Tonight at 8:00 p.m. EST a two hour docmentary will air on CNN entitled, The Atlanta Child Murders.  I have had the distinct privilege of working with the professionals at CNN for the past year in researching the series of murders that took place in the  Atlanta, Georgia, metropolitan area that, in 1982, culminated in the arrest, trial, and conviction of an unknown black man—Wayne Bertram Williams.

Since 1982 I have called Wayne Williams “my friend.’  He’s this, not because he may or may not be guilty; that he may or may not be a serial murderer; that he may or may not be, as some call him, “A black monster.”  I call Wayne “my friend” because I have come to know him as most never will and have come to see the human side of this particular inmate that very few other have. 

This is a brief recap of my ministry to infamous sadistic serial killer Wayne Bertram Williams.

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In 1982 I was a criminology college professor and departmental chairperson at a large Alabama community college.  I also directed an academic crime laboratory which presented the opportunity to work with prosecutors and criminal defense attorneys in a variety of criminal cases.

I well remember on late afternoon when my secretary informed me that I had a telephone call from an attorney in Atlanta.  What in the world would an Atlanta attorney be calling me, a small time college professor from a small community hardly anyone had ever hear of?

I took this call and my life has never been the same.  Here’s why.

The caller was Atlanta attorney Mary Welcome requesting that I travel to her city to review and give an opinion on an undetermined amount of physical evidence that the State of Georgia had against her client—Wayne Williams.  This was the first time I had ever heard the name.  I had read several newspaper articles concerning the murders of young children in the Atlanta area but William’s name had never been mentioned.

I agreed to drive to Atlanta for a single meeting—one meeting—and left the safety of my academic nest for the Peach State’s capital city.  The trip wasn’t remarkable in any way and didn’t actually take as long as I had anticipated. 

I arrived, found Mrs. Welcome’s office, parked and went inside.  I was met by a young male attorney that introduced himself as being the brother-in-law of a former fraternity brother of mine.  I had suddenly had my very first question answered, “How did you get my name?”

I waited for a very few minutes, just long enough to drink a cup of coffee, and was then ushered into Mrs. Welcome’s average looking office.  So this is what an Atlanta attorney’s office looks like, I remember thinking.

Mrs. Welcome was most gracious and immediately got to the point of my visit.  She had recently be hired by the parents of a young black man that had been arrested by a police task force and accused of having kidnapped and murdered a number of young black children and adults.  Here I hear the name for the second time—Wayne Williams.

I reviewed her “Brady” evidence, gave my opinion, was taken to lunch by Mrs. Welcome and her legal crew and then headed back to Alabama never to return.

This was not to be as I soon received a second telephone call asking that I consider becoming a member of William’s defense team.  Me, a college professor from a small town in Alabama, becoming a member of the criminal defense team of, at that time, the most highly publicized serial murderer in American history?  At the time I didn’t know if this was an opportunity of a lifetime or a curse—I would definitely find out later.

I remember the first time Wayne and I met face-to-face.  It was in the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta.  He didn’t appear to be a criminal as many think a person accused of a crime is suppose to look.  He didn’t have blood dripping from his hands, his eyes didn’t appear as beads, his handshake was strong and firm and he was polite; heck, he wasn’t even foaming at the mouth.

Wayne and I sat down at a small table and began talking.  He ask me questions, the usual ones, and I did the same.  We learned who each other was and, as best we could, came to an agreement as to who we were, what we would be doing for each other, etc.

For whatever reasons Mrs. Welcome soon stepped aside and a Mississippi Attorney, Al Binder, came to Atlanta to assume the role of lead attorney for Williams.  It would be Al Binder that I would sit next to in the courtroom of the Fulton County Courthouse during the nine or so week criminal trial of Wayne Williams. 

To say that my “new position” created an opportunity to see a big time trial from the inside is an understatement.  You can only imagine what it was like; media from throughout the world, even Switzerland;  reporters so thickly standing in front of the courthouse each morning that I was forced to be “delivered” into the courthouse basement by automobile.  Walking from the Atlanta Downtown Hilton had become an impossibility just had eating a quite meal.  No one would leave me alone…not for a moment.

I’m not going to say whether Wayne Williams is guilty or not…I don’t know.  I only know a jury found him to be on February 27, 1982, and he’s presently inmate number 408135 at Hancock State Prison located in Sparta, Georgia. 

Daily, throughout the 1982 trial, I met with Wayne to discuss trial strategy and, when we had time, to just “shoot the bull” about common, ordinary things: football, baseball, music, etc.  My daily lunch ended up being in the “holding cell” at the Fulton County Courthouse where Wayne and I dined on hamburgers, fries and a Coke or two from a nearby MacDonald’s.  The meals were unusual at all, the company, however, certainly was.  I was becoming friends with the most infamous serial killer in American history and I was beginning to like him!

Let me stop here to emphasize that I will not say, nor imply, that I think Wayne Williams is innocent.  He may well be guilty of the close to thirty dastardly murders of which he is accused.   However, I must point out that he was convicted and sentenced for having committed only two of these murders and both of them were of adults not children.

For nine long weeks, seven days per week, I was in Atlanta working with various legal oriented professional who were cast into the role of providing an adequate criminal defense to this infamous sadistic serial murderer merely because he, just as every American, has the constitutional right to such.  Remember, in theory at least, everyone is assumed innocent until proven guilty “beyond a reasonable doubt and to a moral certainly.” 

At the conclusion of tonight’s CNN two hour documentary you will have the opportunity to cast your vote:  guilty, not guilty, or not proven.  You have one vote with three choices and I encourage each of you to take a moment to cast your vote. 

Let me point out from a criminological point of view that Wayne Williams was arrested, charged, tried and convicted of two murders.  But police statistically cleared 22 additional cases, one of which Wayne Williams was not charged.  Therefore, police show a clearance rate of 85.8% in these particular murders attributed to Wayne although they made arrests in only 6.9%.

Equally important is the fact that Wayne was jailed in June of 1981, and the authorities stopped counting and adding names to “The List.”  The Atlanta police-FBI Uniform Crime Reort tabulations show seven (7) unsolved killings of blacks—ages 15 60 25—in Atlanta’s city limits from July through December of 1981 after Wayne Williams was locked up in jail!

When I made this earlier mentioned first trip to Atlanta I had already been teaching criminal justice and criminology for several years during which time I had visited correctional facilities on a regular basis.  My theory is that a student can learn so much from a book but the total learning experience must include a certain amount of “hands on” experience.  This theory allowed students to accompany me when I went to visit the likes of Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy and many others.   The students, no doubt, met Wayne and seemed to like him rather well. 

To make a very long story a bit shorter, from 1964 until present I have regularly gone into correctional facilities in a number of states and, at the suggestion of one of my Liberty University minister friends, narrowed my work to death row inmates and serial killers.   Today I continue to work more with this group than the broader overall prison population although I do, quite regularly, work with inmates serving lesser sentences.

It wasn’t long into my “prison experiences” that I noticed the large recidivism  rate, the percentage of inmates being released only to return to prison.  It didn’t take a Ph.D. to figure out that rehabilitation wasn’t working.

By now I  had experienced the saving grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and was learning that He, through “regeneration,” lowers this above mentioned recidivism rate.  In short, rehabilitation doesn’t work—regenerations does!  Here I invite you to read 2 Cor. 5:17 for the answer as to why.

During my many prison visits I began to interject more and more “Jesus” into my interviews.  I got to the point that I was preaching more than I was researching which goes to show that, yes, God does work in mysterious ways indeed.

You can call it “funny,” “odd,” “peculiar” or whatever adjective suits your desires but I can only call it “God doing His thing.”

The more I told  inmatse about Jesus the more they seemed to become interested.  I point out the importance of the word “seemed” as those of us experienced in ministering to our nation’s prison population well know how inmates will make every attempt and exert every effort to “use” the new guy to get what they want.  I, for sure, experienced my share of being used and, out of necessity, I soon learned to spot it, stop it, and proceed without it.

This article, however, is not about other infamous inmates, it’s about Wayne Williams.  My wife says I’m great at getting “off point” and I think I just did!

Anyway, due to a combination of economics, sociology, psychology , politics and plain hysteria Wayne Williams was convicted and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences and was transported to the Georgia Receiving and Diagnostic facility in Jackson, Georgia.  This is where I next visited with Wayne.

Football, baseball, etc., were our main Jackson topics but there was one more….Jesus!   I was serious about salvation by this time but I wasn’t at all sure that Wayne was.   I had to make sure—this is what Christians are supposed to do you know.

I bought Wayne a Bible but wasn’t allowed to give it to him since it came from the “outside,” therefore I secured one from the institutional chaplain and gave it to him. 

I remember so well that the first verse we read was, as mentioned earlier, 2 Corinthians 5:17 which talked about regeneration, becoming a new person, staring over, etc. 

I liked Wayne—I certainly didn’t agree with what he had been found guilty of having done—but I felt compassion, Christian love and a sense of duty to the guy.

Wayne was receptive to hearing The Word and I diligently “put it to him” in no small doses.   I didn’t do anything but God sure did!   Wayne, after a rather lengthy theological discourse looked at me and said, “Eddie, you believe all this stuff don’t you? You really believe that I can go to heaven when I die.”    Not shocked, but a bit surprised, I answered that I believed it to the point of knowing that a person would go to heaven if certain things took place and that he as much as anyone could gain this assurance to the point of being as sure of heaven as he would be if he were already there. 

Time passed, visits continued, our friendship survived several bouts of disagreement, but God continued to work.  My friends, God won!

It was midday when Wayne prayed the sinners’ prayer.    It was just the three of us; God, Wayne, and me.

The Bible tells us that Christians have differing talents that must be used for His good.  It says, also, that every Christian has one common talent—the talent to witness and that we must witness to all people.   This is not a suggestion, my friend, it is a commandment directly from God Almighty!  For those that just may not understand the word “all,” let me give you Webster’s definition: 

ALL:  The total entity or extent of; the whole number, amount, or quantity; every; any whatsoever; each and everyone.

Remember as well that God didn’t make any junk—not a single piece.  Each one of us was made in the likeness of Him and this includes Wayne Williams.   You might as well grow accustomed to the idea, friends, its God telling you this, not me.  You may disagree and if you do the only thing I can suggest is that you take it up with The Master, after all He wrote it!

I ask you this…..how long has it been since you ministered to a prison inmate or an inmate family member?  The Bible speaks throughout about the necessity of ministering to this particular groups of individuals and I urge you to stop using the Bible as  a Sears-Roebuck catalog and read everything in it including the verses that command us to go into the prisons and minister to these incarcerated souls.

I have invited many so-called Christians over the years to accompany me to prison church services—very few have ever gone.  Their reasons are: “I’d be scared to death”—“I wouldn’t know what to say,” Would they want to talk about their crime,” etc.

Ministry friends, I have been going into prisons from California to New York and I’ve never been threatened, harassed, or hurt by a single inmate.  In fact, just the opposite is true with one exception.   These men and women are just like you and me and, believe me, any of us, under circumstances,  could find ourselves exactly where these people are.   (By the way, the exception was “The Clown Killer,” John Wayne Gacy, who made the single threat upon my life that I have received directly from an inmate).

I must say this about being a prison minister—it’s not easy.   The problem isn’t with the inmates or inmate family member; the problem is with what the inmates refer to as the “free world population.”   This free world population is you and me—those of us who have never committed a crime or, at least, have never been caught!

Sadly, the free world population does seem to look with distain upon us prison ministers and among these looking with distain, the most vocal are our good Christian brothers and sisters.   Yep, you didn’t mis-understand,  our church going, singing in the choir, Amen corner, Sunday go to meeting Christians are the last to support a prison ministry, last to say, “Preacher, you’re doing a great job,” last to contribute toward the purchase of a gallon or two of gasoline and, last but not least, the last to forgive!

In closing I must say that practically all of the more infamous inmates I have ministered to are certainly guilty as charged, there’s no doubt about this.   Nevertheless, in the scheme of theology and Christian witnessing this does not matter and should be of no concern to your witnessing potential. 

Listen people, if we got what we deserve we would all go to hell….every single one of us without exception.   It’s only by the grace of God, the death of His Son Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary, that we have a choice between spending eternity in a beautiful place called heaven or an eternity in a literal place of fire called hell. 

You have these two choices for your eternal future, I have these choices and, accept it whether you like it or not, every inmate in every prison does as well. 

Is Wayne Williams going to heaven when he dies—-yes!    Am I sure that he will—absolutely.   How do I know?   I know because I believe in God, I believe in His Son Jesus Christ, I believe in the death, burial, and resurrection.   I believe that every letter of every word of every verse of every book in the Holy Bible is the literal truth and Word of God without exception.

Finally, I encourage you to watch tonight’s CNN presentation, The Atlanta Child Murders, and decide for yourself whether you believe that Wayne Williams is guilty of killing almost thirty black children and young adults or not.  Don’t forget to vote at the conclusion of the documentary.  I understand you will have an hour following the ending of the broadcast to cast your vote.

Also, the broadcast times have changed a bit due to the oil spill.  Here are the new times:

Initial CNN airing:  8:00 p.m. EDT

Re-airing:  10:00 p.m. EDT This documentary

This documentary will be re-broadcast several additional times over the following week and you can get these times by visiting my criminology web-site at: www.criminologyresearch.org

Bible References

Prisons

Judg. 16:21

Ps. 142:7

Matt. 14:10

Acts 5:19

Acts 16:27

1 Kings 22:27

Rev. 18:2

Prisoner

Ps. 102:20

Ps. 146:7

Matt. 27:15

Rom. 7:23

Eph. 3:1

2 Tim. 1:8

Dr. Edward Blackwelder

Executive Director

Criminology Research Project, Inc & Liberty Chaplain Ministries

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Toward the end of the documentary each viewer will be given the opportunity to cast a vote.  The choices will be: guilty, not guilty, or not proven.  The voting will be open for an hour following the ending of the broadcast.  I urge each of you to cast your vote as it will be interesting to see the results.

I thank CNN Senior Producer James Polk for giving me the opportunity to work with him and his team of professionals in bring this particular case back into the lime light.  It’s a case that continues to be controversial in that many believe that others were involved in the kidnapping and murders of many of the children in the Atlanta metropolitan area during the late ’70’s and early ’80’s.

Remember, too, that Williams was convicted of only two of the murders and these convictions were of adults, not children.

Is there one or more copy cat serial killers among society, never to have been apprehended?  This detailed two  hour documentary should help the viewed decide.

My thanks, once again, to Pulitizer prizer winner, James Polk, for an outstanding job.  Jim does what he does really great and all of media should be proud to call him one of theirs.

Dr. Edward Blackwelder

Executive Director

Van der Sloot was apparently without funds therefore he demanded money from Miss Holloway’s family to the tune of $250,000 and actually received $15,000.  This $15,000 was used by van der Sloot to travel to Peru where evidence indicates he killed Stephany Flores who met the Dutchman while playing poker at a casino.

The very man that killed Natalee Holloway traveled to his next known criminal spree on Holloway funds!

So many times individuals, especially those in a desperate situation, will illogically contribute to the criminal spree of an derranged person by giving them money therefore this is no surprise.  It’s sad, so sad, but not without precedent.

This comes at no surprise as Miss Holloway’s family is groping for anything that casts the slightest possibility of a safe return of their daughter.  Rational thinking and judgment doesn’t plug into the formula in cases such as this.

Criminology Research Project, Inc., urges anyone that receives a demand such as this to do two things: 1. Don’t provide the funds and, 2. contact the FBI immediately.

Now Miss Holloway’s family is out $15,000, Natalee remains missing and another young lady is dead.

The best that can be hoped for is civil action to recover the lost funds, which, under the circumstances is unimportant, and to never give up hope.  Hope is the only thing Miss Holloway’s family have at the moment.

Plus, its interesting to note that we now know that there were legal routes that could and should have been taken advantage of that, for whatever reason, weren’t.  What a shame and what a blight on our criminal justice system.

This is, more than likely, going to be a long, drawnout case and, in my opioion we have only seen the tip of the iceberg.  We can only hope and pray, yes pray, that criminal justice officials in Peru, Chile, and Aruba.  With in inbreeding apparent within these “professional” organizations it’s highly unlikely that anyone’s going to be satisfied when the story crosses the finish line.

To the Holloway family I say only that you shouldn’t feel guilt for having funded van der Sloot’s latest crime spree.  You were, afterall, merely grasping for straws in an ongong effort to locate and bring back your daughter.

I seriously doubt that Natalee and Stephany are the only two victims of van der Sloot but there’s no evidence to say that is is correct.  Knowing and believing is not proving.  Proof and only proof is all that counts.  Plus, of course, it would be nice to know that there are unbiased, professional, and knowledgable investigators doing due diligence.  For the latter—I wonder.

My prayer is that justice will prevail but I seriously doubt it will bring any significant degree of closure.  If is justice does prevail it won’t bring Natalee back to Alabama nor will it bring life back to Stephany Flores.

Finally, as for justice, I understand that in the almost certain event van der Sloot is tried and convicted his sentence is likely to be no more than thirty five years in prison!

Dr. Edward Blackwelder

Executive Director

It’s too early to classify him a serial murderer since the death of Natalee Holloway cannot be proven.  She could be alive although the statistical probability is minute.  Common sense tells us the Mountain Brook High School senior is dead but then we must remember that common sense doesn’t make probable cause.

Plus, I would be less than professional if I didn’t point out that van der Sloot has not been tried and is, therefore, afforded the assumption of innocece.  This is not what any of us believe or want to hear but it’s a must.

However, I have now gone as far as to brand this Dutchman a sadistic sexual preditor and am holding the serial killer cand in my hand.  I have a feeling I will play it shortly.

The legal system being what it is, ahtough I don’t know the ins and outs of the system in either Peru, Aruba, or Chile, my prediction is that “this one” won’t slip through the cracks.

Van der Sloot’s luck as run out and he is, in my opinion, going down for the count.

I dare not forget to mention that in addition to his many criminal problems, van der Sloot is piling up civil charges as well.  In Alabama he has a “extortion” problem in that he apparently may have staged his attempted getaway using funds raised through extortion.  The seeming fact is that he attempted to bribe the Holloway family out of $250,000 in return for revealing the location of Miss Holloway’s body and describing how she died.  It’s my understanding that $15,000 was actually transferred into a Dutch bank account in van der Sloot’s name on May 10th which, if my math serves me correctly, was four days before he arrived in Peru.

The criminal “signature” is becoming stronger and stronger.  It’s time now to call him what he appears to be, a serial sadistic sexual preditor.   Therefore to the entire world Criminology Research Project, Inc., officially stamps Joran van dr Sloot a serial sadistic sexual preditor.  Okay, those of you than want to come after me—come on!

Dr. Edward Blackwelder

Executive Director

For starters we know there exists two cases involving this young man that have similar “signatures.”  The first that we know of is that of missing Mountain Brook, Alabama, teenager Natalee Holloway in 2005.  The second most recently know case is that of the 21 year-old lima woman, Stephany Flores, who van der Sloot met met, according to police, while playing poker at a Peru casino.

In the criminal profile business we look for similarities between three or more crimes, not all of which must be murders.  I will admit that, so far, there are only two, not three, similar incidences but the evidence is mounting at a rapid pace.

The May 30, 2005, incident involving Natalee Holloway comes exactly five years to the day before the killing of Miss Flores which, within itself is somewhat of a “signature.”  I will admit that five years between the first and second is a rather longer than usual period of time but then, again, we are drawing a conclusion based on cases we know about.  There are probably similar cases involving this young Dutchman that we don’t know about…I will almost “bet the farm” that there are.

You may be asking, “What are these similarities?”  For starters, both young girls are known to have been in the company of van der Sloot.  Also, both Miss Holloway and Miss Gamboa went with van der Sloot, from a public to a private location.   Adding to our “duck theory” is the fact that both victims were female and students.

I’m not prepared just yet to brand Van der Sloot “serial: but I’m close.  Generally, criminology and criminal justice professionals prefer to have a minimum of three “signature” cases before applying the term to an individual but, for the same of common sense, I’ll do it now.  My “gut feeling” is that there are more cases we have yet to become aware.

The young Dutchman seems, for the time being, to have gotten away with his “whatever” with Miss Holloway but, again, the Fat Lady has not sung on this first know case quite yet.  I feeling is that more and more evidence will surface connecting Van der Sloot to Miss Holloway’s disappearance.  I don’t know this to be a fact to to actually come out and say that that I do would be misleading.

I do tend to believe that certain circumstances, political in nature, kept Van der Sloot from being arrested in a timely fashion for the Holloway disappearance but in the case of Miss Flores I doubt politics will protect him in this case.  It certainly appears that this is the case.

Individuals tend to have an urge, let’s call it a need, to brag about their criminal ventures; Van der Sloot did just this relative to Miss Hollowayby admiting that he had killer her.  He has now admitted that he killed this second known victim in Peru.  He then, in both cases, retracts his “I did it” statements which is, again, somewhat of a “signature.”  To admit and then deny is seen very often just as it was in the case of the murder for hire of Dr. Jack Wilson in his Huntsville, Alabama, home by James Dennison White.  White actually confessed, then denied a number of times.

Van der Sloot’s problem is that vander Sloot was specific in he statements.  He, in fact, said, “I did not want to do it.  The girl intructe into my private life.  She had no right.  She was scared, we argued, she tried to escapt and I grabber her by the neck kand hit her.”  This statement, whether, later contradicted by the Dutchman or not is backed by video footabel of the two entering his hotel room in the early hours of Saturday, May 30th.  Van del Sloot left four hour later after he had paid the hotel in advance for another two weeks’ stay and made a request that hotel workers not go into the room.  He then paid a cab driver something like $600 to drive him to Chile. 

Human nature, as odd as it may be, says that guilty persons talk about their crimes.  But, then again innocent persons confess to crimes they didn’t commit on a regular basis especially in high profile cases.  The Atlanta Child Murder cases brought over 1,000 confessions alone all of which came from those within the “lunatic fringe.”  This is why a confession along is not enough for a conviction.  Simply put, people confess to crimes they don’t commit!  This trick, however, is not now available to van der Sloot—it’s the video!

In van der Sloot’s case, however, this evidence supporst his so-called confession and, believe me, this won’t be ignored by justice officials.  He may be, and is, in another country but the budding signature follows.  There are, afterall, ducks in every country and the same duck is known to travel interjurisdictional.

Having said all of this, what happens now?  I’m no mind reader but it’s my prediction that van der Sloot will “go down” on this one and other similar cases will surface.  This time the young Dutchman is “in the sights” of the criminal justice system and these professional dare not allow him to escape where he was, what he did, and how he did it.  Politics being what it is will most definitely prevent this.

We must move slowly, wait a time with patience, but my prediction is that there are other similar crimes that will be attributed to van der Sloot before this investigation is over.  The investigation(s) are no where close to termination, in fact, they have only begun.

I don’t always agree with my counterparts within the criminal justice system and don’t hesitate to say it when I feel it to be the truth.  However, in the cases involving Joran van der Sloot, it’s my prediction that there’s more to come and we have, in fact, only seen the tip of the iceberg.

We don’t know where Miss Holloway’s body is, or shall I say that ‘publically” we don’t.  A common practice is to retain a certain amount of evidence from media to maintain the ability to sort out the absessed that are innocent but who “need” to confess from the actual perpertrators.  I’m not connected to either of the cases at hand personally or professionaly but I’ve been around long enough to konow there’s more evidence than is know to the general public.

Joran van der Sloot is in Peru custody this time, not that of Aruba, and the cards are not stacked in his favor this time.  He’s currently at police headquarters being questioned in the death of the 21 year old Miss Jose Gamboa and this is where he is likely to remain.”

The signatures,  unique criminal patterns, don’t change very often from serial to serial and they haven’t with the Dutchman.  This is not to say that such has never been the case but it’s extremely rare.  It’s certainly a statistical probability that van der Sloot hasn’t make such a change—he’s just not this smart.

Is van det Sloot a serial murderer?  Well, he’s a serial sexual preditor for sure and could be a serial murderer no doubt.  Again, it a “wait a time with patience” situation one that is sure to bring about additional similar cases in the not to distant future.

I’m not in a position to classify anyone as anything on an official basis but I am willing to go as far as say that the officials have their man in both the Holloway and Flores cases.

Finally, van der Sloot, this time arund, is being represented by state-appointed attorneys which, within itself, speaks volumes.  Van det Sloot’s time has come…he will be convicted…and for what little consolation there can be for the victim’s families he will be dealt with appropriately.

This defendant is far from being out of the woods in fact, he’s just getting started witin the system.  As for how long his crime spree has been in existence, who knows?  My prediction is that he been doing his dasterdly deeds for quite a while the spread of five years between the first and second is too long an interval to be realistic.

We’ll all keep watching and Criminology Research Project, Inc., will keep reporting.  Stay tuned!

Dr. Edward Blackwlder

Executive Director

I can tell you now that CNN did a great job of investigating and will be presenting a totally balanced presentation.  The evidence will speak for itself and you can then draw your own conclusion as to the truth.

It has been a distinct pleasure working with the fine professionals at CNN, especially Senior Producer Jim Polk.  I have the highest respect for Jim and his dedicated staff.  Jim put in many a long day on this documentary and I encourage you to be in front of your televison with your VCR on “record.” 

CNN will re-broadcast this documentary several times so I hope you’ll be able to catch one of them.  Here are the times:

First showing: Thursday, June 10th, 8:00 P.M. CDT

Repeat Broadcasts

June 12th & 13th:  7:00 P.M; 10:00 P.M.; 1:00 A.M. 

It will air a total of seven times during this period therefore everyone should be able to “tune in” during one of the broadcasts.  Also, a CD can be purchaed from the CNN Store by going online to CNN.com and clicking on CNN Store at the very bottom of the home page.

SIGN PETITION

 The Testimony The Prosecutors Didn’t Let The Jury Hear (From Their Own Expert Witness)

MILITARY PROSECUTORS WITHHOLD EVIDENCE; ARMY RANGER GOES TO PRISON FOR 25 YEARS (recently reduced to 15 years) FOR SHOOTING AL QAEDA OPERATIVE

The Story

Michael Behenna

On March 20^th, 2009, Army Ranger 1^st Lieutenant Michael Behenna was sentenced to 25 years in prison for killing Ali Mansur, a known Al Qaeda operative while serving in Iraq.  Mansur was known to be a member of an Al Qaeda cell operating in the lieutenant’s area of operation and was suspected to have organized an attack on Lt. Behenna’s platoon in April 2008 which killed two U.S. soldiers and injured two more. Army intelligence ordered the release of Mansur and Lt. Behenna was ordered to return the terrorist to his home.

During the return of Mansur, Lt. Behenna again questioned the Al Qaeda member for information about other members of the terrorist cell, and financial supporters. During this interrogation, Mansur attacked Lt. Behenna, who killed the terrorist in self-defense. The government subsequently prosecuted Lt. Behenna for premeditated murder.

Not only is this a miscarriage of justice on the behalf of Lt. Behenna, who was acting to prevent further loss of life in his platoon, it is demoralizing to the U.S. troops who continue to fight on behalf of the freedom and security of our nation. Whether it is U.S. border patrol agents, members of the armed forces, or FBI agents, no individual who is serving on the frontlines in the War on Terror should be so blatantly mistreated.

We urgently need your help to correct this terrible wrong against a loyal and faithful soldier. Please contact your congressman and ask them to intervene on behalf of 1LT Behenna. Below is a brief recap of the relevant aspects of Lt. Behenna’s case.

• September 2007: 1^st Lieutenant Michael Behenna deployed to Iraq for his first combat experience
• April 21, 2008: Lt. Behenna’s platoon was attacked by Al Qaeda operatives. The attack resulted in death of two of Lt. Behenna’s platoon members, two Iraqi citizens, and wounded two additional soldiers under Lt. Behenna’s command.
• May 5, 2008: Known terrorist Ali Mansur was detained at his home for suspected involvement in the attack on Lt. Behenna’s platoon
• May 16, 2008: Army Intelligence orders the release of Mansur
• Lt. Behenna, who lost two members of his platoon just weeks earlier, was ordered to transport Mansur back to his home
• Lt. Behenna attempts a final interrogation of Mansur prior to his release
• During the interrogation, Behenna is attacked by Mansur and is forced to defend himself. During the altercation, the terrorist is killed.
• Lt. Behenna failed to properly report the incident
• July 2008: The U.S. Army charges Lt. Behenna with premeditated murder for the death of Al Qaeda operative and terrorist Ali Mansur.
• February 23, 2009: Lt. Behenna’s trial begins
• Government and defense experts agree on the trajectory of the bullets killing Mansur
• Prosecution expert Dr. Herbert MacDonnell initiated contact with defense attorneys explaining his agreement with the testimony of Lt. Behenna and his presentation to prosecutors supporting Lt. Behenna’s version of events.
• Dr. MacDonnell is not called to testify in the case and instead is sent home.  Just before leaving the courthouse he picks up his coat from the prosecution room and says to the three prosecutors (Megan Poirier, Jason Elbert, and Erwin Roberts), ‘The explanation that Lt Behenna just testified to was the exact same scenario I told you yesterday.  Lt Behenna is telling the truth.’
• Jack Zimmermann, defense counsel, asks prosecutors if they have any exculpatory evidence that should be provided to the defense (referring to Dr. MacDonnell’s demonstration). Prosecutors deny having any such evidence despite having been told by their own expert witness that Lt Behenna’s explanation was the only logical explanation.
• Prosecutors withholding of this evidence allowed them to argue that Lt. Behenna executed Ali Mansur while seated when the forensic experts, including Dr. MacDonnell, agree that Ali was standing with his arms outstretched when shot
• Lt. Behenna is convicted of unpremeditated murder and assault by a military panel of seven officers, none of whom had combat experience.
• Dr. MacDonnell contacts prosecution requesting that the information provided in his demonstration be given to the defense.
• Prosecutors provide such information after a verdict was rendered, but prior to sentencing.
• At the request of the presiding judge, Dr. MacDonnell provides his information to the court via telephone
• The judge orders both sides in the case to file briefs relating to a possible mistrial
• After reading the briefs the judge set an additional hearing and ordered additional briefs, including one from the defense requesting a new trial.
• On March 20, the judge denied defense motions to declare a mistrial and to order a new trial
• Lt. Behenna was paraded in handcuffs through the Nashville airport, the Milwaukee airport, and the Kansas City airport enroute to Fort Leavenworth Prison
• Lt. Behenna’s attorneys are appealing the verdict
• Lt. Behenna is currently serving a 15-year sentence  (the 25 year sentence was reduced five years by the commanding general of 101st Airborne and reduced another five years by the Army Clemency Board.  The earliest he would be eligible for parole is after serving a third of his sentence.  Without parole or a new trial Lt. Behenna will get out of prison for the shooting an Al Qaeda terrorist in self defense when he is 40 years old.

1^st Lieutenant Michael Behenna was an excellent officer. He received his call to serve his country while attending the University of Central Oklahoma. He is from a family of public servants, his mother being an Assistant United States Attorney and his father a retired Special Agent with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. He has served the Army and the United States with honor and dignity. To sacrifice the life of this Oklahoma soldier over the death of a known terrorist, is a breech of faith with all who are serving our country.

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We need your support now more than ever.  The government has unlimited resources and has spent accordingly.  1LT Behenna and his family hired civilian counsel,  Houston lawyers Jack B. Zimmermann and Kyle R. Sampson, at their own expense.   This Legal Defense Fund has been established for the sole purpose of helping ensure that 1LT Behenna has meaningful access to experienced legal defense counsel in the military prosecution.  The value of having experience in a case like this became very obvious when the issue of evidence withheld by the prosecution was discovered.  All donations to this Fund will be used exclusively for attorney fees and expenses associated with this legal defense and will be maintained in an independently administered trust account.  Funds will not be distributed directly to 1LT Behenna.

If you are able to help defray these costs, please send contributions to the:

1LT Michael Behenna Legal Defense Fund
c/o Jack Dawson, co-trustee
100 Park Avenue, Second Floor
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102-8099

or Rachel Lawrence Mor, co-trustee
3037 N.W. 63rd Street, Suite 251
Oklahoma City Oklahoma 73116

Please read our Legal Disclosure before donating. Thank you for assisting Lt. Michael Behenna.

In fact, the FBI was only occasionally involved in investigating the possibility of UFOs and extraterrestrials over the years. The first Bureau investigations we are aware of began in the summer of 1947—the time of the now well-known incident in Roswell, New Mexico. A rash of reports of flying objects—some shaped like “flapjacks,” saucers, discs, and even a large circular saw blade that supposedly hit a lightning rod on top of a church—started to surface and make headlines across the nation.

Concerned citizens reported many of these strange sightings to the FBI. That wasn’t surprising, given that the Bureau had investigated airline crashes such as the Hindenburg disaster in 1937 and aerial dangers like the balloon bombs launched by Japan toward the U.S. Pacific Northwest near the end of World War II. The FBI’s lead role in protecting the homeland during the war was also well known, and the Bureau remained front and center in ensuring national security as the Cold War began to unfold.

Initially, it was not clear how UFO sightings should be handled. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover recognized that the Air Force—then part of the U.S. Army—clearly had the lead in such issues, but he did want his agents to investigate any “discs” recovered for their potential impact on FBI responsibilities.

The Army did want the FBI’s help—at least at first. On July 30, 1947, the Bureau issued this notice to all of its offices:

(B) Flying Discs – The Bureau, at the request of the Army Air Forces Intelligence, has agreed to cooperate in the investigation of flying discs….You should investigate each instance which is brought to your attention of a sighting of a flying disc in order to ascertain whether or not it is a bona fide sighting, an imaginary one or a prank.

Three years later, that policy changed. A July 1950 FBI statement said that “the jurisdiction and responsibility for investigating flying saucers have been assumed by the United States Air Force. Information received in this matter is immediately turned over to the Air Force, and the FBI does not attempt to investigate these reports or evaluate the information furnished.”

From this point, the FBI’s cases on UFOs dropped off dramatically. Neither the public nor the Air Force sought our expertise as they had during the first few years of the Cold War.

There were a few exceptions. In 1977, for example, the Air Force informed us of the end of their “Project Blue Book” investigation of UFO reports. And in 1988, we were asked to look into the release of what appeared to be a 1952 classified document concerning a UFO-related top secret government group called “Majestic 12”—we determined that the document was a fake.

To learn more, see the investigations of “Unusual Phenomena” in our Freedom of Information Act Reading Room.

Resources:
- FBI History website ]]> http://criminologyresearch.org/blog/2010/04/unidentified-flying-objects/feed/ 0 http://criminologyresearch.org/blog/2010/03/liberty-chaplain-ministries-experiences-rapid-growth/ http://criminologyresearch.org/blog/2010/03/liberty-chaplain-ministries-experiences-rapid-growth/#comments Tue, 30 Mar 2010 21:30:17 +0000 Blackwelder http://criminologyresearch.org/blog/?p=274 Liberty Chaplain Ministries is experiencing rapid growth as a companion non-profit church organization headed by Dr. Edward Blackwelder, Director of Criminology Research Project, Inc. 

Liberty Chaplain Ministries has several unique ministires some of which are aimed to ministering to the prison inmate population in our nation.  Dr. Blackwelder reports that a tremendous number of individuals are contacting LCM offices requesting to be added to the “Devotional With Dr. Edward Blackwelder” that is available, on-line, each morning Monday – Friday. 

Dr. Blackwelder is a credentialed Pastoral Counselor and is in demand for one-on-one Christian counseling, not only for inmate family members but people living in various communities who, until now, have been almost totally un-churched.

Anyone wishing to receive Devotional with Dr. Edward Blackwelder should send an email request to: LibertyChaplain@aol.com.  You will receive, not only the daily devotional, but also an update on various spiritual offerings made available by Liberty Chaplain Ministries.

Pastoral Counseling is available to anyone, at no charge, upon request.  You may contact Liberty Chaplain Ministries for an appointment by calling (256) 447-0040.  The ministry phones are answered by voice mail and/or an answering service therefore be prepared to leave your brief message and contact information.  Someone from the Liberty Chaplain Ministries staff will return your call.

Prayer requests can be emailed to Liberty Chaplain Ministries at LCMPrayerRequest@aol.com.  A team of LCM “Prayer Warriors” brings each request before our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ several times per day.  These “Prayer Warriors” are located across the nation and around the world and are faithful volunteers of Liberty Chaplain Ministries.

Visit the ministry offerings of Liberty Chaplain Ministries at its web-site:  www.libertychaplainministries.org 

Public corruption is a breach of trust by federal, state, or local officials—often with the help of private sector accomplices. It’s also the FBI’s top criminal investigative priority. To explain why the Bureau takes public corruption so seriously and how we investigate, we talked with Special Agent Patrick Bohrer, assistant section chief of our Public Corruption/Civil Rights program at FBI Headquarters.

Question: Why is public corruption so high on the FBI’s list of investigative priorities?
Answer: Because of its impact. Corrupt public officials undermine our country’s national security, our overall safety, the public trust, and confidence in the U.S. government, wasting billions of dollars along the way. This corruption can tarnish virtually every aspect of society. For example, a border official might take a bribe, knowingly or unknowingly letting in a truck containing weapons of mass destruction. Or corrupt state legislators could cast deciding votes on a bill providing funding or other benefits to a company for the wrong reasons. Or at the local level, a building inspector might be paid to overlook some bad wiring, which could cause a deadly fire down the road.

Q: Can you describe the kinds of public corruption that the FBI investigates?
A: It really runs the gamut. Bribery is the most common. But there’s also extortion, embezzlement, racketeering, kickbacks, and money laundering, as well as wire, mail, bank, and tax fraud. Right now, based on our intelligence on emerging trends, we are focused specifically on several major issues: corruption along our national borders; corrupt officials who take advantage of natural disasters or economic crises to divert some of the government’s aid into their own pockets; and a myriad of officials who may personally benefit from the economic stimulus funding.

Q: Where do you find this corruption?
A: Just about everywhere—at the federal, state, and local levels throughout the country. And I should point out, the vast majority of our country’s public officials are honest and work hard to improve the lives of the American people. But a small number make decisions for the wrong reasons—usually, to line their own pockets or those of friends and family. These people can be found—and have been found—in legislatures, courts, city halls, law enforcement departments, school and zoning boards, government agencies of all kinds (including those that regulate elections and transportation), and even companies that do business with government.

Q: How does the FBI investigate public corruption?
A: We’re in a unique position to investigate allegations of public corruption. Our lawful use of sophisticated investigative tools and methods—like undercover operations, court-authorized electronic surveillance, and informants—often gives us a front-row seat to witness the actual exchange of bribe money or a backroom handshake that seals an illegal deal…and enough evidence to send the culprits to prison. But we have plenty of help. We often work in conjunction with the inspector general offices from various federal agencies, as well as with our state and local partners. And we depend greatly on assistance from the public. So let me end by saying, if anyone out there has any information about potential wrongdoing by a public official, please submit a tip online or contact your local FBI field office. Your help really makes a difference.

Resources ]]> http://criminologyresearch.org/blog/2010/03/public-corruption-federal-bureau-of-investigation-criminal-priority/feed/ 0