GUILTY VA - Tina Smith, 41, slain, 12yo daughter abducted, Salem, 2 Dec 2010 - #6

[Dema]

Another reason for not telling everything they've found is the threat of tainting the jury pool. Hard to pick a jury when everyone knows "everything" about the case so already has their minds made up as to what happened.

 

[my_tee_mouse]

I just want to clear one thing up. I was not suggesting that Brittany live her life as the "victim". I do not think of myself as a victim. I think of myself as a survivor. I was meaning more that life cannot continue on as if this never happened....swept under the rug so to speak. Of course, going back to school and doing things children her age do will help but she and her family have to face these issues head on and deal with them. This cannot be fixed with expensive gifts and school work. It must be dealt with so that it does not cause her more harm later in life.

Sorry if I did not make myself clear earlier.

I took comfort in the fact that her dad indicated that they would let Brittany set the pace. That, to me, says that he will remain closely attuned to her needs.

You are right, salvarenga. No amount of activity or gifts will make this go away. Thank goodness her family doesn't seem to have the "sweep this under the rug" mindset. Unfortunately, so many do, which is one reason we wind up with "victims" instead of "survivors" and "conquerors" years after the fact.

 

[Reannan]

I just want to clear one thing up. I was not suggesting that Brittany live her life as the "victim". I do not think of myself as a victim. I think of myself as a survivor. I was meaning more that life cannot continue on as if this never happened....swept under the rug so to speak. Of course, going back to school and doing things children her age do will help but she and her family have to face these issues head on and deal with them. This cannot be fixed with expensive gifts and school work. It must be dealt with so that it does not cause her more harm later in life.

Sorry if I did not make myself clear earlier.

Salvarenga.... and everyone else on here who has been a victim of abuse WAY beyond what I ever experienced...(((((ALL OF YOU)))) I wish I could give all of you RL hugs. Salvarenga - maybe you should write a book?? Seriously, I love the way you address the situation! You don't seem to ignore what happened. Instead you seem to acknowledge and move on!!! Brilliant..... you can't move on until you move past. ((((Salvarenga))))) I wish none of this ever happened to you, but I am SO glad you are brave enough to share with the world and help other people through their own pain. Thank you!

 

[salvarenga]

I took comfort in the fact that her dad indicated that they would let Brittany set the pace. That, to me, says that he will remain closely attuned to her needs.

You are right, salvarenga. No amount of activity or gifts will make this go away. Thank goodness her family doesn't seem to have the "sweep this under the rug" mindset. Unfortunately, so many do, which is one reason we wind up with "victims" instead of "survivors" and "conquerors" years after the fact.

It such a hard subject to address. I couldn't imagine not having my momma to help me deal with something so major at such a young age. I do hope she finds some female she feels safe and comfortable talking to.

 

[zoomom]

Brittany's dad...

oh my! Dad looks like he could take a certain "someone" apart, limb by limb!

 

[Japandaaa]

Whew.... I am not even going to get into the discussion about BS because at this point the jury is out IMHO. I want evidence. Going on the video here (I hope it posts):

http://www2.wsls.com/news/2010/dec/...-video-easley-brittany-smith-leavi-ar-712919/

1. JE and the guy in the blue sweatshirt/hoodie clothing are DEFINITELY together. They exit their vehicles (a purple car and the red SUV), and they move towards each other. The film is cut at this point. [WHY??? LE would benefit from letting us see this part of the video IMHO - it would help to form opinions of what was hapening.] How SURE are we that the red SUV was 'sold'??? It doesn't make a lot of sense that the guy in the blue hoodie would purchase it and then abandon it... unless he is another shady character with something else to hide. That just seems to be a huge leap for me. Maybe it was found abandoned??? Maybe they found it at his house? What do we KNOW FOR SURE about this SUV?????

2. When JE enters the building he has an agenda. At 00:27 - 00:29 in the video he comes in the door and has something in his hands, but he kicks the door mat under the door so that it stays open. He then continues walking, fidgeting with whatever is in his hands.

3. At approximately 00:37 - 00:41, he goes back to the door and drops whatever he has in his hand (the key to TS's house???) and kicks it under the door.

4. At 00:54, he has fidgeted with "pretending to close the door" so that he can look to verify that whatever he dropped was kicked behind the door.

I think there was a 4th person in the purple car or the red SUV and that they stayed at the convenience store and retrieved whatever the dropped object was. I believe the guy in the dark blue sweatshirt was in on it because he distracts the clerk by asking for directions while JE hides the object. This just boggles my mind!!! Am I insane for seeing what I see and heading down the path my mind is taking me?? I would almost prefer to be insane. At first, I believed Tina was already dead by the WM video.... now - not so much. Looking forward to the always keen eyes of my fellow sleuths!!!

I was wondering the same thing as in why did he prop the door open with the rug ? It makes no sense. Right away, I would have thought he was acting suspicious.

Is there be a possibility that JSE hired someone to take care of TS and that's why he hasn't been slapped with a murder charge, even though he's the prime suspect now ?

 

[KR2tonenow]

Posted: 2:56 pm PST December 13, 2010Updated: 2:57 pm PST December 13, 2010
ROANOKE, Va. -- An abducted 12-year-old Virginia girl who was found unharmed last week in San Francisco is heading home. Roanoke County spokeswoman Teresa Hamilton Hall says Brittany Mae Smith and two police escorts are expected back late Monday night. <snip>
Easley is expected to have his extradition hearing Tuesday morning in San Francisco. More at link: http://www.ktvu.com/news/26121898/detail.html

Good to know. I am glad Brittany is headed back to her dad tonight!

 

[belimom]

I took comfort in the fact that her dad indicated that they would let Brittany set the pace. That, to me, says that he will remain closely attuned to her needs.

You are right, salvarenga. No amount of activity or gifts will make this go away. Thank goodness her family doesn't seem to have the "sweep this under the rug" mindset. Unfortunately, so many do, which is one reason we wind up with "victims" instead of "survivors" and "conquerors" years after the fact.

It such a hard subject to address. I couldn't imagine not having my momma to help me deal with something so major at such a young age. I do hope she finds some female she feels safe and comfortable talking to.

BBM

I agree 100% - and I'm glad there are so many females in this family! Did you see all of them?!?

 

[belimom]

oh my! Dad looks like he could take a certain "someone" apart, limb by limb!

From watching the video, he seemed more like a big teddy bear to me...!

 

[Dema]

oh my! Dad looks like he could take a certain "someone" apart, limb by limb!

With Dad's job, he's going to have to be very careful what he says and does while the investigation and trial are going on.

 

[KR2tonenow]

the fake ID disturbs me. Wonder who provided it to her. Smells like longterm seduction by a sexual predator to me.

You got it...this JE prepped her, and her head down in the photo speaks volumes.

 

[LaLaw2000]

With all the news coverage of Brittany missing, and now forever embedded on the Internet, it is going to be a very, very long road ahead of Brittany to be able to overcome what happened, IF she will ever be able to overcome what happened.

Many have been sexual abused at somepoint in their lifetime and had a difficult road to try and mend, IF mended at all. Many have never had their story of sexual abuse, rape etc., in the regular hard copy of a newspaper or on the Internet. However, the cyber world is NOT forgiving and it never goes away.

It is hard enough being a pre-teen/teen and dealing with all that happens with hormones bouncing all around. Heck, they don't even like themselves most of the time, and clearly can't handle if someone looks at them the wrong way.

It might be a wise choice on the father's part to change Brittany's last name, perhaps to Tina's maiden name or something like that to make the years ahead of Brittany easier.

I also hope Brittany is not pregnant.

Good post, Patty G.

The statement I bolded is what I danced all the way around in one of my posts. I like how you just came right out and said it because I have been so very worried about this very thing.

Changing Brittany's last name would be a tremendous help for the future.

 

[salvarenga]

Salvarenga.... and everyone else on here who has been a victim of abuse WAY beyond what I ever experienced...(((((ALL OF YOU)))) I wish I could give all of you RL hugs. Salvarenga - maybe you should write a book?? Seriously, I love the way you address the situation! You don't seem to ignore what happened. Instead you seem to acknowledge and move on!!! Brilliant..... you can't move on until you move past. ((((Salvarenga))))) I wish none of this ever happened to you, but I am SO glad you are brave enough to share with the world and help other people through their own pain. Thank you!

Reannan - Thank you for the support but really my story is no different than anyone who ever had that type of unfortunate experience. I would venture to guess there are many others here with their own horror stories some probably worse than mine.

If I could share anything with anyone, it would just be to not blame yourself, stand up for yourself and vocalize what you need to be better. It's ok to cry, it's ok to scream, it's ok to be mad because everyday it gets easier to deal with and everyday you will continue to get stronger, you will continue to feel less afraid and you will overcome. The words I live by....what does not break us, only makes us stronger.

JE may have cracked Brittany but with the glue of her family she can be put back together and could end up stronger than ever.

 

[WillenFan21]

With all the news coverage of Brittany missing, and now forever embedded on the Internet, it is going to be a very, very long road ahead of Brittany to be able to overcome what happened, IF she will ever be able to overcome what happened.

Many have been sexual abused at somepoint in their lifetime and had a difficult road to try and mend, IF mended at all. Many have never had their story of sexual abuse, rape etc., in the regular hard copy of a newspaper or on the Internet. However, the cyber world is NOT forgiving and it never goes away.

It is hard enough being a pre-teen/teen and dealing with all that happens with hormones bouncing all around. Heck, they don't even like themselves most of the time, and clearly can't handle if someone looks at them the wrong way.

It might be a wise choice on the father's part to change Brittany's last name, perhaps to Tina's maiden name or something like that to make the years ahead of Brittany easier.

I also hope Brittany is not pregnant.

I agree with you. This thought crossed my mind the other day. I mean look what happened to Jaycie Duggard.

 

[belimom]

I just want to clear one thing up. I was not suggesting that Brittany live her life as the "victim". I do not think of myself as a victim. I think of myself as a survivor. I was meaning more that life cannot continue on as if this never happened....swept under the rug so to speak. Of course, going back to school and doing things children her age do will help but she and her family have to face these issues head on and deal with them. This cannot be fixed with expensive gifts and school work. It must be dealt with so that it does not cause her more harm later in life.

Sorry if I did not make myself clear earlier.

Salvarenga, I hope you didn't think my post was about what you said. I was just thinking in general. I agree with everything you've said - and I think she won't ever be a normal 7th-grader again but I guess what I was saying is that I think she'll come as close as possible - and I'm sure she wishes she could just be the average kid who hasn't had all this happen to her.

When I said that she probably doesn't want to live the rest of her life as "victim", I was speaking from personal experience. I thought of myself as "I'm a victim - woe is me" for a long time, and it wasn't until years with a great therapist and also my amazing husband, that one day I realized that I was tired of being "the victim" in my mind. That moment was probably 15 years ago. So I wasn't addressing you in particular - just spilling out my thoughts.

 

[pharsin]

http://www2.wsls.com/news/2010/dec/13/new-surveillance-video-easley-brittany-smith-leavi-ar-712919/

The video, taken at the Salem Apple Market on West Main Street, shows Easley buying gas and a few other items at around 9:20 p.m., roughly 45 minutes after leaving the Salem Walmart, where police say he bought camping gear with Tina Smith's credit card.

i thought that le chief lavinder has said in recent pressers that tinas tod was between late morning and late afternoon would be as close as they could estimate? since this is after they were at the walmart purchasing the camping gear i would think that tina was not still alive when they are seen at this market...jmo

i also wonder what the clerk was making the motions with her arms for? giving directions??

I am behind on reading, so forgive me if this has already been discussed. They just interviewed the Clerk at the Apple Mart who says JE and BS were always 'lovey dovey' I sure wish they would have asked him how far back he could remember them coming in together.

I think we all would have been interested in the answer to that.

jmo

 

[MBLover]

A friend of the family just adopted several children from her husband's family. One of the children was having such a hard time with certain aspects and it was suggested that this child be allowed to change his/her full name. It has worked wonders for this child...it has separated him/her from the former abuse filled life he/she had.

 

[salvarenga]

Not only pregnancy but there are many other things you have to worry about...STDs, HIV/AIDS. If they think she was sexually assaulted, she would have immediately been processed with a rape kit....which in itself, is like a violation all over. She would he tested and treated if necessary for STDs, given an HIV/AIDs test. She will have to continue the AIDS/HIV test for a certain amount of time. They would also give her morning after pills if the assault was recent. If the abuse had been going on for some time, then I am not sure how they deal with the pregnancy issue.

 

[salvarenga]

Salvarenga, I hope you didn't think my post was about what you said. I was just thinking in general. I agree with everything you've said - and I think she won't ever be a normal 7th-grader again but I guess what I was saying is that I think she'll come as close as possible - and I'm sure she wishes she could just be the average kid who hasn't had all this happen to her.

When I said that she probably doesn't want to live the rest of her life as "victim", I was speaking from personal experience. I thought of myself as "I'm a victim - woe is me" for a long time, and it wasn't until years with a great therapist and also my amazing husband, that one day I realized that I was tired of being "the victim" in my mind. That moment was probably 15 years ago. So I wasn't addressing you in particular - just spilling out my thoughts.

No need to explain yourself at all. I did not take it personally. I just read your post and realized I didn't do nearly as good a job as you at explaining myself.

 

[Gizmorose]

I noticed this as well. If you look also, he examines his hand, which reminds me of someone examining their hand for cuts, etc.

I know that since another party is in the video that the LE probably kept it on the hush hush, but what gets me is when they released the Walmart video, they said that was the last they had been seen. All this talk about them dropping off the face of the Earth was kind of misleading for me because here they are in this surveillance video from the Apple Market almost an hour later !

:banghead:

I'm catching up on Nancy Grace now, even though she pisses me off sometimes. LOL.

When I read Salvarenga's post, and having not noticed, I went back to look at the AM video and saw what she saw, that he did examine his hand. Then I went back and looked at the WM video. He also did it in that one (at 2:06) but more briefly as he was waiting for the clerk to finish ringing up the items. He quickly removed his hand from where it had been resting by the card machine and put it in his pocket. I couldn't see any injury no matter how much I zoomed :sheesh: