TX - Shanna, 36, & Diederik Vandewege, 3 mos, slain, Fort Worth, 15 Dec 2016 *GUILTY*

[Jennifer17]

I don't mean to sound cold, and I'm not accusing anyone, but... Is there not some sort of practice and stuff during mortician school to help desensitize them? I'm sure it was horrific, but this just strikes me...it makes me uncomfortable and dubious.

Where I live, the victims are taken to hospitals as DOAs and kept in the morgue, autopsy is done, then nurses lay them out and tape or stitch up all the body orifices, including wounds, then they go to the morticians.

They never go to the morticians in the state they were found in.

 

[JanetElaine]

I don't mean to sound cold, and I'm not accusing anyone, but... Is there not some sort of practice and stuff during mortician school to help desensitize them? I'm sure it was horrific, but this just strikes me...it makes me uncomfortable and dubious.

To me it sounds like he just wanted his medical expenses covered under worker's comp, and they fired him instead. Sometimes stuff just hits you. Not his fault (IMO). It's like if he had cut his hand while working and was unable to work for a while and needing treatment - he'd be covered under worker's comp for that, too. I'm not into those laws 100%, but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be okay to just fire someone then.

All MOO as always. :moo:

 

[Eloise]

I don't mean to sound cold, and I'm not accusing anyone, but... Is there not some sort of practice and stuff during mortician school to help desensitize them? I'm sure it was horrific, but this just strikes me...it makes me uncomfortable and dubious.

PTSD can manifest itself in unusual ways. I'd personally give him the benefit of the doubt. I had a job once where I occasionally had to see dead bodies (in a hospital, where at certain times I'd assist in the transfer of the body from ward to mortuary) and even though these were usually elderly who had died from disease, all staff - even those who'd done it a million times - were allowed to see counsellors after each body if you were shaken by it, or at least take five to debrief. Even if you never took them up on the offer, it was nice that they cared. They were very cognisant of the fact that dealing with death at work can be hard, even if it's your job. See: cops and ambos who see the worst all time and get terrible PTSD.


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[JanetElaine]

PTSD can manifest itself in unusual ways. I'd personally give him the benefit of the doubt. I had a job once where I occasionally had to see dead bodies (in a hospital, where at certain times I'd assist in the transfer of the body from ward to mortuary) and even though these were usually elderly who had died from disease, all staff - even those who'd done it a million times - were allowed to see counsellors after each body if you were shaken by it, or at least take five to debrief. Even if you never took them up on the offer, it was nice that they cared. They were very cognisant of the fact that dealing with death at work can be hard, even if it's your job. See: cops and ambos who see the worst all time and get terrible PTSD.


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O/T
Just a musing - I really wish they would call it PTSI - post traumatic stress injury. Anyone with PTSD has at some point received a mental injury, and putting it that way makes it a lot clearer for others what this person is dealing with. They are injured, and just like a physical injury they may need treatment, recovery, and/or adjustments to continue living life.
Most people have no clue what it means to have PTSD, and I've noticed more of them 'get it' once you compare it to a physical injury.
All MOO again.

 

[JanetElaine]

Where I live, the victims are taken to hospitals as DOAs and kept in the morgue, autopsy is done, then nurses lay them out and tape or stitch up all the body orifices, including wounds, then they go to the morticians.

They never go to the morticians in the state they were found in.

I forgot to reply to this - I wonder what happened in this case then, after reading this. Wasn't he (Mr. Hoes) supposed to handle bodies like this? I have no idea how any of this works, in my area they go to the coroner, then they get fixed up for the funeral home - but I don't know who does the fixing up.

I mean even if he's used to it, I don't blame him, but I'm just wondering about how that works now.

 

[Linskid]

Any updates on trial?


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[Linskid]

I still don’t see any updates or trial information.


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[Linskid]

I still don’t see any trial information, but here is a nice story related to the case.
Police officer felt slain woman’s family needed a lift. So he left them a gift.

 

[Linskid]

Can anyone help? I cannot find CW anywhere. His case should be in Tarrant County, right?

 

[SeesSeas]

TRIAL DOCKET 09/30/2019
Tarrant County - Criminal
Case Defendant Court Offense Type APR Date
1481312 VANDEWEGE,CRAIG ALAN D372 CAPITAL MURDER-MULTIPLE TR 09/30/2019 09:00 AM

CID: 0895486 Name: VANDEWEGE,CRAIG ALAN
Case: 1481312 Docket: 1481312D
Offense: CAPITAL MURDER-MULTIPLE Court: D372 - 372ND District Court
Event: TR - TRIAL DOCKET Note:
Settings Date: 09/30/2019 Custody Status: In Jail

Inmate Search
INMATE SEARCH
Demographics for CRAIG ALAN VANDEWEGE
Last Name VANDEWEGE
First Middle Name CRAIG ALAN
Race White
Sex Male
CID 0895486
This person is currently in custody at Tarrant County Correction Center

Charge CAPITAL MURDER-MULTIPLE
Arrest Date 12/22/2016
Agency FORT WORTH PD
Bond Amount $1,000,000.00

 

[Linskid]

TRIAL DOCKET 09/30/2019
Tarrant County - Criminal
Case Defendant Court Offense Type APR Date
1481312 VANDEWEGE,CRAIG ALAN D372 CAPITAL MURDER-MULTIPLE TR 09/30/2019 09:00 AM

CID: 0895486 Name: VANDEWEGE,CRAIG ALAN
Case: 1481312 Docket: 1481312D
Offense: CAPITAL MURDER-MULTIPLE Court: D372 - 372ND District Court
Event: TR - TRIAL DOCKET Note:
Settings Date: 09/30/2019 Custody Status: In Jail

Inmate Search
INMATE SEARCH
Demographics for CRAIG ALAN VANDEWEGE
Last Name VANDEWEGE
First Middle Name CRAIG ALAN
Race White
Sex Male
CID 0895486
This person is currently in custody at Tarrant County Correction Center

Charge CAPITAL MURDER-MULTIPLE
Arrest Date 12/22/2016
Agency FORT WORTH PD
Bond Amount $1,000,000.00

Thank you, SeesSeas!

 

[Linskid]

'Send prayers our way': Family of slain mother, baby still waiting after nearly three years for capital murder trial

 

[yllek]

I keep checking for case updates and coming up empty. It's frustrating, but certainly nowhere near as frustrating as it is for Shanna and Diederik's family who just spent their fourth Christmas without their murdered loved ones.

Snip (from Linskid's link) https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/c...rial/287-bdd4fc3a-a939-4936-9bac-67cfaf6eae3b
"We were told the trial would probably happen the fall of 2017 or spring of 2018," (Shanna's father Mark) Riddle told WFAA.

But that didn't happen. A trial didn't happen in the spring of 2019, which Riddle said was also a possibility. And then the trial, finally scheduled for September of this year (2019), fell through.

"There’s really been no reasoning given, just — they just told us they're not going to be able to get to it at this time," he said. "If people down there have got a spare prayer, throw it our way. We could use it," he said.

The trial is still not rescheduled.

 

[AmandaSkis]

What in the world?? There isn’t even some explanation of why this is taking so long to go to trial?

 

[SeesSeas]

Fort Worth man gets life sentence for slashing wife and infant son's throats, staging burglary
Fort Worth man gets life sentence for slashing wife and infant son's throats, staging burglary
Published November 5, 2021
FORT WORTH, Texas - A man convicted of killing his wife and 3-month-old son will spend the rest of his life in prison.

Craig Vandewege got an automatic life sentence without parole when a jury convicted him Thursday of capital murder.

Vandewege called police back in 2016 claiming someone broke into his north Fort Worth home.

Officers found his wife, Shanna, and young son, Diederik, dead in their beds. Their throats had been slashed.
[...]

Texas Man Gets Life in Prison for Slitting the Throats of His Wife and 3-Month-Old Son Before Blaming Nonexistent Burglar in 2016
Texas Man Gets Life in Prison for Slitting the Throats of His Wife and 3-Month-Old Son Before Blaming Nonexistent Burglar in 2016
Nov 5th, 2021
[...]
According to the DA’s office, Vandewege’s Costco coworkers testified at trial about disparaging remarks that he made about Shanna. Those witnesses even said that Vandewege once commented about how he would get time off of work if his wife and kid were dead.

What’s more, there was a potential financial motive to the killings: Vandewege stood to gain more $700,000 in life insurance money upon the victims’ deaths.
[...]