The Fall of Carmine Baffa *UPDATED*

SEE UPDATE AT BOTTOM OF ENTRY.

Carmine Edmund Baffa, 52, ran seminars across the country, stalking through starry-eyed crowds hanging on his every word, wearing a headset mic as he instructed others on how they could achieve "life improvement." Baffa was all about "Human Performance Engineering." He tacked Ph.D. at the end of his name, and apparently, plenty of people bought into what Baffa was selling.

Baffa, a resident of Lawrenceville, GA, was arrested April 9 and is in the Gwinnett County Jail, charged with raping two teen girls, aged 13 and 19. While local Atlanta media has referenced "two separate incidents," Baffa's charge sheet, available online as of April 17, shows multiple charges. They include aggravated sexual battery, aggravated child molestation, and rape.

While Baffa traveled nationwide for seminars, his alleged crimes occurred in a private setting at his Georgia residence. The victims told police that they were raped during therapy sessions. Though Baffa was supposedly a hypnotist, his alleged victims were not under any kind of hypnotic spell. Police believe Baffa committed rape as part of furthering the patients' "treatment."

Gwinnett County Police Department spokeswoman Cpl. Illana Spellman told local reporters that adults being treated by Baffa "[S]aid they knew what was going on, but were convinced that it would help their treatment."

Spellman also said that legitimate therapists referred patients to Baffa, who presented himself as a psychotherapist. In reality, Carmine Baffa was "not a licensed therapist" in any way, according to Cpl. Spellman.

For his "Mindsight" seminars, Baffa traveled to Chicago and Los Angeles in addition to holding seminars in the Atlanta area.

Baffa's website, Carmine.net, appeared to be "under construction," but at one time it contained a great deal of writing by Baffa, some of it quite creepy in light of the recent charges against him. He'd posted many of the articles as responses to various discussions in Usenet groups, message boards that have been online in one form or another since the 1980s. Some were still online as of April 17, 2008, but it looked as though any links to the writing from the main page of Baffa's website had been severed.

One "Internet Response From Carmine Baffa, Creator of Human Performance Engineering," was titled, "NLP and Sex." NLP referred to "neuro-linguistic programming." Wikipedia described NLP as "an interpersonal communication model and an alternative approach to psychotherapy" that was "based on the subjective study of language, communication and personal change."

In "NLP and Sex," Baffa wrote the following:

This, by far, is one of my favorite subjects. At least that's the way I feel today. I often wonder about how so many people could experience anything other than wanton desire that moves toward passionate sexual arousal. My question has been the opposite. How do I turn it off?

Of course, the results of having internalized the skills of NLP has only added to my misery. Now, not only do I live in a state of heightened sexual arousal, it has become very contagious. Or is that contiguous, as the feelings have connected to everything else. I can't go anywhere without profoundly eliciting in those I come into contact with deeply felt arousal and attraction...

Baffa paused the slithery digression into his "heightened sexual arousal" to explain some things:

Putting the fun aside for a moment, let me seriously answer your question. First, you learn, in so far, the entire skill set called NLP, then you elicit anything you want, period...

Later, Baffa expanded on what NLP had done for him when it came to getting "anything" he wanted:

For me, the process of learning NLP/DHE(TM) has been an adventure. One that has enhanced every single area of my entire world. Life for me is fantastic! I continue having the ongoing experience of being able to do what ever I want to do. I only work an average of three hours a day while making as much money as I want to. I am involved in the most enjoyable, caring, fun, loving, dynamic, pleasurable, intimate relationship imaginable. I do what I want, learn what I want, go where I want, get what I want, experience what I want to experience - always! In fact, my life while awake is far better than any dream I have ever had. And since I only need about three hours of sleep in every twenty-four hour period, I have plenty of time to enjoy it all.

Why stop at just sexual arousal and attraction when you could live all of your dreams? Every single one of them!

Carmine Baffa's words described an ideal existence for a predatory, antisocial personality -- little to no work and constant self-satisfaction. In light of the charges against him, his words about neuro-linguistic programming and sex induce some queasiness. The message -- for it was originally posted in a newsgroup that by and large loathed him -- seemed to hint that he'd been doing what he wanted for some time.

A similar "Internet Response" from Baffa addressed "Kids Learning NLP." Baffa wrote:

Pretty much as a rule, when people have attended one of my trainings their children were always invited for free. I have had children ages seven to over sixty attend trainings.

As I think about it, when there were children in the trainings, they always wound up becoming my assistants. It was as if they were learning the information by osmosis...

Baffa is now charged with multiple counts of child molestation, so there was no small amount of irony in a later part of the same "Response":

Some of the side effects, if you will, that have materialized through the children who have attended these trainings are: 1. the automatic ability to effectively calibrate how far a particular person can be trusted, 2. accelerated learning abilities - where actual study time was cut to a fraction while comprehension increased (not only that, but how they were able to usefully utilize what they were comprehending was uncanny), 3. the automatic ability to make better decisions about the choices that were offered to them in all contexts...

If the charges against Baffa are true, those children who learned how to "calibrate" a level of trust for another through NLP should have run screaming from the seminar leader himself.

Because Baffa traveled a great deal and had other potentially vulnerable patients, anyone with more information about the phony therapist and alleged rapist should Gwinnett County investigator Diane King at 770-513-5356.

I've started a thread about this case here.

Additional links:

Carmine Baffa was also a freelance videographer with a full set of camera equipment.

One of Baffa's confirmed e-mail addresses led to this private MySpace:

http://www.myspace.com/100740839

Note the age given on the profile. Baffa is 52. Public records indicated a marriage in Texas to a woman in her thirties in 2001, but she would be approaching 40 now.

Other blogs: The Dreamin' Demon has a post up about Baffa.

UPDATE, 6:18 p.m. ET

Carmine Baffa's birth date, according to the list of inmates currently in the Gwinnett County Detention Center (he was first on the list as of 4/17), is 02/15/1956.

In Broward County, Florida court records, partially available online, there was a felony case involving a defendant named Carmine Baffa from October, 1985. That Carmine Baffa's birthdate was 02/15/1955. The charge was for "dealing in stolen property." The case's status read "disposition entered." Here's how the Broward County Courts website explains that status:

Case and count status of "disposition entered" signifies that although either a Court ruled on or disposed of the underlying case or count, or it was otherwise disposed of by operation of law, it nonetheless allows for the possibility that there may still be other actions or matters pending or due on or related to that case or count, including but not limited to, fine, fee or cost payments due; probation, restitution or special conditions pending; attorney's fees motions pending; defendant declared unable to stand trial and committed to a hospital; appeals pending; and others...

This post may be updated and revised.

(The video below was another promotional video Baffa posted on his website. He titled it "Changing Personal History." Something he'd probably like to do right now.)

The Search For Kaelin Rose Glazier Ends

(New True Crime Weblog contributor Tamar Silverman is a writer and sleuth residing in the Pacific Northwest. ~ Steve Huff)

Kaelin Rose Glazier vanished from tiny Ruch, Oregon on November 6th, 1996. The 15-year-old sophomore at South Medford High left a friend's house that Wednesday to go to a church youth function. She was never seen alive again.

On Thursday, April 8th, 2008 Kaelin's remains were discovered in an open field less than 100ft from the one time residence of her friend and the last person to see her alive, William (Billy) Frank Simmons.

Kaelin had stayed the previous night at a friend's house and was expected to walk from there to a youth meeting at Applegate Christian Fellowship on Route 238. Simmons claims she dropped by and watched a video at his grandparents' house instead. The movie they watched, Heat is a violent police thriller, which runs 159 minutes (two and half hours). Kaelin left after the movie and was last seen on Haven Road headed toward the church around 7:40 pm. Youth groups do not meet late on a school night, so it is likely she was only going to catch the end of the meeting. Kaelin's mother was waiting for her at the church that night, but Kaelin never showed up.

Simmons, a former classmate of Kaelin's, lived with his grandparents at the 100 block of Johnson Road. A high school drop out at 15 who was later arrested for identity theft and probation violation, Simmons led a troubled life. Police have always considered Simmons a suspect. In fact, he is the only suspect named in the investigation. It was reported, however, that another male friend left Simmons's residence minutes before Kaelin. Could this friend have been lying in wait? Could the neighbor (on whose property Kaelin's body was found) have kidnapped and killed her? The fact that she was found so close to the last place she was seen points to a killer who knew Kaelin, but why was Billy Simmons singled out?

When Jackson County Sheriff’s Department officially named him, “a person of interest" Simmons complained that he was being harassed by police who were, "just not smart enough to go anywhere else and find other leads." Kaelin's friends and neighbors have also accused the local authorities of bungling this case and questions linger regarding the 5 day delay in an organized search.

Kaelin’s disappearance has haunted the Jacksonville area for nearly 12 year now. Though statistics say the murder may not be solved or a perpetrator brought to justice, the discovery of Kaelin's body has brought some closure to the community and to her long suffering family.

• http://archive.mailtribune.com/archive/99/jan99/11999n1.htm





• http://archive.mailtribune.com/archive/2000/december/122500n2.htm





• http://www.ktvl.com/news/remains_1186117___article.html/glazier_ruch.html

New Stuff -- The True Crime Weblog Board and Tumblr

I wanted to introduce readers to some works in progress. It's important that I make it clear that the following two features are experiments and not stuff I've set in stone. There are several reasons I'm calling them experiments at the moment -- one is my own ability to keep up with them, depending on my health and/or professional workload.

Another reason it's important to note the 'work in progress' nature of these sites is reader confusion. Whenever I do something new, there are inevitably a number of people who react with something like panic, or at least confusion. I know this is mostly my fault, but to some degree it's a problem with people just not liking change.

I have to admit, that's always confused me, and at first, it annoyed me. Then I realized that for some folks, this site is a daily destination, and when I muck with it, it messes with their groove. That's a nice thing for a blogger, though -- realizing you have regulars.

Anyway, because the sites I'm about to link are experiments, you must NOT consider them new destinations in lieu of reading The True Crime Weblog. If there is ever a new destination where my energies will be focused, I'll let readers know in no uncertain terms.

You should still come to this site for in-depth treatments of crimes in the news. Especially now, because I'm adding some excellent new contributors.

Okay -- the new stuff.

1. http://truecrimeweblog.freeforums.org/ -- The True Crime Weblog Message Board. I set up this classic forum/message board/what have you with a particular set of readers in mind -- those who like to utterly dissect a subject, chew the fat about it, parse each detail. I also think a message board presents a nice opportunity for some folks to do something like blog about a particular issue themselves. Because when you leave a comment on a blog post on any weblog anywhere, you are NOT BLOGGING. A message board, however, can provide a somewhat blog-like environment. I consider forums/boards to be more like a community than a weblog (there are notable exceptions, the left-wing Daily Kos, a weblog, also functions like a chaotic message board). If we keep the board, I can see it morphing into a platform for generating story ideas for this blog, as well as research and discussion. One forum I set up as soon as I got the thing is already fairly active. If interest and membership grows, we'll add more forums devoted solely to one case. For now, if you want to use it, you need to register. Then, if there is a crime in the news you want to discuss, you can start here. Ideas for permanent forums on the board can be generated from the "general" crime news thread. Any simple questions about the board, you can post 'em in the comments on this entry. I am the admin for the board -- I've already made a steady, stalwart poster from open threads here about Meredith Kercher, Skeptical Bystander, a moderator.
   
2. http://truecrime.tumblr.com/ -- The True Crime Tumblr. Okay, my new true crime tumbleblog is bound to confuse people, because it basically looks just like a blog. A really stripped-down blog. No sidebar. No links to other blogs. But if you really examine tumbleblogs, they aren't like a classic weblog at all. One key way a tumbleblog may differ from a site like the one you're reading now is not obvious to the reader at all -- tumbleblogs are designed to be published on the fly. I can basically publish links, posts, photos, audio, whatever, as I surf. That's not the case with the blog you're reading right now -- when I sit down to do something for this blog, or for my professional work at Radar, it's a project, and my main focus. An in-depth entry can take hours to create. Still, why the tumbleblog? Well, when I realized how easy it is to use, I began using it as a kind of online notepad. What you'll read there are short, quick takes by me on crimes in the news today, yesterday, whenever. I don't edit much, and I try to cover a lot. While I try to use a more formal voice when I blog here, you're getting a straight shot at the True Crime Tumblr. I've added a comment function to the tumbleblog as well. Look at the difference between this blog and the tumbleblog as being the difference between a composed piece of music and a riff. I'm just riffing with the tumblr. It's pretty fun for me as a blogger, incredibly easy to do, and surprisingly non-time-consuming.
   

If any of the above has confused you, befuddled you, well -- don't worry about it. Just stick with this site. I should note though -- if you check out TrueCrimeMagazine.com -- the site that now holds all the content from CrimeBlog.US -- you will see that the main page is a feed-through of the True Crime Tumblr. To find entries you've read in the past at True Crime Magazine, just use that site's search page, which is powered by Google. Everything that was on CrimeBlog.US is still there, as is the content I've added since I changed URLs.