Death Stops Elderly Father from Death Penalty Activism

Photo of Death Penalty Activist George Cullins

In situations of murder, those affected ripple outward from the victim like rings in water.  The closest of those proverbial rings is almost always the immediate family of the victim, and the savage 1984 strangling of 24-year-old Janette Cullins is no exception.

The perpetrator, Dean Carter, was a real gem.   Strangling Janette Cullins and sticking her body into a closet in her San Diego home,  was not his first crime.  In fact, he’d killed three women just the day before in L.A. and had a history of raping women who didn’t exactly think he was Rico Suave.  Sick.

Anyway, this douchebag went to trial in 1991 and was convicted of all four murders and two rapes.  He was sentenced to death for his desecration of Janette …

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Chad Evans, Convicted of Murdering Toddler in 2000, is Looking For Sympathy

Photo of Murdered Child Kassidy Bortner

When I became a mother at the age of seventeen, I could suddenly relate to news stories.  The Oklahoma City bombing.  Susan Smith drowning her little boys.  Everything suddenly touched me on an entirely different level when it hit me that I was suddenly responsible for raising a child—no, helping a child survive, when you think about it—in a truly frightening world.

The 2000 murder of 21-month-old Kassidy Bortner, though, is the one that will stay with me forever, a situation I still think about a lot.

Although I was …

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Playboy Bunny Convicted of Murder in 1982 Dies

Slogan of Run Bambi Run

I guess Bambi Bembenek couldn’t run quite fast enough.

The accused murderess died as a result of liver failure in Oregon after trying unsuccessfully to clear her name for many years.

If you’re asking, by the way, who Bambi Bembenek is, don’t feel bad—I had never heard of her either, which is kind of surprising when you figure that a former Playboy Club bunny (who was also a cop) jailed for murdering her husband’s ex-wife is just the kind …

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Did Couple Temporarily Lose Custody of Newborn Because of Their Political Beliefs?

Photo of Oath Keepers Poster

Cheyenne Irish was removed from the custody of her parents when she was only 16 hours old by DCYF. This raises a whole host of questions, the most important being how compelling was the complaint leading to this action?

My gut says it had to have been pretty bad … I’ve had dealings with DCYF in my career as a teacher, and I’m at times frustrated by how slowly the wheels seem to turn. What made New Hampshire’s Johnathan Irish and Stephanie Taylor so horrible that the state removed the baby from their custody when she hadn’t even been on the earth for a full day? Even the couple that named their kid Adolf Hitler managed to hold onto him for three years …

If you give any credence to Irish and Taylor, it’s a witch hunt of sorts, with their inclusion in a group called the Oath Keepers playing a direct role in the custody issue.

While it’s kind of a moot point now, as custody of baby Cheyenne was returned to her parents after a court hearing last week, I find myself completely intrigued by this story because there are clearly a lot of puzzle pieces missing.

From WMUR:

Irish and his girlfriend said the state cited abuse and neglect claims. But Irish said officials also took the baby because they were uneasy about his involvement in a group called the Oath Keepers, which claims to uphold the constitution.

The state said it doesn’t take someone’s political views into consideration when they get involved with a family.

And, as you can imagine, the Oath Keepers are pretty pissed off themselves.

Members of the Oath Keepers protested at the courthouse and said the state unfairly used their group’s name as a reason to take custody of the child.

“People are worried that if they speak out or join some particular group that someday down the road, it could come back to haunt them or be used against them in a proceeding about their children,” said Stewart Rhodes of Oath Keepers.

Beyond the Oath Keepers part of the equation, Foster’s Daily Democrat contains some pretty specific information about why they were concerned about Baby Cheyenne’s safety.

While DCYF officials have denied that Irish’s affiliation with the Oath Keepers was a reason for taking Cheyenne away, they do make some very serious allegations against Irish and Taylor in …

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