Found Deceased NY - Halle Schmidt, 21, Copake, 2 Sept 2016

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http://news10.com/2016/10/04/police-make-arrest-in-halle-schmidt-case/

"[FONT=&amp]Law enforcement sources tell NEWS10 ABC a man admitted to dumping 21-year-old Halle Schmidt’s body in a wooded area on Old Post Road in Kinderhook. Law enforcement sources say the suspect is in custody and told them Halle overdosed on heroin and that he was afraid to call authorities because he was on parole and had a parole violation."

edit: Update: Rasheem Cotman

edit2: Charged with Concealment of a Corpse[/FONT]
 
Lengthy account: Hudson Register Star

Man charged in Halle Schmidt death case

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heriff’s office said its representatives traveled to Queens on Sept. 9 where they interviewed Cotman, who admitted he was involved in the case, and gave them information leading them to search the Old Post Road area on the Kinderhook/Ghent border.
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Both Angela Concra and Halle’s aunt, Erika Concra Porreca, said they believed many people knew what happened to Halle, but no one spoke up.
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Click to expand...
 
Okay, so. It's just about down to, do we believe the charges are sufficient -- and of course what did happen that clear cool dark night?
 
wfgodot said:
Albany Times Union

'Concealment of human corpse' charged in Columbia County heroin case

Hmm...
Click to expand...

Her Facebook states that she was going to only mess with weed and quit the harder stuff.

But I truly don't see how heroin addicts party.

Because usually heroin addicts are passed out or on slow motion after the first hit or snort or injection.

Btw. Females need to understand.

That some guys may be high on speed or meth. But they prefer you high on heroin or oxy in order for you to be incoherent.

So leave the dang heroin alone. Jmo
 
Halle Schmidt Timeline

02 September: Allegedly seen on Green Street in Hudson.

03 September: Seen on video during early morning hours walking at the intersection of routes 66 and 23B, Hudson.

03-04 September: Attended a late night party at Joslen Motor Lodge, Hudson; overdoses and dies

04 September: Driven from JML to spot near Old Post Road, Kinderhook; body dumped

04 September: Family members report her missing to Columbia County Sheriff's Department

07 September: Sheriff's Department informs community Halle Schmidt is a missing person

09 September: Police question individuals, including Rasheen Cotman, 32.

10 September: Body found in rural wooded region near Old Post Road, Kinderhook.

10 September: Body identified by family member as Halle Schmidt, 21.

10 September: Vigil held in Hudson draws large crowd.

11 September: Autopsy performed at St. Peter's Hospital, Albany.

13 September: Police identify (as "Molly") and interview a possible witness of interest in the case.

02 October: Memorial celebrating Halle Schmidt's life held, Copake.

04 October: Police arrest and charge, Rashem (Rah) Cotman on a hiding a body felony charge.
 
I am with Halle's family in the belief that there is much more to this story than Arnett and Cotman's version of events. Furthermore, I can't unsee what Halle's mom, Angela Concra, posted on her Facebook (since removed) regarding the potentially abusive relationship between Halle and Rashem (on Monday, October 3, 2016, after receiving information about the cause of death and charges). I can't ignore the murmuring on her friends' and families' Facebook pages since that post has been removed, with reports of: Rah trying to convince Halle to do heroin (and she resisting), Halle calling her father, days before her disappearance, crying, saying that she needed to get away from Rah, the alleged messages from Rah to Halle saying that he was going to kill her, the reports from supposed eyewitnesses that Halle was dragged into a car (alive) - kicking and screaming - at the Joslen Motor Lodge on Saturday night (or early Sunday morning), the stories of Halle being beaten up in the days prior to her disappearance (of which video may have at one point existed).

I know that right now this all may just be speculation, that the "witnesses" may be unreliable, that maybe the family is grasping at straws to find some more satisfying explanation of the events, one other than what may be the most likely - that Halle was a heroin addict, overdosed, and that her friend Rah got scared, because he had a parole violation, while he really couldn't have done anything to save her, anyway, and therefore didn't have a hand in her death (other than, perhaps, providing her with the heroin that killed her?).

But the nagging feeling, that there could be something more sinister at play, just won't allow to me accept that version of the story, either.
 
Oh, Rasheem/Rashem Cotman beat women.

From The Columbia Paper on October 19, 2014:

"Rasheem Cotman, 30, of Hudson was charged with third degree assault with intent to cause physical injury by Hudson Police Officer Patrick Meister at 216 Warren Street, September 30 at 9 a.m. Mr. Cotman was charged on a Hudson City Court arrest warrant stemming from an August 23 incident during which he allegedly punched a female in the face with his fist causing her physical injury. He was arraigned and sent to the Columbia County Jail in lieu of $1,000 cash bail or $2,000 bond."

Here's coverage of the same incident from the Register-Star on October 7, 2014:

"Rasheem Cotman, 30, of Hudson, was arrested at 9 a.m. Sept. 30 on a warrant and charged with third-degree assault, a class A misdemeanor, stemming from an alleged incident reported on August 23. Cotman is accused of punching a female acquaintance in the face causing injury, according to police. Cotman was already being held in the Columbia County Jail on an unrelated charge. He was remanded to jail on $1,000 cash or $2,000 bond bail."
 
Important Questions:

1. Was Halle using heroin prior to September 3, 2016?
2. If not, was Halle contemplating trying heroin?
3. Were Halle and Rashem in a romantic relationship?
4. If so, was the relationship between Halle and Rashem emotionally, physically, or verbally abusive?
5. Had Halle and Rashem gotten into any type of serious argument, disagreement, or dispute on or before September 3, 2016?
6. Does Rashem have a history of violence against women?
7. If so, what was his relationship to said women?
8. What is the nature of the relationship between Molly Arnett and Rashem Cotman?
 
I am with Halle's family in the belief that there is much more to this story than Arnett and Cotman's version of events. Furthermore, I can't unsee what Halle's mom, Angela Concra, posted on her Facebook (since removed) regarding the potentially abusive relationship between Halle and Rashem (on Monday, October 3, 2016, after receiving information about the cause of death and charges). I can't ignore the murmuring on her friends' and families' Facebook pages since that post has been removed, with reports of: Rah trying to convince Halle to do heroin (and she resisting), Halle calling her father, days before her disappearance, crying, saying that she needed to get away from Rah, the alleged messages from Rah to Halle saying that he was going to kill her, the reports from supposed eyewitnesses that Halle was dragged into a car (alive) - kicking and screaming - at the Joslen Motor Lodge on Saturday night (or early Sunday morning), the stories of Halle being beaten up in the days prior to her disappearance (of which video may have at one point existed).

I know that right now this all may just be speculation, that the "witnesses" may be unreliable, that maybe the family is grasping at straws to find some more satisfying explanation of the events, one other than what may be the most likely - that Halle was a heroin addict, overdosed, and that her friend Rah got scared, because he had a parole violation, while he really couldn't have done anything to save her, anyway, and therefore didn't have a hand in her death (other than, perhaps, providing her with the heroin that killed her?).

But the nagging feeling, that there could be something more sinister at play, just won't allow to me accept that version of the story, either.
Click to expand...

this is great ^ ^ but I'll try a long-winded counterpoint:

wfgodot said:
From a July 25th FB entry:

I got people I don’t *advertiser censored** with anymore but their secrets never left my mouth.
Click to expand...

Perhaps the veracity of that claim had become an issue.
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This might seem to be prima facie evidence of something which later flipped -- secrets may have been on the verge of spilling, or indeed have issued forth; she may have tired of her defense of pushers in general and perhaps Cotman in particular.

Equally, though, I think it likely she'd tried heroin in the past -- perhaps smoking it, or skin-popping; -- as once into that the road can quickly lead to shooting junk (or a more suitable monicker, la Buena -- the good, and thus the ultimate). The ultimate -- it's a precipitous mountain from which to fall, and a shot in the mainline can be a ticket to la Muerte, especially if the facilitator -- the dealer -- has involvement in the amount or the variety of dope to shoot; and of course can select or tamper with and increase or aduterate the ingredients to be shot.

I think it true that others were there, or at least perhaps one whose room might have been used to house the shooting up, someone who may be a key to what occurred: if indeed Halle fixed herself, or if someone else shot her up, and watched the effect and in effect saw her die. If so that witness needs to come forward. Then the panic, the loading the body into a car, the dark drive to Old Post Road -- accompanied by an allegedly passed out woman named Molly, said to be native to the region, unlike Cotman, the confessed driver, who was from the City -- and then the body hauled out of the car and carried or, more likely, unceremoniously dragged, through a clearing and into the trees.

But was this the case? Was the relationship between Halle and Cotman abusive? (He certainly had been charged as such though the alleged incident probably did not involve her.) Was Halle a reliable narrator or a embellisher of the facts? Based on the utter coldness of the acts following the OD -- the authorities unsummoned; the hospital within five minutes -- no one could think their relationship any less than abusive. And with, see above, Halle herself evidently in possession of certain facts, just the mention of which served as a warning that the facts could spill at any time, these factors might serve as a reason to eliminate her from the scene; for Cotman, prison loomed.

But all of this complicates matters needlessly, to arrive at a solution. (Though this does not mean the proposed solution, willy nilly, is incorrect.) I find it far more likely that they were out to party and Cotman provided the dope and the works and Halle shot it -- perhaps mainlining for the first time -- and overdosed and died, and that was that, nothing more nefarious than the usual nefariousity of such scenes. And there was panic on Joslen Boulevard. Someone local to the area -- it's already been established that Molly was in the vehicle -- may have helped direct the driver, Cotman, to the site where Halle's body was found. And there he left her, and here we are, wondering, probing the veins of a phantom past for that which we may never really know.

People overdose everyday because they want to get high. And they die. It's that sad, and that simple. There's nothing here that insists that the means of death were by other than via that one simple fact.
 
I agree that the simplest explanation is that Halle did heroin of her own volition and overdosed. This doesn't answer the questions:

Was Molly a complicit (or active) participant in disposing of the body? Was Molly passed out in the car as she claims?
What condition was Halle in when Rah/Molly decided to dump her? Could she have been revived?
Was Halle ALIVE when they dumped her?

My guess is that, since the body was recovered so far after the fact, there is not enough forensic information to point to a precise time of death. Even if Rah/Molly could have potentially saved Halle (narcan, etc.) there's no way to prove that Halle wasn't dead when they decided to move her. This is why the only charge is concealment of a human corpse.

edit: another unanswered question...

How was Halle's phone broken? If it was broken intentionally by Rah or other, I could imagine this was part of a plan to isolate her from family for more nefarious purposes. Pure speculation.
 
I've worked in the area this all happened for 20 years. My gut feeling has always been something nefarious happened to her. Partying is one thing, that doesn't mean you automatically try heroin. I know many people that were 20-21 years old once in their life including me, and just because you may "party" when you are this age, doesn't mean you'll become a drug addict. To say that she OD'd of her own accord, because she did other types of drugs, and was one the party scene isn't fair. From her facebook, and from her closest friends and family something isn't sitting right with the heroin OD and didn't the step father say there was a lot of heroin in her system? Say she was a "new" heroin user, why would you willing do "a lot" when you have no tolerance for the drug yet? 5 days before she died, she swears off drugs and 3 days before, updates her relationship status to "in a relationship." From her post on facebook, she strikes me as someone who just says what she is feeling in the moment, or what she is thinking in the moment. Why would she be on a positive path, (stopping all drugs except pot, new relationship, etc) and then do so much heroin just DAYS later that kills her. Something is off with the whole scenario. If she was truly threatened by this Rah, and there are text messages to prove that, then it changes the dynamic of the whole thing. The guy that dumps her body, is also threatening her via text, hmm. I get that they can't prove what he did, and that's a damn shame. I'd say break Molly. If she was in the damn car, there is a reason why she was. She knows what happened and they need to put pressure on her to tell the truth. Maybe then he could be charged, if say she says she witnessed him administer the heroin that killed her against her will? I don't know, but people on facebook are gunning for the Molly girl. Also looks like her father is some sort of high ranking official in Columbia County, as there is a post being shared with his position/title/salary on facebook by Halle's best friend. Very interesting case in my back yard. Such a shame.
 
Upstate83 said:
I've worked in the area this all happened for 20 years. My gut feeling has always been something nefarious happened to her. Partying is one thing, that doesn't mean you automatically try heroin. I know many people that were 20-21 years old once in their life including me, and just because you may "party" when you are this age, doesn't mean you'll become a drug addict. To say that she OD'd of her own accord, because she did other types of drugs, and was one the party scene isn't fair. From her facebook, and from her closest friends and family something isn't sitting right with the heroin OD and didn't the step father say there was a lot of heroin in her system? Say she was a "new" heroin user, why would you willing do "a lot" when you have no tolerance for the drug yet? 5 days before she died, she swears off drugs and 3 days before, updates her relationship status to "in a relationship." From her post on facebook, she strikes me as someone who just says what she is feeling in the moment, or what she is thinking in the moment. Why would she be on a positive path, (stopping all drugs except pot, new relationship, etc) and then do so much heroin just DAYS later that kills her. Something is off with the whole scenario. If she was truly threatened by this Rah, and there are text messages to prove that, then it changes the dynamic of the whole thing. The guy that dumps her body, is also threatening her via text, hmm. I get that they can't prove what he did, and that's a damn shame. I'd say break Molly. If she was in the damn car, there is a reason why she was. She knows what happened and they need to put pressure on her to tell the truth. Maybe then he could be charged, if say she says she witnessed him administer the heroin that killed her against her will? I don't know, but people on facebook are gunning for the Molly girl. Also looks like her father is some sort of high ranking official in Columbia County, as there is a post being shared with his position/title/salary on facebook by Halle's best friend. Very interesting case in my back yard. Such a shame.
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Halle's closest friends and family vehemently deny heroin use, while freely and openly admitting alcohol consumption and casual drug use. Halle herself was opposed to heroin use, getting into fights with people over heroin on Facebook, with a very victim-blaming mentality. In fact, while her own sister was in rehab for her heroin addiction, Halle posted about her lack of sympathy for heroin users while defending heroin dealers. That is, Halle thought doing heroin was gross. She thought heroin addiction was gross. Even more so, I think she thought it was pathetic. Why would she do heroin?

Well, circumstances can change, is the answer to that question. People can become the thing that they once despised. Perhaps she was using Xanax (as I know she was), then she started taking Oxys, then ended up on heroin, like everyone else in the world, it seems these days. But, do we have any evidence at all to suggest that Halle was using or was thinking about trying heroin? We don't.
 
addicts are very good at hiding their use from friends and loved ones. I know this myself, as I am an addict now in recovery for some time. Chances are very good that Halle had been using heroin or possibly other opiates leading up to that night. My guess would be that during the autopsy the doctors found several injection sites, probably injection sites that were healed / healing suggesting that the night of her death was not her first time using a needle. Or maybe it was her first time. It's sad to say but there are too many cases of people who only use heroin one time and overdose. When injecting drugs all it takes is one bad shot. I feel so badly for Halle and her family, I too have lost many friends to heroin overdose. The family is unwilling to admit that their loved one could have used heroin on her own which is a natural reaction and defense mechanism. Obviously this rah character had a hand in her death, most likely provided the drugs and was most certainly with her at the time of her tragic death. He should be held far more accountable than just concealment of a body. But I also think it is a far stretch to believe that he shot Halle up against her will and purposely gave her a lethal dose with the intent of ending her life.
 
My most updated, detailed timeline:

AUGUST 27, 2016: Halle Schmidt announces she is quitting doing all drugs but weed on Facebook.

AUGUST 30, 2016: Halle changes Facebook relationship status to “In a Relationship”.

SEPTEMBER 2, 2016 (Morning): Halle seen on Green St. in Greenport.

SEPTEMBER 2, 2016 (Afternoon): Halle calls mother, Angela Concra, using friend’s phone (hers had been broken since Thursday 9/1) to check in. Said she knew her mother would worry if she did not hear from her.

SEPTEMBER 2, 2016 (Time Unknown): “Molly” picked up at Dinosaur BBQ in Troy in dark gray 2016 Dodge Challenger and brought to Greenport/Hudson area.

SEPTEMBER 2, 2016 (Evening): Halle attends party in Greenport wearing black tank top and dark pants.

SEPTEMBER 2, 2016 (Late night, early morning of September 3rd): Halle seen at Joslen Motor Lodge.

SEPTEMBER 3, 2016 (Early morning hours): Halle captured on security camera footage on foot at intersection of Route 66 and Route 23B in Greenport “near a pizzeria” (likely Scali’s).

SEPTEMBER 3, 201 (Evening): Halle attends party at Joslen Motor Lodge with Molly Arnett and Rashem “Rah Blood” Cotman.

SEPTEMBER 3, 2016 (Late night)/SEPTEMBER 4, 2016 (Early morning hours): Cotman, Arnett, and Schmidt leave Joslen Motor Lodge in car.

SEPTEMBER 3, 2016 (Late night)/SEPTEMBER 4, 2016 (Early morning hours): Cotman dumps Schmidt’s body in woods.

SEPTEMBER 4, 2016: Schmidt reported missing to authorities by mother, Angela Concra, after not hearing from daughter since Friday. Mother had begun to worry because she had heard of a video from party on Friday night where a fight occurred. Halle supposedly seen in video with scratches on her back. Unconfirmed/unverified reports of a stabbing at party.

SEPTEMBER 6, 2016 (Afternoon & Evening): Brother, Kyle Schmidt, and friend walk streets of Hudson posting missing signs.

SEPTEMBER 7, 2016 (Afternoon): Columbia County Sheriff’s Office announce missing person to public.

SEPTEMBER 9, 2016: Investigators travel to Queens. Interview individuals believed to have information about the disappearance. Interview Cotman. Cotman admits his involvement. Confesses to dumping Halle’s dead body after she overdosed.

SEPTEMBER 10, 2016: Rashem “Rah Blood” Cotman arrested for parole violation in New York City.

SEPTEMBER 10, 2016: Police obtain information during investigation instructing them to “search the area of Old Post Road”.

SEPTEMBER 10, 2016 (Early morning hours, between 3-4AM): Schmidt found dead by sheriff’s deputies during a search of a wooded area off of Old Post Rd. and Rabbit Lane in Ghent/Kinderhook, NY, “away from the road”. Sheriff David Bartlett said the body appeared to have been there for about a week. Homeowner unaware of body’s presence. Body identified by clothes and tattoos.

SEPTEMBER 10, 2016: Columbia County Sheriff’s Office opens criminal investigation into Halle’s death.

SEPTEMBER 10, 2016: Family confirms body’s identity.

SEPTEMBER 10, 2016 (Afternoon): District Attorney, Paul Czajka announces that Sheriff’s Office has found body.

SEPTEMBER 10, 2016 (6PM): Vigil held for Schmidt at Seventh Street Park in Hudson. “Hundreds” attend.

SEPTEMBER 11, 2016: Autopsy performed by Dr. Jeffrey Hubbard, of St. Peter’s Hospital.

SEPTEMBER 12, 2016: Sheriff’s investigators hold news conference. They confirm body to be that of Halle Schmidt. Say they refuse to rule out homicide or foul play, but that “The public should not be concerned at this time…Everybody’s safe, and there are no suspects at large that could cause anybody any harm” (Bartlett).

SEPTEMBER 13, 2016 (Early Afternoon): Columbia County Sheriff’s Office releases stills of surveillance video from Joslen Motor Lodge. Asks for public’s help in identifying woman) in video. Say she may go by the name “Molly” and is potentially from the Troy/Cohoes area.

SEPTEMBER 13, 2016 (Just after 5PM): Molly Arnett turns herself into Troy Police for questioning.

SEPTEMBER 13, 2016 (Late Afternoon/Evening): Investigators “find” potential witness using social media within minutes. Contact made with potential witness. Witness is interviewed.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2016: Halle’s obituary published.
COPAKE—Halle Paige Schmidt, 21, of Copake passed away unexpectedly Saturday, September 3, 2016.
She was born June 4, 1995 in Great Barrington, MA, to Angela Concra and Ronald Schmidt.
Although she was with us for a short time, it was filled with so many memories and good times.
She was a free spirit who lived her life exactly the way she wanted. She walked her own path and created her own sunshine. She was selfless when it came to her family and friends whom she cared so much about and put before everything.
Ms. Schmidt had a weakness for animals and loved her “fur babies,” Ganja and Romeo and considered herself an “Auntie” to her brother’s dog, Biggs.
Never judgmental, she was outgoing and positive. She lived with no regrets and never wasted time on negativity. She was a creative and artistic soul that saw the world like a blank canvas that she wanted to paint with beauty and vibrant colors.
Survivors include: her mother, Angela Concra and her significant other Ron Love of Copake; her father, Ronald Schmidt of South Carolina; her brother and sister, Kyle and Jade with whom she was very close. She also leaves a huge family of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who cared for her deeply.
There will be a Celebration of Life to honor Ms. Schmidt. Details will be released at the discretion of the family.
Contributions in memory of Ms. Schmidt may be made to assist the family during this difficult time c/o Peck and Peck Funeral Home, P.O. Box D, Copake 12516.

OCTOBER 2, 2016: Family holds “celebration of life” for Halle in Copake.

OCTOBER 3, 2016 (Morning): Family informed of cause of death by sheriff’s department.

OCTOBER 3, 2016 (Afternoon): Halle’s mother, Angela Concra, shares information with Facebook followers.

OCTOBER 3, 2016 (Afternoon): Halle’s mother, stepfather, and sister go on news to express frustration with investigation.

OCTOBER 4, 2016: Rashem Cotman arrested at Riker’s Island Correctional Facility. Charged with felony concealment of a human corpse, a Class E Felony.

OCTOBER 4, 2016: Cotman remanded to Columbia County. Arraigned in Kinderhook Town Court. Sent to Columbia County jail without bail pending his court appearance. Cotman pleads “not guilty.

OCTOBER 10, 2016: Halle Schmidt’s aunt, Erika Concra-Porreca posts video to “Hope for Halle” Facebook page expressing her dissatisfaction with Sheriff Office’s handling of case.
 
Brilliant timeline.

So. Anyone have thoughts on the case at this point? Anyone? Anyone?

I'll raise my probability that this was a simple OD to 90%.

(While keeping in mind what Oscar Wilde said: "The truth is rarely pure and never simple.")
 
I think she was partying and using. if she was seeing cotman, he may have been handsy, but I think she did OD and he discarded her.

wfgodot said:
Brilliant timeline.

So. Anyone have thoughts on the case at this point? Anyone? Anyone?

I'll raise my probability that this was a simple OD to 90%.

(While keeping in mind what Oscar Wilde said: "The truth is rarely pure and never simple.")
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