George Zimmerman

Many people are upset about the Trayvon Martin case, and understandably so. For a young black boy to be innocently walking in a neighborhood from a convenient store to a family friend’s house, and to be killed holding only an ice tea and skittles is very unnerving.

George Zimmerman, a community watch captain, honed into Martin and felt he was up to no good, though I have not heard any evidence to support why this was.

Zimmerman called 911 and the police specifically told him not to follow Martin, which is did anyway.   He seemed to provoke the confrontation.

Zimmerman’s attorney has spoken out several times saying that his client acted in self-defense, and that he suffered injuries, yet ironically, in the video above, we can’t see anything.  While the video is grainy, you would think lacerations to the back of his head would be visible.

The whole situation is deeply disturbing and I feel for Trayvon Martin’s family.

If George Zimmerman did act in self-defense and did sustain injuries, you would think he would benefit from showing his face in the media, or at least pictures of his injuries, because if he was injured people might be more willing to give him more credit, but the fact he doesn’t do this is a huge red flag.

Mom Beaten: Daughter Speaks Out

(Revised at 12 CST due to a correction: Fatima says “you” instead of “she” as I had earlier posted).

Fatima Al Himidi speaks out after finding her mother savagely beaten in the family home.

I am immediately struck by Fatima’s demeanor in this video.  She covers her eyes by wearing sunglasses which is notable because she is supposedly crying, but more than that, she shows none of the indications of a girl who is sad, or stressed, which I would expect to see both after what she has endured. I don’t see any tears at all running down past her sunglasses.  I don’t see any real signs of crying, either.

I also don’t see any fear which I would expect–especially if this killer came into the family home.

Her demeanor also varies notably and is not consistent.

Fatima says,”You took my mother away from me. You took my best friend away from me. Why?”

Why is Fatima giving up hope before her mom is dead — talking about her as if she already passed when she is still alive in this video?   Most victims and family members hold on to hope that their loved one will survive until the very last moment, but Fatima doesn’t.  It’s notable.

Fatima goes on to rant about whoever did this is a terrorist, and if you notice when she does this, there is no emotional pain in her voice whatsoever.  Its more like she is giving a lecture or yelling at a school friend.  It really stands out to me.

“You’re an animal, whoever you are.  You are not even an animal,” she says.

After which she acts like she breaks down, but it is clearly an act.

Fatima says, “If you were a man, you’d come to her face. You wouldn’t do it behind her back.”

How does Fatima know her mom was attacked from behind?  This intrigues me.  Is this something investigators shared with her, or did she just guess at this when she found her mom severely injured with a tire iron? I would think with a lot of blood, it would be hard to tell.

I find Fatima’s demeanor odd and notable without question.

Fatima’s mom, Shaima Al Awadi, passed away Saturday from her injuries. Police believe this was an isolated incident.

Update 1:23 PM:  A reader has mentioned that Fatima’s culture may affect how she is coming across.  This is very valid and people who are knowledgeable about this, please share your thoughts.  I do not want to discount how culture can affect behavior.  Thank you.
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My Thoughts on Bruce Beresford-Redman

In this interview, Bruce gives us a lot of inconsistencies when he speaks. I was amazed at how much he revealed in just the intro segment alone.

When Bruce says, “I did not kill my wife. I really didn’t” we actual see a flicker of positive emotion which instantly raises my eyebrows. Not only that, he is shrugging his shoulders and uses the word “really” which stands out to me in his denial. They weaken his denial considerably. He should be emphatic that he did not kill his wife, if he didn’t, but we don’t see a hint of that. Instead we see one contradictory clue after another.

I think this picture says it all. It was taken when he says, “I really didn’t.”  His shoulder is shrugging.

This snapshot of him speaking at this moment shows his lack of confidence without question, and it shows his positive emotion as well.  You can feel him almost pleading, “Do you believe me???”

 
Bruce continues, “At the time of our trip, we were getting along splendidly.”  The word “splendidly” immediately catches my eye.Watch him shrug his shoulders again as he speaks.

I certainly do not believe Bruce at all. I do believe Monica’s sister, without hesitation.

Bruce says,  “The next morning she wasn’t back and now I was really (shoulder shrug) nervous.”  This is interesting on two fronts.  He didn’t get “nervous” until morning?  And why would he get “nervous”?  I would expect worry, concern, or fear, but not nervousness.  But I believe Bruce was nervous that morning, ironically, but for different reasons. Also the word “now” stands out.  Wouldn’t you be distressed after your wife didn’t return after a couple of hours–especially if she didn’t have her cell phone?  Why would he suddenly become nervous in the morning?  Hmmm….

Watch Bruce’s shoulders when he said, “All of the sudden, everything that you know, everything that you love, everything that you care about sort of disappears.”

Every statement Bruce makes (and we’ve only seen less than a minute or two of him talking) leaks clues like a sieve. His last statement above is no exception.  “All of the sudden” stands out to me.  Monica’s disappearance didn’t develop all of the sudden by the account he tells us, which makes his words odd to me.  They stand out.

His story is that she went out shopping and never came back.  Most people would be thinking maybe their loved one got lost, got in trouble, etc and would be frantic trying to see if they could find them and help them.   The situation would develop over a few hours.  It wouldn’t be all of a sudden. But if Bruce killed her, it would be “all of the sudden”. 

I also noticed how he talks about everything he knew and loved suddenly disappeared.  Did you notice that he didn’t say “the woman I loved”?  He seems to be talking about things being gone–since he is in jail!

Bruce also says “sort of” disappear.  How do things “sort of” disappear?

What is the likelihood Monica would disappear out shopping for a day and her body would end up in the sewer on the property of the hotel where she was staying? I would think that would be remote. It’s not impossible, but remote, if you ask me.  I think of Monica being abducted by someone. The abductor isn’t  going to say hey where are you staying–let’s go there so people you are traveling with can identify us and hey, while I’m there, I’m going to dispose of your body.  That’s the last place on earth someone would bring Monica back to.  But if Bruce killed her, it was the most accessible way to dump her body as he didn’t have many options, did he?

As Bruce talks about Monica’s body being found, he says, “I sort of slumped.  I sort of collapsed…..I just…went…… kinda blank.”

Ouch! I don’t think that needs any explanation.

I do not believe a word out of Bruce’s mouth.  In the few short sentences he has said to date, not one has shown any consistency with what he wants us to believe.

My heart goes out to Monica’s family.

Country Club Murders: Ernie Sherer

48 Hours profiled the murders of married couple Charlene and Ernest Scherer. Their son, Ernie, Jr. was looked at for their murder and was eventually tried and convicted. I believe the jury got it right.

Ernie leaked a lot of clues in the interviews I saw of him on the show. One of the more interesting ones was his head shake when he was asked by investigators, “Did you have any involvement in your parents’ death?” Watch Ernie. The investigator continues, “Did you hire anybody or pay anybody to kill your parents?” Ernie makes another interesting movement with his head, again.

For those of you who have attended my class, here is another example to hone your skills! Did you catch it?

Bruce Beresford-Redman: 48 Hours

Bruce Redman spoke on out CBS 48 Hours last week.  Did you get a chance to see it?  It was an intriguing interview.

I do not believe Bruce is being honest with us.  He left a wake of clues in what he said. 

What clues did you see?