The Freedom Bulletin

Today the Suffolk County D.A.’s office released the full evidence in the case of Philip Markoff, the alleged Craigslist killer who, of course, will never go to trial because of his suicide last August.

Among the highlights:

• A 62-page transcript of Markoff’s interview with two detectives on the day he was arrested, and a copy of the Miranda warning that he signed (PDF)
• An audio recording of the same
• Pictures of Markoff’s shoes on the day he was arrested which, according to the D.A.’s office, were stained with the blood of his victim, Julissa Brisman
• The hollowed-out copy of Gray’s Anatomy where Markoff allegedly kept the murder weapon
• Markoff’s computer, cell phones, wallet, Yankees hat, and some items linked to the victims

The police interview is the first time we get to see Markoff’s explanation of what happened in his own words. The explanation, however, is very vague and incomplete. To sum up the 62 page transcript, at the beginning of the interview, Markoff repeatedly expresses his desire for a lawyer and asks the detectives if they can get him one. They explain that he can only be appointed a lawyer if he ends up being charged and is found indigent by a judge, and he doesn’t know of any lawyers to call, so he ends up reluctantly agreeing to be questioned. He is repeatedly asked whether he has been in the Westin or Marriott hotels, had any disagreements with women in hotels, used Craigslist recently, or been in any hotels in Rhode Island. He repeatedly says he doesn’t remember. The detective becomes annoyed with his vague answers, and Markoff becomes annoyed at being asked the same questions again and again, at one point saying, “I just answered that four times” and “You’re just telling me a story…I don’t have anything to add to it.” He finally decides to stop speaking to the detectives until he gets a lawyer.

April 1 update: The Globe has a transcript and some audio excerpts from the police interview with Markoff’s fiancee, Megan McAllister. Lots more to come later this weekend…

Here in the U.S. of A. our government decided to use strip search machines as a primary method of airport security screening in early 2010. After thousands of people have been robbed of their sexual innocence and dignity by being forced to be seen naked in order to board a plane, the TSA finally decided to start testing a version of the machines that shows a generic paper-doll-like outline instead of the person’s naked body.

Australia, on the other hand, is planning on introducing full-body scanners later this year, with the paper-doll-outline technology already installed:

“The software will detect potential threats such as weapons and explosives and show their location on a generic outline of a person. If no threat is detected, an ‘OK’ will appear on the monitor with no outline. A spokesman for Transport Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed Australia would be getting the ‘stick-figure’ version.”

The best policy would be no full-body scanners at all, but it makes a heck of a lot more sense to ensure that the technology (at least somewhat) preserves people’s dignity and privacy before starting to use it.

Former Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner is now in prison after being convicted of extortion under color of official right in federal court. This morning he reported to a minimum-security facility in West Virginia, where he will stay for the next three years. The Herald has some fun tidbits about the prison. For example, activities include crocheting, drawing, and painting, the cells have no locks, inmates can wear the hairstyle of their choice, and the menu includes chili dogs, oatmeal, fruit, tater tots, lasagna, and chicken fajitas.

In his typical bombastic style, Turner went out with a bang, giving a speech last night entitled “Framing the Innocent: Crimes Under Color of Law at the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s Office” (video above via NECN). “We have to find a way to make justice the hallmark of our criminal justice system, and work to eliminate the political expediency that hypocritically parades itself within the system as justice,” he said.

The Globe has a rundown of the funny, angry, thankful, and always defiant correspondence that Turner sent since his conviction.

In other news of allegedly corrupt Massachusetts politicians, former state senator Dianne Wilkerson is two weeks into her 3.5-year sentence for similar charges as Turner’s, and Patrice Tierney, wife of Rep. John Tierney, finished up her month-long term for aiding and abetting her brother’s tax evasion. Former Speaker Sal DiMasi is still on track for an April trial, and it looks like he will be getting a taxpayer-funded defense, according to the Herald and Globe.

Here’s some news on an old, notorious Massachusetts murder case. Dirk Greineder is an allergist from Wellesley who was convicted of murdering his wife back in 1999. Now he is taking his case to the Supreme Court, hoping to be one of the few appellants granted a writ of certiorari:

“In a 30-page petition to the Supreme Court, filed Jan. 28 by his attorney James L. Sultan, Greineder notes that the Sixth Amendment of the Constitution guarantees that a defendant be confronted with the witnesses against him.

A key piece of the case was DNA testing linking him to the knife and brown work gloves presumably used by his wife’s killer, his petition states. The prosecution presented the results through the testimony of a forensic laboratory director, but the testing was conducted and reviewed by three people who did not testify at the trial.”

Read the rest at Boston.com.

I’m still trying to decide what my opinion is about the U.S. intervention in Libya…but Ron Paul certainly opposes it. Dennis Kucinich does too, and this odd pair are both saying that President Obama could be impeached for it:

Texas Republican Rep. Ron Paul will be co-sponsoring an amendment announced Tuesday by Ohio Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich that would defund the American military intervention in Libya.

Kucinich suggested during a Saturday conference call with fellow anti-war Democrats that he thought impeachment could also be considered for Obama’s “unconstitutional” actions in Libya.

Read the rest at the Daily Caller.

The U.S. Travel Association recently released a set of recommended changes to airport security. Among the most important ones:

• Allow people to apply for “trusted traveler” status – and less stringent security – based on information such as a background check, employment history, and (lack of) criminal record.
• Require airlines to let people check one bag for free, to reduce the amount of carry-on luggage that needs to go through security.

These recommendations are right on. Requiring every single person to prove that they do not have any dangerous items on them, might (or might not) work at preventing terrorism, but it violates everyone’s rights, violates the Constitution, and has huge costs in liberty, dignity, and privacy.

My favorite passage from the report:

In 1999, Supreme Court justice John Paul Stevens wrote in the landmark case Saenz vs. Roe that the Constitution protects the right to travel freely within the United States and to be treated as a welcome visitor rather than a hostile stranger. In 1958, Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, in holding that the federal government could not restrict the right to travel without due process, wrote: “Freedom of movement across frontiers in either direction, and inside frontiers as well, was a part of our heritage. Travel abroad, like travel within the country…may be as close to the heart of the individual as the choice of what he eats, or wears, or reads. Freedom of movement is basic in our scheme of values.”

Read the full report here (PDF).

Clark Rockefeller (born Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter) was charged today in the death of John Sohus, his landlord when he lived in California. John and his wife Linda went missing in 1985, and his body was found buried in his backyard in 1994. There has long been speculation about Rockefeller’s possible role in the disappearance. Today’s indictment accuses him of one count of murder, specifically with a blunt object.

Rockefeller, of course, is the man who made headlines in Boston after he kidnapped his young daughter from his ex-wife, and his secret life of false identities and tall tales was revealed. He is currently in prison in Massachusetts for his conviction in that case, but L.A. County prosecutors reportedly want him sent there to be tried on the murder charge.

Read more at: LA Times, Boston Globe, Fox 25, and CNN.