Who Killed Josiah? A Documentary About Humboldt County and Racism
KCET and PBS SoCal aired this documentary last night about the stabbing death of David Josiah Lawson in April of 1017 and the resulting racial tensions in Humboldt County.
A blurb about the film says, “A Humboldt town is polarized over allegations of racism and police incompetence surrounding the death of college student Josiah Lawson.”
Footage in the video shows the crime scene and the alleged murder weapon.
Earlier Stories about David Josiah Lawson:
- 19-Year-Old HSU Student Dies After Stabbing in Arcata Early This Morning
- 23-Year-Old McKinleyville Resident Arrested in Connection with HSU Student’s Stabbing Death
- HSU Offers Students Who Witnessed Stabbing Death Amnesty for Breaking School Rules; Asks Cooperation With Police
- Arcata Police Not Releasing Photo of Suspect in Stabbing Death for Now
- APD Received Anonymous Email About Fatal Stabbing; Pleads With Writer to Come Forward
- Celebration of the Life of Stabbing Victim Will be Held at Humboldt State University Today; Racial Bias Alleged to Have Led to Death
- Hundreds Mourn Slain HSU Student at Thursday Vigil
- Uncle of Fatal Stabbing Suspect Writes Letter to the Editor Urging Community Re-examine Public Statements Made in the Case
- Family of Arcata Stabbing Suspect Claims the Real Killer Has Not Been Caught (Includes Timeline of Events as Presented in Public Statements by Those at the Party)
- HSU and Arcata Police Issue Statements Following Release of Kyle Zoellner in the Stabbing Death of David Josiah Lawson
- District Attorney’s Office Issues Statement as Defendant in Racially Charged Case Released
- Family of Kyle Zoellner Who Was Released Today in Stabbing Death Issues Statement to Family and Friends of Victim
- Justice for Josiah Gathering Keeps Arcata Lively Tonight; Another Protest Called for Tomorrow
- Letter to the Community of Arcata from Kyle Zoellner’s Uncle
- Chanting “‘Justice for Josiah,’ Protesters Gather at the Courthouse
- Family Announces $10,000 Reward for Information Leading to Conviction of Killer of David Josiah Lawson
- APD Chief and Victim’s Mother Offer Updates on the Stabbing Death of David Josiah Lawson
- Letter From Family Member Questions Testimony of Witnesses in Hearing About Kyle Zoellner’s Possible Role in the Death of David Josiah Lawson
- ‘Reckless Statements’ Were Made by Tom Parker, and Lawson Attorney, Shelley Mack, Writes Uncle of Kyle Zoellner in Letter to the Editor
- Protestors Take Over Arcata City Council Meeting Demanding Justice for Josiah
- A Deeper Look at Last Thursday’s Disruption of the Arcata City Council by Protesters Demanding That Tom Parker Be Asked Back to Help in the Josiah Lawson Case
- Mother of Josiah Lawson Claims DNA on Knife Identifies her Son’s ‘Murderer’, Calls for Justice
- Grand Jury ‘Declines’ to Indict Anyone for Stabbing Death of David Josiah Lawson
- Arcata Police Say They Will ‘Work to Identify the Suspect who Murdered David Josiah Lawson’ After Grand Jury Declines to Indict Anyone
- APD Requests Public’s Help Identifying Potential Witnesses in Stabbing Death of David Josiah Lawson
- Zoellner’s DNA on Knife Used to Kill Her Son, Says Mother of David Josiah Lawson in Open Letter
- DA’s Office Responds to Letter From Mother of Slain HSU Student
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A few things got left out of the film. Four frat boys who’s been drinking at 2 AM beat another man unconscious for having asked where his girlfriends cell phone was. Josiah was last seen astraddle Zoellner who was unconscious at the time and still beating him. Zoellners blood was all over Josiah but Josiahs blood was not on Zoellner
False
Well. It’s very apparent who the racist are in this story….. and have been…. and will continue to do so.
Truthfully asking here.
What made this a racist killing? All I’ve heard is there was a fight and one guy got stabbed to death.
Yes I understand that Humboldt is probably not the most welcoming place for people of color. But what does that have specifically to do with this event?
Curious, if you watch the video, it explains a lot.
Curious, i see myself as opposed to racism as much as a white person can be, i tend to be a bit hyperalert to it and vocal in my denunciations of it.
but i think josiahs death has to do with racism exactly opposite of how its being portrayed.
College kids were fighting. Someone died. That shouldnt have happened, regardless of ethnicity.
But his friends expectation of racism kept the cops from securing the scene more quickly. He may have already died, but none of us knows that. They assumed racism and everything has been filtered thru that lense feom beginning to end, but it doesnt appear to have been Arcatas racism.
Arcata is one of the few places actually trying to look at and deal with racism in a positive proactive way, and now its being labeled nationwide.
Makes me think eff josiah and his mom.
Honestly.
The police here dont work. They dont work for whites, indians, mexicans or blacks. It isnt racism. Its laziness.
You solve problems faster when you think instead of assume.
I think we’re all prisoners of our experiences and culture. Even if you disagree with Charmaine’s conclusion, I think to say to a woman who lost her brilliant, beautiful boy in a terrible way “eff josiah and his mom” is lacking in empathy.
Brilliant & beautiful maybe, also aggressive and out at 3am brawling at a drinking party . Let’s focus on that reality. And the reality that in total Humboldt County crime -solving skills fails ALL RACES. It’s stunning and disturbing the sheer number of lost, missing , murdered or presumed dead men, and women (with no endless stream of press conferences, docu – dramas and vigils. ) No one cares.
For instance Who Killed CHRIS GIAUQUE ? Or STEPHANIE GAWBOY?
At some point there has to be some personal responsibility taken into account, and acknowledge there’s a natural public cut off (boredom) with and diminished sympathy /empathy, for the victims and their families. Going on 2 + years here . There is obviously not enough evidence, OR WITNESSES WILLING TO SING. The end. Not every victim “gets justice.”
For me seeing the documentary opening scene is almost 3am I knew right away it wouldn’t end well. Go to bed!! All over an i-phone. Who cares! (This IS traumatic for the mom, but let’s be real. This was her ADULT SON. He made choices that impacted himself and others. She can’t go back now and teach him to value the safety of his own bed.) #nothinggood happens after midnight
I think what she has done to Arcata and Humboldt lacks insight. Systemic problems aren’t solved by alienating natural allies. People in Arcata are highly inclined to be the ones to speak up to their peers when it needs to happen.
But this mom and her crew have shown us our white help is of no use. I’m just going to stand back and stay out of the way.
She knows everything. She’s got it figured out. She made a documentary to prove it.
There is at least one white mom in Rancho who thinks her son has been run through a wood chipper. An there ain’t no chance Sheriff John Brown is going to look into it in this century or the next. This lady could have made common cause with that one.
But no, she’s got it all figured out. It was racism in the most progressive town in one of the most progressive counties in the most progressive state in the union. What would he have done in a hard place?
“Eff Josiah and his mom”?! You aren’t curious, you’re clueless. Your vacuous attempt to disguise the bigoted tone of your post is transparent from the start. You chose to describe yourself “as opposed to racism as much as a white person can be,” instead of just saying you aren’t racist. You seem offended by the idea that this crime and its investigation has anything to do with race, yet you have no problem laying all the blame on non-white people without providing any justifying evidence. Except your assertion that you are as opposed to racism as a white person can be.
From what I’ve read in your post, my guess is that you probably are a racist but it wouldn’t be fair to assert it without knowing you. However, I can say that you are without doubt a heartless lowlife for saying eff to a murder victim and his grieving mother.
I realize you wrote this post three years ago and can only hope that you’ve grown enough to see how vile you sound(ed).
His narrative may be false but Kyle got the crap beat out of him
Who cares move on!
Next…
Just stirring the pot, horrible police investigation does not add to racism… Just Humboldt counties ability to investigate anything…. How many unsolved murders in Humboldt county? I’ve lived here 30 plus years and have heard of many many murders come and go without anyone held accountable… So why is this one any different, oh ya he’s black and this is 2019….. I live on murder mountain and they haven’t solved a single murder here ever… is that racist? Or just crappy investigators….
Pharmstheproblem – add unwilling, or no witnesses, might have a bit to do with all those unsolved murders also.
Exactly, not racism!
Pure racism.
Humans are prime mates.
Give an example of one prime mate that doesn’t form opposing groups.
Its unnatural for all of us to be in one group.
I’m not going to deny nature to believe in hopeful bullshit!
Respect and loyalty are earned, not freely given.
You’re a primate and so racism is natural for you?
Even I wasn’t going to go that far…
you have a point that needs to be addressed. for thousands on years we have survived because we knew our tribe would protect us.
now, the landscape has changed, and race is less an issue than socio economic standing.
I think most people understand that we are not the color of our skin, but we are spirits in a material world, just as capable of making good and bad choices regardless.
the most important thing to recognize that we have more in common in this world, if we could just stop shoving the negative aspects of our history down each others throats, that remind us of the ancestral knee jerk reactions to a more primitive mindset.
let’s evolve this suffering into a unifying example of how we should focus on the “Man”, that wants to build condos on your farmland or wants to fire you so he can hire someone here that doesn’t cost him as much. …oh…
that you have to train to take your job ..
H1B VISA is the problem…
one of many.
race is a factor if you continue to make it a factor.
personally I judge people by their words and actions, and whether or not they spoke from their hearts.
That’s all fine and good. But race is a factor — not because people notice it, but — because of racism. Racism is a historical and social reality in this country that isn’t simply about identifying someone as ‘white’ or ‘black.’ It’s about making value judgments. It’s about understanding the historical legacies that shape who we are as a society, and how individual people are affected by these legacies.
It’s great when someone can say, ‘I’m not a racist,’ and mean it. But this doesn’t do anything to clean up the chaos set into motion by generations of those who would say otherwise.
We should strive to understand racism, because those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
I’m afraid nothing will undo the past wrongdoings.
Racism is merely Tribalism modernized and now being weaponized.
we should strive to understand those things that are important to us, and that don’t do harm to others, yet we are witnessing people attacking others for plenty of other issues than Race.
how do you undo centuries of warring factions.
there’s been people fighting over resources since the beginning of time.
conflict isn’t going anywhere, esp, when the world spends trillions on destabilizing and taking land and resources from people.
War is a bitch, no matter how you pay for it.
Racism has always been a weapon.
This fact doesn’t change anything.
War is more of an a$$hole than a bitch, IMO. Regardless, we can choose to go to war, or we can find ways to make peace with the truth about our collective past. And we can find ways to bring into balance that which was unbalanced. And we can create a more equitable present. And we can create a more hopeful future.
However, we can’t do any of these things when we deny that racism is – or ever was – real.
Just sweeping everything under the rug doesn’t actually solve anything, and it doesn’t help anyone.
ok….
how to deal with inequities all across the board, Guest, not just singling out Race as the only problem in need of a solution?
I would just point out arcata police have always been a very community oriented, small town type police agency. Lots of foot patrols, interacting with businesses and all that. Then when a crazy crime happens people get very upset at the police department. It’s a liberty vs broken windows type argument. You can’t have it both ways.
April of 1017?
Oh boy, this thread will be a doozy by the end of the day.
HA ha yep
I don’t have the energy to suffer the details of this saga again . 27 stories generated by this tragedy, yet when Josiah’s press-hungry mother piggy-backed on the horrendous traffic collision deaths of the two young girls on 101 near Salmon Creek (which has been notably omitted from the list of related press ) she lost me!! No amount of attention is enough.
https://kymkemp.com/2018/04/15/two-killed-in-fatal-accident-friday-were-friends-of-david-josiah-lawson-says-lawsons-mother/
Her unnecessary documentary could have been titled Don’t Get Into Party Brawls You Might Get Stabbed, instead.
IMO, when ppl make EVERYTHING about race it dilutes the validity of actual racially motivated injustices.
Now please, take your grief and do something constructive.
I’ll bet if something happened to one of your kids, you’d do whatever you needed to do, Mama Bear, to get what you felt was justice for your kid. So would I. I may not agree with everything Charmaine says but I agree with her passion.
The question is not so much what she does but what the press does. And why they do it.
Yes indeed. Two separate items.
Connecting the death to racism is survival for the press. Make something up, even if it’s foolish, it’s now called good press. Readers are hungry for the real story, no matter how many different versions appear.
Press are becoming lazy and willing to dabble into fantasy, if, racism can be questionable fact. When not able to prove, then keep mommies’ faces and their tears before the curious. Readers keep coming back for more.
Commentors are lazy and poorly researched.
Stop shitting on Kyms passion and work.
Racism, racism, racism.
Stop being a fool.
Do you think racism isn’t real because you say it isn’t?
Stop being a fool.
It is a 4 Chans duty to push that narrative. While they push their obvious racist views, if you call them on it then you are the racist. Some sort of reverse pretzel defensive that is absurd every time you see it.
What is amazing is the amount of hatefulness that people have given themselves permission to dump on others in the name of opposing hatefulness.
project much?
you love to criticise the lack that you perceive in this world, and you are not helping to unify with your words.
I may agree that some people just don’t have the time to sit on a mountain top to research their hearts content, like you.
I just wish you could create some unifying source of your dialecticAL approach to teaching.
, try holding the negative thoughts that keep people at each other’s throats.
you can do better.
listen to a true educator, gifted and nominated for his work in the classroom.
https://youtu.be/8ogCc8ObiwQ
much can be said….not just about what YOU can achieve, or write or say, but what your students have achieved…
the legacy of lifting people up is truly a gift I wish more people had.
we need to look at schools and what we expect from both teachers and students to create adults who can ask better questions.
peace
Not every member of the press behaves responsibly.
I understand her need for justice, but why does she have to throw the racism card? It only clouds the investigation…
Because evidence of racism or race bias is evident the more you study the case, which likely few of you have, to the amount that David’s mother has.
One glaringly obvious mistake the police made was allowing the main suspects car be driven home that night by his friends ( or accomplices).
I know kids who were there. The most obvious “racism” was the black guys ganging up on and beating the white guy. Nearly all young people in Arcata are not racist, maybe even are attracted positively to different color people. I’m not saying Josiah deserved to die or get stabbed. But I am saying the charges of racism are overblown. There’s hardly anybody in Arcata who wouldn’t step up to dispel any hint of racist behavior. Really- just go visit Arcata and drop some racist comments- see what happens. Not every conflict between different people is based on racism no matter what you’ve been led to believe by the press or by your own personal experiences.
They forgot to tell you about Kyle’s friends who came with bear mace?
Emptied a whole can of it.
Did they mention that Kyles girl came in hot and ready for a fight?
Calling black guys slurs and charging them with accusations of thievery?
Don’t make it sound like a group of black people just got rowdy on whites.
That’s not what happened.
This is the first I’ve heard of bear mace. Were you there?
No, I was not there thankfully.
But it’s all in the records, I’m sure if you’re interested you can find out too.
I thought I had read everything publicly available and I don’t remember bear mace being involved.
Here’s one report of many.
https://madriverunion.com/pepper-spray-victim-in-fatal-melee-2/
I’m quite busy, so I hope this helps.
Funny how dime-store pepper spray suddenly turns into “ZOMG BEAR MACE” once a racist starts trying to tell the story.
As far as I can understand, also, is that Many of Kyle’s major injuries were from after Josiah had been stabbed. When one of Kyle’s friends noticed Josiah had been stabbed, one of Josiah’s friends, asked.. “Did you stab my friend?” And punched Kyle in the face..Josiah and Kyle did fight.. before that..but Kyles face was majorly bruised up from after the fact.. not before.. And NOO.. I wasn’t there, but I did read through the court proceedings..
Smallfry,
Yes, that’s how I read the events in detail as well.
Kyle’s wounds were post-Davids stabbing.
So Josiah went back into the house, after Kyle had been beat, and was stabbed inside with no one watching? Even though he was not alone. And no one is willing to testify? Makes no sense.
It’s definitely complex. Here’s Kym’s time line…
https://kymkemp.com/2017/04/27/family-of-arcata-stabbing-suspect-claims-the-real-killer-has-not-been-caught-includes-timeline-of-events-as-presented-in-public-statements-by-those-at-the-party/
This blog is where I read a lot of the testimony..
https://slausongirl.com/testimonies-in-the-murder-case-of-david-josiah-lawson-day-4/
TRB- Like you…I was not there. This was a young persons party- many in high school. I have asked the maybe half-dozen kids I know who were there what they saw and heard. None of them were interviewed by the police at any time so…I’m feeling safe in saying the entire story is not in the court proceedings.Yes I told them all to go forward but they didn’t. I did not hear anything that was worth pushing forward myself. I never heard anything about bear mace. I’ve heard Kyle’s girl is a nasty and unfriendly person who would cause or egg on a fight. She’s latino, right? So now the “racist” charges get complicated? I still contend that the charges of racism are overblown. People love to use that word but sometimes it’s just stupid guys doing violent things. Example-accusing Arcata Police Department of racism when their failure can more easily be explained by incompetence. Incompetence that they have proven in many occasions.
Okay, this thread has my comments misplaced. Yes- TRB- I agree with you on that! The car should have remained and been processed. Was it because the APD made a “racist” decision? Perhaps you are right again! Hard to prove…APD is so disastrously incompetent that we may disagree…Enjoy! I know you are way into this subject and I am too busy to follow…
I don’t think I can definitely say that letting the car go was more racism than incompetence.
However, hypothetically, the idea flipped around may show racial bias.
If a white kid was killed by a suspect group of 4 blacks, do you think APD would have let one of those 4 black kids drive the car home?
Or
Would incompetence be as prevalent if black people had been the suspects of a white murder?
TRB- I thought about that. In many places I would say Yes- the police would persecute the black kids way more than the white kids. It’s terrible double standard. But in Arcata? They just really are very incompetent. It can be perceived as racism but it might just be very much incompetence. The car should have never left the scene. The crime scene was handled terribly and unprofessionally. His mom is from a place where this is often due to racism- overt or institutional. I don’t blame her for applying her experiences to Arcata. She is grieving the loss of her son.
Kym I agree with you that we as is parents would do everything for our kids and should. The problem is this puts Humboldt in a bad light as if it were the south. It’s not, and never will be. Yes there’s been some bad history long ago and over the years. I agree there was inconsistency and some incompetence that came out of Arcata police. I think Humboldt is very welcoming, but could be more friendlier when getting to know your neighbors. For anyone to assume racism without knowing the full details as if they were there is irresponsible, including anyone speaking in the documentary. It does make one wonder why chief of Police resigned during the investigation which doesn’t help. If there is racism, it’s not being talked about or brought to light as it should. It’s sad that there may never be justice. It’s out of the hands of the locals, but one wonders what evidence they had for Grand Jury not to indict. Then it makes you wonder what other evidence was presented to other agencies, to not just say hey this guy is guilty or not guilty. It can make one think including myself what evidence is not being mentioned so that Humboldt DA or any of our agencies don’t look bad. I’m conservative, and I do wonder what went wrong.
If you want to know why Humboldt is in a bad light as if it were the South, all you need to do is read the commentary posted to this thread and others that reported on Josiah’s murder. Much of it is racist, and downright embarrassing. And people from everywhere else can read this stuff just as easily as you and I.
I agree, the saddest thing about the story she could have used all that hurt and pain to actually fight for something logical that would help. She could be using that energy to teach about not fighting at parties, and that if you see your friends fighting you should break it up for the safety of your friends and others. And that if you join in on any group assualt or any assault on another human being you can easily end up dead or kill someone, so the best thing to do is to not assault others. I understand making illogical decisions in the beginning of mourning, but she’s had enough time to come to terms with the fact that her son contributed to his own death as she should be disgusted by blaming racism on it when Josiah was only one that openly showed signs of racism before the attack and even had video of two black men in white face mocking white people on his Facebook page. Stop skirting responsibility Charmaine, your son caused his death, it doesn’t matter who stabbed him BECAUSE HE CAUSED HIS OWN DEATH PARTICIPATING IN A GROUP ASSAULT OVER A PHONE!!!!
?? ? ?
I wouldn’t hijack the traffic fatalities of his friends!! And I also wouldn’t slant my perception of the experience of my lost child or any participants in it, by the shade of their skin. But I’m “obviously white,” with a “lily white” attitude. Right?
Blurb link actually goes to full 30min documentary so we can all see the bias unfold…
I can’t watch this yet.
I hope the film discusses the knife discrepancy that evolved in the courtroom…
Kyle’s friend said “there should have been 4 knives in his knife bag, there was only 3”.
In the courtroom it appeared that there was only 2. Then someone showed there was a small knife in a side-pocket of the bag, making for 3 knives – which backs up the testimony from Kyle’s friend.
But where was knife #4, in accordance with Kyle’s friends testimony?
I remember in the original stories that the knife on scene was just a cheap knife that would have no place in a chefs knife wrap. Also Kyle’s boss claimed it didn’t match Kyle’s knives that he was familiar with. Do you remember this? I need to go back and reread the earlier articles
I do remember Kyle’s boss saying that.
And that does not bother me one bit.
Does your boss know every pen that you write with?
I cooked, I own a knife bag, and my boss didn’t know shit about what was inside.
I was also a boss for lower cooks.
I did not know shit about their knife bag.
I’m sure you can understand.
And what of his friends testimony that was familiar with his bag?
I’ve worked in many kitchens and anyone that had a knife wrap would at the very least have professional quality knives. I’ve never seen someone show up with a homeowner quality knife. And I was quite aware of the type of knives my coworkers had. Granted, these were smaller kitchens so we worked side by side
I was not attacking your statement but actually asking you if you had additional info.
Fair enough.
I often get into a mentality that the knife was from the bag because of his friends testimony.
But the fact is it didn’t necessarily have to be a
commercial kitchen knife.
It doesn’t even mean the knife came from the bag. Maybe his friend was wrong about there being 4.
Or maybe the knife was concealed by Kyle for protective means, because he had already talked to his girl and she was upset, and drunk, claiming some black people had taken her phone.
Kyle went to the party to get his girl and her phone, anyhow.
Absent a confession, this will remain unsolved.
Like so many Humboldt murders.
Why don’t we do a documentary on MISOGYNY which is much more evident in the long string of unsolved murdered and missing WOMEN here?
Good question. Women go missing way to often around here. And seldom are they found
Hopefully not anymore with the population out in the hills coming down
Again, this can be chalked up to police laziness and incompetence. How many women here have killed someone while driving drunk and gotten off scot-free or with a minor slap on the wrist? At least half a dozen *major* incidents, and probably three or four times that many we never heard about in the news. Marci Kitchen was only the biggest story – there were plenty more.
Because everyone will say that sexism isn’t real.
There ain’t no one around here who’s a sexist,
and we’re just pulling a “gender card.”
They’ll say the women are just killin’ themselves
cuz they don’t know how to act at a party.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Starting with Karen Mitchell (remember her?) And extending to the more recent blonde young women, the HCSO and local police have done an abysmal job and left families and friends of missing and murdered women in hell of not knowing. I have no respect at all for the investigative abilities of any local law enforcement agency.
Too busy busting gardens, caring little about the psychic toll on all women who feel unsafe & disrespected here.
Flat Girl,
I’ve got experience posting and reading all over America. I agree with what you said. “unsafe & disrespected here” … everywhere in America.
That’s a great topic, deserving of a lot of debate.
It’s everywhere and nowhere specific, there’s a breakdown in gender respect. I don’t know why. I do know that the OG (older generation) is getting rolled over by the faction who has lost their own self-respect.
I don’t see the racist tendencies as prevalent as the old days but, they’re still with us. So I get to thinking that, racism is being radicalized, weaponized and basically becoming non-effectual. Everyone is racist, you wouldn’t be alive if you weren’t … survival 101.
An object lesson to what can happen if you are a punk and like to fight. The media loves drama and a murder story, give the people what they want, a racist conspiracy story to go along with colored crime rate/government/pg&e/republican/democrat/global warming/capitalist/socialist/homosexual fault. Make it so confusing that no one will know right from wrong and we can sink the nation into another civil war.
They should look at his so called home boys, one of his own race killed him pull your heads out of your ass.
I’m not sure how you know this?
He needs to believe it.
He doesn’t know shitty.
No accusing someone without proof.
it might be good to hear more about what farce heard first hand from eye witnesseses who never came forward.
I agree , speculation is tough, but it’s the part of what every detective does to flush out every potential and possible scenario that could have played out.
this is how good detectives work. looking at every possible angle and motive and then factoring in the spontaneous to the pre meditated.
here, they are just opinions.
unless you have a badge or you are a witness, every comment should be prefaced with the appropriate disclaimers .
it is worth mentioning several members of Brothers United left the fraternity shortly after this..what’s their story?
all the kids who were involved have graduated or are about to, sand is running low on the hourglass.
every bodies an angel in the casket
I might leave a group after one of my friends died. I lost a friend in High school in a car crash and our group never really recovered. I would assume it’s worse when your friend is stabbed.
I agree with Mr Bear response. Not wanting to throw shade on a bunch of kids who witnessed their friend die. However…I don’t think the APD ever looked closely at these kids as potential suspects. And that was because the APD was pussy-footing around the outcry of “Racism!” and did not want to appear “racist”. I think it led to them doing a less than thorough job. So what’s that called- “anti-racism paradox”? I still hope they figure out who the killer is. It was wrong whatever the reason or skin color. And we have a killer on the loose…
Never bring a knife……….to a knife fight.
It’s not racism it’s lack of evidence. They wanted a guy to pay based on his color not based on the evidence at hand. That’s not right. That’s not how it works anywhere.
OK, you make sense.
How does it work nowdays right here in Humboldt CA?
Try not to retry the case from the beginning in order to grab a different outcome.
They had PLENTY of evidence. They had the murder weapon. They had fingerprints on it. They had fibers and DNA. They had great galloping SHITLOADS of evidence, and they sent it to the lab. NAACP was jumping up and down with excitement. BLM was on board. The family hired an FBI investigator to compile all the results and come back with answers.
Then they got their answers.
BLM bailed. The NAACP bailed. The FBI guy bailed. APD’s police chief bailed. Suddenly nobody wanted to be on the hook for announcing the results of their investigation. I can’t help but suspect if all that evidence had pointed to the *one white guy* involved, they’d have been bellowing their victory from every mountaintop, and the nationwide press would have picked up the story of White Supremacist Murderers on the north coast. Funny though, none of that happened. We didn’t see any full court press with the results of their investigation, but everyone involved called Not It and noped out of Humboldt County.
So no, there was no lack of evidence.
what was the evidence?
It seems to me that people of all colors are more than willing to cry racism these days. We all have to live together. Not every white on black crime or vice versa means racism is the main reason all the time. I feel for his mother and his friends and family, but if that kyle kid did kill him, in my eyes he had a good reason to stab someone, he was being beat to a pulp and in that moment I’m sure he feared for his life. I’m not saying that the police did their jobs the way they were supposed to, they have a long track record of not investigating crimes correctly here. Either way it’s really sad.
??
Back in March, before I had seen the pictures or video of the murder weapon /knife I made this comment:
As a former Sou[s] chef I had a set of Henckels Int. knives, but they weren’t the only knives in my knife “bag”.
https://kymkemp.com/2019/03/28/zoellners-dna-on-knife-used-to-kill-her-son-says-mother-of-david-josiah-lawson-in-open-letter/#comment-798845
Now we can see the murder weapon was a Henckels knife. They are the only knives promoted in any good restaurant kitchen. If you can afford it, you buy the Zwilling-Henckels (made in Germany) high end.
But most go for the more affordable J.A. Henckels, made in Spain or China.
https://cookloveeat.com/zwilling-ja-henckel-knife-set-review/
The knife, in comment section rumor, was always touted as a small home knife.
In this case, a home being used by a group of students, for a party of college students, would likely have knives that are as cheap as possible.
Henckels are not cheap knives. You wont find the Zwilling models at Walmart, but you’ll find the more affordable JA Henckels there. They would likely be the most expensive option at a Walmart.
I wonder but doubt if APD took photos of the knives in the house kitchen…not likely.if they had, I doubt you’d see any Henckels.
Which brings this down to Kyle’s boss.
Why would a chef say a chef’s knife from a popular chef’s brand of knives was not in his employees knife-bag?
You raise important points… and your line of reasoning is very compelling.
I wish you could have been on the case. You would have made it all make sense.
Oh, please. It doesn’t make even circumstantial evidence. Trying cases in the comment section based on selected suppositions is worse than a waste of time- it contaminates the pool of possible jurors. Not that hasn’t already been achieved already.
No one is trying a case.
We are having a discussion about public information.
there are plenty of witnesses who are staying silent. if they have no desire to come forward, we can keep assuming what we don’t know, and speculation may or may not help.
From the preliminary hearing:
But Gleaton also provided the most incriminating testimony of the day.
She was at Zoellner and Ortega’s apartment when Ortega arrived home later that morning. She said Ortega went out to Zoellner’s car and brought in a bag, the bag containing the chef’s knives he used for his job at a catering company.
She opened the bag and said “There are supposed to be four, but there’s only three
https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2017/may/1/zoellner-court/
A major issue in the case was whether a knife was missing from Zoellner’s bag.
Arcata police found the bag in Zoellner’s apartment. It contained two kitchen knives.
Officers showed the bag to Begovic, and he told them there also should have been a paring knife.
Last night, at the request of defense attorney Brownfield, APD Detective Sgt. Todd Dokweiler examined the bag again. The missing paring knife had been there all along.
“How did APD miss a knife in a knife bag?” Brownfield asked the detective.
“The compartment that the knife was in was a compartment that looked like part of the bag,” Dokweiler explained.
https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2017/may/5/arcata-murder-hearing-kyle-zoellner-be-released-af/
So the police record is three knives in the bag afterall, which confirms Kyle’s friends testimony;
“There are supposed to be four, but there’s only three” – Casey Gleaton, a now estranged friend of Zoellner’s girlfriend Lila Ortega
And to be sure about the prints;
Several months after the preliminary hearing, the APD confirmed to the Lawson family that the knife found at the scene is indeed the murder weapon.
To clarify with respect to the print found on the knife, the APD has told the Lawson family that that print is a smudged partial palm print, not a finger print, and that the print is so damaged as to be useless for purposes of either ruling Zoellner in or out as its source.
https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2018/apr/25/lawson-family-attorney-shelley-mack-responds/
APD missed a knife in the bag because it was in a compartment that they couldn’t find very easily. INCOMPETENCE….TRB- I sure wish that you were on the job instead of those clowns. I keep getting even more shocked by their complete lack of professionalism. Ortega- the girlfriend who makes all the trouble- had full control of the car and bag of knives?!! Outrageous. The crowd should have marched on the police headquarters and demanded a mass resignation, instead of bothering people in Safeway parking lot. An action like that would have sparked major intervention from federal agencies and maybe, just maybe we’d have an answer. APD should have born the brunt of the anger. Not because they are racist imo- but because they are incompetent and unworthy of their badges. Because of APD we have a killer on the loose…whether it is Kyle or somebody else…APD created many loose ends
I’d like to know the following from Kyle’s catering boss, Alex Begovic;
1)How often did Kyle’s boss check his employees knifebag?
2)Why would the knife used at the murder not be part Kyle’s bag?
3)What were Kyle’s cooking duties; what types of foods was he responsible for prepping?
4)Is he aware that Kyle’s girlfriend friend Casey Gleaton testified that there should have been 4 knives in his bag, as opposed to his implied statement that 3 would be normal for Kyle?
5) Why does the following testimony from him at the Pre-lim contradict many chefs anecdotes, and simple research;
“No one uses knives like that in a kitchen,” Begovic testified brusquely. “I don’t know what you would use a knife like that for.”
https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2017/may/5/arcata-murder-hearing-kyle-zoellner-be-released-af/
6) How long did Kyle work for him?
7) Did he have any relations or communication with Kyke before being employed?
8) In a search of the kitchen, would absolutely no knife like this be found?
9) Can he account for every knife of every employee at all times?
*jurisdiction*
I think part of the Moral of the story, is to not Play Clue with TRB… EVER..
Kudos, In my book, this makes your commentary a couple of clicks taller .. twards being a stand up Human Being..
Farce, you’re soo absolutely right on naming the APD inherently incompetent!
It is outrageous they gave Ortega control over the car and bag of knives.. Why didn’t they take pictures of the House kitchen knives? Seems like a fairly standard action in a case like this? What in the absolute Fuk were they thinking? Or maybe they didn’t Care enough to think about it? Either way, now a Murder went unaccounted, the killer Free, and a mother grieving.. abysmal!
https://www.pbs.org/video/le-monde-rvbnmj/
Does anyone have a PBS passport?
I’d love to see if this video shows Alex Begovic using knives or spoons to prep his food.
“I don’t know what you would use a knife like that for.” – Alex Begovic
Regarding Henckels knives, I googled “most popular knife brand for restaurants”.
Henckels made every review and was a favorite for many. I cooked close to 20 years ago, so I wasn’t sure if they were still top of the line products. They are.
These are the indestructible German blades that Hayward would take to a desert island. Both are made of slightly softer steel than the best Japanese knives, and therefore they feel a little less sharp. They are heavy and powerful, less nimble than the lighter knives, but they are both excellent at cutting up a chicken (including cutting through the chicken breastbone to spit the breasts, which I was afraid to do with some of the sharper blades) and cubing butternut squash—far and away the best at those two tasks of all the knives I tested.
https://www.foodandwine.com/lifestyle/kitchen/best-chefs-knife
Zwilling J.A. Henckels is one of the largest knifemakers in the world and has been around since the 1700s. They produce at least 24 different lines of knives (if you include Henckels International), so it’s especially important to be clear what model you’re buying.
The Henckels Professional S is one of their top-tier lines and is manufactured in Solingen, Germany where their core factories are located. Henckels also has factories in Spain and, as a newer development, in Japan as well. It’s in Japan where they produce one of their latest creations, knives designed by Bob Kramer, the American bladesmith who has set the bar high for kitchen-knife quality.
https://kitchenknifeguru.com/knives/best-chef-knives-six-recommendations/
Chef Michael Solomonov, a three-time James Beard Award winner (and 2017’s “Outstanding Chef”) unequivocally put Israeli cuisine on the map in the United States. His Philadelphia-based restaurant Zahav has garnered critical acclaim and widespread popularity for transforming the authentic flavors of Israel’s cuisine into modern, soulful dishes.
His go-to knife also happens to be one of our personal favorites: “My Kramer knife is the jam,” he says. “Bob Kramer [Henckels] knives have super-sturdy blades, hold an edge well, and have the perfect balance when it comes to grip and weight.”
https://www.mensjournal.com/gear/best-chefs-knives-according-10-best-chefs-america/1-daniel-boulud-michael-bras-collection/
It’s very easy to be incompetent and racist all at once.
They’re not mutually exclusive.
And I’m not convinced that APD has the monopoly.
Terribly tragic for all concerned. But this is not about race. It’s about young people acting rash and without forethought. Sometimes there are consequences that are final.
https://youtu.be/VFns39RXPrU
“you can’t awaken someone pretending to be asleep”
ed snowden n Joe Rogan
this is exactly what the distraction and obfuscation leads to.
the fact that race is a means to divide doesn’t affect corporations who only see dollar $ign$.
people no longer in control of their data, yet they demand social equality in the neo feudal landscape.
What ever SID, you can take your commentary back to the 50’s now…
not sure what you mean by that.
or if you are just having a bad week.
the joker was a sick, disturbing movie, I don’t think you’d walk out of there feeling very good.
that’s the point.
such is the cinematic voice that reminds you that all is not well in the world.
what are you going to do with it?
you don’t have to like it, but you will most certainlybe affected by it.
just keeping the awareness of where the energy goes.
we all have our work to do.
academic fencing
enjoy your weekend
Touche
I had a great week. Thanks for asking… The weather has been phenomenal. Lots of good things the horizon.. A-grade.. Can’t complain.. No time for ultra depressing movies.. but It sounds like you enjoyed it! I’ll take note!..
Not exactly inspirational… But hey, everyone has a point of view, it just sounds like yours is inherently OUT DATED..
“We all have our work to do” yeah, ok… like put down people working for social equality.. ‘bunch of complainers aye’.. PRODDDUCTIVE… OR..how about NOT..
And I am not Amish SID.. WTF? But.. have fun with the PG+E outages! I will just be enjoying my solar lit, simply prepped paradise here.. stay safe!
racism has been used as a means to divide.
and those who profited are in power.
but to recognize race isn’t racism. it is to recognize the material realities that are the consequences of racism.
and we do demand social equality.
keep on demanding,
I hope the youth can focus enough to see it through, because I just keep seeing the rich getting richer and power gets consolidated, and the competition for those cush corporate and government jobs will be given to those who follow orders, so their corporate donors keep it business as usual, at our expense.
voting isn’t enough when the 2 party system is rigged .
when we stop all wars, then, maybe we have a chance, but war is such an incredible employer, I don’t see it happening.
the majority of the working peoole will never hold power, just the illusion of power…
this is the reality.
asset forfeiture is simply more important than a strong investigative division, and if we expect others to handle our affairs, we have given away our power to an authority unworthy of the task.
we can always focus on education, and give our educators the tools and the resources to create a better launching pad, but we are battling some real entrenched interests that like the status quo
The Dream About Shouting by Dominique Christina
APRIL 2, 2017
RBOCHMAN
In the dream
Every word
Is covered in red paint.
I speak
And it looks like a murder scene.
They try shutting my lips
With caution tape.
But I am burning
My mouth down.
It will come back to me
A new thing…
No troll-bridged tongue
No yawping
Soundless empty.
In the dream
I am waiting
For my mouth to be born.
When she is…
Everything will be loud.
https://compassioncamp.com/2017/04/02/137/