Sunday, December 7, 2008
The Fatal Link is Here
The Fatal Link: Groundbreaking New Book Reveals Connection between School Shooters and Prenatal Exposure to Alcohol
Columbine. Jonesboro. Red Lake. As the number of school shootings continues at an unacceptable rate—including seven so far in 2008, a new book is shedding valuable insight on the shocking fact of what’s behind these killings, and how to end an epidemic of violence.
Educator Jody Allen Crowe’s “The Fatal Link,” just published by Outskirts Press (www.outskirtspress.com) examines a sample of shooters’ backgrounds to arrive at an alarming connection: most, if not all, suffered from Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), resulting in brain damage as well as physical defects. Undertaking a study of seven Minnesota and Wisconsin school shooters, and extrapolating data from 69 school shooters using sophisticated mathematical modeling, Crowe determines that more than 80 percent of school shooters across the nation fit the profile of being affected by prenatal exposure to alcohol.
Crowe makes a persuasive argument that the prenatal alcohol-induced brain damage predisposes adolescents for aberrant behavior down the line, including violence. “The destruction to the fetus’ neurological system is more dangerous than crack, meth or cocaine to the baby,” Peter Johnson of the advocacy group Healthy Brains for Children writes in a foreword. “The resulting damage has led to behavioral disorders ranging from ADHD to autism to gang activity to high school shooting massacres.”
But “The Fatal Link” is also an intensely personal chronicle of Crowe’s journey to understand the root causes of violence in our schools. As an elementary student in 1966, his hometown high school was the site of the nation’s first adolescent school shooting, a memory that continued to haunt him throughout his life. Later, as a veteran of troubled schools on Native American reservations across the country, he saw first-hand the devastating effects of FASD, and became fixated on understanding why. The result is at once a feelingly told account as well as a thoroughly researched call to arms.
The message is clear: Crowe urges key stakeholders to raise awareness about the danger of FASD, which is, amazingly, still not taken seriously in many communities. Alcohol companies, parents, doctors and public health officials must be held responsible, Crowe writes, to avoid further tragedies that—perhaps most tragically of all, are completely preventable.
“The Fatal Link: The Connection Between School Shooters and the Brain Damage from Prenatal Exposure to Alcohol” is now available through Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and the online bookstore of Outskirts Press, at outskirtspress.com/store.php.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Kid Actor FASD?
Alcohol is no respecter of persons or status. In this story, the murderer was a child actor. Dig deeper and you will see a dad who was a drug dealer and a mother who abandoned him. This is a case where the probability of heavy prenatal exposure to alcohol is so high, the case could be made the probability is fact. His actions are those of a FASD brain. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder does not end when a child reaches the age of 18 or when he or she drops out of school. FASD is lifetime brain damage, played out in courts daily across the nation.
SANTA ANA, Calif. — A jury on Thursday recommended death for a man convicted of murdering a couple by binding them to the anchor of their yacht and throwing them into to ocean off the California coast as they pleaded for their lives.
Skylar Deleon, 29, sat motionless as the jury announced its decision following nearly two days of deliberation in Orange County Superior Court.
Click here for photos.
"He was disappointed," Deleon's attorney Gary Pohlson said afterward. "He was very hopeful he wouldn't get the death penalty."
Deleon was convicted last month of three counts of first-degree murder for the 2003 slaying of Jon Jarvi, who he met in a work furlough program while serving time for burglary, and the 2004 slayings of Tom and Jackie Hawks aboard their yacht.
During the trial's penalty phase, which took six days, jurors heard statements from victims' relatives, attorneys, Deleon's family members and psychiatrists, who offered differing takes on the role child abuse has on a person's development.
Pohlson had pleaded with jurors to help spare his client's life, arguing Deleon was abused by a drug dealing father and abandoned by his mother, leaving him predisposed to violence.
Tom Hawks' son Ryan said he was pleased with the jury's recommendation.
"Skylar is going to be sitting in that jail cell, socializing with his pals for four years before he is going to receive the needle, and my parents are still dead."
Deleon killed the Hawks in 2004 after feigning interest in buying their yacht. Prosecutors say he overpowered the couple on a test cruise, tied them to an anchor and tossed them into the Pacific Ocean as they begged for their lives.
According to prosecutors, Deleon and his then-wife Jennifer Henderson later scrubbed the boat clean with bleach wipes in Newport Harbor.
The Hawkses' bodies were never found.
Henderson was convicted in 2006 of murder and murder for financial gain in the Hawkses' deaths and was sentenced to two terms of life in prison without parole.
Three other men are also charged with the Hawkses' murders, including two allegedly on the boat at the time. They have pleaded not guilty.
Judge Frank F. Fasel will sentence Deleon on Jan. 16.
SANTA ANA, Calif. — A jury on Thursday recommended death for a man convicted of murdering a couple by binding them to the anchor of their yacht and throwing them into to ocean off the California coast as they pleaded for their lives.
Skylar Deleon, 29, sat motionless as the jury announced its decision following nearly two days of deliberation in Orange County Superior Court.
Click here for photos.
"He was disappointed," Deleon's attorney Gary Pohlson said afterward. "He was very hopeful he wouldn't get the death penalty."
Deleon was convicted last month of three counts of first-degree murder for the 2003 slaying of Jon Jarvi, who he met in a work furlough program while serving time for burglary, and the 2004 slayings of Tom and Jackie Hawks aboard their yacht.
During the trial's penalty phase, which took six days, jurors heard statements from victims' relatives, attorneys, Deleon's family members and psychiatrists, who offered differing takes on the role child abuse has on a person's development.
Pohlson had pleaded with jurors to help spare his client's life, arguing Deleon was abused by a drug dealing father and abandoned by his mother, leaving him predisposed to violence.
Tom Hawks' son Ryan said he was pleased with the jury's recommendation.
"Skylar is going to be sitting in that jail cell, socializing with his pals for four years before he is going to receive the needle, and my parents are still dead."
Deleon killed the Hawks in 2004 after feigning interest in buying their yacht. Prosecutors say he overpowered the couple on a test cruise, tied them to an anchor and tossed them into the Pacific Ocean as they begged for their lives.
According to prosecutors, Deleon and his then-wife Jennifer Henderson later scrubbed the boat clean with bleach wipes in Newport Harbor.
The Hawkses' bodies were never found.
Henderson was convicted in 2006 of murder and murder for financial gain in the Hawkses' deaths and was sentenced to two terms of life in prison without parole.
Three other men are also charged with the Hawkses' murders, including two allegedly on the boat at the time. They have pleaded not guilty.
Judge Frank F. Fasel will sentence Deleon on Jan. 16.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Don't be Fooled with Flawed Research
British Researchers used flawed data to come to conclusion.
Self-reporting of alcohol use by pregnant women is the least scientific method of gathering accurate data. Using this unreliable data to make conclusions such as the British researchers did is poor research, on the verge of being unethical. This type of poor research, done in the name of science, is then taken up by the alcohol industry to promote use of alcohol. Here is the example on Wine Spectacular Hotline
Study OKs Some Wine During Pregnancy
British researchers find no signs of cognitive damage in children whose moms drank one to two glasses a week
The researchers pulled data on 12,495 3-year-old children from the U.K. Millennium Cohort Study, a project following the health and well-being of children born between 2000 and 2002 in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Families were randomly selected from child-benefit rolls (every mother is entitled to a stipend from the government after each birth).
During pregnancy, the women completed questionnaires on alcohol consumption, among other topics. The Millennium researchers then returned to the households three years later and administered a series of cognitive and behavioral tests on the children. For the current research, Kelly and her team separated the results of those tests according to the patterns of drinking in the mothers.
This study shows the unreliability of self-reporting by pregnant women.
American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynocology
Volume 198, Issue 4, Pages 407.e1-407.e5 (April 2008)
One hundred three pregnant women were included in the study. The women completed the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) questionnaire, and a urine and hair sample was collected. The urine samples were used for determination of ethyl glucuronide (EtG) and ethyl sulfate and the hair samples for EtG and fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE).
Of the 26 who were found to have positive markers for consumption of alcohol, only three self reported drinking. Of the seven where the markers showed heavy alcohol users, only one self reported drinking and only at a light level.
Another study by the University of Boston of Public Health showed that markers indicating alcohol use in the past month were found in 71% of pregnant women who denied drinking.
I believe the peer reviewers did not do their academic duties when allowing the British study to be published.
Self-reporting of alcohol use by pregnant women is the least scientific method of gathering accurate data. Using this unreliable data to make conclusions such as the British researchers did is poor research, on the verge of being unethical. This type of poor research, done in the name of science, is then taken up by the alcohol industry to promote use of alcohol. Here is the example on Wine Spectacular Hotline
Study OKs Some Wine During Pregnancy
British researchers find no signs of cognitive damage in children whose moms drank one to two glasses a week
The researchers pulled data on 12,495 3-year-old children from the U.K. Millennium Cohort Study, a project following the health and well-being of children born between 2000 and 2002 in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Families were randomly selected from child-benefit rolls (every mother is entitled to a stipend from the government after each birth).
During pregnancy, the women completed questionnaires on alcohol consumption, among other topics. The Millennium researchers then returned to the households three years later and administered a series of cognitive and behavioral tests on the children. For the current research, Kelly and her team separated the results of those tests according to the patterns of drinking in the mothers.
This study shows the unreliability of self-reporting by pregnant women.
American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynocology
Volume 198, Issue 4, Pages 407.e1-407.e5 (April 2008)
One hundred three pregnant women were included in the study. The women completed the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) questionnaire, and a urine and hair sample was collected. The urine samples were used for determination of ethyl glucuronide (EtG) and ethyl sulfate and the hair samples for EtG and fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE).
Of the 26 who were found to have positive markers for consumption of alcohol, only three self reported drinking. Of the seven where the markers showed heavy alcohol users, only one self reported drinking and only at a light level.
Another study by the University of Boston of Public Health showed that markers indicating alcohol use in the past month were found in 71% of pregnant women who denied drinking.
I believe the peer reviewers did not do their academic duties when allowing the British study to be published.
Friday, October 31, 2008
How could a mother do something like this? Violence from the FASD brain is more prevalent in males, but the brain damage in a female can lead to violence as well. This behavior fits the profile of a female who does not have the capability to manage her behaviors due to brain damage. Ask the question and there is a high probability you will find this woman is prenatally exposed to alcohol.
chttp://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,445686,00.html
AUSTIN — A woman has been charged with child endangerment, a state jail felony, for beating her 4-year-old daughter before throwing her into the path of an oncoming vehicle, police said.
The driver of the brown Suburban braked and did not strike the child.
Aurelia Gallardo, 24, could face up to 20 years if convicted. Bail was set at $25,000.
Lt. Dana Brockington with the Austin Police Department told The Associated Press early Friday he did not know whether Gallardo had an attorney.
When the incident happened Tuesday, Gallardo and her three children were waiting for a city bus.
A witness at the bus stop told police he saw Gallardo lift her daughter by the arm so forcefully that he thought the girl's arm "was going to dislocate out of the socket." The witness told police that Gallardo then violently threw the girl into the street and pulled her by her hair before throwing her into a parked vehicle, according to an arrest affidavit.
The witness said Gallardo told her daughter, "You are dead to me" and "You are a slut."
"It's pretty outrageous when a parent loses composure to that degree," said police Sgt. Brian Loyd of the child abuse investigation unit in a story for Friday's online edition of the Austin American-Statesman. "We see some bad stuff on our unit, but this is new for us."
Once Gallardo boarded the bus, according to the affidavit, the bus driver said the woman was "yelling every four-letter word known" at the 4-year-old and was telling the girl that "CPS would take her away and that no one would want her."
Police stopped the city bus and took Gallardo into custody, Loyd said.
Loyd said the three children are in the custody of Child Protective Services.
chttp://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,445686,00.html
AUSTIN — A woman has been charged with child endangerment, a state jail felony, for beating her 4-year-old daughter before throwing her into the path of an oncoming vehicle, police said.
The driver of the brown Suburban braked and did not strike the child.
Aurelia Gallardo, 24, could face up to 20 years if convicted. Bail was set at $25,000.
Lt. Dana Brockington with the Austin Police Department told The Associated Press early Friday he did not know whether Gallardo had an attorney.
When the incident happened Tuesday, Gallardo and her three children were waiting for a city bus.
A witness at the bus stop told police he saw Gallardo lift her daughter by the arm so forcefully that he thought the girl's arm "was going to dislocate out of the socket." The witness told police that Gallardo then violently threw the girl into the street and pulled her by her hair before throwing her into a parked vehicle, according to an arrest affidavit.
The witness said Gallardo told her daughter, "You are dead to me" and "You are a slut."
"It's pretty outrageous when a parent loses composure to that degree," said police Sgt. Brian Loyd of the child abuse investigation unit in a story for Friday's online edition of the Austin American-Statesman. "We see some bad stuff on our unit, but this is new for us."
Once Gallardo boarded the bus, according to the affidavit, the bus driver said the woman was "yelling every four-letter word known" at the 4-year-old and was telling the girl that "CPS would take her away and that no one would want her."
Police stopped the city bus and took Gallardo into custody, Loyd said.
Loyd said the three children are in the custody of Child Protective Services.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Ask the Question. He fits the profile of brain damage from prenatal exposure to alcohol.
NEW YORK — Prosecutors say a homeless man told them he killed a New York City college student because he was bored and had nowhere to go.
Prosecutors filed a signed statement in court in which Jeromie Cancel admits killing 19-year-old Kevin Pravia in the victim's Manhattan apartment last month. But Cancel pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Wednesday on a second-degree murder charge.
The 22-year-old Cancel is being held without bail.
Cancel's statement says he killed Pravia by stuffing a plastic bag in his mouth while holding his nose and choking him with a cord around his neck.
The statement says Cancel was leaving the apartment but didn't have anywhere to go. It says, "I was bored, so I decided to go back into the apartment and kill him."
Prosecutors filed a signed statement in court in which Jeromie Cancel admits killing 19-year-old Kevin Pravia in the victim's Manhattan apartment last month. But Cancel pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Wednesday on a second-degree murder charge.
The 22-year-old Cancel is being held without bail.
Cancel's statement says he killed Pravia by stuffing a plastic bag in his mouth while holding his nose and choking him with a cord around his neck.
The statement says Cancel was leaving the apartment but didn't have anywhere to go. It says, "I was bored, so I decided to go back into the apartment and kill him."
The Two Faces of FASD
A headline story in the Minneapolis Star Tribune shows the two faces of FASD. A vulnerable young man, identified as FAS by his adoptive mother, was viciously beat by four men and a woman. The vulnerable FAS man is easily identified because the damage to his brain was clearly evident and his adoptive mother knew and understands the devastation of FASD. The other face of FASD is the violent acts of the five individual who attacked him. While I do not have any evidence of the mothers of these five drinking while pregnant, the acts of violence and other evidence of dysfunction of these individuals all point to the exhibition of brain damage from prenatal exposure to alcohol. Unfortunately, this face of FASD is not easily recognized and, in almost all cases, the mother will not tell the truth about her level of drinking during the pregnancy. Our jails are full of this face of FASD.
Prosecutors: Lie prompted attack on vulnerable man
A teen-age girl allegedly told her boyfriend that the victim from Lakeville had hit her, and then she encouraged the four suspects.
By JOY POWELL and ABBY SIMONS, Star Tribune staff writers
A 16-year-old girl lied to her boyfriend that a mentally disabled Lakeville man had hit her and helped lure the man to a remote location, where she egged on her boyfriend and three other men as they beat and tortured the man, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Natasha Dahn of Lakeville was an instigator of the weekend assaults on Justin Hamilton, which left him with broken ribs, burns, cuts, bruises and other injuries, Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom said.
She was charged with kidnapping, aggravated robbery and other crimes Wednesday, when prosecutors also brought additional charges against three of the four men accused in the abduction and beating of Hamilton, 24, of Lakeville. The men are accused of kidnapping Hamilton and taking him to a remote area of southern Dakota County, where he was assaulted over several hours Friday and Saturday nights.
Prosecutors: Lie prompted attack on vulnerable man
A teen-age girl allegedly told her boyfriend that the victim from Lakeville had hit her, and then she encouraged the four suspects.
By JOY POWELL and ABBY SIMONS, Star Tribune staff writers
A 16-year-old girl lied to her boyfriend that a mentally disabled Lakeville man had hit her and helped lure the man to a remote location, where she egged on her boyfriend and three other men as they beat and tortured the man, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Natasha Dahn of Lakeville was an instigator of the weekend assaults on Justin Hamilton, which left him with broken ribs, burns, cuts, bruises and other injuries, Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom said.
She was charged with kidnapping, aggravated robbery and other crimes Wednesday, when prosecutors also brought additional charges against three of the four men accused in the abduction and beating of Hamilton, 24, of Lakeville. The men are accused of kidnapping Hamilton and taking him to a remote area of southern Dakota County, where he was assaulted over several hours Friday and Saturday nights.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Another FASD Inmate in Crow Wing County Jail
Please, Brainerd Dispatch, ask the question. You will find out this person was prenatally exposed to alcohol. His behaviors are directly linked to the brain damage he sustained in his mother's womb.
Stabbing leads to man's arrest
By MATT ERICKSON
Staff Writer
Police believe a fight over a woman led to the stabbing of one man and the arrest of another for attempted murder early Saturday in southeast Brainerd.
Brainerd Police officers were dispatched about 1:43 a.m. Saturday to St. Joseph's Medical Center in Brainerd after receiving a report of a stabbing victim at the hospital.
The victim, Jeffrey Ryan Bock, 27, Brainerd, suffered numerous stab wounds, police said. He was reported in stable condition Sunday at St. Joseph's Medical Center.
The suspect, Dominic Donald Duane Dubois, 23, Brainerd, later turned himself in at the Brainerd Police Department. He was arrested for attempted murder and first-degree assault and is being held in the Crow Wing County Jail pending formal charges.
Brainerd Police Chief John Bolduc said the stabbing was believed to have happened in a vehicle on the 1200 block of Rosewood Street. Brainerd Police and Crow Wing County Sheriff's deputies located the vehicle involved in the stabbing north of Brainerd.
Bolduc said Bock and Dubois were acquainted with each other.
"It's sounds like it was a domestic type situation," Bolduc said. "The two males had some type of relationship with the same female."
No other suspects are being sought, police said, but the incident is still under investigation.
Dubois' criminal history dating back to 2003 includes charges for DWI in Carlton and Cass counties; disorderly conduct, theft, careless driving, driving with no proof of insurance, underage consumption and driving after license cancellation in Crow Wing County and felony damage to property in Mille Lacs County
Stabbing leads to man's arrest
By MATT ERICKSON
Staff Writer
Police believe a fight over a woman led to the stabbing of one man and the arrest of another for attempted murder early Saturday in southeast Brainerd.
Brainerd Police officers were dispatched about 1:43 a.m. Saturday to St. Joseph's Medical Center in Brainerd after receiving a report of a stabbing victim at the hospital.
The victim, Jeffrey Ryan Bock, 27, Brainerd, suffered numerous stab wounds, police said. He was reported in stable condition Sunday at St. Joseph's Medical Center.
The suspect, Dominic Donald Duane Dubois, 23, Brainerd, later turned himself in at the Brainerd Police Department. He was arrested for attempted murder and first-degree assault and is being held in the Crow Wing County Jail pending formal charges.
Brainerd Police Chief John Bolduc said the stabbing was believed to have happened in a vehicle on the 1200 block of Rosewood Street. Brainerd Police and Crow Wing County Sheriff's deputies located the vehicle involved in the stabbing north of Brainerd.
Bolduc said Bock and Dubois were acquainted with each other.
"It's sounds like it was a domestic type situation," Bolduc said. "The two males had some type of relationship with the same female."
No other suspects are being sought, police said, but the incident is still under investigation.
Dubois' criminal history dating back to 2003 includes charges for DWI in Carlton and Cass counties; disorderly conduct, theft, careless driving, driving with no proof of insurance, underage consumption and driving after license cancellation in Crow Wing County and felony damage to property in Mille Lacs County
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
This is criminal!
Another child, another FASD victim. This child was highly likely heavily prenatally exposed to alcohol. If she gave this 18 month old alcohol once, she most likely has done this since the baby was born to put her to sleep. She most likely drank alcohol when pregnant to put the fetus to sleep. This is more common than we want to think.
New Mexico Mother Arrested for Giving Daughter Sippy Cup of Beer
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Associated Press
OJO CALIENTE, N.M. — State police have arrested a woman who filled her 18-month-old daughter's sippy cup with beer and gave it to her in front of undercover narcotics agents, according to court records.
State police Lt. Juan Martinez said Monday that undercover agents with the Region III Narcotics Task Force were at 21-year-old Virginia Neel-Blaker's home in Ojo Caliente to buy drugs from her and her husband, James Blaker.
The agents saw her give her daughter a sip of beer from a can. Then she allegedly filled up the girl's sippy cup with beer and gave it to the toddler to get her to sleep, Martinez said.
"The trafficking case took a back seat to abuse of a child," Martinez said. "It was very disheartening for them to see that happening to a child."
Neel-Blaker has been charged with prostitution, child abuse, distribution of marijuana and two counts of conspiracy to traffic heroin.
James Blaker, 37, was charged with three counts of trafficking heroin, distribution of marijuana, child abuse and promoting prostitution.
The undercover agents had bought heroin and marijuana at the home on three separate occasions. Neel-Blaker also offered twice to have sex with them for $100, a search warrant said.
Martinez says the child was handed over to the state's Children, Youth and Families Department.
The couple is being held at the Rio Arriba County jail in Tierra Amarilla.
New Mexico Mother Arrested for Giving Daughter Sippy Cup of Beer
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Associated Press
OJO CALIENTE, N.M. — State police have arrested a woman who filled her 18-month-old daughter's sippy cup with beer and gave it to her in front of undercover narcotics agents, according to court records.
State police Lt. Juan Martinez said Monday that undercover agents with the Region III Narcotics Task Force were at 21-year-old Virginia Neel-Blaker's home in Ojo Caliente to buy drugs from her and her husband, James Blaker.
The agents saw her give her daughter a sip of beer from a can. Then she allegedly filled up the girl's sippy cup with beer and gave it to the toddler to get her to sleep, Martinez said.
"The trafficking case took a back seat to abuse of a child," Martinez said. "It was very disheartening for them to see that happening to a child."
Neel-Blaker has been charged with prostitution, child abuse, distribution of marijuana and two counts of conspiracy to traffic heroin.
James Blaker, 37, was charged with three counts of trafficking heroin, distribution of marijuana, child abuse and promoting prostitution.
The undercover agents had bought heroin and marijuana at the home on three separate occasions. Neel-Blaker also offered twice to have sex with them for $100, a search warrant said.
Martinez says the child was handed over to the state's Children, Youth and Families Department.
The couple is being held at the Rio Arriba County jail in Tierra Amarilla.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Another Violent Incident . Ask The Question!
In this tragic incident, the shooter fits the profile of brain damage from prenatal exposure to alcohol. Is he FASD? Did his mother drink when pregnant? Ask the question! I am not condoning at all lowering the punishment for the crime, I am advocating we find out how much our society is being effected by prenatal exposure to alcohol. (Clues that fit the profile are bolded)
ALGER, Wash. — "I kill for God. I listen to God," a man accused of a Washington shooting rampage earlier this week that left six people dead and four injured said at his court hearing Friday.
Isaac Zamora made the chilling comment twice at the brief hearing in Skagit County District Court while investigators wrapped up their work at eight crime scenes. The 28-year-old is being held on $5 million bail in the wake of Tuesday's rampage.
The attacks began near Zamora's mother's home near the tiny town of Alger, 70 miles north of Seattle, and continued on Interstate 5. After a high-speed police pursuit, Zamora surrendered at a sheriff's office in Mount Vernon, about 20 miles south of Alger.
Among the dead was Skagit County Deputy Sheriff Anne Jackson, who had responded to a call to check on Zamora.
Also killed were a man shot at the same location as Jackson; two male construction workers shot nearby; a 48-year-old woman found a few houses away; and a 64-year-old motorist killed along the highway near a rest stop, authorities said. Two people were wounded — one by stabbing — and two were wounded on the freeway, including a state trooper.
Zamora, who has a long record of run-ins with the law, had been admitted several times to hospitals for mental health treatment and attempted suicide several times, his friends and family said.
In the past five years, Zamora has been in and out of courtrooms, accused of malicious mischief, drug possession and theft, and was last released from jail about a month ago after serving six months for cocaine possession.
He faces six charges of first-degree murder and four charges of first-degree assault. The judge read each charge and the penalties, which carry a maximum sentence of life in prison. However, Rich Weyrich, the Skagit County prosecutor, said Zamora could still face the death penalty at a later point.
ALGER, Wash. — "I kill for God. I listen to God," a man accused of a Washington shooting rampage earlier this week that left six people dead and four injured said at his court hearing Friday.
Isaac Zamora made the chilling comment twice at the brief hearing in Skagit County District Court while investigators wrapped up their work at eight crime scenes. The 28-year-old is being held on $5 million bail in the wake of Tuesday's rampage.
The attacks began near Zamora's mother's home near the tiny town of Alger, 70 miles north of Seattle, and continued on Interstate 5. After a high-speed police pursuit, Zamora surrendered at a sheriff's office in Mount Vernon, about 20 miles south of Alger.
Among the dead was Skagit County Deputy Sheriff Anne Jackson, who had responded to a call to check on Zamora.
Also killed were a man shot at the same location as Jackson; two male construction workers shot nearby; a 48-year-old woman found a few houses away; and a 64-year-old motorist killed along the highway near a rest stop, authorities said. Two people were wounded — one by stabbing — and two were wounded on the freeway, including a state trooper.
Zamora, who has a long record of run-ins with the law, had been admitted several times to hospitals for mental health treatment and attempted suicide several times, his friends and family said.
In the past five years, Zamora has been in and out of courtrooms, accused of malicious mischief, drug possession and theft, and was last released from jail about a month ago after serving six months for cocaine possession.
He faces six charges of first-degree murder and four charges of first-degree assault. The judge read each charge and the penalties, which carry a maximum sentence of life in prison. However, Rich Weyrich, the Skagit County prosecutor, said Zamora could still face the death penalty at a later point.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
New York Murder - High Probability of FASD
Here is another case where we need to Ask the Question. This murderer fits the profile of heavy prenatal exposure to alcohol. Red flags of exhibition of FASD behaviors and secondary disabilities of FASD are in italics.
NEW YORK (FOX NEWS) — A young drifter who went with a college student to his Manhattan apartment smothered him with a pillowcase, then settled in to watch the grisly horror film "Saw" to celebrate the killing, NYPD sources told FOXNews.com.
Jeromie Cancel, whom police and family describe as homeless and mentally unstable, allegedly confessed to the heinous crime, shouting at reporters that he killed 19-year-old Kevin Pravia "'cause I wanted to."
"Ya'll got problems with that?" Cancel yelled, smirking and chuckling as he was led away in handcuffs after his Tuesday night arrest.
But the NYPD said the suspect's motive was still unclear.
He allegedly stuffed a bag into Pravia's mouth and wound a TV cord around his neck before suffocating him.
He then rummaged through Pravia's DVD collection, choosing and watching the violent film "Saw" while Pravia lay dead on a bed nearby, sources said.
Related
Cancel's father, Jesus Soto, told FOX affiliate WNYW-TV that his son had stolen possessions from him in June, and he called police when Cancel showed up at his apartment Monday night, bragging and laughing about the crime.
"I'm so sorry," Soto said, choking back tears and shaking his head in disbelief. "I'm feeling myself the pain. This is not right. You don't take someone's life just like that."
The distraught dad told The New York Post that his son was "mentally imbalanced."
According to police, Cancel said Pravia approached him in New York's Union Square park around 6 a.m. Saturday looking for drugs, and the two went to Pravia's apartment a few blocks away.
No narcotics were found at the scene, police said. They told the Post they doubted drugs were involved.
From the New York Post
The suspect's father told The Post that he had been estranged from his son for about a dozen years before the young man made contact with him this summer.
Cancel stayed with Soto for about two weeks in June, until the young man ransacked the place, robbed his father and vanished.
The dad said he didn't see his son again until early yesterday.
"He said, 'I just killed someone,' " Soto said. "He had no remorse. He had a big smile.
"I called the cops, and when they pulled up . . . he just turned to the cops and told them he just killed someone."
Our society does not have a clue as to how deeply we are affected by mothers drinking alcohol when pregnant. If we were to completely stop any drinking while pregnant now, we still would have hundreds of thousands of brain damaged violent adolescents and adults in our society. It would take years for our society to see the difference.
NEW YORK (FOX NEWS) — A young drifter who went with a college student to his Manhattan apartment smothered him with a pillowcase, then settled in to watch the grisly horror film "Saw" to celebrate the killing, NYPD sources told FOXNews.com.
Jeromie Cancel, whom police and family describe as homeless and mentally unstable, allegedly confessed to the heinous crime, shouting at reporters that he killed 19-year-old Kevin Pravia "'cause I wanted to."
"Ya'll got problems with that?" Cancel yelled, smirking and chuckling as he was led away in handcuffs after his Tuesday night arrest.
But the NYPD said the suspect's motive was still unclear.
He allegedly stuffed a bag into Pravia's mouth and wound a TV cord around his neck before suffocating him.
He then rummaged through Pravia's DVD collection, choosing and watching the violent film "Saw" while Pravia lay dead on a bed nearby, sources said.
Related
Cancel's father, Jesus Soto, told FOX affiliate WNYW-TV that his son had stolen possessions from him in June, and he called police when Cancel showed up at his apartment Monday night, bragging and laughing about the crime.
"I'm so sorry," Soto said, choking back tears and shaking his head in disbelief. "I'm feeling myself the pain. This is not right. You don't take someone's life just like that."
The distraught dad told The New York Post that his son was "mentally imbalanced."
According to police, Cancel said Pravia approached him in New York's Union Square park around 6 a.m. Saturday looking for drugs, and the two went to Pravia's apartment a few blocks away.
No narcotics were found at the scene, police said. They told the Post they doubted drugs were involved.
From the New York Post
The suspect's father told The Post that he had been estranged from his son for about a dozen years before the young man made contact with him this summer.
Cancel stayed with Soto for about two weeks in June, until the young man ransacked the place, robbed his father and vanished.
The dad said he didn't see his son again until early yesterday.
"He said, 'I just killed someone,' " Soto said. "He had no remorse. He had a big smile.
"I called the cops, and when they pulled up . . . he just turned to the cops and told them he just killed someone."
Our society does not have a clue as to how deeply we are affected by mothers drinking alcohol when pregnant. If we were to completely stop any drinking while pregnant now, we still would have hundreds of thousands of brain damaged violent adolescents and adults in our society. It would take years for our society to see the difference.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
High Probability of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
Report: Body Was Decomposing in Trunk of Car Driven by Missing Tot's Mom
From Fox News
Someone needs to ask the Question. The woman in the following article, Caylee Anthony, is exhibiting behaviors that are evidence of brain damage from prenatal exposure to alcohol. Additionally, her missing daughter is most likely prenatally exposed. This woman did not want her baby, according to her mother. Unwanted babies are highly likely to be heavily exposed to alcohol because the mother is not concerned with the health of the baby.
Anthony is free on $500,000 bond and remains on house arrest at her parents' Orlando home.
She has pleaded not guilty to charges of child neglect and lying to investigators about the disappearance of Caylee, who was turned 3 earlier this month.
On Tuesday, 400 pages of case documents released by police revealed that Anthony wanted to give Caylee up for adoption before she was born, but her mother Cindy Anthony convinced her not to.
Among other new details disclosed in the documents:
• Cindy Anthony described her daughter Casey as a sociopath.
• An unclothed doll belonging to the tot and a washed dinnerware knife were among the items found in Anthony's Pontiac Sunfire, which had scratches on its trunk. The car has been a focus of the investigation and was combed for evidence after an odor of human decomposition was detected in the trunk.
• A man identified as an ex-fiancé of Anthony's told detectives that she deleted hundreds of photographs of herself with Caylee from her Web pages on various social networking sites.
Celebrity bail bondsman Tony Padilla and another local bail bondsman posted her half-million-dollar bond. Caylee has been missing for more than two months.
Anthony remains a "person of interest" in the child's disappearance.
The young mom described by friends and family as a habitual liar didn't report Caylee missing until about 30 days after she said she left her with a baby sitter who snatched her. Police have said they don't believe her story.
From Fox News
Someone needs to ask the Question. The woman in the following article, Caylee Anthony, is exhibiting behaviors that are evidence of brain damage from prenatal exposure to alcohol. Additionally, her missing daughter is most likely prenatally exposed. This woman did not want her baby, according to her mother. Unwanted babies are highly likely to be heavily exposed to alcohol because the mother is not concerned with the health of the baby.
Anthony is free on $500,000 bond and remains on house arrest at her parents' Orlando home.
She has pleaded not guilty to charges of child neglect and lying to investigators about the disappearance of Caylee, who was turned 3 earlier this month.
On Tuesday, 400 pages of case documents released by police revealed that Anthony wanted to give Caylee up for adoption before she was born, but her mother Cindy Anthony convinced her not to.
Among other new details disclosed in the documents:
• Cindy Anthony described her daughter Casey as a sociopath.
• An unclothed doll belonging to the tot and a washed dinnerware knife were among the items found in Anthony's Pontiac Sunfire, which had scratches on its trunk. The car has been a focus of the investigation and was combed for evidence after an odor of human decomposition was detected in the trunk.
• A man identified as an ex-fiancé of Anthony's told detectives that she deleted hundreds of photographs of herself with Caylee from her Web pages on various social networking sites.
Celebrity bail bondsman Tony Padilla and another local bail bondsman posted her half-million-dollar bond. Caylee has been missing for more than two months.
Anthony remains a "person of interest" in the child's disappearance.
The young mom described by friends and family as a habitual liar didn't report Caylee missing until about 30 days after she said she left her with a baby sitter who snatched her. Police have said they don't believe her story.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Ask the Question:
Did his mother prenatally expose him to alcohol? I am betting you would find he was heavily exposed to alcohol in utero.
The clues are highlighted in bold and italics.
Accused Minn. teen won't escape murder trial
The Associated Press
Star Tribune 7/31/08
ST. PAUL — The Minnesota Supreme Court has ordered a Bemidji teen accused in the shooting death of his grandmother to stand trial as an adult.
The high court refused Thursday to overturn previous rulings that certified Nicholas Shutter for prosecution as an adult. He was 15 when he was arrested for the 2005 Thanksgiving Day murder of 55-year-old Marilyn Shutter. She and her husband had been raising the boy since he was a toddler.
He had a history of behavioral problems and mental health issues. According to court records, Nicholas says he only meant to scare his grandmother and accidentally shot at the couch she was on. She was hit in the back of the head. The records say he was upset she wouldn't give him a computer password because he planned to access Internet pornography.
The high court says the case met five of six tests needed to certify a juvenile 14 or older for adult prosecution.
Did his mother prenatally expose him to alcohol? I am betting you would find he was heavily exposed to alcohol in utero.
The clues are highlighted in bold and italics.
Accused Minn. teen won't escape murder trial
The Associated Press
Star Tribune 7/31/08
ST. PAUL — The Minnesota Supreme Court has ordered a Bemidji teen accused in the shooting death of his grandmother to stand trial as an adult.
The high court refused Thursday to overturn previous rulings that certified Nicholas Shutter for prosecution as an adult. He was 15 when he was arrested for the 2005 Thanksgiving Day murder of 55-year-old Marilyn Shutter. She and her husband had been raising the boy since he was a toddler.
He had a history of behavioral problems and mental health issues. According to court records, Nicholas says he only meant to scare his grandmother and accidentally shot at the couch she was on. She was hit in the back of the head. The records say he was upset she wouldn't give him a computer password because he planned to access Internet pornography.
The high court says the case met five of six tests needed to certify a juvenile 14 or older for adult prosecution.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
New Information
I have obtained new information for one of the segments in the book, so I will be revising and resubmitting the manuscript. I have gotten a lot of inquiries and, I believe, genuine interest in the subject.
More later.
More later.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Progress report on The Fatal Link
I am relieved to say I have submitted the manuscript of The Fatal Link for a final edit, pending some new information. I will keep posting information on the progress of the book. I have had many requests and look forward to getting the book into people's hands.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
News article on Healthy Brains for Children
Here is a very well done article by Linsey Maughan, Waseca County News, about the start-up of Healthy Brains for Children.
http://www.wasecacountynews.com/main.asp?SectionID=21&SubSectionID=44&ArticleID=27074
http://www.wasecacountynews.com/main.asp?SectionID=21&SubSectionID=44&ArticleID=27074
Monday, May 5, 2008
Breakout presentation at Maddens
For those who attended the breakout session at Maddens on Monday, May 5, I have placed the Powerpoint presentation in my professional file. Click on Professional File on the left and find Work Samples. Find Maddens presentation in Work Samples.
Here are a couple of websites that give a wealth of information on FASD.
www.faslink.org
http://www.come-over.to/FASCRC/
Here are a couple of websites that give a wealth of information on FASD.
www.faslink.org
http://www.come-over.to/FASCRC/
Monday, April 28, 2008
Healthy Brains for Children
Please join the newly formed non-profit organization Healthy Brains for Children. I don't know if I can express how urgently I feel about getting the message out to our schools, communities, and nation.
The goals of the organization will be to:
1. Educate with educators who understand brain damage from prenatal exposure to alcohol and how that impacts our classrooms
2. Educate all students of the dangers of drinking during pregnancies.
3. Educate the medical profession, the education profession, and all service professions of the impact prenatal exposure to alcohol is having on our society.
4. Lower the number of children coming to early education and kindergarten with learning and behavioral difficulties brought on by brain damage from prenatal exposure to alcohol.
5. Support research of the societal effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol
Please help me with this initiative. The first thing I need to do is publish my book, "The Fatal Link" I currently have the book with a publisher. This book is about what I have learned about the brain damage caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol and how that has impacted our families, schools, communities, and society. This book will reveal to our nation for the first time the connection between school shooters and the fact a high percentage of their mothers habitually drank alcohol, exposing the fetus to alcohol causing brain damage, the Fatal Link. Never has any of the studies of school shooters or any of the talking heads even been close to seeing this link. I have chosen to pay to have the book published while retaining the rights to the book. If I signed the rights away, the publisher could change the message and I will not allow anyone to change the message, as I do not know anyone who knows what I know about the subject. A special thanks to some of you who have helped me with the book.
I believe this book needs to be read by every school teacher, every family practitioner, every psychologist, every social worker, etc. I do not believe there is another educator who has the background and understanding I have as to how this totally preventable tragedy is impacting our schools everyday. My goal is to bring this to our nation's attention. I need your help.
If you are interested in supporting our organization, please send at least $100. With that donation, you will become a member of Healthy Brains for Children. Upon receiving our 501 c 3 status, all your donations will be tax deductible. I believe this organization will become self-sustaining after the publication of the book and with the speaking engagements that will follow. I will serve as the volunteer Executive Director for the organization until such time the organization is solid and can afford to pay for my services. For my current colleagues, I am happily serving as the Director of TEAM Academy Charter School in Waseca, MN and plan to remain as such. Healthy Brains for Children does not need to sustain a salaried position.
I have been speaking on this subject for some time now. I have presented to superintendents, principals, teachers, para-professionals, non-profits, and funding organizations. I will be presenting to the Minnesota School Counselors and doing a three day training in Reno, Nevada in May. There are other opportunities coming that will create even more awareness. As this continues to expand, I need your help.
My immediate goals are to:
-establish the non-profit organization - cost $500
-publish the book - cost $10,000 (I will have more information on this in two weeks-cost relative to number of books printed. Large donations are accepted. I will find a non-profit fiscal agent until we get our 501 c 3 status)
-establish a website - cost $500 (beginning site) If someone has the know-how and time to assist with this, please let me know.
My longer range goals are to:
-develop a replicable model that can be used in communities that will bring educators, the medical profession, the clergy, the social services, and other entities together to learn the facts of the epidemic of prenatal exposure to alcohol, known as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, and how they can work together to lower the number of prenatally exposed children.
-train and educate educators on FASD and what works in schools.
-bring this subject to the national stage in the form of the book, television programming, national conferences.
-fund research
_________________________________________________________________________
Any donations can be sent to :
Healthy Brains for Children
Jody Allen Crowe
1021 Mill Ave
Brainerd, MN 56401
Contact me at jodycrowe@gmail.com
-
Upon donating, you will become a member of our organization with all the rights as detailed in the by-laws. I welcome you to this so very important initiative. If you are interested in having me speak in your community, contact me. If you know of others who would be interested in this initiative, please forward this email to them and/or have them contact me. If you would like me to come to your community to initiate a Healthy Brains Project, let's talk.
The goals of the organization will be to:
1. Educate with educators who understand brain damage from prenatal exposure to alcohol and how that impacts our classrooms
2. Educate all students of the dangers of drinking during pregnancies.
3. Educate the medical profession, the education profession, and all service professions of the impact prenatal exposure to alcohol is having on our society.
4. Lower the number of children coming to early education and kindergarten with learning and behavioral difficulties brought on by brain damage from prenatal exposure to alcohol.
5. Support research of the societal effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol
Please help me with this initiative. The first thing I need to do is publish my book, "The Fatal Link" I currently have the book with a publisher. This book is about what I have learned about the brain damage caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol and how that has impacted our families, schools, communities, and society. This book will reveal to our nation for the first time the connection between school shooters and the fact a high percentage of their mothers habitually drank alcohol, exposing the fetus to alcohol causing brain damage, the Fatal Link. Never has any of the studies of school shooters or any of the talking heads even been close to seeing this link. I have chosen to pay to have the book published while retaining the rights to the book. If I signed the rights away, the publisher could change the message and I will not allow anyone to change the message, as I do not know anyone who knows what I know about the subject. A special thanks to some of you who have helped me with the book.
I believe this book needs to be read by every school teacher, every family practitioner, every psychologist, every social worker, etc. I do not believe there is another educator who has the background and understanding I have as to how this totally preventable tragedy is impacting our schools everyday. My goal is to bring this to our nation's attention. I need your help.
If you are interested in supporting our organization, please send at least $100. With that donation, you will become a member of Healthy Brains for Children. Upon receiving our 501 c 3 status, all your donations will be tax deductible. I believe this organization will become self-sustaining after the publication of the book and with the speaking engagements that will follow. I will serve as the volunteer Executive Director for the organization until such time the organization is solid and can afford to pay for my services. For my current colleagues, I am happily serving as the Director of TEAM Academy Charter School in Waseca, MN and plan to remain as such. Healthy Brains for Children does not need to sustain a salaried position.
I have been speaking on this subject for some time now. I have presented to superintendents, principals, teachers, para-professionals, non-profits, and funding organizations. I will be presenting to the Minnesota School Counselors and doing a three day training in Reno, Nevada in May. There are other opportunities coming that will create even more awareness. As this continues to expand, I need your help.
My immediate goals are to:
-establish the non-profit organization - cost $500
-publish the book - cost $10,000 (I will have more information on this in two weeks-cost relative to number of books printed. Large donations are accepted. I will find a non-profit fiscal agent until we get our 501 c 3 status)
-establish a website - cost $500 (beginning site) If someone has the know-how and time to assist with this, please let me know.
My longer range goals are to:
-develop a replicable model that can be used in communities that will bring educators, the medical profession, the clergy, the social services, and other entities together to learn the facts of the epidemic of prenatal exposure to alcohol, known as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, and how they can work together to lower the number of prenatally exposed children.
-train and educate educators on FASD and what works in schools.
-bring this subject to the national stage in the form of the book, television programming, national conferences.
-fund research
_________________________________________________________________________
Any donations can be sent to :
Healthy Brains for Children
Jody Allen Crowe
1021 Mill Ave
Brainerd, MN 56401
Contact me at jodycrowe@gmail.com
-
Upon donating, you will become a member of our organization with all the rights as detailed in the by-laws. I welcome you to this so very important initiative. If you are interested in having me speak in your community, contact me. If you know of others who would be interested in this initiative, please forward this email to them and/or have them contact me. If you would like me to come to your community to initiate a Healthy Brains Project, let's talk.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
The Fatal Link
It has been awhile since I have entered anything in the blog. I have been writing my book, "The Fatal Link". I am nearing completion and will post any news of the publishing of the book.
I am presenting to the Minnesota School Counselors on May 6 and will be in Reno, NV for a two day presentation later that week. On April 24-25, I will be in Salt Lake City as a guest of Pearson Learning, the company that owns the software we use in our school and I have been using for many years as I developed classrooms that worked for FASD children. Pearson Learning distributed a news article about our school and how we differentiate instruction for our students to every sales representative nationwide and overseas.
I am presenting to the Minnesota School Counselors on May 6 and will be in Reno, NV for a two day presentation later that week. On April 24-25, I will be in Salt Lake City as a guest of Pearson Learning, the company that owns the software we use in our school and I have been using for many years as I developed classrooms that worked for FASD children. Pearson Learning distributed a news article about our school and how we differentiate instruction for our students to every sales representative nationwide and overseas.
Monday, March 24, 2008
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