Archive through 23 October 2002

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Archive through 23 October 2002

Casebook Message Boards: Beyond Whitechapel - Other Crimes: The Sniper (Tarot Card Killer?) in the D.C. area: Archive through 23 October 2002

Author: Robert Maloney Monday, 21 October 2002 - 05:38 pm
It's time for Inspector Callahan.
Author: Ashleah Skinner Monday, 21 October 2002 - 07:02 pm
Two men are being questioned by the FBI also 9 people wounded 11 dead stange because 9/11 was the terrorist attack on on WTC
Author: Dan Norder Monday, 21 October 2002 - 07:21 pm
Even more strange that with your numbers more people have died than were wounded. You're thinking of the silly "11 were shot and 9 of those died, so it must be a reference to 9/11" thing going around. Too bad that's no longer correct. The total is now 12 shot and 9 dead. Police now say the two men picked up had nothing to do with the case and are being deported. But supposedly somebody they think might be involved in the killings has been calling the authorities and they want that person to call back because the line was garbled. Once it's all over the facts will be interesting, until then I wouldn't take any rumors as gospel. Especially any that involve strange numerology tricks trying to come up with links to 9/11. Dan
Author: Rosemary O'Ryan Monday, 21 October 2002 - 07:34 pm
Hi Folks, UNFORTUNATELY...The Sniper still out there folks, SO KEEP YER HEADS DOWN! Keep tuned to Radio ROSI861 :-)
Author: Robert Maloney Monday, 21 October 2002 - 08:02 pm
Hello All, Life imitating art...again? In the Tarot, the Death card is associated with Scorpio. In the 1971 movie, Dirty Harry, a sniper taunts the police with notes threatening to kill one person each day until his ransom is paid. The sniper's name?...Scorpio. [yawn] next case please. Rob
Author: David Radka Tuesday, 22 October 2002 - 01:11 am
The below is part of a current story on the DC sniper, copied straight from the web site of The Washington Post, written by Research Editor Margot Williams: 'Messages from serial killers are hardly a new phenomenon. In 1888, London's notorious Jack the Ripper, who relished writing boastful letters, taunted Scotland Yard with the written vow: "I am down on whores and shant quit ripping them til I do get buckled."' What obfarquious succotash! There is no evidence that the Dear Boss letters are genuine. David
Author: Christopher T George Tuesday, 22 October 2002 - 02:17 am
Yes but the popular conception is that Jack wrote to the police. This is clearly another example of a journalist who has not checked the facts.
Author: Kevin Braun Tuesday, 22 October 2002 - 10:09 am
Unfortunately there has been another shooting in Aspenhill, MD. A 40 year old man standing in the doorway of a bus. The police should release a sample of the shooters handwriting. For something completely different, from his cell in upstate New York, David Berkowitz has offered his thoughts on the shooter. The Son of Sam killer, David Berkowitz, who terrorized New York City in 1977, speculates that the sniper now spreading terror in the Washington area is under "what many Christians would call `a strong demonic bondage,' " feels rage toward law enforcement and may be motivated by the new Hannibal Lecter movie. He calls the sniper killings "a terrible tragedy" and expresses sorrow for "those who are now suffering the loss of a loved one." Mr. Berkowitz, imprisoned at the maximum-security Sullivan Correctional Facility in upstate New York, made his comments in a three-page letter replying to a Fox News correspondent, Rita Cosby, who had written to him requesting his thoughts on the sniper. Ms. Cosby read excerpts from the reply in a telecast yesterday, and Fox News sent copies of it to other news organizations, promoting it as an exclusive. Mr. Berkowitz wrote that he did not know whether there was one sniper or two, or whether the killings were the work of a "psychopath" or a terrorist. But he said he had been "feeling this person's anger and rage toward law enforcement." He has been trying to figure out, he said, whether the shootings began around the time "Red Dragon," the new movie about Hannibal Lecter, was released. In fact, the film was released nationwide on Oct. 4, two days after the first sniper victim was shot. The letter noted that the series of Lecter films told the story of a killer who outsmarts the F.B.I. "I've been wondering that, if this is a psychopathic person, if he has locked into this Hannibal character and is playing his role?" Mr. Berkowitz wrote. Ms. Cosby said in an interview that she was not concerned that asking Mr. Berkowitz to speak about the killings might bring him celebrity. "I would have severe concerns if it was advancing the cause of the killer, but by no means does his letter do that," she said. "He clearly condemns the actions." Mr. Berkowitz, now 49, was sentenced to more than 300 years in prison after pleading guilty in 1978 to killing six people and wounding seven. He was denied parole in July. (New York Times)
Author: Christopher T George Tuesday, 22 October 2002 - 10:44 am
New York Post, October 22, 2002 GUNMAN: PAY OR I'LL KILL AGAIN By NILES LATHEM, DAN MANGAN, and MARSHA KRANES The Psycho Sniper says he wants blood money to end his terrifying murder spree - and he's opened a dialogue with cops to negotiate the payout. The Beltway sharpshooter made his demand in a three-page note found after his latest attack, on Saturday night, federal law-enforcement sources told The Post. The handwriting and some of the wording in the letter matches that of the "Dear Policeman, I am God" note scrawled on a tarot death card left at the scene of an earlier sniper strike, sources said. An anonymous call to the sniper tip line led investigators to the note - which was found attached to a tree behind the Ponderosa steakhouse in Ashland, Va., where the crazed gunman had critically wounded a 37-year-old man. The man was the 12th victim - and only the third to survive - in the mad marksman's three-week rampage. The note demanded money and warned that the horrific slaughter would resume unless the cash was paid by a stated deadline, sources said. It also contained threats against children - threats that prompted Richmond-area school officials to cancel classes yesterday and again today. Officials were concerned because the deadline had passed by the time FBI evidence technicians opened the note, ABC News reported. Police Chief Charles Moose of Montgomery County, Md., responded by holding a press briefing on Sunday night at which he told "the person who left us a message at the Ponderosa last night:" "You gave us a telephone number. We do want to talk with you. Call us at the number you provided." Yesterday morning, Moose held another briefing at which he again addressed the sniper: "The message that needs to be delivered is that we are going to respond to a message that we have received. We are preparing our response at this time." And then early last evening - apparently after hearing from the sniper or an accomplice - Moose asked for another call, because part of the message was inaudible. "The person you called could not hear everything you said. The audio was unclear, and we want to get it right. Call us back so that we can understand," he said. Moose refused to elaborate, explaining that it "would be inappropriate and detrimental to our investigation." But he did say police were sure they were dealing with the sniper. The killer disguised his voice for the call, MSNBC reported. He also may have disguised his voice in the call that led cops to his extortion note. It was made by a man with "an accent of unknown origin," CNN said. In one phone exchange with police, the sniper boasted, "I am God," the Washington Post said. Sources said the sniper's money demand has them all but convinced that he is not a foreign terrorist. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that cops have found tarot cards at more than one sniper crime scene. The only tarot card cops have acknowledged was found in woods near the Bowie, Md., school where a 13-year-old boy was shot.
Author: David Radka Tuesday, 22 October 2002 - 01:17 pm
"Popular conception" and "Journalist not checking the facts" have been potent moneymakers for Ripperologists for many years, post W-E. Scores and scores of books, articles, "graphic novels," intrerviews and careers have been based on the apparently beneficient occupation of disabusing the poor public of their popular misconceptions fostered in them by fictionalizing journalists. And on it goes, on and on. As long as you can claim to be doing good for the public, as long as you can foster the contention that all you're trying to do is help them, why, you can go right ahead and say whatever you want to fatten up your bank account. The wise old beards of this web site know the score, and burst into song again as soon as the clink-clink-clink of the money-register inspires them anew. Not that the information they provide is anything their customer can use. David
Author: David O'Flaherty Tuesday, 22 October 2002 - 02:15 pm
Since the information provided by Ripperologists is inadequate, I wonder on what sources Mr. Radka bases his Ripper knowledge. Has he made an overseas trip to examine case documents first hand?
Author: Christopher T George Tuesday, 22 October 2002 - 02:27 pm
No, David, Mr. Radka is basing his solution of the case solely on his epistemological powers. That and his ever present sneer will get him everywhere.
Author: David Radka Tuesday, 22 October 2002 - 02:50 pm
Mr. Radka is a lover, inspired by eros; most Ripperologists aren't. David
Author: Christopher T George Tuesday, 22 October 2002 - 02:55 pm
The best of luck to you then, David.
Author: David O'Flaherty Tuesday, 22 October 2002 - 02:56 pm
Mr. Radka is a CPA; most Ripperologists aren't. Dave
Author: Kevin Braun Tuesday, 22 October 2002 - 04:48 pm
Love the sneer, The epistemology of (second order) cybernetics and of the Principia Cybernetica Project is constructivist. Ernst von Glasersfeld defines radical constructivism by the following two basic principles Knowledge is not passively received either through the senses or by way of communication, but is actively built up by the cognising subject. The function of cognition is adaptive and serves the subject's organization of the experiential world, not the discovery of an objective ontological reality That construction serves in the first place selfish purposes: the subject wants to get control over what it perceives, in order to eliminate any deviations or perturbations from its own preferred goal state. Control requires a model of the thing to be controlled, but that model will only include those aspects relevant to the subject's goals and actions. In a sense, the subject does not care about the "thing" to be controlled, only about compensating the perturbations it senses from its goal, thus being able to adapt to changed circumstances. See epistemological New word of the day. Thanks Chris.
Author: David Radka Tuesday, 22 October 2002 - 08:31 pm
I'd say the above is a fair summary of my approach to the case. Thank you, Kevin. It's the kind of thing I'll consider putting into my paper. David
Author: Warwick Parminter Wednesday, 23 October 2002 - 06:16 am
Hello Chris, Last night I watched a programme on Sky telly called "Crimes of the Century". One of the crimes was the murder of The Black Dahlia. Twenty two years old and to end up being murdered in that fashion. Whatever could she have done to warrant that?-- the demon that did it should never have been born!!, and to think, he was never brought to account. God knows what that poor girl had to endure before release came. To my way of thinking, she was kept alive, and being tortured for a while before being killed, how long for I hate to think, but he certainly played with her while she was living. Human excrement forced down her throat, actually reaching her stomach, small stab wounds all over her body, and what he did to her mouth, then the Grand Finale of bi-secting her, which he could have started doing before she died, God in heaven, how can anyone have so much hate in them?- they must be formed from hate. I can understand certain killings for certain wrongs (don't agree with it though) but all Proven killers should die, for the good of decent people. I hope the sniper is taken alive, I hope he is given the death sentence, and I hope THEY CARRY IT OUT!!!. I've just written this Chris because I'm inclined to think Jack the Ripper was a complete pussycat comparing him with some of the filth we have to rub shoulders with today. All the Best, Rick.
Author: Christopher T George Wednesday, 23 October 2002 - 10:43 am
Hi, Rick: Thank you for your thoughts on the Black Dahlia murderer and the Washington area sniper. Indeed, the depths of depravity that human beings can sink to defy the imagination don't they? I too cringe at what poor Beth Short must have gone through before she died. And as for the sniper, who has threatened schoolchildren so callously.... Parallels by the way there with the Zodiac killer who threatened to blow up a school bus. As you can appreciate, everyone here in the Washington area is nervous waiting to see where he will pop up next and praying that the authorities will catch him soon. One can well identify with how people must have felt in Whitechapel in 1888, in San Francisco during the Zodiac's reign of terror, or the Son of Sam in New York in the 1970s. Although we don't know for sure if the Ripper taunted the authorities, Zodiac and Berkowitz (The Son of Sam) certainly did, and it seems the present killer is now doing the same. There are reports that he left another message at the scene of yesterday's shooting of the bus driver in Montgomery County. Interestingly, the English is said to be poor so he is either foreign or badly educated. I keep wondering if the French marksman who is missing might be responsible although it would seem that he might not have the local area knowledge that the killer seems to display. Best regards Chris
Author: David Radka Wednesday, 23 October 2002 - 11:33 am
As per usual, the British posters (Parmenter, George) villify the American nasty crabs, and excuse or ignore the British ones, despite ample evidence that a British person can be equally depraved. What about Neville Heath? Fine British Officer, he. Made special efforts to torture his victims to the very fullest before they died. But it is as if he never existed, as soon as our British cousins get to drawing distinctions between themselves and the rude Americans. There should be no doubt why such statements are made so pointedly at this time. Some of the Brits don't like Mr. Bush's plans with regard to Iraq, and are looking for ways to publicly state how nasty a group of crabs the Americans are. Its the NRA this and the sniper that, and as often as possible. David
Author: Christopher T George Wednesday, 23 October 2002 - 12:54 pm
Hi David: As usual, you express your twisted view of the world with your own biases and prejudices which bear little relationship to what the people who post here actually think. Yes the Black Dahlia murderer was a devilish sadist and the Cleveland torso murderer was a bloody ghoul but there is in my mind little difference between the bloodiness of those two American murderers and Fred West, Christie, Haigh, or host of blood-soaked British murderers. Chris
Author: Warwick Parminter Wednesday, 23 October 2002 - 12:56 pm
David,, You surprise me, I thought we were buddies/mates,-- we haven't had much to say to each other, but when we have it's been friendly. I wasn't knocking Americans, I'm sure I'd be the last to do that,-- I was commenting on a programme that I had seen last night on British T/V, it was about American criminals, I don't remember if any British crims were mentioned. But David, you have to admit you Yanks are more spectacular than us here, just think of one episode of your criminal history,--- The Gangster Era,-- the St Valentines Day Massacre, I paid a lot of money to see that Site,-- a grass patch, and then had a pizza on the opposite side of the street at the "Oven Grinder",--BUT-- it was worth every penny--to be with Americans, and to stand where such a thrilling event took place. I don't pick on Americans, I wish I had been born one!! and Chris can't show his liking any more than coming to live amongst you. Anyway, you mis-understood me, we are still buddies/mates, and we'll talk again sometime. All the Best, Rick
Author: Garry Ross Wednesday, 23 October 2002 - 01:00 pm
David, There's good and bad in every area of this world - unfortunately the bad seem to be remembered a lot more than the good. As a 'Brit' I'm still ashamed of the way the 'Brits' acted while they had the so called 'Great Empire' - firing Indian 'peasants' out of cannons for 'sport' springs to mind for one. As a 'Scot' I still get angry at the Highland Clearances and a lot of things before and after but to harness grudges does nothing for the soul. The whole human race is pretty much messed up isn't it? But I think all the UK people here will agree with me that this countrys biggest crime has to be the awful Morris Dancers take care Garry
Author: David O'Flaherty Wednesday, 23 October 2002 - 01:37 pm
Rick, Who on earth charged you for visiting the site of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre? I used to live in that area and would've taken you for free (and from there over to The Biograph) The garage is long gone and is now a housing area for the elderly surrounds the site of the murders, which as you said, is nothing but a grassy area. Cheers, Dave
Author: Warwick Parminter Wednesday, 23 October 2002 - 03:59 pm
Hello David (O) No Dave, I didn't mean I was charged to visit the Site, I was taking everything into consideration, the flight from England, the hire of the car, and the touring of the Western States before coming back to Chicago to come back home, but Dave, I thank you for the offer All the Best, Rick P.S. The Biograph Dave, is that the Pump House where they have a display of mannikins explaining the Massacre, if it is, we went there, it was very good. The pizza's were also very good, have you ever tried one?