Saturday, January 31, 2015

FBI Complete Ferguson Investigation

The FBI has completed its investigation into the actions of Darren Wilson, of the Ferguson shooting.  They have not released their findings, and it is not yet known if the federal government will move ahead towards further prosecution.

Darren Wilson spoke from experiential memory, and he was truthful in his account of what happened.

The analysis is found here.

The expression,  "hands up" is a popular, but  deceptive phrase.  It does not apply to the Ferguson shooting.

Specifically, Darren Wilson linked himself to the shooting by his language, and responded truthfully in describing not only why he fired, but in his specific details of the situation which caused him to fire his weapon.  He was truthful in his account, seen by employing the same principles of Statement Analysis that are employed in all other statements.

No date for an announcement from Eric Holder has been set.

Statement Analysis shows that the subject, Darren Wilson, spoke truthfully from experiential memory.  Therefore, any prosecution attempts made against the subject must be against the truth of the account.

Provoking the Liar in The Interview

The one who outright lies is one who is a danger to others.  This "others" includes businesses, reputations, as well as others personally.  The liar is capable of all sorts of harm and if careful investigation is done, it will likely be found that the liar has a history of troubling others.

In the "analytical interview", the statement is analyzed before the interview, and the strategy is already set.  The sensitivity indicators within the interview allow the Interviewer to know where to "aim" the questions.

The reason that most all deception is via missing or suppressed information is that the brain wishes to avoid the confrontation of being accused of lying.

As previously (and recently) noted, the subject who "did it", and failed his polygraph, only to confess, will often turn back to his written statement and say, "but I didn't lie."

True enough, if the statement was written (or spoken) freely, it is very rare to find an outright and direct lie.  Many of these deceptive statements contain, technically, no lies.

Yet, the statement was deceptive.

The point being is that the statement contains truth by truth sentences, but is missing the issue at hand:  that he did it is not part of the statement.  This is why we allow the subject's words to guide us.

However, when the subject comes to the portion of his account where the guilt should exist, he will leave linguistic indicators (footprints) of skipping over, or jumping over, information.  These are the 'red flags' we target with questions.  Here is an example.

The accusation is domestic violence.  The victim said her husband punched her in the face as he stormed off.  He denied this and was asked to write out a statement.  The best statement is:

Tell us what happened from the time you got up until the time you went to bed...." type of statement where the subject gives us lots of information.  Other times (and you will have to judge), it is best to say "tell us what happened, in detail..." which allows the subject to begin the statement where the subject chooses to.  This is always important.

"I got up, got dressed and had coffee.  She was already up with the baby.  The baby was throwing up last night so I think everyone might have been tired and that's where this whole thing is coming from. I told her she needed to get some rest but I had to go pick something up.  I left.  When I got back I went outside to smoke a cigarette so the baby doesn't get second-hand smoke.  I'm a really good father like that. She's screaming and carrying on saying she called the police but for what? 

1.  Social Introduction:

You will notice that how someone introduces another is a reflection of the relationship at the time of the introduction.

"My wife, Sue" would be a complete social introduction, with the title (and possessive pronoun) coming before the name.  (the order matters). This would indicate a good relationship.

He does not use the title ("wife") nor her name.

This is an indication of not only distancing language, but of likely anger.  He does not say he is married, therefore, in Statement Analysis, he is "not married" in this statement.

2.  People in a statement 

Not only does he avoid giving his wife's name (anger, distance) but he does not give the name of the baby.  This is to be considered distancing language.

3.  Boasting in Parenthood

Being honest about one's ability is not in question.  It is specific boasting in parenting that triggers a sensitive indication by us.

Years of child protective services investigation interviews has taught me what principle states: that in parenting, the need to boast is often an indicator of the very opposite, via accustation, against the subject.

In written descriptions by women who have had children removed from them by the 'state' (that being, through child protective services intervention whether it be by agreement, as in the case of Sergio Celis, or by court order), there is a strong pattern of boasting or exaggerating of one's parental abilities.  This is often seen in things like, "I am a great mother!" by one who's very parental capacities is being questioned.  The principle is this:

highlight it, and investigate it for possible accusations of child abuse, or child neglect.

That he says he is a "really good father" shows the need to boast.  This is likely an indication that he has been accused of child neglect or even child abuse previously.  Check for CPS history, and interview collateral contacts.  Babies exposed to Domestic Violence are not just in "harm's way" physically, but the psychological impact could last a lifetime.  Some do not have technical history (that is, professional intervention) but have had familiar intervention, that is, family or close friends intervening on behalf of the child.

4.  Sensitivity Indication 

When we recall 'what happened' in life, not only does the brain recall in chronological order, but the brain 'moves forward' in time.  When there is a 'pause', it must be explored for missing information.  This is why the word "left" is highlighted.  Instead of being focused on where he was going, his brain is on the event that happened at the time when he left.

This is where he assaulted her.

In the interview itself, question after question should focus on the time period just prior to leaving.  It is the sensitivity portion that we aim our questions.

This will likely provoke him.  He has not lied outright, only that he has withheld information from the Interviewer.

In this case, repeating questions "tell me about what you did before you left" and "what else did you do" and then, taking any and every word from his responses, ask even more questions, seemingly unnecessary questions even, if necessary, to keep the focus on this sensitive portion of the statement.

The subject will soon say to himself, "this person knows what happened" and will not like the idea of being 'called a liar' because:

a.  ego
b.  he did not lie

Eventually, the subject is told that he is not telling us everything that happened just before he left the home and may be provoked to admission.

Incidentally, do not miss the ready made excuse for the assault.  Each person wants to find a way to excuse his errant behavior and the Interviewer must allow for this blaming:  the baby was up all night and "everyone" was tired.  Note two words that indicate this as an excuse rather than a fact:  "think" and "might" reduce commitment.

Give the subject his reason to excuse his behavior if it means an admission or a confession.

Friday, January 30, 2015

Moorers: Tammy and Sidney Bond


A judge has ruled that Tammy and Sidney Moorer, the accused killer of Heather Elvis, can be bonded out of jail.

This is likely going to be met with great anger from the public.

If law enforcement postured in holding them, in an attempt to get a confession, I salute their effort.  They know the truth. Proving it beyond a reasonable doubt is difficult.

Statement Analysis of the case has been clear from the beginning with one notable exception:  Tammy Moorer's raging post against her victim, Heather.  This goes against percentages in that most will only subtly insult their victim.  Tammy Moorer was unafraid to rage against Heather.

photoshopping
They left the courtroom smiling as they have still not given up the location of Heather's remains.

Bond was set at $100,000 with GPS restrictions.  The judge's comments are revelatory:

from the news: 
Bond was set at $100,000 on each case with restrictions of GPS monitoring and no contact directly or indirectly with Heather Elvis’ family, Circuit Court Judge Markley Dennis said. He also ordered the Moorers to remain five miles from Heather Elvis’ family home, which is about five miles away from their home in the Socastee area.
“I want to set a zone around this family,” Dennis said of Terry and Debbi Elvis after they spoke during the hearing about being receiving threats. “I think the five-mile radius will protect them.”
Note the uncertainty of the word "think"; as this may indicate that the judge knows that this family (and their extended family) posses a risk to the Elvis family.  
Dennis also warned the Moorers that if they flee that it “can be construed as guilt.”
“They’re innocent from my perspective. I ask each one of you to do that, too. It’s difficult,” Dennis said. 
"from my perspective" is distinct.  He is a judge, and judicially, they have not been found guilty yet.  
But is this what he believes in reality of their culpability?  

"it's difficult" may indicate what he believes about them personally, rather than judicially.  Anyone is innocent judicially and it is something that those who "did it" often state, rather than issue a reliable denial.  


“I can’t control you. My setting of a bond doesn’t control the family. ... They are entitled to a bond. Everybody is entitled to a bond.”


Tammy Moorer (often listed first by media) has long been seen as the controlling and dominant of the two.  Her mother is expected to put up the bond for them both. 

This is heartbreaking and frightening for the Elvis family.  Terry has reported that his younger daughter has received threats.  

In the years of doing Statement Analysis, this is the only time I have found an open hatred and rage against a victim before the case was adjudicated.  

Principle is not built upon exception.  This was a good reminder and lesson that where there is a "90% likely", there is a "10% unlikely" in play.  

Trial is set for May.  

Officer Cynthia Witlatch: The Rarity of Outright Liars

In Seattle, a 70 year old veteran is waiting to cross the street.  He is walking with a golf club, used as a cane.  William Wingate was simply walking in a downtown area.

This is from a video dash from Seattle Police officer Cynthia Witlatch.

Officer Witlach then yells to him to "put it down."

The man responded by saying it was his.  He had to pull the hearing aid out to hear the yelling officer.

She continued to demand it to be put down and finally says to him that he swung it at her as a weapon.

He is dumbfounded.  It is used for walking and he did not swing it at her.

He responded with a reliable denial, upon hearing her accusation.

She arrested him and he spent the night in jail, falsely accused of a crime.

Seattle Police did not react to this falsehood.

But, when Cynthia Witlatch posted on Facebook, SPD took action and placed her on Administrative Leave.


The false arrest and fabrication of reality did not appear to be reacted to by her superiors.  Her Facebook posting, however, did.

Which is the greater ill?

Regarding her lie:

She fabricated reality when she said, "You swung it at me."

He did not.  She articulated that which did not happen.  Most deception is from the editing process where most every word is true, and the deception is found in the missing information.

This statement is a direct lie; that is, the rare, direct fabrication of reality.  She not only called it a "weapon" but put the words together of something that did not exist, nor could be interpreted as a motion of a weapon.

The arrest is the ill that should have brought her superiors to understand:

She is the rare, less than 10%, liar, who has the ability to fabricate reality.  This means:

a.  She has learned this from childhood
b.  Will be statistically, many times more likely to:

"fall" on the job;
file suits against others;
testify falsely
falsely accuse co-workers;
steal on the job;
steal off the job;
do whatever pleases her, without concern for the impact upon others...

in short, the "liar" is capable of doing more harm to the police department she works at, the public, and any business she connects with, and anyone she is personally involved in.

She will always put herself above the material needs of anyone, and everyone she comes in contact with.  She may be mentally ill, or, in the least, psychologically damaged, but however she is classified, she is trouble.

Employers often learn the hard way just how bad the liar is, too late.  She should have been screened out early on.  What caused SPD to hire her?

Every Seattle law enforcement official now has a mess on their hands, in some form or another. They all will be blamed to some degree, though only her superior and the one who interviewed her for the job should be dealt with.

Employers look over the mess on their hands.  Sometimes it is financial, sometimes it is personal, and sometimes it is more messy than they can put in categories.  Reputations, law suits, ill will, morale, bad public relations, loss of trust and confidence...on and on it goes.

When they are cleaning up the mess, they lament the damage done.

Do the honorable officers in law enforcement need this black eye of racism in the wake of the lying mob in Ferguson and the media, hungry for headlines, willing to print "hands up" lies just to get traffic to their sites?

Do the hardworking and honest professionals need to have this liar create even more strained relations with law enforcement, especially after hearing the demagogues paint police, in NYC and elsewhere, as inherently racist?

Cynthia Witlatch is trouble.

Her condemnations of racism indicate projection when you watch her in action on the video.  Her posts do not indicate her racism; her action does.  In her posting, she decries black racism.  Black racism is racism as much as any other type of racism.  Yet it was she, Cynthia Witlatch, who arrested and terrorized a senior citizen who did nothing wrong, and would need to explain to her superiors, why she fabricated his actions.

The victim's hands were locked in a vulnerable position by being handcuffed.  As a 70 year old, he would already have the natural anxiety that comes with the loss of strength.  We all like to have our hands free, to protect ourselves.  Being vulnerable to being struck is frightening, but it is even more frightening to an older man.

To add powerful restriction to this vulnerability may be something that impacts him for the rest of his life.  He may suffer nightmares because of her actions.  There is a report that she bragged of a "beat down" she and others gave to a black suspect.  I do not know if this is true or not, but I believe Cynthia Witlatch is capable of doing more rotten things than I can list.

The standard I use is ancient:  "Do unto others as you would have them done unto you..." works well.

When you meet an officer, he is armed with deadly force, and you are not.  Most are cognizant of this position of vulnerability and do not exploit it.  Witlatch is quoted as saying she has gone after citizens for "contempt of cop", which, if true,  suggests a psychological void that she used her position of authority and deadly force to fill, at the expense of others.  Hence, profile of a "liar" as one who will put herself above all needs of others.

Whatever it was that caused SPD to hire her, should be revisited.  Statement Analysis would have revealed this deeply troubled liar.  Racism is just one outworking of the liar.  She will damage anyone who displeases her, at any time, with the most unexpected results.

Even after all the years of studying lies, interviewing liars, of all ages, I am still unable to qualify the damage a liar does.

I have the pleasure of working with professionals in and out of law enforcement.  Each day that passes, they are not known in the media.  Yet, they feel the sting when a Cynthia Witlatch rises to prominence, and causes the public to unjustly judge them.  They do not lie, and they do not enjoy the pain of others.  They are acutely aware of their position of authority, and exercise professional manners out of respect for the public, and respect for themselves.

Statement Analysis is used by companies in the hiring process with startling results.  Companies that are prone to theft and shrinkage by employees have verifiable figures of lessening losses, year after year, after working with an analyst in the hiring process, and getting their best and brightest trained.  Law Enforcement should be no different.

Societal or political pressure in hiring will consistently be proven, year after year, to cause damage, while those free to hire "the best and brightest" will benefit.

Cynthia Witlatch should not have gone past the interview process.  If done correctly, her original application would likely have kept her from even being interviewed.

If she returns to the streets of Seattle, it will not bode well.

Remember:  she is not the usual deceiver.  She is rare.

She is willing to deceive with a camera running.  She cannot stop herself from lying.  It is instinctive to her, engrained from childhood.  Less than 10% of deception is found this way and when it is seen, it should be quarantined for the danger it poses to all.

I don't like to think of any of my children being pulled over, but I know from experience of many law enforcement officials of whom I would know, if they had to pull over my son or daughter, would be honest, respectful and fair minded.  This is my personal "litmus" test knowing those who believe "do unto others as you would have them do unto you..." or "treat others the way you want to be treated..." as their standard.

I would fear Cynthia Witlatch.

Every profession has liars, who are all dangerous in one way, or in another, or in yet another.  It is just that in law enforcement, we have both deadly force, and a growing anti-law enforcement sentiment in our country.

 This is an unfortunate combination and even after the murder of two NYC police officers, little has been said from our nation's leaders to defend law enforcement.

This, too, is unfortunate.  The Cynthia Witlatch types should be seen in context of the thousands who do their work for us, at pay grades lower than what the job demands.

Hiring the best and brightest, as some companies, I believe,  are still free to do, is a solution that shouldn't warrant discussion.  Law enforcement needs our best and brightest, and the salaries should be commensurate.  Like school teachers, law enforcement officials have a major impact upon society and should be paid in kind.

Screening applicants, via the skills of Statement Analysis, will be a solution that should be discussed.

Why Do Criminals Post On Facebook?

Why do criminals post on Facebook?
by Peter Hyatt 

Why do criminals post on Facebook?   Why is this important in Statement Analysis?

                                                                   The reason is singular.

Recently, a 16 year old girl went missing.  She met up with a 31 year old male, of whom she met online.  He posted a picture of them, together, on Facebook.  They were found and he was arrested.

Several young thugs stole $5000 and broke into a car, took out an iPad, and recorded themselves boasting and flashing the money before the camera. They were boasting of their "one night's work" reward of cash.

They were soon after posing for mug shots.

We are communicative creatures.  We have been created to communicate.  When we do not communicate, we go insane.

This is key to not only Statement Analysis, but it is key in Interviewing and in Investigation.

When I am asked to interview someone of whom investigators believe "did it", I always tell the team the same thing:

"I will get the information you seek.  He will tell me everything we want to know."

This is not an infomercial or a confidence booster.  It is not me bragging.

 It is a fact of human nature.

The person sitting across the table from me, who "did it", wants to tell me what he did.  He does not like the pressure on his brain to not tell me, and he does not want to lie outright.  Over the years, my faith in this facet of the Statement Analysis system has steadfastly grown.  Even while being deceptive, the worse case scenario that I have ever encountered is this:

The subject did not lie to me, but withheld the key points of information.

In doing so, he will give linguistic signals of suppressed information.  His words, however, even without the critical information, will guide me.

I have confidence that not only does he want to talk, but he has a biological need to talk.  We all do.

I have just as much confidence that when he talks, and he suppresses or withholds the critical information, he will both:
a.  Give signals of withholding information
b.  Use specific words that will guide me to the truth.

In law enforcement seminars, this is where I begin.  I state that a person can barely lie, and how rare it is.

Most will struggle to believe me, having been lied to over and over, on the street, in interviews, on traffic stops and so on.  But when they learn that the outright lies are almost non-existent and that deception comes from withheld information, they realize that:

a.  They can solve the crime
b.  The subject wants to communicate
c.  The subject has to choose words to communicate
d.  These words chosen, so very quickly, will guide them to the truth
e...

and that lie detection is not magic, but it is hard work, some are willing to go the extra mile, and put in not only the effort of learning, but the bigger effort:

practicing their new found skills.

Those that have good intuitive skills begin with a good start, and those with humility and intuitive skills go even further.

Criminals post on Facebook and other areas because they have a biological need to communicate.  The one thing that none of us is able to resist is talking about what we did.

Try it sometime.

If you find someone reluctant to speak, ask him or her to tell you what they did today.

They will have a hard time resisting.

In the above photo, Tammy Moorer posted a hateful rant against victim, Heather Elvis.  This form of open hatred of the victim by the alleged perpetrator is 'against the odds' in Statement Analysis.  We most always find subtle words of hatred by the guilty, and not such open defiance.  Although we deal in percentages and expectations, this post is a reminder that the odds of even 90%, still mean that the 10% can be encountered.  It is the exception.

Principle is not established on exception.  The 'norm' is for the perpetrator to find more subtle ways of blaming the victim.  In Tammy Moorer's case, we are looking at a sociopath, as revealed in her statements in the press, calloused nature towards the victim, as well as the many other narcissistic posts she has made to various social media.

In the case of Cynthia Witlatch, the Seattle police did nothing about her falsely arrested the 70 year old male, who spend a night in jail.  He is a vet, and has no record.

It was only when she posted on Facebook that Seattle police took action.

Regarding her lie:

She fabricated reality.   See upcoming article...

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Rape Victim's Statement 40 Years Later

Readers here know that I have written extensively about childhood sexual abuse, including how it enters language, both in child interviews and in adult interviews, as well as its life long impact and how language can change over time.  I have covered PTSD and sexual abuse for years, showing how the language can reveal, after many years, the ongoing trauma in the life of the victim.  

We have even been able to see what a truthful statement looks like 20 years after the rape, in the case of one of Bill Cosby's victims who told the truth about being drugged and raped by Cosby. 

Here is a strange and sad account:

A 12 year old female was raped.  The rape would prove to do what rape often does:  destruction of life.  

Back in the 70's, the case was set to go to trial.  

The rapist sought out a female attorney, specifically, as he stated that a female attorney would help him in the trial. 

The female attorney took the case willingly, as a favor to a friend, who asked her to do so.  

The attorney smeared the 12 year old as a seductress and 'won' the case on a technicality of throwing out evidence, forcing a plea and short sentence.  It was a victory for the lawyer, who was unafraid of targeting the child victim, herself.   

The attorney laughed about her victory, which was captured on tape.  

Years went by, and the attorney became a public figure, even running for office, particularly championing "women's rights" in her speeches. 

The trial, however, stood out as something that would outrage her supporters.  She wrote, about the trial, that she was assigned the case by her boss, and only took it reluctantly, being forced to do so. 

The 12 year old victim has suffered for 40 years from the trauma.  Upon learning that the attorney that devastated her (and justice) laughed at her, she was asked, "What would you like to say to her?"

This is her statement:

I would say her, ‘You took a case of mine in ’75, you lied on me. I realize the truth now, the heart of what you’ve done to me. And you are supposed to be for women? You call that  for women, what you done to me? And I hear you on tape laughing.”

Dr. Martha Stout, of Harvard, estimates that 4 in 100 people are sociopaths, who can be educated at elite levels, have power and control, yet be incapable of feeling empathy for others.  Sociopaths lie.  They do not lie as you and I might, politely, regrettable, and then with repentance and change. 

They lie. 

They fabricate reality to fit their own needs, which exist above the needs of all others, including children, businesses, or anything and anyone else.  

The 12 year old victim, now 52 years old, had the pain rekindled when recently discovered tapes were unearthed by media in which the lawyer that smeared her is heard laughing about the case.  The victim says that the lawyer lied about her, and "took me through hell."

Here is what the attorney wrote in her affidavit.  Note the passivity in language.  Passivity can be used to conceal identity or responsibility.  

I have been informed that the complainant is emotionally unstable with a tendency to seek out older men and engage in fantasizing.  I have also been informed that she has in the past made false accusations about persons, claiming they had attacked her body. Also that she exhibits an unusual stubbornness and temper when she does not get her way.”

She wrote that a psychologist told her, in general terms:  "tend to exaggerate or romanticize sexual experiences, especially when they come from “disorganized families, such as the complainant.”

The victim said that she had never accused anyone of anything, and that the lawyer did this, and was not required to give any proof of anything.  It was used simply to create doubt about a 12 year old child. 

The disclosing of the audio tapes revisited pain, re-victimizing the victim as she listened to the female attorney admit that her client "probably did it" and how she bragged about getting the physical evidence that would have convicted him thrown out of court.  She is heard laughing about giving her client a polygraph, which he passed, to which she said she forever lost confidence in polygraphy.  She is heard saying, "Oh, he plea bargained. Got him off with time served in the county jail, he’d been in the county jail about two months,”
with the lawyer's affidavit showing that the 12 year old victim, herself, had some culpability in being raped by her client. 

The 12 year old did what some very young rape victims do:  turned to self destruction, via substance abuse.  


Statement Posted by Cynthia Whitlatch


How do words come from actions?  This is a key element of the success and accuracy of Statement Analysis.  

1.  The person sees something happen (or is involved).  

2.  The person then decides what details to edit out.  The person cannot say everything that happened, as it would go on forever, and it is impossible.  This choice is the "free editing process" that we all do.  Each one of us makes a choice of what not to say.   Please note that most all deception is via withheld or suppressed information.  It is rare to lie outright.  When someone does lie outright, it is a signal that something is very wrong with that person.  

3.  The person next chooses what words to use to describe what happened.  These are specific words stored in the memory portion of the brain, from an internal dictionary that is:

a.  personal
b.  subjective
c.  internal

The exceptions are pronouns and articles, which are universal and instinctive.  These go by far quicker in the brain processing.   

4.  The person next chooses what syntax to use, that is, how the words are arranged.  This includes verb tense, comma (pause), question marks (including verbal), and so on.  This is the arrangement of words and phrases to make a coherent sentence.  In other words:  the speaker desires to be understood.  The words are used to communicate meaning, even in deception.  

5.  The person then chooses what order to speak the words. This is always analyzed and the brain chooses the order of events quickly.  

In a verbal statement, this entire process is measured in less than milliseconds.  It is what makes Statement Analysis so accurate:  the editing process in which the person chooses his or her own words.  

Yet, we apply the same principles to the written statement.   Here, a statement is posted by Cynthia Whitlach. 

What is the setting, or reason for her posting this statement?  This is the "accusation" or, the reason the subject has written.  The words represent the subject's "reality", but not necessarily reality itself.  This is where truth from deception must be discerned.  

This is the video that caused Cynthia Whitlatch to post her comment on Facebook. 

What do you see in the video?  

Next:   what do her words reveal about her?

Our words reveal us.  We are known by the words we choose, and when done verbally, the entire process is, still to science, immeasurably fast.  This is why we listen in Statement Analysis, and train listening skills, rather than interpret.  











Test: Deception or Error By Eye Witnesses?

Statement Analysis follows principles to determine who is telling the truth.

Statement Analysis will not pick up sensitivity if someone is wrong, but only if the subject is deceptive deliberately (this is part of our definition of deception:  intent).

Here are two sides to an account.  Listen carefully to the language of witnesses.

1.  Is it simply two sides were honest, with one being incorrect?

2.  Or, is there deception within the language.



Listen to pronouns, verb tenses, change of language, jumps in time, etc.  Post your findings.  

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Golfer Robert Allenby Says He Was Kidnapped


Robert Allenby says police still investigating Hawaii kidnap claim

Golfer Robert Allenby says police are continuing to investigate his claim that he was kidnapped, robbed, beaten and dumped in a park in Hawaii.
The Australian reported that he had been abducted from a wine bar on 17 January after missing the cut at the Sony Open in Honolulu the previous day.
Allenby, 43, says he cannot remember a two-and-a-half-hour period from the night when he suffered facial injuries.
But he said: "There has definitely been a lot of confusion. But I think the No. 1 thing that you should all remember is that my story stays exactly the same as the way I told it. I told you what I knew, and I told you what someone told me. That's the bottom line. I never lied to anyone."

note he calls it his "story" and does not say "I told the truth" but refers to it not changing.  The word "never" is not a substitute for "did not."
Allenby has said that a homeless woman spotted him being dumped from a car several miles away from his alleged abduction.

"I was a victim, and all of a sudden you're putting all the blame on me," Allenby said. "I take full responsibility if I did do something wrong. ... At the end of the day, I was in a place having a nice dinner and having a nice night, and then I became a victim. And now, it's all been turned around.
"The police will come out with the right story."
However, US press reports later claimed the woman had given conflicting details, saying she found Allenby just one block away from the bar he had been drinking in.
"From about 23:06 to about 01:27, I have no memory in my brain. I have nothing.
"I can't tell you how frustrating that is because we all want to know the truth, we all want to get to the bottom of it.
"But there's no way in the world what I drank could do what was done to me, not a chance in the world."

The press reported that he denied being drunk.  He does not say that, however. 

"Mentally, I'm preparing myself for probably one of the toughest weeks of my life," Allenby said. "It hasn't been an easy week last week, and it wasn't an easy decision to come to this tournament. But I thought that I need to get my life back on track. I'm a professional golfer. And why should I let controversy put me out of the game that I love?"

Note it is not a kidnapping nor assault that he does not allow to keep him out of the game he loves, it is "controversy" he addresses. 

We look for someone to linguistically link to an event.  He does not.  This is sometimes the case when someone has been involved in errant behavior and wants to make an excuse.  Something happened; no doubt, but alcohol is involved and his account is not clear.  This may be due to alcohol.

Alcohol blackouts are often not recoverable, whereas some drug blackouts seem to be.  

He was involved in something, but his own account was contradicted by eye witnesses who reported seeing him while he was alleged to have been in the back of a car.  Some confrontation is obvious from the marks on his face.  

Did he get involved with some unsavory characters?  Robbery + exxageration is possible. 


Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Tiger Woods' Statement About Losing His Tooth

Tiger Woods was photographed without his tooth and speculation in the media centered on his serial cheating and the possibility of being hit by his wife.  

His publicist said he was hit by accident by a cameraman.  Tiger Woods refused to comment on it. 

His tooth is now fixed and he has spoken out about it and the media said he was "sticking to the camera man story.  

Instead of saying, "The camera man's equipment hit me", plainly, here is his statement:  

“The photographer changed positions, and I got hit.  It was an accident.  There was blood everywhere. That didn’t feel very good.
Lindsey had finished up. I walked up to the top. I had my mask on so no one knew who I was, trying to blend in, because there is not a lot of brown dudes at ski races, OK? Yeah, hey, we blend in, wouldn’t we? So that was the whole idea of why I wore the mask, and then I came up above.
I was looking down, and all the camera guys are below me on their knees or moving all around, trying to get a picture because she’s hugging people, saying congratulations to the other racers as they are coming down. Some already finished, some are there already in the changing area. Dude with a video camera on his shoulder, right in front of me, kneeling, stood up and turned and caught me square on the mouth. He chipped that [tooth], cracked the other one.
And so then, you know, I’m trying to keep this thing so the blood is not all over the place, and luckily he hit the one I had the root canal on. That’s the one that chipped. But the other one had to be fixed as well, because it had cracks all through it.’’

Sunday, January 25, 2015

West Memphis Three: New Suspect

A "new" suspect has been named; one of the step fathers.

Readers here (and elsewhere Statement Analysis employed) knew this long ago...

from the Daily Mail:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2300713/West-Memphis-Three-New-possible-suspects-named-brutal-1993-West-Memphis-murders-cub-scouts--including-boys-stepfathers.html

New possible suspects named in the brutal 1993 West Memphis murders of three cub scouts - including one of the boy's stepfathers

  • Christopher Byers, James Michael Moore and Steven Branch were found dead, and their bodies tied up and mutilated in 1993
    Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley Jr. and Jason Baldwin, were convicted of the murders in 1994 and sentenced to death
  • They were released in 2011 after agreeing to an Alford plea

Four new possible suspects in the brutal killings of three boy scouts in Arkansas in 1993 have been named by attorneys in the case - and the stepfather of one of the boys is among them.
Terry Hobbs, the stepfather of eight-year-old victim Stevie Branch, has been named in documents released in Marian, Arkansas by the attorneys for Pam Hobbs, Stevie's mother.
The new documents claim that Hobbs and three other men killed Stevie and two of his friends after they caught the boys spying on them while they were taking drugs.
The bodies of Stevie, Michael Moore and Christopher Byers, all eight years old, were found naked, tied with their shoelaces and mutilated in a ditch in West Memphis, Arkansas in May 1993.
Scroll down for video
Murdered: New possible suspects have been named in the killings of Christopher Byers, left, James Michael Moore, centre, and Steven Branch, right, who were found tied up and mutilated in 1993
Murdered: New possible suspects have been named in the killings of Christopher Byers, left, James Michael Moore, centre, and Steven Branch, right, who were found tied up and mutilated in 1993
Three local teenagers who became known as the 'West Memphis Three', Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley Jr. and Jason Baldwin, were convicted of the murders and sentenced to death but staunchly maintained their innocence.
After the case garnered national and celebrity attention, the three were freed in 2011 after agreeing to an Alford plea, allowing them to maintain their innocence while pleading guilty.

On Wednesday, a hearing was held to allow her and the other parents of the victims to see the evidence of the case; during this hearing, attorneys filed a motion to name four further suspects.
Terry Hobbs
David Jacoby
Accused: A witness now claims that Stevie's stepfather Terry Hobbs, left, and his friend David Jacoby, right, killed them along with two teenagers after they caught the boys spying on them taking drugs
Buddy Lucas
LG Hollingsworth
'Killers': The witness said that Buddy Lucas, left, told a witness he was at the scene with Hobbs, Jacoby and another teenager LG Hollingsworth, right. He said he saw Hobbs stab the boys
On the list were Terry Hobbs and his friend David Jacoby as well as two men who would have been teenagers at the time: LG Hollingsworth and Buddy Lucas, WREG reported.
Their names have emerged after a witness stepped forward to claim that Buddy Lucas told him he had been part of the murders, years after they had taken place.
The witness said he learned that Hobbs and Jacoby invited the two teenagers to meet with them to buy drugs. When the men were smoking pot, they saw the three boys spying on them, he said.
Jacoby grabbed one of the boys and beat him while Hobbs ordered Lucas and Hollingsworth to grab and hold the other two boys, according to the affidavit.  
Anger: Mark Byers, step-father of murder victim Christopher Byers talks to media following the hearing on Wednesday into whether family members can see the evidence in the case
Anger: Mark Byers, step-father of murder victim Christopher Byers talks to media following the hearing on Wednesday into whether family members can see the evidence in the case
Hobbs then killed the boys with a pocket knife and mutilated their bodies, according to the papers.
The witness said he contacted the West Memphis police to tell them what he had learned but no one ever returned his call. Lucas has been described as mentally 'slow', WREG reported.
A new documentary about the murders, West of Memphis, also homed in on Terry Hobbs, claiming that his DNA was found on rope used to tie the boys' feet.
His ex-wife's family also said that Hobbs had a fraught, almost jealous relationship with Stevie, who was fearful of his stepfather.
Wrongfully convicted: Jason Baldwin was one of the three accused members of the West Memphis Three, who were released from prison last year
Wrongfully convicted: Jason Baldwin was one of the three accused members of the West Memphis Three, who were released from prison last year
Redemption: Jessie Misskelley was one of the three who went to prison for a grisly crime that they swore they didn't commit
Redemption: Jessie Misskelley was one of the three who went to prison for a grisly crime that they swore they didn't commit
Quest for justice: Damien Echols and his two co-defendants, insisted for years that they were not involved in the murder of the three boys
Quest for justice: Damien Echols and his two co-defendants, insisted for years that they were not involved in the murder of the three boys
Freed: The three, who have always maintained their innocence, were freed last year after an Alford plea
Freed: The three, who have always maintained their innocence, were freed last year after an Alford plea
Attorneys also said Hobbs' nephew, Michael Hobbs Jr, told friends his uncle murdered the three boys, but the elder Hobbs has denied any involvement with the murders. 
'I am content in my heart that Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley did not murder my son,' Stevie’s mother Pam Hobbs said as she pleaded for investigators to look at new evidence.
The three became the subjects of a series of documentaries called Paradise Lost which captured the attention of celebrities including Johnny Depp, who paid legal fees to free them, and Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder.
Joining the cause: Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder supported the West Memphis Three up until their release
Joining the cause: Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder supported the West Memphis Three up until their release

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Baby Attacked By Ferrets



A one month old baby had one-forth of her face chewed off by the parents' pet ferrets.  Her life was saved in surgery, but she faces many more surgeries ahead. 

Her father said, ""I went over to grab the baby, and then the baby's... half the face was messed up from the ferret. So I called 911 immediately," 

Let's look at this statement. 

"I went over to grab the baby,

The first thing we notice is that he tells the reason why he went to the baby.  This indicates that he anticipated being asked.  

 and then the baby's... half the face was messed up from the ferret. 

Note that his child is "the baby" and not "my", or with the child's name.  He stops himself mid-sentence.  

His description:  "half the face was "messed up" from the ferret

"messed up"

We often find minimizing language in abusive and neglectful parents.  Each one of us has a personal, subjective, internal dictionary.  What does "messed up" mean to him?

Authorities reported the condition of the baby's face:  

The ferrets chewed off the baby's nose.  
The ferrets chewed off her upper lip. 
The ferrets had chewed away a portion of the baby's cheek. This did not take place in seconds of measured time.  


So I called 911 immediately," 

He, again, tells us why he called 911, but adds the word "immediately."

We seek to learn:  Why would he feel the need to add the word, "immediately" since it is, or should be, unnecessary.  It is often a signal of neglect, guilt, and possible delay in dialing 911.  It is an unnecessary word making it "doubly important" in analysis. 

He may have called "immediately" but he certainly knows that he will be questioned about the timing.  

The news reported that the family has a lengthy history of child abuse and neglect.  It is likely that child protective workers feared for the new born's life.  

The mother, long involved with CPS said she only put the baby on the floor for a moment to use the bathroom. 

The home was reportedly infested with mites, fleas, filth, and has 6 cats, 2 dogs, 2 turtles and the three ferrets. The only food found inside was a jar of peanut butter, a can of cranberries and some juice. There were four other children in the home, and officials said that the home has been "in crisis" for a long time.