Orlando, FL- Jennifer Kesse, the newly promoted mortgage process engineering manager for Central Florida Investments, parent company of Westgate Resorts was an upstart.

Recent BOC article coverage can be found here, here and here.

After interviewing with upper management for other advancement roles within the company- her new position was actually created For Her.

Was this a forward and prophetic corporate strategy based on mortgage industry trending data?

Was her promotion a result of Jennifer’s own market analysis and efficiencies recommendations to the suits on the top floor?

Yes and Yes.

At 24 Jennifer Kesse was the youngest new manager among her peers in their respective management roles at CFI.

While she did not have the subordinates they did reporting to her directly, the initiative she was leading and launching was going to save the firm almost $900,000 annually.  The installation and rollout of a new debit system interface allowing timeshare owners to pay fees, mortgages and incidentals by ACH automatically was a corporate priority for Westgate Resorts.

Which is why on the morning of Tuesday January 24, 2006, the day after she returned from a brief trip with her boyfriend Robert Allen when Jenn did not show up to her office in Ocoee there appeared to be immediate concern.

According to Jennifer’s outlook scheduling calendar she did not have an interoffice meeting until the afternoon.

By 11:15 her parents living two hours away in Bradenton were called to see if she had some sort of family emergency.

The exact escalation of events within CFI leading up to the phone call and who made it are being withheld for investigative reasons.

By noon, a trifecta of calamitous and simultaneous events takes place.

Drew, Joyce and Logan Kesse, speeding from Bradenton to Orlando in a respite from paralytic panic reach the property manager of Jenn’s new condo at Mosaic On Millenia and learn her car is not parked in her spot.  She is not inside.

A self-confessed admirer and now CFI lateral management peer, Johnny Campos arrives 4 hours late to the Ocoee office.

The only suspect ever declared to date in Jennifer Kesse’s disappearance is parking her vehicle while captured on 3 separate closed circuit cameras at the Huntingdon Tavern On The Green Condominiums and apartments.  It is less than a few blocks from two large CFI warehouses and within a mile of  several CFI owned properties.

By late afternoon The Kesse’s, Rob Allen and Jennifer’s closest friends were using her condo as a command center to develop immediate and organized searches for her.

Detectives Julius Glenn Gause II and Joel Wright of the Orlando Police Department respond to the scene.

Detective Gause assures the Kesse’s that Jennifer had a fight with her boyfriend Rob Allen, who is now standing in her living room vehemently disagreeing with his investigative assessment.  Who can blame the guy?

Gause’s opinion was reached without ever interviewing a single person who was  not on-scene, and was sure she would be back by tomorrow.

In a mandatory meeting called at the request of Central Florida Investments CEO David Siegel and conducted by Chief Financial Officer Tom Dugan, it was announced that Jennifer Kesse, a respected and valued member of the management team had been reported missing.

Dugan adamantly assured all that the company would encourage  employees to join any organized search efforts to find her.

Jennifer did not return as Gause predicted.

Her car did however, and on January 26^th   her case  was declared a criminal investigation.

The First 48… Months

Upon the classification of Jennifer’s case as a criminal investigation,  J. Glenn Gause told the Kesse’s that his partner  Detective Joel Wright asked what he considered a dumb question during a briefing.

As a result Gause informed- he kicked him off the case and requested new partner Det. Emmett Browning.

While such a move would  obviously be outside of Det. Gause’s authority, it is more likely the pair were reeling from the Internal Affairs investigation that ensued after they knowingly interviewed John Evander Couey after his arrest for the murder of Jessica Lunsford.

Shortly after Couey’s confession to Citrus county detectives was thrown out of court because it violated Couey’s Miranda rights,  Gause and Wright decided to inform their Orlando PD sergeant that they interviewed Couey following his arrest in Citrus County on the chance he might be a suspect in the Regina Armstrong murder because he grew up in Orange County.   They claimed he actually confessed to the Lunsford murder.

The confession was not taped and at no time did either detective inform the Citrus investigators or their OPD supervisor of the visit itself- let alone  Couey’s statements.

That is until they learned his original confession in the Lunsford case was inadmissible.

Interviewing an incarcerated man who is represented by an attorney with charges pending in a potentially related case without permission, notes, or a recording by veteran detectives is outrageous.

John Cuoey was 5’4”, 125 lbs with a flag tattoo.  The suspect composite from direct witnesses in the Armstrong case was a man around 40, 6 ft tall with medium build and a mermaid tattoo on the opposite arm.

They were lucky their actions did not derail the prosecution of both cases.  The second alleged confession was also thrown out and reprimands to both detectives remain private in their respective employee records.  Regina Armstrong’s murder in 1985 remains unsolved.

John Evander Couey died of natural causes on death row awaiting execution for the rape and murder of Jessica Lunsford.

Patented Police Work- Who Knew?

Detective Emmett Browning, Jr and J. Glenn Gause II will lead the investigation into Jennifer Kesse’s disappearance by keeping the single most promising clue from the very folks that could help the case instantly.  The public.

Browning and Gause made the investigative decision not to release video footage of the man parking a victim’s vehicle within 24 hours of her missing persons report.

They were 48 hours into the case they assumed was a lovers rift, had since turned into a criminal investigation and thought it wise not to engage the public’s efforts in locating an individual seen on video in a very distinctive uniform less than one day earlier, a mile from her home.

I am aware that is a run-on sentence.      How could one possibly break that up and convey how ludicrous that was?

There were no obvious signs of foul play in Jennifer’s condo or her car.   An entire complex watched as the car was removed.    How could they possibly have ruled out that Jennifer was abducted and held against her will?

Might a tip on the immediate suspect have saved her life?

They had time to make the 6 o’clock news and blast the web.

Fresh eye witnesses, fresh leads – what a break!

Fresh fizzle was the way this going with these two.

Investigators informed the Kesse’s they would not be processing Jennifer’s condo because there were too many people in it and it had not been preserved.  Drew Kesse told Detective Gause that he was in contact with some family friends employed in international security and law enforcement in different jurisdictions and he was told the scene should be processed and known prints and samples could be eliminated from any unidentified.

Gause responded by telling the bereft  father of a missing daughter if he got one more call or one more question about his investigation he was going to start arresting people.

Gause and Emmett, otherwise known as “Gammett” by colleagues  for their years of friendship and  joining the Orlando Police Department patrol together in 1981 worked the case through August 2007 without ever interviewing a single person at Jenn’s work, developing a suspect or releasing the footage of the suspect parking the car.

The duo felt they had a better offer they could not pass up.  Hard to Imagine, I know.

“The right opportunity came up and you don’t know if you’re gonna get another opportunity like that,” Gause said.

Upon their departure, it was discovered by Orlando Police that neither officer kept a note, recording, binder, or interview outline on the Kesse case and if they had,  they emptied it from all files of their cases within  OPD.

Gause wished the Kesse’s luck and his hopes in finding Jennifer.

“If They don’t find her this hunting season, they definitely will by the next.” – Glenn Gause

With homicide cases in the collective rearview for the pair, they set forth with new employer Aqmi Strategy Corp.

Putting their combined 50 years of investigative prowess to work in white collar crime via the private sector was the plan.

They probably should have started with the new boss.

Aqmi Strategy Corp- a division of Mirabilis Ventures was about to expose one of Orlando’s more notorious billionaire frauds by way of an international security incident.  A retired Orlando Police captain and a former secret service agent were detained in the Democratic Republic of the Congo while allegedly conducting security detail for  presidential hopeful Dr. Oscar Kashala.   Kashala is a Harvard educated Congolese national.

Frank Amodeo, a felonious, disbarred Georgia bankruptcy attorney and equal opportunity bilker of the DINK and COCOON sets formed Aqmi under the Mirabilis umbrella in 2004.

After fake-buying the Trump Tampa Tower and raising the US Treasury’s eyebrows following rumors that the real reason for being in the DRC was to raise foreign capital for US interests surfaced, the IRS and Mr. Amodeo became acquainted. Although those particular rumors were likely started by the opposing parties who detained the the team in the first place,  an American security detail contracted by a major pharmaceutical executive running for office in the Congo is going to get a look.

Amodoe is currently on the hook to the IRS for $181 million in unpaid payroll taxes and serving 22 + years for  conspiring to commit wire fraud, obstructing an agency proceeding, impeding the IRS and failing to remit payroll taxes.

Dr.  Kashala failed in a second bid for the African nation’s presidency in 2011.

In 2009 following an informal inquiry by officials within The Orlando Police Department, new investigators received an 80 page report on the Kesse case compiled by the original investigators Glause and Browning.

How it got there and upon whose request has not been disclosed.

“Better late than never” might be one of those  axioms  I stop using.

Gammett  currently works with several colleagues from the defunct and bankrupt Aqmi days as independent security consultant for Center For Security Solutions.

Detectives Browning and Gause’s legendary dogged determination to solve cases has made them experts in Cold Case Management.  Their “patented” concept of methodical Cold Case organization and review has a proven success rate. Their irrefutable investigative skills has made them equally effective in handling Internal Affairs cases, completing thorough, fair, factual and concise investigations.

Largely devoid of any of the aforementioned but chockfull of spurious, you can read Gammetts full bios here.

Detective Sergant Rich Ring buoyed Jennifer’s case until Joel Wright and new partner Detective Roger Brennan picked it back up.

First order of business sixteen months later- release the vehicle video and declare a suspect.

I will spare the details of how much difficulty these detectives went through reconstructing a two year old investigation without the proper background from the first team at bat.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity to Blink on Crime, a source inside the OPD confirms the files removed from the Kesse case included reports like her cell phone records and ping studies.

To their profound credit the parents of Jennifer Kesse,  Drew and Joyce pushed a bill through the Florida Senate to mandate standard operating procedures and other practices that would preclude anyone walking off with the case files in adult missing person’s cases in Florida.

The Jennifer Kesse Tiffany Sessions Missing Persons Act was signed ceremoniously into law on October 28, 2008 by Governor Charlie Crist.

Bill 502 expanded the authority of The Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Missing and Endangered Information Clearinghouse (MEPIC)  to provide assistance in missing persons investigations for those under 26 and over the age of 26 that are believed to be endangered.

In it’s first three years in existance, the Act has helped 716 adult missing persons cases including Jennifers.

The disappearance of Jennifer Joyce Kesse brought some of the largest volunteer search efforts for a single person in both Florida and the United States to date.  David Siegel, the president and CEO of Westgate Resorts and Central Florida Investments offered a $100,000 reward for Jenn’s return through March 8, 2006.

In July of 2008 the disappearance of 34 month old Caylee Anthony catapulted the Orlando landscape back onto to the screens of the nightly 14 minute intro recaps of her case.

With no similarities in the victims or any known associations to the cases outside of the fact they were last seen within a few miles of each other there was no way they were related.

Except One.  Peter Benevides.

Big profile, big reward, big name-  Peter “Pedro” Benevides pledged a $100,000 reward for the return of a living Caylee Marie Anthony.

Background is Foreground With A Skyview

In December 2008 Florida’s statewide prosecutor Bill Shepherd reviews Jennifer’s case.  Prosecutor Shepherd’s office is only tasked with reviewing cases that may require multi-circuit jurisdictions and the possibility or probability of PONZI SCHEMES.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Shepherd served seven years in the Office of the Attorney General of Florida. He was appointed in 2007 by former Attorney General Bill McCollum as Florida’s Statewide Prosecutor and was responsible for leading eight offices throughout Florida in the investigation and prosecution of multi-circuit criminal activity. Shepherd’s focus was on RICO prosecutions in the area of white-collar crime, mortgage fraud, securities fraud, healthcare fraud, ponzi schemes, corporate and private embezzlement, money laundering, narcotics trafficking and gang-related crimes. He also worked in the Office of the State Attorney in Miami as an Assistant State attorney from 1996-2000.

The results of the Statewide Attorney recommendations are unknown.

After a review of Jennifer’s case by the Federal Bureau of Investigation at the request of Drew Kesse in 2010, her case was again in the hands of OPD.   Detective Patrick Schneider and Sgt Det Richard Lane are the lead investigators to date.

On December 11, 2008 the remains of Caylee Marie Anthony were recovered off of Suburban Drive in Orlando.

According to a statement given to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office by the now infamous Roy Kronk, he was under the impression that the reward posted by Benevides for locating Caylee was set to expire.   Not his original statement to Detectives John Allen and Yuri Melich of course, but he gets there.

He never realized that it was only payable if Caylee were found alive.

Two weeks later a discovery of a different kind befalls a local couple walking their dogs in a Windermere neighborhood.

What is believed to be the pepper spray pouch and attached mail key of Jennifer Kesse was recovered.

The names of the advertent couple and precise location are being withheld by www.blinkoncrime.com for investigative reasons.

The couple tried for weeks to contact the established crimeline  tip line as well as Orlando Police before turning  the item over to Windermere Police with a note.  The note said the finders thought it may be part of the Kesse investigation but they had been unsuccessful reaching detectives.  After a last try in late January, detectives returned her call.

It was not until BOC analysts came across a work order request from Jennifer’s condo maintenance staff requesting a replacement key and new mailbox assignment prior to her disappearance the connection was made to Jennifer’s case.

The key in her vehicle, the key attached to the fob of the spray holder pouch and the existing key to the mailbox number assigned to Jenn are identical.  The pouch is an exact duplicate of several purchased by Jennifer’s parents for her as well as extras for her girlfriends, when she moved on her own.

Drew Kesse has an exact duplicate purchased in tandem on his keychain today.

In January 2009 Pete Benevides registered a Limited Liability Company under the name Skyview Funeral Home , LLC with a PO Box in Clermont, FL.   He does not own a funeral home, is not licensed to conduct funeral services and the entity was dissolved a year later for not receiving an annual report.

Considering the fact that Benevides was ousted as the benefactor for Caylee Anthony’s memorial service by Dominic Casey, Anthony family private investigator and head of security for the event, one has to wonder if Skyview Funeral Home’s business model is focused more on laundry services.

Not for long though. At precisely the moment the Memorial Service is taking place at First Baptist Orlando,  the United States Treasury descends on the Orlando business interests and assets of Mr. Benevides and his co-horts in “Project Rumplestilskin”.

On February 10, 2009, orchestrated presumably upon received intelligence, “There’s gold in them thar hills” is not just the dream bubble of Parker Schnable of Porcupine Creek.

Through an ongoing criminal investigation sparked by “unspecified illegal acts “ as sworn by Noel Martinez, Jr, Special Agent IRS- USSS Financial Crimes Task Force , it seems the cast of Gold Rush missed the glory hole by a few thousand miles.   Federal agents however,  hit the Orlando bedrock without the need for excavation.

Javier Fernandez,  Angel Sanchez, Luizia Trindade, Luiz Trindade,  Skyview Aviation, Pedro Benevides, Luis Hernandez, German Cardona, Daniel Rojo Filho,  Evolution Market Group, Superior International Investments Corp, Brittany Sprague Benevides, Michael Clark, Heather Perkins, DWB Developers, their officers and registrants therein watched their 9 vehicles ranging from a $270K motor coach, Audi A8 and custom Lamborghini drive away without them under an REM forfeiture complaint.

Unbeknownst to them at the time, the nearly 400 gold bars  stashed in 3 different states were also seized between February 9^th and 11^th in addition to  bank accounts totaling over a few hundred million dollars, wired from multiple international locations.

Additional seizures of an undisclosed amount of gold and silver were seized from 3 safes in a warehouse owned by Ralph Munyan of Clearwater.

Several notices of civil actions referencing sealed criminal cases and John Doe participants as co-conspirators are pending against all.  It is likely they will be put on hold until the completion of all criminal investigations and subsequent complaints.   The sealed cases to date are in Oregon, Texas, Arizona, Florida, Colorado and Nevada.

Further coincidences between the Benevides et al clan and involvement with the Casey Anthony case include the fact that pass through accounts referenced in the seizure filing and the first Caylee Marie Anthony Trust were closed at the same bank within one business day of each other.

The first four days of transactions including opening deposits of the first Anthony Trust have never been revealed publicly.  One thing is for certain.   If Mr. Benevides or anyone attached to the criminal matter used those derived funds for any purpose related to Ms. Anthony or Mr. Baez, we are all going to know about it at some point, the individual payments and transactions of these accounts have only been partially released in support of the warrant.

The seizure action brought by the United States Attorney has been ordered “stayed” with 90 day updates in order to allow the pending criminal investigations to proceed against all the above defendants, both named and as yet to be named.

On September 16, 2009 Pedro Paul Benevides was arrested on Federal charges of cocaine smuggling after two of his pilots were arrested in Pensacola and fingered him as the mastermind.

Benevides was remanded to the Orange County Jail through February 2010 where he was released after charges were dismissed against him when a witness against him changed their story.  It is not known if Casey Anthony, who was also housed at the Orange County Jail and Benevides were leaving notes at the library for one another ending in ~FLUSH~.

On February 11, 2010 Pete Benevides was released from custody, still under investigation by the Feds for his and his associate’s involvement in an alleged ponzi scheme that has bilked over $450 million dollars from investors around the world.  However, with a heavy concentration of folks seeking damages for same around every corner of the neighborhood, it can’t be the same hitting the in and out burger in Orlando these days.

On February 19, 2010 based on an informant tip,  OPD conducted a search behind the Knights Inn on South Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando.   Both that site and the location on 72000 International Drive  are known former business addresses of Filho, Hernandez and Benevides.

Until last month Pete and Brittany Benevides, Luis Hernandez, Daniel Filho, unspecified John Doe’s and Angel Hernandes managed to dodge subpoenas in the pending civil actions.  Luis Hernandez and the Benevideses maintain homes and offices in Leesburg,  Astatula, Clermont, Orlando and Windermere.  The pending class action civil suit process servers were headed off by security at every gate.

The State of Florida was happy to be served on their behalf at the request of the plaintiffs attorney.

*  It is this author’s intention to present the parties associations, conduct and occurrences to the relevant time periods and commonalities to the case of the disappearance of Jennifer Kesse and by no means should be considered a complete background or biography.  Y’all are itching to know how any of this is connected as it is or you’re asking yourself-  did Blink drink her Google juice today?  I get it.  Stick with me.

Encumberance And Conveyance, In Deed

The first investigative interviews conducted at Central Florida Investments, Jennifer’s employer were in May 2009, or so the management team thought.  She had been missing three years and 4 months.

What they did not know is a work colleague of Jennifer’s called them on his own to tell OPD what he knew in the months before that.   “Adam Frank” referred to previously on BOC, not his real name as he is a material witness in the case, called police in an effort to stop the harassment he was enduring at work since Jennifer disappeared.  Adam overheard a confrontation between Johnny Alberto Campos and Jennifer Kesse the morning of January 23^rd, 2006.

For the first time exclusively on www.blinkoncrime.com, we have uncovered additional witnesses to corroborate the interactions between Jennifer Kesse and Johnny Campos leading up to and including the days following her disappearance.

On or about the day after Jennifer’s disappearance, Johnny Campos asks Frank to drive him to an impromptu meeting at the new Lake Eleanor Office.   When the pair arrived, Campos told Frank he would meet up with him in about 30 minutes in the cafeteria.

Adam Frank watched as the manager of the branch,  Linday Hernandez met Campos at security and the pair headed to her office.

Linday Hernandez, A Venezuelan national, is a business partner of Peter Benevides in more than one venture, and her husband Luis Hernandez is and was a former principal in several business interests including currently held properties.

Mr. Hernandez as previously noted is under Federal criminal investigation in multiple states and a defendant in several civil actions resulting from those alleged activities.  Linday Hernandez is not named individually in the ongoing federal or class action civil matters to date, however, companies which she has or had a principal interest in, are.

A recent financial filing of the couple requesting significant debt relief and a stay from a foreclosure sale on their Windermere residence was filed in Ms. Hernandez’s name only.  Luis Hernandez’s whereabouts are unknown.

Witnesses inside the investigations of both Jennifer’s case and the Federal inquiry describe the relationship between Linday and Campos as “confident” and friendly with Linday visiting the Ocoee branch frequently ending in an offsite lunch for the two.

An additional witness interviewed by BOC and wishing to remain anonymous provided an account describing how Campos approached him with a scheme for making quick cash.  Several timeshare owners were asking to renounce their weeks without compensation as long as they did not pay annual fees.   It was alleged Campos saw it as an opportunity to rent the week out, covering the fees, without ever telling the owners.  Westgate/CFI had folks with access keeping track of unoccupied timeshare properties.  Who accessed them and by what means remains to be seen.

A simple keycard report would be able to tell that information for the timeframe of Jennifer’s disappearance easily.  It has not been requested to date.

The Ponzi Peninsula

In May 2011 a tip was received from a Columbian national and former resident of the United States claiming to have had to leave the country due to immigration issues.

Dimitri Duran Soto is also a former realtor and mortgage broker for Sky Land Realty Group and DPG Realty after a failed cleaning business venture in 2003. His real estate license in Florida has been revoked.   Mr. Duran Soto is a trained architect and is currently working as such in Columbia.

It was the intent of BOC to withhold Mr. Soto’s name but he has since posted a request for the person who he believes may either be responsible or knows who is,  for what happened to Jennifer Kesse as he claims was told to him.

Soto told police while he was discussing seeing the Kesse’s on TV, a friend of his claimed to have seen Jennifer in a white pickup truck sitting between two men with a look he described as “like, help me” when the vehicles were next to each other at a traffic light turning left onto International Drive South.

That evening Soto printed out a flyer from the Kesse website and showed it to him the next day to confirm.

At the time he says he felt his friend did not come forward and neither did he because they both had what he termed immigration issues.  He was afraid of deportation.

Upon return to his native country, Soto learned his friend had taken care of his status but had not yet informed police of what he knew.   Soto reached out, and was put in touch with OPD.

The January 6th search conducted and organized by Orlando Police and FDLE in the area of the 13000 block of International Drive was based on the account of Soto’s friend, however, a posting of Mr. Soto’s indicates there may be more to it.

Soto’s friend describes the pickup he was now watching in his rearview mirror makes a right turn just before the Partners Credit Union onto a dirt road leading into the woods and property searched recently- unsuccessfully.

However, the dirt road access which is commonly known to many ATV riders in the area is also a way to access the undeveloped plat #723 owned by Luis Hernandez and Pedro Benevides.

The BenHen parcel has not been searched nor seized because of it’s purchase prior to any allegations of ponzi.

Considering the fact that the last known person to have had a public disagreement with a missing woman arranges an impromptu meeting with a woman whose husband, and by way of a marital asset so does she, owns a parcel in the direct vicinity of a recent search area OPD felt credible is worth a conversation- no?

check back to www.blinkoncrime.com

Images by Klaasend

Contributing Editors Jason Mateos and Jaqueline Beaufort

While their worried parents made numerous calls to police and actively looked for them in the area into the late evening, there was no sign of them in spite of neighbors going door to door.  Unfortunately there was a shift change at the West Memphis Police Department, and no detectives were called in until the following morning.

That critical error by the WMPD is the start of a voluminous list of mishaps and negligence that would plague this case from the onset, and quite possibly earn Damien “Icky” Wayne Echols (a/k/a Michael Wayne Hutchison) Charles Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Lloyd Misskelley, Jr, a new trial.

I was asked to review this case and present my findings to a colleague who had been privately retained in this case, with the agreement that I would publish my investigative report regardless of the conclusions I reached

In the interest of disclosure, I am admittedly a big fan of Johnny Depp and Eddie Vedder and I wanted nothing more than to let them know they could count me in as the newest advocate for “free west Memphis 3”.

First, The Good News?

At the onset of my research, I thought it was pretty clear that there absolutely was juror misconduct in the Echols/Baldwin trial, which has yet to be ruled on for the defense team, and I agree that the same judge who heard the instant case should not have heard the appeal, especially in a capital case.

As a practical matter, lawyers, specifically defense attorneys, are charged with extracting the “guilt or innocence fact” as it relates to the crime and zealously defending their clients rights and presumption of innocence.

Conversely, the prosecution is charged with presenting a case they believe will result in a conviction of the indictment as presented, while adhering to the rules of criminal procedure under the Arkansas supreme court.

I think it is a fair statement to say that in both trials, neither endeavor was accomplished and we should all be uncomfortable with how it could threaten our collective rights under our constitution should it go unaddressed in general, and  not just in this case with these defendants.

The larger issue at hand, is changes to DNA statutes and the states plain language misapplication of the “actual claim of innocence” under rule 37.

Simply put, it means that the new evidence, testing, the evidence of any jury misconduct, when evaluated with all other evidence both inculpating and exculpatory whether or not it was presented at trial, is a second bite of the apple- FOR BOTH SIDES.

The burden, however, is on the defense to argue that a new jury would likely acquit all three based on the totality of that evidence today. It should be noted that the Supreme Court will rule on this hearing as to whether or not a new trial is warranted giving EQUAL weight to direct, physical and circumstantial evidence, which is also the charge to a jury.

I support the hearings to begin December 5, 20011,  with cameras present because I believe in transparency and the law is clear that it provides for “higher burdens” in capital cases.

I purposely studied trial transcripts pleadings and filings in advance of all actual evidence and exhibits because I did not want any basis I had for procedural errors to influence my opinion.

My advance apologies for those reading that are new to the facts of this case for leading with the caboose,  there is a method to my engineering.

To an extent, I can bifurcate the issues of guilt or innocence vs. our rights under the constitution to due process.

I am less open to it given the recent verdict in the murder trial of Casey Anthony, where the similar problem but different verdict of no direct physical evidence tied to the accused resulted in her jury acquittal, but that is not the only topical comparison one can make between these two cases, more on that in the final installment of this series.

Brief Background: West Memphis Three Support

The HBO Series Paradise Lost, a documentary filmed by Joe Berlinger & Bruce Sinofsky’s company Creative Thinking International with the full participation of both the prosecution and the defense, paid for a portion of the defense of Echols and Baldwin directly to their lawyers and to them by way of a  trust in the name of their attorneys.  Once the victim’s families learned of this, each of the victim’s families was paid an undisclosed honorarium for their participation in 1994, prior to its airing in 1996.

Although Baldwin and Echols benefited financially from the arrangement,  they sued their attorneys Dan Stidham and Val Price for ineffectiveness of counsel and conflict of interest.

Loosely translated, they have accused them of not hiring defense expert witnesses and well, ineffectiveness.

It is due to that ruling we are sort of “where we are now.

That said, the funding for expert witnesses for these proceedings have been and continue to be paid in part by Arkansas Take Action (ATA), founded by Lorri Davis,  Echols wife.

The major celebrity fundraisers and contributors to West Memphis Three via ATA cite “Paradise Lost” as the impetus for their personal advocacy and sponsorship.

I can’t say that I would have blamed them then, as it was not until the series aired, and the “slant” of innocence of the accused by the producers became known to the prosecution and the families, and all but one family member of one of the victim’s declined participation in its sequel.  Naturally my first reaction to various organizations, including ATA post conviction fund raising for the defense of 3 convicted murders was a violation of the son of Sam law.

Not in Arkansas. A convict can use funds raised on its behalf for its defense. Let’s hope recently elected Senator David Burnett, the former judge on this case has amending that law on his action item list this year.

Playing to The CSI Effect- Excellent Strategy

Last November, In response to a united appeal decision by the Arkansas supreme court, previously denied by the circuit court in 2007 and argued by famed attorney Dennis Riordon on behalf of Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley, the west Memphis three were granted a new evidentiary hearing to take place on December 5, 2011 based on further DNA, fiber and hair analysis.

It is the goal of the defense team to use the hearing to win a new trial.

Last month, the case status update reports new DNA findings exclude all three suspects.  There are 2 spots on a victim’s shoe that are the profile of a common unidentified male, and another spot with a different male profile.

It is the defense’s position that this exonerates Echols, Baldwin and Miskelley, because it does not belong to them, which was stated similarly in just about every news article as well.

It does nothing of the kind, as there were over a dozen WMPD personnel on scene who could absolutely be the origin of the DNA.

The defense claims it is “not their job as a defense team” to establish whose DNA it is.

While that is true, presenting that evidence as exculpatory has already been addressed by the court on it’s own merit. Consideration by the court of this evidence, and all other evidence whether presented at trial or not is in effect, giving the state the power to decide guilt or innocence and makes the rule 37 “ruling” moot.

This is a very wide berth for both sides, and in this author’s opinion, a “be careful what you wish for situation” for at least one defendant, if not all three, ultimately.

Ditched In A Ditch

Because of the snafu that no detectives were notified until early morning on May 6^th, detectives were trudging through the crime scene they did not yet know was a crime scene; until Detective Mike Allen saw the unmistakable yellow cub scout hat and a child’s sneaker floating in the stream.

While Mike Allen attempted to retrieve the items by leaning over the creek with his hands on a tree on the opposite side, he lost his footing on the muddy bank and slid into the murky aquatic coffin of the missing boys.

Allen’s foot slid underneath the first victim, and caused the naked, hogtied  and badly bruised body of Michael Moore to float to the surface at approximately 1 PM.

Chris Byers and Steve Branch were found by Detective Bryn Ridge approximately one hour and 45 minutes later 25 feet downstream, face down, and fully submerged and were located by the apparent purposeful placement of sticks jammed into the mud. The sticks had items of the boys clothing wrapped around the bottom ends.

Byers and Branch were also naked, hog-tied and badly beaten; Stevie sustained significant gouging wounds to the left of his face and Chris was emasculated.  Despite the fact that the coroner was 2 hours away, all 3 victims were removed from the ditch and placed on the banks, all three were still bleeding from their wounds and  covered by black plastic while WMPD continued to collect evidence from the scene.  County workers were enlisted to pump out the stream to collect evidence.

Also at the scene, was Crittenden County juvenile probation officer Steve Jones who suggested detectives speak to Damien Echols.  Lt James Sudbury and Steve Jones paid Echols a visit the next day.

Satanic Panic No Manic Yes

Satanic Panic. Throw that phrase into any equation and I already do not believe it.  This crime was in no way connected to a cult or an offering of sacrifice of any kind.

In December 2008 I had an opportunity to consult with retired 35 year FBI Behavioral Science Unit  chief, Special Agent Ken Lanning, in a different case that showed elements of “Satanism”.

If he says there is no ritual activity associated with this crime, there is no better authority, and he does.

It should be noted prior to the prosecution phase of the murders, the FBI advised John Fogleman not to proceed with that angle as the motive.

I respect that on the surface some believe that Echols was singled out because he had jet black long hair, wore all black, carved a pentagram into his chest, etc. That is until the 500 pages of his medical reports and prior criminal record were released.

However, what I do NOT respect, is that at no time was Echols singled out for any other reason than his OWN WORDS and his OWN ACTIONS.

In a recent episode of True Crime By Aphrodite Jones, Misskelley’s former attorney Dan Stidham, now working pro bono assisting  Dennis Riordan et al, calls the west Memphis three “throwaway kids”.

He goes on to say that they were arrested because they were dirt poor with family problems and WMPD was under terrific pressure to make an arrest.

Mara Leveritt, a reporter for the Arkansas Times who wrote a book on the case called Devils Knot and who also participated in the HBO series, has continued to be very outspoken that the police and prosecution railroaded these kids.

Leveritt helped start the west Memphis 3 innocence project in 2008 when Lorri Davis refused to open the books of Arkansas Take Action, but has since joined the ATA movement,  which is said to have raised well over a million dollars and actively seeking donations today.

There is no dispute whatsoever that Echols, Baldwin and Miskelley lived in squalor with broken families and all three lines of parentage were wrought with mental issues and extreme poverty.

There is much dispute however that prior to their arrests, although several locals pointed the finger directly at Echols and through association Baldwin, that WMPD focused only on them.

In fact, the first time Jason Baldwin’s name came up in connection with the murders was from Damien Echols himself.  That’s right, in his questionnaire answer he gave during an interview at WMPD on May 9, 1993; he suggested Jason Baldwin and L.G. Hollingsworth could be responsible. (insert image)

There were well over 100 witness interviews, dozens of warrants for hair and blood samples from various individuals, local sex offenders, out of state relocation’s and the like being scratched off the list as the investigation progressed, as well as witnesses passing polygraphs, thus eliminating them.

The indisputable truth is that these teenagers had a long criminal and violent history in this tiny community.

They all had the same probation officer that knew all of them for years, spent enough time in the community and received updated mental health progress reports to suspect Echols initially, absolutely.

Thus the concept of “supervised probation”.

Taking The Myth out of Mythunderstood

Damien Echols

Damien Echols is the son of Pam and Eddie Hutchison.  Pam was plagued with psychological issues her entire life which included nobody knowing where she was adopted from, and Eddie left the family after he got his first and only moderate paying job.

Jack Echols,  Pam’s next husband, adopted Damien and his sister Constance Michelle.  According to medical and social records, Jack Echols sexually abused Michelle and was verbally and physically abusive to all.  Pam left Jack and resumed her relationship with Hutchison in the months before the murders.  Their rented trailer had one working door and no bedroom for Damien.

There are no elementary records for Damien, and by both parents accounts, he lived his early childhood in a shack in the middle of a field with no water or electricity.

In the 18 months prior to the murders, Damien Echols was arrested for trespassing, sexual misconduct and committed to a psychiatric hospital for the second last time.

He was suspended from school seven times the year before, once for lighting a fire in the back of class, the last time because he clawed the face of Shane Divilbiss, a romantic rival for the affections of Deanna Holcomb, who was arrested with Damien a few months later.

Damien’s last commitment, while living with the recently relocated family in Aloha Oregon was caused by Echols threatening to slit his mother’s throat and drink her blood, and subsequently eat his father.

Pam and Eddie Hutchison were so concerned about Damien’s behavior and his threats to them, they refused to allow him back into the home and sent him on a bus back to Arkansas.

The Hutchison’s moved back to West Memphis 6 weeks before the murders and Damien moved back in.  Damien is suspected to have burned down his Father Andy Jack Echols garage and part of his trailer according to his friend Chris Littrell.  Pam Echols Hutchison Metcalf is currently on disability for depression.

According to Damien’s OWN application for Social Security disability benefits, he was suffering from homicidal, sociopathic and suicidal ideations, manic depression and schizophrenia:

The exhibit known as the “500”, as in 500 pages of medical records tells the story the prosecution could not, due to the exclusion of “prior bad acts”.   There was great concern about Damien’s escalating propensity for violence, so much so his probation officer removed the dog and cat skulls from his bedroom and expressed and great concern for acts against others.  He felt the natural evolution of his violence was going to be humans 18 months prior to the murders.

Damien was told at the hospital that he could be the next Ted Bundy, he replied I always knew

In her first police interview, Pam tells WNPD Hutchison that packed up and left her the night before the boys were missing, and took everything to his Mother’s by 9PM.

Pam described Damien as upset and crying over the incident.

In her subsequent deposition in September 1993, now represented by Damien’s attorneys, Val Price and Scott Davison she recants this happened on this evening.  Echols told detectives Damien was normal, and that he had no problems. It was not until detectives prompted her that they knew of his hospitalizations through his probation officer that she even admitted he was on medication.   I have dubbed her the Cindy Anthony of West Memphis.

HUTCHISON: I THINK HE’S A PRETTY DECENT YOUNG MAN, I’VE NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH HIM.

HUTCHISON: NO, HE WASN’T FAIRLY NORMAL, HE WAS, HE WAS MUCH BETTER THAN NORMAL.

SUDBURY: SO AS FOR AS DISCIPLINED?

HUTCHISON: HE WAS NEVER DISCIPLINED PROBLEM, NO

The Echols lived mostly on and off with Randy and Susan Sanders, Randy is a convicted sex offender and felon.

He was arrested for public masturbation 3 months before the murders.

Charles Jason Baldwin

Jason is the son of Larry Baldwin and Angela Baldwin Grinnell, his divorced parents who are also second cousins.  Three months before the murders, Jason’s mom was involuntarily hospitalized for paranoid delusions after Jason found her bleeding from self-inflicted injuries and called 911.

Angela’s  second husband and Jason’s step-dad, Terry Grinnell went to live at his Mom’s.  Five years before the murders, in Shelby County, it is believed Jason started a fire in the bedroom of the family home.  Baldwin was on probation since he was 13 for criminal mischief and most recently for shoplifting  in May 1993.  Since Echols return from Oregon, Baldwin’s grades were on the down slide and he was warned that if he missed school it would violate his probation.

On May 5, 1993, Angela and her live-in boyfriend Dink Dent had an altercation and she kicked him out the following day, after  public announcement the boys had been murdered.

Jason was responsible for looking after his younger brother Matt, and step-brother Terry Jr. now that his parents had separated.  The night Jason was arrested, his step-dad was again living with the family, and Angela returned home from work to find WMPD searching their home.

She became hysterical and began screaming at Terry, accusing him of turning Jason in for the reward money.  Jason was at Damien’s house the evening of their arrest on June 3, 1993; they turned the lights out and hid under the bed when WMPD came to place them into custody.

Jessie Lloyd Misskelley, Jr.

Jesse and his brother with special needs were abandoned by their Mother when they were toddlers.  Jessie’s’ older brother was eventually institutionalized a few years later.

Jesse was on and off probation since he was 11 years old.  Most recently, one month before the murders, he was convicted of beating up a 13 year old girl.

In the weeks following the murders, Lee Rush, the live-in girlfriend of Jessie’s father, was awakened on more than one occasion by loud sobbing in the middle of the night coming from Jessie’s room.

When she asked him what was wrong, he simply told her that he was upset his girlfriend was moving away.

As detectives were waiting in the living room of the Misskelley trailer for the CST team to arrive to exact the search following Jessie’s arrest, Lee told them that story three times. She claimed she “knew something was wrong”.

Mr. Misskelley stated that Jessie might have been there, but he did not murder those kids.

Buddy Lucas, a friend of Jessie’s, would tell investigators after his arrest that Miskelley confessed to him the day after the murders that he was there, and asked him to take the blue and white adidas shoes he had been wearing.

Preponderance  Or  Propaganda

I have watched countless interviews, and opinions where an “expert” believes the west Memphis three are wrongly accused, it is usually followed by- ” ..there is no physical evidence to tie them to the crime..”  For starters, that is inaccurate.  There is voluminous amounts of physical and trace evidence, albeit circumstantial.

They were not wrongly accused, there was a confession by someone involved trying to make it look like he was not, by skewing facts so he could get the reward money for turning in Baldwin and Echols and buy his dad a truck.

That does not sound like a mentally challenged minor, it sounds to me like he told his Dad he was there, but did not do anything could he tell the cops the truth with his permission?  I am referring to the first confession, subsequent two others with the corrected facts and his admission FOLLOWING his conviction against his attorneys advice.  I will analyze both his statements as they relate to the evidence in Part 3.

Since when does a DNA sample, found on items handled by multiple people, which does not match a suspect, exclude them? Most specifically, when there are partial profiles available from serology that do not EXCLUDE them?

NEW PROSECUTION EVIDENCE TIED TO ECHOLS AND BALDWIN

Exclusively on www.blinkoncrime.com, during the course of our investigation of the case file, new and additional evidence has been uncovered linking Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin to the murders.

The INFAMOUS BR1

A plastic bag with the Road Runner Petro logo found at the scene containing inter alia a black thermal t shirt size Medium, a khaki short sleeve button down shirt size L, men’s size 33-34 Jordache jeans, a pair of white socks recovered from the pipe near the scene.  A red fiber found on Michael Moore ‘s boyscout shirt, which was microscopically similar to a red and white pullover shirt of Echols, was also found in this bag.

Although the fiber matched one from the victim,  and one belonging to Echols, investigators could never tie-in the bag to one of the suspects.

When Echols was interviewed on May 9,  he told Gary Gitchell that he was a roofer and worked for Alderson roofing. This is also confirmed by some of his medical records.

In the only deposition Eddie Hutchison gave, he told detectives he worked at Petro.

Although he purposely never referred to it as Road Runner Petro,  www.blinkoncrime.com was able to trace the names of his supervisors back to the Memphis, TN Road Runner Petro.

Alderson Roofing & Metal shares a parking lot with Road Runner Petro.

I submit, either connection ties “Icky” to the Road Runner bag.  To date, no personnel from either Road Runner or Alderson roofing has been interviewed.  No responses to our requests for interviews have been received by this articles publication.

Possible Weapon?

One thing that most experts have agreed on, with a few exceptions to be discussed later is that the injuries to the boys did not come from a knife.   The defense strongly believes that the knife found in the lake behind Baldwin’s trailer was not used and I agree that the “grapefruit is not just for breakfast anymore” stunt by John Fogleman was ridiculous and should never have been allowed, and stricken at a minimum.   However, I do think Jason Baldwin was the owner of the primary weapon used in the assault and murders of Chris, Stevie, and Michael on May 5, 1993.

The day before the murders, Tuesday May 4, 1993, Jason Baldwin traded 3 t shirts for a curved “throwing” knife, and a mountain climbing ice pick.  On Friday May 8, 1993  Jason had his little brother Matthew return those items, he had kept hidden under his bed for the last few days, claiming “somebody was going to accuse him of using them.”

On May 11, 1993 Billy and Kenny Newell turned the weapons over to WMPD.

5-11-93

Statement of Kenny Newell
Lakeshore Drive

Jason was over at our house and Billy wanted to
trade something for some shirts. And the only thing
Billy has good enough to trade is the weapons. Billy
picked the shirts he wanted and they traded. And 3
or 4 days later Jason’s little brother brong the pick
and the nife back and got the shirts but we didn’t
find the testement shirt so he still has it.

Jason Baldwin and his brother Mathew Baldwin
lives west from our house at the street right before
the last one by the fild 3 or 4 trailers down on the left.

Billy Newell is my brother. The first trade took place at the early part of last week. The second trade took place
at the last part of the same week.

This statement was completed at 6:28PM on the 5-11-93

The Newell brothers were never called as witnesses, and the ice axe seems to have been put on the shelf after there were no latents detected.

Based on visual analysis of the crime, autopsy macros and photos I have reviewed, 14 experts reports,  trial testimony and witness statements to the fact that Jason Baldwin’s post offense behavior had him get rid of it through a peripheral party PRIOR to any LE interaction indicating he was a suspect, it is my personal opinion this weapon was used in the commission of these murders.  Please see similar axe image close ups:

I do not profess to have any earthly idea why this ice axe was not previously compared to the wounds in this case as a possible murder weapon, but our analysis finds this instrument is consistent with the wounds sustained by the victims in this crime, encompassing ante-mortem, perimortem and postmortem inflictions of all three boys.

WARNING GRAPHIC  WARNING    GRAPHIC  WARNING  GRAPHIC  WARNING  GRAPHIC

Complete Autopsy Files on each victim can be found here. Viewing autopsy images of a graphic nature is highly upsetting to most people, if you are one of those, I would encourage you to leave the site as I am making an extended entry here so one must click the next page to view as an opt in permission following the warning.

WARNING GRAPHIC  WARNING    GRAPHIC  WARNING  GRAPHIC  WARNING  GRAPHIC

Complete Autopsy Files on each victim can be found here. Viewing autopsy images of a graphic nature is highly upsetting to most people, if you are one of those, I would encourage you to leave the site.

The following information is not intended to take the place of the full and complete autopsy reports available , it is for demonstrative purposes of support as to the possibility that the mountain climbing pick, subsequently referred to as ice pick, is a possible murder weapon.  I refer to relevant injuries only, and in some cases I have cropped images to illustrate only those and protect the privacy of the victims.

Michael Moore:

Situated on the left parietal scalp was a dove-tail type laceration measuring 3/4 by 1/8 inch. At the inferior margin of the wound was an extension patterned contusion in the form of an upside down “L”; the vertical portion measured 1/2 inch and the horizontal portion measured 1/4 inch.  Moore’s left side surfaced when it was “dislodged” by Mike Allen’s foot.

Stevie Branch:

Stevie had large gouging wounds to the left side of his face, they are believed to be perimortem as they have sections of skin torn from the inside of the cheek and described as “interrupted” cuts.   Byers gouging wounds are referred to as similar in Dr. Peretti’s report.

*Image too graphic refer to description only*

Q.  Okay. And using that if you could explain to the Court 15 your biggest concern regarding this not being a bite mark. 16 A.  My biggest concern of it not being a bite mark — if you 17 look at this one with this curve and this curve and this curve 18 and this curve (INDICATING) — there are curved lines all over 19 this poor victim and even deep gashes which also have a similar 20 curvature which show up better on the side view — the left 21 side of the face. 22 Q.  Doctor, could you refer to that exhibit number on that? 23 A.  Exhibit Thirteen M is the blow-up, and that’s the blow-up 24 of the original Ten M.

Chris Byers:

The only one of the three that does not have a cause of death related to drowning,  bled to death from a gouging wound to his penis and scrotum.  In original trial testimony, Dr. Peretti testified it could have been caused by the “Baldwin” serrated knife, other knives, or a piece of broken and jagged glass.

*Image Too graphic* Refer to description

In subsequent hearings,  Expert following expert has testified that this was NOT a cutting wound, but a wound that was “tearing” in nature.  What several experts also testified to, was that the victims were covered with “curved wounds.”

To be continued : Part 2 A continuation of the evidence in the case against the West Memphis Three .

She must report to probation in Orlando at the Department of Corrections by August 26.

Orlando, FL- I thought my chapped skin was over.

Read, shower, repeat.

Write, ignore call from editor, shower, repeat.

The OCD I developed during the case of the murder of Caylee Anthony by her TotMom, The C word, continues.

Anger over the death of an innocent child is understandable, fierce loathing when the accused is her Mother, is justified.

What is not, is the minutes of our day one devotes to the C word.

Angst is power, nobody will argue that.  What is decidedly MOST powerful, is quitting Casey.

Images of fake checks with non-existant banks and non-existant companies are hitting the web to act as a barometer of the public’s interest and acceptance.

The porn industry rescinded an offer to C word, if that does not say it all, I don’t know what does.  Let’s say they tend to be a less judgemental crowd on occasion.

I am calling you out.  I am calling me out.

Quit caring.  Quit Casey = Cashless Cow

If you want to be a color form in this girls chloroform play set,  I cannot stop you.

What I can tell you, is that these payday wannabees have been Trumped.

Literally.

Between The Donalds’ hair being real and him getting a look up President Obama’s unmentionables bearing a birth certificate on a whim, who do these ilk think are going to give them “equal time”?

IT IS WORKING. REPEAT. IT IS WORKING.  WE ARE WINNING.

Even Rupert Murdoch says “If a single person in my US offices so much as says that *%?#/’s name out loud it will make Rebekah Brooks stay in the big house look like a debutant cotillion, whatever that is.”

Here’s what happened:This is the most notorious and nationally covered case since The O word, and this felon and her counsel can’t get a legitimate network meeting.

Yep. The Moral leprosy crew are singing for supper.  Industry insiders will tell you that the rumor mill has produced a steady call of public outrcy at the mere notion their firms would consider any deals with Cword or her defense team, and the existing artists threatening to walk if they do.

Simply put, it is tantamount to scheduling a tsunami in your lobby.  Not even Don Draper could pull that off.

Ms. Folmer, reached from her latest promotion to washroom hand towel service  had this to say:

Due to my journalistic integrity and because nobody told me we could not cancel a check after a verdict, I was wondering if I could fill a role in Jackass4 or Roller ball 10.   I look forward to meeting the jury members, your among friends.

Late this morning, calls to THE BAEZ LAW FIRM for comment have not been returned.

A woman answering the phone at Jose Baez’s office who declined to be identified,  told Blink,  Editor In Chief of www.blinkoncrime.com:

Good Luck getting a call back, he has been sitting in his office for two days hitting the redial button to the News of The World Offices trying to get a live person on the phone.   He is convinced he can swing a deal with somebody over there. Any Suggestions?

Sure,  I answered, tell him to hit the O button,  and just keep holding, they have a very busy switchboard.