Sunday, 01/04/09

[Politigal]

Revisiting foul play.....

If you consider the possibility of the call Friday morning being a ruse, leading police away from Bellefonte, leading to Lewisburg, and leading to the car...which is where the investigation centered, isn't it possible that if a crime was committed, that it actually occurred in Bellefonte, and that Gricar could be in the opposite direction of Brush Valley (where the call originated)?

And if Gricar *planned* to walk away, I still can't buy the premise of him even making the call (see the "Honey, I love you" thread.)

[gstickley]

I don't know why "Foul Play" was apparently the last thing for LE to look at, IF they ever did. IIRC, the "Suicide Theory" lasted for weeks & is still batted around; the "Walkaway Theory" has been rammed down everyone's throat ever since & lately on an almost daily basis. "Foul Play" is mentioned . . . just mentioned & that's about it. Oh, I know, there's "no evidence" of "Foul Play"; IMO, there's "no evidence" of "Suicide" or "Walkaway" either.

Weaver has stated that 'BPD will hold onto the case" (or words to that effect). Why? Weaver & MM have both stated that "no stone has been left unturned". Both have stated they have had enough resources available & nothing else is needed. Then we hear that the case is being worked on, Rickard is reading up on the case, waiting for more evidence to drop into their lap, maybe somebody will ask the right questions, & on & on & on . . .

Nothing about this so-called investigation has made sense.

First: the car. The car was found in Lewisburg (another town, another county)BUT BPD is the investigating agency. Does that mean that if the car were found in Chicago, BPD would still be the investigating agency??? Does that make sense to anybody??? WHO determined BPD woudl be the investigating agency? One would think it would be "the Chief Law Enforcement Officer" of the county . . . apparently there is a conflict of who that might be, either MM or the Sheriff. Does the PSP, who probably has jurisdiction over the entire state not have any say in anything? (Well, they did say something: the "investigation" apparently was perfect . . .)

Second: the lack of information by LE and/or the mis-information given to the public. The MW, the gold car with the driver leaning in, the car stopped along I-81; why did it take a year for this info. to be made public or to the family? Oh, yeah, concern for the "feelings". Bull!

Third: the fingerprints in/on the Mini; 5 sets, 5 prints, 3 prints, 0 prints. That's mis-information. Why? Why would the Chief allow the so-called "chief investigator" to give out mis-information?

Fourth: the cell phone calls. At one point, there were calls made to the office, then only one call made directly to PF. Then nothing about the calls. Why?

Fifth: interviews with neighbors, co-workers, friends. Apparently, it was felt there was no need, a waste of time, but it would be done if "the chief" felt it was needed. Are you kidding me???

There are many more "why's", but we all know what they are.

The last credible sighting of Ray Gricar was leaving the courthouse on Thursday, 04/14/05. By Sunday, 04/17/05, "possible suicide" was being spread---3 days, people! By Monday, 04/18/05, the day RG was supposed to return to work, grief counselors were being sought for courthouse employees---4 days, people!

If the family hasn't heard from Ray Gricar in 3 yrs., 8 mos., 21 days; if the FBI hasn't found anything (if they are even looking) about his finances/Social Security/etc.; if Ray Gricar hasn't made an appearance & identified himself anywhere in the world, then it stands to reason that Ray Gricar is no longer with us: when is "Foul Play" ever going to be seriously investigated?????

[puzzled]

Amen!

[J. J. in Phila]

GS, I have not seen anyone forcing walkaway down anyone's throat. It is just that really for about a year, that is where all the new evidence is pointing (including what what the police apparently sat on for more than two years).

[Politigal]

Originally Posted by puzzled

Amen!

Ditto!

GStickley's post tells it like it is.

*When* will it truly be investigated as foul play...

[J. J. in Phila]

No, GS tells it like the way she wants it to be, not really the way it is.

First, the call was handled by the BPD. Absent any evidence of a crime in the months after the report was taken, that is who is stuck with the case. The sole potential crime is the destruction of the laptop and the statute of limitation expired.

Second and third (with are really the same issue), yes, there should be information released and one possibility there is a grand jury. MM is the main stumbling block, but he wasn't in charge in 2005.

Fourth, huh? The only thinks that I've ever heard is that the only calls made in 4/14-15/05 were to the office or to PEF. No unexplained phone calls and none after the Brush Valley call.

Fifth is a mixed bag. We know some people were spoken with, two polygraphed, some interviewed by the profiler. Some were not and there is a question of who was and who wasn't.

In the vein of "loose lips sink ships" and recent revelations, I restate my question from long ago: Might anyone in the DA's office have suggested to someone outside the DA's office that, but for Ray Gricar the capital murder charge would go away in the AVM/AMV case?

Perhaps...

[Politigal]

Originally Posted by Serendipitous1

In the vein of "loose lips sink ships" and recent revelations, I restate my question from long ago: Might anyone in the DA's office have suggested to someone outside the DA's office that, but for Ray Gricar the capital murder charge would go away in the AVM/AMV case?

Perhaps...

do you think one of these people could be responsible for the disappearance?

http://www.freemendez.org/signatures.html

[Politigal]

Ok, so Lance Marshall was involved in the Vargas case per this article:

http://www.thepowerhour.com/news2/mendez_freed.htm

[Politigal]

And Vargas attorney was Roy Decaro, who previously worked for Ed Rendell

http://www.raynesmccarty.com/lawyers...oar/index.html

While at the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office with Edward Rendell, Mr. DeCaro was Deputy for Investigations.

Originally Posted by Politigal

Ok, so Lance Marshall was involved in the Vargas case per this article:

http://www.thepowerhour.com/news2/mendez_freed.htm

"Marshall, in a statement to the press after the sentencing, said the sentence may seem strange but that investigations in the past six months brought the case down a different path than originally envisioned by prosecutors."

The six months without RG at the helm...very strange indeed Mr. Marshall!

[gstickley]

Originally Posted by Politigal

Ok, so Lance Marshall was involved in the Vargas case per this article:

http://www.thepowerhour.com/news2/mendez_freed.htm

From the time Mendez was charged in Aug. 2003, DA Ray Gricar must have felt there was enough to the case to bring 1st Deg. Murder charges. Even until the time RG disappeared, 04/14/05, the charge stood. What happened between April & October that changed the judge's mind? Apparently the report that the baby didn't die from 'shaken baby syndrome' didn't get the entire case against Mendez dismissed, so he must have been guilty of murder. So what happened to get the 1st Deg. charge dismissed?

www.thepowerhour.com/news2/mendez_freed.htm
Judge Brown dismissed the first-deg! ree murder charge last month because he didn't think prosecutors could show that Vargas acted with the specific intent to kill or that the killing was done with premeditation. Both of those are necessary to convict someone of the charge. After Vargas' plea Tuesday, a third-degree murder charge was essentially dismissed. One of Vargas' attorneys, Roy DeCaro, told Brown that experts working for the defense filed medical reports that showed that Vargas' child died as a result of a blood disorder, not shaken baby syndrome. He made a motion to file the reports as exhibits, but Assistant District Attorney Lance Marshall asked that they be kept confidential. "We disagree with the reports," Marshall said. After the sentencing, DeCaro said Vargas maintains his innocence but decided to plead no contest to avoid more jail time. "When you need to have a choice between walking out or going to prison ... for life, there's really no contest," DeCaro said. Marshall, in a statement to the press after the sentencing, said the sentence may seem st! range but that investigations in the past six months brought the case down a different path than originally envisioned by prosecutors. "Reviewing all the evidence ... this is where the facts led us," he said of the plea. "If Mr. Vargas had not spent one day in jail, we would have asked for two to four years. He's already served the amount of time we would have asked for."

[gstickley]

Originally Posted by Politigal

do you think one of these people could be responsible for the disappearance?

http://www.freemendez.org/signatures.html

Don't know Pgal. According to LE (about 04/18 or thereabouts), all RG's cases had been checked out & there was nothing. Sure am glad they had ALL those resources available to check out the above list in just a couple days!

Originally Posted by Politigal

do you think one of these people could be responsible for the disappearance?

http://www.freemendez.org/signatures.html

1,058 potential suspects...even those who are/were out of country. The lack of physical evidence is not proof that foul play did not occur...only that Gricar's car and the location where it was found are not part of the primary crime scene.

You have chosen one explanation for that, but there are others. They all deserve a thorough investigation. But can you imagine that is even remotely possible by a/the local police department?

[Politigal]

Seems like Centre County makes it a habit of washing it's hands....Mendez, Gricar, etc

On Lance Marshall & the explicit text messages to the domestic violence victim, isn't he married to Amy (Hunter) Marshall?

Go to ujsportal, docket number CP-14-CR-0001742-2003. But do not expect "full disclosure". If you want that, go to the courthouse.

Originally Posted by logicworks

Thanks!!
In plain English, what does this mean?


04/01/2005
Omnibus Pre-Trial Motion Nunc Pro Tunc
with Verification of Service. (Sent to Judge - 04/08/05)

Apparently it is the "kitchen sink" motion which ought to have been performed at another time.

[Politigal]

don't know if this is accurate or not but PB responded to S1 in a Q&A the following, in case anyone wanted to know about Marshall's involvement with the Vargas case

CDT (Q&A): “In the death penalty case against Alejandro Mendez Vargas, Mr. Gricar appeared to be the lead prosecutor. Who, if anyone, from the DA's office was second chair in that case prior to 4/18/05? Who was assigned (first and second chair) from the DA's office in that case, and when, during 2005, after 4/15?” PB: “That would be Centre County Assistant District Attorney Lance Marshall. It is my understanding Lance was on that case the entire time. Where are you going with this?”

Originally Posted by Politigal

don't know if this is accurate or not but PB responded to S1 in a Q&A the following, in case anyone wanted to know about Marshall's involvement with the Vargas case

CDT (Q&A): “In the death penalty case against Alejandro Mendez Vargas, Mr. Gricar appeared to be the lead prosecutor. Who, if anyone, from the DA's office was second chair in that case prior to 4/18/05? Who was assigned (first and second chair) from the DA's office in that case, and when, during 2005, after 4/15?” PB: “That would be Centre County Assistant District Attorney Lance Marshall. It is my understanding Lance was on that case the entire time. Where are you going with this?”

An appropriate Q&A, I thought at the time (December '06)...perhaps even more so now.

[J. J. in Phila]

Originally Posted by Serendipitous1

1,058 potential suspects...even those who are/were out of country. The lack of physical evidence is not proof that foul play did not occur...only that Gricar's car and the location where it was found are not part of the primary crime scene.

You have chosen one explanation for that, but there are others. They all deserve a thorough investigation. But can you imagine that is even remotely possible by a/the local police department?

S1, there are several problems with this.

I pointed out a while back that some anti-death penalty groups thought RFG was "pro-death penalty." For some people, and I'm not one of them, seeking the death penalty in any case makes him pro death penalty. (That, BTW, is some of these people's characterization of RFG, not mine.)

Could someone who feels that way thing, **Okay, if I kill the prosecutor, I can prevent the death penalty?** Yes, and we've seen this with some extreme anti-abortion people. A very small minority of anti-death penalty people may.

How many of those could stalk RFG to figure out he was Lewisburg, and do it well enough for RFG not to notice. Factor in the Raystown Lake trip the day before, and it is not easy.

[sherrijean981]

Originally Posted by Politigal

do you think one of these people could be responsible for the disappearance?

http://www.freemendez.org/signatures.html

Notice there is a Marshall name on the list?

[Cloudbuster]

I think LM resigned because he knew he would face a discinplinary hearing. I found some links that back on April 14, 2005 disciplinary cases was going on. Does anyone know who was the person at the prision board meeting held on April 14,2005 was that was disciplined? RG attended that meeting. Seems alot of discilinary cases was going on prior. Im sure LM did not want witnesses against him and other things being brought up or into it. Just read how these cases work.
http://www.cjdpa.org/decisions/fullt...04-01-ord.html
http://www.cjdpa.org/decisions/index.html

[J. J. in Phila]

Originally Posted by Cloudbuster

I think LM resigned because he knew he would face a discinplinary hearing. I found some links that back on April 14, 2005 disciplinary cases was going on. Does anyone know who was the person at the prision board meeting held on April 14,2005 was that was disciplined? RG attended that meeting. Seems alot of discilinary cases was going on prior. Im sure LM did not want witnesses against him and other things being brought up or into it. Just read how these cases work.
http://www.cjdpa.org/decisions/fullt...04-01-ord.html
http://www.cjdpa.org/decisions/index.html

It looks live it was an appeal of a union grievance. The prison is unionized, but the ADA's are not, at least not part of that union.

[Cloudbuster]

Originally Posted by Politigal

Revisiting foul play.....

If you consider the possibility of the call Friday morning being a ruse, leading police away from Bellefonte, leading to Lewisburg, and leading to the car...which is where the investigation centered, isn't it possible that if a crime was committed, that it actually occurred in Bellefonte, and that Gricar could be in the opposite direction of Brush Valley (where the call originated)?

And if Gricar *planned* to walk away, I still can't buy the premise of him even making the call (see the "Honey, I love you" thread.)

On my paranormal tape he didn't call about Honey. He wanted to call PF to let her know what was gone on. Later someone says "I took a half day off thats what I said."