GarryB, thank you for all you are sharing. There were so many people victimized by BSL...But what most people are not seeing is that, while the Shunicks and Pates have some sort of closure, family members of BSL will continue to be victimized for years to come, for as long as they choose to have contact with him. Love often forgives sins, and continues to reach towards a person because of those ties of the heart. I believe the correct term is "emotional blackmail", and we see evidence of that where Brandon tells his sister he "forgives her". It's classic egomanic manipulation. Because of her love, she remains in his life. Because of a guilt he is trying to thrust upon her, she will probably be asked to do other things, with that guilt used as the motivator of choice. "You owe me...I'm here in Angola because of you." will probably be something she either hears on visiting day, or sees in a letter. I feel so, so sorry for her.
Several years ago, when I'd just begun to write, I submitted my first piece to a national "citizen report" site. What are the odds of a brand-new writer getting any attention, right? That very first piece went national, and I freaked. The attention you get is rapid, blinding and terrifying. You have no idea how to negotiate things, and you're terrified that further statements will be twisted and distorted to meet some editor's overall storyline. Within two days, I went from a nobody to the Dr. Phil Show somehow getting my cell phone number and calling me for an interview! Far from being dazzled, I felt like a deer stuck in the headlights of an enormous monster called the "media experience". I've since learned that this monster can be tamed (in a fashion) with an agent or publicist, but for the novice, the experience can actually be traumatizing. So it was for me. It's been four years, and I'm only just beginning to write again. (No, I don't do the true crime genre.)
There comes a time where "sleuthing" becomes "snooping". In the case of the perpetrator's family members, they did not ask for the white-hot spotlight of guilt to be thrust on them. They are NOT guilty and therefore should have that spotlight only if they ask for it explicitly. For those who ask for their privacy, please respect it. Don't hunt them down against their will. These family members did not commit any crimes, other than to love someone who manipulated their emotions, used them, and caused them great pain. Those who speak out, choose to do so. Those who choose to keep silent, please grant them that mercy. Their worlds are destroyed, too.