NY - Christopher Porco - Another Menandez situation? - sentenced

[jannuncutt]

Well, the only thing that we can go by is what we read in the papers. We were told that a police detective has testified, that Joan Porco said Chris committed the crime. Then we are told that after she awoke from her coma, she remembers nothing. We've never been told if Joan Porco has said anything to her brother, but we do know that the brother contacted Kindlon fiirst for Chris and the brother appears to think Chris is innocent. So it seems likely that the brother in taking care of his sister; probably has told her he thinks Chris is innocent. If Joan remembers nothing from that night; then as a mom, wouldn't she want to believe that someone else committed the crime and not her son? Would she even care about who's driving her car in Delmar; after almost dieing and losing her husband. I doubt it. The "maryland" link is to show there's no rush to judgement; I would guess. Jannucutt; as to the police "harrassing" the man in Maryland; I see this totally different. The police leave messages for him to call them back in regard to a murder investigation and he refuses to return their calls. Then he cries to the media that he's being harrassed. So the media quickly makes the cops out to be the bad guys here. Wouldn't any normal person call the police back? Wouldn't you? I know I would. I say cops are working hard to try to solve a murder investigation, with this guy in Maryland being a complete *advertiser censored**hole. Just my opinion

So, are you saying the LE was grandstanding for the public - at the expense of the man in Maryland? If they are certain that Chris committed these crimes they should not have bothered him or his parents. By the way, he did try to contact Bethleham LE but they wouldn't put him through to the Chief. Apparently, he felt that the detective was too forceful with him and his parents - too imtimidating. I would not have wanted to deal with him either - especially when I knew that I had nothing to to with these crimes. If they were seriously considering him as a person of interest in this case, they should have put his call through - after all this is the biggest case they have. He was smart to contact his lawyer.

 

[SheerLuck]

So, are you saying the LE was grandstanding for the public - at the expense of the man in Maryland? If they are certain that Chris committed these crimes they should not have bothered him or his parents. By the way, he did try to contact Bethleham LE but they wouldn't put him through to the Chief. Apparently, he felt that the detective was too forceful with him and his parents - too imtimidating. I would not have wanted to deal with him either - especially when I knew that I had nothing to to with these crimes. If they were seriously considering him as a person of interest in this case, they should have put his call through - after all this is the biggest case they have. He was smart to contact his lawyer.

This is not grandstanding; its excellent police work. Heres why. In a circumstantial case, you have to show a jury, that every angle and every possible lead was investigated, but that every angle and every lead came up dry and the all the evidence points only to the person on trial. Part of proving your case to the jury, is to show that only the accused could have committed this crime. Defense attorneys can win a case if they prove the police work was inadequate. According to the Times Union article from about a week ago, this man in Maryland threatened to kill Peter Porco 10 years ago because of a case of his that Porco worked on. So if Kindlon says to the jury a man who threatened to kill Porco, was never even questioned; this would hurt the prosecution's case. Thats hiow defense attorneys sometimes win--blame the cops. So even if your 99% sure he is innocent; you've got to talk to him; both to eliminate him as a suspect and just to make sure that the 1% chance, isn't possible. He did threaten to kill Porco once, so you have to at least question him. It's very obvious from what I read, that the police only lost their temper after multiple calls were not returned over a 4 or 5 day period. The cops have a commitment to their town to get the case moving and this guy doesn't return their calls. I support the police; not him.

 

[SheerLuck]

The Jeep siting seems to be the only evidence..How do we know the neighbor really saw it at that time. I'm very aware in my neighborhood and a bright yellow jeep that has been in the neighborhood for a year or so I doubt I coul be sure which day I saw it , many days it was probably there at that time and then again many days it was not, especially duning school breaks and I beleive this was during U of R fall break or right around.
QUOTE]

There might be tons of evidence; we don't know, but doubtful the eyewitness to the jeep is the only evidence they have. A toll booth operator testified. Why? Lots more, but anyway; BestFriends; I'm confused by your post and previous ones. Are you a student friend of Porcos or the parent of a friend of Chris Porcos? Are you from Bethlehem area or Rochester cause you seem mad at Rochester U

 

[bestfriends]

You could say that;(That I am mad at the University) but I do have faith that they want to be fair. They are just a littlle quick to suspend/expell. I really can't divulge my relationship to the U of R except to reitterate that I am the PARENT of a student whosse best friend was suspended and then reinstated, but only after $$$$ and unreasonable concessions had to be met. The University failed to recognize she had an undiagnosed dissability that caused an inaaropriate nonviolent behavioral situation, that was then inappropriatly handled by the administrative structure. To be Frank They had indeed violated the students rights and were obliged to reinstate, (They had grounds to file charges against U of R for ADA violations) She is a valuable member of her U or R community and was greatly missed during her year suspension..She was sent the same letter CP was abut summarily suspended based on alleged involvement in such and such...(an offense that usually warrants a 125 fine cost us 35000 and a year off from school)

I don't even know Chris Porco or his family, I just think that if there was any REAL evidence he would be indicted, this is a brutal killing and that killer is on the loose. I watch too much CSI..They should have the evidence by now...a professional CP was not..

BF

 

[SheerLuck]

You could say that;(That I am mad at the University) but I do have faith that they want to be fair. They are just a littlle quick to suspend/expell. ..She was sent the same letter CP was abut summarily suspended based on alleged involvement in such and such...(an offense that usually warrants a 125 fine cost us 35000 and a year off from school)
I don't even know Chris Porco or his family, I just think that if there was any REAL evidence he would be indicted


Bestfriends; it was very quickly determined that the money that Chris Porco used to pay Rochester, was basically stolen from his father. He got on the intenet and got the $32,000 loan by claiming to be his father and then forging his signature. If Rochester simply gave back the $32,000 to the lender; then U at R would be right in immediately suspending Chris Porco. I'm curious how you would know the letter Chris Porco was sent??? I don't recall reading that anywhere--Rochester paper maybe??? As for no indictment yet; Scott Peterson killed Laci and Connor on 12/23/03 and wasn't arrested until 4/20/04; and only then because he was trying to leave the country. 120 days went by with no arrest of Peterson and most people were speculating before his arrest, that the evidence must be weak; even the "experts" we watched on tv throughout the 4 months were suggesting he might get off; due to weak evidence. Today Peterson sits on death row; due in part to great police work, that watched him and patiently pieced together every part of the puzzle. We can only speculate on the evidence, but I'm an optimist and I'm hopeful that the case is close to a slam dunk; with maybe one more piece to fit together. My moms just half a mile away from that house, so I hope the BP know what they are doing!

 

[dotcom]

My daughter was in a terrible automobile accident on the way to school one morning. She was in a coma for about a month and when she came out of it, she remembered nothing about the wreck or anything that had happened for the past 2 years. This is not uncommon after a traumatic incident.

 

[jannuncutt]

Has anyone heard anything about this case??

 

[hockeymom]

nothing at all on the local news about this.

 

[SheerLuck]

Has anyone heard anything about this case??

Nothing at all. Nothing in any paper for what seems like a good month; not even the Spotlight, which is the local Bethlehem/Delmar paper, that almost weekly was giving some sort of an update, but stopped 3 or 4 weks ago. Lots of specualtion: is the evidence weak as some here thought possible?; are they cutting a deal behind closed doors? are they waiting to see if the mom might remember the night in time? Maybe investigating a second person? One thing I thought was odd was back in January the assistant D.A. said the jury was being locked in for 6 months. These cases can take that long, but usually its not announced; it's almost as if they planned on having a June trial

 

[jannuncutt]

Nothing at all. Nothing in any paper for what seems like a good month; not even the Spotlight, which is the local Bethlehem/Delmar paper, that almost weekly was giving some sort of an update, but stopped 3 or 4 weks ago. Lots of specualtion: is the evidence weak as some here thought possible?; are they cutting a deal behind closed doors? are they waiting to see if the mom might remember the night in time? Maybe investigating a second person? One thing I thought was odd was back in January the assistant D.A. said the jury was being locked in for 6 months. These cases can take that long, but usually its not announced; it's almost as if they planned on having a June trial

Thank you SheerLuck,
I hadn't heard about the 6-month lock in for the grand jury - that is interesting. I wonder if the Bethlehem police have decided to accept any help in handling this investigation. Several murders have been committed and solved since the Porco crimes occurred. Also, I wonder how Chris is doing. Do you know whether or not he is still in the area, working at the vetenarian facility? As far as Joan is concerned, it is very possible that she may never remember what happened that night.

 

[Sudzi]

Here we go... a little something new from the Times Union today.

Thefts of computers from Porcos' house, son's school lead investigation into cyberspace .... more here

Like him or not, Kindlon is entertaining. :laugh:
"They come upon a peculiar fact and they sort of try to mold it into their foregone conclusion that Christopher may have done this," said Terence L. Kindlon, Christopher's attorney. "This is at the intellectual level of UFO theories and Kennedy conspiracy theories."

 

[Sudzi]

Nothing at all. Nothing in any paper for what seems like a good month; not even the Spotlight, which is the local Bethlehem/Delmar paper, that almost weekly was giving some sort of an update, but stopped 3 or 4 weks ago. Lots of specualtion: is the evidence weak as some here thought possible?; are they cutting a deal behind closed doors? are they waiting to see if the mom might remember the night in time? Maybe investigating a second person? One thing I thought was odd was back in January the assistant D.A. said the jury was being locked in for 6 months. These cases can take that long, but usually its not announced; it's almost as if they planned on having a June trial

SheerLuck, they often "lock" a Grand Jury if they expect (or hope for) more information on a case that was before them. They extend the GJ on that case only for 6 months at a time.

 

[SheerLuck]

SheerLuck, they often "lock" a Grand Jury if they expect (or hope for) more information on a case that was before them. They extend the GJ on that case only for 6 months at a time.

Sudzi; I know all about lock in rules, but my point was the emphasis that was placed on telling the public the jury would be around for a while. I think it was a tip off from LE that this case was going to take away. The general public might be surprised at the long delay, but LE might have known back in January, that this was coming. The Times Union article is very interesting. Sounds like LE suspects that Chris Porco might have been robbing people on Ebay, as someone posted here a few months ago. Ironically I think it was 'bestfriends" who made mention that Porco might have swindled people on Ebay. It's interesting that both times the Porcos had their home robbed; their son Chris just happened to be home; once was in the summer on college break and the other time was on a Thanksgiving; another break from college. Both times he was the last one to go to sleep and said he heard nothing. As for Kindlon; I see no humor in knocking the hard work being done by LE, but I've never been one to like defense attorneys; such as Kindlon. His mocking of law enforcement, who put their life on the line everyday; really bothers me. Just my opinion.

 

[SheerLuck]

Thanx Sudzi for the article because this definitely helps to explain the LONG delay. Amazing twist really. Here's some info about Ebay and tracking stolen goods. I've sold on ebay part time for 6 years; so here's what I know. Ebay's "feedback system" is where buyers and sellers express their pleasure or displeasure with a trade, by leaving either positive, negative or neutral; so by finding feedbacks left for a seller by a buyer; LE could then track down buyers who bought from Chris Porco. To sell on ebay you need a credit card, so it would be very easy for Ebay to find Chris Porco's user id and then from there they could see many of the trading partners Porco had from the feedback he got and the feedback he gave to buyers. Ebay's database only goes back 90 days, but Ebays feedback system has a users entire feedback history. So LE can find many of the trading partners Porco had and then check the merchandise they received; with serial numbers from Rochester lap tops that were stolen and his parents stolen computers. Its very easy to contact the American buyers and to then track down the merchandise they bought from Porco. It's time consuming but not hard to do. For overseas it's a bit harder, but not as hard as peope might think. I've sold over 500 items overseas on ebay and the majority of overseas buyers are very pleasant, respectable people, who I'm sure would cooperate with American LE. Kindlon can knock LE all he wants, but I suspect he's actually very worried for his client. MANY people have been arrested for selling stolen property on Ebay; especially products with serial numbers. Now I'm only speculating here and only saying "IF", but IF Chris Porco stole computers and sold them on Ebay; then it definitley indicates that he probably had a very serious addiction of some kind. This isn't candy bars; its $1,000+ lap tops

 

[Sudzi]

I agree SheerLuck, this article sure sheds some light on all the delays. And thanks for the E-Bay information, I'm an occasional buyer there, but I had no idea of the inner workings...it's very interesting.
When you mention the serious addiction, I wonder if it's gambling as mentioned earlier in the Times Union? It would have to be a quiet addiction, if it were drugs or booze ~someting with more outward symptoms people would know about it.
As for Kindlon... he is what he is, a wannabee big time defense lawyer....I tend to find humor where I can, life is short.
Let us know what the local hubbub is on all this.
Sudzi

 

[SheerLuck]

I agree SheerLuck, this article sure sheds some light on all the delays. And thanks for the E-Bay information, I'm an occasional buyer there, but I had no idea of the inner workings...it's very interesting.
When you mention the serious addiction, I wonder if it's gambling as mentioned earlier in the Times Union? It would have to be a quiet addiction, if it were drugs or booze ~someting with more outward symptoms people would know about it.
As for Kindlon... he is what he is, a wannabee big time defense lawyer....I tend to find humor where I can, life is short.
Let us know what the local hubbub is on all this.
Sudzi

Sudzi, now I'm just speculating here and I hope people reading my posts know this, but IF my hunch is right and Porco is guilty of stealing and murder; then he probably has a combination of addictions: most likely drugs/crack cocaine, sports gambling and a degree of mental illness. Rarely do people kill over gambling, which is why I mention the crack. Crack has led to more killings and robberies than anything else the past 15 years; by far. With compulsive gambling; the gambler "needs action"; small or large, but with crack the addiction grows and requires more and more money. Large gamblers would prefer big bets, but if they lose their money; they switch back to small bets. Gamblers need to bet, but the vast majority are okay as long as they place a wager; even if small-they just want to bet. But with crack; the addict needs more and more, so there's no switching back from a $200 a night crack habbit; back down to just a $20 a night crack habit. It's the worst drug the cops and society has ever dealt with--most in the general public have no clue. It's the extremely high amount of money needed for crack addicts, when they binge; which leads to robbery and murder. Possibly gambling and the pressure of owing some bookie thousands; could have led to this alone, but that would be surprising. Sudzi, you brought up an interesting point about outward symptoms and people knowing; but remember; these are your typical normal 21 year old fraternity kids; that are out having fun, with lots of keg parties, women and other stuff college men like to do; including drugs for some. If they were anything like me and all the friends I had; I'd guess that none of them ever thought anything bad would happen; until Peter Porco died

 

[hockeymom]

Don't know if I had written this long ago but my LE friends had told me way back when that they had either found stolen goods or evidence of Chris stealing right from the get go. I believe somewhere he worked had been robbed also and I thought thats what they found. Either way,he's not the "good boy" that everyone claimed he was.

 

[SheerLuck]

Don't know if I had written this long ago but my LE friends had told me way back when that they had either found stolen goods or evidence of Chris stealing right from the get go. I believe somewhere he worked had been robbed also and I thought thats what they found. Either way,he's not the "good boy" that everyone claimed he was.

Hey Hockeymom: you mentioned a while back that he was suspected of stealing from a few places. This is all making sense; Chris Porco seems to fit the mold of a kid that goes away to college and gets sucked into some real bad vices and completely changes for the worse. People steal for drugs, gambling or some sort of expensive vice; so if he's found guilty of stealing over a 3 year period; then he probably had some very expensive vices; especially since he was also working part time for spending money. Why would a 20 year old kid that comes from an upper middle class family and works part time; steal from his employer or even worse; steal computers and sell them on Ebay? I'm convinced that it's gotta be crack

 

[SheerLuck]

Here's a small news story from WTEN(a local albany tv channel), it has an update; but doesn't point to anything happening yet. It mentions at the end David Soares, who replaced the outgoing DA, Paul Clyne; on January 1st. Clyne was very interested in this case; Soares has said next to nothing about it. Heres link(hope it works)
http://www.news10.com/Global/story.asp?S=3387965

 

[Sudzi]

Thanks Sheerluck, its interesting about Peter wandering around after he was attacked.

I can't imagine how odd it must be to wander through your home...after wounds like that knowing your going to die any second. I wonder what went through his mind.
Too bad he didn't write the killers name down!