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 ...
I don't think this is a particularly healthy sign. There is a difference between loving your parent and them being your best friend.
susie
I agree. Kids need parents. Maybe later in life they can be friends. :-)
I had a really scarey student once. But, there wasnt' much I could do about it. The school was aware of him, but he was protected because he had emotional issues.
susie
See, that's scary when you recognize a problem and are powerless to solve it.
Exactly. I was not friends with my Mom until I was married and had kids. I mean I loved her, but she was not my cohort, she was my Mother. She was in charge of me. A friend can't do that.
susie
The next step is obvious to me. We need to sue the manufacturer of crown modlings. How many more deaths must this country endure before we realize the dangers of crown molding. The manufacturers make money hand over fist, while we bury and treat the wounds of our loved ones. This menace needs to be stopped. Where is Michael Moore when we need him to champion this cause. Join me in this fight. Once we win, we will take on the pencil and ball point pen industries. We're coming after you BIC, sharpie, Cross, etc. The pen is mightier than the sword and we need to take these incredibly cheap, dangerous weapons out of the hands of this nation's youth.
I have a cousin who fits this description. "Anarchy" is thier buzzword.
This whole thing with these bizarre behaviors from kids is a direct result of the break down of the family unit and the "if it feels good do it" mentality. When these murders occur and we learn of the history it is the same story over and over again. These kids don't stand a snow balls chance in hell. They get to that middle school age and they take that turn and the trouble begins. Until the family unit is restored and morals return to society this will repeat itself over and over-sad but unfortunetly true.
I for the record protest that they protect the perpetrator.
What are you suggesting?
"Supposedly, the mom is a nice single mom."
She's a lunatic who thinks she can heal people over the telephone by activating their DNA
I read her described as a good mother. I'll try to find the article and post it.
"took a heavy course load in his first semester at Diablo Valley College
Yikes...maybe he went to Jason Voorhees High School, too..."
As an alum of that fine institution, as well as Mt. Diablo High School, I resent the inference that there was some sort of satanic influence present.
Don't make me turn you into a toad.
Thanks for the update. What a story - odder every day. I think there is more to the story. What is the connection of DH to this family? (I'm NOT saying DH is behind the killing.) Was this motivated by revenge? Is this family connected to someone else (for example, the Lynch fellow)? A "rage" killing over credit card fraud is a bit over the top. Also, the carving on the back is odd if this killing simply occurred due to the fact that she caught him in the mail box. Usually, the "initiation" killings are planned for that purpose, they're not an afterthought. I wonder if he was on meth at the time of the killing.
"I read her described as a good mother. I'll try to find the article and post it."
Thanks. I'll probably still think that someone who heals people over the phone and lives in a straw-bale lean-to is crazy, but she may have been nice.
I agree that there has got to be more to this story. Hitting someone 39 times with crown molding, etching a Lorraine cross in her back, drinking a glass of water at her home, taking a long shower at her home, trying to get massive amounts of blood out of your clothing with Oxyclean, etc. because someone might have received your pot-growing lights and didn't give them to you is a bit over-the-top.
LOL
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