Tag Archive for: Cynthia Sommer

Stacey Castor and Cynthia Sommer

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I am curious if anyone watched ABC’s 20/20 last night? As I watched Stacey Castor, the mother who was convicted of killing her second husband, is suspected in the poisoning death of her first husband, and who also attempted to kill her daughter, I kept seeing an aged Cynthia Sommer in my mind…the irony of which did not hit me until I went to bed. Both women (Castor and Sommer) have been accused and tried for the poisoning deaths of their husbands.

Do you see a resemblance?

Castor’s story that she and her husband were going to go away for two weeks on vacation, but that her husband was sad and depressed hit me as a big contradiction. It was my first and immediate red flag that Castor told tall stories! There was nothing in Castor that I saw that supported honesty. She was clearly a cold and callous woman, the likes of which I hope I don’t see again.

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.

Cynthia Sommer Talks to Matt Lauer

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Last week Cynthia Sommer talked to Matt Lauer.

When I heard the news she was released from prison and all charges were dropped, I decided to look at Sommer with fresh eyes. If she was wrongly convicted, she would be carrying a lot of pain on her shoulders after being locked up for two and a half years, but oddly, I didn’t see a hint of it.

In the video (link above), Cindy Sommer was asked if she was angry (about being locked up when she was innocent), and oddly, she happily smiled and said, “Would you be? Yeah.” Yet Sommer doesn’t look angry or upset in any way when she says this. Her facial expressions clearly contradict her spoken words. It’s perplexing. Where is this anger that she talks about?

Of course, one will argue that she is happy, and that she should be happy about being let out of prison, if she is innocent, and that is true to a degree. But every human being knows how violated they would feel if they were wrongly convicted of killing a man they loved dearly, were ripped away from their children, and had to live in prison for two and half years while they were innocent.

Read moreWith that, newfound freedom for anyone wrongly held in prison would be very bittersweet. There may be a few smiles, but there would also be a lot of anger, and sadness for all that they were denied and missed while locked away. And even if they tried to hide it, there would still be visible signs to this pain, but oddly, with Sommer, there is none of this–across the multiple interviews she has done to date.

In the video, we see a clip of Sommer talking to Josh Mankowitz while she was still in prison about why she slept with her husband’s fellow Marines shortly after his death, and she says:

“I wanted someone to hold me, …uh…I wanted my husband back, and I missed him, and… I didn’t have him, and… the closest thing I could have were his friends.”

When Sommer says this, she seems to be thinking as she speaks–not talking from the heart. When people talk about their true feelings, the words flow naturally, and there is little to no hesitation. When people don’t tell their true feelings, however, we often see choppy speech, hesitations, and lots of “um” and “uh” words used. Sommer continues this pattern throughout the entire interview with Lauer. It definitely raises my eyebrows.

At time marker 1:57, the video shows Sommer as she is released from prison. Watch her behavior. She is completely avoiding eye contact with the reporters. The lack of eye contact here doesn’t tell us she is lying, but it does suggest incredible insecurity. Why is she insecure at this time? Why doesn’t she want to look the reporters in the eyes? And talk of her injustice? She finally has support for her claims. You wouldn’t know it by looking at her here. Why?

We should see a woman who feels violated, who feels her voice has never been heard, who has much to say about her injustices, but oddly, Sommer says nothing about this at any point in her interviews. Instead, we see her smile, and say she is shocked to be out of prison. If she is innocent, why is she shocked? Wouldn’t it be about time?

Matt Lauer asks Sommer to explain the range of emotions that she has felt over the last several days since she has been released. Sommer says:

“I’m overwhelmed with emotion…I… can’t… describe, um… being in jail one day, one minute actually, and being out the next.”

Here was Sommer’s chance to let it all out, again, but she doesn’t. Doesn’t she feel violated? Misunderstood? Treated unjustly? Instead, I see the most incredible grin on her face like the cat who ate the canary. It’s perplexing behavior.

Sommer then talks about how incredible it was to see her children, and she talks about “how it was really fun” to visit with them. I found this statement very odd.

Most parents who were deprived of watching their children grow for over two and a half years would tell you that the reunion was bittersweet, that seeing their children, and how they have grown without them re-ignites the pain of the injustice done to them, and to their children. Such a visit would be a reminder of the unfair price they and their children had to pay at the hands of a faulty system. But again, we hear none of this from Sommer.

Notice there is absolutely no pain and no burden on Sommer’s face when she talks about her children. Why?

Matt Lauer asks Sommer to go back, and think about the feeling she felt the moment she was being arrested for Todd’s death. Watch Sommer when she speaks.

“Um, I was devastated….I didn’t…um………………I don’t know how to describe…………what goes through your head….what…what you could….what I thought…it….you, you could never prepare yourself for something like that …to ever have happen.”

Does she hit you as a woman who was wrongly accused?

Does she have any feelings of being violated?

She’s had two and a half years in prison to think about this.

If you were wrongly accused, tell me you wouldn’t have relived that day in your head a thousand times. It doesn’t appear Sommer ever did? Does she have other memories she has been reliving these past two years?

Matt Lauer talks about Sommer’s unusual behavior after Todd’s death, and he says to Sommer, “You have to admit, even to a casual observer, this doesn’t sound good.”

Watch Sommer’s response. Her eyes wander all over as she thinks how to respond.

“Not knowing…ah…the scientific…um…end of it…um…we’ve gone over everything…and…eh…it doesn’t sound good (grin) because it isn’t good. It doesn’t add up. Two and two didn’t equal four….you know.”

Wow. She says it plain as day. It didn’t add up, and it still doesn’t add up. She is right on the money. Everything adds up when you have the right pieces of the puzzle. I just don’t think we have all the pieces of this puzzle yet.

I also find it perplexing that she never tried to understand the scientific end of the arsenic claims made against her. Wouldn’t you want to understand exactly what happened, if it were you?

Matt Lauer goes on talking about how Sommer didn’t act like the typical grieving wife, and what other decision could the jury come to? Watch Sommer respond.

“Well, I don’t think that that’s true. I believe everyone grieves differently, and I believe she….um…. made… me…um…out to…”

Matt Lauer says, “You think you were misunderstood in those days after Todd’s death.”

Okay, maybe now we will hear how she feels violated.

Sommer responds:

“I do. I do. And I think she put …um…my behavior… Right the prosecutor put…….um…put my behavior in an exaggerated something that didn’t really happen and I think that …um…the things that she… said that happened didn’t happen the way that she said that they happened.”

Does that make sense? She has had two and a half years to think over all the wrongs done to her, and this is all she can say?

Instead, we see classic signs of thinking-as-she-speaks behavior instead of talking from the heart. And more than that, we see absolutely no pain on her face. It’s amazingly absent. We see smirking instead, which I find a complete contradiction to someone who should be feeling violated.

Matt Lauer ends the interview asking Sommer if there is a lesson in all of this, after these three and a half years, and if so, what is it?

“Well, I think that…um… the lesson is that…um…that our judicial system is flawed. I’ve seen more than just myself…um….that…this has happened to….I’m… in the spotlight…I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to be in the spotlight and to be able to have a voice, and there are so many people that this has happens to, and um… and that’s a scary…that’s a scary thing that…that… people sit in jail and in prison…that have been wrongfully accused, wrongly charged, wrongfully convicted, overcharged.”

Notice her eyes glancing at Matt Lauer the entire time? It’s like she is looking for his responses to her thoughts as they ramble off the top of her head. Does she wonder if he is buying her story?

I’m not.

I also find it exceptionally unusual that Sommer feels fortunate to have a voice, and be in the spotlight. She feels fortunate! Does this make any sense? Here is a woman who wants you to believe that she was locked up for two and a half years based on an unfair trial, and she says she feels fortunate.

And she says it is very scary that “people” sit in jail and in prison being wrongfully accused. What about her? Is she not one of them? Why does she not enter into this equation?

Sommer’s behavior is absolutely perplexing, and very inconsistent for someone who claims innocence.

Did Sommer forget to feel violated, wrongly accused and treated unjustly? Or did she not feel violated from day one because she did do something to Todd? You certainly do have to wonder.

You can also watch Sommer on Dateline NBC.

Please Note:
I realize my opinion will be controversial because it is far from the common opinion. If you disagree with me, you are welcome to post your opinions, but keep them respectful. I will not tolerate bashing of any kind. Crude or rude comments will be deleted.

Cynthia Sommer

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As many of you have heard in the past week, Cynthia Sommer, who was charged and convicted of killing her Marine husband with arsenic in 2007, has been released from prison. All charges against her have been dropped because newly tested tissue samples of her late husband, Todd, were recently tested again for arsenic and came back clean.

Sommer has maintained her innocence from day one, and she and her attorneys have always maintained that she was convicted of murder simply because her actions after her husband’s death were inappropriate.

While her actions clearly showed a reckless person and were out of the norm, I still believe there is much more behind Sommer’s behaviors. I believe Sommer’s behaviors are very inconsistent, and while I don’t know the truth of the situation, I can tell you I don’t trust Sommer. I believe there is more to this story than what we know at the present time.

When I listen to Sommer’s 911 call (time marker 3:07), I hear a voice without any true emotions. When we feel emotions, our voice inflection varies as we speak, and these changes are supportive of our emotions.

Read moreIn Sommer’s 911 call, I don’t hear the normal inflections I would hear when someone is afraid, fearful or facing a crisis. This inconsistency repeats itself over and over during the call. Listen to Sommer’s voice inflection yourself. In a crisis situation, voice inflection goes up at the end of a sentence. It’s consistent with fear and panic. Instead, with Sommer, her voice inflection goes down as if she is making a normal, non-emotional statement. She does this over and over again. It’s a red flag.

Another notable point about Sommer’s 911 call is that her rate of speech is odd, too. She speaks extremely fast. Oftentimes, when people fake fear in a crisis situation, they increase their rate of speech. This, along with the voice inflection, really stands out to me.

Then she hesitates to ask the 911 dispatcher if she can give CPR to her husband. She says “Can I…” without finishing the sentence multiple times before finally saying, “Can I do CPR?” Why does she hesitate to say this? If your husband is “turning blue” in front of you, and you know CPR, are you going hesitate to ask the dispatcher before you act?? It’s odd behavior. If you know CPR, and you love your spouse, there will be no hesitation in helping him immediately.

Was Sommer trying to play the concerned partner, but wasn’t really that concerned?

Also notice that while we hear her doing what sounds like CPR, she is still holding the phone. We know that because she continues to respond to the dispatcher. How does one do this?? This is a big red flag identified by the prosecution. And she doesn’t miss a beat with the dispatcher while doing it, either. For those of you trained in CPR, to do this is amazing, if not entirely impossible.

Add to that, in the middle of doing CPR, she is not only listening to and responding to the dispatcher, but she also takes the time to think about her children, and to ask the dispatcher about getting someone to watch her children while she goes to the hospital.

How is all of this possible while doing CPR? It just doesn’t add up.

Sommer then says, “Now he is just foaming”. Listen to how she says it. She sounds annoyed. Where is her fear, and concern? Also, I want to ask an expert if foaming is something consistent with heart failure or doing CPR? Or is it consistent with other things?

Listen to how she says, “I don’t feel his heart.” She says it without emotion. Then, it sounds like she resumes CPR again.

Is she doing it with him foaming at the mouth?

Next, you hear her say, “Damn it” without any explanation. Why does she say “damn it”? After which time, she says, “It’s like he’s trying to breathe”. The word “like” stands out to me. He is either trying to breathe, or he is not. The word “like” is a hedge word to me, similar to the words “kind of” or “sort of”, which more often than not indicate deception.

Listen again. It sounds like she goes back to her CPR noises again. I can’t get that foam out of my mind. How is she able to breathe for him with the foam in his mouth? In her mouth?

You’d think we’d hear a gag or something, or at minimum questions to the dispatcher on what she should do with him foaming at the mouth. We hear none of it.

Is she perhaps not doing CPR?

Then Sommer screams, “Todd!” as if she is very emotional, and then says in an inconsistent calm voice a second later, “Eyes are all…” How does she turn her emotions on and off so easily? And the way she says “Eyes are all…” is plain eerie. It shows an incredible detachment from Todd. And what was she going to say?? Why does she stop? Why isn’t she saying, “Todd’s eyes are all…”?

Then if you thought Sommer was detaching for minute referring to “eyes are all”, the next minute, she says, “Honey, I love you. I love you so much.” Hmmm… Quick shift in emotions. Her voice gives out. It almost sounds like she is crying, but she never really does, if you listen. You never hear a sniffle or anything through the entire 911 call.

Is she really crying, or is she faking it?

Then she says to her dying husband in the weirdest inflection I’ve heard in the entire call, “What am I doing to DO without you?” The stressing of the word “do” is very unusual here, to say the least. It sounds like she is flat out acting.

And last, she ends the call with “Okay, bye.” Listen to the tone and inflection of her voice here. Do you hear fear, or concern? How about her crying which she seemed to do seconds before? It’s all gone! She cries one second, the next, there are no signs of it whatsoever. She can really turn it on and off, can’t she?

This is very strange behavior for someone who is truly scared they might be losing the love of their life.

In the 911 call, Sommer acts so concerned and afraid that she doesn’t know what she is “…going to do without Todd”, yet on the way to the hospital she says she thinks he will be fine, and amazingly, asks to stop for cigarettes.

Isn’t this unbelievable?

Remember just a few minutes before, he is blue on the floor, she doesn’t feel his heart at all, and he is foaming at the mouth, and now (a few minutes later) she thinks he will be fine?

This is very odd and extremely inconsistent. It is, however, consistent with a woman who is faking her emotions and her concern for her dying husband. It reeks of dishonesty.

Nothing has ever added up when I watch Cynthia Sommer speak, and now this week, Sommer has done an interview tour, speaking about her injustice. And again, I see nothing but red flags. I will write more soon.

For more on Tone of Voice and Inflection, click here.


Please Note:
I realize my opinion will be controversial because it is far from the common opinion. If you disagree with me, you are welcome to post your opinions, but keep them respectful. I will not tolerate bashing of any kind. Crude or rude comments will be deleted.