***DENIED!*** Our First Case. Let's Keep PedophileDonald Scott Brunstetter in prison!

I'm just trying to figure out what the situation was, no need to get so defensive :)

Based on what you described of the case, it sounds like a she said/he said situation that happened years before the allegations, and in those cases generally all of the evidence is about credibility. So that is what both the defence and DA are going to focus on. With no physical evidence a jury will usually side with the prosecution if the case goes to trial unless the credibility of the accuser is very weak. Because there is no evidence, guilty or innocent, the only way to defend in those trials is to probe credibility and character, that is why those sorts of questions are asked. The DA should have explained this to you during the trial preparation.

The question about the myspace thing presumably would have been answered as "no" in that case. Possibly the attorney doesnt know anything about the Rocky Horror Show. It seems a wierd question to have asked otherwise. Probably at least some of the jurors would know about the movie, so unless it was tied to other stuff on the page then the question would have no effect. If there was nothing else too controversial on the page then such a question would probably have hurt the defence much more than helped it.

It is still not clear to me why you would think the attorney was accusing your daughter of lieing about telling the mandatory reporters. If she did tell them then they would have said so, so it would have been easy enough to clear up on rebuttal. You say the teachers told you, and I presume that is when the abuse was reported. So they did do something about it, possibly not the proper route, but they did act. Did they subsequently deny it? I am guessing the psychiatrist did deny it, if the board responded telling you to remind him/her, and he/she still didn't.

Like I said, real confessions come before a trial, not after. The confession he made was very likely for the benefit of parole. I bet once he gets out he will go back to denying it again.

Parole boards encourage victims to participate, that is the PC thing these days, so they are not going to tell you that participation is pointless. And it is not pointless, it is part of the information package they consider, as long as the submisions are rational and add some value. But the decision to release or not is still going to be based primarily on whatever metrics they use and what they believe the likelyhood of reoffence is (that might be different if parole boards are elected where you live, if that is so then you might be able to apply political pressure to achieve your goals). While you have your own view of your ex, it doesnt sound like he is going to be considered a high risk inmate, based on what you have described. If your submissions are completely at odds with everything else they have, they will probably give less weight to them. That said, he will probably have to take a few shots at applying for parole before he gets it. The main reason being that the penalty for his crimes has changed and they may use the backdoor approach to lengthen his effective sentence beyond what he could normally expect.

I'm not interested in seeing pictures of your daughter cutting herself, that is not relevant. People have lots of reasons why they do that, but usually it is because of things going on currently in their life, not stuff that happened in the past, allthough they might cite that as the reason. I had a sister who eventually killed herself after about a year and a half of constant attempts, and she too cited abuse early in life. But, I was there also and experienced the same thing, so I know for a fact how minor it really was (basically a bunch of kids playing doctor, one of whom was a few years older than the rest of us). The real reason for committing suicide was stuff happening in the last few years of her life, the "abuse" was used to rationalize what was going on and had been blown massively out of proportion by her friends trying to figure out what was wrong with her. In doing so they set her on a path of spiralling self destructive behaviour that no one could stop (my sister was kind of stubborn once she set her mind to something, she was also eventually diagnosed as bipolar, which didn't help). I am telling you this because you should not think that your daughters issues are over. You need to be very carefull about what you do at this point. This is not something that YOU have to put behind you, it is something SHE has to put behind her. Your only role is to help and support her in doing that, you should never forget that, it is not about you or your ex. If she started acting out years after the abuse happened, then there are other things going on, and you need to be aware of that. You need to focus on the present and future, not on the past, because if you don't you run the risk of amplifying the past over and over until something breaks. Trust me, that is not a place any loved one wants to go.

It was a "Perfect Storm" sort of situation. They subpoenaed the psychiatrist's files, but he had not noted the abuse, because, initially, Lauren decided not to report it. She changed her mind within 15 minutes of leaving his office so we called his office several times to let him know we HAD reported it and that he should do the same since the initial disclosure was to him and he WAS a mandatory reporter. I didn't want him to get into trouble for not reporting it, because he was trying to respect Lauren's wishes not to pursue this, even though he was required by law to do so. He still didn't. But I did not find that out until I was told by the State's Attorney.

The letters to the medical board were written after the trial, to report his inaction. It was too late for him to testify in our case at that time, but I wanted the board to KNOW that he had nearly sabotaged (unintentionally) the case, and to take action against him. The only action they took was to remind him of his obligation to report any FUTURE disclosures. It had no bearing at all on our situation.

Lauren's sex abuse counselor was WONDERFUL. Unfortunately (for us), she was on her honeymoon when we actually went to trial. "Susan" was dealing with a 16 year old girl, who had confided in her about things going on in her teenaged life in addition to the molestation earlier. When she returned, she told us that if she had been in the office when the records were requested, that she would have redacted certain irrelevant (to the case) confessions made to her. Instead, the office manager just sent the whole file. The psychiatrist was not even summonsed to appear since his files reflected nothing valuable.

The school staff, after learning I had reported it, asked if I wanted them to report it anyway, and I figured the more the better, and said yes. But they didn't. Again... they were supposed to go right to CPS without any sort of investigation as to whether it was true, whether I knew, or whether it had been reported. Since they had not, there was no basis for calling them to testify.

The Social Worker from CPS who interviewed Lauren first had taken a job in Virginia and was not required to attend the trial. If you read Lauren's descriptions of what happened, they are written from the perspective of an 8 year old, not a 16 year old. That gave her a lot of credibility with me. Unfortunately, the detective had ALSO changed to another department and therefore was not called to appear.

Even her best friend refused to testify, since Lauren's revelation to HER followed her own revelation that her biological father had raped her when she was 10. Her mom did not know, and she was concerned it would come out in court, so she told the State's Attorney that she could not recall the specifics of the conversation. She apologized to us for taking the easy way out, but she was dealing with the suicide of her brother just days before the trial and had enough to deal with, so the prosecutor decided it would be better not to call her.

None of the school staff was asked to testify, as none of them had made a report. If they had, they could have been called to discuss the content of their own report only. The defense suggested she was "lying" about having told them because "they would have been required by l law to report it", and if they hadn't done so, it (the disclosure) must not have happened.

As for physical evidence, she was able to describe a physical anomaly she would only have known about if she had seen his genitals. She also picked up HPV from him, as it was diagnosed (in her) prior to her becoming sexually active, and AFTER she had had the Gardasil regimen. It was something he had tried to lie to me about when I noticed "a bump" and I told him I would not have unprotected sex with him until he had it checked out (sorry if that is TMI). The doctors gave him an ointment, told him he would be ESPECIALLY contagious for the next 30 days, and to refrain from sexual activity during that time. Obviously I saw no reason to share this information with my 8 year old daughter. I presume he continued to have contact with her during that time period.

I know I have to put it all behind me, but there is a part of my mind that can't let go of his actions against my daughter (and several other young girls), but also the knowledge that my husband CHEATED ON ME in addition to all the other issues that led to our divorce. I can't help how I feel even though it is wrong, but have never mentioned this to my daughter. He fooled me completely.

I did not have a relationship after that marriage until 3 years later. I was afraid to trust anyone because of the magnitude of his OTHER deceptions. Learning what he did to my little girl was another big setback for me in terms of knowing who to trust. People tell me I "think too much" and "overanalyze". It is true. I have to look at things from many angles to be sure I am perceiving things as they are.

AS SOON AS I started seeing someone when she was 13, (who had the same body type and size as Donnie, which we both had noticed, although I did not know of the abuse, so it didn't skeeve me out then) the cutting started. Her "good" counselor told me that introducing a new "stepfather figure" had triggered the self injury as she was uncertain as to whether he would also abuse her. In a corner of her mind, she assumed it "came with the territory" and she did not want it to happen again. We were told that cutting was a "coping mechanism" although not a HEALTHY one. She hid the cuts under hoodies with "thumb holes" to keep the sleeves from riding up and exposing the cuts.

There was no jury. The case was tried by a judge.

As for the myspace thing, are you suggesting that, when asked if she had posted the phrase "Let's do the Time Warp again" on her myspace page, she should have lied and said NO? She HAD posted it, and they had proof in the form of 400+ pages of documents from myspace. She wasn't comfortable lying under oath, as he was doing enough of that for all of us. Until they offered their "interpretation" of her words, she had no REASON to deny it, and there was no follow up question asking what she had meant by posting it. She liked the song and frequently posted song lyrics to her page. It never even crossed her mind that someone would interpret it as the defense team did. She does the same sort of thing now on Facebook, and when the lyrics are something especially "dark" or "suggestive" I will Google it and "comment" her post with the source so nobody will think it is "her words".

Lauren is back in counseling due to the anxiety attacks that sometimes overwhelm her. In addition, she equates her self worth with her sexuality which is unhealthy. She is a pretty, smart, generous, creative, intelligent, loving person, but all she sees is that guys want to get into her pants. She doesn't recognize any of her other positive qualities, and it's just sad.
 
I have also sent a l.etter to the Parole Board . I told them about my now dead niece Cathy Wilkins of Washington molested by my brother in law and she became mentally unstable and died because of the reckless life he caused her to live. I asked them not to give parole to Brunstetter to deny him the parole he seeks. God be with you at the hearing may he move the Hearts of the parole board to deny parole.
 
LisaB,

I copied the letter for concerned citizens that you so graciously supplied and sent it to the chairman. My thoughts and prayers are with you and Lauren during this difficult time. I hope and pray that this animal will remain incarcerated where he belongs.

Richard,

I have been out of contact for about a week and did not read about the Coffey animal until this evening (7/22/12) so I was unable to send an email regarding the 7/21/12 hearing. Hopefully, that animal will also remain incarcerated. Please let me know if you wish me to send an email anyway.


I'm sure that I speak for everyone when I request that you both keep us informed about these cases. If either comes up for parole again, please post again so we can again send on our vehement objections to such an atrocity. IMO, there is a spot in Hell that is at least 100 degrees hotter reserved for those who harm children and animals. I hope that any other members who know of situations like these will use this forum to inform the members here so that we can (hopefully) make a difference.
 
Lady: Just want you to know that when you walk into that hearing tomorrow with Lauren. You will be not walking alone. Can't speak for everyone else but in sprit I will be walking right there beside you two. . But knowing this place we call home the way I do. There will be alot of us walking in there with you two in sprit,
There is amazing power in numbers
JDB
 
Lisa and Lauren,
I can only echo what JDB has said. Just know you have a lot of support from here and we will be with you both and praying for the outcome you both are wishing for. Take care and keep the faith.
 
We alternate between Lauren screaming at me, crying, and saying she hates herself. I just cry when she's not around. I had not bitten my fingernails since I was 13... until today. She has had four serious panic attacks in the last week. I wish they made Flintstones Chewable Valium (kidding, of course).

I know she is the victim, but I sometimes feel I am too. I have to deal with the aftermath (i.e. Lauren's baggage), guilt for not figuring it out sooner, and the scope of his betrayal, and while she will get better, Lauren will always have issues. When he eventually does get out, I will always be looking over my shoulder.

I have a coworker I can't even stand to look at because he reminds me a bit of Donnie, and has some things in his past that make me uncomfortable. I am lucky to have one or two people IRL to lean on, but you guys here are much more comforting because I feel like most of you "get it" in a way people whose lives haven't been directly impacted can't fathom.

When the hearing ends, I will post the outcome.
 
Thoughts and prayers going out this morning. Hoping that they deny this scums parole today
 
Lisa and Lauren, please know that whatever happened today, you are surrounded by an invisible network of supporters who truly want what's best for you both.
 
:jail:
This afternoon, Donald Brunstetter was denied parole. He may not reapply until July 2015.
We met the warden, who seemed glad to meet us. There were two members on the parole committee, who said that one of the things that makes it unlikely parole will be granted is the victim appearing at the parole hearing, since it makes them real people and not just names on a page.
Speaking of names on a page, both parole board members commented on the letter-writing campaign that Tricia initiated here on the CAPER forum to help us, saying that they'd never seen anything like it and that we must have a huge network of people on our side, considering the volume of letters received.

THANK YOU!
:jail:
 
LisaB.... I am so happy for you and your daughter that he was denied parole today! Please remind us when this comes up again in 2015 and more letters will go out to the parole board. :justice: WS members ROCK!
 
I just sent this email to the parole board;

It has come to my attention that Fred Howard Coffey is up for parole. As a sex offender statistics show he's likely to be a repeat offender. This isn't a crime like robbery, this is an addiction that will probably never be cured. Child molesters have a compulsion that can't be controlled in the vast majority of cases and when he's released he'll likely offend again. Please don't let him out to society. I can't help but think that the longer he stays behind bars the fewer victims he'll be able to attack. Please keep him behind bars for his entire sentence and keep children safe and send a message to other sex offenders that there isn't any parole for them to look forward to. Also, send a message to his victims that they don't have anything to fear because he's still behind bars.

Thank you for your attention,

My name
My address
 
Lisa - CONGRATULATIONS!! I did not post in this thread prior, but I have been following along, and I sent in my letter as well.

I am very happy to hear that his parole was denied. You and your daughter are very brave!

I wish that the thread could be changed to PAROLE DENIED! What an awesome idea to have a thread dedicated to helping keep these monsters off the street!! Our children are as precious anything on this earth; and they need to be protected. WTG WS members!
 
Lisa - CONGRATULATIONS!! I did not post in this thread prior, but I have been following along, and I sent in my letter as well.

I am very happy to hear that his parole was denied. You and your daughter are very brave!

I wish that the thread could be changed to PAROLE DENIED! What an awesome idea to have a thread dedicated to helping keep these monsters off the street!! Our children are as precious anything on this earth; and they need to be protected. WTG WS members!

:doh: I missed that part. Oh well, I'm still glad I sent it.
 
Thank God for the denial of parole! That is great, Lisa and Lauren!

This needs to happen in many other cases also. We have work to do!
 
Lisa I know you and Lauren did not walk in there alone. You know we were there in sprit .i am so happy they denied t.
 
LisaB,

So glad to hear that the animal (I won't use its name) was denied parole. Remind us, as someone else said, so we can inundate the parole board with letters next time, too! I hope and pray that Lauren can find some measure of peace now.
 
The whole process was very victim-friendly. We were treated in a very supportive manner. We had a personal guard to stay with us the entire time, got to meet the warden, and were provided with water and Kleenex during the hearing. Everyone was extremely nice.

Lauren's speech was amazing, (especially considering the VERY rough draft she showed me 12 hours earlier). When they asked if I had a statement to make, I had not prepared one, believing only Lauren would be permitted to speak, but I came up with something on the fly and didn't babble too much. Afterwards, they reclassified ME as a victim too.

The support I got from friends (this means YOU!) who wrote letters to the parole commission letting them know that releasing Donnie would put other children at risk were very effective. Surprisingly, of the 30+ letters in their files, there wasn't a single one from my mom, dad, or sister, or from Lauren's dad, his mom, or his brother. I was glad I had the Websleuths people to fall back on. I guess this is when you find out who your friends are.

The Parole Commission actually told us that the letters they got weighed heavily in their decision, especially as the letter-writers included victims of similar crimes, law enforcement officers, and mental health professionals. Our taking time to appear at the hearing was also beneficial as it enabled them to put faces to our names, making us "real people" and not just characters in a story.

Donnie put on his best "sincere remorse" face, but tried to minimize the abuse saying it "only happened 20-25 times". The parole board (two men) glared at him and one of them told him that even ONE time was too many. At one point he started a sentence with "It's funny..." and he was interrupted by one of the men who informed him that there was NOTHING "funny" about any of this. I was really impressed by them.

He tried to insist we got married in 1999, but I had the marriage license and divorce decree that backed me up. We also learned that he had interviewed several lawyers upon being arrested, and his FIRST attorney wanted him to plead guilty, to spare Lauren having to testify. He'd already arranged a plea bargain, which, if taken, would have resulted in a shorter sentence, in a county jail, and he would probably be out already. He claims now that he is sorry he didn't take this deal, as Lauren was revictimized on the stand by the lawyers he eventually retained.

Ultimately, he went with Douchebag and Sleazeball, Attorneys at Law who advised him to plead "Not Guilty". They assured him that even if he WAS convicted, he would get better quality mental health assistance in a state prison. He claims he is now being medicated for "manic depression" which I assume is supported by the prison records, although I believe that particular disorder has been referred to as "bipolar" for years; long before he was incarcerated, which made me skeptical as to his claims, and the credentials of his psychiatrist, specifically with regard to concerns his knowledge may be out-of-date.

We learned that Mr. Brunstetter has been confined to his cell 3 times for (minor) rules infractions (15-20 days each time) and that he also "failed" one of his seminars because of this confinement preventing him from attending the final session.

When asked whether he had been taking advantage of the educational opportunities available to convicts, he claimed that the prison had run into trouble locating his High School diploma when he applied to take college level courses, but said it was "eventually located". I was able to explain to the panel that he had actually graduated from the high school at the mental hospital he was in at the time, but that his mom, being on the Anne Arundel County school board at the time, managed to get his diploma to say "Chesapeake High School" since the other "reflected poorly on him." So the reasons his diploma could not be located in a timely manner were his fault for trying to "play the system."

He apologized to Lauren, admitted everything (which will make it harder for him to ever claim that his "confession letter" was written under duress), and she felt relieved to hear his voice crack when he talked about recognizing the damage he'd done to her psychologically. He talked about what a pure and good person Lauren had been, and how horrible he felt to realize he had "destroyed a beautiful little soul" leaving her with trust issues and self-loathing.

I am not sure he realized that she had turned to self-injury to cope until yesterday, when many of the scars were visible (as she wore short sleeves). She believes he is remorseful for his crimes. I think he just regrets being caught and imprisoned. But if she feels satisfied, who am I to rain on her parade?

He brought up the current unemployment rates, and the Jerry Sandusky trial, probably to make it appear he was "in touch" with the "outside world." I was surprised he brought up Sandusky, but he said it had made him think about the impact of molestation upon child victims.

He told them about all the wonderful things we had done as a "family" (probably to make it seem like we were "normal" much of the time) and was informed that MANY abusive homes appear to be respectable middle-class families to the outside world. He made it VERY clear that (unlike his opinion of Dottie Sandusky) I had NO reason to have EVER suspected anything was going on. This made me feel better, as my own family has vilified me for years over this, claiming I should have known, and at times, even claiming that THEY knew (though they can not explain why the never told me or her Dad, or anyone in authority).

I went into this thinking Donnie could "win" or "lose" but that we weren't in a position to "win" or "lose" anything, just to do what we could to keep him from winning. Somehow, afterward, it really FELT as if we had won. We worked hard for this, and it paid off. We bared our souls and secrets to the world and it paid off.

I knew we could prevail with the WS membership behind us, and am so glad that this case can be used to bring positive attention to WS, and to make it very clear that, despite rumors to the contrary by detractors, we have NO sympathy for child molesters.

VICTORY!

He was asked about his plan should he be released, and stated that his mother has Alzheimers, his brother and sister live far away, but that a local couple has offered to let him stay with them upon release. The wife attended the hearing, and the parole board had a private conversation with her before she departed. He mentioned that he is good at sales, specifically floor coverings, but I suspect there would be issues with him visiting people's homes to measure rooms once he is a RCSO, so this is an untenable plan.

His current job detail is "custodian," a position he would never have taken in the real world, even to support his children, believing it was beneath him, always preferring to take advantage of others to support him and feed his addictions. I honestly think he will have difficulty finding any work upon release (he himself cited the current unemployment rates), so it may be better that he is accustomed to unpleasant, physical work, since it may be his only option.

I was somewhat concerned when he indicated that, upon release, he would like to volunteer to work with the elderly, or some animal-related cause. This disturbed me, as I feel he will have exposure to vulnerable individuals who would be helpless against him, if his intentions are less than honorable. Fortunately, we have three more years to figure out how to protect these groups from him.

HUGE THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO TOOK THE TIME TO WRITE A LETTER OR EMAIL, OR EVEN JUST SEND US POSITIVE ENERGY. SPECIAL THANKS TO KIMSTER AND TRICIA FOR MAKING CAPER A VIABLE REALITY. WITH LUCK, WE CAN KEEP OTHER PEDOPHILES FROM BEING RELEASED EARLY AS WELL.
 
Great post Lisa! Good for you and your daughter! Good luck to you.
 
So very happy for you and Lauren.. You two definitely deserve a girls day out of pampering and relaxation!!.. I know a huge weight has been lifted from you two and again I am so happy for you and grateful you allowed us to be part of the process of keeping him behind bars.. Unlike some negative naysayers who state none of what we do/say matters or helps(and btw my advice is.. Well.. Just look at my siggy and you'll get what I mean;))..
Thanks for allowing us to help you and Lauren and I know I speak for most in that we'll do it again and again and again..just let us know when..:hug: to both you and Lauren..

:heartbeat:
Jess
 

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