Skip to main content

So you think you know everything!

Abandoned sneaker on a beach
To all those in my life who think that they know everything about everybody, their own self and matters of the world and the universe...
An interesting story of a lady and the malady that struck her that I heard over a podcast over Radiolab should be testimony that nobody can be cocksure about anything and anybody.
In 1985, a 36 year old lady (Penny Beernsteen) went for a jog at a beach during a family outing. She was sexually and physically assaulted at a secluded part of the beach. As she could not give a good fight against her assailant, she did the next best thing. She mentally made notes of his short stubby fingers, his mustache, his hair colour etcetera.
Penny Beernsteen
She survived the ordeal and positively made her cocksure picking out of the suspect without a shadow of doubt during an identification parade. A Steven Avery with petty crime records was picked out.
During the trial, his witnesses were weak comprising mostly of family members. Even though he was supposed to be working at a construction site, the correct type of soil was not identified. He was sentenced to 18years of jail.
Stephen Avery
After the initial of depression and anxiety, Penny started doing social work in the prison hoping to reform or at least prevent inmates from getting involved in heinous sexual crimes. Avery kept on appealing his case but was rejected again and again and Penny was always there at all his trials.
On fine day, when DNA evidence became admissible in courts, the crime scene DNA proved that the samples collected were not his. The evidence was instead that of another inmate, Gregory Allan, who at that time was doing time for another sexual crime. In fact, during Penny's mishap, he was under police surveillance but somehow due to lack of manpower he escaped the radar.
Predictably, Penny underwent a turmoil trying to come in terms with the fact an innocent man went to jail because of her. After much soul searching, she picked out courage to meet eye to eye with Steven Avery (it is a small town). After hearing her out, all he said was, "Sometimes these things happen!"
Gregory Allen
Life goes on...
Sometime later, the town was rocked again by the news of a heinous sexually motivated murder case of Teresa Halbach. After much prodding, Stephen Avery's nephew came forward to admit that both he and Steven were the culprits! Again, Penny was shaken up thinking that her testimony drove Avery to serious after a stint in jail. The police just assured her that he was involve in crime before, anyway.
So just when you think you know everything when you see someone in the eye and into the deeper soul, you realize that you really cannot be a perfect judge of character, can you?

Take a listen...@ 00:45:00++
http://www.radiolab.org/2013/mar/26/
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gory historic details or gore fest?

Razakar:  The Silent Genocide Of Hyderabad  (Telegu, 2024) Director:  Yata Satyanarayana In her last major speech before her disposition, Sheikh Hasina accused those who opposed her rule in Bangladesh of being Razakars. The opposition took offence to this term and soon widespread mob throughout the land. Of course, it is not that that single incident brought down an elected government but a culmination of joblessness and unjust reservations for a select population group. In the Bengali psyche, Razakar is a pejorative term meaning traitor or Judas. It was first used during the 1971 Pakistan Civil War. The paramilitary group who were against the then-East Pakistani leader, Majibur Rehman, were pro-West Pakistan. After establishing independence in Bangladesh, Razakars were disbanded, and many ran off to Pakistan. Around the time of Indian independence, turmoil brewed in the princely state of Hyderabad, which had been a province deputed by the Mughals from 1794. The rule of N...
Post a Comment
Read more

The products of a romantic star of the yesteryear!

Now you see all the children of Gemini Ganesan (of four wives, at least) posing gleefully for the camera after coming from different corners of the world to see the ailing father on his deathbed. They seem to found peace with the contributor of their half of their 46 chromosomes. Sure, growing up must have been hell seeing their respective mothers shedding tears, indulgence in unhealthy activities with one of them falling prey to the curse of the black dog, hating the sight of each step sibling, their respective heartaches all because of the evil done by one man who could not put his raging testesterones under check! Perhaps,the flashing lights and his dizzying heights that his career took clouded his judgement. After all, he was only human... Gems of Gemini Ganesan L-R: Dr Revathi Swaminathan, Narayani Ganesan, Dr Kamala Selvaraj, Rekha, Vijaya Chamundeswari   and Dr Jaya Shreedhar.  ( Abs:  Radha Usman Syed, Sathish Kumaar Ganesan) Seeing six of Ge...
Post a Comment
Read more

Chicken's Invite? (Ajak-ajak ayam)

In the Malay lingo, the phrase 'ajak-ajak ayam' refers to an insincere invitation. Of course, many of us invite for courtesy's sake, but then the invitee may think that the invitation is for real! How does anyone know? Inviters and invitees must be smart enough to take the cue that one party may have gatecrashed with ulterior motives, or the other may not want him to join in the first place! Easily twenty years ago, my family was invited to a toddler's birthday party. As my children were toddlers, too, we were requested to come early so that my kids could run around and play in their big compound. And that the host said she would arrange a series of games for them to enjoy. So there we were in the early evening at a house that resembled very little of one immersed in joy and celebration. Instead, we were greeted by a house devoid of activities and no guests. The host was still out shopping her last-minute list, and her helper was knee-deep in her preparations to ...
2 comments
Read more