MAY 11th RADIO INTERVIEW 99..1 WXGM GLOUCESTER, VIRGINIA

Neal Steele has invited me back for more discussions on the cover up regarding the Virginia Tech shooting and the Virginia Supreme Court's factually wrong decision to throw out the jury verdict in the Pryde and Peterson lawsuit against Virginia Tech--a decision that I believe violates the Pryde and Peterson families' civil rights. Cleo E. Powell, the Virginia Supreme Court justice who wrote the decision, should resign, be removed, or prosecuted for breaking the law--I vote for the latter two.

The interview will be May 11th at 8:10 a.m. on WXGM 99.1 FM, Gloucester, Virginia and will be carried streaming if anyone is interested in listening.

Williamsburg Book Stroll

I will participate in the Williamsburg Book Stroll today. One of six authors participating in the event. I will be at the American Family Fitness:

American Family Fitness
5137 Main Street
Author: Dave Cariens
Win a $100 gift certificate to Opus 9:
Collect bookmarks from 5 of the 6 authors.
Show the bookmarks to an author to receive an entry form.
Drawing to take place on Saturday, April 25.
Winner will be notified.

WILLIAMSBURG BOOK STROLL

Attend a Book Stroll

Discover Williamsburg Area Writers 

Friday, April 24, 3-6 p.m. 

in Williamsburg's New Town

Map #	Location	Author
1	Cakealicious 4268 Casey Boulevard	Nicki Peet
2	Iron-Bound Gym 4325 New Town Avenue	Jeff Drifmeyer a.k.a.  “Jake McKenzie”
3	Laney’s Jewelry 5121 Center Street	Sally Stiles
4	Bead Tender 5100 Main Street	Cindy Freeman
5	Great American Cookie 5114 Main Street	Jacqueline Johnson
6	American Family Fitness 5137 Main Street	Dave Cariens

Win a
$100 gift certificate to
Opus 9:

Collect bookmarks from 5 of the 6 authors. 
Show the bookmarks to an author to receive an entry form.

Drawing to take place on Saturday, April 25.
Winner will be notified.

Call the "Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission" 804-786-6636

A fitting way to mark the 8th Anniversary of the Virginia Tech shooting rampage would be to call the Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission and ask for an investigation into how a major factual error (incorrectly naming the Blacksburg Police Department as heading the investigation on April 16, 2007) got into the Virginia Supreme Court decision to throw out the jury verdict in the Pryde and Peterson lawsuit. Someone had to intentionally introduce the error into the the Court's findings because five times in the trial, and under oath, it was asserted that Virginia Tech Police Chief Wendell Flinchum was in charge of the investigation. Chief Flinchum himself testified to that fact. No where in the court transcript does it say Blacksburg Police Chief Kim Crannis was in charge.

 It is against the law to introduce false facts or evidence in a court of law. The Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission has the authority to investigate any violation of the law.  The number for the Commission is (804) 786-6636.

EIGHT YEARS LATER AND THE CRIME GROWS

Thursday, April 16, 2015, will mark the eighth anniversary of the Virginia Tech rampage. The evidence of cover ups as well as what can only be called outright corruption by politicians, law enforcement officials and members of the legal profession, continues to grow.

For those who argue that it is time for the victims and families to move on, I suggest that it is impossible to move on when the people we put our trust in do not tell the truth about the death of children and spouses. When anyone loses a child, the loss is absolutely unbearable. And when people lie about circumstances surrounding mass murder the recovery is next to impossible.

Recently a member of the governor’s Review Panel published a book in which she asserts the panel felt pressure from the outset to produce a report that would not end in litigation. It was clear from the outset that the report was written in a style to prevent holding anyone accountable. The panel member’s words confirmed the worst fears that a state sponsored body investigating a state institution was a conflict of interest and resulted in a well orchestrated campaign of half truths and lies of omission.

Most recently, at a talk I gave at VCU on the Tech shooting, a man in the audience came up to me and said he had worked in the Virginia state office handling contracts. He claimed he was told to pay TriData (the firm who wrote the Review Panel’s report) an extra $75,000.00 to make corrections, despite the fact that the amount was over the state’s legal limit for follow-on contract work. He said that then-Governor Kaine’s lawyer told him to make the payment. Not only should the contract have had an “errors and omissions clause,” but the company should have been fined at least $75,000 for producing a badly flawed product.

The most grievous of all the developments is the Virginia Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the jury verdict in the Pryde/Peterson trial holding Virginia Tech liable.

The Court’s decision was unanimous. Justice Cleo E. Powell, who wrote the decision, asserted the Court was basing its ruling not on whether the school had a duty to warn, but on facts. She then got the most important fact wrong. She wrote that the investigation was in the hands of the Blacksburg Police, when in fact it was in the hands of Police Chief Wendell Flinchum of the Virginia Tech Police Department.

The truth is Chief Flinchum appears to have been the person who told school officials not to warn or lockdown after the double homicide at West Ambler Johnston Hall. His failure to follow the most rudimentary of crime scene investigaton principles apparently blocked warnings and played a role in the murder of 30 people at Norris Hall. Under oath, when asked if he spoke to school officials about warning and locking down, he may have perjured himself. He needs to explain his inaction; he needs to be held accountable. 

Justice Powell’s error throws doubt on the accuracy of every aspect of the court’s actions and decisions. The Virginia Supreme Court’s integrity and objectivity is now in question.

Some say the families need to move on. What is needed is to move on and reveal the truth. What is needed is for Virginia politicians at the highest level, the state’s Supreme Court justice, members of the law enforcement community, and Virginia Tech to be completely honest and candid about the events that terrible day.

FRIDAY APRIL 10 RADIO INTERVIW

Neal Steele on WXGM 99.1 FM (XTRA 99.1) will interview me again on Friday, April 10th at 8:35 a.m. The subject will be the monumental error by the Virginia Supreme Court in throwing out the Pryde/Peterson jury verdict. If you are interested, you can listen to it on streaming 99.1.

WILLIAMSBURG BOOK SIGNING

I will participate in the Williamsburg Book Stroll at New Town Williamsburg on April 24. I will be at American Family Fitness, 5137 Main Street from 3:00-6:00 p.m.