James Renner's Blog, page 25

Fred Murray Vs. New Hampshire State Police

Here's the video, in three parts, from the hearing in front of the New Hampshire Supreme Court, thanks to reader Nick.


Part One: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYMWNIAYaGA
Part Two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKmopJwQ3Vs
Part Three: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnQJmyU1BaQ

What was said on record...

On April 13, 2007, Sgt. Todd Landry and Assistant AG Jeff Strelzin appeared in Grafton County Superior Court to answer questions about why the investigatory file on Maura Murray should not be released. Assistant AG Nancy Smith represented the state's interest. Timothy Ervin represented Fred Murray. Here are some highlights:

Ms. Smith: What is the most recent activity? How recently has activity occurred in that matter?
Sgt. Landry: Just two -- three days ago, I was in contact with the law enforcement out in Ohio in regards to some human remains that had been found and they wanted to obtain dental records that we had in this case.
Ms. Smith: Do you have opinion as to whether this case is more likely than not to result in criminal charges?
Sgt. Landry: This may lead to criminal charges. My experience says it could go either way.

[later]

Ms. Smith: ...revealing the material that's been withheld might enable a person of interest to use what other witnesses have said to cover their tracks or to divert attention or muddy the waters. Is that something that you have had happen to you in other cases that you are investigating?
Sgt. Landry: Yes.
Ms. Smith: You have indicated that revealing material that has been withheld could endanger people that have talked to you, by providing that information to persons of interest...
Sgt. Landry: Yes.

At this point, Fred Murray's attorney, Timothy Ervin, tells the court that they are no longer seeking several categories of information due to concerns about privacy should the info become public record. These include tax records, polygraph examinations, criminal record checks, medical records and military records.
On cross-examination Timothy Ervin pushes Sgt. Landry to reveal whether or not there is a person of interest in the case and Ms. Smith objects:

Ms. Smith: I'm concerned about that, because, again, this is, to the extent this is a small community, the people know... the people, the identity of those people is fairly well known.

[later]

Mr. Ervin: Has [your investigation] generally focused on individuals.
Sgt. Landry: Individuals?
Mr. Ervin: Correct.
Sgt. Landry: Yes.
Mr. Ervin: Is the investigation currently ongoing as to those individuals?
Sgt. Landry: Yes.

Following testimony by Strelzin, Murray's lawyer leaves and Strelzin, Landry, and Smith provide "in camera" testimony about the specifics of the investigation ("in camera" means in the judge's chambers). Those records remain sealed to this day.

Why the records were not released. ***UPDATED***

Check out this video of Fred Murray's appeal for records in front of the NH Supreme Court. Assistant AG Nancy Smith says some interesting things while explaining why the records should not be released. Here's some highlights:

While we don't in any way suggest it's the case here, what we are being asked to do in this case would open up the state of New Hampshire and law enforcement investigatory files at a pre indictment phase to the suspected perpetrator as well as everyone else in the world.

We do have information that we are pursuing that this may involve a crime.

Knowing exactly where we determined the last place she was could be valuable information to that person.

This is very much an active case.

***UPDATE***The link above send you to a NH government website that automatically downloads a streaming asf file. Can some tech savvy reader please convert this and place on YouTube so everyone can see it?

Why the records were not released.

Check out this video of Fred Murray's appeal for records in front of the NH Supreme Court. Assistant AG Nancy Smith says some interesting things while explaining why the records should not be released. Here's some highlights:

While we don't in any way suggest it's the case here, what we are being asked to do in this case would open up the state of New Hampshire and law enforcement investigatory files at a pre indictment phase to the suspected perpetrator as well as everyone else in the world.

We do have information that we are pursuing that this may involve a crime.

Knowing exactly where we determined the last place she was could be valuable information to that person.

This is very much an active case.

Police provided secret testimony to Superior Court Judge

In the more than a thousand pages of documents from Grafton Superior Court, what is missing is as interesting to me as what is included. According to court records, New Hampshire State Police provided information about the disappearance of Maura Murray to the judge under seal during Fred Murray's lawsuit against the state police.
From the "motion to seal" by Senior Assistant AG, Nancy J. Smith:

Respondents respectfully request the opportunity to present information specific to this investigation to the court through in camera testimony without the petitioner [Fred Murray] present, and that the record of such testimony be sealed.

There are details throughout the other reports that hint at the information presented under seal. In his affidavit, Detective Todd Landry is hesitant to speak about the criminal records checks his office conducted.

Identification of specific individuals regarding whom records have been requested would pinpoint the focus of our investigation, thereby damaging it....I can address this item with further specificity by in camera affidavit or testimony.

Also sealed is information about a "one-party intercept" which could mean a wiretap or a secret audio recording of some kind. Nancy Smith categorizes it as a:

one-of-a-kind type of item that the Supreme Court recognized cannot be described specifically without irreparably disclosing what it consists of. SAAG Strelzin can address this item with further specificity by in camera affidavit or testimony.

My hunch is that state police have an idea of what may have happened to Maura Murray and who might be responsible. The inclusion of SAAG Strelzin is very telling. After all, he is head of the AG's homicide section. Whatever the evidence is, one thing is very clear: they didn't want Fred Murray to see it.

WMUR posts Maura Murray videos on YouTube.

On the anniversary of Maura's disappearance, WMUR casually posted several videos covering the case back to 2004. I really like it when local news channels do this. It adds to the historic record and is an excellent source of information. Some good comments from Fred, Sharon Rausch, and Maura's sister Katherline (often misattributed as Kathleen--seen above).

Who is R.F. Shannon?

In one of the Creep's latest videos, an antique stuffed bunny rests on the edge of what appears to be an old munitions box stamped with the above insignia. The camera slowly pans in to this insignia.
Many people figured this to be a reference to a chemical weapons facility in Maryland. The numbers stand for the Korean War-era detachment this R.F. Shannon was a part of.

Young Woman's Skull Found on Roadside in Vermont

The skull of a young caucasian woman found on the side of the road in Danby, Vermont was likely the victim of homicide, according to WCAX. Authorities are combing the area for the rest of the skeleton. It appears the remains are quite old.

What we've uncovered so far.

A lot of new visitors have found this blog recently. For those playing catch-up, here's some links to the biggest pieces of the puzzle we've uncovered so far:
Fred Murray refused to be interviewed by detectives for 2 years after his daughter disappeared and when he sat down with them, he brought 2 lawyers.
Maura was having an affair with UMass track coach.
Billy Rausch was cheating on Maura with sister's friend.
Maura did computer searches about pregnancy and drinking before she disappeared.
Haverhill Police chief is a troubled man.
Accident in NH did not happen the way we were told.
The Londonderry Ping
Fred Murray tells Maura's friends not to talk to journalist.

Maura committed an honor code violation at West Point.

Pictures of high school girls found in adult magazine at Fred Murray's house.

Maura was on probation for credit card fraud at the time of her disappearance.
Search for Maura included many jurisdictions and involved thousands of pages of leads.

Mr. 1974

The Creep continues to post cryptic videos on YouTube, even showing his face to the camera. Links to his old blogs suggest he is a man who has spent a lot of time homeless, sometimes living in his van, though he says he's held a job as a Walmart greeter.
In a recent post, he refers to himself as "Mr. 1974." Strange. What happened in 1974 that is so important to this man?
Part of the purpose of this blog is to generate information. I like to pose questions sometimes because I know my own imagination limits how I think about problems. Bouncing ideas off you guys sometimes gets us closer to the truth...or at least someplace new.
It was a reader named Matt who pointed me to the unsolved mystery of John William McGrath, one of New Hampshire's most wanted criminals.
In 1962, 17-year-old John William McGrath murdered his entire family in Newport, NH. He took the rifle his uncle had reclaimed from a dead Japanese soldier in WWII and shot his two younger brothers, who he was babysitting at the time. Then he sat and waited for his parents to return home. When they did, he shot them too.
From the Concord Monitor:

But the same McGrath had been seeing a doctor at the state hospital in Concord for two years as an outpatient for reasons not explained in the news accounts. And in writings found after the murders, the police discovered repeated references to death, an executioner and darkness. "Perhaps death is the answer to the question of existence," read one of McGrath's passages that Hunter has collected in his files.

After the murders, he drove 45 minutes to Concord and turned himself in at the mental hospital. He was found insane and committed to a psych hospital.
At the hospital, he proved to be a bit of an academic. He wrote book reviews. He painted murals of New Hampshire covered bridges on the walls in the hospital. He was given permission to take computer classes at NH Technical Institute. When he started stealing drugs, though, he was sent to prison. But in 1972, he returned to the mental hospital.
In 1974, he simply walked away from the hospital grounds and was never seen again. He would be 67 years old, now.
For more information, visit:Boston.comConcord Monitor