The Cellar  

Go Back   The Cellar > Main > Current Events

Current Events Help understand the world by talking about things happening in it

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 10-22-2005, 12:34 PM   #1
wolf
lobber of scimitars
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Phila Burbs
Posts: 20,774
Goodbye, Michael

This was an exciting story for a day or two.

“Body discovered in Lansdale”

“Beaten Man found in Baseball Dugout”

It's a great news story.

For those not familiar with it, Lansdale is a small town outside of Philadelphia. It has all the stuff that makes small towns small towns. A Main Street, Soccer Moms (the Montgomery Soccer League is based in this area), and plenty of minivans. There are also lots of kids, and lots of kid recreation areas. Wentz Park, Sandcastle Park, Fischer's Park, and Memorial Park are only a few of the many community parks.

So when something not so wholesome happens, you pay more attention to it.

The body of a man being found on one of these manicured lawns of childhood dreams is something that doesn't happen in Lansdale. Not even in that apartment complex with the Section 8 people in it. Nope, not a thing that happens here, so everybody was talking about it.

Until now.

The body was identified yesterday.

It was determined to be that of a homeless man.

So the story is over, as far as the media is concerned. I heard that the police do have a suspect in the murder. I hope that's true.

Michael E. was probably one of the gentlest people I know. He was eager to please people and to help out when he could. He didn't have a lot, but he had a great smile. I don't have a particular cute or funny story to share about him ... he didn't do outrageous things like some of my patients, but he was always friendly, which is a rare gift indeed.

Goodbye, Michael E.



Quote:
Full text of the North Penn Reporter Article (articles there expire after 7 days)

10/22/2005
Murder victim identified
TONY Di DOMIZIO , Staff Writer

LANSDALE – The comfort of the park that a local homeless man called home has become the tragic scene of dismal misery.
Now residents will remember Memorial Park as the place where the lifeless body of Michael E‚ 49‚ was found Thursday afternoon after having been severely beaten.

Montgomery County Chief Deputy Coroner Jeanne Ottinger said the cause of death was severe blunt head trauma.

E. was found at 1:45 p.m. Thursday in the visitor dugout of Weaver Field.
“It is a homicide‚” she said. “(The blunt trauma) was very serious ... enough to kill him.”

Ottinger said E. was beaten to death not by fists alone‚ rather a blunt instrument.

“We think something was used‚ but we don’t know what‚” she said.
Ottinger also said she could not tell if E. died at the hands of one person or a group of people.

Police and the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office said E.’s last known address was on East Main Street and that he had been in the Lansdale-area for at least three years.

E. was known to frequent the area around Memorial Park and slept in the park on prior occasions‚ police said.

E.‚ who previously lived in Texas‚ was born in 1956 in Lackawanna County‚ police said.

On Friday afternoon‚ Lansdale Public Works employees used a backhoe to assist removing a steel grate from a drainage ditch located in the grass near the far corner of the fenced in ballfields‚ closest to Park Drive and about 280 feet from the dugout where E. was found.

Employees then drained the water collected at the bottom of the drain‚ while a county detective searched it for evidence. That detective was soon seen carrying a brown paper sack marked “evidence.”

The discovery of E.’s body did not make a severe impact on students of Penndale Middle School‚ located across the street from Memorial Park on Penn Avenue.

“We were contacted by the police yesterday afternoon‚” Christine Liberaski‚ district coordinator of school and community services‚ said Friday.
By the time students walked home from school‚ the body had been removed‚ she added.

“It wasn’t an issue‚” Liberaski said.
She added that the district had not received calls from parents following up on the incident.

Liberaski said there did not appear to be any indication of a need for additional counselors at Penndale.

Josh Beauseigneur‚ 12‚ a Penndale seventh grader‚ said there was nothing much different at school on Friday.

“Some people were kind of scared‚” Beauseigneur said.
Eighth-grader Frankie Bartle‚ 13‚ said he thought the school did not want to do anything that would upset students

“We thought we would get off today‚” seventh-grader Michael Ayers‚ 13‚ said.
As of Friday evening‚ police had no suspects in custody.

Those with information that may be useful to the investigation should immediately contact Lansdale police at (215) 368-1801 or the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office at (610) 278-3368‚ or after 5 p.m. call (610) 275-1222.

Staff writer Mark Marotta contributed to this article.
__________________
wolf eht htiw og

"Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island

High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

Last edited by wolf; 11-09-2010 at 11:34 AM.
wolf is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-22-2005, 04:09 PM   #2
Trilby
Slattern of the Swail
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 15,654
I don't know what to say.


Man's inhumanity to man...all that trite cliche stuff...I don't know how to solve this. I only know how it feels when no one cares. It feels very bad. I am so sorry for Michael, somebody's son, somebody's brother...so wrong. I'm so sorry, wolf.
__________________
In Barrie's play and novel, the roles of fairies are brief: they are allies to the Lost Boys, the source of fairy dust and ...They are portrayed as dangerous, whimsical and extremely clever but quite hedonistic.

"Shall I give you a kiss?" Peter asked and, jerking an acorn button off his coat, solemnly presented it to her.
—James Barrie


Wimminfolk they be tricksy. - ZenGum
Trilby is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-22-2005, 04:57 PM   #3
Elspode
When Do I Get Virtual Unreality?
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Raytown, Missouri
Posts: 12,719
Something very similar happened here in KC a few months ago. Homeless man, known by and thought well of by the residents of the neighborhood which bordered the community center he frequented; spoken well of by a sobbing rec center employee on the evening news, found beaten to death in the park where he spoke to and smiled at people on a daily basis. He was an educated, erudite, mentally ill person, ruthlessly beaten and killed by some transient toughs hoping to get drug money from him.

People suck.
__________________
"To those of you who are wearing ties, I think my dad would appreciate it if you took them off." - Robert Moog
Elspode is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:20 AM.


Powered by: vBulletin Version 3.8.1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.