People influence each other, whether they mean to or not. A man and his girlfriend see someone gunned down in the street. LE is gonna talk to them separately as soon as possible. They will probably talk to them together too, but separate is key so each's recollections and answers are their own and not tainted by suggestion or what the other says. A couples' closest family member goes missing; same thing.
Separate questioning is simply fundamental to investigation; it means nothing more than the investigator wants untainted witness accounts and the truth as each witness knows it. Questioning witnesses together does not render the same value. Refusing separate questions is restricting the truth-finding process. Asking the same question to two witness separately about the same event won't always render the same answers. Clues can be gleaned from both the consistencies and inconsistencies in the witnesses' statements. These are things that move the investigation forward and closer to the truth.
LE isn't aiming for a false confession by asking for separate interviews as new information becomes known. It's police work 101. LE doesn't want false confessions in my opinion. They also wouldn't expect any confessions from witnesses who will have lawyers present during their separate interviews. If one or both of the parents is guilty and someone cracks and confesses; good. We should all want that. Just the truth, for Lisa. Whether the parents (one or both) are innocent or guilty, if neither cracks but just answers honestly, those inconsistencies that Debbi's dad called "itty bitty" (after Debbi did her press tour about failing a poly) might be cleared up and in the process render new clues to help find Lisa. If the inconsistencies remain and each witness believes their recollection is correct and holds firm, LE knows they can't rely on that part of the story, which is in itself important to moving forward and determining areas of focus, to help find Lisa.
Suggesting that LE is stalling the investigation in any way by wanting to interview witnesses separately (at the station rather than on their own couches) doesn't make sense to me. Go down to the station, take your lawyers, answer questions separately. It's really not asking for more than LE asks of any witness. Witnesses do it all the time because it's the right thing to do for justice, even when they don't know the victims. Why is it asking too much for the parents of a reportedly abducted baby girl to do the same? It shouldn't be. The fact that the parents and their team think that it is, is reason for scrutinty and concern imo. The fact that they think answering questions may lead them to be more strongly suspected and/or arrested instead of a step towards clearing themselves and finding their baby is again a reason for scrutiny and concern. JMO...
When an infant goes missing, talking to parents repeatedly (together and separately) throughout the investigation is imperative, imo. When an older child or adult goes missing, LE can talk to teachers, doctors, friends, schoolmates, co-workers, lovers, etc.. With an infant, the family is basically it; infants aren't out in the world communicating with others daily, they don't have external routines, they can't have spoken to someone and leaked clues that might be helpful to LE.
Four days into the investigation and that all-important source of information about Lisa (parents) started putting restrictions on what and how they would assist LE. 6 weeKs into the investigation, and they won't answer LE questions unless they are directed-to their attorneys for response, accordiing to Picerno. Picerno then commented that he tells his clients not to talk to police as a rule - because prison is fully of people who talked. How many of his clients had a baby abducted from the crib; a baby who had no one else to speak for her? I'm betting none. I'm also betting he tells his clients not to speak to LE
without their lawyers. I'm sure there are plenty of instances where Picerno wants his clients to speak to LE with him present because he can get charges dropped, plea deals, etc... So, that statement sounds more like an excuse as to why he is telling these particular clients not to talk
at all(clients who haven't even been named suspects or charged with a dang thing).
Innocent or guilty, I hope Lisa's parents talk to LE separately soon. Sadly for Lisa, I don't think that they will.
Reference Nov 11, 2011:
Picerno said Friday that if police have questions they want answered, the questions can be relayed to him or co-counsel Joe Tacopina of New York, and they will get answers.
What were not going to do is let our clients be subjected to interrogation techniques, Picerno said.http://www.kansascity.com/2011/11/11/3260417/baby-lisas-attorney-explains-parents.html#ixzz1f4SfiMdt
i posted it in this thread about the custody battle:
