Hi all
Last time I was here Scott Peterson was in hot water!
On Facial Expressions:
Real, spontaneous smiles are asymmetrical, because in most people the right hemisphere of the brain (which controls the left side of the face) is more involved in emotional expression than the left, so a true smile is higher on the left side of the face, and the orbital muscle around the left eye contracts more too. Fake smiles tend to be symmetrical, not involve the eyes, and come on and leave the face quickly. Of course, I think the vast majority of us would agree that we should have very little confidence that we can judge a person's character by looking at photographs of them.
When I read that Jon's mother said he is, "stoic," that, to me, was more significant. Stoic as in unable to think, talk, etc. because he is so overwhelmed by the apparent loss of his wife and child (wouldn't devastated be a better choice), or stoic as in unconcerned/callous-unemotional? Psychopaths are notoriously cool in high-stress situations because they are incapable of a normal (i.e. human) fear response. That said, we don't really know how he reacted to her going missing, initially, or throughout the week, but his own mother saying that he was stoic suggests that he has appeared relatively (perhaps strangely) calm, and I expect very few men is his situation would react that way. Once again, though, it's easy to read too much into things like this.
If we go with what the research says, odds are he killed her for insurance money and/or to escape from her/the child (another woman?); or she was raped, killed, and dumped in a crime of opportunity; or perhaps involved in some sort of love triangle. It's a frustrating case, because, as many have said, LE seems to know quite a bit, and they aren't sharing.
hdear:
