TX - Crystal Seratte McDowell, 38, Baytown, 25 Aug 2017 #4

[liltexans]

Here's the link to the transcript from last night's Primetime Justice with Ashleigh Banfield:

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1709/12/ptab.01.html

 

[cluciano63]

Makes sense as long as you feel the same for all murderers.

True. A huge percentage of murderers have kids...I am not big on the DP at all but this case should recieve same consideration as any other wife killer. Jmo

 

[Niner]

Hey!
You all have been busy since I was last here yesterday! So much to read - and I didn't find one article that made mention of the next court date.

Anyone catch one? I'd like to follow this all the way thru!

TIA! :wave:

 

[lstiff]

Here's the link to the transcript from last night's Primetime Justice with Ashleigh Banfield:

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1709/12/ptab.01.html

Thank you for that. Very informative!

 

[jillycat]

Here's the link to the transcript from last night's Primetime Justice with Ashleigh Banfield:

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1709/12/ptab.01.html

This excerpt is re: Crystal being assaulted from behind (bold mine).


BANFIELD: "....I just wanted to clear up the detail again that -- when we spoke last night, it was -- the detail was that Crystal had been

strangled. Today I think we know more. She was actually approached from behind and she was choked from behind, correct?

HAWTHORNE: Well, that`s what, you know, the evidence is showing, and it`s from the confession and what Steve has told us. So you know, I`ll let the

district attorney take it from there. The autopsy results are a little vague just because of, obviously, the circumstances of the body in being in the elements."

 

[Icechick]

Here's the link to the transcript from last night's Primetime Justice with Ashleigh Banfield:

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1709/12/ptab.01.html

Thank you Liltexans for the link.

Regarding AB segment last night, one thing stuck out to me the most:
The aunt stating that they (children) didnt want to go back to the home alone with daddy now unless there were others present at the house makes me suspect they may have seen or heard something. OR they know in some capacity, maybe family did tell them and they arent discussing so in media reports.
They never had any fear of being alone with him beforehand (based on her comments and the fact that they lived with him alone) so why now? She stated that after a day with her, when time to return home, they didnt want to go back unless there were "others at the house" especially one of them (cant remember which one its in the transcript) Just thinking out loud and praying they dont have even more to work thru. I wasnt aware SM had an older child. Prayers for him/her as well.
*ANY of my comments or posts are in full support of those two beautiful babies who were Crystal's life and MOO.:moo:

 

[luckystar01]

I just can't get over the fact that he attacked her from behind. It really makes it sound like she was trying to leave the bedroom.

 

[Gooddeeds]

On last nights AB transcript:

Sheriff BH-
"Well there's no doubt that this man was passionately in love with her"

That is a bizarre comment from a man who doesn't even know Steve. The sheriff continues to speak out as though he is the official expert on many topics.

 

[Gardener1850]

Here's the link to the transcript from last night's Primetime Justice with Ashleigh Banfield:

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1709/12/ptab.01.html

Wow, conversation with the Aunt from last night's show:

BANFIELD: Those are the kinds of videos we all take with our kids. That`s Cindy Seratte`s niece, Crystal McDowell, in better times with her children.

And Aunt Cindy joins me live now from Houston. Aunt Cindy, you know, we look at those videos and Crystal isn`t just a photograph anymore or a name.

She`s a real personality and she seemed like such a spitfire. We didn`t get the sense she was under threat, that she was scared. We never got the

sense that she feared Steve in the way that Steve has confessed to having done what he did to her, if ,in fact, the confession is true.

Did you ever get the sense that Crystal felt that Steve threatened her in any way?

CINDY SERATTE, CRYSTAL`S AUNT: He did. We`ve talked about their family life on numerous occasions. Doing her hair, you know how that goes, you

talk about everything. And in the past, she`s made a few remarks about how he would kill her, you know, if she left and how he wanted, you know, their

life to be different and how she wanted just to make his life peaceful and maybe he could find somebody and go on.

And I really honestly just blew it off. I thought, you know, everybody says sometimes things they don`t mean, and so I really didn`t take it for

anything that it was worth.

And then I guess what`s really terrible is about, must have been about, like, August the 9th was, like, the last time that I did her hair in the

salon. And she was telling me about, you know, the new boyfriend that she had and that she was happy and that she was moving forward and telling a

little bit about the house and what she had done to it. And basically, she just gave me the phone and was showing me pictures of Paul, the guy that

she`s with, and his little girl.

And there was some -- there were several hair stylists in the salon at the time and they were younger, so I took the phone from her and took it over

there to basically see if they had known who the man was, and she grabbed the phone really fast and basically yelled in the salon, No, Aunt Cindy, he

will kill me. I need to keep this private.

And of course, I had never seen fear until that day and I was -- I feel bad. I mean, I look back on it and that`s all I -- I just see is her face.

She was just full of fear. And then everybody started questioning her and putting their two cents in. And then I didn`t see her again for about a

week to cut the kids` hair, and I didn`t hear from her after that. So yes, he has.

 

[Gardener1850]

Strangling her from behind makes me think that they were not arguing at all when he killed her. It makes me think he let her come in the house and feel comfortable for a little bit, then came up behind her and strangled her without warning. If they had been arguing, I don't think she would have turned her back to him. She was afraid of him. Most people when they argue and are afraid of someone they back away and keep an eye on the person while arguing. I think there was no argument and no major struggle. I think he knew where the kids were and that they wouldn't see or hear anything. JMO.

 

[FlossyMay]

My first husband was very controlling also and we would argue about it. I remember once we were having words and I was just tired of hearing his nonsense, so I turned to leave the room. He grabbed my hair and snatched me back causing me to stumble and fall. Some men just can't stand to be cut off like that. They panic when they see they can't control you anymore.

 

[bestill]

All the comments about SM being "deeply in love" - was this because she rejected him or was it always that way? Makes me wonder.

 

[cluciano63]

On last nights AB transcript:

Sheriff BH-
"Well there's no doubt that this man was passionately in love with her"

That is a bizarre comment from a man who doesn't even know Steve. The sheriff continues to speak out as though he is the official expert on many topics.

Seems like sheriff is in love with SM...

 

[luckystar01]

Strangling her from behind makes me think that they were not arguing at all when he killed her. It makes me think he let her come in the house and feel comfortable for a little bit, then came up behind her and strangled her without warning. If they had been arguing, I don't think she would have turned her back to him. She was afraid of him. Most people when they argue and are afraid of someone they back away and keep an eye on the person while arguing. I think there was no argument and no major struggle. I think he knew where the kids were and that they wouldn't see or hear anything. JMO.

We're both just speculating, obviously, but I disagree. If it was a new house and they had separate bedrooms, that makes me think the only reason they were even in that room together was to talk away from the kids (probably at his beckoning). I think he got very upset/angry and she decided that she needed to leave. But before she could make it to the door he put her in a choke hold. She may have expressed fear of him on several occasions, but I can't imagine her entering that room with him if she feared for her life at that moment.

 

[MzOpinion8d]

On last nights AB transcript:

Sheriff BH-
"Well there's no doubt that this man was passionately in love with her"

That is a bizarre comment from a man who doesn't even know Steve. The sheriff continues to speak out as though he is the official expert on many topics.

I think the Sheriff identifies personally with Steve in some way.

 

[luckystar01]

I think the Sheriff identifies personally with Steve in some way.

I think people want to make sense of it. And the idea of him loving her so much that he couldn't let go of her is more palatable to them than thinking about how much he must have hated her at that moment.

 

[liltexans]

"I think he knew the storm was coming in and this would help cover his tracks," her beau Paul Hargrave told ABC 13. "I think I had a lot to do with his decision to do this and I can't help but feel responsible for that."

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/man-killed-harvey-knew-article-1.3493004

 

[liltexans]

[video=twitter;907953029646659585]https://twitter.com/PTJusticeHLN/status/907953029646659585[/video]

 

[SuperTmo]

Great post!
People wishing the death penalty on SM should think of his kids. They still love him and deserve to have a relationship with him for as long as they want. He's not a cold blooded evil killer to them -- he's dad.

IMO

I don't think people wish it on him, so much so much as question why it wasn't applicable. I was surprised since I often hear about how Texas executes its killers. But in this case I don't think it is appropriate whether it met the rules for it or not. I think if I felt it was premeditated I might think it should qualify but with his kids so young, I just think that would make it even worse on them.

I'm still torn on how I feel about he was the one who told them, but I guess the family has to do what they think is best at the time. There really is no guidebook for these sorts of things.

 

[SuperTmo]

My thought of not wanting him to die isn't about giving him special treatment. It's about his kids. Sorry that I don't want the kids, who just lost practically everything they hold dear, to not lose their father. Haven't they lost enough?

Honestly I think having a dad in prison for their whole lives is worse than having no dad at all.