Two held in cheerleader's death at Hawaii hotel

Atlanta Journal-Constitution ^ | 1.14.04

[mhking]

KAANAPALI, Hawaii -- Two California men were arrested in the death of an 18-year-old New Jersey cheerleader whose naked body tumbled from the ninth floor balcony of a Maui hotel.

The two men, whose identities were not immediately released, were arrested Tuesday on charges of second-degree murder in the death of Lauren Crossan, of Randolph, N.J., said Lt. Tivoli Faaumu.

Crossan was part of a group from the National Association of American Cheerleaders that was on Maui to participate in Saturday's Hula Bowl college football game. Her body was discovered Monday morning on the grounds of the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort, where she had been staying.

The two men, ages 19 and 20, were registered to the room from which Crossan fell, police said. They were on vacation and not connected to the game or to the cheerleaders' group, Faaumu said.

The men told police that Crossan was in their room when they fell asleep early Monday. Her clothes and personal belongings were still in the room when police arrived to question them, but the men said they didn't know what happened to her, Faaumu said.

"There was some inconsistency in the statements we received from them," Faaumu said. "With all of that, we feel that we have enough probable cause to hold them for questioning at this time."

Crossan had traveled to Maui with two other seniors from Randolph High School and one of the other girl's mothers, who was accompanying them as a chaperone. The three girls had been selected in June by the national organization to perform with nearly 600 other cheerleaders from across the country at the Hula Bowl's halftime show.

The chaperon received a call from Crossan at about 1:30 a.m. Monday saying she was OK and would be returning to her room in the hotel, Faaumu said. When she didn't show up, the others went to look for her but couldn't find her, Faaumu said. A hotel guest spotted her body later that morning.

An autopsy confirmed Crossan died of injuries suffered in the fall, Faaumu said. He said the investigation into her death was continuing.

The girl's school is about 30 miles west of New York City in an affluent area of New Jersey. A message left Wednesday morning with the school district seeking comment was not immediately returned.

Crossan was captain of Randolph High School's cheerleading competition squad. Because of her strength, she was a "base," holding up and catching teammates during performances.

"She never let anyone fall," Nicole Ciolko, former cheerleading team captain, told The Star-Ledger of Newark. "She was just a very strong girl."

[Freedom2specul8]

LOL~~~!!!

[mhking]

Most of you should be ashamed of your selves!

How dare you.

This is not a glad-handed cumbaya forum. This is a place where the news is dissected and analyzed and sometimes excoriated (as are the subjects of said news).

This is a place where honest debate occurs.

You dare to tell us what and who we can and cannot talk about?

You wouldn't dare to come into a local bar where this subject had come up (three months ago, mind you!) and bitch about the locals making statements. You wouldn't dare walk into a newsroom, full of it's gallows humor and bitch about the reporters and editors and writers talking about this. You wouldn't dare go anywhere else to pitch a fit about this -- yet you come here.

You troll. You incessant troll. You have the glaring audacity to try to get up on a tin-foil soapbox to get holier than thou with people whom you've never heard of, nor ever spoken to.

You obviously have one desire: to cause trouble.

You signed up today and obviously did some kind of search for something worth bitching about.

There are certainly far more important things to worry about than your so-called trodden-on feelings.

Have you figured out that we don't believe your pseudo-sob-story?

If you truly are tied to this event, as you claim to be, then a word of advice: this is not the place for you to find catharsis.

But if you are, as I suspect, yet another troll, then I have but one thing to say: F.O.A.D.

[Constitution Day]

Whew! Remind me not to get on your bad side.

Game, Set, Match!

[Poohbah]

SKYBIRD SKYBIRD DO NOT ANSWER

SKYBIRD SKYBIRD DO NOT ANSWER

EMERGENCY ACTION MESSAGE FOLLOWS

COMMAND WORD: COTTONMOUTH
DESIGNATOR: JERICHO
DAY WORD: TRINITY

ZOT PER SIOP OPTION TWO ONE ZEBRA "GRAND TOUR"

AUTHENTICATOR: VIKING KITTENS ARE OUR OVERLORDS

EMERGENCY ACTION MESSAGE ENDS

BT



NNNN

[metesky]

That's gotta hurt.

[Lockbar]

"The men, 19 and 20 years old, were arrested at 2:45 a.m. yesterday but have not been charged, said Maui police acting Lt. Tivoli Faaumu."


Lt. Tivoli Faaumu?? Damn, thats the best name I've heard in years. Right up there with Keyser Soze!!

[Paul Atreides]

Dang! I didn't do anything, and, I'm still trembling.

[Poohbah]

Dang! I didn't do anything, and, I'm still trembling.

I say ZOT! her and put her out of our misery, Muad'Dib.

[hellinahandcart]

Damn, mh..."just damn"...;~)

[Paul Atreides]

I would pull out my Weirding Module and point it at her, but, I'm on probation.

In any case, I cannot possible top Mr. King. I can only add that she needs to either get a life, or, counseling, or both.

[rabidralph]

I'm sorry for your loss.

[hellinahandcart]

Now, why wouldn't you believe her?

i woudl just like to say that none of you know ANY details on this case and it pisses me off how the media has spread the truth on this issue. David Jones is a very great man and just because he has done this, it does not make him gay or a bad person, ues it was wrong but if any of you knew him you woudl agree with me. For some of the questions you had...he worked at the Y for 15 years...nto 3 he was in the sports department then he got to be the associate teen director. this has nothing to do with catholic presist so screw that stupid idea. and for the slow ones out there the Green Hills Famiyl YMCA is located in Nashville, Tennesse and is the Flag Ship YMCA of Middle Tennessee....and for all of you that dont know our executives...dont bad mouth them...get over yourself and find somethin better to do

The woman in this story is the sister of a friend of mine. Now, let's stop for a minute here kids and think, should I send a post with personal attacks out towards someone that they or there relatives might read? Now I know what you’re thinking, "we've got a right to say what we want and our opinion matters!" On this and only this will I agree with you. The part most humans forget about before they open their mouths is; should I, do I have enough information to make a sound judgment, is what I’m about to say really an opinion or am I just spewing out garbage that will just hurt people who have already been through a serious tragedy. A tragedy I’m sure most of us would not be able to retain much of our sanity over. Now do you think that anyone of the relatives on both sides of this situation need to see your ignorance posted on the internet attacking their families?

No - I do not have a new name...are you insinuating that I am Hicksmokey...because I am not. The only reason for my post was to point out that before people judge and write hurtful comments, maybe they should investigate a little further. I am well aware of the fact that the story was in August. If in fact people mean well - such as trying to help prevent this from happening again, I highly doubt name calling (and you were not the only one guilty of that) and blame is going to help anyone. So in the future, maybe people should think about what they are writing, who may read it, what they are trying to accomplish and the best way to go about doing that before typing.

since none of you were there you cant imagine how little it shows of your christian background. the news isnt even reporting the truth but what else is new. try the real father beat their mother in front of them and almost killed her and got a lousy 3 years out of it and as for beating the boy that isnt what he himself told the rest of the family but children and youth get kids to say what they want them to say and everyone else just judges people they dont know. lets hope none of you ever end up in that situstion where you are accused and in reality innocent and everyone condemns you. and for the record no she didnt raise money to bail him out his brother and his boss did. so take that to the bank and no this isnt his mother just someone who has known the family for over 30 years.

I was the driver of the Nissan Pathfinder; Wendy's BMW ended up on my hood. I saw first hand what transpired that fateful day.

You guys have no right to judge her. I know her. She is an AMAZING girl. Ya know what, she screwed up. She killed her boyfriend you know. Can you IMAGINE killing the one you love? Most people I know have BMWs it doesnt mean she is a spoiled girl. Keep your comments about her to yourself, shes having a hard enough time without your judgemental bullshit.

And on and on and on...

[TheBigB]

Yeah, what you said!

Wow.

[HenryLeeII]

Lauren: "After the fun was over I took my hunting knife and sawed one of those commie gook's heads off and posed for a photo with it resting on my shoulder."

Wow! This is an unbelievable coincidence, because I was dating a woman named Lauren once (okay, six or eight times), and every time I asked for a certain 'act' she got all wild-eyed and yelling at me that I'll "never know what it was like." I thought she was referring to the 'act' but now I know the rest of the story!

[WULTKm]

Hmm....wasn't the topic about the cheerleader who tragically died? I'm sorry, but how can you relate your success at the age of 18 to this girl. No matter who she was, what she was doing there, does not justify her death. I'm not sure how old you are, but judging by your slang term "slut it up" you hopefully aren't over 30. Times have changed, kids are growing up alot faster, if you haven't realized. You may look at an act of drinking alcohol with your friends, and meeting people of the opposite sex as deviant. However, that is all part of growing up this day and age. If you have a child, or if you already do, and your son/daughter is "participating in normal activities" and they experiment with alcohol and/or with the opposite sex, and something so tragic like this happens, would you say the death was justified? Because they shouldn't have been drunk and slutted it up? No one knows what exactly happened that night, or if she participated in any type of sexual activity with the young men. But even if she did, shes a teenager and teenagers experiment, and party thats a normal part of growing up and gaining life experience. It is so unfortunate that she wasn't able to live a full life. Furthermore, it is more unfortunate that this young lady who led her high school cheerleading squad across country and participated in normal teenage activities that resulted in a tragedy is now being portrayed as a sinner, and a "naive"stereotypical girl/cheerleader. I really hope you open your mind outside the one page newspaper report, and think before you type or in that case stereotype/degrade someone without knowing every excruciating detail about the person, and or the situation. This was a tragic event, and we have to look to ways to educate teens all over the country on different ways and methods to be safe when or if we are ever in a questionable yet usually typical situation. We must open our eyes to the fast paced life of todays teenager, instead of shutting them and pretending that only the deviant youths of society partake in partying.

[VixMarigold7]

I hate when people all of a sudden start honoring and praising someone in death who wasn't very nice in life. Why should we all pretend she was this generous humanitarian just because she's no longer with us? I feel terrible for her family, I feel terrible that her life ended before she got to do anything purposeful with it. I just don't see any reason to make believe she was someone other than an outstanding athlete who ran with an elite crowd and looked down her nose at other people.

I find it so unbelievable that you could say all that considering you didn't even know the girl!! I read in one of your other posts that you didn't know her and you were just going by what other people have told you. Well haven't you ever heard that sometimes the things that other people say aren't always true? I think you have some nerve saying how people are only feeling sorry for her, or praising her because she is now dead. Some girl who wasn't even nice in life? How do you know!? You don't. I think you should think before you give your opinion on someone who could have actually been a very nice person in life. Who knows maybe she was a brat, she very well could have been mean, or bossy, or not friendly to others but since you don't know that for sure i think you are out of line. And if you do have some source that says they knew of her in school and that she had all of these bad qualities, an athlete from an elite crowd. Maybe they were just jealous because they never had that status in high school.

[txrangerette]

My thoughts:

Any way this cuts, I see it as a tragic waste of human life. And of her life. Whatever she was like, and whatever the circumstances, to end life, at age 18, in this manner and with all this publicity, is a waste of what God has given us as a beautiful gift - the gift of life. I find it beyond sad.

Someone wisely asked why she would go over a balcony that was fairly high, it seems, without her clothes on. Suggesting that it took some doing to get over the balcony in order for the 9-story fall to occur. That is a good question, no matter whether or not she was undressed. But I, too, wonder - if she were searching for a bathroom or for a door leading back to her room, why not have presence of mind as well to put on a stitch of clothing? Either she got hold of some very wild stuff that would induce her to force the balcony issue and plunge to her death, or there is something else here...something we are missing.

. Is it possible she was taking prescription medicine for depression or an even worse mental condition, and that it is one of those possibly implicated in suicide? Or, could she have been seriously depressed, bipolar or whatever(medicated or not), and when she came to herself, was disgusted by her own behavior. She sees two males there whom she had just met, maybe doesn't even realize exactly who they are in her confused state, realizes that she is nude and something went down there, but possibly she cannot even remember what went on. Not only that, but the two males are asleep and completely oblivious to her. She gets extremely down on herself for acting this way, and maybe she had acted like it before with similar depressing results, so in a fit of remorse and despair she throws herself off the balcony.

I don't assume everything was lighthearted and carefree with this girl. That can be faked, when deep inside, people are calling out for help.

Even supposing she had been drinking or was drunk, I don't assume that is the total answer to a life wasted and ended this way.

[texas booster]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1326669/posts

Another thread in case folks stumble onto this thread.

Her chaperone asked her not to hook up with strangers and not to leave the hotel grounds. All the girls broke these rules as soon as they hit the hotel.

Still, what kind of chaperone lets your kids (even if they are 18) exchange phone numbers with local boys at 10:00 pm? From the back of a convertible? With a 15 yr old in attendance?

Lots of stupidity to pass around, but probably no more than on other spring break trips.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Odd that the names were not revealed.

I don't think it is unusual considering they were detained but not yet charged. I may be wrong.