Question, don't know if I missed it somewhere, I know IP wrote it down for MBP's lawyers but did he also give the police a statement containing the same information before he decided to tell MBP and her lawyers? If so that could be used as evidence?
I don't know if you've received your answer, so sorry if I'm repeating what's already been said, I'm catching up on the thread from where I left off last night.
He went to police with his ex-wife on Dec 5th, and it seems he told them what he knew at that date. MBP had been to see detectives without him on Dec 3rd. It would be standard procedure for police to record what he said in a statement, and we don't know if he gave them a copy of the zombie document or whose possession it was in.
From the trials I've watched police statements are not read or entered into evidence at trial, although they are available to counsel, however the witness (IP) would be called and examined, and pertinent information from what he told police will be drawn out by questioning. If what he says in court differs from what he told police he can be shown his statement to read back to himself and asked why his evidence now is different. That is when the jury gets to decide how honest he is being because usually early statements are the most reliable unless he had a very good reason to be lying at the beginning. Police officers who conducted the interview can also be called to impeach the witness, I believe.
When they went on TV recently they made these statements about it, so he may continue to try to draw back what he said to police, or (imo) come clean at trial in regards to what he knew. In light of the children's murders he might not want the roasting in court :
Select interview transcripts for anyone interested:
Interview with CBS:
IP: I didn’t know the FBI would be there. But um, you know, I was open to sharing everything that I knew at that point. And so at that point I, yeah, I shared, I shared all the information I have and I was hoping that I could, I was hoping the FBI, because the FBI was there, they would have information already, that there would be something that they knew that I could say that would make sense to them. That would, you know, be a piece to a puzzle instead of becoming a framework for them to build this investigation on. And it seems like the information I shared with them turned into this nationwide just frenzy. You know, so they gave me a recording device, you know, I recorded con.., some conversations with Chad and Lori.
<snip> For two weeks I’ve been thinking this through and looking at anything, looking for anything I could to try to figure out where these kids are and there’s just no evidence, there’s nothing, trying to figure out anything bad that’s going on. And I don’t, you know, I couldn’t find anything, I couldn’t find anything aside from
just baseless accusations coming from her ex-husband. At the end of the day I put it into a memo when I conv.., when I confessed this to her. You know and
I need to protect her to the best of my ability from the damage that I could, that I, that I have done to her. So I write down everything that I can remember saying to the FBI, how I explained it to ‘em, what her fears were, what my fears were. I write it all down, and give it to her lawyers.
MBP: this was early in December and so um I think it shows, if you read the entire document it starts out I’m terrified, and then it ends with there was nothing there and the reason this document is so important is because it’s basically, we’re trying to clear this up because this whole case is based on this, this document and this outline, of, you know, bits and pieces taken from everywhere. <snip> and you know
he was taking everything so literally and when I first saw this document it was shocking like
explain this, like I can’t explain it, and so, it’s good to come forward and explain where that comes from in the context and to look at it in its entirety.
Interview with Nate Eaton:
MBP: <snip> As soon as I returned after Thanksgiving, I went right into Detective Hermosillo and was like, “What’s going on? I’m here to get my stuff.” He asked me about my previous marriage, what was I doing here, and he asked me about Lori and Alex.
I was an open book and said, “Here’s what I know.
Eaton: We can transition with that into everything you allegedly told Ian and what he wrote down. Ian, can you explain the background about how this document came to be?
IP: The whole purpose of the document was to send to Melani’s lawyers so they knew what I had gone in and told the FBI.
So I told Melani on Dec. 19 that I had been talking with the police and a little later, I told her I’d been recording her. It was after I told Melani that I had been working with the FBI and the police that I wrote this. The whole idea is to protect her.
Her lawyers needed to know exactly what I said, how I said it and that’s how I wanted to present it to them. These are the fears I shared with them that Melani shared with me.
The document sounds a lot more affirmative than what I heard, but when I go into the police, I want action. I want this to be over with, basically. I went and I shared with the FBI everything that I heard, everything I was afraid of, and at that point, I thought the kids were in danger. I thought there was something dark and sinister going on. I was afraid.
So things came out when I talked with the FBI in a way that (I) shouldn’t have. And I kind of regret the way I presented it to them because I feel like it’s kind of blown this thing up a lot more than it should have. There wasn’t really a whole lot going on until my ex-wife and I went in and spoke with the FBI. Then, a week later, they’re starting to put out press releases and all these things. I don’t know if what we shared acted as a catalyst for that. Or maybe I’m just full of myself.
Eaton: For the casual reader seeing this, there is some shocking stuff in there. Chad and Lori apparently told you, Melani, that JJ and Tylee had been possessed and become zombies, that Alex may have to “take care” of the kids, he had “great faith” and “never wavered in his trust of the Lord.” Can you understand these writings are alarming, concerning and suspicious on all counts?
IP: Anybody who doesn’t know what’s going on, they’re going to look at this and go, “Yeah, this is insane.”
So Brandon contacted my ex-wife, Natalie, and basically shared the idea with her that Melani’s in a cult, Lori’s in a cult, Chad’s a cult leader, they tried to kill me, they killed Charles and there’s this whole plot. I’m hearing this and I’m going, “Holy crap! What did I get myself into?” And so anything that happens, anything I hear from then on, even if it’s something I’ve heard before, I’m looking at it through the lens of, “This could be a cult.” Something weird is going on, and I’m hearing this right after her door gets kicked in by the Rexburg Police and we see a search warrant looking for JJ.
So everything seemed really off at that point. I’ve described it like a Treehouse of Horrors episode of “The Simpsons” for Halloween. You see a shadow of a claw on the wall, and then the light comes, and it’s just a branch scratching on the window. Depending on how you shine the light, there are facts, but depending on how you shine the flashlight, the facts look different.
When I’m hearing all these things, I’m scared, and I think there’s a cult. As you go through the document, you kind of see my thought process of this is stuff that I’m hearing, and stuff I’m worried about. As I continue to look at it, I’m starting to see that there’s really nothing proving any of this. There’s nothing proving that Tylee and JJ have come to any harm. You can even see at the end of the document I’m still questioning why in the world do we not know where the kids are.
But as I’ve gotten to know Summer and Janis and heard more about Lori’s life and the experiences she’s gone through, I’m starting to see maybe there is some reasoning behind what’s going on. I have no clue what’s going on, but I know that Melani is a good person. I’ve loved her through this whole thing. I was never really concerned about her. But
in the beginning, I’m like, “Holy crap, her uncles are into some shady stuff, and I need to try to figure out what’s going on. I’m going to record your conversations, try to get from point A to point B, get this thing wrapped up and over with so I can move on with my life and my new wife.”
MBP: <snip> Where it comes down to Tylee and JJ and
this zombie idea – it came from a disturbing phone call I got from one of Lori’s old friends right after they took off to Hawaii. She told me, “Lori and Alex did something to Tylee and JJ, and we don’t know where they’re at, and Lori has lied to you,” and all these things that didn’t feel right. On that phone call, I felt a lot of fear and doubt, and that’s when I kind of went into this worrying phase.
I’m newly married, and I’m sharing these things with him and can’t sleep some nights. I didn’t know where they’re at, I didn’t know what was going on and I didn’t understand these things. And Ian, which I don’t know, is talking with Natalie and Brandon, and they’re telling him these terrifying things that aren’t true – that I’ve wanted to kill Brandon, and I’m in a cult. I have no idea what Ian’s doing behind the scenes, and I’m in a scared time in my life where I’m trying to figure out the pieces. I’m trying to know what’s going on with Brandon and his plans, and who he is working with, and where my kids are. December was terrifying – like we’re thrown into this boiling pot as soon as we get married and trying to just adapt as best we can.
Eaton: Melani, did you actually believe these things that Lori and Chad told you? Or were you telling Ian just to get it off your chest with the assumption you didn’t know what to think?
MBP: Lori and Chad did not tell me most of those things in the document. Those were fears I was hearing from other people, and never did I believe them. When you don’t have knowledge about something and you’re in a scary situation like this, you think the worst. And I’m an open book. I kind of say it how it is.
I didn’t know Ian was recording all these things and that he was talking to Natalie or Brandon. I had told him my history with Brandon, and I warned that Natalie’s probably going to try to get ahold of Brandan, and Brandon’s going to run with all these lies about me. Ian knew who I was, but the factor of Tylee and JJ going missing – he’d never seen them before and had only met Chad and Lori one time. He doesn’t know what I know about the past with Lori trying to do everything she can to protect her kids and people who have been threatening her.
<snip>
Eaton: One other question about the document, Ian, and then we can we can move on. You mentioned in there that your whole intent was not to smear anybody. Your intent was to protect your family and helps solve the case of the missing kids. Can you guys address the public as to what you all are doing to help in the case?
IP: We, to the best of our knowledge, have cooperated fully with the FBI and law enforcement. Anytime they’ve had questions, we’ve answered. That’s all we can do right now. We’re trying to set people at ease a little bit. Right now, the kids are missing. We don’t know where they are, and there’s so much speculation because of this
information that’s leaked in the accusations that Charles made in his paperwork, and people coming out of the woodwork to come after Chad or come after Lori.
<snip>
MBP: Yeah. I had my first initial meeting with Detective Hermosillo, and then I invited FBI into my home for a few hours and
told them everything that I did know. My first meeting with FBI, I shared a lot of these things I’m sharing with you, Nate, and they were like, “OK, this isn’t where we thought this was going at all.” We haven’t heard this other side of why Lori would be doing what she’s doing and why she does not feel safe to say where her kids are and why she needs to protect them.
Interview with 12News:
MBP: This entire document that was illegally obtained by somebody just trying to hurt — this is old news. This is something Ian put together
to protect us. When he went in with Natalie and all these ideas, that turned this entire investigation to a frenzy, this document was put together to give to our lawyers. This is what he went in with. Now we have to explain this to the fullness of truth that it is. In its entirety, there weren’t any facts to this. These were fears, these were worries.
<snip> He’s hearing these things from
our exes who are working together to try and drive a wedge in between us. December was really tough. There were a lot of things being thrown around and
the things in the document were the things that were given to Rexburg Police in December to continue confusing this case and mix it up with speculation and rumor by these documents and rumors that might be released — because it just leads the public to have more questions and more reason to believe these crazy things. And unfortunately, the truth isn’t as exciting as these crazy things, so we keep feeding them. This is what people want.
(Interviews with links are in the media thread starting here and then scrolling down to posts below it for the additional interviews
ID - ID - Joshua Vallow, 7, & Tylee Ryan, 17, Rexburg, Sept 2019 *MEDIA MAPS TIMELINE* NO DISCUSSION )
