Category: Social Media Crime

This story gets more bizarre with each passing day.

Yesterday, the mother of Scott Shefelbine testified in her son’s bail revocation hearing. Her alibi for her son was that he was at church and not trying to molest a 14-year-old girl. Was church really the best thing she could come up with?

Scott D. Shefelbine was not in West Hartford on the evening of April 19 trying to hook up with a 14-year-old girl, but at Victory Tabernacle Church in Middlefield praying for the Virginia Tech massacre victims, his mother told a Rockville Superior Court judge Wednesday.

Gail Shefelbine’s offer of an alibi for her 32-year-old son, accused of sexually assaulting several teenage girls, came during the second day of a hearing on the state’s effort to send Shefelbine to jail until his trial.

The defense offered a dated church bulletin as evidence of the April 19 visit to Victory Tabernacle.

Gail Shefelbine also said that on May 13 and May 20 she was at church with her son – at St. Thomas the Apostle Roman Catholic Church in West Hartford. Under cross-examination, she acknowledged that she unsuccessfully sought after the fact to obtain a dated church bulletin to offer as proof of the May 13 visit.

The defense Wednesday presented a May 20 church bulletin from St. Thomas and date-stamped photographs of Gail and Scott Shefelbine in front of the church. Gail Shefelbine testified they posed for the shots as further proof they were there May 20.

Shefelbine’s mother also said an elderly nun at the church wrote on the bulletin “Gail and Scott were here.”

The electronic monitor shows that Shefelbine was out of his house from 4:45 to 5:53 p.m. May 20. Gail Shefelbine and Cooney testified that they arrived at the church late and stayed only about a half hour, leaving before communion because as non-Catholics they could not partake.

Leaming wasn’t buying it. “You arrived late, left early and you drove all the way to West Hartford to attend Mass?” Leaming asked. Yes, Gail Shefelbine responded.

Leaming also asked whether “anything on [the May 20 church bulletin] proves you were at that church on that date?” Shefelbine responded that she did not know. When Leaming asked her whether date stamps on a digital photo, such as those of her and her son at the church, could be manipulated, she replied: “I have no idea.”

For those of you who aren’t Catholic, this is an old Catholic trick that most of us did when we were kids. Back in the day when you could send your kids to church alone, my parents would always make me bring back a church bulletin to prove that I was there. So I would go to church, grab a bulletin, and then run off to the mall. It worked on Mom but not Dad, and I sure as hell wouldn’t use it as a defense in criminal proceedings.

His sister’s explanation wasn’t much better.

The girl and her sister have identified Shefelbine in court, but said he looked different in May. They said he didn’t have a beard as he does now.

Cindy Shefelbine, the suspect’s sister, testified on Wednesday that her brother has had a beard for nearly a year. Photos taken in May, just a day or two before the victim said she saw Scott Shefelbine, were shown in court on Wednesday. The pictures depict that he did have a beard.

Channel 3 Eyewitness News reporter Susan Raff reported Cindy Shefelbine appeared agitated when asked about her brother’s whereabouts.

Cindy Shefelbine said her brother was with her at church the day that one of the victims said Scott Shefelbine came to her home. Prosecutors asked whether Cindy Shefelbine felt her brother was being unfairly prosecuted and she said she didn’t know what that meant.

So their best explanations for Shefelbine’s whereabouts are church and a beard. Are you sure it wasn’t the one-armed man? Or maybe Shefelbine was saving babies from burning buildings at the time? Good luck with that.

Proceedings are scheduled for today as well.

Prosecutors Want Shefelbine’s Bond Revoked:

Just a quick update on Scott Shefelbine’s bail revocation hearing. No decision was made yesterday, but one is expected today.

But let’s throw some weaselly lawyer in for good measure.

The most recent victim said she met Shefelbine online and they met in West Hartford Center. After that, she said he went to her home one day and told her he was at his therapist’s office on Prospect Avenue in Hartford and that he decided to walk over.

Shefelbine’s attorney, Jeffery Denner, questioned the meetings, pointing out that the time the girl said Shefelbine was at her house, he was still at a therapy session.

“The evidence speaks for itself and Mr. Shefelbine was not in their houses. If they say he was, they are mistaken,” Denner said.

What about the other bajillion victims? Are they mistaken too?

State Wants Sex Suspect Jailed:

Today a hearing was scheduled to see if the most infamous MySpace predator, at least on this site, Scott Shefelbine would have his bail revoked. You know, since he’s been arrested on the same child sex charges multiple times and been bailed out by his parents every time. I haven’t heard how the hearing went or even if it took place, but this article points out some of Shefelbine’s more extreme behavior.

The warrants for Shefelbine’s arrests paint a picture of a then-31-year-old man portraying himself to teenage girls and their parents as 17 or 19, then pressuring the girls for sex. When the girls would resist, according to the warrants, Shefelbine would grow angry and abusive.

On one occasion, according to a warrant, Shefelbine placed his knee on a girl’s chest, causing pain and making it difficult for her to breathe, until she agreed to have sex. On several occasions, one of the girls told police, Shefelbine would strike her with a bottle until she agreed to have sex.

That sounds pretty much like a rapist to me. I hope to God his bail was revoked because Shefelbine is nothing short of a monster.

Prosecutor asks judge to revoke bail of alleged sex predator:

Finally, someone in the Connecticut legal system has some sense. The assistant state’s attorney handling the case of alleged serial predator Scott Shefelbine is trying to have his bail revoked on the grounds he violated his terms of release. He’s been arrested multiple times for various sex offenses, usually involving MySpace. His parents have paid his bail each time, racking up to a whopping $1.5M.

My only question is, what took you so long?

A judge will rule on the motion on July 10th.