Fire in upper NW?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the basis for a federal charge here? They can't just make any murder into a federal charge. There has to be something like murder of a federal official, murder in federal land, interstate human trafficking/kidnapping, etc.
I agree the death penalty would give them some negotiating leverage to get the accomplices, but don't know what the federal jurisdictional basis is.

Federal death penalty applies in 1st degree murder if compounded by any one of the following. WMD. Terrorism. Arson. Torture. Murder of a Child.

I don't even think state lines need to be crossed in these exceptional cases, but like Boston Marathon, and McVeigh, they were in the course of the crime. The forced call to Maryland all alone trips the interstate.

Are you a lawyer? What are you basing this on? The Boston Bomber is charged w/ using WMD, etc. and McVeigh blew up a federal building. Clearly, there's fed jurisdiction in those two cases. But I don't think the feds get to take this case just b/c it's "really bad." That's not the way our government works. The federal government has to have the power under the Constitution to enact the laws. Maybe there's a federal hook here (I'm not a criminal lawyer), but these responses are not convincing to me.

Jeez Louise, you don't need a lawyer to read the Law. This case is the archetype example where execution by the federal government trumps the state.

Capital offenses[edit]

Federal Medical Center, Carswell, Texas, houses the female death row inmates
These are the offenses punishable by life imprisonment or death under United States Code:[9]

Causing death by using a chemical weapon or a weapon of mass destruction
Killing a member of the Congress, the Cabinet or United States Supreme Court
Kidnapping a member of the Congress, the Cabinet or Supreme Court resulting in death
Conspiracy to kill a member of the Congress, the Cabinet or Supreme Court resulting in death
Causing death by using an explosive
Causing death by using an illegal firearm
Causing death during a drug-related drive-by shooting
Genocide resulting in death
Carjacking resulting in death
Willful destruction of aircraft or motor vehicles resulting in death.
Causing death by aircraft hijacking or any attempt to commit aircraft hijacking.
Causing death by kidnapping or hostage taking.
First degree murder
Murder perpetrated by poison or lying in wait
Murder that is willful, deliberate, malicious, and premeditated
Murder in the perpetration of, or in the attempt to perpetrate, any arson, torture, escape, kidnapping, treason, espionage, sabotage, aggravated sexual abuse or sexual abuse, child abuse, burglary, or robbery.
Murder perpetrated as part of a pattern or practice of assault or torture against a child or children
Murder committed by a federal prisoner or an escaped federal prisoner sentenced to 15 years to life or a more severe penalty
Assassinating the President or a member of his staff
Kidnapping the President or a member of his staff resulting in death
Killing persons aiding Federal investigations or State correctional officers
Willful wrecking of a train resulting in death
Sexual abuse resulting in death
Sexual exploitation of children resulting in death
Torture resulting in death
War crimes resulting in death
Large-scale drug trafficking
Attempting, authorizing or advising the killing of any officer, juror, or witness in cases involving a Continuing Criminal Enterprise, even if such killing does not occur.
Espionage
Treason

Maybe you don't have to be a lawyer to read the law, but you have to know the basics of law to understand what you read. Prosecutors have to prove the elements of the crime AND jurisdiction. The list above (which is not "the law" but a crude summary) is merely a list of what crimes can be charged as a federal capital crime, IF the federal government has jurisdiction and is prosecuting the case. For some of the crimes listed above, there is federal jurisdiction based solely on the specific crime -- for example espionage or treason. Some, such as first-degree murder, require more specific criteria to be met to create federal jurisdiction -- for example, first-degree muddier IF the murder is of a government official while fulfilling official duties or the murder is on federal property. For some of the crimes listed, potential federal jurisdiction is more complicated and based on very specific facts. And just because it could be a federal capital case, doesn't mean the federal government would choose to charge the case, let alone choose to charge it as a capital case.

Now please just let law enforcement and prosecutors do the jobs they are trained to do. And remember that the press is terrible at understanding and explaining the legal side of any case. Anonymous, non-legal, forums are even worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interesting article

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Q2cIaq9xk38J:https://natethayerjournalist.wordpress.com/2015/05/28/who-is-the-mysterious-witness-1-in-d-c-murder-whodunit-the-millionaire-the-race-car-driver/%20&cd=10&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

Wow. Very interesting indeed. Especially that the Porsche was torched near the assistant's childhood home. (If that is true) And also that the assistant had only been working for SS since mid-April.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting article

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Q2cIaq9xk38J:https://natethayerjournalist.wordpress.com/2015/05/28/who-is-the-mysterious-witness-1-in-d-c-murder-whodunit-the-millionaire-the-race-car-driver/%20&cd=10&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

Wow. Very interesting indeed. Especially that the Porsche was torched near the assistant's childhood home. (If that is true) And also that the assistant had only been working for SS since mid-April.

I was dismayed to read that article too. I've been one of those protesting the probable innocence of the assistant, but there are a lot of coincidences mentioned in that article. It's making me have second thoughts.

And I guess the cars were towed away to examine them for more evidence. Are those vehicles the assistant routinely drove?

[Anonymous]

That article says it was Wint's prints found on the pizza crust. I thought it was DNA evidence from saliva or something. How accurate is the information in this article?

[Anonymous]

Isn't this focus on the assistant a little bit of a side show? We know this guy did not invade the home and hold the family hostage overnight. We know that Savvas was calling/texting him the morning of the 14th in the hopes that he could help deliver money. We know from video surveillance cameras that he was not there on the premises as of at least 11:30 a.m. and that he was in Virginia, at least 30 miles away, when the fire broke out at 1:15. That strongly suggests to me that he could not have been the guy spotted driving erratically in a Porsche on NY Avenue at 1:30, BTW.

To me, his inaccuracies are a function of an addled, freaked-out mind. He undoubtedly (we know this) got texts/calls from Savvas on 5/14, so it isn't incorrect to say that he got the details of the drop-off on 5/14. He didn't immediately tell cops that he'd heard of the errand on 5/13, but he corrected himself promptly. Could totally see a somewhat vague 5/13 text saying, "I'm going to need you to drop some money off. I'll give you details in the morning," followed by a much more specific 5/14 text saying, "go see person X at 8:15 at the corner of ...." If, after some serious shock/trauma, someone asked, when did you learn what you had to do, I could see thinking specifically of the 5/14 text before remembering the 5/13 one, etc.

Other inaccuracy is red bag to manila envelope. What possible benefit can he gain from this "lie" other than to potentially cover up his stupid move in instagramming the money in a red bag? There's no other benefit here.

Final inaccuracy is whether the red car in the garage was locked or not. He initially said it was locked and he unlocked it. He changed that to it was unlocked when I got there. Again, where is the possible benefit to him in this "lie"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That article says it was Wint's prints found on the pizza crust. I thought it was DNA evidence from saliva or something. How accurate is the information in this article?

That article is obviously wrong. Saliva was found on the pizza crust and news hasn't broke about who's fingerprints were on a water bottle.

[Anonymous]

Anyone seen this? Is it for real?
http://guyana.hoop.la/topic/possible-motive-for-daron-wint-killing-of-savapoulos?reply=447440695162153871#447440695162153871

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone seen this? Is it for real?
http://guyana.hoop.la/topic/possible-motive-for-daron-wint-killing-of-savapoulos?reply=447440695162153871#447440695162153871

The company being investigated is "North American Iron Works". Savapoulos owned "American Iron Works". Two different companies. This has been discussed at least twice in this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That article says it was Wint's prints found on the pizza crust. I thought it was DNA evidence from saliva or something. How accurate is the information in this article?

That article is obviously wrong. Saliva was found on the pizza crust and news hasn't broke about who's fingerprints were on a water bottle.

the article is a mixture of right and wrong info. The information about Wallace's father living by the car fire location is correct, but then they turn around and say that the money was left in the porsche.

[Anonymous]

"Isn't this focus on the assistant a little bit of a side show? We know this guy did not invade the home and hold the family hostage overnight. We know that Savvas was calling/texting him the morning of the 14th in the hopes that he could help deliver money. We know from video surveillance cameras that he was not there on the premises as of at least 11:30 a.m. and that he was in Virginia, at least 30 miles away, when the fire broke out at 1:15. That strongly suggests to me that he could not have been the guy spotted driving erratically in a Porsche on NY Avenue at 1:30, BTW. "

I agree somewhat with this, but you know that quote from Aristotle: "Nature abhors a vacuum".

Until more facts are available, people will speculate. I'm not saying that's good or bad, just is.
And the coincidences listed in the article, if true(as someone else wisely posted), are kind of bizarre, IMO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting article

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Q2cIaq9xk38J:https://natethayerjournalist.wordpress.com/2015/05/28/who-is-the-mysterious-witness-1-in-d-c-murder-whodunit-the-millionaire-the-race-car-driver/%20&cd=10&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

Wow. Very interesting indeed. Especially that the Porsche was torched near the assistant's childhood home. (If that is true) And also that the assistant had only been working for SS since mid-April.

I was dismayed to read that article too. I've been one of those protesting the probable innocence of the assistant, but there are a lot of coincidences mentioned in that article. It's making me have second thoughts.

And I guess the cars were towed away to examine them for more evidence. Are those vehicles the assistant routinely drove?

This is a web cache, and the website is now just an empty Wordpress site.

In a side note, the website is called Nate Thayer Journalist... the real Nate Thayer is indeed a journalist, but this site sounds like it was impersonating him, so could've been why it was taken down. I doubt the credibility of a person who publicly imitates a journalist.

[Anonymous]

I posted way, way up thread about the Devil-Wears-Prada stuff that my former boss used to ask me to do. I read that article about the assistant.

It's entirely possible that he's "in on it" or involved in some way. At this point, though, I think it's equally likely that a young man who is obsessed with cars and racing somehow lucked into a job working for a generous rich man in a capacity that he had zero qualification for other than driving race cars. Savvas took a chance on a young man who was looking for a job, and that decision resulted either in the young man teaming up with some criminal friends to extort money from and then kill his benefactor or else the young man missed multiple red flags that a person with more experience or a stronger relationship with their boss would have immediately noticed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the basis for a federal charge here? They can't just make any murder into a federal charge. There has to be something like murder of a federal official, murder in federal land, interstate human trafficking/kidnapping, etc.
I agree the death penalty would give them some negotiating leverage to get the accomplices, but don't know what the federal jurisdictional basis is.

Federal death penalty applies in 1st degree murder if compounded by any one of the following. WMD. Terrorism. Arson. Torture. Murder of a Child.

I don't even think state lines need to be crossed in these exceptional cases, but like Boston Marathon, and McVeigh, they were in the course of the crime. The forced call to Maryland all alone trips the interstate.

Are you a lawyer? What are you basing this on? The Boston Bomber is charged w/ using WMD, etc. and McVeigh blew up a federal building. Clearly, there's fed jurisdiction in those two cases. But I don't think the feds get to take this case just b/c it's "really bad." That's not the way our government works. The federal government has to have the power under the Constitution to enact the laws. Maybe there's a federal hook here (I'm not a criminal lawyer), but these responses are not convincing to me.

Jeez Louise, you don't need a lawyer to read the Law. This case is the archetype example where execution by the federal government trumps the state.

Capital offenses[edit]

Federal Medical Center, Carswell, Texas, houses the female death row inmates
These are the offenses punishable by life imprisonment or death under United States Code:[9]

Causing death by using a chemical weapon or a weapon of mass destruction
Killing a member of the Congress, the Cabinet or United States Supreme Court
Kidnapping a member of the Congress, the Cabinet or Supreme Court resulting in death
Conspiracy to kill a member of the Congress, the Cabinet or Supreme Court resulting in death
Causing death by using an explosive
Causing death by using an illegal firearm
Causing death during a drug-related drive-by shooting
Genocide resulting in death
Carjacking resulting in death
Willful destruction of aircraft or motor vehicles resulting in death.
Causing death by aircraft hijacking or any attempt to commit aircraft hijacking.
Causing death by kidnapping or hostage taking.
First degree murder
Murder perpetrated by poison or lying in wait
Murder that is willful, deliberate, malicious, and premeditated
Murder in the perpetration of, or in the attempt to perpetrate, any arson, torture, escape, kidnapping, treason, espionage, sabotage, aggravated sexual abuse or sexual abuse, child abuse, burglary, or robbery.
Murder perpetrated as part of a pattern or practice of assault or torture against a child or children
Murder committed by a federal prisoner or an escaped federal prisoner sentenced to 15 years to life or a more severe penalty
Assassinating the President or a member of his staff
Kidnapping the President or a member of his staff resulting in death
Killing persons aiding Federal investigations or State correctional officers
Willful wrecking of a train resulting in death
Sexual abuse resulting in death
Sexual exploitation of children resulting in death
Torture resulting in death
War crimes resulting in death
Large-scale drug trafficking
Attempting, authorizing or advising the killing of any officer, juror, or witness in cases involving a Continuing Criminal Enterprise, even if such killing does not occur.
Espionage
Treason

Many of these are federal crimes only because they occurred on federal property -- a military installation or a reservation. I think there is a federal hook because of phone and internet use, but this laundry list is meaningless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting article

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Q2cIaq9xk38J:https://natethayerjournalist.wordpress.com/2015/05/28/who-is-the-mysterious-witness-1-in-d-c-murder-whodunit-the-millionaire-the-race-car-driver/%20&cd=10&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

Wow. Very interesting indeed. Especially that the Porsche was torched near the assistant's childhood home. (If that is true) And also that the assistant had only been working for SS since mid-April.

I was dismayed to read that article too. I've been one of those protesting the probable innocence of the assistant, but there are a lot of coincidences mentioned in that article. It's making me have second thoughts.

And I guess the cars were towed away to examine them for more evidence. Are those vehicles the assistant routinely drove?

This is a web cache, and the website is now just an empty Wordpress site.

In a side note, the website is called Nate Thayer Journalist... the real Nate Thayer is indeed a journalist, but this site sounds like it was impersonating him, so could've been why it was taken down. I doubt the credibility of a person who publicly imitates a journalist.

The only Nate Thayer I know of has long written from and about Southeast Asia - I think for the Far Eastern Economic Review and Journal. Odd that he would be the guy writing about this story - also, that article had a lot of grammatical and structural errors that I think someone with Thayer's experience would not have made - much less released in final copy.

[Anonymous]

Thayer's book on Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge is "Sympathy for the Devil" - the name also used in the blog post. Odd.