Saturday, June 7, 2014

Pastor Faces Murder Charges

PastorCox.jpg
Robert Cox, a 35-year-old California pastor, is pictured here with his wife, Julia.FoxNews.com
From this article, it is difficult to find why the 35 year old male subject has been charged with anything.  Analysis of the wife's statements show she is not deceptive. 

foxnews.com

A California pastor is being extradited to Nevada on a murder charge in the death of a man outside a Las Vegas sports bar -- despite claims by witnesses that the father of two was acting in self-defense. 
Robert Cox, of Manteca, Calif., claims he did not throw a punch at Link Ellingson, knocking him to the ground and causing a mortal head injury. But prosecutors claim Cox changed his story, first telling officers he punched Ellingson after the man threatened him outside Four Kegs bar, and then later claiming in a written statement that he grabbed Ellingson by the waist and the two fell to the ground, according to the criminal complaint charging Cox with felony murder.
A detective from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department responded to reports of a fight outside thebar on June 13, 2013. The officer claims in his deposition that Cox said he was punched in the face by Ellingson in the parking lot of the sports bar after Ellingson threatened and "moved aggressively" in his direction. The detective, identified in the complaint as "D. Barringer," claims Cox told him he then punched Ellingson in the face with his left hand and that the man fell down, striking the back of his head on the ground.
The officer said that Cox later provided a written statement that was "similar to the information he verbally provided" with "one significant difference."
"In the written statement, Cox alleged, after he was battered by Ellingson, that he attempted to get control of Ellingson by grabbing him by the waist," reads the complaint filed by the Clark County District Attorney's Office. "They both fell to the ground with Ellingson landing on top of Cox's left ring finger, which caused the finger to break. Cox did not indicate in the written statement that he had punched Ellingson."
Cox, pastor at the Place of Refuge in Manteca, Calif., was traveling with his wife, young children and a church service group on a trip from California to Florida when they decided to stop at the Las Vegas sports bar for dinner.The 35-year-old father of two is currently being held in the San Joaquin County Jail awaiting extradition to Nevada, which was first reported by Fox40.com.
Cox's wife, Julia, called the detective's recollection of events a "straight up lie," saying she was at the scene when the fight occurred and that her husband "never punched that man."
Never is used if asked "did he ever?" but in open statement, "he did not..." is stronger.  Fox40 did not give us a full quote, nor tell us if this was in response.  The chopped up quotes make it difficult to discern.  The longer statements show the subject to be truthful.  
"This is absolutely insane," Julia Cox told FoxNews.com. "There's no logical reasoning for the murder charge. This was the most unexpected thing they (prosecutors) could ever have done."
Cox said the group of 22, which included her children, ages five and seven, had stopped at the restaurant for dinner. She said the group entered the Four Kegs through the restaurant side but left the eatery through the bar section.
"None of us had anything to drink," Cox said. "My husband, myself and my kids exited first. My husband escorted us to our RV and then he waited outside for the [group] to pay their tabs."
What happened next took Cox and the entire youth group by surprise, she said.
Cox said that as she put her children to bed inside the RV, she could hear obscenities yelled from outside the vehicle that "did not come from my husband."
We do not have a full quote, but passivity conceals identity.  If she could not see, the passivity is appropriate.  
She promptly closed the windows, she said, shielding her two young children from the screaming after she heard a man yell, "F--k you," and "This is your day to die."
Cox said she watched from one of the RV's windows as the man, whom she identified as Ellingson, began assaulting members of the church service group.
Next, for reliability, we look for her to use the pronoun "I" and past tense verbs: 
"I had a direct line of sight of my husband and I could see he was in a defense mode," she said. "I saw my husband grab him [Ellingson] around the waist. They spun out of my view and then there lies this man on the ground. My husband had fallen on top of him and we all just kind of stood there in shock."
Note the use of the pronoun "I" and the past tense description indicating reliability.  
"My husband was acting (in) total self-defense. The attacker was huge. He was assaulting people in the group who were trying to intervene and get him to stop but he wouldn't stop. And that's when my husband grabbed him by the waist.
the subject states clearly and without attempt to persuade or deceive. 
Cox said she is "doing everything we can" to prove her husband is innocent of murder.
A description of the bar's surveillance video in the criminal complaint raises many questions and does not state Cox was captured on camera punching Ellingson.
"The video shows Ellingson exit the bar with a cigarette in his hand. Moments after exiting the bar, Ellingson walks into the parking lot after appearing to exchange words with someone," the complaint reads. "It appears that Ellingson is heading towards something and not just walking through the parking lot.
"Ellingson is observed on video getting into an altercation with an unidentified male," the complaint goes on to state. "There are several additional unidentified persons in the vicinity. There are a few seconds where Ellingson cannot be seen on the surveillance video. Ellingson reappears on the video stumbling backwards. He falls to the ground where he remains until he is moved by medical personnel. It does not appear that anyone falls to the ground with Ellingson."

26 comments:

John Mc Gowan said...

Pastor Charged With Murder After Fight With Man Outside Las Vegas Bar During Church Trip; WITNESS'S Say It Was Self-Defense

http://www.christianpost.com/news/pastor-charged-with-murder-after-fight-with-man-outside-las-vegas-bar-during-church-trip-witnesses-say-it-was-self-defense-121079/

SKEoD said...

"I had a direct
I could see he
I saw my husband
out of my view
and we all just kind of stood there in shock."

From "I" to "we"???
just?
kind of?

Anonymous said...

My husband was acting (in) total self-defense.

Total?

John Mc Gowan said...

I have a few issue's with her statement.

I posted this earlier under a different article.

I'm wondering given the language she uses if her husband, herself, or both are ex Military, ex LE, or if they have worked in the private sector in security etc, or trained in some sort of unarmed combat or self defence.

" My husband escorted us to our RV"

"I could see he was in a defense mode,"

""My husband was acting (in) total self-defense."


I have also just noticed this too.

"My husband, myself and my kids exited first.

Why the almost military like language.

Cox's wife, Julia, called the detective's recollection of events a "straight up lie,"

The shortest sentence is best.

Cox's wife, Julia, called the detective's recollection of events a "lie," the emphasis she feels she needs to add, "straight up" weakens her statement.

"This is absolutely insane"

Again we have the need to emphasize. "Absolutely", and again weakening her statement.

They spun out of my view and then there lies this man on the ground.

I'm unsure if this come under Temporal Lacunae, given that she lost sight of them, and then saw them again. If it is the former, then there is missing information.

He was assaulting people in the group who were trying to intervene and get him to stop but he wouldn't stop. And that's when my husband grabbed him by the waist.

When a sentence begins with "And" it is a signal of missing information between sentences.

I would ask a few more questions?.

Anonymous said...

I had a direct line of sight of my husband and I could see he was in a defense mode

This sound weird. Why not "I saw my husband..." or "I could see my husband..."

Anonymous said...

Cox said she is "doing everything we can"

not

"doing everthing I can"

Anonymous said...

"In the written statement, Cox alleged, after he was battered by Ellingson, that he attempted to get control of Ellingson by grabbing him by the waist," reads the complaint filed by the Clark County District Attorney's Office. "They both fell to the ground with Ellingson landing on top of Cox's left ring finger, which caused the finger to break.

yet in the video:

" Ellingson reappears on the video stumbling backwards. He falls to the ground where he remains until he is moved by medical personnel. It does not appear that anyone falls to the ground with Ellingson."

This seems to contradict Cox's statement. Stumbing backwards having been punched maybe?

Statement Analysis Blog said...

Anonymous said...
Cox said she is "doing everything we can"

not

"doing everthing I can"
June 7, 2014 at 3:36 PM


She is speaking for her husband. He's in jail.

Statement Analysis Blog said...

A fight.

On video.

One man with a family.

It took a year to bring murder charges?

Something is very wrong with this case.

Not just "wrong" but "very wrong."

Police allege that the pastor lied about throwing a punch.

Even if he did, this is not "murder" but something else entirely.

I wonder: malicious prosecution?

Peter

"Anyone who thinks they can recall every punch thrown in a fight is lying to himself"

Cary Grant

Anonymous said...

"I had a direct line of sight of my husband and I could see he was in a defense mode," she said. "I saw my husband grab him [Ellingson] around the waist. They spun out of my view and then there lies this man on the ground. My husband had fallen on top of him and we all just kind of stood there in shock."

All is past tense until "there lies this man on the ground." Lies is present tense.

Anonymous said...

"They spun out of my view and then there lies this man on the ground."

It seems they were not in her view the entire time.

I see quite a few flags. I don't understand why they're not noted in this particular analysis?

It seems like it probably was self defense, and I think the wife is trying to be a witness to things she didn't actually see, I think that's where the flags/sensitivity comes from with her statements, but in fairness of SA, shouldn't they be noted? Flags don't necessarily mean guilt, but sensitivity. It's confusing why they wouldn't be noted in these statements, but would be in others.

Anonymous said...

A fight.
On video.
One man with a family.
It took a year to bring murder charges?
Something is very wrong with this case.
Not just "wrong" but "very wrong."

I agree to all these things - it seems as though we are missing a lot of information, but surely the analysis should reflect the wife's comments not the situation. I really like this site and usually feel that the analysis is impartial, but here there seems to be inconsistency. For example: "This is absolutely insane," Julia Cox told FoxNews.com. Why is absolutely not flagged? In the next analysis about the golfer, Phil Mickelson states "I have done absolutely nothing wrong." Absolutely is flagged as expected. Why the discrepancy?

Anonymous said...

@Anon 2:15 am- I love Phil Mickelson! The reason "absolutely" is different is because they used it in different contexts and one is the direct subject and one is not...I THINK

shmi said...

Why did a pastor and his family and group stop at a bar for dinner? Sometimes you can walk into a place and not know exactly what it is until you get inside, but with a name like Four Kegs, it seems obvious.

But then, the wife adds, "we didn't have anything to drink"

This is what stuck out to me.

Anonymous said...

´´My husband was acting is self defence.´´´

Why do you highlight ´was´? It isn´t past simple but past continuous. This fight went on for a while.

Why not ´my husband acted in self defence´?

I see plenty of sensitivity in her statement from the beginning. She didn´t see the whole thing but thinks she knows what her husband would have done.

Unreliable.

Statement Analysis Blog said...

Anonymous said...
´´My husband was acting is self defence.´´´

Why do you highlight ´was´? It isn´t past simple but past continuous. This fight went on for a while.

Why not ´my husband acted in self defence´?

I see plenty of sensitivity in her statement from the beginning. She didn´t see the whole thing but thinks she knows what her husband would have done.

Unreliable.


Not so.

It was a year ago, and current is the arrest. The activity is not a completed finished topic.

Peter

Anonymous said...

I think the wife's statement is hinky, and I'm not sure why this couple is getting such softball SA. Is it because he's a religious man, a pastor?

Because, I mean, especially with all we've seen from the horrible molestation cases perpetrated by Catholic priests, being a clergyman doesn't mean one can't also be a very dangerous criminal.

Statement Analysis Blog said...

Anonymous said...
I think the wife's statement is hinky, and I'm not sure why this couple is getting such softball SA. Is it because he's a religious man, a pastor?

Because, I mean, especially with all we've seen from the horrible molestation cases perpetrated by Catholic priests, being a clergyman doesn't mean one can't also be a very dangerous criminal.
June 12, 2014 at 3:35 PM


Specifically, what is:

hinky?

What is softball statement analysis?

There are no indicators of deception in either the man, nor his wife, nor even witnesses.

Is "hinky" deception?



Peter Hyatt

Cherie Turner said...

Julie's dad is a US army veteran...perhaps the military sh terms.
And does indicate missing information. Multiple blows to 5 members of the group, injuries including 2 concussions.
The language modifiers like 'straight up' and 'absolutely' can convey that the person feels the need to overly assert their pov based on feelings of vulnerability or being under attack. Furthermore feeling weak and being wrong or deceptive are completely different aspects of narration which may or may not be associative.
Lastly, she is passionate about defending her husband and, I know Julie, she is passionate period. She comes from a strong and dramatic religious family. Her behavior is pretty consistent in life and in this kind of context.

Cherie Turner said...

Julie's dad is a US army veteran...perhaps the military sh terms.
And does indicate missing information. Multiple blows to 5 members of the group, injuries including 2 concussions.
The language modifiers like 'straight up' and 'absolutely' can convey that the person feels the need to overly assert their pov based on feelings of vulnerability or being under attack. Furthermore feeling weak and being wrong or deceptive are completely different aspects of narration which may or may not be associative.
Lastly, she is passionate about defending her husband and, I know Julie, she is passionate period. She comes from a strong and dramatic religious family. Her behavior is pretty consistent in life and in this kind of context.

Anonymous said...

Dear Anonymous, if you heard the entire story you would know this is a Innocent man and Julie Cox speaks as she does because she was raised by her Father who is a veteran that is where she gets her military or whatever speech. What a crying shame when people mix their facts with their fiction thoughts. Rob Cox should have punched his Attacker let's not call it any less than what it is, he had every given right too . Please Las Vegas take care of your real criminals and stop coming after innocent people because this is looking like they dislike Christians and as if a Pastor should allow a man to choke him, hit him and threaten him. One would have to be delussional to believe this and I would think that would cause conflict in them holding such a high office as DA and abuse that power that We the PEOPLE gave him seems to me the real investigation need be turned back to the people who are wrongfully trying to put a innocent man away for life. Check your real facts they don't add up , you can't make a lie Add up nor can you bring back the man who has CAUSED every bit of this GROSS Negligence and harm to 6 Innocent people. Stay at home if you are going to drink and don't go looking for trouble. Whether be a Pastor or not he has the right to defend himself and please don't now try and equate him with a molestor!

Anonymous said...

Okay Mr Anonymous .. Picking it apart with a few words out of place , For goodness sake's Spare us your Proper' English Teach '!! They were in fight or flight mode ' Who wouldn't have a few words that sounds weird'only to you' .. Yes he sure was in Defense Mode wouldn't you have a few words out of place. 'Why not "I or "I could . Could have should' have' doesn't make or break a case when he is an innocent MAN. All in Self Defense' bottome line are God Knows what happened that day which is going to be what set's him free not a case of he said she said from people like you' !!

Anonymous said...

murderer

Anonymous said...

The video, in fact, does not show that. They used that lie while trying to get the witnesses to change their stories. The video shows exactly what Rob and his ministry team have been saying from the beginning.

Anonymous said...

GOD SAID' Is the final question' !!!

Anonymous said...

It was there choice to go to a bar for dinner it's not like they were drinking. Obviously not, if she says they weren't!