Wednesday, June 25, 2014

"I've Killed Our Child" Father: Premeditation Possible


New details are emerging, which then clarify what it is that the police officer hinted upon...Dana Pierce is quoted:

"I've been in law enforcement for 34 years. What I know about this case shocks my conscience as a police officer, a father and a grandfather."

Justin Ross Harris, 33, is still being held and may see additional charges coming his way.  

The father who claimed to have "forgotten" that he left his son in the car while he did a 7 hour shift at Home Depot had:

1.  Checked the vehicle at lunch hour
2.  A Computer search with "how long will it take for an animal to die in the car"

Police will now have to consider a possible insurance policy, divorce revenge, and a host of other possible motives.

We had but one short sentence for analysis which did cause concern:

The quote, "I've killed our child!" is hearsay.  It is what an eyewitness reported to the police regarding the 22 month old little boy who was allegedly left in the vehicle for 7 hours while the father went to work.

The Statement Analysis is presuming this to be his quote.  If it is not, the analysis should not be applied to this case.

It is very difficult to believe that someone could prep a toddler into a car seat and "forget" for 7 hours that the toddler was in the vehicle, while going in to work.  Interviews with co workers, and surveillance tape are critical.

Here are some analysis notes on the short quote:

"I've killed our child"

1.  May be an embedded confession.  Embedded confession is when someone frames the words that the guilty mind thinks, though not intending to confess.  Innocent people often avoid these words.  Sometimes readers confuse language entry.

Language Entry is when a subject enters the language of someone else.

Police:  "You killed your child!"

Subject:  "You think I killed my child?"

Here, the subject is not confessing, but literally entering or using the language of another.

"They think I killed my child" is to report what others "think."

2.  "child"

The word "child" and not "baby, son, kid, etc" (including name or nickname of toddler) is associated with risk.  Child abuse, child molester, child pornography, child protective services, and so on, are words that are associated with children at risk.  This can enter the language when someone perceives risk, or when someone is considering child abuse.

It may be that the child was abused.
It may be that the subject was abused in childhood.  When a subject refers to himself as "child" in recollection, it is a strong signal of abuse, which, if so, is 80% likely linked to childhood sexual abuse.

We note the word "child" in all statements to explore for child abuse.

3.  "our"

The overwhelming number of biological parents will say "my" child, taking ownership of the child.  When someone "shares" ownership, such as "our" child, there is a reason.

a.  Two parents together, speaking as one.
b.  The parents are adoptive, or foster parents
c.  There is a step parent involved (or someone acting in the role of step parent)
d.  There is divorce in discussion between parents and they are already thinking/talking of sharing custody
e.  When a child has bad behavior, or poor grades, there is sometimes a desire to avoid "my"
f.  There is a need to share guilt.

We do not know if this is his statement, but if it is, there are things to explore in the interview process, beyond the simple "I forgot" type of investigation (substance abuse, mental health, developmental disabilities, etc).

If indeed this was premeditated, the "our" in the sentence may be due to the desire to share guilt.



36 comments:

Anonymous said...

Apparently, along with the 11,000 signatures on the petition to release him from jail, $20,000 has already been donated as well. If all that money is going towards Coopers funeral, and/or to help the mother while she grieves, then ok, but why do people donate at the drop of a hat, before all the details are out?

Anonymous said...

Also, something else to note, we always see friends and family claim that a suspect is such a wonderful person, very rarely do we see friends and family come forward with negative words of a suspect. One reason being, most people don't know what truly goes on in someone elses home, OR their head.

That's in reference to most cases, not just this one.

Anonymous said...

The baby was in a rear-facing carseat in the middle of the backseat. At lunch, the dad alleged opened the driver door, put something on the seat, locked the door and returned to work. I don't find this compelling evidence of anything. If it had been a forward-facing seat, more chance the dad would have seen him.

What is a little more concerning is it was only a half mile from where the dad put the boy in the car after eating breakfast to his workplace. But it was onsite daycare at his workplace. I can see it all fitting together up to this point. But then at the end of the day, he doesn't stop by daycare to get his son?

Supposedly at the scene, he was crying out, "What have I done? What have I done?" When I first heard that, it struck me as a sincere reaction from a man taking responsibility for his mistake, and blaming himself as most parents would in that situation.

Anonymous said...

If he was going to take the boy to daycare,why didn't he?
If they weren't headed to daycare why did he go to work?

Jo said...

I would be curious what he had to deliver to his car at lunch that couldn't wait until quitting time. If he worked in an office, wouldn't he leave whatever it was on his desk or in a desk drawer until he was leaving for the day? If he forgot something in his car (other than his son) I could see a trip out to the car at lunch to retrieve it but what would warrant a trip to drop something in the car middle of the day? Something small enough to set on drivers seat and not in back seat or place in trunk. Were the back windows tinted? And was the position of the vehicle such that he would approach from the front or the rear of the vehicle to get to the drivers door?
Good observation those that thought of him not going to daycare after work.

Anonymous said...

Jo -

I absolutely agree, I'm sure he didn't need to place anything in his car he just used the action as an excuse to check on how his son was progressing into death

Anonymous said...

million to one his wife was trying to leave him before this, or he thought she was cheating, something like that and this was his revenge,

Anonymous said...

I had thought maybe it was some other day care that him wife usually took their son to - and he forgot it was "daddy drives" day or something like that, but if the daycare is at his work -- we can presume he took him every day. therefore there is ZERO excuse

Anonymous said...

i wonder what they ate a chic fillet, did he buy his son an unusual meal - knowing it would be his last?

Statement Analysis Blog said...

Anonymous said...
i wonder what they ate a chic fillet, did he buy his son an unusual meal - knowing it would be his last?
June 25, 2014 at 6:25 PM

It's a twisted thought.
I had it, too.

I wondered if he fed the child to make the child content and sleepy.

Peter

Statement Analysis Blog said...

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Apparently, along with the 11,000 signatures on the petition to release him from jail, $20,000 has already been donated as well. If all that money is going towards Coopers funeral, and/or to help the mother while she grieves, then ok, but why do people donate at the drop of a hat, before all the details are out?

June 25, 2014 at 4:48 PM Delete


Thousands of donators rushed to Charlie Rogers, too.

Peter

Anonymous said...

Sad tragedy for all! Wonder what goes through a man's head to make him want to do such a thing?

It probably didn't start to get hot enough until mid afternoon. Wonder if a window was cracked?

This is a large baby! Perhaps 2 or more?

Anonymous said...

Any campaigns should be geared at making a habit of checking car before exiting it-just like checking to make sure the house is locked before leaving. This happens too often...many are mistakes which could be avoided with certain habits.

It's better to be late to work than to lose a loved one. Too many errands, too many functions in a vehicle, too many signs to read, too many communication devices, too many things on a person's mind.

Certain things people do not forget.

Anonymous said...

But Pierce told CNN on Friday, "I cannot confirm that the child, as originally reported, was in the car at 9 a.m."

I wonder what this means. It seems to be confirmed that they had breakfast, then the father proceeded to work, which was approximately 10 minutes away. A witness said it looked like his legs were stuck in a seated position (rigor mortis). So why would that detail be kept private by police, and/or where would he have been, if not it the car all day?

Sorry if this posts twice, I retyped because the first one disappeared.

Anonymous said...

Anon 7:14, I just saw the other day a story about a boy who entered a contest, that all he could use for an invention was rubber bands. He designed a rope type thing that a parent attaches across the inside of their car door, when they have a baby in the back seat. When they open the door, the rope is blocking their way of getting out, which is a reminder of their baby. I'm going to try to find the story, with pic.

Anonymous said...

I think he ate last meal with his son just like you eat last meal with anybody significant in your life - before before they move away, -- or before you murder them.

Anonymous said...

He was in the car and he did die from hyperthermia. I would gather according to the search results on Google, he knew he left him there to die. However, I have Googled some random and disturbing things based on shows I've seen on ID channel or articles I've read here. God forbid anything were to happen in my life to cause forensic investigators to search my computer. Actually, thinking about forensics on my computer would give them a glimpse into my life in a huge way: faith, homeschooling, clean eating, adoption, and murder mysteries.

Anonymous said...

you can see the google searches around something, you can see context - or lack thereof.

Anonymous said...

alkaline diet!!!! google it :) it's the best thing

TxTchr said...

I wonder if he just found out that the baby isn't his.

trustmeigetit said...

That google search makes no sense. If he did it that day...then that to me speaks volumes.

Anonymous said...

Oh boy, he was a police dispatcher.

Detectives uncovered physical and testimonial evidence that led them to believe a more serious crime was committed, police said Wednesday, and those findings ultimately led to a murder charge against Cooper's father, 33-year-old Justin Ross Harris. Harris is an Alabama native and University of Alabama graduate who worked as a police dispatcher for the Tuscaloosa Police Department for three years.
http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2014/06/evidence_in_case_against_georg.html

trustmeigetit said...

Rigor mortis according to Wikipedia

In humans, it commences after about three to four hours, reaches maximum stiffness after 12 hours, and gradually dissipates from approximately 24 hours after death.

John Mc Gowan said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

http://www.11alive.com/story/news/local/smyrna-vinings/2014/06/25/new-warrant-issued-for-dad-charged-in-hot-car-death/11349985/

John Mc Gowan said...


OT.

Missing boy found alive in dad's basement
Charlie Bothuell was missing for 11 days


Charlie Bothuell
(CNN) -
An 11-day search for a missing Michigan boy came to a bizarre conclusion Wednesday when he was discovered alive and well, hidden in the basement of his father's home in Detroit.

Finding 12-year-old Charlie Bothuell resolves the key issue in the missing-child case, but the circumstances of his discovery leaves numerous other questions hanging.

"I've never seen anything quite like this," Detroit Police Chief James Craig told CNN affiliate WXYZ.

"We found him barricaded in the basement, behind boxes and a large five-gallon drum. There's no way he could have erected this makeshift area of concealment."

Father told on live TV

Adding to the drama, Charlie's father, Charles Bothuell IV, heard the revelation that the child had been found during a live TV interview with HLN's Nancy Grace.

When Grace told him the news, Bothuell became visibly upset, looking dazed and bewildered, breathing hard and clutching at his chest.

When he recovered enough to speak, he said he had no idea how his son could have turned up in his house.

"I checked my basement," Bothuell said. "The FBI checked my basement. The police checked my basemen. My wife checked my basement. I've been down there several times. We've all been checking."

A desperate search

Charlie disappeared on June 14, a Saturday night, when he walked out of the house.

"He had -- you know, not done some of his chores and instead of arguing at him or fussing or anything, my wife just said okay," his father told Nancy Grace during an earlier appearance. "I got a call back from my wife at 9:45 saying that Charlie was gone."

The father said the family then launched a desperate search.

"I've been going door to door since he disappeared," he said. "We didn`t sleep. We did flyers. We called family members. And we have been doing everything we can since to get the word out to get our son back home."

Questions left hanging

Craig, the police chief, said investigators had searched the home four times, including once with a cadaver dog.

"We're not certain Charlie was here during those visits," he said.

When he was found, Charlie was excited to see the officers, Craig said. He was taken to receive medical treatment.

The police chief was asked during an impromptu news conference Wednesday whether an adult was responsible for hiding the boy in the basement.

"We're not ruling that out," he said. "It would be hard for me to sit here and tell you that someone didn't know Charlie was there, but I can't say definitively."

'I love my son'

Later, following his HLN interview, Bothuell told reporters he was shocked by the discovery of his son in his basement, responding angrily to reporters' questions about who might have known Charlie was there.

"For anybody to imply that I somehow knew my son was in the basement is absurd and wrong. I love my son. I'm glad that he's home," Bothuell said.

He became overcome with emotion when a reporter asked him about earlier erroneous reports that Charlie may have been the victim of a homicide.

"I thought my son was dead," he said, beginning to cry.

His distress deepened further when he was asked if he'd seen Charlie yet.

"No, I haven't," he said.

"I want to see my son," he cried, before breaking into sobs and burying his face in the chest of the male reporter standing next to him.

http://www.click2houston.com/news/Missing-boy-found-alive-in-dad-s-basement/26668388

John Mc Gowan said...

OT.

Report: Missing Detroit 12-year-old found alive barricaded in father's basement

Snipped:

Craig said, as with any missing persons case, we're "certainly looking at close family members first."

Both parents were asked to submit to polygraph tests. The father submitted to a test performed by the FBI with the results proving inconclusive; the stepmother refused, Craig said.


http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2014/06/report_missing_detroit_12-year.html

Lemon said...

Two LE sources say dad's car "reeked" and "smelled to high heaven of a dead body" - i.e. he would have been aware immediately on opening the door that something was terribly wrong.

Video:
http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/clip/10304691/story-didn39t-make-sense

John Mc Gowan said...

"For anybody to imply that I somehow knew my son was in the basement is absurd and wrong. I love my son. I'm glad that he's home," Bothuell said.

This may not be an embedded admission that he knew he was in the basement, if he has heard, or been told that there are rumors that he Knew he was there. However, this is a prime opportunity to issue a reliable denial.

I= first person singular, taking ownership of his words.

Did not/didn't= Past tense.
r
Know my son was in the basement=event specific.


"I thought my son was dead," he said, beginning to cry.


Parents have a natural denial within them not to believe that their son/daughter maybe dead, although this is stronger with the mother of their son/daughter. I would still expect his father to still believe that after just 11 days he maybe still alive.


"I checked my basement," Bothuell said. "The FBI checked my basement. The police checked my basemen. My wife checked my basement. I've been down there several times. We've all been checking."


The basement is very sensitive to him, he uses it 4 times in this paragraph.

After he introduces the basement.

"I checked my basement"
I myself, would then go on to say.

"The FBI checked. The police have checked . My wife has my checked. I've been down there several times. We've all checked the basement. The over use of the word "Basement, just sounds awkward.


Anonymous said...

That's a really strange case John, thanks for sharing it. I'm really curious to find out what truly happened. At 12, the boy should definitely be able to tell what happened.

Anonymous said...

dad's car "reeked" and "smelled to high heaven of a dead body"

so at noon he put a air freshener inside the car?? lol
until the dead body is moved, that horrible smell is not noticeable. once the body is moved and the underside is exposed, that is where the smell is, and it is trapped until you move the body.

when my neighbor died, the door to his apartment was open and people were walking all around in the hallway. they picked him up to put him in a body bag and DAMN, everyone ran for the door to outside some puking. i am thankful that i will be able to recognize that smell now but we should have been warned before they moved his body.

Anonymous said...

As someone mentioned earlier, is he the father of the baby? I wonder about motive, if this was truly not an accident. Would a DNA test be done routinely, or would it require a separate motive?

Interesting observation about life insurance, land lord said they were wanting to buy a house. Most policies are relatively small for children, so I have a hard time believing that.

Was there an accident prior to getting to work? So much just doesn't add up. It will be interesting to see what toxicology reports find. If the child was sedated, that would speak volumes.

The only other thing I can possibly imagine as a motive, was if he had been recently diagnosed with fatal awful disease that would cause a lot of suffering. But that is even a huge stretch, as most parents would want to spend as much time with their child as possible.

Will be interesting to watch the facts in this case unfold. Motive being one key detail.

Anonymous said...

TxTchr

That thought hit me early on when I saw various photos of this father and child. The photo where the father is laying down and the baby is on top of him hit me funny.

His baby son is on his chest. Why isn't he beaming? Instead he has a cold look on his face.

I wonder if he is the biological father.

Statement Analysis Blog said...

"Basement" is sensitive because:

the number of searches

where the boy was


The father may not have known. The step mother may have.

Peter

Anonymous said...

Anonymous June 25, 2014 at 5:47 PM said, "Supposedly at the scene, he was crying out, "What have I done? What have I done?" When I first heard that, it struck me as a sincere reaction from a man taking responsibility for his mistake, and blaming himself as most parents would in that situation.

I disagree; I think "What have I done?" - if that is indeed what he said, for this is hearsay - is an admission of guilt with spontaneous remorse. Had this been an accident he would not have been so focused on himself.

Lucy said...

When the baby died, he would have released his bowels. Anyone who has ever left a dirty diaper in a hot car knows that even if the death was too recent for the body to be giving off the odor of death, there is no way that he did not smell his last diaper as soon as the car was opened. First responders described the odor as extremely foul, yet he got in and drove supposedly without looking for the source of the odor.

Also, he backed out of the parking space at the end of the day. What do you do when you back out of a parking space? You look behind you. Where his dead son was. Yet he claims he did not see his son until he was well down the road.

And how was it that he did not see his son on the short ride from breakfast to work, and leaving work, including backing out of the parking space, but he did notice him when he was driving down the road?