Was it Suicide – or Murder?
By Randy Wyles | July 29, 2010
While family, friends and fans grieve the loss of former Atlanta Hawks star Lorenzen Wright, police are trying to determine exactly how Wright died – a puzzle that could have a long term effect on the future of his children as well as the rest of his family. It’s the type of case in which P.I.s are often asked to investigate – usually on behalf of the family.
It had been a bad year and most people knew that Lorenzen Wright had financial problems; his Atlanta home, estimated to be worth just over $1-million, was seized in January and his Eads, Tennessee home, worth at least $1.3-million, was repossessed in May.
During his 13 years and 778 games in the NBA, the 6-foot-11-inch power forward out of the University of Memphis had played for five different teams – averaging 8-points per game – his best performance was while he was with the Hawks. But despite talk of finding another team, Wright didn’t play at all last season.
He was last seen on July 19 leaving his ex-wife’s home around 2 a.m. According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, police say that a recorded call from Wright’s cellphone to 911 operators caught the sound of what could have been several gunshots from more than one weapon before the call ended.
The dichotomy of Wright’s financial problems versus the sound of multiple gunshots on a call from Wright’s cellphone are the main factors causing the uncertainty in the determination of the cause of death. The importance of the determination comes down to money and a question of whether a crime was committed.
If Wright’s cause of death was suicide, whether over money or any other personal problems, any insurance payments to surviving family members – including his six children – could be lost. Many insurance companies have very narrow parameters when paying a claim if the insured committed suicide. In some cases, no money is ever paid.
On the other hand, if the insured is murdered, there is usually a “double indemnity” clause which pays the benefactor twice the face value of the insurance policy. So, determining exactly how Wright died will make a difference in the insurance money that will go to his children.
Prior to becoming a private investigator I was a reporter in Texas. I once covered a story in which the county medical examiner had determined that the shotgun shooting death of a successful business owner in a Dallas suburb was a suicide. The family didn’t believe that their beloved husband and father – who had died from a shotgun blast to the abdomen – had committed suicide.
So, the family asked for a separate investigation.
And yes, despite what would seem to be a cumbersome, if not awkward way for someone to commit suicide – it can be done and is, in fact, done more frequently than one might think.
But in this case the shotgun blast had resulted in a large hole just beneath the man’s sternum – a strange place for a self inflicted shotgun wound. The man’s wife was not convinced it was suicide. She thought, given the late hour and the location – right behind their store in a strip mall – that it was a robbery gone horribly wrong.
Following the funeral, after the family and friends had all left the graveside service, the wife allowed the funeral director to raise the casket bearing her husband’ body back up from the grave and have it taken for another autopsy. Indeed, the medical examiner brought in from another state determined that the shotgun could not have been fired by the husband due to the proximity of the weapon and the angle of the shot in relation to the gunshot wound.
The county medical examiner amended the “cause of death” and the family was awarded double the face amounts listed on the victim’s insurance policies.
It was later discovered that a longtime employee – slightly intoxicated, angry and trying to take his own life with the shotgun in back of the store – accidentally fire the weapon, killing his friend and longtime employer. The employee told the police that he had returned to the store late that night to found his employer, lying fatally wounded, in the alley in the back.
It isn’t that police investigators and medical examiners aren’t good at their jobs; it’s that they are often overworked and go with the most logical evidence right in front of them at the time – because they have nine other cases waiting in the wings.
By contrast, private investigators take the time – that the police don’t often have – to sift through the evidence and, on occasion, even discover new evidence which can turn a case around, free an innocent person or find the real perpetrator of the crime.
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Tracking is Stalking
By Randy Wyles | July 28, 2010
Many GPS equipment manufacturers and retailers are trying to convince people that private investigators aren’t needed any longer – that the days of the P. I. may be numbered due to the technology of the future, the GPS tracking device. The idea is that anyone can buy a tracking device and discover where someone is going. So, why use a private investigator?
Let’s deal with first things first; GPS manufacturers and retailers are selling GPS tracking systems. And calling GPS technology the “way of the future” or “the cutting edge of” something or another in an ad for a GPS tracking system is really, well – just wrong.
The technology is based, at least in part, on World War II ground based radio navigation technology. But when Sputnik was launched by the Soviets in 1957 it changed everything.
Scientists noticed the “Doppler effect” – meaning that the signal transmitted by Sputnik was higher as the satellite approached and lower after it had passed over and was moving away. It’s the same effect that occurs when you hear the tone of an approaching car horn suddenly become lower after it passes by. “Doppler effect radar” is now used in weather radar systems to pinpoint changing weather events.
Scientists locked onto this phenomenon, developed a satellite based system with the purpose of pinpointing earth bound vehicles and within four years of Sputnik, the U.S. Navy was operating Transit – the world’s first satellite navigation system. Through the 1960s and 1970s, variations and new systems were improved and became reliable and accurate enough to guide Cold War era U.S. Navy submarine-launched ballistic missiles as well as U.S. Air Force strategic bomber and land based intercontinental missiles precisely to their targets anywhere on the globe.
Then in 1983, Korean Air Lines Flight 007 – with 269 civilian passengers and crew on board – was shot down after the flight strayed into Soviet airspace. President Ronald Reagan issued a directive making GPS freely available for civilian use. By the mid-1990s some two-dozen GPS dedicated satellites had been launched and were in service.
So, new? Not really. Cutting edge? Maybe. And do private investigators already use the technology as a tool for their investigations – you bet.
But here’s the big difference; anyone can buy a GPS tracking system, attach it to a vehicle and get an accurate reading on where the vehicle is going or where it’s been. But once the vehicle is there, then what? You still need photo or video evidence because merely saying someone’s car was where it wasn’t supposed to be doesn’t hold up very well in court – especially when you find out, during cross examination, that the car was loaned to a friend. Now, that’s embarrassing – and costly.
You see, you still have to have eyes on the subject to make sure of what the subject is doing and where the subject really is at the time. CIA operatives will tell you that it’s great having a photo of the bad guys from a “keyhole-class” satellite. But even a $1-billion satellite with high resolution imaging can’t tell you what the bad guys said or who they might have met with under the tent, inside the bar or in a high rise office building. Most reconnaissance takes real live people getting close enough to see and even hear what’s going on – close enough to get photo or video.
That kind of evidence is called “irrefutable” and it’s the kind of evidence that wins cases.
Besides, if you put a GPS tracking device on someone’s car to “spy” on them, your case will be thrown out of court and you will be locked up for “stalking.” Why? You’re not a licensed private investigator – the only defense against the stalking laws. So, it’s really best to hire a professional.
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Fishing For Illegals
By Randy Wyles | July 23, 2010
An American woman is crying because her illegal alien husband was caught fishing on Lake Lanier in Hall County, GA without a license and may be deported.
Just asking here – but did you not know that he was in the United States illegally when you married him? And if so, what – you guys liked “living on the edge” like a couple of fugitives on the run?
Of course, Beatriz Castro says her husband of about a year, Josue Castro, is an upstanding, church going man from Honduras – who just happens to be here illegally.
Their attorney, Arturo Corso, is claiming the Hall County Sheriff’s deputies were in the wrong – that they violated “search and a seizure” laws after making the arrest that could lead to Castro’s deportation.
Well, the bottom line is that Hall County Sheriff’s deputies are trained under Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, meaning they are certified and permitted to perform immigration law enforcement functions. And the fact remains that Josue Castro is an illegal alien – even if he is married to an American woman.
Besides, just this week a Tennessee man was sentenced to jail for poaching in Georgia. He’s spending about a year-and-half in a county jail for illegally catching two trout in North Georgia.
So, I’m thinking if that man can go to jail for poaching then Josue Castro can be deported – not for breaking one law by fishing illegally – but for being in the U.S. illegally…married or not.
The sad thing is that we seem to be better at securing the borders through state fishing laws than through federal immigration laws.
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A Deadly Paradise
By Randy Wyles | July 21, 2010
Few stories capture the imagination of amateur sleuths and mystery buffs like the champagne and caviar murder cases of the rich and famous – and the murder of Ben Novack, Jr. has popped a cork in celebration of its first anniversary in a big way.
No “soap opera” could ever come close to this 
storyline. This is a “true crime detective” style, bona fide murder mystery that has it all; deep, dark family secrets, serious family money – and ties to the iconic Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach, used in the James Bond movie “Goldfinger”. There’s even a long lost relative – suffering from mental illness – who provides a surprise Read the rest of this entry »
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Watching Over Their Innocent Worlds
By Randy Wyles | July 15, 2010
My wife and I have a rock solid policy; our little girls never, ever go into a public restroom alone…period. They go with each other or my wife takes them. If I’m out with them, I stand beside the door to the restroom – and dare any “perv” to just “accidentally” go in the wrong door. The same thing was true when my grown son was just a little boy. Either I or one of his little friends went with him – but I still kept an eye on the door.
I’m not paranoid; I’m a parent – and an investigator. And I’ve seen too many cases like the “Magic Jeff” case – the former youth minister from a Kennesaw, Georgia church named Jeffrey Alan Wasley, 39, who was sentenced to 20-years in federal prison this week in Atlanta.
A security guard from a local Target store reported Wasley to police when a little boy said “Magic Jeff” wanted to help him tuck in his shirt in the restroom of the store.
When they searched his home, police discovered over 17,000 images of child pornography on Wasley’s computer. The pornographic images that police found included images of six boys in the restrooms of several Metro Atlanta Target and Walmart stores.
Wasley did not fight the charges, though he did try to kill himself when police decided to make the arrest. Wasley barricading himself in his garage, cut his wrists and neck and stabbed himself multiple times.
He had also left an apologetic note to his wife and children. Police say that, in addition to the pornographic images, they found the manuscript of a novel he was writing about a child molester who had been abused as a child.
Following his prison sentence, Wasley will be on the probation for the rest of his life. He admitted to the charges from the beginning and has agreed not to appeal the sentence in the future.
But back to the matter at hand.
I’m certainly not saying that parents who allow their kids to go to into public restrooms alone are bad parents. Not at all. Heaven knows, when you’re in the middle of a meal with the family at a restaurant or you’re trying to grab some groceries with the kids in tow and get out of the store in time to get home and make dinner, you just get sidetracked sometimes. And, of course, when your child needs to go, it’s usually right then!
So, you say “fine” and give a quick look as to the general location of the restroom – and let them go. It’s a fairly common occurrence. No problem, right? Besides, kids want to be “grown up” and they want to go to the restroom alone because they feel it makes them more “grown up” – because they see the older kids and adults do it. It’s perfectly logical in their young minds.
But, as the parent, you have to keep in mind that these people – like “Magic Jeff” – are out there…and not just out there “somewhere else.” They are out there in your neighborhood. They infiltrate family settings and public venues where children play and learn. And they lay in wait – for that innocent child. Our job as parents is to remember to be vigilant.
So, go the restroom with them. I use to make it seem to my little boy that I just happened to be going at the same time. Once I saw the room was clear, I’d just happen to finish up before him and let him know that I would be “right outside” the door. Even though it was only a minute or two, it gave him a sense of being on his own, without really being on his own.
Let a friend or sibling go with them. There is safety in numbers. Of course, you still keep an eye on the door to see who comes and goes.
Finally, report anything suspicious. If some guy steps out of the ladies room – let someone know…right then! If you notice a guy just loitering in the men’s room, report it…right then!
And let me be perfectly clear and absolutely “politically incorrect” about this; I’m not concerned with, nor could I care any less at all, whether child molesters were once victims of child abuse. I don’t care about their excuses – those are issues for therapists. My concern is the safety of my kids – and getting these “pervs” off of the street – or out of the restroom, as the case may be.
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OnLine Detective Service, Don’t Risk It
By Holly Hunter | July 6, 2010
In a recent posting on reviret.com it was suggested that in order to keep a low profile while having your cheating spouse investigated you should use your credit card and burn a few hundred dollars with an online detective service. I am here to give you three good reasons why this is not a good idea.
First of all using your credit card to pay for detective service is not a smart move. When your statement arrives in the mail the line item on your account will read “OnLine Detective Service”, “Web Investigator” or what ever the name of the detective company is. You run the risk that your spouse will see the statement, will access the account online or that the credit card bank will call one of the phone numbers associated with your account and ask if this was an intentional purchase. Imagine what kind of a conversation you will have with your supposed cheating spouse when the bank calls him about your purchase with Net Detective. Oh, sure you can change the passcode on the account so he cannot access it online but as soon as you do you better have a plausible explanation as your spouse will surely want to know why his access was denied. And I know the rest of you are the dutiful stay-at-home mom who retrieves the mail and you can screen everything that comes in. Well ask yourself this: are you willing to risk blowing your case before you begin? Besides, if he wasn’t cheating and he sees the line item purchase he may decide to leave you before you can leave him.
Second, private detective agencies in 44 out of 50 States are required to have State issued licenses. Some of these States have reciprocal agreements, others do not. Of the remaining six, two require business licenses and two require permits for certain cities and municipalities. Can you be certain the online investigation service you hire fits into at least one of these categories? Will they provide their State of licensure and license number for you to research them and see if they are legitimate? Have you been able to reach a live person to speak with and not a chat window with an innocuous person on the other side answering your questions from a script? There are many fly-by-night detective services across the nation, online and across the globe that simply take your money, have no licensure or training and provide little to no information in return. A lot of people talk a good game, but the bottom line is in all 50 States that impersonating licensed private detective or operating as a private investigator is illegal. Information that is not legally obtained is not admissible in a court of law. Now ask yourself this: is the information I need worthy of a licensed detective or should I just settle for a rip-off artist or possibly, a hacker?
Third, and probably the most important thing to remember is that if you hire a detective service, online or otherwise who provides information directly to you, that information is not considered to be protected and must be divulged during interrogatories and depositions. If you hire Hunter Investigations through your attorney, Hunter Investigations becomes your attorney’s client and the information we obtain will be provided directly to your attorney. This process is practiced by reputable detective and law firms in all 50 States because it keeps the information protected under attorney-client privilege. This means you can obtain information discretely through your attorney, your credit card statement will not reveal that you have hired a detective because payment can be made through your attorney in cash.
If you are considering using a detective service opt for a licensed private investigations firm instead. Call Hunter Investigations, 770.667.7467 and let a licensed investigator speak with you about your concerns. We will be glad to set a time to meet with you in person and give our professional opinion as to whether or not you should be considering investigative services. Sometimes there are simple answers that are being overlooked and our trained detectives are here to help you make that determination. You, the Client, have the right to sit face to face or, at the very least, speak with a live person before spending your money. At Hunter Investigations the first half hour consultation is free. In addition, Hunter Investigations LLC has our license number posted on our website and any of our licensed detectives or office staff will be more than happy to provide the Agency licensure number at your request.
Save yourself time and money; call Hunter Investigations LLC: 770.667.7467. We look forward to speaking with you soon.
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Parent Custodial Equality in TN
By Holly Hunter | April 12, 2010
In a recent article PI Newswire discusses one of the age old problems that divorcing parents face: who gets the children? The article points out that when King Solomon posed the solution of dividing the child between the two mothers who both claimed the child was born to them. The rightful mother was horrified not wanting her child to be harmed, told the King to give the child to the other woman. This display of love showed King Solomon who the birth mother was and so she was awarded custody.
Apparently a group of fathers’ rights activists are driving the Tennessee Legislature to demand the courts award equal time with their children unless their spouse can prove they are unfit to parent. These equal rights organizations are claiming that the courts have intentionally cut fathers out of the picture when it comes to awarding custody of their children. The pending legislation in Tennessee HB 2916, not the number listed in the article, states that divorcing parents are to be awarded equal time with their children unless one parent can provide “clear and convincing” evidence that the other is unfit. In this instance the court would be required to order an investigation.
A court ordered domestic investigation would most likely be conducted by various State Agencies and may not provide all of the necessary answers as the accused parent would undoubtedly be on their best behavior. Remember too State Agencies have heavy case loads and limited resources to devote to your case. Because of this a parent who is planning to divorce and accuse their spouse of being unfit should hire a private investigator prior to filing. To have the detective work completed prior to filing allows parents to have the opportunity to reach a reasonable agreement between themselves which they would present to the court. HB 2916 also allows for this solution.
One of the problems not addressed in the article is that divorcing parents who want to prove their spouse unfit will be looking in the wrong direction to hire an investigator. Fly-by-night, cloak-and-dagger gum shoes are a dime a dozen and purport to be what they are not. A spouse who is concerned for the welfare of their children needs to seek the assistance of an experienced investigative team in order to get the best results and not get ripped off.
The States of Georgia and Tennessee have reciprocal agreements which allow licensed GA investigators to work in TN. Hunter Investigations LLC located in GA specializes in domestic case work and on several occasions have assisted fathers in gaining sole custody of their children. Call us for more information 770.667.7467.
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Don’t Get Ripped Off
By Holly Hunter | January 25, 2010
The downturn in the economy has resulted in an economic swing in the opposite direction for Private Investigations. Many reasons can be attributed to this but, for the most part, private corporations as well as individuals are seeking the help of the professional PI to insure they are not being ripped off.
Many law firms and other medium to large size corporations who have staffed an in-house detective are eliminating that position to save on their budgets. What are they doing in the mean time? They are working with private investigations firms on a case by case or as needed basis. Several medium size law firms in the Atlanta area who are confidential clients of Hunter Investigations said that when they housed a firm detective all the staff, attorneys and paralegals, seemed to hand off much of their case work to the detective. In an effort to increase their bottom line, these firms admitted that a corporate restructure that included eliminating the in-house detective(s) and utilizing private investigators has resulted in a more productive firm and increased revenue.
Hunter Investigations is poised to assist corporate America as well as the private individual as each seeks to protect their assets. Our investigators work to present our Clients with the facts. Regardless of who is in need we offer background checks, search for debtors, surveillance for domestic disputes and provide due diligence for all types of criminal and civil cases. Contact Hunter Investigations to find out how you can better protect your assets during these uncertain times: 770.667.7467.
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Most Wanted
By Holly Hunter | September 10, 2009
As a private investigative firm one of the services we provide is the location of missing persons. Hunter Investigations has also provided information to local Law Enforcement as well as the FBI, DOJ and other Federal Agencies to assist in their apprehension of known criminals.
We have developed a Most Wanted page on our website to further assist in this endeavor. Many criminals have been apprehended and brought to justice because citizens like you have taken a moment to leave an anonymous tip or report a sighting. Visit our Most Wanted page and continue to help in the quest.
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In Home Alarm Systems
By Holly Hunter | September 2, 2009
Many homes across America have electronic alarm systems which of course set off a loud siren in the event of an intruder or break-in. I think most city-folk have at least heard someone’s alarm sounding in the distance so I am not going to bore you with the details of how they work or why you should protect your home and family by having one. Alarm monitoring service is an accessory to most systems and it is an accessory that most people with alarm systems have.
One of my good friends told me that that she recently changed alarm companies largely because the existing company had increased her rates steadily over the past fifteen years and she decided enough. The new company was able to make the switch without changing out her existing system, which no doubt made her happy for the cash savings.
Two interesting things happened when her new security company rep came out to make the switch. First the rep set her up with a panic code. He added an additional code to her keypad for panic situations. For example, if she comes home and surprises an intruder she punches in the panic code, then house alarm does not sound but the local police are immediately dispatched. How cool is that?
The other thing that she came to find out was that she needed to register her alarm system with the local city in which she resides. According to the rep, if she was not registered with the city and the police are dispatched she would be fined by the city for $75.00.
“Who knew you had to register your alarm system,” she said to me. Well I did some checking only to find out the rep is correct. In the greater Atlanta metroplex every municipality I spoke with gave me the same advice: register your home alarm system or risk being fined. Just another way to generate revenue I said as I hung up the phone. I suppose, though if there is good news about registering my home alarm system it is that I was able to obtain the forms online.
Register your alarm system, get a panic code set and call Hunter Investigations LLC if you find yourself the victim of an in-home burglary or other crime. We provide services that include crime scene investigation and recovery of stolen property. Pick up the phone and call for your free consultation: 770.667.7467.
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