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Post by Graveyardbride on Jun 28, 2021 17:56:26 GMT -5
Durst Speaks During Trial, Brother Testifies for ProsecutionAfter the prosecution accused Robert Durst (above) of shaving his head in order to gain sympathy, the Defendant arose from his wheelchair and spoke for the first time since the trial began. “I’m not seeking sympathy from the jury,” he said, addressing Judge Mark E. Windham. “My head is shaved because this is the only haircut I’m able to get in the jail.” Additionally, the 78-year-old defendant said he’d like his catheter bag removed and claimed he wasn’t sure why he had one in the first place.
Douglas Durst, the defendant’s younger brother, was called to the stand by the prosecution. “He’d like to murder me,” he bluntly told the jury, explaining he had not seen his brother in 20 years and the two had not spoken since 1999 because Robert Durst was angry and bitter over an inheritance settlement that amounted to tens of millions of dollars.
Douglas Durst, who is chairman of the Durst Organization, which owns some of Manhattan’s prime real estate, added that he and his brother had fought since they were children. “He treated me miserably,” the younger Durst charged. “He would fight with me at every chance. He would embarrass me.”
When questioned about Kathie Durst, Douglas Durst said she told him she planned to divorce Durst. Later, his brother told him the two had been at their lakeside home in Westchester County and the last time he saw her was when he put her on a train to New York City. “His tone was very neutral,” Douglas Durst recalled. “There was no great anxiety in his tone. It seemed a little strange.”
Despite the bad blood between the brothers, Douglas Durst informed the jury he wasn’t happy to appear at the trial, but cooperated with prosecutors, realizing if he refused, he would have been subpoenaed to testify. “There are other places I’d much rather be,” he admitted. Sources: Lawrence Ukenye, The Daily Beast, June 28, 2021; Brian Melley, The Associated Press, June 28, 2021; and The Los Angeles Daily News, June 28, 2021.
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Post by Graveyardbride on Jun 28, 2021 11:27:02 GMT -5
Haunted Penfield Reef Lighthouse for SaleThe Penfield Reef Lighthouse off the coast of Fairfield, Connecticut, is being auctioned to the highest bidder, but a week into the auction, the General Services Administration (GSA) has received just two bids, one for $100,000, the minimum bid, and a second for $110,000.
The beautiful – and reportedly haunted* – Penfield Reef Light consists of a 1,568-square-foot keeper’s quarters and 51-foot octagonal tower. Built in 1874 in the Second Empire style, the property, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, was restored in 2015.
A minimum bid of only $100,000 seems like a steal, but as tantalizing as this offer may be to lighthouse afficionados – and there are hundreds of thousands – there’s a catch. First, the Penfield Reef Light is accessible only by boat and second, even in these days of GPS, lighthouses are still vital to navigation in many locations and Penfield Reef will continue to send out its powerful flashing red light from sundown to sunup. While the majority of lighthouse lovers would be thrilled to own a working light, there’s a catch: the lucky winner of the auction will be required to lease submerged land from the state and the premises can be used “only for park, recreation, education and cultural or historic preservation purposes” and must “be open for reasonable access to the general public on a frequency and in a manner approved” by the state.
The GSA previously listed Penfield Reef for sale in 2016, but withdrew it when no one purchased the light. The current auction, which began June 21, does not have a scheduled closing date.
In addition to Penfield Reef, the GSA is attempting to unload five other lighthouses: Hooper Island Lighthouse in Chesapeake Bay, Maryland; Watch Hill Light, Westerly, Rhode Island; Beavertail Light (above) in Jamestown, Rhode Island; Cleveland Harbor West Pierhead Light in Cleveland, Ohio, and Duluth Harbor North Pierhead Light in Duluth, Minnesota, will be transferred to not-for-profit organizations, historic preservationists and other groups for free. Sources: Phil Hall, Westchester and Fairfield County Business Journals, June 28, 2021; James Leggate, Fox News, June 19, 2021; and Lighthouse Friends.*For information on the ghosts of Penfield Reef Light, see “Christmas Spirit of the Penfield Reef Lighthouse.”
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Post by Graveyardbride on Jun 28, 2021 7:53:43 GMT -5
First Clue: witch
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Post by Graveyardbride on Jun 27, 2021 23:37:32 GMT -5
Third Clue: turkey _______
Second Clue: 485 miles _______
First Clue: witch _______
Please read carefully before attempting to name the Location.Following is the primary clue for Mystery Location No. 259:
At some point, a subsequent owner of the big house on the huge wooded lot removed the window shutters and modernized the interior, changing the appearance of the home – not necessarily for the better. Otherwise, the sylvan setting situated in a location with a confusing name is much the same as it was when a former resident was slain on the 50th anniversary of an infamous murder in a distant city.
Each day, a new clue will be posted until someone names the location, providing the street address, city and state, as well as the room or apartment number, if applicable, (or province/country if located outside the US) and an explanation as to how each clue applies to the location. If no one correctly names the location, the contest will end at midnight (Eastern time), Saturday, July 3, 2021. Please note, the contest ends at midnight in the Eastern Time Zone. If you live in a different time zone, please make adjustments so you will know what time it ends where you are.
You may discuss the location with other members by posting your comments using the “reply” option, but please do not attempt to name the location until you are absolutely certain of your answer and you are able to post the street address, city, state, etc., along with a photo, or link to a photo, of the Location.
For those of you who remember our old Mystery Locations contest, the point system has changed. Now, if you name the location on the first day, i.e., Sunday, before midnight (ET), you will receive 7 points. Thereafter, the points will depend on the number of clues that have been provided when you name the Location as indicated below. If you name the Location after the first clue, you will receive 6 points, etc., as indicated below. However, after the Sixth (last clue) is provided on Saturday, you must name the location before midnight (EST) Saturday night. Upon accumulation of sufficient points, winners may choose an item from our Prize List.
Sunday (or before First Clue is provided) - 7 points First Clue (Monday) - 6 points Second Clue (Tuesday) - 5 points Third Clue (Wednesday) - 4 points Fourth Clue (Thursday) - 3 points Fifth Clue (Friday) - 2 points Sixth Clue (Saturday before midnight) - 1 point
If you wish, you may collaborate with another member and if the two of you win, points will be divided between the two of you.
This contest is meant to be fun, so, as before, we ask that you conduct yourself accordingly. To prevent any accusations of favoritism, Kitty has been advised of the name and address of the Location and will not be participating in this week’s contest.
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Post by Graveyardbride on Jun 27, 2021 0:11:41 GMT -5
State Files Witness/Exhibit Lists in Trial of Aiden FucciThe State Attorney’s Office has released a list of witnesses and evidence to be used at the murder trial of Aiden Fucci for the murder of his 13-year-old schoolmate, Tristyn Bailey.
The Witness List contains 154 names of potential witnesses, including, but not limited to, law enforcement officers, Crystal Smith, Jason Fucci and the St. Johns County Medical Examiner. The Exhibit List includes:
Audio recordings of the Defendant’s interrogations by law enforcement;
Downloaded contents of the cell phones of Jason Fucci and Crystal Smith; The shoes and T-shirt Aiden Fucci was wearing the night of the murder; Results from subpoenas issued in the case; Defendant’s school records noted as “42 PDF files”; Search warrants issued in the case; Snapchat files of “TB” (Tristyn Bailey); Video surveillance from the home of Crystal Smith; and Video surveillance from five different locations in the neighborhood where the murder occurred.Sources: State of Florida v. Aiden Sean Fucci, Case No. 21-825-CF, Division 56; and WJAX, June 24, 2021.
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Post by Graveyardbride on Jun 26, 2021 11:36:53 GMT -5
Former ‘Saturday Night Live’ Cast Member Testifies at Trial of Robert DustLaraine Newman, one of the original cast members of Saturday Night Live, testified Wednesday, June 23, concerning a conversation she had with her friend, Susan Berman, about the events surrounding the 1982 disappearance of Katherine “Kathie” McCormack Durst. “Susan told me that she had provided an alibi for him, for Bobby, in relation to the disappearance,” Newman said. “I remember her saying that she made a phone call.”
Prosecutors claim Berman posed as Kathie Durst and made a phone call on Durst’s behalf. In detailing the fatal encounter between Berman and her longtime “friend” [Durst] John Lewin presented graphic images of Berman’s lifeless body to the jury. “He basically blew her brains out. That’s what he did,” Lewin declared, as he described the killing and crime scene that revealed no evidence of robbery or burglary. “He killed out of survival. He believed that ‘In the end, it was her or me. I have no choice.’”
On cross-examination by defense attorney David Chesnoff, Newman admitted “there were times” she was confused as to whether Berman was telling the truth. He also questioned her regarding comments she made in September 2015, to wit: “I felt like I’m not sure it’s true,” and “I don’t want to, you know, put forth something that could just be nonsense,” and why she had not gone to the police in 2001.
According to Newman, she didn’t tell the police about her conversation with Berman because she did not remember it at the time and was embarrassed when she realized the significance of what Berman had told her. “Well, I was ashamed that … I didn’t appreciate the gravity of what she was saying to me and that I blithely accepted her back-tracking and rescinding …,” Newman testified. She added that she felt Berman sensed that she had “told me something that I didn’t approve of and wanted to back-pedal because she didn’t want to get in trouble. ... If you’re trying to drive a point to the idea that I would say something that didn’t happen, that’s not true,” Newman insisted.
The jury also viewed a video of the recorded testimony of Dr. Peter Wilk, one of Kathie Durst’s professors at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. “She was very emotional, she was shaking, she was traumatized,” Wilk recalled. “She said she was going through a divorce . . . there was violence involved . . . her life was a mess.”Sources: Noah Sheidlower, The New York Post, June 24, 2021; Bruce Haring, Deadline, June 24, 2021; and The Los Angeles Daily News, June 24, 2021.
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Post by Graveyardbride on Jun 26, 2021 10:10:58 GMT -5
Witnesses Who Confronted Mark Redwine about Disgusting Photos Testify
On cross-examination, Cory Redwine, Dylan’s older brother, testified that in August 2012, he sent four photos showing his father [Mark Redwine] wearing a bra and soiled diaper and eating feces, along with a text messages calling him a “shit-eating coward” and telling him “you are what you eat.”
According to defense attorney John Moran, Redwine responded by calling Cory a thief and accusing him of trying to hurt him just like his mother [Elaine Hall]. Moran then pointed out that on that trip, Dylan, who knew about the photos, was not harmed, and alleged the prosecution’s claim that Mark Redwine killed his son in a fit of rage over the photos was a “made-up motive.”
Kathi Barry, a witness who did not know the Redwine family until she became involved in the search for Dylan, testified that her close friend, Diane Hess, now deceased, received a text message from Mark Redwine when Dylan’s remains were found. She and Hess, who had cancer at the time, subsequently drove to Redwine’s home to confront him about a text he’d sent to his ex-wife [Elaine Hall] in which he said he hoped her “colon cancer-riddled BFF” died and that she did, too. “I mean, she [Hess] knew Mark and she was upset about the text. Because he said something to her about cancer and the last breath, and he was laughing, she said, ‘Well, it will be my last breath and I will make you pay for what you did to Dylan.’”
Redwine was standing at the door and the two women, still inside their vehicle, began arguing and when Barry called him a “shit-eating-son-of-a-bitch,” he came toward the vehicle. “All of the sudden, he picked up this log, off like, a stove or an oven or something,” she recalled. “He picked up that log and he went ‘Aggh!’ and all I remember was, I don’t know if you’ve seen the cartoons where the eyes bulge out and all you can see is the whites of the eyes, but that’s all I saw. It scared the shit out of me,” she told the jury. According to Barry, she then hit the gas and yelled “Eat more shit!” to Redwine as they took off.
On cross-examination, Moran accused the women of picking a fight with a grieving father who had only hours earlier lost all hope of seeing his son alive again. Redwine, he suggested, picked up the log only for the purpose of inducing them to leave his property after he determined merely yelling at them had little effect.
Former CBI (Colorado Bureau of Investigation) agent Joe Clayton was called to the stand Thursday (June 24) morning. He testified that six samples collected at mark Redwine’s residence tested positive for blood. However, when he initially walked through the house, he said it did not appear a crime had taken place on the premises and couldn’t determine precisely how the bloodstains ended up where they did. “First and foremost was the blood under the carpet,” he explained. “If blood had been deposited on the carpet and soaked through, the carpet should have given me a positive reaction, but it didn’t. The blood on the couch and love seat, of course, they were dark brown leather to begin with, very difficult to see, not a lot of blood there, but it looked like it had been cleaned up, something had to happen there to make it that dilute. It was not just centralized in one place. If I had found stains in one area I would think you had a localized bloodletting event, but this indicates movement, you have it on various pieces of furniture and under a rug.”
Sources: Leigh Egan, CrimeOnline, June 25, 2021; Shelly Bradbury, The Denver Post, June 25, 2021; and The San José Mercury-News, June 25, 2021.
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Post by Graveyardbride on Jun 24, 2021 20:23:25 GMT -5
Defense Offers Alternate Theories to Explain Dylan Redwine’s Death
It was almost five years after Dylan Redwine, 13, was reported missing on November 19, 2012, that Mark Redwine, his father, was finally charged with his son’s murder and arrested in July 2017. Then, because of the pandemic and other delays, it has been another four years before Redwine is finally facing a jury.
The trial, which began Monday, June 14, is now in its second week and while the prosecution is attempting to convince the jury it was an argument over sordid photographs of Mark Redwine, some of which showed him eating feces, that led to Dylan’s death, the defense has an altogether different explanation of what happened.
First, Redwine pled not guilty to the charge of murder in the second degree and continues to insist that when he returned to his home on the morning of Monday, November 19, after running errands, his son was gone.
John Moran, one of the public defenders representing Redwine, admitted to the fraught relationship between Dylan and his father over the compromising photographs from “deep within” Redwine’s personal life, but added that the child had also been unfairly influenced by the contentious custody battle between his parents. He then claimed Dylan had a habit of “walking away” from unpleasant situations and had been known to hitchhike in the past, suggesting the boy could have been picked up by the wrong person.
Alternatively, because of what appeared to be a tooth mark on the child’s skull, Johnson told the jury that Dylan could have been attacked and killed by a bear or mountain lion.
“Mr. Redwine is a flawed individual, but Dylan had agency. Dylan took off,” Moran continued. “Mr. Redwine ... in addition to being innocent, lost everything. He lost it all, and now he sits here with this demand for wrongful conviction.”
Sources: Patrick Armijo, The Durango Herald, June 21, 2021; Spencer Soicher, The Associated Press, June 21, 2021; KRDO, June 21, 2021; and Shelly Bradbury, The Denver Post, June 21, 2021.
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Post by Graveyardbride on Jun 24, 2021 5:14:47 GMT -5
Dylan Redwine’s Friends and Brother Testify in Trial of Mark Redwine
Following opening statements in the trial of Mark Redwine for the second-degree murder of his son, the prosecution called Ryan Nava, now 22, one of Dylan Redwine’s closest friends. In recalling the events of almost nine years ago, Nava said that the day before Dylan was reported missing, the two had made plans for a sleep-over, but Mark Redwine nixed those plans, so they agreed to meet early the following morning, but Dylan never showed up. The day after his last communication with Dylan, Mark Redwine came to his house looking for his son and Nava texted Dylan to let him know his father was looking for him.
Amanda Saxton, another of Dylan’s friends then testified that her last communication with Dylan was on the night of November 18, 2012, and she did not hear from him on November 19, or any day thereafter. She didn’t find out he was missing until she saw it on Facebook. “I was pretty shocked and I almost couldn’t believe it at first,” she admitted.
A third friend, Joseph Ceballos, told the jury that Dylan had a tendency to walk away from conflict, but all his friends agreed the boy would never have run away or hurt himself. (The defense contends Dylan ran away and was possibly attacked by a bear or mountain lion, citing what could be a “tooth mark” on the boy’s skull.)
Yet another friend, Cristen Baird, now 22, told the jury the only reason Dylan had any interest in going to Vallecito was to visit his friends. “He did not want to see his father,” the young woman insisted
Following the emotional testimony of Elaine Hall, Dylan’s mother, on Wednesday (June 23), Cory Redwine, the boy’s older brother, testified that after Dylan discovered the sordid pictures on his father’s computer, he “was pretty disgusted” and “lost any reason to look up to Mark that day.” Cory then recalled that during a subsequent visit in August 2012, after Mark Redwine told Dylan his mother and Cory weren’t good role models, his brother texted him:
Hey send me those poop pics of Papa because he gave me a speech about you guys being a bad example and I want to show him who he really is.
Cory Redwine declined to send the photos, explaining, “I didn’t want to fuel a bigger fire.” He received a total of seven messages from Dylan requesting the pictures, Cory added.
When Cory Redwine was asked about the discussion of the photos on The Dr. Phil Show, Judge Jeffrey Wilson interrupted the proceedings, indicating he needed to have a discussion with the attorneys before continuing.
Sources: Patrick Armijo, The Durango Herald, June 23, 2021; Allison Sylte, KUSA, June 21 and 22, 2021; and Shelly Bradbury, The Denver Post, June 21, 2021.
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Post by Graveyardbride on Jun 21, 2021 14:04:41 GMT -5
First Clue: mystical
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Post by Graveyardbride on Jun 21, 2021 7:09:52 GMT -5
First Clue: mystical _______
Please read carefully before attempting to name the Location.Following is the primary clue for Mystery Location No. 258:
No one is certain how the city got its name and an infamous killer once called it home, but everyone agrees the big corner house with the picket fence is one of the most impressive in the region. The builder – now long dead – was born on the other side of the country, but through the years, many have heard phantom footsteps and experienced other phenomena that seem to indicate he never left the building.
Each day, a new clue will be posted until someone names the location, providing the street address, city and state, as well as the room or apartment number, if applicable, (or province/country if located outside the US) and an explanation as to how each clue applies to the location. If no one correctly names the location, the contest will end at midnight (Eastern time), Saturday, June 26, 2021. Please note, the contest ends at midnight in the Eastern Time Zone. If you live in a different time zone, please make adjustments so you will know what time it ends where you are.
You may discuss the location with other members by posting your comments using the “reply” option, but please do not attempt to name the location until you are absolutely certain of your answer and you are able to post the street address, city, state, etc., along with a photo, or link to a photo, of the Location.
For those of you who remember our old Mystery Locations contest, the point system has changed. Now, if you name the location on the first day, i.e., Sunday, before midnight (ET), you will receive 7 points. Thereafter, the points will depend on the number of clues that have been provided when you name the Location as indicated below. If you name the Location after the first clue, you will receive 6 points, etc., as indicated below. However, after the Sixth (last clue) is provided on Saturday, you must name the location before midnight (EST) Saturday night. Upon accumulation of sufficient points, winners may choose an item from our Prize List.
Sunday (or before First Clue is provided) - 7 points First Clue (Monday) - 6 points Second Clue (Tuesday) - 5 points Third Clue (Wednesday) - 4 points Fourth Clue (Thursday) - 3 points Fifth Clue (Friday) - 2 points Sixth Clue (Saturday before midnight) - 1 point
If you wish, you may collaborate with another member and if the two of you win, points will be divided between the two of you.
This contest is meant to be fun, so, as before, we ask that you conduct yourself accordingly. To prevent any accusations of favoritism, Steve has been advised of the name and address of the Location and will not be participating in this week’s contest.
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Post by Graveyardbride on Jun 17, 2021 12:09:17 GMT -5
Berman Friend Testifies Concerning ‘Accident on the Stairs’
On Monday (June 14) after Judge Mark E. Windham ordered the trial to continue in spite of Robert Durst’s illness and apparent disabilities, Susan Harmon, a friend with whom Susan Berman had attended boarding school, was called to the stand.
According to Ms. Harmon, when Kathleen “Kathie” McCormick Durst went missing in 1982, Berman called her. “She said that her friend Bobby had had a fight with his wife,” the witness testified. “She didn’t know what she was going to do. He’d had a fight, there was an accident on the stairs and that she had to do something.”
Earlier in the trial, the jury had heard testimony by Fadwa Najamy, sister of real estate mogul Gilberte Najamy, who is believed to have been the last person who saw Kathie Durst alive, other than her killer. Ms. Najamy told the jury she heard McCormack on the phone and “it was clear she was not happy, not content and had something to talk about.” Najamy recalled that her sister “was hysterical” and that her state of hysteria lingered for years. “Emotionally it tore her apart,” Najamy added. “She was a very loyal friend and she felt that no one else was giving a care whether or not Kathie was found.”
It is the prosecution’s contention that Durst visited his longtime friend Susan Berman in December 2000 and shot her in the head, execution-style, because he feared she was about to reveal information concerning the death of his wife.
Sources: Robert Pelaez, The Island Now, June 16, 2021; Pilar Melendez, The Daily Beast, June 14, 2021; Daniel Goldblatt, The Wrap, June 14, 2021; and Adam Klasfeld, Law & Crime, May 24, 2021.
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Post by Graveyardbride on Jun 15, 2021 5:04:36 GMT -5
Second Clue: Revolution
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Post by Graveyardbride on Jun 14, 2021 14:53:32 GMT -5
Trial Continues, Durst Appears with Catheter Attached to WheelchairThis morning (June 14), Judge Mark E. Windham ordered that testimony continue in Robert Durst’s trial for the murder of Susan Burnam, despite defense efforts to delay the proceedings because of the Defendant’s ill health and disability. The lawyers argued their client was suffering from a urinary tract infection related to his bladder cancer, was too frail to stand in order to dress in street clothes and would be forced to appear in jail-issued garb.
“I understand he’s in a good amount of pain because of the catheter,” Windham conceded. “It’s not just the catheter, your honor,” Dick DeGuerin replied. “He’s in chest pain, he’s unable to breathe completely,” adding that Durst was also suffering from undiagnosed health problems and the jail hospital had denied his attorneys information and access to their client.
Unmoved by the lawyer’s claims, Windham ordered the Defendant to appear and Durst was wheeled into court with a catheter attached to his wheelchair.
Noting the Defendant’s pitiable appearance, the judge had a blanket placed over Durst to cover his jail attire and to “maintain his dignity to some degree,” admitting “one doesn’t ordinarily meet with the public with a catheter bag in full view.”
Deputy District Attorney John Lewin then argued that if anything, Durst’s appearance hurt the prosecution. “This doesn’t look like someone who’s murdered three people,” he declared.Sources: Fox News and The Associated Press.
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Post by Graveyardbride on Jun 14, 2021 5:54:10 GMT -5
First Clue: mirror
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