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News & ArtsMonday, November 9, 2009
Crime Probable Cause for Murder
Posted by Dominic Holden on Mon, Nov 9, 2009 at 7:45 PM
The King County Prosecutor's office has circulated a seven-page document laying out the case for murder and attempted murder against Christopher Monfort in this .pdf.
2
After reading it, it looks like a pretty good case. There is serious evidence there.
Now, what this Monfort dude needs is a time machine. If he could just go back a week or so and commit suicide, the world we be better off. He's going to die soon (hospital or capital punishment, same diff), without any "messages" being heard by anybody, but with a human being dead because of him. Suicide would have been better.
No, not him: Monfort isn't human.
Now, what this Monfort dude needs is a time machine. If he could just go back a week or so and commit suicide, the world we be better off. He's going to die soon (hospital or capital punishment, same diff), without any "messages" being heard by anybody, but with a human being dead because of him. Suicide would have been better.
No, not him: Monfort isn't human.
3
It seems obvious that he did it, but...
Doesn't some of that evidence seem suspicious to anyone? I mean, I know that in television like "The Mentalist" or "Murder, She Wrote", people drop items of personal identification at the scenes of their crimes, but doesn't this seem a bit pat, here? Someone having just murdered a cop thinks to (or accidentally) drops a memento that connects them to another crime? And that memento (even a "flag"?) contains enough DNA to cement the conviction?
Okay, I know that some psychos like to leave a "signature" (especially in fiction), but this just seems so... fictional to me. I mean, even if you read the police report, and visualize each step in the sequence of events, it all seems very realistic (and probable), until you hear that the driver (presumably having driven himself into a lather of adrenaline and fear and determination), now having done the deed successfully, backs up his car, swings himself around, and -- despite whatever instinct he has to focus on just getting away without being shot (he was being shot at, after all!) -- thoughtfully tosses out his window a bandana that matches some symbol from a past crime and is smeared with enough DNA (hair?) to prove his guilt. Really?
For me, that police report was very, very well written, and I'm guessing that the guy was guilty, but there were also a handful of red flags!
The tip from the apartment manager was another one. How many cars matching that description exist in our region? Many, many, right? The tenant was not otherwise suspicious, was he? I hadn't even heard the description on the news, but somehow the manager not only heard the description, but remembered (weirdly) that someone in his building owned such a car, looked out his window at the slot where said car is typically parked, and noticed that the car in the slot was covered? And he thought himself certain enough about his suspicion to call the police?
There's so much in this investigation that seems contrived -- too good to be true. Why is it that murders (other than the murders of the police) are never so efficiently solved and so assured in their evidence? It's great that the police care so much about their own, at least.
I hope the guy lives, so we can be sure it was him. The part of me that believes in conspiracies, however, expects that he won't survive to trial.
More...
Doesn't some of that evidence seem suspicious to anyone? I mean, I know that in television like "The Mentalist" or "Murder, She Wrote", people drop items of personal identification at the scenes of their crimes, but doesn't this seem a bit pat, here? Someone having just murdered a cop thinks to (or accidentally) drops a memento that connects them to another crime? And that memento (even a "flag"?) contains enough DNA to cement the conviction?
Okay, I know that some psychos like to leave a "signature" (especially in fiction), but this just seems so... fictional to me. I mean, even if you read the police report, and visualize each step in the sequence of events, it all seems very realistic (and probable), until you hear that the driver (presumably having driven himself into a lather of adrenaline and fear and determination), now having done the deed successfully, backs up his car, swings himself around, and -- despite whatever instinct he has to focus on just getting away without being shot (he was being shot at, after all!) -- thoughtfully tosses out his window a bandana that matches some symbol from a past crime and is smeared with enough DNA (hair?) to prove his guilt. Really?
For me, that police report was very, very well written, and I'm guessing that the guy was guilty, but there were also a handful of red flags!
The tip from the apartment manager was another one. How many cars matching that description exist in our region? Many, many, right? The tenant was not otherwise suspicious, was he? I hadn't even heard the description on the news, but somehow the manager not only heard the description, but remembered (weirdly) that someone in his building owned such a car, looked out his window at the slot where said car is typically parked, and noticed that the car in the slot was covered? And he thought himself certain enough about his suspicion to call the police?
There's so much in this investigation that seems contrived -- too good to be true. Why is it that murders (other than the murders of the police) are never so efficiently solved and so assured in their evidence? It's great that the police care so much about their own, at least.
I hope the guy lives, so we can be sure it was him. The part of me that believes in conspiracies, however, expects that he won't survive to trial.
4
As a fan of true crime fiction and having read a few books on profiling, this guy puzzles me. I will definitely want to buy the Anne Rule book on him when it comes out.
The combination of arson, police hatred and drive by murder don't fit any other criminal that I've read about. This is a very complicated person, but at the same time, he could be a very common person based on his background.
That's the scary part...
6
#3:
Umm -- I see your points, but i disagree.
1) Stupid people do stupid things. Bank robbers occasionally write their demands on the back of their own deposit slips. Extortionists sometimes tell the victom exactly when they'll be back for the money. Why should cop killers be any different? One stupid idea (kill cops for the fun of it) deserves another (leave a calling card).
2) That car is not that common. For crimeny's sake, it's 29 years old! And, I suspect, every single one of those cars was tracked down and checked. So what's the surprise?
3) Regardless of the above, he'll get his chance in court to explain the above, or try your defense of "it looks too good to be true".
Umm -- I see your points, but i disagree.
1) Stupid people do stupid things. Bank robbers occasionally write their demands on the back of their own deposit slips. Extortionists sometimes tell the victom exactly when they'll be back for the money. Why should cop killers be any different? One stupid idea (kill cops for the fun of it) deserves another (leave a calling card).
2) That car is not that common. For crimeny's sake, it's 29 years old! And, I suspect, every single one of those cars was tracked down and checked. So what's the surprise?
3) Regardless of the above, he'll get his chance in court to explain the above, or try your defense of "it looks too good to be true".
9
#6
"not that common" is an understatement. It's been reported that there's only 6 of them (datsun 210, 1980-1983) registered in the state. This particular one just happens to have a burned-out passenger side headlamp like in the police videos, and a bullet hole.
"not that common" is an understatement. It's been reported that there's only 6 of them (datsun 210, 1980-1983) registered in the state. This particular one just happens to have a burned-out passenger side headlamp like in the police videos, and a bullet hole.
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