Analysis: False Confession of Thomas Cogdell, 12

While watching a documentary on the case where Thomas Cogdell, 12, was accused of killing his sister, I was stunned at just how often he told the police, "I didn't kill her."

He was interviewed by three ignorant and zealous men who should not be in law enforcement.  Their utter lack of training was appalling.

Listening to the quotes of statistics, I agree with the finding that police officers who take Statement Analysis training were tested before and after the training with these results:

1.  The police scored lower than the general public on identifying liars
2.  After taking training, the police scores remained lower than the general public.

Police often feel that "everyone" is lying.

This week, I met a woman who spoke to me after my speech in Boulder in which I mentioned how poorly police are in catching liars.  She said, "my husband is a detective", so I thought to myself, 'brace yourself for some anger', but instead of anger she was laughing and said how incredibly accurate my description was.  She said her husband never believes her (her laughter dissipated) and thinks that "everyone" is lying.  She also said he is leaving law enforcement for insurance investigations.  I encouraged her to encourage him to training.

The SCAN training is difficult.  My estimation is this:

If one takes the SCAN training (See LSISCAN.com) and works diligently in practicing, in about two years, the "analyst" will emerge.  As for practice, I am thinking of working on statements, every day, without fail, for 2 hours per day until the magical number is reached:

1000 hours.

1000 hours is often sited as the mark of proficiency in learning any skill, from guitar study to analysis.

In the case of Thomas Cogdell, there are two things which stand out:

1.  "I didn't do it" is spoken plainly, early and often.  Only when he enters the language of the ignorant accusers does he frame "I killed her"; which is their language; not his.  At one point of the video, he whispers to his mother that he didn't do it but will tell them he did. He may have thought he was protecting her.

His language showed veracity.

2.  False confession

In listening to his confession, it is immediately apparent that the language did not come from memory. In fact, without analysis, I heard him go out of chronological order, at least twice, regarding the event.

His language showed confession.

False confessions do not come from memory.  If someone is beaten, or sleep deprived, or coerced into a confession, since it does not come from experiential memory, it can only contain the words of the interrogator (parroting language) or it will show deception.

False confessions are deceptive statements and are seen as such.

When Amanda Knox defenders claim she was beaten and threatened into a false confession, Statement Analysis showed that it came from experiential memory:  She was not lying:  She had guilty knowledge of the murder---she may not have inflicted the blows (I believe she did not) but she was present and helped the clean up.

This is why she was deceptive when she went to blame someone else:  she had the need to deceive.

Statement Analysis is added to the following article, in bold type.

'We'll give you the death penalty': How police 'forced innocent boy, 12, to confess to strangling his sister, 11

A 12-year-old boy found guilty of murdering his 11-year-old sister said he was forced to confess to the murder after hours of 'terrifying' police interrogation - although he had nothing to do with it.

Police suspected Thomas Cogdell, now 18, had strangled his sister at their Camden, Arkansas home after his shock at her death stunned him into silence. Hours later, he admitted he was to blame.

Although found guilty, Cogdell insists he had no part in her murder and was coerced into a confession. After two years in jail, he was released when a judge found he was unfairly questioned.

Distress: During interrogation, Thomas Cogdell, then 12, told police 36 times he did not murder his sister. He said when police turned off the recorder, he was pressured into confessing his 'guilt'

During questioning following the 2006 crime, the boy - an intelligent bookworm - told police 36 times he had had no part in the killing.

But when he asked for food, officers switched off the tape recorder. Three-and-a-half hours later they switched it on again - and Cogdell confessed to the murder.

They had allegedly used tactics such as threatening him with the death penalty. He was unaware a child cannot be sentenced to such a penalty.

 

He eventually told police he had snapped because his sister was bossy and he put the bags over her head to teach her a lesson, The Commerical Appeal reported.

But in reality, he had made up the confession, believing that DNA evidence would clear him.

Police had told him they found a fingerprint on the plastic bags. He can be heard at the end of the recording whispering to his mother: 'I didn't do it. It's OK, Mom. They won't find my fingerprints.'

On tape, he is repeatedly heard telling police, "I didn't kill her", and "I did not kill my sister", though each time, it was ignored by police. 

Murdered: Kaylee Cogdell, 11, was found dead on her bed with bags tied around her head. Her brother remained calm, which police saw as a sign of guilt

As it turned out, police were unable to read a clear print and the boy was found guilty of murdering his young sister as she slept.

'I was terrified,' Cogdell, now 18, said in a recent interview. 'They wouldn't believe me and they said they would give me the death penalty.'

The case is just the latest example fuelling the debate about whether police interrogations should be recorded.

In August 2006, Cogdell was awoken by his mother, Melody Jones. Together they found 11-year-old Kaylee sprawled on her bed.

Her head was covered with two Walmart bags, and she had been tied up with the family dog's lead and a measuring tape, The Commerical Appeal reported.

When his mother became too hysterical, he calmly called 911 and gave directions to their family home.

Police dragged him in for questioning, turning their attentions away from his mother, who Cogdell and his grandparents insist is guilty of the murder.

Melody Jones admitted to police she had repeatedly smacked her daughter the night before her death when she refused to come home as she had been told.

They ignored her confession that she was on Social Security disability due to mental illness, including bipolar disorder, and that she sometimes failed to take her medicine.

A video of the questioning show investigators repeatedly telling the boy: 'You or your mother did it.'

Although an unknown male's DNA was found on Kaylee, investigators ruled out the possibility of an intruder as there were no signs of a break in.

Interview: Cogdell's mother, Melody Jones, is treated more compassionately than her son during interrogation. Cogdell believes his mother, who had a history of mental illness, is guilty of killing Kaylee

Cogdell said when the recorder was off, he was told he could go home if he told investigators he was to blame and he'd go to jail if he didn't, according to The Commerical Appeal.

But in at least 36 recorded denials, he is heard pleading with police.

Crying, he offered to swear on a Bible or take a polygraph test.'I wouldn't kill my sister. I didn't do it, OK?,' he said. 'I didn't. I didn't kill my sister. Is there any way I can prove that to you?'

One of the detectives asked: 'What are you crying for?'

Can we even imagine such ignorance on the part of a man who carries a weapon? "What are you crying for?" to a kid who's accused of murdering his sister?  I can only imagine the psychological profile of this detective!

He responded: 'Because you are accusing me of something I didn't do -- of killing my sister.'

When police left, Thomas let out shrill cries and said to himself: 'Why? ... I didn't do it, but they won't believe me. Help. I'm scared.'

He is repeatedly heard talking to himself, saying "I didn't kill her"

He was eventually convicted of second-degree murder by a Ouachita County judge in March 2008.

The high court threw out the confession in 2010 - but on technical grounds as he had told police he didn't understand what it meant to waive his rights to remain silent and have an attorney with him.

He served two years in jail but has not been cleared.

'I lost my faith in the justice system,' Cogdell said. 'I don't believe in any of it anymore.'

Memphis defense attorney Gray Bartlett told The Commerical Appeal that police are often trained in the type of military tactics used in questioning suspected terrorists.

'It's so contrary to common sense,' he said of false confessions. 'But what happens in these interrogation rooms is that they break down people's will.'

Steve Drizin, a lawyer with the Center on Wrongful Conviction of Youth, said: 'The interrogation is one of the most riveting examples of psychological torture I have ever seen.'

But prosecuting attorney Robin Carroll to the Appeal: 'No evidence or court holding has been forthcoming to cause my office to doubt anything done in the case, or its basis.'

Simply put:

Statement Analysis showed that he did not kill his sister and was telling the truth.  

Statement Analysis showed that when he confessed to killing his sister, he was deceptive.  

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Statement Analysis: Husband of Missing Hiker

Husband of disappeared AT hiker plagued by questions, doubting he’ll ever see wife again

Maine Department of Public Safety

Geraldine Largay in the black jacket searchers say she would have been wearing around the time of her disappearance.

She was 200 miles from her goal, the rocky Maine mountain that marks the northern end of the Appalachian Trail. She’d been in touch with her husband just that morning. She’d said a cheery hello to other hikers, who snapped her photo before she turned toward the peaks rising in the distance.

And then?

Geraldine “Gerry” Largay vanished on July 23. No one knows what happened to the former Peachtree Corners resident.

News of her disappearance has rippled through metro communities where Gerry was a constant, smiling presence — prompted questions, too. Did she fall off a cliff? Did someone attack her?

George Largay figures he may never again see his wife — not alive, anyway. He’s learning to refer to her in the past tense.

“She was absolutely where she wanted to be,” Largay, 69, said last week. “She was absolutely doing what she wanted to do.”

Note the use of the verb, "was" in the past tense.  He believes she is not alive. 

One might ask about the word "absolutely" used twice...was he supportive of her hiking?  Why the need for emphasis?

Did she want him to go but he did not want to?  The word "absolutely" is sensitive, and there is a reason.  The article gives us the explanation as we view his sad quotes. 

Meantime, police keep searching for the lost hiker as summer wanes and the nights grow longer. They know the odds against finding her alive grow ever longer, too. They’ve combed hills on foot, sent helicopters thudding skyward, followed dogs trained to sniff the faintest scent. Word about the missing grandmother has gone up and down the 2,200-mile trail that cuts a diagonal from Georgia to Maine.

The mountains where Largay was last seen are steep, thick with forests. What happened to Gerry Largay may be a secret known only to the trees and the wind, the rocks and the water.

‘Meet in the middle’

Two years ago, Gerry surprised her husband. She wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail.

George thought about it. In four decades of marriage, she’d followed him in his career of automobile sales and marketing. Since 2001, they’d lived in Peachtree Corners, where the couple celebrated his retirement in 2010. He owed her the hike.

It would not be a mere stroll in the woods. The Appalachian Trail — the AT — begins in Georgia at Mount Springer and winds through 14 states. Its northern terminus is in Maine at Mount Katahdin, rocky and windswept, rising a mile above sea level. Three-quarters of the AT’s hikers don’t complete the trek. Gerry resolved to be in the minority who do.

With her husband, she hiked 200 miles in the Georgia and North Carolina mountains, training for harder trails ahead. She took a course at the Appalachian Trail Institute. She sought the advice of a woman who holds the record for hiking the trail in 46 days. She read seven AT books. In all, she spent 18 months in logistics and training, even weighing her food to determine how much she should carry. George was her constant, bemused fellow planner.

“Hiking (the trail) was not on my bucket list,” George said. “But when you’ve been happily married for 42 years you sort of meet in the middle” and compromise.

This now explains why the use of "absolutely" was used twice. 

George, not a camper, agreed to be the fellow she’d meet at prearranged spots to provide her with more food — and, every few days, with a hotel room where Gerry could take a bath and sleep on a mattress. He adopted a trail nickname, “Sherpa,” to describe his role as the support guy in her trek. She also took a hiking nickname, “Inchworm.” She was slow and steady.

Gerry decided to make the northern trek first, leaving from the trail’s midway point at Harper’s Ferry, W.Va. That would put her ahead of hordes who started from Mount Springer. Gerry hoped to reach Mount Katahdin by late July or early August. She’d then return to Harper’s Ferry and hike toward Georgia, taking advantage of the milder southern weather as temperatures dropped in northern states. Gerry planned to finish by mid- to late November.

In January, they sold their house and moved to Nashville, where the Largays had lived before and where their daughter, Kerry Bauchiero, has a home. From there, they made final plans.

Those plans went into effect April 22, when George took his wife to Harper’s Ferry. Joining them was Jane Lee, a friend from Alpharetta. She planned to make the trek, too.

The two women left the next morning. It was 38 degrees at sunrise. The two walked down a small street, trailing vapor clouds, and entered the trail. Their adventure had begun.

“She was on Cloud Nine,” recalled Lee, who shared a love of canasta and hiking with Gerry. “Finally, we were walking on the AT!”

As the two walked, Gerry took note of her surroundings. She shared her thoughts with friends in periodic emails she wrote with a laptop George supplied when they stopped for the night.

In an April 26 entry, she sounded a gloomy note about the dead woodlands they encountered after entering Pennsylvania. “We later found out that insects have been the main cause; the emerald ash borer has wiped out the ash, the woolly adelgid has wiped out the hemlocks, and the gypsy moth has done a number on the oaks,” she wrote. “Heart breaking.”

Gerry shook her malaise the next day when she summed up their first four days on the trail: “A grand beginning!”

One morning, Gerry paused to admire the rising sun. Its beams sliced the night mist as cleanly as a blade cuts paper.

“Come on, Gerry, we have to go!” Lee said.

note the use of "we" showing unity.  

Gerry didn’t move. “Look!” she said. “Look how beautiful it is!”

They covered nearly 800 miles until a family emergency forced Lee to give up the trek. On June 30 they parted in New Hampshire, both weeping.

“I don’t want to leave you,” Lee said.

“Jane, I’m a big girl now. I’m going on this hike with or without you,” Gerry replied. “I’ll be fine.”

Lee got a text from Gerry on July 19. JANE I JUST CROSSED OVER THE STATE LINE OF MAINE, the excited hiker wrote. WISH U WERE HERE.

Four days later, Gerry was gone.

Few lost

It’s not unusual for hikers to take a wrong turn on the AT, but nearly every hiker is found. A report last year from the Maine Warden Service concluded that 98 percent of lost hikers were found within 24 hours. The service is still searching for Gerry, but has scaled back. It takes three hours to hike in to the area where officials think she went missing. Crews searched for her Thursday, but found nothing.

Officials have not ruled out the possibility that she met with violence, but say the odds are better than she got lost, with fatal results.

“We’ve had a handful of cases” of lost hikers, said Cpl. John McDonald, a public information officer for the warden service. “This could well be one of those instances.”

That’s a hard truth, and George struggles with it. When she didn’t meet him at a prearranged spot on July 23, he didn’t worry about it. Surely the rain had slowed her. He spent the night in their Toyota Highlander, confident she’d join him the next day. When she did not, he contacted police.

He and his son, Ryan, joined the early search for Gerry, only to follow the advice of Maine officials: Go home, they said. He’s back in Nashville, planning to attend a memorial for his wife Oct. 12 at St. Brigid Catholic Church in Alpharetta, which they regularly attended while living in the metro area.

He has memories that won’t let go. At Gettysburg, he surprised his wife with a couple of hiking shirts that wick moisture from the skin. One was blazing pink, and it fit! She wriggled into it, and George knew: He’d scored some major husband points.

“Her expression said it all,” said George.

These days, George is, suddenly, someone without a plan, talking in the past tense. “We always figured that I’d be the first to go,” he said. “It didn’t work out the way we figured.”

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Account of Jonbenet Ramsey Indictment

What do you think Alex Hunter told himself when he set forth to deceive the public about the Grand Jury's indictment of John and Patsy Ramsey, who were indicted for the "child abuse death" of their six year old daughter?

What do you think the conversation between him and the Ramsey attorneys was like?  How could he justify his decision to not sign the indictment, a legal manuever most of us had, prior to this case, never heard of?

The Grand Jury heard the evidence against John and Patsy Ramsey and voted to indict them in her death.  This meant that they would then be arrested for Jonbenet's death, and be able to enter a plea, and the likely advance to a sensational criminal trial, one in which the entire nation would be glued to via television.

It would have everything network desires:  wealthy, affluent parent and a sexualized flamboyantly outfitted murdered child.  It would have the former FBI profiler, John Douglas, speaking on behalf of John Ramsey and how he did not fit the profile of a killer, while the state would counter that it may have been John Douglas' own book which gave the Ramseys the notion of staging the crime scene.

It would have had medical testimony that focused on the many urinary tract infections, consistent with child abuse, along with the medical examiner's testimony that she had been a victim of sexual abuse.  We would have heard testimony about not only the sexualization in dress, make up, false teeth, and appearance but the chronic bed wetting and why this can also be linked to childhood sexual abuse.

We would have heard experts on both sides, with experts seeking to sink each others' testimonies.

Alas, the nation, and Jonbenet herself, was robbed of justice by the cowardly decision made by an elected official, sworn to uphold justice.

What might have happened?

The following is a fictional account offered for your consideration in how a decision to not sign the indictment, may have been justified by Hunter, along with the attorneys he longed to find acceptance with.

Police believed that Alex Hunter deliberately sabotaged the chance for a trial due to fear of having an entire nation watch him go to pieces on national television.  As went the trial, so would go the career of Hunter.

What might have the high powered attorneys said to Hunter?  How did they play him?

"Alex, you're one of us...our equal.  You don't want to go through with this.  You know it was an accidental death and we'd destroy you on television.  Nancy Grace would demonize you and your career, your fine, crime fighting career, would be in tatters.  No law firm would want you and you'd be relegated to teaching in some small, freezing, two-bit law school somewhere.  You've got a fine life here in Boulder.  You don't need this.  Think of all the good work you've done, and all the criminals you're going to put away if you let this go.  Do what's right, Alex.  You're too valuable to throw it away on these people.  They're going to move away, anyway, so you won't have to be reminded of them.  The mother's cancer is likely to return and when they are long forgotten by the public, you'll be enjoying your retirement in the Rocky Mountains...you're one of us, Alex.  Perhaps, if you should get bored here, we could have a place for you in Atlanta.  There's money to be made, a book deal, movie deal.  Hey, our people will make some calls and we'll always speak highly of you, Alex..."

Today, all that remains is bitterness of a case in which the analysts, early on, were right, as far as the Grand Jury results.

How this did not leak earlier is not understood, though it appears that the Grand Jury took its oath of secrecy very seriously, until finally, someone had enough and leaked out the information, the news...

Indicted in the child abuse death of their daughter, Jonbenet Ramsey, are John Ramsey and Patsy Ramsey.

Statement Analysis showed:

The Ransom Note is a fake
Patsy is the author
John and Patsy Ramsey were deceptive
Sexual abuse was in play in the language.

The Grand Jury voted and Hunter declined to sign the indictment.

"I and my prosecution task force believe we do not have sufficient evidence to warrant a filing of charges against anyone who has been investigated at this time."

He and his team could tell themselves whatever they wanted to, but their duty was the same:  to represent the police who gave evidence to a jury of citizens who heard it, and voted to indict both John and Patsy Ramsey in the child abuse death of six year old, Jonbenet.  

John Ramsey, now almost 70, dismissed it as "more drama" and cashed in a year earlier with a book of his own.  

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Crisis of Confidence In Law Enforcement

Alex Hunter, former District Attorney of Boulder, Colorado, used passive language to report the findings of the Grand Jury saying that they had finished their work, and no arrests had been affected.

This was deliberately done to deceive the public:

The Grand Jury did finish their work.

There were no arrests effected.

Both of these sentences are true.

It is the missing information that is critical:

The Grand Jury had indicted both John and Patsy Ramsey in the child abuse death of their daughter, Jonbenet Ramsey.

Hunter, according to police, was leaking information to the high powered Ramsey attorneys, through various means, including tabloid reporting.

Question:  Why would a District Attorney sabotage a murder investigation?

Answer:  Cowardice.

When we speak of Law Enforcement, we often think only of police officers, who are, depending upon locale, required to have a high school diploma.  We have seen the steady decline in education over the last generation and so it is that police officers of higher education and intelligence, often find themselves either in the minority, or taking jobs doing insurance investigation, which pays significantly more money.

Talent goes where the money is.

What's left is sometimes under-educated and under talented.

But "Law Enforcement" includes those who's job is to take the work of police and defend it in court.  This means that when someone graduates from law school and take a job working with "the state", they have the title of "assistant district attorney" or "assistant attorney general"; impressive title, to say the least, but what about the principle that "talent goes where the money is"?

Many successful attorneys get valuable experience in prosecution, and when their performance in court is witnessed by private attorneys, the best and brightest are often offered substantial increases in pay to join the private sector.

What is left behind?

Sometimes it is those with lesser talent, who are then given the task of prosecuting cases where the defendants hire their private sector counterparts who make more money because they are significantly more talented.

When the case of Baby Lisa came to head, the details were plain for the public:  the mother, Deborah Bradley, was not above average intelligence, and was making a fool of herself with her silly story of kidnapping.

The case made national news.

The case appeared to be headed towards arrest when New York attorney Joe Tacopina jumped in, claimed to have been speaking to the FBI, who, he said, gave him the evidence in the case!

The next thing the public heard was...

nothing.

No arrest?

Nothing.  Nada.  Zip.  Crickets chirping back and forth in rhyme.

Question  Why would "Law Enforcement" (FBI, local) share information or even meet with Joe Tacopina?

Answer:  Lack of confidence in the prosecuting attorneys to go up against him. They likely sought a deal from Tacopina, who, in hindsight, gave them nothing.

Statement Analysis concluded that Baby Lisa was deceased and that her mother was deceptive about what happened to her.

How about the case of Baby Ayla?

The single, unemployed, uneducated father of two has a pattern of abuse of a child he wanted aborted, is dating a girl who's sister was arrested for a large whole-sale drug possession, and who was known for his bullying hot temper as well as rumors of his own low level street drug sales, bested police?

Justin DiPietro is also not above average intelligence, yet he bested Law Enforcement in the interview process?  Is this another "Misty Croslin" like situation?

In DiPietro's case, they did get him to take a polygraph, so score one for the feds, but he flunked it (or, that he "smoked" it in his own vernacular), and they were unable to get a confession in spite of the lies he told, and the DNA evidence (significant amount of blood found in various locations in the home)?

He purchased, while unemployed, a life insurance policy against, (not for) his child, while NOT purchasing it for his other child, who then just 'happens' to go missing 6 weeks later and this is not prosecuted?

The mother, Trista Reynolds, will now take her case to the public in an attempt to force the state hired attorneys to prosecute DiPietro.

The police showed weakness when they went public to say that "all three" were "withholding information" and not truthful.  This was an attempt to put public pressure on them and was a tactical error (it produced nothing), in an overall strategy that is all but indiscernible to the public (if any strategy exists).

The public has, in so many places, lost confidence in law enforcement, as more and more under-educated police investigate and interview, yet without success.

The public has seen the fruit of all the police recruiting procedures in big cities, where test scores, for 30 years plus, have been changed due to racial sensitivity scoring (cheating), and other recruitment criteria.

With the best and brightest having their scores knocked down in favor of others with lower scores, what was it that officials were expecting?

It is one thing to have the cowardly Alex Hunter refuse to fight the Ramsey attorneys, but it is quite another thing for the public to have difficult interactions with local police, and remain confident in their ability to investigate cases.

Of course there are many talented and dedicated professionals in law enforcement, up and down the line, but speak to them, and hear their frustration over how they feel, under-represented by the state attorneys, or bitter towards working with those whose own lack of intelligence in dealing with the public leaves a bad taste for all in law enforcement.

The day of the "Dirty Harry" cop mentality has long passed.  Americans are increasingly dissatisfied with being pulled over by arrogant, small minded, bullying cops, even while reading the headlines of cases remaining 'unsolved' even though the facts are abundantly clear to the casual observer.

How do the citizens of Colorado City, Texas, feel about fellow citizen murder victim Hailey Dunn's lack of justice?

Judging from comments here and on Facebook, the citizens are not happy that Billie Jean Dunn and Shawn Adkins remain free, while Hailey will never get a chance at life.

Hollywood continues to portray cops as all knowing, all powerful and all seeing, in today's movies.  The FBI can read minds and see crimes before they happen and are listening in on criminals everywhere...

yet, what happened with Baby Lisa?

There is a crisis of confidence in law enforcement, from the bottom to the top, across our country, and these few very public cases highlight this very thing.

The problem goes back to its earliest roots:  education.

Police Departments need to raise the standards for hiring, and need to better educate and train.  Police Departments need to hire the best qualified applicants, period.

When politicians stepped in to make demands on police departments hiring practices, the decline, fueled by the dropping standard of education, the end results are now being seen, day after day, by American citizens.

The frustration the public feels is shared by those dedicated and talented law enforcement officials who, in many cases, have had their hands tied.

Take a look at the fall out of careers from the investigation into Jonbenet Ramsey, in Boulder, Colorado, where feelings are still ripe and raw over that young citizen who's life was taken from her, and who's citizens did not know, for many years, that the Grand Jury indicted her parents for child abuse.

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Statement Analysis: Jesse Jackson on Australian Murder Victim

Jesse Jackson tweeted the following regarding the murder of Chris Lane, college baseball player from Australia:

"Praying for the family of Chris Lane. This senseless violence is frowned upon and the justice system must prevail."

Tweets are often abbreviated, so it is that we must view it in this context.  We note first:

"Praying for the family of Chris Lane. This senseless violence is frowned upon and the justice system must prevail."

1. "Praying" does not have a pronoun.  This is common in tweets, therefore, we look to see if it is a "dropped" pronoun, which has no commitment.  With a dropped pronoun, the subject has not told us who it is that is praying for the family of Chris Lane.  Since there are no other pronouns in the statement, we cannot call this a "dropped" or "missing" pronoun. 

"Praying for the family of Chris Lane. This senseless violence is frowned upon and the justice system must prevail."

2.  Note "this" represents closeness.  The word "that" would indicate distance.  Since this came shortly after the murder, the word "this" is the expected. 

"Praying for the family of Chris Lane. This senseless violence is frowned upon and the justice system must prevail."

3.  We note that he calls it "senseless violence" and not a "murder" or "killing."  "Violence" is often an engagement of physical activity.  

It is often behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something.  This was via gun fire.  "Senseless" violence is differentiated by the subject, to "violence" by itself.  It would be interesting to look into the subject's language about violence, versus murders or killings.  This young man from Australia was a chosen target for bored killers, seeking to show themselves worthy of a gang status, perhaps.  There was no struggle, there was no unfortunate incident or misunderstanding, and there was no chance for the young collegiate from Australia to defend himself.  

                        It was a premeditated killing of a human being to relieve boredom.  

One may struggle how, in the human race, this can actually exist.  We then move towards the expected:  Outrage from the subject who claims to be a defender of human rights.  The extreme nature of the murder leaves us expecting a harsh condemnation from the subject.  

4.  Next we note that which is quite unexpected in a murder:  "frowned upon":

Praying for the family of Chris Lane. This senseless violence is frowned upon and the justice system must prevail."

The phrase "frowned upon" is the unexpected.  When something is "frowned upon" it is disapproved, and this is often used in casual terminology, particularly when describing poor manners.  We know from the subject's language from previous cases that he uses the word "outraged"in describing "killings" and "murders."

One might "frown upon" table manners that are not becoming, or may be "disappointed" at a child who did not do his homework.  Coaches "frown upon" young Little Leaguers who did not hustle, in order to show disappointment. 

The minimization of the murder is highlighted here by the subject's choice of wording.  

One may wonder why it is that the murder of the young male from Australia is, in the subject's personal, subjective,  internal dictionary, an action that is "frowned upon", that is, disapproved of, rather than condemned or found to be "outrageous" in any form. 

5.  Lastly, the subject says that the justice system "must" prevail, and not that it "will" prevail.  What has caused the subject to use the word "must" rather than expressing confidence in the justice system?

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WWII Vet Beaten to Death By Black Teens

WWII veteran Delbert Belton survived being wounded in action during the Battle of Okinawa only to be beaten and left for dead by two teens at the Eagles Lodge in Spokane on Wednesday evening.

Belton, 88, succumbed to his injuries Thursday morning at Sacred Heart Medical Center.

Witnesses say Belton was in the parking lot of the Eagles Lodge at 6410 N. Lidgerwood, adjacent to the Eagles Ice-A-Rena, around 8 p.m. Wednesday when the two male suspects attacked him as he was about to head inside to play pool.

Police responded with K-9s to track the suspects' scent but were not able to locate them.

"It does appear random. He was in the parking lot, it appears he was assaulted in the parking lot and there was no indication that he would have known these people prior to the assault," Spokane Police Major Crimes Detective Lieutenant Mark Griffiths said.

Belton died from his injuries Thursday morning at Sacred Heart Medical Center.

"Shorty," as he was known by his friends at the Eagles Lodge, served in the U.S. Army in the Pacific during WWII and was shot in the leg during the Battle of Okinawa. He went on to work at Kaiser Aluminum at the company's Trentwood plant for more than 30 years. Belton's wife passed away several years ago.

He loved playing pool, even though he claimed he was no good at it and had been a member of the Eagles Lodge for the last four months. In addition to playing pool he loved working on cars.

Shorty was Ted Denison's best friend of 23 years; the two played pool occasionally and worked on cars daily.

"He was always there for me when I needed him," Denison said. "We'd joke back and forth. We were always having fun, some sort of fun."

He was the kind of nice old man who'd become your friend in minutes.

"Probably every time I come into town, he'd have a project for me to do," Denison said. "I thought of him more as a dad than I did a friend really."

Now, with the suspects still at large and the Spokane Police Department working to track them down, Shorty's friends are hoping for justice.

"I don't understand how somebody could do this. I really don't," Denison said.

Spokane police are looking for two male suspects in the attack. They said the suspects are African Americans between 16 and 19 years old. One suspect was described as heavy set and wearing all black clothing. The other was described as being about 6 feet tall and 150 pounds. There was no description of what clothing the second suspect was wearing other than a silk do-rag.

Police investigating the deadly attack on Belton have also obtained surveillance footage from the scene. Click this linkto see still images of the two suspects in the attack.

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Ryan Braun's Newest Statement

Alex Rodriquez is reported to have told MLB about other players.  This may have been in Braun's mind.

Question to readers:  is he STILL being deceptive? Does he minimize?

 Note the emphasis added to help you decide:

"Now that the initial MLB investigation is over, I want to apologize for my actions and provide a more specific account of what I did and why I deserved to be suspended. I have no one to blame but myself. I know that over the last year and a half I made some serious mistakes, both in the information I failed to share during my arbitration hearing and the comments I made to the press afterwards.

I have disappointed the people closest to me -- the ones who fought for me because they truly believed me all along. I kept the truth from everyone. For a long time, I was in denial and convinced myself that I had not done anything wrong.

It is important that people understand that I did not share details of what happened with anyone until recently. My family, my teammates, the Brewers organization, my friends, agents and advisors had no knowledge of these facts, and no one should be blamed but me. Those who put their necks out for me have been embarrassed by my behavior. I don't have the words to express how sorry I am for that.

Here is what happened. During the latter part of the 2011 season, I was dealing with a nagging injury and I turned to products for a short period of time that I shouldn't have used. The products were a cream and a lozenge which I was told could help expedite my rehabilitation. It was a huge mistake for which I am deeply ashamed and I compounded the situation by not admitting my mistakes immediately.

I deeply regret many of the things I said at the press conference after the arbitrator's decision in February 2012. At that time, I still didn't want to believe that I had used a banned substance. I think a combination of feeling self righteous and having a lot of unjustified anger led me to react the way I did. I felt wronged and attacked, but looking back now, I was the one who was wrong. I am beyond embarrassed that I said what I thought I needed to say to defend my clouded vision of reality. I am just starting the process of trying to understand why I responded the way I did, which I continue to regret. There is no excuse for any of this.

For too long during this process, I convinced myself that I had not done anything wrong. After my interview with MLB in late June of this year, I came to the realization that it was time to come to grips with the truth. I was never presented with baseball's evidence against me, but I didn't need to be, because I knew what I had done. I realized the magnitude of my poor decisions and finally focused on dealing with the realities of-and the punishment for-my actions.

I requested a second meeting with (MLB) to acknowledge my violation of the drug policy and to engage in discussions about appropriate punishment for my actions. By coming forward when I did and waiving my right to appeal any sanctions that were going to be imposed, I knew I was making the correct decision and taking the first step in the right direction. It was important to me to begin my suspension immediately to minimize the burden on everyone I had so negatively affected -- my teammates, the entire Brewers organization, the fans and all of MLB. There has been plenty of rumor and speculation about my situation, and I am aware that my admission may result in additional attacks and accusations from others.

I love the great game of baseball and I am very sorry for any damage done to the game. I have privately expressed my apologies to Commissioner Selig and Rob Manfred of MLB and to Michael Weiner and his staff at the Players' Association. I'm very grateful for the support I've received from them. I sincerely apologize to everybody involved in the arbitration process, including the collector, Dino Laurenzi, Jr. I feel terrible that I put my teammates in a position where they were asked some very difficult and uncomfortable questions. One of my primary goals is to make amends with them.

I understand it's a blessing and a tremendous honor to play this game at the major league level. I also understand the intensity of the disappointment from teammates, fans, and other players. When it comes to both my actions and my words, I made some very serious mistakes and I can only ask for the forgiveness of everyone I let down. I will never make the same errors again and I intend to share the lessons I learned with others so they don't repeat my mistakes. Moving forward, I want to be part of the solution and no longer part of the problem.

I support baseball's Joint Drug Treatment and Prevention Program and the importance of cleaning up the game. What I did goes against everything I have always valued -- achieving through hard work and dedication, and being honest both on and off the field. I also understand that I will now have to work very, very hard to begin to earn back people's trust and support. I am dedicated to making amends and to earning back the trust of my teammates, the fans, the entire Brewers' organization, my sponsors, advisors and from MLB. I am hopeful that I can earn back the trust from those who I have disappointed and those who are willing to give me the opportunity. I am deeply sorry for my actions, and I apologize to everyone who has been adversely affected by them.

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Trista Reynolds To Go Public To Have Justin DiPietro Prosecuted

This is not a tough "who done it?" case.

A single, unemployed father of two took out a life insurance policy against a child he wanted originally aborted.  Bitter about child support, the child was found with him to be repeatedly injured including a broken arm.

After taking out the life insurance policy, he telegraphed his plans, via text (not a rocket scientist) saying how concerned he was that someone might kidnap Baby Ayla.

Surprise, surprise, Baby Ayla went missing.

Father, Justin DiPietro, "smoked" the polygraph (flunked it) and his sister and girlfriend both lied for him.

Statement Analysis concluded:

Justin DiPietro deceptive, with knowledge of the baby's death.

This was indicated from the very beginning.

A year later, police finally agreed to tell the press that Ayla was likely dead, as blood was found in the home of Justin DiPietro.

No arrests.  It is not unusual to think that prosecutors may fear going up against high paid, private sector attorneys who could take DiPietro's defense for the free publicity.  This was the case with Baby Lisa.  Police were close to arrests when famed NY attorney Joe Tacopina stepped in, reminding the prosecutors just how difficult he planned on making their jobs.

Baby Lisa's mother, Deborah Bradley, was never brought to justice in spite of the obvious deceptive answers she gave regarding what happened to Lisa that fateful night.

The mother appears to have reached the limit of patience.  From Bangor Daily News.com

The mother of missing toddler Ayla Reynolds has announced on her website that she will hold a press conference next month and release information in an effort to have the girl’s father, Justin DiPietro, prosecuted in connection with the girl’s disappearance.

Trista Reynolds will release information given to her earlier this year by Maine State Police detectives on Sept. 24 onwww.aylareynolds.com, according to information posted on the site. Reynolds also said that she will hold a press conference in Lincoln Park, located across from Cumberland County Superior Court, on Sept. 25.

The press conference will be held after the scheduled court appearance of DiPietro on an assault charge unrelated to his daughter, according to information on the website.

No one has been charged in connection with the toddler’s disappearance.

“We were told by the Maine State Police in January of 2012, that more than a cup of Ayla’s blood was found in Justin’s Dipietro’s basement,” Jeff Hanson, Trista Reynolds’ stepfather, said in an email to the Bangor Daily News. “On Jan. 3 of this year, Trista was shown selected specifics and probable causes regarding the blood found by the Maine State Police in their investigation … and on Sept. 24 … the public will know too.”

Reynolds is asking that members of the public urge the Maine attorney general’s office to “press for prosecution” of DiPietro.

“We are seeking justice, administered in an orderly and legal fashion by the court system,” Reynolds said on the website.

“Our secondary goal is holding Justin to account for his actions in a legal proceeding where he will have fair opportunity to present his side of the story before an impartial decision-maker, be it a judge or jury,” she continued. “Honoring Ayla’s memory requires no less.”

The attorney general’s office prosecutes all cases in which the medical examiner finds that an individual’s cause of death was homicide.

“We base our decisions about filing charges on the evidence,” Deputy Attorney General William Stokes said Wednesday.

Dec. 17 marked the one-year anniversary of when the 20-month-old girl went missing from her father’s home on Violette Avenue in Waterville, according to a previously published report. Investigators conducted numerous interviews with those closest to the child and searched the home, neighborhood, woods and waterways in the ensuing months, all to no avail.

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Three Teens Kill College Student from Australia Out of Boredom

Three “cold and callous” Oklahoma teens were fighting boredom on a lazy August afternoon — so they shot and killed a jogger “for the fun of it,” authorities said yesterday.

The brazen slaying of Christopher Lane (top right), an Australian student who came to the United States because he loved baseball, shocked people in both countries and prompted a call Down Under for a tourist boycott of America.

Police said Lane was visiting Duncan, Okla., where his girlfriend lives, on Friday afternoon when he jogged past a home where the teens were staying.

“We were bored and didn’t have anything to do, so we decided to kill somebody,” cops quoted Michael Dewayne Jones, 17, (inset bottom, far right) as saying.

Reuters

Christopher Lane

Jones claimed he, James Francis Edwards Jr., 15, (inset bottom, center) and Chancey Allen Luna, 16, (inset bottom, left) agreed on a murder “for the fun of it,” Police Chief Danny Ford said.

“They saw Christopher go by, and one of them said, ‘There’s our target,’ ” Ford said.

Investigators said Jones drove a car and followed Lane, 22, from Melbourne who was attending East Central University in Ada, Okla., on a baseball scholarship.

Luna, in the back seat, delivered a single fatal shot from a .22-caliber revolver, according to prosecutor Jason Hicks.

Lane staggered and collapsed on the tree-lined road. Passers-by tried CPR in vain.

The teens were found in a church parking lot, thanks to surveillance video.

KWTV in Oklahoma City said they had killed an animal before Lane — and were set to kill another human later Friday when they were captured. Luna’s mother told the station that they were members of a “wannabe gang.”

Luna and Edwards were charged with first-degree murder yesterday and held without bond. Jones, who gave cops a detailed confession, was charged with being an accessory and his bail was set at $1 million.

Edwards has a history of run-ins with the law — and had been in court earlier Friday to sign documents related to his juvenile probation.

“I believe this man is a threat to the community and should not be let out,” Hicks said in opposing bail. “He thinks it’s all a joke.”

In Australia, former Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer asked his countrymen to avoid visiting the United States.

“Tourists thinking of going to the USA should think twice,” Fischer told the Herald Sun newspaper.

“I am deeply angry about this because of the callous attitude of the three teenagers [but] it’s a sign of the proliferation of guns on the ground in the USA.”

Lane’s father, Peter, said trying to understand the murder “is a short way to insanity.

*********************************************

THE teenagers accused of murdering Melbourne baseball player Chris Lane were dobbed in by a local who claims his son was the trio's next target.

Chancey Allen Luna, 16, and James Francis Edwards Jr., 15 have been charged with first-degree murder over the fatal shooting in Duncan, Oklahoma. Michael Dewayne Jones, 17, was charged with using a vehicle in the discharge of a weapon and with accessory to first-degree murder after the fact.

James Johnson, 52, called the police to tell them that the accused killers were hiding in the car park of the Immauel Baptist Church car park at about 5pm, two hours after they allegedly shot Lane.

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The Immanuel Baptist Church parking lot in Duncan, Oklahoma, where the three accused of killing Chris Lane last Friday were apprehended. Picture: Andrew Quilty Source: Supplied

"My son called me and said, "They're saying they're coming to kill me," so I called the police and they got here within about three minutes," Johnson told the Herald Sun.

LANE'S ACCUSED KILLERS REFUSED BAIL

 

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Lane's accused killers refused bail

Two boys who allegedly shot dead an Australian baseballer have been charged with first degree murder.

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Mr Johnson claimed that Edwards Jr had threatened the life of his own 17-year-old son Christopher on Facebook. His son was at home with his mother and sisters near the church when he received the death threat.

"They threatened to kill my son because they are in a gang, the Crips, and were trying to get my son in it and I wouldn't let him do it.

"I told him he couldn't run with those boys. He's a little terrified."

Mr Johnson said the Crips, a predominantly African American street gang that began in Los Angeles in 1969 and had been in Duncan for the past few years.

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James Johnson believes his teenage son was the trio’s next target. Picture: Andrew Quilty Source:Supplied

He said the group consisted of teenagers who he called "wannabes."

"I've been living here all my life and we never had this, but in the past few years gangs from Lawton have been coming here," Johnson said of the Crips.

Johnson's son also attends Duncan High School, where suspect Luna and Edwards Jr. were students. He said he knew both boys, and described them as "troublemakers" and "bullies" who had "no parental supervision."

"I'm just glad they found the other gun, because they haven't found the murder weapon yet," said Johnson.

Meanwhile, the US government says it is "deeply saddened" by the drive-by shooting murder.

"The United States is deeply saddened to hear the tragic news of the death of an Australian citizen in Oklahoma," Ms Harf said.

"This is clearly a tragic death, and we extend our condolences to the family and the loved ones. We understand that local authorities are focused on bringing those responsible to justice. Clearly, we would support that."

The State Department's comments came after former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer urged Australian tourists to stay away from America to protest the need for stricter gun controls in the US.

Prosecutors have promised that the "thugs" charged over the brutal murder "will pay".

District Attorney Jason Hicks said outside the first court hearing in the Oklahoma town of Duncan that he was "going to do everything I can to ensure these three thugs pay for what they did to Christopher Lane".

"To those friends of ours in Australia, we would say to you this is not Duncan, Oklahoma," Mr Hicks said.

"This is not Stephens County, Oklahoma."

Stephens County Courthouse heard how one of the boys accused of murdering Lane, 22, danced and laughed as he was taken into a police station to be charged after the killing on Friday.

James Edwards, 15, was treating the murder as a joke, Mr Hicks told the hearing.

Mr Hicks told the court that Edwards has previously been in contact with police, and that he had "an attitude of total disregard for law enforcement" when he was being charged over Lane's death.

Revealed: Private lives of the accused

How the world press covered the shooting

"He thinks it's funny, and it's all a joke," Mr Hicks said.

"I believe he is a threat to the community."

Mr Hicks said Edwards kept a probation appointment for another matter at the courthouse just minutes after Lane was killed.

SARAH HARPER REMEMBERS SLAIN BOYFRIEND

 

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Sarah Harper remembers slain boyfriend

The girlfriend of a murdered Australian baseball player Chris Lane says she will cherish the memories their time together. Courtesy Channel...

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"He was cold, callous and that was the demeanour that we saw throughout the course of the investigation," Mr Hicks said.

Edwards and Chancey Luna, 16, are charged with first-degree murder and face life in prison if convicted.

Mr Hicks said that Luna had refused to co-operate with police.

They were both refused bail.

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James Edwards, 15, charged with first-degree murder. Source: Supplied

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James Edwards takes a selfie. Source: Supplied

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Chancey Luna, 16, charged with first-degree murder. Source: AP

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Chancey Luna. Source: Supplied

Michael Jones, 17, was charged with using a vehicle to facilitate the discharge of a weapon and accessory after the fact of murder in the first degree.

Bail for Jones, who is assisting prosecutors and police, was set at $US1 million ($A1.1 million).

The three will be tried as adults.

They were dressed in orange prison jumpsuits and had their legs shackled during the brief appearance.

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Michael Jones, 17, charged with being an accessory to the killing. Source: Supplied

The court was told that the three boys spotted Lane jogging along a road in an upper-class area of Duncan on Friday.

They got into a car driven by Jones, drove behind Lane and then Luna shot him with .22 calibre revolver in the back, the court was told.

"The information we have was this was the person who pulled the trigger," the prosecutor said of Luna.

Edwards and Luna did not show any emotion, but Jones broke down in tears after Mr Hicks said he was looking at a "very, very lengthy prison sentence".

"I didn't pull the trigger," Jones said.

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Chris Lane. Picture: Essendon Baseball ClubSource: AP

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Sarah Harper and Chris Lane. Source: Supplied

The courtroom was packed and divided.

In the front row sat about 20 family and friends of Sarah Harper, Lane's longtime American girlfriend. Ms Harper, 23, was not in court.

Cindy Harper told the Herald Sun her daughter was at home "trying to relax".

Another Harper family member said "this is surreal" as they were taken out a side door of the court building by sheriffs.

A few rows behind was a distraught Jennifer Luna, coming to grips with a nightmare 12 months that saw the death of her husband in a motorcycle accident and now the prospect her son could spend the rest of his life in prison.

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Jennifer Luna, right, the mother of murder suspect Chancey Luna, outside court. Source: AP

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Jennifer Luna. Photo: Andrew Quilty. Source: HeraldSun

On the right hand side of the courtroom was James Edwards Sr, refusing to believe his son was a killer.

"Yes, I do," Mr Edwards replied outside court when asked if he believed his son, who hoped to be an Olympic wrestler, was innocent.

In the back left area of the court was Jones's parents and supporters, including his pregnant girlfriend.

She sobbed in her seat, eventually leaving the court before Jones came in.

Edwards and Luna did not appear to be fazed during their court appearance.

Even when Ms Luna stood up in court to answer an administrative question from Judge Jerry Herberger, her son didn't acknowledge her.

Edwards didn't look for family members.

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James Edwards Sr believes his 15-year-old son is innocent. Source: AP

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The sister of accused murder James Edwards is comforted by a friend, left. Source: HeraldSun

Asked if she had a message for the Lane family outside court, Ms Luna told the Herald Sun: "I feel sorry for them, my heart goes out to them, it really does, but that's my baby too.

"My boy was a baby too."

Luna said there were no guns at her house, and her son was at home playing X-Box with her soon-to-be stepson when she came home from work last Friday after finishing at 3pm.

It comes a day after Duncan Police Chief Danny Ford said he had secured the confession of Jones who had summoned investigators to his jail cell and claimed they were bored "so they decided to kill somebody".

Chief Ford said the teens had no motive other than to ''make a name for themselves''.

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Prosecutor Jason Hicks, right, talks to the media following the teenagers’ court appearance.Source: AP

Lane was staying with Ms Harper in Duncan before going back to Oklahoma's East Central University where he majored in finance and was the catcher on the team's baseball team.

Ms Harper yesterday revealed her heartbreak at losing her "best friend", and parents of the accused protested their innocence.

She also told the Herald Sun that she didn't know what punishment would be appropriate for the three teens.

Lane, who grew up in Oak Park in Melbourne's north, had only been back in the US for three days after an eight-week break in Australia with Ms Harper.

"I don't want them to have any future that Chris wasn't able to have as well," Ms Harper said of the accused yesterday.

"It's been pretty rough. It's been hard knowing he was taken so close to home, let alone taken in the way he was. To be pointed out like that …"

Ms Harper said she and Lane had joked about America's soft gun laws before he was shot.

"He wasn't a fan of guns," she said.

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Sarah Harper next to a memorial along the road where Chris Lane was killed. Source: AP

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A memorial to Chris Lane near where he was shot. Source: AP

She fondly described Lane as a smart, kind and curious guy who would "do anything for anybody".

Ms Harper, also a talented sportswoman, said she and Lane just "meshed together" within weeks of meeting at college in Oklahoma in August 2009.

"It was more of a personality (we had in common), not so much interests. He was intellectual, into world news, and I found that quite boring," she said.

"He really wanted to travel more. He loved the idea of seeing the world."

Ms Harper said she would come back to Australia to farewell Lane with his family.

"I'm probably going to go back and say goodbye with the people he loved the most," she said.

"It was a great time getting back there and seeing him in his element with all his favourite friends.

"It's going to be hard going back but it's something I need to do.

"Thank you to everyone who supported and loved Chris. I really appreciated it."

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Christopher Lane’s mother and sister. Source: News Limited

Shocked family and friends have been trying to make sense of the tragedy.

Peter Lane paid tribute to his son and said the family was still waiting on news from the US authorities regarding the repatriation of the body.

"There is not going to be any good come out of this. It was so senseless. There was nothing he did or could have done," Mr Lane said this week.

"It's happened. It's wrong and we just try and deal with it the best we can."

Flowers and a baseball have been placed on the home plate at Essendon Baseball Club with a message.

"A wonderful young man taken too soon," it read. "Why?"

College friend Marshall Veal added Lane had "brought light to each of us''.

"Lanes would have done anything in the world for all of us and we would do the same, he was a best friend, teammate, and most of all a Brother. We love you Laney."

Local Bill Renfrow, who lives just metres from the intersection where Lane was shot, said Duncan locals had erected a flower memorial for him at the site of the attack.

"It's sad to us, more than anything. It's shocking. He was a visitor in our country," he said.

"This is a very quiet neighbourhood, there's never any trouble here."

Essendon Baseball Club's match against the University of Melbourne on Sunday will be turned into a tribute to Lane to raise money for the family

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