TheTrenchcoat Chronicles

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  • Zarate trial begins

    Murdered teen’s mom recalls frantic search for daughter:

    Over three years and three months since the murder of 16-year-old Jennifer Parks the trial of Jonathan Zarate finally got underway in New Jersey today.

    Testimony started off with Jennifer’s mother, Laurie Parks, recalling for the jury the frantic search for Jennifer.

    For those of you just joining us it’s ‘alleged’ that the Parks’ neighbor, Jonathan Zarate stabbed Jennifer Parks to death after inviting her over for some late night TV. Zarate then ‘allegedly’ dismembered her body, hid it in a steamer trunk, hid the trunk inside of a Jeep for 24 hours, then tried dumping her body into the Passaic River.

    As a witness, Laurie Parks helped establish what the prosecution claims was the motive: she explained that she pressured the Randolph school board to get Zarate’s younger brother, James, moved out of Jennifer’s seventh grade classes because he cruelly mocked her.

    More on the trial as details become available.

  • It’s just a scam to the left

    Reader Brian sent in this picture of a $3850 fake scammer check made out to everyone’s favorite character from The Rocky Horror Picture Show for a $500 cat-pee stained couch.

    check1

    Brian, you actually do win at the internets.

  • Desperate Neb. Mom threatens kid with safe haven

    Desperate Mom: I May Use Safe Haven For My Son:

    I apologize for being behind on the news. This article came out Thursday and it talks about a Nebraska mother who was so desperate with what to do with her 13-year-old son that she was thinking about dropping him off at a safe haven.

    In the article, the woman states that her son beat up a handicapped student, steals, smokes pot, beats up siblings, and could possibly be sexually assaulting another child.

    Personally, I think that this kid has gone beyond safe haven and needs a stay at least in juvenile correction. But let me ask you the reader, do you think this woman dropped the ball somewhere along the line and what should she do?

  • The Master wishes you a Metal Xmas

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCJRq3Y9Seo&hl=en_US&fs=1&&w=480&h=385]

    All hail his name. m/

  • Are Vaccinations Causing Early Alzheimer’s Disease?

    Link

    How about no?

    So do you anti-vaccine fear mongers admit that you lost the battle over Autism and now you’re claiming Alzheimer’s?

    I’m usually not one to laud celebrities but Amanda Peet was right. You people are parasites.

  • Lori Drew trial Days 2 and 3

    More highlights from the Lori Drew trial.

    Drew’s former hairdresser, Christina Chu, testified that Drew considered the harassment of Megan Meier ‘a funny story’. Chu even admonished Drew for what she was doing. When Chu asked why Drew wasn’t going to Megan’s wake Drew reportedly said: “It’s not like I pulled the trigger.”

    Ashely Grills testified that when Drew learned of Megan’s death that Drew said to her “`We could have pushed her overboard because she was suicidal and depressed.’” Ya think?

    And when Grills expressed her concerns to Drew about getting in trouble Drew dismissed it saying “It was fine and people do it all the time.”

    MySpace executive Jae Sung basically testified that you have to check a box that shows you accept MySpace’s TOS. You think that would be a stupid thing to testify about but not everyone out in the non-internet world knows this.

    Also, an FBI agent testified that Drew deleted files from her computer on the day of Megan’s suicide but they couldn’t tell what the files contained.

    The prosecution rested and the defense made a motion for dismissal claiming that the prosecution did not prove Drew committed a crime. The Judge did not reject the motion and will rule on the dismissal on Monday.

    Drew’s daughter Sara testified that Lori Drew told Ashley Grills to delete the fake MySpace two weeks before Megan committed suicide.

  • Post trial WM3 confession

    Tape with post-trial confession played in court:

    In their appeal to get a new trial the post-trial confession of Jessie Misskelley was played in court.

    On the audiotape, Misskelley said he, Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin were drinking alcohol next to a ditch when the boys approached. He said Echols grabbed 1 of the boys and started hitting him and that, within moments, Misskelley and Baldwin attacked the other boys.

    At one point, Misskelley said, Baldwin pulled out a knife. He said that’s when he realized the boys were going to be killed.

    That’s funny, I know it’s been some time since I watched the movies but I don’t remember anything on them about a post-trial confession. I wonder why Misskelley would confess a second time especially after he had been already convicted. Hmmm. Maybe it’s because they actually did it.

    But don’t let emotion get in the way of facts.

  • Day 1 of Lori Drew trial

    Lori Drew sent no Web messages to girl who later committed suicide, lawyer says:

    First, let me apologize for being a day behind the actual news. Unfortunately, that’s due to the demands my real life makes of me. Anyway, let’s get on to Lori Drew’s first real day in court yesterday.

    In his opening statement, Drew’s attorney claimed Drew’s innocence because she did not read MySpace’s TOS. He also claimed that Drew had little to no or connection to the plot to humiliate Megan Meier and placed the blame squarely on 18-year-old Ashley Grills. Grills admitted to sending the last message to Megan Meier that said the world would be better off without her. Grills has been given immunity for her testimony.

    The U.S. attorney, on the other hand, noted how flippant Drew had been in the wake of Megan Meier’s suicide.

    When asked by someone how she could show up at the girl’s wake, Drew said, “It’s not like I pulled the trigger,” O’Brien said.

    She told another woman that she didn’t feel “that bad” because of a prior suicide attempt, O’Brien said.

    Megan Meier’s mother, Tina Meier, testified and her testimony included details of Megan’s suicide.

    After the testimony was over Drew’s attorney called for a mistrial because of the details of Megan’s suicide saying that this is not a murder trial. The judge basically said you should have objected when you could have.

  • Nebraska agrees to 30 days

    30-day age limit on haven law advances in Legislature:

    It seems that the Nebraska Legislature is leaning towards a 30-day limit for their new and improved safe haven law. This is expected to be law come Friday.

    There were actually some people who wanted the law to remain wide open. The law was originally designed to prevent baby dumping but the way it was written Nebraska it led to lazy parenting in my opinion.

  • The Casey Anthony Addiction

    Man Becomes Internet Celebrity By Following Caylee Case In TV Truck:

    Is this how pathetic we’ve become as a society?

    “There are people out there who are literally addicted to Caylee,” Murtaugh said. “The commercial media cannot provide everything we want. We want more. We’re addicted to it,” Murtaugh said.

    Yet outside of Boston Giovanni Gonzalez gets almost no press. It’s a handful of bloggers, AMW and that’s it.

    I know I’ve broken my Casey Anthony promise twice today but this just pisses me off.