Editorial Announcement --- There will be no additional reports on the appearances by any Dickensian or any other kind(s) of Christmas Spirits on this blog for Christmas 2018

In spite of a suggestion to the contrary at the conclusion of my prior post,  there will be no "...  STORY FOR ANOTHER DAY.....  MAYBE AS TOLD BY 'THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS FUTURE' OR SOME OTHER GHOST ON CHRISTMAS EVE...."

If there might be any visitations by Christmas Spirits or other ghostly specters at the Vetrano household this year,  as far as this blog is concerned, that will be a private matter.

Hence, my planned "Stave I"  ---  "Stave II"  ---   "Stave III"    ---  "Stave IV"  ---  and "Stave V" will be kept in the can. for the foreseeable future.  Perhaps,  they might never see the light of day.  However, I am relatively certain  that the factual components of my projected Christmas Eve 2018 presentations will be re-worked; and they are likely to appear in due course during other feature posts involving the Vetrano murder case,  which should be penned and published by me on this site during 2019.

A ghost of Christmas Past comes back to haunt Phil Vetrano a few days before Christmas Eve

Sure, it's the Winter Solstice and not Christmas Eve,  but I'm Galewyn Massey and not Charles Dickens  ---  so the first "Christmas Spirit" to visit Phil Vetrano this year will be a little bit earlier than the conventional Dickensian Christmas Spirits 

The reason is simple  ---   this is the first anniversary of a very unfortunate Nancy Grace "Crime Stories" podcast  ---  generally unfortunate for the pseudo-investigators of the NYPD and the Queens County prosecutors trying to put a horse-collar frame around Chanel Lewis  ---  but particularly unfortunate for Phil Vetrano, whose interview segment  during this particular Nancy Grace show demonstrated that  >>>  HE MORE THAN ANYBODY ELSE NEEDED TO BE INVESTIGATED AS A PRIME SUSPECT IN ANY INVESTIGATION OF THE MURDER OF HIS DAUGHTER  ---  even if he might not be the one who is actually the individual who murdered her

The show was routine Nancy Grace hyperbolic clap-trap  ---   with Nancy's overstating the nature of almost each and every item of evidence against Chanel Lewis,  including all the DNA  and the quality and content of his video-taped confession   

However,  since the mistrial in the case against Chanel Lewis, this show is now very useful  ---  it provides us all with a roadmap as to why any rational jury might find Chanel Lewis innocent, and why the actual jury in the trial of Chanel Lewis could not find him guilty of anything  ---  quite simply, almost nothing that Nancy Grace said proved-out at the actual trial of the case

Nancy Grace started her 12/21/17 trip down "Dead End Lane" with a theory of the case that Karina Vetrano was killed during a rage-driven beating, strangulation and drowning, and rape  ---  in which any perpetrator would have come away significantly injured, and a scraped and scratched bloody mess  ---  unfortunately, almost none of that was born out by the actual medical evidence about Karina Vetrano and Chanel Lewis introduced at the real life trial

(BTW,  there might be more Dickensian-style Spirits visiting Phil on Christmas Eve this year ---  right on the traditional Dickensian schedule) 

On December 21, 2017,  Nancy Grace made it sound like the case against Chanel Lewis should be a slam dunk, easily proving the guilt of Chanel Lewis if the case ever were to go to trial.  More than that,  the twangy, overly-southern belle and overly-folksy crime show hostess went so far as to suggest that it was outrageous for Chanel Lewis to be asserting through his lawyers that he was "not guilty" of the crimes for which he had been charged,  based on all the conclusive DNA evidence and his videotaped confession.

However,  if one looks at the real evidence that did get introduced at the trial, and then compared that to what Nancy Grace and her virtual in-house criminalist, Joseph Scott Morgan, and so-called "DNA expert," George Schiro, said on her show last year,  one would have to conclude that  >>>  none of what was called the conclusive “evidence” against Chanel Lewis was anything near what Nancy Grace and her guests described as necessary and/or conclusive enough to prove Chanel Lewis' guilt of the torturous beating,  rape and murder of Karina Vetrano.

GRACE WAS 100% WRONG ABOUT WHAT WAS IN THE CHANEL LEWIS TAPED CONFESSION  ---  AND WHAT ELSE IT ALSO SHOWED ABOUT CHANEL LEWIS

Much of what Nancy Grace repeatedly stated was that Chanel Lewis' video-taped confession was full of details;  and she repeatedly recited those details, which she described as coming from his confession  --  except none of those details about the scene, the description condition of the victim's body and her clothing, the details of how he caused the victim's death, and even his description of his own injuries are even close to being correct or accurate,  based upon other definitive evidence in the case.

Also, both Nancy Grace and her criminalist guest Joseph Scott Morgan made a very strong pitch that this all occurred in the commission of a violent sex crime by Chanel Lewis.  That is something that was apparently completely rejected by the trial jury and at least one of the alternate jurors.

THE REALITY OF DNA EVIDENCE WAS MISREPRESENTED BY BOTH NANCY GRACE AND HER DNA EXPERT

Grace similarly, overstated or misstated the nature, recovery methods, handling, analysis and accuracy of the profile of the DNA obtained at the crime scene and off of the body of the victim Karina Vetrano,  as well as understating the chances of corruption of the samples, and/or the accidental or intentional secondary transfer of the DNA used to make the initial “profile” shortly after the victim's body was taken under control by the police investigators and then later turned over to the medical examiners.

THE PHIL VETRANO SEGMENT ON NANCY GRACE WAS FULL OF ADMISSIONS BY HIM

More important than any of that stuff about the "conclusive evidence" against Chanel Lewis , the 12-21-17 show included a segment of  some of Nancy Grace's recorded statements by Phil Vetrano.  

During that "interview" segment,  Phil Vetrano gave a personal timeline that put himself right into the middle of this murder case in a very unusual and suspicious way.  

Phil Vetrano said that at the time his daughter left on her run, which he said was about 5:30 PM,  she told him that she was going to run on "the trail in the weeds."  He then said he very quickly became very agitated sensing that something was wrong;  he said ".... She was only gone  twenty minutes."  He then recounted the times of his attempted cell calls to his daughter, the victim Karina Vetrano  ---  6:27; 6:28 and 6:30.  After a short chat with his wife, who had just came home, Phil Vetrano then  "went looking for her [his daughter]” by also by going out into the weeds and walking the trail where they usually ran.

During that first walk into the trails and weeds, Phil Verano said he was all alone.  This was a key ADMISSION that he went into the area where the crime was committed,  ie. "the crime scene,"  all by himself,  and this was well before he called anybody connected to the NYPD to begin their search.  As part of his ADMISSION,  he said that he walked to within about 200 feet from where he said she was ( and where HE later mysteriously found his daughter's body).  He said that he stopped there because he and his daughter had never gone farther than that.  It was only after that that he called the police.

Phil Vetrano also described in detail how later he almost miraculously found the broken body of his dead daughter  He said that he did this by going off the trail and into the”pitch black[ness]” and proceeding  about thirty or thirty-five feet into the eight foot tall weeds.  This was all after he returned to the crime scene from walking back home for some not completely-explained reason.  However,  Vetrano explained that he returned to the trails after police called him and told him that they had located his daughter's cellphone.  After seeing the spot near the trail where the phone was found and bagged by police, Phil Vetrano kept walking another fifty feet or so along the trail to a spot where the trail split and no other searchers were looking.

So, more than fifty feet away from where Karina’s cellphone was found by police, and in the opposite direction from where most of the large posse of searchers, including “bloodhounds,” were looking for her, in the darkness Vetrano plunged into the bush on one side of the path.  Once he was in the thick undergrowth about 30 to 35 feet from the trail, he was the very first person among all the searchers to happen upon his daughter's body.   He said that after finding the body at around 10:30 he knew she was dead, because he had picked her up, and he could feel that “rigor had started to set in.”  

Vetrano then described some  jostling and verbal jousting as police tried to get Karina Vetrano from her father's grip, and to secure the crime scene. Vetrano said all of that happened because he thought that his daughter needed her “Daddy to bring her home.” After that he got calls about “rumors,” so he went home.again to tell his wife what had happened.

Interestingly, the so-called NYPD investigators didn't seem interested in any of this.  What makes that even more INTERESTING is all of that should have been only one piece of an investigation of Phil Vetrano, and much of the rest of it would be necessarily based upon his very complex history and all of the possibilities that it should have suggested to real investigators.  However, I'm sure that the NYPD chiefs and psuedo-investigators on this case were among the folks that Karina Vetrano was talking about as her father's "...  many 'friends' he knows who can 'help' him..." in matters of life and death based on the overall context in her literary piece "Freud This".....

THE REAL STORY OF PHIL VETRANO IS YET TO BE TOLD

When it comes to the Vetrano Murder case, perhaps the most interesting aspect of Nancy Grace and her podcasts is the way that she and they were used to propagate the false narrative about what a great guy Phil Vetrano is.  The same is true of almost all of the other media folks that did the same thing. Certainly, that includes the local reporters for the local TV affiliates of CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox.
And of course, Phil Vetrano owes plenty of thanks to the NY Daily News and the NY Post, together with many in the local Queens press.

So far, nobody from the crowd above did a real deep dive into who Phil Vetrano really is;  and more important, all the OTHER things that he has done in his life that are completely different from what has been reported thus fair.  As a result, Phil Vetrano has been allowed to hide in plain sight; even more than that, he's been able to have more than his fifteen minutes of personal fame while being at the center of a major murder investigation.

Of course, if the full story of Phil Vetrano came out, it would be very bad for lots of people;  and everything about Karina Vetrano's murder would have to be looked at from a very different angle by both the police and the media.

BUT THAT IS A STORY FOR ANOTHER DAY.....  MAYBE AS TOLD BY "THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS FUTURE" OR SOME OTHER GHOST ON CHRISTMAS EVE

The only functioning Kings County Republican Chairman for the last ten years endorses Curtis Sliwa for Public Advocate

LAST EVENING  ---   the nominal Republican Party in Brooklyn endorsed some Queens City Council guy,  who was once called "Doogie Howser" by the prior GOP City Councilman for Southwest Queens  (HINT:  The "Queens City Council guy"  is Eric Ulrich, and of course this prior Republican City Councilman was Al Stabile;  ask Joann A-G, she should remember, because everybody there must have agreed, they laughed so hard at the time)

Well,  TODAY  ---  the leader of the real functioning Republican Party in Brooklyn, Craig Eaton,  endorsed a New York City giant, Curtis Sliwa

If you want to see the "OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT"  ---   then here it is:

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" FMR. BKLYN GOP CHAIR CRAIG EATON ENDORSES SLIWA FOR NYC PUBLIC ADVOCATE....

***** 

Eric Ulrich’s Record Proves He’s a 'Bill de Blasio Republican'....

*****

Brooklyn, NY- On the heels of former Brooklyn & Queens Congressman and Queens GOP Chair Bob Turner endorsing Curtis Sliwa for New York City Public Advocate, the immediate former chair of Brooklyn's Republican Party today added his support for the popular talk radio host and founder of the Guardian Angels.

Eaton called on New York City Republican to back Sliwa. The long-time civic leader, who was also the former NYS Republican Vice-Chair for the five boroughs said, 'I have known Curtis Sliwa for decades and like many New Yorkers, have long admired his efforts to keep our streets and subways safe. He is an independent reformer that Republicans need to embrace to grow our party and win this race in order to bring some sanity to City Hall.'

Sliwa said that Eaton's long political and civic record made his support significant in Brooklyn. 'Craig Eaton is a respected Republican leader in New York, and an outstanding civic activist who works across the political spectrum for Brooklyn. Republicans and Independents know that I will be Mayor de Blasio's worst nightmare as Public Advocate.' 

Queens Councilman Eric Ulrich has cynically attempted to portray himself as the only GOP and moderate alternative to the growing field of Democrats in the race. Eaton and Turner’s support is indicative of Sliwa’s appeal to hardworking and over-taxed outer-borough residents who are the backbone of the Republican Party.

Sliwa called Ulrich a 'Bill de Blasio Republican.'  Local GOPers have questioned how Ulrich can be an effective check on Mayor de Blasio or attack lead Democrat opponent Melissa Mark-Viverito in this race. In 2013, Ulrich famously broke a pledge with GOP City Council colleagues to vote against Viverito for Council Speaker after making a cynical backroom deal with de Blasio and the Progressive Caucus. Ultimately, Ulrich voted for her as Speaker and said Mark-Viverito was a “very fair-minded person. I think that a lot of people would try to make her out to be the bogeywoman here, to scare people or to convince them not to vote for her.”

Ulrich’s lack of Republican principles was on full public display in 2017 when he supported Bo Dietl over the party’s standard bearer for Mayor, Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis. A move, that many political observers felt simply aided the re-election campaign of Mayor de Blasio.

Sliwa said his top priority would be fighting to fix the subways, a turf he knows well since he has patrolled them for 40 years as the founder and leader of the Guardian Angels.

He also said that he would make the deplorable conditions at NYCHA a priority; calling the Housing Authority, “the biggest slum-lord in the nation.”  Sliwa cited the need to salvage the city’s ruined relationship with the Trump administration since the federal government provides 90% of the funding for public housing."

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NEWS FLASH --- BROOKLYN GOP IS ABOUT TO "MAKE MY DAY" --- IN THEIR POINTLESS EFFORT TO BAIL OUT MC CABE & ULRICH

Ulrich backers in Brooklyn are about  to infect the Brooklyn GOP with the "Ulrich brand" of Queens GOP chaos

It looks like "Chairman" Ghorra has his marching orders from the real Brooklyn GOP chairman

Why ruin a perfect record ?   KCRP Faux-chairman Ted Ghorra never gets this kind of stuff right.....

One of my BSIs reports that  >>>  Curtis Sliwa has reached out to the Brooklyn GOP's pretend "Chairman" Ted Ghorra four times,  using both email and telephone,  to seek an endorsement interview in advance of the KCRP's  pretend "Executive Committee" meeting to discuss the upcoming Public Advocate race.   So far Ghorra has completely ducked Sliwa  [Also note:  Ted Ghorra's non-response to Curtis Sliwa has changed the Ghorra-watchers' nickname for Ted from "15 Watt" to "7-and-a-half Watt"].

Everybody believes that the "KCRP ... Committee" is going to be meeting sometime this evening;  and "the question begs"  ---  "Why would the Brooklyn GOP not want to consider all candidates seeking their support ?"

 >>> Is Ghorra already in the bag for Eric Ulrich? <<<

Mr. "Chairman" (Guffaw !!!), how can this possibly be  ---  when Eric Ulrich actively opposed the Brooklyn GOP's selection for Mayor last year, Nicole Malliotakis  ---  and he has persisted in his divisive attacks upon her  ---  one as recently as last month,  when he viciously attacked her on Twitter  ---   and significantly, that was after it was clear that Malliotakis would become Brooklyn's only Republican elected official after January 1st. 

Watch what happens at any real KCRP meeting

The buzz is that, if there is any proper order and quarum of KCRP Executive Members, there will be several Republican District leaders confronting "Chairman" Ghorra as to why he is keeping them from formally hearing from Public Advocate candidate and NYC radio talk show star Curtis Sliwa.  They also intend to put  it on the record that Eric Ulrich has created chaos in the Queens GOP,  in response to which former Queens Chairman and Brooklyn/Queens Congressman Bob Turner openly endorsed Sliwa over Ulrich this past weekend.

Sliwa throws his beret into the ring --- by saying he really doesn't want the job for himself or any of the other candidates

Curtis Sliwa hopes to be seen as the "man of the people" as he talked about entering the race for public advocate in February’s special election to replace NYS Attorney General-elect Letitia James

NYC's first "Guardian Angel" openly states that his run in this Special Election for for Public Advocate is motivated by Republican candidate and City Council member for Southwest Queens Eric Ulrich's announcement of his candidacy for the same office in the same special election

  

Sliwa says that Ulrich is unfit to run for anything as a Republican endorsed candidate, because the Queens Councilman has shown terrible judgment by endorsing a "baffoon" like Bo Dietl, over Brooklyn & Staten Island Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis for the Republican nomination in last year’s mayoral election

Curtis Sliwa is described by the "Kings County Politics" blog as   ---  "....  The bold, tough-talking founder and face of the civilian vigilante group the Guardian Angels, radio personality, and perennial Reform Party candidate...".  In an exclusive interview that he gave to KCP,  the feature's lead was a discussion of Sliwa's strongly asserted position to eliminate the office for which he is likely to be running, with or without GOP support, in February  (See "Curtis Sliwa Could Be Wild Card In Public Advocate Race"  by Michael Rock,  12/13/18,  Kings County Politics  [www.kingscountypolitics.com/curtis-sliwa-could-be-wild-card-in-public-advocate-race/]).

According to KCP,  Sliwa noted that with the exception of  one past  NYC Public Advocate,  since the post was established in 1994, every one of them had used the position as a springboard to campaign for higher office using the taxpayers’ dime.  Sliwa then specifically mentioned Mayor Bill De Blasio,  Mark Green, and of course most recently, Letiticia James.

Curtis Sliwa promises to be a threat to the very office for which he will be running

“If I were to run for Public Advocate…I would take the oath of office if I won, [and then I would] fire myself, fire everyone else, and padlock the office....  You do not need a public advocate, because all they’re advocating for is themselves.”

BUT SLIWA ALSO HAS A "PLAN B"

Mr. Sliwa also made it clear that if the people voted to maintain the public advocate office in a referendum that he is proposing if elected, he would respect the will of the people.  In that case, he said he would use his position to “be Bill De Blasio’s worst nightmare”  ---   Sliwa then used the KCP article to highlight his own July 2017 arrest at Gracie Mansion while attempting to serve the mayor court papers.

The first Guardian Angel then proceeded to explain that his top priority would be the subway system. “I was birthed in the subways. For 40 years, I have been patrolling the subways with the Guardian Angels....  [a]nd that’s something the mayor disdains. Riding the subway. He’ll do it for a photo-op, but he refuses to ride the subway [for real].”  Staying on the subject of subways and other transit modalities,  Sliwa then accused Governor Andrew Cuomo of being too aloof on too many matters directly effecting NYC's residents  ---  with the decaying MTA at the top of the list.

Sliwa's [R]ock-Block Strategy

He also explained to interviewer Michael Rock that he was motivated to run by the announcement of Republican candidate and City Councilmember Eric Ulrich,  sort of as a blocking maneuver.  Sliwa indicated that he opposes Ulrich for endorsing former cop Bo Dietl, whom he referred to as a “buffoon,” over Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis for the Republican nomination in last year’s mayoral election; and Sliwa also spoke out about how Ulrich voted to approve  the left-wing radical former City Council Speaker and Democratic P.A. candidate Melissa Mark-Viverito  to be the Speaker of the NYC Council as part of a deal brokered by Mayor De Blasio.

Sliwa offers forgiveness to Ulrich if he REPENTS

However, Sliwa acknowledged that Ulrich is the only true Republican in the race and that Ulrich could be redeemed for his past mistakes if he apologized.  He then compared what Ulrich needed to go through as "the Stations of the Cross"  (possibly a reference to a ritualist practice in the Roman Catholic faith sometimes done as a penance).

Public Advocate Candidate (and CIty Council Speaker) MM-V needs to focus on New York City's and real New Yorker's needs 

As to Council Speaker Mark-Viverito, Sliwa told KCP that he respected her intelligence, passion, and dedication to her goals.   On the other hand, Sliwa said that he felt she was out of touch with the needs of real New Yorkers.  “I’ve always thought that Melissa Mark-Viverito’s heart was always in Puerto Rico. She seems to be much more attached to [that] island’s needs....   Why [does she] want to run for public advocate here?  [She]should run for Mayor San Jaun or Ponce,  or] Governor of Puerto Rico…   [The New York City Public Advocate  should] not be thinking about Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic or anywhere else...."  

By stark contrast Curtis Sliwa emphasised  ---  "We’re thinking of the five boroughs of the City of New York.”

Queens Republican City Councilman Eric Ulrich gets Staten Island support for his run for Public Advocate

Faces serious opposition from growing field of "Democrats" in "non-partisan" special election for short term fill-in for spot vacated by NYAG-Elect Letitia James ---   which field now includes:  Jumaane Williams,  Rafael Espinal, Melissa Mark-Viverito, Michael Blake and Ydanis Rodriquez

Ulrich also will have to contend with serious personal opposition to his candidacy from many fellow Republicans, some of whom look like they could bolt and support Curtis Sliwa or another "Anybody but Ulrich" Republican alternative

Of particular interest to this blog, Ulrich must deal with a growing NYPD-Queens DA Office scandal from his home borough & district  >>> there is fall-out all over him concerning his personal involvement with the failed attempt to railroad a Brooklyn black man with special needs for the murder of Karina Vetrano  ---  most of which has popped up like mushrooms since a Queens jury failed to convict the Brooklyn black man [and which at one point seemed near to a complete acquittal]  ---  all of this scandal is in Ulrich's home-borough of Queens; and particular aspects of it are in and around his backyard neighborhoods of Ozone Park and Howard Beach

The Staten Island Republicans put out an E-mail announcement yesterday that they are endorsing Ulrich's very long-shot campaign to steal the Public Advocate position for a very temporary period. 
Some are already saying that the S.I. GOP process and the announcement are tainted.  Near the top of the list of those unhappy with the announcement are many of those close to Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis

Meanwhile, the Brooklyn GOP is completely fractured over supporting or not supporting Mr. U's race.

This blog had previously tied the fiasco of the Vetrano-Lewis investigation and prosecution to prospective candidate Ulrich.....   Now, that he is clear that he IS running for Public Advocate, he should be fully vetted and his personal involvement in the attempted railroading of a possibly innocent person needs to be fully explored.

There's a lot to unpack here.  More when I get it.

.... But more than anything else, Detective Lieutenant John Russo is the "Achilles Heel" for any attempt at a retrial of Chanel Lewis

"Hero cop"  ---  AH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA !!! ---  Neighborhood vigilante and thug is more like it  ---  and  ---  pretty much a "Bully boy" -  "On the job"

THE PRESS REALLY NEEDS TO LOOK MORE CLOSELY INTO THIS GUY,  DET. LT. RUSSO ---   AND EVERYBODY NEEDS TO ASK WHY IT TOOK HIM NEARLY SIX MONTHS TO GET MORE DEEPLY INVOLVED IN THIS MURDER CASE THAN HE HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY

NYPD Detective Lieutenant John Russo testified in court in the Vetrano-Lewis case about his first encounter(s) with a man that he later fingered as the man guilty of the murder of  Karina Vetrano.   Russo said that his recollections from his May 30 & 31,  2016 encounters with Chanel Lewis were that:   he saw an "out of place'' man wearing 'long sleeves' and his "hood up in warm weather";  that  "[a]fter several minutes of watching, [he] believed [Chanel Lewis] was about to commit or had previously committed a burglary... so [Russo said he] called 911 and reported a suspicious a male....." ; all told, Russo testified the he had been watching Chanel Lewis' unusual behavior for nearly an hour on that first day;  and that on the following day, Russo tracked Lewis down in the same area and called detectives to question him.       

      Hmmmmm !!!    "[O]ut of place"  ---   "... believed he was about to commit or had previously committed a burglary..."  ---   what a neighborhood watcher that John Russo was at the end of May 2016  ---  a regular "Black Knight"..... If only it had ended there;  however, surely, it did not.

        

      All of that was reported in a very good compilation by the Daily Mail about the Vetrano-Lewis trial  (See "High-ranking NYPD cop who cracked the Queens jogger case recalls his dramatic first encounter with the man who brutally 'raped and strangled' Karina Vetrano"  by Jessica Schroeder & Snejana Farberov,  11/9/18 [updated 11/12/18],  Daily Mail/ Dailymail.com  [https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6370655/NYPD-officer-cracked-Queens-jogger-case-testifies-court.html]).

      That very same Daily Mail report stated that  "[Chanel Lewis'] dramatic arrest came eight months later during [an] investigation in[to] the killing of Karina Vetrano, who was murdered in the same area Russ[o]l had his encounter with Lewis....  Russo ordered detectives to track him down, and they ultimately found DNA from [Chanel Lewis'] home that matched the DNA at the crime scene...."

      That sort of begs two questions:  how was it that an "off duty" and "volunteer"  Det. Lieut. John Russo could "order" detectives to do anything;  and why did it take him all of six months into the Vetrano murder investigation to throw his substantial NYPD weight around.

,

Coming soon to a blog near you --- Curtis Sliwa --- is he the right guy to help begin the GOP comeback ???

I have been promised and exclusive telephone interview.....

Maybe, I'll ask for an autographed red beret.....

Seriously,  the conversation will be about an up-coming "Special" for the NYC Public Advocate's slot;  and a certain angelic somebody's progress lining up some significant GOP support

One of my BSIs has teased me;  so I decided to tease you.....

New York Times article just put a fork in the case against Chanel Lewis for the Howard Beach murder of Karina Vetrano

SLOWLY THE MEDIA IS COMING AROUND ON THIS STORY  ---  THE NY TIMES SHOWS THAT IT GETS IT --- THE CASE AGAINST CHANEL LEWIS JUST GOT VERY HARD FOR PROSECUTORS TO PUSH FORWARD AND GET A CONVICTION AGAINST THIS DEFENDANT


It looks like this case might get significantly more critical scrutiny from the press on the second go round  ---  remember, this article by the Times is just a start in that direction


What the NY Times said today is that the jury in the Karina Vetrano murder case  against Chanel Lewis looked very closely at the circumstances surrounding the confession by Chanel Lewis and at least some of the jurors were sceptical about the NYPD handling of purported DNA samples found at the crime scene  ---   AND PERHAPS OF OVERWHELMING SIGNIFICANCE  ---  this jury completely rejected the prosecution's main theory of the case against Chanel Lewis  ---  THAT THE DEATH OF  KARINA VETRANO OCCURRED IN A COMBINED SEXUAL ASSAULT  AND HOMICIDE by Lewis

Today's New York Times article by Jan Ransom [posted on line yesterday] highlighted some of the inconsistencies in the evidence that the jurors actually focused upon during their deliberations prior to the trial judge's granting the >>> Defense's <<<  motion for a mistrial in the case against their client (See "The Murder Case Seemed Solid. Why the Jurors Still Would Not Convict" by Jan Ransom, 12/5/18, NY Times/ New York
[https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/05/nyregion/queens-jogger-trial.html]).

EVEN THOUGH THE ARTICLE IN TODAY'S TIMES LOOKS LIKE IT'S ABOUT WHAT THE JURY DID  (AND THAT CERTAINLY WAS DISCUSSED)  ---  JAN RANSOM'S REPORT IN THE NY TIMES PRETTY MUCH FINISHED-OFF ANY CHANCE OF CONVICTING CHANEL LEWIS

According to Ms Ransom's article,  one of the key concerns considered by the jury in the Howard Beach murder case was why so many police officers had handled the crime scene DNA samples before they had been turned over to the lab for testing and analysis. Another area of concern was the long period of confinement of Chanel Lewis with the only human contact being with police and prosecutors prior to his making his "confession." The jurors noted Chanel Lewis' obvious confusion, which in many ways showed no actual knowledge of the facts of the crime, but did seem like his attempt to closely track what the police believe happened.

The defense now knows where to steer any future jury's attention  ---  and  ---  these weaknesses in the case against Chanel Lewis will not go away between now and anytime early in 2019, when the Queens DA's Office said the re-trial will occur.

A very interesting item mentioned in the Times piece was that "crime scene photos" had been "downloaded" onto Chanel Lewis' cell phone  ---  think about that.....

All the candidates that just won't go away..... Or is it the 2017 City Council race that just won't go away ???

Let's agree that Justin Brannan won his primary against "the Reverend" Khader El-Yateem and some others  ---  and then Brannan went on to defeat the GOP candidate John Quaglione  ---  who had himself won a Republican primary against the likes of Bob Capano, Liam McCabe and Lucretia Regina-Potter

Everybody above, except Brannan, should have exhausted their fifteen minutes of fame long ago  ---  but this bunch needs to be renamed in line with one of the more recent "living dead" movies or cable TV serials

And now another precinct is about to be heard from  ---  on Sunday at the Alpine movie theater there will be a screening of a documentary about the 2017 City Council run by "the Reverend" Khader El-Yateem and the Democratic political club he left behind, which appears to be now claiming some of the credit for the defeats of Republicans Marty Golden and Dan Donovan

More when I get it.....

What about all of the >>> OTHER NON-CHANEL LEWIS CRIME SCENE DNA <<< in the VETRANO CASE ???

UP FRONT  >>> THERE AIN'T NO FINGERNAIL DNA MATCH TO CHANEL LEWIS <<< THAT HAS ANY EVIDENTIARY VALUE IN THE VETRANO CASE  ---  Chief of Detectives David Boyce, the Queens DA's Office and the multiple statements by the Vetrano family have flat out LIED about that  ---  The DA's Office has lied about it both to the press and at trial  

The ME's expert witness fudged her testimony to cover up the weaknesses of her fingernail DNA "evidence,"  which were well-known to her at the time  ---  including the fact that the ME's Office was discontinuing the specific test used to come up with her "fingernail DNA" testimony, because it was controversial and unreliable

The prosecution has acknowledged that there was fresh DNA on other objects in the crime scene belonging to an individual whose identity is known but has not been disclosed

And of course, one has to assume that both the crime scene and the the victim's body was loaded with the DNA of Phil Vetrano, Karina Vetrano's dad, who had been allowed to participate in altogether too much of the investigation, preparation, and prosecution of this case for somebody that should  have been a prime suspect in the early stages 

According to a November 2017 Daily Beast article,   "....  While the medical examiner declared that Lewis’ DNA matched what was found on Vetrano’s cellphone and on her back, they do not state they found a match under Vetrano’s fingernails, contrary to statements made by the NYPD....   Instead, the medical examiner suggests that Lewis’ DNA may be present under Vetrano’s fingernails based on the Forensic Statistical Tool analysis, a controversial testing method used when a mixture of DNA samples are present. Forensic experts have criticized the method, and it was discontinued by the medical examiner’s office this year [emphasis mine]...."  (See  "He Confessed to Karina Vetrano’s Murder. But Did He Do It?" by  Max Rivlin-Nader,  11/29/17,  Daily Beast  [www.thedailybeast.com/he-confessed-to-karina-vetranos-murder-but-did-he-do-it]).

However, there was some rather clear DNA evidence that was found and matched to any individual.  According to the Daily Beast article mentioned above,  "....  [A] second DNA match was found at the crime scene on an Arizona fruit punch bottle, according to the documents. Like Lewis’ DNA allegedly found on Vetrano’s back and cellphone, this wasn’t a mixture. The identity of this second match has been redacted...."  Also at the time this Daily Beast article was written,  the NYPD and the Queens DA's office were withholding much of the DNA data discovered in the case from the defense team.  “....  'The DA’s position is that none of the DNA found matched anyone at the [Vetrano} crime scene, so [the Chanel Lewis Defense Team is]  not entitled to see it,' said Jenny Cheung, one of Lewis’ Legal Aid lawyers, referring to the DA’s refusal to hand over the full results of the 163 other DNA tests, as well as Lewis’ full DNA profile...."

By the time of the trial of Chanel Lewis more of the DNA reports were turned over to the defense's DNA team.  Prior to the trail,  several lawyers on the defense team had repeatedly stated that the victim's father Phil Vetrano "contaminated" the crime scene,  however it is not clear if the NYPD and/or the Queens DA have turned over any of the DNA data that would tie Phil Vetrano to this crime scene,  hence to the crime of his daughter's murder.

After the Public Advocate Follies --- THE BIG WINNER IS --- John Quaglione

In the upcoming race to run the Brooklyn GOP going forward from 2019,  John Quaglione seems to have taken the lead, because he had the good sense to sit back and do nothing.....

Trying to make something happen politically right after an election is harder than trying to push string in a straight line

Both Liam McCabe and Bob Capano decided it would be a good idea to schedule competing events involving some once and future NYC Public Advocate candidates.....  Meanwhile, visions of sugar plums danced in John Quaglione's head, which is most of what he does since his world came smashing down earlier in November

After the smoke had cleared;  and much more was said than done last week;  the winner was John Q.

The jury in the Vetrano case looked like it was almost ready to acquit the defendant Chanel Lewis

If the interviews with the jurors that appeared in the NY Post are an accurate snapshot of the Vetrano Case jury,  these good and true citizens of Queens were already in agreement that Defendant Chanel Lewis was NOT GUILTY of one of the major charges  ---  and a clear majority of that jury had even voted to acquit Chanel Lewis of the charge of murder

Taken as a whole, this article makes it clear that this Queens jury had rejected much of the prosecution's theory of the case, as well as much of the tendered evidence,  including testimony by a superstar, hero cop, and even what some consider to have been compelling DNA evidence presented by the NYC ME's top DNA expert

Oddly, the New York Post article not only buried any lead that this jury was leaning toward an acquittal, it hardly gave any credence or quantum of credit to that possibility whatsoever....   Boy, that really does look like some real editorial overreach by a paper obviously lookin' for a hangin'  (See "Jurors on Karina Vetrano case wanted more time to deliberate" by Priscilla DeGregory, Georgett Roberts  & Lia Eustachewich,  11/21/18,  NY Post/  Metro  [nypost.com/2018/11/21/jurors-on-karina-vetrano-case-wanted-more-time-to-deliberate/]).

Something else comes through in this particular NY Post article, and it's as clear as corillion  bells on Easter morning.  ---  The trial judge,  Justice Michael Aloise,  disliked something about this case so intensely that he singled himself out to take the heat,  and he put a fork in it, post haste.....

Let's start at the front end of the Karina Vetrano Case --- what the timeline shows

First, Detective  Lieutenant John Russo singles out Chanel Lewis,  because he was a black man hanging around Howard Beach wearing clothes that seemed too heavy for the season  ---  he made sure that the local police took down Lewis' name and address, so they would have a record of his having a history of being in Howard Beach if anything happened in the future [this was months before Karina Vetrano's murder]

A day or two later, somebody in Howard Beach made a 911 call to report that a "Chanel Lewis" was behind one of the houses in Howard Beach with a crowbar [again, months before the Karina Vetrano murder]  ---  after local police interrogated Mr. Lewis to give an account of his comings and goings,  they took him to Far Rockaway, which is very far from Chanel Lewis' home in Brooklyn, and the police left him there alone

On the night that Karina Vetrano went missing, only a few hours after she had left to go running, her father, Philip Vetrano called a neighbor, who has been described by a police official as a "Chief" in the NYPD, to tell him that his daughter had recently gone missing and that Vetrano was putting together a search party to look for her. Even though she was only missing for a few hours,  the police sent detectives and a helicopter to aid Vetrano in his search

In spite of all the help, Vetrano found his daughter's murdered body all by himself. It was described as being near a marsh pool about fifteen feet off of the running/walking path in the Spring Creek Park section of the Gateway preserve  ---  a spot that has been described as hard to find in newspaper accounts

For about six months the regular efforts by the NYPD to follow-up on every lead resulted in no progress in locating Karina Vetrano's killer

It was then, six months into the murder investigation, that another Howard Beach neighbor of Mr. Vetrano,  Det. Lieut. John Russo  >>>  REMEMBERED <<<  Chanel Lewis, and Russo told investigators to look at him as a suspect in the Karina Vetrano case.  After a couple of days investigating and questioning Mr. Lewis,  with his full voluntary cooperation, along with that of his family, NYPD detectives had discovered and taken possession of  ALL THE EVIDENCE that they would need to charge Lewis for the Vetrano murder,  and to present at trial against him, including the very problematic DNA samples 

Here's an interesting tid-bit;  Det.Lieut. John Russo is the Chief of Detectives'  liaison to local detective squads.  His colleagues also say that he is an expert on NYPD  >>> procedures <<<

Russo might or might not be a great artist as a detective,  but he sure looks like he is one master framer.....

Some things somebody needs to ask McCabe's guy Ulrich..... After all, this scandal is on his patch.....

Can you get good police work from bad cops ?  ---  OR  ---  Was this just another attempt to railroad a minority defendant involving bad NYPD detective work ???  ---  OR  ---  IS SOMETHING BIGGER GOING ON ?????

Last week,  a case against a problematic defendant in a Howard Beach murder case was bounced by a Queens Judge  ---  because the case, supposedly  “broke by a hero cop,”  actually stunk to high heaven and the jury couldn’t get itself together enough to convict or acquit  

So,  what does the local City Councilman for Howard Beach and surrounding neighborhoods have to say about that ?????

This blog has jumped on bad prosecutions for years  ---  usually focusing on the dirty prosecutors, people like Marty Golden-Mike Long buddy Charles Hynes  ---  this time it looks like the weak link is a pretty high up NYPD detective,  who many including the Mayor of the City of New York have called a “hero cop”…..  Strangely, on this case, this "Fearless Fosdick" did all his detecting as a free-lancer and off-the-books  ---  and for fun and profit,  he helped round-up one of them "likely suspects"

THE KARINA VETRANO CASE IS SPECIAL  ---  BECAUSE EVERYTHING ABOUT IT IS ESPECIALLY BAD.....

The man up to now charged with this murder is a black guy named Chanel Lewis;  and you are almost as likely to have killed Karina Vetrano as he is.

Last week a Queens Judge granted a defense motion for a mistrial after the jury in the case against Chanel Lewis said they were deadlocked after only a couple of days of deliberation.  The judge's actions at this stage of proceedings was unusual and he seemed to be sending somebody a message. he didn't even formally instruct the jury to try harder to reach a verdict.....  Many court watchers were surprised, some were even shocked.  The New York Post was especially NOT AMUSED;  but, this time,  they have it all wrong.

The real villain in the piece isn't Chanel Lewis,  it is an Detective Lieutenant  named  John Russo.....
Now, he is an interesting character, and he has some obvious reasons for taking a special off-the-books interest i this case  ---  however, I think that the real nefarious stuff might not be nearly so obvious.  (I will leave the things about Det. Lt. Russo remain at the teaser level for now.....  I've done teasers like this before, so you know something bigger and more substantial is coming.....)

THIS POST IS BEING PUBLISHED AT THIS TIME BECAUSE OF ERIC ULRICH'S APPEARANCE IN OUR PART OF THE WORLD

The reason for this blog posting at this time is to alert somebody to ask Liam  McCabe's friend Mr. Eric what he thinks about this case and all of the stuff surrounding it.  After all isn't he talking about being a "Public Advocate"  ---  well, let's see how he intends to advocate about the murder of Karina Vetrano.  He should know all about it and have lots of opinions  ---  in fact, we already know that he did quite some time ago.....

When Chanel Lewis was first arrested, it's clear that Eric wanted to rush to judgment.  According to a print report by "QNS.COM":   "....   'With the arrest of Chanel Lewis, a suspect in custody in connection with the gruesome murder of Karina Vetrano, hopefully the Vetrano family can begin to have closure and the entire community can breath a sigh of relief,'  Councilman Eric Ulrich said. 'I commend the NYPD officers who worked the case and the office of the Queens District Attorney for their tireless efforts identifying and arresting this individual. Justice will be served.'...”   ( See,  " 'He’s a demon!’ Reaction to arrest in Karina Vetrano case ranges from vengeful to relieved"  by Robert Pozarycki,  2/6/17,  QNS.com   [https://qns.com/story/2017/02/06/hes-demon-reaction-arrest-karina-vetrano-case-ranges-vengeful-relieved/]).

Eric have you thought about this case since the mistrial ?   And what do you think ???

Re-post of: Will Dirty DA Hynes Legacy Help Pelosi to Return in January as Speaker of the House ???

The following post originally appeared at [http://galewynmassey.blogspot.com/2018/11/will-dirty-da-hynes-legacy-cause-pelosi.html] on November 16th;  however the gremlins made it completely disappear

It has been reprinted here in much of it's earlier glory:

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Friday, November 16, 2018

Will Dirty DA Hynes Legacy Help Pelosi to Return in January as Speaker of the House ???

Democrat Kathleen Rice, the Long Island Congresswoman, is one of a hand-full of Members of Congress that have come out publicly against the return of Democrat Nancy Pelosi as Speaker  ---  BUT  ---  According to "The Hill," Rice also has been mentioned as a possible opponent to run for the top spot against the venerable former speaker and current Minority Leader

Needless to say,  this will put Ms. Rice's less than spotless record under a microscope 

During her years in Brooklyn,  ADA Rice was close to DA Hynes, and top ADAs Vecchione and Amoroso, and she worked on cases with Detective-Investigator Scarcella  ---  Later on, when she ran for public office, her problem files in the Brooklyn DA's Office were "scrubbed"

This blog has looked at Kathleen Rice closely in the past in connection with her time working under Brooklyn DA Charlie Joe Hynes.  And based on that old research,  one wonders how the emerging and very progressive Democrat majority in the House could possibly get behind a "Kathleen Rice" for anything, much less as Speaker.....  (See "GOP Congressional Candidate Bruce Blakeman needs to Tie former Brooklyn ADA Kathleen Rice into more than Nassau DA's problems as Moreland Commission Co-chair 'Assisting' Investigators" by Galewyn Massey,  8/4/14  [on this blog below 4+ years ago][https://galewynmassey.blogspot.com/2014/08/gop-congressional-candidate-bruce.html]).

Kathleen Rice was known to be close to, even the protege of,  some of DA Hynes' most nefarious and infamous henchmen, specifically:  Michael Vecchione;  Dino Amoroso and even the very problematic detective-investigator Louis J. Scarcella.  Needless to say, that would mean she had involvements with many of the Hynes' office's bad cases. She was the lead prosecutor in one particularly dirty Hynes prosecution, the "persecution" of one,  Antoine Butts.  This one was so bad that,  once his conviction had been overturned, it cost the City millions of dollars to settle his case for damages.

Of course, many have mentioned the obvious racial component of so many of the Hynes' office's bad prosecutions.  However, nobody has asked how so many of Hynes' top people, like Rice,  stayed in the Brooklyn DA's office when it became known to them that Brooklyn DA Hynes had such a very close personal association with the Breezy Point Cooperative in Queens,  during an era when that lilly-white enclave was widely viewed as a racially and religiously segregated community within the boundaries of New York City.

Oddly,  it might be something else that Rice did, or actually didn't do, during much of her time as an ADA for Hynes that will be her ultimate undoing.   VOTING  ---  or should I say  "NOT VOTING".....  Initially,  Rice registered as a Republican like her parents,  but she figured that this might interfere with her progress in an office run very politically by Hynes.  So what did Kathleen do, she let her voter registration lapse by  >>> not voting <<<  for eighteen years (18 yrs.).....   In openly admitting to that fact,  Rice added that she only re-registered when she started thinking about running for elective office.  As a result, anybody digging into Kathleen Rice's history could easily argue that  >>> she only votes when something is in it for her. 

To many reading this, it might seem that all of that doesn't add up to very much,  however that is only what I know.  Wait until Palosi's bloodhounds drop this on some of their friends in the national press,  then you'll see how it adds up pretty quickly,  especially when they find even more tidbits from her days working for Hynes.

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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gail, did you put any of this stuff on Wikipedia, or did you get it from there?

November 16, 2018 at 7:05 AM

Anonymous said...

Hynes & Golden were such a jolly couple. Press conferences together, fundraisers together. And eventually the voters had enough so they both got tossed out. But not together.

November 16, 2018 at 8:17 AM

Anonymous said...

Long and Kassar convinced Hynes he could hang on as Brooklyn DA by running on conservative line. They convinced Marty to get a recount and were there for the end of Donovan. These guys are the election night Grim reapers for everyone except Grimm.

November 16, 2018 at 8:37 AM

Anonymous said...

Artie Lange returns. Save the material 8;37 the Louie CK warm up show.

November 16, 2018 at 9:27 AM