Andrew Hanlon and the Magic Witnesses
Posted on Monday, July 28, 2008
The male subject is at my front door, please hurry, screams Shannon Kelley in the recording released by Silverton police.
Male subject? Is that what you’d say if you thought someone was trying to break into your house?
The male subject is at my door.
What a strange thing to say in the heat of the moment. What strange language for a civilian to use, yet how natural for police. This is the language of police forces worldwide, the sort of jargon that police might inadvertently lapse into while falsifying a tape recording.
But this tape isn’t the only strange thing about the evidence placed before the grand jury by the Marion County District Attorney, who has the final say on what the grand jury will hear and what will be withheld from it.
For one thing, Mr Kemmy, Deputy District Attorney, decided not to call a witness whose testimony would have flatly contradicted the police account of the killing. To the best of my knowledge, this witness hasn’t even been interviewed. This witness, however, is now being actively harassed on the streets by the Silverton police department, presumably in an effort to silence her.
For another thing, he claimed that Andrew’s blood was found on the door of the 
house owned by Shannon and Josiah Kelley, which on the face of it seemed to place Andrew in a very poor light. However, he ignored the other obvious way the blood might have got there.
The DA produced Mr Jeff de Santis, who happened to be driving down the hill at the time of the killing. Mr DeSantis gave a very supportive account of the officer’s actions and showed remarkable insight into the officer’s feelings as he killed Andrew. After the shooting, Mr DeSantis was allowed to touch Andrew as he lay on the ground, and therefore may well have become contaminated by blood or tissue.
We’re told that Gonzales didn’t know Mr DeSantis, who therefore seems to be a very lucky man not to have been shot when he approached out of the shadows.
What was not highlighted is that Mr DeSantis is a business partner and friend of Josiah Kelley. Nor is it pointed out that Mr DeSantis may well have gone back to the Kelleys’ house, contaminating the door with Andrew’s blood in the process.
We’re not told what Mr DeSantis was doing before the incident, nor who he was with. Neither are we told whether Mr DeSantis knew about the incident before he arrived on the scene.
Very well then. Let me make a suggestion to fill in the blanks. I believe that far from being a random passer-by, Mr DeSantis was one of the people pursuing Andrew. I further believe that Mr DeSantis was driving down the hill to cut off Andrew’s terrified escape, having come from the Kelleys’ house.
It appears plain to me that Mr DeSantis was far from independent as a witness, but was in fact acting in support of Gonzales, and that therefore any evidence he gave to the grand jury has to be regarded as biased.
There was no investigation as to why Andrew was so desperate to get indoors. We’re not told if he knocked on any other houses before Josiah Kelley’s, and we’re not told if there’s any evidence that someone was following him before he arrived at the Kelleys’ house.
In fact, there seems to have been no investigation at all as to why Andrew found himself at that particular house.
Now here’s a puzzle. Jane Stone was working in her studio near the scene of the killing, and claims to have heard gunfire coming down the hill, before Gonzales issued any warnings. How could this be, if Gonzales was waiting at the bottom of the hill, and how could Mr DeSantis have failed to notice other people shooting at Andrew?
Jane Stone also reports two men running away from Andrew’s body, to the rear of her building, where one of them said either “Got it” or else “Shot it”.
I don’t believe the DA investigated these claims, and in the absence of such an investigation, I’ll simply ask one thing: who were these men?
In view of the public disquiet caused by this killing, the Marion County authorities should have clarified all these questions and many more besides. But it seems they just didn’t want this case going to trial, no matter what.
The male subject is at my front door, please hurry.
What a very strange thing to say.
_______________________________
UPDATE
In spite of, or perhaps because of, all that has been revealed in the last few weeks, it seems that nobody involved has the heart to keep digging.
Too much has emerged and there’s too much pain in it.
It isn’t for me to say what should be investigated. I’m not one of those involved. I’m only some disembodied internet presence who started writing about the case because AJ reminded me of my own son. The decision on where to go from here belongs to AJ’s family and I think they’re probably more concerned now with healing than with getting retribution. That has to be respected.
I’m finished too. That’s it. There’s nothing left to say.
All Bock posts on AJ Hanlon HERE
District Attorney’s statement HERE
Stumble it!
July 28th, 2008
It is certainly a very strange thing for a civilian to say. From what I have read, the legal process was a complete sham.
July 28th, 2008
It sounded to me like she was simply agreeing with the dispatcher;
“Is the male subject at your door?”
“Yes, the male subject is at my door!”
As in hurry the hell up and get someone out here now!
But it doesn’t explain the male voice in the background of the tape.
If Josiah Kelley’s supposed to be on the phone to the cops (as the dispatcher got the caller to confirm), who’s the main adult male voice on the phone to in the background?
As he was told to “Ring Josiah!” by the female voice.
Anyone an audio engineer? Copy of ProTools handy?
Why the silences on the tape? Why is there total silence? Shouldn’t there be breathing? Background noise?
July 28th, 2008
She has remarkable eyesight too (listen to tape after two minute mark) as she describes the ‘intruder’ leaving … seems her eyesight is a lot better than Gonzalez and he was no more than five feet from Andrew (according to DeSantis) - interestingly none of these people saw any weapons either - and they were under stress and didn’t have either a nightstick, taser or a gun!
July 28th, 2008
Has anyone a link to hear this conversation please
July 28th, 2008
It’s Here
But the MP3 can be grabbed from Here
July 28th, 2008
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b8a_1217056263&to_friend=1 google search
brock i enjoy your blog by the way regards
July 29th, 2008
Yes Jeff De Santis is a business partner of Josiah Kelley.
On the night Aj was murdered by Gonzalez, I understand that Kelley was in De Santis home only a few doors away from AJ’s sister.
When Kelley recieved a call from his wife saying that there was a guy banging at the door trying to get in, he was in De Santis house.
I believe they left together to go to Kelley’s house. Kelley was left at his street to check everything was ok and follow the person who had been at his door while De Santis apparently drove down the road to ‘cut the person off’.
My understanding is that when he got there Gonzalez was already there.
De Santis was NOT a random passer-by.
AND yes the question must be asked if De Santis was only 7 yds away why didnt Gonzalez fire at him also, particurlarly as he was supposed to be a stranger to Gonzalez!!!!
WHY wasnt Kelley called as a witness?
Was it because he is a lawyer and perhaps afraid of the truth??????
Why was AJ afraid on the night?
Why was he knocking to get into the house??
Was someone chasing him??
If so who??
Was he being harrased??
so many questions so few answers.
The DA’s report has been published he made sure of that, even though he is on vacation!!!!
So where is the autopsy report???????
hmmmmmmmmm
Didnt see that in the DA’s report, did you.
Why was the Assistant Da Matt Kemmy seen to give statements to the media about testimony in the Grand Jury prior to the findings of the Grand Jury !!!!!!
There is an old saying, ‘ if you want to be a good liar you have to have a good memory’.
Even with a team behind him Matt Kemmy couldnt manage to keep it all straight.
At the next election I wonder who the people will vote for?????
///
July 29th, 2008
I see.
Are you saying that you believe Mr DeSantis didn’t just accidentally happen to be passing the incident on his way home?
Are you saying you believe he was there because he had prior knowledge of the incident?
July 29th, 2008
The audio tape is really for a film we’ve already seen ! We know the outcome of all this so we fill in the blanks ourselves. In the theatre business (or the world of make-believe) these are called scene setters. We have the call to the police at the beginning and the flashing lights at the bottom of the hill at the end of the (relevant part) of the tape.
There’s nothing an audio professional will find on the tape as it’s already been processed by the producers (can I use a theatrical phrase?) and published. Everything else on the tape is really ‘over-egging’ of the pudding. Made with the intent of protecting the script that has already been written.
July 29th, 2008
Dear Bock,
Yes, De Santis DID have prior knoweledge of what was going on that night as he was with Kelley when the call came from Shannon Kelley.
Then they both went to Kelleys and De Santis carried on down Oak Road to follow AJ.
Wherby he came across Gonzalez who was already there.
July 29th, 2008
Has anyone ascertained whether Kelley or De Santis were armed or own handguns, rifles or shotguns?
July 29th, 2008
huron~ i heard gunfire coming all the way down the oak street hill~ round after round of gunfire.
how could this have been gonzoles if he was already at bottom of hill? also, there was a pause in
gunfire, then two much closer sounding shots, followed by 2 men running to the window i was next to in my building~ that’s when i heard “shot it” or “got it” jstone
July 29th, 2008
It’s not rocket science to suggest that there’s something else going on here.
No autopsy report! Witnesses not deposed! No trial! Grand jury railroaded!
Statements from “witnesses” that don’t add up!
Come on, there has to be some journalists reading this blog. Even a freelancer should be able to sell this. It stinks!
July 29th, 2008
I’m disturbed but not surprised to hear that Jane Stone is being actively harrassed presumably as a means of shutting her up.
Stay strong. The truth will out.
July 30th, 2008
Was Andrew being hunted/chased immediately, or for some time, BEFORE he started banging desperately on this door?
July 30th, 2008
That’s one of the important questions that hasn’t been answered yet.
July 30th, 2008
mark~ wasn’t aware people knew i was being harrassed. that’s good~please don’t have silverton police do the investigation if i am more permanantly harrassed. i’ve wondered, if i get death threat~ who do i report it to? water dept.?? public library???
would like to share the following:
on tuesday 07.29.08. following email sent to rick lewis of silverton p. d.:
“comment from friends of jstone to rick lewis~”
Please tell your officers in Police Cars
Don’t continue messing with j.stone right now,
they will know what that means.
She was at work until midnight june 30th, too
much fire~ broke her heart.
Fire doesn’t need more smoke…
thank you for putting out this word to your officers.
sincerely friends of jstone in silverton or.
today i recieved reply~
from: Daniel Thurman (DThurman@silverton.or.us>)
“I have no idea” also question marks inserted in original text, ? after now in 2nd sentance
? after june 30th, 3rd sentance
you know~ maybe they really don’t have any idea, about anything, ever….. but the’d best get a clue, because murdering young artists in silverton isn’t going to happen again~ murdering any of my kids isn’t going to happen again~ not on my shift, no~ the only way i’d have been silent on this one is if i’d already been dead when it happened. threats pretty much bore me… but i sure do love encouragement, and all of us here who are working so hard with this could use all the encouragement you can send us! love, jstone
July 31st, 2008
Thought people might like to read/see this.
http://mentalhealthportland.wordpress.com/2008/07/26/slain-irishmans-family-calls-for-changes/