Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

"ANGER AT CHURCH SUSPECTED, COPS NARROW FOCUS IN (WISCONSIN) SHOOTING RAMPAGE"
Chicago Tribune ^ | 16 March 2005 | Chicago Tribune

Posted on 03/16/2005 8:13:20 AM PST by AmericanInTokyo

Investigators probing the massacre of seven people during a church service outside Milwaukee focused on the gunman's apparent anger with the church and brought in experts to break into his encrypted computer files, authorities said Tuesday.

"All we know is he was very upset with the church, either with church generally or a portion of the church or a sermon," said Waukesha (Wis.) County District Atty. Paul Bucher. "We've ruled out everything else."

Terry Ratzmann, 44, of New Berlin, Wis., shot and killed himself after the weekend rampage at a Living Church of God service at the Sheraton Milwaukee Brookfield hotel in Brookfield.

Bucher said he wasn't sure if Ratzmann was targeting Rev. Randy Gregory of Gurnee and his family when he opened fire, although Brookfield police said they are investigating that as a strong possibility.

"What was amazing is, in talking to these members, they aren't angry at him," Monson said. "Most feel bad for the family and feel sorry for him. We haven't come across anything that would give any indication he would do anything like this."

On Tuesday afternoon, a warrant to search Ratzmann's home was released at the Waukesha County Circuit Courthouse in Waukesha. The warrant described the police request to search for hidden weapons and ammunition, suicide notes, computers and related equipment, diaries, calendars, notebooks, drugs or drug paraphernalia and any documents "reflecting any plan, motive and potential existence of co-conspirators and co-actors."

Authorities already have taken possession of four computers, a digital camera, a plastic gun case, cartridges and a bolt-action rifle, according to the warrant.

Ratzmann entered the room where the service had already begun and fired 22 rounds, seemingly focused on Gregory and his family, who were sitting in the back of the room, police said.

(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; US: North Carolina; US: Wisconsin
KEYWORDS: brookfield; church; churchesofgod; endtimes; investigation; lcg; livingchurchofgod; meredith; police; rampage; ratzmann; sabbath; sermon; services; shooting; wisconsin
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-30 last
To: Puppage
I've got my Remington gagged right now so I can't hear it anymore...

Oooo, good idea. I think I'll have a little talk with my Kimbers this evening.

I found my winchester by the couch yesterday. I think it's stalking me...

21 posted on 03/16/2005 11:35:38 AM PST by wyattearp (The best weapon to have in a gunfight is a shotgun - preferably from ambush.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: toadthesecond

There are sophisticated commercial encryption packages that use powerful key generation hashes. The passphrase is not actually the key, but is hashed by the algorithm into a random 256-bit binary key.

Even if you use a password like 'dog123', an random 256-bit key is still generated, which is equivalent to a 32 character password.

The commercial cracking packages that the police use against these commercial encryption packages use a dictionary attack, rather than brute-force, because it would take too long to brute-force a random 256-bit key. They take words in their dictionary, run them through the key-generation algorithm, and use the resulting key. The forensic companies boast about how great they are, and how they have 'modules' for all the popular encyption packages, but anyone who uses a strong key won't be cracked. The police aren't going to try the 7-billion year option.


22 posted on 03/16/2005 11:40:30 AM PST by proxy_user
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: frankiep
So the guy who went on a rampage and killed a bunch of people was angry?

I'm glad they are wasting precious time trying to figure it out.

[/sarcasm]

23 posted on 03/16/2005 11:44:33 AM PST by george wythe
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: wyattearp
I found my winchester by the couch yesterday. I think it's stalking me...

Might be time for a restraining order, no?

24 posted on 03/16/2005 12:48:37 PM PST by Puppage (You may disagree with what I have to say, but I shall defend to your death my right to say it.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: AmericanInTokyo

bump for later


25 posted on 03/16/2005 2:25:05 PM PST by Chili Girl
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: deepFR
Could it have anything to do with church stance on homosexuality conversion? This was the first thing that went through my mind as well. What with them being given over to depravity and all....
26 posted on 03/16/2005 3:56:00 PM PST by JudyinCanada (I can't wait, the dream is coming true and I will stand in front of the box to put my heart into it.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: JudyinCanada
It is not clear the murderer, Terry Ratzmann, was a homosexual.

However, it is emerging that he seemd to have rather great frustrations about getting married (still single at 44), because as I understand it, in that particular sect, you are de-facto forbidden (they do not tell you 'no' per se, but they say you will not achieve eternal paradise if you disobey the rules and pastoral 'counseling') to actually marry anyone outside of that sect.

Since the sect is very small in the US and worldwide, and churches are small, it appears the only time Terry Ratzmann could find prospective marraige partners was at a one time event called "Feast of Tabernacles" that he attended, in some of the singles events--at one time he actually went overseas to Australia I believe, in search of a partner.

Former members of this sect are relating that there is high stress in that church amongst singles because of the miniscule choices they have due to doctrine and enforcement of that doctrine through subtleties.

Does this sound like mind control to you, or others?

27 posted on 03/17/2005 6:21:31 AM PST by AmericanInTokyo (Illegal Aliens "Those Wonderful People" in Jail Now Are $1.4 Billion A Year For California Taxpayers)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: AmericanInTokyo

Yes, it is mind control. Reminds me of the ol' Shakers, who, I believe, could not reproduce. They depended on recruits. Church growth was always numero uno on the agenda at the general meeting.


28 posted on 03/17/2005 3:41:34 PM PST by JudyinCanada (I can't wait, the dream is coming true and I will stand in front of the box to put my heart into it.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: JudyinCanada
From the news, today:

In an interview with WTMJ-TV that was broadcast Thursday evening, Ratzmann's sister, who was not identified, said the family is having a hard time accepting that her brother would fire a gun in a room with children. Two of the dead were teenagers and a 10-year-old girl was injured. The sister said Ratzmann had not shown any violent tendencies. "I would like to know why. That religion that he belonged to, his church, had so much more influence on him that he couldn't feel comfortable talking about his concerns more with us, his family," she said. "It's horrible knowing that one minute of Terry's life is all that people are seeing, and I wish that people could go back and look at the other 44 years because he was completely different." Ratzmann apparently had a troubled childhood and was the only member of his family to join the church, reported the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. His mother was Catholic and his late father Lutheran, his aunt Nancy Fluhr told the newspaper. Ratzmann joined the Worldwide Church of God, predecessor of the Living Church of God, in the mid-1980s, Joel Lillengreen, pastor to the Waukesha congregation at the time, told the newspaper.

29 posted on 03/18/2005 6:08:30 AM PST by AmericanInTokyo (Illegal Aliens "Those Wonderful People" in Jail Now Are $1.4 Billion A Year For California Taxpayers)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: proxy_user

Unfortunately, this is one of those instances where "rubber hose cryptography" won't work to significantly shorten the key discovery period.


30 posted on 03/18/2005 8:54:57 AM PST by ctdonath2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-30 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson