April 28, 2008
College Drunken Drownings (Finally) Investigated as Serial Murders
It's about time:
Finally, a couple of retired NYC detectives are connecting the dots among some 40-plus "drunken drowning" incidents, many of which we have followed since 2003. I have always suspected (as did other crime story followers) that this rash of coincidences (same modus operandi, same victim type, same improbable deaths) that these drownings were murders.
I'll be eagerly following the investigation.
Hat tip to our old friend, Bexxma in Austin, Texas, for alerting me to this news.
Vance Holmes' excellent chronology can be found here: DROWNING IN COINCIDENCE
A Blast From The Past
Here are some excerpts of entries published on this blog in the past about these cases:
APRIL 15, 2004:
I am extremely skeptical of the freakish number of accidental drownings in LaCrosse and Eau Claire, Wisconsin, regardless of their proximity to the Mississippi River. This conclusion defies statistics, logic, and ignores the fact that hundreds of college towns across the country are located near bodies of water and are populated by young men and women who overindulge on the weekends and don’t wind up disappearing and later floating in the river by the dozens.
On the contrary, I suspect a serial killer is responsible for many of these deaths, and he has returned to his home turf of LaCrosse, where he began his bizarre ritual in 1997 with the first three victims. As profiler John Douglas asserts in his books about serial killers, the perpetrator usually begins his career on familiar territory. If we examine the chronology and circumstances of this string of uncommon drownings, we can see a pattern emerge that includes a signature, specific type of victim, and other similarities that cannot be ignored.
APRIL 19, 2004:
...he fits the profile perfectly, and the modus operendi is beyond coincidental, it’s the killer’s signature: age range, athletic type, good student, a non-resident, and leaving a piece (or more) of the victim’s personal property at the scene.
FROM THE "FISK" ARIL 19, 2004:
From the source cited by the authors above, approximately 600 males between ages 15-24 die of drownings each year. How many of those disappeared from a group of friends and walked into a river? Most drownings occur in swimming pools. Of that same age group, 4,191 deaths per year were homicides. Based on those statistics, Jared and the others were almost seven times more likely to be murdered than to drown. I would venture to guess they were 100 times more likely to be murdered than to drown under these bizarre (and now familiar) circumstances.
No, I cannot see him walking to the river to clear his head or get some fresh air. I can accept him walking up and down the sidewalk, arm in arm with a friend, singing a fight song or stumbling down stairs. I can visualize him ducking into an alley to relieve himself or toss his cookies. I see him praying to the porcelain god in the men’s room and then washing his face with cold water. I even see him getting in the backseat of a casual acquaintance’s car for a lift home. However, I do not imagine him wandering down to the river by himself and tumbling in. I have been around a lot of drunken people in my life, and I have suffered more than my share of self-inflicted hangovers, and the closest I have witnessed to this scenario is someone jumping or being pushed into a swimming pool and requiring rescuing because they are too drunk to swim.
No, it is not “more comforting” to believe that Jared was murdered, or to deny our personal responsibilities regarding the dangers of mind altering substances. Most of us are realistic and accept that there are consequences to risky behavior. Certainly, if every young man in La Crosse quit drinking for the rest of the semester, probably nobody else would drown. But that does not explain the seasonal cycle of these incidents, the uncanny similarities of the victims, the geographical pattern, or the “extremely unlikely explanation” offered by La Crosse educators and law enforcement. Obviously, they have a professional stake in this being an accident and their bias is totally subjective and manipulated to quash the underlying panic and cynicism of the students and citizens.
Only an outsider with no vested interest in the outcome of an investigation can render a fair and critical assessment of these events. Until a retired FBI profiler, a seasoned homicide investigator, or an experienced private detective is hired (or volunteers) to research these cases, Jared’s death, and the now statistically probable future unexplainable deaths, will continue to be deemed “an unfortunate mix of a high level of intoxication and a cold, swift river.” From my vantage, it is more an unfortunate mix of denial by high ranking authorities, and a cold, swift dismissal of the real lack of evidence of accidental drowning.
December 02, 2007
Happy 5 Year Blogaversary!
Yes, friends, it's been five years.
It’s hard to believe that it was five years ago, in December of 2002, that “Observations of a Misfit” was born in the blogosphere. In that five years there were hundreds of entries, dozens of design changes, thousands and thousands of comments, friendships made and lost, and who knows how many lurkers influenced by the live blog show we performed every day?
In honor of our impressive lifespan, and despite being a totally slacker blogger for the past year, I have decided to start blogging regularly again.
For my return from semi-retirement, it only seems fitting to give my remaining loyal readers (are any of you still out there?) an update on our old pal, Scott Peterson. I have a very interesting story to tell you:
Was Scott Peterson Really Gay?
During the Peterson trial, The National Enquirer and other tabloids routinely published articles suggesting that Scott Peterson was gay (or bisexual). Among the witnesses to Peterson’s sexual proclivities included a transvestite dancer, a bartender, several women who claimed to have met him in bars, his sister, Anne Bird, and, most recently, his fellow inmates at San Quentin.
The latest headline on The Globe shouts that Peterson has AIDS.
Believe it or not, Stone Cold Guilty is still selling here and there (thank you), and whenever news of Peterson hits the tabloids or booksellers, it results in renewed interest in my book. Most recently, a screenwriter in California named John contacted me to share information that corroborates my two-trip theory.
According to John, Peterson frequented a gay bath house in Berkeley and was there on Christmas Eve day, as opposed to actually going out on the boat from the Berkeley Marina. I never believed Peterson launched the boat that day, because he really didn’t have enough time to do what he claimed to do (fish), much less dump a body out near Brooks Island or in the shipping channel that was over a mile away. I theorized his visit to the marina was to check his work from the night before and get a launch ticket as an alibi.
John claims he worked at the bath house where Peterson was a regular and that Laci discovered his secret (gay) life. Instead of the popular love spin where Amber Frey was the motive for murder, some people think Peterson murdered his wife and unborn baby to cover his closet gay life.
I don’t have any problem believing that Peterson was a switch hitter. It would certainly be in character as a malignant narcissist for Peterson to fear the exposure of a dark secret that would ruin his life (or give Laci grounds for an expensive and debilitating divorce). Similarly, I never supported any romantic hype that he killed Laci to be with another woman. Peterson always struck me as an alley cat, so his finding pleasure with either sex would not surprise me at all.
His visiting a bath house in Berkeley would support my theory that Berkeley was a stomping ground for him, and not because of his sister (whom he did not visit until after the murder). It also explains why he wanted to stay with the Birds when he left Modesto to escape media scrutiny. Peterson’s familiarity with Berkeley, Richmond, the Albany Bulb, and the east bay area in general would support my theory that he actually launched the boat during the night of December 23 from Richmond, motored to the shipping channel and dumped the body in deep water after doing research on the tides and water depth a couple weeks prior; evidence of which was discovered on his computer and presented at trial.
According to an article in The Globe (that I read while standing in line at the supermarket this morning), Peterson had a violent and bloody altercation with none other than Night Stalker, Richard Ramirez (who is, let's agree, a living character from a Stephen King novel). Ramirez allegedly sold Peterson some bad meth and Peterson was a very unsatisfied customer. The story reeks of fiction, but it was amusing, nevertheless. Prison guards who broke up the fight fear they have been exposed to Peterson’s tainted blood as rumor has it that Peterson contracted AIDS during his closet homosexual life.
Time will tell.
Meanwhile, there is a book coming out this month written by an anti-death-penalty-advocate that purports Peterson confessed to the murder during one of the author’s visits to San Quentin. The news release describing the book was so badly written, I find it difficult to believe that anyone would take this book seriously. And speaking of badly written books, I have yet to finish the book that came out a few months ago by a few of the jurors, and I had to return it to the library. Yes, I am a slacker. I’ll get up to speed, I promise.
Posted by lorelei at 01:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (25)May 28, 2007
Cameron Brown Trial Update
Well, well, well. For those of you still following at home:
Geragos dropped the Brown trial: LINK TO ARTICLE.
Thanks to Pat for the tip. This is very interesting. Geragos seems to bail on his lost-cause clients; unless, of course, there is media exposure to exploit. If more press had been covering the Brown case, I suspect our pal would have been more eager to continue to represent him personally. Unfortunately, so much time has passed since the arrest, and the trial got little exposure outside the local news and a radio talk show, poor Mark Geragos lost interest.
This, despite his promise not to abandon his client. Why am I not surprised?
Posted by lorelei at 09:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (31)January 19, 2007
Look in the Wabash River?
Another young college boy is missing from leaving a party early Sunday morning on the campus of Purdue University.
LINK TO STORY (Thanks, Vero, for the heads up.)
Wade Steffey certainly fits the profile of other young men found drowned in waterways in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois and Indiana since the mid-90s. He's a little younger than the average age of 21 or college junior, but he's an athlete, an Eagle Scout and attending Purdue on a scholarship. Obviously, this isn't a kid who would "disappear" or leave town on a Greyhound headed to Las Vegas.
After researching the area around West Lafayette and Lafayette, Indiana, my first hunch is that Wayne is in the Wabash River, victim of a serial killer or copycat who recently made a possible appearance in his old stomping grounds, La Crosse. Wayne's body will be found with an unusually high alcohol level, he may have his wallet in his pants, and he will likely be missing some personal items. A hat or cell phone may be found on the banks of the river. And, ultimately, the autopsy will reveal that there was no "foul play."
I hope I'm wrong.
Posted by lorelei at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (127)October 02, 2006
Another Drunken Drowning or Murder?
Another young man, Lucas Homan, a student at University of Wisconsin - La Crosse, has gone "missing" after partying with some friends at the Oktoberfest:
He fits the profile of the previous young men who were found drowned in the Mississippi River after disappearing from a bar in La Crosse. Homan is 21, an athlete, tall, and caucasian, similar to Jared Dion, the student whose "drowning" instigated a Town Meeting in La Crosse where citizens demanded an investigation into a possible serial killer.
The (theoretical) killer took a year off, or moved to a different location, and has returned to his favorite stomping grounds. Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the bars.
Even the Crime Library has a story about this mysterious set of "coincidences."
More to follow - here is another story that includes Homan's picture:
Posted by lorelei at 12:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (97)September 24, 2006
Geragos to Defend Another (alleged) Baby Killer
After nearly a year since Holly Ashcraft was arrested in Los Angeles for the alleged murder and disposal of her newborn baby boy in October 2005, the State of California is conducting a preliminary hearing to determine if Ashcraft will stand trial. Ashcraft’s new counsel of record (as of April 2006) is none other than “high-profile defense attorney” Mark Geragos.
Geragos replaced Ashcraft’s original lawyer, Paul Wallin, who successfully represented the third year USC student in a similar case in 2004 when Ashcraft was suspected (but never arrested or charged) of delivering and disposing of another newborn baby. Thus, we have hit the trifecta of murder cases here: a “Xerox” murder – where an accused gets away with an alleged murder and repeats the modus operandi; the murder of a child by a parent who is described as “very bright, athletic and very upbeat” and “one hell of a good kid” by her family; and our favorite lawyer using his all-too-familiar tactics to exonerate his client.
Ashcraft was arrested after an anonymous tipster called 911 to report finding the newborn in an alley behind a bar popular with USC students. When officers arrived, they found the child's body lying in a cardboard box next to a trash bin. The boy's umbilical cord was still attached, suggesting a medically unattended birth.
Apparently, Ashcraft was so audacious (or careless) she hid the body in an area right behind her second floor apartment.
Back in 2004, she sought medical treatment at an emergency room and doctors determined that she had just given birth. Ashcraft claimed the baby was stillborn and that she “buried it,” but never revealed the location of the baby’s grave. Law enforcement did not pursue charges at the time, but when a second dead infant was linked to Ashcraft within a year, she was not so lucky. Her bail was set at an astonishing $2 million because prosecutors considered her a flight risk. Bail was eventually reduced to $200K so she could post bond and delay the proceedings for as long as possible; which, of course, is Mark Geragos’s indisputable area of expertise.
According to a recent article HERE, DNA of the baby tested in the 99.93 percentile matching Ashcraft’s, and that his death was determined to be a homicide by the results of an autopsy. Geragos’s strategy seems to be to invalidate that his client was pregnant at all:
Mark Geragos, who is representing Ashcraft, ticked off a list of friends and relatives close to Ashcraft, who told investigators they never suspected Ashcraft was pregnant.
When this nonsense fails, expect Geragos to argue that the cause of death is in dispute, there was a conspiracy driven by conservative, right-wing religious fanatics to punish his client (wasn’t there a John Grisham book with this plot?), and that poor Holly is another unfortunate victim of police tunnel vision and politics. I wonder if he’ll turn this into a pro-choice debate to attract the media? This case hasn’t received much attention, but Geragos’s presence is most certainly a harbinger of disaster.
Posted by lorelei at 02:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (181)September 19, 2006
The Trenton Duckett Tragedy
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Where is Trenton Duckett?
Cops arriving at Melinda Duckett’s Leesburg, Florida apartment the night of her son Trenton’s “disappearance” on August 27 may have immediately suspected that the scene was staged. Trenton’s disappearance occurred less than two weeks after his second birthday, which was celebrated at the Venetian Gardens with a combined party for him and his 21-year old mother. Melinda announced the birthday party on several MySpace sites and invited friends and online strangers to bring their friends, family and “a dish to pass.”
From the news stories covering Trenton’s disappearance, a familiar pattern emerges:
Trenton was last seen in his bedroom at the Windemere Villas in Leesburg around 7:00pm.
This information came from Melinda – she claims he was “last seen” at 7:00 pm. But, of course, that is probably false. She may have been the last to see him, but it wasn’t at 7:00 pm. The problem with news stories that repeat information that has not been verified or that originates from the prime suspect in a potential domestic murder is that it presents this information as fact rather than unsubstantiated alibi.
Later in the investigation and after Melinda’s suicide, the reports take a turn toward factual:
Police said no one can confirm seeing Trenton after about five o'clock on Saturday, August 26 and that's a good 26 hours before his mother reported the kidnapping. Police have checked store surveillance tapes and phone records, but they won't confirm what they've found.
Signs of staging:
There is a sign of tampering to the exterior of the apartment that raised our concerns pretty much immediately when we were out at the scene...
Possible motive(s):
Melinda Duckett filed for divorce in June and was granted a temporary restraining order against her husband in July. In her petition to the court, she said Joshua Duckett sent her an e-mail threatening to kill her and their son.
Joshua Duckett, a Wildwood electrician, has denied writing the message and said Wednesday that he has hired a computer analyst to prove it.
Melinda Duckett filed for divorce from Joshua Duckett on June 14, and the two were fighting for custody of Trenton.
Early on, familiar lines were drawn between the families of the estranged couple:
Police are trying to verify the mother's account of what happened. Her side of the family was not at Tuesday's news conference with police.
Trenton Duckett's father, Joshua, and his family stood right next to investigators Tuesday to plead for Trenton's safe return. They call themselves Team Trenton and wore t-shirts with a picture of his smiling face.
Melinda said she hasn't attended recent news conferences to keep the feud with her estranged husband from overshadowing the search.
Keep the focus on Trenton, right? Just as the focus on Trenton was becoming more like a laser beam, Melinda commits the ultimate selfish act of suicide; thus taking any information of Trenton’s whereabouts to wherever the soulless go after death.
If Mark Geragos were defending Melinda, this bit would go into the "No Playbook for Grief" argument:
Law enforcement officials told the WESH 2 I-Team that police found freshly painted walls in some places, and in the back, trash thrown out by Duckett was filled with Trenton's toys.
But what grabbed investigators' attention were the pictures. They said a lot of pictures of Trenton, including the sonogram printout from when Duckett was pregnant, were all thrown away in the trash.
Does this remind you of anyone? You can set your watch to these types, they are so predictable
Based on some of Melinda’s posts on MySpace, she was familiar with guns and had gone to a firing range this past summer. Who knows what she was plotting at the time, but it’s becoming clear that there was a method to her madness. She was obviously seeking new romance and an escape from her “two full-time jobs”, full-time school and single parenthood, and likely hoped that Joshua or a mysterious intruder who could fit through a 10” slit cut in a window screen would be the prime suspects.
Melinda’s body language and affect during media interviews set new standards for stoicism and evasiveness. Even Scott Peterson could squeeze out a few tears (and other facial fluids) for Diane Sawyer. Melinda’s expression was blank; at least those times when she wasn’t closing her eyes. Once again, the ice cold blood of the pathologically selfish seems to stifle any emission of passion or sympathy in their performances. Acting lessons would not have helped.
Police said they do not believe Trenton was taken by an intruder. They are asking everyone in Leesburg and Lady Lake to search their own properties, though they admit a mother harming her own child and then faking a kidnapping would be rare, but not impossible.
On the contrary, there are many cases in the annals of crime history in which parents kill their children to escape the inconvenience, expense, and romantic hindrances. Cameron Brown (accused, not yet convicted), Nicole Diar, Diane Downs, and Susan Smith immediately come to mind.
This case is incredibly tragic and sad, but not unusual.
Posted by lorelei at 08:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (165)