Dateline: Vengeance

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If you missed Dateline this past weekend, you missed an incredible story.  Seemona Sumasar dated a man by the name of Jerry Ramrattan.  She was a hard-working immigrant woman living in Queens, New York, who held two jobs.  She worked at Morgan Stanley during the day, and came home to run a restaurant that she owned at night.

Ramrattan eventually moved in with Sumasar.

Then one day she received a phone call from Ramrattan’s wife saying he was married. Sumasar had no idea! She was very upset and asked Ramrattan to move out. She says a couple of weeks went by and he wasn’t leaving so she asked him to leave again.

It is clear by watching Sumarsar that the two had an argument the night as she claimed and things went south, but I have to say I find her puzzling as well.  Her facial expressions and demeanor stand out to me.

She claims that Ramrattan raped her that evening, but he says it was a lie.

After she reported the assault to police and said she was raped, he hatched a plan to frame Sumasar for armed robberies, and his plan was a success. It happened over many months, but he got three people to say they were robbed by Sumasar.  Police investigated the story and it seemed credible because the eye-witnesses/victims could clearly ID Sumasar and her car–giving them her license plate numbers.  She was eventually arrested and thrown in jail to await trial.  She spent seven months in jail –all the while no one believed her.

Thankfully, one of people Ramrattan convinced to frame Sumasar finally told law enforcement the truth, and police finally believed Sumasar, and locked up Ramrattan.  He was just recently tried and convicted of her rape, and other crimes involving framing Sumasar. He was sent to prison for 32 years.

Without any doubt, what Ramrattan did was outrageous and wrong.  I think he should absolutely be locked up for his actions.  However, when I look at the two of them, I don’t see this case as black and white.  I see shades of gray.

Both of these people are head-strong, obstinate and I personally think they butted heads and neither would back down.  I think tempers flared and each one was going to make the other pay.   Each of them was on a mission– a mission of revenge, and it escalated and escalated.

People naturally feel forced to decide that one person is lying and the other is telling the truth, and we can see that in this case. Police at first didn’t believe Sumasar, and then they didn’t believe Ramrattan–and this case continued on a black and white platform, but what if there are shades of gray here?

I personally suspect there are…

It’s not that I think Sumasar had anything to do with armed robberies. I do not believe she did.  But I wonder what happened that night at her house.  I somehow don’t think we got all the details, or the full truth.

If we ever find out the entire truth, I suspect this case will have even more shades of gray.

I also believe that Sumasar has infuriated Ramrattan to the highest degree, and she needs to take his threats very seriously. When he was sentenced he spoke out and said this isn’t over. I think this guy could be capable of causing Sumasar some serious, serious harm–even from prison.  I don’t think he is finished with her yet.  She needs to watch her back for years to come.

Ben Roethlisberger’s Accuser

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RAPE COUNSELOR WITH FEMALE PATIENT 20 TO 30 YO
Unrelated photo of rape counselor advising a victim

When I watch the 20-year old college student talk about what happened the night she claims that she was raped by Ben Roethlisberger, I find it very strange how she remembers a fair amount of detail up until the moment she gets to the actual rape. It’s one thing to struggle to say the details, or to have a hard time with it, but I don’t see any of that with this victim. She is very matter-of-fact through the entire conversation.

Read moreShe says:

We were taking shots and one of his body guards came and like…like didn’t grab my arm, but like, was like, ‘hey come here’ and grabbed my arm, took me to this back, like, door, like this hallway. Um, he, um, took me back there and I was like, okay, and I like, really weird, how he did it. He was like ‘hey come here’ and I was ok.

I didn’t know what he was doing. It was really weird, but at the same time, I like ooohkay. I don’t…I don’t even know why I went. It was stupid, but went back there and he had me sit at this, um, stool, and then 30 seconds later Ben comes back there, his **** is already out of his pants, and I was like, no this is not right. Like, I don’t agree with this. I got up and I went to like the first door that I saw, which happened to be a bathroom, and um, he followed me in and shut the door. That’s when he proceeded to have sex with me, and the whole time I said no, we shouldn’t be doing this, um, and he got up and left, and um, I walked out, and that’s when we, when my friends walked up to me.

After the victim tells her story, the investigator asked her what position she was in when she was raped, and very strangely she doesn’t know. How can she not know that basic fact? That’s a red flag. If she was confused about other details, I might understand, but she seems to have a clear memory up until the critical point.

I wonder: If you can’t remember the position in which you were raped, how could you be sure you were then raped?

Interestingly, the Pittsburg-Tribune Review writes that in an interview that occurred the night of the alleged rape, the “…accuser initially told Milledgeville police that she wasn’t raped, according to the case file. But in an audio taped interview with Milledgeville Officer Jason Lopez shortly after the encounter, she claimed in a raspy, slurred voice that the quarterback raped her while she squatted on a toilet.”

One time she remembers being raped on the toilet (I can’t imagine) and in a later interview she can’t? This causes me concern.

How could she forget being raped on a toilet? Is that even possible to be raped on a toilet?

I believe someone could be traumatized and things could become foggy, but it would be consistently foggy, not only when talking about specific details. The woman didn’t hit me as shy or timid, either, which might account for getting brief where it matters most.

Interestingly enough, Ben Roethlisberger admitted to having sexual contact with the accuser. From the NYPost.com, “Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger reportedly told police he did have sexual contact with a woman accusing him of sexual assault, but it stopped short of full intercourse, the night of the Milledgeville, Ga., incident.

The Post-Gazette, however, reports of conversations with the police that are quite different from what we hear in the video above. It’s from an audio recording I have yet to find.

She said that she and Mr. Roethlisberger went into the restroom, a cramped space with a single commode.

“I was like, ‘Well, I need to go to the bathroom, let’s go to the bathroom.’ So I went to the bathroom,” she said.

“He was like, ‘OK, well, let’s have sex.’ And I was like, ‘Um, [unintelligible] a good idea.’… And he said, ‘No, it’s really OK, I have a lot of people here. It’s OK.’ He said, ‘Um, it’s really OK.’ And I said, “I really don’t think it’s OK.’ And he said, ‘No, it is.’ “

“And he just, like, started trying to have sex with me. So he had sex with me. I feel like it was three seconds, but I was drunk so I don’t really know.”

I am struck by several things in this version above, if it is truly from her. Does she take him to the bathroom with her? This is a very different account from the video we’ve seen where she says he followed her into the bathroom uninvited. Second, when someone is violated, it usually seems like an eternity, and yet she says it was like three seconds? That’s another huge red flag for me.

According to the Post-Gazette, that the prosecutor did not take the case because of insufficient DNA. They also write, “A hospital examination of the woman found a superficial laceration, bruising and slight bleeding in the genital area, but a doctor could not say whether they were evidence of an assault or sexual activity.”

Based on the facts of this case, and the behavior of the accuser, I think we can obviously say that something happened between Roethlisberger and her, that there was a sexual encounter, but I have serious concerns if she is being honest about the actual rape. Clearly, the woman is holding things back, and can’t remember facts. Some have suggested this is Rape Trauma Syndrome. Clearly, a rape expert needs to be called in to see if this accusers behavior fits within this syndrome. That’s about all I can say at this time…

Accuser: “It Happened So Fast”

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A Georgia college student accused Ben Roethlisberger, a quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, of rape back in March. She met up with Roethlisberger while bar hoping. I was asked to share my thoughts on this. I think there are a lot telltale signs in this video. What do you think?

Matthew Johns

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There is a big story breaking in Australia this week about rugby player Matthew Johns. He was also a TV commentator, but due to a sex scandal that broke recently which involved him, he was removed from the Australian TV Nine Network indefinitely.

Johns went public to talk about the allegations on the Nine Network this week (part 1, part 2, part 3) and his interview is fascinating. When he sits down to talk to the reporter, before he ever says a word, his face ticks with many movements, one of which appears to be contempt. He actually appears to show contempt many times in this interview.

Several people from Australia have contacted me and are interested to know what I think so below I will share with you my personal opinion.

Read moreIn this interview, I see Johns as someone who is continually holding himself back, self-censoring and angry. Look at how tense his lips and body are. You can feel it just watching him. It’s palpable. Other times, he clenches his teeth, takes deep breaths, and pulls his lips in. He sighs heavily. We see his nose twitch upwards rapidly once or twice, too–all of which suggest anger. I suspect if you were to talk to Johns in private, he would be full of anger, not genuinely sorry for his actions and what happened that night, but sorry and angry that he was exposed and is being held accountable, at the very minimum, in the public eye. I also suspect there is more to this story than what we know right now.

Because of his anger, his apology comes off very weak and insincere. When we take responsibility for our actions, hold ourselves accountable, and are truly sorry, it is natural for anger to dissipate. Instead, with Johns, I see resistance, incredible resistance, and I don’t feel Johns is owning up to an apology, outside of empty words, which are easy to say. Giving a heart felt apology is entirely different.

At one point in the interview, Johns even says, “….my thoughts and my energies are directed towards my family, all the pain I’ve caused them.” It confirms for me the woman, who is at the center of this matter, isn’t truly a concern of his.

Johns doesn’t seem to show any anger at himself for his actions either. I would expect him to say he was angry at himself, if he was. There would be absolutely no reason to hide it. It would only support his apology, make it stronger and more believable, but it is oddly missing. And at the end of the interview when the reporter says he career is over, and he finishes speaking, he cries. I suspect he is crying for himself.

Also, when Johns talks, he hedges, stammers, searches for words, has long pauses and many false starts, because he is thinking as he speaks, instead of speaking from his heart about what he knows to be true. This behavior does not support honesty. It does not support that Johns is telling us what he truly believes, if you want my opinion.

When Johns say, “I take full responsibility… for the predicament I find myself in” watch as he finishes. There is this slight head shake afterward (no), which I suspect is a gut response–a subconscious response. But as he thinks about what he said consciously, you then see him nod slightly yes. It’s fascinating body language.

Notice how Johns doesn’t answer the reporter’s question here?

TG: How could she in going back to the room with two of you have ended up being a willing participant in a queue of blokes at the foot of the bed having sex with her?

MJ: Well, at the time, when we went back, I was totally unaware that other people were coming into the room. At the point that they did, I stepped away…. from it. Ugh………….In the statements that were made…. to the police…. it says that….. she encouraged players to come forward….. and then she actually………………….what she, she said “someone come forward and have sex with me”, um…..at which one player said he would…. and she said “no no, anyone but you” and pointed to me again, which I declined.

This is really confusing! He stepped out of the room at the point when other people entered? Earlier Johns said, “I was there on the night and I did see what happened and at no point did she object, at any stage, to what was going on.” How can he then make the latter statement, conclusively, if he stepped away at some point? Even more odd, he cites police report statements, yet in a weird twist, suddenly he is back to being in the room again. If he stepped away, then how could she point to him again, and how could he decline? How could he leave as soon as others came in unexpectedly, but still be there when she supposedly picked and chose her men (which is ridiculous)?

Johns story doesn’t make sense, and doesn’t follow chronological order of how we remember things. It’s is riddled with inconsistencies, which is a red flag. Was Johns there the whole time or not? Why does he refer to police statements instead of sticking to his memories?

Johns continues:

MJ: After I declined, I stepped out of the room, but I stepped back in to make sure that everything… was okay, that she was not under any distress…. and at no time was she under any distress.

Again, when did Johns step out? Before or after the other players arrived? I don’t believe he was the saint he is portraying himself to be that night. Notice the pauses, which indicate he is thinking on his feet, not talking from the heart.

TG: You see Matthew, most right-thinking people would be listening to you right now saying how could you have looked at that scenario and seen anything that was OK in it.

MJ: Morally, it’s not OK.

TG: She was 19 years old, she was naked, she was outnumbered, there was a very clear power imbalance in that room, wasn’t there?

A minute later:

TG: Isn’t there something in your mind, that says this is wrong, this is wrong on every level, this is a vulnerable woman, she wants more from this situation than we’re ever going to give her, and this is just wrong (time marker 7:47, video 1).

Watch Johns response before he even talks. He shakes his head no, and he gives another expression of contempt. Does that seem like he is sorry to you? As he responds, he wrinkles his nose very briefly, which is an expression of anger as well, repressed anger. Why does this make him angry? Why does he feel contempt?

More of the interview:

TG: You have a perfect opportunity right now to step up and send a message to other players about this culture. This is your opportunity Matt.

MJ: Tracey, I would say to players, if it’s a situation where . . . I’m just looking for the right words . . . if it’s a situation where……… things occur which are dangerous and they’re stupid and you make decisions that you most certainly will regret later, that at the time you give no thought to, but Tracey at the moment, as much as I love the game of rugby league and the people who play it, my thoughts and my energies are directed towards my family, all the pain I’ve caused them.

TG: And what about to this girl?

MJ: For the pain and the trauma that she’s felt out of all this and the embarrassment, I’m truly sorry. It’s caused a lot of pain and embarrassment to a lot of people.

Here the reporter gives Johns an opportunity to speak about his situation, and offers him a way to help others. Does his answer reflect any concern for the woman whatsoever? Does it expresses sorrow or regret for what happened to the woman here, or other women due to this sex culture among the athletes? Or does Johns show more concerned about himself and his love of rugby and the people who play it? You tell me….Notice he has to be prompted to think of the woman at all.

Johns talks about being afraid about this all coming out for seven years, and that when the reporter called him, it was a relief to “ending all the fear”. Why would he be so afraid if it was all consensual? If he did nothing wrong?

When the reporter asks the couple at the very end, what effect has all of this commotion had Johns and his wife, both of them look around and don’t answer for a notable amount of time. They obviously don’t want to discuss their true feelings, or they would have spoke right up. They didn’t know what to say (perhaps because they’ve been really angry?) and finally John’s wife spoke up, and talks about how they had to remove the children because they didn’t want them to be a part of it.

The interview continues:

TG: Well, you’ve lost your career to speak of, you came awfully close to losing your marriage, what do you do now?

MJ: Well, I’ve got to go away and make it up to my wife and make it up to my family, that’s where my priorities lay. As far as my career at Channel 9, that’s the furthest thing from my mind at the moment.

Johns tears up finally, because I suspect he realizes his career is over, and that is his pain. This is all about Johns and his family, not the woman who is the center of this. I just don’t believe Johns is sorry about what happened to her in any way, and I do not believe the woman had consensual sex with a group of rugby players by choice.

Notice at the end of the interview how Johns wife takes a minute before she defends him and says they have worked it all through (past tense) and are closer than ever before? But once she is finished talking, she abruptly walks off the set without him? Her body language and actions speak volumes louder than her words, don’t they? So do Matthew Johns.