A message for gojo

Gojo, if you are thinking about altering my recent PM to you at CourtTV's forum and forwarding it to the moderator in an deceitful attempt to get me banned, I'd recommend that you abandon that idea. I've made a screenprint of my original PM to you and will make sure that Coldwater sees it if you engage in such an underhanded scheme.

Sincerely,

Scout

Michelle Young Murder: Rage or Planned?

I made the post below at the CourtTV forum a few days ago, but it got little response. It seems most people discussing this case are already convinced that Michelle Young's murder was planned. I tend to agree with the notion that it was planned, but, as I said in the post, I'm interested in exploring the rage theory. So, I'm bringing the post here in hopes that any who might like to contribute, but are uncomfortable with the registration process required at message boards or don't want to attach a name to their comments, will feel comfortable contributing here.

At this point, I'm not interested in arguing guilt versus innocence. Until the evidence is presented, it isn't likely that any who believe Jason is guilty will change the opinion of any who believe he is innocent, and vice versa. Arguing about it is an endless loop of futility, imo. I prefer to discuss the topic of motive. More generally, was this murder a rage killing, or did the killer plan to murder Michelle before he ever entered the house that night? I tend to believe it was planned, but I'd like to further explore and discuss the rage theory of a fight that got out of control. The essence of a rage killing is uncontrolled physical violence.So the most basic question one could ask, if you consider Jason the perpetrator, is had there ever been any signs of violence in the past? It's been said by people who know the couple that they were not afraid to argue in front of other people and that their arguments were quite loud and made those present uncomfortable. So my questions of them are:

1. Was there ever any type of physical violence, from Jason or Michelle, during these altercations -- hitting, grabbing, pushing, throwing things, menacing behavior or threats of violence?



2. In retrospect, were there ever any injuries to either of them that caused anyone to wonder if there had been physical violence?



3. Was there ever any household damage that could have been caused by physical violence?



4. Were there ever any odd explanations or excuses from either of the Youngs that left you questioning their veracity, if even for a fleeting moment?

I realize my questions aren't likely to bring any insiders out of lurkdom. Who in their right mind would willingly throw themselves into this arena?! Nevertheless, I think the questions are important. IMO, they are elemental to the theory of a rage killing.

If you have anything to add, just click the Comments link at the bottom of this entry. You can make up a nickname or comment anonymously. On the off chance that you would like to contribute but don't want your comment published, just preface it with "Confidential" and I will withhold it in Comment Moderation.

Update: August 30, 2007

Comment moderation has been turned off. All new comments will be published immediately by the author.

Reward Offered for Michelle Young's Killer

[click image to enlarge]

In case you missed it...

Stan Tribble was convicted.



















Yes, convicted of the first degree murder of his wife, Tracy Gostomski Tribble. Take heed; no physical evidence was found in Stan Tribble's vehicle nor in the couple's home that directly tied him to her death. Yet a jury found him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

So what convinced the twelve of his guilt?

A missing comforter

Stan's chilling remark to a friend

Tracy's fractured face

Stan's defensive letter to the media
(strikingly reminiscent of Scott Peterson's letter to volunteers)

Stan's cell phone data, text messages, and email

and

The testimony of a jailhouse snitch.

Stan Tribble will serve a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

What would I like to see next?

A billboard similar to the one pictured above (courtesy of Omaha's KETV-7) to replace the reward poster issued by Progress Energy last week for the murderer of Michelle Fisher Young.

Transmission Suspension

[personal message redacted]


To all readers:

I am enabling Comment Moderation for the time being. All new comments will be held in moderation until I approve them for publishing, so don't be alarmed if you post a comment and it doesn't show up for some time. I will get to them as soon as I can. Anything unsuitable for publishing will be deleted.


In the meantime:

You can set your minds to work on what one reader termed "that awesome riddle". Then you will know something that I know. It's easier to solve than you might think. It's not like I wrote it in Mandarin, after all.

Message Box Help

If you're having trouble sending and receiving private messages at the CourtTV or Websleuths forums, you probably need to clean out your box. It's necessary to clean out both the Inbox and the Sent Items folder. Otherwise, your box will fill up with sent messages and you won't be able to send or receive anything new.

1. Click on "user cp" near the top center of the page.
2. Click on "Private Messages" at the far right of the User CP navigation bar.
3. Delete any unwanted messages in your Inbox. Just check the boxes to the right of the message labels and click delete at the bottom of the list.
4. Select "Sent Items" from the "Jump to folder" dropdown menu on the right, just below the navigation bar.
5. Delete any unwanted messages in your Sent Items folder in the same manner that you deleted Inbox items.

I've been told it's also necessary to clear the Message Tracking items, but I'm not sure that function affects mailbox capacity. Tracking items can be viewed through the "Jump to folder" menu.

Bad News for Stan

Jury selection has begun in the murder trial of Stan Tribble in Council Bluffs, Iowa, for the 2006 murder of his wife, Tracy Gostomski Tribble. Judge Gordon Abel, yesterday, ruled that past incidents of domestic violence will be allowed in as evidence of a pattern of abuse that eventually ended in Tracy's death. Additionally, Judge Abel nixed the defense team's request to present the absurd theory that Tracy committed suicide. Tracy's body was found in the Missouri River on May 19, sixteen days after Stan Tribble reported her missing. She suffered fracturing blows to the head, and cause of death was determined to be asphyxiation due to suffocation or drowning.

There is more information about Tracy's murder in previous entries on this blog. And local news organizations in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Omaha, Nebraska, appear to be following it closely.

Michelle Young Memorial

Photographer, Statia Grossman, has created a blog as a memorial to her friend, Michelle Young. There she includes photos and video of the recent Arbor Memorial established in Michelle's honor as well as links to her photos and video of the 30th birthday celebration held in February. The address by Linda Fisher is particularly poignant. In addition to expressing the heartache and grief of the family's loss, Linda explains the reason for the Michelle Marie Fisher-Young Memorial Arbor Program and recites the poem etched on a star atop Michelle's evergreen tree. As I understand it, the poem was originally posted at Websleuths by a member named Samiya. Linda found it touching and meaningful, as Michelle often sang "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" to Cassidy at bedtime, and had it engraved on the star with the opening words, "For Cassidy" and closing, "Love, Mommy".

In another clip, Michelle's father, Alan, with Meredith and Linda at his side, addresses the attendees and speaks of the Fisher family's grief as well as their commitment to attaining justice for their daughter and sister. In encourage you to watch each of the clips so generously provided by Statia Grossman. Michelle will not be forgotten.

If I have any of the above details wrong, please let me know and I will make the necessary corrections.

The Calm Before the Storm?

It may be pointless to open the comment threads back up. It appears nothing is happening with the Michelle Young case right now. I was on the verge of abandoning this blog last November, so my interest in the Young case is virtually the only thing keeping the doors open.

It's not that I'm no longer interested in, or keeping up with, the other cases I've written about in the past; I'd just lost interest in continuing to blog about them. Some of them -- Natalee Holloway, Trenton Duckett, George Smith, IV, John Fiocco, Jr. -- may never be solved. I don't like it, but I've come to accept it. Others -- Tracy Tribble, Michelle Gardner-Quinn, Nona Dirksmeyer, Tiffany Souers, Imette St. Guillen -- appear to be proceeding toward satisfactory conclusions. I don't feel compelled to press on about them.

It's the uncertainty of an arrest and prosecution, the mystery of what investigators know but aren't revealing, that holds my interest in the murder of Michelle Young. And it's the apparent stagnancy of the investigation that frustrates me to no end. The forums devoted to discussion of the case at various message boards have all but died, progressing from a Groundhog Day-like continual loop of hash and rehash to a virtual standstill. Sparse information publicized by early media coverage and scant search warrants and leaked by people close to the family has been dissected and analyzed past the point of monotony to the brink of exasperation. I can only hope that the investigation being conducted by the Wake County Sheriff's Department and District Attorney Colon Willoughby's office has not gone as cold as the daily discussions at the crime forums. It's too dang quiet.

So like I said, it may be pointless to open the doors here, but I'm doing it anyway. Something's gotta give. Often, all it takes is one little change, one minute vibration of activity, to get the ball rolling. This is my insignificant contribution.

Riddle me this...

A passenger in his own SUV;
Wan and silent or red-faced and sobbing?

The Young pack holds the safety net
Beneath Jason’s tightrope.

Cross Smith’s palm with silver,
And hope springs eternal.

$1,000,000. Baby, that’s a lot of pesos!
A few more than the average death would bring.

Is that a white Bronco in the garage?
Jason drives an Explorer, silly Billy.

The journey spans three states.
In what county does it re-enter North Carolina?

In a perfect world, Cassidy would have her mommy.
In our imperfect world, Mommy’s killer will be tried.

Linda waits for word.
Is her in-law an outlaw?

Turn this riddle every which way,
But don’t lose sight of the big picture.

The answer will get you close;
You must forego the compass to get there.

Solve it,
And you’ll make my day.