Young Deaf Boys Let Down by Church Leaders

Most of time, when you hear about a priest, or church official committing a sex crime, it stays silent for years, until an adult comes forward with the news. In this case, a young man repeatedly told others about the abuse he had been subjected to by a priest, only to have it ignored. Steven Geier, now 59 and living in Madison, WI tells of how as a teenager, and even later as an adult he told other priests of the abuse he had endured. Being deaf, Geier, along with others used sign language and gestures to report the abuse. Father Murphy could have hundreds of victims. Between 15 and 20 affidavits were collected, only to have the "higher ups" ignore the severity of what was going on and continue to pass it along to others. Neither the Archbishop or the district attorney were of any help. Father Murphy was thought to be "too valuable" and continued working with deaf children for the next 24 years.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36063186/ns/us_news-the_new_york_times/

Child Predator Laws Should be Funded and Enforced

Amber Dubois went missing over a year ago. The 14 year old was on her way to school when she disappeared. About a week after Chelsea King was killed, Amber's remains were found. The same man who has been charged in King's rape and murder is now a suspect in Amber's disappearance. Although John Albert Gardner III has not been charged yet, he is the only suspect authorities have named. During a memorial service in which Chelsea King's family participated, Maurice Dubois, Amber's father asked the audience to help protect our children. These young girls may still be alive today if we could enforce child predator laws. Earlier this week in the state of California, "Chelsea's Law" was to be introduced. It would call for GPS monitoring of all repeat sex offenders. Some argue this violates the rights of those who it will affect....well, the violated the rights of their victims and their families when they chose to committ a crime. Our right to feel safe in our own neighborhood has been violated too. Let's start listening to the victims and the family members who have lost their child to these predators. They are the ones fighting to keep the rest of us safe.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36070806/ns/us_news-life/

When does Alcala Pay For His Crimes?

Rodney James Alcala has a long history. In 1972, he was convicted of kidnapping, raping and beating a little girl, who was just eight years old. He served two years. In 1979, he was arrested for raping and beating a fifteen year old. He was found guilty last week on five counts of murder(four women and a girl). That eight year old and that 15 year old are now grown women. They, along with the murder victims family members are testifying against him in the penalty phase of his trial. Acting as his own lawyer, this sick monster gets to cross examine these women. He gets another chance to traumatize them! At 66 years old, he could be facing the death penalty. When will he finally serve his time? This is a man who has been CONVICTED. Let him rot in jail, or meet his fate while there. As much as the testimony of these women may help the sentencing, five counts of murder should be good enough to be put away. The last sentence of this story might make your skin crawl.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-alcala3-2010mar03,0,1211732.story

Sexual Predator Linked to Chelsea King and Maybe Others

Chelsea King was found raped and murdered last week in southern California. A registered sex offender has been charged after DNA evidence linked him to the crime. John Albert Gardner III plead guilty in 2000 to molesting a thirteen year old girl. Prosecutors only recommended a six year term for that crime, but now he will face the death penalty if convicted. What is sad, is that this crime and so many others could have been prevented if we could find a way to keep these sex offenders off the streets. King's parents are already speaking about our current laws, and how there needs to be changes made so that these people do not have access to the children who end up as their victims. There has been talk that Gardner could be responsible for other attacks in the area, as well as the disappearance of another girl, Amber Dubois. Amber's remains were recently found, but officials are not saying if Gardner's arrest has anything to do with it. When can we stop worrying about our children walking to school, or going for a jog in a park? What measures do we need to take to protect them from these vile individuals that continue to prey on innocent people? Chelsea's parents might receive justice if Gardner is found guilty, but they how can they find peace, now that their daughter is dead?

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/03/chelsea-kings-parents-want-changes-in-sex-offender-laws.html

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/35705202/ns/today-today_people/

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/03/amber-dubois-remains-found-in-escondido.html

Delaware Doctor Videotaped Abuse

Dr. Earl Bradley may have up to 100 victims. While law enforcement reviews over thirteen hours of tape to identify his victims, some parents don't want to hear the outcome. Dr. Bradley created a child friendly environment at his pediatric office. Disney characters welcomed his young patients and toys covered the rooms. Dr. Bradley is said to have abused his victims while they were out of sight of their parents, or while conducting unnecessary exams on the children. Now facing almost 500 separate crimes,Bradley's offices are closed and parents are left wondering if their child or children were victims. Some feel that if their child hasn't been forthcoming with any abuse allegations, then they must be fine. If their child is "okay", then why would they want to find out that they had actually been violated? Others want to know what happened and if their children were victimized. Officials say it is best to identify the children and make sure they get counseling right away, noting that repressed memories may surface in years to come. Who makes that call? Do parents know their children best, and are they the most obvious choice to make these decisions? If they choose not to participate, and it turns out their child is a victim, did they, meaning law enforcement let the child down by not actively pursuing the allegations? Where does this responsibility lie? Wouldn't you want to know either way, so that you can do your best to help your child? Or, because you have guilt as a parent, or can't handle the "awkward" situation, do you go on like nothing has happened? Sexual violence is already so silent, if these parents choose to not participate with the case, let's hope they at least sit down and discuss it at length with their children. Let's hope they open up the dialogue that often gets skipped because parents don't want to discuss "these kind of things".

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35606897/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts//

Wyoming Woman Assaulted

A woman in Wyoming was raped in her own home and left bound in her living room. One of the men who is being charged with the crime claims to have been fulfilling a "rape fantasy" that the woman had. Ty Oliver McDowell admitted to going to her house and having sex with her, but says he thought that was what she wanted because of his email correspondence with her. Authorities say that McDowell was actually communicating with the woman's ex boyfriend who set up the assault. Days before the crime occurred, the victim had contacted authorities saying someone had posted an online ad with false information about her. Jebidiah James Stipe is the victims ex who is being charged with first-degree sexual assault for his role in this terrible crime. What about McDowell? He is being charged with with three counts of first-degree sexual assault, one count of kidnapping and one count of aggravated burglary. Now, sick as it may sound, what if McDowell is telling the truth? What if he did think he was talking directly to the woman via email and that they had discussed some kinky sexual fantasies? As wrong and uncomfortable as that may seem to some of us, there are a lot of fetishes and sexual encounters that we don't all agree with. If Stipe did pose as his ex girlfriend to put in her harms way, his intentions were nothing short of evil. McDowell could have gone into the situation truly feeling like he was a part of some twisted sex fantasy and nothing more. How do you proceed in a case like this? The evidence should allow us to see what really happened, and who is ultimately responsible. It may be proven that McDowell is a victim too. If he only thought it was a fantasy, when in fact it was a brutal attack, he may have issues to address with himself and what damage he caused the victim. The entire crime seems cruel and complicated. Were the two men working together on this? And what does the victim think? How can we prevent others from impersonating us on the Internet? In 2008, Craigslist agreed to tighten its adult services advertisements as part of an agreement with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. They now have different requirements and are working with numerous states to try and prevent some of these things from happening, or at least being able to track people who post the ads. This case shows us just how bad it can get and how horrible people can be to one another.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35272248/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

Will Elizabeth Smart Ever Receive Justice?

Elizabeth Smart was abducted and raped repeatedly while being held against her will for nine months. That was in 2002. Wanda Barzee and her husband Brian David Mitchell have been sitting in jail for over eight years awaiting trial for the crimes. Today, prosecutors dropped charges against Barzee in exchange for a guilty plea in a the kidnapping attempt of Smarts cousin. Barzee did plead guilty last fall in kidnapping and charges related to Smart, and could face thirty years in prison. She will also have to cooperate with authorities on charges against her husband. In the past, she was found incompetent to stand trial, but now, under medication and treatment, she has been found to be competent. Mental illness plays a big part in this, but it is not an excuse to commit terrible crimes. The actions that her and other sexual predators and abusers take make you wonder how any of them could be in their right mind to do the deplorable things they do to their victims. Some say Barzee was also a victim of Mitchell's but then we hear from those who knew her. Some of her own children came forward this week to talk about the abuse they endured at the hands of their own mother. Barzee seems to have a long history of treating others poorly. Elizabeth Smart has also said that she believes Barzee, as well as Mitchell, knew exactly what they were doing and deserve to pay for their crimes to the fullest extent. Hopefully during her sentencing, the judge sees to it that she gets the maximum sentence. Also, by her cooperating with officials to help the case against her husband, it will hopefully help speed up his trial and put him in his place. Smart has been waiting far too long to see her captors drag the legal process out and spend more tax dollars. When does she get to see justice prevail? When does she get to put this behind her and move on?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35298679/ns/us_news/