LIE DETECTING MADE EASY

Can the suspect tell his story backwards?
If not, he's lying

Researchers from the University of Portsmouth claim that the best way to spot a lie is to make the suspect repeat his or her version of events in reverse order.


The researchers worked on the theory that it takes more effort to make up a story than it does to tell the truth. A subject asked to repeat a concocted series of events in reverse order would be under too much of a strain, they claimed, and would make mistakes.

Tricks of the Trade

Detectives use many psychological tricks to trip up liars. These betray obvious signals from shifting uncomfortably in a seat, through stumbling over words to failing to make eye contact. Another interview strategy used, the baseline method, requires investigators to note the way a suspect reacts to small talk before an interview compared with how he reacts to penetrating questions.

Behavioral Analysis

Finally there is the behavioural analysis strategy (BAI), in which interviewers compare the body language of liars and those telling the truth to set a list of questions.


Traditional police interview methods were used in the study, and in those that employed the reverse order tactics – described as “cognitive load interviews” – the interviewer asked the suspects to recall a series of events from the most recent backwards.


Officers were less likely to detect the liars when traditional methods were used in the interviews but were more likely to detect lies when the subjects were asked them to recall events in a reverse order.


The researchers believe that serial criminals are so well versed in police interviews that they know how to dodge the psychological tricks. But the reverse order method imposes an additional mental stress on liars.


Professor Aldert Vrij, one of the researchers, said: “Those [police officers] paying attention to visual cues proved significantly worse at distinguishing liars from those telling the truth than those looking for speech-related cues.

Success with Reverse Order Tactic

“Unlike truth-tellers, liars tend to tell their stories in a strict chronological time order and diverting from this order may well be too difficult for them to do,” Professor Vrij said.


“Lying takes a lot of mental effort in some situations, and we wanted to test the idea that introducing an extra demand would induce additional cues in liars. Analysis showed significantly more nonverbal cues occurring in the stories told in this way and, tellingly, police officers shown the interviews were better able to discriminate between truthful and false accounts.”



Information from Source:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article1895986.ece

DREW PETERSON--"I'M PUBLIC ENEMY #1"

ALL SAID WITH A SMILE

This morning while watching this segment on Good Morning America, Drew Peterson addressed the media with a smile stating proudly, "I am America's No. 1 hated person now…They are looking at this as a witch hunt — and I'm the witch! I have never seen anyone attacked like this before. I am public enemy No. 1."


Peterson and his attorney Joe Brodsky are scheduled to be in court today to learn whether a judge will grant a motion filed last week seeking the return of some of Peterson's property that police seized in a series of search warrants. That property includes two vehicles, guns, CDs and other items.

In addition, Drew Peterson will ask an Illinois judge today to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate leaks of grand jury testimony arising from the investigation into the disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson. At this time they will also issue a formal complaint about what they say have been numerous law enforcement leaks to the press about the case.

Lawyers contacted by ABC's Law and Justice Unit say its unlikely a special prosecutor will be appointed, but there are other options for the judge.

Grand Jury Testimony from Drew Peterson Friend, Rick Mims

Rick Mims, Peterson's longtime friend, told a grand jury last week that he and Peterson bought three such containers for about $100 from AmeriCable, where they both worked part time in 2003. Peterson put two of the containers on a shelf in his garage, but after Stacy vanished, so did the containers, Mims testified.

New Search Warrant

A search warrant issued last week for Peterson's two vehicles mentions "blue plastic" and "scuff marks" left by a "large storage container," lending credence to reports that investigators think Peterson, 53, might have loaded into his sport utility vehicle a blue container holding Stacy's body.

New Rumors

This weekend, news reports attributed to unnamed investigators surfaced saying that Peterson had written large checks, one for more than a quarter million dollars, to his son from several bank accounts, including joint accounts Peterson held with Stacy. Peterson denied the allegations.

"Everything being said is not true," he said, expressing frustration with the way investigators are handling the case. "As more things come up, more things get knocked down," Peterson said. "The whole incidence is losing credibility."

Transfer of Money--More Lies or Incorrect Story-Telling?

While he denied a report that aired this weekend on a Fox station in Chicago that strongly insinuated that the alleged transfer of money was nefarious, Peterson seemed to indicate in an interview with ABC News last week that any moving of money was part of steps taken to protect his children's future.

"The kids are taken care of," Peterson said. "If I'm hit by a bus or arrested, I have arranged care of the children — set up trusts and who will care for them."

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/Story?id=4009941&page=1

AN AMERICAN EPIDEMIC? WOMEN MURDERED BY BOYFRIENDS AND HUSBANDS

Is it just me, or does it seem that there is an epidemic regarding missing women who are eventually found...murdered by boyfriends, ex-boyfriends, husbands and ex-husbands? It doesn't seem that any woman is safe anymore. It could happen to ANYONE. No one is immune to this escalation of violence towards women.

Where is the public outrage? Why aren't the police taking these women seriously when they try to get protective orders against these men who have made viable threats? There have been so many cases where missing women (most of which have been found dead with the perpetrators as someone they know. Either they are still involved with these men, or are trying to get away from them.) The minute they try to break things off, this is when these sociopathic monsters come into play and ruin hundreds of peoples lives.

The people affected? Obviously the victim, the victim's family and friends, the community, and even the perpetrator's family.

A crime such as this does not just affect the two individuals involved. It affects the entire community. It creates a scare. Who can women trust? Why aren't their pleas taken seriously? There must be something done to stop this horrible trend. Every night I see another story of a missing woman...and 9 times out of 10, their significant other is the cause of their demise.

I am just glad that this sick and demented man has been caught and will hopefully be found guilty. I can only hope that this sorry excuse for a man will spend the rest of his life in prison. The death penalty seems to be the best answer for punishment to these predatory men.

I'm not saying that the death penalty is a deterrent...but what is? Better parenting? Better social and moral values? Schools and/or government control? Is it the lack of education regarding mental health counseling?

Who is to blame?

(Source)--A former boyfriend of a woman whose badly decomposed body was found in a Chicago suburb has been charged in her death. Reginald Potts, 30, was being held on first-degree murder charges in the death of 28-year-old Nailah Franklin. Police confirmed the charges late Friday.


Police have said that at one time Potts had dated Franklin, 28, a representative for Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly. She was reported missing Sept. 19 after she didn't show up for a work meeting. Franklin's body was found behind several vacant businesses in south suburban Calumet City eight days later. She was identified using dental records. Franklin had filed a police report about threatening phone calls she received from a man she dated briefly. Potts' initial court appearance is set for noon on Monday at the Cook County Criminal Courthouse, Gorman said. It was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney.

Reginald Potts