Angry Missive Complains of 'Ignored' Calls (Details of Sniper Letter)

The Washington Post ^ | Wednesday, October 23, 2002 | Sari Horwitz and Carol Morello

[kristinn]

An angry letter found tacked to a tree behind a restaurant where the sniper wounded a man this weekend complained of six failed attempts to reach police, and threatened more killings -- of children in particular -- if millions of dollars were not deposited in a bank account within two days, according to law enforcement sources.

The letter listed half a dozen calls that had been "ignored" by operators answering phones at the command center in Rockville, the Montgomery County police station and the FBI. It even named some of the people who had answered the phones.

They had hung up, the letter stated; that was "incompetent."

"Five people had to die" because of it, the letter said, according to one law enforcement source who has seen a copy of the letter.

The letter gave a deadline of Monday for the money to be deposited in a bank account, the source said. Several sources who had seen photocopies of the letter said the amount demanded was $10 million.

The letter warned investigators that if they were more concerned with "stopping" the killings than making an arrest, they should follow the orders precisely, or else there would be "body bags," said the source.

And it ended with an even more ominous postscript, officials said:

"Your children are not safe anywhere at any time."

SNIP

[kristinn]

Puts a new wrinkle on Call 911 and die :-(

[HiTech RedNeck]

So we should go stick the money in the account. It won't do him, her, or it any more good than a paper money ransom would. If anyone tries to transfer or withdraw funds from it, we have a connection.

[chnsmok]

What is going to happen when he calls to try to transfer funds, or tries to call AT&T customer service, or tries to call his cable company?

[umgud]

I wonder what country this account would be based in?

[fooman]

"Five people had to die" because of it, the letter said, according to one law enforcement source who has seen a copy of the letter.

Wow what morons...

[MTCJK]

"Thank you for calling the sniper hotline....due to the overwhelming success of this program, our operators are unable to take your call at this time....for instructions in Spanish, please press 2"

[chnsmok]

Don't forget, "Your call is being recorded to provide better customer service...".

[cyncooper]

...or else there would be "body bags,"

This must be what was referred to yesterday as "entering a new, more dangerous phase".

To my ears it sounds like a possibility of multiple deaths at once---like a bomb.

[SubMareener]

This is starting to sound like a Jeffrey Deaver novel. ;-(

[kristinn]

It even named some of the people who had answered the phones.

I'd hate to be one of the people named in the letter. This whole thing is bad enough without having to think you missed a chance to stop the shootings.

[kristinn]

Truth can be weirder than fiction--and deadlier.

[First_Salute]

He's rebelling against a menu-driven life.

Hmm...

[MTCJK]

The letter listed half a dozen calls that had been "ignored" by operators answering phones at the command center in Rockville, the Montgomery County police station and the FBI. It even named some of the people who had answered the phones.

This murderer proves how easy it is to commit the crime every step of the way--complete incompetence has marked this investigation at every turn. This guy will be caught on his own terms, but not before

[Fred Mertz]

I only believe about 20% of this article. Judge for yourselves.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Or perhaps a sniping into a crowd.

[HiTech RedNeck]

(This is the Ponderosa letter.)

[abner]

I'd hate to be one of the people named in the letter. This whole thing is bad enough without having to think you missed a chance to stop the shootings.

Kind of like when I called the FBI once and I asked the guys name that I was talking to, he said, "Desk Clerk".

If this is the kind of response people were getting on the tip line, I don't blame him for being angry.

[Brett66]

I wonder if he would try shooting Moose? Such a bizarre series of killings, maybe he'll try something bold like that. Moose gives a lot of outdoor press confrences.......

[Maximum Leader]

Well if the sniper quoted names I can't imagine they'd be real names.

I've read Ma Bell used to have a system where when you called with a complaint and someone asked for your name... The name the operator gave was a fake one... and it varied depending on what they thought about you.

If the operator thought you had a legitimate complaint it would be one name, if she thought you were a deluded nut it would be another, and it if she thought you were a dishonest crank, there would be a third.

This way, when you called back, the next person who answered the phone would know from the "contact name" you gave just how the original operator had evaluated you and what you had to say.

Can't believe that the task force wouldn't use the same system. But then again, I sometimes get the feeling that we don't have the varsity team on the field.

[spunkets]

The whole thing is fishy. Why would anyone risk so much and create so much havoc, for a measly $10M. There's easier and safer criminal enterprise for this killer to get that much. The killer's behavior in the field contradicts his behavior on the phone. It looks more like an op to tie up the police and screw with people's minds.

Why did he go to Richmond?