The presentation on Murder Book at the Martin Luther King Jr. Library in San Jose, California, went great. Deborah Eistreicher, the Kings County Librarian described it as “Awesome” on Good Reads. The Martin Luther King Jr. Library is an educational and cultural gem shared by both the city and San Jose State University. The eighth floor features floor to ceiling windows that offer a panoramic view of the city.
I am in the process of putting together a book launch tour and am open to speaking at libraries and groups throughout Minnesota. I’ve also been invited to speak to college psychology and criminal justice clubs, and I’m extending an offer to speak at more. All of the situations addressed in my thriller Murder Book are based on my actual work and life experiences. Real life cases can be more bizarre than the stories on television. I will first share a disturbing story and then a lighter one. I worked a case in Minnesota where a married man (I’ll refer to as Rhett—not his name) had raped and murdered a female (not his wife). Rhett was an abusive man and his traumatized wife simply followed his orders. After Rhett committed the murder (but still on the night of the murder), he told his wife to pick up a guy at a bar, perform a sexual act on the man, and bring the DNA to him so it could be planted on the murder victim. She complied. However, the crime scene investigators were able to prove that Rhett was with the victim at the time of her death. When his effort to set up the bar patron failed, Rhett turned and blamed his adolescent son for the murder. The adolescent son was the witness who saw Rhett with the victim. Rhett was found guilty of murder and vowed revenge on anyone who assisted with his conviction. His son later got into trouble for engaging in inappropriate sexual touching, and Rhett’s attorney argued that the boy had committed perjury on the stand. If the boy had committed perjury, Rhett would be released from prison until a new trial came forth. (Double jeopardy doesn’t apply in this case because Rhett was convicted, and never acquitted, of the crime—so he could be charged again.) I was asked to complete a psychological assessment on the adolescent son. My task is to report exactly what I find regardless of which side it benefits. Even though the boy had his share of troubles (likely from being raised in a hostile and abusive environment), he had not perjured himself on the stand. Instead he revealed additional information during our interview, which he had been too afraid to acknowledge prior to his dad’s incarceration. This solidified the original conviction. The original sentence remained in place. Ontario Prosecutor Rupert Ross told me of a court situation I would like to share. A Cree elder was being sworn in to testify before the court. The clerk read, “Do you swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth?” The elder considered this for a moment before he responded, “No. I don’t know the whole truth. All I know is what I’ve seen and what I’ve heard. Isn’t it your job to determine what the whole truth is?” Both attorneys looked to the judge who replied, “Just let him testify.” The number of breweries in the U.S. declined from 523 in 1942 to 89 in 1978, and then, with the growth of tap houses, surpassed 4000 in 2015. Have we ever had more than 4000 breweries in the U.S.? Yes, in 1873 we had 4131 breweries. I was sober for 15 years of my adulthood. When people would ask why, I’d just say, “I forgot the purpose in it.” I like the idea of small business, and about every other month now enjoy a glass of tap beer. There are a number of great small breweries in Minnesota. I have also enjoyed a glass of Guinness at their brewery in Dublin, Ireland, last year, and in my most recent visit to California enjoyed a glass of my favorite California beer, 805, at the Firestone Walker brewery in Paso Robles, California. I had to buy one of their 805 t-shirts which read, “Hopped Up and Lowdown in California.” Quotes for the week: “You said in your report that I implied that my wife wasn’t very smart. How do you think that someone who’s not very smart is going to respond when she reads that?” Wechsler Intelligence Scales question: Who is Cleopatra? Client: “I can’t believe that question’s on there. She’s a stripper at Mettlers.” Therapist: Have you ever used a mood altering substances? Client: Do you mean like condoms? Thanks for listening, Frank
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AuthorFrank F. Weber is a forensic psychologist specializing in homicide and sexual and physical assault cases. He uses his unique understanding of how predator’s think, knowledge of victim trauma, actual court cases, and passion for writing true crime thrillers. His Award Winning books include "Murder Book" (2017) "The I-94 Murders" (2018) "Last Call" (2019) and "Lying Close" (September 2020). Archives
April 2024
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