GUILTY FL - Calyx, 16, & Beau Schenecker, 13, shot to death, Tampa, 27 Jan 2011 #2

[aliciabal]

Just caught up on parker scheneckers testimony as well as the postings here. Let me say up front, I do think we have a problem understanding and treating mental illness. I do believe that julie suffered from mental illness. However, everything I have heard thus far leads me to believe that her mental illness did not preclude her knowledge of right and wrong. She knew shooting her kids was wrong. IMO, she would have shot anyone else who might have been there as well. My opinion is that her actions were fueled by drug and alcohol abuse far more than mental disease. People do all kinds of things under the influence of drugs and alcohol. IMO, because she knew what she was doing was wrong and she planned it, she is completely legally and morally responsible. Justice, IMO, would be her serving life in prison with no parole. She will still get the mental help she needs while in prison. This is just such a tragedy all the way around.

 

[aliciabal]

I think the postit notes and the journal entries are hurting the defense. I was a little surprised they chose not to cross examine PS especially since JS disputes some of their conversations pre-murder. What do you all think?

 

[azmama]

Whew! Just caught up with about 10 pages of posts and still watching PS testimony. I wanted to hit these, even though some are a few pages later!

Typical yet odd flat affect from husband of Julie S. Answers every ? with Sir, and he is long out of the military. Everyone in my family is gov or military in some form...and I am seeing a flat affect from him. Could be to temper on the stand...his personality I dk yet. Monotone, flat affect...take note.

Again, there is no Reason to address him with SIR with EVERY Question he answers. The truth is in the details no matter how small. This is the first chance we get to see husb; and his demeanor except for a few interviews I think I saw; that also set me off. Dont mind me...I read body lang and voice...and I hear things literally that I'm not liking here.

Having been involved in a law suit before (civil, land dispute), my husband and I went through 2 entire days sitting with our lawyer being drilled on questions that would be asked, how to answer, etc. No one goes on the stand "cold" and answers questions candidly, everyone is severely rehearsed, you are told not to show emotion etc. I am sure his military background helped with that as well. It is a bizarre experience. I know I read a few other explanations, but wanted to throw that out there.

Benzos are used for anxiety (Triazolam Citralopam),
Buspar helps the action of anti depressants and anti-anxiety meds,
Vicodin is for pain,
Effexor is an anti depressant,
Benztropine was probably prescribed for tardive dyskinesia,
Wafarin for blood thinning, Lithium for Bipolar,
Lamotrigine for bipolar

For someone with bipolar and TD, this really doesn't look like an unusual amount of medications. Bipolar is treated with a "cocktail" of medications.

I have been treated for depression, anxiety & OCD since I was 17 (I am in my early 40s). There were times I have only been on 1 medication as well as times I have been on as many as 4 medications "a cocktail", your brain chemistry changes, things can change, there are also a lot of "off label" uses for different drugs that can enhance the effectiveness of drugs that seem unrelated to the casual observer. (Learned because I had too, not because I wanted too). I am not judging the drugs, because I don't know all of those used. The opiates are alarming though, especially with the drinking.

I think the postit notes and the journal entries are hurting the defense. I was a little surprised they chose not to cross examine PS especially since JS disputes some of their conversations pre-murder. What do you all think?

I am sure they are being kind and it doesn't hurt them to pass on questioning now, they will recall him.

Just caught up on parker scheneckers testimony as well as the postings here. Let me say up front, I do think we have a problem understanding and treating mental illness. I do believe that julie suffered from mental illness. However, everything I have heard thus far leads me to believe that her mental illness did not preclude her knowledge of right and wrong. She knew shooting her kids was wrong. IMO, she would have shot anyone else who might have been there as well. My opinion is that her actions were fueled by drug and alcohol abuse far more than mental disease. People do all kinds of things under the influence of drugs and alcohol. IMO, because she knew what she was doing was wrong and she planned it, she is completely legally and morally responsible. Justice, IMO, would be her serving life in prison with no parole. She will still get the mental help she needs while in prison. This is just such a tragedy all the way around.

Very well said! Thank you!

 

[gajonka]

That would be me :seeya:

After seeing the list I am doubling down on that opinion .
Some were year old scrips though, but STILL.
I know a lot were from the one doc (Oberdon?), I wonder if some of them were from others?

I am dying to see if her Doctor(s) will be called to the stand.


PS- Not smart...Cynical :giggle:

This trial will have a major impact in the judicial system- defendants everywhere watch intensely to see how to play insanity.

They could have spent 2 more weeks picking a jury - a panel soon to be vexed, uncertain, and spun with an impossible puzzle to form.

Interesting series of events here. Yes, Julie most likely exhibited "tics" from years of lithium and other psycho-analysis-oriented drugs. A shaking upper lip, and other less than desirable traits most likely misled the young kids into questioning their mother, her love, their needs, and hers.

Is she insane? Those videos from the local Lock and Load will illustrate something, at least.

Amazing... the journal. An inside look into the events,,, "a healthy fright," these are colorful aspects rarely served up unless Jodi Arias is involved.

This may play out like this:

Hypothetical​

It becomes clear to the jury that something ethereal, supernatural can only be the cause for a mother to shoot her children dead. The additional gunshots through the teeth, and the "sassy" references support an individual who is completely (insert).
Jury will find it highly difficult to deliver, and inflict harm, punishment to this woman. Parker will be a key, how he handles this,,, does a man with his abilities/mind leave his children alone with a <possible> clear and present danger?
Odds are she will be found NG by reason of insanity... unless this trial pivots, and shifts course... it is advancing squarely toward this outcome.
How can it be, such a mess, we'll have to see.

 

[Abigail]

Respect is earned, do you think she earned it? Do I think that PS failed to show JS respect in front of his children? I honestly don't know. Children learn from what they are taught...IMO

Taunting a disabled person because of their disability is hate speech, and should NEVER be tolerated. And that's precisely what Calyx did, as described in Parker's email to her doctor.

 

[Abigail]

Just caught up on parker scheneckers testimony as well as the postings here. Let me say up front, I do think we have a problem understanding and treating mental illness. I do believe that julie suffered from mental illness. However, everything I have heard thus far leads me to believe that her mental illness did not preclude her knowledge of right and wrong. She knew shooting her kids was wrong. IMO, she would have shot anyone else who might have been there as well. My opinion is that her actions were fueled by drug and alcohol abuse far more than mental disease. People do all kinds of things under the influence of drugs and alcohol. IMO, because she knew what she was doing was wrong and she planned it, she is completely legally and morally responsible. Justice, IMO, would be her serving life in prison with no parole. She will still get the mental help she needs while in prison. This is just such a tragedy all the way around.

I do agree that Julie knew right from wrong at the time of the murders, and yet chose to do the unthinkable. I believe she should be found guilty, based on the knowledge I have of events at this point in time. And prison is probably the best and safest place for her to be, where she'll have a routine, and can be closely observed by others -- as long as her mental illness is adequately treated (questionable in the Florida penal system). If she could be sentenced to life in a mental institution, that might be preferable, but I don't think that's an option in Florida.

However, I do want to point out that even though she was under the influence of drugs and alcohol -- the drugs had been prescribed for her by her doctor to treat her mental illness (the alcohol was a poor choice of hers -- yet her husband said she didn't begin to abuse alcohol until several months prior to the murders -- and in his email to her doctor, he seemed to think that her alcohol abuse was related to a medication change). Her husband sent several emails to her doctor in the several months prior to the murders -- describing her behavior (in bed all day long, incoherent, falling a lot, etc.) that clearly point to her being over-medicated (of course, adding alcohol to the mix didn't help matters).

I also want to say that I'm familiar with some of the drugs she was on -- because some of the same drugs used to treat bipolar disease are also used to treat seizure disorder (which my son has). I have seen the horrendous effects of these drugs on a person -- and, in some people, these drugs can cause violent behavior. My son has exhibited violent behavior triggered by some of the same meds that Julie was on. When he was weaned from those drugs, the violence eased.

So, I do believe that her mental illness and the prescription meds she was on should be considered a mitigating factor with regard to sentencing.

 

[Coldpizza]

Good morning!

 

[CarolinaMoon]

If anyone follows katiecoolady's blog, you know how difficult navigating the mental health system can be. In the military, with the constant relocating, consistent care is difficult. The VA has actually been at the forefront of diagnosing and treatment of PTSD with returning soldiers and their research has benefitted many people. Like me. Many people within the mental health system are misdiagnosed and subsequently not treated correctly. As KCL will attest, getting her brother on the correct meds, in a program that worked, and services he was entitled to has been an arduous journey. I would imagine it was the same for PS, trying to get his wife the help she needed while he was working. My heart goes out to anyone dealing with loved ones with mental illness. Tough as it gets.

Exactly! And her brother is a very cooperative patient. In this case, JS made sure that Parker was not allowed to speak to her doctors. All he could do was send them information.

As an aside, my BFF of 45 years grew up in a home with a severly bi-polar mother. It wasn't until her mother, aged 86, was on her deathbed that they made a little bit of peace. BFF was her care-giver for many years. Her mother inflicted horrible emotional pain on her in her passive-aggressive way.

On her deathbed, my friend's mother finally told her she loved her, sort of.

"Mom, do you love me?
"Uh-huh"

First acknowledgement of love, EVER.

 

[Coldpizza]

Military mom's journal dissected in kids murder trial

Julie Schenecker was a sick, troubled member of an all-American family, her defense attorney said as the military wife's murder trial began Monday, but prosecutors told jurors that the woman planned a "Saturday massacre" and wrote coldly in her journal about how she "offed" her two teenage children.

In her journal, Schenecker addressed her husband, writing that he was lucky he wasn't in the house, prosecutors said. "I might have taken you out, too," she wrote.

Schenecker had planned to kill herself, too, and told detectives after her arrest, "This is the worst thing I've ever done," Udagawa said.

Defense attorney Jennifer Spradley also talked about Schenecker's journal. One entry, she said, called Calyx her mother's "soul mate."

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/military-moms-journal-dissected-in-kids-murder-trial/

 

[Coldpizza]

Schenecker's ex-husband takes the stand in her murder trial (with video)

Three years ago, as he was preparing to travel overseas, former Army Col. Parker Schenecker turned to his wife and asked if she'd be okay during his deployment.

Schenecker told the jury he'd had no reason to distrust his wife, whom he divorced in 2011, months after she was charged with two counts of first-degree murder. She was drinking more — enough to alarm him —but he felt no hesitation. When he talked to his children several days into his trip, they seemed untroubled as well, he said.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts...-prosecutors-to-lay-out-more-evidence/2178493

 

[Pocono Sleuther]

Good morning all. Patiently waiting for the live link to start up. Still trying to process PS testimony yesterday.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Coldpizza]

http://www.abcactionnews.com/video/abc-action-news-now

http://www.wildabouttrial.com/one_off/julie-schenecker-trial-live-stream/

http://www.abcactionnews.com/about-us/mobile-apps

 

[popsicle]

Gloria Gomez, FOX 13 &#8207;@ggome13 1m
Still waiting for #JulieSchenecker to be brought into CR. not sure why she is not in here yet

 

[newone]

Taunting a disabled person because of their disability is hate speech, and should NEVER be tolerated. And that's precisely what Calyx did, as described in Parker's email to her doctor.

:loveyou: Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!

I was chewing on the ''JS was broken long ago" by her hubby ((like she's a defective car or something)). For kids who have been abused they will always fight the internal ''damaged goods'' label they give themselves. This statement really bothered me.

The brother's lack of empathy also may be interpreted to be ((by me - MOO)) that there wasn't a whole bunch of understanding at a time when she was reaching out for support -- it could well be too ((on the other hand)) he just didn't feel he could support her emotionally either.

 

[popsicle]

Gloria Gomez, FOX 13 &#8207;@ggome13 24s
Defense says #JulieSchenecker had medical issues. Not feeling well. Numbness in her legs be here soon tho

 

[popsicle]

Trial Queen Sharee &#8207;@TrialQnSharee 1m
Court was advised #JulieSchenecker was not feeling well this morning, she was having numbness in her legs. Should be in court in aprox15 min

 

[my2sense]

(don't mind me ... just posting to test my links) :blushing:

 

[turaj]

not sure where you got be in court in 15. i believe they are getting a doctor (maybe in 15) and pending that visit court may or may not resume. Maybe I got that wrong? In any event that judge looked disgusted.

 

[turaj]

:loveyou: Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!

I was chewing on the ''JS was broken long ago" by her hubby ((like she's a defective car or something)). For kids who have been abused they will always fight the internal ''damaged goods'' label they give themselves. This statement really bothered me.

The brother's lack of empathy also may be interpreted to be ((by me - MOO)) that there wasn't a whole bunch of understanding at a time when she was reaching out for support -- it could well be too ((on the other hand)) he just didn't feel he could support her emotionally either.

Boy I so agree with you...that quote above comes from a man that said he had no reservations about leaving her alone with the kids. After seeing him on the stand yesterday I have some real mixed feelings about him...clearly I don't want to put the blame on him...she did this but I honestly feel this entire family should have had a major intervention and to me simply no excuse for leaving her with the kids. I note yesterday not any mention of just how bad she was leading up to his travel. Defense will be getting into that.

 

[geevee]

CC &#8207;@courtchatter · 18m
Shades of #jodiarias? Health issue is dealying #ScheneckerTrial while a Dr. checks the "numbness" in #JulieSchenecker's leg. Stay tuned!

Wild About Trial &#8207;@WildAboutTrial · 21m
Judge is going to wait for a while for a nurse to check on #JulieSchenecker. Go put more sugar in your coffee, I will monitor.