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Friday, January 6, 2012

Falcon Lake Murder: A Guilty Response

I was at the Dollar General the other day when I overheard the manager and one of his employees joking around.  Apparently, the manager found something that was broken, and before he could say anything, his employee jumps right out of the blue declaring, "I didn't do it!  It was already broken before I got here!"

The manager bursts out laughing and tells him that he wasn't even thinking that, but now that he brought it up...

That scene has been playing in my head for the last couple of days because it so reminds me of what the Texas Department of Public Safety did to us.

They sent us the DVD we requested for the David Hartley Police stop in Rio Grande City, but they made sure to let us know to not look at the closed captioning time stamp because it was wrong.

Geez, I didn't even know the video came with closed captioning so I would have never guessed to look there, but...thanks?

So what's the first thing I do?  I look at the closed captioning time stamp.

Now, when I first read their letter about the incorrect closed captioning time stamp, I assumed that since we requested the video waaay after the incident happened, that what I was going to see was the date the video was uploaded for us to view.

Instead, I get something that I just cannot ignore:  a time stamp that indicates the possibility that the stop might have actually occurred two days before David was supposedly shot.

Here is the letter that they sent us:


Notice they claim to have sent us a station activity log and the audio communications.  We had already previously received those, so it is nothing new.  If you are interested in viewing/hearing them, you can read my previous blog here:  LINK

As for the dash camera video, here is the dash camera video with the closed captioning on (and check out the ending so you can see a close up of the truck "full of marijuana" that ended the stop):

Now, there are several reasons why I have an issue with their claim that the closed captioning has the incorrect time and date.


One of them being, how do they know it's incorrect?  They state that the station activity log reflects the correct time and date of the stop, but how do they know that that is the correct time and date?


Secondly, the time stamp seems to be working just fine.  If the police officer hits the brake, the time stamp reflects a little "B".  When the lights go on, it shows a little "L", and when the microphone turns on, it shows a little "M".  So it seems to be working just fine.  Or do you mean to tell me that the Texas DPS is in the habit of operating units that display the wrong time stamp?  


Third, they told us before that the dash cameras they use do not have a date and time stamp, so what is this?!!

Fourth, to add more to the mystery, if you notice the cars in the video that parked on the side of the road across from where the police stop David.  Where those cars are parked, that's Sanchez Funeral Home.  While it may be nothing, normally, the only time cars are parked there is when there is a funeral service going on.  I called Sanchez Funeral Home to check what times they held services on September 30 and the 28th, but they claim that they had NO services on those days.  Could those cars be parked there because of a funeral service?  If so, the time stamp on the closed captioning might be even more off than we think!


Lastly, and most importantly, had Tiffany kept her story straight from the beginning, I might have not heeded my doubts so much.  But not only did she not keep her story straight, everything and everyone that is involved with this case has been real shady.


Take for example, the Zapata County Sheriff, Sigifredo Gonzalez, who STILL has not answered ANY of my public information requests, with the exception of the half assed response he gave us for the 911 call.


But, I'm not going to be too hard on him just yet, as it has come across my attention that it could be possible that I am the one to blame.


You see, I do live close to the border, so the last thing I want is for anyone to know where I live, especially Sheriff Sigi because if I am correct about his involvement and his connections with the cartel, then he doesn't need to know where I live

So I asked to borrow a P.O. Box from a friend who lives out of state, and I guess my friend just lost interest in this case because he has not responded to my inquiries regarding some pending PIAs.

Long story short:  I might have to re-request everything again and have it sent to a different address just to be on the safe side.

Anywho, I'm sure by now that those of you who have been keeping up with the Hartley story have heard by now that there were some human remains found near Falcon Lake.

This is one of the few times that I agree with Sigi and state that I do not believe those remains are from David.

In one of the first videos aired by Will Ripley, which is no longer available, Tiffany looked amused, almost as if she found it funny that anyone could find David's body, either because she knows there is no body, or because she knows the body won't be found on Falcon Lake.

Whatever the case, I'd really like to get my hands on those photos, but it opens a whole new fresh can of worms.

Why would the cartel go out of their way to drag a dead body up stream?  And, assuming Tiffany's story is true, a dead body to top it off!

And why tie the feet if the man was supposedly already dead?  It's not like they needed to kill him anymore.  Usually the feet are tied to drown the victim, not sink him, even though it is possible for someone to tie the feet to sink a body, but that's not something commonly practiced by the cartel on an already dead body.   Again, it's just not something the cartel would do.


Also, the guy who found the body claims that he saw what looked like a bullet hole on the back of the skull of the remains he found, but he wasn't sure.  While I can't judge what he saw without pictures, it could be further proof that what he found was not David.  


I mean, in several interviews, Tiffany kept pointing to her forehead to emphasize where David was shot, so I'm pretty sure it couldn't be too hard to notice a hole on the skulls forehead.  The back of the head is one thing if the skull is laying facing up, but the forehead, basing on the details he gives, should have been visible and one would more than likely clearly see a bullet hole on the forehead.


But, like I said, without pictures we can only speculate.


Unfortunately, that is all I have for now on this subject considering that I must re-do several requests to ensure that I have not been denied information.


I know that the Texas Attorney General has already received some of my complaints, and I am keeping my fingers crossed that I am not made to look like a fool for failing to receive the information that they might have already sent out.


But I have a new address now.  I just hope it doesn't turn into a big deal having to request everything all over again.


Until next time, please stay tuned...









14 comments:

  1. This is great stuff!! I am going to do some research but I am certain cameras embed information into the images which includes manufacturing information and timestamps. Such data would not be able to be altered. I'll see what I can find out.

    Good point about the funeral. As I was watching it I was thinking along the same lines...there has to be signs (weekly specials) or other information which could be date specific. Plus, I think I need to double check some stuff on the transcripts you have posted before.

    I'm all revved up now!

    I am so sorry your "friend" let you down on the mail. Grrrrr!!! Its not like you don't have yourself out on the line without someone mucking it up being lazy, inconsiderate, and (enter choice words). Thank you so much!!

    Very interesting thoughts on the body....some closely aligned to my own thoughts. Plus, the "clothes" might be telling. Not sure I like the way it is being reported making it sound like Miss T gets to "decide" how much investigation is going to happen.

    Thanks....I'll be chiming in again soon! Suz

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  2. I hope I am not stating the obvious (sometimes the obvious eludes me). If I am I don't mean to interfere.

    The video most likely has meta-data or "watermark" embedded with the correct date time. I don't know what software you have available but are you able to extract that data? You obviously have done your homework to understand the encoded "Lights", and etc. Are you miles ahead of me on this?

    Your July 2011 post has a letter of stops they made that day. It does NOT include David's which you have noted. It does include a stop at 14:22 and 14:34 (I didn't compare mile markers). This stop was at 14:15 and lasts until 14:23. But the time is wrong anyway, right?

    more later...i'm missing something I just know!

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  3. Maybe I stuck my foot in it, but let me clarify: I am not mad at my friend. When I first started with this case, I wasn't clear, plus I didn't know, about what all was going to be required for this case. So the the only thing I told him was that I needed to borrow his P.O. Box, but it wasn't until later that we realized he still needed to pick up and then mail back to us the packages. He has helped us out a lot, but I never considered that maybe he wasn't going to be as interested in this case as we were, and so I assume that he just took up other projects. It still would have been nice of him to just let me know he wasn't interested anymore, but still...he helped out a lot.

    I did think about extracting the watermark, but I assumed that the watermark changes when you upload the content to another file. However, reading up on it, I learned that it should remain the same no matter how many times or when you upload it. I am no computer wiz, but I do consider myself somewhat of a pro when it comes to computers, so I will read up on how to get that information extracted.

    As for the "Light" codes, I really didn't do any homework on that, and I'm about 99% sure that that is what it means. In reality, I just used common sense and realized that the icons were going off at certain times, connected the dots, and came to the conclusion that that is what they mean. I think it makes sense, but like I said, I didn't do my homework so I could be wrong.

    The July 2011 post doesn't include the rest of the information they sent us. I believe what you are referring to is the response letter we received from DPS. However, a little lower in that post you will note that I included only the important portion of the activity log they refer to. I checked the rest of the activity log, and the last record around that time for that unit ends at 14:02. I will try an upload that portion of the records for you to review. One thing I didn't note in either posts is that in the process of trying to organize the data, my friend accidentally uncovered the hidden information that DPS had exempted from us, which means, we can see all the license plate information and DLs that they were calling in. I'll make another post sometime this week in regards to that, and share more pictures of that activity log, because there are several inconsistencies, and lots of peculiar stuff going on now that we can see what they were calling in. Oddly enough, they never ran in David's jet ski, only Tiffany's and it makes me wonder why? Unfortunately, I can't share some of the information on there because I have to respect the personal information of others, but I'll try to note what I can without revealing too much personal info.

    Thank you for keeping up with us, and I look forward to hearing if you find any other useful information.

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  4. You are a loyal friend. For the most part, I can't seem to stay upset and get over things quickly. I just think you are doing a great job. There may not be many of us interested in the case anymore but that's just a damn shame.

    The way this event was exploited and the over-charged "border" racist environment shouldn't be taken lightly. Plus, now we have the "Arizona Girls" to take "Ugly American" to a new low. I live in Arizona and it was not always this way. Some things I will never understand.

    I'm sorry I digress...

    Ok..I'm impressed (I told you the obvious eludes me)..between my posts (yes both mine forgot to sign last) I did look up law enforcement cameras. They do record the events (e.g. Lights). I would have NEVER figured that out on my own!

    So they redacted poorly! I have heard of similar before. What I haven't heard is something which might be needed in court to have a detail (such as time) wrong.

    One time I entered a "contest". The puzzle was submitted. The answers were redacted poorly (hehehe). The contest admin about shit when I "solved" the puzzle in about a minute. I did confess and forfeited the prize :) I really am regressing tonight....looking forward to seeing the additional info. It still feels like I something in it all is staring at me and I'm just missing it (sometimes the not-obvious does not elude me). thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  5. WatchGuard is the name of the company that makes the DPS equipment, according to DPS.

    Maybe this link will help make some sense out of the curiously "wrong" date/time stamp in the closed captions.

    Great work in your investigation.


    http://www.watchguardvideo.com/

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  6. You need a life!!!!!!!!

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  7. @Anonymous Jan 12 who says, "You need a life!"

    Listen, I respect freedom of speech and all, but if you are not going to contribute to the discussion, then I will delete your comments. I will allow this comment to stand, but the next one will be deleted. If you feel that there is no basis to our investigation, say so and tell me why. Is there evidence that David was murdered? Show me where. What about Tiffany's story is believable? Etc. Cuss if you have to. Call me names if you want to, but CONTRIBUTE to the discussion. Don't just come here to instigate and insult with nothing productive to share.

    Anonymous from Jan 7 & 8:
    Thanks for your help and your feed back. I am looking into several programs that will hopefully help me extract the original time stamp of the video. I didn't think it was possible, but having read around, it seems that there is deeply embedded digital information that get's transferred from copy to copy, sort of creating a timeline for each version. I am not positive that I am correct in that, but I am still looking around asking experts to see if they have any clue how to retrieve that information. Also, I will see if I can contact the watchguardvideo people to see if these dash camera's work like cell phones, you know, where they automatically update the time and date through a wireless network. I am positive that they do, or otherwise there would be no way for them to have sent the activity log through a network and it still reflect a different date than that which is in the closed captioning. This really has me stumped, especially since I don't know who to trust, and it would be really great to have some information from inside sources at DPS that we can trust.

    I will keep you updated. :)

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  8. Why is it that all you people who live on the border are so willing to try and twist and manipulate the truth? Why would you rather believe that an innocent woman murdered her husband for no reason rather than the truth that they were in the wrong place at the wrong time and victims of the Mexican cartel?
    My husband and I were very close to David and Tiffany, and our still close to Tiff. This time stamp info about the tapes if just b/s. The police told you it was inaccurate b/c it was inaccurate. They weren't there two days prior, I know that for a fact b/c we were hanging out w/them in McAllen all day. Furthermore, it was David's idea to go to the lake not Tiffanys.
    David and Tiffany loved each other and were happy. We had lunch w/them the day before he died and they were looking forward to getting off the border and starting a family. Tiffany couldn't wait to be a mom.
    Tiffany would have had no incentive to murder David anyways. He couldn't even get life insurance b/c he worked in Mexico! David was also a big guy over 6'5'', Tiffany doesn't even weigh enough to donate blood.
    Stop spreading these lies about her, it's hurtful and pathetic. Tiffany is still very in love with David and hasn't moved on at all. She can't find closure because she can't even bury the man who was the love of her life. You may judge how she appears in interviews, but I held her while she cried herself to sleep. Give this woman a break. Her husband was murdered right in front of her, she is not a reporter trained to appear in front of cameras. She is just a woman in shock.

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    1. I wanted to expand on Iamme's comments. I am of the opinion that the owner of this blog is dedicated to the finding and presenting of fact accounts s with the express purpose of exposing twisting and manipulation.

      At this time in our history, issues in close proximity to the border are emotionally charged. Tiffany was instrumental in David becoming part of a political agenda.

      Tiffany's depiction of the events does not make sense and evolved/morphed over time.

      The cases you make in her defense are as her, the murderess. However, there a numerous possibilities of what happened to David.

      The reality is there were/are people harmed because of Tiffany's "story" and the exploitation of his alleged death. People's livelihood impacted negatively. "Those people" in the community have every right to question what happened. Maybe "those people" understand best their own communities.

      So I don't know if I am included in "those" border people you speak as I am more removed living in Arizona. However, I can assure you all citizens should be concerned of the many aspects which come into play with the event.

      There is now way to know if you are/were acquainted with Tiffany and David. Why wouldn't a friend of David want to know exactly what happened. Wouldn't you want to honor your friendship by seeking justice and not politics?

      I am sorry for your loss.

      Suzie

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  9. No, we do not try and twist and manipulate the truth. We simply question because living on the border we know how these scenarios usually play out. The way things turned out for Tiffany is questionable based on the reality of life on the other side of the border. Maybe she tells the truth? I already said I'd feel bad if she is telling the truth, and I'll be the first to apologize and I'd understand if she wouldn't accept an apology from me, BUT, so far all evidence is pointing against her, and maybe not even against her, but at the Sheriff of Zapata County. He is obviously not helping out her case by with holding information that should be readily available and public information. But I am glad someone who is close to Tiffany can maybe answer some of our questions. Why did Tiffany claim she had no idea Mexico was so dangerous when she states herself on her facebook wall that they were kicked out of their homes and made homeless by the cartel? Why does Tiffany claim they were shot half-way into the US, when in the 911 audio, she can be heard that claiming that David was left behind "by that church"? Why did they claim there were witnesses who saw boats chasing her, when the good samaritan, and I know where he lives, couldn't have possibly seen them because there is a wall that would have blocked his view, not to mention, he never made mention of the boats in the 911 call? Why is she laughing in the 911 call and participating in a conversation in a way that is not normal of someone who apparently just saw her husband get shot? Why did she continuously change her story? More importantly, why was there NO blood stain on her vest? Those are not questions that we seek to answer to just, as you say, "twist and manipulate the truth". Those are valid questions that need we need answers to and you don't need to be a reporter to get your story straight. You just need to tell the truth.

    The DPS time stamp raises many questions for someone who has experience in computer science and the manipulation of videos. You claim that the video is incorrect because they say so. There's that possibility, but the problem is, these are departments that shouldn't be allowed that type of error. In a court of law, this video COULD NOT be used as evidence to prove anything for the simple fact that the date is incorrect. It proves incompetence on the part of DPS, thus nullifying their evidence. Regardless, whether the time stamp is correct or not, it is not really our main concern, as it still does not prove what happened to David, and you can't see Tiffany in the vehicle, nor can you hear her. Not to mention that being from this part of town, I find it odd that the police didn't acknowledge her presence if she was in the vehicle, something they normally do here, especially if you're a small woman with a big man because domestic violence in this part of town is a big deal.

    David could get life insurance and he did have it. He may have worked in Mexico, but he worked for an American company. The problem is, Tiffany can't cash it if there is no body to prove his death. Now, is David dead? Who knows? There is no body and no jet ski and no evidence that what Tiffany claims happened out there even happened. Just her words, and I'm sorry, but her words are not enough.

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  10. P.S. From the Calfrac website http://ebo.workopolis.com/careers/CALFRAC-WELL-SERVICES-LTD

    Compensation:
    "Calfrac offers competitive salaries and bonus programs tied to performance. Benefits include health and dental coverage, OUT-OF-COUNTRY medical, LIFE and accident insurance, and employee and family assistance. Calfrac also matches contributions made to the company’s group RRSP."

    There was an article out there where Tiffany claims that Calfrac was assisting her with David's death. In short, she was using the family assistance offered by the insurance that David had.

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  11. Greetings, Iamme! I happened across this blog entry and thought you might be interested. As you might of suspected, I don't share the person's viewpoint. I thought you might like to invite the person to your blog. http://haslettj.wordpress.com/2012/02/27/texas-comes-through-again/

    Hope you are well!
    Suzie

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  12. I miss your updates. Hope you are well!

    Suzie

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Suzie for keeping up with me. I posted an update to let you know why it's taken me so long to post. I appreciate your support. :)

      Delete

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