TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2006
Carl Fox
A reader asks,
John,
What part of the "botched investigation of Andrew" are you blaming Carl Fox for? The fact that the Carrboro police used his letterhead to trick Andrew to think he was being arrested for murder, or the fact that they indicted Andrew with no physical evidence, not even proof that she is dead. Carl certainly showed poor judgement in giving them his stationery without asking to see what purpose they put it to, but I suspect that he like all of us learned a valuable lesson about trusting that the police are straightforward, honest and always fulfill their function to uphold the law.
Just
curious.
I can't forgive Carl for either of these things: For allowing the police to use his letterhead, nor for allowing Dalzell to go to trial without a case. Both these decisions showed poor judgement. Carl wants to continue being a judge. Given these mistakes - and the fact that he has never addresses these issues - and the fact that there are several worthy candidates for the two judgeships, I think people should vote for someone else.
I know the police investigators in this case. They are straightforward, honest people and they displayed unbelievable patience in this matter; they would not have proceeded if Mr. Fox hadn't encouraged them.
Not only this. There are others who have issues with Carl Fox. See the "Citizens against Carl Fox" banners around town? I have nothing to do with this. This is another group of people with a seperate beef against Mr. Fox. I know their issue and it gives reasonable cause for concern.
I think there are too many reasons not to vote for Carl Fox.
A stunning aerial view of the Compton complex
The website for King's Hall is back up. I understand they're still trying to sell the place.
The current caretaker at King's Hall, Compton emailed me these beautiful photos
This is King's Hall proper. This was the main residence at Compton and where the students ate their meals.
This is the annex building to the right of King's Hall, also known as Gilliard. Theresa lived on the second floor in the wing to the left.
It would have looked just like this 28 years ago. On this morning (Halloween) Theresa would have been up early (her classes began at 8:30 am in Lennoxville - a 10 mile bus ride away).
She had a break for the remainder of the morning well into the afternoon. At 2:30 she had a math class followed by a humanities class at 4:30. By the time she was finished it would have been dark.
I have no idea what she did that Halloween. I do know that Champlain college has traditionally hosted a big Halloween party that always tends to get out of hand.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2006
You're lucky if you can find even one thing in a lifetime that inspires you to push beyond the accepted, to fight the established, to run the razor's edge and discover your limits are only what you make them. But if you ever do find such a thing, dig your teeth into that sucker like you're a pit bull and hang on as long as you can.
Dave Haynie
Vous etes chanceux si dans l'espace d'un temps, vous trouvez quelque chose qui vous inspire, qui vous pousse au-delà de L'acceptable, qui vous fait combattre ce qui est acceptable, qui vous fait combattre ce qui est établit, qui vous fait marcher sur la corde raide et découvrir que vos limites sont celles que vous vous imposez. Mais, si vous trouvez une telle chose, mordez dedans avec force et tenez aussi longtemps que vous le pouvez.
Dave Haynie.
Here there is some pictures of the search party.
Thanks to Francois Chillas from Radio Amateur Estrie.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvfp4FRETLU
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2006
Classic T
Theresa and Andre making funny faces - me the straight man
This year the anniversary of Theresa's death will play out in "real time". That is, November 3rd will be a Friday - she disappeared 28 years ago on Friday, November 3rd. She was found on Friday the 13th of April and so it will be this April 2007.
I believe this time 28 years ago she would have been coming back to college in Lennoxville from a weekend in Montreal - classes on Monday, Halloween holiday on Tuesday, celebrate my brother's birthday on Wednesday.
It's a good time to focus on time and place and try to remember things correctly, if anyone out there still recalls what happened 28 years ago.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2006
Assorted Luncheon Meats
- The Cold Case Petition: It's been four-and-a-half months and we've heard nothing. So I finally called Jean Quenneville who works in Charest office - I was told he is handling the matter. He did call back yesterday, but we're playing phone tag I will try him again Monday and won't let up until I actually speak to him.
But there's also the question of Jacques Dupuis and the Ministry of Public Security. I'm not really sure who is taking charge here but I'll find out: 4 1/2 months is too long to wait.
It's a tricky thing. You can call these folks up if your frothing-at-the-mouth: a place I've been at all too frequently in the last 5 years, but I believe I've finally achieved some balance where I can talk to these people without acrimony.
- The Poitras Report: Ya, that's been a real treat. It takes two months to secure an interlibrary loan? The school library tells me - surprise, surprise - that the wait is on the Quebec side, but I could have walked to Canada and got it myself in the time it has taken.
If I hadn't mentioned it I'm considering a PhD on The Ineffectiveness of Public Inquiries featuring... Poitras. One problem is I'm running out of funds to study (I can't exactly rob the kids college fund), but I'm thinking of asking the OVC for some cash - if anyone has some bright ideas I'm all ears.
- There's an election here in 10 days: Don't vote Carl Fox. Many people in North Carolina have a high opinion of him, but he was a major player in the botched investigation of Andrew Dalzell and for that I can't forgive him. Vote for one of the other candidates; they are all qualified: Adam Stein, Charles Anderson, Allen Baddour.
- In other news I came in 6th in a 5K road race for city employees in Durham yesterday (about 100 entrants). My time was 24:37; about an 8 minute mile. I'm told I can bring that down to 7 minute miles before the Gallop and Gorge on Thanksgiving but I'm skeptical.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2006
Excitable Boys
I am certainly familiar with the concept of Death by Cop.
However I am immediately suspicious when the Surete du Quebec uses it as justification for shooting a home invader:
Shooting called 'suicide by cop'
Suspect wounded after home break-in had urged residents to tell police he had gun
The Gazette
Published: Tuesday, October 24, 2006
A man who was shot while Surete du Quebec officers responded to a break-in call might have been suicidal, Montreal police say.
The 45-year-old man was shot Sunday night after breaking into a house in St. Hughes, about 70 kilometres northeast of Montreal. Two people inside the house managed to flee without injury.
After SQ officers arrived, the man emerged from the house and threatened them with a gun.
The man, a resident of the Monteregie region, was shot and taken to a hospital where he was reported to be in critical but stable condition yesterday.
The Montreal police have taken over the investigation. Provincial law prohibits a police force from investigating a fatal or potentially fatal shooting involving one of its own officers.
"The man apparently did not go to the home to commit a robbery. He also did not know the people inside. It has given us the impression his objective was to confront the police," said Constable Olivier Lapointe of the Montreal police. "Suicide by cop is one of the hypotheses we are looking at."
Montreal police major crimes investigators also learned the same man had caused a disturbance at a movie theatre in St. Hyacinthe less than a hour before he was shot in St. Hughes.
He told people inside that he was armed and that they should call the police. But when the police arrived he had already left.
Lapointe said the man told the occupants of the home in St. Hughes much the same thing before allowing them to leave.
Lapointe added that investigators were looking into the man's past to find anything that might explain his actions.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2006
Blame Canada (again)
Forget about the race baiting of Harold Ford Jr. in the Coker ad, What did Canada do to deserve this?
Can Ken Mehlman donate himself to the Tennessee Body Farm?
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2006
Clearly Canadian
Something I like about Canada: Their donuts and coffee. Not only their donuts and coffee, but Canadians' loyalty to donuts and coffee. There was nothing more satisfying than being in the Square One food court and seeing a line up 15-people-deep at Tim's while Starbuckshad barely a customer.
Cynically, I think the popularity has less to do with Canuck branding and more with simple "calculus".
Starbucks can go ahead and charge +$4.00 a cup, but no Toonie-totin' Trontonian is forkin' over more than $2.52 Canadian, which last I checked was the price of a large double-double.
So now you know Tim Horton: the donut...
But do you know Tim Horton the man? Sure there was a Tim Horton. Played defense for the Leafs until his untimely death in 1974. He was killed in an auto accident on his way to a game in Buffalo.
Anyway, my point is there are some things so Canadian and endearing that they deserve to be exported and enjoyed the world over.
Then there are others that should stay home in the closet with your old smelly hockey skates.
Yes, I'm referring to the darlings of the Canadian music industry and winners of 89 Junos The Tragically Hip (band spoiler: If you think The Hip is the cat's puke, stop right here)
Listen this sad-sack outfit tried to make ground down here stateside on a number of occasions and they lulled the nation to sleep. They may sell out the Air Canada Center north of 40, but down here they barely managed to fill Cats Cradle (I think capacity is 75).
The reason is simple, yes they have a few good song: Courage has some handy guitar work, Blow at High Dough - hell, who wouldn't prefer that at the hockey game over Who Let The Dogs Out. The problem is some marketing genius has tried to turn them into Canada's U2.
This is U2:
This is The Tragically Hip:
Any questions?
The only thing worse than this pretentious bag of hosers is having Gord Downy pontificate to another pretentious hoser-windbag on - pretension of pretensions - The CBC!!!
This is George Stroumboulopoulos (aka, Strombo). Strombo is what passes for sexy in Canada: A hairy guy dressed in black (one shade away from a lumberjack shirt) suckin' on a Labatt Blue. Hands off girls, he's mine.
Strombo hosts an evening entertainment show called The Hour (and believe me this trendy turkey feels like the whole 60 minutes). It's sort of like The Daily Show... without the funny... and 30 minutes longer.(think Klassic Krusty when Krusty interviews AFL-CIO head George Meany).
Oh did I mention it's 60 minutes long?
Watching Strombo and Gord chew the fat was like watching paint dry (the kind with lots of oil that takes a long, long time).
Then the band played a bland set and I got bored and switched toFuturama.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2006
Blame Canada
Back in NC now. I've had a splitting headache the last 4 days - really mind-numbing.
I had two good presentations yesterday. And had coffee with Allison Hanes this morning before heading to the airport. Would have liked to have stayed, but I have class tonight.
My favorite thing was running down to Port Credit in the mornings to look at Lake Ontario. Beautiful.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2006
Kariya Park
The park is two blocks from my hotel room and a much needed respite from the trappings of modernity - stress and anxiety.
Unfortunately its October so the Cherry and sweetgum trees are no longer in bloom.
This bridge is great. It was raining today (cold rain). Very nice to walk on it - a little slippery.
I know a few morsels about Japanese gardens. The rakings of the pebbles in the rock garden are for meditation, it's supposed to clear your mind.
The gardens are designed with great purpose; while some things reveal themselves quite obviously, other aspects are not so simple and may take years to become evident. The idea being that not everything in the garden is knowable.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2006
Do The... (insert quantitative term here)
Have you noticed this trend? People no longer say "do the math", it's now advanced to "do the calculus", as if somehow putting two-and-two together had become a mind challenge.
Which begs the question, when did we do away with "two-and-two" or "figure it out"? Are we now saying problems are too challenging to solve?
There's been a local controversy here in North Carolina. The City of Raleigh has been investigating its police force and time spend working as off-duty officers. Seems some officers were double-dipping; working security for private companies while still being paid on the City's dole (Even worse last week a number of Durham County Sheriffs were arrested for drug trafficking, prostitution, and running counterfeit operations, but that's another story.)
Yesterday the City of Raleigh released an audit of the the police overtime problem. The audit reveals that 6 officers broke the law and 104 broke City policies concerning overtime. Raleigh employs 750 officers. 500 of them supplement income by working second jobs.
67% of Raleigh police have second jobs. 21% of those violated policies and procedures and face disciplinary action. Overall 14% of all officers performed their duties in an inappropriate if not unethical fashion.
I don't need any calculus to figure this one out.
Now We're Gonna Be Face-To-Face
I had a modicum of interest in this story until I learned Stronach and MacKay used TO BE AN ITEM!
Stop wasting the taxpayers time and money:
Stronach canine quip lands MacKay in the doghouse
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2006
Blood and Circuses
Last October I wrote about the latest craze in toys and hobbies: junior forensic science kits. Yes the junior lab model volcano was no match for the Forensic Facial Reconstruction Kit (the look of it still gives me the willies).
You remember I joked about "body-farm" vacation packages? Well the jokes on me 'cause they're now a reality!
Check out Edinburgh and their annual Science Weekend complete with a "CSI masterclass" for school pupils.
Oh look,"Police officers will be on hand to tape off the area around a life-sized "victim" which has been specially created for the occasion."
And
"And an expert in maggots from Falkirk College will demonstrate how the presence of the insects can provide an accurate time of death."
Whatever happened to murder mysteries? Professor Plum did it in on the vivisection table with a scalpel and a quart of luminal.
But the fun doesn't end there...
Here's the Forensic Curriculum Stations Kit available from Amazon. It comes with a "keep out" banner and 50 evidence bags.
Look at the fun Sally and Katie are having sealing off the backyard.
Even the Smithsonian Institute's got into the act with their own branding on an old favorite:
I recently had a conversation with a retiree who was looking for things to do with her spare time. She said she enjoyed volunteering but the most fun she'd had in years was attending a week-long vacation getaway at the Tennessee body farm. It's true, any idiot can go and take these courses, and I see a new catalogue is coming soon for 2007.
This woman told me - and I'm not embellishing - her dream was to be a specimen; a crime scene stand-in for anthropologists to study.
Granny just wait long enough, you'll get your chance.
The Canadian Association for Victim Assistance's national conference begins this Monday in Mississauga, Ontario.
The location couldn't be more timely or appropriate:
Mississauga Council candidate charged
Oct. 18, 2006. 05:45 AM
SAN GREWAL
STAFF REPORTER
A Mississauga City Council candidate has been charged with impersonating a police officer and intimidation after a rival candidate alleged he tried to force her and other candidates out of the race.
Ishrat Nasim, a candidate in Ward 10, claims Adnan Hashmi, 32, went to her Mississauga residence Sunday afternoon in an attempt to get Nasim's landlady to say she doesn't actually live there and is therefore ineligible to run.
Hashmi, editor of the Urdu-language Sunday Times newspaper, denies the allegations. "It's all lies," he told the Toronto Star.
There are 23 candidates running in the newly created ward for the Nov. 13 municipal election. But it's the back story of possible dirty tactics used by one Pakistani-Canadian candidate against others of similar backgrounds that has turned the race into a police investigation.
"Two male parties forced their way into the home," said Det. Sgt. John Mans of Peel Region police, reading from the official incident report.
"They forced the lady in the house, the homeowner, to write a note saying another candidate did not reside in the home. They told her they were police officers."
The charge of impersonating a police officer carries a maximum sentence of six months in prison, a fine of $2,000, or both.
Hashmi remains confident.
"I'm in a good position to win this election," he said, repeating his contention that Nasim actually lives in Brampton and is using a fake address in Mississauga.
He refused to comment further, referring questions to his lawyer, Ferhan Javed.
Javed said his client "wants to clear his name and is going to stay in the race." He said Hashmi has already lodged a complaint with the city regarding Nasim's statements about where she resides. "We're hoping the city will investigate and he's going to stay out of it."
Hashmi is not scheduled to appear in court to face the charges until Nov. 16 — three days after the election.
Nasim denied being ineligible to run in Mississauga, saying she had listed her official residence as 55 Dundas St. E., the location of a business she said is owned by her husband — qualifying her as a candidate. The Star was unable to confirm that fact.
According to the police report, Hashmi entered Nasim's Mississauga home with Mohammed Bajwa, who faces similar charges. Both men are also charged with being unlawfully in a dwelling.
Speaking to the Star, Nasim claimed Hashmi has already forced another Pakistani-Canadian candidate out of the race and has tried to pressure a third into dropping out.
Candidate Faisal Javaid said he was also pressured to drop out of the race.
"I was approached two or three times by friends of his and asked to drop out for Mr. Hashmi's benefit," said Javaid. One community observer says the allegations of intimidation, lies and disregard for the democratic process may be an echo of old country politics.
"Some of the people who come here to Canada from Pakistan try to play the same games," says freelance journalist Javed Zaheer, who knows all the parties involved in the story. "This is what they know. They try to suppress the other candidates, to pressure them to sit out of the race or dig up some dirt."
Zaheer says that, because politics in Pakistan is controlled by feudal lords in rural areas and draconian parties — often backed by the military — in urban centres, that's the style of intimidation that gets imported here.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2006
The sound of silence
Simon and Garfunkel
Hello, darkness my old friendI've come to talk with you again Because a vision softly creepingLeft its seeds while I was sleepingAnd the vision that was planted in my brainStill remains. Within the sound of silence.
In restless dreams i walked aloneNarrow streets of cobblestone,'Neath the halo of a street lampI turned my collar to the cold and dampWhen my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light. That split the nightAnd touched the sound of silence.
And in the naked light I saw Ten thousand people, maybe morePeople talking without speakingPeople hearing without listeningPeople writing songs that voices never shareAnd no one dared. Disturb the sound of silence.
"Fools," said I, "You do not knowSilence like a cancer grows.Hear my words that I might teach you,Take my arms that I might reach you."But my words like silent raindrops fell,And echoed .In the wells of silence.
And the people bowed and prayedTo the neon god they madeAnd the sign flashed out a warning,In the words that it was forming.And the signs said the words of the prophetsAre written on the subway wallsAnd tenement halls. And whisper'd in the sounds of silence.
I wonder if they think by sending one of these that it gets them off the hook?:
"La présente vous informe que le cabinet du ministre de la Justice et Procureur général
a bien reçu votre courrier électronique.
We acknowledge receipt of your e-mail sent to the Minister of Justice and Attorney
General for the province of Quebec."
This is what passes for customer service these days.
Pssst: Can. Gov. using access to information laws against citizens!
Honestly, is this a surprise to anyone?
Ann McLellan never gave me anything but a royal-runaround in my attempts to discover information about evidence retention.
"Sic Semper Tyrannis":
Government `abusing public's right to know'
Researcher says people seeking information are being `profiled'
Commons committee investigating whether privacy laws are being broken
Oct. 17, 2006. 01:00 AM
TONDA MACCHARLES
OTTAWA BUREAU
OTTAWA—Government officials are identifying people who request sensitive government information by name, their disparate requests, and on whose behalf the information may be used, in clear violation of the spirit of access laws, says researcher Ken Rubin.
In 24 years of digging up government information using the Access to Information and Privacy Act — everything from data on breast implant failures, aviation accident reports to sponsorship scandal records — Rubin has unearthed many an odd memo.
One of the oddest turned up more than 10 days ago — about himself.
Yesterday, Rubin outlined it to a parliamentary committee to illustrate what he believes is a widespread problem that goes beyond merely identifying access requesters by name. The committee is investigating how common that practice is, which is a violation of privacy laws.
The investigation began after the name of a Canadian Press reporter seeking information on security and pandemic preparations was disclosed to government officials.
Rubin says government officials are conducting political damage control efforts before sensitive information becomes public.
Tracking who is requesting information that ought to be made public is a "colossal waste of taxpayers' money" and a "system of risk management, not a system of good governance," he said.
Rubin cited a memo he received on Oct. 5, after a longstanding complaint to the Information Commission about the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). He had requested information about a secretive air passenger risk scoring system that was then in development.
The newly released memo, dated Jan. 27, 2004, was addressed to then-public safety minister Anne McLellan, and it identified Rubin by name and the nature of his request and the fact some information already released to him was cited in a Toronto Star article.
It then goes on to refer to other, unrelated work Rubin was doing for Maher Arar and his wife, Monia Mozigh, in seeking to clear their reputation. Arar was arrested by U.S. authorities in 2002 and deported to Syria, where he spent a year in prison without being charged and was tortured into confessingties to Al Qaeda.
Agency officials claimed the 2004 memo was never sent to McLellan's office. But Rubin says that does not clarify whether any verbal discussions about it were held.
Rubin told the committee the memo amounts to "profiling" him as a potentially troublesome requester, given that the Arar family was by then on the CBSA's border lookout list.
"This is unacceptable," Rubin told the committee.
"Matching up my background data and work and separate access requests should not be used to create a profile and discuss my access usage or that of other requesters.
"They are asking not only the identification but confidential personal information" about an access requester, said NDP MP Pat Martin.
Opposition parties, which form a majority on the access and ethics committee, already have forced a motion demanding the government produce a new Access to Information law by Dec. 15. The Conservative government has delayed much-promised reforms to the access act.
Retired Col. Michel Drapeau, a lawyer who has written a text on the access law, said he believes names of requesters of sensitive information have been known by political ministers "since the very beginning," when the act came into force in 1983.
But he says it should happen only in "very exceptional" circumstances if state interests are at stake, and not as a matter of course for political damage control.
Conservative MP Bruce Stanton said he was not convinced that divulging the identity of requesters is "somehow widespread." He said with 25,000 access to information requests annually and 36,000 requests for government information under the privacy act, "there is going to be some slippage or mishaps, yes."
Liberal MP Jim Petersen said ministers ought to be able to know when sensitive government information is being released in order to answer questions in the Commons or the media. But David Gollob, representing the Canadian Newspaper Association, said the content of the request may be revealed, but there is no need for the identity of a requester to be disclosed.
The committee has previously heard from deputy information commissioner Alan Leadbeater that the names of those who file access to information requests are disclosed far more often than they should be. But Leadbeater said it's difficult to catch government officials in the act.
Rubin says bureaucrats should make a genuine effort to release information in a neutral fashion to users of the act, as required by law, instead of trying to stymie their attempts and facilitating damage-control efforts before the information goes public.
"These practices create barriers to public access to federal records and abuse the public's right to know about Ottawa," he said.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2006
S.O.S.
Dear xxxxxx:
Thank you for your message. I've spent the last few days pondering just what to do with your information.
Under normal circumstances I guess I should turn it over to the police, trust in the justice system and wait for eventual outcomes. But we both know we are not living under normal circumstances. Or rather what should be normal is inversed, and abnormality and dysfunction are what passes for normalcy in our current justice system. Still there is nothing new here. It was an upsidedown world in 1978 and so it remains.
The Quebec police will tell you that they wish to solve crimes; this is one of their stated missions, but one of the chief methods of accomplishing this task - chasing down leads - is an activity they abhor. "Leads just create more work, and usually they are bad leads" as I have been told by officers. So we have a high-minded mission with no means of accomplishing it: what a perfectly preposterous situationwe both find ourselves in!
In short I don't think I have anyone to investigate your information. At one time I would have done it myself, but I'm worn out - I frankly prefer these days to rake leaves - rake leaves! - with my children. After 28 years since Theresa's death, after 6 years of my own involvement in this investigation, sadly my family is still waiting for some accountability for the Surete du Quebec.
Nevertheless, I will pass this information on to the chief investigator in the case, and I will also forward it to M. Charest, Quebec's minister of public safety and the minister of justice - from whom I am still waiting for a reply (but not
expecting one) on my request for an inquiry into the activities of the SQ, and a request for the formation of a cold case bureau that will finally put an end to all this waisted effort.
More important, I will pass your information on to a young criminology student at the University of Montreal who currently seems to be the only person with the will and sense of decency, the ethical obligation to do what is right.
Hopefully we will both one day get an answer to our questions and concerns,
With gratitude,
John Allore
www.whokilledtheresa.blogspot.com
-----Original Message-----
>From: xxxx xxxxxxxxx>
>Sent: Oct 13, 2006 8:53 PM
>To: johnallore@earthlink.net
>Subject: Who killed Theresa?
I realize that this may sound like a long shot...But let me start by explaining
a little before I go on.
In the late 70's or early 80's a guy named xxx xxxxxxx moved here to
xxxxxxx. xxxx. , from the Sherbrooke area along with his xxxxxxx xxx
He might have been in his early twenties at this time. This guy was always a
very weird and a sex pervert and made alot of young women feel very uneasy around
him.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx...
There is so much more to this weirdo that I could talk about, but you have
the resources to investigate deeper into exactly where he came from and when he
came here and his record.... he came from that area about the time after those young girls
were murdered, and this warrants further investigation....
Please have someone investigate xxx xxxxxxxx, as I've had a gut feeling that
he is responsible for more than we know since I've read your story...Thank you!
Good Luck!,
R.I.P. CBGBs (this ain't no mudd club)
Patti Smith and Flea shut the piss-house down in style in ol' New York.
My bleeding eardrums had the great pleasure of hearing White Zombie there sometime in the late 80s.
(Just don't confuse CBGB with CDBG - as I have often done in City meetings. Talk about revealing your priorities!)
...with apologies to HUD.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2006
I had a feeling she'd be found today, so I got out of bed to check the internet - something I haven't done in weeks.
Body of missing Vermont student found
Suspect in murder of 21-year-old is arrested on other charges
Vermont student found dead
Oct. 13: Vermont police say a body recovered in a town east of Burlington is that of missing University of Vermont student Michelle Gardner-Quinn.
MSNBC
Updated: 5:13 p.m. ET Oct 13, 2006
BURLINGTON, Vt. - The body of a University of Vermont woman missing for nearly a week was recovered in a town east of downtown on Friday and the chief suspect in her slaying was arrested on unrelated charges, the police chief said.
Michelle Gardner-Quinn, 21, of Arlington, Va., has been missing since early Saturday morning when she was last seen walking from downtown toward her university dormitory.
Police have been focused on a man whose cellular telephone she borrowed as she walked and Burlington Police Chief Thomas Tremblay said that man, Brian Rooney, 36, of Richmond, had been arrested.
Story continues below ↓
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Gardner-Quinn's body was recovered along a road near Huntington Gorge, a popular swimming spot in Richmond.
Rooney has not been charged in connection with Gardner-Quinn's disappearance or slaying, Tremblay said. He's charged with sexual assault and lewd and lascivious conduct with a child. He's due in court on those charges next week in Caledonia County, about 80 miles east of Burlington, where the crimes allegedly occurred, Tremblay said.
Earlier, authorities had cordoned off at least half a block in a residential Burlington neighborhood several blocks south of where Gardner-Quinn was last seen. They were concentrating on a stately, three-story, red brick home, where there has been construction on an addition.
A backhoe could be seen in the yard, but police were keeping a crowd of media well away from the scene and were declining to comment.
The Burlington Free Press, citing construction workers who declined to be identified, reported on its Web site that digging was to concentrate on a hole behind the house where concrete was poured on Monday.
WCAX reported that a man who had been a subcontractor on the job was the person whose phone Gardner-Quinn had used as she walked toward her dorm.
La perpétuité après trois crimes graveAlec Castonguay
Le gouvernement Harper accélère le durcissement du système judiciaire
Édition du mercredi octobre 2006
Ottawa -- Le gouvernement Harper n'a pas l'intention de ralentir le rythme cet automne dans le domaine de la justice, alors que pas moins de sept projets de loi sont actuellement en développement dans les coulisses du ministère. Le Devoir a appris que le premier projet de loi d'importance sera d'ailleurs déposé au Parlement dans les prochains jours. Cette législation stipulera que soit automatiquement considérée comme délinquant dangereux toute personne condamnée à trois reprises pour des crimes violents ou sexuels. De plus, un autre projet de loi qui atterrira aux Communes vise à inverser le fardeau de la preuve lors des enquêtes sous cautionnement pour une personne accusée d'avoir commis un crime avec une arme à feu.
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Justice
Une source gouvernementale a souligné au Devoir que la session parlementaire d'automne «mettra beaucoup l'accent» sur la justice, l'une des cinq priorités du Parti conservateur. À l'image de la session du printemps, les projets de loi déposés à la Chambre des communes par ce ministère sont donc susceptibles de s'accumuler.
Le premier à voir le jour durcira le système pénal pour les récidivistes qui commettent des crimes graves. Ce projet de loi, qui sera déposé «très bientôt», dit-on, forcera les criminels récidivistes à faire la preuve devant le juge qu'ils ne doivent pas être considérés comme des délinquants dangereux, un titre qui peut les garder en prison pour le reste de leur vie.
Actuellement, pour qu'une personne soit considérée comme délinquant dangereux, le procureur de la Couronne doit en faire la demande à un juge, qui décide, après avoir entendu toutes les parties, si ce titre et les conséquences qui s'ensuivent doivent être appliqués à ce criminel. La procédure vise habituellement tout citoyen qui a commis des crimes graves (meurtres, viols, pédophilie, etc.) et qui présente de forts risques de récidive.
Mais, au sein du gouvernement, on juge que les procureurs sont souvent rebutés par la difficulté de bâtir la preuve nécessaire et que, dans les faits, certains criminels qui devraient être considérés comme des délinquants dangereux échappent à leur vraie peine. Jean-Claude Hébert, avocat en droit criminel pour la firme Hébert, Downs et associés, ne donne pas tout à fait tort au ministre de la Justice. «Effectivement, il n'y a pas beaucoup de procédures initiées par la Couronne, même si je pense qu'on en fait de plus en plus, nuance-t-il. C'est qu'il faut faire une démarche complète devant le juge pour déclarer un délinquant dangereux, c'est comme un procès.»
Le projet de loi vise donc à soulager les procureurs de cette tâche. Si elle est adoptée, cette législation fera en sorte que le titre de délinquant dangereux sera automatiquement accolé à un criminel qui a été condamné pour trois crimes violents ou sexuels. Ce sera à la défense de se battre pour faire changer la situation.
Hier, le ministre de la Justice, Vic Toews, a confirmé au Devoir ses intentions pour cet automne. Il a toutefois tenu à préciser que les juges continueront à jouer leur rôle. «Ce n'est pas un concept du style "Three strikes and you are out" [comme dans certains États américains]. Ce n'est pas automatique dans le sens d'inévitable. Les juges vont encore entendre la cause et vont continuer à jouer leur rôle. Mais la présomption sera qu'il est un criminel dangereux. Ça, ce sera automatique. Cette personne devra se battre pour ne pas être considérée comme un délinquant dangereux», a-t-il dit hier soir, à sa sortie d'un comité parlementaire.
En juillet dernier, le pays renfermait 351 délinquants dangereux. Seulement 18 sont en libération conditionnelle supervisée, alors que les autres sont incarcérés. Il n'y a aucune limite d'emprisonnement pour un délinquant dangereux, qui peut ainsi passer sa vie entre les barreaux s'il présente un risque de récidive.
Enquête sur cautionnement
Selon nos informations, un autre projet de loi qui sera à l'ordre du jour de la session d'automne concerne les enquêtes sur cautionnement. Actuellement, un citoyen accusé d'un crime est relâché en attendant son procès. Si la Couronne pense que cette personne représente un trop grand risque pour la société, c'est à elle de prouver au juge que l'accusé doit rester en prison en attendant les procédures. Le gouvernement veut inverser ce fardeau dans le cas des crimes commis avec des armes à feu. Ce serait alors à la défense de prouver que son client ne représente pas un danger immédiat.
Le criminaliste Jean-Claude Hébert souligne que des précédents de même nature existent actuellement. «Dans les cas de terrorisme, de gangstérisme et de trafic de stupéfiants, entre autres, c'est déjà comme ça, dit-il. On pousse donc la logique un peu plus loin.» Ce projet de loi doit normalement être déposé aux Communes cet automne, mais, contrairement à celui qui porte sur les délinquants dangereux, il n'a pas encore été approuvé au cabinet. Au sein du gouvernement, on n'exclut d'ailleurs pas l'idée qu'il puisse voir le jour seulement à la session qui débute en janvier, en raison de la charge de travail.
C'est que le ministère de la Justice ainsi que le comité parlementaire qui étudie les projets de loi ont du pain sur la planche. Après avoir déposé pas moins de sept projets de loi (sur un total gouvernemental de 22) le printemps dernier, le ministre de la Justice en prépare autant à court terme.
Ainsi, même si aucun échéancier n'a été fixé (on parle tout de même de cet automne), le gouvernement travaille sur un projet de loi qui vise à éliminer l'article 745.6 du Code criminel, soit la «clause de la dernière chance» qui permet à un criminel condamné à perpétuité de demander une libération conditionnelle anticipée. Le Parti conservateur, conformément à sa plate-forme électorale, veut également remplacer la libération conditionnelle d'office aux deux tiers de la peine par une «remise en liberté méritée».
Dans les cartons du gouvernement, on peut également trouver un projet de loi qui rendra plus difficile l'obtention d'une libération conditionnelle si la personne a déjà commis un crime pendant une libération conditionnelle antérieure. Aussi, toujours sans échéancier précis et selon la plate-forme conservatrice, le gouvernement a l'intention de rendre les peines consécutives, et non plus concurrentes comme maintenant, dans certains cas de crimes violents ou sexuels.
Bullshit Art.
Okay,,,I went to school this morning, and then after I went to do something that a lot of people suggested I should do, and me also I thought about it.
I went to see a medium detective (kind of !!!)
She told me the following things:
* I will solve the case on Friday,9 february 2007, by a frozen day.
*Theresa was killed by a stick (baton) on the head, and the choc was fatal. (she is sure at 100%)
*Her body was never found-
* Then after, was found in the woods, in lanaudière..
* Her killer will attack another time exaclty between 17 and 19 november.
*On october, 28 , some girls will go at the police station to give some testimony.
*Recidive in the end of october.
*He will be catched between 8 and 15 january 2006.
I think I said enought...and she told me some things about my personnal life, , and I swear if it happens, I will put a Santa Claus costume and I will go dance the twist on the top of my house.
How can people can play on some important thing like that. Maybe they think they know, but in fact, they know nothing.
I totally believe in that,,,but badly, too much people that we can't trust.
So, after a meeting like that, you go, and you take the last 10 $ on your pocket, and you go for a good Double gin tonic.
So, that was my day for friday, 13.
For tonight, it is another story..
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2006
How Old Are You Now?
It's Theresa's Birthday. She would be 47. I'm trying to tell you something nice about her.
Ok, she loved David Bowie (she had a green vinyl addition of him narrating Peter and the Wolf: That's dedication!). I still have her David Bowie t-shirts (in pristine condition; I'm saving them for... what?).
Anyway, favorite albums were:
1. David Live
2. Heroes
3. Diamond Dogs
4. Station to Station
5. Low
6. Ziggy Stardust
So I came across this funny little article which I consider apropo to include given the occasion.
Love on ya,
David Bowie thrilled to work with SpongeBob
POSTED: 3:24 p.m. EDT, October 11, 2006
NEW YORK (AP) -- Daddy's little girl turned David Bowie from a rock star into the voice of a cartoon.
Bowie will be a guest on Nickelodeon's "SpongeBob SquarePants," playing a character called Lord Royal Highness in a show that will air next year.
Bowie, 59, said his 6-year-old daughter, Alexandria Zahra, is a huge SpongeBob fan and they watch the show together. He wrote in his blog that he has "hit the Holy Grail of animation gigs.
"We, the family, are thrilled. Nothing else need happen this year, well, this week anyway," Bowie said.
Bowie, who received a lifetime achievement honor at the Grammys this year and whose songs include "Fame," "Young Americans" and "Space Oddity," was previously the voice of Boz in David Cage's 1999 "Omikron: The Nomad Soul."
He plays inventor and electrical engineer Nikola Tesla in Christopher Nolan's upcoming movie "The Prestige," in theaters October 20.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2006
Aircraft crashes into Manhattan high-rise
I used to live two blocks from here, at 70th and York
Triggers
Have you got triggers that set you off emotionally? I got a million of them. A sampling:
- Driving in the car (no, it's not just road rage)
- Anxiety in parking lots
- Anxiety about making choices
- Garbage or refuse at the side of a road or highway
- A sunny day (it could rain at any minute?)
- College campuses
- Forests
- Getting lost (that's why I rarely get lost)
- Deserted roads (actually just about everything having to do with roads)
- The Canadian Shield (I love it, but it also creeps me out)
- Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine (also love them)
- Hitchhikers
- Bicycles
- Corn Fields
- Orchards
- Industrial areas
- Bathrooms that smell like urine (probably not on anybody's fun list)
- School hallways
- Water - especially fresh water lakes, rivers, streams
I know, I'm a whack-job. I'm trying to deal with this stuff. You'd be surprised how difficult it's been, but how simple the solution really is.
Identify the problem, focus on remedies and alternatives, and choose.
Easier said than done.
"Little triggers. I dont wanna be hung up, strung up..."
Tous serions transformes si seulement nous avion le courage d etre ce que nous sommes.
Marguerite Yourcenar
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2006
Bad Juju
Police ask for public's help in finding missing UVM student
Published: Tuesday, October 10, 2006
By Adam Silverman
Free Press Staff Writer
The search for a missing University of Vermont student expanded Monday as more than two dozen law-enforcement agents searched Burlington and beyond, and the young woman's friends plastered the city with fliers. Police said members of the public should be conscious of their personal safety, and investigators asked for help in finding Michelle Gardner-Quinn, a 21-year-old senior from Arlington, Va., who vanished early Saturday morning as she walked back to her campus dorm room, alone, from downtown.
For many, though, worry was beginning to take the place of hope."Time is of the essence," Burlington Police Department Chief Thomas Tremblay said, "and the more time that goes by, the more concerned we become." Gardner-Quinn was last seen at about 2:15 a.m. Saturday on Main Street near Edmunds Elementary and Middle School. She had dinner earlier that evening with her parents, who were in town for UVM's Family Weekend, said family friend Gail Fendley of Falls Church, Va. Then Gardner-Quinn joined a group of friends to celebrate a 21st birthday at several downtown bars. She left one bar to find another group of friends, but when she couldn't connect with them, she decided to walk back to her room in University Heights, friend Tommy Lang said Sunday.
Gardner-Quinn never made it back, and her parents reported her missing the next day when she didn't show up for dinner, Lang said. The family, through police, declined to comment Monday.
Fendley said she has known Gardner-Quinn for nearly 10 years, ever since her son, Ian Willson, met Gardner-Quinn at a summer camp for gifted children in eighth or ninth grade. The two dated on and off during high school and have remained "really close," Fendley said Monday as she drove to Richmond, Va., to comfort her son at college. "He's distraught," Fendley said. "Michelle is terrific. She's reliable. She's responsible. She's traveled extensively. This is so totally unlike her, especially with her parents in town. They are such a close-knit family."
Burlington police are working with canine teams and authorities from UVM, the Vermont State Police and the FBI, Tremblay said at an afternoon news conference. The chief said detectives remained uncertain whether they were investigating a crime. "Investigators have been working around the clock following leads," Tremblay said. "No specific suspects have been identified."
Investigators were trying to find a Subaru or similar-type hatchback whose driver was reported to be acting suspiciously around the time Gardner-Quinn disappeared, Tremblay said. Police didn't say whether the vehicle was a station wagon or a sport-utility vehicle. The driver, a white man in his 20s, stopped his car and asked a woman he did not know to get in at about 2:35 a.m. Saturday near the Salvation Army Thrift Store at 336 N. Winooski Ave. The woman did not get in, Tremblay said, and she later told police the driver appeared to be alone. That incident occurred about a mile north of Edmunds.
"We are considering it a vehicle of interest, a preliminary lead that may or may not be related to this case," Tremblay said.
He described the car as white with gold trim and a gold pinstripe, likely with a green Vermont license plate that has a bent-up bottom. The driver is about 6 feet tall and muscular with short-cropped light blond hair, a day's growth of stubble and possibly one nostril larger than the other, according to police. He was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and a light-colored baseball cap. Police also asked that anyone searching their neighborhoods for personal belongings or clothing matching the description of what Gardner-Quinn was wearing -- a gray peacoat, green button-up cardigan sweater, light blue T-shirt, and a black Puma purse with white straps -- not touch anything they might find and to call city police at 658-2700.
Precautions suggested Police encouraged people to take precautions while they are out in Burlington: Walk in pairs or groups, stay in well-lit locations and away from dense shrubbery. "Be aware of your personal surroundings, be aware of the things that are going on around you, and trust your instincts," Tremblay said.
A safety forum has been scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday at a location to be determined. Gardner-Quinn transferred to UVM this year from Goucher College in Baltimore, friends said.Fendley said she's not sure why Gardner-Quinn transferred, but she's an avid snowboarder, interested in environmental studies and once had a boyfriend in Vermont. Fendley knew of no troubles from Gardner-Quinn's past. "She was a good student," Fendley said. "I can't imagine any problems. She was a good influence on my child."
Contact Adam Silverman at 660-1854 orasilverm@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com
Truculent - Like A Truck
When I came to the realization that I was "blessed" with three daughters, one of the first things I did was teach them how to punch (you can guess why I did this).
My oldest has become quite good at it and has no problem hauling off and hitting boys whenever they get out of line. This usually leaves them in "shock and awe", which I suppose Rumsfeld will tell you is the intention of violence.
But in light of recent events like this, and this... and THIS ... oh, andthis... and there's this, and of course you all know this ... and don't forget this... and this, this one happened near where we live... and this, yes I suppose even this - when you think of it - is really a manifestation of the same thing on a global scale. ...
...anyway, in light of these events - and in consideration for the future of our planet - I've now changed my tactic.
I'm instructing my daughters to help the boys. If they act aggressive, stupid and destructive try to coddle them, instruct them, maybe even love them... anything that will prevent you from finding yourselves within the sights of an assault rifle...
... or a 21-Kiloton Plutonium bomb.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 09, 2006
This little ditty's got my number lately...
It is - of course - from The Eels. And you can watch them tackle it live from their LOLLAPALOOZA performance.
Click on EELS in the left menu bar HERE
-------------------------------------------
NOT READY YET
there's a world outside
and i know 'cause i've heard talk
in my sweetest dream
i would go out for a walk
but i don't think i'm ready yet
i'm not feeling up to it now
just not that steady yet
and i don't need you telling me how
there's some happiness
and my stone face cracks again
maybe sometime sooner or later
but i don't think i'm ready yet
i'm not feeling up to it now
just not that steady yet
and i don't need you telling me how
so if i leave my room
don't you tell me to lighten up
maybe sometime sooner or later
but i don't think i'm ready yet
i'm not feeling up to it now
just not that steady yet
and i don't need you telling me how
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 06, 2006
RESULT OF THE SEARCH PARTY
The things that we found they are not conclusive. Whatever the search party remains a turning point in theresa case. It was something that needed to be done, we did did it, and it was great, now we go at the next step.
We didn t cover all the woods, bt we did a lot.
So, in some way, I can t tell that we didn t have good result at the search party, it is the opposite, NO we did not find the clothes, and what we found can t help us for now. But still, the search party made a big step in Theresa Allore s case.
Because of that, the case is more known, wich is so important, some new information came from it. And it may be sounds useless, bugt if you only know how many cold cases that people don t know about.
I have a rage inside me,,,in my life I had everything I wanted, and believe me, sometimes it was hard, but I din t give up until I have what I want, and I want to see this case solved.
Sue Sutherland
'' I just wanted to find out more about this case. Something, as you make inquiries, you just get a bit of a feel for a case and you run with it. Nine times out of ten it fizzles into nothing, but still thought I would take a better look and just see what I could find out. And I want to do more than that, I wnat to solve the case''.
Extract of ' Perfect victim'
By Elizabeth Southall and Megan Norris'
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 04, 2006
On downsizing et al
Ya, I've gone through some life changes of late. Pretty interesting. In the last month I've dropped three major responsibilities to focus on family and school work including:
- CAVA
- Managing Director of Deep Dish
- President of NC Government Investment Assoc.
It feels great... a huge weight lifted.
On the CAVA conference: not quite sure what I'm going to do with myself in Mississauga (Mississauga?) for four days... (visit Square One?)...
There is a possibility I would jump over to Quebec briefly to do some business with Pierre B.
So when is the Quebec election? Because I still don't have an answer from anyone in the cabinet about initiating a cold-case squad.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2006
REPORTAGE RADIO-CANADA
If you missed it, just click on this links, you can watch it, you have to wait for the oublicity, then after it goes.
Sye
http://www.radio-canada.ca/actualite/v2/telejournal%5Fmontreal/niveau2_liste51_200609.shtml#
MONDAY, OCTOBER 02, 2006
Downsize
I will be in Toronto in 2 weeks for the 2nd CAVA victims conference. I will be presenting two topics:
- Survey techniques for grassroot orgs (basically a repeat of the NOVAmaterial from August)
- Panel discussion about blogging and victim issues
This will be my last function with CAVA as I am stepping down from the board and moving on to an advisory position (I've enjoyed it, but I'm burning out and feel I need to consolidate my efforts).
JJA
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