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Police Find ‘Blood’ Stains On 2 Items At Bryan Kohberger’s Home

by Manya Wakefield
'Blood' Stains Found At Home of Idaho Murder Suspect Bryan Kohberger

UNSEALED COURT DOCUMENTS reveal that police recovered two ‘blood’ stained items at the home of murder suspect Bryan Kohberger.

The documents were unsealed on January 17 and outline what kind of evidence law enforcement was looking to find at Mr. Kohberger’s home in connection with the quadruple homicide of four University of Idaho students: Kaylee Gonçalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin.

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What Police Found At Murder Suspect Bryan Kohberger’s Home

The return of service search warrant shows the investigators seized the following items when they searched Mr. Kohberger’s residence and a storage unit in December 2022:

  • One nitrite type black glove
  • 1 Walmart receipt with one Dickies tag
  • 2 Marshalls receipts
  • Dust container from Bissell Power Force vacuum
  • 8 possible hair strands
  • 1 ‘Fire TV’ stick with cord/plug
  • 1 possible animal hair strand
  • 1 possible hair
  • 1 possible hair
  • 1 possible hair
  • 1 possible hair strand
  • 1 computer tower
  • 1 collection of dark red spot (collected without testing)
  • 2 cuttings from uncased pillow of reddish/brown stain (larger stain tested)
  • 2 top and bottom of mattress cover packaged separately both labeled multiple stains(one tested)

The warrant reveals that phenolphthalein tests were used to determine if the stains on the uncased pillow and mattress cover were from blood. While the tests found that the items had blood stains on them, false positives occur. Furthermore, the provenance of the blood and species of its source remain unknown.

More Testing Is Needed

The suspected hair and an animal fur will be tested to see if they are a genetic match to the murder victims, other residents at the 1122 King Road, and Ms. Gonçalves dog respectively.

More tests will be conducted to determine if the items were stained with blood from any of the murder victims. It is unknown whether investigators believe that the suspect kept the items as trophies from the brutal attacks on the students.

Why Is Bryan Kohberger A Suspect?

DNA evidence found on the sheath of what is believed to be the murder weapon next to two of the victims was found to be a 99% match for Mr. Kohberger. A car matching the description for the white Hyundai Elantra owned by Mr. Kohberger was also seen in the environs of the student’s off-campus residence. Evidence from his mobile found also shows that he stalked the victims residence more than twelve times before the fatal attacks. Investigators also found the Mr. Kohberger was following the three female victims on Instagram and attempted to contact one of them via direct message in October 2022, suggesting that the murders at 1122 King Road were femicides.

Retired FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer characterized Mr. Kohberger as a narcissist and believes that he will eventually come clean, “I think he’ll talk […] he wants to explain, he wants that attention, he’s a narcissist, he wants to be the smartest guy in the room.”

Mr. Kohberger was arrested on December 30, 2022. His next hearing is set for June 26, 2023. If he is found guilty, he will face the death penalty.

Unsealed Search Warrant

Read the full unsealed search warrant below:

Bryan Kohberger Search WarrantDownload

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Bryan Kohberger Allegedly Told Neighbor, ‘It Was A Crime Of Passion’

by Manya Wakefield
Bryan Kohberger Allegedly Told Neighbor, 'It Was A Crime Of Passion'

A neighbor of Bryan Kohberger, the prime suspect in the Moscow murders, has opened up about comments allegedly made the day after the tragedy.

According to CBS Evening News, Kohberger allegedly spoke to his neighbor about the fatal attacks on November 14, 2022. In an interview with Nora O’Donnell, the neighbor, who wishes to remain anonymous, gave the following account: “He brought it up in conversation and asked if I’d heard about the murders which I did. Then he said, ‘yeah, it seems like they have no leads. It seems like it was a crime of passion.'”

A Possible Motive For The Crime?

Mr. Kohberger’s neighbor seems to believe that his comments may be indicative of a possible motive for the fatal attacks on Kaylee Gonçalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin in November 2022.

They added, “At the time of our conversation, it was only a few days after it had happened, so there weren’t many details out.”

Mr. Kohberger, a 28-year-old Ph.D. student, was arrested on December 30, 2022, and charged with first degree murder in connection with the quadruple homicide.

What Is The Significance of The Alleged Remarks?

A crime of passion is a legal concept that refers to impulsive illegal acts driven by an extreme emotional response to provocation. In the context of gender-based violence, crimes of passion are an expression of narcissistic rage.

The day after the attack on November 14, 2022, Moscow Mayor Art Bettge described the attack as a crime of passion, telling the New York Times, “With a crime of this magnitude, it’s very difficult to work through. The overall assessment is that it’s a crime of passion.”

Within twenty-four hours of the tragedy, the crime of passion narrative spread throughout the news media. Therefore, it is possible that Mr. Kohberger was simply echoing Mayor Bettge’s remarks.

New details have emerged showing that Mr. Kohberger was following the three female victims on Instagram prior to the murders. According to the court records, he allegedly stalked the women for five months behavior prior to the incident. If convicted, he will face the death penalty. His next hearing is on June 26, 2023.

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Was It Femicide? Bryan Kohberger Followed The 3 Women On Instagram

by Manya Wakefield
Was It Femicide? Bryan Kohberger Followed The 3 Women On Instagram

Bryan Kohberger allegedly followed Kaylee Gonçalves, Madison Mogen, and Xana Kernodle on social media prior to the fatal attack at King Road in Moscow, Idaho.

* Trigger Warning: This article discusses violent crimes. 

Per People, the murder suspect followed the three women on Instagram and reached out to one of them via direct message in October 2022.

“He slid into one of the girls’ DMs several times but she didn’t respond,” explains the source, “Basically it was just him saying, ‘Hey, how are you?’ But he did it again and again.”

Undeterred By No Response

The source did not reveal which one of the victims Mr. Kohberger was attempting to connect with. However, they revealed that Mr. Kohberger was undeterred by the fact that the woman did not respond to his messages and continued to reach out to her.

According to the source, “She may not have seen [his messages], because they went into message requests. We’re still trying to determine how aware the victims were of his existence. There’s no indication that he was getting frustrated with her lack of response, but he was definitely persistent.”

Apart from the direct messages, the suspect sent to one of the women, he did not interact with their social media accounts in the public sphere.

Was It Femicide? Kohberger Only Followed The Women

Mr. Kohberger was not following the forth victim, Ethan Chapin. His alleged focus on the female victims of the Moscow murders begs the question: was it femicide?

The term femicide was first conceptualized by Dr. Diana Russell in 1976 to describe the “killing of females by males because they are females.”

According to Jennifer Coffindaffer, a former FBI agent, the attack at King Road was a mass femicide and Mr. Chapin was collateral damage. She believes that the aggression was triggered by rejection, explaining that the killer is likely someone, “who’s never been able to be accepted in the types of group that Kaylee and Maddie were.”

Ms. Coffindaffer believes that Bryan Kohberger suffers from extreme narcissism and it will eventually lead him to confess, “The reason I think he’ll talk is he wants to explain, he wants that attention, he’s a narcissist, he wants to be the smartest guy in the room.”

The Women Were The Focus Of His Alleged Stalking

An alleged pattern of stalking behavior emerged in data obtained from the suspect’s mobile phone that showed he was near the victims’ residence at least 12 times between June 2022 and November 13, 2022.

One of the victim’s fathers, Steve Gonçalves revealed that the suspect has been orbiting around the women. While he did not get into the specifics, Mr. Gonçalves said, “He was stalking them, he was hunting them. He was a person looking for an opportunity and it just happened to be in that house.”

Ms. Gonçalves, Ms. Mogen, Ms. Kernodle, and Mr. Chapin, were killed in a brutal knife attack on November 13, 2022 at their off-campus residence near the University of Idaho. Mr. Kohberger, a 28-year-old Ph.D. student, was arrested on December 30, 2022, and charged with first degree murder in connection with their deaths

The Gonçalves family are seeking the death penalty. His next hearing is on June 26, 2023.

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Kohberger Was Stalking Victims For 5 Months Before Murders

by Manya Wakefield

Murder suspect Bryan Kohberger allegedly stalked the King Road residence a minimum of 12 times before the quadruple homicides. 

*Trigger Warning: This article discusses violent crimes. 

According to the court records, data obtained from Kohberger’s mobile phone showed that he was near the house no less than 12 times between June 2022 and November 13, 2022. He returned to the environs of the crime scene the morning after the murders.

Stalking late at night and early in the morning

A record of pings on his mobile phone reveals that the 28-year-old Ph.D. student was stalking the off-campus residence. The data shows that he was near the home shared by three of the victims Kaylee Gonçalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; and Xana Kernodle, 20, more than a dozen occasions.

Kohberger’s phone was pinged in the vicinity of the house late at night and early in the morning on each occasion except one.

The prosecution must prove to the court that Kohberger entered the house and murdered Gonçalves, Mogen, Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, 20, who was spending the night at King Road during the vicious knife attack. DNA evidence collected from the sheath of the alleged murder weapon, a USMC Ka-Bar Combat Knife, led to Kohberger’s arrest.

An eyewitness saw the murderer on the night of the crime

The Affidavit of Probable Cause reveals on the night of the murders one of the surviving residents told investigators that at 4:00 AM, Gonçalves sensed that something was off and said, “There’s someone here.” 

Per CNN, the surviving resident checked outside the house but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Moments later, she opened her door after hearing what sounded like a whimper from Kernodle’s room. She also believes she heard a man say, “It’s okay, I’m going to help you,” but at the time, she thought it was Kernodle’s boyfriend speaking to her.

After hearing a distinct cry, the surviving resident opened her door again to check on her housemates. To her utter horror, a black-clad male figure emerged wearing a mask over the lower part of his face. She froze in shock as he approached her. However, he left her unharmed and exited the residence through the sliding doors.

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Steve Goncalves on Bryan Kohberger: ‘He was hunting them’

by Manya Wakefield
Steve Goncalves on Bryan Kohberger: 'He was hunting them'

THE FATHER of Kaylee Gonçalves, a victim of the King Road Homicides, alleges that there is evidence that suspect Bryan Kohberger was stalking his daughter and the other residents of the house prior to committing the crimes.

*Trigger Warning: This article discusses violent crimes. 

Per CNN, Steve Gonçalves shared his thoughts on Kohberger’s alleged aggression. He explained that evidence suggests the Ph.D. student had been targeting Kaylee and her friends long before the night of the murders. He says, “He was stalking them, he was hunting them. He was a person looking for an opportunity and it just happened to be in that house. And that’s hard to take.”

The Affidavit of Probable Cause alleges that Kohberger stalked the victims’ residence no less than 12 times prior to the murders.

An act of extraordinary cowardice

Kaylee and her friends Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, were killed in a brutal knife attack on November 13, 2022 at their off-campus residence near the University of Idaho. Kohberger has been charged with first degree murder in connection with their deaths. Police believe he acted alone.

Mr. Gonçalves discussed the cowardly nature of Kohberger’s alleged crimes, explaining that his daughter and the other victims were probably asleep during the attack. He says, “She had her phone right next to her and she couldn’t call 911. So these were just girls that went to sleep that night and a coward […] picked his little opponent that was girls.”

Madison Mogen (left) and her best friend Kaylee Gonçalves (right) on International Women’s Day 2022. ©instagram.com/kayleegoncalves

Kaylee’s father also believes that Kohberger may have had some kind of contact with her and/or the other victims prior to the murders. He thinks it’s possible that the suspect may have had a particular focus on one or more of the students. He said, “I’d be a little bit surprised if there wasn’t a clearer touch point that would suggest that he was interested in one or two of the people more than he was the others.”

Steve Gonçalves and family are seeking the death penalty

Mr. Gonçalves shared that he and his wife, Kristi, attended Kohberger’s court hearing. He said Kohberger refused to make eye contact during the proceedings. He explains, “He knows I want him to look me in the eye. So he didn’t. He’s scared to look at me in the eyes […] understand what’s about to happen to him.”

Idaho is a state that carries the death penalty and the Gonçalves family are pursuing justice for their daughter Kaylee to the full extent of the law. Mr. Gonçalves shared his view on the matter, “You know, he picked the wrong family. We’re not scared of a conflict. We’re not running. We’re coming at him.”

Mr. Gonçalves said that someday his family forgive Kohberger for his alleged crimes. However, he thinks serving life in prison is not a sufficient punishment for taking the lives of Kaylee and her friends. He did not mince words about his stance, “He has to pay for what he’s done. If you want to play God’s role, then you’re going to have to go answer to Him.”

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DNA Evidence Links Bryan Kohberger to Moscow Murders

by Manya Wakefield
DNA Evidence Links Bryan Kohberger To Moscow Murders

In the early hours of November 13, 2022, four University of Idaho students lost their lives in a brutal knife attack in a rental home near the campus. They were Kaylee Gonçalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20.

*Trigger Warning: This article discusses homicide. 

Bryan Kohberger, a 28 year old Ph.D. student was arrested on charges of first degree murder in connection with the students’ deaths. So far he is the only suspect and law enforcement believes that he acted alone.

The suspect’s DNA was found at the scene of the crime

According to Cathy Mabbutt, the Latah County Coroner, the autopsy showed that the students were stabbed multiple times in their sleep. The students were wounded on their chests and other areas of the upper body. They also sustained some defensive wounds indicating that they tried to resist. The Moscow Police Department confirmed that none of the attacks were of a sexual nature.

Mabutt revealed that the perpetrator used “a pretty large knife.”

Later it emerged that a DNA sample was obtained from the button on a leather knife sheath found near Kaylee and Maddie’s remains. Though the murder weapon has not been found, the sheath had contained a 7-inch Ka-Bar Fighting/Utility knife with a steel clip point blade (see image below).

USMC Ka-Bar Combat Knife | Bryan Kohberger | King Road Homicides
A USMC Ka-Bar Fighting/Utility Knife similar to the one allegedly used in the King Road Homicides.

DNA procured from Bryan Kohberger

The FBI observed Kohberger for four days at his family home in Pennsylvania over the Christmas holiday. At 4.00 am the suspect emerged from the residence to take out some rubbish. He was wearing surgical gloves and disposed it in the trash can at neighboring house. 

The FBI took the items Kohberger had thrown in the trash and had them analyzed for Kohberger’s DNA at the Idaho State Lab. The DNA turned out to be a perfect match for sample collected from the leather sheath found at the crime scene.

References

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Luke Mackie Jailed For Coercive Control

by Manya Wakefield

Luke Mackie, 21, has been sentenced to more than three years in jail after subjecting two women to malicious campaigns of coercive and control.

*Trigger Warning: This article discusses physical and emotional abuse. 

According to Edinburgh Live, Mackie terrorized his partner Nicole Connor, 23, with malicious threats to kill her family if she did not meet his demands. Mackie introduced violence into his relationship with his relationship with Connor within weeks of starting a relationship with her. She recalls how his mood would suddenly change “like a switch” had been flipped. After he abused her, she says he behaved as if nothing had happened.

Connor, an NHS nurse, was placed under a series of arbitrary rules and regulations by Mackie. He isolated her, restricting her freedom of movement by seizing her car keys. His control of Connor became so extreme that he did not allow her to use the bathroom unaccompanied.

Indeed Connor’s life was in danger as Mackie’s crimes against her escalated to several instances of non-fatal strangulation. During one of his outbursts, he threw her down on the floor. When Connor bravely exited her relationship with Mackie, he harassed and stalked her for two months.

Mackie’s behavior was ‘truly harrowing’ 

Mackie’s cowardly acts of violence against women eventually led to his arrest. At the Dundee Sheriff Court, he pled guilty to 12 charges, including coercive control of Connor from October 2020 to July 2021, four charges against another girlfriend, two attacks on law enforcement officers, and possession of cocaine.

After reviewing the evidence, Sheriff Gregor Murray described Mackie’s behavior as “truly harrowing” and dismissed the mitigating factors presented by the defense.

Mackie remained emotionless as he received his sentence on December 14, 2022. In a pitiful attempt to cling to his chauvinism, he gave his parents a wink as officers led him out of the dock to take him to prison.

A restoration of human dignity

Connor and her family were satisfied with the outcome. Although she still suffers from anxiety after Mackie’s cruel attacks, the court’s decision helped restore her human dignity.

She says, “I don’t think he thought this day would ever come. I’m relieved that he is behind bars. He can’t just walk away and do it to someone else – that was my biggest fear. He’s scum, and I will never forgive him.”

Connor explained that Mackie has not apologized or expressed remorse for his crimes against her, “He’s not sorry for any of it – he’s only sorry he got caught.”

This behavior is typical of perpetrators of gender-based domestic violence, as its perpetrators usually adhere to the sexist dogma that apologizing to women is a threat to their masculinity.

Connor has no illusions about Mackie, explaining, “He’s scum, and I will never forgive him. It now feels like justice has been served, and I can start putting this behind me.”

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Juliette Bryant on Jeffrey Epstein’s ‘Factory’ of Sex Crimes

by Manya Wakefield
Juliette Bryant on Jeffrey Epstein's Factory of Sex Crimes

JULIETTE BRYANT DETAILS how Jeffrey Epstein entrapped and exploited her for two years beginning in 2002. In an interview for the BBC2 docu-series, House of Maxwell, Bryant describes how the predator pedophile love bombed her into his notorious sex trafficking scheme. Bryant later filed a lawsuit against the Epstein estate in 2019. 

The “King of America”

Bryant claims that her initial point of contact with the billionaire pedophile was model Naja Hill. In her lawsuit, she alleges that Hill told her she had a friend who was the “King of America” with connections to Victoria’s Secret, who could help Bryant launch her modeling career.

Bryant Describes Epstein’s Love-Bombing Strategy

Bryant claims her first encounter with Epstein took place at a restaurant in Cape Town in 2002. According to the lawsuit, she met Epstein, a “former high-ranking U.S. Government official, a famous actor, and a well-known comedian.” 

New York magazine reports that Epstein visited South Africa in 2002 with actor Kevin Spacey, comedian Chris Tucker, and former US President Bill Clinton. 

Bryant claims that Epstein invited her to attend the former high-ranking politician’s speech the day after their first meeting. She also says Epstein boasted that he was friends with Z-brands impresario Leslie Wesner. She alleges that he instructed her to bring her modeling portfolio to a casting at his hotel after the politician’s speech.

Flattery and Future Faking

At the casting, Bryant claims that the billionaire pedophile flattered her ego, telling her that she “had the most beautiful figure [I have] ever seen in my life.” 

Epstein allegedly announced that he would sponsor Bryant’s work visa and a flight to New York so that she could embark on an international modeling career. 

The promises Bryant is describing are typical of a manipulation tactic called ‘future faking’ commonly used by highly narcissistic people.

“Future faking is when someone uses a detailed vision of the future to facilitate […] bonding and connection.” explains Greg Kushnick, PsyD.

Bryant claims that Epstein went as far as to personally offer reassurances to her mother. According to her lawsuit, Epstein had his assistant organize her trip from South Africa to the United States. 

Bryant Alleges She Was Isolated on Little Saint James

Shortly after she arrived in New York, Bryant alleges that Epstein flew her to his private island Little Saint James. She was led to believe that she was traveling there on a modeling assignment. Instead, her sex trafficking nightmare began.

Bryant recalls that there was a collection of disturbing images decorating the walls of Epstein’s island home, mainly nudes of girls and Ghislaine Maxwell. She also shared a photograph with the BBC showing a disturbing depiction of a giant walrus raping a woman.

This was a foreshadowing of what allegedly awaited Bryant on Little Saint James. The former model describes an incident when she was in Epstein’s private cinema with the billionaire and another girl. Bryant claims she witnessed the other girl performing a sex act on Epstein. She says the experience made her “absolutely petrified” as she had not been exposed to that kind of lewd behavior before.

It was then she says she realized that she was trapped on Little Saint James with no means of escape – a strategy typical of coercive control.

According to Bryant, “I was completely trapped, and there was nothing I could do.”

“He Fed Off The Terror”

Bryant alleges that she was raped by Jeffrey Epstein up to three times a day in his “ice-cold, pitch black” bedroom on Little Saint James.

“He fed off of the terror,” she recalls of the repeated sexual assault she allegedly suffered at the hands of the predator, “There was something about the energy of a girl being scared that he liked.”

She alleges that when Epstein raped her she would dissociate.

‘I just checked out of my body and let him do what he wanted because I didn’t know what else to do,’ Bryant explains, “I tried to escape in my mind, I tried to pretend it wasn’t happening.” 

She is describing a trauma response common to victim-survivors of sexual assault. When faced with an existential threat, the defense mechanisms that emerge are fight, flight, freeze or fawn behaviors.

Threats and Intimidation

To silence her, Bryant says that Epstein threatened her and her family. She claims the combination of being repeatedly raped and terrorized by Epstein destroyed her self-esteem, “I was so broken at that point, I just sort of went along with it. I never felt okay again after that, everything just fell to pieces.”

Bryant says that Epstein used intimidation to influence her decisions. He let Bryant know he was accused of rape by another woman and that he’d managed to have his accuser jailed by planting drugs in her apartment.

She recalls the absolute power Epstein wielded in his social circle which convinced her that he would make good on his threats to harm her and her loved ones.

“I just did as I was told,” Bryant explains, “I was petrified of him, who he was. I knew crossing him would be a very bad idea.”

In this way, she says, Epstein was able to coerce her into remaining in his environs. She recalls, “Nobody disobeyed Epstein.”

Describing the climate of fear he cultivated, Bryant says, “It was just like a factory. [Epstein] was running a machine, and Ghislaine Maxwell was the one operating it. Ghislaine was running the girls and would tell us when we needed to go to his bedroom, you couldn’t say no, there was just no option.”

Surviving Jeffrey Epstein

Bryant says the final straw came when Epstein compelled her to fly out to his ranch in New Mexico. There, she alleges, he attempted to traffick her to another “important government official,” and Bryant resisted.

After the incident, Epstein berated her for not being compliant. Finally, an opportunity came for Bryant to return to her South Africa and she seized it. She says she never saw Epstein or anyone in his cabal again but he continued to harass her. In an e-mail as recently as two months before his alleged suicide, Bryant claims the pedophile sent her a leering message ask her to send him nude photos of herself.

“I’m tired of feeling ashamed,” says Bryant of her torment by Epstein, “I know I’m one of the lucky ones. I know other people have had far worse, and that is who I want to speak for, for the people who can’t talk anymore.”

House of Maxwell airs on BBC 2 on April 1 at 9 pm GMT.

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Gérard Depardieu Charged with Rape and Sexual Assault

by Manya Wakefield
Gérard Depardieu Charged with Rape and Sexual Assault | #MeToo | Narcissistic Abuse Rehab

GÉRARD DEPARDIEU, 72, has been charged with rape and sexual assault of a 22-year-old colleague.

His attorney, Hervé Temime, told AFP on Tuesday that the French actor, “completely rejects the accusations.”

The alleged sexual assault and rape took place at one of Depardieu’s homes in Paris on August 7 and August 13, 2018, while they were rehearsing a scene from a theatre play at his home in Paris.

“The actress told police she had been assaulted by the actor twice this month at Depardieu’s home in Paris.”

The accuser knew Depardieu before the alleged attacks took place. According to a source close to the case, he is a friend of her family.

Her agent to French digital news service BFMTV that she is “devastated” by the alleged attacks. 

Depardieu’s attorney responded with the statement, “I had a long meeting with Gérard Depardieu and I am absolutely convinced that his innocence will be established.” 

There’s really no such thing as rape. It’s only a matter of a girl putting herself in a situation where she wants to be. Violence isn’t committed by those who do the act but by the victims, the ones who permit it to happen.

Gérard Depardieu

French prosecutors dropped the investigation in 2019

Investigations into the rape and sexual assault allegations against Gérard Depardieu were dropped by French prosecutors, who issued the following statement, “A number of investigations undertaken as part of this procedure have not enabled us to characterize the crimes alleged in all of their individual parts.”

The case was reopened last year and Depardieu was charged on December 16, 2020. He is currently free but under judicial supervision.

Depardieu claims to have “had plenty of rapes”

In an excerpt from a 1978 interview with Film Comment magazine, Depardieu admitted that he was a rapist:

“It was my pal Jackie – he was sixteen or seventeen – who took me along on my first rape.” 

He pauses, then adds as an afterthought, “He’s dead now, Jackie.” 

The incident occurred, Depardieu adds nonchalantly, in a bus depot; the girl, a brunette in her early twenties, was waiting for a bus when the teenager and the nine-year-old began teasing her.

“One thing led to another and, hup!!” – Depardieu suddenly rises halfway out of his chair, like an animal bounding after prey – “that was that.” He pauses. “It was normal. After that, I had plenty of rapes, too many to count.”

Depardieu returns to his chair and glances at the faces around him. He is surprised to note that they are registering something like horror. 

“There was nothing wrong with it,” he explains. “The girls wanted to be raped. I mean, there’s really no such thing as rape. It’s only a matter of a girl putting herself in a situation where she wants to be. Violence isn’t committed by those who do the act but by the victims, the ones who permit it to happen.”

In a taped interview with Time Magazine, journalist Richard Corliss asked Depardieu if he had committed rapes, and he replied, “Yes, but it was absolutely normal in those circumstances. That was part of my childhood.”

Depardieu denied making the statements after the fact. Instead, he qualified his previous statements, saying, “It is perhaps accurate to say that I had sexual experiences at an early age. But rape – never. I respect women too much.” 

The interview with Time was recorded in French and Depardieu’s lawyers argued that his statement was poorly translated, that he had not participated in but witnessed multiple rapes.

Time Magazine refused to retract the interview.

Who is Gérard Depardieu?

Gérard Depardieu is a lionized figure and widely regarded as one of the greatest actors in French cinema. He made his film debut in 1973 in the film Les Valseuses (Going Places).

The Oscar nominee has appeared in 170 films, including Green Card and Cyrano de Bergerac. However, he did not attend the Oscar’s ceremony due to public outrage over his admission of multiple rapes during his youth.

References

Editors (2021, February 23) ‘French actor Gérard Depardieu charged with rape.’ France 24. Retrieved February 22, 2021.

Zoglin, Richaed. (2001, June 24) L’Affaire Gérard Depardieu. Time Magazine. Retrieved February 22, 2021.

Mann, Judy. (1991, March 20) How Do We Handle The Rapist Turned Heartthrob? The Washington Post. Retrieved February 22, 2021.

Confidential support is available 24/7/365 to anyone experiencing abuse.
In the USA call 1-800-799-7233 or log on to thehotline.org.
In the UK call 0808 2000 247 or log on to nationaldahelpline.org.uk.

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FKA Twigs Opens Up To Gayle King on CBS This Morning

by Manya Wakefield
FKA twigs interview with Gayle King | CBS This Morning

FKA twigs opened up to journalist Gayle King on CBS This Morning about the alleged abuse she suffered at the hands of actor Shia LaBoeuf. In her first television interview since taking legal action against him in December 2020, the Grammy nominee also took the opportunity to name and define some of the common behaviors of perpetrators of domestic abuse.

With California’s new coercive control legislation in force as of January 1, 2021, twigs’ lawsuit against LaBoeuf may set an important new precedent as California is the second state in the USA to criminalize coercive control.

In the claim she filed with the Los Angeles Superior Court, twigs (born Tahliah Debrett Barnett) describes LaBeouf as “a danger to women,” who kept her “in a constant state of fear.”

She describes experiencing an ongoing pattern of abuse in her relationship with LaBoeuf that included verbal, emotional, physical abuse, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Specifically:

  • Non-fatal strangulation
  • Sexual assault
  • Sexual battery, and
  • Infecting her with a sexually transmitted disease.

On February 12, 2021 LaBoeuf’s legal team issued a statement that the actor denies “generally and specifically each and every allegation.”

His behavior became gradually more and more abusive.”

FKA twigs

FKA twigs is now speaking out in the hope of helping others spot the signs of domestic abuse in intimate relationships and, most importantly, for survivors to know that they are not alone.

Knowledge is Power

Once twigs understood that the harms that were allegedly inflicted on her by LaBoeuf were intentional, she reached out to Sistah Space, a London based service specialized in supporting abuse survivors of African heritage.

She started to learn about the manipulation tactics used by perpetrators of coercive control and developed an awareness about the attitudes that drive these destructive behaviors.

Empowered with new knowledge, twigs was able to escape and begin the healing process.

She shared that, in retrospect, the relationship had red flags from the very start. She described some of them to Gayle King in the interview.

Boundary violation disguised as romantic gestures

“In the beginning he would jump over the fence where I was staying and leave flowers outside my door and poems and books.” twigs told King, “And I thought it was very romantic, but that quickly changed. I understand now that that’s testing your boundaries. But it didn’t stop there, you know. His behavior became gradually more and more abusive.”

Love bombing and devaluation

She also described her experience of the idealization or love bombing phase of the cycle of abuse to King, as LaBoeuf “putting me on a pedestal, telling me that I was amazing, over the top displays of affection just to knock me off the pedestal, to tell me that I was worthless, to criticize me, to berate me, you know. Pick me apart.”

Learn more about love bombing in our interview with Harvard trained psychotherapist Madelaine Claire Weiss.

Gaslighting

“Abusers use gaslighting,” said twigs, wringing her small hands and taking a deep breath before she continued, “Which is where somebody minimizes your experience. It’s, like, altering your narrative and not listening to you, and denying your experience.”

Battery

“Eventually, it did become physical,” she said softly, dropping her gaze for a instant before lifting her eyes to meet King’s stare, before bravely giving a detailed account of how her relationship with LaBoeuf spiraled into violence.

Summary

There are many important lessons to be learned from FKA twigs about domestic abuse that may dispel the manifold myths that form the loopholes that help perpetrators evade justice. The reality is that because of its systemic nature, domestic abuse can happen to anyone, regardless of financial status, fame, education, or social standing.

Watch Gayle King’s full interview with FKA twigs below.

Watch Gayle King’s interview with FKA twigs

Confidential support is available 24/7/365 to anyone experiencing abuse.
In the USA call 1-800-799-7233 or log on to thehotline.org.
In the UK call 0808 2000 247 or log on to nationaldahelpline.org.uk.

NAR’s Journalistic Standards and Practices
About NAR • Report Typo or Error.

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