committed suicide. I know it might sound crazy to a lot of people, but hear me out.

1) The last person to see him alive, a bartender, said that he looked depressed. Yes, I know the episode mentioned that the last time Danny talked to his family, he didn't seem to be that depressed, but time had passed since he talked to his family and he was at the hotel area.

Taken from Wikipedia:
Witnesses reported that Casolaro spent the next few hours (about 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. on August 9) at a Martinsburg restaurant. (Ridgeway and Vaughan, 39) "He seemed lonely and depressed, the bartender told police." (Ridgeway and Vaughan, 39)

2) The suicide note. The handwriting found on this note was known to match known handwriting samples from Danny. I know some say, "what if he was forced to write it before murdered." Well, think about it, when people are going to quickly murder you, even if they want to cover it hardcore afterward, why wasn't any sign of struggle or noise made on behalf of Danny to escape (both rooms left and right of Danny's reported no scuffle or noise) to avoid death. Danny would have had to have known that if he was forced to write this note, they were going to try to kill him.

3) Other than the scene in the bathroom, the rest of the room was clean, in place, and orderly. This means that there wasn't a big chance a bigtime scuffle took place. There was also no sign of forced entry into the room.

4) Authorities also found four more razorblades in their package. To me, this suggests it was planned out. I really doubt that perpetrators would leave the razors IN THE PACKAGE in Danny's room in an orderly fashion.

5) As stated above, there was no known noise. Danny would have likely struggled if to die this way, especially since he was extremely squeemish when it came to blood (the episode mentions this as well). In struggles like this, there is little chance that absolutely NO noise will be heard.

6) Danny had consumed a bottle of wine and beer before his death. This suggests he was trying to quell the pain he would feel through the suicide. This is a known consistancy with many suicides of a similar fashion. It also supports that if he were in fact so scared of blood as reported, he would have to drink to actually go through with his decision.

I know there are a lot of theories that Danny was murdered because he was uncovering the "Octopus," and Inslaw but based on these things I still can't see how he was murdered. My theory doesn't explain why none of Danny's documents in a briefcase or manilla envelope have turned up, but I can see him destroying his work so other journalists couldn't take credit for his efforts.

I'd like to hear input from everyone else, as I know this is a favorite case for a lot of people.

Wow, I must say I'm impressed at your well thought out post. I always assumed he was murdered due to the very graphic way he died and the whole fear of needles and blood. I must say though your facts are quite compelling and maybe I'll rethink my opinion. That was suprising that there were no signs of a struggle and other people heard no commotion in his hotel room. I wasn't aware of that.

Thanks for your input! I know I don't post too much but I've always thought about factors in this case and it's probably my favorite case that Unsolved Mysteries ever did. I know a lot of others will disagree with me, but I thought I would post what I thought based on my own interest. I do admit though the missing documents Danny carried in his possession threaten my theory the most.

Good research...I still have a huge problem with the way he committed suicide. I have an equal (if not moreso) fear of blood as Mr. Casolaro did and the thought of intentionally causing myself to bleed (and in fact bleed excessively) is so far from my mind its almost incomprehensible.

There is a qualifier here and that is Casolaro was recently diagnosed with MS prior to his death. As with any life altering illness, it would no doubt prompt some passing thoughts of suicide due to the anxiety and desperation that goes along with it so maybe Casolaro had some sort of a breakdown and killed himself?

Then again Casolaro and those close to him believed due to his research he had a lot of dangerous people upset with him which would provide plenty of motive if in fact Casolaro's research was as in depth as people believe it to be.

but we must remember, that if he was killed by people working within the government, there is a great likelihood that they knew how to make it look like a suicide.
also i remember dannys brother stating something like his brothers body had been embalmed before they were even informed of dannys death.
sounds like someones covering up something to me.
then again he could very well have used the alcohol to make it easier
to slit his wrists...

Good points from both of you guys. I can see where you are coming from, and I'll say it again that the thing that damns my theory the most is his missing documents and many enemies made due to his research. You guys have correctly pointed this out.

Another thing I stopped to think about one time as well is, what if Danny Casolaro was overhyping much of his research? He asserted that he was coming to the bottom of Iran-Contra, October Surprise, the closure of Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI), the bombing of Pan Am 103, and involving the Central intelligence Agency (CIA), Mossad, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the U.S. Justice Dept, the Wackenhut Corporation, and the British security and intelligence services. To say he had the solution to all of these huge macro-issues in national government policy and decision-making would look a little bit overwhelming to be possible.

Also considering that most historians now discount the 1980 October surprise. The US Senate’s 1992 report concluded that "by any standard, the credible evidence now known falls far short of supporting the allegation of an agreement between the Reagan campaign and Iran to delay the release of the hostages". It should also be known that the Senate was under Democratic control at this point.

So, if he overhyped his research, and kept all of his notes and accordian file secret from everyone (which he did), how do we know the extent of his research? Do we really know he had uncovered everything he claimed, and was going to present it all in a press conference or major newspaper? We don't know because he was notorious elusive about keeping all of his materials, papers, and notes secret, and we don't trully know the extent of the research itself.

Other things to consider though, if Danny commited suicide, where did the bloody towels come from that were under the sink as if someone was trying to clean up? Also, where did all his research and paperwork go?
Very compelling reasons to side w/ suicide but there are other factors at play as well............just my thoughts

Well, actually I do not know that he was diagnosed with MS. Yes, the medical examiner determined that Casolaro was in the very early stages of MS and probably didnt even know anything was wrong, I do not believe a doctor ever diagnosed him with that when he was alive.

Yes, it is true he was seen looking lonely and depressed, a lot of people are seen looking lonely and depressed doesnt mean they go off and kill themselves. Also for a man who could not stand the sight of blood for him to slash himself repeatedly and deeply, I believe some of the slashes were so deep a couple of his tendons were severed. There is the bloody towels in the room, perhaps Danny was murdered by someone he thought he knew and trusted, hence no struggle, maybe he was overpowered so quickly that he had no time to struggle, like having a stun gun used on him perhaps or something.

It was a very good and detailed and well thought out post, but Danny probably was murdered in my opinion, he knew too much and pissed off the wrong people and they wanted him snuffed out before he could spill his guts, again my opinion, also all these missing papers and stuff, it points to suicide.

Other things to consider though, if Danny commited suicide, where did the bloody towels come from that were under the sink as if someone was trying to clean up? Also, where did all his research and paperwork go?
Very compelling reasons to side w/ suicide but there are other factors at play as well............just my thoughts

Good point, I'm glad you brought this factor up because I wanted to talk about it somewhere down the line.

As far as what I gather from all I have read about this case, the "bloody towels" were never mentioned in any police report or evidence shown to bloodspatter experts (including the famous Henry Lee) and were only claimed to exist by one of the hotel staff members years later. Apparently the staffer claimed years later that she believed the towels were "on the ground in a manner indicative of wiping blood off of the floor" but she seemed to not have mentioned it during the official investigation.

If anyone has conflicting information regarding this, please share, because this is what I recall from a book on the case.

I think he was murdered, there is just too much that agrees with other people mixed up in dodgy things who end up dead in similar strange circumstances and he was mixed up with some very unsavoury characters, the haste to process the body against the law, the Inslaw affair evidence that has gone through the courts, files vanishing, another reporter investigating simialr stuff who died in a similar manner with his evidence gone, the military guy at the funeral etc.

In the book on the case there has always been one thing that has bothered me about him and that is his lack of secrecy, not long before he died he was in a bar shouting his mouth off to two women who it was suggested may well have been plants- if you were investigating this stuff you should be keeping it as quiet as possible.

committed suicide. I know it might sound crazy to a lot of people, but hear me out.

1) The last person to see him alive, a bartender, said that he looked depressed. Yes, I know the episode mentioned that the last time Danny talked to his family, he didn't seem to be that depressed, but time had passed since he talked to his family and he was at the hotel area.

Taken from Wikipedia:
Witnesses reported that Casolaro spent the next few hours (about 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. on August 9) at a Martinsburg restaurant. (Ridgeway and Vaughan, 39) "He seemed lonely and depressed, the bartender told police." (Ridgeway and Vaughan, 39)

2) The suicide note. The handwriting found on this note was known to match known handwriting samples from Danny. I know some say, "what if he was forced to write it before murdered." Well, think about it, when people are going to quickly murder you, even if they want to cover it hardcore afterward, why wasn't any sign of struggle or noise made on behalf of Danny to escape (both rooms left and right of Danny's reported no scuffle or noise) to avoid death. Danny would have had to have known that if he was forced to write this note, they were going to try to kill him.

3) Other than the scene in the bathroom, the rest of the room was clean, in place, and orderly. This means that there wasn't a big chance a bigtime scuffle took place. There was also no sign of forced entry into the room.

4) Authorities also found four more razorblades in their package. To me, this suggests it was planned out. I really doubt that perpetrators would leave the razors IN THE PACKAGE in Danny's room in an orderly fashion.

5) As stated above, there was no known noise. Danny would have likely struggled if to die this way, especially since he was extremely squeemish when it came to blood (the episode mentions this as well). In struggles like this, there is little chance that absolutely NO noise will be heard.

6) Danny had consumed a bottle of wine and beer before his death. This suggests he was trying to quell the pain he would feel through the suicide. This is a known consistancy with many suicides of a similar fashion. It also supports that if he were in fact so scared of blood as reported, he would have to drink to actually go through with his decision.

I know there are a lot of theories that Danny was murdered because he was uncovering the "Octopus," and Inslaw but based on these things I still can't see how he was murdered. My theory doesn't explain why none of Danny's documents in a briefcase or manilla envelope have turned up, but I can see him destroying his work so other journalists couldn't take credit for his efforts.

I'd like to hear input from everyone else, as I know this is a favorite case for a lot of people.

I do appreciate you thinking outside the box, Xytras, but there could be rational explanations for these.

1. It is not uncommon in the least for bartenders to serve people that look lonely and depressed. This is how a lot of people deal with their problems, so Casalaro probably didn't appear to be much different than the typical customer at the bar/restuarant.

2. I can see your point of "why would Danny write a suicide note if he was going to be murdered?" A possible explanation is this: Writing a suicide note buys time, which in this instance, is very precious. It gives Casaloro a little more time to think about how he is going to get out of this mess, whether it be trying to fight the intruder(s), or trying to reason with them or talk their way out of it, or making a dash for the door. It didn't end up making a difference, but Danny had no way of knowing that.

As for no noise being heard, that's not necessarily suspicious in my opinion.
If a gun was pointed at my head, it's probably best if I stay quiet because if I make noise, the person holding the gun is more liable to shoot.

3. I work for a hotel, so I should have a little bit of inside knowledge for this point. Now, I am a stickler on security issues at the hotel, and I like to think that our hotel is in general, but there are a number of ways that somebody could have gained access to Danny's room without forcing their way in. Sad, but true. They could have posed as a member of management (which might be especially convicning if their wearing a suit and tie, that type of thing.)

4. I'm not sure about the razorblades. It appears that the cleaning up would have taken awhile for the killers, and they might have been pressed for time and felt an urgency to get out of there.

5. see point 2.

6. I myself am quite squeamish with blood. The mere thought of it makes me cringe, I'm cringing right now as a matter of fact. There are so many other methods of suicide that don't involve blood spattering that I can't imagine Danny choosing this method.

I see what you're saying about Danny deciding to actually write the note to "buy time" or think about what to do, but it still doesn't make sense to me why he didn't struggle, make any noise to let anyone know he was in trouble, or STOP during some part of writing the note to run off or make the note incomplete in hopes his family wouldn't believe it later....or have any marks to suggest he resisted the blades as they were being cut into his wrists.

It still strikes me as odd that...
a) the perpetrators forced him to write the note
b) the perpetrators forced him to drink about the same amount of alcohol that was found in wine/beer he consumed
c) He didn't resist the blades and no other blade marks were found around his body or arms consistant with resisting the cutting
d) No scream of pain or agony, kicks to the wall, banging of head into the wall
e) the perpetrators left additional razor blades neatly in their package in another part of the room
f) no foreign fingerprints consistant with other individuals recently touching the bathroom, walls, or outside ledge (as a possible entrance)
g) no tangible bruises on his body to suggest he was beaten into submission

I submit that you're right that its quite possible many people take their frustration out by drinking, and looking depressed. I think it just feeds into my theory, not proves it.

By the way, a good book on the topic is The Octopus: Secret Government and the Death of Danny Casolaro

http://www.amazon.com/Octopus-Secret-Government-Death-Casolaro/dp/0922915911/ref=sr_1_1/102-0168656-3180139?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1184960941&sr=8-1

Yes that is the book I have, Keith himself died in rather stange circumstances in 1999 falling off a building and not being keen to go under anaesthetic saying he did not think he would wake up alive, afterwards it became another part of the conspiracy with accusations being made certain hospital workers were releated to government agents who wanted him dead and the like.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Keith

I was thinking about this case today and couldn't find a "definitive" Casolaro thread, so I decided to share my two cents here.

I'm leaning towards suicide on this one. I do think both scenarios (murder and suicide) are plausible and likely. But I also think Danny's actions on the day of his death are indicitive of someone who was gearing up to kill himself.

-Casolaro called an investigator on the day of his death to tell him that a publishing company was going to finance his investigation into the "Octopus". This was false. I don't know if Casolaro was lying or received false information, but his manuscript was rejected a month before he died.
-He was seen drinking in bars and restaurants on the day of his death. This could mean nothing, because he spoke with the man who was in the motel room next to his and told him he was going to meet a source (one that was supposed to blow open the "Octopus" story) at 9:00 p.m. that night. Shortly before 9, he ran into the man again and told him that he thought his source was going to no-show.
-His hotel room was clean, except the bathroom. There were no signs of a struggle, no signs of forced entry, and the suicide note was alleged to have matched his handwriting.
-No one staying at the motel heard any strange noises coming from Casolaro's room on the night of his death.
-Two autopsies were performed and both concluded suicide.
-The second autopsy also stated, "There was nothing present in any way that could have incapacitated Casolaro so he would have been incapable of struggling against an assailant, let alone been sufficient to kill him."

I know Casolaro was said to have been afraid of the sight of blood, but this could have been why he was drinking heavily that night and during the day. I think it's possible that Casolaro was "chasing a dragon" during this whole "Octopus" investigation. He might have become despondent over the fact that he spent years investigating a scandal that really wasn't there, or maybe he was despondent over the fact that his informant never showed up. He never shared his papers/research so it's hard to say just how much hard evidence he uncovered. According to wikipedia, "Ron Rosenbaum, a journalist acquaintance of Casolaro's, speculated in Vanity Fair that Casolaro may have intended his suicide to appear to be murder triggered by his research, in order to have others look into the story after his death." I could see this as a definite possibility as well. I just don't think the evidence for murder (except some threatening phone calls, and the alleged towels covered with blood under the sink) is there.

Another thing I stopped to think about one time as well is, what if Danny Casolaro was overhyping much of his research? He asserted that he was coming to the bottom of Iran-Contra, October Surprise, the closure of Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI), the bombing of Pan Am 103, and involving the Central intelligence Agency (CIA), Mossad, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the U.S. Justice Dept, the Wackenhut Corporation, and the British security and intelligence services. To say he had the solution to all of these huge macro-issues in national government policy and decision-making would look a little bit overwhelming to be possible.


While I'm still not sure if he was murdered or he commited suicide, I think his deal about how this organization was behind all those cases was bogus. I definitely find the Charles Morgan aspect a lot more believable than the octupus being behind everything major in the 80's stuff.

I wasn't aware of that.http://gawab.anvtech.com/6.jpg
http://gawab.anvtech.com/7.jpg
http://gawab.anvtech.com/8.jpg
http://gawab.anvtech.com/9.jpg

This is another one of those people from "london" who are posting the exact same post in every thread on the site. The urls behind the pics that won't come up are all different but take you to a web hosting site. I think these people are spammers.

The others I've found so far have the user names irenearris1 and tamyfum0

This is another one of those people from "london" who are posting the exact same post in every thread on the site. The urls behind the pics that won't come up are all different but take you to a web hosting site. I think these people are spammers.

The others I've found so far have the user names irenearris1 and tamyfum0

Thanks for the heads up. I let the owner know so he can check and see if they are. :)

This is another one of those people from "london" who are posting the exact same post in every thread on the site. The urls behind the pics that won't come up are all different but take you to a web hosting site. I think these people are spammers.

The others I've found so far have the user names irenearris1 and tamyfum0
Yeah the replies make no sense.

I am curious if his blood alcohol content was ever reported. I guess it couldn't be since he was cremated so quickly. We will never really know if he drank the wine and beer, or if the bottles and/or cans were plants.

Xytras, your post was very well thought-out and I enjoyed reading it. Thank you.

The only problem I have is related to the specific manner of suicide. I am not the least bit squeamish about blood. But one thing I hate is pain, and I cannot imagine someone drunk on a lousy bottle of wine and couple of beers getting into a bathtub, slitting his wrists several times (enough to sever a tendon as I think UM stated) and just sitting there as he died. He had to be alive when this happened, but I wonder if he was knocked out. I just can't see someone sitting still and waiting for death under those conditions. But I guess it has happened.

I am curious if his blood alcohol content was ever reported. I guess it couldn't be since he was cremated so quickly. We will never really know if he drank the wine and beer, or if the bottles and/or cans were plants.

There was a second autopsy done that said there were several drugs found in his system as well as alcohol. So he definitely drank on the evening he died.

There was a second autopsy done that said there were several drugs found in his system as well as alcohol. So he definitely drank on the evening he died.

Seriously?? I've never heard these details, were they in the books? Now I am curious as to what those drugs were. Do you know?

Seriously?? I've never heard these details, were they in the books? Now I am curious as to what those drugs were. Do you know?

There were antidepressents among other drugs found in his system. If you google "Danny Casolaro", you can read more about the exact drugs found in his system on his wikipedia page.

I was thinking about this case today and couldn't find a "definitive" Casolaro thread, so I decided to share my two cents here.

I'm leaning towards suicide on this one. I do think both scenarios (murder and suicide) are plausible and likely. But I also think Danny's actions on the day of his death are indicitive of someone who was gearing up to kill himself.

-Casolaro called an investigator on the day of his death to tell him that a publishing company was going to finance his investigation into the "Octopus". This was false. I don't know if Casolaro was lying or received false information, but his manuscript was rejected a month before he died.
-He was seen drinking in bars and restaurants on the day of his death. This could mean nothing, because he spoke with the man who was in the motel room next to his and told him he was going to meet a source (one that was supposed to blow open the "Octopus" story) at 9:00 p.m. that night. Shortly before 9, he ran into the man again and told him that he thought his source was going to no-show.
-His hotel room was clean, except the bathroom. There were no signs of a struggle, no signs of forced entry, and the suicide note was alleged to have matched his handwriting.
-No one staying at the motel heard any strange noises coming from Casolaro's room on the night of his death.
-Two autopsies were performed and both concluded suicide.
-The second autopsy also stated, "There was nothing present in any way that could have incapacitated Casolaro so he would have been incapable of struggling against an assailant, let alone been sufficient to kill him."

I know Casolaro was said to have been afraid of the sight of blood, but this could have been why he was drinking heavily that night and during the day. I think it's possible that Casolaro was "chasing a dragon" during this whole "Octopus" investigation. He might have become despondent over the fact that he spent years investigating a scandal that really wasn't there, or maybe he was despondent over the fact that his informant never showed up. He never shared his papers/research so it's hard to say just how much hard evidence he uncovered. According to wikipedia, "Ron Rosenbaum, a journalist acquaintance of Casolaro's, speculated in Vanity Fair that Casolaro may have intended his suicide to appear to be murder triggered by his research, in order to have others look into the story after his death." I could see this as a definite possibility as well. I just don't think the evidence for murder (except some threatening phone calls, and the alleged towels covered with blood under the sink) is there.

Bolded by me

Wait, there were allegations he was on heroin? There was no heroin in his system.

Bolded by me

Wait, there were allegations he was on heroin? There was no heroin in his system.

Sorry, I wasn't using the phrase to reference heroin, I was saying that he was looking for something that wasn't really there.

Sorry, I wasn't using the phrase to reference heroin, I was saying that he was looking for something that wasn't really there.


OH!

I think I watch too much Law & Order. *facepalm*

I am curious if his blood alcohol content was ever reported. I guess it couldn't be since he was cremated so quickly. We will never really know if he drank the wine and beer, or if the bottles and/or cans were plants.

Xytras, your post was very well thought-out and I enjoyed reading it. Thank you.

The only problem I have is related to the specific manner of suicide. I am not the least bit squeamish about blood. But one thing I hate is pain, and I cannot imagine someone drunk on a lousy bottle of wine and couple of beers getting into a bathtub, slitting his wrists several times (enough to sever a tendon as I think UM stated) and just sitting there as he died. He had to be alive when this happened, but I wonder if he was knocked out. I just can't see someone sitting still and waiting for death under those conditions. But I guess it has happened.

I also have issues with this suicide method. Slicing his wrists to the point o severing a tendon suggests some serious force was used in slicing his wrist...this raises all sorts of possibilities.......

A guy who had drunk and was possibly drunk , how is it possible he would muster so much force when slitting his wrist?

Do people who commit suicide by slitting their wrists slit them that many times as Danny did & on both hands ?

Wow, I must say I'm impressed at your well thought out post. I always assumed he was murdered due to the very graphic way he died and the whole fear of needles and blood. I must say though your facts are quite compelling and maybe I'll rethink my opinion. That was suprising that there were no signs of a struggle and other people heard no commotion in his hotel room. I wasn't aware of that.

There is information revealed in articles and documentaries that a nail or some nails on Danny`s hand were broken suggesting that a minor struggle could have occured. If Danny was killed then I most likely think 2 or more parties were involved and he was quickly subdued to prevent a struggle and make sure he was eliminated efficiently so to speak .......

If he feared blood as its said, why didnt he just suicide by OD on sleeping pills? or jump off a tall building or hang himself? If other parties killed Danny then its very likely they didnt know him well enough (unlike people close to Danny) to be aware of his fear of blood .....

If someone fears something he will most likely try and avoid it at all costs so I really find it odd that someone who feared blood chooses such a method to commit suicide . It doesnt makes sense.

but we must remember, that if he was killed by people working within the government, there is a great likelihood that they knew how to make it look like a suicide.
also i remember dannys brother stating something like his brothers body had been embalmed before they were even informed of dannys death.
sounds like someones covering up something to me.
then again he could very well have used the alcohol to make it easier
to slit his wrists...

The embalming of Danny without his families consent is the one of the biggest red flags in this case. Embalming effectively screws up a lot of avenues regarding future autopsies. Someone really wanted to make sure of that . Its also mentioned that this embalming of Danny was illegal under WV law and I dont get why local cops didnt investigate who gave the go ahead to embalm Danny if his family didnt consent ?

I'm still not 100% on Danny Casolaro one way or another, but here is a thread that was created/bumped a few months ago in which his death is discussed:

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=311992&page=3&highlight=danny+casolaro

Good points from both of you guys. I can see where you are coming from, and I'll say it again that the thing that damns my theory the most is his missing documents and many enemies made due to his research. You guys have correctly pointed this out.

Another thing I stopped to think about one time as well is, what if Danny Casolaro was overhyping much of his research? He asserted that he was coming to the bottom of Iran-Contra, October Surprise, the closure of Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI), the bombing of Pan Am 103, and involving the Central intelligence Agency (CIA), Mossad, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the U.S. Justice Dept, the Wackenhut Corporation, and the British security and intelligence services. To say he had the solution to all of these huge macro-issues in national government policy and decision-making would look a little bit overwhelming to be possible.

Also considering that most historians now discount the 1980 October surprise. The US Senate’s 1992 report concluded that "by any standard, the credible evidence now known falls far short of supporting the allegation of an agreement between the Reagan campaign and Iran to delay the release of the hostages". It should also be known that the Senate was under Democratic control at this point.

So, if he overhyped his research, and kept all of his notes and accordian file secret from everyone (which he did), how do we know the extent of his research? Do we really know he had uncovered everything he claimed, and was going to present it all in a press conference or major newspaper? We don't know because he was notorious elusive about keeping all of his materials, papers, and notes secret, and we don't trully know the extent of the research itself.

I dont think Danny was overhyping his research. All the organizations you named are somehow connected to "the Octopuss"

The Octopuss was involved in the Inslaw saga , the PROMIS programme was sold to the likes of British ,Canadian, Australian , Israeli,Polish and other intelligence agencies . The money made from these sales was deposited in secret accounts at the BCCI. The money was used for among other things Iran Contra and Wackenhut was allegedly involved in moving arms and other supplies that went to the Contras. This thing was HUGE ! If you connect those dots then you now start to see why Danny made those claims and how they are not as far fetched as they seem.

Israeli and British intelligence were also involved in dealing with and watching people who were go-betweens between the players involved in the October surprise (as the meeting were held in Europe) and some the people involved died under very dubious circumstances e.g. Cyrus Hashemi .

The senate investigations conclusions are correct there wasnt concrete evidence to definitively say the October surprise allegations are true but its also interesting that they didnt completely exonerate the Reagan administration from the allegations.There simply wasnt enough evidence. There is plenty of players who were involved in setting the meetings were the October surprise was negotiated and its detailed in several books -a good one is called The assassination of Robert Maxwell and a book on the history of Mossad also touches on this issue.

this case is very similar to the michael hastings case. Apparent suicide, plus him and danny wrote about the same stuff- government security programs. They also both died under weird circumstances. Both also claimed to be working on some top secret stuff.

My view is that who knows if the government was after either. However, is there some sort of condition that makes a journalist more prone to believe their work is more important then it really is? I mean it might make them feel more significant?

this case is very similar to the michael hastings case. Apparent suicide, plus him and danny wrote about the same stuff- government security programs. They also both died under weird circumstances. Both also claimed to be working on some top secret stuff.

My view is that who knows if the government was after either. However, is there some sort of condition that makes a journalist more prone to believe their work is more important then it really is? I mean it might make them feel more significant?
eh they were not that similar. Hastings is best known for his piece of General McCrystal that got the general fired. He didn't break that big of a cover up. Also he died in a clear accident. I know people are making up all these crazy c.t about the government controlling his car from a computer. But you need to be feet away from the cars computer to even do that. Maybe even actually in the car. There has been a big investigation in it and it was deemed an accident. I just don't buy this thing about the CIA/NSA going around killing people who they don't like, and think will expose something. If Dannys case it just made it more famous.


going to a different topic. I read more details about the death. He used a sharp razor in which you would open mail with. He cut himself three times with the right on his right wrist, and seven times on the left.

The drugs in his system were Hydrocodone and Tricyclic, combined with beer/hard liquor. He would be so high he wouldn't be feeling anything. Hydrocodone is obviously an intense pain killer. And Tricyclic is an antidepressant . Would want to try to find out if the Tricyclic was given to him by a friend/dealer of if he had a prescription for it, which would point to him having mental problems.

he was murdered

Were both his wrists cut down into the tendons? If so how was he able to hold a razor blade let alone use enough force to cut the other wrist that deep? the nerve and tendon damage would have been severe and he would not have been able to hold anything especially something so thin it would require a great deal manual dexterity to hold and use. I have a relative that cut one of wrists with a circular saw accidentally about a year ago and he still has only very little feeling in 2 fingers but cannot hold anything with that hand. This of course is a moot point if only one wrist was cut that deep. Just wondering........

he was murdered
Haha that's short and sweet compared to the rest of the comments. This one is tough. Given all of the controversy surrounding this case and the others featured it does seem hard to think he would committ suicide and perhaps there were motives for people to want to kill him. But that doesn't prove one way or another that he was killed or that he took his own life. There is circumstantial evidence to suggest either of the two very well could of happen. I'd imagine he was under a lot of stress at that time one way or the other and maybe feared for his life to the point that he ended it himself. But there is certainly a huge cloud over this case and the other two segments featuring circumstantial evidence that there were rogue govt officials associated with organized crime and illegal money moving activity.

If you look at this case compared to the chuck Morgan case one thing that is the same is that both expressed they were in fear of being killed. Both got in over their heads with these criminal entities. Both deaths were classified suicide which means either they indeed committed suicide or they were professionally assassinated. The Morgan is even more perplexing because of his kidnapping, the cryptic 2 dollar bill that was perhaps a note for investigators or his associates, and the visitors that came to his wife after his death. One point worth highlighting is Morgan not only feared for his life but he feared more for the life of his family because they were vividly threatened. Perhaps with dan he got into the same situation as Morgan and his murder/suicide prevented others in his family from being harmed.

If you look at this case compared to the chuck Morgan case one thing that is the same is that both expressed they were in fear of being killed. Both got in over their heads with these criminal entities. Both deaths were classified suicide which means either they indeed committed suicide or they were professionally assassinated. The Morgan is even more perplexing because of his kidnapping, the cryptic 2 dollar bill that was perhaps a note for investigators or his associates, and the visitors that came to his wife after his death. One point worth highlighting is Morgan not only feared for his life but he feared more for the life of his family because they were vividly threatened. Perhaps with dan he got into the same situation as Morgan and his murder/suicide prevented others in his family from being harmed.

With Morgan, he had already survived a kidnapping and drugging, returned home and then disappeared again before being found dead. But he was clearly on the run during the last few weeks of his life while Dan Casolaro's family knew he was going to West Virginia to work on his research. He had just revealed to his brother about receiving death threats. That might have made him more cautious at that time but not to the extreme of Morgan who had already dug himself into a hole he couldn't get out of.

I definitely think Dan was murdered. Although 20 years later, I'm still not smart enough to theorize why Casolaro wanted information on Morgan's illegal gold transactions and how that tied to his research. But I was always fascinated by the mention of Casolaro in the Mistaken Hit segment and how quickly he was killed immediately after Don Deveroux agreed to send him the information regarding Morgan.

The key to solving this is to find out who murdered Doug Johnston.

The key to solving this is to find out who murdered Doug Johnston.
Yeah I agree and ironically his death was classified a suicide as well at first don't remember if it was changed later?

With Morgan, he had already survived a kidnapping and drugging, returned home and then disappeared again before being found dead. But he was clearly on the run during the last few weeks of his life while Dan Casolaro's family knew he was going to West Virginia to work on his research. He had just revealed to his brother about receiving death threats. That might have made him more cautious at that time but not to the extreme of Morgan who had already dug himself into a hole he couldn't get out of.

I definitely think Dan was murdered. Although 20 years later, I'm still not smart enough to theorize why Casolaro wanted information on Morgan's illegal gold transactions and how that tied to his research. But I was always fascinated by the mention of Casolaro in the Mistaken Hit segment and how quickly he was killed immediately after Don Deveroux agreed to send him the information regarding Morgan.
Yes it is strange how they tie together. Just makes it that much more difficult to overlook that there were some shady things happening.

Whenever high level government issues and possible conspiracies are involved, just about anything is possible. The only thing you can be sure of, is that the full truth will likely never come out.

With Morgan, he had already survived a kidnapping and drugging, returned home and then disappeared again before being found dead. But he was clearly on the run during the last few weeks of his life while Dan Casolaro's family knew he was going to West Virginia to work on his research. He had just revealed to his brother about receiving death threats. That might have made him more cautious at that time but not to the extreme of Morgan who had already dug himself into a hole he couldn't get out of.

I definitely think Dan was murdered. Although 20 years later, I'm still not smart enough to theorize why Casolaro wanted information on Morgan's illegal gold transactions and how that tied to his research. But I was always fascinated by the mention of Casolaro in the Mistaken Hit segment and how quickly he was killed immediately after Don Deveroux agreed to send him the information regarding Morgan.
I'm usually pretty skeptical about these "suicide v. murder cases," but I just cannot be convinced that a man so squeamish could slash his wrists a dozen times. Not to mention, slashing BOTH wrists multiple times? I've heard the argument that he was heavily intoxicated and that may have numbed the pain, but that doesn't persuade me. Heavy intoxication isn't going to change the mind of someone who is so petrified and phobic of needles/prodding to tear up his wrists. But can someone enlighten me as to if he had drugs in his system? I don't recall this being mentioned.

The entire INSLAW/Octopus case is pretty intriguing. I also am uncertain why Casalaro wanted the information about Morgan's research.

Some other things that bother me about this case:
The embalming without the family's permission
The extreme delay in contacting the family
The cleansing of the hotel room without a thorough investigation
Danny's research never being found.
I've read online that he had been receiving death threats at home (corroborated by his housekeeper)
Say he was depressed/upset about his research/his briefcase of notes being stolen. Why off himself just when he's about to receive what he finds to be pertinent information?
One more thing: Blood was spattered ALL over the floor and walls. But he was found in the bathtub, away from a lot of that blood. Did he just get into the tub and continue slashing/bleeding out? It seems weird that one wouldn't just stay in the same place and would instead be walking around doing this.
Lastly, I don't recall the amount of alcohol in his room being that much. I read something about a half bottle of wine and some beer. I don't mean to sound like a lush, but this doesn't sound like an obscene amount of alcohol, enough to numb a blood/needle phobic to the pain of slicing himself. Can anyone clarify how much alcohol was in his system?

I've been kicking around the idea for the past couple of days that Doug Johnston's murder was totally unrelated to Casolaro/Devereux. If Johnston was a mistaken hit intended for Devereux, why did these killers all of a sudden give up in their attempts to murder Devereux? He's still alive as far as I know.

I've been kicking around the idea for the past couple of days that Doug Johnston's murder was totally unrelated to Casolaro/Devereux. If Johnston was a mistaken hit intended for Devereux, why did these killers all of a sudden give up in their attempts to murder Devereux? He's still alive as far as I know.

I always figured that Don Devereux essentially saved his life by going on UM to discuss the case. The killers may have figured they'd draw a lot of unneeded attention to themselves if Devereux died a suspicious death so soon after presenting a mistaken hit theory on national television (especially if his story aired around the same time as the Casolaro case).

Having read a fair bit about Iran-Contra and the October Surprise, I can't figure out why Casolero thought he was over his head. Gary Sick (who would testify before Congress around the same time) Theodore Draper, and the late Christopher Hitchens had already written a fair amount about the Reagan and Bush administration's use of CIA officials, retired and active, for extra-constitutional mischief. If Casolero really believed a cabal plotted half the items that Stack mentions in the broadcast, then he wasn't doing anything particularly original.

I've read speculation that Danny came across information pertaining to Mena.

I recently just watched his case on UM, and one thing I noticed there was blood on the carpet in the room, blood on the door handle and the door frame of the washroom. Did he slash is wrists in the room, then proceeded to continue in the bathtub ?

I think he was murdered. It's possibly someone, likely more than one person came to his door. Maybe they knocked and said room service, he open the door and then rushed in, forced him to write the note and killed him.

But Danny knew somebody/people were after him. He likely took caution at everything he did. Opening the door for someone without checking wouldn't be something he would do.

This is sadly one of those cases that will never be solved.

committed suicide. I know it might sound crazy to a lot of people, but hear me out.

1) The last person to see him alive, a bartender, said that he looked depressed. Yes, I know the episode mentioned that the last time Danny talked to his family, he didn't seem to be that depressed, but time had passed since he talked to his family and he was at the hotel area.

Taken from Wikipedia:
Witnesses reported that Casolaro spent the next few hours (about 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. on August 9) at a Martinsburg restaurant. (Ridgeway and Vaughan, 39) "He seemed lonely and depressed, the bartender told police." (Ridgeway and Vaughan, 39)

2) The suicide note. The handwriting found on this note was known to match known handwriting samples from Danny. I know some say, "what if he was forced to write it before murdered." Well, think about it, when people are going to quickly murder you, even if they want to cover it hardcore afterward, why wasn't any sign of struggle or noise made on behalf of Danny to escape (both rooms left and right of Danny's reported no scuffle or noise) to avoid death. Danny would have had to have known that if he was forced to write this note, they were going to try to kill him.

3) Other than the scene in the bathroom, the rest of the room was clean, in place, and orderly. This means that there wasn't a big chance a bigtime scuffle took place. There was also no sign of forced entry into the room.

4) Authorities also found four more razorblades in their package. To me, this suggests it was planned out. I really doubt that perpetrators would leave the razors IN THE PACKAGE in Danny's room in an orderly fashion.

5) As stated above, there was no known noise. Danny would have likely struggled if to die this way, especially since he was extremely squeemish when it came to blood (the episode mentions this as well). In struggles like this, there is little chance that absolutely NO noise will be heard.

6) Danny had consumed a bottle of wine and beer before his death. This suggests he was trying to quell the pain he would feel through the suicide. This is a known consistancy with many suicides of a similar fashion. It also supports that if he were in fact so scared of blood as reported, he would have to drink to actually go through with his decision.

I know there are a lot of theories that Danny was murdered because he was uncovering the "Octopus," and Inslaw but based on these things I still can't see how he was murdered. My theory doesn't explain why none of Danny's documents in a briefcase or manilla envelope have turned up, but I can see him destroying his work so other journalists couldn't take credit for his efforts.

I'd like to hear input from everyone else, as I know this is a favorite case for a lot of people.

I completely agree with this poster. I think this segment is a clear cut example of Unsolved Mysteries trying to skew the perception towards a specific ending rather than give equal time to the suicide theory and the factors that point to it.

I completely agree with this poster. I think this segment is a clear cut example of Unsolved Mysteries trying to skew the perception towards a specific ending rather than give equal time to the suicide theory and the factors that point to it.

Thanks! Since I made this post, I did some original research. It turns out that some people, including many people close to Casolaro, actually don't believe he had "the goods" on the Octopus, so to speak, and may have been exaggerating the extent to which his story would blow the cover on a government conspiracy.

If this is true, it would explain why he may not have had the battery of documents he was supposed to have possessed. If Casolaro realized the story was a false, he may have even destroyed it prior to his death in order to hide the fact that a large portion of his life was overtaken by an irrelevant goose chase.

While I completely respect your position on this one, I disagree. I think the evidence points to homicide. I can't get past the bloody towels.

While I completely respect your position on this one, I disagree. I think the evidence points to homicide. I can't get past the bloody towels.

Indeed. A person who is going to commit suicide in a bathtub (I would think) is going to do the entire damage inside the bathtub, from start to finish.

For Danny to have killed himself, he would have had to start slitting his wrist before he even reached the bathroom, as evidenced by the trail of blood leading there. Once he reaches the bathroom, he has to bleed all over the bathroom floor. Then, through the pain and the blood continuing to pour out, he has to take a detour, grab the two towels, bend down, start wiping up the bathroom floor, eventually realize this is pointless, get back up, walk over to the bathtub, get inside and continuing slitting his wrists until he's got no strength left and pass out.

Sorry. I'm not buying suicide. Even if he had a few drinks and a couple witnesses in the restaurant thought he looked depressed. Just before he left for West Virginia, he shocked his brother by telling him about the death threats he had been receiving. And he told him, "If something happens to me in Martinsburg, don't believe it's an accident." What a total dick move it would have been for him a few days later, after revealing such distressing news to his family to do a complete 180 and say, "Ah, screw it. I think I'll kill myself." And then proceed to kill himself in a way that would defy logic of someone who was deathly afraid of needles and blood...when there was so many other faster ways he could have ended his life.

Nope. I think he was murdered.

I also believe this was a homicide, but I respect the above opinions.

I doubt intoxication would be enough to get Casalaro to slash himself that many times. I think slashing one's wrists so many times is just ludicrous, especially for a person so deathly afraid of needles. Wouldn't you do something else? Pills, perhaps?

Somebody not seeming depressed doesn't mean they didn't do themselves in, as euphoria is common before one kills themself. However, like dynoguy said, why tell your family that if something happened it would be no accident, then kill yourself? Why do the deed outside of the bathroom rather than only in the tub? And why pick one of the most painful ways to go?

As far as the bloody towels that appeared to have wiped blood, they were only described that way by the housekeeper. After viewing series of pictures of the scene, forensic expert Henry Lee said he saw nothing consistent with towels that looked like they had wiped blood away.

Another report has an employee for the cleaning company noting the bloodstained towels when he picked them up, and this has been included in sensational pieces about Casolaro's death. The actual presence of blood on towels in the bathroom is not surprising considering the circumstances, and I fail to see how this is indicative of a homicide.

In fact, the only one who ever suggested that the towels looked like they had wiped up blood was the housekeeper. Not the cleaning employee, the police, or Henry Lee.

Shoddy police work is always possible, but the police did not even consider them as evidence. With corroborating statements from other parties, I do not think a housekeeper's statements should automatically function as overriding gospel. She could be the right one, but more factors lead me to conclude she probably wasn't.

Another report has an employee for the cleaning company noting the bloodstained towels when he picked them up, and this has been included in sensational pieces about Casolaro's death. The actual presence of blood on towels in the bathroom is not surprising considering the circumstances, and I fail to see how this is indicative of a homicide.


It's indicative if it appears the towels had been used in an effort to clean up the scene. I understand the points made about the housekeeper and her/his opinion, but if the scene was so bad the housekeeper fainted, that tells me a lot about how the scene presented itself.

To go further, I think the whole thing was staged to look like a suicide. Various things were found in Danny's blood, but none of them were enough to kill him. I would have been curious to know what his blood alcohol content was. Was it enough to slash yourself in the wrists (with a single blade razor, mind you) several times, actually severing the tendon on a few of those swipes when it's was well known that you had a fear of blood? I just don't see it.

I also find the suicide note a bit off as well. For someone who was a skilled journalist, it seems to be rather "off." Without mocking the dead, the word "cheesy" comes to mind. Obviously, if Danny DID commit suicide, I have no way of knowing what he would have written. I just don't think he would have written what he did. Was he a religious/spiritual man? Does anyone know? Just curious about that particular part...

I still firmly believe he was murdered.

It's indicative if it appears the towels had been used in an effort to clean up the scene. I understand the points made about the housekeeper and her/his opinion, but if the scene was so bad the housekeeper fainted, that tells me a lot about how the scene presented itself.

I agree with this, but I tried to articulate that only one out of four groups of parties that had significant stake in the investigation felt it looked like it had wiped blood. Therefore, I think there is evidence to question that the towels had been used in this way.

If it could be concluded that it did, I would agree that it would be considered one reason to question the suicide conclusion.

IIRC, the autopsy never found any sort of bruising or other marks indicative of a struggle. There was also nothing found in his system that would have knocked him unconscious either. Both rooms to the right and left of Casolaro were rented that night, and neither of the parties renting the room heard any commotion or anything out of the ordinary.

I like the theory that Casolaro killed himself in some "elaborate" fashion to fuel the speculation that he was murdered by someone who wanted to keep him quiet, and that through his death, someone would continue the investigation if they found his death suspicious, rather than suicide.

Big problem I always have with these assassination theories of whistle blowers is the publicity killing somebody generates is the thing these people would be trying to avoid at any cost.

How difficult would it have been for these world dominators to break into his house & steal everything when he was out & he couldn't have done anything about it? Killing somebody in a messy manner in a motel room would only bring attention to them & risk exposure.

It makes you wonder if this guy was depressed with his health problems & other issues, saw his investigation was really going nowhere but by taking his life could make himself famous & keep the conspiracy that had consumed him going?

The telling thing is it is 24 years since his death & the internet has had all manner of conspiracy theories on it the last 20 odd years, the book on it has been out for 20 odd years & yet the smoking gun he was so near to has never materialised.

Big problem I always have with these assassination theories of whistle blowers is the publicity killing somebody generates is the thing these people would be trying to avoid at any cost.

How difficult would it have been for these world dominators to break into his house & steal everything when he was out & he couldn't have done anything about it? Killing somebody in a messy manner in a motel room would only bring attention to them & risk exposure.

It makes you wonder if this guy was depressed with his health problems & other issues, saw his investigation was really going nowhere but by taking his life could make himself famous & keep the conspiracy that had consumed him going?

The telling thing is it is 24 years since his death & the internet has had all manner of conspiracy theories on it the last 20 odd years, the book on it has been out for 20 odd years & yet the smoking gun he was so near to has never materialised.


This is basically along the same lines as what I believe.

I definitely respect a well researched opinion! However, I definitely disagree on this one. I think it was a homicide. I'm not going to rehash the points made above as they have already been mentioned. I will mention the method of "suicide". I will discount Danny's brothers assertion he was terrified of blood because that's only his brothers word.

Slashing ones inner wrist to the depth in which his was would be very unlikely. Most would pass out due to the intense pain before getting to the depth he got. I actually read somewhere (Ill try to find it now) that either an ME or EMT said they were shocked anyone cut alone cut their wrists to the depth he did without passing out from pain first. He also wasn't under the influence of opiate pain meds (popping pills) or anything like that that would dull the pain of what he did. Even if he had a few beers at the bar that wouldn't "numb" that amount of pain sufficiently.

Also, I wouldn't solely point the finger at UM here for indulging the murder theory. If the police had actually treated the scene like a crime scene first (that is the standard) such as using a strainer to drain the tub, carefully documenting the scene and preserving it then there wouldn't do as many questions in the first place. Embalming the body before an autopsy or contacting the family days later? I mean, how could questions not come up? Of course, it could just be lazy and horrendously incompetent police (although not one was disciplined or fired) but it leaves a lot of unanswered questions for the family. (especially given the bizarre and odd circumstances of his death and what he was researching.) So, Id lay blame with the police for not doing their job in the first place as opposed to UM on this one. Even the prior attorney general believed there was a strong possibility he was murdered.

I don't think we will ever truly know thanks to the police. Whether is was just complete incompetence or intentional I'm not sure but I do think he was murdered.

Lastly, I thought the family did say they saw bruises and defensive wounds on the body when it was viewed. That wouldn't be the first case where the autopsy said no signs of a struggle on the body but when the family viewed the body they saw clear evidence of a struggle.

In cases like these there would always be questions-anything involving conspiracies always has people who will never believe an official version.

I expect the police etc approached it from another suicide rather than homicide & on a weekend & we want to get it wrapped up as quickly as possible-rather than a cover-up it was more likely just a lack of interest & being lazy.

There were drugs along with alcohol in his system-including Acetaminophen & anti-depressants-is it impossible he could have cut his wrists with those in him? Some people also tolerate pain better than others.

Cannot bruises appear after death? Caused by the handling of the body in some cases I believe. Defensive wounds? Were these mentioned in either of the two autopsies? Could it not just be the family not accepting the official verdict?

What adds more weight to it being a suicide is his lying about various things.

On August 5, 1991, Casolaro phoned Bill McCoy, a retired CID officer to tell him that Time magazine had assigned him an article about the Octopus. He further claimed to be working with the reporter Jack Anderson, and that publishers Little, Brown and Time Warner had offered to finance the effort. All of these claims were later shown to be false: Little, Brown, for example, had rejected his Octopus manuscript over a month earlier.

On the same day, Casolaro's friend Ben Mason agreed to talk to Casolaro about his finances. A few days later, Casolaro showed Mason a 22-point outline for his book and expressed frustration at having been tied up with a literary agent who was unable to sell it for the last eighteen months.

So we have a guy who has pretty much bankrupted himself chasing a story that is going nowhere, is depressed & on medication for that, making things up, is it seems being harassed by somebody, unable to get a book deal etc who leaves a note saying sorry & all the evidence in the room points to a suicide rather than murder. Nobody heard any struggle & the room showed no signs of a struggle-which seems hard to believe if somebody was killing him in such a manner.

In cases like these there would always be questions-anything involving conspiracies always has people who will never believe an official version.

I expect the police etc approached it from another suicide rather than homicide & on a weekend & we want to get it wrapped up as quickly as possible-rather than a cover-up it was more likely just a lack of interest & being lazy.

There were drugs along with alcohol in his system-including Acetaminophen & anti-depressants-is it impossible he could have cut his wrists with those in him? Some people also tolerate pain better than others.

Cannot bruises appear after death? Caused by the handling of the body in some cases I believe. Defensive wounds? Were these mentioned in either of the two autopsies? Could it not just be the family not accepting the official verdict?

What adds more weight to it being a suicide is his lying about various things.

On August 5, 1991, Casolaro phoned Bill McCoy, a retired CID officer to tell him that Time magazine had assigned him an article about the Octopus. He further claimed to be working with the reporter Jack Anderson, and that publishers Little, Brown and Time Warner had offered to finance the effort. All of these claims were later shown to be false: Little, Brown, for example, had rejected his Octopus manuscript over a month earlier.

On the same day, Casolaro's friend Ben Mason agreed to talk to Casolaro about his finances. A few days later, Casolaro showed Mason a 22-point outline for his book and expressed frustration at having been tied up with a literary agent who was unable to sell it for the last eighteen months.

So we have a guy who has pretty much bankrupted himself chasing a story that is going nowhere, is depressed & on medication for that, making things up, is it seems being harassed by somebody, unable to get a book deal etc who leaves a note saying sorry & all the evidence in the room points to a suicide rather than murder. Nobody heard any struggle & the room showed no signs of a struggle-which seems hard to believe if somebody was killing him in such a manner.

This sums up why I believe it to be a suicide rather than homicide.

In cases like these there would always be questions-anything involving conspiracies always has people who will never believe an official version.

I expect the police etc approached it from another suicide rather than homicide & on a weekend & we want to get it wrapped up as quickly as possible-rather than a cover-up it was more likely just a lack of interest & being lazy.

There were drugs along with alcohol in his system-including Acetaminophen & anti-depressants-is it impossible he could have cut his wrists with those in him? Some people also tolerate pain better than others.

Cannot bruises appear after death? Caused by the handling of the body in some cases I believe. Defensive wounds? Were these mentioned in either of the two autopsies? Could it not just be the family not accepting the official verdict?

What adds more weight to it being a suicide is his lying about various things.

On August 5, 1991, Casolaro phoned Bill McCoy, a retired CID officer to tell him that Time magazine had assigned him an article about the Octopus. He further claimed to be working with the reporter Jack Anderson, and that publishers Little, Brown and Time Warner had offered to finance the effort. All of these claims were later shown to be false: Little, Brown, for example, had rejected his Octopus manuscript over a month earlier.

On the same day, Casolaro's friend Ben Mason agreed to talk to Casolaro about his finances. A few days later, Casolaro showed Mason a 22-point outline for his book and expressed frustration at having been tied up with a literary agent who was unable to sell it for the last eighteen months.

So we have a guy who has pretty much bankrupted himself chasing a story that is going nowhere, is depressed & on medication for that, making things up, is it seems being harassed by somebody, unable to get a book deal etc who leaves a note saying sorry & all the evidence in the room points to a suicide rather than murder. Nobody heard any struggle & the room showed no signs of a struggle-which seems hard to believe if somebody was killing him in such a manner.

I posted about this case years ago in this (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=198639&highlight=casolaro) thread, making similar observations and drawing a similar conclusion:

I believe that Casolaro had recently been diagnosed with MS. That's a pretty devastating diagnosis, especially for a young man who seemed to think pretty highly of himself in certain ways and who clearly took pride in his personal appearance, etc. (he seems to have thought himself something of a looker, judging from the photographs the segment showed of him). Granted, most people diagnosed with MS don't go and kill themselves, but it's possible that Danny might, especially if he had some idea that the story he was working on was not much of a story at all, after all. This brings me to my second point, which is that, from what I understand, Danny Casolaro was a problematic figure. This site does a pretty nice job of explaining Casolaro's strengths and weaknesses as a "journalist" - he was so obsessed with a vast conspiracy that, in his mind, kept getting larger and larger, covering more and more of the world's events, that it became an almost impossible thing to actually argue was happening. Could one shadowy organization really be responsible for events as far flung as the Inslaw bankruptcy/break up and the Kenedy assasination? Casolaro had trusted one source, in particular, for several years, only to find that person more of a threat to him and more of a loose canon than any supposed "organization." Casolaro had a pretty well-documented obsessive streak, and if even he started to suspect that the vast "conspiracy" he had invested ALL of his money and time into for three years or more would never amount to anything substantial, that, combined with recent news about his inevitably deteriorating health, could have easily driven the man to suicide, I would think.

I expect the police etc approached it from another suicide rather than homicide & on a weekend & we want to get it wrapped up as quickly as possible-rather than a cover-up it was more likely just a lack of interest & being lazy.

.


Being a weekend/lazy is still pretty horrendous. If that was my relative and their sloppy and half assed work left me with more questions then answers, I'd be livid. Not to mention taking 3 days to call me and tell me their dead and already embalmed?! Sorry, but in my opinion they should've all been fired. They aren't making fries at McDonalds they are dealing with very serious issues so if they cant be bothered on a weekend to do the proper protocol then they shouldn't be police at all.

Rather depends on the department/where it is. Especially back then they were often pretty backwards. Now we live in an age where every police action is scrutinized by the media & on the internet-back then it took something massive like Rodney King to get any national play.

Even with all of that some departments resist changing anything or punishing officers unless they are forced into it 24 years later.

We really don't know for certain if the cops were lazy in this case. For all we know everything was a clear cut sign of a suicide, and thanks to UM and "the octopus", the case spiraled into conspiracy territory.

I've also found the weirdest aspect of this case to be the mysterious military man who showed up at Casolaro's funeral and left a medal on his casket. Because regardless of whether Casolaro's death was murder or suicide, this guy's actions make no sense whatsoever since Casolaro never even served in the military at any point.

I've heard people on here theorize that this military man simply showed up at the wrong funeral by mistake and inadvertently created a red herring, which would be hilarious if true, but it's still very odd behaviour to show up at a funeral, place a medal on a casket, and leave without even speaking to anyone.

I've also found the weirdest aspect of this case to be the mysterious military man who showed up at Casolaro's funeral and left a medal on his casket. Because regardless of whether Casolaro's death was murder or suicide, this guy's actions make no sense whatsoever since Casolaro never even served in the military at any point.

I've heard people on here theorize that this military man simply showed up at the wrong funeral by mistake and inadvertently created a red herring, which would be hilarious if true, but it's still very odd behaviour to show up at a funeral, place a medal on a casket, and leave without even speaking to anyone.


No one thought to get the medal or stop the funeral and ask who he was? On the far end of the conspiracy spectrum, what if he was an actor hired to show up?

Haha, this case is one of those ones that just divides everyone. My brother is always making Octopus connections with his gf, she thinks it was suicide though.

Does anyone have a link where it takes about Dannys lies ect? I would just like to read up on it

I've also found the weirdest aspect of this case to be the mysterious military man who showed up at Casolaro's funeral and left a medal on his casket. Because regardless of whether Casolaro's death was murder or suicide, this guy's actions make no sense whatsoever since Casolaro never even served in the military at any point.

I've heard people on here theorize that this military man simply showed up at the wrong funeral by mistake and inadvertently created a red herring, which would be hilarious if true, but it's still very odd behaviour to show up at a funeral, place a medal on a casket, and leave without even speaking to anyone.

Totally off topic Robin W, but I remember reading on a post back that you're Canadian. I was just in Canada over the long weekend as I live just a few minutes from the border in Buffalo,NY and those Canadian Caesar drinks are to die for! lol I wish we had them in the states. Okay resume! lol just had to say that!

I've also found the weirdest aspect of this case to be the mysterious military man who showed up at Casolaro's funeral and left a medal on his casket. Because regardless of whether Casolaro's death was murder or suicide, this guy's actions make no sense whatsoever since Casolaro never even served in the military at any point.

I've heard people on here theorize that this military man simply showed up at the wrong funeral by mistake and inadvertently created a red herring, which would be hilarious if true, but it's still very odd behaviour to show up at a funeral, place a medal on a casket, and leave without even speaking to anyone.

I wonder if he could have been somebody that Casolaro had talked with/interviewed at some one point during his investigation? Maybe he had information & thought that DC was a brave guy who was bumped off being a patriot?

No one thought to get the medal or stop the funeral and ask who he was? On the far end of the conspiracy spectrum, what if he was an actor hired to show up?

:lol: There's zero chance this actually happened, but I'm strangely amused by the idea of a suicidal Danny Casolaro hiring some actor to show up at his funeral and place a medal on his casket for the express purpose of bolstering conspiracy theories and intrigue about his death.

As far as no one asking who the guy was, I would just attribute it to no one wanting to come across as rude by making a scene at a funeral. Everyone kept silent because they probably thought: "Well, I have no idea who this guy is, but I'm sure other people do", only to find out during conversations after the funeral that NO ONE knew this man. But, yeah, I do wonder if anyone ever tried to dig up and retrieve the medal to check it for fingerprints and what-not. Finding out what type of exact medal it was could at least shed a little bit of insight into the military man's motivation.

I wonder if he could have been somebody that Casolaro had talked with/interviewed at some one point during his investigation? Maybe he had information & thought that DC was a brave guy who was bumped off being a patriot?

Yes, this is my exact thought. This guy might have interacted with Casolaro at some point during his investigation and thought Casolaro's work was courageous enough to merit a medal, even if he had no service record. But it's pretty strange that he would show up to a funeral in a limousine with a bodyguard and drop off the medal in front of all those people. If the guy had any secrets, he certainly wasn't acting very inconspicuous about it.

I tend to think two things about the military guy:

Either he was at the wrong funeral, or the family members and friends greatly exaggerated (or were mistaken) about how he acted, and how high ranking he was in the military. It could have been a buddy of Casolaro's who was giving him one of his medals he received as a token of friendship, because he thought he was murdered, etc. Could be a number of possibilities. I just don't think some random military guy is going to show up and place a medal on a casket of someone the government just presumably murdered if their intent was to cover it up and make it look like a suicide. Doesn't seem like the smartest thing to do. Essentially advertise the fact that Casolaro had military ties and involvement.

I tend to think two things about the military guy:

Either he was at the wrong funeral, or the family members and friends greatly exaggerated (or were mistaken) about how he acted, and how high ranking he was in the military. It could have been a buddy of Casolaro's who was giving him one of his medals he received as a token of friendship, because he thought he was murdered, etc. Could be a number of possibilities. I just don't think some random military guy is going to show up and place a medal on a casket of someone the government just presumably murdered if their intent was to cover it up and make it look like a suicide. Doesn't seem like the smartest thing to do. Essentially advertise the fact that Casolaro had military ties and involvement.
Well said and really I would like to know more about that. None of that made any sense to me. It very well could of been a personal friend.

Up until today, I had never thought anything but foul play, and while I still lean in that direction, I just had somenagging thoughts.

Having worked in hotels most of my adult life and having also stayed at hotels quite a bit, I can tell you Danny could have taken numerous security precautions had he felt his life was so endangered.

1) The deadbolt. I guess I can't be positive this particular hotel had one, but I believe they are commonplace and it would certainly seem an upscale Sheraton, like this one was, would have one. The room almost certainly would have had a peephole also. Therefore, I'm led to believe that unless Danny was really careless, he personally screened whomever was coming into his room, or at least, had the capability of doing so.

2) If Danny was apprehensive about a certain person gaining access to his room, or even had doubts and suspicions, he could have easily informed the front desk and had them screen anybody wishing to go to his room. At the very least, the front desk would have knowledge of *who* was going to his room.

3) I would be curious to know if Danny was on a first floor room, and how close this room was to any side or back exits. A perp could have had a quick getaway if the room was on the first floor near an exit. If he was afraid for his life, requesting a room on the highest floor would have been wiser as criminals don't want to be trapped on the higher floors, with any number of potential witnesses around.

Furthermore, I can tell you that often times, the walls in hotels and motels are paper thin, and you hear way more noise while staying in one that you ever care to. The apparent lack of anyone hearing anything is something to ponder, although again, I would like to know how many rooms he was near and if they were occupied.

I completely agree with the original poster in that Danny Casolaro committed suicide.

I completely agree with the original poster in that Danny Casolaro committed suicide.

Glad to have some support here! It just strikes me impossible that the supposed killers would have forced Danny to write/orchestrate a suicide note, caused absolutely no noise, used a cumbersome, nonconventional weapon (blades from which were neatly taken from its original package), and left no sign of a struggle or defensive wounds whatsoever if he was to have been murdered in such a way.

That and the fact that Danny was clearly chasing a dead story that he proved to have lied about makes me believe that his story was much less compelling than was alleged in the show.

Didn't Casolaro actually buy the razor blades?? How convenient for this killer.

Glad to have some support here! It just strikes me impossible that the supposed killers would have forced Danny to write/orchestrate a suicide note, caused absolutely no noise, used a cumbersome, nonconventional weapon (blades from which were neatly taken from its original package), and left no sign of a struggle or defensive wounds whatsoever if he was to have been murdered in such a way.

That and the fact that Danny was clearly chasing a dead story that he proved to have lied about makes me believe that his story was much less compelling than was alleged in the show.

You bet! The segment doesn't even address the issue, but it's not like a killer could have just barged into his room. There's no way to get into those things unless you have a key or somebody lets you in.

You did an awesome job! Yes, there are definitely questions that need answers. However, just my notes.

First off - don't trust Wikipedia for "facts". I would go to the source if possible. EX "No one reported noise" what they don't say is the rooms near Danny weren't occupied, so that may be why.



1) Not everyone who drinks is about to commit suicide. And yes, Danny was VERY stressed. He was getting death threats, so he may not be very chipper. I would probably look the same way :)


2) Suicide note is indeed questionable. I haven't seen any evidence where folks said indeed it was his, tho it was similar. Like I said, there wouldn't be much of a scuffle, and no one would hear a commotion as the hotel was sparsely occupied during Danny's stay. Do we know for a fact there were neighbors? If so, then you definitely have a point here. If Wikipedia facts, then no.

3)Makes sense, actually. If you want it to look like suicide, you gonna leave the room a mess? You are going to do it as quietly as possible. You don't want staged suicides to look messy, otherwise it would be questioned.

4) Again, makes sense - if you just found the razor blades, wouldn't you say "Where the heck did he get the razor blades?" If you see a package of them laying around it looks like suicide - like he planned it and bought. so did he, or did someone else?

5) Again, there was no evidence of struggle, so even if he had neighbors, they wouldn't hear anything anyway.

6) Danny would enjoy wine and beer on occasion. Now, if he was drinking to be intoxicated, then yeah I would agree with you here. But simply seeing someone drinking alone, is nothing. No one stated he looked sad, was crying, worried. Just the bartender "he looked depressed" which is what every bartender would describe someone. If the tox came back with large amounts, then yeah I would agree. But not ready to jump on board quite yet.

Don't forget, there was another episode on UM where a reporter was warned he would be killed like Danny. Again, not saying Danny was killed, its just Danny was getting death threats as well (and perhaps the caller said that just to scare him - kinda like when terrorists take credit for attacks they don't do to instill fear - maybe the caller was saying Danny's death was a murder for the same reason.)

I also have a problem with the attempted cleanup. There was no evidence that Danny tried to clean up after himself, so either it was staged or some yo-yo contaminated the crime scene.

If he's squeeminsh with blood, then kind of a poor choice. Most folks like that get a gun or jump off a bldg., or hang themselves. But hey, who knows.


Im not saying you are wrong, just saying there are a lot of questions. Unfortunately the investigation was too poorly done for anyone to say one way or the other, so that's why Im undecided. Your case is very strong, however.

Didn't Casolaro actually buy the razor blades?? How convenient for this killer.

Exactly, that is one of the most important aspects. Why in the world would these supposed killers not come prepared with an easier, quicker, less noise-producing method to kill someone? Since there is no reason to believe the killers even had knowledge that Danny possessed the blades, it seems even more unlikely that this would have been the weapon used in a murder.

Exactly, that is one of the most important aspects. Why in the world would these supposed killers not come prepared with an easier, quicker, less noise-producing method to kill someone? Since there is no reason to believe the killers even had knowledge that Danny possessed the blades, it seems even more unlikely that this would have been the weapon used in a murder.

Thank you for that little tidbit. Had no idea. Definitely suicide, IMO.

You did an awesome job! Yes, there are definitely questions that need answers. However, just my notes.

First off - don't trust Wikipedia for "facts". I would go to the source if possible. EX "No one reported noise" what they don't say is the rooms near Danny weren't occupied, so that may be why.

First of all, thank you for your compliment and your response.

As far as the rooms near Danny not being occupied, this is not true. Both rooms adjacent to Danny's room were occupied that night, and when questioned neither occupant reported that any noise, struggle, or resistance was heard.

3)Makes sense, actually. If you want it to look like suicide, you gonna leave the room a mess? You are going to do it as quietly as possible. You don't want staged suicides to look messy, otherwise it would be questioned.

Accomplishing a murder like this would be next to impossible with full compliance of the victim and absolutely no scuffle, resistance, or struggle.

I also have a problem with the attempted cleanup. There was no evidence that Danny tried to clean up after himself, so either it was staged or some yo-yo contaminated the crime scene.

No one from the actual investigation claimed that there was a cleanup. This account comes from a housekeeper, who said the towels "looked like they wiped blood." There is no pictorial evidence to support this, nor evidence to support the conclusion that the towels even existed, and the police do not corroborate this account. Towels laying on the floor soak up blood, and if Danny got out of the tub there is a good chance that any towels he brushed upon would be bloody.

If he's squeeminsh with blood, then kind of a poor choice. Most folks like that get a gun or jump off a bldg., or hang themselves. But hey, who knows.

Absolutely, but poor choices are decidedly less poor to an individual who is inebriated, which was the condition Danny was in according to all parties. It shouldn't be necessary to say this, but many indiscretions are embraced while drinking. Homicides that lack any form of struggle or resistance are just not possible with razorblades, especially if Danny was particularly fearful of them.

Glad to have some support here! It just strikes me impossible that the supposed killers would have forced Danny to write/orchestrate a suicide note, caused absolutely no noise, used a cumbersome, nonconventional weapon (blades from which were neatly taken from its original package), and left no sign of a struggle or defensive wounds whatsoever if he was to have been murdered in such a way.

That and the fact that Danny was clearly chasing a dead story that he proved to have lied about makes me believe that his story was much less compelling than was alleged in the show.

I agree with the suicide angle. I posted a couple of months ago in an unrelated thread that it seemed like a suicide combined with overhyped peripheral variables. Once that was my first impression I basically ignored it.

Has anyone else reviewed the information posted on the internet archive in 2015 and 2016 ?

https://archive.org/details/casolaro-notebooks

https://archive.org/details/DannyCasolaroFBI

Do the photos change your mind on whether it was suicide or not ?

These were posted on 5/6/2017:

** warning graphic photos **
https://archive.org/details/CasolaroCrimeSceneAndCorpsePhotos

https://archive.org/details/CasolaroSuicideNote
--

Do the photos change your mind on whether it was suicide or not ?

These were posted on 5/6/2017:

** warning graphic photos **
https://archive.org/details/CasolaroCrimeSceneAndCorpsePhotos

https://archive.org/details/CasolaroSuicideNote
--

Holy hell... Those cuts are DEEP. I don't see how anyone could make even one of those cuts on themself and not pass out. That is very crazy.

I found this. Now whete is my Sharon Kinne play?

http://www.stageandcinema.com/2014/10/02/danny-casolaro-died-for-you/

Holy Hell its.....photocopies? But yes those are very deep grooves. Disturbing, would someone be able to slice that deep themselves? Unless he's superman or used some type of numming agent
.

I was prepared to give the case the benefit of the doubt because Iran-Contra, BCCI, and the October Surprise are connected, and because Elliot Richardson, whom Nixon fired for failing to fire special prosecutor Archibald Cox, lent his unimpeachable cred. The circumstances of Casalaro's death remain suspicious.

But he doesn't strike me as a journalist so much as an average citizen with an amateur's reporting skills. No reporter believes there's ONE treasure trove of documents connecting everybody. You can believe, as I do, based on evidence, that an easily identifiable cabal of national security types did nefarious things in the Reagan-Bush administration yet dismiss the idea of THE OCTOPUS (a term from Frank Norris' novel about business combinations in the West).

I was prepared to give the case the benefit of the doubt because Iran-Contra, BCCI, and the October Surprise are connected, and because Elliot Richardson, whom Nixon fired for failing to fire special prosecutor Archibald Cox, lent his unimpeachable cred. The circumstances of Casalaro's death remain suspicious.

But he doesn't strike me as a journalist so much as an average citizen with an amateur's reporting skills. No reporter believes there's ONE treasure trove of documents connecting everybody. You can believe, as I do, based on evidence, that an easily identifiable cabal of national security types did nefarious things in the Reagan-Bush administration yet dismiss the idea of THE OCTOPUS (a term from Frank Norris' novel about business combinations in the West).

It is on a par with the Bilderberger conspiracy-these people cannot agree on the time of day as we have seen how ineffective they have been on things like climate change, cyber security, migration etc, let alone control every facet of the universe if the conspiracy claims are to be believed.

It could be a grand conspiracy that saw Danny C murdered, but really he was a broke journalist who despite having the secrets to probably the biggest scandal in history was out there getting drunk & shouting his mouth off about it in bars-hardly the actions of somebody fearful of these world dominators. What is more likely is that he killed himself on the weekend in a small place, the cops couldn't really be bothered with the crime scene as it looked like a suicide & neither could the pathologist, as this out of town guy had heaped more work on them when they would rather be out drinking etc.

Michael Riconosciuto was serving a 30 year sentence for manufacturing and distributing methamphetamine during the filming of this segment. UM simply says it was a "drug charge". Why they bothered to give this crack pot airtime is beyond me.

Michael Riconosciuto was serving a 30 year sentence for manufacturing and distributing methamphetamine during the filming of this segment. UM simply says it was a "drug charge". Why they bothered to give this crack pot airtime is beyond me.

Yep. Basically anyone that Casolaro was associating with and getting information from regarding this story was a loon.

Yep. Basically anyone that Casolaro was associating with and getting information from regarding this story was a loon.

Danny was chasing conspiracy theories. He never shared his notes so we don't know if he actually uncovered anything.

I believe it was suicide. I believe Danny showed up to West Virginia and realized he had found another dead end. I think the realization that you wasted literal years of your life chasing dead ends is pretty heavy. I don't think he could handle the embarrassment that would come with ultimately coming up heavy handed.

I just find it hard to believe that he was murdered in such a gruesome way without anyone hearing it. He was on the 5th floor of the Sheraton so someone whether on either side or below him would have heard something.

The murder angle makes sense if either of these happened:

The murderer hit him with a tranquilizer dart as soon as he opened the door and mimicked his handwriting for the "suicide note."

Someone roofied him in the bar and followed him upstairs where he passed out.

For there to be no noise, Danny would have had to be unconscious pretty much from the moment his hotel door opened.

The suicide note cannot be explained if you believe he was murdered. I recently watched this segment and forgot how ridiculous the "octopus" really was. He actually thought this random software company was tied to every single scandal in the 1980s?

The suicide note cannot be explained if you believe he was murdered. I recently watched this segment and forgot how ridiculous the "octopus" really was. He actually thought this random software company was tied to every single scandal in the 1980s?


I think that people go to two extremes...either that danny knew all the worlds darkest secrets, so bush snr sent a hitman to whack him.... or depressed he killed himself.

nobody is willing to accept that theres maybe something inbetween, i mean you're right, unless danny had some secret files, he didn''t know anything special, he wasn't the first person to talk about inslaw, he wasn't the first to mention iran contra...

but i don't know if i 100% buy the suicide explaination, he was getting death threats, this was verified by his maid and his brother, an eye witness at the hotel saw someone go into his room with dark hair, the way we're told he severed his wrists was way over the top for suicide...

maybe it doesn't have to be "high level CIA assassins" but if he stuck his nose into things like that indian reserve and someone who was making 100k a year on untaxed tobacco decides paying someone 2k to shut danny up is worth it..

this seems more plausible to me.