Posted on 10/21/2005 7:34:48 AM PDT by smartin
MARTINEZ, California (CNN) -- The teenage suspect in the beating death of a prominent lawyer's wife was described by classmates as a "gothic" loner who followed the occult and dressed in black from the polish on his fingernails to his trench coat.
The young man is being held as a juvenile in the slaying of Pamela Vitale, wife of lawyer and television pundit Daniel Horowitz. Police say he apparently acted alone.
Horowitz found Vitale's body when he returned to a trailer the couple shared while they built a dream estate on a hilltop in affluent Lafayette, east of Oakland.
Authorities said Vitale, 52, was bludgeoned by a strip of crown molding and fought with her killer. (See video about the arrest -- 4:35)
A gothic cross was carved into her back. That symbol may be a key link to the suspect.
"He was just really a gothic kid, and everyone knew who he was just because of his apparel. When you heard the name, you were just like, 'Oh, that kid,' " a classmate told CNN.
"He just definitely stood out in front of anybody in the school," the classmate added. "When he walked by, everybody talked about him -- like, he definitely didn't blend in."
Authorities would not identify the 16-year-old, and CNN is not naming him because of his age. But news outlets in the San Francisco Bay area widely publicized his name after his arrest late Wednesday.
Former classmates told The Associated Press that the teenager drew a pentagram on the ground at school, telling other students he was reading from the book of Satan.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Very true. Of course, he is personally responsible for having beating Ms. Vitale to death, but he didn't suddenly emerge from a normal home environment to do it. I assume he was on drugs, since he went to her house in pursuit of a missing delivery of drug supplies.
I don't think this one ever was. It's here posing as a right-winger.
Check out this little tidbit from his profile:
About me: I'm an international relations major and a history buff as well The greatest Western countries in the World are America, Germany and the United States
Add to that the trauma of his sister's . And probably no therapy, so this is how his anger and pain comes out.
I think I'm modern. I mean, I use electricity when I clean the floors and cook the meals and iron my husband's shirts.
You don't think ing a feminist requires punishment?
From what I have read the suspect when through a major personality change following his sister died. Any caring parent would have been looking for such warning signs. Especially ones that showed a fascination with the darkside of life. So where was mom? Did she ignore or even encourage these changes as evidence that D. was finding himself? Did she reject the idea of therapy or psychiatric care for him? Seems possible with her newage healing scam.
Mom's like this need to remember. Our children need parents if we do not parent them they will find someone else who will. That someone else often does not have the child's best interest at heart. I do not deny D's responsibilty if he is guilty but I am convinced there is an adult influence behind this crime as well.
That was % ing". My netnanny doesn't agree with .
But are you barefoot and pregnant???
I am!
Homeschool ping.
You get to go straight to heaven AND collect $200!
Sounds like he lived with his hippie mother, a "long-distance healer", in a commune situation out in LaLa Land. Then they wonder why the teens go weird.
LOL! I could use the $200 for new shoes :-). Just kidding. I'm not always barefoot, but it's hot today.
What?
But are you modern?
Don't make me turn you into a toad.
LOL. I am an alum of only Mt. Diablo elementary in my K years. I missed the "toad-turning" classes, darn it.
My Frumpy Fundamentalist Frock is from Wal-mart!
Hmm, balance frumpy frock with internet access. I have to say, you might be a wee bit modern. You do have indoor plumbing, right?
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