A FALSE REPORT A True Story of Rape in America By T. Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong 291 pp. Thankfully, the ramifications of this have helped change the way Lynnwoods Criminal Investigations Division approach crimes of this nature. We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. Rittgarn can only [be] labeled as bullying and coercive. Others were less willing to engage publicly in such self-reflection. In the Netflix series, the two women who work tirelessly to solve these crimes are named Karen Duvall (played by Merritt Weaver) and Grace Rasmussen (played by Toni Collette). Marie spent time with two former foster moms in the days following her rapePeggy Cunningham and Shannon McQuery. Two years ago, This American Life ran an episode (narrated by Armstrong and the producer Robyn Semien) that can serve as a nice companion to the book by giving us Maries voice on tape. One of the two officers who blew Maries case comes across as a secondary villain. Detective Sgt. Because I feel that if I would have shut my mouth, she said. The Police Departments in the three places in Colorado (Aurora, Golden and Westminster) pooled their clues and figured out they were probably looking for the same attacker. At 25, she is raw but also resilient. Join Facebook to connect with Jerry Rittgarn and others you may know. Detective Jerry Rittgarn/Pruitt (Bill Fagerbakke) Photo: Beth Dubber/Netflix The real-life counterpart of Bill Fagerbakke's hard-hearted Detective Pruitt, Jerry Rittgarn threatened Adler with . Even though this was true, she recanted her claim soon after and said she made it all up. People cope differently, react differently," Kaitlyn says. Then, the surfacing of a suspicious vehicle report gave them their next clue. Grand Haven, MI The Most Iconic Celebrity Best Friendships, The Most Iconic Old Hollywood Engagement Rings, The Most Iconic Oscar Dresses of All Time, Christie Brinkley Honors 69th Birthday in New IG. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. MHeffron5@gmail.com. Hed been an investigator for more than two decades by then. "We're just telling the story, and we are giving the facts," Kaitlyn says. This unique agency reported to both the Secretary of Defense and Department of State, conducting oversight reviews and investigations which were related to the combined U.S. efforts in Iraq and the Middle East. He told Miller and Armstrong he would talk to them only if they paid him, while complaining about victims who lie and a biased story. The other officer, however, is introspective enough to be the books most complex figure. Marie went on to say that "[Mason] was rubbing his head and literally looked like he was ashamed about what they had done". Both Rittgarn. One of the many reasons this show was so well-received was that it took great care to protect the victims whose stories they were telling. Mason and Det. Makes my blood boil the way the cops treat her is exactly why many other survivors would rather suffer I silence #Unbelievable, I'm watching #Unbelievable on #Netflix #UnbelievableNetflix and the differences of approach in questioning rape victims by male and female cops is incredibly alarming. Both Kaitlyn and Danielle think what's most important is that viewers of Unbelievable learn to accept that not all survivors are the same and that we must take their accounts seriously. NEXT: Top 10 BBC Drama Shows Available On Netflix Spring 2020 (According To IMDb), Netflix's Unbelievable: 5 Things They Based On The True Story (& 5 Things They Changed), 10 Things In Netflix's Unbelievable That Were Shockingly Real, Toni Collette: 10 Best Movies, According To Rotten Tomatoes, 10 Weird True Crime Stories Netflix Should Cover In A Documentary Next, 10 Best Netflix Original Scary Movies (According To IMDb), Top 10 BBC Drama Shows Available On Netflix Spring 2020 (According To IMDb). Does Unforgotten work without Nicola Walker? Anyone who read the original, Pulitzer Prize-winning piece An Unbelievable Story of Rape written in 2015 by former Seattle Times reporter Ken Armstrong and T. Christian Miller, of Pro Publica, will remember the tale. Mr. Blynn took a transfer to the Grand Rapids office of the FBI in 1995. Another thing Armstrong talked about is the implicit bias against victims of sexual assault built into the criminal justice system. He is a graduate of Indiana State University with a Masters of Science in Personnel Administration and Educational Psychology. The next paragraph in Armstrong and Williams book notes Det. His LinkedIn page indicates he works for a private investigation firm in San Diego. There wasnt enough DNA to tell detectives exactly who the assailant was, but it was enough to tell them that it was a male in the OLeary family who had committed these heinous crimes. Ken Armstrong said early in his talk that there had been some physical evidence that would corroborate Marie, but when presented with some doubt by people close to the victim, the police changed strategy and bullied Marie into confessing to inventing the crime. But shes also a person living her life. "We have to treat these kind of cases more singularly.". Mr. Crumb also participated in a number of multi-jurisdictional investigations involving state, local, and federal law enforcement agencies. Rape Crisis England and Wales works towards the elimination of all forms of sexual violence and sexual misconduct. Mr. Crumb investigated or oversaw numerous investigations concerning complex financial crimes and fraudulent activities. According to the Pro Publica article titled 'An Unbelievable Story of Rape', Lynnwood Police Chief Steven Jensen requested an outside review of his department. Over the course of his career, Mr. Blynn has conducted a wide variety of investigations to include surveillance operations, fugitive investigations, bank robbery investigations, kidnapping investigations, white collar crime cases, and wire fraud investigations. For investigative matters outside of your state or the United States of America, The Bureau Groups vast network of retired FBI Agents and our connections with foreign law enforcement graduates of the FBI National Academy make The Bureau Group the logical choice for your needs. Kayla Blanton is a freelance writer who reports on all things health and nutrition for Mens Health, Womens Health, and Prevention. Mr. Blynn is an FBI-certified Police Instructor, Firearms Instructor, and SWAT Agent. This content is imported from youTube. Miller and Armstrong tell their story plainly, expertly and well. Hes now in prison for life. They remained truthful to the details and the investigation, but out of respect for all of the women, they changed their names. In real life, Jerry had already left the Lynnwood Police Department before Marie's attacker was convicted, and as far as we can tell, he has declined requests to be interviewed in the time that's passed since. anthonyaubermann@thebureaugroup.com. When you purchase an independently reviewed book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. Grand Rapids, MI In an effort to close and lock the lid on the event forever, she accepted. Ken Armstrong said that he and Miller interviewed everyone still working with the Lynnwood PD, and that they were all very concerned with how they failed Marie and wanted to ensure it doesnt happen to anyone else again. Ph: 616-502-2532 Like what you just read? Our pictures and experiences are listed on our website because we believe our experience levels and our expertise are what set us far apart from other investigative agencies. Mr. Heffron was individually selected on two separate occasions to be part of an elite group that targeted terrorism matters in Afghanistan. Amber, who is an anonymous rape survivor in the original account, had Detective Stacy Galbraith (Karen Duvall in the series) on her case after reporting that she had been assaulted repeatedly in Golden, Colorado. Mariewhich was the real victims middle namelived in Lynwood, Washington, where she bounced around from foster home to foster home and endured physical and sexual abuse, according to ProPublica. royjohnson@thebureaugroup.com. Jerry Rittgarn Detective at Lynnwood PD Lynnwood, Washington, United States 3 connections. Thomas Jefferson writing to James Madison in 1786. Armstrong said that it was a coincidence that he (for the Marshall Project) and T. Christian Miller (for ProPublica) were reporting on the same case in 2015 and that they agreed to report the piece together when ProPublica could have rushed their story to print. If you or someone you know needs help or has been affected by sexual assault, call 800.656.HOPE (4673) to be connected with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area. Miller and Armstrong interviewed OLeary in prison but it seems, understandably, as if it was hard for them to get into his head. His backup in the series is named Detective Pruitt and he takes more of the bad cop approach when questioning Marie. It was only when two female detectives working on another case discovered new evidence that Marie's original claims were vindicated. Kayla Keegan leads Good Housekeepings editorial growth strategies in the partnership, news, social, branded, membership and newsletter spaces. View Linet Jose Perez's business profile as Investigator at Community of Madrid. Unbelievable | Official Trailer | Netflix. Manson has publicly and privately apologized to Marie for the way he handled this case and has since moved back to the narcotics division. Netflix After seeing the series, many Unbelievable viewers became upset with how the police dealt with . Though Miller and Armstrong dont say so, its one more telling illustration of who does or doesnt get the benefit of the doubt. The average American guy is, Capitol Hill Block Party announces lineup for summer 2023 its 25th year, Tenn. governor vows to sign anti-drag bill as photo surfaces. Rittgarn left the police department before Marie's rapist was caught in 2011, while Manson simply moved back to his position at narcotics. Private investigators provide various services that range from very simple to highly complex. Jerry Rittgarn is on Facebook. Additionally, DNA samples obtained from three of the linked crimes pinpointed a paternal family line to question. Mr. Johnsons key skills lie in leading investigations of sophisticated organizations, uncovering facts through interview or interrogations and analyzing facts to lead to the resolution of the investigation. Steve Rider, the commander of Lynnwoods Criminal Investigations Division, also called Maries case a major failing. Still, no one in the Lynnwood Police Department faced disciplinary action. 11 Things that Private Investigators Can and Cannot Do February 3, 2019 Legal evidence, Surveillance Over the last thirty years, Investigation Hotline has interacted with thousands of clients who have differing perspectives and ideas as to what private investigators are able to do within their trade. "It is showing Amber's detectives were educated about survivors, they understand these cases, and Marie's detectives never really had cases like this before, and they didn't know.". And we dont want to see this happen to anybody ever again," but this probably won't be the last time that cases of this nature will be mishandled. Two days later, Marie was questioned further by the detectives and persuaded to write not one, but two counter statements. * Use of the seal for the Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI and the National Academy in no way are an endorsement of the Bureau Group. Hendershot told her about a 2010 Westminster rape case that was eerily similar to Galbratihs in Golden. Even after everything she had been through, Marie still found her happiest years when she was 16 and 17. There was some levity that Armstrong brought to Elliott Bay Book Company by way of talking about reporting the story for NPRs This American Life. I found it delightful to hear that Ira Glass is prone to four-letter words. Jerry Rittgarn, who threatened Marie with jail if she failed a lie-detector test, left Lynnwood to work as a private investigator. Prior to her new position, she was the Senior News and Entertainment Editor for the brand, covering and editing all things in the entertainment, pop culture and celebrity world forGood Housekeeping. He told Miller and Armstrong he would talk to them only if. He has testified in hundreds of criminal and civil cases at all levels of both state and federal courts. Note: This article contains spoilers for Unbelievable. Where you live in the country . Peggy knew Marie to have a flair for drama, and she started to nurse doubt about whether her attention-getting tale was true. After hours of questioning Marie, Detective Parker calls in some backup. The show is based on true events, and it is so crazy, that had it not really happened, every studio in Hollywood would have probably passed on it immediately, given the fact that this story is just so, well, unbelievable. Rape was a compulsion, OLeary explains, tracing its genesis to a childhood viewing of the Star Wars film Return of the Jedi, in which Carrie Fisher, nearly naked, is chained by the neck to intergalactic gangster Jabba the Hutt. "Bullying" and "hounding" are two words his report used to describe the male detectives who questioned Marie and it goes on to label them further as "coercive, cruel, and unbelievably unprofessional". He was also chosen for a third rotation to assist in the creation of the FBIs overseas personnel recovery plan due to his extensive knowledge of the Afghanistan theater of operations. Netflix and the shows creators worked really hard to keep Maries story as truthful as possible while creating the series, so not much was changed for filming, but there were a few things that were different. During his 25 year career with the Sheriffs Office, Mr. Crumb served as a detective and as the command officer in charge of the departments Investigative Services Division. They kept to the truth often but changed a few things for it. Clearly, neither one of these detectives was qualified to deal with sexual-assault crimes in the way that Galbraith and Hendershot were. He earned his Bachelor Degree in Criminal Justice and Business Administration from Grand Valley State University and he is a licensed professional investigator in the State of Michigan. So, what really happened during Maries case? (Actually, 327 years, so several lives.). One example, he noted, was using the word groped instead of fondled because groped is more likely to be read as non-consensual. One person they didn't talk to was one of the two officers who were tasked with investigating the case, Detective Jerry Rittgarn, who looks to have scrubbed almost everything off of his LinkedIn . This is an incredibly timely and important story because it hit at the same time the broader culture is talking about these exact issues. A black-masked man jolted awake a 59-year-old woman, tied her up, and took pictures of her. There is a bad guy. The co-author of A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America will speak at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7, at Elliott Bay Book Co., 1521 10th Ave., Seattle (206-624-6600 or elliottbaybook.com). Most of it didnt take them by surprise, except for one photo of an unidentified, bound teenage girl. Marie struggled to regain normalcy after admitting to making up her attack. He also has provided training in identifying fingerprints and crime scene processing. Interrogated as if she were a suspect and pressured to recant, Marie wound up facing criminal charges for lying to the police. Thats awful. In this assignment, he oversaw highly confidential, sensitive, and complex investigations on a global level. Detective Jerry Rittgarn, who declined to be interviewed for the original news story, said he'd talk for the book "only under monetary compensation contract" a quid pro quo the authors . Mr. Alexander is an FBI-certified Hostage Negotiator, who has successfully negotiated several grave situations. Galbraiths real husband was indeed a police officer in another county and made the connection between the rape case his wife was investigating and another a detective at his station was handling. As nonfiction literature, A False Report builds suspense by cutting deftly between the victims experiences, those of the two female detectives who finally broke the case and, to a lesser extent, those of OLeary, now serving a 327 -year sentence in Colorado. "I think this show has done that incredibly well, and was never about gender or saying 'Because they were male detectives, that's why they didn't have compassion for it. Mr. Alexander has been involved in numerous FBI investigations to include white collar crimes, violent crimes, crimes against children and the elderly, crimes against corporations, and crimes against federal/local governments. Mr. Vander Vliet is a graduate of Calvin College and the University of Wisconsin Law School. It would be several years later before we would all learn that she was telling the truth. Miller and Armstrong teamed up for the project that became this book when they discovered they were working on it separately. The in-depth piece considers every disturbing detail, most of which were studied and implemented (many times word for word) into the storys TV rendition. Ken Armstrong, a former reporter with the Seattle Times, came by Elliott Bay Book Company on Wednesday evening to read from, and talk about, his new book. "We can't just treat these people as one large group we can't do that. What's more, of the sexual violence crimes not reported to police from 2005 to 2010, 13% believed the police would not do anything to help, according to Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). What is alarming, though, is that it is easy to imagine something like this happening inside any police department, not just ones that are hilariously inept (like Bellevue). It was an incredible, serendipitous moment both in the series and in real life and it is that conversation that sets the entire story in motion, eventually leading to Maries vindication and the capturing of a serial rapist. Firearms Instructor, and Prevention one of these detectives was qualified to deal with sexual-assault crimes the... Cunningham and Shannon McQuery two counter statements qualified to deal with sexual-assault crimes in the series, Unbelievable... You may know or doesnt get the benefit of the doubt was only when female. 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