 |
| Jeremy and Christine Moody -- Skinhead "Heroes" |
“How do we rehabilitate a sex offender? They
cannot be fixed, what they can do, is convinced the Psychologists that they are
‘fixed’ and they are safe to be released into society. The only cure for child
abusers and molesters is to have every member of their immediate family killed.
These nefarious crimes and people should not be allowed to procreate. By
destroying their immediate family members, you purify the blood line. This is
the only way to ensure that they (the pervert or family) cannot ever hurt a
child again. Liberals will think that these statements are immature and that I
must be empty headed. How many people consider the children that were abused or
molested? What about the mental destruction that this child has to live with
for the rest of their lives? How these children will find it difficult to ever
trust another person. How these children may possibly never be able to have
children of their own, because they were raped so severe, that it damaged them
permanently? I don't think my suggestion is immature, I think it's the
only answer, and if you don't agree, then you two should be destroyed[i].” –
Jeremy Moody, “Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.” Lulu Publishing, 2012. p.5
On
Sunday, June 8, 2014, Jay Maynor[ii]
of Cullman, Alabama shot and killed Raymond Earl Brooks, a registered citizen,
who had served time for a sex crime against Maynor’s daughter 12 years ago[iii].
As with any story involving so-called “vigilante justice,” there are plenty of
individuals coming out of the woodwork proclaiming this man a “hero.” The
killer’s family has set up a Facebook page[iv]
and a defense fund[v],
and has raised $1500 in 10 days (the listed goal is $5000). A few of the
comments from the fundraiser page are frightening and disturbing indeed:
“There is no room in this world for
pedophiles. They cannot be rehabilitated, and there is no cure. They should all
be chucked off a boat and left for sharks.” – Holly Perkins
“We have several sexual offenders living
around us. Unless they start neutering them, I am with Mr. Maynor kind of
justice.” – Kat Perry, who donated $5.00
“As a survivor of abuse I support Mr. Maynor
for seeking justice for his daughter. This demon should have never been allowed
to walk the streets again, to have the chance to abuse another child. You are a
hero to me Mr. Maynor.” – Jeanna Phillips, who donated $20.00
 |
| Jay Maynor's Mugshot |
A
woman by the name of Kayla Maddux[vi],
whose Facebook picture is a blue variation of the “Keep Calm” internet meme
proclaiming “Keep Calm and Free Jaybird,” posted a comment to detractors at the
Cullman Times, stating, “Dont [sic]
go trying to tell facts when you dont know them.” When has the lack of facts
stop the mass media from exploiting the tragedy for ratings? Even though the AP
story didn’t mention the shooter’s name to “protect the victim’s identity,”
they had no reservations posting the victim’s mug shot and proclaim him a sex
offender[vii].
The lack of details didn’t stop Catherine Connors, an executive with the Walt
Disney Company and “award winning blogger,” from writing a post on the Nancy Grace
HLN site hinting that what Maynor did, although legally wrong, is
understandable and she would be tempted to do the same thing. Connors states, “I
know, if something like this happened to me, I might be tempted to do wrong,
too[viii].”
Michelle Lund from CrimeJail.com called the victim’s father a “pedo-sympathizer”
and claimed that Cullman County Sheriff Mike Rainey cares more about sex
offenders than “a father who had to watch her child suffer[ix].”
Dr. Drew’s “Behavioral Bureau” also added their two cents[x]. HLN
is notorious for focusing on stories such as this one.
The
Dr. Drew show deserves a more in-depth critique. I have had the privilege of
taking on Dr. Drew’s “Behavior Bureau” on two occasions in the past year. This
is how the Bureau works – the show invites a panel of personalities to come on
the show to discuss various topics, and not all of the panelists have explicit
knowledge of the subject at hand. For this particular episode, the panelists
were Leeann Tweeden, a TV sportscaster for poker and baseball’s Anaheim Angels,
Anahita Sedaghatfar, a civil defense attorney and TV analyst, and Jason Ellis,
a journeyman MMA fighter (who only fought two matches) who hosts a show on
Sirius XM radio. Out of three individuals, only one has any degree of criminal
justice experience, so the outcome of the show should come as no surprise.
Defense
attorney Anahita Sedaghatfar stated she was against vigilante violence and that
we can't be allowed to take the law into our own hands, but in the end, she
still stated, “I would definitely defend [Maynor]. I think he has a strong case
for mitigation in terms of sentencing.” As expected, the discussion simply went
downhill from this point. Leeann Tweeden stares glaringly into the camera and
proudly proclaims, “You do that to my child, I will shoot you in the head.” Jason
Ellis gave the strangest statement of all. So, I don`t wanna -- I already said
what I had to say, this -- when you bring up the extra -- I mean, I didn`t remember
until I was 40 who the guy was that molested me. So, I didn`t know until I was
about 26 that I`d been molested. I had to take a bunch of acid and they also
recall it. Then, at 40 I find out who it is, because my body can`t even handle
knowing who it is. You did that to that girl in that fashion, I don`t need to
be related to the girl, I`ll kill him right now [xi].”
It is interesting that Jason Ellis just stated that he “recalled” abuse that
happened decades ago. (The False Memory Syndrome[xii] controversy
continues, but that is a discussion for a different day.) The point is whether
we want a person who took headshots for a living (like Ellis) or some “eye-candy”
model who peddles her body for a living (like Weeden) to dictate the rules of
society, especially not knowing the whole story behind the murders.
Returning
to Kayla Maddux’s statement about knowing “all the facts,” supplemental
articles have put together the facts. This is the complete story up until this
point. The day of the murder, Jay Maynor got into an argument with his stepdaughter’s
boyfriend (investigators say there was “bad blood” between the two men), and
apparently, somewhere along the way, the boyfriend used the sexual abuse
narrative to criticize Maynor, sending him into a rage. Maynor pulled out a gun
and shot into the Berlin Quick Mart gas station where the boyfriend was
sitting. Maynor then went to the home of Raymond Earl Brooks and ambushed him,
killing him in the home of his parents. The defense made the claim that a “catalyst”
or “triggering event” that should considered mitigating factors for lowering
his bail[xiii].
It
is rather ironic that the term “trigger” was used Maynor’s defense since
pulling a gun trigger landed Maynor in jail. The term “Trigger Warning” (or TW
for short) is a relatively new buzzword. “In the area of mental health, a
trigger is something which causes instant distress in a vulnerable person. If
you know what can trigger a bad reaction, you can try to avoid those triggers
in the same way that someone with an allergy might take steps to avoid dogs.” Trigger
warnings first appeared on feminist websites to flag up stories of abuse[xiv].
This word is particularly dangerous because, in the words of Rhiannon Cosslett,
triggers “smacked to me of victimhood.” Cosslett does not believe triggers
hinder free speech, but states, “they do display an increasingly nannying approach
to language that is being used to shut down discourse and to silence. Often, it
is coupled with a sense of passive aggressive glee…I do not doubt that they are
of enormous service to survivors with specific triggers likely to reoccur on
feminist websites, but it has got to a point now where I feel women I have
never met are trying to wrap me in cotton wool, and I detest that. PTSD can
make you hypersensitive and hyper-aware…[xv]”Furthermore,
trigger words perpetuates cultural victimhood; as one example, college campuses
are considering placing trigger warnings on classic literature because people
do not like feeling even slightly uncomfortable. As one RT reporter proclaimed,
“Our kids WANT to be nannied. They WANT to be protected, and feel safe, and
coddled [xvi].”
And fear justifies some very atrocious behavior, like canonizing a man who
shoots into a business establishment because he later killed a pariah of
society.
When
society canonizes a vigilante, society overlooks a lot of things; however, we
should not forget Maynor’s actions have harmed many people, not just the
murdered Registrant. Those victimized by Maynor’s actions found Maynor to be
anything but heroic.
At
Maynor’s bond hearing, “Cullman County District Attorney Wilson Blaylock called
two witnesses, Jeremy Trimble and Bobby Weeks, who were present for the gas
station shooting. Trimble testified he was present in the store at the time of
the shooting and claimed one of the stray bullets came within 10 feet of
hitting his child. ‘I was alarmed for my son’s safety and it made my heart
stop,” he said. “He tried to shoot someone and shot another man.’Weeks was
attending a child’s birthday party at the karaoke business located beside the
gas station and said he heard a gun shot then looked outside to see Maynor with
a gun drawn chasing another man. At that point, Weeks said he gathered the
children together and took them inside for safety. ‘It sounded like he was
yelling, ‘Come here you motherfucker,’ Weeks testified. ‘It scared me and the
kids[xvii].’”
 |
| Jay Maynor shows us how he feels about society's rules |
“Mike
Hays, who cooks and operates a small barbecue restaurant inside Berlin Plaza
Quick Stop, where the shooting occurred, said he came face-to-face with the
shooter after the man opened fire outside and then entered the store looking
for his intended victim, who wasn't hurt. ‘People here are calling him a hero
for killing a child molester. I'm calling him a psychopathic lunatic for
endangering peoples' lives, including mine,’ Hays said. After stopping his
motorcycle at an intersection outside the store, the father fired once at a man
who was standing beside an ice cooler, Hays said. The bullet entered an
exterior wall of the store and chipped a window but no one was injured. Hays
said he retrieved his own weapon and confronted [Maynor] near the cash
register. ‘He had the gun down by his side. He was calm, as calm as you are
standing there now. But he had that look in his eye,’ said Hays. ‘I have no
problem with him shooting a child molester, just not 12 years later. If it was
my daughter he would have died back in 2002[xviii].’”
“Brooks'
father, Ralph Brooks, told WBRC-TV in Birmingham that his son did not deserve
to die. He said Raymond Earl Brooks turned his life around after his conviction
and lived a godly life that included being active in his church. Because his
son's conviction happened so long ago, he said he couldn't be sure if the shooting
was a form of revenge. ‘It would be unbelievable to hold animosity in your
heart for 12 years,’ Brooks said[xix].”
It
should not be surprising with anyone that Jay Maynor had a criminal history.
Maynor had made several court appearances over the years—once for DUI and three
times for domestic violence (though the domestic violence charges were
eventually dropped). It is laughable Maynor’s defense attorney brought these
prior charges up in attempt to show the court that Maynor would come to court
responsibly and should thus receive a lower bond. Thankfully bail was not
reduced[xx].
This
story has played out numerous times over the years. This brings me to the
statement by Jeremy Moody at the beginning of this article. Moody’s proclamation
could have been written just as easily by any anonymous commenter. But Moody’s
proclamation was written in a self-written skinhead manifesto, alongside
discussions on racial purity and ethnic cleansing. (Ironically, the head of
Moody’s skinhead group, known as “Crew 41,” is a Registered Citizen[xxi].)
Patrick Drum, who murdered two registrants in Washington State in 2012, had 47
criminal convictions over a 15 year period, including assault, drug, and burglary
charges. One of his victims landed on the list for a consensual act with a teen
when he was 17 years old. Drum and the Moody clan were unrepentant thugs with
disgusting pasts. Had they killed anyone else, society would not have given any
of them a second thought except to call for the heads of these men on a silver
platter. But because their victims were Registered Citizens, people want to
give murderers a free pass.
Even
the Neo-Nazi skinhead Jeremy Moody had support from the public, as illustrated
by this statement from a CNN commenter:
Kimberly269life
– “In this case the dude had been convicted of a sex crime on a child!where is
the good old killemall mindset we normally apply to pedophiles?What is your
prob people? Pedophilia is a well known incurable condition-even castration
doesn not cure this despicable condition in many men! He def needed killing.His
wife on the other hand seems to have been collateral damage-but thats the price
you pay for being connected to child molesters! Its true that many wives allow
crimes against children-their own and others-by doing nothing and turning
away.They are culpable.They are helping ! Nazis and other white supremists are
really disgusting people-yes-but the pedophile is probably even lower
...frankly its a win/win from what I can see[xxii]”
[Kimberly’s grammatical errors included]
The
vigilante violence and the people who support them are definitive proof the
registry, or any degree of public disclosure of Registered Citizens in the
community, should be abolished. Until the registry is abolished, we will see
this same story play out repeatedly in the coming years. Patt Morrison from the
LA Times says, “Justice in a
democracy cannot be some tit-for-tat clan vendetta, or determined by bribes or
bias. It must be the dispassionate act of the people and the state, whose good
order and laws have been violated. Vigilante justice erodes the authority and
regard for a legal system that can’t be about vengeance or passion… And when an Alabama father or a
California mother usurps that role, they are not heroes, because vengeance is
not justice. And justice, not just someone’s child, becomes a victim too[xxiii].”The
registry is a “catalyst” and a “trigger event” that enrages the community, and
when a person is assaulted or murdered because of this registry, justice is
perverted.
[i] http://www.lulu.com/us/en/shop/jeremy-moody/yesterday-today-forever/paperback/product-20441110.html
[ii]
In terestingly enough, the AP did not publish the perpetrator’s name, stating “The
Associated Press doesn't identify victims of sex crimes, and it isn't naming
the man charged with murder to protect his daughter's identity.” Yet, they
published the victim's name and picture and proclaimed him a sex offender. See
Jay Reeves, “ALABAMA MAN CHARGED IN SLAYING GAINS SUPPORT.” AP, June 10, 2014. http://bigstory.ap.org/article/alabama-man-charged-slaying-gains-support
[iii]
Trent Moore, “Cullman man charged with murder in Berlin shooting.” Cullman
Times, June 9, 2014. http://www.cullmantimes.com/breakingnews/x1396881180/Cullman-man-charged-with-murder-in-Berlin-shooting
[iv] https://www.facebook.com/pages/Family-Friends-and-Supporters-of-Jay-Maynor/325444844270469
[v] http://www.gofundme.com/a51e8g
[vi] Apparently Kayla the daughter of
Jay Maynor, though she does not list him as her father on her Facebook page.
[vii] Jay
Reeves, “ALABAMA MAN CHARGED IN SLAYING GAINS SUPPORT.” AP, June 10, 2014.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/alabama-man-charged-slaying-gains-support
[viii]
Catherine Commons, “Avenging a horrid crime: Right, but still wrong?” HLN, June
18, 2014. http://www.hlntv.com/article/2014/06/18/catherine-connors-dad-kills-sex-offender-two-wrongs-right
[ix]
Michelle Lund, “Jay Maynor, Hero Shoots Man Who Molested His Daughter.”
CrimeJail.com, June 14, 2014. http://crimejail.com/jay-maynor-hero-shoots-man-abused-daughter/
[x]
Dr. Drew staff, “Father charged in shooting death of daughter's molester.” HLN,
June 12, 2014. http://www.hlntv.com/video/2014/06/12/father-kills-daughter-sex-offender-decade-later
[xi] http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1406/12/ddhln.01.html
[xii] http://www.fmsfonline.org/
[xiii]
Trent Moore, “Maynor’s attorney: ‘Trigger event’ caused shooting, seeking bail
reduction.” June 12, 2014. http://www.cullmantimes.com/breakingnews/x998005628/Maynor-s-attorney-Trigger-event-caused-shooting-seeking-bail-reduction
[xiv] “Trigger
warnings: What do they do?” BBC, Feb. 24, 2014. http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-ouch-26295437
[xv]
Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett, “Why I don’t agree with trigger warnings.” New
Statesman, Jan. 29, 2013. http://www.newstatesman.com/sci-tech/2013/01/why-i-dont-agree-trigger-warnings
[xvi] “Our
Kids Want to be Nannied. We’re Screwed.” The Resident (Russia Today), May 27,
2014. http://www.theresident.net/our-kids-want-to-be-nannied-were-screwed/
[xvii]
Trent Moore, “BREAKING: Bond reduction denied in Maynor murder case.” Cullman
Times, June 19, 2014. http://www.cullmantimes.com/breakingnews/x1669975480/BREAKING-Bond-reduction-denied-in-Maynor-murder-case
[xviii]
Jay Reeves, “ALABAMA MAN CHARGED IN SLAYING GAINS SUPPORT.” AP, June 10, 2014.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/alabama-man-charged-slaying-gains-support
[xix]
Ibid.
[xx]
Moore, “Breaking”
[xxi] “Killing
Sex Offenders: The Apparent Hypocrisy of Crew 41.” Southern Poverty Law Center,
July 29, 2013. http://www.splcenter.org/blog/2013/07/29/killing-sex-offenders-the-apparent-hypocrisy-of-crew-41-2/
[xxii]
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/05/07/justice/south-carolina-neo-nazis-murder-sex-offender/#comment-1378773440
[xxiii]
Patt Morrison, “Opinion Does an angry parent killing a child molester ever
serve justice?” LA Times, June 17, 2014. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-jay-maynor-ellie-nesler-child-molesters-justice-20140616-story.html
