CRUISE SHIP DEATH--DIANNE BRIMBLE'S PERPS COULD FACE MURDER

UPDATE ON DIANNE BRIMBLE CASE

(Source)--February 16, 2007--The counsel assisting the inquest into the death of Dianne Brimble has suggested to the coroner that two men could be charged with murder over the Brisbane woman's death.

Following expert medical evidence from Dr David Caldicott today, counsel assisting the coroner Ron Hoenig told Glebe Coroner's Court that two of the men of interest, Mark Wilhelm and Leo Silvestri, could have committed an act which constitutes murder. Mr Hoenig also said another of the eight men of interest, Petar Pantic, could be considered an accessory.


Mrs Brimble died on board the Pacific Sky cruise ship in September 2002 from a toxic combination of alcohol and the date-rape drug fantasy shortly after having sex with Mr, Wilhelm. Dr Caldicott told the court it was suspicious the two men dressed Mrs. Brimble before calling medical assistance when she would have been in cardio-respiratory arrest in their cabin.


"The definition of murder includes an omission or act with reckless indifference to human life as well as an act or omission with intent to cause grievous bodily harm," Mr. Hoenig said. "It could well be contended that the failure, specifically by Silvestri and Wilhelm, to call medical assistance for whatever reason is an act or omission with reckless indifference to human life, which could constitute murder."


Mr. Hoenig said as Mr. Wilhelm and Mr. Silvestri had consulted Mr. Pantic on Mrs Brimble's condition "he may well be regarded as an accessory to the acts of Silvestri and Wilhelm". "They and their legal representatives need to consider their client's position at this stage."


Today was the final day of the current session of the inquest which Deputy State Coroner Jacqueline Milledge said she hoped to conclude in July. Ms Milledge said if the case was to be referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions she would do so following the three-week sitting in July. Mr Wilhelm is yet to appear at the inquest, but is likely to be called up in July while several of the other men of interest are expected to be recalled.


In evidence today, Dr Caldicott said Mrs Brimble could well have been given a second larger dose of fantasy after an initial smaller dose had worn off. He told the court it was easy to overdose on the drug if you were not a regular user. In his role in the emergency department of Royal Adelaide Hospital he said he had seen users collapse within half an hour of ingesting fantasy. "The idea of somebody dressing somebody who is in cardio-respiratory arrest prior to implementing medical assistance is extraordinary and suspicious," Dr Caldicott said. The inquest was adjourned until July 9.

INQUEST INTO 2002 CRUISE SHIP DEATH

Brimble may have had 'overdose of drug'

(Source)--14th February 2007--The inquest into the cruise ship death of Dianne Brimble has heard she probably consumed more than one dose of the date rape drug fantasy.


Pharmacologist Professor Graham Starmer told Sydney's Glebe Coroner's Court Mrs. Brimble's out of character sexually promiscuous behaviour before her death suggested she was affected by more than just alcohol and one dose of fantasy. Although Prof Starmer said he could not determine the amount of fantasy Mrs. Brimble consumed, he said it was possible she had overdosed. (Sound familiar to Natalee Holloway's case?) He said because of the fast acting nature of the drug a user would need several doses to maintain its disinhibiting effects.


He said the 126 milligrams of fantasy found in Mrs Brimble's blood in her autopsy would have only been residue and a fraction of the dose she consumed. The Brisbane mother-of-three died on board the P&O cruise ship Pacific Sky in September 2002 from a toxic combination of alcohol and fantasy.

Read all the details of the death of Dianne Brimble

WHO IN WASHINGTON IS DRINKING THE SPECIAL "KOOL-AIDE"?

This war has made our country's decision makers absolutely crazy. Who in their right mind would want an ex-con covering their back during hostile fire? Isn't there some old saying "war is ugly"...well, I think Washington's politicans, the Department of Defense and others involved are not only immorally ugly, but ugly and very sad individuals.



WASHINGTON — The Army and Marine Corps are letting in more recruits with criminal records, including some with felony convictions, reflecting the increased pressure of five years of war and its mounting casualties. According to data compiled by the Defense Department, the number of Army and Marine recruits needing waivers for felonies and serious misdemeanors, including minor drug offenses, has grown since 2003.


The Army granted more than double the number of waivers for felonies and misdemeanors in 2006 than it did in 2003. Some recruits may get more than one waiver. The military routinely grants waivers to admit recruits who have criminal records, medical problems or low aptitude scores that would otherwise disqualify them from service. Overall the majority are moral waivers, which include some felonies, misdemeanors, and traffic and drug offenses.

• The number of felony waivers granted by the Army grew from 411 in 2003 to 901 in 2006, according to the Pentagon, or about one in 10 of the moral waivers approved that year.
• Other misdemeanors, which could be petty theft, writing a bad check or some assaults, jumped from about 2,700 to more than 6,000 in 2006.
• The minor crimes represented more than three-quarters of the moral waivers granted by the Army in 2006, up from more than half in 2003.

Army and Defense Department officials defended the waiver program as a way to admit young people who may have made a mistake early in life but have overcome past behavior. And they said about two-thirds of the waivers granted by the Marines are for drug use, because they — unlike the other services — require a waiver if someone has been convicted once for marijuana use.


Lawmakers and other observers say they are concerned that the struggle to fill the military ranks in this time of war has forced the services to lower their moral standards. "The data is crystal clear. Our armed forces are under incredible strain and the only way that they can fill their recruiting quotas is by lowering their standards," said Rep. Marty Meehan, D-Mass., who has been working to get additional data from the Pentagon. "By lowering standards, we are endangering the rest of our armed forces and sending the wrong message to potential recruits across the country."


Army spokesman Paul Boyce said Tuesday he is concerned because the Pentagon data differs from Army numbers. But overall, he said, "anything that is considered a risk or a serious infraction of the law is given the highest level of review." "Our goal is to make certain that we recruit quality young men and women who can keep America defended against its enemies," Boyce said.


..."The fact that the military has allowed more than 100,000 people with such troubled pasts to join its ranks over the past three years illustrates the problem we're having meeting our military needs in this time of war," said Aaron Belkin, director of the center. Belkin said a new study commissioned by the center also concludes that the military does not have any programs that help convicted felons adjust to military life.


In recent years, as the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have dragged on, the military has also relaxed some standards in order to meet recruitment demands. The Army, for example, increased its age limit for recruits from 35 to 42, and is accepting more people whose scores on a standardized aptitude test are at the lower end of the acceptable range.

In its report, the Pentagon said, "The waiver process recognizes that some young people have made mistakes, have overcome their past behavior, and have clearly demonstrated the potential for being productive, law-abiding citizens and members of the military."



Read Entire Article Here

WADE STEFFEY 5th INDIANA STUDENT TO DISAPPEAR IN 6 YEARS

(Source)--On Jan. 13, Wade Steffey disappeared. It's been 28 days. Snow covers the fields, which have been searched for clues on Steffey's disappearance. And the days have grown colder, just like the clues. Steffey, a Purdue freshman in the College of Technology, is one of five college students who have gone missing in Indiana in the past six years.


Two students are still missing and three are dead. Some cases are closed, some remain open and some have changed. Yet, the search for Steffey continues. Almost four weeks into the search, Steffey's roommate, Ben Buckner, is starting to wonder. "It's kind of hitting hard lately," said Buckner, a freshman in the College of Liberal Arts. "I guess things are kind of dwindling down. It's just been a really long time."


One police officer who worked on the case of missing Indiana University student Jill Behrman remembered the Bloomington police's course of action and what they did when the case started to get cold. "It becomes a balancing act after a while," said Capt. Joe Qualters of the Bloomington Police Department. "Early on you get a lot of information, a lot of that info has to be tracked down as potentially worthwhile," said Qualters. "(But) if you have nothing to follow up on, it will always remain an open case."


Buckner will be attending a vigil for Steffey in their hometown of Bloomington, Ind. But for now, the reality of being alone in his residence hall room has been a struggle. "I try to spend a lot of time across the hall with my friends there and stay out of my room," said Buckner. "I've gotten used to my room being quiet and empty but it's a lot different than it used to be."

A MISSING HISTORY:

Jill Behrman

Age and class: 19, sophomore at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind.

Date missing: May 31, 2000

Result: Behrman's body was found in 2003 in the rural area of Morgan County, Ind. John R. Myers II was convicted in 2006 of murdering Behrman. He is seeking an appeal.

Chad Sharon

Age and class: 18, freshman at the University of Notre Dame

Date missing: Dec. 12, 2002

Result: Sharon's body was found on Feb. 12, 2003, in the St. Joseph River in South Bend, IN. An autopsy concluded that he had drowned. Police suspected the freezing weather would have caused hypothermia. Also, the autopsy showed his blood alcohol level was 0.224.

Scott Javins

Age and class: 20, sophomore at Indiana State University

Date missing: May 24, 2002

Result: After almost 4 1/2 years, Javins is still missing. His parents, Merv and Doreena Javins, withdrew a reward for him that expired on Nov. 26, 2006.

Christopher Thiem

Age and class: 19, former student of Vincennes University in Vincennes, IN

Date missing: Jan. 12, 2005

Result: Thiem's body was found in April 2005 near the Wabash River near Carmi, Ill.

Wade Steffey

Age and class: 19, freshman at Purdue

Date missing: Jan. 13, 2007

Result: After almost four weeks, Steffey is still missing.

SOUTH BEND INDIANA VIVIAN BORYSIAK MISSING

Without a Trace

SOUTH BEND, IN -- As rescuers finished searching under one and then another pond near Vivian Borysiak's home on Saturday, her disappearance remained as puzzling as ever. "We have not developed any new leads," said Rick Ruszkowski, an investigator with the South Bend Police Department. Police have been looking for the missing 54-year-old woman since Feb. 3.


On Saturday, they finished searching an icy pond directly behind her condominium in the 1500 block of Wildflower Way. After finding no trace of Borysiak or her dog in that pond, which is three or four acres in size, police on Saturday also searched in another pond across the road.


They made multiple holes in the thick ice surface and lowered underwater cameras to no avail. Normally, Ruszkowski said, police can rule out one or more "scenarios" in an investigation.


But in this case there has been so little evidence uncovered that a number of theories are still possible: that Borysiak was abducted; that she was killed and her death was "staged"; or that she perished accidentally.


Capt. Phil Trent, a spokesman for the South Bend Police Department, said police have reviewed security tapes inside the condominium complex. The videos, however, do not show images of Borysiak. "At this point (the videos) are not showing any particularly suspicious activity," he said.


Trent said police have not received many calls regarding Borysiak's disappearance, which points to the likelihood that no one has seen her and that she may never have left the complex. On Monday, police plan to continue their search using scent dogs. Ruszkowski said the search would continue until Borysiak is found.

PURDUE STUDENT WADE STEFFEY STILL MISSING AFTER 4 WEEKS

Parents: Missing Student Didn't Leave On His Own

(Source)--The parents of a missing Purdue University student talked with Indianapolis 6News Friday about their certainty that he didn't just walk away. Wade Steffey, 19, of Bloomington, left a fraternity party four weeks ago and hasn't been seen since. The search continues in West Lafayette as hope of finding Steffey, a freshman at Purdue, slowly fades.


"We have our terrible moments, and they are terrible, they are very terrible and I don't know how to put it into words," said Dawn Adams, Steffey's mother. "We have to stay strong because we could get him back and he may need us." Adams said the scenarios about what could have happened to her son race through her mind, but she reminds herself that she simply cannot know.


Students, friends and strangers have scoured the area looking for Steffey. "Our spirits are buoyed by people who won't let us stay down very long, but there are certainly down moments," said Dale Steffey, Wade's father.


Steffey's parents said they know there are rumors that he might have left on his own, but said the man they have known all of his life, who took karate, played soccer and wrestled, always finished what he started. Steffey's parents have many reasons to back up the thought that he didn't leave, such as a passport that just came in the mail and speakers for his computer that he had ordered. "He wasn't wearing a jacket. He left his cell phone charger," Dale Steffey said. "As far as we know, he only had about $50. There's been no use of his credit cards or his ATM card."


The family's thoughts are filled with the realization that if he didn't leave on his own, Wade Steffy might be in danger or worse, 6News' Cheryl Jackson reported. "People die in a lot of different ways all the time at all ages," Dale Steffey said. "Grief and not knowing is a very different state of existence."

WOMEN: BEWARE OF DANGERS AND BE SAFE

Beware: Don't mess with Michelle. I carry this legal weapon on me at all times. I can most likely kill someone if I stabbed them in the throat...not to mention causing serious damage to the groin or chest, or anywhere I want to stab the perp. I bought this at a gun store for $8, and it's more reliable than pepper spray and easier to use. Some men can beat pepper spray and still attack...this "corkscrew" will leave them on the ground for a long time.

February 03, 2007 5:48 PM: "A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts:

1) The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle. They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun, braid or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed. They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets.


2) The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women who's clothing is easy to remove quickly. Many of them carry scissors around specifically to cut clothing.


3) They also look for women on their cell phone, searching through their purse or doing other activities while walking because they are off guard and can be easily overpowered.


4) Men are most likely to attack & rape in the early morning, between 5:00a.m. and 8:30a.m.


5) The number one place women are abducted from/attacked is grocery store parking lots. Number two is office parking lots/garages. Number three is public restrooms.


6) The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to another location where they don't have to worry about getting caught.


7) Only 2% said they carried weapons because r ape carries a 3-5 year sentence but rape with a weapon is 15-20 years.


8) If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn't worth it because it will be time-consuming.


9) These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas, or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands. Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guys you're not worth it.


10) Several defense mechanisms he taught us are: If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a question, like what time is it, or make general small talk: "I can't believe it is so cold out here", "we're in for a bad winter." Now you've seen their face and could identify them in a line-up; you lose appeal as a target.


11) If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of you and yell STOP or STAY BACK! Most of the rapists this man talked to said they'd leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would not be afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an EASY target.


12) If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of it and carries it with him wherever he goes,) yell I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY and holding it out will be a deterrent.


13) If someone grabs you, you can't beat them with strength but you can by outsmarting them. If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the arm (between the elbow and armpit) OR in the upper inner thigh VERY VERY HARD. One woman in a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands. The guy needed stitches. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it; it hurts.


14) After the initial hit, always GO for the GROIN I know from a particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy's parts it is extremely painful. You might think that you'll anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause a lot of trouble. Start causing trouble, and he's out of there.


15) When the guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible. The instructor did it to me without using much pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked audibly.


16) Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any o dd behavior, don't dismiss it, go with your instincts!!! "

"MISSING" MISS BRAZIL FOUND AND WANTS TO STAY LOST

This is unbelievable. This woman has some nerve. And I'm being extremely nice here. There are hundreds of thousands of women that are abducted everyday for the purpose of sex trafficking. Everyday women go missing. Families grieve. Police authorities work over time. Tax dollars are spent needlessly. The public comes forward to help in vain.

WHY WOULD SHE DO THIS? Was her family that bad to her? I cannot speculate on her personal life, but this is NOT the way to leave your family and move on.

It is women like this who make it practically impossible for authorities to take missing person cases seriously. Back in the day when Ted Bundy was on the loose, the common statement police made regarding missing people, "Oh, they probaby just ran away..."


We cannot let that attitude to resurface! This woman should be punished like that idiot Jennifer Wilbanks from Georgia that faked her abduction to get out of a wedding. (By the way, her story is now turning into a "rock opera"...anything to make some bucks. Click here for story.)

'Missing' Miss Brazil found in UK

(Source)--A former Brazilian beauty queen, whose apparent disappearance triggered fears she had been kidnapped, has resurfaced in London after several months. Parents of Taiza Thomsen, crowned Miss Brazil in 2002, made a TV appeal after she failed to answer their calls.


The international police organisation, Interpol, as well as Brazilian and British police had searched for her. But the 24-year-old contacted Brazilian officers to say she was fine and simply wanted to be left alone. Brazilian police said that Miss Thomsen was living happily in London and did not want to contact her family.


"Thomsen reported that she was doing well in London and that she did not want to be found, even by her parents," Brazil's federal police said in a statement. "She has the right to stay isolated," they added. The former beauty queen was awarded the title of Miss Brazil in 2002 when the competition winner admitted that she was married.

GET THIS CLOWN OUT OF HERE: THE OTHER "MISSING" PURDUE STUDENT

This is a perfect example of what lawyers like to call "the chilling effect"...

I want to emphasis with GREAT CONCERN over what Purdue student Eric Michael Campbell did to NOT ONLY to his family, but to his friends, his colleages, and even perfect strangers. Why? Because he is SELFISH and couldn't spare a second out of his 'oh-so-busy' schedule to call his family.

Hello, ERIC...this is POST 9/11...DUH!

You don't leave the country and not keep in touch with someone at home!

No excuse, I'm f-ing sorry. I'm 33 too, and I'll tell you this...if I were traveling out of the country BOTH my mom and dad would be on my ass every minute making sure I was ok. It doesn't matter to parents how old you are. And it doesn't make a damn difference that I am a female. Children are children. They are your flesh and blood.

This stupid and selfish son of a bitch makes other missing persons claims go UNSOLVED.

Because of bastards like him others suffer.

Please, let's not forget about missing Purdue University freshman, Wade Jeffries who disappeared on January, 13, 2007. An extensive search of the Purdue campus has come up fruitless. His cell phone battery died a few days after his disappearance and has yet to be found. The Wabash river was searched (how thoroughly, I have no idea...do you think they would tell us? The CITIZENS who pay their salaries?) and supposedly nothing was found.


As of this date, I have not heard anything else. I have heard the officials are calling off the search. I know this family MUST be funding and conducting the search by themselves. Once the police give up on you, it's the family's responsibility. SAD BUT TRUE. I wonder if they have a charity set up? I know a few private investigators and search teams that would be willing to help...

TWO MALE PURDUE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS MISSING

First there is the mystery of Purdue University freshman, Wade Jeffries. Wade, a 19-year old student who was and engineering major and honor student disappeared after attending an on-campus fraternity party. After leaving the party, in which witnesses stated he wasn't drinking, Wade disappeared. He has been missing since January, 13, 2007. An extensive search of the Purdue campus has come up fruitless. His cell phone battery died a few days after his disappearance and has yet to be found.

More Information on Wade Jeffries

Amazingly, there is another male
Purdue University student missing as well.

Missing Student Last Seen In El Paso Area

(Source)--El Paso police are looking for a student who's missing from Purdue University in Indiana. Investigators said Eric Michael Campbell, 33, flew into El Paso on Jan. 11, where he met a friend who took him across the border to attend a wedding in Juarez that weekend.


On Jan. 15, Campbell was scheduled to fly back to Indiana from El Paso but he never made the flight."From what we have, the information we have right now, he never made it back home. Now, his luggage did, which suggests that he may have come back from Mexico." said Javier Sambrano of the El Paso Police Department.


If you have any information about Campbell's whereabouts, El Paso police would like you to give them a call at 832-4400.

More on Eric M. Campbell

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue police are involved in a search for a second missing student, but investigators do not believe the cases are connected. Doctoral student Eric M. Campbell disappeared during a trip to Texas and Mexico, while freshman Wade Steffey was last reported seen at a fraternity house in West Lafayette.

"The timelines are different," Purdue spokeswoman Jeanne Norberg said in a news release Tuesday. "Wade was last seen shortly after midnight Jan. 13.


Campbell was in El Paso on Jan. 12 and then arrived in Mexico at 8 p.m. that day." Campbell's luggage arrived at Indianapolis International Airport after he bought a ticket to fly back to Indiana from El Paso on Jan. 18, investigators said. But Norberg said there is no evidence the 33-year-old student ever boarded the flight.


Campbell, of Avilla, left campus on Jan. 8 to travel to El Paso en route to a wedding in Juarez, Mexico. Purdue police contacted police in El Paso 10 days later after he did not return. A friend of Campbell's who lives in Mexico told police he had returned to the United States on Jan. 15, and police confirmed that he bought an airline ticket to Indianapolis in El Paso on Jan. 18, but never arrived.


Campbell's mother told police that she has not heard from him, Norberg said. "Friends and colleagues are puzzled and are hoping to hear from him," she said. Campbell, who had worked as an engineer in Mexico after receiving a master's degree from Purdue in 2000, had recently enrolled as a doctoral student at the West Lafayette campus.