Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Brittanee Drexel Disappearance

repost
17 Year Old

Brittanee Drexel disappeared in 2009 while on Spring Break.

In the Dr. Phil Show, Dr. Phil gave Peter Brozowitz an open ended opportunities to say "I didn't do it" and he comes across obnoxious, high minded, and used distancing and calloused language regarding Brittanee, 17.

Is it:  Guilty knowledge, or just an obnoxious 20 year old?

The truly innocent (not just judicially) will say "I didn't do it" early and often.  They will produce the pronoun, "I", along with the past tense verb "did not" or the casual, "didn't" and then address whatever issue is being raised in the interview.

"I didn't cause Brittanee's disappearance" is the simplest and easiest of statements.  A de facto innocent will not hesitate to produce the pronoun "I" in the denial.  He may say "would never" but only in correlation with "didn't" or "did not."


A reliable denial has three (3) components.  If the denial has 2, or more than 3, it is "unreliable."

I.  The use of the pronoun "I"
II.  The past tense verb, "did not" or "didn't"
III.  The specific allegation

Examples of unreliable denials;

"Didn't do it"
"I would never harm her"
"I have no idea"
"I didn't do nothing"

Regarding the statements by Peter Brozowitz, he was unwilling or unable to, during the course of the video, to bring himself to say "I didn't do it" even though Dr. Phil asked him if he wanted to say something to "set the record straight."

Brozowitz did not issue a reliable denial.  It is sometimes difficult to get law enforcement to accept this principle, as it appears too simplistic, which is why Dillingham's research on law enforcement scoring poorly in detecting deception is so well evidenced and exampled.

Typically, a newspaper headline will say "So and So Denies Allegation..." but in the statements, there is no denial.

Statement Analysis does not interpret: it listens.

Statement Analysis Principle:

If someone is unable or unwilling to say "I didn't do it", we are not permitted to say it for him. 

There are not enough statements from him to make a conclusion about guilt or innocence.

1.  He did not issue reliable denial.
2.  He gave insult to the victim "not a babysitter" regarding the 17 year old. Disparaging the victim is a red flag for guilt.  We don't hang our hat on just one indicator, but when taken along with his other statements, particularly avoiding the reliable denial, it is very concerning.






When a denial is parroted from an Interviewer, it is not reliable.  It must come from the Free Editing Process in which the subject is speaking freely, choosing his own words.

If the denial has four components (more than three), it is unreliable.  The innocent leave it alone, simply, as a denial, as they do not feel the need for emphasis.  It is the strength of knowing that something cannot be proven because the subject did not do it.  This is the underlining confidence, that even in the polygraph, the nervous person will not experience fluctuation in results:  they are nervous all the way through, whether answering their address, or the allegation.

Linguistically, it is the same.

19 comments:

  1. This is such a frustrating case. So tragic, and so preventable. If only she had listened to her Mother, she would be here today.

    I have always believed that the club promoter friend Peter had something to do with Britnee's disappearance, but I'm not sure exactly how. His actions are so suspicious. He's the last person to see her, she disappeared after leaving his hotel, then he and his friends take off at 1am the night she disappeared, leaving behind their clothes and their deposit! ($100 is a lot of money to highschool kids, there had to be a reason they left without it.)

    Then he immediately hired a lawyer! If he had nothing to do with her disappearance, then why wouldn't he expect her to be found either hanging out with a different group of friends, or hitching an earlier ride back with someone, etc? Hiring a lawyer, for whatever reason he claims to have done so, shows he obviously had knowledge that this situation would not be quickly resolved, and he anticipated needing a lawyer.

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  2. I have always thought, if this guy wasn't involved, he is the biggest jerk I have ever seen. He doesn't care one bit about this friend or her family. He is about old enough to get married or have children, and I wonder if that will at least impress upon him what this family is feeling and why people suspect him.

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  3. OT:

    Police: Missing teen’s car found on Edmond street.

    Snipped:

    EDMOND — Police have released more information about a missing teen’s last known actions and the location of her vehicle.

    In a previous report, Oklahoma City Police Sgt. Jennifer Wardlow said the agency’s Missing Persons Unit is asking for the public’s help locating Anne Josette Hill, 16, a white female with brown hair, brown eyes, standing about 5-feet, 4-inches and weighing about 120 pounds.

    Wardlow said Hill was last seen April 10 in the north Oklahoma City/Edmond area.

    Jenny Monroe, spokeswoman for the Edmond Police Department, said last week, on Wednesday, the agency received a call from a person who had seen a flier and recognized the vehicle.


    See more at:

    http://www.edmondsun.com/local/x1535575039/Police-Missing-teen-s-car-found-on-Edmond-street#sthash.QU3EPpiI.dpuf

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  4. His body labguage and behavior is a huge red flag, it's like she is talking to a petulant 13 year old who isn't interested, who has heard it all before and all i was waiting for was the "whatever"

    No strong reliable denial, he knows what happened to her and is likely involved, he couldn't look the parents in the face.

    he should be arrested on charges of obstruction of justice and made to take a police ploy.
    My betting is a spectacular fail.

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  5. His attorney is shutting him up and his client is seriously pissed off with him talking over him.

    His attorney is basically saying sit down and shut up, let me do the talk.
    His attorney is aggressive and overly defensive, i suspect he has given his client a poly and is now trying to keep his ass out of court and jail.

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  6. did they do any damage to hotel room? maybe they didn't want to wait and be billed for more than $100.

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  7. There is a lot of anger displayed by him. Thinning and pursing of the lips, tensing of the jaw. Jaw jutting and chin raising. This is arrogance and contempt, which he also flashes along with disgust.

    He maybe displaying these Body Language tells because he is under pressure and not happy with the line of questioning.

    He also interlocks his fingers and stretches out his arms, which looks like he is cracking his fingers. People genuinely do this when the are ready for a fight.

    Again this could be because he is angry at allegedly been accused of some involvement.

    What was more noticeble for me is when Dr Phil says that he doesn't show any compassion. His whole Body Language changes. He relaxes lowers his head and tries to look concerned.

    I would question him further.

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  8. If I were him I'd be angry -- he's out there for the world to see being made to look like a criminal. he may not have what they need, he may be a kind of self centered guy. but he is cooperating with police fully and if he's innocent -- than he's helping by offering himself to be on TV discussing the case -- but he's being painted as a bad guy all the same - foremost because it makes for good TV. remember the show is also edited for maximum drama.

    I'd say he could be mad and also innocent.

    wasn't she walking down a street alone and texting her BF when whatever happened happened?
    if this guy did it he's not gonna risk putting his face on TV for chance somebody will finall remember seeing him nab her.

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    Replies
    1. If he's a sociopath he would. If his behavior never had been suspicious he would never have had an issue to feel angry about. He has a lawyer and still can't control his temper? So much is on the line and he still can't? So much on the line abd he still won't even just fake compassion? Why not? You say you'd be angry too. We all might be but how many of us would be so hostile and out of control? Truly, would you really be THAT angry that you'd never show compassion for a girl that was missing. These are pointless questions. He's a sociopath and I seriously doubt you are. His anger is way out of proportion for someone who "knows" he's innocent.

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  9. "Cooperating 100% with the police"
    = BS

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  10. Anon @6:56, "cooperating fully"?
    Are you Peter Brozowitz?

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  11. In myrtle beach in April, at the time in the evening, you are never really alone on the street. Both hotels are in the main, ocean drive area. Very busy, especially in the evening. That's one reason I always had a problem thinking that she was 'taken' off the street. She may have gotten in a car with someone willingly, or ventured down a side street, or someone she knows was involved.

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  12. @John
    The missing Edmond girl:
    Missing on 10th/11th (who knows?) grabs headlines on 22nd (someone knows), car found 3 miles from University and phone pinged at a nearby park (Fink I think, if I think I stink).

    This one's for numerologists. The other missing girl with the same last name is for profilers or the connect-the-dot types.Her cell pinged near an Interstate intersection named University.

    There was another kidnapping near the University a few years back. Asian girl, I think...if I think, I stink I think.

    No fear! There are people who are willing to force everyone to look everywhere and at every one in order to find this person. That's what they do!

    It is for this reason the state is about the worst in the nation.

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  13. I'm actually curious about where you say an unreliable denial is: I didn't do nothing

    Growing up in the south, this is such a common speaking pattern that I've just gotten used to it (I don't rage at people for using double negatives) I know it's been said that some people have certain things in their speech patterns and wouldn't be deceptive if that was the case, but if I was to say that aloud and with my accent, most people would just think, "what a dumb southerner," when in reality I never use double negatives. I think I'm about to answer my own question, but would that just be something you would ask in a different way after recieving the double negative?

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  14. Anon @ 10:38 PM

    I know what you mean about the "I didn't do nothing". I'm a southerner too.
    Even before I'd heard of SA I've always wondered what someone doesn't want me to know when they tell me what they didn't or don't do, say, think, feel. :) Withholding happens for many reasons.

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  15. I'm glad the defense attorney clarified that Peter is "extremely worried about Brittanee's location". What kind of a comment is that?

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  16. I always found this part of an early article published to be interesting....

    Allanna Lippa, 19, said she was one of about 15 people in the group who stayed "in one big room" at the motel. Lippa returned to Rochester, where she is now worrying about her friend.

    "There's a million things that could have possibly happened to her," said Lippa, 19. "She was fun, a little ball of energy. But she was also depressed."

    http://www.foxnews.com/story/2009/05/01/new-york-teenager-had-her-mind-set-on-myrtle-beach-spring-break/

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  17. I would love to have a real analyst have a gander at someone who issues a reliable denial, is convicted and determined innocent later. Perhaps in a second trial. Would they still be content in the evidence? I have to assume the innocent will become quite vocal on persuasion, but maybe not...

    Very intriguing and interesting...

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  18. Let me rephrase.

    They spend trial 1 confident it's a misunderstanding. They have faith that detectives are not interested in stealing an entcar innocentlife to close a case. They have faith prosecutors are not more interested in a conviction rate than how that evidence ended up in the suspects house while he was sitting in jail...


    Conviction. Reliable denials for years. Over turned.

    2nd trial. Would this suspect, once so confident and trusting in the system, now resent the crooked prosecutors and "the ends justify the means" detectives?

    I gotta assume after hearing sociopaths and pathological liars in prison, he will learn his simple, confident straight denial will lose it's luster....

    Any examples?




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