Tag Archive for: Greg Ohlemacher

My Thoughts: Renee Ohlemacher’s 911 Call

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Here are my thoughts about Renee’s 911 call Read more

  1. I am immediately struck by the lack of fear in Renee’s voice when I first hear the 911 call. Renee’s voice is amazingly calm. It’s highly notable considering there was a supposed gunman in the house, who if she didn’t know, would have every reason to want to eliminate her, too. How could she be so confident he was gone if she was hiding in the closet?
  2. The first time Renee says “My parents were shot” definitively. The second time she adds in “I think my parents were shot”. Why did Renee have a change of heart? Why one minute was she definite and the second she wasn’t? It’s inconsistent. If she was truly afraid and believed someone killed her parents, there would be no doubt whatsoever.
  3. I am really taken back by the fact Renee doesn’t start begging and pleading for an ambulance to come and help her parents. She never even asks for an ambulance. It’s like she is resigned to the fact they are dead. Most people in a tragic situation like this cling to hope. Renee doesn’t. This is highly notable and unusual.
  4. Renee’s voice tone is timid. Timid doesn’t fit this scenario. Renee should be feeling fear, stress, worry, concern or panic, but I don’t hear any of those emotions in the earlier parts of the phone call — normal emotions we would expect to here in a scenario like this.
  5. I’m amazed at how Renee doesn’t have any fear the gunman will hear her and take her out. Why does she feel so safe? It makes her statement that she is hiding in the closet because she is afraid inconsistent. If she had true fear, it would manifest itself in a desire to hide, which would cause her to be afraid to speak. It would also show up in her voice as well, but it doesn’t. This is a notable red flag.
  6. I find it really odd how Renee says, “I’m sorry I’m so scared.” This is fascinating because it appears Renee is more concerned with her emotions than she is concerned about her parents getting help or their well being! If you were deathly afraid, would you apologize for it? Have you ever apologized to people when you’ve been very afraid of a serious threat? It’s very unusual and abnormal behavior, unless Renee is afraid about being caught. Then it would add up, wouldn’t it?
  7. Notice how Renee never asks for an ambulance or shows urgency to try to save her parents? She finally says, “Are they coming?” notably slow. It’s another red flag.
  8. When Renee said again, “I’m so scared” I believe that was a true statement. She is worried about how she will be perceived in this whole scenario. She certainly isn’t worried about her parents though–the true victims of this scenario. It’s all about “Renee”.
  9. When the dispatcher asks Renee, “Do you hear anything yet?” with regards to the police and ambulance coming, it’s interesting how Renee responds. She says, “I just heard my mom scream really loud.” Renee isn’t focused on the ambulance coming and getting them help. She is more interested in conveying what she heard earlier. Isn’t’ that odd? Renee then goes into talking about how she heard her dad, too. Most people, when loved ones are clinging to life or could be gravely injured, hang on to getting help at all costs first and foremost. For Renee, this desire seems totally absent, over and over again.
  10. Listen to how emotional Renee is when she says, “They probably shot my dog, too.” There is no stress in her voice whatsoever. Is that how you would feel in a situation like this? Most people would be highly emotional. Renee, again, is the exception.
  11. It’s interesting that Renee doesn’t talk about the dog barking at all. Wouldn’t you have expected the dog to bark if a stranger entered the house (if he wasn’t normally locked up)?
  12. When the dispatcher asks who might have done this, Renee’s tone of voice is off to me when she says, “I don’t know. I really don’t know”. I would expect her to say it with certainty, but she doesn’t.
  13. I find it interesting that Renee inquires when the “cops” will get there, instead of the ambulance. She seems to have no interest in an ambulance at all, like she can’t even say the word. It’s very strange. Did she know her parents were dead at this point already? You can’t help but wonder.

  14. When the dispatcher asks Renee to go to the front door, Renee says, “I’ll try”. I would expect her fear to be at its highest here. How does she know she won’t run into someone lying in wait for her? Oddly, Renee’s voice gives no indication of stress here. It’s notable.
  15. Notice when Renee says, “I just saw my parents ma’am.” There is no shock or horror in her voice. She doesn’t seem to flee either. It’s haunting! Most people who would see their parents shot would fall apart, run away or scream in pain. Not Renee. Why? Why is she so cold and callous about her parents and concerned only about herself?
  16. Listen how her sadness is gone when she says, “Their shot. Their shot.” She obviously had no problem looking at them, and seeing if they were shot. Notice she doesn’t check or see if they have pulse or ask how to do CPR. She takes no measure whatsoever to try to help them, does she? The rate of her speech picks up, which suggests excitement. Notice there are no tears, fear, or emotions at this point? They are eerily missing.
  17. When the dispatcher tells Renee to go to the front door, listen to how she says, “Okay” There is a palpable air of excitement in her voice again and a lack of tears, shock, surprise, fear or disbelief.

It’s the emotions that Renee doesn’t display that concern me the most here. Our emotions are true indicators of how we really feel and Renee doesn’t seem to feel any shock, disbelief, worry or concern for her parents well being. With that, you can’t help but wonder if she really did want them dead and perhaps took part in ultimately ending their lives.

Renee Ohlemacher’s 911 Call

48 Hours has profiled the case of Bernadette and Greg Ohlemacher several times this last year and the last time they did (a few weeks back), they uploaded Renee Ohlemacher’s 911 call.

It’s quite fascinating. What do you hear when you listen to it? Do you see any hot spots to deception? Check back later this week as I give you my analysis!


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48 Hours: Renee Ohlemacher

Here are my thoughts from last night’s 48 Hours. This show original ran in November 2008.

What did you think of the show?

48 Hours Tonight

The Mortgage and The Murder

Watch a preview here.

Check back for my thoughts of tonight’s episode next week!

*This show is a re-run from last November.

Renee Ohlemacher

CBS 48 Hours profiled the case of Gary and Bernadette Ohlemacher this past Saturday. Renee Ohlemacher’s parents, Gary and Bernadette, were murdered in August of 2005. Police initially focused on Renee, but she was eventually cleared, and now the police are eyeballing the Ohlemacher’s mortgage broker, Ron Santiago. You can watch the full show online:


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Read moreWhen I watch Renee speak, I am immediately struck by a variety of oddities in a very short period of time. It does not bode well for Renee.

  1. The first thing I notice right off the bat is that Renee is nervous, but that could be because it is the beginning of the interview, so I don’t put too much weight on that. Right after that, however, I find it odd how she refers to her mother as “…such a cool lady”. Her choice of words are distant and removed. If she said these words with other warm comments, I would discard the comment, but she doesn’t. This is the extent of her warm feelings. It makes a strong statement.

    Renee also said about her mom”She loved my dad.” Notice how she is removed from this equation? She doesn’t say anything personal or affectionate toward her mom, or how her mom was affectionate towards her. This is a glimpse how Renee really feels about her parents.

  2. Renee then says “My parents were probably the greatest parents ever.”

    This struck me immediately. An alarm bell blared in my head. The word “probably” here is what I coined a “hedge word”. When people say things that they don’t mean, yet try to sound convincing, it is not uncommon for them to slip up — perhaps even subconsciously–and add a hedge word.

    Are Renee’s parents kind of, sort of the best parents ever? She either believes it, or she doesn’t. It’s a half-baked statement, if you want my opinion.

  3. “So many things stay in my mind from that morning,” says Renee.

    Watch when she says this–watch her expression. She doesn’t shed a tear, or look sad as she supposedly thinks back to that horrible day. What does she do? She does what I would call a snicker. She starts to laugh, but then suppresses it. It’s not a microexpression or anything fleeting–it’s very obvious, and flat out haunting.

    Think about a horrible time in your life. Now tell the story and snicker, geuninely. Can you do it? If you really felt horrible, scared, violated, or a victim in a vulnerable situation, I can be confident the one thing you would not do is snicker or laugh. When we remember painful memories, we remember the painful emotions, too. Emotions actually drive many of our memories.

  4. Renee says “My mom was getting ready for work. I heard my mom scream. Dad yelled ‘What are you doing?'”

    Several things are interesting about this. First, it suggest that Renee was actually awake before the gunshots went off, and she was awake enough to be listening to her parents — to know her mom was getting ready for work.

    Isn’t that in contradiction to her saying that she woke-up to her mom’s screams? 48 Hours reports “Renee, 20 years old back in 2005, says she was sleeping when she was awakened by her mother’s screams.”

    If you get startled in your sleep from a scream, are you going realize miraculously that your mom was already up and getting ready for work? Why doesn’t she talk about being disoriented and frightened after waking up to haunting screams?

  5. Second, I find Greg Ohlemacher’s question “What are you doing?” odd. If the Ohlemacher’s were murdered by a stranger, would they respond like this? What if they knew the person but the person entered the house uninvited, do you think Greg Ohlemacher would respond with a simple “What are you doing?” If that person shot his wife, do you think he would say “What are you doing?”? What Renee is saying here doesn’t make sense to me.

    Also notice how Renee doesn’t recollect her dad saying “What are you doing?” in a panicked tone? You would think she would have felt his dire state in his voice and reflected those emotions in her recollection. It’s strangely missing.

  6. “Gunshots just went off,” says Renee. Notice the words “just”? Watch her expression again. When she says “gunshots”, there is a brief smile, or happy emotion that fleets across her face.

    How come she is getting these emotions? It appears like classic duper’s delight to me. It makes absolutely no sense no matter how you slice it unless you plug this into the equation. Renee’s emotions are very inconsistent with the message she is trying to give us. Her words are not matching her emotions at all. There are gaping contradictions.

  7. Renee says “It was just one thing after another happened and then, before you know it, there’s silence. My dog went silent. Everything went silent.”

    Just one thing after another? Is there more than Renee is sharing with us? What else did she hear? What were these “things”?

    I am also perplexed by the words ‘before you know it.” Usually people bearing witness to a horrific nightmare don’t say ‘before you know it’. Time usually stands still or moves painfully slow. Is Renee telling us time went really quickly for her during this nightmare? What does that tell us?

  8. Renee talks about what she was going to do now that she heard the gun shots. She says “Grab my cell phone, went to my closest.” She also doesn’t use pronouns which can be a hot spot to deception. Also notice how she says “grab” instead of “grabbed”? People usually remember things in past tense. They don’t talk in present tense (grab) and past tense (went) when recollecting a memory. They stay in past tense consistently.

    People who are deceptive, however, who didn’t actually do what they say often confuse the two. This is notable and unusual.

    This is 8 notable points in 1:34 seconds into the show

  9. I find Renee’s word choices on the 911 call interesting too. First she says totally emotionless, “I just dialed 911.” “Please God…cannot be happening.”

    She ‘just” called 911? Notice, too, the lack of pronoun usage again? It’s another red flag to add to the pile.

  10. The fact that Renee did not call 911 immediately is also a red flag for me. If you think there is an intruder, a robber, a burglar, or a stranger in your house killing your parents, wouldn’t you fear for your own life? How come Renee did not have fear the killer or killers might come get her?
  11. If you thought someone was in the house to kill your family, would you really risk pushing seven digits instead of three digits to get help — if you feared for your safety? Dialing any phone in a silent house can be loud and noticable. It could easily lure a killer or killers into your room or a closet–especially if they are looking for you. How come Renee was so sure the killer or killers were gone and not looking for her or downstairs robbing the house?
  12. Notice she didn’t whisper on the 911 call, or keep her voice super low out of fear? Why not? Renee appears to have felt totally secure to sit in her closet and dial other people and talk without a whisper — even when she did finally call 911. It speaks volumes.
  13. Why did Renee call her mom’s co-worker before she called 911? Were they in cohoots or something? It definitely raises my eyebrows. Renee’s mom had talked to Mike Allen 23 times in the month leading up to her death, as well as the night before. Why was Renee calling him? Mike Allen according to 48 Hours also showed up at the crime scene “very quickly”. It’s interesting to say the least.
  14. Renee continues “My dad was just lying on the floor. My mom was in her bath towel.”

    Is Renee recollecting this as a memory? Her behavior seems to support this. It’s part of her story of that morning yet a few minutes later she tells us the police escorted her out of the house, she asked if her parents were okay, and then she found out about her parents being deceased. See #18. Does that make any sense? Did Renee see them dead before she was told they were dead? Has she admitted to this?

    Notice here that she acts like she is crying, but there are no tears?

  15. “I felt like that morning was the end of my life.” Notice the smirk again?

    That’s all in the first 1:58 seconds into 48 Hours.

  16. The fact that Renee’s entire family stands as one in suspicion of Renee I think also speaks volumes. Their recollection her behavior is indeed perplexing. For Renee to be waving hi to friends and to be texting during the service clearly shows a woman without boundaries. And for her to be out BMW shopping shows she wasn’t too upset about her mother’s death, or worried about coping without them.
  17. Erin Moriarty asks, “Why not 911?” and Renee says, “Yeah…ah…because I thought that you could get through faster or something, for some reason. I didn’t know what to do. I was in a world of shock.”

    Does this make any sense? It’s total nonsense.

    Clearly, by Renee’s behavior here, we can see this question took her by surprise. She didn’t seem prepared to answer Moriarty’s question which is a red flag. She seems to be thinking as she speaks. When people are honest, they don’t have to be prepared. They don’t have to think. They just speak from the heart.

  18. Erin Moriarty asks “When did you realize your parents were dead?” Renee says “Well they escorted me out of the house and they went upstairs. I asked one of the cops, are they okay? Are they fine?”

    Did they escort her out of the closet? If so, this brings up two points. Why does Renee have this memory of her parents gunned down in number 14 above if she was escorted out of the closet by the cops? If she saw a picture later or went into the house later, why isn’t that part of her memory and story she is telling us? Why isn’t it in chronological order? People when they recollect things usually tell them in logical order.

    Second, this is proof that Renee had total disregard for her parents life. If she didn’t know they were dead or injured at this point, how could she not summons help on the spot and express urgency on the 911 call? Hearing gunshots doesn’t mean her parents had died yet – even if they were hit with bullets. It’s like she gave up–which normal people don’t do. Normal people hang on to every shred of hope — even against all odds that maybe, if they get help, the people will survive–regardless of what happened. But Renee seems to have held no hope.

    Had Renee told us she found her parents dead bodies, and needed time to cope, perhaps it would make more sense, but I don’t believe this is the story. Correct me if I am wrong.

  19. I also find it inconsistent how Renee says that she was shocked about Ron Santiago being named a suspect. 48 Hours writes “It does sound a little far fetched, even to Renee. ” She made some comments supporting disbelief as well.

    Yet at the end of the show she changes her tune and says “”What bugs me is that he’s still living a normal life. He’s got a family. I don’t get to have laughs with my mom, I don’t have a home. I don’t have somebody to go back to.” Why does Renee now believe he is guilty? What suddenly changed her mind? It’s rather inconsistent and perplexing.

    Also notice when she says the last sentence she acts like she is crying again, but there are no tears.

I’m going to stop here. Do I think Renee killed her parents? I cannot say. Could she have let someone else in the house that morning, perhaps telling her parents that she was going to do something with someone else, and that person pulled the trigger? It’s entirely plausible, but if you want my opinion, Renee knows a lot more than she is telling us. I don’t trust a word out her mouth.