Police Release “Two New Photos” in Ongoing Search for Lauren Spierer

Bloomington police released two photos today hoping to get tips from the public into the disappearance of Indiana University sophomore, Lauren Spierer, who went missing June 3.


The first image is of a white four-door Chevrolet Silverado or Colorado short-bed truck. The truck was first recorded by a surveillance camera at 4:14 a.m., on June 3, traveling westbound on 10th Avenue toward Morton Street, where it ran a stop sign and headed north on Morton, toward the building where Spierer last visited (Jay Rosenbaum’s apartment). At 4:24 a.m., the vehicle is seen again on video traveling west on 10th toward Morton.


“We’re talking a very close proximity to the location Lauren was last seen [at 11th and College],” said Bloomington Police Captain Joseph Qualters during today’s media briefing.


Police also released a photo of Lauren as she headed out for the evening on June 2, which was captured by Smallwood Plaza surveillance. She was wearing a white V-neck shirt with butterfly sleeves to the elbows and black leggings with zippers near the ankles.

Police have received nearly 1,000 tips in the case, more than 350 of which came from an episode of "America's Most Wanted" that aired Saturday.

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Police Acknowledge “Rumors” That Missing IU Student May Have OD’d

For the first time since Indiana University Sophomore, Lauren Spierer [20], went missing, police have acknowledged that they have received information that Spierer may have overdosed on cocaine and that the student or students who were with her panicked and disposed of her body.

Bloomington Police Captain Joseph Qualters was asked by a reporter about these “rumors” this morning at a media conference. “Have we heard information along those lines? Absolutely,” Qualters responded. Qualters did say, however, that detectives have not ruled that, or any other possibility, out in their investigation into the Spierers’ disappearance.


Shortly after midnight on the morning of June 3rd Lauren Spierer was looking for someone to accompany her to the bar. Investigators believe fellow student, Corey Rossman (who lives at 5 North Townhomes), accompanied Spierer to Kilroy’s Sports Bar where she left behind her shoes and cell phone.

Spierer and Rossman left the bar that morning and returned to her off-campus apartment building, where a group of friends of Spierer’s boyfriend, Jesse Wolff, confronted him—and were apparently angry seeing him and Spierer together at her apartment. Rossman says it was at that time that he was punched in the face during a confrontation in the 5th floor elevator lobby of Spierer’s apartment building at approximately 2:45 a.m. Rossman’s attorney told Fox59 News that his client has no memory of the fight but was told that Spierer walked him home and turned him over to his roommate Mike Beth.

Salzmann said Beth claims that he put Rossman to bed while Spierer asked him if he wanted to party. Salzmann said when Beth balked, Spierer left Rossman’s apartment to visit Jay Rosenbaum, a mutual friend and fellow student, two doors down.

Rosenbaum reportedly told police Spierer left at approximately 4:30 a.m. to walk home and he last saw her near 11th Street and College Avenue, rounding a corner toward her building. Police said they have no video evidence of that.

“Obviously there are a lot of friends and associates of Lauren who will be able to provide us with information,” said Qualters. “We have an indication that the individuals who are not available will make themselves available to us (in the coming week) and we're encouraged by that."


Rossman, Beth, Rosenbaum, and Spierer’s boyfriend, Jesse Wolff, are all believed to be persons of interest, even though Wolff is reported to have spent the evening watching basketball and unsuccessfully attempting to reach Spierer.

Rosenbaum is represented by noted Indianapolis defense attorney James Voyles, and Wolff is being represented by Bloomington attorney Larry Lozano. Rossman and Beth have both provided DNA samples to Bloomington police.

Confronted outside their apartment Sunday, Corey Rossman and Mike Beth denied their identities to Fox59 News, and then complained that media coverage of the investigation was ruining their life. Rossman complained that while his vehicle was parked in a public parking that Fox59 News was violating his privacy and Beth threatened to call Bloomington police. Rossman then drove away.

Qualters also said today that they have video of one or two cars in the vicinity that they are interested in tracking down. They are seeking to enhance the video and may release photos to the public, hoping to speak with the driver or drivers in case they have information that can aid the investigation. The street, which he did not identify, is “not heavily traveled,” Qualters said. Police are not describing the car or cars in question at this time, saying they do not want be inundated with false leads.

Meanwhile, Lauren’s father, Robert Spierer, reiterated a $100,000 reward for information leading to the location of his daughter. Investigators also indicated they had received upwards of 40 tips Saturday night after Lauren's case was profiled on the Fox program “America’s Most Wanted.”

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Knox in News: Seattle Judge Calls on Obama

Judge Mike Heavey Sr, is back in the news today. You know, the Seattle judge seen here at the home of the Knox family; the one who made the ridiculously erroneous statement, that Amanda Knox “was interrogated for almost two days without food or water,” at which time “she told officials what they wanted to hear." Apparently the Knox family was not eager to correct the good Judge and his ill-attempt at accurately presenting the facts. Apparently Judge Heavey is a neighbor of the Knox’s and his oldest daughter was a high school classmate of Amanda’s.

In any event, the King County Superior Court Judge, in his “capacity as a private citizen,” has written a letter to President Barack Obama, calling for him to launch an executive inquiry into the State Department’s entire handling of the Knox case. Judge Heavey’s letter to Obama cites seven violations of Knox’s rights under Italian law that he says “should have set off alarms at the Embassy in Rome” since the earliest days of her arrest and incarceration; yet Heavey says consular officials did nothing.

Heavey wrote to Obama that the “profoundly unjust process” has had a detrimental effect on U.S.-Italian relations. What the judge fails to point out is that it is fallacious statements, like the one he made in the first paragraph above; or CNN’s special Murder Abroad: The Amanda Knox Story; ABC’s piece on Knox (on 20/20)—that have caused a spike in anti-Italianism in America.


However, the Amanda Knox saga has not affected our relations with Italy, politically speaking. Obama and Italy’s Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, ham it up in the pic above. Italy and the U.S. are still NATO supporters, and just a couple of months ago (in a continuing effort) representatives from both countries met in Washington to discuss the possibility of arming rebels in the fight against Muammar Qaddafi.

The United States and Italy cooperate closely on major economic issues. Moreover, according to a July 2009 statement from David H. Thorne, the United States Ambassador to Italy (appointed by President Obama), “The relationship between Italy and the United States has a long and rich history that dates back to the arrival of the first Italian immigrants on these shores in the 1800s—I am living proof of the close ties between Italians and Americans…Italy has been an important and steadfast friend and supporter of many of our foreign policy goals, both bilaterally and globally.” I think you get the picture.

Again, in the letter, Judge Heavey points out what he believes are seven violations of Knox’s rights under Italian law.

In #1 he asserts that the night Amanda was arrested, she was denied food and water and police “cuffed on the back of her head.” This is a claim that Knox made and is the reason why she is currently on trial for slander—as well as are her parents. Judge Heavey has no way of proving that Amanda was hit by police, and this “allegedly cuffing” should in no way be used as a fact, as the judge is using it.

In #3 he cites Italian law as stating that every interrogation must be recorded and Amanda’s was not. This is a valid point; although, the interrogation was not admissible in court. So, are we to throw out the trial based on this, even though it was not used in court? Judge Heavey knows better.

In #4 he proclaims that during her questioning/arrest, Amanda “was not allowed to have an interpreter to assist her in understanding the questions put to her, the charges against her, or anything else.” There was an interpreter at that interrogation, Anna Donnino, and she testified during the trial. Moreover, Amanda herself testified to the presence of Anna as the interpreter during that interrogation.


So, what does the judge expect to accomplish from this letter? Does he expect to have Obama and his men call Italy and say, “Stop the trial, this farce has gone far enough, we are the United States, after all?” I don’t think so. In my opinion, this letter was written just for effect—as a way to gain more supporters for Amanda’s cause and to add another voice (albeit being a judge at least looks like a legitimate one) to the already overhyped Knox PR campaign. Surely he knows that this letter does nothing to warrant any U.S. intrusion into the case, particularly at this point in time.

Nonetheless, Judge Heavey was charged on 8 June 2010 by the state Commission on Judicial Conduct, (CJC) for speaking out in support of Amanda Knox, according to the West Seattle Herald. Judge Heavey is charged for having used court time, materials, and employees to draw up those letters. He wrote three letters to the prosecutors and a judge in that case in Perugia on County letterhead in 2008 while Knox was in prison awaiting trial.

New Fears of Possible Serial Killer in Bergen County

Back in 2010, I wrote an article asking, “Is There a Serial Killer in Bergen County” after two women—Joan Davis [72] (Teaneck) and Dolores Alliotts [69] (Palisades Park)—were killed in similar fashion; both were stabbed repeatedly and set on fire in their Bergen County homes.

The talk of a possible linkage between these crimes had since subsided; that was until 7 March 2011, when 59-year-old software engineer, Robert Cantor, was found dead in his Elm Avenue home in Teaneck, NJ. An autopsy performed by the county medical examiner revealed that he “was killed by suffering a gunshot wound prior to the fire being set,” Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli said in a release the next day.

Firefighters discovered Cantor’s body in the basement of his two-story home, after battling the three-alarm fire just after midnight.

Molinelli has previously said that the Davis and Alliotts murders are unconnected and both investigations are ongoing.


On 21 March 2011, Prosecutor Molinelli made a public statement asserting that the murders of two Teaneck residents over the last several months are not linked and there is no ongoing threat to the community. His comments came just before a closed-door meeting with the town’s community relations advisory board. In the meeting, Prosecutor Molinelli briefed the community board on the Davis investigation at the request of state Sen. Loretta Weinberg. The meeting was not public and reporters were not allowed to attend.

Additionally, Prosecutor Molinelli said, “If authorities believed there was any ongoing threat to Teaneck residents—including a possible serial killer—[they] would have alerted the public immediately.” He declined to release additional details of the crimes, citing the ongoing investigation.

Mayor Mohammed Hameeduddin, the town council’s liaison to the board, said “the Davis case has not gone cold,” and Molinelli characterized the Davis case as an “aggressive investigation” and said investigators were confident the Cantor murder would be solved.


In regard the stab wounds as opposed to the gun shot wounds there are a couple of things. First, we must remember that the two that were stabbed were elderly women, which makes them easier for the assailant to overpower. Mr. Cantor was a male, and was shot before the fire was set. It’s possible to theorize that the assailant may have used a gun because the assailant was unsure if he/she could overpower Mr. Cantor. Secondly, serial killers do not always kill their victims the same exact way. For instance, The Grim Sleeper usually shot his victims, but two were strangled with no gun involved. The Boston Strangler is another example; no one single factor regarding the type of victim could be deemed essential in his selection process; although he seemed to prefer hands on means of killing, he could also use a knife.

So, are we looking at copy-cat killings; killings that are completely unrelated and mere coincidence; are new killers learning from other killers and setting fires to hide evidence; or is this the work of one person? These questions have yet to be answered, and the more bodies that keep showing up in this manner, the more people are going to fear the worst.

Prosecutor Molinelli is asking for anyone with information about why Cantor was killed and by whom to contact Teaneck police (201-837-2600) or the Major Crimes Unit of his office (201-226-5500).

The Search Intensifies for Missing IU Student

Indiana University Sophomore, Lauren Spierer [20], went to Kilroy’s Sports Bar in Bloomington, IN, last Thursday night/early Friday morning (6/3/11) and has been missing ever since. Surveillance video at the bar shows Lauren drinking with a bunch of friends, and then leaving the bar with no shoes and without her cell phone at about 2:30a.m. Lauren then returned to her apartment building about a block away.

A search warrant was served to the Smallwood Plaza Apartments—where Lauren lives—at around 8:00p.m., Monday night. Oddly enough, even though the police had a search warrant handy, no one in charge at the apartment complex was willing to open the security room for them. So, police used a battering ram to brake down the security room door, where they removed three computers used to record and store information from the security cameras that record the surveillance video outside the complex.


Police say that they do have surveillance video from Lauren’s apartment showing her entering and leaving her apartment around 2:40a.m., on the morning of her disappearance. Police are searching the remainder of the surveillance footage to see if there is any other video of Lauren after that 2:40a.m., departure time. Lauren was with a friend at the time. After leaving Lauren’s apartment, Lauren and her friend headed 3 blocks north to another friends apartment. Lauren left there at 4:30a.m., and hasn’t been seen since. She was wearing black leggings, a white shirt, and no shoes.

Her purse was found in the dirt-riddled alley way that connects her apartment to her friends place. It is not known whether the purse was left there before she went to the friend’s place or after she left, according to Lt. Bill Parker, who supervises the investigation division in the Bloomington Police Department. “We believe the chance that there was foul play is very great because if not Lauren would have made contact by now,” Parker also said. Police have spoken to all of the friends that Lauren was with that night, they even searched the cars of her friends, and they have found nothing. Some credit cards were also missing from Lauren’s purse; a check has been made and none of the cards have been used as of yet. Her keys were also found on a railing near her apartment in downtown Bloomington.


Lauren’s parents, Charlene and Robert Spierer, held a press conference yesterday asking for people to continue praying for Lauren’s safe return and calling for anyone who has any information to come forward. “If anyone saw Lauren on Thursday night with anyone, please share that information with Bloomington police,” her father Robert said. “It doesn’t matter how casual the sighting was; we need to know when you saw her; where you saw her; every little piece of information we get is important.”

Hundreds of people have since converged on Bloomington to help in the search. Police, and volunteers, have canvassed the entire downtown area and they are sending more squads out a bit further, but as of now there is no specific area that police are asking people to search. Police also announced that the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children have assigned a field officer to assist with the volunteer searches.

Social media outlets, such as Twitter and Facebook, are being used by many to help locate Lauren. The hashtag (#FindLauren) has been a top trending topic in recent days on Twitter.

Meanwhile, today on Twitter Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay pledged a $10,000 reward for “serious info that SOLVES Lauren’s Missing Persons…Contact Bloomy Police!!!!!”

Lauren Spierer is a white female who is 4-feet-11-inches tall, a slender build, with blue eyes and blond hair. She was last wearing a white tank top with a light-colored shirt over it and black stretch pants. Police are asking those who have any information on Lauren’s whereabouts to call or send an anonymous email or letter:

Bloomington Police
220 E Third St
Bloomington IN 47404
812-339-4477
police@bloomington.in.gov

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Amityville Survivor Speaks!

Christopher John Quaratino [43], formerly known as Christopher Lutz, (one of the REAL children of George and Kathy Lutz, the protagonists of The Amityville Horror movie) has confirmed the haunting and is taking a stand-- challenging the makers of the new Amityville Horror movie!

In a rare comment from Quaratino, he said:

“George Lutz, brought the troubles on himself (and our family) by dabbling in the occult, it wasn’t just the House that was the problem. That’s why it followed us.”

Bob Weinstein in his joint deal with Miramax and Dimension announced at Cannes film festival that his company is moving forward with its new movie “The Amityville Horror: The Lost Tapes,” to be released in theaters 27 January 2012. Jason Blum who produced the “Paranormal Activity” films, which have grossed close to $400 million worldwide, is set to produce. Blum is quoted by Variety as saying, “I'm thrilled to be working with Bob to reinvent one of the all-time great horror franchises, and I think this new installment will really hit home with a new generation of moviegoers.”

In a recent comment Weinstein said, “We are thrilled to return to the mythology of the Amityville Horror with a new and terrifying vision that will satisfy our existing fans and also introduce an entirely new audience to this popular haunting phenomenon.”

In response to the films announcement, Quaratino has made a clear challenge to the makers of the movie:

“They want to reinvent the story? A whole new generation won’t know what really happened? Just as all those that don’t know, who have followed this story for the last 35 years. The time has come for me to set the record straight, a fresh look from an alternative perspective, through the eyes of one of the children who peered out from those iconic quarter round windows. An eyewitness to the actual events that occurred in the Amityville house and what followed.”


“Therefore, I am calling out The Weinstein brothers, Bob and Harvey, your producers and writers. And Hannibal Films who have already begun making the next movie sequels to the story that should have died so long ago “The Amityville Horror". To these companies, who are bowing down to the golden calf milking the story one more time allying themselves with the top horror writers and producers in the business.”

“I SAY THIS, at what you do, you are good, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO ‘AMITYVILLE and what happened after...I CAN TELL A CREEPIER STORY THAN YOU!”

“I am challenging you to a contest. The contest should be judged in the vein of American Idol, where the public casts their vote to decide the outcome, and ultimate winner. The specific categories to be judged, should be the very thing your audiences so desire. The best stories of all time are what they are, because of the very things I am challenging you in.”

“The specific categories are as follows:
1. You keep it Realistic. I'll keep it Honest.
2. Thought Provoking
3. Genuine Chill Producing (shocking jumps, don’t count)
4. Psychologically Impacting”

“If you choose to accept this Challenge, do so publicly. I await your answer!”


Quaratino is looking to generate enough media attention that the movie companies and the media take him seriously. He also appears very serious about setting the record straight. Quaratino has invited the public to follow along as he faces the demons of his past and the movie giants of today by logging on to:

http://www.amityvillehorrorchallenge.com/

and on Facebook at

http://on.fb.me/kdGM4L

Human Intelligence Models

The definition of human intelligence “depends on whom you ask, and the answer differs widely across disciplines, times, and places” (Sternberg & Kaufman, 1998). A rough description is “the ability to excel in a variety of tasks, especially related to academic success” (Davis & Palladino, 2009). Gauging human intelligence has never been easy or an exact science. In fact, no topic in psychology has stirred-up more public controversy (Gottfredson, n.d.). French psychologist, Alfred Binet, was the first to develop an intelligence test (Davis & Palladino, 2009).

It seems as though the answers that we receive from any type of intelligence testing (psychometric intelligence tests) just lead us to more questions. For instance, we know that racial and ethnic groups differ on average when scores are tallied from conventional tests of intelligence (Sternberg & Kaufman, 1998). Various questions arise from these varying scores; in terms of social, environmental, and economical. The goal of these intelligence models is to consider the mental processes that account for human intelligence.

Spearman’s Model



It was British psychologist, Charles Spearman, who introduced factor analysis, which is known as the two-factor theory. Spearman believed that there were two factors (or two types of intelligence): general intelligence (g) and the other representing a number of specific abilities (s) (Davis & Palladino, 2009). Spearman believed that testing a person’s abilities to complete tasks against expected outcomes could be measured in a mathematical formula known as the Tetrad Equation. Spearman hypothesized that if a person scored highly on an intelligence test there was a high probability that they would score well in other areas of intelligence also. Through his various experiments, Spearman concluded that through the use of "g," there was now theoretical basis for Binet's way of designing tests (Spearman, 1904). Spearman also believed that his theory was supported by Karl Lashley’s experiments with rats, because the loss of cerebral tissue would cause rats to thwart specific functions (Spearman, 1904).

Sternberg’s Model



Cognitive psychologist, Dr. Robert Sternberg, first began with intelligence testing by testing a 7th grade class for a science project. This led him to create his own test, the Sternberg Test of Mental Abilities (STOMA) ("Human Intelligence: Robert J. Sternberg," n.d.). Dr. Sternberg eventually created his own model of intelligence called the “triachich theory.” This theory asserts that human intelligence derives from a balance of three types of intelligences: analytical, creative, and practical.

• Analytical intelligence - The ability to break down a problem or situation into its components. This type is assessed by most intelligence tests
• Creative intelligence - The ability to cope with novelty and solve problems in new and unusual ways
• Practical intelligence - Also known as common sense. This type of intelligence is the one that is understood by the public but it is missing from standard intelligence tests

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences



Harvard graduate, Howard Gardner, believed that there was more to intelligence than what had been previously introduced, or what was being tested. Gardner believed that there were a wide range of characteristics that accounted for intelligence that needed to be considered. According to Dr. Gardner, there are nine different characteristics that make-up human intelligence:

• Verbal/linguistic intelligence
• Logical-mathematical intelligence
• Pictures/spatial intelligence
• Musical intelligence
• Self-reflection (intrapersonal intelligence)
• Kinesthetic (physical) intelligence
• Interpersonal (social) intelligence
• Naturalist (experience in the natural world) intelligence
• Existential (ability to pose and ponder questions of existence)

Compare and Contrast

Some critics argue that intelligence research is misleading, and that no general mental capacity exists--only opportunities to learn skills and information that is valued in a particular cultural context (Gottfredson, n.d.). However, there is much research that proves that the research done thus far is not only credible, but applicable to real-life situation (as well as a direct correlation to past scientific research).

Spearman’s model is an older model, created at the turn of the century. Still, it is based on the scientific method and still holds much credence in our current world. Spearman’s “positive manifold” gave the best evidence for a general type of intelligence, which supports several different areas of cognitive ability (Spearman, 1904). Moreover, there is an extremely high correlation between IQ (testing) and simple cognitive tasks, which supports the theory of general intelligence (Eysenck, 1982). Spearman ultimately believed that intelligence could be defined by a limited number of factors when he said, “cognitive events do, like those of physics, admit throughout of being reduced to a small number of definitely formulatable principles in the sense of ultimate laws” (Spearman, 1904).

Sternberg’s triachich theory is “a comprehensive theory, more encompassing. . . because it takes into account social and contextual factors apart from human abilities" (Li, 1996, p. 37). Sternberg's theory has particularly proved itself to be most valuable in real life situation, which is the reason for its credibility. For example, Brazilian children who work for street vendors can do the math that is required for running a street business, but they cannot pass a math class in school (Carraher, Carraher, & Schliemann, 1985). This evidence strongly suggests that there is a practical intelligence of math and an analytical intelligence.

Dr. Gardner believed in challenging the current educational system, which assumes that everyone can learn the same materials in the same way—a theory that is heavily biased and based only on linguistic and mathematical models (Gardner, 1993). Gardner’s theory is clearly the most comprehensive model. Gardner believed that ignoring biology when attempting to define and understand intelligence is a mistake. In Gardner’s own words, “Now it has been found that certain brain parts do distinctively map with certain cognitive functioning, as evidenced by certain brain damage leading to loss of certain cognitive function…Conclusion: Therefore, multiple intelligences (Gardner, 1993). Gardner’s theory was truly biological, as he studied people with speech impairments, paralysis, etc. Gardner was concerned with localizing the areas in the brain which were responsible for each function. "Gardner found seven different areas of the brain, and so his theory consists of seven different intelligences, each related to a specific portion of the human brain" (Li, 1996).

Many children learn differently and their gifts, unfortunately, are not correctly burgeoned. Most of these children are simply diagnosed and labeled with ADD (attention deficit disorder) and some are simply labeled underachievers. Gardner’s theory calls for a transformation of the entire educational system. Gardner declares that our teachers need to be retrained on how to present their lessons in a more creative way, using music and other types of multimedia in order to accommodate all students (Gardner, 1993). In this way, it is Gardner’s theory that will not allow certain children to fall through the cracks of society; hence, bettering our society as a whole.