Tom Miller is writing a book?

You Get It!

KK,

That's exactly the position that "Doc" was in. There were close friends of his that tried to "reason" with him to roll over on Craig. Doc would absolutely not hear of it. He stuck to his moral responsibility and suffered the consequences. I backed him up no matter what he decided. It was pretty scary back then.

Here's an interesting factoid: the final jury selection was done by "Doc's" handwriting analysis of potential jurors. He and Gary had personality characteristics that determined wich jurors to seat.

 

Like I said, and as I'm sure you know, Lozow was very good. I expected to skim through his voir dire, but it was so fascinating to see how he worked his case from that first moment. He made the defense case crystal clear right then and there, in less than an hour.

That is interesting about Doc's handwriting analysis of the jury pool. Have you had a chance to read the sticky thread at the top of the JB forum, Cherokee's ransom note analysis? Doc might find it interesting, as she does a fantastic job using different techniques.

Will we get to see Doc's analysis of the ransom note in his book? Hope so and look forward to it.

I still have the trial to read, getting to it as I can find time.

 

Wait!!! Halp!!!!

Where's the part about gutter ST and gutter FW?

 

OH! Hang on! I'll get there! I've been so sidetracked by the minor issues of the defendant's, I neglected the real guttah lies! But don't worry, you can always run to the swamp and read gutter candy's updates! She's got a tight grip on this central issue: what can she twist to make all this Thomas and White's fault? I don't think I can compete with her on that. I haven't had enough brain damage yet. But I'm working on it! I'm working it! :balloon:

 

Cookie, I thought Tom only did exemplar comparison, I didn't know he also did the graphology part of handwriting analysis. I'd have done the same thing in regards to the jury if I was him. Obviously, he believes graphology works, just as I do.

It's interesting that you bring up this little tidbit because I'm getting ready to post a handwriting (personality) analysis of the writing of Patsy Ramsey and also one of the ransom note writer. Of course, the author of the ransom note tried to disguise their handwriting so it hampers the analysis, but certain personality traits still come through.

After that, I'll re-post some of the exemplar comparisons I did some time ago here at FFJ on Patsy's handwriting and the ransom note because they go hand in hand with the graphology analysis.

 

Oh, great to hear you've got more coming on your ransom note stuff, Cherokee. I look forward to seeing it. You have done a smashingly astute job so far. Thanks again for sharing with us.

 

OK, I have just finished reading the opening statements of the prosecution and the defense, and I don't have time to say much until later this evening, if I can get an hour, but I wanted to write what I'm feeling right now as it is astonishing to me.

My jaw is on the floor. My heart is heavy, my pulse was rapid as I read. I am having some kind of reaction with my senses that I can't even explain. It's like as I was reading, a psychic mist was creeping up around me full of a palpable evil. It's that "hair standing on end" kind of visceral feeling. I need a bath and a big hug from hubby...he'll be home any minute.

It's the Toxic Ramsey cloud. That poor, poor child....

 

Maybe I'll receive my CD in time for Christmas. KK. Geesh. I ordered this a few days after Judith's post was in (?). I know It's coming from the U.K. Maybe mine is in Customs here (?). They can hold on to things for so long here, it isn't funny! Actually it's good to have this review. I am enjoying reading what you have to say.

Yes, everything you say about Cherokee is true. This girl is dynamite!

 

Sorry "Bout That Elle

Elle,

I'll check into your order for you. You should have received your CD by now.

KK, once you get farther into "it", I'll tell you another very interesting tidbit.

 

That's very nice of you, Cookie, thank you. Do you need any information by PM? I'm in Ontario, L2A 2C7, Canada.

 

I asked you before if you were a pro reporter. By this post, I'm getting the gist that you are, when you state "It's usually so boring." I wouldn't know KK. but it sounds like you've been there done that quite often, so I take it that you work in the Courts? Yes, I'm a curious one! Will you confess?

It's okay, KK I'm just reading over your other post, and you explained yourself here. You just went through a murder trial? Oh my! anyway, you're doing a great job of reporting on the Miller CD. I have to read all that you posted twice.

I almost feel as if I'm watching one of my favourite TV shows here, with all this Court talk. I watched "Medium" this week and it was all about a jury selection.

Edited to add a few remarks.

 

Not Ethical at all!

Tom Miller is correct when he states "it was all orchestrated by the Ramseys' attornies as payback for his professional expert opinion that Patsy Ramsey wrote the ransom note. "

The Ramsey Mafia is more like it!

 

For Elle

If you do not receive your CD within a few days, let me know. The person in charge of shipping at Pearl Street Press told me yesterday that shipments made to Canada often never make it to its destination because of customs. If cusoms does not like the contents, it will never be forwarded. Or, if customs likes the contents, sometimes the package is confiscated. Oh well!

 

Doc's Diary

I will never forget the night that the CBI and Boulder cops came to our Boulder home with their search warrant. Doc and I were busy working in my office preparing for a gallery opening. My daughter, then age 13, was doing her homework. They attempted their first search and seizure at the wrong house! Then they went back to the police department and found the correct address and 12 cops showed up at my house, guns drawn, and surrounded all exits. My daughter answered the door bell and was frightened to death. Doc came up from my office and looked at the warrant and noted that the wrong address was listed on the document. They bullied their way into the house by saying to back off our dogs or they were going to shoot them.

I was listening to everything hidden in the stairway. They went directly down to my office and took Doc's diary. They seemed to know exactly where to find it. We found out later that one of his sons was instructed to take a photo of his bookshelf during one of their visits. Doc's ex-wife and the CBI were behind this maneveur. She told her sons that she was missing a book and wanted them to take pictures of Doc's bookshelf. She led the CBI right to his personal diaries that would have the information of the Vacca visit and name Craig Lewis as Doc's client. You see, at this time, Doc would not disclose the name of his client.

During the trial, even though it was agreed NOT to use his personal diary, Dennis Hall tried to use the information in his case. Gary Lozow objected everytime.

 

This is bad news, Cookie, isn't it? It's not as if it's a musical CD with the latest pop star. If it doesn't arrive in a few days, I'll pay the local Customs a visit myself, and see if they can find out anything, and I'll let you know; meanwhile KK has done a great job of reviewing her CD. Thanks for trying.

 

That must have been a very frightening time for you and your daughter, Cookie. Doc's ex wife might have given you a warning first, but this was her revenge by the looks of things. Glad you're still in one piece, and here to tell the tale.
Looks like your husband picked the right man when he chose Gary Lozow.

 

First, Elle, no, I'm not a "professional" in the justice system and no, I am not a reporter. I have done some volunteer advocacy work through the years for survivors of crime, and I do have some training and knowledge in a useful "public relations" way I've used as a volunteer for our local LE. I do lots of study and research in law and crime because I find it fascinating and complex and it is part of our government, which I think every citizen should know as much about as possible. I also study sciences, particularly those that relate to the universe and how it works. Big topic, I haven't figured it out yet, but I'll keep you posted. cguru:

Cookie, I can't imagine how horrifying that experience was, with guns drawn and your home being violated. I hope your daughter wasn't scarred for life. What did they think you had in there? A foreign faction? And just what did the ex-wife gain by coercing her son into betraying his own father? Bet the son thanked her for that--TIC. Poor guy.

I'm going to start another post to discuss the opening statements. Some really fascinating information came out during the defense statement, and I want to post at length about what the Miller defense attornies said when the jury was sent out so arguments could be made...well, let me start at the beginning....

 

Cookie, I can understand why you can't forget ... especially with LE acting like a SWAT team taking down a crack house.

Doc's experience really is a cautionary tale about getting on the wrong side of the Ramseys, isn't it? There's no telling how far and how wide the corruption goes. The Ramseys obviously have a lot of friends in VERY high places.

 

People v Miller: opening statements

Ok, I'm going to try to keep this as succinct as I can, but you know me...so get comfortable.

I think I'll do this in two parts: the state's opening statement, which was short, and the defendant's opening statement, which was actually a two-parter in itself, because in the middle of it, the state brought it to a halt with an objection because the prosecution didn't like that the defense was bringing in the dirty deeds of the state in its dismissal of Craig Lewis' charge when he dropped 100k into the CU journalism school's coffers as a de facto payoff...well, that's how it looks to me...and anyone with any sense....

The state's case: "People's Opening Statement"

Prosecutor Hall starts with the Ramsey homicide and the ransom note that came from that. (This was a bit of a shock to me, don't know why, but I really didn't realize how much the Ramsey murder case was going to play in this one. Duh.) Mr. Hall explains the circumstances of the note being seized by LE and then guarded closely as evidence, with a copy of the note being given to a few interested parties, one of those being JOHN RAMSEY'S LAW FIRM, HADDON, FREEMAN, AND FOREMAN. Foreman will testify, Mr. Hall says, that he hired Donald John Vacca, retired from the Denver Police Dept., a "questioned document examiner," to evaluate the ransom note for John Ramsey.

Next Mr. Hall says Vacca's wife, who is also on the witness list, got a call from Miller wanting to meet with her husband, whose office was in his home, about work which they assumed was for Miller's law practice, not about the ransom note.

So Mr. Hall says Miller showed up with "a man" (Craig Lewis) whom he didn't introduce to Mrs. Vacca or Mr. Vacca, but simply identified as representing "a large corporation." This is where the indictment really turns on a few words, as Mr. Hall claims that Mr. Miller then told Vacca he wanted to buy something from him, not have him examine a document for them. Vacca, Mr. Hall says, told Miller and Lewis I don't sell things, and then the stories of prosecutor and defense pretty much are the same: Lewis jumped in and said (I'm not making this up), "Cut the crap. You've got the ransom note, and we want to buy it." Then Lewis pulled out an envelope with the $30,000 in it to buy the note. Vacca proceeded to call his wife in as a witness and then threw Lewis and Miller out of his house because Vacca had a duty of loyalty to his employers, the law firm, and, says Mr. Hall, "Offering money to Mr. Vacca...to violate that duty is a crime. That's the crime called commercial bribery." (I swear on my poodle's grave, I am not making this up.)

And that's pretty much the whole of it. When you see what Miller's lawyers tell the jury happened next you will see how jaw-dropping this whole indictment and trial is. Nothing but intimidation and manipulation, the same pattern we've been watching for years and years and years now as the RST has raped the justice system to keep a child killer out of prison.

 

OK, this is a bit longer, and more complex, because lots of information comes out as the prosecution and defense get into an argument about how much of Craig Lewis' activities after he offered Vacca money are allowed into the trial. The jury is sent out for these arguments and this is where the revealing stuff comes in, pre-trial motions already ruled on that we wouldn't know about except for this argument when the defense brings them in to support its position. Well, again, better to start at the beginning....

Defendant's Opening Statement

Delivered by Mr. Leidner, he begins with a time line: Dec. 1996, when JonBenet was murdered, no less. He skips quickly to spring of '97, to when Vacca was already getting offers from others wanting to buy a copy of the ransom note. Then, Mr. Leidner says, Miller called Vacca to set up an appt. to interview Vacca because they were looking for a copy of the ransom note. As it comes out in the defense opening statement, when Miller and Lewis went to Vacca's, Lewis is the one who jumped in with "Cut the crap. You have the ransom note, and we want to buy it." But Miller claims he had no idea Lewis was going to do that, that he was only there to find out if it was possible for them to get a copy of the note, and he only was beginning the introductions when Lewis jumped in and made the financial offer. I believe the distinction here is Miller didn't commit any crime by being there to inquire about the note, versus "buy" the note, and that Lewis made the financial offer, not Miller, who was there as Lewis' attorney at any rate.

Now, this is a bit suspect on its face, I have to admit. Seems like Miller wouldn't expect something as sought after as the contents of the ransom note to be "given" out by anyone for free at point in the history of the case. But as the defense continued its argument, I think it became clear that the line was very fine with this indictment: Vacca called Jefferson Co. DA to complain about this, as well as Mr. Lewis had called Vacca AGAIN, all on his own, and offered whatever amount Vacca wanted for the note. The DA looked into it and called Vacca back and said he felt no wrongdoing had occured, the defense contends.

What happens next is quite shocking: Mr. Leidner tells the jury, "Well, Mr. Vacca calls the Ramsey lawyers, and the Ramsey lawyers generate a letter to the district attorney's office...saying: 'We want you to investigate what's going on with our witness, who's going to be here to defend this potential murderer. We want you to go after these people who are trying to buy this note.'"

OK, I want to make one point here: as the defense is talking extemporaneously, it's not clear whether the Ramsey law firm wrote the letter to the DA or if that was Vacca. It seems in the above statement that it was the law firm, but then Leidner says Vacca sent a letter next, so maybe he meant Vacca sent the letter "generated" by the law firm. I'll let you know if I figure that out, unless someone else is further into the transcript and tell us. But I do think this is an important point and hope this letter is put into evidence and clears this up. I'd scan ahead and find out, but this is a pdf file and I'm not that good at getting around quickly in it on my old computer. I hope to have some time tonight to keep reading and maybe I'll figure it out then.

So now, Leidner says, the DA's investigator, Mr. Burkhalter, is told to go back and look harder. So Burkehalter does. He's actually found out that the "other man" at Vacca's was Craig Lewis of the Globe because Vacca got Lewis' car rental license plate number when Lewis went BACK to Vacca's house ALL BY HIMSELF later to make another offer. Burkhalter tried to get Miller to give up Lewis' identify in May, but Miller had received a letter by then from Lewis stating Miller was under no circumstances to give out his identity or that he worked for the Globe. Miller's hand were tied, but Burkehalter already knew Lewis' identity, so that's strange, right there.

Also, by then, Miller has talked to another Globe/Lewis attorney who has led him to believe under the law, no crime has been committed at any rate.