Amanda Blackburn Murder: The "Lie" in High School

"It wasn't me who waged jihad on the carpet!" 

In a blog entry, husband of murder victim Davey Blackburn said that he had done something very wrong in high school:  he lied. 

Since there is not a human being with a pulse who has not told a lie, long term readers understand that an outright fabrication is very rare; with less than 10% of all deception coming this way, while more than 90% of deception is via withheld information.  The outright fabrication is rare and is often the signal of a pathological liar; sometimes ironically called, "the rare true liar."

Those who 'invent reality' not only disrupt the speed of transmission in processing words, they cause it to come to an almost complete stop.  When one is deceptively hiding information, simply withholding a single point disrupts the speed of transmission in processing and will show up in both linguistic signals of sensitivity, and in the polygraph.  The outright fabrication of reality can bring it to a screeching halt, instead.  

In 100 guilty criminal statements, we are very likely to encounter more than 90 that simply withhold the "I did it" part of the statement.  This means, in the worst case scenario, we have a statement that can reliably guide us as to how, when and perhaps even why, he "did it."

Pathological liars create a reality that does not exist. 
 Casey Anthony lied in this manner, as did Richard Blumenthal when he placed himself on the battlefield of Viet Nam.  When questioned, he attacked.  Attacking those who expose the fabricator of reality is a common trait among this uncommon group.  

Hillary Clinton is a pathological liar.  These are those who will sometimes lie when there is no outward cause.  Many people know someone like this by this very trait alone:  "She lied during a dinner party and there was absolutely no reason to lie.  She was not in trouble, and she wasn't even being questioned. "

This is another point:  the fabricator of reality does it in the Free Editing Process. 

This means that he or she was freely speaking the lie, as it was not in response to a direct question (which reduces internal stress) nor was it simply parroting back the interviewer's own language, which also is a low stress lie. 

The outright fabrication of reality in the Free Editing Process is the single most internally stressing form of speech as it comes from self protection and a very strong indicator that the subject has learned this in childhood and has had much success.

waving a gun mere days before his wife's murder by gun

Arrogance

The fabricator of reality holds the world in contempt.  

This contempt is often subtle, but consider its source:  the lying began in childhood and went uncorrected.  The child learns early how to 'out fox' other.  The more you 'out fox' someone the less respect you have for them, the greater the contempt.  

By adulthood, the pathological liar has had so much success that he has an expectation of being believed by all and sees all others as either beneath him, or if above him, unjustifiably so:  and views this one as competition. 

The contempt is rarely openly linguistically displayed, even though most people are left with the impression of arrogance.  

The contempt is often seen in subtle comments, as well as in action:  The pathological liar sees the existence of others as to only benefit himself.  Those that get in the way need to be removed. Competition is always to be defeated. 

Billie Jean Dunn was a good example of this; her contempt of anyone who questioned her strained her ability to control her language, yet when tested, she dropped her filter and attacked professionals, such as the polygrapher, the Texas Rangers, and others.  

The greater the intellect the more subtle the contempt. 

When a child lies ("when" and not "if") correction must come with three elements:

1.  The child must learn that lying has external negative consequences. 
2.  The child must learn that lying has internal negative consequences.  (conscience, ethics, sin, etc)
3.  The child must learn that lying impacts victims and learn human empathy. Deception and theft hurt people; real people.  

When an employer has lots of video surveillance , and all sorts of electronic tracking, the intended thief must overcome these hurdles.  In employment interviews, Statement Analysis looks for the applicant to verbally identify these three elements.  

Now, if one wants to steal (including fraudulent claims) not only must he or she overcome the video, witnesses, evidence, etc, but the deceiver must overcome the three elements within his own personality to go forward with his plans.  

Therefore, if a prospective employee fails to show that deception hurts people (human empathy) and that companies are made up of people and not faceless corporations that simply 'write off' losses, he will not be offered a job.  

It is a brilliant use of Statement Analysis and for companies using it after training, the success has been its own evidence.  If the Dept of Justice told us that 40% of applicants planned their theft before or during the interview process, Statement Analysis will weed them out.  This statistic does not include the myriad of false claims now regularly made against companies as colleges across the country continue the powerful "anti-business" climate.  More "victim status" applicants are giving away this entitled attitude in their own words, allowing for companies to avoid the inevitable advantage taking the "victim" feels is "owed" to him or her.  Instead, trained companies are hiring those who wish to work to obtain money, build resume, experience, and so on.  

The liar holds the world in contempt, including employers.  

The liar sees the world as in existence to be profited from.  This is why some pathological liars become highly successful in exploitation of others.  

In one of Davey Blackburn's videos, he said that he told "a lie" in high school that ruined his reputation.  

Later, we learned that his family moved to another state, but it is not known if this was as a result, or a matter of chronology of an account.  

If it forced the move, it is obviously a lie that impacted others; but regardless, it is in his language as to the serious nature of it.  

This, too, is a "selling point" that is common in his videos where the disease is highlighted so that the cure would be purchased.  This is where the marriage, for example, is so bad, and now marriage counseling is offered with the notion of "success."

The theme is a genuine Christian theme, but it has been misapplied to sell "success in life" where once, like the Pilgrim's Progress, the "burden", once removed, actually increased the struggle through life, and "success" being eternal. 

For the slave trading wicked man, "Amazing Grace" did not "cure" his day to day memory of what he had done in the middle passage, but caused him to labor in a way that was worthy of forgiveness granted.  

"Let him who steals, steal no more, but work willingly with his hands to give to others."

The prescription for thieves?  Not only "stop it!" but the deeper problem of selfishness and exploitation of others needed firm addressing:  the thief had not only work to provide for himself and his family, but had to take excess and help the less fortunate.  No one "forced" him to do so, other than the inner conscience which wished to obey this command.  This command recognizes the deeper issue beneath theft that impacts human nature.  

"If a man will not work, neither shall he eat" prohibition understood human nature and incentive.  This ideology may have saved the founding of America, but today it is not simply rejected, but condemned politically by those who do not grasp human nature and what happens internally to the one who refuses to labor.  The politicians may deny it, but the criminal statistics do not.  

The remedy deals with human nature and a very long term consequence.  It is a rule that may not "feel good" but it "does good" as dignity is returned.  Laws may "feel good" but they do not "do good" are popular, but have long term ramifications.  

The short term venus the long term.  


For Blackburn's own view on this, the video where he expresses his "disappointment" is in this same context:  "16" people were eternally successful, but his disappointment, rather than celebration, is noted in context, for the "failure" to reach the intended goal of the number in attendance.  This theme is what originally caused suspicion of Blackburn while his wife was murdered, and the killer on the loose, he showed no fear of the killer but used the murder to urge his followers to invite "as many people as possible" to attend.  

The drive to success is not something embedded in his language, it is overt and unashamedly his priority, well elevated above the loss of his wife.  

This is what caught the nation's attention above all other murders and what caused speculation, not in topics of "internet trolls" but of each topic introduced by the subject in his public messages.  

The Child

Children are born narcissistic, lying, and we typically describe certain behavior as "childish" because there is a societal expectation that it will be outgrown.  This is a distinctly "Western" expectation so that, for example, the man who drinks too much and explodes in anger at a holiday meal, feels shame and the need to "repair the damage" done to others by his refusal to restrain his 'childish outburst.'  In other cultures, this outburst is actually seen as "strength" and "manhood."  

"Turn the other cheek..."

We see  as "weakness" when one is insulted who turns to violence.  It is "childish", meaning, it is something that should have been dealt with in childhood.  This too, is distinctly "Western" in culture and is not prized by other cultures.  

The child lies, hits and acts out and believes the entire world exists for his own pleasure and entertainment.  Food comes as a result of crying and great displeasure is shown at hesitation.  

The child must be corrected properly and if not, the child's 'success rate' will grow as evenly as the contempt rate.  

Behavior that was "adorably cute but bad" at age 7, and the rebelliousness shown at age 8, are suddenly not funny and not entertaining, but frightening, when the child is 17 years old, and capable of bringing great harm to himself.  

Hormonal change. 

Children sexually abused in infancy have no linguistic connection with the trauma and cannot process what happened to them.  This "violence done to the Image of God" is the perspective of people of faith, and although no verbalization can exist, the body, itself, has not forgotten.  

The damage to the brain took place, and we sometimes get our first signal in adolescence.  (Later, menopause will signal hurt, but this is in different articles)  

Generally, the self loathing takes one of two forms:

*The female child, a 'good girl' suddenly hits adolescence and the parents no longer recognize her.  She turns the rage internal and seeks to destroy herself. 
*The male child, a 'good little fella' suddenly emerges as an outwardly aggressive, clinically immature danger not only to himself, but to others.  While her aggression is inward (cutting, starving, promiscuity, substance abuse), his aggression goes outward in anti-social behavior. 

The increase in hormones to the brain that has been damaged can 'reveal' or 'trigger' a change in personality.  This is why we 'vet' babysitters naturally and why it was so 'normal' for Cindy and George Anthony to have their only grandchild 'baby sat' by a nanny they never bothered to meet, see her home, talk to, or even just gain her phone number.  They took more care in placing their cat for the weekend at a kennel, than they did over their little granddaughter, of whom had actually lived with them.  

This tells us that Casey, herself, was left unprotected for trauma in childhood.  It does not excuse murder, but it explains the danger of parental abdication. Casey was "just fine" until adolescence hit.  

The child uncorrected from lying early in life, now fabricates reality to please himself in a way that is often destructive to others.  

Blackburn's lie. 

If the story is true that Blackburn told a lie so important as to use it, what was in his language? It is published for the public to read and learn from:  

"I remember my Junior year of High School, I got caught in a serious lie that affected my reputation with my teachers, the faculty at my school, and my baseball coach. I had spent several years building up a reputation and in one fail swoop, everything I had worked for crumbled in my hands. I had never felt so alone and empty. Even my friends didn't look at me the same after that. They all knew the life that I professed, but all that mattered to them was that my actions had not lined up with my talk. It took me a long time to build my credibility back up with my teachers, friends, and my parents.

But, to be honest with you. I wouldn't change that situation if I could, because that situation taught me that I can't get away with lies, I can't get away with sin, and it has partially made me into who I am today. Here are three things the Bible points out that we have to do when confronted with sin in our life and the consequences of that sin..."

Without analyzing it:

All he cared about was how the lie made him look and not what he did to others. 

This is the same response he had with Amanda's murder.  It has little impact on him but he, himself, is front and center. 

this is exactly what Jeanine Shapiro identified on Fox News. 

It destroyed his reputation and we note a very specific point of missing information:  human empathy.  It is what I reference in the employment interview in teaching companies how to screen out those who will be most likely to bring them harm.  He learned he "can't get away with it" which is to say, the negative external consequence.  We look for this, along with internal negative consequence ("I could not sleep, it so bothered me!") and specific human empathy for those defrauded, "If I had to do it all over again, I would not do it for I hurt many people, including my parents..." The lack of human empathy is often heard in the language of those who fear not filing suits against companies for they do not see companies as "people" with reputations, but as "faceless" and "cold corporate" non-humans.  

Lying and Murder 

It may seem as 'overly obvious' but those who murder often do so because self came before the life of another.  The hyper-selfish are also liars who learn early that "me first" includes lying to get out of trouble, or lying to elevate oneself above others.  

Lying is often said to be "murder in training."  You have read this very phrase here at the blog for years.  It is said that Pilate himself was a ruthless politician who used deception to weaken his enemies, garner his political strength and even made his rivals "disappear" when they opposed him.  When he was given the ultimate test, he rhetorically dismissed that truth existed and, as Mick Jagger sang, "made damn sure that Pilate washed his hands and sealed his fate" in "Sympathy for the Devil."

Those who have learned to lie at only small challenges, will fail at the larger challenges, including in capital murder trials.  

"Just because someone tells a few mistruths, doesn't make her a murderer."  Cindy Anthony 

When Cindy testified in court, she sometimes agreed to the oath, while at other times repeated the words, "so help me, God" in which she directly lied for her daughter.  The lack of perjury charges only further demoralized America as they watched another jury with the inability to use critical thinking.  

This is what Blackburn's mentor said about him at the memorial service.  At this time, the killer was still on the loose:  

"I remember thinking about Davey, something's not right with that boy," 

  The audience laughed at this. 

He continued, describing the day he met Amanda, "They walked in and I said that thing that hasn't been quite right with Davey just got made right when she walked in.  She truly was the person that completed him and made him a better man." 


This speaks to the same advertising technique:  

the worse the symptoms, the greater the cure but as women have long found out when it was too late, and often  what their own fathers  knew all along: 

When a drowning man needs a woman to save him, the woman, herself, often becomes the drowning victim. 

That he used the distancing language of "that" tells us that his opinion of something "not right" is likely truthful.  Although the speaker is likely not an expert, it would be interesting to ask him what his impressions were that said something is "not right."

The distancing language is further affirmed with the recognition of what was wrong with Blackburn was a "thing" which he may have been most uncomfortable with, and incapable of identifying.  

People often sense something wrong with those who later show to be pathological liars, anti-social, borderlines, etc.  It is a sense of being "off" and the vagueness, itself, suggests an inability to put one's finger on it. 

Too often young women are used to "save" the troubled young man.  In this case, the troubled young man did something severe enough in high school to lose support of friends?  Since teens are not known for the highest standards in a school, this tells us that it was something severe enough to not only withhold from his audience, but shocked his friends.  

  This is consistent with the mentor's own sense or observation.  

In his videos, Blackburn mentions "pastors' kids" in a negative context.  It sometimes becomes a sad joke where the pastor preaches "thou shalt not" while his own kids are "shalting" openly.  These children are not only often held to a higher behavioral standard, they are also quite often subject to scrutiny, criticism and projection of parents who, themselves, fail to properly raise their own.  The label, "PK" is used to describe this, with the many pastors' children who grew up in loving homes and who not go off to infamy receive no 'press' coverage.  

That Blackburn cited pregnancy as a trigger for the bad marriage may have had his own history in his career ambitious thinking.  Here is why:  

The job description includes having children that affirm  the man's work:  

'If a man cannot guide his own family, how can he be expected to guide the church?' so he must lead by example. It is a tall order for any parent and his wife's pregnancy unnerved him enough to explain it as being the cause of the bad marriage. 

Was he thinking about what he, himself, did to his own father's career?  When it comes to listing those he had to restore his reputation with, his parents came last.  

He also showed no empathy for the pain his lie cased his parents.  


If he lied in high school in something so severe as to cause his own peers to distance themselves (see how "lonely" it left him) it limits what context the lie would be found to something even peers would not only disapprove, but actually distance themselves from him.  

Men reading this thinking of their own high school experiences, including private high schools, will be pressed to consider:

What lie could I have told that upset teachers and faculty and parents would cause my friends to distance themselves?

This lie wasn't just a baseball coach lie but according to the language, impacted:

his teachers;
the faculty (beyond his own teachers)
his parents
his friends

Did he possess a sort of "fame" in high school that a lie could impact this many people?  Was he a 'star' of some sort that all eyes would not only be upon him, but all these people would be disappointed in him?  

Did the entire school so look up to him and now were left in disgust to the point where even his buddies left him alone?? 

I can think of two or three specific areas in which a lie would be this severe. Perhaps there are others, but in context, there are few areas in which such a powerful ripple effect would take place.  I can see my coach, or my teacher being impacted by my lie, but teachers who were not mine?  Friends??  

It would speak to intense shame and discrediting his own father's work. 


It would not be anything 'ordinary' that teenagers do when they get in trouble that schools and churches regularly deal with using compassion, wisdom and unity to repair.  

That his mentor said that there was something wrong with Blackburn is alarming, but in context, the simple review stands out:

The teen did something very negative; bad enough to impact an entire school faculty...

Or, could he be exaggerated his "disease" to further sell his "cure"?

This being often called the "testiphony" effect where the longer Pinocchio's nose, the greater the "aha!" moment of change!  

The mentor knew something was wrong with the young man and he needed fixing, which was assigned to Amanda. 

What do we know about Amanda's character (much from her own words) that would reflect positively in union with Blackburn?

Amanda did not share his ambition nor desire for the spotlight.  
Amanda appeared genuine in her chaste view points and actually embarrassed at the sexual joke made at her expense. 
Amanda stated her marriage was bad because her husband was too busy with his career; suggesting a desire to be with him. 

What do we know about Blackburn that may have been known by the mentor, enough to enter his language?

If the male is lacking of intellect, the female intellectual will help. 
If the male is lacking in personality, the female personality will help.

The mentor saw Amanda as "completed" the man, of whom, not just incomplete as a man ("it is not good for a man to be alone") but this incomplete man is "just not right" in distancing language. 

It had to be the very things opposite Amanda's character to "fix" that which is not "right."

Amanda's desire for quiet servitude versus the ambitious overt drive of the narcissist.  

Amanda's quite chaste views versus the sex-obsessed incessant sexual talk about himself and his sex drive.  

What the mentor saw as "not right" was to be remedied by Amanda's "right", which generally ends in disillusion for the woman "savior."

In Amanda's case, the sad and inevitable disillusion would have been a far more preferable to what end came upon her. 

What do we know about Blackburn?

The language reveals an anti-social narcissistic bent upon success so driven that even with correction, he is incapable of refraining from using even murder as an opportunity for success.  Everything he says, as well as his body language and even his dress and appearance display this in ways that most people found shocking. 

His contempt for Amanda was seen in his "Q&A" video where, even the subtle nature of the contempt became more obvious especially when he humiliated her and reduced her to a non person status of whom was unworthy of even dinner conversation unless he be first sexually satisfied.  This came in the heels of interrupting her, contradicting her and 'correcting her memory.'

In his language, he did not connect himself with love to or from Amanda, confirming his statements of the bad marriage, yet took each opportunity to sell.  

That he would be incapable of "seeing this" is not only expected, but easily dismissed by "Christianity haters" or, when Christians themselves show disgust, as "jealousy" and "victim status" can strengthen the "us versus them" mentality just as it did when his mentor declared the Ten "Commandments" were not, in Hebrew, "commandments" and an association of leaders called him on the carpet. Instead of "I was wrong", he responded with "I was wrong but..." and not only blamed an unknown "teacher" in Israel, but went upon the 'attack' of critics. 

This is what is behind the "call" for Fox News to publicly apologize for doubting the very one who brought doubts home to roost.  It is a slick self promotion to get into the national spotlight.  

Blackburn's own language showed that the horrific and brutal murder of his wife was "Amanda's Story", even before the killer was caught, telegraphing his plan on even exploiting her personal journal for his profit.  

                               Why did Amanda die?

Ask the husband. 

He said she died so his career would flourish or "slingshot" to success.  

The only thing that could cause him to not profit from the murder would be an arrest and conviction, that is, if his state has a law against profiting from murder, as many states do. 

If there is no association with the killer Blackburn has taken statistics and odds and has stood them upon their heads and has revealed the not-so-hidden agenda of career traction of the murder. 

If there proves later to be a connection, people will look back at the video performances, blog entries and tweets, and see that sometimes "A plus B does equal C."

Regardless, we should expect various legal proceedings to all be used in promotion, as his language indicated, and the trial itself, perhaps, coinciding with the release of "Amanda's Story" as well as the subsequent movie deal.  

He told a lie in high school.

Who hasn't?

I once saw a sophomore in high school stand up and take a "Zero" on a test because he admitted cheating.  He was incapable of living with his lie and apologized to the teacher and his classmates. 

It was stunning and I immediately wanted to emulate him. 

If I was given a second chance in life to do it all over again, I'd not hurt all those I hurt in life, beginning with my parents and siblings at my youngest age of cognizance. 

This is what most adults say. Yes, we learn from mistakes, but we hurt over the hurt we imposed upon others by our own failures.  


Blackburn's high school lie is an admission but not a confession. 

It also may help us understand the "we" in his language. 

He was either so incredibly popular and idolized in high school by adults and teenagers  that a single lie would cause the walls to cave in, from teachers, to faculty to coaches to friends, that all held him in such a lofty place of emulation as to cause them all to become despondent or...

his status of importance was within his own mind only.  

hence, "we"...?

UPDATE:

Was the lie so bad that it caused the family to leave state and the father to give up his own career?

This is a public post following the chronology of the junior year 
lie: 

DB blog April 10, 2006:

"My dad has always strove to be in the center of God's will. I remember when we moved to Tuscaloosa right before my Senior of high school. You better believe that he was concerned about uprooting his family and moving somewhere else, but he constantly reminded us that the center of God's will is the only place we will find true fulfillment. I recall one night in particular where our whole family sat in the living room, holding each other, crying, hugging, and praying, not knowing where God was going to lead us, only having each other as stability in this chaotic world."