Danny Casolaro

[GaryJ06]

wow sometimes i love youtube!

-glad i wasn't home alone today when i watched the morgan/deveraux/casalaro stories. I'm sure it's been discussed sometime before, but i wonder if anyone has any thoughts

[kamy]

That's a popular one here, do a search and you'll turn up a plethora of info.

[GaryJ06]

thank ya much

[DALLASTEXAN!!]

Originally Posted by GaryJ06

wow sometimes i love youtube!

-glad i wasn't home alone today when i watched the morgan/deveraux/casalaro stories. I'm sure it's been discussed sometime before, but i wonder if anyone has any thoughts

yeah that trio was a weird one. since I'm new i did the search thing too. If a govt. agency was truly involved we won't ever know the truth.

[Xytras]

I have an unpopular opinion about this case around here, and think I'm one of the only ones around that believes he actually committed suicide. I'll paste what I wrote in a post about the case several months ago to explain my position after studying it, reading several books on the case, watching the segment, and coming up with possible theories.

I believe he really did commit 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. This in and of itself does not prove he killed himself, but could contribute to that kind of scenario.

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. Very rarely do those being killed not have any type of struggle whatsoever and are forced into submission in an isolated area of a room that easily.

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.

[DALLASTEXAN!!]

Originally Posted by Xytras

I have an unpopular opinion about this case around here, and think I'm one of the only ones around that believes he actually committed suicide. I'll paste what I wrote in a post about the case several months ago to explain my position after studying it, reading several books on the case, watching the segment, and coming up with possible theories.

I believe he really did commit 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. This in and of itself does not prove he killed himself, but could contribute to that kind of scenario.

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. Very rarely do those being killed not have any type of struggle whatsoever and are forced into submission in an isolated area of a room that easily.

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 agree that you may be right about casolaro. the morgan/deveraux cases are very weird though as well.

[GaryJ06]

Unpopular or not, differences in opinion are what fuel good discussion. The only thing I can think of to rebut that argument is what he said to his brother prior to leaving for Martinsburg. "If anything happens to me, don't believe it was an accident." This can be intrepreted as going towards a murder case, and also that suicide is no accident.

[LooksLikeCRicci]

I have a hard time believing that Danny would be capable of slashing both wrists in excess of 20 times....

Just my two cents.

[GaryJ06]

Bingo...and don't forget that there were no hesitation marks either (well according to the ME). I would think that there would be hesitation marks if the individual didn't know their own capabilities of self-harm. Also, Danny may not have been able to operate one of his hands after the tendon was severed (I would be interested to know if a sharper instrument was used to cut that deep, b/c i think a razor would have to really work at it) Also, that amount of pain would seem likely to introduce shock, and I'm not sure what that does to a person's ability to function.

[James T]

If it was just him that died you could probably put it down to suicide but there have been so many 'suicides' and unexplained murders of people who have uncovered facts about government dealings not only in America but all over the world, also there has never been any reason given as to why the body was enbalmed agaisnst the state law and who the military guy was at the funeral.

[Corky Kneivel]

Originally Posted by James T

...there have been so many 'suicides' and unexplained murders of people who have uncovered facts about government dealings not only in America but all over the world...

Speaking of which, who was that guy across the pond who came out as a whistleblower and was going to name names on some big bad thing and ended up being pulled out of the River Thames a few days later.

This would have been maybe 10 years ago?

[kamy]

What about the bloody towels that were found under the sink, as if someone tried to clean up the scene?

Hit men aren't always clean; I think this is so obviously a murder...

[kadrmas15]

Well, Casolaro's death, in my opinion, was another murder that was covered up because he was involved in either the government or drugs, you can add him to the list that includes Tommy Burkettt and Danny Williams and many others.

Casolaro had a well known fear of blood, the guy would supposedly pass out at even the sight of it, so how could a guy with such a fear of blood slash himself over twenty times including two cuts that were so deep that they severed tendons?

[Xytras]

Well, in my estimation, his fear of blood was the reason why he drank a large amount of wine and beer ahead of time...

If there were bloody towels under the sink in a manner which supports cleaning (which the police report disputes by the way) I agree it puts a dent in my argument. However, until someone can tell me why and/or how murderers could/would force Danny to drink a large amount of alcohol before they killed him, with no sign of struggle or sound of pain eminating (with people staying in rooms on either side of the hotel) I don't buy that he was murdered. The package of razors just sitting there, carefully opened also gives me doubt. I really wish they would have done fingerprint tests on the package but stupidly, I don't think they ever did.

I feel the episode of UM was pretty good but left out details that could portray doubt in the murder scenario.

[GaryJ06]

Killer/killers could have been wearing gloves which would eliminate prints on the package of blades. Also, there is nothing said about him being forced to drink. I recall the bartender saying that he had been in the hotel lounge for hours...maybe he just felt like getting wasted.