Breaking News: Brad Cooper Indicted
Brad Cooper was indicted by a grand jury today on 1st degree murder.
That’s no surprise to me. Read what I wrote about Brad Cooper here exactly two weeks ago today.
Hannah Overton
What Happened to Andrew? (video)
When you first hear the story that a recently adopted boy dies in his new home after only four months time, you immediately go on alert. The timing of little Andrew Burd’s death raises a red flag. There is no doubt about it.
Read moreWorse, the little boy’s former foster mother, Sharon Hamil, testified that the boy was fine and never exhibited any excessive or odd eating behaviors in her care.
The hospital where Andrew Burd was taken also said they saw bruising on the little boy’s body which alerted them.
That’s three red flags that can’t be ignored. So then you would think it was appropriate that in 2007, Hannah Overton was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Well, sadly, I completely disagree.
When I watched this case on 48 Hours, and I listened to Hannah Overton speak on the stand, I can tell you that I trust her. I believe she is 100% innocent, and I suspect that little Andrew Burd did indeed suffer from pica.
There is just a genuineness about Overton that can’t be faked. There is a sincerity, and honesty that are undeniable. Overton is someone who I would call a postive person. Overton truly believed the truth would set her free, but sadly, it did not.
More than that, when you look at Overton’s demeanor, she does not have any of the typical traits of a mom who would abuse her children. She is not full of anger, hate, rage, or unsteady in her emotional state. She is quite the contrary: balanced, even-keeled and loved children more than most people.
What made this case even more fascinating to me were the other players in this trial. While I don’t want to name names, I will tell you there were several people who spoke against Overton whom I do not trust nor would I ever trust. They hit me as angry and mad, and completely unable to be objective. That’s unfortunately how an injustice like this can and does occur.
I hope that Hannah Overton’s appeal is granted. She is truly deserving to be set free.
Two Stories
This weekend two fascinating stories were profiled on 20/20 and 48 Hours.
I have so many thoughts of both of these cases, and I just wanted to let you know I will be writing about them both this week!
48 Hours has put the entire show online, too, which makes it much easier for me to show you my thoughts. Stay tuned for more…
Story #2
Casey Anthony Indited on 1st Degree Murder
Casey Anthony was arrested today on first degree murder charges… (I did not write about Casey Anthony).
(CNN.com) A Florida grand jury has returned a seven-count indictment charging Casey Anthony with first-degree murder in the disappearance of her 3-year-old daughter, Caylee.
…Lawson Lamar, the state attorney for Orange County, Florida, said the first count is a capital charge — which could carry a penalty of life in prison or death. She was also charged with aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter of a child and four counts of providing false information to police.
Did you see the video of George Anthony today as he spoke outside of the courthouse? It was really gut-wrenching. His emotions tugged at your sleeve. They socked you in the gut. They were raw and agonizing. I can’t imagine having to testify against your own daughter.
In a poll back in July, 48% of people polled said they did not believe Cindy Anthony was honest. They believed she was hiding information about Caylee. I’ve always believed Cindy Anthony, and still do to this day.
The July poll (above) was devastating to see because people were really hard on the Anthonys as if it was their fault that Casey Anthony was a pathological liar, or worse, a psychopath. I don’t think you can create a sociopath. I think people are born that way. Worse, if a child has no conscience, how do you teach them right from wrong? How do you punish them? I just don’t know how people can blame the Anthonys. They are living a parent’s worst nightmare.
My heart goes out to the Anthony family, and I just have to ask again:
I personally think that Casey Anthony was jealous of Caylee’s relationship with her mother, and left home to spite her mom. She figured by removing Caylee from her mother’s life would be the ultimate payback. I can’t quite imagine that she killed Caylee as a result, but it sure seem to be pointing to that as horrific as it is to write that.
What a tragedy.
A Closer Look at Brad Cooper
Per your request, I have spent a short period of time watching Brad Cooper talk in the video deposition that has been released online. I also couldn’t help but glance at the affidavits in the case that were listed in the sidebar near the video links. With that, I thought I would share with you my first impressions and thoughts.
Read morePlease know I did not watch any deposition in its entirety. I reviewed at a couple of segments highlighted for me, by you, my readers. Thank you for giving me time markers, it is much appreciated.
- The first thing I noticed about Brad Cooper is that he is what I call a classic neutral person. Classic neutral people are void of emotional expression.
These people are hardest to read, because these people don’t express a lot of emotion. Neutral people tend to lack genuine enthusiasm, and most often come across as someone who is not excitable. They usually come across as mundane and monotone.
While the majority of people who fall into the neutral category are suspicious, it does not mean that they are lying. And that is where it gets tricky. Some people just lack normal expressive emotions and instead are subdued, even when they are telling the truth.
With that, I am left to ask, is this normal behavior for Brad, or is this notable and unusual?
Most people are not this baseline in their emotions especially after something as traumatic as loss of your wife to murder. Most people would be devastated/angry/mad for their children that they have been robbed of a mother, at the very least. Yet I see none of this with Brad. It definitely raises my eyebrows.
Since Brad does seem to be a reserved type of person who could repress his emotions, and he was going through a divorce, I would need to know from his friends if this is the “typical Brad” or if his behavior is notably different. If his friends told me his emotions were notably void here, it would raise a big red flag.
- Since we can’t depend on Brad’s emotions and body language to guide us positively or negatively, the next thing we need to look at are his words, and the facts. Is Brad consistent in what he is saying?
The first video I zoomed into was what Brad says happened the day that Nancy disappeared. Almost immediately, I found a big inconsistency in what Brad is saying when he talks about running to the store the morning Nancy disappeared. In the deposition here (around time marker 25:00), Brad talks about how his wife Nancy was upset that they were out of detergent.
Questioner:
When you got home from the Harris Teeter, what did you do?Cooper:
When I got home from Harris Teeter, I put the milk back in the fridge. Um..by this time, the washing machine had finished the first load that, um, we had put in earlier, and um, Nancy then indicated that we were out of laundry detergent and was upset that we were out of laundry detergent as well.Questioner:
Was she upset with you about that?Cooper:
Yes, she… well, she was upset that one, we ran low on milk, we ran low on laundry detergent, and um, she was gone the week prior so she kind of felt it was my fault that I hadn’t restocked with milk and laundry detergent. (Time marker 25:18).Questioner:
So what does she say?Cooper:
She indicated that it was kind of my fault and therefore my responsibility and hop back in the car and go to the store and pick up laundry detergent. - If you compare that to what Brad said in an affidavit here, Brad’s story has changed.
“I start to get ready for the girls to get up and noticed we were out of laundry detergent and could not do laundry, so Nancy asked me to go back out to get some laundry detergent around 6:30 A.M.”
I find this odd and perplexing. Why is Brad not able to keep his facts straight? In one version, his wife notices they are out of laundry soap. In the other, he notices. In the deposition, he starts the laundry and does one load. In the affidavit, he says he “could not do laundry”.
This is a notable red flag. When we are honest, we remember the basic details of what we did and who discovered what. We don’t confuse basic facts such as this.
- It’s also very notable (above) that Brad talks about getting ready for the girls to “get up” in the affidavit. Yet oddly, in his deposition, he talks about how Katie, his daughter, was up early and fussing because she didn’t have milk, and that he went to get her milk, came home and got a bottle of milk to give to Katie. He wasn’t home a few minutes before the laundry detergent scenario played out, and after returning with the laundry detergent he tells us he takes Katie back upstairs with him to put her down.
What is the truth here? Was Katie up or not? Clearly, Brad is having a hard time keeping his facts straight and that begs us to question why.
- It’s odd, too, that when Brad Cooper went to the grocery store the first time, he knew exactly how he got there. He was sure about his route. The second time, however, he couldn’t remember which way he went, yet he said he remembered getting a phone call at a specific intersection. Why did he take a different route? How come he remembers this specific phone call, but he doesn’t remember the different route? It’s perplexing. Notice that Brad is asked why he took a different route, but he doesn’t answer the question.
- Brad Cooper in this deposition tells us that he cleaned out the garage on June 28th so that one car could fit into their two car garage. He explains that it was summer and hot, and that Nancy needed a cool car for the kids.
Yet ironically, Gary Beard, of Gary’s Pest Control, says in his affidavit that he entered the garage on July 8 and that there was no way a car could be parked inside the garage due to the toys and things Brad says he supposedly removed. It’s another inconsistency, another oddity, another red flag. Why would Gary Beard lie about this? Why would Brad Cooper lie about this?
At this point, from what little I have reviewed, I think it is clear that Brad is unable to keep his facts straight, and that concerns me.
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Update: Brad Cooper was sentenced to life in prison May 2011 for the killing of his wife, Nancy.
