GUILTY FL - Calyx, 16, & Beau Schenecker, 13, shot to death, Tampa, 27 Jan 2011 #2

[Whiteorchids]

I want the jury to know about JS being an interrogator. I think she learned some tricks thanks to her interrogating others and used them in her own interrogations with LE on this crime.

They already do, it was brought up in defense opening.

 

[newone]

I want the jury to know about JS being an interrogator. I think she learned some tricks thanks to her interrogating others and used them in her own interrogations with LE on this crime.

It seems like a big chess game with her husband and her family for sure too. I am also curious if she has some ''damning'' info yet to be revealed that will ''underscore'' her deep hurt and anger toward her husband

 

[Whiteorchids]

The judge states to the jury she is currently on psychotropic medications.

 

[Abigail]

ITA, the decorum he exhibits is military. He is a civilian employee now for the DOD. Just because you retire after 27 years, it does not mean you lose what has been ingrained in you. I don't know if I read the same emails as You, but the snap out of it email I think came from her brother.

ETA: IMPO, his affect is not flat. It is controlled and his speech is measured. JS OTOH has a flat affect IMO. If you watch PS jaw, it tightens and releases.

Yes, her brother did send an email with quite a few zingers -- one of which was blaming her for her husband not making it to general...

But the husband also sent a number of emails -- both to Julie and to her doc -- where he implied that she was "choosing" to be ill, criticizing her for not getting out of bed (given the heavy doses of benzodiazepines and lithium she was on, it's a wonder she was able to stand up straight), and so forth. Understandably, he'd probably reached the end of his rope after 20 years of caring for a mentally ill wife --esp. since she was endangering the children with reckless driving and all of that sort of thing.

Both her husband and brother imply that she had a history of being a "victim" -- of not accepting personal responsibility -- and that no doubt was true. However, I did feel that her brother's email was a bit harsh -- he even questioned why she was "broken" before marrying Parker -- when she'd testified in trial as a small child again the person who abused her -- he'd have surely known about that. And he seemed quite insensitive to her mental illness -- almost blaming her for being ill. And going on and on about her mispelling words...just harsh...one could almost see why she might feel like a victim on occasion
http://tbo.com/assets/pdf/TB48127.PDF

 

[geevee]

That has been my theory--that she was angriest at her husband.

I agree Janx, I think mostly she wanted to hurt her husband. The *only* decent thing in all of it is the children died very quickly and were spared any lengthy suffering.

I wish Fla. had 'guilty but insane' that the jury could consider and sentence her to a lifetime in a mental health ward, I think she most definitely qualifies for that. Although I think she does have deep mental problems, I can't quite get myself to think of her as 'not guilty by reason of insanity' as she seems to have had enough sanity to have permeditated this. The defense hasn't gone yet so I'm still somewhat undecided, but they'd have to do a whole lot of convincing.

 

[Abigail]

She wanted to hurt him - badly. I firmly believe that.

All the post-it notes, and journal entries are all talking to someone. She was fully expecting her husband to come home to find the kids murdered and her OD'd on the floor. Those post-its (minus the ones on the door for carpool) were for Parker to find after the fact.
The one on the plate of chicken was very telling to me. it was like she was tattle telling on Calyx for not eating it. She was saying to him See? She wont even eat the food I made!!

After she murdered the kids, she sent Parker an email that said

"Get home soon — were waiting for you!"

How creepy.

Good point...and I guess if her Mom hadn't sounded the alarm after getting the email, then he would have been the one to find the kids and her

 

[Zuri]

It seems like a big chess game with her husband and her family for sure too. I am also curious if she has some ''damning'' info yet to be revealed that will ''underscore'' her deep hurt and anger toward her husband

I was just thinking the same thing. JS had a career in the Army and resigned her commission to be a FT mom I guess. I wonder if it really bothered her that her husband was rapidly ascending the ranks and had a successful career. When I look at JS, she does not strike me as the warm fuzzy type. To be in military intelligence, maybe that works in your favor. JS is probably extremely smart, and her non compliance coupled with depression and resentment might have been what pushed her to murder her children.

I keep saying to myself, "Who in their right mind kills their children"? Ergo, the insanity defense pursuit. As I have posted previously, my daughter speaks venomese to me and yes I do cringe. I would NEVER dream of hurting her in a million years. I am the safe place for her to fall and I am there when she cries Mommy as I know she has a lot of pain on the inside. It is this aspect of the case that truly haunts me. I think Calyx probably wanted and needed her mother big time and JS was truly emotionally unavailable and incapable of love. JMV

 

[Abigail]

I agree Janx, I think mostly she wanted to hurt her husband. The *only* decent thing in all of it is the children died very quickly and were spared any lengthy suffering.

I wish Fla. had 'guilty but insane' that the jury could consider and sentence her to a lifetime in a mental health ward, I think she most definitely qualifies for that. Although I think she does have deep mental problems, I can't quite get myself to think of her as 'not guilty by reason of insanity' as she seems to have had enough sanity to have permeditated this. The defense hasn't gone yet so I'm still somewhat undecided, but they'd have to do a whole lot of convincing.

Agree. She's definitely NOT "not guilty" -- she definitely oughtn't to be let out on the streets -- but the mental illness is certainly a mitigating factor

 

[Abigail]

I think Calyx probably wanted and needed her mother big time and JS was truly emotionally unavailable and incapable of love. JMV

Certainly unavailable...perhaps capable of love, but in a twisted way...

I am a bit surprised, however, that as a military man, Parker didn't demand that Calyx show more respect to her mother. In his email to Julie's doctor, he said that Calyx would insult her mother about her mental illness -- twisting the knife where it hurt the most, preying on her mother's insecurities. He told the doctor that Julie had lost control over her daughter, but I couldn't help but wonder what happened to HIS control over his daughter -- why did he let her abuse her mother? (this was before the slapping incident) I understand that the daughter was hurting and needing her Mom, but yet I still feel he could have helped defuse the situation by requiring respectful speech from his children. Instead, the plan was to bundle Calyx off to boarding school.

 

[east2west]

Good point...and I guess if her Mom hadn't sounded the alarm after getting the email, then he would have been the one to find the kids and her

Or maybe one of the carpool people. How long would those post-it notes retained it's adhesive to the front door?

ETA link: http://www.wfla.com/story/25426813/opening-statements-begin-in-schenecker-trial
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

 

[Zuri]

Agree. She's definitely NOT "not guilty" -- she definitely oughtn't to be let out on the streets -- but the mental illness is certainly a mitigating factor

Maybe her mental illness is why they did not pursue the death penalty. I don't know if will be enough for the jury to adjudicate her NGRI. The premeditation part is what gets me. Her actions were cold and calculated. She planned on shooting Beau when he was tying his shoes, but he saw her and told her to put the gun away. His last moment on this earth was putting a hand to his head to ward off a bullet from a gun his mother was firing. Heartbreaking.

 

[Zuri]

Certainly unavailable...perhaps capable of love, but in a twisted way...

I am a bit surprised, however, that as a military man, Parker didn't demand that Calyx show more respect to her mother. In his email to Julie's doctor, he said that Calyx would insult her mother about her mental illness -- twisting the knife where it hurt the most, preying on her mother's insecurities. He told the doctor that Julie had lost control over her daughter, but I couldn't help but wonder what happened to HIS control over his daughter -- why did he let her abuse her mother? (this was before the slapping incident) I understand that the daughter was hurting and needing her Mom, but yet I still feel he could have helped defuse the situation by requiring respectful speech from his children. Instead, the plan was to bundle Calyx off to boarding school.

IIRC, PS did speak to CS about being more respectful to her mother according to his testimony today. But he also said that JS acted like a 10 yo and not an adult which did not help the situation. At this point of the trial, it sounded like he was trying to diffuse the situation as best he could between his deployments. He, like everyone around them, underestimated the depravity of JS.

 

[Zuri]

I am reading up on the M'Naghten Rule and in Florida, the burden of proof of sanity is on the Prosecution. So, if she is found Guilty but insane, is the sentencing of that like voluntary manslaughter? TIA

 

[CBTampa]

Certainly unavailable...perhaps capable of love, but in a twisted way...

I am a bit surprised, however, that as a military man, Parker didn't demand that Calyx show more respect to her mother. In his email to Julie's doctor, he said that Calyx would insult her mother about her mental illness -- twisting the knife where it hurt the most, preying on her mother's insecurities. He told the doctor that Julie had lost control over her daughter, but I couldn't help but wonder what happened to HIS control over his daughter -- why did he let her abuse her mother? (this was before the slapping incident) I understand that the daughter was hurting and needing her Mom, but yet I still feel he could have helped defuse the situation by requiring respectful speech from his children. Instead, the plan was to bundle Calyx off to boarding school.

Respect is earned, do you think she earned it? Do I think that PS failed to show JS respect in front of his children? I honestly don't know. Children learn from what they are taught...IMO

 

[Nymeria]

Trial Junkie ‏@Trial__Junkie 24s
State calls #JulieSchenecker husband parker to the stand

I laid down to watch after lunch break....and fell asleep

OF COURSE I miss Parker :facepalm: off to YouTube...

 

[Whiteorchids]

She spared the life of the family cat.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

That has been my theory--that she was angriest at her husband.

I have seen some try to say that mothers murder their children for different reasons than fathers do. I have never believed that to be true. I have seen way too many cases where mothers murder and most of the time it is for the same reasons fathers murder their own.

Only about 2-4% of the murdering mothers are really mentally ill. The other 96% who murder their children do so out of spite, revenge, jealousy, or see their children as unwanted burdens.

The motive in this case was done out of spite and anger against Parker and the two children. I think she felt that Parker was going to divorce her soon and would most likely be awarded the children. Especially since he didn't seem to do long stints overseas and seems much more stable. I think he was a great father and even though JS didn't get along with either child.......I believe Parker did.

So she destroyed what she knew meant the most to him than anything else in the entire world....his two beloved children. That way she punished him too in the end in a way he will never get over. The day she murdered his children his life as he knew it changed forever and a part of him died forever.

She also knew he had had a vasectomy knowing he wouldn't be able to sire anymore children of his own. I think she has thought long and hard before she carried out this massacre.

She isn't mentally ill. She was just a woman who was filled with rage and hatred. She was probably very jealous of the very close relationship that Parker had with the kids and they with him.

I hope that the jury does the right thing and they will if they put aside what the defense is going to try to feed them. If they look strictly at the facts in evidence in this case.. they can clearly see that it doesn't show mental illness. What it really shows a wicked revengeful woman who carefully planned the execution of her two children to get even with them for being mouthy, and because she wanted to hurt her husband in the worst way possible.

IMO

 

[Nymeria]

As a person who lost someone very close to me, 11 years ago today in fact, sometimes the pain is just too great to allow it to surface.
Unbearable doesn't even begin to describe the pain in your heart.
I think he is doing remarkably well considering the reality of his situation. He is sitting in a courtroom testifying in a murder trial for his ex-wife who murdered his two beloved children. Three people he loved were taken from him that day, everything he knew was just. gone.
Military training or not, you find a way to put those feelings away and you just can't allow yourself to revisit them. It's just simply too much.

:grouphug: :therethere: :grouphug:

ETA- You too Zuri (Just saw your post) :grouphug:

 

[oceanblueeyes]

I am reading up on the M'Naghten Rule and in Florida, the burden of proof of sanity is on the Prosecution. So, if she is found Guilty but insane, is the sentencing of that like voluntary manslaughter? TIA

The Prosecutor has to put forth evidence that she was not insane at the time. I think he is doing a fantastic job in proving that.

I don't know how Florida works. Would she be found Guilty but insane or would she be found NG by reasons of insanity?

In Georgia if the Prosecutor has proved his/her case BARD the defendant is found Guilty but by reasons of insanity (if that was bought by their jury). The defendant still gets the same sentence as anyone else who committed the same like crime. All it means is while locked up for life without parole they will be seen by mental health professionals and prescribed meds if needed. They still do their full time here in Georgia anyway.

Remember Hemy Neuman trial? His ended up that way. Even though the jury believed him to be insane at the time he murdered Rusty he still was found Guilty and received LWOP.

Don't know how Florida law works though.

I truly hope the jury doesn't take the bait. She isn't mentally ill. Someone who is mentally ill wouldn't be capable of this great planning for days ahead of time before they murdered, imo. This was a very calculated, long thought out plan.

IMO

 

[CBTampa]

I have seen some try to say that mothers murder their children for different reasons than fathers do. I have never believed that to be true. I have seen way too many cases where mothers murder and most of the time it is for the same reasons fathers murder their own.

Only about 2-4% of the murdering mothers are really mentally ill. The other 96% who murder their children do so out of spite, revenge, jealousy, or see their children as unwanted burdens.

The motive in this case was done out of spite and anger against Parker and the two children. I think she felt that Parker was going to divorce her soon and would most likely be awarded the children. Especially since he didn't seem to do long stints overseas and seems much more stable. I think he was a great father and even though JS didn't get along with either child.......I believe Parker did.

So she destroyed what she knew meant the most to him than anything else in the entire world....his two beloved children. That way she punished him too in the end in a way he will never get over. The day she murdered his children his life as he knew it changed forever and a part of him died forever.

She also knew he had had a vasectomy knowing he wouldn't be able to sire anymore children of his own. I think she has thought long and hard before she carried out this massacre.

She isn't mentally ill. She was just a woman who was filled with rage and hatred. She was probably very jealous of the very close relationship that Parker had with the kids and they with him.

I hope that the jury does the right thing and they will if they put aside what the defense is going to try to feed them. If they look strictly at the facts in evidence in this case.. they can clearly see that it doesn't show mental illness. What it really shows a wicked revengeful woman who carefully planned the execution of her two children to get even with them for being mouthy, and because she wanted to hurt her husband in the worst way possible.

IMO

I totally agree with you. I also think that she used her "mental illness" as an attention getter and a form of manipulation with the people that cared about her the most. When she was called out on it, she became enraged. This is my opinion only.

I would love to go to the trial one day while it is going on. It isn't to far from me and what Nancy Grace is calling a mansion is not a mansion...it is a nice area and a nice house. It is right around the corner from my sister's house.