Friday, December 16, 2016

Is Santa Telling the Truth?


This is the story of the boy who died with a last visit from a man playing Santa that is making the news as skeptics question if it really happened.  

Skepticism is justified by the many "go fund me" frauds and fake hate crimes that take place, but we need to listen to him.  

What do you make of his words?  MSM is reporting it to be fake with "no verification."   Most report that they cannot verify even the hospital of which it took place.    

Is this because of HIPPA, or desire to protect the child's identity, or is it due to deception?

Let's listen to the subject's own words and see if there are signals of deception present, or, is there a consistency that indicates veracity?

For us, do his words come from experiential memory?

And if so, is it memory of this event?

          We look for signals of veracity such as:

Strong pronoun usage:  "I"   We want him to speak for himself, not hide behind others.  This was an event between him and a dying boy; therefore, we should plainly see two separate entities, including the contextual points:  (a) unrelated child who is  (b) dying.  

Strong verb usage:  The account happened prior to this statement, therefore, we look for him to verbally "commit" to it happening in the past by using past tense verbs consistently  throughout.  The complete or perfect past tense is a good indication, when coupled with the pronoun "I", that the subject is comfortable psychologically committing to the sentence. 

Communicative language:  consistency in context of "said, asked, "told", etc.  Inconsistency in communicative language is something people feel "odd" about when they hear it and wonder if the person is lying.  

Body Posture and tension consistency and contextual accuracy. Here we get a good lesson on how this fits within the overall context of an account.  It is not enough to say "body posture = tension" in analysis.  We need to know what triggers tension, what eases it, and what causes it to return.  

We look for...what is not there:  additional and unnecessary language that may suggest deception.  This is to reverse the law of economy and make "extra effort" which is often found in the "need to persuade" defensive posturing.  



Statement Analysis analyzes what is said and what is not said.  

Here is his statement.  Let him guide you to an opinion on whether he is telling the truth or not:   


“When I walked in, he was laying there, so weak it looked like he was ready to fall asleep. I sat down on his bed and asked, ‘Say, what’s this I hear about you’re gonna miss Christmas? There’s no way you can miss Christmas! Why, you’re my Number One elf!

Here we have the appropriate use of the pronoun "I" where he should be speaking for himself.  Guilt and deception can trigger the plural use by psychologically wishing to "not be alone" with the statement.  

Body posture: 

Body posture in a statement can be a signal of an increase in tension, or stress, for the speaker.  He tells us:

a.  "I walked in"
b.  "he was laying there"
c.  "I sat down"

What might cause the increase in tension?

We look for the subject to tell us the reason.  "...so weak it looked like he was ready to fall asleep" tells us the extremity of the view.  Although there is much to discern with "walked in" suffice to say the closeness to death was perceived by the subject, giving us appropriate use of body posture language.  

“He looked up and said, ‘I am?’

“I said, ‘Sure!’

Note the absence of any additional language and the continuation of good pronouns and past tense verbs.  "Looked up" is not only body posture, but likely an intrusion of a positive emotion for the subject.  If this is true, let us see what happens to it.  He looked "up"; with the word "up", and not "he looked at me", which would show focus upon self; something we see in deceptive statements of those looking for attention.  See Keith Pappini's statement for an extreme example:  even his wife's injuries were not "reported"; instead, he reported how the injuries impacted him.  

“I gave him the present. 

This sentence is very likely to be reliable.  If this did not happen, this is a rare (less than 10%) harmful liar.  

We continue to look for body posture:  

He was so weak he could barely open the wrapping paper. When he saw what was inside, he flashed a big smile and laid his head back down.

Note the tension began with the boy looking so weak that it appeared like he was about to fall asleep produced body posture. 

Here, the weakness returns and the body posture returns.  This is a consistent usage that strongly suggests that experiential memory is at work.  



‘“They say I’m gonna die,’ he told me. ‘How can I tell when I get to where I’m going?’

"told" is strong, authoritative.  Note that in recall, the subject does not present that in the form of a question. 

This shows a proper "communicative language" sentence. 



“I said, ‘Can you do me a big favor?’

"said" (like "asked") is softer than "told."  Here, he uses "said" instead of "asked" which could be either deceptive (failure to recall due to  the lack  of experiential memory in language) or it could be contextually consistent:  

He is not asking a question to obtain information.  

If he is not asking a question to obtain information, "said" is appropriate communicative language from an adult.  We sometimes see this from children who expect a positive answer, (say yes, mom!) rather than an actual answer that is in doubt. 



“He said, ‘Sure!’

“When you get there, you tell ’em you’re Santa’s Number One elf, and I know they’ll let you in.

“He said, ‘They will?’

“I said, ‘Sure!’

“He kinda sat up and gave me a big hug and asked one more question: ‘Santa, can you help me?’

Note "kinda sat up" is a weak commitment while "gave" is strong.  This weak commitment to sitting up is consistent with the physical weakness of the child described by the subject.  

Note here he uses the actual answer-seeking "asked" as communicative language:  This suggests the child was asking something that the adult may not be certain of, or may not be certain of the answer.  


“I wrapped my arms around him. 

90% likely reliable structure.  

Before I could say anything, he died right there


I let him stay, just kept hugging and holding on to him.

Here is passive voice.  Passivity seeks to conceal identity and/or responsibility.  

Question:  Is this an appropriate application of passive voice?

Answer:   He reliably reported that the child had died in his arms.  The child is, therefore, incapable of "not staying" in his arms.  This is an appropriate usage.  

To this point, he reports reliably what took place.  He reported reliably "what happened."

Here, we have editorializing:  


“Everyone outside the room realized what happened. 

There is here missing information.  Remember, no one can tell us everything that happened; it is impossible.  We must edit everything otherwise we would never stop speaking and people would run from us.  

He does not tell us how everyone "realized" what happened, but the word "realized" indicates a passing of time where the knowledge of what happened is not sudden but one comes to "realization" with thought processing, often from external indicators, including speech, medial equipment, etc. 

His mother ran in. She was screaming, ‘No, no, not yet!’ I handed her son back and left as fast as I could."

Here he deviates from the consistent "complete" or perfect past tense and says

"She was screaming" instead of "she screamed."

This imperfect use shows a passing of time; an indefinite action.  

This likely indicates an emotional impact upon the subject, himself.  She did not just "scream" but did so repeatedly or over a period of time that although technically short, left an impact upon the subject.  

That he "left" tells us that something happened there that he is not telling us.  This does not necessarily mean nefarious information withheld.  It could simply be due to rushing, or to emotion, as seen in "...was screaming", which is 70% likely, with the other possibility simply being the emotional upheaval.  It is missing information, however, from the statement itself.  Once the subject is asked about it, it is no longer a mystery.  

Analysis Conclusion:

                                       Veracity Indicated

His words come from experiential memory. 

Although there is some missing information, including regarding staff and his departure, he reliably reports his interaction with the child. 

If this subject is lying, the words come from somewhere  and liars sometimes "composite" people.  If he is a liar, he is a long term, pathological liar, who fabricates reality.  At his age, he would have a reputation  of such and would likely have a history of trouble.  

It is likely that the basic facts of the case are true and Santa is telling the truth.  

52 comments:

Anonymous said...

the alt-left snopes and grey lady aint gonna like this one. they know he a liar

Bobcat said...

The family was watching through a hallway window into the ICU, which probably explains how "everyone realized" - seeing Santa holding the boy that was no longer moving.

Tania Cadogan said...

Off topic

The Colorado district attorney overseeing the unsolved killing of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey says a former prosecutor should never have written a letter exonerating the girl's family.

BOY, 12, ACCUSED OF ATTEMPTING ISIS-INSPIRED TERROR ATTACK

Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett said Thursday that the letter clearing the girl's family from suspicion in her 1996 death is not binding and his office is still investigating the case.

Authorities have said they're looking at new DNA testing technology that they hope will further the investigation.

The move comes after an investigation by the Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder and KUSA-TV in Denver that the news organizations say uncovered flaws in the interpretation of previous DNA testing.

Garnett says much of the new testing will target previously screened items to see if new information can be gleaned.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/12/16/ex-prosecutors-letter-clearing-jonbenet-ramseys-family-called-into-question.html?refresh=true

Scarlet said...

For a mother, to realize that her child has taken his last breath in the arms of a stranger, must be extremely upsetting.
I gather that the man playing santa understood this, and wanted to leave as quick as possible, as to not cause the parents even more pain.

The boy's parents have likely been at his side every second for the last weeks, and to then experience that their child dies when they are not by his side, cuddling him and holding him.. I feel so sorry for them.

GeekRad said...

I agree Scarlet.

Zsuzsanna said...

I saw this mentioned in the comments yesterday. After reading his statement, my gut feeling was, "This sounds truthful, why are people doubting him?" I'm glad this lines up with your analysis. There are HIPPA laws he must abide, and also I think there must have been some tension between him and the parents at the end, hence the editorializing.

Zsuzsanna said...

I saw this mentioned in the comments yesterday. After reading his statement, my gut feeling was, "This sounds truthful, why are people doubting him?" I'm glad this lines up with your analysis. There are HIPPA laws he must abide, and also I think there must have been some tension between him and the parents at the end, hence the editorializing.

Anonymous said...

Off topic:

Recent news story in the UK;


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4033060/I-started-screaming-Grace-dead-Mother-seven-week-old-girl-describes-moment-baby-s-lifeless-body-trapped-edge-range-cot.html

Wendy said...

I agree with Peter's analysis, including the part where he flags possible deception towards the end in the part about "I got out of there as fast as I could."
How could a child who has enough energy amd life in him to have a thoughtful conversation with Santa, to sit up and open a present, drop dead literally a moment later? How could his body have gone from functioning enough to allow him to have a coherent thoughtful conversation, to sit up (however weakly he may have sat up) and open a present, to, within a second, dropping dead?
Santa then "got out of there as fast as he could?" Gee, did they do an autopsy? I wonder if Santa injected him with something that killed him.
Why did Santa answer the boy's question of "how will I know when I get there?" by saying "Tell him youre Santa's number 1 Elf and theyll let you in." The boy wasnt asking about whether or how he would be "let in"...he was asking about how he would know or recognize where he was going. I just think its a weird response....like why wouldnt he say something like "you will see beautiful angels there and lots of Christmas presents" or something like that?

Statement Analysis Blog said...

Wendy, is the part about Santa injecting him with something that killed him meant humorously?

Peter

Statement Analysis Blog said...

Z,

that it is a small town, revealing the name of the hospital would, in fact, let everyone know who the family is.

Santa has now given an interview with media in which he is truthful.

This short analysis is actually a lesson not so much in veracity (though it is) but it is a lesson in

a. body posture
b. communicative langage

which is something that those serious about learning should consider very carefully. There is more here than meets the initial read.

The consistency he uses, in context, with both body posture and communicative language (said, told, ask) are key indicators of truth v deception and if learned here, can be applied elsewhere.

Peter

Statement Analysis Blog said...

Gizmodo: "the story is totally fake!"


Now we have this:


http://www.foxla.com/news/share-this/224034477-story

Wendy said...

Hi Peter, No, its not meant humorously due to the fact that I dont understand how the child could go from having enough life and energy in him to have a coherent thoughtful conversation with Santa, to sit up and open a present to literally, an instant later, dying. Is there not always some sort of transitional phase where the individual would at least become too weak to even sit up before they died? I always thiught that was the case, and I do apologize if Im wrong.

Bobcat said...

Scarlet & Geekrad,

As traumatic as it must have been for the mother, sometimes it's easier for someone to fully let go and die when loved ones leave the room. Santa gave persmission, instructions, and the boy was ready. http://www.hospicenet.org/html/preparing_for.html

Wendy said...

It looks like the nurse wasnt supposed to "call" Santa into the ICU. Why couldnt she have wheeled the boy's bed out to Santa rather than inviting Santa in?
Why were the parents looking through a window watching their dying child with Santa....were they told they couldnt be present in the room. Why?

Bobcat said...

Wendy,

The original story said the nurse told Santa "there wasn't time". The nurse knew the boy would die soon.

When Santa did arrive, he asked any of the family members that were crying to leave the room, because he wouldn't be able to play "jolly" if they were all crying. So the family watched through a window into the ICU. I was also curious about Santa being alone with the boy, but they were being watched.

Wendy said...

Thanks Bobcat, and I acknowledge I may be speaking from ignorance, but I just dont understand how the child was able to have coherent thoughtful conversation, to sit up and open a present to literally dying the next minute. I thought that the human body would take some time to shut down and it would not happen that abruptly?

lynda said...

Anonymous Wendy said...
"Hi Peter, No, its not meant humorously due to the fact that I dont understand how the child could go from having enough life and energy in him to have a coherent thoughtful conversation with Santa, to sit up and open a present to literally, an instant later, dying. Is there not always some sort of transitional phase where the individual would at least become too weak to even sit up before they died? I always thiught that was the case, and I do apologize if Im wrong."

______________________________

Wendy...This is a fairly well known phenomenon in medicine. Some call it the "surge." When someone comes "awake" or lucid when previously they were actively dying. They are still actively dying, it is almost like they have been granted just a few minutes (sometimes hours) of lucidity.
No one knows why exactly it happens. Theories, but not much else. It's remarkable to see.

Anonymous said...

Oh my, how this touched my heart. I can't help it. From what I've read here, it seems highly likely Santa is telling the truth about what happened. Santa might have been way too emotional because the boy died in his arms and needed to get our of there lickety-split (now there's an old saying for y'all lol) or maybe as Scarlett above said: For a mother, to realize that her child has taken his last breath in the arms of a stranger, must be extremely upsetting.
I gather that the man playing Santa understood this, and wanted to leave as quick as possible, as to not cause the parents even more pain."

Anonymous said...

I love this story, and I see no harm in just leaving it alone as is. Even if the story isn't 100% truthful (I believe it is truthful), why in the world ruin a really neat story about Santa at this time of year especially? Where's the harm?

Tania Cadogan said...

I have sat with many an elderly dying patient when i worked in a cottage hospital.
Some would fight dying, worrying about their cows or sheep or getting the harvest in.
I or whoever was sitting with them would reassure them the work was all done and they could rest.
Once they knew it was ok to rest they would slip peacefully away.

Others, including my mom would hang on until all the family got their chance to say goodbye.
With my mom, a couple of family members couldn't face being at her bedside or were felt to be too young, we let them speak over the cell phone to mom so they too could say goodbye.
WE reassured her it was ok to go, to take the final step and when she was ready, she did just that.

Some i have sat with had moments of lucidity where they felt they had some unfinished business or something to say and once they were satisfied, they would pass, just like a candle going out.

Others have hung on until they have one brief moment where perhaps all the family have gone for a coffee or a bathroom break and they promptly take their final breath and go.
I wonder if they want to die in private, to spare their loved ones the pain of seeing their final breath.

Death is very personal and each one i have sat with has decided how they want to go, some fight it to the very end, others welcome it and gallop to the finishing line once they have decided to go.

I felt honored that i had been allowed by the patient to be there at their final breath, many often having no family.
I felt honored that i had the privilege of being with them at their deepest most personal moment of their lives.

It seems the little boy decided he was ready to go once he knew what was on the other side.
Death and dying was known and did not scare him, it was the unknown that did.
When Santa said to him he would go where he needed to be and would know when he got there, he felt safe enough and secure enough in himself and took his final step.

Anonymous said...

Hobnob,

You wrote

It seems the little boy decided he was ready to go once he knew what was on the other side.

Um, Santa did not tell the boy "what was on the other side."

Death and dying was known and did not scare him, it was the unknown that did.

Um, how would "death and dying" have been known to the boy? Why would it not scare him particularly since he expressed anxiety to Santa about dying?

When Santa said to him he would go where he needed to be and would know when he got there, he felt safe enough and secure enough in himself and took his final step.

Santa never said that to the boy. He never said that "he would go where he needed to be and would know when he got there".

It's interesting, I get criticized frequently here for following the actual narrative of a story and making inferences from actual facts. But when people here fabricate facts that did not even occur in the story, no one blinks and eye.


Katprint said...

IMO it is a very natural aka "expected" reaction for someone who has watched someone else die to want to get away from the deathbed and to distance themselves from the death, especially when the deceased person is essentially a stranger as opposed to a loved one. Way back when I was in high school, a criminal fleeing from the police crashed his car, ran into my school, climbed up onto a rooftop and died. I had an English class in the building he was lying on top of but I saw his arm hanging down over the edge of the building and decided NOPE so I just went to the office instead of going to class. This turned out not to be a problem because the school evacuated all of the students out of that area of the school while the authorities investigated / removed the body. I think that wanting to have nothing to do with a dead stranger is a very natural reaction.

Anonymous said...

Interesting Katprint! Wow, what a story!

Anonymous said...

I assumed it was like an adrenaline rush. I mean, kids LOVE Santa. I did. I miss having the intense excitement and anticipation of Santa and Christmas. It's the best feeling ever. And perhaps Santa's reassuring words gave the boy "permission" to "let go". Maybe was was holding on long enough in hopes of seeing Santa.

If I was the man, I would have left quickly. It's a dead child! He was probably overwhelmed with emotion, plus not wanting to get in the way of the family and doctors.

(In fact, I'd be more likely to question the actions of a medical "professional" than Santa. But there's a reason for that.)

Statement Analysis Blog said...

Anonymous said...
I love this story, and I see no harm in just leaving it alone as is. Even if the story isn't 100% truthful (I believe it is truthful), why in the world ruin a really neat story about Santa at this time of year especially? Where's the harm?
December 16, 2016 at 7:45 PM


There is always harm in elevating emotion over truth.

This blog is dedicated to truth. That the subject is telling the truth is merely the result of the analysis. I haven't read the story, hence, no emotional impact. Perhaps now I will read it, but suffice it for the point of analysis, I particularly honed in upon body posture and communicative language.

Had he been deceptive, I would have written so.

The truth always matters.

Peter

Tania Cadogan said...

Off topic

One of the grand jurors who viewed evidence related to JonBenet's murder refused to say who he believes killed the six-year-old beauty queen - after bragging he 'highly suspects' he knows the identity of the killer.

The man testified anonymously on Friday night's episode of 20/20 on ABC, which took a look back at the case 20 years afterwards. He was part of the jury that voted to indict JonBenet's parents John and Patsy on charges related to the murder of their daughter after a year-long grand jury trial.

The district attorney nullified the findings of his grand jury and declared there wasn't sufficient evidence to indict the little girl's parents. Friday night's juror, however, said he believed John and Patsy should have been tried, based on the evidence he had seen.

But the man told host Amy Robach there would have been no way for a jury to find the parents guilty. He then said he had a strong feeling he knows who killed JonBenet - but copped out when Robach asked for a name.

'I wish not to answer that question,' the man said, infuriating viewers who had sat through the rest of the episode eager to hear the big reveal.

The grand juror did say he believed Patsy and John should have been indicted on charges related to their daughter's murder. When asked if he believed that John and Patsy should have been tried, he said: 'Based on the evidence that was presented I believe that is correct.'

When asked however if he thought that the district attorney would have been able to get a jury to find the parents guilty, he said: 'There is no way that I would have been able to say, "Beyond a reasonable doubt, this is the person."'

He then added: 'And if you are the district attorney, if you know that going in, it’s a waste of taxpayer dollars to do it.'

Robach then asked the juror if he knew who murdered the young girl after the evidence that was presented to the grand jury.

'I highly suspect I do,' said the juror.

Tania Cadogan said...

cont.

He also spoke about the trip the grand jury members took to the Ramsey home, and being in the basement where the young girl's body was found by her own father, just hours after she was reported as missing to police.

'In the basement where she was found, it was actually kind of an obscure layout. You come down the stairwell and you had to go into another room to find a door that was closed. It was a very eerie feeling. It was like, "Somebody had been killed here,"' said the juror.
John and Patty Ramsey (pictured in the 1990s with their children Burke and JonBenet) were never formally indicted because the DA refused to sign the documents.

A handwriting expert who examined the ransom note left in the case said on Friday night's episode it is very likely that the letter was written by the child beauty queen's mother Patsy.

'It's highly probable that she wrote the ransom note,' handwriting expert Cina Wong said.

Wong spent three weeks examining the note and comparing it to 100 examples of Patsy's handwriting back in 2000, and found multiple similarities between the two.

For instance, the ransom note had the letter 'A' written in four different variations, and Patsy wrote that same letter in those some four ways.

In total, Wong found more than 200 similarities in the writing of the ransom note and the 100 samples of Patsy's penmanship.

Friday's episode featured archive footage of the investigation and excerpts of home videos, showing the Ramsey family in happier times.

Patsy had just recovered from ovarian cancer when JonBenet died. The family, originally from Atlanta, was 'high society' for Boulder, according to the segment.

The episode included footage from an interview given by Patsy and John on CNN just five days after the murder.

'As a mother my heart went out to this couple, but my journalistic brain said to me "This isn’t right, they should be talking to the police, not to the public," ' investigative reporter Diane Dimond said on Friday's show.
John later said they had done the interview reluctantly, pressed by their friends who didn't want JonBenet's parents to be painted as guilty.In the end, the grand jury voted to indict the Ramseys on four counts but they were never formerly indicted because the DA refused to sign the documents.

Tania Cadogan said...

cont.

The grand jury planned to indict John and Patsy for child abuse resulting in death and accessory to a crime.

The child abuse charge stated that John and Patsy 'did unlawfully, knowingly, recklessly and feloniously permit a child to be unreasonably placed in a situation which posed a threat of injury to the child's life or health, which resulted in the death of JonBenet Ramsey, a child under the age of sixteen'.

The accessory charge declared that the two 'did unlawfully, knowingly and feloniously render assistance to a person, with intent to hinder, delay and prevent the discovery, detention, apprehension, prosecution, conviction and punishment of such person for the commission of a crime, knowing the person being assisted has committed and was suspected of the crime of Murder In the First Degree And Child Abuse Resulting In Death.'

Boulder police and prosecutors are now planning a new round of testing on DNA evidence found in the case.

The tests would also tap into an FBI database that includes genetic profiles from more than 15.1 million known offenders.

Garnett and Boulder police Chief Greg Testa said that they have already discussed the matter with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation during a meeting just before Thanksgiving.

The body of JonBenet was found bludgeoned and strangled hours after she was reported missing and covered by a white blanket with a nylon cord around her neck, her wrists bound above her head and her mouth covered by duct tape.

Her skull was also cracked.

John and Patsy had called the police to report her kidnapping and said they found a note demanding a ransom of $118,000 for her safe return - and that they had not contact the authorities.

Despite this, police arrived to their home shortly after in clearly marked vehicles.

John and Patsy would remain the primary suspects in their daughter's death for more than a decade, and it was not until 2008 that police finally cleared them of any wrongdoing.

At that time, Patsy had been dead for two years after a lengthy battle with ovarian cancer.

No one in the family was ever charged in the death of the six-year-old, but for years tabloids and members of the public believed they were the culprits of this unspeakable crime.

Most of these stories focused on parents John and Patsy, but some went so far as to claim that Burke had been responsible for his sister's death - despite the fact that he was only nine years old at the time.

Appearing on Barbara Walters Presents American Scandals, John said that he and his late-wife Patsy did everything they could to protect their son Burke from learning that he was being accused of murdering his sister.

'We tried to shield him from that,' John said of the tabloid reports about Burke.

Tania Cadogan said...

cont.

'Friends would ask us, "What can we do to help?" We said, "Next time you go in the supermarket, call the manager over when you see our child’s photo on the front cover, and ask him to remove it." A lot of them did that.'

Stories would point to the fact that Burke was in the house when JonBenet was reported missing, but his parents always stood firm on the fact that he was sleeping the entire time and did not wake up until after they called police.

He was exonerated by DNA evidence in May of 1999, a little more than two years after the murder.

Burke, who is now 28-years-old, has mostly avoided the public spotlight since his sister's death.

John also said that he still believes the killer will be found.

'I think we will have two ways that will happen,' John told Walters in their interview.

'It will either be a DNA match or someone who knows something will become angry or bitter against this person and will tell.'

Male DNA was found on the underwear of JonBenet when her body was discovered, but authorities have never been able to match it to a suspect.

There was also a bowl of pineapple found in the kitchen when the young girl was first reported missing but police on the scene allowed someone to clean the bowl.

This ended up being a crucial error as JonBenet was found with pineapple in her stomach when her body was examined by the coroner.

The house was not sealed off by police and friends and family were allowed to come and go during the initial investigation, contaminating the crime scene.

John - who was briefly linked to Natalee Holloway's mother Beth in 2007 and remarried in 2011 to Jan Rousseaux - also discussed how he lost his millions after the death of JonBenet when he decided to move the family out of Boulder and back to Atlanta, not realizing the stigma that would be placed on him by the public and how difficult that would make it for him to obtain a job.

'I was told by a very experienced FBI person that most victims of violent crime end up broke,' said John.

'It's very expensive to deal with the justice system. You make bad decisions - you sell your home, you quit your job, you move, you change jobs.'

In addition to losing JonBenet, John had also lost his oldest daughter from a previous marriage in 1992. Elizabeth was 22-years-old when she died in a car accident.

As a result of what he has gone through, he now has advice for others who might face a similarly tragic situation.

'When something really tragic happens in your life, put your life in park. Give your checkbook to a trusted friend. Avoid making any big decisions,' said John.

'Because you're just not capable of making good decisions.'

JonBenet, who would now be 26 years old, is buried next to her mother Patsy in Georgia.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4043004/JonBenet-Ramsey-grand-juror-REFUSES-reveal-believes-killed-six-year-old-beauty-queen.html

John Mc Gowan said...

Tania!


New 20/20 The JonBenét Ramsey Murder Case Amy Robach Reports


YT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQIIKjNyRiM&feature=share

Statement Analysis Blog said...

I am disappointed that the Santa case did not generate more comments, but especially more questions.

There are some unique points in it to consider, but generally the public finds "deception" more interesting than veracity.

Analysts love to dig into small points and see if there is congruency in the use; and where changes are, to see if the changes are contextually justified.

If Santa is lying, he is defying odds greatly.

this short statement has more to it than most recognize....

Peter

Anonymous said...

Tania Cadogan -
In light of the 20-20 show, I listened to Hunter Thompson's words about the Grand Jury and not bringing an indictment a little more closely. Listen again to his announcement, since we now know the Grand Jury voted to indict.

Anonymous said...

Santa story-My comments only concern HIPPA. There is widespread erroneous information regarding HIPPA. HIPPA only applies to healthcare professionals or employees. It Does Not dictate prohibitions towards anyone else. Not police, parents, spouses, or Santas. For example, if I blogged about my ex spouses medical history, I did not violate HIPPA. If I see my neighbor at the hospital and tell people, I did not violate HIPPA. If I'm at the mall and filmed a kid having a seizure and being put on a stretcher and put it on YouTube, I did not violate HIPPA. Santa , who doesn't work at the hospital, cannot violate HIPPA.

BOSTON LADY said...

I thought I responded to this blog. I remember thinking about what I was going to write but did I actually save it? This is a busy time of year and multi tasking is par for the course. I must have been interrupted by who knows what! lol

I'll keep my response simple. I believe Santa.

LC said...

I still believe in Santa Claus, too, Boston Lady ~~~
HoHoHo!

Statement Analysis Blog said...

HIPAA:

The family can speak out but the ICU nurse cannot.

Even if Santa thought it applied to him erroneously, or if he just wanted to honor the family's privacy, it makes no difference .He has a "wall of truth" defense and does not care if not believed.

Also, although not HIPAA, some facilities have confidentiality agreements, including with 3rd parties, including, at times, those who entertain clients in hospitals.

Peter

LisaB said...

I think the fact that no hospital has confirmed the story is where HIPPA comes in. With no official confirmation, people doubted the story.

Nic said...

Thanks for covering this story, Peter. This story pulled at my heartstrings.

Nic said...

Peter said,
I am disappointed that the Santa case did not generate more comments, but especially more questions.


One of our Talk Show hosts interviewed him. I was considering transcribing the interview for you but it doesn't appear they posted the podcast. It would have been interesting to compare the statements. In any event, it was difficult for me to understand Santa (his accent and talking away from the phone mouth-piece left me straining to hear him when he was "live"). Not only that, the interviewer wasn't very good, i..e, he continuously interrupted him which drove me nuts. (He interviews like Alex Jones.)

I'm happy to read your analysis is "veracity indicated".

Nic said...

Tania said,
I felt honored that i had been allowed by the patient to be there at their final breath, many often having no family.
I felt honored that i had the privilege of being with them at their deepest most personal moment of their lives.


I agree, Tania. I liken being a hospice worker to being a birthing nurse. The difference being everyone wants to be present when we are birthed into the world, sadly, that is not always the case when it's time to for us to die. Blessings.

Nic said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Nic said...

Katprint said,
IMO it is a very natural aka "expected" reaction for someone who has watched someone else die to want to get away from the deathbed and to distance themselves from the death, especially when the deceased person is essentially a stranger as opposed to a loved one.

In the interview I listened to, he said the experience really "messed him up" and he questioned whether he was cut out to be "Santa". This man went to a "Santa school" of sorts (training) and he took some time to talk to the other santas he knew. That might sound peculiar, i.e., "Santa training", but think about the kinds of things kids will ask for, like their parents getting back together, etc. Psychologically playing Santa is very difficult.

Hey Jude said...

Would it be correct to put this as the boy's priority, (as the opening is a polite unavoidable response to Santa's claim about his number one elf):

'They say I'm gonna die'

Would it be the case that the boy had overheard this rather than received the knowledge directly? I ask this as he does not say 'I am dying', or 'I know I am dying', or 'mom told me I am going to die.' 'They' is non-specific, so is it that he does not want to say who he heard say it? Is he wanting to protect a person or persons from the knowledge that he heard him/her/them say it?

'He was so weak he could barely open the wrapping paper. When he saw what was inside, he flashed a big smile and laid his head back down.'

Did Santa help him unwrap the present? I think he probably did.

Was the big smile "flashed' to satisfy others' expectations? Usually a child will smile 'a big smile' for some time - more than a 'flash' when receiving the type of present which causes a big smile. Was it that the boy was not able or interested, but had still tried to do what he thought needed to be done? - he only 'saw what was inside', he was unable to engage with the present.

'Santa, can you help me?' He is asking Santa to help him to get to where he is going. He knows he is going/dying, but he does not know how to 'get' there.

"His mother ran in. She was screaming, ‘No, no, not yet!’"

Is it that the mother hoped for her son to at least live through Christmas and so he had not been able 'to get to where he is going?' before Santa's visit? As someone already commented, Santa gave him 'permission' - by holding him, he helped him 'to get to where he is going?'

I think it is interesting Santa said he 'let him stay', where one would expect him to have said, 'I let him go' - maybe he phrased it that way out of consideration for the mother, who had not been ready or able to 'let' him go.

'I handed her son back...' I think the mother had been holding her son, but left the room while Santa visited? One can imagine she might have been pleading with her son to stay awake for Santa, Santa would be here soon, and that Santa's arrival was a release to him, as it was the fulfilment of his mother's wish.
.
The boy, who maybe had not been directly told he is dying, knows he is 'going', yet is considering his mother's feelings - he is going along with the mother's focus on Santa and Christmas, entering the make-believe for the family's comfort?

Is the mother screaming, 'No, no, not yet!' an indication that she was unreconciled to the fact her son was going to die? I think so, and if so, it is quite likely she had been pleading with him to keep going, to stay with them, or similar, because Santa was coming. Santa's visit had been his mother's 'reason' for him to stay, after which there was no further narrative for him to fulfil?

---

I have quite convinced myself by now that the little boy, drifting in and out of consciousness, was pretending he did not know he was dying, and going along with the make-believe of Santa, gifts, and a Merry Christmas in a quite saintly way, for the comfort of his mother. If so, there is a solemn irony in all that.

I know SA is not about moralising, but I want for there to be 'and the moral of this story is...'.

--

Not really, ''tis almost Christmas, after all.

Layla said...

Hi Peter, Great analysis, and I also believe Santa! When reading your analysis, I was fascinated by the info you shared regarding if a person lies outright, they are among the 10 % who do so and would be considered pathological liars. The thought came to me that it would be SO interesting (because I was intrigued by your previous Shakespeare analysis) if you ever did SA on Iago, one of Shakespeare's most infamous characters (who I believe did lie outright and I believe he may have been a sociopath). It has been so long since I looked at the play but it would be fascinating if you examined his lying style!

Bobcat said...

Nic,

"This man went to a "Santa school" of sorts (training) and he took some time to talk to the other santas he knew. That might sound peculiar, i.e., "Santa training", but think about the kinds of things kids will ask for, like their parents getting back together, etc. Psychologically playing Santa is very difficult."

I imagine they receive training in how to respond to all manner of inquiries, but having a child die in your arms was probably not covered....

I'm certain they receive training on how to hold children in view of others and never alone. That's why I was very curious about him being alone in the room with they boy. Gold standard child protection rules would mandate that no single adult is ever alone with a single child (unless it is their own child). This protects both the child, and the adult from false accusations.

In this case, the family watched through a window.

Layla said...

Peter, I've been reading a little about Iago from the play "Othello", and it's interesting because apparently one of his tactics was to present himself to others as extremely honest although he was a liar. The one definite sociopath I know does that same thing! Shakespeare had so much insight!!!

Also, he confuses people as to his true nature with strange statements about himself like "I am not what I am". (I am trying to think if there are any cases we have looked at where people make such statements?)

Also, he consciously and knowingly preys on people's weaknesses...he says so while talking to himself in a soliloquy.

So much more within the play. So, so interesting to look at this character now that I have learned some SA.

Nic said...

I found the link.

LISTEN NOW: Bill Carroll speaks with Eric Schmitt-Matzen, better known as Santa Claus, to tell us his story about a terminally ill 5 year old boy, and his wish.

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:AENNd132BSQJ:www.iheartradio.ca/580-cfra%3Fcat%3D1%26nid%3D68175+&cd=5&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca

I can't pause the podcast, so I can't transcribe it. It's just over twelve minutes long. Once BC gets through the "how did you become Santa" background, the story begins around 4:30.

Sara said...

I just watched Santa tell this story on YouTube. There were multiple videos. I only watched one so the others may be different. But, in the video the words Santa spoke were very different than the published account Peter analyzed. He did not use past tense consistently, even at the start he spoke in present tense. He used "like" a lot, showing a lack of commitment to what he was saying. He said he wasn't sure if the boy had died or passed out, after he collapsed in his arms, until he (Santa) looked at him and he (boy) "looked all sunk in." Santa said he handed the boy to his mother and "ran, literally " out of the room and past the nurses station. Then Santa said he was so upset he was out of it for "3 days." This video showed a lot of sensitivity, and Peter would likely label it deceptive. Because of the stark differences, I'm starting to think that reporters "clean up" or correct grammar of statements even though they Quote it as if it is Verbatim. I will be less likely to rely on published quotes in the future. They are good for teaching/learning purposes, but when you really want to know the truth they are unreliable. Video/audio, statements written by "the accused" directly, are far more reliable instruments.

Hey Jude said...

Thanks for the links - the accounts are different. The boy said, 'they told me I am dying' whereas the written account is 'they say I am dying'. So different I am not even going to think about it because it changes how I would look at it, and my head is done in.

I was right that Santa helped him open the present, which was pleasing (to me).

The little boy was only five - I had him more seven or eight, so that would probably have changed how I thought about him and the circumstances, too. Five not so much understanding as seven or eight. I don't know - mostly my head is done in that in the video Santa says the boy said they had told him he was dying, when the written account didn't convey that they had said it directly to him.

I do believe Santa is telling the truth. (Or do I?). Just to ask a question because I am only asking questions, or trying to do that, which is a rubbish claim, yes. Well, he was distressed. Also, some people do say 'like' and 'you know' if they are feeling stressed or anxious - or it can be a habit of speech.

John Mc Gowan said...

The use of present tense language can indicate possible deception. It may also be that the subject is reliving the event. It's worth noting, where in the account of the story, it pops up.

Deception Indicated said...

Santa helped him ease into his death without the fear of what comes next. Santa isn't real, but for that special moment, for the dying boy, he was.