Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Letters from the Inside: BOOK ON SARAH PENDER OUT
Today I read Sarah's letter in preparation for writing to her and it turns out a book about her was just written called Girl, Wanted: The Chase for Sarah Pender. She had mentioned it a few times in the last year. I just went online to purchase it and happened upon some interesting reviews I thought I'd share.
Product Description
Sarah Pender was an attractive, outgoing, intelligent woman with great potential. But the straight and narrow had no appeal for this depraved young woman dubbed "the female Charles Manson", who knew how to get what she wanted from men-even if it meant murder.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars From one who knows, June 22, 2011
By MurderMan - See all my reviewsThis review is from: Girl, Wanted: The Chase for Sarah Pender (Paperback)
Superbly researched and written account of "AMERICA'S MOST WANTED FEMALE CHARLES MANSON."
Just a brief response to the review of the ill-informed "brunogh."
I prosecuted both Sarah Pender and Richard Hull for the brutal shotgun murder of their roommates, Andrew Cataldi and Tricia Nordman, and was intimately familiar with the facts of the case. I was not absolutely certain who actually fired the shots. There were reasonable inferences from the evidence that suggested that one killed Cataldi and the other killed Nordman.
I argued to the jury in Sarah's trial that it made no difference who fired the fatal shots, for the evidence was overwhelming that if Sarah did not shoot them, she was "with Hull every step of the way." The trial judge even stated that very thing when she sentenced Sarah to 110 years in prison. Legally, an accomplice is responsible for the acts of his confederate and is just as culpable in the eyes of the law. Sarah's jury agreed, as did the trial judge and the appellate court.
Also, "brunogh" erroneously stated that Hull received 130 years after his trial. Hull never had a trial. He pled guilty, maintaining that he was an accessory. He initially was sentenced to 75 years imprisonment, but appealed the sentence as being illegal. He won his appeal, resulting in his being sentenced to a legal sentence of 90 years!
There are other factual errors in "brunogh's" review, too many to mention. Suffice it to say, that whoever coined the phrase "a little knowledge is dangerous," had "brunogh" in mind. A little knowledge, coupled with a biased agenda is even more dangerous.
Steve Miller's factual account of events is "spot on," and the book is a terrific read!
Sarah Pender is a scheming sociopath who seduced others to, among other things, help her commit murder, escape from prison and remain a fugitive. She currently is in "lock-down" at the Indiana Womens' Prison. But mark my words, you have not heard the last from Sarah. She has the "will" to escape, and she may very well find the "way!"
Larry Sells
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars well-written, fabulous storytelling -- this is a movie in print!, June 20, 2011
By Journo-girl - See all my reviewsThis review is from: Girl, Wanted: The Chase for Sarah Pender (Paperback)
Girl Wanted is a fast-paced, well-written accounting of a life on the lam that captivated the law enforcement community and many around the nation. Author Steve Miller, a true investigative reporter, gets inside the not only the hunt for a fugitive in the heartland, but the head of a complicated female criminal. Far too little time has been spent looking at women who murder -- the their motivation for crimes. This story, which is rapidly paced and researched with intense details, hooks you from the beginning and keeps you engaged, chapter after chapter. We will never know if Sarah Pender pulled that trigger. But the window is opened on her depraved "anything necessary" narcissism that allowed her to lure both girlfriend and boyfriend with sex, emotional captivation and guts. After reading this book, you really want to talk to some of the key players, from Rick Hull, her accomplice to Scott, the prison guard who drove her away to freedom. Although Sarah is rather average looking, something about her intensity, her capacity to intoxicate others to do her bidding, is fascinating. This book drives you to wonder just how dangerous Sarah might be? Frightening. The book is also tribute to the dogged police work and the determined law enforcement officer who went all out -- heroically -- to bring Sarah to justice. Without his singular determination, Sarah Pender might be the killer next door. SCARY. Again, another real-life character study that could easily move from book to movie screen. This is one of the best summer true crime reads ever. Loved every page of it.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars No respect for the readers, no respect for the truth, June 19, 2011
By brunogh - See all my reviewsAmazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Girl, Wanted: The Chase for Sarah Pender (Paperback)
In 2002 Sarah Jo Pender got a life sentenced for allegedly masterminding the murder of Andrew Cataldi and Tricia Nordman. Richard Hull, her boyfriend, was condemned for being the one who pulled to trigger on both fellow drug dealers. Steve Miller feels otherwise : he beleive that, in fact, It was Sarah Jo Pender who pulled the trigger and that she somehow manipulated HUll into taking the blame for her.
The only problem is that, in order to convinced readers of his theory, Miller never ceases to manipulate them by dishing out half truths and deliberatly conceiling key elements of the story.
At the beginning of the book, Miller wants to convince readers that Pender is a highly manipulative woman. Describing the beginning of her escape and her relation with Scott Spitler, the guard who helped her, he writes (Ch 1, p14) :
"... She even had sex with Spitler to ensure he was in league with her scheme. She had him wrapped up. If he refused to do anything she wanted at this point, Sarah Could simply tell on him and produce the drugs he had brought her, and Spitler's Job would be over..."
At this point, and during the whole description of her escape from prison, Miller allways presents Pender as threatening from the beginning to the end of her escape plan and Spitler as a man completely under influence. BUT he keeps an important information from the reader : that Sarah Pender had agreed to pay the guard $15, 000. There's little chance the average reader could know that, since it was never made public by the media at the time of Pender's capture or Spitler's trial. After having the reader running 100 pages with a missing information, Miller eventually reveals this when he narrates Pender's escape for the second time. And then, confident the average reader won't remember what he has read before, he completely inverses the roles : From threatening, Pender becomes threatened, while Spitler is the one who uses threats :
"She had to play it smooth. After all, she had promessed Spitler $ 15, 000 for helping her escape.
"Everything's cool," Sarah said, "Just give me six weeks to get everything settled and I'll start sending you your money."
"You Better, said Spitler, because I'll tell you something, if you don't I will track down every person you know and love and I will hurt you and I will hurt them."" Does Spitler still sounds like a coerced man afraid for his job ?
I'm quoting Miller because this is a good exemple of how, by retaining informations from the readers, he can completely change their understanding of the situation. And this is a one exemple we can discover merely by reading the book. It's not, however, the only time Miller manipulates the reader.
When Miller narrates the way the murder weapon landed in Hull's hands, he goes directly to it's purchase by Pender at a wallgreen. His goal is to make the reader believe that it was pender who took the decision to buy a gun and that she placed in the hands of Hull. But here again, Miller deliberatly hides an important information to the reader, which he will, this time, never reveal : he skips the part where Hull tries to illegally purchase a weapon from the son of his neighbour's boyfriend. How do we know that ? Because that neighbour, Jana frederiks, testified about it. Could Miller ignore her existence and her testimony ? No : he mentions her on page 95. And if he did serious researching, he knows about the testimony. It is indeed mentioned in the court paper of Pender's appeal, which anyone can purchase at amazon.com : Sarah Pender V USA: The Federal Court Files Documenting Sarah's Battle Against The USA.
Having read those court papers, This is a first instance about which I can say that Miller hides key facts from his readers.
p 118 : "Also introduced was a letter produced by Richard Hull, allegedly written by Sarah and mailed to him in the fall of 2001."
Here, Steve Miller mentions one of the two evidences presented against Sarah Jo Pender at her trial : A letter she allegedly wrotte to Richard Hull, in which she allegedly take responsability for the murder. This point is of extreme importance because ever since the beginning, Sarah Pender has claimed the letter was a forgery done by Steve Logan, a cellmate of Richard Hull, in exchange for protection. She stresses that her fingerprints were never found on the letter while both those of Hull and Logan were.
Here's an information Steve Miller never cares to reveal to his readers : the letter was dated May 16th 2001. And he never reveals the date because the chronology of events proves that the letter is, indeed, a very dubvious evidence.
Hull gave that letter to his lawyer in September-October 2001. He never produced the enveloppe of the letter (probably because a postmark would have given the superchery away) and claimed he had discarded it (Miller also doesn't care to mention this in his book).
However, between these two dates, as Steve Miller himself writes on page 112 "In a search warrant served july 17 2001, at the Marion County Jail, prosecutors took 51 pieces of correspondance from Hull's cell". Furthermore, Miller states on page 108: "All of Sarah's letters out of jail were being monitorered by the prosecutor's office and became fodder for daily dissection as well as being possible evidence." If what he writes is correct (and he dwells needlessly over gross details about the content of these letters) how could the prosecutor's office have missed a letter in which Pender took responsability for the murders? And how could prosecutors could not have found, during the July
search, a letter written in May ?
Had Sarah Pender's claims been false, it is certain that Steve Miller, having access to inside information, would have exposed them one by one. But oddly, Miller does exactly the opposite. Not only does he not refutes Penders claims, but he buries facts to hide the controversial issues, first by avoiding to mention at which date the letter used as main piece of of evidence was written, an information which would enable readers to get a clear picture of the sequence of events. And then by systematically lying by omission to mislead the readers.
Miller goes on writting, p 118 " The letter was analyzed for the prosecution by a state forensic analyst, Lee Ann Harmless, who concluded that Sarah Was the author of the letter. An examination of the letter also found fingerprints belonging to steve Logan, an inmate who shared a cell in the county jail with Hull."
Here, Steve Miller feeds the reader with a true information which points out to Sarah Jo Pender as the author of the letter. However, as I wrotte, Sarah Pender has allways claimed that the letter was a forgery. One of her arguments is that her fingerprints were never found of the letter. Knowing this little bit about Sarah Jo Pender's case, I expected Steve Miller to enlighten me over this matter and tell the readers if this was truth, or not. If he can writte that Steve logan's fingerprints were on the letter, he certainly knows if Pender's fingerprints were also on it or not. but on this particular point, Miller remains silent. He doesn't lie, but it doesn't tell the truth either, and that makes him, in my mind, mostly a liar . He chooses one more time to hide an important information to his readers, being confident that they will be none the wiser. In my opinion, this is a complete lack of respect.
Here's what Pender's court papers also say about Steve Logan :
"Hull testified [...] that the state had 80 letters he and pender exchanged while in jail. He insisted [...] that he directed Steve Logan to write it while they were in Maryon County Jail [...] Logan testified Hull showed him letter from pender and asked him to writte some sort of letter for him as a way to reduce his charges or sentence [PCR 7-8] He denied writing the letter incriminating Pender [PCR 8, 11] He previously told an investigator, "I think I can remember him asking me, but I don't see why I would go to the extreme of doing something like that." (US district court southern district of Indiana, case 1:07-cv-00464-DFH-TAB, document 2, filed 04/16/2007, page 8-9 of 34) available on amazon Sarah Pender V USA: The Federal Court Files Documenting Sarah's Battle Against The USA.
This version to be sure, is extremely important. Logan is a witness who, if he denies writting the may 16th letter, admits Hull was indeed seeking to have a forgery made that would benefit him. What do we read about this in Steve Miller's book? Not a line. Yet, this was also the kind of thing I was hoping Steve Miller would confirm, or debunk. What does the reader gets in place of solid investigation ? a long silence and half-baked truths... Personnaly, had Miller told me flat out, with good arguments, that the logan testimony and the fingerprint claim were bogus, I would have believed him. But the way he constantly twists facts makes him loose all credibility. And it has eventually reinforced my belief that Sarah Jo Pender was convinced using false evidence. Miller's hatred for Pender is so plain throughout the book that, had she not told the truth, I'm certain he would have let us know in so many pages.
Steve Miller's narration of the Pender's and Hull's trials were an extreme disappointment to me. Here again, I found nothing that I didn't allready knew. Where I expected quotes from court transcripts, I found that Miller had mostly borrowed from articles published in 2002 by the Indianapolis star and written by Vic Ryckaert. He doesn't have the professionnal courtesy to mention the names of either the newspaper or his colleague. This is well in keeping with his methods. Alltough many court documents and news articles are available on line, many of them for free, Millers didn't care to include a list of sources in his book. Thus, he effectively makes it impossible for the readers to check any informations contained in the book (or to discover what he has hidden from them).
What about the rest of the book ? The tale of Pender's 136 days of life on the run ? It is simply impossible to check anything Miller tells his reader. But if the first half of the book is any indication, nothing is to be trusted and whatever "revelations" miller does must be taken with a grain of salt the size of a rock.
Oddly enough, if Miller eludes the embarrasing question of the forged evidence, he opens as ambarassing an issue when he reveals, at the end of the book, that Richard Hull took three polygraph tests in which he successfully exonerated himself as the killer of Andrew Cataldi and Tricia Nordman. Of course, this information should have been given to the reader when Miller wrotte about the prosecution and the trial. Miller probably decided to reveal this at the end of the book as a "coup de theatre". But also because readers reading about the polygraph tests and almost immediately after, about the way Hull's trial was conducted, would have raised an eyebrow about what Miller's revelation implied.
Prosecutor Larry Sells, if we are to follow the writer's reasoning, had genuine proof in which Sarah Pender took responsability for the murders. Prosecutor Larry Sells, If we believe Miller's revelations, knew Hull had successfully passed three polygraph tests in which he exonerated himself of the murder. And yet the same Prosecutor Larry Sells, knowing the man hadn't pull the trigger, is gone in a court room and has said with a straight face to a judge and an audience : "He picked a man's gun to do a coward deed" (p 130, quote borrowed from the indystar), and then got that person sentenced to 130 years in jail for a murder he knew the man hadn't commited... Either Prosecutor Larry Sells is a man without ethics and deontology, or Larry Sells knew better than the polygraphs and Steve Miller hasn't told us, as usual, the whole story behind the these.
I will not hide that I was very skeptical about Miller's book even before he got in my mail box. But if Miller had been honest in the way he narrated the Sarah Pender Case, if he had dared to tackle every issue and had shedded light on every shadow, he could have convinced me and changed my mind. Reading carefully ""Girl Wanted", I have closed it thinking that its author had a complete lack of respect for his readers. By systematically hiding important facts, by deliberatly leaving many stones unturned, by avoiding the most controversial aspects of the case, by avoiding to source his informations, by writting in a dishonnest manner. "Girl Wanted" has not been written by a truth seeking man. Miller has no respect for his readers, I don't recommand his book.
Product Description
Sarah Pender was an attractive, outgoing, intelligent woman with great potential. But the straight and narrow had no appeal for this depraved young woman dubbed "the female Charles Manson", who knew how to get what she wanted from men-even if it meant murder.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars From one who knows, June 22, 2011
By MurderMan - See all my reviewsThis review is from: Girl, Wanted: The Chase for Sarah Pender (Paperback)
Superbly researched and written account of "AMERICA'S MOST WANTED FEMALE CHARLES MANSON."
Just a brief response to the review of the ill-informed "brunogh."
I prosecuted both Sarah Pender and Richard Hull for the brutal shotgun murder of their roommates, Andrew Cataldi and Tricia Nordman, and was intimately familiar with the facts of the case. I was not absolutely certain who actually fired the shots. There were reasonable inferences from the evidence that suggested that one killed Cataldi and the other killed Nordman.
I argued to the jury in Sarah's trial that it made no difference who fired the fatal shots, for the evidence was overwhelming that if Sarah did not shoot them, she was "with Hull every step of the way." The trial judge even stated that very thing when she sentenced Sarah to 110 years in prison. Legally, an accomplice is responsible for the acts of his confederate and is just as culpable in the eyes of the law. Sarah's jury agreed, as did the trial judge and the appellate court.
Also, "brunogh" erroneously stated that Hull received 130 years after his trial. Hull never had a trial. He pled guilty, maintaining that he was an accessory. He initially was sentenced to 75 years imprisonment, but appealed the sentence as being illegal. He won his appeal, resulting in his being sentenced to a legal sentence of 90 years!
There are other factual errors in "brunogh's" review, too many to mention. Suffice it to say, that whoever coined the phrase "a little knowledge is dangerous," had "brunogh" in mind. A little knowledge, coupled with a biased agenda is even more dangerous.
Steve Miller's factual account of events is "spot on," and the book is a terrific read!
Sarah Pender is a scheming sociopath who seduced others to, among other things, help her commit murder, escape from prison and remain a fugitive. She currently is in "lock-down" at the Indiana Womens' Prison. But mark my words, you have not heard the last from Sarah. She has the "will" to escape, and she may very well find the "way!"
Larry Sells
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars well-written, fabulous storytelling -- this is a movie in print!, June 20, 2011
By Journo-girl - See all my reviewsThis review is from: Girl, Wanted: The Chase for Sarah Pender (Paperback)
Girl Wanted is a fast-paced, well-written accounting of a life on the lam that captivated the law enforcement community and many around the nation. Author Steve Miller, a true investigative reporter, gets inside the not only the hunt for a fugitive in the heartland, but the head of a complicated female criminal. Far too little time has been spent looking at women who murder -- the their motivation for crimes. This story, which is rapidly paced and researched with intense details, hooks you from the beginning and keeps you engaged, chapter after chapter. We will never know if Sarah Pender pulled that trigger. But the window is opened on her depraved "anything necessary" narcissism that allowed her to lure both girlfriend and boyfriend with sex, emotional captivation and guts. After reading this book, you really want to talk to some of the key players, from Rick Hull, her accomplice to Scott, the prison guard who drove her away to freedom. Although Sarah is rather average looking, something about her intensity, her capacity to intoxicate others to do her bidding, is fascinating. This book drives you to wonder just how dangerous Sarah might be? Frightening. The book is also tribute to the dogged police work and the determined law enforcement officer who went all out -- heroically -- to bring Sarah to justice. Without his singular determination, Sarah Pender might be the killer next door. SCARY. Again, another real-life character study that could easily move from book to movie screen. This is one of the best summer true crime reads ever. Loved every page of it.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars No respect for the readers, no respect for the truth, June 19, 2011
By brunogh - See all my reviewsAmazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Girl, Wanted: The Chase for Sarah Pender (Paperback)
In 2002 Sarah Jo Pender got a life sentenced for allegedly masterminding the murder of Andrew Cataldi and Tricia Nordman. Richard Hull, her boyfriend, was condemned for being the one who pulled to trigger on both fellow drug dealers. Steve Miller feels otherwise : he beleive that, in fact, It was Sarah Jo Pender who pulled the trigger and that she somehow manipulated HUll into taking the blame for her.
The only problem is that, in order to convinced readers of his theory, Miller never ceases to manipulate them by dishing out half truths and deliberatly conceiling key elements of the story.
At the beginning of the book, Miller wants to convince readers that Pender is a highly manipulative woman. Describing the beginning of her escape and her relation with Scott Spitler, the guard who helped her, he writes (Ch 1, p14) :
"... She even had sex with Spitler to ensure he was in league with her scheme. She had him wrapped up. If he refused to do anything she wanted at this point, Sarah Could simply tell on him and produce the drugs he had brought her, and Spitler's Job would be over..."
At this point, and during the whole description of her escape from prison, Miller allways presents Pender as threatening from the beginning to the end of her escape plan and Spitler as a man completely under influence. BUT he keeps an important information from the reader : that Sarah Pender had agreed to pay the guard $15, 000. There's little chance the average reader could know that, since it was never made public by the media at the time of Pender's capture or Spitler's trial. After having the reader running 100 pages with a missing information, Miller eventually reveals this when he narrates Pender's escape for the second time. And then, confident the average reader won't remember what he has read before, he completely inverses the roles : From threatening, Pender becomes threatened, while Spitler is the one who uses threats :
"She had to play it smooth. After all, she had promessed Spitler $ 15, 000 for helping her escape.
"Everything's cool," Sarah said, "Just give me six weeks to get everything settled and I'll start sending you your money."
"You Better, said Spitler, because I'll tell you something, if you don't I will track down every person you know and love and I will hurt you and I will hurt them."" Does Spitler still sounds like a coerced man afraid for his job ?
I'm quoting Miller because this is a good exemple of how, by retaining informations from the readers, he can completely change their understanding of the situation. And this is a one exemple we can discover merely by reading the book. It's not, however, the only time Miller manipulates the reader.
When Miller narrates the way the murder weapon landed in Hull's hands, he goes directly to it's purchase by Pender at a wallgreen. His goal is to make the reader believe that it was pender who took the decision to buy a gun and that she placed in the hands of Hull. But here again, Miller deliberatly hides an important information to the reader, which he will, this time, never reveal : he skips the part where Hull tries to illegally purchase a weapon from the son of his neighbour's boyfriend. How do we know that ? Because that neighbour, Jana frederiks, testified about it. Could Miller ignore her existence and her testimony ? No : he mentions her on page 95. And if he did serious researching, he knows about the testimony. It is indeed mentioned in the court paper of Pender's appeal, which anyone can purchase at amazon.com : Sarah Pender V USA: The Federal Court Files Documenting Sarah's Battle Against The USA.
Having read those court papers, This is a first instance about which I can say that Miller hides key facts from his readers.
p 118 : "Also introduced was a letter produced by Richard Hull, allegedly written by Sarah and mailed to him in the fall of 2001."
Here, Steve Miller mentions one of the two evidences presented against Sarah Jo Pender at her trial : A letter she allegedly wrotte to Richard Hull, in which she allegedly take responsability for the murder. This point is of extreme importance because ever since the beginning, Sarah Pender has claimed the letter was a forgery done by Steve Logan, a cellmate of Richard Hull, in exchange for protection. She stresses that her fingerprints were never found on the letter while both those of Hull and Logan were.
Here's an information Steve Miller never cares to reveal to his readers : the letter was dated May 16th 2001. And he never reveals the date because the chronology of events proves that the letter is, indeed, a very dubvious evidence.
Hull gave that letter to his lawyer in September-October 2001. He never produced the enveloppe of the letter (probably because a postmark would have given the superchery away) and claimed he had discarded it (Miller also doesn't care to mention this in his book).
However, between these two dates, as Steve Miller himself writes on page 112 "In a search warrant served july 17 2001, at the Marion County Jail, prosecutors took 51 pieces of correspondance from Hull's cell". Furthermore, Miller states on page 108: "All of Sarah's letters out of jail were being monitorered by the prosecutor's office and became fodder for daily dissection as well as being possible evidence." If what he writes is correct (and he dwells needlessly over gross details about the content of these letters) how could the prosecutor's office have missed a letter in which Pender took responsability for the murders? And how could prosecutors could not have found, during the July
search, a letter written in May ?
Had Sarah Pender's claims been false, it is certain that Steve Miller, having access to inside information, would have exposed them one by one. But oddly, Miller does exactly the opposite. Not only does he not refutes Penders claims, but he buries facts to hide the controversial issues, first by avoiding to mention at which date the letter used as main piece of of evidence was written, an information which would enable readers to get a clear picture of the sequence of events. And then by systematically lying by omission to mislead the readers.
Miller goes on writting, p 118 " The letter was analyzed for the prosecution by a state forensic analyst, Lee Ann Harmless, who concluded that Sarah Was the author of the letter. An examination of the letter also found fingerprints belonging to steve Logan, an inmate who shared a cell in the county jail with Hull."
Here, Steve Miller feeds the reader with a true information which points out to Sarah Jo Pender as the author of the letter. However, as I wrotte, Sarah Pender has allways claimed that the letter was a forgery. One of her arguments is that her fingerprints were never found of the letter. Knowing this little bit about Sarah Jo Pender's case, I expected Steve Miller to enlighten me over this matter and tell the readers if this was truth, or not. If he can writte that Steve logan's fingerprints were on the letter, he certainly knows if Pender's fingerprints were also on it or not. but on this particular point, Miller remains silent. He doesn't lie, but it doesn't tell the truth either, and that makes him, in my mind, mostly a liar . He chooses one more time to hide an important information to his readers, being confident that they will be none the wiser. In my opinion, this is a complete lack of respect.
Here's what Pender's court papers also say about Steve Logan :
"Hull testified [...] that the state had 80 letters he and pender exchanged while in jail. He insisted [...] that he directed Steve Logan to write it while they were in Maryon County Jail [...] Logan testified Hull showed him letter from pender and asked him to writte some sort of letter for him as a way to reduce his charges or sentence [PCR 7-8] He denied writing the letter incriminating Pender [PCR 8, 11] He previously told an investigator, "I think I can remember him asking me, but I don't see why I would go to the extreme of doing something like that." (US district court southern district of Indiana, case 1:07-cv-00464-DFH-TAB, document 2, filed 04/16/2007, page 8-9 of 34) available on amazon Sarah Pender V USA: The Federal Court Files Documenting Sarah's Battle Against The USA.
This version to be sure, is extremely important. Logan is a witness who, if he denies writting the may 16th letter, admits Hull was indeed seeking to have a forgery made that would benefit him. What do we read about this in Steve Miller's book? Not a line. Yet, this was also the kind of thing I was hoping Steve Miller would confirm, or debunk. What does the reader gets in place of solid investigation ? a long silence and half-baked truths... Personnaly, had Miller told me flat out, with good arguments, that the logan testimony and the fingerprint claim were bogus, I would have believed him. But the way he constantly twists facts makes him loose all credibility. And it has eventually reinforced my belief that Sarah Jo Pender was convinced using false evidence. Miller's hatred for Pender is so plain throughout the book that, had she not told the truth, I'm certain he would have let us know in so many pages.
Steve Miller's narration of the Pender's and Hull's trials were an extreme disappointment to me. Here again, I found nothing that I didn't allready knew. Where I expected quotes from court transcripts, I found that Miller had mostly borrowed from articles published in 2002 by the Indianapolis star and written by Vic Ryckaert. He doesn't have the professionnal courtesy to mention the names of either the newspaper or his colleague. This is well in keeping with his methods. Alltough many court documents and news articles are available on line, many of them for free, Millers didn't care to include a list of sources in his book. Thus, he effectively makes it impossible for the readers to check any informations contained in the book (or to discover what he has hidden from them).
What about the rest of the book ? The tale of Pender's 136 days of life on the run ? It is simply impossible to check anything Miller tells his reader. But if the first half of the book is any indication, nothing is to be trusted and whatever "revelations" miller does must be taken with a grain of salt the size of a rock.
Oddly enough, if Miller eludes the embarrasing question of the forged evidence, he opens as ambarassing an issue when he reveals, at the end of the book, that Richard Hull took three polygraph tests in which he successfully exonerated himself as the killer of Andrew Cataldi and Tricia Nordman. Of course, this information should have been given to the reader when Miller wrotte about the prosecution and the trial. Miller probably decided to reveal this at the end of the book as a "coup de theatre". But also because readers reading about the polygraph tests and almost immediately after, about the way Hull's trial was conducted, would have raised an eyebrow about what Miller's revelation implied.
Prosecutor Larry Sells, if we are to follow the writer's reasoning, had genuine proof in which Sarah Pender took responsability for the murders. Prosecutor Larry Sells, If we believe Miller's revelations, knew Hull had successfully passed three polygraph tests in which he exonerated himself of the murder. And yet the same Prosecutor Larry Sells, knowing the man hadn't pull the trigger, is gone in a court room and has said with a straight face to a judge and an audience : "He picked a man's gun to do a coward deed" (p 130, quote borrowed from the indystar), and then got that person sentenced to 130 years in jail for a murder he knew the man hadn't commited... Either Prosecutor Larry Sells is a man without ethics and deontology, or Larry Sells knew better than the polygraphs and Steve Miller hasn't told us, as usual, the whole story behind the these.
I will not hide that I was very skeptical about Miller's book even before he got in my mail box. But if Miller had been honest in the way he narrated the Sarah Pender Case, if he had dared to tackle every issue and had shedded light on every shadow, he could have convinced me and changed my mind. Reading carefully ""Girl Wanted", I have closed it thinking that its author had a complete lack of respect for his readers. By systematically hiding important facts, by deliberatly leaving many stones unturned, by avoiding the most controversial aspects of the case, by avoiding to source his informations, by writting in a dishonnest manner. "Girl Wanted" has not been written by a truth seeking man. Miller has no respect for his readers, I don't recommand his book.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Letters from the Inside, Michael Swango, #121
My Dear Kelly,
Obviously given the significant delay inherent with written, mailed letters, events often supersede our comments and impassions :-) reflections. So as I beging this letter, two events are quickly approaching: the glitzy premiere of Amir's PBS film ; AND of course your 41st birthday: a dynamic, beautiful woman in the prime of her amazing life! I am not being facetious.
[BTW, you never commented on the rather interesting coincidence that you and Tina Fey were born only two days apart. At least I thought it was interesting...]
Your most recent letter downgraded the AK/KK "alert level" to "topsy turvy" .. as compared to Amir's fever dream email of a couple of weeks ago!
Tell Amir you and he need your very own color-coded relationship threat level!!! And my God-what an amazing reality show you two could star in!
OK, as mentioned above, received your letter and a postcard just before the weekend/much to discuss, so let me get right to it, along with the inevitable digressions.
No way you could know every rule of this most remarkable institution. I believe you that is not the policy elsewhere. Thanks for your continued understanding.
Given the enormous popularity and critical praise (richly deserved) of AMC's The Killing, I am sure that the original Danish series will become easily accessible and affordable quite soon.
Postcard: Richard Prince/He certainly has some evocative images in his head. Especially since the "Untitled" work is 7X9 feet.
[Ed.: Omitting TV commentary.]
>The single greatest cultural/entertainment advantage of living in your great city would have to be the theater. No other city anywhere, with the possible exception of London even comes close.
Great cast of The Motherfucker with the Hat. Curious how Chris Rock is on stage.
[Ed.: Omitting film discussion.]
***
Now to the Twilight Zone portion of your letter.
>John--I have to admit his trainwreck of a life is utterly bizarre. You cannot seem to get away from him, can you?
I could not help but think of the widely reported but false stories of the Haitian link to HIV/AIDS early on in the pandemic. And now John visits Haiti? Talk about a consequence-free zone for his "proclivities".
You mentioned previously and in this letter that the non-civil case is inactive barring any future incidents. Tell me again why his incidents with our female hero were not prosecuted? The cases in upstate NY were.
Anyway, your dilemma is heartening. When is the next date (deposition)? Did anything I saw help even a little bit? Feel free to ask other questions.
Is it just me or does it seem weird for you to have dinner with Reid and then watch Idol with him especially when he clearly has Kelly locked into his Brain Housing Group?
Oh KK, You must tell me next time Amir is scheduled for Eliot Spitzer or any other cable news show. I know, however, that those bookings are usually made only a day or even hours ahead of time.
And I'll say this: Between the C**T in Amir office and Reid, it seems like everyone has their opinion on your suitability for Amir and vice-versa. My God, FB has turned even NYC into a gossipy small town...Screw them.
Final note for now to your Amir:
Dude, you don't live on the street and you are not HERE. You do NOT cut your own hair. I am appalled. Listen to your Kelly, man!
The fictional story I suggested we write of the male and female sociopaths who become an unbreakable couple would be oh-so-dark and chilling. Imagine a novel where the normal-appearing suburban couple do not put their children's welfare above their own selfish and dual needs. Indeed, where the couple use their children for their ownneeds without a hint of conscience or remorse.
Proposed excerpt: "...The new neighbors? Oh yes, the Kirks, such a tragedy. They lost a child a few years ago in an accident with a crib. You might have read about the lawsuit and huge settlement..."
Michael
Obviously given the significant delay inherent with written, mailed letters, events often supersede our comments and impassions :-) reflections. So as I beging this letter, two events are quickly approaching: the glitzy premiere of Amir's PBS film ; AND of course your 41st birthday: a dynamic, beautiful woman in the prime of her amazing life! I am not being facetious.
[BTW, you never commented on the rather interesting coincidence that you and Tina Fey were born only two days apart. At least I thought it was interesting...]
Your most recent letter downgraded the AK/KK "alert level" to "topsy turvy" .. as compared to Amir's fever dream email of a couple of weeks ago!
Tell Amir you and he need your very own color-coded relationship threat level!!! And my God-what an amazing reality show you two could star in!
OK, as mentioned above, received your letter and a postcard just before the weekend/much to discuss, so let me get right to it, along with the inevitable digressions.
No way you could know every rule of this most remarkable institution. I believe you that is not the policy elsewhere. Thanks for your continued understanding.
Given the enormous popularity and critical praise (richly deserved) of AMC's The Killing, I am sure that the original Danish series will become easily accessible and affordable quite soon.
Postcard: Richard Prince/He certainly has some evocative images in his head. Especially since the "Untitled" work is 7X9 feet.
[Ed.: Omitting TV commentary.]
>The single greatest cultural/entertainment advantage of living in your great city would have to be the theater. No other city anywhere, with the possible exception of London even comes close.
Great cast of The Motherfucker with the Hat. Curious how Chris Rock is on stage.
[Ed.: Omitting film discussion.]
***
Now to the Twilight Zone portion of your letter.
>John--I have to admit his trainwreck of a life is utterly bizarre. You cannot seem to get away from him, can you?
I could not help but think of the widely reported but false stories of the Haitian link to HIV/AIDS early on in the pandemic. And now John visits Haiti? Talk about a consequence-free zone for his "proclivities".
You mentioned previously and in this letter that the non-civil case is inactive barring any future incidents. Tell me again why his incidents with our female hero were not prosecuted? The cases in upstate NY were.
Anyway, your dilemma is heartening. When is the next date (deposition)? Did anything I saw help even a little bit? Feel free to ask other questions.
Is it just me or does it seem weird for you to have dinner with Reid and then watch Idol with him especially when he clearly has Kelly locked into his Brain Housing Group?
Oh KK, You must tell me next time Amir is scheduled for Eliot Spitzer or any other cable news show. I know, however, that those bookings are usually made only a day or even hours ahead of time.
And I'll say this: Between the C**T in Amir office and Reid, it seems like everyone has their opinion on your suitability for Amir and vice-versa. My God, FB has turned even NYC into a gossipy small town...Screw them.
Final note for now to your Amir:
Dude, you don't live on the street and you are not HERE. You do NOT cut your own hair. I am appalled. Listen to your Kelly, man!
The fictional story I suggested we write of the male and female sociopaths who become an unbreakable couple would be oh-so-dark and chilling. Imagine a novel where the normal-appearing suburban couple do not put their children's welfare above their own selfish and dual needs. Indeed, where the couple use their children for their ownneeds without a hint of conscience or remorse.
Proposed excerpt: "...The new neighbors? Oh yes, the Kirks, such a tragedy. They lost a child a few years ago in an accident with a crib. You might have read about the lawsuit and huge settlement..."
Michael
