There are no facts, only interpretations. —Nietzsche
It's been a few weeks since I updated this blog. I have been considering the best means of continuing to discuss my book without causing distress to those I care about.
I love and respect Edith Roberts. She is an amazing person who suffered greatly over the death of her first husband and teenage son. The release of my book was expected to help her deal with it by telling her story.
As it turned out, I found many very serious problems with the investigation and trial that I could not ignore. They included legal consequences for other people affected by the case. I decided to include all of the social justice issues and not confine the book to the Roberts family experience.
The Roberts family in West Virginia and Virginia do not accept my interpretation of the evidence. Clearly only those who have lost a loved one to violence could understand the emotions it inflamed.
I delivered a message, an opinion, based on extensive study, backed by academic research. I never met Glenn (David) or Timmy so cannot say firsthand what choices they may have made in stressful situations. My analysis of the case was from that of a distant observer with only the documented evidence to study. Each reader will choose what to accept and what to reject.
I wish the message could have been more comforting or uplifting. I wish it could have matched the Roberts family expectations. I wrote what I found and what my mind told me was logical and probable.
I am deeply sorry for the family’s loss.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Arson, Death, and Deception
Who burned Glenn Roberts' Chaparral Restaurant in March 1982? Who shot and killed Roberts in August 1982 in his own home?
Was Roberts paranoid or on to something when he said that the sheriff wanted him gone? Who was behind the cocaine business in Tucker County in 1982?
An elementary review of the facts and the evidence could solve the cold case and provide answers for many whose lives have hung in limbo for 26 years.
Who burned Glenn Roberts' Chaparral Restaurant in March 1982? Who shot and killed Roberts in August 1982 in his own home?
Was Roberts paranoid or on to something when he said that the sheriff wanted him gone? Who was behind the cocaine business in Tucker County in 1982?
An elementary review of the facts and the evidence could solve the cold case and provide answers for many whose lives have hung in limbo for 26 years.
Monday, June 23, 2008
True Self-Government
A quote I came across today that I wanted to share:
"It is imperative to the evolution of man, the collective good, and the survival of humanity that the individual is protected from persecution and never oppressed by the collective. The radical, the challenger, the eccentric, the revolutionary, the exception, the outcast, the odd ball, the rule breakers and those that march to the beat of a different drummer are the triggers and impetus behind human evolution, growth and new discovery. This includes new thought and ideas that challenge the status quo thinking and those that are resistant to change.
Evolution is all about change, which results in adaptation and improvement, and those that resist change, cling to the old, or oppress the harbingers of change impede the evolution of mankind and our ability to adapt to changes beyond our control such as the climate and nature.
Therefore the survival and good of the collective is dependant on the freedom of the individual." http://oneclickrevolution.com/democracy_and_true_self_government.htm
From www.Infiniteplaythemovie.com
A quote I came across today that I wanted to share:
"It is imperative to the evolution of man, the collective good, and the survival of humanity that the individual is protected from persecution and never oppressed by the collective. The radical, the challenger, the eccentric, the revolutionary, the exception, the outcast, the odd ball, the rule breakers and those that march to the beat of a different drummer are the triggers and impetus behind human evolution, growth and new discovery. This includes new thought and ideas that challenge the status quo thinking and those that are resistant to change.
Evolution is all about change, which results in adaptation and improvement, and those that resist change, cling to the old, or oppress the harbingers of change impede the evolution of mankind and our ability to adapt to changes beyond our control such as the climate and nature.
Therefore the survival and good of the collective is dependant on the freedom of the individual." http://oneclickrevolution.com/democracy_and_true_self_government.htm
From www.Infiniteplaythemovie.com
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Junk Science
The job of a medical examiner (ME) is to determine manner and cause of death.
Like the rest of us, the ME does the best they can with what they have to work with and within the timeframe and budget given.
Their burden is that given more time and more funds, a clearer and perhaps different story of the manner and cause of death might result.
“Junk science” may have been the best available at that time. So, what do we do when we know better?
More to the point in this case, can a 2 ¼ to 3 ¼ inch span of damage to cervical (neck) vertebra be caused by a shotgun loaded with #6 shot fired at contact range? Dr. James Frost told the jury it couldn’t. After firing at cardboard, he concluded that the weapon had to have been held at least a foot from the victim to achieve that spread of damage. Our scientific smarts today tell us that there is much more to this equation.
The 1982 forensic finding can be easily and inexpensively retested today. A West Virginia ballistics test already has. The Bullet Test Tube, recently developed by Richard Mann, took a near contact shotgun load of #6 shot and produced a dispersal range equivalent to the damage found in the victim.
What does this mean? Contrary to the 1982 findings from the cardboard test, the fatal shot could have been fired at contact range. The manner of death is no longer conclusive. Equivocal death is the appropriate finding. Reasonable doubt is the correct conclusion.
The job of a medical examiner (ME) is to determine manner and cause of death.
Like the rest of us, the ME does the best they can with what they have to work with and within the timeframe and budget given.
Their burden is that given more time and more funds, a clearer and perhaps different story of the manner and cause of death might result.
“Junk science” may have been the best available at that time. So, what do we do when we know better?
More to the point in this case, can a 2 ¼ to 3 ¼ inch span of damage to cervical (neck) vertebra be caused by a shotgun loaded with #6 shot fired at contact range? Dr. James Frost told the jury it couldn’t. After firing at cardboard, he concluded that the weapon had to have been held at least a foot from the victim to achieve that spread of damage. Our scientific smarts today tell us that there is much more to this equation.
The 1982 forensic finding can be easily and inexpensively retested today. A West Virginia ballistics test already has. The Bullet Test Tube, recently developed by Richard Mann, took a near contact shotgun load of #6 shot and produced a dispersal range equivalent to the damage found in the victim.
What does this mean? Contrary to the 1982 findings from the cardboard test, the fatal shot could have been fired at contact range. The manner of death is no longer conclusive. Equivocal death is the appropriate finding. Reasonable doubt is the correct conclusion.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Cold Cases in Tucker County
On March 24, 2002 a young mother went missing. Bonnie Lueann Cale, also known as Bonnie Woods, 27 years old, was last seen in the vicinity of Rt. 1 Box 444 in Parsons. Bonnie went to her estranged husband's to visit her daughter. Her black 1991 Chevrolet Blazer was located abandoned in Webster County, WV. Bonnie has not been seen since.
http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200300116S
On August 23, 1982 Glenn David Roberts, father of six, was found shot to death in his trailer home on highway 219 minutes south of Parsons. His death was never solved. No one was ever tried for the homicide. His wife and children, brothers and sisters, remain cought in a time warp of that terrible day's pain.
These unsolved cases leave the families in limbo, unable to even form scars over their wounds. This unfinished business must not be forgotten or abandoned.
On March 24, 2002 a young mother went missing. Bonnie Lueann Cale, also known as Bonnie Woods, 27 years old, was last seen in the vicinity of Rt. 1 Box 444 in Parsons. Bonnie went to her estranged husband's to visit her daughter. Her black 1991 Chevrolet Blazer was located abandoned in Webster County, WV. Bonnie has not been seen since.
http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200300116S
On August 23, 1982 Glenn David Roberts, father of six, was found shot to death in his trailer home on highway 219 minutes south of Parsons. His death was never solved. No one was ever tried for the homicide. His wife and children, brothers and sisters, remain cought in a time warp of that terrible day's pain.
These unsolved cases leave the families in limbo, unable to even form scars over their wounds. This unfinished business must not be forgotten or abandoned.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Writers and Readers Events
Bloody Words, http://www.bloodywords.com/ Canada's oldest and largest gathering of mystery writers and readers begins on June 6 in Toronto. I will be there learning, talking to readers, and talking about The Chaparral Murders.
BookExpo Canada http://www.bookexpo.ca/ begins the following weekend, also in Toronto. I will be there as well at the Crimewriters of Canada booth.
Book Expo America http://www.bookexpoamerica.com/ begins tomorrow in Los Angeles. The Chaparral Murders will be included in the New Titles Showcase of books at that event.
The New York Review of Books has a special issue for Book Expo America and The Chaparral Murders will be advertised in that issue.
Here's hoping the exposure generates some interest in this important case.
Bloody Words, http://www.bloodywords.com/ Canada's oldest and largest gathering of mystery writers and readers begins on June 6 in Toronto. I will be there learning, talking to readers, and talking about The Chaparral Murders.
BookExpo Canada http://www.bookexpo.ca/ begins the following weekend, also in Toronto. I will be there as well at the Crimewriters of Canada booth.
Book Expo America http://www.bookexpoamerica.com/ begins tomorrow in Los Angeles. The Chaparral Murders will be included in the New Titles Showcase of books at that event.
The New York Review of Books has a special issue for Book Expo America and The Chaparral Murders will be advertised in that issue.
Here's hoping the exposure generates some interest in this important case.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
2008 Next Generation Indie Book Awards
The Chaparral Murders: Dollar Store Justice has been awarded Finalist in the 2008 Next Generation Indie Book Awards in two categories, Regional and Social Change. It will be listed in the catalog which will be distributed at Book Expo America in Los Angeles at the end of this month.
The Chaparral Murders: Dollar Store Justice has been awarded Finalist in the 2008 Next Generation Indie Book Awards in two categories, Regional and Social Change. It will be listed in the catalog which will be distributed at Book Expo America in Los Angeles at the end of this month.
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