Rex Fowler 1st degree murder trial

[Mick Wenlock]

An excellent question -- we'll probably never know the answer unless while Fowler sits in jail for the rest of his life he decides to write his memoirs and explain his actions.

I am speculating of course - but I think it is because it would have been "out security" for him to have left the materials out of his direct control. I don't think the cofs has a protocol for "what to do with secret material when planning to kill oneself or another"

I bet they have one now...

 

[olska]

And another thought ...

$10,000 means a lot to lots of people, to me and of course to all the unemployed suffering through today's economy, BUT

for people at that level of business (CEO, COO, etc.) $10,000 in today's world is really NOT all that much money. It's a week's income for people behind the scenes in the entertainment business; it's a month's income for a salesperson I know.

Certainly not enough to justify such a depraved act as killing a well-liked and respected man who is the father of four children over a business disagreement. I hope Fowler gets the maximum penalty and that all the scientologists who may have egged him on (even inadvertently), or who find some "excuse" for his behavior are held accountable for their "depraved indifference" in the court of public opinion.

While I understand the reason that scientology matters are not admissible in court testimony, there is nothing at all to prevent public discussion -- loud and long -- of how scientology beliefs and practices turned this man into a killer.

 

[olska]

I am speculating of course - but I think it is because it would have been "out security" for him to have left the materials out of his direct control. I don't think the cofs has a protocol for "what to do with secret material when planning to kill oneself or another"

I bet they have one now...

Oh yeah! Just a guess: They'll probably recall ALL sekrit materials and never allow them to leave the building ever again. If you're gonna audit on any of that, you'll have to go to Florida or to the ship and pay through the nose for accommodations while you're at it.

 

[AnonyMary]

I still don't get it completely. Do you think he only intended a fake suicide or do you think intended a real suicide but got the living will made "just in case" something went wrong and he did not die.

I also wonder what other wills there were, benefiting his family, and if they had versions for a dead Rex and versions for an in-jail Rex.

Here's my take:

I think he never intended suicide in the first place but intended to kill Ciancio and brought the psychiatric living will, notes etc with him so that he was protected from the psychs and in compliancee with CoS on the materials after the deed was done - knowing that he'd be hauled off somewhere after it was over.

I think he attemped a cowardly attempt at suicide when he realized what he did but that the original intent was to 1) put Ciancio to death for what he perceived Ciancio had done to his life, his company and his bridge and then 2) go off to jail without the psychs able to infiltrate his life there.

That way he'd be 'taking responsibility' for the group 'SP" and for his financial and other overts against the church, his wife and his company. Jail seems to have been a better place to go than deal with CoS and a failing company and life.

The day of reconing was at hand. Bringing the psych LW, notes and materials to his wife and a gun was all premeditated to say 'I've taken care of affiars as best I can based upon the hole I have dug myself into'/ Take care of the materials, Jan. Make sure they honor the Psych Living Will. I'll make my amends by going to jail for the bad PR and for knocking off the SP.'

 

[Royal Prince Xenu]

So why did Fowler take his sekrit materials to work with him that day, knowing that he would not be in control of the briefcase after whatever shooting he had intended?

Paul

It is because he was leaving all those notes for things to be finalized that makes me believe he had pre-planned his attempt at suicide.

Pretty unlikely to fire three shots to head of someone sitting calmly at a table without first "deciding" to do so -- not likely that "oops I didn't mean to do it!" would be believed.

However, the timing may be significant -- I don't know the law on how far in advance -- hours? minutes? seconds? -- makes it "premeditated."

I guess we'll find out. I can't see how there's any chance at all that he'll be absolved of the killing, it seems to be only a matter of what is the appropriate punishment.

In the Australian case I mentioned, "Let's finish him." was adequate premeditation (1/2 a second?) for a finding of murder.

 

[Div6]

He could argue "diminished capacity" due to the 27 intensives of sec checking he got a flag.....but then he would have to throw Scn under the bus to do that....not sure he has enough self-determinism left to conceive of that.

 

[Arthur Dent]

Here's my take:

I think he never intended suicide in the first place but intended to kill Ciancio and brought the psychiatric living will, notes etc with him so that he was protected from the psychs and in compliancee with CoS on the materials after the deed was done - knowing that he'd be hauled off somewhere after it was over.

I think he attemped a cowardly attempt at suicide when he realized what he did but that the original intent was to 1) put Ciancio to death for what he perceived Ciancio had done to his life, his company and his bridge and then 2) go off to jail without the psychs able to infiltrate his life there.

That way he'd be 'taking responsibility' for the group 'SP" and for his financial and other overts against the church, his wife and his company. Jail seems to have been a better place to go than deal with CoS and a failing company and life.

The day of reconing was at hand. Bringing the psych LW, notes and materials to his wife and a gun was all premeditated to say 'I've taken care of affiars as best I can based upon the hole I have dug myself into'/ Take care of the materials, Jan. Make sure they honor the Psych Living Will. I'll make my amends by going to jail for the bad PR and for knocking off the SP.'

I think you are spot-on. I wonder if the defense and/or prosecution read this board. I don't see how the cofs can be left entirely out of the mix.

 

[Mick Wenlock]

It is because he was leaving all those notes for things to be finalized that makes be believe he had pre-planned his attempt at suicide.



In the Australian case I mentioned, "Let's finish him." was adequate premeditation (1/2 a second?) for a finding of murder.

I actually think that his notes and everything point toward preplanning the murder - not the suicide.

If he planned to commit suicide he would never have taken the OT materials with him. He would have either left them somewhere secure in his house or sent them back to Flag. He obviously expected to still be in control when it was done and would be able to ensure that they were taken care of. I think the suicide attempt was actually remorse.

There was also no need for him to go to work to a planned meeting - if his intent was to off himself.

So he turned up with a gun at a scheduled appointment and executed the guy.

Hmm sounds like pre-planned murder to me.

 

[TheSneakster]

If a guy is intent on committing suicide, by gunshot, he could have easily driven to a isolated spot & shot himself. Who goes to their place of work - full of employees - to kill themself?

R. Budd Dwyer killed himself by gunshot at a public press briefing. He, too, could have easily driven to an isolated spot & shot himself. Who goes to a press conference - full of friends and supporters - to kill themselves ?

 

[secretiveoldfag]

And another thought ...

$10,000 means a lot to lots of people, to me and of course to all the unemployed suffering through today's economy, BUT

for people at that level of business (CEO, COO, etc.) $10,000 in today's world is really NOT all that much money. It's a week's income for people behind the scenes in the entertainment business; it's a month's income for a salesperson I know.

Certainly not enough to justify such a depraved act as killing a well-liked and respected man who is the father of four children over a business disagreement. I hope Fowler gets the maximum penalty and that all the scientologists who may have egged him on (even inadvertently), or who find some "excuse" for his behavior are held accountable for their "depraved indifference" in the court of public opinion.

While I understand the reason that scientology matters are not admissible in court testimony, there is nothing at all to prevent public discussion -- loud and long -- of how scientology beliefs and practices turned this man into a killer.

This ^

And surely Fowler survived his suicide attempt by the merest fluke. Not even a brain surgeon would take the risk of hitting the right angle so that the bullet avoids any vital parts. So he was planning on dying. Not very logically perhaps, but as has been pointed out, the guy was OTVII. Lots of OTs top themselves; it goes with the job description. This is another important fact that ought to be discussed in court and probably won't be.

So Fowler's good suit was for what? Not to impress Ciancio, who turned up in jeans for what was for him evidently a low-key casual moment.

 

[MostlyLurker]

R. Budd Dwyer killed himself by gunshot at a public press briefing. He, too, could have easily driven to an isolated spot & shot himself. Who goes to a press conference - full of friends and supporters - to kill themselves ?

Someone who doesn't wan't to die alone in the dark.

 

[freethinker]

He wasn't, he was the COO, the Chief Operations Officer.

The trial focuses on how software firm found Rex Fowler clashed with Ciancio after the chief operations officers quit in protest over Fowler diverting up to $250,000 in company funds to the Church of Scientology. This act badly crippled Fowler Software.

Didn't know Ciancio was the CEO,

up to 2,25pm on Day 2 of trial.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/26983968/detail.html

 

[Arthur Dent]

There is nothing like the insane thinking of someone on OT VII caught between serious financial and life troubles and the unbelievable financial and emotional pressures brought to bear by the church. It is very hard for someone outside the church and, perhaps, even for someone in the church but not having been on OT VII to comprehend.

Then again, maybe he was still trying to complete his battleplan (lol) and wear his hat by having the meeting and making the payment to complete the cycle, as he had emailed a co-worker that he would take care of this. I mean, if you are a scientologist and want to off yourself you would want to keep your word and complete all your cycles first, right?

And yes, what to do with that pesky briefcase??

Let's see...if I am going to murder maybe it's best to bring it with me so my wife can grab it. (But was she even at the office when this happened?)

Or should I leave it home? (Flag has the combination to your locked briefcase and closet so they'd have no problem getting at it.) This, in fact, would have been less out-security than bringing it with him to work.
Um...maybe Rex is an SP.

Or....maybe I won't kill anyone today, but I do want to kill myself and just in case I'll bring the briefcase because maybe I'll have a session first and see how it goes. Besides, I only did two sessions yesterday so I am under my quota and I don't want my poor D of P to catch hell. And maybe I'll bring the living will in case I miss in my attempt to kill myself because attempted suicide will land me in with the psychs for sure.

Or....I'm gonna kill this guy and then give myself a session and run out the overt before killing myself. Uh huh, this would be best.

There is an endless combination of insane thoughts from a cornered OTVII.
The pressures only go away if you step outside of the church. When in, they are very real and very dangerous.

 

[freethinker]

I don't buy the intention to commit suicide because he could have done that anywhere, a back road in his car, at home in his room, etc.

Why go to the company that you care so much about and blow your brains out in your office and leave a gruesome scene for co-workers to deal with. if he planned a suicide he had plenty of time to think of how to carry that out.

He showed up at work for a meeting, doesn't make sense he went there for a suicide.

Regardless of others' posts, I still don't believe that Rex had pre-planned shooting Ciancio but had pre-planned the suicide. It will be up to the jury to decide whether Fowler was in a sufficiently "rational" frame of mind to decide at at that moment to shoot Ciancio, or if he had been pushed to the point of "insanity" at the time.

As for the argument about lock him up, kill him, or let him go free:
- What is Fowler's medical prognosis for the future? Is he currently fully compos mentis to stand trial? Is he now a "half-vegetable"? If his mental state has significantly deteriorated to the point that he will require life-time care then a medical facility would be a better option than jail.
- Jail or execution will not give the Ciancio family "justice", only revenge.
- I am opposed to capital punishment because that makes the Executioners no better than the Defendant, and it only dumps a very confused and angry soul onto the other side--and they're dealing with enough of our problems as it is.

This is one of those hideous situations that can only end badly for all concerned.

 

[freethinker]

The document that was pulled out in day one came from the briefcase.

No, it's considered evidence in a murder investigation. The police would hold onto it & the contents inside until the conclusion of the case. If Rex is convicted, and appeals, then they would hold onto it until all appeals were exhausted.

The exception is that if Jan got a court order ordering the police return the briefcase, but that's not going to happen during an active case.

 

[freethinker]

How much control do you have after you're dead?

I am speculating of course - but I think it is because it would have been "out security" for him to have left the materials out of his direct control. I don't think the cofs has a protocol for "what to do with secret material when planning to kill oneself or another"

I bet they have one now...

 

[freethinker]

Probably because he wanted to make a point to the attenders of the press conference.

What point would fowler be making?

R. Budd Dwyer killed himself by gunshot at a public press briefing. He, too, could have easily driven to an isolated spot & shot himself. Who goes to a press conference - full of friends and supporters - to kill themselves ?

 

[freethinker]

either - or, why not both

In looking this over, I am now of the opinion that Rex planned a murder and a suicide.

I think he planned on killing Ciancio and then killing himself.

Because a Scientologist believes he will come back in a next life, it could be that there was no money to pay off Ciancio so Ciancio would be a continuous threat and future problem.

To kill him would eliminate the threat and the debt.

To kill himself would avoid going to jail for life in case they didn't give him the death penalty and even if they did, how many years on death row?

So the solution would be to kill Ciancio and then himself because he can always come back.

I don't think he really thought through the Living Will and OT materials or maybe he did and decided that if he muffed the suicide the will would protect him and to have the materials with him would show he followed protocol in his next life sec check.

Not everyone has the certainty that they will be back like a Scientologist can.

 

[secretiveoldfag]

I actually think that his notes and everything point toward preplanning the murder - not the suicide.

If he planned to commit suicide he would never have taken the OT materials with him. He would have either left them somewhere secure in his house or sent them back to Flag. He obviously expected to still be in control when it was done and would be able to ensure that they were taken care of. I think the suicide attempt was actually remorse.

There was also no need for him to go to work to a planned meeting - if his intent was to off himself.

This is perhaps the most coherent analysis yet. So why in this scenario was he wearing his good suit? To make a good show when he gave himself up and was carted off? Surely not to flail around on the floor bleeding profusely from a head wound? And why did he lie down on the floor before shooting himself (if he did)?

 

[dianaclass8]

Pardon for asking a dumb question; but has he been declared Supressive Person? Or is it redundant?