TX - Nichol Olsen, 37, & 2 daughters, found shot dead inside mansion, Bexar County, 10 Jan 2019 #3

[cybervampira]

Snippets from article.

'Pretty callous' return of girl's belongings stokes tensions between families after Anaqua Springs killing

After the deaths, the Montez and Olsen families asked that their loved ones’ items be returned, said Therese Huntzinger, one of three San Antonio criminal defense lawyers representing Wheeler.

The property was delivered so the families would get those possessions back quickly and to spare them from incurring legal expenses trying to retrieve their loved ones’ things, Huntzinger said. She argued the belongings were handled professionally and with care.

“I personally oversaw it,” Huntzinger said of the packing and deliveries.

The Wheeler family paid for the shipments, she said.

Huntzinger said she went to all three families’ homes on Jan. 19, extended condolences and stood by as the victims’ belongings were returned. None of the families complained at that time, she said.

“It was almost as if they were just discarding (Alexa’s) items from their possession,” said Montez, 40, of College Station.

London’s aunt, Emma Bribiescas Mancha-Sumners, 41, of Austin, agreed with that sentiment.

“We don’t think it was appropriate,” she said Wednesday. “We were kind of in disbelief … It just seemed pretty callous.”

“I suggest that perhaps their grief and hostility needs to be channeled differently,” Huntzinger said.

She added the Wheeler family is afraid for their safety because of outrage on social media about the case, including postings that revealed their phone numbers and home addresses.

“They feel threatened,” she said. “They’re having to circle around each other and protect themselves from what’s going on in the outside world that doesn’t know — or doesn’t want to believe — what truly happened in that home.”

 

[iluvmua]

I think that looks more like a woman’s handwriting. JMO

Maybe his lawyer was the one who wrote it.

 

[nightowl1975]

I think it is *completely* unreasonable for anyone to expect CW to allow family of NO or her daughters into his home to pack/retrieve their belongings. I absolutely understand why they would desperately want to see where they died, much like people visit crash sites and leave teddy bears and balloons. But it’s not reasonable to think CW is going to allow it. He’s being openly accused of murdering all three of them. Even if he is 100% innocent, I wouldn’t want anyone accusing me of murder anywhere near my house, much less inside it packing up things and taking things out of the home. Way too much opportunity for problems in that scenario.

Could the items have been packed more carefully? Yes. Trash bags? Unnecessary. Could the daughter’s name have been spelled correctly? Without a doubt.

I understand why her father is upset. I just don’t agree that CW should’ve let him inside the home.

 

[DropthePuck]

Ugh, NO's family/friends have been lashing out at CW since day 1, and they're upset because he didn't want them in his home?? You can't have it both ways. <modsnip - social media rumors>

 

[iluvmua]

I think it is *completely* unreasonable for anyone to expect CW to allow family of NO or her daughters into his home to pack/retrieve their belongings. I absolutely understand why they would desperately want to see where they died, much like people visit crash sites and leave teddy bears and balloons. But it’s not reasonable to think CW is going to allow it. He’s being openly accused of murdering all three of them. Even if he is 100% innocent, I wouldn’t want anyone accusing me of murder anywhere near my house, much less inside it packing up things and taking things out of the home. Way too much opportunity for problems in that scenario.

Could the items have been packed more carefully? Yes. Trash bags? Unnecessary. Could the daughter’s name have been spelled correctly? Without a doubt.

I understand why her father is upset. I just don’t agree that CW should’ve let him inside the home.

The trash bags were for the stuffed animals. Everything else was packed in boxes.

 

[iluvmua]

I think it is *completely* unreasonable for anyone to expect CW to allow family of NO or her daughters into his home to pack/retrieve their belongings. I absolutely understand why they would desperately want to see where they died, much like people visit crash sites and leave teddy bears and balloons. But it’s not reasonable to think CW is going to allow it. He’s being openly accused of murdering all three of them. Even if he is 100% innocent, I wouldn’t want anyone accusing me of murder anywhere near my house, much less inside it packing up things and taking things out of the home. Way too much opportunity for problems in that scenario.

Could the items have been packed more carefully? Yes. Trash bags? Unnecessary. Could the daughter’s name have been spelled correctly? Without a doubt.

I understand why her father is upset. I just don’t agree that CW should’ve let him inside the home.

Who's to say they would not try and go room to room trashing his house.

No doubt there would have been tention if CW met with them face to face and handed over the belongings.

Would they rather he destroy all of their belongings in a fire?


Jmo

 

[nightowl1975]

The trash bags were for the stuffed animals. Everything else was packed in boxes.

Personally, I wouldn’t pack anything in trash bags in this situation. I’ve been through numerous military moves and they will literally pack your trash can with trash inside it... in a nice moving box. There’s no reason all of Alexa’s belongings couldn’t be packed in boxes, neatly taped, and properly labeled with the names spelled correctly.

 

[Trudie]

The trash bags were for the stuffed animals. Everything else was packed in boxes.

Also, might some stuff been packed by NO/kids before the M/S, or maybe they never completely unpacked? We don’t know.

 

[nightowl1975]

I also got the impression the family wasn’t expecting the delivery of items when it arrived, though I could be mistaken on that part. If so, I think arrangements should’ve been made so the family wasn’t caught off guard, feeling like the items were being dumped on them unexpectedly.

Honestly, I suspect there’s nothing CW could do to do this “right” in their eyes. They seem to genuinely feel like he’s responsible for these deaths. I don’t expect Alexa’s father to be rational or understanding under the circumstances. Perhaps with time and more information, he will be able to look back with a clearer mind. Right now? I imagine it’s a struggle to breathe and function.

 

[iluvmua]

If they are upset because CW had the gall to ship all of the belongings of young girls who were NOT his then they have issues.

Maybe the person who wrote everything did not know how to properly spell Alexa's name correctly.

They are getting upset over minuscule stuff in my opinion.

 

[iluvmua]

Yep, friends and family blame him for anything and every thing.

 

[nightowl1975]

Also, might some stuff been packed by NO/kids before the M/S, or maybe they never completely unpacked? We don’t know.

I sincerely doubt Alexa had items packed on her own or from when they moved in with her name spelled incorrectly. That doesn’t make much sense. If she had packed stuffed animals in trash bags, it would’ve been better IMO to re-pack those items into boxes instead of what we have here... images of boxes with her name misspelled and trash bags splashed acrosss the media. Should CW face a jury at some point over this, his jury will in all likelihood be chosen from people who are seeing these images. Public perception is important, whether we like it or not.

I will say though, that if he had the items boxed neatly, labeled correctly, arranged for a time for delivery, etc... the families likely would’ve still been upset. IMO, they’re not so much distraught over misspellings and trash bags. Her father is distraught that Alexa has a bullet in her head and is never coming back. Nothing is ever “right” after such a tragedy, I suppose.

 

[MrsEmmaPeel]

IMO extending every courtesy to the fathers of murdered daughters is the right and kind thing to do. If LE agrees and precautions are taken, allowing them access to the murder scene would be a generous offer. Or asking if they'd like to come pack up the girls' things. I am a mother. If my daughter were murdered, I don't know if I'd want to visit the site. But I'd sure as hell want to have the choice. It says a lot to me that the Wheeler family seems to not behave in a kind or decent manner.

 

[squid]

No doubt there would have been tension if CW met with them face to face and handed over the belongings. Would they rather he destroy all of their belongings in a fire?

They are jumping on every opportunity to bash this guy. Every little thing to be milked has been sucked dry then flipped over and sucked again looking for any tiny drop of something to be used against him.

 

[iluvmua]

IMO extending every courtesy to the fathers of murdered daughters is the right and kind thing to do. If LE agrees and precautions are taken, allowing them access to the murder scene would be a generous offer. Or asking if they'd like to come pack up the girls' things. I am a mother. If my daughter were murdered, I don't know if I'd want to visit the site. But I'd sure as hell want to have the choice. It says a lot to me that the Wheeler family seems to not behave in a kind or decent manner.

Why would he allow them access to his house?

They were not married and the girls were not his.


<modsnip - references to rumors and statements on social media>

 

[squid]

I also got the impression the family wasn’t expecting the delivery of items when it arrived, though I could be mistaken on that part. If so, I think arrangements should’ve been made so the family wasn’t caught off guard, feeling like the items were being dumped on them unexpectedly.

BBM

Attorneys for Wheeler said they arranged to ship the mother’s and daughters’ belongings back to their respective families.

After the deaths, the Montez and Olsen families asked that their loved ones’ items be returned, said Therese Huntzinger, one of three San Antonio criminal defense lawyers representing Wheeler.

The property was delivered so the families would get those possessions back quickly and to spare them from incurring legal expenses trying to retrieve their loved ones’ things, Huntzinger said. She argued the belongings were handled professionally and with care.

“I personally oversaw it,” Huntzinger said of the packing and deliveries. The Wheeler family paid for the shipments, she said.

Huntzinger said she went to all three families’ homes on Jan. 19, extended condolences and stood by as the victims’ belongings were returned. None of the families complained at that time, she said.

She noted two garbage bags were used to pack large stuffed animals “that I don’t know of any other way to pack.” She also tried to correct the spelling of Alexa’s name when she noticed the movers had written it incorrectly on the boxes.

“I am sorry that not everybody knows how to spell Alexa ... What can we do? We weren’t going to go get new boxes because Alexa’s name was misspelled by one of the movers,” Huntzinger said.

 

[nightowl1975]

IMO extending every courtesy to the fathers of murdered daughters is the right and kind thing to do. If LE agrees and precautions are taken, allowing them access to the murder scene would be a generous offer. Or asking if they'd like to come pack up the girls' things. I am a mother. If my daughter were murdered, I don't know if I'd want to visit the site. But I'd sure as hell want to have the choice. It says a lot to me that the Wheeler family seems to not behave in a kind or decent manner.

I don’t really think this is a fair assessment of the Wheeler family though. People are accusing CW of murdering everyone in his house that night. The Wheeler’s seem to be circling the wagon, protecting their own, and keeping their mouths shut. I couldn’t venture to guess if they believe their son is innocent or not, but even if they think he killed three people, I would expect them to do exactly what they’re doing: hire the very best lawyers money can buy and try to keep their son off of death row and out of prison. Inviting the very people who are accusing him of murder into his home? It defies all logic.

 

[NervousNellie]

In re-reading the article about the delivery of the deceased's personal items, I think the attorney being quoted sounds a bit defensive. (JMO, MOO, IMO.) I think the attorneys were handling something quickly and made a few mistakes, but this is really a situation that calls for taking your time and making sure there are zero mistakes. There should not have been any trash bags or misspellings involved. Even if NO had started packing (prior to her death) in trash bags, those trash bags should not be used to deliver a murdered child's items to her surviving relatives.

IMO extending every courtesy to the fathers of murdered daughters is the right and kind thing to do. If LE agrees and precautions are taken, allowing them access to the murder scene would be a generous offer. Or asking if they'd like to come pack up the girls' things. I am a mother. If my daughter were murdered, I don't know if I'd want to visit the site. But I'd sure as hell want to have the choice. It says a lot to me that the Wheeler family seems to not behave in a kind or decent manner.

I'm confused. By your own statement, it would have been a "generous offer" to allow family members access to the murder scene, but CW's not being "generous" somehow equates to not behaving in a decent manner? It's either "generous," OR "the decent thing to do," no?

 

[MyBelle]

I think it is *completely* unreasonable for anyone to expect CW to allow family of NO or her daughters into his home to pack/retrieve their belongings. I absolutely understand why they would desperately want to see where they died, much like people visit crash sites and leave teddy bears and balloons. But it’s not reasonable to think CW is going to allow it. He’s being openly accused of murdering all three of them. Even if he is 100% innocent, I wouldn’t want anyone accusing me of murder anywhere near my house, much less inside it packing up things and taking things out of the home. Way too much opportunity for problems in that scenario.

Could the items have been packed more carefully? Yes. Trash bags? Unnecessary. Could the daughter’s name have been spelled correctly? Without a doubt.

I understand why her father is upset. I just don’t agree that CW should’ve let him inside the home.

The father is being upset over stuff and not being allowed inside a house he doesn't own. In doing so, he's pushing himself to the head of the person of interest list. The Sheriff made it clear CW isn't alone on that list.

JMO

 

[nightowl1975]

I work in health care. The anger we’re seeing here is very common in situations where people feel like they have no control over what’s happening. I see it often. We will have families who are VERY angry over something simple. Perhaps the menu says chicken and rice but chicken with pasta is served. We will then have a family member SCREAMING at the charge nurse because their mother doesn’t eat pasta and the menu said rice. WHY IS THE MENU WRONG?! I’m talking a level of fury that still shocks me, and I see it often.

It has nothing to do with rice. Or pasta. Or bags of stuffed animals.

In my line of work, it’s about the fact that the family has been told mom can’t live alone safely and they have no idea how they’re going to pay for a nursing facility. Or they’ve been told mom has stage four cancer and won’t live to see her next grandchild born.

It’s not about the rice.

My heart goes out to Alexa’s father. He has to be heart-broken.