GUILTY WI - LAKE GENEVA SUITCASE MURDERS, Laura Simonson & Jenny Gamez - #2

[SAH128]

Did you search around? If so, find any discussion at all?

I am going to do some searching for discussion about this case on the BDSM website I frequent. I haven't seen a ton of discussion about it. Also, in many amateur S&M bondage photos shared online, the participants wear masks or conceal their faces, which would make recognizing these ladies really difficult.

EDIT: Sorry, this was in reply to someone asking me if the case was well known enough in the BDSM community that people would recognize pictures of the victims if they stumbled upon them online somewhere.

 

[SAH128]

There is hard evidence? Really? Where'd you hear anything so definitive?

There's evidence that Laura was killed in the hotel and was deceased when she was transported out by Zelich. I don't know anything beyond that, though.

 

[SAH128]

FYI: "New documents: Personnel files on Steven Zelich released by Mequon PD contain surprising reviews"

http://fox6now.com/2014/07/24/new-d...ased-by-mequon-pd-contain-surprising-reviews/

 

[Rallygrrl]

Could be but I would venture to guess he chose the name due to the fact that he was a police officer for so long. I'd think it was a play off of his old profession.

Hindsight is obviously 20/20 but while listening to the videos, I sensed quite a crazy vibe. He seemed polite and well mannered but considering the allegations to date, he clearly has a dark side and is capable of doing horrendous things. He seemed almost like Dahmer or Ted Bundy.

The fact that his two known victims came from Minnesota and Oregon, I'm really concerned that he could be involved in murders that took place anywhere in the US. I hope they are taking look at any periods of unemployment or known travel; when he could have had a lot of extra time on his hands.

There is something wrong. Seriously. He trips up in his interview several times. Seriously, he blames the victims. That is a nutbag.

 

[Sos]

Wouldn't there be evidence of death if she died in the suitcase, though? Or perhaps in the car he was driving?

The car has crossed my mind a few times and was discussed earlier in the thread when the question was posed if SZ might have impersonated LE after his resignation from West Allis.
I wondered about the make and model of the car and if it might have been a vehicle that resembled a LE vehicle.
The only thing we know is what he drove in 2006-2007 and that LE has stated that SZ kept the suitcases in the trunk of his car.
I have not found any other info on SZ's vehicle(s) and I find it kind of odd that LE has not even told us if they have seized the car for forensic testing......?

 

[Judy]

The car has crossed my mind a few times and was discussed earlier in the thread when the question was posed if SZ might have impersonated LE after his resignation from West Allis.
I wondered about the make and model of the car and if it might have been a vehicle that resembled a LE vehicle.
The only thing we know is what he drove in 2006-2007 and that LE has stated that SZ kept the suitcases in the trunk of his car.
I have not found any other info on SZ's vehicle(s) and I find it kind of odd that LE has not even told us if they have seized the car for forensic testing......?

Please forgive me if I sound Naive regarding investigations, (I know I am) but wondering if the FBI are still investigating (they were in the beginning) and if everything stays more "air tight" if they are involved? Also wondering if LE has leads about more women from his computer? I agree, we haven't heard a word about evidence from his apartment, his car, his computer...I've got the sickest gut feeling - I want to know more, but am I ready for the details to be disclosed? Listening to him on the CD, combined with what my gut is telling me this case is more HORRIFIC than the known horror he's admitted to creating.

 

[Rallygrrl]

Please forgive me if I sound Naive regarding investigations, (I know I am) but wondering if the FBI are still investigating (they were in the beginning) and if everything stays more "air tight" if they are involved? Also wondering if LE has leads about more women from his computer? I agree, we haven't heard a word about evidence from his apartment, his car, his computer...I've got the sickest gut feeling - I want to know more, but am I ready for the details to be disclosed? Listening to him on the CD, combined with what my gut is telling me this case is more HORRIFIC than the known horror he's admitted to creating.

I have not heard anything about the FBI. I would imagine so, however.

 

[Rallygrrl]

The car has crossed my mind a few times and was discussed earlier in the thread when the question was posed if SZ might have impersonated LE after his resignation from West Allis.
I wondered about the make and model of the car and if it might have been a vehicle that resembled a LE vehicle.
The only thing we know is what he drove in 2006-2007 and that LE has stated that SZ kept the suitcases in the trunk of his car.
I have not found any other info on SZ's vehicle(s) and I find it kind of odd that LE has not even told us if they have seized the car for forensic testing......?

It is possible. My gf and I owned a 2006 black Grand Marquee (very similar to a Crown Victoria that the police used to drive) and everyone thought we were the cops. And they have huge trunks. I am a construction worker and I could fit everything in there. It was amazing how much stuff we could pack in the trunk...ladders and everything. So it is possible he had a vehicle that resembled a cop car. I would not doubt it. And people really think you are a cop. We got flagged down a few times by people who needed police assistance and we had to call 911 because we are not cops...we were just driving down the street on our way to get groceries or something. So, it is possible he had a vehicle that resembled a cop car.

 

[Rallygrrl]

Those cars are huge. The trunk is gigantic. That is why we bought it. You can stuff a lot in that trunk. I moved my entire house by just using that car. So, it is not beyond me to assume you could stick a couple suitcases in the trunk.

 

[Cubby]

Do we know if he used his own vehicle or rented a car when he met with LS and JG?

 

[Judy]

Do we know if he used his own vehicle or rented a car when he met with LS and JG?

I have not heard anything at all regarding his car or the car he used.

 

[Woe.be.gone]

That's hardly a stretch! If they didn't know him (previously), we can be fairly certain it didn't take long for them to learn that he was an ex-cop either from SZ himself or a senior member of the West Allis P.D.. There's a "code", it's known. It's real.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Code_of_Silence

Oh boy.

 

[Woe.be.gone]

I have not heard anything at all regarding his car or the car he used.

One neighbor commented he didn't think Zelich had a car because he always saw him walk out the door and down the street.
If there were bodies in his car, he didn't want it parked outside his apartment building. People would know it was his car and the smell, if detected, would draw unwanted attention.
The question is, where did he park his car then?

 

[Woe.be.gone]

I tried to find the link where a neighbor made the comment about not knowing Z owned a car to no avail. I promise I didn't make it up though.

The link below mentions a time SZ mishandled a domestic violence call and later the woman killed herself.
Now it is clear why SZ wouldn't care about a woman who was being victimized. It is so disheartening to know that a police force as a whole does not crack down on an officer at the first sign they're not good people. There are always candidates waiting in line for jobs on a police force. Out of all groups (clergy too), these should be the people we can trust to be of higher character standard than average imo. To turn their eyes to this kind of misbehavior or evidence of wrongdoing on behalf of one of their officers makes me very unhappy as an average citizen. How can we respect (teach our children to) with this kind of thing going on? I know one bad apple and all that but come on.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/crime/...has-checkered-past-b99309158z1-267276601.html

 

[Ypsiowns]

Yes! The girl who commented saying that was the girl I worked with.

 

[Rallygrrl]

I tried to find the link where a neighbor made the comment about not knowing Z owned a car to no avail. I promise I didn't make it up though.

The link below mentions a time SZ mishandled a domestic violence call and later the woman killed herself.
Now it is clear why SZ wouldn't care about a woman who was being victimized. It is so disheartening to know that a police force as a whole does not crack down on an officer at the first sign they're not good people. There are always candidates waiting in line for jobs on a police force. Out of all groups (clergy too), these should be the people we can trust to be of higher character standard than average imo. To turn their eyes to this kind of misbehavior or evidence of wrongdoing on behalf of one of their officers makes me very unhappy as an average citizen. How can we respect (teach our children to) with this kind of thing going on? I know one bad apple and all that but come on.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/crime/...has-checkered-past-b99309158z1-267276601.html

It just gets worse every day. I kinda sit here and thank god I never ran into him. He sounds like a monster and every time they release something I am like, "What? Are you kidding me?"

As far as getting onto the police force...it is not that hard. I was in my 20s when I did it (I am 43 now). The only reason I failed was because I had never had a driver's license and when I had to do the driving between the cones I smacked one. I am fine with it...I went on and did other things I am very proud to have done. It does not take a rocket scientist to become a police officer. I am serious. Some officers are dumb as a box of rocks.

 

[OhThatVictoria]

Interesting article about LE in Milwaukee; http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/wa...-disciplined-for-violating-law-132268408.html

This is disconcerting. A paranoid voice whispers they might want to buy into SZ's claim of "rough sex" and "accidental death" and move on. We KNOW they don't want lawsuits from previous victims of stalking much less the woman he attacked in his apartment. The following op-ed piece addresses the reputation of Milwaukee (going back decades). It serves as a reminder that this case MUST proceed with murder charges.

http://www.wisconsingazette.com/opinion/still-the-elephant-in-the-room.html

Then we have defense attorneys who blame victims, suggesting that women like those found bound in suitcases expired in the pursuit of “consensual” sexual gratification. “If it’s a reckless act involving two people, which one is being reckless?” asked Steven Zelich’s attorney. Conveniently, dead women cannot testify as to the circumstances.
Those are only a few of the most sensational crimes and injustices against women in recent months. Each year in Milwaukee County alone, almost 5,000 women seek restraining orders against abusive husbands, boyfriends, relatives and even children — mostly male. That staggering figure represents a minority of the number of women being abused, those at the end of their ropes and brave enough to come forward.

 

[Javier]

I wouldn't get too wrapped up in what Zelich's lawyer says. He is tasked with the difficult job of defending a man that killed two women, drove their bodies to his home, and stored them in refrigerators and cars for up to a year before driving over an hour away from his home and leaving their bodies in suitcases in a rural area. The outlandish claims such as Zelich not hiding the bodies but instead wanting them to be found as well the suggestion that he killed two women accidentally only go to show that the lawyer doesn't have a whole lot to work with.

This is a complex case involving multiple jurisdictions and even states. This is also a case where LE is afforded the luxury of keeping Zelich locked up on what seems to be clear cases of hiding a corpse while they sort through all the details and build solid cases for the murder charges.

I suspect LE will be throwing the book at Zelich and I also suspect they will be successful in doing so. However, in this situation, it's best to a take the time to get things right.

 

[MN Sleuth]

I wouldn't get too wrapped up in what Zelich's lawyer says. He is tasked with the difficult job of defending a man that killed two women, drove their bodies to his home, and stored them in refrigerators and cars for up to a year before driving over an hour away from his home and leaving their bodies in suitcases in a rural area. The outlandish claims such as Zelich not hiding the bodies but instead wanting them to be found as well the suggestion that he killed two women accidentally only go to show that the lawyer doesn't have a whole lot to work with.

This is a complex case involving multiple jurisdictions and even states. This is also a case where LE is afforded the luxury of keeping Zelich locked up on what seems to be clear cases of hiding a corpse while they sort through all the details and build solid cases for the murder charges.

I suspect LE will be throwing the book at Zelich and I also suspect they will be successful in doing so. However, in this situation, it's best to a take the time to get things right.

^This. The words "air-tight" and "wont see the light of day" have been used by various agencies as of late with the LS family. From what I have heard and have been told, once the charges are filed in the other districts and once the evidence comes to light about what they have on him in the other locations, he will not want this to go to jury. His only option will be to plead it down as best as he can.

Right now, the only option his current public defender really has is to try and play "word games" with his confession in hopes he can convince someone that he didn't really confess to "murder" but that it was an accident. But given the time frames, what he did, how they were found, where they were found, other evidence that has been gathered, he doesn't stand a chance.

There has been so much going on with this case, from many different agencies behind the scenes, that hasn't come out yet. They have been building a case against him for quite a while, way before he was actually nabbed. The LS family kept quiet about everything for a long time about what was happening as to not tip him off and it looks like it may have paid off.

It will all come out soon and God willing he will get his. Given what I have heard about what is going to get filed, I hope he is dumb enough to go to jury. But I doubt it.

 

[SAH128]

I got the 7 hour DVD myself via Open Records request, haven't had a chance to check it out yet. If anyone on here really wants to check it out and would like to pool research resources on it, ping me via message and I can make a copy of the DVD for you.

FYI - each news station in Milwaukee has aired slightly different recordings of his responses (some include the same, too) but one station announced that the CD recordings are 7 hours long. Most are focused on the events toward the end of his employment but I have a feeling we'll be hearing more and more of what behaviors he was disciplined for (not that I haven't heard enough - ha!)