GUILTY NM - Paul, 34, & Tryone Posey, 44, Marilea Schmid, 13, slain, Hondo, 5 July 2004

[Linda7NJ]

If he is a psychopath he learned it from his father, IMO. About the shootings, I don't think there was a lot of time for him to think about anything once the first shot was taken. You would have to have some adrenadline running from anger or whatever put you over the edge to take the first shot. Once that happened it was a matter of seconds before the father ran in with the sister right behind him. I don't think anyone would have the time or be able to change their mindset from shooting the father to not shootng the sister in a split second.

He probably did learn it from his father, but it in no way excuses the brutal premeditated triple murders.

I believe most psychopaths are made and not born. It doesn't mean they earn a free pass for murder.

 

[concernedperson]

He probably did learn it from his father, but it in no way excuses the brutal premeditated triple murders.

I believe most psychopaths are made and not born. It doesn't mean they earn a free pass for murder.

I totally believe this too. With that being said, I am having a hard time with the abuse over so many years. Cody was not an adult, his brain was not as developed. The breaking point for abuse victims is not a scale that has been measured.I could say a lot more but it wouldn't matter in a hill of beans. I think Cody needs counseling and a long time of it.I hope he gets it.He could be salvaged and then, he could not.

 

[tybee204]

Even if hidden under the cover of ranch work, if Codey had physical signs of past injuries his lawyer would have had Medical Experts testifying to it. There were none. NO old scars, old fractures, nothings. This on the body of a child that under oath testified to recieving beatings up to 3 times a day. Beaten with a lariot, a hay hook, rocks, knocked off horses and out of chairs, head thrown threw walls, kicked with cowboy boots and punched repeatedly in the face and head with the closed fist of a grown man. Claimed to have had a 40-50 lb bail of hay thrown on his head from 10 feet above him.
And nothing was offered medically to verify any of this. This childs body would bear both internal and external damage from suffering threw 15 years of this type of violence.
Every Social Worker, Foster Parent, Childrens Court Advocate or Doctor could relate what a childs body would look like under xray if he had suffered this extensive abuse over this many years.

 

[concernedperson]

My scarrings look like I fell off a bike. My tailbone is any other explanation. My psyche is totally something else. No one believed me then and I don't expect that now would be any different.I want Cody to have the opportunity of therapy and maybe sometimes in the future he can have a semblence of a life.

 

[nanandjim]

Exactly.
Although look at the pictures of him smiling with his dad. It's rigid, almost pasted-on. And his body posture is rigid as well, elbows pulled in.

If I were on the jury, these photos would mean nothing to me. My son and I were smiling plenty in pictures with our abuser, my ex-husband. It means nothing at all.

I think that this kid needs counseling and plenty of it. I also think that he needs a lot of love and understanding. I hope that he hasn't been warped for life and can eventually be happy. It's hard to say what the future holds for him.

 

[tybee204]

CP if at 15 you had found yourslf in a Court of Law as Cody has, your medical records as you have posted in the past would support your claims of life time abuse. That is the difference between you and Cody.

I dont doubt that this child was psysically abused. I am just of the opinion that he has exagerated his claims in an attempt to excuse his decision to put 2 bullets in his step sisters head.

For me, I have seen and worked with to many children that have suffered serious and violent abuse, seen the scars on their bodys', their xrays of poorly healed, untreated fractures, heard crying when their ears ached all night from damage caused by constant blows to the head. Witnessed the results of closed head trauma children of violent abuse can suffer for life.

And I will say again, the level of abuse testified to by Cody does not match the medical reality.

 

[concernedperson]

But I still think Cody has to have his say. My medical records were thought to be concealed from me.My parents were horrified that any of this was exposed.It has caused a great deal of contention.It has also exposed them for what they are.If the jury thinks that Cody is guilty without any other prejudice. Then I have to accept this. I truly believe that there is more to this.But, I believe in the jury system and I have been a juror and I know for the most part people will do the job.

 

[Goody]

Thanks Goody - I appreciate it.

Well, hold on now,,,,they changed it all today. The defense is expected to rest Monday and jury instructions to follow. Then I guess it is closing arguments and off to deliberate. The state did not call all of the 40 witnesses they had on their list. In fact, they called very few of them. I guess that is the reason earlier estimates were so far off.

 

[Goody]

In my opinion this kid is a cold blooded killer. Honestly, it sickens me that so many are unable to see through his facade. He premeditated the triple murder of his family and carried it out without a problem. He IS a psychopath.

If this kid is a psychopath, the "psycho" in him was created by his hateful abusive father, enhanced by an equally hateful stepmother, and underlined by an insensitive stepsister getting off on the pain and torment he was going thru.

And the only thing cold blooded in this case is the cavalier attitude toward child abuse and total denial Paul's and Tryone's families are putting out there. I don't believe that they didn't know about how Cody was treated. I think they just turned their heads the other way, never suspecting that he might go off and kill them all. Whatever you think Cody is,one thing is certain.....he didn't get there by himself.

 

[Goody]

It sound like a lot of the abuse was done in the course of the ranch work. That way if something did happen (black eye, bruises, scratches, burns) it could always be blamed on the work around the ranch. IMO, the emotional abuse was a huge part of it. Making him fill a water trough with a dixie cup, paying the sister to spy on him. No wonder all the pictures of him at events or on vacations showed him smiling; he probably didn't get any of the abuse in public or he was away from his parents.

Not to mention the fact that whenever someone takes pictures like that, what do they do? They say "smile." The pics don't mean a thing.

 

[Goody]

I totally believe this too. With that being said, I am having a hard time with the abuse over so many years. Cody was not an adult, his brain was not as developed. The breaking point for abuse victims is not a scale that has been measured.I could say a lot more but it wouldn't matter in a hill of beans. I think Cody needs counseling and a long time of it.I hope he gets it.He could be salvaged and then, he could not.

I agree, CP. I keep going over my outline for what makes a dangerous criminal and Cody was not cruel to animals and not rebelling against all authority, not getting into fights, was not considered to be a bully or mean. He went right from all the conditioning of abuse to a resolution against his abuser. He didn't lash out at others. I think his quiet nature had a lot to do with why he retaliated rather than turned mean himself. Quiet people usually keep all of it pent up within them, and it is not unusual to see them explode in some way. I knew a guy when I was about 19 who was the nicest guy in the world, always very quiet. Years later he shot and killed both his wife and her sister. They thought he was boring.

The question is what should be done with Cody now? That is a big question that I sure don't have the answer for. I hope he is not sent to prison though. And when he is released from juvey or some type of rehab place, I hope the media will try to keep up with him. I would be real interested to know if he truly was saved by people's generosity.

 

[Goody]

If I were on the jury, these photos would mean nothing to me. My son and I were smiling plenty in pictures with our abuser, my ex-husband. It means nothing at all.

I think that this kid needs counseling and plenty of it. I also think that he needs a lot of love and understanding. I hope that he hasn't been warped for life and can eventually be happy. It's hard to say what the future holds for him.

One of my neighbors killed his father when he was a kid. He has never committed another serious crime,but he does have a drug and alcohol problem. However, he is married with children of his own now and holds down a steady job as an auto mechanic.

 

[Goody]

CP if at 15 you had found yourslf in a Court of Law as Cody has, your medical records as you have posted in the past would support your claims of life time abuse. That is the difference between you and Cody.

I dont doubt that this child was psysically abused. I am just of the opinion that he has exagerated his claims in an attempt to excuse his decision to put 2 bullets in his step sisters head.

For me, I have seen and worked with to many children that have suffered serious and violent abuse, seen the scars on their bodys', their xrays of poorly healed, untreated fractures, heard crying when their ears ached all night from damage caused by constant blows to the head. Witnessed the results of closed head trauma children of violent abuse can suffer for life.

And I will say again, the level of abuse testified to by Cody does not match the medical reality.

You are dismissing the emotional abuse. Cody lived in an altered reality. He was made to think he was worthless. Fortunately, there must have been enough kindness in his world, maybe with his mother and stepfather, that some part of him knew better. Still, to live in that house from age 10 to 14 and be the subject of so much demeaning, spirit suffocating, self esteem destruction as this boy was....how can you expect him to rationalize his options and reactions the way any other boy his age would? You really need to read Lonnie Athens theory on how dangerous criminals are created. Cody is almost a textbook example....or would have been if the cycle had not been broken with these killings. If he had just put up with it until 18, I predict that he would become an angry, out of control dangerous man. Just because his bones weren't broken does not mean that he felt no pain. It just means his father knew better than to hurt him too badly, probably for fear of bringing the authorities down on him.

 

[concernedperson]

You are dismissing the emotional abuse. Cody lived in an altered reality. He was made to think he was worthless. Fortunately, there must have been enough kindness in his world, maybe with his mother and stepfather, that some part of him knew better. Still, to live in that house from age 10 to 14 and be the subject of so much demeaning, spirit suffocating, self esteem destruction as this boy was....how can you expect him to rationalize his options and reactions the way any other boy his age would? You really need to read Lonnie Athens theory on how dangerous criminals are created. Cody is almost a textbook example....or would have been if the cycle had not been broken with these killings. If he had just put up with it until 18, I predict that he would become an angry, out of control dangerous man. Just because his bones weren't broken does not mean that he felt no pain. It just means his father knew better than to hurt him too badly, probably for fear of bringing the authorities down on him.

Oh, this brings pain to the forefront. I know about all of it. The verbal abuse still resonates. I still remember her calling me a lamb. It is like it is yesterday. She though that I was so stricken that I couldn't see anything else.But, I can see.I am not a lamb. I am on a mission to see that this doesn't happen to another child,.

 

[Goody]

Even if hidden under the cover of ranch work, if Codey had physical signs of past injuries his lawyer would have had Medical Experts testifying to it. There were none. NO old scars, old fractures, nothings. This on the body of a child that under oath testified to recieving beatings up to 3 times a day. Beaten with a lariot, a hay hook, rocks, knocked off horses and out of chairs, head thrown threw walls, kicked with cowboy boots and punched repeatedly in the face and head with the closed fist of a grown man. Claimed to have had a 40-50 lb bail of hay thrown on his head from 10 feet above him.
And nothing was offered medically to verify any of this. This childs body would bear both internal and external damage from suffering threw 15 years of this type of violence.
Every Social Worker, Foster Parent, Childrens Court Advocate or Doctor could relate what a childs body would look like under xray if he had suffered this extensive abuse over this many years.

So you think that.... what? 30 + people got on the witness stand and lied?

The prosecutor had to move the trial out of the county the crime occurred in because the people were too sympathetic to him. People knew this kid was being mistreated and they did nothing probably because life is lived hard in those parts and many of them are dysfunctional people themselves. They can hardly get up and admit it now, but it seems they felt guilty enough to at least speak up for him now. That hardly makes them liars.

I have never heard of a prosecutor moving a trial out of the county to avoid sympathy for the defendant and I have never heard of a prosecutor attacking the chain of custody of evidence in an effort to keep it OUT of the trial.

The state does not want to admit that there was something sick about the relationship between Paul and Tryone. He was abusive and she encouraged his abusiveness. If the truth could come out, I wouldn't be a bit surprised to learn that Marilea was being sexually abused and she found safety in winning Paul's and Tryone's approval. That is why she was on a never ending hunt for dirt on Cody. In some mixed up way, maybe she thought as long as he was the negative focus, she would be the positive focus...or the "good" kid. I don't doubt for one second that these people either were or soon would have been sexually abusive to both children. There is certainly enough evidence to support that.

I think one would have to be an ostrich and just keep that head buried in the sand to avoid the obvious in this case....the kid was abused and he lashed out at his abusers, and that included Marilea because she was helping them every chance she got. He was battling a three headed monster.

Does that mean he should get away with murder? I don't know. Probably not, but I would hope that there is a place for Cody that is safe and will include some type of nurturing and lots and lots of psychological therapy. He deserves at least a second chance at life.

 

[tybee204]

You are dismissing the emotional abuse. Cody lived in an altered reality. He was made to think he was worthless. Fortunately, there must have been enough kindness in his world, maybe with his mother and stepfather, that some part of him knew better. Still, to live in that house from age 10 to 14 and be the subject of so much demeaning, spirit suffocating, self esteem destruction as this boy was....how can you expect him to rationalize his options and reactions the way any other boy his age would? You really need to read Lonnie Athens theory on how dangerous criminals are created. Cody is almost a textbook example....or would have been if the cycle had not been broken with these killings. If he had just put up with it until 18, I predict that he would become an angry, out of control dangerous man. Just because his bones weren't broken does not mean that he felt no pain. It just means his father knew better than to hurt him too badly, probably for fear of bringing the authorities down on him.

I am not dissmissing the emotional abuse. I am in agreement that Cody was likely abused. I simply do not find it credible to exagerate the physical abuse IMO so extensivley to justify the deaths. If the truth isnt enough to explain his actions then IMO we have a problem and that to me implys a much more dangerous young man.

The descriptive violence Cody testified to does not measure true with the statement that his father knew not to hurt him to badly. Any number of the violent assaults Cody testified happened could have result in Cody's death or crippling. If the thrown hay bale occurred it could have easily resulted in a broken neck. 50 lbs thrown from 10 ft up would be like running head first into a brick wall.

 

[Goody]

Oh, this brings pain to the forefront. I know about all of it. The verbal abuse still resonates. I still remember her calling me a lamb. It is like it is yesterday. She though that I was so stricken that I couldn't see anything else.But, I can see.I am not a lamb. I am on a mission to see that this doesn't happen to another child,.

I don't know your whole story, CP, but I know lots and lots of people and have seen many things. I know that verbal abuse during childhood haunts all the way thru adulthood. The things done to Cody were meant to demean more than physically hurt him. It was all about control, but you can't control a child's mind without destroying his spirit, his self worth. Paul was constantly reminding the boy that he was the one in charge and Cody was nothing without him.

 

[Goody]

I think the actual shooting of Marilea & his father occured rather rapidly--the moment they entered the door. Whatever was going through his mind at the time was doing it pretty quick. There's no evidence he held them at gun point and made them beg or plead for their lives.

I agree. Once he shot the stepmother, the other two were probably in the house in less than a minute, and they were killed only seconds apart. There was no time to think much about anything during the shootings.

 

[tybee204]

So you think that.... what? 30 + people got on the witness stand and lied?

The prosecutor had to move the trial out of the county the crime occurred in because the people were too sympathetic to him. People knew this kid was being mistreated and they did nothing probably because life is lived hard in those parts and many of them are dysfunctional people themselves. They can hardly get up and admit it now, but it seems they felt guilty enough to at least speak up for him now. That hardly makes them liars.

I have never heard of a prosecutor moving a trial out of the county to avoid sympathy for the defendant and I have never heard of a prosecutor attacking the chain of custody of evidence in an effort to keep it OUT of the trial.

The state does not want to admit that there was something sick about the relationship between Paul and Tryone. He was abusive and she encouraged his abusiveness. If the truth could come out, I wouldn't be a bit surprised to learn that Marilea was being sexually abused and she found safety in winning Paul's and Tryone's approval. That is why she was on a never ending hunt for dirt on Cody. In some mixed up way, maybe she thought as long as he was the negative focus, she would be the positive focus...or the "good" kid. I don't doubt for one second that these people either were or soon would have been sexually abusive to both children. There is certainly enough evidence to support that.

I think one would have to be an ostrich and just keep that head buried in the sand to avoid the obvious in this case....the kid was abused and he lashed out at his abusers, and that included Marilea because she was helping them every chance she got. He was battling a three headed monster.

Does that mean he should get away with murder? I don't know. Probably not, but I would hope that there is a place for Cody that is safe and will include some type of nurturing and lots and lots of psychological therapy. He deserves at least a second chance at life.

The County is very small and everyone knows everyone. The small town gossip of speculation had reach a cresendo. The shades of what a person knows and what a person thinks they know become shaded.

I found some defense witness's credible and some not.

Marilea was 12 year old child when she was shot twice in the face. The second shot because she was still moving. I find referring to her as part of a 3 headed monster repulsive.

 

[concernedperson]

In a very simple term I will state that your abusers don't won't to be caught. They will side step every endeavor until the day they die or you do. They will disavow sorta like mission impossible. Cody is lucky to have anyone in his behalf. I truly believe he was abused from age 1.5 years to 14.That is all I can say. The jury will say the rest.