Remember Alyssa Bustamante? She recently pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Read all about it
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Monday, January 09, 2012
Thursday, January 05, 2012
Watch it & Weep
Watch this video, which has been released on the CaseyAnthonyisinnocent.com Website. Judge for yourself.
To me, it looks like she's sitting in an office somewhere. Also, she says this is the first of many videos, but trust me, I won't be posting any more of them here.
Monday, January 02, 2012
Quiet Observations, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!
>>>>>A TIME TO VENT<<<<<
Friday, December 30, 2011
Hot off the press
Anthony Colarossi writes for the Orlando Sentinel. He posted a story in today's paper. First, read my short post and then click on the link to the newspaper.
CLICK HERE
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
Merry Christmas!
This video is a combination of my work and cakefilm out of The Netherlands. The scenes of the hunter are cake's work. The music and build-up after the final shot are my work. And the credits, of course. My friend Frank Foran sent it to me and I couldn't resist.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Snakes and Rats and Spiders, Oh My!
Let's take a good look at Suburban Drive today. Then decide whether or not it's safe to place stuffed animals there.
See the photos HERE
Monday, December 19, 2011
Cautious Observations
I drove down to Carter Glen Condominiums and Townhomes late Saturday afternoon to poke around Dale Smith II’s neighborhood. When I put his address into my iPad 2 TeleNav GPS Plus app, it only directed me to the entrance of the development. While I had no problem gaining entry, I had no idea where to find his building, so I drove around. Fortunately, I did know the number and it didn’t take long to single it out.
Of utmost importance to me is to remind everyone that, while Smith is OPD’s only suspect in the disappearance of his ex-fiancée, Michelle Parker, he is innocent until (or if) a jury finds him guilty of a crime. Also, I cannot forget George and Cindy Anthony in one sense because, like Smith, they declined to take a polygraph test, and it really caused great consternation and suspicion. A lot of people decided right then and there that they were somehow involved in the murder of their granddaughter and of helping to dispose of the body, none of which turned out to be true. To this day, some still believe it. When people begin to argue with me, and they can be quite adamant and boisterous, I tell them to call law enforcement and the State Attorney’s Office to fight. Tell them they got it all wrong. Include Jeff Ashton please, because he exonerated them, too, in his book, Imperfect Justice. In Smith’s case, I’m not going to proclaim him innocent of anything, but since he is the only suspect, I want to look into whether he could be capable of being involved in Michelle Parker’s disappearance. Wherever it leads, my job at this point is not to be opinionated to any extreme; it is to present the facts for your consideration.
First, here are two overhead views of Carter Glen, Phase 2, where Smith resides. In the close-up shot, you can clearly make out his white van sitting in the driveway.
CLICK ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE
It wasn’t until I was ready to leave that I noticed a camera mounted near the entrance gate. I did not see one for exiting the complex. If the Orlando Police Department has a copy of the video showing Michelle pulling into the drive and putting in a code, or if she used an electronic gate opener, that would help to establish when she actually arrived.
While shooting the above pictures, I spoke with a man who had been walking nearby. I asked him if he was familiar with the case and he said he was, but not all that much. I was curious about the buildings. It was my understanding that the complex was made up of condos and townhouses. Were there any apartments? No, he replied. The two ends, on either side, are town homes with 2 levels. They have a single car garage. The middle two are condos and they share a two car garage. When I asked him what he thought happened to Michelle, he didn’t really have a clue.
Moments earlier, when I was in front of Dale’s building, there wasn’t much activity, but some children were playing in the driveway of the next building, to the left of his. I wasn’t about to confront them. Driving around, I did observe other people milling about, but for a Saturday afternoon, it was rather quiet. I was trying to see if it would be easy to commit the sort of crime Dale is suspected of, and to be able to escape unnoticed. On the surface, no, it couldn’t be done, but there were other factors at play. For one thing, he lives in a townhome and he has a two car garage, not a single. Secondly, the neighbor directly next to him has a security camera mounted on the small balcony that overlooks the driveway and street. Surely, Dale must have been aware of that camera on the afternoon Michelle dropped off her twins.
The next image is a still taken from the video shot by the neighbor’s security camera. You can see Michelle’s Hummer as it arrives at 3:18 PM on November 17, the time she was last seen by anyone other than Dale. The photo below that depicts the back of her Hummer with the GLOW decals in place. I took that photo where the vehicle was found abandoned, the next day. The last still shows a Hummer driving in the direction of the exit. It also shows the neighbor’s car in his/her respective driveway. The car has a spoiler that helps identify it. There are a few other observations I’ve made…
There is no GLOW decal or any other decal on the exiting Hummer. This is the only inconsistency reported by media, and it directly implicates Dale. However, I observed two more things that may help Dale. Or maybe not. Please understand, my only job is to find facts, and nothing more.
In the first still, the van is not parked on the street. Where was it? In the driveway? In the second still, the van is parked along the street. Why? Where did Michelle park when she arrived? Why was the van moved at all?
You can speculate all you want about it. You can assume that the Hummer was moved into the garage and the door was shut behind it in order to strip it of anything that directly links it to Michelle, but does anyone really know for sure?
Take a close look at the Hummer as it drives away. Do you notice anything other than the missing decals? How about the spare tire cover, as seen in the photo of fliers attached to the tree as a reference. This Hummer has no cover. Why? Was it removed, too, along with the decals? Or was it an altogether different vehicle?
Clearly, OPD has information we are not privy to. How many people living in Carter Glen own a black Hummer? Or are there visitors? How many black Hummers drove into the complex that day? If it’s not Michelle’s, it had to come from one of the buildings abutting the woods on the west side of the development because there’s no other reason why it would be driven past Dale’s, who lives on a corner lot. Assuming it is Michelle’s, 4:40 PM is a far cry from the time Dale gave police - that he and Michelle both left ten minutes after she arrived, around 3:30. It also negates his statement that he was at his parent’s house at 4:30. From the still, we can’t read the license plate. Most security cameras are not that good. Could law enforcement technicians use software to enhance the tag? All I know is that Dale could not drive the Hummer out of the complex alone. In order to dump it on the other side of town, over 12 miles away someone had to pick him up. Or someone else did it. He had no idea his home would be raided, so why wouldn’t he have driven it off the premises after darkness fell, knowing full well that his neighbor had a security camera that would capture it during the day?
When I left, and since I was down in the area of Suburban Drive, I took a ride over there, and I’m glad I did. That should be my next post. Meanwhile, let’s not jump to any conclusions. Not yet, anyway. Refusing to take a polygraph test is not an admission of guilt. Ask the state of Florida about George and Cindy’s involvement in Caylee’s death. As far as any other evidence that surfaces regarding this case, most definitely, have at it.
Labels:
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Friday, December 16, 2011
A Crowning Achievement
At the bottom of this article is a picture of my sister, Maggie, and my brother-in-law, Bud, taken today, December 16, 2011. Bud, many of you may recall, was diagnosed with AML (acute myelogenous leukemia) in December of 2003. His initial treatment, a brand new clinical trial, began in April, 2004, and ran through January, 2005. It failed.
Bud underwent a bone marrow transplant on April 19, 2005. The host donor remains anonymous, but he and my sister did find out the marrow came from a man in Europe. In April of 2012, they will be celebrating 7 years in remission. This is due to Bud's incredible focus and will to live, my sister's unrequited love and resolve, and the exemplary work and tenacity of the dedicated professionals at theMD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas and Orlando, Florida, who saved his life.
In commemoration of Bud's crowning achievement, Maggie made him a little blinking-light tiara, which he wore today when we ate lunch at Bahama Breeze on International Drive in Orlando. The "M" in AML used to stand for Myelogenous, but today it stands for Miracle.
I will be writing more about Bud's journey in the near future, along with the work of St. Baldrick's Foundation, which was brought to my attention by Simon Barrett. YES! That Simon Barrett. (See: DVD Review: Jingle Hell)
This holiday season, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation and the producers of the independent film “Jingle Hell,” in conjunction with the film’s distributor Janson Media, are teaming up to raise money for kids’ cancer research.
If you would like to learn more about becoming a bone marrow donor, please visit the National Marrow Donor Program.
Maggie & Bud - December 16, 2011 - Bahama Breeze, Orlando
Lunch with Mom, Dad & Dave
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
Walter E. and Anne Foran
The image below was a pencil sketch I did of the late Senator Walter E. Foran and his wife, Anne, in the early 1980s. The senator died of lung cancer in 1986. I did this portrait for my close friend, Frank, who continues to visit his mother in a care facility each and every week. I just returned from New Jersey and spent my last night at his home, where the picture hangs in his dining room. 30 years of sunlight have taken a toll, but it's still in pretty good shape.
Walter's brother Dick was a Hollywood actor who starred in, predominantly, westerns. He was considered one of Hollywood's singing cowboys during the 30s and 40s.
The actual drawing is larger and not cropped like this one, but this was the one that had the least reflection on the glass.
Labels:
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Thursday, March 17, 2011
Was Casey read her Miranda warning?
In open court two weeks ago, Cheney Mason bluntly said that Casey Anthony was not read her Miranda warning until October 14, when she was indicted on a first-degree murder charge by an Orange County jury. Interestingly, no one from the State Attorney's Office questioned his statement. No one objected. As a matter of fact, none of the law enforcement officials, including Cpl. Yuri Melich, Sgt. John Allen, and Cpl. Eric Edwards, testified that Mason was wrong. Why?
Today, I present Casey's version. I realize her words cannot be trusted and nothing should be taken seriously, but why would she say something about being read her rights if it did not take place?
In a court of law, what is testified to is what stands. No one said a word negating October 14.
Many thanks to nan11 for the remarkable find, and to SnoopySleuth for bringing it to my attention.
Today, I present Casey's version. I realize her words cannot be trusted and nothing should be taken seriously, but why would she say something about being read her rights if it did not take place?
In a court of law, what is testified to is what stands. No one said a word negating October 14.
Many thanks to nan11 for the remarkable find, and to SnoopySleuth for bringing it to my attention.
To watch and listen to the video
CLICK HERE
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Without Prejudice
Casey Anthony's defense team has filed a lot of motions; too many to some, but plenty of them have been denied without prejudiceby the presiding judge. With prejudice and without are fairly cut and dry. With prejudice means that once a judge rules, that's the end of it; dead in the water, leave it alone and give it a rest. In other words, it's a final disposition. Without prejudice means that the present form is not good enough to rule positively on, but the motion can certainly be filed again after tweaking and rewriting it. In other words, similar, but not identical. It leaves a party free to litigate the matter in a subsequent action. That's not to say the latter outcome would be any different, but it leaves the door open for further explanation and review. A lot of the motions ruled against the defense by Judge Stan Strickland were ordered without prejudice. In my opinion, one of the reasons why Jose & Co. wanted him off the bench was made clear after Chief Judge Belvin Perry, Jr. took over. Many of those motions turned down by Judge Strickland were refiled. They expected the new judge to be more favorable in his rulings. Unfortunately for Casey, Judge Perry didn't overturn a single one of them, so they did nothing to help her cause.
In light of Judge Strickland's rulings, I want to discuss something that's been weighing on my mind - without prejudice, of course. Actually, there are two things, the other one being George and Cindy and where they sit in the courtroom; but first, I come to Judge Strickland's defense - not that he needs it or anything.
In light of Judge Strickland's rulings, I want to discuss something that's been weighing on my mind - without prejudice, of course. Actually, there are two things, the other one being George and Cindy and where they sit in the courtroom; but first, I come to Judge Strickland's defense - not that he needs it or anything.
TO CONTINUE READING, CLICK HERE
Sunday, March 13, 2011
ON AIR
Simon & Jan Barrett will return to the Internet airwaves today as they bring back their ever popular blogtalkradio show. Today's subject?
Casey Anthony - Killer Mother?
Please tune in at 4:00 PM EST.
Join Simon, Jan and their panel of guests on air to look at this case and several others. Some are well known, some are not.
(Click the logo)
To read Simon's blog post, CLICK HERE
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