Stanley Sisters Mystery Update

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Back in September of 2007, I wrote about the death of two sisters, Erin and Kelly Stanley, both in their late teens, who died mysteriously, just days apart.

My original post was on Steve Huff’s True Crime Weblog. I also wrote another update about the story here on my blog. Clearly, for me, Lonny Stanley, the mother of the two deceased girls, raised my eyebrows, and in a big way, several times over.

Read moreYou see, Erin died on September 1, 2007, after just moving back home to her parents’ house with her boyfriend, and new baby, Alexis. Six days later, after Erin’s death, her sister, Kelly, who still lived at home, was also found supposedly “dying” by her mother, and by the time the EMT arrived, she was deceased.

The person who was arrested and charged with Erin’s murder, however, was a big surprise. It was her boyfriend, James McFarland, who was asleep with her on the night she died, and who subsequently moved out just after her death, and was not in the house when Kelly died. McFarland has been in jail ever since, awaiting trial, until this past week.

Shortly McFarland’s arrest, the death of the second daughter, Kelly, was ruled a death by natural causes (a seizure).

As you can see, the story has taken incredible twists and turns that no one could expect. I was really baffled by it. The arrest of McFarland, the boyfriend of Erin, made little sense to me when I considered the untimely and strange death of her sister, Kelly. Worse, the actions of the girl’s mother made my hair stand up on end. Repeatedly.

For the past year, I have looked for news on this case, concerned about McFarland. I was hoping for video of him so I could feel at ease that they did get the right guy, but nothing ever surfaced. Nothing happened on this case until this week, when jury selection began, and then the most surprising news came out.

The murder charges against McFarland have been dropped.

You read that right. They have been dropped.

[Pal-item.com]”…forensic pathologist Dr. Joseph Czaja reversed his original finding that Erin Stanley had been strangled. On Monday, Czaja testified that he couldn’t be medically certain of the cause of death because Stanley’s body had been washed and sterilized and tissues had been removed prior to the autopsy.”

Another article from the Pal-item.com says:

Defense attorneys Terry O’Maley and Adam Forrest contend in their motion Shipman knew there were problems with the case after a discussion with Czaja in November 2007. That was more than a year before O’Maley and Forrest learned of the pathologist’s doubts, they contend.

It looks like this mystery has yet to be resolved. I only hope there is enough evidence for police to find the real killers of these two innocent young women. If only the parents would speak out. Lonny Stanley makes me very uncomfortable, to say the least. Has she ever been investigated?

A Study of Honesty: Captain Sullenberger

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Last night, CBS 60 Minutes’ Katie Couric interviewed the hero pilot, Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, of Flight 1549 which crashed into the Hudson three weeks ago.



If you want to see the remainder of the interview, go to CBS’s website.

Read moreIt is simply fascinating to watch Sully speak, and to listen to him talk to air controllers in the moments before impact. His voice is incredibly focused, and out-of-this-world calm, considering that he is at the helm of an aircraft that is disastrously malfunctioning and over one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Add to that, it is his actions that will ultimately decide not only if he lives or dies, but whether another 155 souls survive as well.

Sully has great control over his emotions. He is a man who lives his life by reason and logic. I am sure those who know him well would tell us he has always been an emotional rock. He is and always was in control. And he remained in control and kept his wits about him under the most harrowing of circumstances. It’s simply amazing.

Not only was he amazing in his focus and control, but even after everyone had disembarked from the sinking aircraft, and Sully was on dry land, he still wasn’t at peace until he could truly confirm, again, that all souls on board had made it out alive and were safe. And that was after he walked the empty plane twice before he disembarked! He is truly a remarkable man: a man of deep ethical values (Did you see this?).

As Sully puts it himself, he believed his life experiences leading up to that day were all there to help him in these critical moments.

Yet when we watch the the majority of Sully’s interview, his emotions are muted, and his expressions are minimal. He stares at the camera and the audience intently as he recalls his story, and very uniquely, he almost never breaks his gaze as he recollects and talks of his ordeal that day. He doesn’t habitually look up or down as most people do when they recall things. At one point, Sully even says the experience was unbelievable, and when he does, he shakes his head from side to side.

Captain Sully gives us what most would people would consider a heap of red flags that hint at dishonesty, if we didn’t know he was telling the truth here. He experienced a horrific nightmare that ended almost magically, and yet Sully shows very little emotions until the end of the show.

I personally think Sully still hasn’t come to terms with everything that has happened. He is still processing it, trying to make sense of it, and perhaps still in shock. He even commented that he has lost sleep because he wasn’t sure he could not have done things better! Simply unbelievable.

For me, all of Sully’s behaviors are genuine and true because they match his personality. If I didn’t know the truth here, I would likely hone in on the truth, due to what I call paralleling. When I look at Sully, I get an immediate sense of his personality. His facial features and emotions identify to me that he is a man who is very humble, giving and kind. I would be able to confidently speculate, based on that, that he is a man who is reserved, without an ego, and without a temper. He is quieter than most and with that, I would not be surprised by his lack of expression or emotion. It would not stand out to me.

So next time you see a clue or two, think twice before saying “deceptive”. You may convict an incredible human being, like Sully, if you don’t know the nuances of personality and behavior.

48 Hours: Cynthia Sommer

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Did you see 48 Hours, An Invisible Enemy, last night?

I’ve written several posts on Cynthia Sommer. Click on the labels below to read them all, and see my thoughts on this case.

Amanda Knox Trial: Roommate Testifies

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Here is an interesting article about the ongoing trial for Amanda Knox.

It’s interesting that Knox would shower after finding her living quarters with the door open and not secure. Mind you, she was supposedly all alone. Add to that, she sees blood in the bathroom.


Read moreI know I certainly wouldn’t have. I would have felt vulnerable and exposed by just having found my door open. Forget about getting undressed and taking a shower. I would be nervous someone could be hiding in the closet to get me!! If I saw blood, I would have been out the door. How about you?

There is also this article which says:

“Amanda Knox suffered a blow in her trial for the murder of British student Meredith Kercher today when the judge in the case ruled admissible an alleged confession she wrote shortly after the killing.”

Furthermore, it says, “In the note, it is believed she says that she had to cover her ears to block out Miss Kercher’s screams…” (See my original post on Knox here).

However, on the other side of the fence, I do not follow the logic of this statement by Judge Micheli:

“In his 100-page report, Judge Micheli concluded that Guede was freely admitted to the house because someone let him in and that can be no-one else but Amanda Knox.'”

How can he say conclusively that Kercher wasn’t the one let Guede in the house, or that someone else could have been in the house and let Guede in the house? Am I missing something?

To read all my posts on Knox, click on the label below.

For those of you who VOTED YES, could you identify a couple of things for me? You can write me personally, or post below. First, are you a man or a woman? Second, why wouldn’t you be afraid? Thanks! You can comment below anonymously, if you don’t feel comfortable.

Beaten Black Liberian Immigrant Arrested

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“….for grand larceny, possession of stolen property and unauthorized use of a vehicle.” This is the case I asked you to decide on the other day. See the developing news story and video here.

Read moreApparently, Kamara (the immigrant who was beaten) was driving a stolen Nissan Altima with three friends Monday night when they ran a red light and crashed into another vehicle. All four occupants of the stolen car fled the scene. Police caught one of the occupants, and since then, Kamara has been arrested (source).

I thought that you, my readers, would find this interesting. I am not surprised. In fact, I have to wonder, did he recently steal the car, or was this awhile back? I’d be surprised, with all the spotlight on his beating, that he would have just done it, although it is possible. I’d be really curious to know the details.

I can’t help but wonder if this is a piece to a much larger puzzle…

Thanks, Nancy, for the update to the story!

Updated 11:38 am: Police say he stole the car on Monday morning. “A law-enforcement source said Kamara used ‘advanced techniques’ to break into the car, based on his statements to cops. ” Furthermore, “Kamara potentially faces a maximum of two and one-third to seven years behind bars if convicted of the top count. ” (source).