Penny Boudreau Pleads Guilty

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Breaking news this morning (thanks, Mike) that Penny Boudreau has plead guilty to second degree murder of her daughter, Karissa.

My thoughts go out to the Boudreau family.

From the Canadian National Post:

Court was told that Karissa and her mom had been fighting when Penny Boudreau followed her daughter out of the car with some twine and strangled her until she was dead. The girl’s last words were “Mom, don’t.” Penny Boudreau told police officers later that she “did what she had to do,” court was told.

I first wrote about the case last February. Penny Boudreau went on TV to plead for her daughter’s safe return, but the words she spoke didn’t sit right with me.

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

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A reader just pointed out that I said last June I thought Penny Boudreau would confess. I totally forgot that! In hindsight now, I’m actually surprised it took her this long but we don’t know exactly when she confessed to police, do we?
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Q&A

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Here is your forum. Do you have a question? Feel free to ask it!

One reader today asked me if I could discern if someone was lying by watching a video of them, even though I couldn’t understand the language spoken. The reader believed that because the person was calm, and relaxed, that this indicated they were not lying.

The answer to their question was no, you cannot use body language alone (any body language) to conclusively identify if someone is honest or deceptive. It simply cannot be done, and is dangerous to do.

It’s not all about expressions. Language does matter. Emotions matter. Words matter. Facts matter. Behavior matters. The show “Lie to Me” isn’t explaining the nuances of this ability very well.

It’s also important that people realize there is not one universal clue that can be applied “across the board” to spot deception. Not one. What one person does when he is lying, another will do when he is honest. There is always an exception to every clue. Always. That’s what makes deception detection so hard for the average person, because this is not about clues. It is about understanding human behavior, to the core.

Deception detection is more about the sum of inconsistencies, and the sum in total indicates deception. This is so important, and clearly not being communicated on “Lie to Me”. Microexpressions, and the other clues shown on the show, are used in the process of discerning a lie, but they are not conclusive of anything in and of themselves, outside of indicating a person’s emotional state of mind (which will just provide you with a clue).

Don’t Forget “Lie to Me” Tonight

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Ted Haggard Speaks Out on Oprah

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Today on Oprah, Ted Haggard is speaking out. If you go to Oprah.com, and look at the preview of the show, it should be interesting. She is asking some great questions!

The AP also released this video yesterday of a young man who formerly attended Haggard’s New Life Church.

Tune back later this week for my thoughts. In the meantime, you can read about my previous thoughts about Haggard. Did you know the first time I saw him, I just didn’t trust him? It was his fake smile that never ended that clued me in that this guy had big secrets! That’s always a big tip-off to anyone. When someone keeps a fake smile plastered on their face through everything they say, it’s a good indication what you are being told is being sugar-coated, in a big, big way!

Rod Blagojevich

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Clip of Rod Blagojevich talking to Barbara Walters on The View
January 26, 2009

Read more I just decided to spend a few moments this morning to watch Rod Blagojevich, as several of you have requested my opinion, and all I can say after watching the first clip of him talking to Barbara Walters, on “The View”, is that he is one slippery man!!

It’s incredible.

Walters asks him some very direct questions, and he refuses to say anything. I sat there and said, well, if he claims to be being treated unfairly, well then, speak the truth, but he doesn’t want to do that, either. This is behavior that does not support honesty.

Blagojevich is as evasive as one could get. He won’t confirm or deny he even said some basic words. That’s absolutely hilarious, actually.

Why would he do that, you ask?

Well, its another avenue he can use later to refute anything. He can deny he ever said such words, that it isn’t even him talking, etc. You see, at this point, he doesn’t know what the wire tap tapes about him contain. I suspect he has no idea how conclusive they are, and so until he knows the whole enchilada against him, he doesn’t want to say anything that he can’t later refute. That’s slippery! He wants to claim all these things, but he won’t stand on anything. It’s absurd.

Blagojevich seems to find himself very important and has a grandiose sense of self, he doesn’t seem to show a lot of emotions when he talks, he wants us to believe the world is out to get him, and that the rules the rest of the politicians abide by aren’t fair to him. Add to that his evasive language, and the picture it paints, to me, isn’t far off from what Cynthia McFadden has said others have called him in this interview.

Cynthia McFadden did a great interview, by the way. She really corners him good! She says, “This kind of talk would be okay so long as you didn’t act on it. Is that what you are saying?”

Blagojevich says, “I think if you explore ideas and discuss things, and you are willing to think outside the box, and you test a variety of things, and you know you’ll end up doing only the right thing, once you sort it all out, and that there is a process unfolding, that that is part of what it takes to be a leader and make the right decisions….”

It’s total nonsense. I think that speaks for itself, personally.

Do I trust Blagojevich? No, I don’t. He hasn’t done one thing to support his honesty. Not one thing. Instead, he hopes he can convince people by being firm, aggressive and in-your-face about absolutely nothing, but proclaims his innocence. I suspect that this behavior has carried Blago a long time, but that isn’t working anymore.

Blagojevich has had mannerisms from day one that have always had me on alert, and made me very cautious about him. I am not surprised at all to see him where he is at right now. I was surprised this didn’t happen sooner, actually.