorial.
The true beauty of the memorial that was built on that site was that it was done entirely by private citizens. There were no committees, no town meetings, no assignments, just people wanting to express their sympathy for what happened there.
For a long time afterward, people were traveling from all around the country to visit the crash site, bringing memorabilia with them to add to the display. One of the first things erected on the site was a chain link fence that the visitors used to display their various items. Others brought signs, plaques, and sculptures. Many brought flowers and flags. Soon it became the largest makeshift shrine in America, if not the whole world.
Eventually, the US Government decided they didn't like the idea of citizens doing their job, and sought to make the crash site into an official memorial park. Everyone liked the idea, of course, except for the part about the government wanting to take credit for it, the bad taste of the "crescent" design, and the fact that they were so bound and determined to prove they could do such a better job than everyone else, that they went way overboard on how much land they would need, and how much to spend on it. This is why it took so long to reach an agreement on it.
So now, eight years later, the plans are officially under way to build this great big park that will cost millions of dollars, to be completed in time for the 10-year anniversary in 2011. I'm sure it will all be very nice, but I would want everyone to remember it was the people who started it. Just ordinary, everyday, American people.
For an impressive example of what American people are capable of doing on their own, take a look at the pictures on this website.
http://www.donnan.com/Flight_93.htm#FLIGHT_93
Just as in the case of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing, there are those who believe this whole 9/11 thing didn't really happen, that it was all just a big hoax. They have yet to convince me.
Special thanks to Chris Hurlbert, whose stories and photos have inspired me to write this.
An attack that didn't get as much attention was near Shanksville, PA. That one made the least amount of damage, as the plane crashed down on an empty field, killing only those who were on board. Yet, it was the most heroic.
The courage of the passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93 defeated the efforts of the hijackers, causing the plane to crash a long way from the intended target of Washington, DC, and away from any heavily populated areas. Because these people were brave enough to fight back, hundreds of lives have been spared.
New York City was a major disaster area, and the Pentagon in Arlington, VA was under heavy guard. But in that field in rural Pennsylvania, there was nothing to keep people away who came to see where the plane went down. People were walking around with tears in their eyes, thinking about those who lost their lives to save others. After the flames were out and the smoke had cleared, people began working on a memorial.
The true beauty of the memorial that was built on that site was that it was done entirely by private citizens. There were no committees, no town meetings, no assignments, just people wanting to express their sympathy for what happened there.
For a long time afterward, people were traveling from all around the country to visit the crash site, bringing memorabilia with them to add to the display. One of the first things erected on the site was a chain link fence that the visitors used to display their various items. Others brought signs, plaques, and sculptures. Many brought flowers and flags. Soon it became the largest makeshift shrine in America, if not the whole world.
Eventually, the US Government decided they didn't like the idea of citizens doing their job, and sought to make the crash site into an official memorial park. Everyone liked the idea, of course, except for the part about the government wanting to take credit for it, the bad taste of the "crescent" design, and the fact that they were so bound and determined to prove they could do such a better job than everyone else, that they went way overboard on how much land they would need, and how much to spend on it. This is why it took so long to reach an agreement on it.
So now, eight years later, the plans are officially under way to build this great big park that will cost millions of dollars, to be completed in time for the 10-year anniversary in 2011. I'm sure it will all be very nice, but I would want everyone to remember it was the people who started it. Just ordinary, everyday, American people.
For an impressive example of what American people are capable of doing on their own, take a look at the pictures on this website.
http://www.donnan.com/Flight_93.htm#FLIGHT_93
Just as in the case of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing, there are those who believe this whole 9/11 thing didn't really happen, that it was all just a big hoax. They have yet to convince me.
Special thanks to Chris Hurlbert, whose stories and photos have inspired me to write this.
Monday, August 31, 2009
New Theresa Allore Blog
John Allore has created a new blog as we await restoration of "Who Killed Theresa?" This includes old and new material, and also the petition. While Google/Blogger has provided such good service for so many of us, it is sad to find they are not working so well for the best crime blog I know of today. We always find, however, that there is a "never surrender" attitude among advocates of victim's rights, and WKT? is no exception.
So Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you the new "Who Killed Theresa's Blog?"
http://www.theresakilledagain.blogspot.com/
Fighting the never-ending battle for truth, justice, and the American way! Hey hey hey! What can I say?
So Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you the new "Who Killed Theresa's Blog?"
http://www.theresakilledagain.blogspot.com/
Fighting the never-ending battle for truth, justice, and the American way! Hey hey hey! What can I say?
Friday, August 28, 2009
Jaycee Lee Dugard
Unlike the last missing person I have mentioned, this one has been found alive.
On June 10, 1991, 11-year-old Jaycee Lee Dugard was last seen by her stepfather being abducted at her school bus stop, in South Lake Tahoe, CA.
On August 27, 2009, 18 years later, a 29-year-old woman entered a police station in Northern California, claiming to be Jaycee Lee Dugard. Before the end of the day, her identity had been confirmed.
The news traveled fast, and before long, it was all over the USA. The captors, now safely locked away, had forced her to work as a sex slave during her 18 years of captivity, along with two daughters she had with her male captor, Phillip Garrido.
You don't need me to provide a link for you on this story. Just type "Jaycee Lee Dugard" into any search engine, and you can spend all day picking out which articles you want to read about her.
The question that weighs on my mind now is how the child's development has been affected. Those 18 years were among the most important years of her life, including the rest of her childhood, all through her teens, and into early adulthood, During captivity, Jaycee and the other girls have never been to school, or had any contact with the rest of the world. I can't help wondering what her rehabilitation will be like.
The good news, of course, is that Jaycee now has a chance at a normal life. But how much of a chance remains to be seen. Still, it is not often that any person, child or adult, who has been missing for over a decade, is ever found alive. In this regard, we can say she is indeed very fortunate.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Of all the missing persons websites I know of, I believe it was the Charley Project that was the first to cover this story. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
http://charleyross.wordpress.com/
On June 10, 1991, 11-year-old Jaycee Lee Dugard was last seen by her stepfather being abducted at her school bus stop, in South Lake Tahoe, CA.
On August 27, 2009, 18 years later, a 29-year-old woman entered a police station in Northern California, claiming to be Jaycee Lee Dugard. Before the end of the day, her identity had been confirmed.
The news traveled fast, and before long, it was all over the USA. The captors, now safely locked away, had forced her to work as a sex slave during her 18 years of captivity, along with two daughters she had with her male captor, Phillip Garrido.
You don't need me to provide a link for you on this story. Just type "Jaycee Lee Dugard" into any search engine, and you can spend all day picking out which articles you want to read about her.
The question that weighs on my mind now is how the child's development has been affected. Those 18 years were among the most important years of her life, including the rest of her childhood, all through her teens, and into early adulthood, During captivity, Jaycee and the other girls have never been to school, or had any contact with the rest of the world. I can't help wondering what her rehabilitation will be like.
The good news, of course, is that Jaycee now has a chance at a normal life. But how much of a chance remains to be seen. Still, it is not often that any person, child or adult, who has been missing for over a decade, is ever found alive. In this regard, we can say she is indeed very fortunate.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Of all the missing persons websites I know of, I believe it was the Charley Project that was the first to cover this story. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
http://charleyross.wordpress.com/
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Another Missing Person Found
You absolutely must read this.
http://www2.scnow.com/scp/news/local/grand_strand/article/human_remains_identified_as_alice_donovan/65812/
Another missing person has been found, Alice Donovan, thanks to a special person in Wilmington, NC, and her cadaver dogs.
(good doggies!)
http://www2.scnow.com/scp/news/local/grand_strand/article/human_remains_identified_as_alice_donovan/65812/
Another missing person has been found, Alice Donovan, thanks to a special person in Wilmington, NC, and her cadaver dogs.
(good doggies!)
Friday, August 14, 2009
Who Killed Theresa's Blog?
If you go to visit Who Killed Theresa today, you may be in for a surprise. It seems the blog has come under a spam attack, making it disappear.
John Allore informs me he has appealed to Google to restore WKT. In the meantime, he has temporarily moved to this location.
http://cultvulture.blogspot.com/
Topics currently being discussed shall continue here, until WKT has been restored.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE August 30 -- SIGN THE PETITION TO BRING BACK WKT?
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/google-blogger-please-restore-who-killed-theresa
John Allore informs me he has appealed to Google to restore WKT. In the meantime, he has temporarily moved to this location.
http://cultvulture.blogspot.com/
Topics currently being discussed shall continue here, until WKT has been restored.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE August 30 -- SIGN THE PETITION TO BRING BACK WKT?
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/google-blogger-please-restore-who-killed-theresa
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Important Question(s)
Why isn't Christopher Lamont Cooper a suspect in the murder of Ira Yarmolenko?
http://www.crimeincharlotte.com/2008/05/vcat-arrests-rape-suspect.html
Back in February I posted this link, saying, "Nothing more for me to say here." Boy, was I ever wrong!
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/crime_safety/story/1391754.html
Another question; (okay, more than one)
Why did WSOC-TV not take advantage of the opportunity to be the first to report receiving a written confession from Cooper? Were they under gag order? Why have they STILL not mentioned it?
This is all I've found this year on blogs still active discussing the murder of Ira Yarmolenlo.
First there's Topix,
http://www.topix.com/forum/charlotte/T7TJ6BIG9TM4QST65/p31
then "Don't Worry I'll Think of a Title,"
http://babydoc3.livejournal.com/tag/ira+yarmolenko
Morons in Chapel Hill,
http://moronsinchapelhill.com/
and of course, Chris's Crime Forum.
http://chriscrimeforum.freeforums.org/ira-2-t3249.html
If I've left anyone out, please let me know.
This year there seems to be a division among the bloggers between those who believe the Gaston County Police have arrested the true killers, and those who believe they have not. (I think you know which side I've taken.)
Now there's a problem I want to see fixed. Police are no longer looking for the TRUE killers, and the case is getting colder. Cold cases are difficult to solve. I say it's time to get back on the bandwagon.
Come on people. Let's get it together. We have a murder case to solve. Let's start by asking and answering the right questions.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm sorry, I DID leave someone out.
http://annyjacoby.blogspot.com/2009/06/celebration-of-life-in-memory-of-ira.html
http://www.crimeincharlotte.com/2008/05/vcat-arrests-rape-suspect.html
Back in February I posted this link, saying, "Nothing more for me to say here." Boy, was I ever wrong!
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/crime_safety/story/1391754.html
Another question; (okay, more than one)
Why did WSOC-TV not take advantage of the opportunity to be the first to report receiving a written confession from Cooper? Were they under gag order? Why have they STILL not mentioned it?
This is all I've found this year on blogs still active discussing the murder of Ira Yarmolenlo.
First there's Topix,
http://www.topix.com/forum/charlotte/T7TJ6BIG9TM4QST65/p31
then "Don't Worry I'll Think of a Title,"
http://babydoc3.livejournal.com/tag/ira+yarmolenko
Morons in Chapel Hill,
http://moronsinchapelhill.com/
and of course, Chris's Crime Forum.
http://chriscrimeforum.freeforums.org/ira-2-t3249.html
If I've left anyone out, please let me know.
This year there seems to be a division among the bloggers between those who believe the Gaston County Police have arrested the true killers, and those who believe they have not. (I think you know which side I've taken.)
Now there's a problem I want to see fixed. Police are no longer looking for the TRUE killers, and the case is getting colder. Cold cases are difficult to solve. I say it's time to get back on the bandwagon.
Come on people. Let's get it together. We have a murder case to solve. Let's start by asking and answering the right questions.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm sorry, I DID leave someone out.
http://annyjacoby.blogspot.com/2009/06/celebration-of-life-in-memory-of-ira.html
Monday, August 03, 2009
Remains Found in Eno River Park
Yesterday evening a hiker found decomposed human remains in Eno River State Park and reported it to Durham Police. No information yet on race, gender, or cause of death. Police say the remains have been there a very long time.
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1631876.html
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=6945236
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE August 4. -- It's a MAN.
http://www.ncwanted.com/ncwanted_home/story/5724335/
and some more to read.
http://blogs.discovery.com/criminal_report/2009/08/human-skeletal-remains-found-in-durham-nc.html#more
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE August 25 -- IDENTIFIED!
It is Jonathan Richard Gardenour, missing Durham man.
http://wwwcache.wral.com/news/news_briefs/story/5864277/
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1631876.html
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=6945236
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE August 4. -- It's a MAN.
http://www.ncwanted.com/ncwanted_home/story/5724335/
and some more to read.
http://blogs.discovery.com/criminal_report/2009/08/human-skeletal-remains-found-in-durham-nc.html#more
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE August 25 -- IDENTIFIED!
It is Jonathan Richard Gardenour, missing Durham man.
http://wwwcache.wral.com/news/news_briefs/story/5864277/
Saturday, August 01, 2009
Probation Reform Bill
From WRAL News
Governor signs probation reform bill.
Posted July 30, 2009
Raleigh, N.C. — Gov. Bev Perdue has signed a bill that will give law enforcement and probation officers the authority to perform warrantless searches in certain situations and give probation officers limited access to juvenile records.
"With these reforms, I really do believe, we in North Carolina are on the right pathway to make sure we do all that we can do to help these 115,000 to 120,000 people who are on probation in our system understand we mean business," the governor told a crowd outside the Raleigh Police Department Thursday afternoon.
"When you're on probation, you're still a ward of the court, you're still a ward of the system, and we'll put you back in a city minute, if you play outside the box."
The new law allows any law enforcement officer to perform a search of a probationer without court permission, if he or she has reasonable suspicion that a probationer is involved in criminal activity or has a weapon.
"We're going to draw a strong box around that search," Perdue said. "It’s not going to be used for anything other than what it is."
Effective immediately, all warrants for parole-commissioned violators will also be expedited immediately, regardless of the infraction.
"We've eliminated the idea of routine under this administration," Perdue said. "There is absolutely no warrant in this state that should be deemed routine. Every warrant is important to somebody."
The legislation also allows officers to examine juvenile records of a probationer for offenses that would have been felonies had they been committed while the offender was an adult. Juvenile records are usually sealed.
The disclosed records will help a probation officer determine what kind of supervision the adult probationer needs.
"This is important stuff," Perdue said. "You've seen what's happened."
Problems with the probation came to light in the wake of the 2008 shooting deaths of Duke University graduate student Abhijit Mahato in January and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill student body president Eve Carson in March.
Laurence Alvin Lovette Jr. and Demario James Atwater, who are charged in Carson's death, were on probation at the time.
Officials later said Lovette – who is also a suspect in Mahato's death – was charged with nine different crimes during six weeks while he was on probation but that he never met with his probation officer.
Atwater's case was handled by 10 different staff members who failed to follow procedures between 2005 and 2008, the state has said.
Atwater was twice ordered to be placed under intensive probation, which includes mandatory curfews, weekly contact and warrantless searches, but the officers handling his case never did so.
Carson was killed a few days after Atwater was first scheduled to appear on a probation violation resulting from firearms charge to which he had pleaded guilty eight months earlier.
He was sent to the wrong courtroom and the probation hearing was delayed.
Reviews of the probation system – both internally and by the National Institute of Corrections – found that inadequate staffing, high turnover rates, case reassignments and lack of training led to deficiencies in supervision.
Two other high-profile cases this summer – including a man in North Carolina recently paroled from prison whom authorities believe killed five people in South Carolina before he was shot and killed in Gastonia – have also highlighted strains in the state's probation and parole system.
--------------------------------------------------------------
See the rest of the story here.
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/5690269/
Governor signs probation reform bill.
Posted July 30, 2009
Raleigh, N.C. — Gov. Bev Perdue has signed a bill that will give law enforcement and probation officers the authority to perform warrantless searches in certain situations and give probation officers limited access to juvenile records.
"With these reforms, I really do believe, we in North Carolina are on the right pathway to make sure we do all that we can do to help these 115,000 to 120,000 people who are on probation in our system understand we mean business," the governor told a crowd outside the Raleigh Police Department Thursday afternoon.
"When you're on probation, you're still a ward of the court, you're still a ward of the system, and we'll put you back in a city minute, if you play outside the box."
The new law allows any law enforcement officer to perform a search of a probationer without court permission, if he or she has reasonable suspicion that a probationer is involved in criminal activity or has a weapon.
"We're going to draw a strong box around that search," Perdue said. "It’s not going to be used for anything other than what it is."
Effective immediately, all warrants for parole-commissioned violators will also be expedited immediately, regardless of the infraction.
"We've eliminated the idea of routine under this administration," Perdue said. "There is absolutely no warrant in this state that should be deemed routine. Every warrant is important to somebody."
The legislation also allows officers to examine juvenile records of a probationer for offenses that would have been felonies had they been committed while the offender was an adult. Juvenile records are usually sealed.
The disclosed records will help a probation officer determine what kind of supervision the adult probationer needs.
"This is important stuff," Perdue said. "You've seen what's happened."
Problems with the probation came to light in the wake of the 2008 shooting deaths of Duke University graduate student Abhijit Mahato in January and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill student body president Eve Carson in March.
Laurence Alvin Lovette Jr. and Demario James Atwater, who are charged in Carson's death, were on probation at the time.
Officials later said Lovette – who is also a suspect in Mahato's death – was charged with nine different crimes during six weeks while he was on probation but that he never met with his probation officer.
Atwater's case was handled by 10 different staff members who failed to follow procedures between 2005 and 2008, the state has said.
Atwater was twice ordered to be placed under intensive probation, which includes mandatory curfews, weekly contact and warrantless searches, but the officers handling his case never did so.
Carson was killed a few days after Atwater was first scheduled to appear on a probation violation resulting from firearms charge to which he had pleaded guilty eight months earlier.
He was sent to the wrong courtroom and the probation hearing was delayed.
Reviews of the probation system – both internally and by the National Institute of Corrections – found that inadequate staffing, high turnover rates, case reassignments and lack of training led to deficiencies in supervision.
Two other high-profile cases this summer – including a man in North Carolina recently paroled from prison whom authorities believe killed five people in South Carolina before he was shot and killed in Gastonia – have also highlighted strains in the state's probation and parole system.
--------------------------------------------------------------
See the rest of the story here.
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/5690269/
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Introducing NamUs
From KnoxNews.Com
Names, the missing matched on NamUs
By Jim Balloch
Posted July 19, 2009 at midnight
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, or NamUs, is the first national system designed to compare information about unidentified remains with missing persons cases.
Funded by the U.S. Justice Department, it is available, free of charge, to law enforcement and the public, at www.namus.gov
"This has the potential to truly revolutionize the handling of cases of missing persons and unidentified remains," said Todd Matthews, the Southeast regional director for NamUs. "It is a huge step forward for investigators, and it gives the families and friends of missing persons a chance to become part of the process of finding their loved one."
Victims' families, police agencies, medical examiners, coroners and the general public can search for possible matches between missing persons and unidentified decedents.
To keep ongoing investigations secure, part of NamUs is set aside for law enforcement access only, so investigators can post and share information or details they do not wish made public, Matthews said.
NamUs has two databases: One has information about unidentified bodies, entered from medical examiners and coroners. It can be searched using characteristics such as sex, race, tattoos or other distinct body features, and dental information. The other contains information on missing persons cases.
Law enforcement users will have the ability to automatically cross-reference the two databases, reducing the time it takes an investigator to search them. If a close match is found, the investigator can turn to forensic services to conduct further testing, such as a dental records check or a DNA test.
NamUs only began taking records in January and is still in the growing stages. While the FBI's National Crime Information Center, or NCIC, will have around 100,000 missing persons cases listed as "active" at any given time, NamUs currently has 1,828 such cases, plus cases of 5,329 unidentified human bodies, according to Justice Department spokeswoman Sheila Jerusalem. But 43 states and 225 law enforcement agencies have started participating, and more are expected to enroll as they become aware of the program, she said.
The News Sentinel asked the Justice Department when and if current cases in the NCIC database would be added to the NamUs system, but that information was not provided in time for inclusion in this series.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/jul/19/names-the-missing-matched/
Names, the missing matched on NamUs
By Jim Balloch
Posted July 19, 2009 at midnight
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, or NamUs, is the first national system designed to compare information about unidentified remains with missing persons cases.
Funded by the U.S. Justice Department, it is available, free of charge, to law enforcement and the public, at www.namus.gov
"This has the potential to truly revolutionize the handling of cases of missing persons and unidentified remains," said Todd Matthews, the Southeast regional director for NamUs. "It is a huge step forward for investigators, and it gives the families and friends of missing persons a chance to become part of the process of finding their loved one."
Victims' families, police agencies, medical examiners, coroners and the general public can search for possible matches between missing persons and unidentified decedents.
To keep ongoing investigations secure, part of NamUs is set aside for law enforcement access only, so investigators can post and share information or details they do not wish made public, Matthews said.
NamUs has two databases: One has information about unidentified bodies, entered from medical examiners and coroners. It can be searched using characteristics such as sex, race, tattoos or other distinct body features, and dental information. The other contains information on missing persons cases.
Law enforcement users will have the ability to automatically cross-reference the two databases, reducing the time it takes an investigator to search them. If a close match is found, the investigator can turn to forensic services to conduct further testing, such as a dental records check or a DNA test.
NamUs only began taking records in January and is still in the growing stages. While the FBI's National Crime Information Center, or NCIC, will have around 100,000 missing persons cases listed as "active" at any given time, NamUs currently has 1,828 such cases, plus cases of 5,329 unidentified human bodies, according to Justice Department spokeswoman Sheila Jerusalem. But 43 states and 225 law enforcement agencies have started participating, and more are expected to enroll as they become aware of the program, she said.
The News Sentinel asked the Justice Department when and if current cases in the NCIC database would be added to the NamUs system, but that information was not provided in time for inclusion in this series.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/jul/19/names-the-missing-matched/
Friday, July 17, 2009
Something to think about
"Life doesn't cease to be funny when people die, any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh."
George Bernard Shaw
1856 - 1950
"It has been said that man is a rational animal. All my life I have been searching for evidence which could support this."
Bertrand Russel
1872 - 1970
"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."
Martin Luther King Jr
1929 - 1968
George Bernard Shaw
1856 - 1950
"It has been said that man is a rational animal. All my life I have been searching for evidence which could support this."
Bertrand Russel
1872 - 1970
"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."
Martin Luther King Jr
1929 - 1968
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Kristin Lodge-Miller Memorial
Even with the help of the people at the Rape Crisis Center, I still had trouble finding this. Originally, I was told the memorial marker was at the spot where the shrine (or pile of flowers) used to be, which was on the other side of the street, near Phillips Middle School, on Estes Drive in Chapel Hill.
Actually, it is near the driveway of the Orange County Rape Crisis Center, which is next door to Amity Methodist Church. It's tucked back a ways from the sidewalk, in the shade of some trees, and it's easy to walk by without seeing it.
When I first wrote about Kristin Lodge-Miller 2 years ago in this blog, I reported that I was unable to find very much about her on a Google search. Now there's quite a bit in there. I think the Eve Carson case had a lot to do with bringing this story back into the news of Chapel Hill. For me, this will be a part of our local history I will always remember.
Be safe out there, and remember the date of July 15, 1993.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Missing Persons - The Band
If you go to YouTube and type in "Missing Persons," you are likely to find material on the 1980's rock band, before you find the videos made by the Missing Persons Network, the Doe Network, Missing Pieces, and such as that.
This song I wish to dedicate to a whole lot of folks.
I hope you know who you are!
Peace and Blessings;
BW
Thursday, June 25, 2009
The Silence of the Blogs
The story you are about to read is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is entirely intentional.
In some North Carolina town a person outside the state has probably never heard of, a pretty young sophomore from a university in the next town was found murdered. The local police receive a 911 call from a person on a watercraft. He was jet skiing along the river and found a car and a body. Unfortunately for the local police, the caller was unable to tell them how to get to his location by land. I guess the local police didn't have a boat, or a GPS system to trace the cell phone.
It took them a while to find the place. During the search, police moving along the river found a couple of guys fishing. They told them they were looking for a body, and the two guys told them they were just fishing. The police got their names, addresses, and, who knows?, maybe a DNA sample from them as well, before moving along their way.
After they had finally arrived at the crime scene, and figured out where they were, they were able to call in and report the location of the road the car was on before it came down here.
A mother of a young woman who went missing from that area a month earlier wanted to know if this was her daughter they had found, but it was not. We don't even hear about that case until later. What we do hear is that the victim was a student at the university, which was about 30 miles away, and that this person's name is very well known on the campus, and in another NC town she had come from before attending university.
Very quickly the local police find out this person is very well known and loved. People show up from everywhere to talk about this pretty young sophomore, including her family who want to talk to the police in person. News stations from all around are covering the story, and throughout cyberspace the blogs came rolling in.
The local police figure that they need to solve this murder case, but they don't know how to do it. They never heard of this person before, and it didn't seem to occur to them to ask the hundreds of people who showed up on her behalf. They could have called in the SBI, but perhaps they didn't want to admit they needed help. They tell the press they are making progress, but they can't give any details about it now. It buys them some time.
But the time runs out. Seven months later they still have no clues. The local police are desperate. They need a suspect to arrest. This will make them look like they have made progress. They remember the two guys who were fishing down on the river that day. Why not arrest them?
Now a whole lot of people in that town could have told us that not only are these two guys innocent, but if the local police were to call them and ask them to come on down to the station, they would have willingly complied with the request. But the local police decide they want to be more dramatic than that. They show up at their homes at 4:30 in the morning, with lots of fire power.
At first everyone is excited, thinking this was good news. They are all singing and dancing about how the killers have been caught. But after seeing what these two guys look like, and hearing what they had to say, and what their neighbors had to say. people began to have some doubts about them arresting the right people.
All of the forums and all of the blogs that were involved in discussion of the case were saying the local police had no clue what they were doing. This went on until there was a second hearing, (mistakenly referred to as a trial) and everyone found out a whole lot of details of the investigation that were kept secret until then.
And then, something very mysterious happened. Forums began to close. Websites were no longer accessible. No one was talking about the pretty young sophomore anymore. The news media never mentioned another word about it. The case remains unsolved.
Meanwhile, back in the town she came from, some friends of the pretty young sophomore have some ideas about what happened, but no one listens to them. People figure these kids are too young to know what they're talking about. They are about the same age as the victim. With no one to listen to them, they made their statement by releasing a bunch of balloons.
Anyone out there who can tell the rest of the story, please be my guest.
In some North Carolina town a person outside the state has probably never heard of, a pretty young sophomore from a university in the next town was found murdered. The local police receive a 911 call from a person on a watercraft. He was jet skiing along the river and found a car and a body. Unfortunately for the local police, the caller was unable to tell them how to get to his location by land. I guess the local police didn't have a boat, or a GPS system to trace the cell phone.
It took them a while to find the place. During the search, police moving along the river found a couple of guys fishing. They told them they were looking for a body, and the two guys told them they were just fishing. The police got their names, addresses, and, who knows?, maybe a DNA sample from them as well, before moving along their way.
After they had finally arrived at the crime scene, and figured out where they were, they were able to call in and report the location of the road the car was on before it came down here.
A mother of a young woman who went missing from that area a month earlier wanted to know if this was her daughter they had found, but it was not. We don't even hear about that case until later. What we do hear is that the victim was a student at the university, which was about 30 miles away, and that this person's name is very well known on the campus, and in another NC town she had come from before attending university.
Very quickly the local police find out this person is very well known and loved. People show up from everywhere to talk about this pretty young sophomore, including her family who want to talk to the police in person. News stations from all around are covering the story, and throughout cyberspace the blogs came rolling in.
The local police figure that they need to solve this murder case, but they don't know how to do it. They never heard of this person before, and it didn't seem to occur to them to ask the hundreds of people who showed up on her behalf. They could have called in the SBI, but perhaps they didn't want to admit they needed help. They tell the press they are making progress, but they can't give any details about it now. It buys them some time.
But the time runs out. Seven months later they still have no clues. The local police are desperate. They need a suspect to arrest. This will make them look like they have made progress. They remember the two guys who were fishing down on the river that day. Why not arrest them?
Now a whole lot of people in that town could have told us that not only are these two guys innocent, but if the local police were to call them and ask them to come on down to the station, they would have willingly complied with the request. But the local police decide they want to be more dramatic than that. They show up at their homes at 4:30 in the morning, with lots of fire power.
At first everyone is excited, thinking this was good news. They are all singing and dancing about how the killers have been caught. But after seeing what these two guys look like, and hearing what they had to say, and what their neighbors had to say. people began to have some doubts about them arresting the right people.
All of the forums and all of the blogs that were involved in discussion of the case were saying the local police had no clue what they were doing. This went on until there was a second hearing, (mistakenly referred to as a trial) and everyone found out a whole lot of details of the investigation that were kept secret until then.
And then, something very mysterious happened. Forums began to close. Websites were no longer accessible. No one was talking about the pretty young sophomore anymore. The news media never mentioned another word about it. The case remains unsolved.
Meanwhile, back in the town she came from, some friends of the pretty young sophomore have some ideas about what happened, but no one listens to them. People figure these kids are too young to know what they're talking about. They are about the same age as the victim. With no one to listen to them, they made their statement by releasing a bunch of balloons.
Anyone out there who can tell the rest of the story, please be my guest.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Class of 2009
In my rural Chatham neighborhood, the most popular resident is Alex Ross. Alex is graduating from Northwood High School today.
At the age of 12 Alex had started his own newspaper.
At the age of 13, Alex came over to my house to show me how to use my new (to me) computer. I was embarrassed to have to admit that even though I am more than 3 times older than Alex, I only know less than half as much about computers. But young Alex was easy on me. He didn't make me feel dumb when he had to explain things to me. I will always appreciate that.
As a teenager Alex learned all about video equipment, and has made himself a major contributer to this website. He always knew what to do with pictures, and I got him to film "Storm Front at Carrboro Day," for my musician friends' first YouTube video. Alex also made excellent video for me from when we were on NC Wanted.
If you can find "Local Computer Care" in my Links list, you can find the website of Alex Ross. You can contact him to help with any video or computer projects you may have planned.
Because of his many contributions to my cause, I feel duty bound to bid him congratulations on his graduation.
Here's to you, Alex!
Now just imagine what he'll be doing once he's into UNC!
http://friendsofdebbie.blogspot.com/2008/07/storm-front-live.html
At the age of 12 Alex had started his own newspaper.
At the age of 13, Alex came over to my house to show me how to use my new (to me) computer. I was embarrassed to have to admit that even though I am more than 3 times older than Alex, I only know less than half as much about computers. But young Alex was easy on me. He didn't make me feel dumb when he had to explain things to me. I will always appreciate that.
As a teenager Alex learned all about video equipment, and has made himself a major contributer to this website. He always knew what to do with pictures, and I got him to film "Storm Front at Carrboro Day," for my musician friends' first YouTube video. Alex also made excellent video for me from when we were on NC Wanted.
If you can find "Local Computer Care" in my Links list, you can find the website of Alex Ross. You can contact him to help with any video or computer projects you may have planned.
Because of his many contributions to my cause, I feel duty bound to bid him congratulations on his graduation.
Here's to you, Alex!
Now just imagine what he'll be doing once he's into UNC!
http://friendsofdebbie.blogspot.com/2008/07/storm-front-live.html
Monday, June 01, 2009
Birthday for FDK
June 1st is the birthday of the FDK website.
We are now 2 years old.
Once again I have been contemplating if I should continue or not.
In the beginning I said I would quit the website if no one showed up for the candlelight vigil. Attendance was good, so I kept on going.
Last year was very successful with getting media attention, so I didn't even have to think about it.
This year I asked for feedback from some friends to help me decide.
There's a female friend I am rather fond of, so I tend to listen to her. She reminds me of how, on the first part of the journey, I wanted to write about plants and birds and rocks and things, but ended up writing about crime instead. It was sad to think that everyone I write about is dead.
(Thank you, America)
This person says there are more pleasant things I could be writing about.
And then there was the opposite extreme.
There was this person who suggested that a website about a murdered or missing person should be more "serious," and have less of the "Funny Little Bunnies," and other goofy stuff I like to do.
I've decided that too many of us have a dreadfully negative attitude towards death, and I should try to make a positive example.
For this reason, I have selected this tune by Mike Oldfield to offer in response.
-----------------------------------------------------
RIP - Paul Kemp
May 23 1958 - May 26 2009
Another Friend of Debbie Key
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Dalzell Pleads Guilty
Hey Folks! Sorry I'm late!
Thanks NC Wanted!
What would we do without you?
http://www.ncwanted.com/ncwanted_home/story/4465792/
Well whatta ya know?
He didn't try to BS his way out of it again.
I wonder why?
Thanks NC Wanted!
What would we do without you?
http://www.ncwanted.com/ncwanted_home/story/4465792/
Well whatta ya know?
He didn't try to BS his way out of it again.
I wonder why?
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Remembering Ira
It has now been a year since the world was robbed of the life of Ira Yarmolenko.
We were still in recoil from the death of Eve Carson in March, when the word came around.
Ira had lived in the Chapel Hill area since 1998. It comes as no surprise that a person of her charisma should have so many friends in the area. Still, I was amazed how much I was able to learn about her in a short time.
Listening to the testimonies of people who have known her, I began to wonder if a sweeter person has ever lived.
It is sad that murder rarely weeds out the worst of us, but more often targets the best of us. To lose Eve Carson and Ira both is a great loss to humanity.
Everything I have heard about Ira has been positive. To this day, I have never yet heard a negative about her.
This is a trend I am glad to see. Friends of Debbie Key had to fight pretty hard against the "blame the victim" syndrome.
IRA = Is Really Awesome
Ira was a one-of-a kind person, a unique individual who has touched so many lives it's barely believable. It boggles the mind to imagine the impact she would have had on the world if she had lived longer, considering the impact she has had in just 20 years, on nearly everyone she has encountered.
I am sorry to say, I am not impressed with the Gaston County Police.
They have been way too secretive in their investigation, when every detail is a potential clue. With so many friends, family, and fellow students willing to co-operate with law enforcement, they still end up arresting a most unlikely pair, after 7 months, who picked a bad day to go fishing.
I believe we can solve this case.
I believe we collectively have all the information we need. We only need to communicate with each other, and fit our pieces of info together. Too many clues have been ignored. Let's try picking them up.
I have learned more about the details of the investigation through 'Topix' than through any other source. I have much more confidence in the bloggers of this case than in the police. I want to see the forums open back up. Good slueths have always said that someone knows something. I say, especially in this case, that everyone knows something. With so many people who knew Ira, who are dedicated to seeking justice, it appears to me that we already have a very good start.
"The world is a dangerous place.
Not because of the people who are evil,
but because of the people who don't do anything about it."
-- Albert Einstein
We were still in recoil from the death of Eve Carson in March, when the word came around.
Ira had lived in the Chapel Hill area since 1998. It comes as no surprise that a person of her charisma should have so many friends in the area. Still, I was amazed how much I was able to learn about her in a short time.
Listening to the testimonies of people who have known her, I began to wonder if a sweeter person has ever lived.
It is sad that murder rarely weeds out the worst of us, but more often targets the best of us. To lose Eve Carson and Ira both is a great loss to humanity.
Everything I have heard about Ira has been positive. To this day, I have never yet heard a negative about her.
This is a trend I am glad to see. Friends of Debbie Key had to fight pretty hard against the "blame the victim" syndrome.
IRA = Is Really Awesome
Ira was a one-of-a kind person, a unique individual who has touched so many lives it's barely believable. It boggles the mind to imagine the impact she would have had on the world if she had lived longer, considering the impact she has had in just 20 years, on nearly everyone she has encountered.
I am sorry to say, I am not impressed with the Gaston County Police.
They have been way too secretive in their investigation, when every detail is a potential clue. With so many friends, family, and fellow students willing to co-operate with law enforcement, they still end up arresting a most unlikely pair, after 7 months, who picked a bad day to go fishing.
I believe we can solve this case.
I believe we collectively have all the information we need. We only need to communicate with each other, and fit our pieces of info together. Too many clues have been ignored. Let's try picking them up.
I have learned more about the details of the investigation through 'Topix' than through any other source. I have much more confidence in the bloggers of this case than in the police. I want to see the forums open back up. Good slueths have always said that someone knows something. I say, especially in this case, that everyone knows something. With so many people who knew Ira, who are dedicated to seeking justice, it appears to me that we already have a very good start.
"The world is a dangerous place.
Not because of the people who are evil,
but because of the people who don't do anything about it."
-- Albert Einstein
Saturday, April 18, 2009
More on Allison Foy
On the night of Good Friday, Dateline NBC aired an episode on the unsolved murders of Allison Jackson-Foy and Angela Rothen.
Lisa Valentino, Allison's sister, had sent me a message to make sure I see it. She was not the only one to notify me of this, (Thank you, Friends!) but I was especially glad to hear from this one. Lisa has impressed me with her devotion to solving her sister's case.
Check it out here.
http://insidedateline.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/04/08/1885505.aspx
NC Wanted, as I expected, was also in on it.
Here's what they had to say:
------------------------------------------------
Allison Jackson Foy disappeared in July 2006. Then, 18 months later, her remains were found in Wilmington. Autopsy results show that Allison was the victim of a violent stabbing.
Posted: Apr. 16, 2009
Updated: Apr. 16, 2009
NEW HANOVER COUNTY — When Allison Jackson Foy disappeared in July 2006, it seemed like a classic case of a woman in trouble walking away from her life.
But Allison’s sister, Lisa Valentino, couldn’t believe it. Despite the difficulties, Allison never would have walked away from her life. She had two daughters she loved very much, and always spoke up when she was in trouble.
“If she ever needed help she would pick up the phone,” said Lisa Valentino, Allison’s sister. “If things were bad where she was, she would have taken her daughters with her. She would have never left her kids behind. Never in a million years.”
A harrowing discovery in April 2008 proved Valentino’s suspicion correct. It took months for DNA analysis to confirm the remains were Allison, but Investigator Mike Overton with the Wilmington Police Department said he knew right away it was her.
But the shocking discovery didn’t end there. Allison’s weren’t the only remains found in a wooded, out-of-the-way area in Carolina Beach. Angela Nobles Rothen disappeared some 18 months after Allison vanished and police, although hesitant to use the term ‘serial killer,’ say there’s no doubt the same man killed both.
Like Allison, Rothen struggled with addiction and left children behind. Both women died by violent stabbing.
"I don’t know what that world is going to be like,” Valentino told NC WANTED after the remains were preliminarily identified as Allison. “I mean, I imagine it is going to be difficult to know that somebody took my sister’s life and they have no idea who did it. And that person is still out there somewhere."
Within two months of the discovery, police search a house, car and storage unit belonging to 47-year-old Timothy Craig Iannone, a cab driver who frequented the area where the remains were found.
According to the search warrants, Iannone has a criminal history. In August 2007, he was arrested for the kidnapping, rape and assault of a prostitute in the area near where the remains were found. He is currently on probation.
Earlier this year, the Star News of Wilmington reported that Iannone had been cleared as a suspect, and in an interview he told them he was weary of being watched all of the time.
More recently, though, police have changed their stance.
“The time I last talked to the press, we’d pretty much done everything we could at that time with him,” Overton told NC WANTED in a phone interview. “Since that time, we’ve had some additional evidence come to light for us, and he’s back on our radar. There could be other suspects out there and we are looking at other people, but Mr. Iannone is definitely back on our radar as a potential suspect.”
According to her family, Allison left work around 10 p.m. that evening and went to a friend’s house. She left a while later, and went to the Junction Pub and Billiards on Carolina Beach Road. Investigators say Allison appeared to be in good spirits when she met a friend there at 11 p.m. After staying for a few hours, witnesses say, she left the bar around 2 a.m. Police found her car in the bar’s parking lot.
Witnesses who were at the bar the night Allison disappeared have different accounts of when they last saw her. Some say the bartender called a cab to take her home and when the driver came inside, she left. Others claim Allison never left in a cab and she was seen sitting on the front steps of the bar, crying. Phone records show that she made a call to a friend in New York at 2:03 a.m.
Police feel confident Allison was killed the night she disappeared.
If you have information on this case, call NC WANTED toll free at 1.866.43.WANTED (1.866.439.2683) or click on "Report a Tip" Your identity can be kept confidential.
http://www.ncwanted.com/ncwanted_home/story/4963943/
------------------------------------------------------------
Allison Jackson Foy's website, maintained by her sister, Lisa Valentino, may be found via the Links List on this page.
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Atlas Fraley Update
We still don't know the cause of Atlas Fraley's death.
But that doesn't mean we have to find someone to blame it on.
While we must be careful not to assume too much, I think it's fairly safe to assume, at this point, that Fraley had a medical condition that no one knew about.
When a young person dies in such a mysterious way, it's a natural human thing to respond to it with a lot of questions, and a lot of anger. I don't blame anyone for being angry. I confess, I am guilty of the same thing myself.
On Wednesday, March 18, the day after St. Patrick's Day, I saw about 15 seconds worth of news coverage on TV about the newly released statement from the medical examiner. I was quite disturbed that the autopsy findings were "inconclusive." (Is someone trying to cover his butt?)
Going online, nothing new in there either. I check again Thursday and Friday, and it's more news articles that say the same old thing. All of them are very short, just a few sentences, none of them telling us anything we didn't already know.
I am ready to scream, "What the hell's going on?" while visions of angry mobs dance through my head.
Then on Saturday, March 21, I find this in the News & Observer.
http://www.newsobserver.com/264/story/1451303.html
Kudos to staff writer Jesse James DeConto, for having the sensitivity to respond to everyone's nagging questions.
Why was he left alone?
Why weren't his parents notified?
Why wasn't he taken to the hospital?
Finally, we get some answers.
The next thing I know, I find myself developing a whole new perspective.
So I was about to write this up, when I get yet another incoming angry message.
But this one isn't a message attacking the Orange County 911 Emergency Medical Service, but one defending them, with every bit as much anger.
A reader says that I shouldn't need to be reminded that our EMS is very dedicated to saving lives and aiding the injured, and they deserve a whole lot more credit than they are getting.
I was pretty knocked back by this. I need some time to recover, and to decide how to respond. Until then, all the angry messages I've received were directed against the EMS. Feeling defensive, I want to know why this reader thinks it's my fault the EMS is under fire. I want to fire back, but I have to think about it instead.
I know someone who works as a dispatcher for 911. In the wee hours of the morning during March of last year, I received a message saying Chapel Hill Police have found a dead body of a young white female, in the Hillcrest area of Chapel Hill. This was later identified as the body of Eve Carson. How thankful I should be to have people who can deliver important news to me, before the news media has time to write it up.
Gee, I guess I do owe them something.
I did not know Atlas Fraley, but since last August I have read a lot about him, and have heard a lot about him from people I have met. I am under the impression that this young man was a big lovable bear with a great big heart that was just so full of love for everyone. I don't think he would be too happy to see us slinging mud at each other in his wake, especially over something that happened that no one could see coming.
There was this guy named Jesus who said,
"Blessed are the peace makers..."
It must be worth a try, don't you think?
But that doesn't mean we have to find someone to blame it on.
While we must be careful not to assume too much, I think it's fairly safe to assume, at this point, that Fraley had a medical condition that no one knew about.
When a young person dies in such a mysterious way, it's a natural human thing to respond to it with a lot of questions, and a lot of anger. I don't blame anyone for being angry. I confess, I am guilty of the same thing myself.
On Wednesday, March 18, the day after St. Patrick's Day, I saw about 15 seconds worth of news coverage on TV about the newly released statement from the medical examiner. I was quite disturbed that the autopsy findings were "inconclusive." (Is someone trying to cover his butt?)
Going online, nothing new in there either. I check again Thursday and Friday, and it's more news articles that say the same old thing. All of them are very short, just a few sentences, none of them telling us anything we didn't already know.
I am ready to scream, "What the hell's going on?" while visions of angry mobs dance through my head.
Then on Saturday, March 21, I find this in the News & Observer.
http://www.newsobserver.com/264/story/1451303.html
Kudos to staff writer Jesse James DeConto, for having the sensitivity to respond to everyone's nagging questions.
Why was he left alone?
Why weren't his parents notified?
Why wasn't he taken to the hospital?
Finally, we get some answers.
The next thing I know, I find myself developing a whole new perspective.
So I was about to write this up, when I get yet another incoming angry message.
But this one isn't a message attacking the Orange County 911 Emergency Medical Service, but one defending them, with every bit as much anger.
A reader says that I shouldn't need to be reminded that our EMS is very dedicated to saving lives and aiding the injured, and they deserve a whole lot more credit than they are getting.
I was pretty knocked back by this. I need some time to recover, and to decide how to respond. Until then, all the angry messages I've received were directed against the EMS. Feeling defensive, I want to know why this reader thinks it's my fault the EMS is under fire. I want to fire back, but I have to think about it instead.
I know someone who works as a dispatcher for 911. In the wee hours of the morning during March of last year, I received a message saying Chapel Hill Police have found a dead body of a young white female, in the Hillcrest area of Chapel Hill. This was later identified as the body of Eve Carson. How thankful I should be to have people who can deliver important news to me, before the news media has time to write it up.
Gee, I guess I do owe them something.
I did not know Atlas Fraley, but since last August I have read a lot about him, and have heard a lot about him from people I have met. I am under the impression that this young man was a big lovable bear with a great big heart that was just so full of love for everyone. I don't think he would be too happy to see us slinging mud at each other in his wake, especially over something that happened that no one could see coming.
There was this guy named Jesus who said,
"Blessed are the peace makers..."
It must be worth a try, don't you think?
Saturday, March 14, 2009
History of St. Pat's Day
A 7th grade teacher of mine said there are 2 kinds of people in this world:
"The Irish, and those who wish they were Irish."
Before I came to North Carolina, I used to believe it was true.
You can always count on me to remember March 17.
(Did I mention my mother's maiden name was O'Bryan?)
Friday, March 06, 2009
Remembering Eve Carson
Remembering Eve Carson
From WRAL.com
Posted: Mar. 5, 2009
Updated: Mar. 5, 2009
Eve Carson, the slain University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill student body president, was a Tar Heel through and through.
She loved Carolina basketball, going to Franklin Street and playing intramural sports. Friends say James Taylor's "Carolina in My Mind" was one of her favorite songs.
As a student leader and prestigious Morehead-Cain scholar, she personified what retired UNC Chancellor James Moeser last year called "the Carolina spirit." She was "compassionate, inclusive in her dealings with everyone … fairness, justice and tolerance."
The biology and political science major found time to tutor and teach science at a local elementary school. On summer breaks, she studied in Havana and volunteered in Ecuador, Egypt and Ghana.
Carson's enthusiasm for community service was contagious, friends say, and so was her ability to get people involved. Friends say that she was ready to conquer the world.
"Just whatever she was going to do, she was going to be great just being herself," said UNC junior Katherine Novinski, a Morehead-Cain scholar whom Carson mentored.
Instead, the world has come to know her in a much different way.
The 22-year-old native of Athens, Ga., was kidnapped at her campus rental house in the early morning of March 5, 2008, robbed, shot and killed in a neighborhood near the UNC campus.
Two men – Demario James Atwater and Laurence Alvin Lovette Jr. – face state and federal charges in connection with her death, which Chapel Hill police have called a random act of violence.
The crime sent shockwaves through the university community, which hadn't experienced a tragedy of such magnitude since 1995, when a law school student went on a shooting rampage and killed two people.
Within hours of hearing of Carson's death, thousands gathered on campus for a memorial service and a candlelight vigil.
"Something happened that day at UNC," said junior Hogan Medlin, also a Morehead-Cain scholar whom Carson mentored. "It was a literal coming together of the student body."
One year later, UNC is turning its grief into action, having already started a scholarship in Carson's honor – the first recipient was named last month – as well as a variety of other projects.
At a remembrance on Thursday, Chancellor Holden Thorpe will ask students, faculty and staff to give back to the community during the month of March.
"What matters most is who did you inspire? Where did you make your mark in this world?" Medlin said. "Eve made her mark, and it's evident in every person you can talk to."
Lisa and Emily Martin are living Carson's legacy of service. The women and about 80 other students will spend spring break in New Orleans. They plan to rebuild communities still recovering from Hurricane Katrina.
“Eve Carson made a big difference on this campus. You can tell by the people who were affected by her death. So, I think it's really cool how we have the opportunity to make a difference in society as well as she did,” said Emily Martin, UNC student.
“I think it speaks about her life and what she meant to do,” said Lisa Martin, UNC student.
Carson's family has grieved privately, but her younger brother has taken on a very public cause that started before she died.
Andrew Carson helped produce an award-winning documentary called "Darius Goes West," which has sold nearly 22,000 copies and raised more than $1.5 million for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research. The goal is to sell 1 million DVDs in one year.
The film follows the quest of 15-year-old muscular dystrophy patient Darius Weems, who sets off on a cross-country quest to get MTV's "Pimp My Ride" to customize his wheelchair. Along the way, Weems touches the lives of those he meets and shares his story.
Friends say Eve Carson encouraged the project.
"She would take the time to ask you the questions that others wouldn't ask," Medlin said. "She would meet you and immediately ask you what your passions are."
Thursday's remembrance begins in The Pit on the UNC campus at 4 p.m. with music starting at 3:45 p.m. It is expected to last about 30 minutes and feature remarks by Thorp and a performance by student a cappella group, The Clef Hangers.
"For many of us, the loss of Eve Carson continues to occupy our thoughts," Thorp said. "This ceremony gives us a chance to remember and celebrate Eve together after a difficult year."
Also on Thursday evening, friends will gather at Carson's alma mater, Clarke Central High School in Athens, for a moment of silence.
Copyright 2009 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
http://www.ncwanted.com/ncwanted_home/story/4675337/
From WRAL.com
Posted: Mar. 5, 2009
Updated: Mar. 5, 2009
Eve Carson, the slain University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill student body president, was a Tar Heel through and through.
She loved Carolina basketball, going to Franklin Street and playing intramural sports. Friends say James Taylor's "Carolina in My Mind" was one of her favorite songs.
As a student leader and prestigious Morehead-Cain scholar, she personified what retired UNC Chancellor James Moeser last year called "the Carolina spirit." She was "compassionate, inclusive in her dealings with everyone … fairness, justice and tolerance."
The biology and political science major found time to tutor and teach science at a local elementary school. On summer breaks, she studied in Havana and volunteered in Ecuador, Egypt and Ghana.
Carson's enthusiasm for community service was contagious, friends say, and so was her ability to get people involved. Friends say that she was ready to conquer the world.
"Just whatever she was going to do, she was going to be great just being herself," said UNC junior Katherine Novinski, a Morehead-Cain scholar whom Carson mentored.
Instead, the world has come to know her in a much different way.
The 22-year-old native of Athens, Ga., was kidnapped at her campus rental house in the early morning of March 5, 2008, robbed, shot and killed in a neighborhood near the UNC campus.
Two men – Demario James Atwater and Laurence Alvin Lovette Jr. – face state and federal charges in connection with her death, which Chapel Hill police have called a random act of violence.
The crime sent shockwaves through the university community, which hadn't experienced a tragedy of such magnitude since 1995, when a law school student went on a shooting rampage and killed two people.
Within hours of hearing of Carson's death, thousands gathered on campus for a memorial service and a candlelight vigil.
"Something happened that day at UNC," said junior Hogan Medlin, also a Morehead-Cain scholar whom Carson mentored. "It was a literal coming together of the student body."
One year later, UNC is turning its grief into action, having already started a scholarship in Carson's honor – the first recipient was named last month – as well as a variety of other projects.
At a remembrance on Thursday, Chancellor Holden Thorpe will ask students, faculty and staff to give back to the community during the month of March.
"What matters most is who did you inspire? Where did you make your mark in this world?" Medlin said. "Eve made her mark, and it's evident in every person you can talk to."
Lisa and Emily Martin are living Carson's legacy of service. The women and about 80 other students will spend spring break in New Orleans. They plan to rebuild communities still recovering from Hurricane Katrina.
“Eve Carson made a big difference on this campus. You can tell by the people who were affected by her death. So, I think it's really cool how we have the opportunity to make a difference in society as well as she did,” said Emily Martin, UNC student.
“I think it speaks about her life and what she meant to do,” said Lisa Martin, UNC student.
Carson's family has grieved privately, but her younger brother has taken on a very public cause that started before she died.
Andrew Carson helped produce an award-winning documentary called "Darius Goes West," which has sold nearly 22,000 copies and raised more than $1.5 million for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research. The goal is to sell 1 million DVDs in one year.
The film follows the quest of 15-year-old muscular dystrophy patient Darius Weems, who sets off on a cross-country quest to get MTV's "Pimp My Ride" to customize his wheelchair. Along the way, Weems touches the lives of those he meets and shares his story.
Friends say Eve Carson encouraged the project.
"She would take the time to ask you the questions that others wouldn't ask," Medlin said. "She would meet you and immediately ask you what your passions are."
Thursday's remembrance begins in The Pit on the UNC campus at 4 p.m. with music starting at 3:45 p.m. It is expected to last about 30 minutes and feature remarks by Thorp and a performance by student a cappella group, The Clef Hangers.
"For many of us, the loss of Eve Carson continues to occupy our thoughts," Thorp said. "This ceremony gives us a chance to remember and celebrate Eve together after a difficult year."
Also on Thursday evening, friends will gather at Carson's alma mater, Clarke Central High School in Athens, for a moment of silence.
Copyright 2009 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
http://www.ncwanted.com/ncwanted_home/story/4675337/
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Chandra Levy
One Question:
Why did it take 8 years?
Now here's the catch:
Any way you answer that will generate more questions.
Friday, February 06, 2009
Thank You, God!
I promised someone that I would open my next post with the above 3 words. As to who it is I made that promise to, I'll let you guess.
Sometimes it is very hard to believe in God.
Like when someone near and dear to you is taken from you, in a senseless act.
It doesn't help when those who claim to be His followers are such idiots that you try to avoid them.
But sometimes it is very easy to believe in God.
Like when you're sitting at home watching TV and, suddenly and unexpectedly, there's something in the news you were waiting for so long, you forgot you were waiting for it.
Add to it that it was the very next day after the Yarmolenko trial, and my mind begins to wonder if some mysterious forces may be at work.
Andrew Dalzell has been arrested.
We were all waiting for the time he would get in trouble again. It was bound to happen, we all said. (I know I did!) He has always gotten in trouble before, and he will certainly get in trouble again. Getting in trouble is one thing he does well. The day will surely come,
but...
lets hope and pray that when the day comes, the slippery fish doesn't slip through the cracks again.
So I get online, and look at all these messages.
John Allore picked up the story before I did. It certainly wasn't the first time, and likely won't be the last.
A message from Carolyn Hutchison, Carrboro Police Chief.
A reporter named Kevin Ellis with the Gaston Gazette wants me to call him.
Several messages from Joy and other friends, one of them telling me how Joy was "captured" by WRAL News.
My heart is beating fast as I take this all in.
Moisture forms in the corners of my eyes.
Do I dare believe...?
Would Dalzell more likely get a fair trial in Buncombe County than in Orange?
It's hard to argue with that, especially considering that he didn't really get a trial at all in Orange County.
Now that right there is the thing that's messed up the most about it.
Dalzell was the one who should have been on trial, but the Carrboro Police were the ones on trial.
Hey, what's wrong with this picture, Folks?
I mean, weren't the CPD the ones doing everything they could to solve the case?
I have it on good authority that the CPD has made the sincerest efforts. I have always and will always stand by them on their efforts. It was the DA who opposed them in a double-cross that is to blame.
So what was that question again?
Oh yeah,
Will they make it stick next time?
Throw enough of it at the wall, and just maybe...?
One thing I know for sure.
If they slap his wrist and let him go, the public outcry would be downright frightening!
Special thanks also to the Buncombe County Sherrif's Office.
http://www.gastongazette.com/news/county_30091___article.html/dalzell_buncombe.html
http://www.wral.com/news/local/video/4479316/
-------------------------------------------------------
Now here's a new link.
http://www.gastongazette.com/news/dalzell_30138___article.html/key_police.html
Sometimes it is very hard to believe in God.
Like when someone near and dear to you is taken from you, in a senseless act.
It doesn't help when those who claim to be His followers are such idiots that you try to avoid them.
But sometimes it is very easy to believe in God.
Like when you're sitting at home watching TV and, suddenly and unexpectedly, there's something in the news you were waiting for so long, you forgot you were waiting for it.
Add to it that it was the very next day after the Yarmolenko trial, and my mind begins to wonder if some mysterious forces may be at work.
Andrew Dalzell has been arrested.
We were all waiting for the time he would get in trouble again. It was bound to happen, we all said. (I know I did!) He has always gotten in trouble before, and he will certainly get in trouble again. Getting in trouble is one thing he does well. The day will surely come,
but...
lets hope and pray that when the day comes, the slippery fish doesn't slip through the cracks again.
So I get online, and look at all these messages.
John Allore picked up the story before I did. It certainly wasn't the first time, and likely won't be the last.
A message from Carolyn Hutchison, Carrboro Police Chief.
A reporter named Kevin Ellis with the Gaston Gazette wants me to call him.
Several messages from Joy and other friends, one of them telling me how Joy was "captured" by WRAL News.
My heart is beating fast as I take this all in.
Moisture forms in the corners of my eyes.
Do I dare believe...?
Would Dalzell more likely get a fair trial in Buncombe County than in Orange?
It's hard to argue with that, especially considering that he didn't really get a trial at all in Orange County.
Now that right there is the thing that's messed up the most about it.
Dalzell was the one who should have been on trial, but the Carrboro Police were the ones on trial.
Hey, what's wrong with this picture, Folks?
I mean, weren't the CPD the ones doing everything they could to solve the case?
I have it on good authority that the CPD has made the sincerest efforts. I have always and will always stand by them on their efforts. It was the DA who opposed them in a double-cross that is to blame.
So what was that question again?
Oh yeah,
Will they make it stick next time?
Throw enough of it at the wall, and just maybe...?
One thing I know for sure.
If they slap his wrist and let him go, the public outcry would be downright frightening!
Special thanks also to the Buncombe County Sherrif's Office.
http://www.gastongazette.com/news/county_30091___article.html/dalzell_buncombe.html
http://www.wral.com/news/local/video/4479316/
-------------------------------------------------------
Now here's a new link.
http://www.gastongazette.com/news/dalzell_30138___article.html/key_police.html
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Dalzell Arrested
Andrew Dalzell was arrested yesterday in Asheville, NC for soliciting a minor online.
Read all about it here:
http://www.ncwanted.com/ncwanted_home/story/4465792/
and here:
http://whokilledtheresa.blogspot.com/2009/02/andrew-dalzell-arrested-in-child-sex.html
Special thanks to NC Wanted and WRAL News for being the first to call this to our attention.
Read all about it here:
http://www.ncwanted.com/ncwanted_home/story/4465792/
and here:
http://whokilledtheresa.blogspot.com/2009/02/andrew-dalzell-arrested-in-child-sex.html
Special thanks to NC Wanted and WRAL News for being the first to call this to our attention.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Yarmolenko Murder Hearing
It appears, my dear readers, that we now have another suspect.
A Mecklenburg County inmate has sent his confession to a Charlotte newscaster.
The two people on jet skis who found the body said they did not see anyone fishing nearby.
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/crime_safety/story/1391754.html
Nothing more for me to say here.
A Mecklenburg County inmate has sent his confession to a Charlotte newscaster.
The two people on jet skis who found the body said they did not see anyone fishing nearby.
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/crime_safety/story/1391754.html
Nothing more for me to say here.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Everyone Knows Something
In the field of astronomy, more new discoveries have been made in the last century by amateur, rather than by professional astronomers. This is due partly because professional astronomers have a schedule made out in advance of celestial bodies expected to appear. The amateur, however, would be more likely to set up and point his telescope at whatever catches his attention. The sky is a big place, and if you were looking at any given constellation, you might miss something that becomes visible in another part of the sky. It is surprising how many times an observatory hears from a casual stargazer, calling to report something that hasn't been seen before.
The same occurs in other fields of science, including forensics and criminology.
A case in point is Todd Matthews and the mystery of the Tent Girl. Human remains found in Kentucky during the 1960's have gone unidentified for 30 years, in spite of great efforts. It was a man with no formal training or prior experience (this was his first case) who solved the mystery of this person's identity. He had to come up with a method of his own, and it worked.
Often a murder or missing persons case goes unsolved because police follow a prescribed procedure. Even worse is when they already have a theory they are trying to prove, and disregard visible clues they find, because these aren't the clues they're looking for.
Read any book about a serial killer, and chances are that you will be surprised how many clues have been ignored. The author, writing in retrospect, (hindsight is always 20/20) describes in detail the killer's activities, from his first victim to his final arrest, and he doesn't always do a good job of covering his tracks. Before you finish the book, you may find yourself wondering why they haven't caught him yet.
Among the police in my locality, there are those I sometimes have long conversations with, and those who won't talk to me at all. I was told, by a police officer I do converse with, that perhaps it is because bloggers have such limited credibility with law enforcement. Granted, there is a lot of BS out there in the blogging world, but still this is unfortunate.
The most dramatic case of investigative failure I've read about is the case of Theresa Allore. The Surete du Quebec, being the provincial police of that area, have overlooked so many clues it inspires us to make fun of them. (Perhaps me more than anyone else) There were two other young females who were murdered in the same general area and time that were not connected, except by Theresa's brothers who continued the investigation, (if not started it) and a detective from Vancouver named Kim Rossmo.
Rossmo came up with a formula called "Geographic Profiling," and has also designed a computer program for it.
It was found that if you take a map of that area in Quebec and mark all the places where the bodies were found, along with where they were last seen, and where their possessions were found, you come up with a consistent pattern. The killer's stalking route becomes clearly visible. One begins to wonder why the cases were not connected.
Rossmo's program was initially scoffed at by his fellow officers, but today it is widely used by the RCMP, the FBI, and Scotland Yard.
In the case of Ira Yarmolenko, it was the bloggers, not the police, who first presented the possibility that Ira's murder may be connected with the two missing persons cases that took place in the same county in NC, and very close to the same time. There may or may not be a connection, but the question needs to be asked.
It is likely that Ira Yarmolenko and Debbie Key never knew each other. The Yarmolenko family moved to Greensboro, NC from the Ukraine in 1996, and to Chapel Hill in 1998. Debbie Key went missing in 1997. Still, both lived in the Chapel Hill area and had a lot of friends around here. There are people I've met who knew both of them, though not at the same time. I have talked with some of these people, and have learned some interesting things from them. There are also people I've talked to who are quite young, having been students at CHHS when Ira was there. When I tried to share some of this info with people in my age group, most of them said things like:
"You gotta consider the source."
"These are just kids."
"What do they know?"
To that, let me say this:
If you think young people don't know very much, you must not be spending much time around them.
When Debbie went missing, the Carrboro Police went around talking to nearly every one of her friends. Carrboro is a fairly small town where everyone knows each other. Word got around fast. By the time the news reached my ears, I was surprised by how many people already knew about it.
The Mt. Holly Police have not been talking to anyone except Ira's immediate family, as far as I know, and have been very tight-lipped about the investigation. There are those who believe they have arrested the wrong people. (Would you sit down and go fishing by the river where you just got finished killing someone?) The trial will be on Feb 2nd, last I heard, and I am curious as to how it will end up. I am willing to bet at this point that this case will be solved by the friends and family of the victim, rather than by law enforcement.
As my Scarecrow says in "the Wizard of Blogs,"
"No one knows everything, but everyone knows something that others do not."
The same occurs in other fields of science, including forensics and criminology.
A case in point is Todd Matthews and the mystery of the Tent Girl. Human remains found in Kentucky during the 1960's have gone unidentified for 30 years, in spite of great efforts. It was a man with no formal training or prior experience (this was his first case) who solved the mystery of this person's identity. He had to come up with a method of his own, and it worked.
Often a murder or missing persons case goes unsolved because police follow a prescribed procedure. Even worse is when they already have a theory they are trying to prove, and disregard visible clues they find, because these aren't the clues they're looking for.
Read any book about a serial killer, and chances are that you will be surprised how many clues have been ignored. The author, writing in retrospect, (hindsight is always 20/20) describes in detail the killer's activities, from his first victim to his final arrest, and he doesn't always do a good job of covering his tracks. Before you finish the book, you may find yourself wondering why they haven't caught him yet.
Among the police in my locality, there are those I sometimes have long conversations with, and those who won't talk to me at all. I was told, by a police officer I do converse with, that perhaps it is because bloggers have such limited credibility with law enforcement. Granted, there is a lot of BS out there in the blogging world, but still this is unfortunate.
The most dramatic case of investigative failure I've read about is the case of Theresa Allore. The Surete du Quebec, being the provincial police of that area, have overlooked so many clues it inspires us to make fun of them. (Perhaps me more than anyone else) There were two other young females who were murdered in the same general area and time that were not connected, except by Theresa's brothers who continued the investigation, (if not started it) and a detective from Vancouver named Kim Rossmo.
Rossmo came up with a formula called "Geographic Profiling," and has also designed a computer program for it.
It was found that if you take a map of that area in Quebec and mark all the places where the bodies were found, along with where they were last seen, and where their possessions were found, you come up with a consistent pattern. The killer's stalking route becomes clearly visible. One begins to wonder why the cases were not connected.
Rossmo's program was initially scoffed at by his fellow officers, but today it is widely used by the RCMP, the FBI, and Scotland Yard.
In the case of Ira Yarmolenko, it was the bloggers, not the police, who first presented the possibility that Ira's murder may be connected with the two missing persons cases that took place in the same county in NC, and very close to the same time. There may or may not be a connection, but the question needs to be asked.
It is likely that Ira Yarmolenko and Debbie Key never knew each other. The Yarmolenko family moved to Greensboro, NC from the Ukraine in 1996, and to Chapel Hill in 1998. Debbie Key went missing in 1997. Still, both lived in the Chapel Hill area and had a lot of friends around here. There are people I've met who knew both of them, though not at the same time. I have talked with some of these people, and have learned some interesting things from them. There are also people I've talked to who are quite young, having been students at CHHS when Ira was there. When I tried to share some of this info with people in my age group, most of them said things like:
"You gotta consider the source."
"These are just kids."
"What do they know?"
To that, let me say this:
If you think young people don't know very much, you must not be spending much time around them.
When Debbie went missing, the Carrboro Police went around talking to nearly every one of her friends. Carrboro is a fairly small town where everyone knows each other. Word got around fast. By the time the news reached my ears, I was surprised by how many people already knew about it.
The Mt. Holly Police have not been talking to anyone except Ira's immediate family, as far as I know, and have been very tight-lipped about the investigation. There are those who believe they have arrested the wrong people. (Would you sit down and go fishing by the river where you just got finished killing someone?) The trial will be on Feb 2nd, last I heard, and I am curious as to how it will end up. I am willing to bet at this point that this case will be solved by the friends and family of the victim, rather than by law enforcement.
As my Scarecrow says in "the Wizard of Blogs,"
"No one knows everything, but everyone knows something that others do not."
Friday, January 02, 2009
What's up for January?
By "what's up?" I mean up in the sky.
This is a good time to view our sister planet, Venus.
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