Rich’s Cup of Tea

TAMPA, Florida–The crime scene and autopsy photos of 13-year-old strangulation victim Stephen Tomlinson are lasting images of what this young boy went through before he died. They are now evidence in the prosecution’s case-in-chief of first-degree murder against youth minister Joshua Rosa here.

I looked closely at these photos, shown one after the other to the jury, and saw that Tomlinson was severely strangled. As Medical Examiner Dr. Leszek Chrostowsky testified, the contusions and abrasions to his neck and lower jaw, show by their redness in color, occurred at or near the time of death. Stephen was fighting to live. This young man consciously knew during those last moments what was happening to him.

Stephen’s family wasn’t in the courtroom for this explicit testimony. The defendant’s family bowed their heads or shut their eyes as the photos of Stephen were displayed to the jury one after the other.

Jurors were taking notes and listening seriously to the medical reasoning behind every injury. The defendant Joshua Rosa showed no emotion. We see that so often in trials…what it means is individual…no one can be programmed to act in a certain way.

Stephen Tomlinson was found with his black belt undone, and his blue jean shorts down to his ankles but his sport shorts (used as boxers) were still on. There is one photo that shows the elastic waistband of those shorts left a deep fence-like pattern impression in the skin of his hip area. The medical examiner believed blunt trauma to Stephen’s hip caused the permanent marking. The pathologist hypothesized that Stephen may have been pushed to the ground so hard the impact to his hip created the pattern markings from the elastic band.

His other injuries were to his back, inside his lip, and his right shoulder and it was not a single hold which caused the strangulation death. Dr. Chrostowsky testified the assailant’s hands changed positions several times and could have even used karate moves. Was Rosa trained in karate? A rape kit performed at autopsy showed no evidence of sexual assault.

Prosecutors are not required to prove a motive in their case. The defense maintains Rosa is not guilty, and was only trying to help Tomlinson after he found him lifeless in the park.

There are many unknowns in this circumstantial case that truly is a murder mystery.

Rich’s Note: Just like my June 12 post, does this sound at all familiar? The suspect is a YOUTH MINISTER. Tragic.

Source: InSession.Blogs.CNN.com, July 17, 2008.

Tags: Not again... by Rich
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Authorities released a sketch Friday of a “person of interest” in the shooting deaths of two Oklahoma schoolgirls.

Several witnesses reported seeing a suspicious man on the same dirt road where Taylor Dawn Paschal-Placker, 13, and Skyla Jade Whitaker, 11, were shot Sunday, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said.

Jessica Brown said authorities believed that the man, “who didn’t look like he should have been there,” was on the road before the girls were shot multiple times in the head and chest and left in a ditch.

Witnesses described the man as an American Indian or possibly half-Caucasian with a black ponytail, about 6 feet tall and 35 years old. They said he was standing in front of a white single-cab pickup with chrome striping, possibly a Chevy or Ford model, with Oklahoma tags, Brown said in a press conference.

Rich’s Note: Tips have been coming in from as far away as California! Let’s hope for a quick arrest and swift justice!

Source: CNN.com, Saturday, June 14, 2008

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Police look for multiple suspects in girls’ shootings

• Police: Two guns used to kill Taylor Dawn Paschal, 13, and Skyla Jade Whitaker, 11
• Oklahoma authorities raise reward to $25,000 in girls’ deaths
• Authorities question young people in the area, look into computer evidence

Two Oklahoma schoolgirls were killed with two guns, leading investigators to believe that more than one person was involved in their deaths, authorities said Wednesday.

Investigators were considering a variety of motives as they searched for suspects, including the possibility of a “random thrill kill.”

“Two little girls can’t go walking down a country lane,” Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations Agent Ben Rosser said. “I think that’s pretty sad.”

Rich’s Note: What kind of “thrill” someone could possibly get out of doing this is beyond me. These girls were simply walking across a bridge during a sleepover (hence the “here we go again” comment), not bothering a soul. When I see stories like this, the letters “DP” reverberate endlessly in my head…

Source: CNN.com, Thursday, June 12, 2008.

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