Linda and Todd Stermer

48 Hours this weekend told the story of Linda and Todd Stermer. Their house burned down in 2007, and Todd ended up dead. Linda says she ran over Todd somehow in the chaos.

Did you see the story? If you didn’t, you can catch it on CBS.com

Linda recounts the day of the fire, and what happened. Do you see any signs of honesty? Or do you see deception?

Her daughters believe her.

Her sons do not.

She was convicted of murder, but a judge who heard her case on appeals found she did not get a fair trial and she was released.

Share your thoughts below. I will add my comments in the coming days. Check back for my thoughts!

[crowdsignal poll=10501351]

Shane Carey’s Plea for fiance and baby

Video Link

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(PLEASE SEE update below 12-24-19)
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This is a really bizarre interview. It’s the supposed plea of a worried fiance, Shane Carey, whose future-bride-to-be, Heidi Broussard, is missing along with their newborn daughter.

What I find jarring is his lack of concern for her. I got four minutes into the video and there is no pleas for her at all. There is no concern, or worry about her. He just rambles so out of place!

It’s all about him, talking about his thoughts. And he seems to like attention when its directed at him. He seems to totally forget about her.

I don’t see genuine sadness either. I see someone who is in a surreal place and who feels really weird, but I don’t see sadness. I sense feelings of being overwhelmed, and that could support the truth or a lie.

This doesn’t feel right to me, though. It feel off-center. Could there be a reason for this? What do you think?

What do you see?

UPDATE: 12-24-19 12:05 PM CST

News reports are stating that Shane’s baby will be reunited with him shortly. Shane is also NOT considered a suspect according to news reports.

Shane was a very difficult person to read because he demonstrated behaviors that many people who are deceptive do– a lack of saddness, inappropriate smiles and happiness, and a lack of concern.

In my original assessment I noted these oddities, however, I did say things didn’t feel right to me and that they were off-center, but I did ask if there could be a reason for this.

I am a strong advocate of playing the devil’s advocate. It isn’t until we explore all reasons that we can be assured someone is deceptive. I am adamant about this in my teachings and in my class. If you’ve followed me, you know this.

When you don’t explore all the potentials, you end up being inaccurate in your assessments. I opened up this possibility for people to explore and I left this open in my assessment above.

As I stated in my original assessment, Shane was “in a surreal place” and “felt really weird”. I noted he didn’t feel sadness and I think that is still accurate.

What I suspect we witnessed was man who couldn’t accept the reality of what was happening to him. He wouldn’t grasp it and that is what we saw–a form of denial. He wasn’t sad. He wasn’t able to live in that reality. He was living in the reality this was something simple and explanable, probably. A segment of people cope like this– and its normal. Denial or the inability to accept a crisis like this makes people seem distant, detached and unconcerned, but it’s not for the reasons we think!

I hope this is valuable less for everyone. We must learn from these situations to be better at deception.

Study of a Killer: Samuel Little

Expression of the Day

Baby, Emotions, Joy, Delight, Portrait, Child, Pens

All people are capable of making a “social smile”, which is an expression of emotion that isn’t genuinely rooted in true happy feelings, but is rather an expression of social pleasing. It’s a smile we put on for other people, when we don’t necessarily feel happy.

For example, someone may say to you “You look fabulous today” when you aren’t really feeling it. You know that smile you make at that point?

Yes, that is a social smile.

It’s actually very different from a smile you would make if I were tell you that you won the lottery and you believed me! Different facial muscles are activated in a genuine versus a social smile.

Some people have very balanced facial features and when they make a social smile, it can be very convincing that they are truly happy when, in fact, they are masking their true emotions.

Can you easily spot a social smile?

Is the girl above giving a genuine smile or a social smile?

E. Jean Carroll’s Accusations

E. Jean Carroll, in the video above, accuses our current president of the United States of rape in the mid-1990s.

I am not interested to open any political debate nor will I allow comments of any political nature on this subject. I will, however, disclose what I see when I watch Carroll talk.

Is she being truthful or lying when she accuses Donald Trump of rape?

I believe E. Jean Carroll is telling us the truth about what happened. Her story is credible, has several elements in it that support the truth and I do not see any hot spots that flag me.

Some people may find her presentation odd when she speaks. I suspect what people may pick up on without realizing it is Carroll’s face is somewhat frozen.

I suspect she may have had Botox. Not days ago, but a perhaps a week or more. There is some movement there, but much of her face is frozen.

Botox not only stops the muscles on our face from moving, but also mutes how we feel and display emotions. Did you know that? So you must consider this as a possibility.

Carroll is quite an eccentric personality, without a doubt. She really is one to push off difficult times and move past them. She isn’t one to give them a lot of thought and she refuses to play the victim. This is very clear in her interview.

This thought process fits with why the dress she wore was just ignored in her closet. I absolutely believe that is true.

Think about it? No.

Ignore it. Absolutely.

Let’s move forward seems to be her thinking!

Carroll doesn’t tell you what you want to hear — she throws out her feelings true as they are, and they are not conventional and she doesn’t care.

I believe E. Jean Carroll’s story without question.