Frank F. Weber's Blog, page 5

Susan Polk and the craziness of her case.

Dr. Felix Polk and sons    ​ Felix Polk (younger) In 2001, Susan Polk filed for divorce. This was a complicated and contentious proceeding during which each contacted police with allegations of domestic violence. When asked by police whether Ms. Polk had made threats or been violent, Mr. Polk said she hadn't. In 2002, while Susan was living in Montana, Dr. Polk was able to petition the courts, ex parte, (without providing Susan any form of official notice in advance). In her absence, the court granted Dr. Polk sole custody of the couple's minor son, Gabriel Polk, and sharply reduced Susan's alimony. Dr. Polk also received sole possession of their house. 
Susan Polk On Wednesday, October 9, Polk went to the home to retrieve her belongings and complete a dental procedure by having a permanent crown put on her tooth. That Friday, October 11, the eldest son, Adam, came home from UCLA to pick up his dog. On Sunday, October 13, Dr. Polk, Adam, and the youngest son, Gabriel, drove Adam and the dog back to UCLA. Dr. Polk and Gabriel returned home at around 9:30 pm. Dr. Polk, then 70, was found dead the next day, Monday, October 14, 2002. Felix and Susan Polk Authorities found bloody strands of hair in Felix Polk’s hand that were linked to Susan Polk. Susan initially denied killing her multi-millionaire husband, until she was confronted with the evidence. She eventually admitted to killing him but said it was in self-defense. Susan stated he attacked her with a knife by the pool, after she told him she was never coming back to him. However, scientists for the prosecution indicated she had no defensive wounds. Prosecutors argued that a court ruling days earlier, which stripped Susan of custody of Gabriel and a large amount of money in support payments, was the motive. Susan eventually declared she was the victim of a vast conspiracy by her children, her mother, the police, forensic scientists, the Judiciary, and attorneys on both sides. Bizarre trial: 
Susan Polk was a self-proclaimed psychic. She really should have known how this was going to end. Susan was initially granted bail, but it was revoked after she threatened one of her sons. 
The court was forced to declare a mistrial in 2004, when the wife of Susan Polk's attorney, Daniel Horowitz, was murdered in an unrelated incident. Pamela Vitale was found stabbed to death inside the Lafayette home the couple was renovating. A teen who lived nearby, Scott Dyleski, was ultimately convicted of torturing Vitale to death and the murder was completely unrelated to Susan Polk’s case. 
Susan demonstrates how she stabbed her husband. The forensic scientist for the defense, Dr. John Cooper testified that Felix Polk's death was caused by heart disease and that his stab wounds were not life-threatening. Dr. Cooper failed to appear in court the following day to continue being cross-examined. He returned a week later to resume testimony and Dr. Cooper’s theory that Felix died of a heart attack while being stabbed was disproven
Susan and Felix's children testified at the trial. The youngest son, Gabriel, who discovered his father’s body, testified that his mother had speculated about means of killing her husband in the weeks before his father's death. Gabriel described his mother as angry and delusional. He stated Susan had talked about throwing Felix in the pool, hitting him with the car, or shooting him. 
The oldest son, Adam, also testified against his mother, and referred to her on the stand as "cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs". 
However, the middle son, Eli, testified on Susan's behalf, saying his father Felix was the aggressor, controller, and manipulator. Questions were raised about the relationship between Susan and Eli. During the trial, on May 24, 2006. Eli Polk was convicted of misdemeanor battery against his partner and of violating a restraining order. Eli had two arrests in March of 2006, at the home where his father died.  
Susan fired her attorneys to represent herself.  Her defense included allegations of a history of marital and professional misconduct, including claims that Dr. Felix Polk had drugged and raped her when she was a teenager, brainwashed the couple's children, and threatened to kill her if she tried to leave him. Susan Polk repeatedly requested a second mistrial, lodging accusations of conspiracy against the prosecutor and the judge. There was little doubt she hated Felix in the end. The request for a mistrial was denied.
Jurors didn’t believe that the crime was premeditated and found Susan Polk guilty of 2nd degree murder. Susan was sentenced to prison for a term of 16 years to life. She was first eligible for parole in 2018. Susan Polk was transferred to the California Institution for Women (CIW), a dorm-like prison, in Corona (near Chino), CA, in December 2012. On May 29, 2019, Polk was removed from her parole hearing for being uncooperative and was subsequently denied parole. Polk will be eligible again in May 2029.
Media surrounds jurors after trial “Susan was clearly schizophrenic, and I had documents showing she was. Had she allowed me to use them, I think the jury would have been sympathetic,” Former attorney, Dan Horowitz said. “But her entire defense was not that she didn’t murder her husband, but that she wasn’t mentally ill. … She was more willing to be convicted of murder than admit she had mental issues. That’s the tragedy of Susan Polk.”
This is a sad case of a violation of ethics by a therapist and a mentally ill woman. 
It’s problematic when a relationship is never equal. +
Then add in delusional thought processes by a mentally ill woman, +
the hatred generated by a divorce, +
and a custody battle. =
and you have disaster. 
 
Thanks for listening,


Frank
Trilogy 1 {Murder Book, I-94 Murders & Last Call}    Trilogy 2 {Lying Close, Burning Bridges & Black and Blue}
The Trilogies now sell for $45 each. They are signed and wrapped. (the 1st 3 in Crime Scene tape and the 2nd 3 in Danger Zone tape.) Black and Blue is coming to you. You can buy it on this website, at the events listed below, or at the following venues: Red’s Auto Pierz, The Shoppes of Little Falls, CatTales Books & Gifts in Brainerd, The Crossing Arts Alliance in Brainerd, Beagle & Wolf Books and Bindery in Park Rapids, or Barnes & Noble in St. Cloud.

Saturday, May 14, 2022, the Shoppes of Little Falls will be hosting the Morrison County book opening Frank F. Weber’s newest book:  Black and Blue. Frank will be speaking from 2:00 to 3:00. and will be at the Shoppes from 12:00 noon until 4:00 p.m. signing books. Black and Blue is a thrilling mystery based on the murder of a police officer’s 19-year-old fiancé in Minneapolis. There is a scene in the book which involved a conversation that took place at the Shoppes. The presentation will be in the beautiful new addition to the Shoppes. The Shoppes of Little Falls is located at 102 1st Street Southeast, Little Falls, Minnesota, 56345.
 
Saturday, May 21, 2022, Roundhouse Brewery  is hosting the Brainerd/Baxter/Nisswa opening of Black and Blue on  from 3:00 to 7:00.  Frank speaks from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 pm. about forensic psychology and writing True Crime mysteries. Black and Blue is a thrilling mystery based on the murder of a police officer's 19-year-old fiancé in Minneapolis. Frank will sign and sell books both before and after speaking.  The Roundhouse Brewery is located at  23836 Smiley Road, Nisswa, Minnesota.  Black and Blue includes a scene at Roundhouse Brewery. You could even have that chapter signed by other patrons and taste the book’s choice of Roundhouse ale.  This is going to be a blast and there is no cost.  Stop in and enjoy a cold beverage.
 
Monday, May 23, 2022, Beaver Island Brewing Company is hosting the big St.Cloud opening of Black and Blue from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m..  Frank will speak from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p,m. about forensic psychology and intriguing murder mystery that led to writing Black and Blue. Learn about new forensic techniques and find out what they get wrong on crime shows and movies.  Frank will signing and selling books both before and after speaking.  The Beaver Island Brewing Company is located at 216 6th Avenue South, St. Cloud, Minnesota on Division.  Black and Blue includes a scene at Beaver Island Brewing Company featuring Holly. You could even have that chapter signed by other patrons and taste the book’s choice of Beaver Island ale.  This is going to be a blast and there is no cost.  Stop in and enjoy a cold beverage.
 
Saturday, May 28, 2022, Forensic Psychologist and True Crime Mystery Author, Frank F. Weber will be at CatTales Books & Gifts in Brainerd signing his newest book Black and Blue from 11:00 to 3:00 p.m. Black and Blue is a thrilling mystery based on the murder of a police officer’s 19-year-old fiancé in Minneapolis. I feel Black and Blue is my best book to date. I took a chance and offered this book for a highly respected Kirkus review before I had finalized the book as I wanted to see what they thought of it. The Kirkus review of Black and Blue stated: “Weber largely succeeds at demonstrating how issues of race and policing are intricately related.” It is my longest book, but it needed to be this length to create an intense mystery with the true crime story. CatTales Books & Gifts is located at 609 Laurel Street, Brainerd, Minnesota, 56401. 
 
Saturday, June 18, 2022, Frank F. Weber, Forensic Psychologist & True Crime Author will be signing books at Author Fest from 11:00 to 3:00 p.m. Author Fest is hosted by Beagle & Wolf Books and Bindery at the Park Rapids Legion. It’s a great chance to meet with dozens of Minnesota authors and to buy their newest books and have them personally signed. The American Legion address is 900 1st Street East, Park Rapids, Minnesota 56470.
 
Friday, June 24, 2022, Forensic Psychologist and True Crime Mystery Author, Frank F. Weber will be at Barnes and Noble in St. Cloud signing his newest book Black and Blue from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. Black and Blue is a thrilling mystery based on the murder of a police officer’s 19-year-old fiancé in Minneapolis. “I feel Black and Blue is my best book to date. I took a chance and offered this book for a highly respected Kirkus review before I had finalized the book.” The Kirkus review of Black and Blue stated: “Weber largely succeeds at demonstrating how issues of race and policing are intricately related.”  Barnes and Noble is located on Division at Rainbow Village, 3940 Division Street, St Cloud, Minnesota, 56301.
 
Saturday, June 25, 2022, Forensic Psychologist Frank Weber will be at Angry Inch Brewing in Lakeville, Minnesota, from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. signing his newest book, Black and Blue.  He’ll speak from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. about forensic psychology and writing True Crime mysteries.  Black and Blue is a thrilling mystery based on the murder of a police officer's 19-year-old fiancé in Minneapolis. Learn about new forensic techniques and find out what they get wrong on crime shows and movies. It’s a great time to get questions about forensics answered while enjoying a cold beverage. This is going to be a blast and there is no cost. Angry Inch Brewing is located at 20841 Holyoke Avenue Lakeville, Minnesota, 55068.
 
Sunday, June 26, 2022 from 10:00 to 4:00 p.m. Frank will be at Arts in the Park in Brainerd selling and signing all of his books. The event is at Gregory Park 424 North 5th Street, Brainerd, Minnesota.
 
Friday, July 8, 2022, Fergus Brewing Company is hosting the opening of Frank F. Weber’s newest novel, Black and Blue.  Frank will speak from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p,m. about forensic psychology and intriguing murder mystery that led to writing Black and Blue. He will be at Fergus Brewing from 5:00 to 8:00, signing & selling books and answering questions. Black and Blue is a thrilling mystery based on the murder of a police officer's 19-year-old fiancé in Minneapolis. Learn about new forensic techniques and the circumstances that led to this thrilling mystery. Fergus Brewing is located at 1683 Drive, Fergus Falls, Minnesota, 56537. This is going to be a blast and there is no cost.  Stop in and enjoy a cold beverage.

Sex trafficking and healing with grace…

~~~My definition of a pimp is anyone who sells another person for sex, regardless of being male or female, regardless of race, and regardless of relation to the victim.  Pimps take advantage of what is perceived as normal. (Not what is normal, but what is perceived as normal.) COVID didn’t help. From 2019 to 2020 the number of underage teens sharing nude photos online almost doubled. But keep in mind, over 70% of teens do not share naked pictures and do not feel it’s “normal” to do so. Sadly, once those images are online, they can be online forever. I try to point out to teens that sexting is like getting a tattoo. It doesn’t disappear next week when you realize it was a bad idea. If you made a bad choice in the past, then be smarter from this point forward. I tell them:
    “We explore the past not to live in it, but to learn from it. For all we have is from this point forward – from now on…”

In some cases, pimps take advantage of the girl’s undocumented status and their inability to get legal work. This happens in rural Minnesota, and across the U.S. with undocumented Mexicans and Asians. Let’s look at the Case of Billionaire & New England Patriots owner, Robert Kraft.  
Dave Aronberg (on left)     Robert Kraft When Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg charged Robert Kraft for soliciting a sex worker, Aronberg said he wants the conversation to be broader than about one defendant, “The conversation should be about forced labor and forced sexual conduct.” I agree. 
Orchids of Asia Spa, where Kraft was charged, was a notorious brothel in a family shopping center But what happened? The charges against Robert Kraft were dropped. Kraft’s expensive attorney, managed to get the surveillance video of Kraft paying the sex worker thrown out of court as inadmissible. Prosecutor David Aronberg also took shots at Kraft’s immense wealth, citing the billionaire businessman’s ability to afford top criminal defense lawyers unlike poorer defendants. 
“Individuals with significant means have the ability to hire the best lawyers and investigators to dissect every decision point made by law enforcement to find a weak spot and then exploit it to achieve an acquittal or a dismissal. That’s just reality, and sometimes it can be a good thing because it can protect the rights of everyone when police engage in misconduct. Here, the court concluded that police made mistakes but no misconduct, that there was no bad faith or ill motives.”

The Fourth District Court of Appeal sided with Kraft’s arguments that Jupiter police improperly used so-called “sneak-and-peek” warrants to ensnare Kraft, 79, and the others who visited the Orchids of Asia Day Spa. 

If there wasn’t enough evidence to convict the “Johns,” how could they prosecute the sex workers?  Answer: They had public defenders who couldn’t find loopholes.
Owners of Orchid Spa were: Lei “Lulu” Wang  and Hua Zhang The sex worker, “Lulu,” involved with Robert Kraft was found guilty. She was given a $5000 fine, 100 hours of community service and one year of probation. In addition to other sex workers being fined thousands of dollars, one of the “alleged” sex workers arrested in the raids, Lei Chen, remains in ICE custody. Under civil forfeiture proceedings, the state seized all of her money from her bank account, which held $2,900. 
Why the blog title: Sex trafficking and healing with grace? 
Divine grace is theological term (used in many religions) defined as an influence which operates in humans to regenerate and sanctify; to inspire others to virtuous impulses and to impart strength to endure trial and resist temptation. To guide others toward virtue.    

Thanks for listening,

Frank

My books…

Burning Bridges is a finalist in the Midwest Independent Publishers Awards in two categories!  MIPA evaluates new books, (books released in a total of 12 midwestern states for 2021). To be a finalist, when all of the states are considered, is truly an honor. Burning Bridges is a finalist for both Best Romance and Best Young Adult Novel. I believe it was the only book nominated as one of the 3 finalists in 2 categories.

Black and Blue is coming to you!
Soon… 
If you’ve heard me speak before, I am promising all new material. It’s a challenge, but I’m up to it!  See events below:

Saturday, May 14, 2022, the Shoppes of Little Falls will be hosting the Morrison county book opening Frank F. Weber’s newest book:  Black and Blue. Frank will be speaking from 2:00 to 3:00 . and will be at the Shoppes from 12:00 noon until 4:00 p.m. signing books. Black and Blue is a thrilling mystery based on the murder of a police officer’s 19-year-old fiancé in Minneapolis. There is a scene in the book which involved a conversation that took place at the Shoppes. The presentation will be in the beautiful new addition to the Shoppes. The Shoppes of Little Falls is located at 102 1st Street Southeast, Little Falls, Minnesota, 56345. Sunday, May 15, 2022, Forensic Psychologist and True Crime Mystery Author, Frank F. Weber will be at Barnes and Noble in St. Cloud signing his newest book Black and Blue from 11:00 to 3:00 p.m. Black and Blue is a thrilling mystery based on the murder of a police officer’s 19-year-old fiancé in Minneapolis. “I feel Black and Blue is my best book to date. I took a chance and offered this book for a highly respected Kirkus review before I had finalized the book.” The Kirkus review of Black and Blue stated: “Weber largely succeeds at demonstrating how issues of race and policing are intricately related.”  Barnes and Noble is located on Division at Rainbow Village, 3940 Division Street, St Cloud, Minnesota, 56301. Saturday, May 21, 2022, Roundhouse Brewery  is hosting the Brainerd/Baxter/Nisswa opening of Black and Blue on  from 3:00 to 7:00.  Frank speak from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p,m. about forensic psychology and writing True Crime mysteries. Black and Blue is a thrilling mystery based on the murder of a police officer's 19-year-old fiancé in Minneapolis. Frank will signing and selling books both before and after speaking.  The Roundhouse Brewery is located at  23836 Smiley Road, Nisswa, Minnesota.  Black and Blue includes a scene at Roundhouse Brewery. You could even have that chapter signed by other patrons and taste the book’s choice of Roundhouse ale.  This is going to be a blast and there is no cost.  Stop in and enjoy a cold beverage. Monday, May 23, 2022, Beaver Island Brewing Company is hosting the big St.Cloud opening of Black and Blue from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m..  Frank will speak from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p,m. about forensic psychology and intriguing murder mystery that led to writing Black and Blue. Learn about new forensic techniques and find out what they get wrong on crime shows and movies.  Frank will signing and selling books both before and after speaking.  The Beaver Island Brewing Company is located at 216 6th Avenue South, St. Cloud, Minnesota on Division.  Black and Blue includes a scene at Beaver Island Brewing Company featuring Holly. You could even have that chapter signed by other patrons and taste the book’s choice of Beaver Island ale.  This is going to be a blast and there is no cost.  Stop in and enjoy a cold beverage. Saturday, May 28, 2022, Forensic Psychologist and True Crime Mystery Author, Frank F. Weber will be at CatTales Books & Gifts in Brainerd signing his newest book Black and Blue from 11:00 to 3:00 p.m. Black and Blue is a thrilling mystery based on the murder of a police officer’s 19-year-old fiancé in Minneapolis. I feel Black and Blue is my best book to date. I took a chance and offered this book for a highly respected Kirkus review before I had finalized the book as I wanted to see what they thought of it. The Kirkus review of Black and Blue stated: “Weber largely succeeds at demonstrating how issues of race and policing are intricately related.” It is my longest book, but it needed to be this length to create an intense mystery with the true crime story. CatTales Books & Gifts is located at 609 Laurel Street, Brainerd, Minnesota, 56401.  Saturday, June 25, 2022, Forensic Psychologist Frank Weber will be at Angry Inch Brewing in Lakeville, Minnesota, from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. signing his newest book, Black and Blue.  He’ll speak from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. about forensic psychology and writing True Crime mysteries.  Black and Blue is a thrilling mystery based on the murder of a police officer's 19-year-old fiancé in Minneapolis. Learn about new forensic techniques and find out what they get wrong on crime shows and movies. It’s a great time to get questions about forensics answered while enjoying a cold beverage. This is going to be a blast and there is no cost. Angry Inch Brewing is located at 20841 Holyoke Avenue Lakeville, Minnesota, 55068.
 Sunday, June 26, 2022 from 10:00 to 4:00 p.m. Frank will be at Arts in the Park in Brainerd selling and signing all of his books. The event is at Gregory Park 424 North 5th Street, Brainerd, Minnesota.
Sunday, July 24, 2022 from 9:00 to 3:00 p.m. Frank will be at Art in the Park in Detroit Lakes selling and signing all of his books. The event is at 1320 Lincoln Avenue, Detroit Lakes, Minnesota Saturday, August 6, 2022 from 10:00 to 6:00 p.m. Frank will be at Festival of Lake Superior selling and signing all of his books. The Festival of Lake Superior is at 1st Avenue, Two Harbors, Minnesota, 55616. Saturday, August 13, 2022 from 9:00 to 4:00 p.m. Frank will be at Art of the Lakes in Battle Lake selling and signing all of his books. The event is at 108 Lake Avenue South in Battle Lake, Minnesota. Friday, September 30, 2022, Frank will be at Wabasha Public Library, from 11:00 to 12:00 p.m. speaking on the writing of True Crime, forensic work and his latest book Black and Blue. Frank will demonstrate a lie detector test (volunteer a friend). He will sell and sign books before and after the presentation. The Wabasha Public Library is located at 168 Alleghany Avenue, Wabasha, Minnesota. ​

Hillman News from 100 years ago was butter, bulls and pythons…

I’m on the verge of having a release date for Black and Blue, and working on the following book: The Haunted House of Hillman {H2 OH}. By the way, I would like to thank everyone for the support. Even though I’ve been putting off presenting until I have Black and Blue in my hands, I’m still selling books every week on this website.  Thank you!
People who have read my books know I research every community I write my true crime stories in. I’ve found a couple of old news articles about Hillman I’d like to share.
Every one of the small Minnesota towns used to have a creamery and a butter maker. Being a butter maker was a lucrative job. In 1930, Hillman recruited a butter maker by giving him a large furnished home.
1930 Butter makers
This article is taken from the Onamia Herald, on May 26, 1927:
​
Hillman Man Has Exciting Time with a Bull
According to information sent to us by our Hillman correspondent, Otto Strauch, of that village, he had an experience with a large Holstein bull last Thursday, which he will not care to repeat, and which might have ended disastrously.” 

The bull was in the stockyard at the station, and Otto undertook to catch him. The animal turned and charged, hurling him across the enclosure, following him up with the evident intent of trampling him. 

But J.B. Nelson chanced to be near, and hearing the commotion he jumped into the yard, grabbed a bit of board and battered the angry animal over the head. This caused the bull to hesitate long enough for Otto to get over the fence, which he did in record time. 

It was indeed fortunate for Mr. Strauch that help was near, as the bull would have probably killed him, before he could have got away.  I didn’t realize Hillman had a news correspondent. The Onamia Herald was published from 1924 to 1928. The best article I’ve found so far was from the Mille Lacs Messenger. The Mille Lacs Messenger has been published from 1913 up to the present. August 12, 1926. The headline read: 

Big Snake Scares People of Hillman
Python at Large - Seen by Several Truthful People

This article starts with a statement from Fred Nutt, a prosperous Hillman farmer. It begins: 
“Everybody knows that Fred Nutt is a strong prohibitionist, spurns moonshine and won’t even put alcohol in the radiator of his trusty flivver to keep it from freezing, so when he told that story, it received general credence.” (A flivver was a cheap car in bad condition.)
“It seems that Fred was leisurely driving home his herd of cattle the other night, when to his surprise and alarm, about a 15-20 foot snake reached down from a tree, wound a couple times around a yearling heifer and lifted it into a tree, where it was lost in the foliage.” (A yearling heifer weighs about 600 pounds, so it's a damn big snake and a damn big tree if you can lose a cow in it.) “Fred, would almost sooner lose an eye than a nice heifer, stood under the tree and called the snake names until a rustle among the branches caused him to think it was time to get the rest of the herd out of the danger zone. When he reached the house, frightened and mad, he told his story. His wrath was in no way cooled, when his wife wanted him to go to bed and have an ice bag on his head. After he had finished milking, he went over and told some of the neighbors about it. Some of them were sore, because he wouldn’t tell them where he saw it, but most kept their stock shut up that night and nailed their windows shut before retiring.” The article continues…

“Some women who were picking berries in a pasture a day or two later, reported that they had seen a snake about 40 feet long, moving slowly through the ferns in the woods, and it is believed that this was the same snake, as it is unlikely, that at any great number of pythons would be at large in that locality. Since then, the berries are going to waste, as no one can induce them to leave the vicinity of the house.” (2 days later, it’s twice as big. I guess it did eat a cow.)
And yes, there’s more…

“Doubt has been cast on the whole story by Laurence Hughes, who drove down the other evening to call on a friend and reported that he had encountered on the road a snake, apparently about 80 feet long, equipped with automobile headlights and wearing a green sweater. Hughes appeared to be perfectly sober and to be believed that he had given an accurate description of something he had seen, but thoughtful citizens pointed out that it was entirely unnatural for snakes to wear sweaters. Those who have not seen the snake doubt its existence.”
“One chap, who has been in the Southwest, suggests that locoweed, a desert plant that drives cattle insane, when they eat it, has been introduced into the country, and the Hughes and Nutt have eaten some in a salad. Nutt says, even if one could doubt the evidence of his eyes, he is still one shy heifer. Work in the vicinity is pretty much at a standstill, and everybody is talking about the snake, mostly over the phone. Nobody in that neighborhood wants him for anything and if the owner will come and get him, he will not be required to prove ownership.”
If anyone has interesting stories or facts about Hillman to share with me, feel free to do so.  I’ll try to have a forensic article next time, and a release date for Black and Blue.

Thanks for listening,


Frank
Before Weird Al, there was Ray Stevens and Jim Stafford. Here is an old clip of Jim Stafford and Barbara Mandrell.  

After 911 call fails to bring help, police patrol officer saves life.

Breann and Kayli Lasley
On September 23, 2015, a man entered the window of a Salt Lake City home where sisters Breann and Kayli Lasley were living. Breann was texting a message and listening to music at midnight, when she heard a man say, “Hey, girl, I’m coming in. Cooperate with me.”
Breann told him, “You’re not going to get what you want.” She ran to the window and tried pushing him back out. It was too late. Breann realized he was going to rape her. 
He told her, “Shut up and cooperate or I’m going to go rape your little sister.” 
Breann realized he’d been stalking their home and proceeded to fight the man.
Kayli later reported, “I knew from her screams it was something terrible.” Kaylie ran upstairs, rushed the man, and hit him.
The attacker, Robert Berger, threw Kayli down the stairs. He attempted to throw Breann down the stairs, but she clung to his shirt, and they tumbled down the stairs together. 
As the fight continues, Breann yells, “Siri call 911.”
Siri responds, “I don’t understand.” 
Berger draws a knife and begins stabbing Breann. 
Robert Berger had walked away from the Fortitude Treatment Center the day before. The Treatment Center was supposed to have “tight restrictions” for checking people in and out. It turns out the system was leaving a post-it note. Berger had an extensive criminal history, including arrests for aggravated robbery and aggravated kidnapping. Berger had served 14 years in prison and had violated probation numerous times. 

Kayli called 911, three times, each connecting with an operator. Kayli is heard desperately pleading “Help us please! Help us, he’s going to kill us. Help us, please!” No officer was dispatched to the home. Priority Dispatch, the company who took the 911 calls, would say later the dispatcher was waiting for them to confirm their address. 
In one of the recordings of the calls, Kayli can be heard saying, “I’ll give you anything you want! What do you want?” 
The dispatcher responds, “Hello?”
Kayli screams, “He’s stabbing my sister! He’s stabbing her!”
Kayli and Breann 
Realizing they are both about to be murdered, Breann tells Kayli to leave.
Kayli runs into the street and starts yelling, “Help!” 
Patrol Officer Ben Hone had been attending to a break-in down the street. He hears Kayli and responds. 
Kayli tells the officer her sister is being stabbed to death in their basement. 
Ben Hone rushes to her aid. 
Breann Lasley
Berger held Breann in front of him and stabbed her. Breann said she realized that there was no way the officer could shoot the man without shooting her. 
    When Berger raised his arm to stab her hard, Officer Ben Hone fired a shot from 12 feet away in the dark. He hit Berger in the face, immediately killing him.
    Breann had to peel his dead body off of her. 
Bre Lasley, right, and Kayli Lasley, left, with police officer Ben Hone, who saved them from an attempted murder on Sept. 23, 2015. 

    Doctors were amazed that every stab wound missed Breann’s vital organs. Breann had been on blood thinners for 3 years. Four weeks before this incident, her doctor took her off blood thinners. “If we didn’t fight back, we’d be dead.” Breann Lasley
Following the incident Breann slept on her parents’ couch during the day and her father or brother would stay up with her at night. She was further traumatized to learn no officer was ever dispatched in response to the 911 calls while she fought for her life. In 2019, Breann Lasley sued the Priority Dispatch company.  Breann asked for $300,000 to compensate for physical and emotional pain, medical costs, diminished job earnings and quality of life. Breann stated, “I’m still here. I’m standing. It’s a little empowering, but it’s terrifying too.”
Breean with Kayli resting at her side at the hospital. Bre stated about the Officer Hone, “I never loved anyone more.”
Bre Lasley started Fight Like Girls to help raise awareness that self-defense is just as much a mental, emotional and spiritual mindset as it is physical preparation. 

Thank you, Breean and Kayli Lasley for truly being warriors and for being a great example of love for family. Thank you, Ben Hone for being a great officer; for putting your life on the line and being willing to take a risk, to save another. 

And thanks for listening.

Frank
Monday, March 28, 2022, Forensic Psychologist, Frank Weber will be interviewed by Mark Anthony and Patty Wicken from 9:30 to 9:45 on KXRA 1490 A.M. regarding his forensic work and writing of True Crime. On Tuesday, March 3, Frank will be speaking, and demonstrating a lie detector test, at the Broadway Ballroom in Alexandria, at 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. This is the Kiwanis 100 year celebration in Alexandria. The event is free and open to the public. Tuesday, March 29, 2022, Frank will be speaking at the Kiwanis 100-year celebration 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The event will take place from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Broadway Ballroom at 115 30th Avenue East, Alexandria, Minnesota, 56308.  Frank will sign and sell books both prior to speaking and after speaking. He will demonstrate a lie detector test (volunteer a friend), and share what they get right and wrong in shows and movies. This is a free event and the public is invited!
Author and forensic psychologist Frank Weber will be the presenting author for a virtual “Brown Bag” author visit on Monday, April 4, 2022, 12 noon to 1 pm. Frank will present on his latest book, Burning Bridges, an incredible true crime mystery centered around a Bemidji State College student’s search for her biological father which leads to the examination of the life and demise of a psychopath in central Minnesota. Frank will also speak about new forensic techniques and the writing of True Crime as a genre, and what they get wrong on crime shows and movies. This will be a virtual event, presented live from the Friends of the Brainerd Public Library Facebook page.

Kate Johnson

Kate Johnson was a person many of us aspire to be. The last words written in her journal were:

May 27, 2001

I am so very blessed Lord; I can’t thank you enough! You are my life and my heart. Tonight, my prayers are with others. 

Kate Kate Johnson, age 21, spent her last visit with her mother going to a musical titled, “The Pajama Game.” The play was initially titled 7 ½ cents and was about a dispute between laborers and the owners of a pajama factory over a request for a 7 ½ cent raise. Her mother, Edie Hagstrom, shared that she will never forget Kate took her hand and held it as they walked to a show. An unusual gesture for an adult. It was reminiscent of Kate’s quiet compassion and confidence. Kate was a devout Catholic, and outstanding student, and loved music.  She had planned on becoming a music teacher.  Kate (Catherine Johnson) was described by university staff and students as a lovely, self-effacing young woman who epitomized the University's ideals of faith and service. The fit, brown-eyed Johnson had spent countless hours on volunteer activities, including working with low-income children, mentoring young girls and teaching music.

On May 29, 2001 Kate Johnson was murdered in her dorm room. The rape was violent and she had significant bruises on her breasts and body that occurred before she died. The CSI team scoured the dorm room and found saliva from the killer on her pillow case.
May 22, 2001: Kate Johnson’s murder transpired from an incident in the University Park neighborhood. Kate’s friends had offered to take her out for a drink for her 21st birthday. She had no idea that the momentary encounter with a man would cost her life.

Key to the investigation: There was a concern from investigators from the onset that the killer entered the dormitory without having to break in. The school year was over, but Kate (as a resident assistant), was allowed to remain residing there. Investigators believed the killer had a pass key.

Suspects:
Kate had interest in a foreign exchange student. The investigators discovered he was in France when Kate was murdered. ​ The Medical Examiner on the scene was odd and made claims, “she was handcuffed” and “she was choked,” when it wasn’t obvious to others at the scene. The statements later turned out to be true. The examiner returned to the scene after all of his forensic work was done and climbed up the drainpipe to Kate’s second floor room to prove the killer could have come up this way. Investigators thought he seemed to know too much, so they DNA tested him. ​ Kate’s supervisor, as a dormitory residence assistant, held a poker game in a home across the street from Kate’s dormitory on the night of her murder. All of the players offered their DNA willingly. 
The Hunter Community College women’s track team was using Portland University’s track on the day Kate was murdered. Their coach was male. They asked for DNA. He refused to provide a sample. They heard the coach regularly went to a bar in Portland, called, The Olive or Twist. They staked it out, hoping to take one of his drink glasses to test his DNA. However, he stopped going to the bar after Kate’s murder. 
A Holy Cross Priest left the campus the week after Kate’s murder. It was initially believed he wasn’t staying in the dorm that night, however it was later discovered he did. The Priest had left the country for mission work and was in an area where he couldn’t be reached. When the Priest finally returned, he gave a DNA sample as requested.
Throughout the investigation, Kate’s mother sent the investigators pictures of Kate to remind them of the wonderful life that had been lost.


The lab returned with a positive DNA match.
It turns out the DNA belonged to Deniz Aydiner-- one of the poker players. The problem was, Deniz had returned to Turkey. They hadn’t expected him to leave without his family. The investigators made a decision which would lead to harsh skepticism from the community and would be hurtful to Kate’s family. It would lead to the University of Portland being accused of protecting a Priest, when in truth the Priest had nothing to do with the murder. The investigators announced they were closing the investigation without resolution. What the public didn’t know was they were daring Turkish immigrant, Deniz Aydiner, to return to the U.S. 

Regarding the accusations leveled against the Priest: It’s interesting that accusers never seem to come back and apologize when they’re wrong. So instead, it’s only the accusation that remains in the public’s mind. I know people will say there have been cover-ups in the past. My point is that every injustice should be addressed, not rationalized. Rationalizing injustice is what killers do.

On January 16, 2004, Deniz Aydiner took the bait and returned to the U.S. He was arrested when he stepped on U.S. soil.

Deniz had been verbally abusive to his wife in a bar when Kate was out on her 21st birthday. Kate confronted his behavior. Deniz argued that the behavior was normal for Turkey. She pointed out that they were in Oregon. From that night forward Deniz planned his revenge. Deniz managed to secure a campus pass card from a friend who worked in campus security, entered the dorm that night, brutally assaulted her and murdered her. (Today we would know exactly whose security card was used. They didn’t have this technology at the University of Portland at the time.)  
Aydiner’s attorney argued that the DNA swab shouldn’t have been admissible, since the police officers never warned him that giving it could affect his immigration status. Investigators pointed out the reason for asking for DNA had nothing to do with immigration. Aydiner’s appeal was denied in 2009.

We do this work for people like Kate. So others don’t have to experience her fate.

​Holy Cross Father William Beauchamp, University of Portland president said, “Kate will always be remembered and honored on the Bluff for her selfless generosity. She embodied the best of the University of Portland, and we continue to celebrate her life through an annual award for the most outstanding student in volunteer services.” Thanks for listening,

Frank
Monday, March 21, 2022, Forensic Psychologist, Frank Weber will be interviewed by Kelly Cordes from 10:15 to 10:30 on WJON 1240 AM or 95.3 FM regarding his forensic work and writing of True Crime. That evening Frank will be speaking, and demonstrating a lie detector test, at the Belgrade Public Library.
​

Monday, March 21, 2022, Frank will be at Belgrade Great River Regional Library, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. speaking on the writing of True Crime, forensic work and his latest book. Burning Bridges examines the life and demise of a psychopath in central Minnesota. Frank will demonstrate a lie detector test (volunteer a friend). The  Library is located at 324 Washburn Avenue, Belgrade, Minnesota, 56312. ​​ Tuesday, March 29, 2022, Frank will be speaking at the Kiwanis 100-year celebration 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The event will take place from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Broadway Ballroom at 115 30th Avenue East, Alexandria, Minnesota, 56308.  Frank will sign and sell books both prior to speaking and after speaking. He will demonstrate a lie detector test (volunteer a friend), and share what they get right and wrong in shows and movies. Author and forensic psychologist Frank Weber will be the presenting author for a virtual “Brown Bag” author visit on Monday, April 4, 2022, 12 noon to 1 pm. Frank will present on his latest book, Burning Bridges, an incredible true crime mystery centered around a Bemidji State College student’s search for her biological father which leads to the examination of the life and demise of a psychopath in central Minnesota. Frank will also speak about new forensic techniques and the writing of True Crime as a genre, and what they get wrong on crime shows and movies. This will be a virtual event, presented live from the Friends of the Brainerd Public Library Facebook page.​​

Christopher Gay is a Country song

Honestly his choices are laughable, so here’s the story:
 
Mama left when he was 10. Daddy was gone most of the time. The family lived in a trailer with no lights at times and food was scarce. The children wore the same clothes for weeks and duct tape held their shoes together. Chris Gay was raised in extreme poverty and as a child was the one who went out to search for food for the family. Gay said, “Even the teachers made fun of us.” He quit school at 11 and was taught to steal by a relative, who paid Gay in beer and marijuana. He then learned to steal cars and trucks, and after stints in juvenile detention, ended up in prison. 
But he kept breaking out. Once he ran during exercise (seems appropriate). Another time, after being transferred to a mental health facility for evaluation he walked out an hour after being admitted. 
In 2007, while in jail in Texas, (serving time for criminal mischief) he received a call indicating his mother, Anna Shull, was dying of cancer in Tennessee. Anna had just showed up one day, after having been gone for 10 years. She apologized and he forgave her. He assumed she was too embarrassed to say why she left, so he left it at that. 
Chris Gay knew he was about to transported from Texas to Alabama, to face additional theft charges, so he took a spring from an ink pen and fashioned a hand cuff key out of it. He hid the key between his cheek and gum, like a chew. With a boyish smile, he wasn’t a guy people were afraid of. During the transport he told the deputy he was about to get sick, so they brought him to a rest stop bathroom in Hardeeville, South Carolina. I’m not sure why they went through South Carolina on the way from Texas to Alabama, but I imagine it was drop to off other prisoners at a secure facility.  Once in the bathroom he removed his handcuffs, ran across the highway, climbed a fence and took off into the woods. The police were soon on his trail with dogs. He managed to steal a pickup-truck but dumped it and then took a semi-truck cab in Georgia. After crossing into Tennessee, he stole a Wal-Mart semi, loaded with $300,000 worth of merchandise. ​ As he approached his mother’s home, he realized he was being tailed by the police—now being followed with blue lights and sirens. Solution: He turned up the music so he couldn’t hear them. He turned on to a narrow road and skidded to a halt about 150 feet from mom’s Nashville home. Chris Gay realized he was never going to see his mom. The Police had surrounded her home, dogs were barking. He knew his mother was clinging to life, and he didn’t want to traumatize her with a big scene. He ran past her home and hoped someday he could track back to her. 
Chris Gay Crystal Gayle Chris Gay makes it to a motel. In the gate behind the motel, are tour buses for music performers. As he approaches the gate in his blue jail uniform, he is mistaken for a bus driver. Chris is asked if he’s there to pick up Crystal Gayle’s bus, and he smiles, “I am.” When he can’t figure out the code to open the gate, another driver gives the code to him.  To Chris, it seems like fate, as Crystal Gayle was his mother’s favorite singer. 
Having a good sense of humor, Crystal Gayle laughs about the story when she’s told about it. However, she acknowledged she simply hoped no one would be hurt as long buses aren’t easy to drive. 
For a man on the run, getting a bus with a television, comfortable bed, and a shower, is a pleasant find. He turns on the TV and finding no news about his location, he makes a plan. Driving Crystal’s bus gives him status. Being a big NASCAR fan, he decides to head south to Florida for the Daytona 500.  If he can’t see his mother, he might as well try to see his favorite driver, Tony Stewart. There would be lots of buses there, so his bus wouldn’t be so noticeable. 
Tony Stewart’s car at Daytona Picture of Tony Stewart’s car taking flight in Daytona in 2001. Stewart suffered a broken leg. When he approached the Daytona entry, State troopers were everywhere. “In for a dime, in for a dollar.” He drove in, and when approached by an officer he informed the officer he was with Tony Stewart—Joe Gibbs racing. The trooper gave him a card to hang in his window and waved him through. A second officer escorted him to the VIP parking area. Chris was given a golf cart to drive around the facility. They wouldn’t let just anybody drive Crystal Gayle’s bus, right? His new VIP badge got him a front row seat to Rolex 24. He even managed to get the cart on the track and do a couple laps. “The banks are steep there, real steep,” Gay recalled. “I couldn’t believe where I was.”

After a long day, he goes back to the bus to sleep. When he turns on the TV, he realizes that it’s all over the news that he stole a tour bus. Chris decides he needs to find the freeway and bail. After leaving Daytona, he can’t find his way to the freeway. Chris sees a sex worker in a parking lot and decides to pull in and ask her directions.  Now she looks like someone giving transportation advice, right?​ What he doesn’t know, is that he’s driven into a prostitution sting operation. So, when he’s talking to the sex worker, police officers close in on him.  The undercover officer reveals Chris was simply asking for directions, so they let him go. After Chris heads down the road the officers get talking and it seems unusual that a legitimate tour bus driver would stop and ask a sex worker for directions. They run his license plate and discover the bus is stolen. 

Chris soon finds his tour bus blocked in with squad cars on the freeway. He pulls over, and plans to run, but is immediately Tazed. Crystal Gayle shares that they can laugh about the incident because no one was hurt. 

You want this to have a happy ending, but the ending is typical for a man who consistently makes bad choices. Anna Shull died two weeks later, on February 7, 2007. Chris wasn’t allowed to attend the funeral. 

Bluegrass picker Tim O’Brien, chronicled Gay’s run on his song, “The Ballad of Christopher Daniel Gay.” 
“Stole a pickup in Carolina, then a Wal-Mart truck with 18 wheels.
He drove toward his dyin’ mama in the Cheatham County hills.
And it’s down those lanes and back roads the police made their chase.
And he almost made her trailer, he almost saw her face.” Chris Gay was transported from Daytona, Florida to Alabama. He eventually received his GED in prison. He had theft charges to settle in a variety of states. On March 3, 2009, again while being transported, he broke off his zipper and used it to make a key to unlock his shackles. When the officer stopped at a Waffle House in Kennesaw, Georgia, Gay took off.  He hitchhiked to Tennessee where he volunteered at a Nashville homeless shelter. He then took a bus to Atlanta, then Orlando, where he worked with a friend he met in prison, roofing. After several days, the man turned him in and Chris was arrested in a Wal-Mart parking lot. Now the man nicknamed, “Little Houdini '' was treated as an extreme escape risk. 

Chris hopes to someday see his 3 children and his grandchildren again. Records suggest he had no visitors during his 2009 return to incarceration. Gay said he wants to spend time "with my wonderful grandchildren," saying "my life revolves around them. I want to show them how precious they are."
Thor motor coach    ​ Tiffin motor coach On Dec. 3, 2018, Christopher Gay stole a $276,000 Thor motor coach from an RV sales lot in Sevierville, Tennessee.  The stolen motor coach, which was eventually recovered in Virginia.
On Dec. 17, 2018, Gay stole a $190,000 Tiffin motor coach from a location in Tiffin, Georgia. 
On November 30, 2018, he stole a cargo trailer from a location in East Tennessee. The trailer contained leather goods. Prosecutors said Gay advertised belts that were in the cargo trailer for sale on Craig's List in Northern California. 
Kubata trailer On Jan. 22, 2019, Gay was involved in the theft of a Kubota "zero turn" mower and a Kubota sub-compact tractor from a location in White Pine, Tennessee. These items were advertised and sold on Craig's List.
The total cost of his recent thefts were estimated at between $550,000 and $1.5 million.
Later in 2019, Gay was charged in connection with a 20-mile police chase that put the lives of construction workers, police and other drivers in harm's way. The chase began on Interstate 81 after a Smyth County deputy stopped a speeding silver Corvette being driven by Gay. After an officer noticed drugs in the car, Gay sped through a construction zone at speeds over 100 mph. The chase lasted over 20 miles with Gay finally being captured after ditching the sports car and climbing the side of a mountain.
In 2021 Christopher Gay was sentence to 7 years in a federal prison for his involvement in the truck theft operation. “Don’t it make your brown eyes blue?”
 
Thanks for listening,
 
Frank
Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue by Crystal Gayle
Music trivia: Crystal Gayle is Loretta Lynn’s younger sister
Upcoming Events 523 Trading Post, Olivia, Minnesota Thursday, March 10, 2022, Frank will be at 523 Trading Post, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. speaking on the writing of True Crime, forensic work and his latest book. Burning Bridges examines the life and demise of a psychopath in central Minnesota. Learn about new forensic techniques and find out what they get wrong on crime shows and movies. The 523 Trading Post is located in Dirks’ Furniture Building.  The address is 523 Trading Post, 821 East Lincoln Avenue, Olivia, Minnesota, 56277.
Monday, March 21, 2022, Frank will be at Belgrade Great River Regional Library, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. speaking on the writing of True Crime, forensic work and his latest book. Burning Bridges examines the life and demise of a psychopath in central Minnesota. Frank will demonstrate a lie detector test (volunteer a friend). The  Library is located at 324 Washburn Avenue, Belgrade, Minnesota, 56312. ​​
Tuesday, March 29, 2022, Frank will be speaking at the Kiwanis 100-year celebration 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The event will take place from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Broadway Ballroom at 115 30th Avenue East, Alexandria, Minnesota, 56308.  Frank will sign and sell books both prior to speaking and after speaking. He will demonstrate a lie detector test (volunteer a friend), and share what they get right and wrong in shows and movies.
Author and forensic psychologist Frank Weber will be the presenting author for a virtual “Brown Bag” author visit on Monday, April 4, 2022, 12 noon to 1 pm. Frank will present on his latest book, Burning Bridges, an incredible true crime mystery centered around a Bemidji State College student’s search for her biological father which leads to the examination of the life and demise of a psychopath in central Minnesota. Frank will also speak about new forensic techniques and the writing of True Crime as a genre, and what they get wrong on crime shows and movies. This will be a virtual event, presented live from the Friends of the Brainerd Public Library Facebook page.​
Thank you Stacie, and Lake City Library, for a great time speaking and selling books! It couldn’t have gone better! I want to return to Lake City in the summer and sell books again!
The Jazz Authority will be performing at the Woods in Brainerd in April

EDDIE LEAL: 2011 Head of Cops for Kids program murdered

There is nothing any of us can do to keep people from resenting us. If you tried to get along with everybody, somebody would hate you just for that. Mahatma Ghandi was killed by a Hindu radical for trying to make peace between the Hindus of India and the Muslims of Pakistan. He was murdered for supporting nonviolent resolution. Eddie Leal was an extremely generous, courteous, soft spoken, polite and very affectionate young man. The words needed to describe all the positive attributes for Eddie are limitless. Eddie was born on July 3, 1987 in Hemet, California to his parents Celia and Ralph Leal. Eddie loved to give back to the community where he was born. 

Eddie was loved by the San Jacinto community. Eddie and his father had converted their garage into a training program for boxers to help keep boys out of gangs and donated thousands of hours to the project. The program trained numerous kids and was attended by police officers and firefighters. The boxers were known as “Team Leal” at competitions. There were numerous times he had to chase off gang members who wanted to recruit or disrupt the program. They stole his car.  Eddie was busy with training and operating the program, so he didn’t have a lot of free time. When a young woman on Facebook, by the name of Rebecca Santhiago, took interest in him, he responded. She invited him to meet at a park late at night and he agreed to meet her. 

On May 30, 2011, Eddie Leal, age 23, arranged to meet a woman he had known as Rebecca on Facebook.
Eddie drove his Toyota Corolla to Ivy Crest Drive in San Jacinto, where he was told a young man would meet him and take him to Rebecca. Investigators felt Eddie was enamored by the image of a beautiful woman and was hoping to meet her and create a lasting connection. When Eddie arrived 17-year-old Manuel Guzman Jr. led Eddie to Roanoke Street where Guzman lived. Guzman walked behind the car and shot Eddie multiple times. The car rolled forward and crashed into a parked car. Eddie managed to dial “91” before he died. Guzman walked to the passenger side and continued to fire. Guzman’s father drove him to Los Angeles the next morning to dispose of the murder weapon. ​ A yearlong investigation involved looking into the “Rebecca” Facebook profile. They traced its origin back to Manuel Guzman Jr.’s computer. Manuel Guzman had created the fake profile to lure men. Some felt it was simply a “thrill killing” while Manuel stated his intention was to rob the men to support his drug habit.
 
An Investigator responded, “We wish we could make sense of this senseless death. His life ended in a tragic murder. There are no adequate words to describe the anger, grief and disparity of the family. Feeling happy doesn’t seem right anymore.” Judge Michael Donner stated, “This is one of the most disturbing trials this court has had to preside over. In every other case where violence was inflicted upon a victim, there was at least a reason,” Donner said. “Here, it was a random victim, and this was essentially a thrill kill.”
 
Guzman was convicted in February after a jury deliberated for less than a day.
“Having seen many horrific cases, I have to say, this is probably one of the most senseless and callous murders I’ve seen as a prosecutor,” Supervising Deputy District Attorney Sam Kaloustian said. “This individual took the life of a young man for no reason, almost as sport.”
 
Manuel Guzman Jr. was sentenced to Life in Prison without the possibility of parole. This is the heaviest sentence you can give a juvenile.   October 18, 2013 at 8:05 p.m. A San Jacinto man was sentenced Friday, Oct. 18, to consecutive life terms for a “thrill kill” when he lured and murdered a San Jacinto boxer by posing behind a fictional woman’s Facebook page.
Three other men responded to the Facebook profile but backed out because they became suspicious when no phone number was provided. Family members said Eddie was too trusting and believed he had a connection with the woman he met online.
 
In his defense, Manuel Guzman Jr. read a long letter about his troubled childhood, his battle with demons and finding religion. He blamed everyone from his family, his teachers, “The Devil” and God for his mistakes in life and swore he was a good person. Guzman talked about growing up in LA and coming to San Jacinto as a child, when he embarked on a destructive path. He began using drugs and drinking when he was 12. He slept in abandoned houses and stole from others to fuel his drug habits. He said he started a Facebook account “for jokes” and then started contacting people on Facebook to rob them for drug money. On the night he killed Leal, he said he was heavily intoxicated and planned to rob him for money to go on vacation with his father. “Looking at these catastrophic actions, it’s clear the defendant poses a serious risk to society,” Donner said. “His inability to control emotions and finding religion is not impressive to the court.”
Site of the murder
 
Guzman’s attorney cited a Supreme Court case that ruled life in prison without parole is cruel and unusual punishment for a juvenile. Judge Donner said though the killing occurred when Guzman was 17, (so he was a few months away from being eligible for the death penalty), life in prison was still appropriate. Guzman’s criminal record for the past four years, included robbery, criminal threats, felony evading and DUI hit-and-run. A probation report, described “Guzman as a callous soul and heartless.” The Honorable Judge Donner stated, “Looking at these catastrophic actions, it’s clear the defendant poses a serious risk to society. His inability to control emotions and finding religion is not impressive to the court.”
 
Remember last week when I commented, “No situation is so bad that it can’t get worse…” As the investigation into Eddie Leal’s death progressed, it was discovered that Eddie’s father was going by an alias. When he gave the investigators his real name, they realized there was a warrant for his arrest in a 30-year-old murder. 

    On August 8, 1982, in a park, at 1500 Banida Avenue, in Rowland Heights, California, 20-year-old Richard Hernandez and 19-year-old Daniel Ontiveros were in the park at 1:00 a.m. visiting with two female friends when they were approached by three males who challenged them to a fight.  Both young men declined to fight and continued talking to the two women.

A few minutes after the initial confrontation, the three suspects attacked the two victims with weapons. Richard Hernandez was beaten, stabbed, and later died from his injuries.  Daniel Ontiveros, who was beaten and struck in the head, suffering permanent brain damage. The 3 suspects were identified but they fled to Mexico.
Rowland Heights Park

Gilbert Leal was one of those suspects. He returned to the U.S. as Ralph Leal and started a new life, where he married, had two sons and now volunteered his time to keep adolescents out of gangs. 

The 3 suspects:
Gilbert Leal was arrested July 20, 2012, in Riverside County. During the investigation of his son’s murder, the family’s prints were taken. His brother, a 2nd suspect, was now deceased. Detectives tracked down the third suspect, Marelina Corona and arrested him Nov. 29, 2012. He was living in Fontana under a different name. Corona was convicted of an additional knife assault in 1982, unrelated to the case Gilbert Leal was involved in.
Gilbert Leal                                                                                    Marcelina Corona  Gilbert had hit the man with a stick and Marcelina stabbed him with a knife. 31 years after the incident, Leal and Corona were sentenced for 8 years for manslaughter. The victims’ families were upset that both men received relatively light sentences.  After the tragic murder of bantam boxer Eddie Leal, his mother lost her son and her husband. A sudden end to a close family. Tragedy, karma, grief…, tears.  Make good karma!

Thanks for listening,

Frank
Upcoming Events:

February 27, 2022, Forensic Psychologist, Frank Weber, will be presenting from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. to the Forensic Science class of Minnesota Infinity Online school. The True Crime mystery author will be speaking on his forensic work, including forensic interviewing and the techniques used in criminal cases.  Thursday, March 3, 2022, Forensic Psychologist, Frank Weber, will be at Lake City Public Library, speak on the writing of True Crime, forensic work and his latest book from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.  Frank has profiled cold case homicides for the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and narrated an investigative show on the Oxygen channel titled Murdered by Morning. His newest True Crime novel, Burning Bridges, examines the life and demise of a psychopath in central Minnesota. Frank will demonstrate a lie detector test (volunteer a friend). Frank will be at the library from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. signing and selling books.  The Lake City Public library is located at 201 South High Street, Lake City, Minnesota, 55401.   Thursday, March 10, 2022, Frank will be at 523 Trading Post, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. speaking on the writing of True Crime, forensic work and his latest book. Burning Bridges examines the life and demise of a psychopath in central Minnesota. Learn about new forensic techniques and find out what they get wrong on crime shows and movies. The 523 Trading Post is located in Dirks’ Furniture Building.  The address is 523 Trading Post, 821 East Lincoln Avenue, Olivia, Minnesota, 56277.  Monday, March 21, 2022, Frank will be at Belgrade Great River Regional Library, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. speaking on the writing of True Crime, forensic work and his latest book. Burning Bridges examines the life and demise of a psychopath in central Minnesota. Frank will demonstrate a lie detector test (volunteer a friend). The  Library is located at 324 Washburn Avenue, Belgrade, Minnesota, 56312. ​  Tuesday, March 29, 2022, Frank will be speaking at the Kiwanis 100 year celebration 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The event will take place from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Broadway Ballroom at 115 30th Avenue East, Alexandria, Minnesota, 56308.  Frank will sign and sell books both prior to speaking and after speaking. He will demonstrate a lie detector test (volunteer a friend), and share what they get right and wrong in shows and movies.  Author and forensic psychologist Frank Weber will be the presenting author for a virtual “Brown Bag” author visit on Monday, April 4, 2022, 12 noon to 1 pm. Frank will present on his latest book, Burning Bridges, an incredible true crime mystery centered around a Bemidji State College student’s search for her biological father which leads to the examination of the life and demise of a psychopath in central Minnesota. Frank will also speak about new forensic techniques and the writing of True Crime as a genre, and what they get wrong on crime shows and movies. This will be a virtual event, presented live from the Friends of the Brainerd Public Library Facebook page.  
Thank you for the support of my work. My earliest books are being reprinted to keep up with the demand.
Murder Book went into its 3rd print in 2021.
The I-94 Murders went into its 2nd print in 2021.
Last Call is going into its 2nd print in 2022.

Still waiting to hear the official print date on Black and Blue.

The Cheerleader Rapes

1981 Cheerleaders at Castelberry High School, River Oaks, Texas 
(River Oaks is a suburb northwest of Fort Worth.) January 23, 1981, 16-year-old Susan Brown (Class of 1982) was getting ready to be a cheerleader at a high school basketball game. She received a call asking if her father, Ed, was home. She said, “no,” and soon saw a masked man standing inside her home. She tried running, but he caught her. He was strong and he hit her to get her to stop screaming. After the struggle she was told to turn over while the man dressed and departed. Susan never arrived to be a cheerleader at the game. She called the police, but they never performed a rape kit on her. As a result, this case would never be prosecuted. 

Another cheerleader, Roxy McDonnell was supposed to pick up Susan. Roxy said she had an argument with her boyfriend Wesley Miller and that’s why she didn’t pick Susan up. 
Wesley Miller, Football Team Captain In November of 1981, a second rape occurred in Saginaw. It started again with a call to the home. They had a fingerprint, but the rapist’s fingerprint was not in AFIS (Automated Fingerprint Identification System).

December 7, 1981 cheerleader Lisa Tickner, (Class of 1981) was staying with her mother who was dying of a degenerative disease. Her mother slept in the living room. Lisa woke up to a man standing in a mask in her bedroom. Lisa asked, “Where’s my mother?” He told her, “I won’t hurt her if you do what I want you to do.” He raped her, told her to turn over and left. When Lisa heard him walking down the steps, she followed to make sure her mother was okay. The man removed his mask as he walked by her mother. She could see from behind that he had long dark hair. Lisa immediately called a friend who brought her to the police. Investigators realized the rapist knew Lisa’s mother wouldn’t be able to identify him.  It was someone she knew.
December 8, 1981, Roxy’s sister was raped in her home. Roxy’s family lived right across the street from Lisa, in the River Oaks area. An investigator wrote in the file, “looks like Wesley Miller,” but Wesley was never interviewed. ​ In December of 1981, former Castleberry High cheerleader, Retha Stratton (Class of 1981) moved in with a friend. When warned about the rapist, Retha told her father, “He’ll have to kill me first.” On January 21, 1982, Retha was found dead in her bedroom closet. The assault had started in her living room and ended in her bedroom. Retha had been stabbed 36 times and the killer left the knife sticking in her chest. Her underwear had been stuffed into her mouth. Retha was 18-years-old. Retha began dating a senior football player, in 8th grade, and maintained the relationship with Dale after high school. Dale was well liked by her family, and he had an alibi. Dale, and Retha’s sister began asking people for any evidence pertaining to Retha’s murder. A friend told Dale, that they drove by Retha’s home and saw a truck similar to the one Wesley Miller drives, at the home about the time of the murder. (Wesley Miller was cheerleader Roxy’s boyfriend.) ​ Wesley Miller Voted Best All ‘Round Senior – 1 year before his arrest At 9:30 p.m. January 21, 1982. The night of Retha’s murder, was Roxy’s birthday. Wesley Miller showed up with bloody clothes and told Roxy he had been playing football. She washed his blue jeans. Her parents called the police and informed them of Wesley’s bloody clothes. Wesley was called in for an interview and claimed he was having an affair with Retha, later proven to be untrue, and they had an argument. He admitted killing her. Wesley acknowledged cutting her wrists, to make sure she was dead. Wesley Miller was found guilty of murder and plead guilty to the Saginaw rape. (They had his fingerprint.) He was sentenced to 25 years for murders and 20 years to be served concurrently for the sexual assault. (A concurrent sentence means that he received no time for the rape. He served his rape sentence at the same time he served his murder sentence.)  Miller was released from prison in 1991 to a halfway house. (10 years after the murder.) He was soon arrested for attempted assault. After serving 5 more years, he was transferred to a county jail, and then placed on a GPS monitoring system. After refusing to wear the monitor, he was incarcerated again. In 2006, Wesley was the 1st person civilly committed under Texas’s Sexually Violent Predator Law. He violated by having a relationship with a female jailer. Between 1992 and 2018 Wesley Miller was released from prison 6 times, and he violated his conditions of release each time. Miller is guilty of murder and was suspected of 4 rapes and 1 attempted rape. Wesley Miller now remains under mandatory supervision at a secure treatment facility in Littlefield, Texas. ​ We are far better at investigating sexual assaults then we were 40 years ago. We are much better at prosecuting sexual assaults. We’re a little better at holding sex offenders accountable. I base the last statement on recent rulings by Hearings and Release units. One ruling didn’t send a sex offender back to prison, even though he violated his rules of supervision by accessing child pornography. A second ruling didn’t send a sex offender back to prison, even though he committed a statutory sexual offense while on probation. The Hearings and Release argument is that we have too many people in prison. If that’s true, we damn well need to make sure we’re releasing the right ones. 

​Thanks for listening,


Frank Upcoming Events:
Thursday, March 3, 2022, Forensic Psychologist, Frank Weber, will be at Lake City Public Library, speak on the writing of True Crime, forensic work and his latest book from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.  Frank has profiled cold case homicides for the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and narrated an investigative show on the Oxygen channel titled Murdered by Morning. His newest True Crime novel, Burning Bridges, examines the life and demise of a psychopath in central Minnesota. Frank will demonstrate a lie detector test (volunteer a friend). Frank will be at the library from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. signing and selling books.  The Lake City Public library is located at 201 South High Street, Lake City, Minnesota, 55401. 
 
Thursday, March 10, 2022, Frank will be at 523 Trading Post, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. speaking on the writing of True Crime, forensic work and his latest book. Burning Bridges examines the life and demise of a psychopath in central Minnesota. Learn about new forensic techniques and find out what they get wrong on crime shows and movies. The 523 Trading Post is located in Dirks’ Furniture Building.  The address is 523 Trading Post, 821 East Lincoln Avenue, Olivia, Minnesota, 56277.
 
Monday, March 21, 2022, Frank will be at Belgrade Great River Regional Library, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. speaking on the writing of True Crime, forensic work and his latest book. Burning Bridges examines the life and demise of a psychopath in central Minnesota. Frank will demonstrate a lie detector test (volunteer a friend). The  Library is located at 324 Washburn Avenue, Belgrade, Minnesota, 56312. ​
 
Tuesday, March 29, 2022, Frank will be speaking at the Kiwanis 100 year celebration 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The event will take place from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Broadway Ballroom at 115 30th Avenue East, Alexandria, Minnesota, 56308.  Frank will sign and sell books both prior to speaking and after speaking. He will demonstrate a lie detector test (volunteer a friend), and share what they get right and wrong in shows and movies.
 
Author and forensic psychologist Frank Weber will be the presenting author for a virtual “Brown Bag” author visit on Monday, April 4, 2022, 12 noon to 1 pm. Frank will present on his latest book, Burning Bridges, an incredible true crime mystery centered around a Bemidji State College student’s search for her biological father which leads to the examination of the life and demise of a psychopath in central Minnesota. Frank will also speak about new forensic techniques and the writing of True Crime as a genre, and what they get wrong on crime shows and movies. This will be a virtual event, presented live from the Friends of the Brainerd Public Library Facebook page.

Still waiting to hear the official print date at on Black and Blue.

Jerry “the Animal” McFadden: The largest manhunt in Texas

The Point, by Lake Hawkins Local teenagers liked to gravitate to a small beach on Lake Hawkins called "the point," and parents felt safe letting them go there.  Suzanne Harrison-age 18, Gena Turner-age 20, and Bryan Boone-age 19, made this trip in Bryan’s pick-up on Sunday, May 4, 1986. Suzanne was an only child, and her mother was upset when she hadn’t returned by 10:00 p.m. Suzanne was well-liked and active in her church. Her best friend was Hawkins High valedictorian, Gena Turner. Another friend was, Bryan Boone, a handsome football player and recent graduate from Hawkins High (a town of about 1000 people). Suzanne Harrison Gena Turner Bryan Boone This small town had lost its innocence. Like many caring communities, people pulled together and shared what they knew. Someone had seen a light blue Bronco driving aggressively away from the area. And then a couple comes forward. Clifton and Denise Walker were parking by the lake when a man stepped out of a light blue Bronco and aimed a gun at the couple. He requested their money or he’s taking the woman.” Cliff told him, “You’re not taking my woman,” and popped the trunk and offered the man a beer. Surprised, the man accepts the beer. Cliff then gets in the car and drives away. (This was a very creative way of escaping.) Denice records the license number. The man had his shirt open and had a tattoo on his chest that read “Death before dishonor. The Lonesome Loser.” On May 6, 1986, the police were looking for a light blue Bronco registered to Dorothy McFadden. The vehicle is spotted and pulled over. They asked the driver to step out and pull up his shirt. “Jerry” Gerald “the Animal” McFadden had the “Lonesome Loser” tattoo on his chest. Jerry admits running into the couple at the lake, but claims he was just kidding about the robbery. He refuses to talk about the 3 young adults. McFadden claims it was a toy gun, however Denice Walker, stated, “I’m a Texas girl and we know guns.” Denice was able to identify the type of gun.
They run McFadden’s records and discover he had been granted parole in 1985 after serving less than five years of a 15-year sentence for aggravated sexual abuse of a young Shakelfield County secretary. McFadden had kidnapped, raped, and sodomized her. Originally from Haskell, Texas, McFadden was allowed to move to the small community near Hawkins to live with his mother and sister. It was his second parole. His first parole, for a double rape, was granted after serving less than five years. Most people in Hawkins had no direct knowledge of his presence or violent past. Suzanne Harrison’s funeral was held at the school because there wasn’t enough room in the church. The community grieved as one. People throughout the community were searching for Gena and Bryan. On May 9, 1986, the bodies of Gena Turner and Bryan Boone were found in the ditch, where they had been shot to death. The bodies were located directly between where Suzanne’s body had been found and where Jerry McFadden was living with his mother in Ore City. 
Datsun 280ZX
No situation is so bad that it can’t get worse…
At Upshar County Jail, Jerry “the Animal” McFadden beat a guard with a metal pipe at the jail and took 24-year-old dispatcher Rosalie Williams hostage. Rosalie remembers praying for the insight to handle this situation without any more people being hurt. During the escape through rural Texas, Rosalie’s Datsun 280ZX overheated, forcing them to abandon the car and continue on foot. Rosalie was held hostage for 16 hours, much of the time spent in a train boxcar. Jerry kept telling Rosalie he was innocent, and she simply agreed in a level-headed manner. Jerry ultimately released her. Rosalie jogged for miles to a house for help.
Her capture started the largest manhunt in the history of Texas. Thousands of armed Texans searched for the two.
Rosalie Williams-Turner and her husband Pastor Gary Turner
The large number of Texans on the manhunt allowed them to block all of the roads and railroad tracks in the area of Big Sandy, Texas. McFadden was surrounded. Authorities descended upon an abandoned house and arrested Jerry McFadden. 
In August of 1986, McFadden was sentenced to life in prison for the escape. In July of 1987, McFadden was given the death sentence for the murder of 18-year-old Suzanne Harrison. The jury deliberated for only 35 minutes. They didn’t pursue prosecution for the murders of Gena Turner and Bryan Boone, even though they were convinced he murdered them, because they didn’t have direct evidence that he killed them. However, ammunition found in his possession was identified as the same ammunition used in the killings of Boone and Turner. In October of 1999, Jerry “the Animal” McFadden was executed by lethal injection in Huntsville prison in Texas. 

​But that doesn’t end the story. Portland, Oregon Let me summarize his history:
Jerry “the Animal” McFadden, a man with a thoroughly tattooed torso, was convicted of two counts of rape in Texas in 1972 and sentenced to 15 years in prison.  But just 6 years later, he was paroled. Then, on June 22, 1979, he kidnapped and sexually assaulted another Texas woman.

It was later learned that Jerry “the Animal” McFadden had traveled with a woman he knew in 1979 to the Pacific Northwest (Oregon), which connected him 2 decades after his death to another murder.
Anna Marie Hlavka, age 20
 On July 24, 1979, Rose Ann Hlavka came home to the modest brick apartment building just northwest of Portland, Oregon’s downtown around 10 p.m. She expected to find her 20-year-old sister, Anna Marie Hlavka who had left her work at McDonald’s hours before. The siblings shared a home and worked together at McDonald’s.  When Anna didn’t answer, Rose opened the door and called her name. She soon discovered Anna was sprawled dead in the bedroom. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled with the cord from her clock radio.
For four decades, Portland police were baffled by the brutal crime against the young woman with flowing brown locks and a bright smile. Blood samples were analyzed. Polygraphs were administered. Suspects were grilled and released. The case went cold —until a DNA match came up. 
In January 2019, McFadden was linked by DNA via GEDmatch to the July 24, 1979 murder of Anna Marie Hlavka; Anna was found dead by her sister inside her apartment. Police said Hlavka had been sexually assaulted and strangled with the electric cord from her clock radio. 
Intact DNA saved from under Anna Marie’s fingernails had at last pinpointed her killer, a man police had never suspected: Jerry “Animal” McFadden, a notorious serial rapist and murderer from Texas who once inspired one of the state’s biggest ever manhunts. Timeline of crimes by Jerry “the Animal” McFadden
1973 Sentenced to 15 years in prison for two counts of rape. 
1978 Paroled in December after serving only 5 years. 
1979, July 24, murdered Anna Marie Hlavka in Portland, Oregon. Mcfadden was not identified as the killer until January 2019 using Genetic genealogy. 
1979 Convicted of aggravated sexual abuse for kidnapping and raping an 18-year-old woman at knifepoint in Texas. 
1985 Paroled in July having served less than 5 years of a 15-year sentence. 
1986, May 6, arrested for rape and murder of 18-year-old high school cheerleader Suzanne Harrison. Suspected of the murders of 20-year-old Gena Turner and 19-year old Bryan Boone who were shot.
1986, July, escapes from jail and takes 24-year-old dispatcher, Rosalie Williams hostage. Recaptured 28 hours later. 

1999, October 4, executed at Huntsville Prison in Texas.

We need to create a kinder world and go out of our way to protect vulnerable people from predators. Enjoy today with people you love. One day you will miss them. And enjoy today, even with people you don’t love. (It’s just the right thing to do.)

​Thanks for listening,


Frank


I’m not sure exactly when my next book Black and Blue will be available.  It is completely done. It’s a matter of when printers will be caught up enough to print it.  It may not be until the end of May. 

I would like to commemorate the loss of two young men, who were loving and caring fathers. You are missed. Nathan B. Rothstein, age 37, was killed in a work accident at a grain elevator in Buckman. In memory of Nathan Rothstein: Police Officer Brett Naill, age 31. Your efforts to make our world better through your service to our country and your work warrant our greatest respect.

In memory of Brett Naill:

Kaitlyn Bennet: An incredible survival story.

Imagine scaling straight up a 100-foot rock wall bloody and naked, after you’ve been stabbed 6 times, struck on the head with a pipe wrench, and thrown down a 100 foot ravine. ​ If you’ve read my blogs, you know I enjoy stories about heroic victims. I found this case intriguing. 
On September 12, 1977, a family driving a winding road on vacation in the middle of the night in Colorado Springs came across a young bloody woman walking naked down the road. She had been beaten and stabbed. She fell to the ground unconscious. Investigators need to figure out exactly what happened and identify her.  She is eventually identified as a 20-year-old prostitute named Kaitlyn Bennett.
A visit to the scene indicated the young woman was beaten, stabbed and raped, and then thrown without her clothing down a 100-foot ravine, where at best one day someone would discover her bones. Kaitlyn Bennett comes to consciousness and decides her only hope of surviving is to scale the 100-foot wall…, and she does. This is far more difficult than it appears on the surface. If you’ve worked a trauma scene, you know blood is slippery. Her trail up the side of the ravine is marked by bloodied rocks. At the hospital Kaitlyn discovers her attacker has cut off a lock of her hair to keep as a trophy for his kill.
At the hospital, Katilyn indicates that she left home because she wasn’t getting along with her mother and ended up on the streets working as a sex worker. It’s easy to be judgmental, but from having done psychological assessments on sex workers, understand they typically come from abusive families, and they lack helpful resources. They are often recruited after they’ve run away from foster placement. 
A red-headed man in a white pick-up with a camper picked her up and drove her to the campground. He told her he couldn’t take her home because his wife was home. Once in the wilderness, he asks her to get into the topper in the back, so they’ll have more room. When she starts crawling in back, he strikes her in the head with a large pipe wrench. As the son of a man who fixed everything in our home, this piece of evidence immediately had me thinking, her assailant is a plumber.
The investigator in this case is Joe Kenda. “My, my, my.” Joe checked out plumber after plumber until he found a red-headed plumber, Charles Warren, driving a white truck with a topper. A search of Warren’s home found a strand of Kaitlyn’s hair behind the second drawer in his bedroom dresser. 
During Kenda’s interrogation of Charles Warren, Charles admitted his sexual fantasy was to have sex with a woman in her own blood while she was dying. Warren also admitted that he would wake up in the middle of the night and go to his dresser to touch the lock of the victim’s hair. When he found out that Bennett survived the attack, he said next time he’ll make sure she’s dead. A panel of psychiatrists found Warren to be insane. He was sent to a Colorado state mental hospital. It is interesting to note that Warren was married, with a child, working for the family plumbing business. His family was shocked by the charge. Warren had no prior criminal charges.




​If you get the chance, I’d recommend watching Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda, The Case that Haunts Me, which addresses this story. ​ If you think we are dealing with hard issues now, please read an old tongue and cheek article I discovered. VITAMIN DEFICIENCY: BETTY RUBBLE MISSING
By Betty Cuniberti Kansas City Star
Orlando Sentinel
May 05, 1995
Sometimes you come across an injustice so colossal, that hits home so hard, you drop everything. Risk societal expulsion. Put your life on the line. Even if push comes to shove, burn articles of underwear that lift and separate - a function more vital today than during the college protest days. I'm doing all these things. I can barely type through the smoke.  Betty Rubble is left out of Flintstones chewable vitamins. Fred, Barney, Wilma and the kids are vitamins. Even Dino and the Flintmobile are chewed and swallowed daily by small children. But not Betty. Betty, Barney, Fred and Wilma enjoying nothing and 1 cup of coffee. Only the women apparently use forks. The chase scenes in the Flintstones were classic. As Fred chases their pet, Dino, through the house, you see couch-chair-lamp-couch-chair-lamp-couch-chair-lamp, repeatedly in the background.
BETTY'S A VITAMIN
​Injustice rectified: October 20, 1995.
Bayer Corp., Parsippany, N.J., makers of Flintstones vitamins, said Betty Rubble will finally make her debut as a Flintstone vitamin. This follows a special "Vote for Betty" 800 number promoted by Bayer, plus prehistoric voting booth sites in select cities. She was the lone character from the Hanna-Barbera cartoon show left out when the brand made its debut 25 years ago; the story is that Betty's ultra-thin waist kept breaking during production. Modern technology has overcome that problem, the company says. The Bayer corporation actually ran an ad, “Betty now included,” as a promotion to sell their vitamins. Having an additional cartoon character on a pill seems like an odd motivation to start taking it. 
The I-94 Murders currently can’t be found anywhere. Hopefully, it will be back on the shelves in a week. 
Thank you everyone for your support for my work! The success of Burning Bridges led to increased sales of all of my books. I ran out of Murder Book this past summer and we sent it in for another print. I also sent The I-94 Murders in to reprint, realizing I would be running out of those also. The printer told me I’d have them at the end of November. Each week the print date has been postponed. I’m now looking at January 5. I went to the stores that sell my books and pulled The I-94 Murders off the shelf so I could fill my online orders. I am thankful for the stores and for people being so understanding. I’m also thankful to all of you for the great sales of both the books and audiobooks. 

​Thanks for listening,


Frank