October Newsletter: Credibility, Karen Read and Diddy's Mum

Welcome to the October newsletter which starts with a plug.

My new website is up and running, so if you’ve ever thought of using Statement Analysis in your professional life, or you want some training to help life in general, head to StatementFox.com to see what is on offer.

I’m passionate about raising the profile of Statement Analysis and the good that can come from deeply investigating the statements people make. It was a privilege to join Sheryl McCollum on the Zone 7 podcast to discuss these thoughts and use a real live case in which, if the officers involved had been more attuned to hearing what was really said, could have save lives.

You can listen to it here:

KAREN READ SPEAKS

Karen Read didn’t give evidence during her trial, but she has spoken to several media outlets. The latest TV show to look at her case ran recently and this part caught my attention. I’ve seen this before, when she tells her story of the last time she saw her boyfriend John O’Keefe, she talks in present tense. When someone is relating past events, we expect to hear it in the past tense. Using the present tense can denote deception.

Have a watch

She starts with past tense, as expected using words like “I saw him approach the front door”. Then she switches to present tense “I see him go to the door”, “and I’m thinking I’ll look at my phone”, “I see him open the door”.

Which would be a red flag for me, and it was until I looked at when the switch came. It isn’t Karen who introduces the present tense, it’s the interviewer. He asks in the present tense “how far do you see him go”, Karen’s reply mirrors the question.

However, Karen isn’t in the clear with me. Can you spot the differences in the video above and the one below where she tells the same story to another TV show?

In the first video she says she saw John “go to the door and start to cross the threshold” and “I see him open the door and put his head in” that is the point she looks at her phone. In the second video Karen says “as I see him approach the door, I look down at my phone”. Two different descriptions of what should be a key moment in her life.

Oh, and also the door John went to changes. In the first video it’s the front door, in the second version it’s the side door.

For sure the investigation into the death of John O’Keefe was a mess. I’ve noted many unusual discrepancies in the statements of prosecution witnesses. But every time Karen Read speaks, it doesn’t fire me up to see she’s innocent.

PROTECT AND LEARN

I’ve noticed a trend on social media recently. Maybe it’s always been there but it’s new to me. It’s posts getting a big audience by making outlandish claims and they all have one thing in common: a disclaimer like “apparently” or “I’ve heard”.

This disclaimer is all about credibility. When the message is proven wrong these creators can say “I didn’t lie, I didn’t mislead you. I said ‘apparently’, I didn’t say it WAS true”. Because if they did lie, if they made solid but wrong claims time after time, these creators would lose credibility. By using subtle disclaimers, they can keep the credibility.

This is one of the biggest principles in Statement Investigation. The cost of lying is huge. Loss of status, loss of security, loss of money, loss of relationships can all be a consequence of lying.

That’s why the most popular form of deception is telling the truth, but a specific version of the truth. The deceiver hopes you’ll take an impression from what they say, but if you find out that impression was wrong, they can say “I didn’t lie, I didn’t say what you thought I did”. This way, they retain status, credibility and often, control.

For example:

“You lied to me yesterday, you said you would be home early and it was midnight when you got in”

“I didn’t lie, I didn’t say I would be early, I said I wouldn’t be late, and I don’t think midnight is that late”

DIDDY DO IT?

Diddy has come in for a lot of allegations since he was arrested. His mom stepped into to make a statement supporting her boy Sean.

Here’s the full statement from Janice Combs, with comments from me on her words.

I come to you today as a mother that is devastated and profoundly saddened by the allegations made against my son, Sean Combs. It is heartbreaking to see my son judged not for the truth, but for a narrative created out of lies. To bear witness what seems to be like a public lynching of my son before he has had the opportunity to prove his innocence is a pain too unbearable to put into words. Like every human being, my son deserves to have his day in court, to finally share his side, and to prove his innocence.

She’s doesn’t say he’d been judged on lies which would be simple and direct, but “a narrative created out of lies”. Why state it that way?

I am not here to portray my son as perfect because he is not. He has made mistakes in his past, as we all have. My son may not have been entirely truthful about certain things, such as denying he has ever gotten violent with an ex-girlfriend when the hotel’s surveillance showed otherwise. Sometimes, the truth and a lie become so closely intertwined that it becomes terrifying to admit one part of the story, especially when that truth is outside the norm or is too complicated to be believed. This is why I believe my son’s civil legal team opted to settle the ex-girlfriend’s lawsuit instead of contesting it until the end, resulting in a ricochet effect as the federal government used this decision against my son by interpreting it as an admission of guilt.

In common with nearly every Diddy supporter I’ve seen speak, his own mom leads with how imperfect he is. She seems to have been disgusted as the rest of his about that hotel video because she doesn’t seek to hide it.

She started off saying Diddy should have his day in court and then says that, as he chose to dodge court in this instance, the federal government should ignore that part.

It is important to recognise that none of us, regardless of our status, are immune to fear or mistakes. Not being entirely straightforward about one issue does not mean my son is guilty of the repulsive allegations and the grave charges levelled against him. Many individuals who were wrongfully convicted and later exonerated had their freedom taken from them not because they were guilty of the crimes they were accused of, but because they didn’t fit the image of what this society considers to be a ‘good person’. History has showed us how individuals can be wrongfully convicted due to their past actions or mistakes.

This is a big ballon statement. It looks solid on the outside but it’s full of hot air. Her point is that innocent people have been found guilty in the past, therefore her sun must be innocent too. It’s doesn’t wash.

Watching the world make jokes and laugh at my son’s life crumbling before our eyes is something I can never forget. It is truly agonising to watch the world turn against my son so quickly and easily over lies and misconceptions, without ever hearing his side or affording him the opportunity to present his side. These lies thrown at him are motivated by those seeking a financial gain, and not justice. These individuals saw how quickly my son’s civil legal team settled his ex-girlfriend’s lawsuit, so they believe they can receive a quick payday by falsely accusing my son. False allegations of sexual assault thwart true victims of sexual violence from getting the justice they deserve. To make matters worse, the federal government is now using these lies to prosecute my son. This injustice has been unbearable for our family. The worst part of this ordeal is watching my beloved son be stripped of his dignity, not for what he did, but for what people choose to believe about him.

No, he’s been stripped of his dignity because very serious allegations have been made about him. Also, the hotel video you saw did nothing to improve his dignity.

I ask his supporters, fans, colleagues, friends, and the public, to not judge him before you’ve had the chance to hear his side. I beg you to think about those who have been wrongfully persecuted, to remember that not everyone who has made mistakes in life deserves to have their entire existence judged by a single action or a few mistakes. My son is not the monster they have painted him to be, and he deserves the chance to tell his side. I can only pray that I am alive to see him speak his truth and be vindicated.

The overall theme of her statement is how many bad things Sean has done. She references him being not perfect, the hotel violence and that everyone makes mistakes. She might have a protective mother’s instinct, but her words show she’s aware of just what kind of man her son is.

HOMEWORK

Here’s some homework for the next newsletter. I can’t comment yet because of the laws around contempt of court (which are a good thing!), but I’ll cover this in the next newsletter. Specially the five words referred to in the headline.

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/mums-five-word-reply-arrested-30144518

That’s it for October, don’t forget to check out StatementFox.com