Three events happened recently that really makes you wonder what kind of people are out there. To call them criminals would be putting it lightly, as the acts they have committed go beyond legally reprehensible. They are nothing short of monsters, and honestly they have me doubting my faith in humanity.
In this wired world we no longer just hear about the atrocities committed against our fellow man, but have an opportunity to look into these monster's sick and twisted minds. Not long ago, all we had were simple news report or if gruesome enough an investigative special, followed by an eventual book or made for TV movie. Today, technology allows us to do much more -- for better or worse.
Case 1: Rebecca Long
Rebecca Long deprived her daughter of one of the most essential human needs: water. When police found the 14-year old girl she was 4'7" tall and weighed just 48 pounds. Her dehydration was so severe that her teeth were rotting. Her mom limited her to just six ounces of water a day. That's less than half a bottle of water. The enforcement was so strict that the girl's toothbrush sessions and showers were monitored so she wouldn't sneak a sip. So severe was the dehydration that the girl was once found attempting to drink from the toilet. What could be worse? How about the fact that the father stood by and did nothing while this happened, and that the couple have a son and two dogs that were apparently in good health. The two dogs were treated better than this girl.
No reason has been made apparent as to why they chose to starve the girl but the husband, Jon Pomeroy, did say "I was aware that my wife was frustrated by my daughter during this period." This isn't frustration -- this is downright grotesque torture. The police discovered the girl last summer, but it wasn't until last week that they had their day in court. Jon pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal mistreatment, which carries a maximum of three years in jail. The woman, on the other hand, pleaded guilty this past Friday for the same charge except on an "Alfrod Plea", which means that while she isn't admitting guilt, she recognizes that there is enough evidence for a jury to likely convict her.
The fact that she isn't admitting any wrongdoing is downright ridiculous. The fact that she can only spend a maximum of 41 months in prison for what a Sheriff detective described as the worst case of abuse he's ever seen is laughable. If it were up to me, I would only accept her 41 months in jail as a sentence if she had to live under the same conditions she forced upon her daughter - served only a dixie cup of water a day. But until I'm made High Court Sentencer for All the Land, I can only express disgust when I look at her picture and see a woman wearing an expression that says to me that she hasn't done any wrong, along with her worthless human being of a husband holding her hand in an apparently show of support.
Case 2: Philip Garrido
You heard of Philip Garrido? He's the guy that kidnapped a ten year old girl in 1991, brought her back to his home 170 miles away, forced her to live in his backyard for eighteen years, raped her throughout that time, and raised the two girls he had with her as his daughters. Did I mention that he went to jail in 1977 with a 50 year sentence for another kidnapping and rape? Forgot one more tidbit of info: there may be human bones buried outside his house. Many questions have been raised about how he was eligible to be released early from jail for such a heinous crime, how a registered sex offender could of had children with him without questions from parole officers, as well as how he could have logistically kept a human being hidden away in his backyard for eighteen years. You can read more about the details at various news outlets, but the most revealing part of this whole thing came when it was reported that you could see the tents in his backyard in Google Maps.
As someone who looks at orthophotos every day at work, I thought at least seeing the compound would answer some questions as to how neighbors weren't apprised of this guy's actions for so long. I had assumed that he had lived in out in the wilderness with a sprawling heavily forest backyard with no neighbors within miles. What I saw was something that could have been in the next block over.
It looks like a common residential neighborhood. Fenced yards and one to two story houses off of smaller side streets. Take a closer look:
Imagine how hard it would be to keep someone in a series of tents for eighteen years. How many times do you think that one of Garrido's neighbors was within fifteen feet of this girl? How creepy is it that we can pan over Google Maps and potentially never realize that hiding right there in front of our faces is some sick and twisted person's home? You think your neighbor is setting up tents for storage or camping or something, but surprise! He's really holding a little girl against her will.
Philip Garrido and his wife (oh yes, did I forget to mention that he was married?) both pleaded not guilty two weeks ago on over two dozen charges brought against them. I wonder how that's going to turn out.
Case 3: George Sodini
The gunman that shot up a L.A. Fitness outside Pittsburgh last month was a loser. That's not pure conjecture on my part, not formulated by the fact that he shot up a room full of defenseless people before turning the gun on himself. I've come to this conclusion because I read through his blog entries, where he detailed out the general unhappiness of his life and his inability to get women. There's something eerily interesting about reading a man's thoughts leading up to such a radical event, but it goes to show you that some people just aren't wired right.
The actual blog website has since been taken down, but you can find transcripts (complete online, or edited at news agencies) with a simple Google search. The creepiest one might be this one:
That this information is up and available is nothing short of amazing to me. We don't have to speculate on the whys or hows, don't have to interview friends or coworkers to find out his state of mind, don't have any questions that need to be asked. It's all right there. It's just too bad no one read through any of it before he went out that August morning.
So who are these people? How are they able to do the things they do? In the first two cases, how can other people stand by and let these things happen? It really does disturb me that you just don't know about people. We don't look each other in the eye anymore. We don't say "hi" in the streets, we just avert our eyes and keep on walking. We can think people are creepy or weird, but we never know how right (or wrong) we may be. Am I wrong for thinking there should be harsher punishments for crime? Am I wrong for thinking that traditional jail is too easy for some people? Or is it just that we as people really are on a downward spiral, and have been for some time? I've always tried to look for the positives, the good things that come out of bad situations. But then stories like these cross the newspapers, and it really makes me wonder about our future.
Edit: Garrido has a blog as well... but it doesn't make any sense. He claimed God spoke to him through a box, and I think some of that is what he wrote up.
Information and Images taken from The Seattle Times & Google Maps
In this wired world we no longer just hear about the atrocities committed against our fellow man, but have an opportunity to look into these monster's sick and twisted minds. Not long ago, all we had were simple news report or if gruesome enough an investigative special, followed by an eventual book or made for TV movie. Today, technology allows us to do much more -- for better or worse.
Case 1: Rebecca Long
Rebecca Long deprived her daughter of one of the most essential human needs: water. When police found the 14-year old girl she was 4'7" tall and weighed just 48 pounds. Her dehydration was so severe that her teeth were rotting. Her mom limited her to just six ounces of water a day. That's less than half a bottle of water. The enforcement was so strict that the girl's toothbrush sessions and showers were monitored so she wouldn't sneak a sip. So severe was the dehydration that the girl was once found attempting to drink from the toilet. What could be worse? How about the fact that the father stood by and did nothing while this happened, and that the couple have a son and two dogs that were apparently in good health. The two dogs were treated better than this girl.
No reason has been made apparent as to why they chose to starve the girl but the husband, Jon Pomeroy, did say "I was aware that my wife was frustrated by my daughter during this period." This isn't frustration -- this is downright grotesque torture. The police discovered the girl last summer, but it wasn't until last week that they had their day in court. Jon pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal mistreatment, which carries a maximum of three years in jail. The woman, on the other hand, pleaded guilty this past Friday for the same charge except on an "Alfrod Plea", which means that while she isn't admitting guilt, she recognizes that there is enough evidence for a jury to likely convict her.
The fact that she isn't admitting any wrongdoing is downright ridiculous. The fact that she can only spend a maximum of 41 months in prison for what a Sheriff detective described as the worst case of abuse he's ever seen is laughable. If it were up to me, I would only accept her 41 months in jail as a sentence if she had to live under the same conditions she forced upon her daughter - served only a dixie cup of water a day. But until I'm made High Court Sentencer for All the Land, I can only express disgust when I look at her picture and see a woman wearing an expression that says to me that she hasn't done any wrong, along with her worthless human being of a husband holding her hand in an apparently show of support.Case 2: Philip Garrido
You heard of Philip Garrido? He's the guy that kidnapped a ten year old girl in 1991, brought her back to his home 170 miles away, forced her to live in his backyard for eighteen years, raped her throughout that time, and raised the two girls he had with her as his daughters. Did I mention that he went to jail in 1977 with a 50 year sentence for another kidnapping and rape? Forgot one more tidbit of info: there may be human bones buried outside his house. Many questions have been raised about how he was eligible to be released early from jail for such a heinous crime, how a registered sex offender could of had children with him without questions from parole officers, as well as how he could have logistically kept a human being hidden away in his backyard for eighteen years. You can read more about the details at various news outlets, but the most revealing part of this whole thing came when it was reported that you could see the tents in his backyard in Google Maps.
As someone who looks at orthophotos every day at work, I thought at least seeing the compound would answer some questions as to how neighbors weren't apprised of this guy's actions for so long. I had assumed that he had lived in out in the wilderness with a sprawling heavily forest backyard with no neighbors within miles. What I saw was something that could have been in the next block over.
It looks like a common residential neighborhood. Fenced yards and one to two story houses off of smaller side streets. Take a closer look:
Imagine how hard it would be to keep someone in a series of tents for eighteen years. How many times do you think that one of Garrido's neighbors was within fifteen feet of this girl? How creepy is it that we can pan over Google Maps and potentially never realize that hiding right there in front of our faces is some sick and twisted person's home? You think your neighbor is setting up tents for storage or camping or something, but surprise! He's really holding a little girl against her will.
Philip Garrido and his wife (oh yes, did I forget to mention that he was married?) both pleaded not guilty two weeks ago on over two dozen charges brought against them. I wonder how that's going to turn out.
Case 3: George Sodini
The gunman that shot up a L.A. Fitness outside Pittsburgh last month was a loser. That's not pure conjecture on my part, not formulated by the fact that he shot up a room full of defenseless people before turning the gun on himself. I've come to this conclusion because I read through his blog entries, where he detailed out the general unhappiness of his life and his inability to get women. There's something eerily interesting about reading a man's thoughts leading up to such a radical event, but it goes to show you that some people just aren't wired right.
The actual blog website has since been taken down, but you can find transcripts (complete online, or edited at news agencies) with a simple Google search. The creepiest one might be this one:
January 6, 2009:He was ready to do the deed at the beginning of the year, but it took another eight months to rebuild the courage. What happened between those two times are a bunch of rambling thoughts about his hatred for his family/friends, religious anecdotes, failed attempts at getting women, and general self loathing.
I can do this. Leaving work today, I felt like a zombie – just going thru the motions. Get on the bus, get the car, drive home…..My mind is screwed up anymore, I can’t concentrate at work or think at all.
This log is not detailed. It is only for confidence to do this. The future holds even less than what I have today.
It is 6:40pm, about hour and a half to go. God have mercy. I wish life could be better for all and the crazy world can somehow run smoother. I wish I had answers. Bye.
It is 8:45PM: I chickened out! Shit! I brought the loaded guns, everything. Hell!
That this information is up and available is nothing short of amazing to me. We don't have to speculate on the whys or hows, don't have to interview friends or coworkers to find out his state of mind, don't have any questions that need to be asked. It's all right there. It's just too bad no one read through any of it before he went out that August morning.
So who are these people? How are they able to do the things they do? In the first two cases, how can other people stand by and let these things happen? It really does disturb me that you just don't know about people. We don't look each other in the eye anymore. We don't say "hi" in the streets, we just avert our eyes and keep on walking. We can think people are creepy or weird, but we never know how right (or wrong) we may be. Am I wrong for thinking there should be harsher punishments for crime? Am I wrong for thinking that traditional jail is too easy for some people? Or is it just that we as people really are on a downward spiral, and have been for some time? I've always tried to look for the positives, the good things that come out of bad situations. But then stories like these cross the newspapers, and it really makes me wonder about our future.
Edit: Garrido has a blog as well... but it doesn't make any sense. He claimed God spoke to him through a box, and I think some of that is what he wrote up.
Information and Images taken from The Seattle Times & Google Maps
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