- Thanks to all who have been working on
this case, and who have forwarded me this information. Thanks to Ted Gunderson
and Bo Gritz for their work, and hope that Mr. Gritz is freed for his actions
in this case. Thanks and credit should also go to The Free American, edited
by Clayton Douglas, for having all this information in their March 1998
issue. I urge you all to get your hands on that issue, and do what you
can to stop this atrocity that is even too mindblowing for me.
-
- The Free American
http://www.freeamerican.com freeamerican@etsc.net
-
-
- THE LINDA WIEGAND CASE
-
- SUMMARY
-
- According to the retired head of the
Los Angeles Bureau of the FBI, the Linda Wiegand case is "the worst
case of child sexual abuse and judicial corruption I've seen in 47 years
of investigative work." Authorities (judges, police, doctors, child
protective services) in four states (Vermont, Massachusetts, New York,
and Connecticut) have tried in vain to order four politically appointed
family court judges in Hartford, Connecticut to stop protecting the man
who is sexually abusing Linda's little boys, Jon and Ben.
-
- Amid speculation that the judges are
taking bribes or are personally involved somehow with the child sexual
abuser, Tom Wilkinson, the judges and their collaborators for some reason
refuse to obey the law. Their illegal behavior is so outrageous that the
police of a neighboring county attempted to arrest the judges, but the
judges were able to use a legal maneuver to avoid the arrest.
-
- In the most blatant example of their
illegal behavior, the judges broke the law by ruling outside of their jurisdiction
when they awarded custody of both of Linda's children to Wilkinson, even
though he has no legal or familial relation to Linda's oldest boy! This
action protected Wilkinson from an on-going criminal prosecution of him
in Vermont for having repeated anal sex with Linda's four year old son,
Ben, and stopped the pending investigation of him for raping seven year
old Jon. It gave Wilkinson the right to deny permission for both children
to testify against him in court.
-
- Linda and her supporters have emphasized
that this is not a common custody battle with an ex-spouse (Linda was briefly
married to Wilkinson). There is evidence that Wilkinson is involved with
others who are engaged in the kind of crimes against young children that
everyone can agree must be stopped. For example, the children have testified
that Wilkinson has repeatedly raped them at knife point.
-
- In the past, many men and women in Hartford
County who have protested the sexual abuse of their children have found
themselves running into a nightmare similar to Linda's at the hands of
the same judicial bureaucracy. Some of the women have been driven into
mental institutions after attempting to the protect their children in the
face of bureaucratic stonewalling, judicial misconduct, and outright threats.
-
- After her first and only meeting with
Wilkinson, a very scared court appointed evaluator immediately called Linda
to tell her that Jon and Ben are in great danger and that she (the evaluator)
is in "way over my head." The next morning the evaluator resigned
from the case. Yet, the judges continue to protect Wilkinson from prosecution
and give him legal and physical custody of both of Linda's children.
-
- However, Linda refuses to be intimidated
and has fought very hard to protect her children. As a result, the judges
seized every possession she ever had including her home and cars. They
fined her $500,000 (at 8% interest compounded annually) and threw her in
the murderer's section of a maximum security prison. Due to public pressure,
Linda was eventually released, but only after she agreed to give the presiding
judge 100% of her income till the year 2008. Linda Wiegand Case -- Summary
-
- Linda is now facing a criminal trial
on four counts of custodial interference in the first degree. Two of the
counts are for taking her children out of the state of Connecticut and
two are for not returning them. She faces many years in prison even though
1) she had legal custody when she left the state ; 2) the custody transfer
was illegal since she was never notified of it ; 3) two of the statutes
under which she was charged were not in effect until one year after she
left the state.
-
- A sympathetic guard got word to Linda
through a radio show host that if she was returned to prison she will not
get out alive. As a result, Linda is desperately trying to find people
who will help save her children should anything happen to her.
-
- Jon and Ben are in such imminent danger
that Connecticut DCF (Department of Children and Families) filed a petition
alleging "current abuse and neglect" of Jon and Ben by Wilkinson
and declared that by living with him, her children are living in an "injurious
environment." DCF and a school nurse determined that Jon had been
beaten with a baseball bat right before he was to testify against Wilkinson
again. (The children have repeatedly sworn that Wilkinson has sexually
assaulted them, physically abused them and threatened to kill them if they
talked.)
-
- Linda is currently suing the judges in
federal court, but the action won't reach a conclusion fast enough to stop
the damage that is being done to her children. As result, Linda and her
supporters are requesting assistance in finding a courageous lawyer (she
needs more than one), or in getting the media to look more fully into her
case.
-
- In addition, Linda is asking people to
write to the State's Attorney, James Thomas, (101 Lafayette Street, Hartford,
CT 06106 ) and thank him for his investigation and encourage him to expedite
the case against Wilkinson as soon as possible.
-
- The lives of Linda's children and all
the other children who are at the mercy of people like Wilkinson are at
stake.
-
-
- Together we can save Jon and Ben.
-
-
- The Wiegand Fund P.O. Box 2043 Abington,
MA 02351
-
-
- Linda's Voice Mail: (203) 492-3420 Hotline
(to listen to a recorded message only): (203) 492-3419
-
-
-
- LINDA WIEGAND CASE CHRONOLOGY
-
-
- Events Leading to Allegations of Judicial
Corruption and Coverup of Child Sexual Abuse
-
-
- January, 1986 Following college, Linda
has son, Jon, during a brief marriage (annulled after 10 months.)
-
- September to January 1987 Linda is a
successful marketing executive. She hires Tom Wilkinson's construction
company to do some work in her house.
-
- Wilkinson moves in with Linda.
-
- January, 1989 Linda gives birth to Ben.
Wilkinson frequently leaves Linda's bed at night to sleep with newborn
Ben and three year old Jon. Wilkinson claims he was married to Ben in a
"past life."
-
- April,1989 Ben and Jon begin showing
problem behavior. Jon simulates violent intercourse with his teddy bear.
He displays an erection at the dinner table with his grandmother. Ben has
an infectious condition called Thrush on his mouth and genitals. Wilkinson
gets thrush in his mouth.
-
- Both boys have constant serious bowel
movement problems. Both children have a red ring around their anus.
-
- Linda takes Jon and Ben to five different
pediatricians and is given reasons for the children's problems like: "potty
training anxiety," "diet," "not enough prunes,"
"need stool softeners."
-
- September,1989 Linda founds "Gifts
of Love" charity in Simsbury, Connecticut. She matches families who
have lost their jobs and are in the middle of losing their houses with
sponsoring families who can help.
-
- January, 1991 Linda marries Wilkinson.
On the honeymoon, Wilkinson says that he is now celibate.
-
- Wilkinson continues to leave Linda's
bed at night to sleep in the boys' bedroom. Linda thinks the behavior
is odd, but does not suspect abuse.
-
- July, 1992 Wilkinson is removed by the
police from Linda's home in a case in which the testimony is sealed according
to Connecticut Domestic Violence Program policy. Linda and Wilkinson separate.
-
- July thru September, 1992 Thinking her
children need contact with a male role model with whom they have an emotional
relationship, Linda invites Wilkinson to see her children at any time he
wishes.
-
- Both Jon and Ben continue to exhibit
problem behavior like constant masturbating and having oral sex with their
new St. Bernard dog, Molly.
-
- September, 1992 Believing a pediatrician's
advice that the children's problem behavior may be caused by her spending
too much time working on her charity, Linda moves to her condo in Vermont
to take a year to cut back on the charity work and spend more time with
Jon and Ben. Linda invites Wilkinson to spend weekends with them.
-
- November, 1992 Family Circle magazine
gives Linda "Woman Who Makes a Difference" award along with an
article about Gifts of Love.
-
- Every two or three weeks Linda brings
Jon and Ben down from Vermont to Connecticut, to stay with Tom for part
of the day, while she attends Board of Director meetings for Gifts of Love.
-
- Linda receives the Connecticut Congress
Citation for her charity work.
-
- January, 1993 Four year old Ben tells
his Vermont pre-school teacher that his father is having "xex"
with him.
-
- Linda doesn't want to believe the allegation.
She thinks maybe Ben doesn't know what sex is. She calls Wilkinson to tell
him about the situation and Wilkinson reacts with anger at the teacher
for reporting it.
-
- Both boys are examined by a pediatrician
and are found to have evidence of serious sexual abuse by a man. Both boys
tell the doctor that they are being sodomized by Wilkinson.
-
- Stowe (Vermont) Police Detective Bruce
Merriam and Social Worker James Adams interview Ben. Four year old Ben
says he has worries, holding up three fingers. Ben explains the three
worries are his dad (Wilkinson), "his penis on my penis, tongue in
my butt and his penis in my mouth." Ben says that Wilkinson pees
in his mouth and forces him to drink it, making him sick to his stomach.
-
- Wilkinson is arrested and put in jail.
As prosecution of Wilkinson begins, he gets out on bail and immediately
goes to a politically appointed judge, Family Court Chief Administrator,
Judge Herbert Barall, in Hartford County , Connecticut (the county in which
Wilkinson's wealthy father lives) and asks for custody of Ben.
-
- February, 1993 Investigators in Vermont
discover instructions for ritual sacrifice of animals encrypted on one
of Wilkinson's computer disks.
-
- March, 1993 Reader's Digest gives Linda
"Hero for Today" award for her charity work.
-
- May, 1993 Vermont State Prosecuting Attorney
asks Judge Barall by letter to stay all custody proceedings until criminal
charges of molestation against Wilkinson are adjudicated.
-
- Judge Barall denies the request from
Vermont and refuses to consider the criminal case against Wilkinson. Judge
Barall illegally refuses to hold a hearing on the issue.
-
- Ben and Jon begin breaking down. Ben
tries to commit suicide by walking across the highway. He wears his snowboots
filled with sewing pins. Ben says he wants to feel pain because he wants
to kill himself. Jon is so angry over his abuse, Linda has to remove all
knives from the house. At pizza with some of Linda's friends, a man in
the party isn't aware of the situation with Wilkinson and asks Jon how
his father is doing. Jon dives under the table and attempts to stab the
man in the genitals for asking about Wilkinson.
-
- June, 1993 Judge Barall appoints his
ex-clerk, Judith Benedict, as Jon and Ben's guardian and attorney, even
though it's a conflict of interest for the same person to be both guardian
and attorney.
-
- Since the children had testified about
abuse in Connecticut as well as Vermont, Linda takes Jon and Ben to be
interviewed by the Simsbury Connecticut police. The police confirm that
Wilkinson abused Jon and Ben. They say they will do one more interview
with the children, then will arrest Wilkinson. Judge Barall hears about
the investigation and orders the police to close the case and submit all
the drawings and audio tapes of testimony made by Jon and Ben to Judge
Barall himself. (Subsequent investigation will reveal that the detective
who closed the case and turned over all drawings and tapes to Barall is
a 33 year friend of Wilkinson's attorney.
-
- July, 1993 Judge Barall awards legal
(not physical) custody of Ben to Wilkinson's sister, Karen.
-
- The State of Vermont District Director
of Social Services, Department of Social and Rehabilitation, Social Services
Division writes to authorities in Hartford, Connecticut expressing concern
that the court has ordered custody of Ben to Karen Wilkinson, the abuser's
sister. She states that this could place both children at great risk of
harm and further abuse by Wilkinson. In addition, she states that: "Linda
Wiegand has acted appropriately to protect her sons from further harm and
to see that they are receiving proper counseling to deal with their abuse.
Mr. Wilkinson's argument has been that the boys were coached by Ms. Wiegand
to say the things that they did in order to gain custody of them in the
divorce. Dr. Balsam was questioned about this and feels confident that
the boys were not coached."
-
- July, 1993 Linda takes Jon and Ben on
a scheduled three week trip to visit friends in Texas. While Linda is away,
Wilkinson's attorney asks Vermont authorities to drop the case against
Wilkinson because the victims are not available to testify. Vermont authorities
agree to suspend prosecution ("close without prejudice") until
the children are back in Vermont.
-
- When Linda returns from Texas, she is
prevented by Judge Barall from returning to Vermont to proceed with the
prosecution, when he tells her she must live in Hartford County , Connecticut
or lose physical custody of Ben. (Barall continues to leave legal custody
of Ben with Wilkinson's sister.)
-
- August, 1993 Vermont Dr. Ahlers relates
in a letter to Benedict (Jon and Ben's court appointed attorney) bizarre
behavior of four year old Ben during a visit wherein Ben stated: "I'm
going to hump you Mom. I'm going to hump you Jon. I'm going to suck your
vagina, Mom. I'm going to suck my penis. Jon, I'm going to suck your penis.
Jon, why don't you suck my penis. I'm going to f**k you Jon. " Dr.
Ahlers states that he was examining Ben, Ben "attempted to suck his
own penis." Dr. Ahlers further states that Jon and Ben need on-going
psychotherapy to get them through this stage of child sexual abuse.
-
- Due to the homicidal (Jon) and suicidal
(Ben) state of her children, Linda takes them for evaluation to Harvard
Affiliated McLean Hospital in Boston Mass. The hospital report states that
Jon spontaneously advised "I know why we're here." He stated
"It's because my dad put his penis in our butts, and the last time
he put it in Ben's mouth." Jon draws a picture of Wilkinson threatening
him not to talk by saying "I'll kill you."
-
- Ben said, "Well, I have these problems.
My dad has these problems. He wakes me up in the middle of the night and
takes me outside. " Ben describes how his father took him into the
backyard and slaughtered a kitten and told him that the same will happen
to him if he talks about the abuse. Ben stated that he had "pee pee
and doo doo problems" with his father outside one day. He states
that his "Aunt Karen has a vagina, a pee pee hole, and butt hole and
tried to kill him". Ben states that after his mother left, he had
"gina" problems with Aunt Karen, who he said "Pushed my
head down to her "gina" and stood up and tried to pee in my mouth."
-
- Immediately after Linda reveals to Wilkinson's
attorney the location of Jon and Ben, the children's court appointed attorney,
Benedict, begins a barrage of calls to the hospital demanding that they
not examine the children for sexual abuse.
-
- Four hours later (driving time from Wilkinson's
home to the Boston hospital), Wilkinson and his sister show up at the hospital
and file an order to withdraw Jon and Ben from the hospital into their
custody. Linda is in her hotel room taking a shower at the time.
-
- Jon and Ben's doctor calls Linda and
tells her to immediately go to a judge and get an order that Wilkinson
and his sister can never be near the kids again. To help in the meantime,
the doctor files an involuntary committal of the children to make it more
difficult for them to be removed. A Boston area Judge gives a protective
order against Wilkinson and his sister. Linda faxes the order to the hospital
just in time to stop Wilkinson and his sister.
-
- When Linda shows up at the hospital,
Wilkinson and his sister confront Linda in the parking lot and scream at
her that they will get her committed to a mental institution. When police
arrive Wilkinson and his sister flee.
-
- (Subsequent investigation will reveal
a large number of women in Hartford county who tried to protect their
children from sex abuse and were then hounded into insane asylums by a
campaign of judicial terror by many of the same Hartford county judges,
attorneys, doctors and law enforcement officials involved in Linda's case.)
-
- Linda begins five months of taking Jon
and Ben back and forth between criminal proceedings in Vermont and Custody
proceedings in Connecticut. Some days they appear in Vermont in the morning
then have to make the five hour drive for appearances in Connecticut courts
on same day.
-
- October, 1993 During three month long
custody evaluation, someone kills Molly, the St. Bernard. She is poisoned
with acid while outside and returns into the house to hemorrhage all over
dining room.
-
-
- January, 1994 Linda begins running ads
in Hartford Sunday paper asking if others are having the same kind of problems
with the courts in Hartford County. Over 100 men and women reply in the
affirmative.
-
- Hartford County Dr.Ken Robson determines
that despite the heinous sexual abuse allegations, the boys did not see
sexual acts, did not see explicit movies, just made them up as "magical
thinking". Linda claims this is medical malpractice because she witnessed
the boys describing the graphic acts of sodomy and oral sex with Wilkinson
and his sister.
-
- February, 1994 Linda takes the children
on a trip for rest, recuperation, and medical treatment.
-
- Linda is informed that a few days after
she left Connecticut, Judge Barall held a secret hearing with sealed orders
without Linda's attorney present. Although she was never served with these
orders, Linda will learn much later that in the secret hearing Barall awarded
custody of both Jon and Ben to Wilkinson's sister. Since Jon is from Linda's
first marriage, and Wilkinson never adopted him, Wilkinson and especially
his sister have no legal right to the child and the child is therefore
not under Judge Barall's jurisdiction.
-
- March 13, 1994 Head family court Judge
Barall recuses himself because Linda files a recusal motion. He assigns
the case to Judge Thelma Santos. Santos gives orders to confiscate the
entire contents of Linda's house. Linda is ordered to pay $1,000 to Wilkinson
for moving expenses involved in confiscating her possessions. Linda pays
the money to avoid contempt charges, but is never given a receipt as was
promised, never given an inventory as was promised, and basically lost
everything she and her children ever had.
-
- In addition, Santos illegally orders
mail confiscated from Linda's post office box and seizes Linda's cars,
including the one Linda was using to drive Jon and Ben to the hospital.
-
- April, 1994 In a hearing held without
notification and without Linda's lawyer present, Wilkinson's sister withdraws
as guardian. Wilkinson, who "happens"to be the only one in court
who volunteers , takes custody of both Jon and Ben.
-
- May, 1994 Benedict and Wilkinson motion
for and receive guardianship of Jon and Ben's estate. Wilkinson gets the
children's part of Linda's disability benefits.
-
- August 16, 1994. Dr. Balsam, a licensed
psychiatrist practicing in Burlington, Vermont states in an affidavit that
Jon and Ben both recounted specific instances of Wilkinson abusing them,
which included, but were not limited to "Thomas Wilkinson putting
his penis in Benjamin's butt, Thomas Wilkinson striking Jonathan, and Thomas
Wilkinson licking Benjamin's butt. The children recounted other instances
of sexual and physical abuse as well."
-
- October, 1994 According to Linda, "Because
I am being prosecuted for custodial interference I cannot give details,
but I took the boys west to a doctor who specializes in treating victims
of Satanic Ritual Abuse. I had done much research on the testimony of the
boys and the pictures they had drawn containing blood sacrifice, Tom Wilkinson's
praying to the Devil, etc.. and suspected something more was going on than
just sexual abuse. The boys started doing really well. They eventually
got involved in Little League & basketball, swimming and had lots of
friends."
-
- November, 1994 With Linda out of the
state, Judge Santos seals the court room, illegally confiscates Linda's
attorney's briefcase and goes through its contents. Santos puts a gag order
on the attorney, seals the records and throws the attorney out of court.
-
- January 25, 1995 In a final divorce judgement.
Santos awards 400% of Linda's income to Wilkinson for alimony and child
support of both of Linda's children. Santos fines Linda $500,000 at 8%
compound interest. Awards $50,000 to Wilkinson's attorney. Orders that
all the property originally seized from the contents of Linda's house be
given to Wilkinson and that none of the worth be credited toward Linda's
fine. Santos awards Linda's house to Wilkinson. Santos Illegally orders
that Linda should have absolutely no contact with her children at all,
in violation of the Law that allows the parent to have at least one day
a year visitation. Santos orders Linda to pay $10,000 to Benedict, Jon
and Ben's court appointed "guardian."
-
- March, 1995 Linda's Attorney appeals
Judge Santos's $500,000 fine at 8% compound interest per year and custody
order, but Judge Santos herself denies the appeal, although by law, judges
are not allowed to decide the appeal of their own rulings.
-
- August, 1995 A Rutherford Institute attorney
attempts to represent Linda, but Santos denies the right saying Linda doesn't
deserve representation because she is a fugitive.
-
- November, 1995 A Rutherford attorney
tries to negotiate with Wilkinson's attorney to start a fresh new divorce
trial if Linda returns. Wilkinson's attorney says they will agree to a
new trial, if Linda turns both kids over to Wilkinson and publicly issues
a statement that he never abused her kids.
-
- December, 1995 Linda hears lawyer John
DeCamp on his radio show discussing similar sexual abuse in Nebraska.
She contacts him and he agrees to represent her.
-
- July 1996 Wilkinson offers a $100, 000
reward for Linda's whereabouts. Linda's former neighbor responds to the
offer and turns Linda in to the FBI. An FBI swat team breaks in to Linda's
house in Las Vegas and arrests her. They search the house and find a receipt
that leads them to the location where the boys are spending the day in
a local summer camp.
-
- Ben and Jon are not allowed to see Linda
and are put into a facility for homeless children. When told they're being
given to Wilkinson they collapse against wall and say they want to commit
suicide or a crime so they can be put in jail with their mother.
-
- After two weeks in Nevada county jail,
Linda is extradited to Connecticut. The standard procedure for cases like
Linda's would be to have two marshals fly her back to the state of extradition.
Instead, Linda endures seven days of what is known as "diesel therapy"
for hardened criminals. Linda is put aboard a bus and held in a small cage
in shackles and belly chains and handcuffs for seven days and nights without
relief, as she is driven all over the country in a meandering trip to Connecticut.
She and the 80 other prisoners in cages are not allowed basic amenities
like a toothbrush or toilet paper. The only clothes Linda is wearing is
a summer dress that she threw on as she stepped out of the shower and was
arrested. Without hose to protect her ankles, Linda's feet become so damaged
from the shackles that she will never be able to wear regular shoes again
for the rest of her life.
-
- Linda arrives in Connecticut, is arrested
on two counts of custodial interference and is bailed out at $20,000.
-
- August, 1996 Linda hires a detective
who finds Jon and Ben in Karen Wilkinson's house in New York. The boys'
pediatrician, Dr. Ahlers, issues a statement of imminent danger. Linda
takes the statement to New York Social Services and they immediately go
to a New York judge, who orders both children removed from Karen Wilkinson
and given to Linda. The NY state police storm her house, but Wilkinson
flees back to the protection of Hartford County in Connecticut. The local
Hartford County police are asked to serve the valid protective order from
New York, but they refuse and threaten to arrest Linda and the Hartford
County child advocate who officially accompanied Linda.
-
- While Linda is at the Police station,
a sympathetic officer tells Linda that as many as three unrelated men have
been seen living in Wilkinson's house with Jon and Ben.
-
- September, 1996 Patriot movement leader
and war hero (most decorated living soldier), Bo Gritz asks to interview
Linda on his radio show. Gritz is appalled by Linda's story.
-
- Gritz comes to Hartford county to visit
Linda and hear more about her case. In accordance with a pattern of intimidation
and harassment of people who come forward to help Linda, Gritz is arrested
for attempted "kidnapping" while driving through the town where
Wilkinson lives with Linda's children. Authorities there claim Bo "intended"
to kidnap the children. Although the charge is ludicrous, Gritz is now
facing 45 years in prison if convicted.
-
- Police dispatch tapes that witnesses
say prove that the police lied about whether they set-up the arrest of
Gritz are taken to the court and locked in an evidence locker. The police
chief comes to the court and over the vociferous objections of the sheriffs
and court clerks removes the tapes. The chief has yet to return the tapes.
-
- November, 1996 John DeCamp resigns from
the case after he and Linda differ on strategy. He wants her to apply for
visitation and then gradually over the years work toward eventually applying
for custody. Linda wants to fight the sexual abuse case and apply for
full custody immediately.
-
- An anonymous transcript of a secret deposition
of Linda's son Jon is sent to both Linda and Bo Gritz. It reveals that
Jon testified on video tape August 1, 1996. During the deposition both
Jon and Ben are forced to sit next to Wilkinson with no child advocate
in the room, and with Wilkinson's attorney acting as their attorney. Everyone
else is hidden from the children behind one way glass. Jon testifies to
sodomy twenty times by Wilkinson, 15 times with a knife on the pillow,
and that he saw Ben sodomized by Wilkinson. Although both children testify
to extensive sexual abuse by Wilkinson, including explicit death threats
if they speak out, Wilkinson is allowed to take the children home with
him.
-
- Since the deposition contains such grave
allegations of abuse, the Vermont Federal Court puts a protective order
on it. As a result, a copy of the tape is only available to those who
can show a "valid" reason for viewing the tape. So far, no one
has met that criteria, but Linda invites the media to try.
-
- December 1996 Ted Gunderson (former FBI
Senior Special Agent in Charge of the Los Angeles Division) hears about
Linda's case and volunteers to help saying it is the "worst case of
child sexual abuse and judicial corruption I've seen in 47 years of investigative
work."
-
- In response to the revelations about
the secret deposition of Jon, Linda goes before Judge George Levine to
make an emergency request for Jon and Ben to be put in protective custody
(not necessarily be given to Linda.) Levine refuses to hear Linda's request.
-
- The following week, Levine orders Linda
to appear in court to answer contempt of court charges for not paying the
$500,000 fine. During the proceeding Levine asks if Linda still believes
her children were or are being sexually abused by Wilkinson. Linda responds,
"Yes." Levine responds, "Sheriff, put her in irons."
-
- Levine puts Linda in the murderer's section
of a maximum security prison. She is beaten once and sexually assaulted
once. She sleeps in a locked cell with a woman who murdered her own brother
and with a women who murdered a pregnant mother.
-
- January, 1997 Linda is still in prison.
Connecticut DCF (Department of Children and Families) files an abuse and
neglect petition against Wilkinson in juvenile court alleging current abuse
and neglect of Jon and Ben by Wilkinson.
-
- March, 1997 Linda is still in prison.
DCF amended their petition alleging abuse and neglect to declare that the
children are now living in an injurious environment and ask that the children
be remanded to the custody of DCF.
-
- April, 1997 After Linda is in maxium
prison for 126 days, Judge Levine responds to a letter writing campaign
started by Vicci Gritz (Bo's daughter.) Levine offers to release Linda
if she signs over 100% of her income to him till the year 2008. Linda accepts
the deal.
-
- May, 1997 Linda files a formal complaint
against Levine alleging civil rights abuses which causes Judicial Review
Council to advise Levine that, historically, all judges in his position
recuse themselves from the case. Levine very reluctantly recuses himself
and for a brief two weeks and an honest judge, Lynda Munro, takes over
the case.
-
- Judge Munro allows Linda's lawyer to
subpoena Wilkinson's bank registers to verify Wilkinson's need for the
excessive alimony and child support Linda is required to pay.
-
- Wilkinson submits xerox copies of his
bank registers fill with obviously whited-out entries. Judge Munro orders
Wilkinson to produce the originals. Wilkinson complies (he had the originals
with him) and Judge Munro orders him to remove all the white-out tape.
The clean document reveals that, although Wilkinson earns about $55,000
per year, every couple of weeks amounts like $100,000, $75,000 etc. Are
being deposited into his account and huge checks are being written to his
attorney.
-
- The huge amounts of money passing through
Wilkinson's account gives rise to speculation about the possibility that
the money is being passed to the corrupt officials in the case. No one
knows yet who is giving Wilkinson all the money he is receiving.
-
- Judge Barall quickly removes Judge Munro
from the case and replaces her with Judge Shortall.
-
- May, 1997 In juvenile court, DCF amends
their petition again to declare that Jon and Ben have been and or are being
sexually abused by Wilkinson and possibly by his sister and to ask again
that the children be removed into DCF custody.
-
- June, 1997 In juvenile court, DCF amends
their petition again to declare that Jon and Ben are being denied proper
care and attention, physically, educationally, emotionally or morally and
that they are living in a circumstances injurious to their well-being and
that they have been abused and have a condition which is the result of
maltreatment such as sexual molestation.
-
- July, 1997 Judge Shortall orders Linda
to contact all her supporters and the trustees of Linda's defense fund
to turn over all monies to the Judge. Linda argues that ordering her to
give money to the court that was mailed to her for her defense is, in effect,
ordering her to commit felonious mail fraud and racketeering.
-
- August, 1997 In juvenile court, DCF amends
their petition again to declare that Jon and Ben are being emotionally
neglected and abused by being denied complete contact with their mother
for no reason.
-
- September, 1997 In response to Linda's
criminal attorney motioning for the criminal charges to be dismissed because
Linda had legal custody of the boys when she left the State in 1994, the
prosecutor adds two more charges even though the statute that he is charging
her under was not in effect until one year after she left the state.
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- Juvenile court, DCF receives an order
to have a parent child evaluation of each parent interacting with the children.
However, judge Susan Peck (law partner of Judge Santo's spouse) allows
the interaction evaluation, but specifically instructs DCF only to evaluate
parent child interactions and not to evaluate sexual abuse or psychological
abuse of the children.
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- October, 1997 Hamden police issue arrest
applications for the four corrupt judges for custodial interference for
not returning Jon and Ben to Linda. The Hartford County prosecutor announces
that Hartford City police will refuse to cooperate with the Hamden police.
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- With all the court records sealed, Judge
Peck appoints a Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA) evaluator. Wilkinson claims
that anyone involved in Satanism is protected under the 1st amendment rights
of religious freedom in the constitution. Wilkinson refuses to cooperate
with the evaluator.
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- Linda cooperates with the evaluator.
The day before Linda is scheduled to meet for the first time with her
children, Wilkinson changes his mind and meets with the evaluator. That
night, the terrified evaluator calls Linda at home and says that Linda's
children are in great danger and that she (the evaluator) is in over her
head. The next morning, the evaluator resigns from the case.
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- A friend of Linda's goes to the police
to report that they had observed through a window, a man undress in Jon
and Ben's room and observed the children react with hysterical fear.
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- Jon and Ben testify at a deposition where
Wilkinson is suing Bo Gritz. There is no child advocate present. Ben refuses
to answer any questions. Jon gives only his name and address then refuses
to answer any questions and leaves. Outside, Wilkinson and his attorney
speak sternly to Jon and bring him back. With Wilkinson on one side and
his attorney on the other side of Jon, Jon says Wilkinson never abused
him. Wilkinson's attorney (who is now also representing the children)
asks Jon if his mother made him say those things. Jon says no, he doesn't
know where they came from. When Jon yawns and raises his arms, everyone
can see that the entire side of his arm and body are purple. The next day
DCF and a school nurse determine that Jon has been beaten with a baseball
bat.
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