The Temporary Return of the Dreaded PayPal Button

My wife and I decided some time ago to remove me from her insurance because under her current plan, my coverage was an extra few hundred dollars a month that we could use for other things. I do earn money now as a freelance writer and circumstances are improving, but I am paid monthly, and haven't gotten to the point where I can pay for my own health insurance and still cover other bills and important outstanding debts (income tax being just one example). It's worth it to note that a ton of freelance writers, many of them much more successful than me financially -- that's gotta be most of them, at the moment -- are in the same boat.

I wouldn't be addressing any of this, but a health issue has come up in the last two weeks or so that I can't just dismiss or ignore.

Hypertension seems to practically run in my family, and everyone -- my mother, father, and 90+ year old grandmother -- lives with it just fine. I've had high blood pressure off and on since my teens, and it hasn't mattered whether I was in shape or not -- even at an optimal weight of 170 with a 31-inch waistline in 1996, I had above-normal blood pressure.

The new wrinkle, though, seems to be exclusive to me (in the family context) -- chest pains and circulation problems. My father, as far as I know, had few if any hypertension-related symptoms of note before he had a stroke 7 years ago. So at least there's the chance that my body is being nice by giving me some warnings he didn't get.

The circulation problems -- numbness and tingling -- could be a lot of things, including relapsing-remitting MS (my MS has proven somewhat benign since I was diagnosed 5 years ago). The chest pains are what bother me psychologically, as well as physically. Even if it's just a temporary, passing thing, I need to get it checked out.

So I've installed the PayPal donation button again on the right side of the page for anyone inclined to send something towards helping me with what will hopefully be a minor medical bill, maybe two. Once I'm paid at the end of February, I may be able to cover any outstanding part of the medical myself. March should be better than February earnings-wise, so I hope to remove the donation button again at that time. I hate putting it up as it is, and I really don't like talking about medical issues. My own wife doesn't even know I've had chest pains, and she'll probably kick my butt when she reads this. She does know I've had some thumping headaches, but I've always had headaches, so that wouldn't be a worry. (NOTE: She's the worrier in the family, which may explain why I've not said anything to her yet about the chest pains -- didn't want her to fret. Hell, I didn't want to fret.)

The amount you donate doesn't matter -- every little bit is appreciated, and you better believe it helps.

I won't reference this again, save to note when I take it down. I will post a semi-permanent note under the blog's header above, with a link-back to this entry.

Additionally, I'm not slowing the pace of my writing or blogging here at the moment, and hopefully won't have to.

Thank you as always for reading and participating in the comment threads. Most of you will never know how grateful I truly am for this.

UPDATE, 2/29/08

I've got a Dr's appointment made for early next week (first week of March) specifically to look into this problem, hopefully see about getting a prescription for anti-hypertensive medication, at the very least. Thank you again to everyone who has made a donation, so far.

OPEN THREAD: The Murder of Meredith Kercher

Anyone interested in continuing the discussion begun in the previous open thread about the November, 2007 murder of British student Meredith Kercher in Perugia, Italy can begin posting below.

Few crimes about which I've blogged or even written about professionally have generated the sort of ongoing discussion this case has. In the most recent open thread about this case -- more than 3700 comments long -- it seems like there are posts from just about anyone you can think of who might have even the most tangential association with the story -- from the stepfather of American student Amanda Knox, one of the suspects in Ms. Kercher's murder, to commentary from one of my favorite novelists, Douglas Preston (I've read every book Mr. Preston has written with Lincoln Childs -- in FBI Agent Aloysius Pendergast they created one of my favorite modern fictional detectives).

It's the numerous regulars who make these open threads interesting reading, though. You know who you are.

When I first began researching and writing about this case, I felt a great deal of suspicion about the guilt of the main suspects -- Amanda Knox, her Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, and Rudy Guede.

But in the months since the story broke I've begun to feel that the facts of the case as reported by the press are now confused, and confusing.

I can also understand the mistrust that Douglas Preston has expressed regarding the prosecutor on the case, Giuliano Mignini. If you familiarize yourself with Preston's own Mignini-related troubles while researching one of Italy's greatest unsolved serial murder cases, you quickly "get" his suspicions about the prosecutor's trustworthiness.

Yet I can't say my suspicions about Ms. Knox or Mr. Sollecito have been completely eliminated, and I feel almost certain that Rudy Guede is probably just where he should be -- in jail, accused of being the main actor in Meredith Kercher's murder.

I wish I had the wherewithal to go to Italy and see what I could dig up as an investigative journalist, but I don't.

So discuss away. I do try to read each post, but I generally don't comment much myself unless things get crazy. Please keep it civil, sane, and most of all, on-topic. Please know, too, that I reserve the right to delete any post for any reason.

Bobby Cutts Jr. Found Guilty

Previous entries about the murder of Jessie Davis:

• "Mysteriously Missing: Jessie Davis."
• "Bobby Cutts Jr., AKA DALAW150."
  

Bobby Cutts Jr. has been found guilty on several counts of murder. On one count of aggravated murder, he was found not guilty. The weight of the guilty verdicts will surely mitigate the lone "not guilty."

DALAW150 fought the law, and the law damn sure won, this time. Cutts may face the death penalty for his crimes.

Source: MSNBC

The NIU Campus Assault: Killer 'Unofficially' Named

(Original post about the incident here.)

Three more victims from the assault on a geology lecture hall on the campus of Northern Illinois University have been named by the Dekalb (Il.) County Coroner:

• Catalina Garcia, 20, from Cicero;
• Ryanne Mace, 19, Carpentersville;
• Julianna Gehant, 32, from Meridan, Illinois.

The killer has been "unofficially" named: Steven Phillip "Steve" Kazmierczak, age 27. If Kazmierczak was indeed the shooter, then his membership in the NIU Academic Criminal Justice Association was, to say the least, ironic. Kazimierczak even co-wrote a paper with several others:

"Self-Injury in Correctional Settings: 'Pathology' of Prisons, or of Prisoners?"

From Kazmierczak's blurb at the end of the paper linked above:

In addition to [Steve's] interests in corrections, political violence, and peace and social justice, he is co-authoring a manuscript on the role of religion in the formation of early prisons in the United States with Jim Thomas and Josh Stone. He also develops content for online education and is an executive board officer of the NIU student chapter of the American Correctional Association.

On this page, University student Kazmierczak sounded perfectly reasonable:

My name is Steve Kazmierczak, and I'm a 3rd year student here at NIU. During my sophomore year I served as an aid for the SOCI170 web-board and last semester, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to be a team leader for SOCI488-Juvenile Delinquency. Since attending NIU, I've worked very hard as a student, and I know that I would be able to forth the same effort as an officer of the ACA. I feel that I'm committed to social justice, and if elected as treasurer I promise to serve the NIU chapter of the ACA to the best of my ability.

Additional links:

• Syllabus for Sociology 170, Kazmierczak is listed as co-instructor of the class.
• Steve Kazmierczak had a problem with PayPal. PayPalSucks.com forum user profile for statisticsgrad -- skazmier [at] gmail.com was one of Kazmierczak's e-mail addresses.
  

This entry will be updated and revised.

(A Livejournal said by a source to be Kazmierczak's was linked in an earlier version of this entry. Since the owner of the LJ may have been younger than the shooter and the LJ owner's location couldn't be pinpointed, the LJ links have been removed. There appears to be plenty out there on the actual killer as it is. The only Steve Kazmierczaks found on MySpace so far have not been proven to be the killer from NIU. One is a 21-year-old in New Jersey. Another Steve Kazmierczak who comes up in Web search results appears to be a medical researcher. The name is more common than you'd think.)

Gunman on Campus at Northern Illinois University

UPDATE, 10:44 PM ET

The NIU paper is reporting that one of the victims killed today was a sophomore accounting major named Daniel Parmenter.

Still no word as to the name of the other victims or the identity of the shooter.

UPDATE, 9:10 PM ET

It appears that the death toll in the NIU campus shooting has risen:

"6 Dead In N. Illinois University Massacre."

Twenty-two people were shot. The black-clad gunman ended the spree by shooting himself as he stood on the stage at the front of the lecture hall. Of the 6 mortally-wounded victims, 4 died inside the lecture hall and 2 others passed away after being taken to the hospital.

The shooter reportedly attended NIU in the past, but may have transferred to another school.

UPDATE, 8:30 PM ET

The New York Times, working partly from other reports, indicates that 4 have been killed. The same article offered this description of the gunman: "a skinny white guy with a stocking cap on." One law enforcement officer quoted in the piece did not believe the shooter was a student at the university.

UPDATE, 6:40 PM ET

Bloomberg.com has a somewhat detailed article posted about this shooting. The piece describes the shooter as a "man wearing a black trench coat and wielding a shotgun."

Student Paul Sundstrom was quoted in the piece, and he gave a chilling account of the attack. The shooter entered "behind where the professor was speaking" and opened fire. Sundstrom said that the gunman emptied his weapon and "nonchalantly began reloading."

NOTE: You can read NIU's campus newspaper here: NorthernStar.info.

UPDATE, 6:15 PM ET

NIU's alerts page has a short post up confirming that the gunman in the shooting that took place on campus this afternoon died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Victims have been transported to Kishwaukee Community Hospital. The facility is using this page to keep web surfers updated:

http://www.kishhospital.com/.

The hospital has reported 17 patients from the incident at NIU. Fourteen of that number were in good or stable condition, three were critical.

UPDATE, 5:29 PM ET

Quoting again from Northern Illinois University's campus alerts:

Campus police report that the immediate danger has passed. The gunman is no longer a threat. The DeKalb campus is closed tomorrow. Students can go to any residence hall for counseling.

Chicago TV station WLS is also reporting that the gunman is dead, but they cite the same alert page from NIU's website.

UPDATE, 5:09 PM ET

From Chicago radio station WBBM:

A witness told WBBM a young man pulled out a shotgun and began firing inside a lecture hall. The shooting apparently took place during a geology class at Cole hall on the University's De Kalb campus.

The witness tell Newsradio 780 that the professor may have been shot, however these details have not been confirmed by police...

ORIGINAL POST:

Northern Illinois University posted the following on its website at 3:20 p.m. CT (4:20 ET) today:

There has been a report of a possible gunman on campus. Get to a safe area and take precautions until given the all clear. Avoid the King Commons and all buildings in that vicinity...

MSNBC reported on-air that a gunman rose in the middle of a geology lecture and opened fire with a shotgun.

There were 3 confirmed victims, and there may have been up to 15 injuries. There have been unconfirmed reports that the gunman committed suicide.

This entry will be updated and revised.

Madman With a Meat Cleaver: The Murder of Kathryn Faughey *UPDATED AGAIN, 2/16/08*

It sounded like the sort of murder a screenwriter might concoct: respected psychologist hacked to death by cleaver-wielding patient. To anyone who entered the office of Dr. Kathryn Faughey after 9 p.m. on Tuesday, it was a terrible reality.

The New York Daily News reported that Faughey was attacked "during a therapy session." The attack on the therapist was ferocious. A law enforcement source told the Daily News that Dr. Faughey's killer "bent two knives - the cleaver and a 9-inch blade with a camouflage handle" during the attack.

Dr. Faughey's colleague tried to help, but therapist Kent Shinbach ended up with severe injuries of his own. He was hospitalized in critical condition.

The blood-soaked killer exited the building through a basement door, passing several security cameras along the way. According to the Daily News, police think they know who killed the psychologist.

One witness told the newspaper that the killer "looked like a psycho." (Police sketch of the "psycho" is on the left -- click to enlarge.)

Kathryn Faughey had a website that explained a type of therapy she used, "adaptation psychology." About herself, Dr. Faughey wrote that she was "interactive" and that she gave "feedback." Her approach to cognitive therapy was effective, and practiced in a "warm, clear, and lively manner."

Dr. Faughey had been interviewed by more than one New York media outlet, and seemed trusted and well-liked. She was mentioned on a webpage created for people with an interest in treating weight problems through therapy. Someone signing off only as "B. N. in NYC" wrote that the doctor was "very friendly open and compassionate. I would highly recommend her."

On an early version of her site, Adaptation.net, Dr. Faughey explained her work in some detail:

Sometimes people fear that such services make take too long to be effective. Or, that "talking about it won't help." Or, that they will be asked to talk extensively about their childhood; to the expense of time and money.

Most people need to talk about the "real" life problems they are currently experiencing.

It may be a health issue; a relationship issue; an employment issue; perhaps it concerns a death; or a diagnosis.

Others cannot put it so easily into words . They may say ,"I just don�t know why I am unhappy.".

And so, my approach is directed to meet these needs.

[...]

I take a two pronged approach. Yes, factors in our past shape our current feelings. These factors are a combination of genes and early family learning. Yet, as we look back we must also look at the present and implement the adaptations necessary to our current positions, problems, and longings.

With careful consideration to each individual's needs and circumstances; full confidentiality is assured; and, referrals are made to other professionals or techniques when necessary.

Police were still searching for Kathryn Faughey's killer early Wednesday. He has been described as a "middle aged, blonde-haired male," and was probably a Dr. Faughey's patient.

UPDATE, 3:28 p.m. ET

This is incredibly bizarre. The following details have been revealed about the suspected killer of Dr. Kathryn Faughey:

Police said they recovered three knives from the scene including the cleaver; a suitcase on wheels filled with women's clothing -- including slippers and a blouse -- and adult diapers; and another bag filled with eight smaller knives that were not believed to have been used in the attack...

So far, this is making the case of Peter Braunstein, the fake firefighter/rapist, look like child's play.

It's a cliche in cases like this, but damn, it's just true -- you can't make stuff like that up. Well, you could, but no one would believe you.

Additional link: New York Times, "Man Sought in Psychologist's Stabbing."

UPDATE, 2/14/08

EDIT: AS OF 3:30 P.M, THE NEW YORK POST WAS REPORTING THAT BILL KUNSMAN HAD BEEN QUESTIONED AND RELEASED.

In the comments left on this post, "thefirstdiane" linked this NY Daily News article naming Pennsylvania musician William "Bill" Kunsman as the man currently being questioned in connection with Kathryn Faughey's murder.

Faughey posted to an online forum for Martin devotees as "LittleAnna," as did Kunsman. The forum has been made private since the therapist's murder on Tuesday, but a search of "LittleAnna" and "Kathryn Faughey" together gave a few cached results.

At the moment Kunsman is only under questioning in part because of e-mails he apparently sent to Faughey prior to her death. As of Thursday afternoon, he has not been named a suspect in the murder of Dr. Faughey.

Additional link: New York Times article mentioning Kunsman.

UPDATE, 5:42 p.m. ET

Thanks again to "thefirstdiane" for this somewhat unexpected update: "Source: Victim identifies cleaver killer." Quoting from WABC:

[The] surviving victim of the attack that left a psychologist dead has identified the man questioned today by police in Pennsylvania as the killer. The Distritct Attorney is awaiting forensic evidence before an arrest is made...

Again, that man was one William "Bill" Kunsman. Links to Kunsman's online presence were removed from the previous update following news that he'd been released from custody by Pennsylvania authorities. One page linked held a bio of Kunsman, which read in part:

William Kunsman began his musical career in 1983 when, fresh out of high school, he joined the United States Marine Corps as a trumpet player for the band. In 1984, while attending the Naval School of Music in Norfolk, VA he began to play guitar and to experiment with songwriting. While in the Marines, William served in field bands in New Orleans, LA and Okinawa, Japan and applied his guitar skills in a jazz/rock ensemble.

Following his military service William tried for several years to put together a hard rock band, without success, but continued to build upon his skill as a guitarist.

In 1993 William made the unlikely transition from hard rock to all acoustic music. He expanded his repertoire when he took-up fiddle and learned to play in the West Virginia, old-timey, mountain style. In the 1990's, he played with the Pennsylvania-based bluegrass group Willow Creek and was a founding member of the traditional bluegrass band Mountain Heritage. For both groups, Kunsman original compositions were repertoire staples. Bluegrass festival-goers in the NorthEast and listeners of WDIY radio program, Heartland's Hayride, were soon toe-tapping to William Kunsman's music.

Both Kunsman's and Dr. Faughey's names were on a webpage listing attendees to an event for Martin Guitar devotees in 2006.

A personal opinion: I don't think the man seen in a photo accompanying this article -- it's Kunsman -- resembles the suspect sketch at all. True, the angle is totally different, but he has thick, curly hair and doesn't appear to be balding. Kunsman also doesn't appear to be overweight in any of the photos found of him online. Dr. Faughey's killer could have worn padded clothing, of course -- in a murder this strange, you can't really rule anything out.

I must add this, however -- the killer allegedly said to surviving victim Kent Shinbach, "I know where you live."

The only addresses I could find for a 70-year-old Kent Shinbach outside of his office address in Manhattan were in Pennsylvania.

Additional link: You can buy Bill Kunsman's Acousticology 101 cd here.

UPDATE, 2/16/08, 4:15 p.m. ET

As has been noted in the comments left on this post, police have a new person of interest in the Kathryn Faughey murder investigation.

The man being questioned in New York is 39 (or 40)-year-old telemarketer David Tarloff. Tarloff reportedly fits the physical description of the suspect and was once a patient of Dr. Kent D. Shinbach, the surviving victim of the attack. Tarloff also has a history of mental illness and violent behavior.

Additional article referencing Tarloff: NY Times, "Queens Man Questioned in Killing of Therapist."

**UPDATE, 6:43 p.m. ET**

David Tarloff has been arrested. Tarloff apparently told police that he went to the office with a plan to rob the Kent Shinbach, who had Tarloff institutionalized 17 years ago. Tarloff said he would then take his mother and flee the U.S. As Tarloff's mother was in a nursing home, this may explain the bizarre clues found in the rolling suitcases, including the adult diapers.

(This entry may be updated and revised.)

UPDATED Notes for 2/11/08 & 2/12/08

BOBBY CUTTS LIVE

Have you been watching the hideousness that is the Bobby Cutts show? The ex-cop is on trial for the murder of his girlfriend Jessie Davis, a case detailed in part in this blog in these entries:

"Mysteriously Missing: Jessie Davis."
"Bobby Cutts Jr., AKA DALAW150."

I watched large chunks of Cutts's sobfest as it aired on MSNBC, and couldn't quit thinking about how the guy was never going to win any Oscars for the nauseating show he was putting on for the court and the cameras.

He'll never sell his ludicrous story of how Jessie died, either -- that it was an accident. No sensible jury could possibly buy such a farce.

That's the hallmark of psychopaths the world over -- they don't really know, when the stress is on, that the mask has cracked. Certain that their charm and earnest manner will carry the day, they just keep trying. Or in Cutts's case, crying.

THE OBLIGATORY RADAR PLUG

Hey, I like the subjects they let me cover there. My "Fresh Intelligence" post for today:

"Randy Quaid Banned from Theater by Actors Union."

To be honest, I liked Randy Quaid. He was a character actor's character actor, a guy who could play comedy, drama, you name it, with equal ease. Then I did a little research for the post you'll read at the other end of that link above.

Basically, at the end of the 80's Quaid married a smokin' hot young limo driver named Evi, and it looks like his life has only gotten stranger (downhill might not be too accurate) ever since. Evi Quaid is Randy's manager. She's also an auteur, a photographer and model (link almost NSFW) and just maybe a scary-ass psycho in her own right. Whatever the deal is, she isn't doing her husband any favors at the moment. And no, he doesn't sound like he's screwed on all that tight, either.

Click "recommend it" on my post if you like it, but as always, poke around Radar's site for a while and recommend anything you like. There's some pretty entertaining stuff to be found there.

GROW UP, Y'ALL

A note for folks still leaving comments referencing this True Crime Weblog post: those of you who are over 18 -- and I think it's most of you -- really need to have your license to be called a grown-up revoked. I'd go in and just delete the whole shebang, but I don't have the time right now. Anyone bored enough to follow the comment link will see what I'm talking about right away.

I know the obsessives snarking uselessly at one another in that thread don't even read this blog otherwise (at least most of them don't), but for the few of you who do, let me introduce you to the very thing you embody: "John Gabriel's Greater Internet F***wad Theory." Please, if you do nothing else, follow that link, see yourself, and go get a life. For added emphasis, let me point you to another excellent illustration of the essential nature of Internet Debates.

For the record, I get all new comments in my GMail every half-hour, so yes, I get the gist of most of it. And yes, it's damned irritating, in this case.

PLUGGITY

It's not crime-related, but I may have solved a wee literary mystery. I've posted about it in my personal blog, Random Lunatic News (StevenHuff.net). I've been working on it for a while, and now some Wikipedians are weighing in.

PLUGGITY-PLUG PLUG, RADAR AGAIN ON 2/12/08

This somehow seems more appropriate to plug than a Radar post about Randy Quaid's Equity woes:

"The Mysterious Case of '90 Day Jane.'"

It's my post for "Fresh Intelligence" about a rather dark, new Internet phenomenon, 90 Day Jane. Jane says she's going to commit suicide in just a little less than 3 months, and she's documenting the effort in her blog.

The funny thing is, I spent a good deal of the night last night writing this entry at Random Lunatic News: "The Strange Tale of 90 Day Jane." In that entry I said that Jane might become a new thing on the Internet, a phenomenon, but I wasn't sure, yet. Then this morning I got an e-mail from one of my editors at Radar asking me if I'd like to dig into -- what else? -- the same allegedly suicidal Jane. Guess I read that one right, after all.

Where the blog entry for Radar is short and to the point, my personal blog post is detailed and delves a little into autobiography, for I couldn't examine a blog purporting to document a suicide's descent into death without remembering my late brother.

Is 90 Day Jane real? Follow the links for yourself and see what you think. I just don't know, right now. I do know that hoax or not, I find the whole thing pretty damned disturbing.

NOTE: I've hemmed and hawed about this in the past, and I think I'd really appreciate anyone following Radar links from this blog leaving comments there instead of here. It only takes a moment to register to comment on the site, and Radar really asks for the bare minimum information necessary to let you have a posting account. Comments are always welcome here, but they make more sense when they're attached to whatever post I've had published there.