Polygraphs Found In The News

Candy heiress murdered, sources say
CHICAGO, Illinois - Another cold case is warming up. The 1977 disappearance of Helen Vorhees Brach, heiress to the Brach Candy fortune, is now being looked at as a murder. Jack Matlick, Brach’s former houseman and driver, has reportedly told authorities the woman was shot in the chest on Feb. 17, 1977, wrapped in a rug, and brought to a steel plant where her body was incinerated. Matlick was also Brach’s occasional lover and he was once a suspect in the disappearance. Ernie Rizzo, a private investigator assigned to the case, said he thinks Matlick is the triggerman. "He took the Fifth Amendment in front of a grand jury, he failed a lie detector test, and he hasn’t been talked to since," said Rizzo. Sources have also indicated that Matlick stole money from Brach after her death, took her Cadillac, and sold some of her gold to a coin dealer. There was no comment from prosecutors, but the reporter of the story said that indictments are expected.
Source: http://www.msnbc.com 'Employee of missing candy heiress says she was shot.' January 2005.

Man passes test, freed
NEWARK, Ohio - Charges have been dropped in a murder case after the suspect passed a lie detector test. Timothy Roberts, originally implicated in the Nov. 27 death of James Price, is now a free man after undergoing the exam. Witnesses to the crime at first told police that Roberts was the killer, but authorities believe they were lying. One of the witnesses has allegedly confessed to the murder.
Source:http://www.nbc4i.com. 'Murder suspect freed after passing lie detector test.' January 2005.

MRI’s lie-detecting tool?
WASHINGTON - Add MRI’s to the list of methods that researchers say can detect when a person is lying. A study in Washington, DC on 10 people concluded that the use of functional magnetic Resonance imaging, or fMRI, illustrates when a person is lying based on brain activity. Researchers had six people fire a toy gun and then lie about it when hooked up to both a conventional polygraph machine and the fMRI. Three witnesses to the event also were tested, saying that the people fired the guns, and one person dropped out of the study. The results? Dr. Scott Faro said that the people who were lying had brain activity in seven areas; the truth tellers showed activity in only four. According to these results, it takes more brain effort to tell a lie than it does to tell the truth. The cost of the fMRI is very expensive, but the article hinted that it could be an effective tool in terrorism and high-profile corporate cases.
Source: http://www.msnbc.com. 'Brain scans detect more activity in those who lie.' November 2004.

Soldier passes test, said he fabricated story
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Newly released documents are uncovering more about the alleged abuse that has taken place in American-led Iraqi prisons. Most of the allegations are from the early stages of the US occupation in the Middle Eastern country. One incident that allegedly took place was the murder of three Iraqis. The soldier implicated in the murders told investigators that he was threatened with death if he did not comply with the order to shoot the three men. But after the incident was reported, he changed his story. He said he made up the incident so he could have a story to tell his friends. A polygraph examination proved that he was telling the truth. Soldiers have said that they are trained in ways to trick the polygraph and 'beat the machine,' but it was not clear if that happened in this case.
Source: http://www.msnbc.com. 'navy documents detail abuse claims.' December 2004.

Mother released
SPOKANE, Washington - A killer is once again out of prison, but this time with a few catches.
Sharon Curry, who confessed to stabbing her 9-year-old daughter to death in 1999, was found not guilty by reason of insanity and sent to Eastern State Hospital until she could prove she was not a danger to anyone. She was released from the facility in 2003 and put into a group home, but Curry went back to the hospital in 2004 after seeing one of her other daughters. Authorities are giving the woman another chance and released her in December, but she cannot see her other children, cannot be with anyone under the age of 18, and must take periodic lie detector tests. Source: http://www.msnbc.com.'2nd release for Sharon Curry.' December 2004.

And then, there were 6
CHANDLER, Arizona - Two detectives in this town’s sheriff department are getting a little worried about their recruits, or lack thereof. In November, the list of candidates for a sheriff’s deputy job was at 145. Since then, 139 have either dropped out or been disqualified - leaving the department with only six remaining possible recruits. The detectives hope to have four of the six attend the academy in the spring, but there are still a few steps remaining in the process. The candidates must pass a polygraph exam, psychological test, background investigation, and physical, and have a meeting with the sheriff. "The odds aren’t great, but we’re still hoping," said Detective Brian Reed.
Source: http://www.msnbc.com. 'Police hopefuls down to six.' By Kim Smith, East Valley Tribune. January 2005.

Man wins again, sort of
BUCHAREST, Romania - A man who serves time for claiming he was robbed of a winning lottery ticket has hit the jackpot - for real. Stancu Ogica, who said he had a $1 million lottery ticket in 2001 but was robbed of it, won $34,500 recently in another drawing. Ogica served three years in prison for attempted fraud after another man came forward with the original ticket for $1 million. Ogica said he passed a polygraph to back his story and claimed to have witnesses, but he lost the case. His history of insurance fraud and financial troubles made police skeptical of his story at the time. He has not forgotten about the original ticket and has asked the government to reopen his case.
Source: http://www.foxnews.com. 'Fake win followed by the real thing.' By Paul Wagenseil, Fox News. December 2004.

Babysitter cleared
SLIDELL, Florida - A nanny accused of shaking a baby so hard that its brain began to hemorrhage has been cleared of all charges after she passed a lie test. Jeannine Parker, 27, claimed for months that she had nothing to do with the shaken baby syndrome that Hayden Patzer. She took a polygraph in December and passed, exonerating her from any wrongdoing.
Investigators have asked grandmother and aunt of the infant to take tests as well, but the women refused. They are not considered suspects in the case.
Source: http://www.slidellsentry.com. 'Babysitter passes lie detector.' By Matthew Penix, Slidell Sentry News. December 2004.

Jones challenges lab CEO to take exam
SAN FRANCISCO, California - Marion Jones, the Olympic sprinter who was cleared of a steroids scandal after passing a lie detector test, has challenged the founder of a laboratory to take a test himself. Victor Conte, CEO of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO), has stated publicly that he supplied Jones with performance-enhancing drugs and witnessed the athlete inject herself with a human growth hormone on one occasion. He has not backed down from his claims, but Jones took - and passed - a polygraph a few months ago. She offered to pay the cost of the exam if Conte submits.
Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com. 'Jones asks Conte to take polygraph test' By Amy Shipley, Washington Post. December 2004.

Security man charged
BALTIMORE, Maryland - Prosecutors say they have the man responsible for a rash of fires in an upscale development that caused millions of dollars in damage. The suspect, however, says he’s innocent. "They have the wrong man," said Aaron Speed, 21. "I’m taking a polygraph today that’ll show them that I’m innocent." Speed is accused of setting fire to 26 houses on December 6, causing $10 million in repairs. Ten of the homes were severely damaged. He was working as a security guard at the ritzy housing development and told police he saw a blue van in the area the day of the fires. There was no word if the polygraph has been administered, or if Speed passed.
Source: http://www.tampabaylive.com. 'Prosecutors charge security guard at Maryland fire site with arson.' By the Associated Press. December 2004.

Beauty queen to be tested?
JAMMU, India - A former Miss Jammu may have to undergo a lie detector test to prove she did not appear in a pornographic movie. Anara Gupta, who was recently cleared by forensic experts of charges she was in the film, will take the exam in New Delhi. Investigators determined Gupta was not the woman in the film after they examined it, but police would like to give her a polygraph to ask questions about information she revealed during an interrogation. It was not clear what that information was. The original charge levied against Gupta was immoral trafficking, brought on by Jammu and Kashmir police.
Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com. 'Anara may have to face lie detector test.' Indo-Asian News Service, January 2005.

Report: FBI mismanaged spy claims
WASHINGTON - The FBI did not adequately investigate spying claims by a former translator who was fired after she spoke up about the allegations, according to a Justice Department report. Sibel Edmonds, who worked as an independent contractor for the FBI translating Middle Eastern phone conversations and other information, was fired after she told managers and co-workers about the alleged espionage. She claimed that workers in the translator program did shoddy work and may have engaged in acts of espionage. Edmonds said that an interpreter with a relative in a foreign embassy might have compromised national security by blocking translations and alerting targets of FBI surveillance. The report said the bureau did not properly investigate the claims and fired her solely because she was a whistle blower. Edmunds does not qualify for whistle blower benefits because of the nature of her contract with the FBI. Edmonds and the co-worker apparently passed a lie detector test, but the report classified the exams as 'not ideal' and said that follow-up tests were not given.
Source: http://www.boston.com. 'FBI faulted over linguist’s complaints.' By Ted Bridis, Associated Press. January 2005.

Charges dropped in summer shooting
YUMA, Arizona - A woman has been freed from police custody after she passed a lie detector test. Crystal Leticia Soto, who was in a car involved with a drive-by shooting late last summer, was freed in January. Two other people were in the car with Soto, and they are charged in the shooting. Soto was originally charged with two counts of second-degree murder, one count of criminal damage, and one count of discharging a firearm at a non-residential structure after police said she urged the other people in the car to fire their .22 caliber handgun at a Land Rover. A few days after Soto’s polygraph exam, charges were dropped. The shooting occurred after an altercation a local bar. Eight shots were fired into the Land Rover, but the two occupants were not injured.
Source: http://www.sun.yumasun.com. 'Charges against female suspect in summer bar shooting dropped.' By James Gilbert, Yuma Sun. January 2005.

Missing boy found, suspect caught
ATLANTA, Georgia - An 11-year-old boy was found safe and sound and authorities have arrested the convicted sex offender that apparently kidnapped him. Frederick Fretz, 42, picked up Adam Kirkirt at school on a January afternoon but never brought him home. Police received a tip that the pair was spotted buying groceries at a gas station near a main highway and when they investigated, the two were seen in the woods. Kirkirk ran toward officers and Fretz escaped in the woods after a pursuit with officers. He was located and arrested without incident two days later. Fretz had been living with Kirkirk and his father, Ivert Kirkirt. The two men spent time in prison together but Ivert Kirkirt was not aware his friend was doing time for molesting an 11-year-old boy in 1991. During the three-day search for the boy, which triggered an Amber Alert, Ivert Kirkirt said police questioned him for nine hours. They told him he failed a polygraph test he had taken and accused him of conspiring to kidnap his own son.
Source: http://www.news4jax.com. 'Florida boy found safe in Georgia; police hunt suspect.' January 2005. Also used: http://www.theledger.com. 'Man accused of taking boy is caught.' By Mike Schneider, Associated Press. January 2005.

DOE weighing more polygraphs
WASHINGTON - The Energy Department is considering administering random polygraph tests to its employees. Among those who will be subjected to the exams will be workers with access to classified nuclear weapons-related information. The DOE began using polygraph tests as a screening tool after the Los Alamos national Laboratory fiasco in 1999. Officials have said the number of people who might be tested is small.
Source: http://www.govexec.com. 'DOE weighs random polygraph tests for employees.' By Mike Nartker, Global Security Newswire. January 2005.

Man charged with pointing laser at jet, helicopter
NEWARK, New Jersey - A man has been charged with pointing lasers at aircraft overhead and is facing hefty charges. David Banach, who originally told police his daughter shined the laser at an airplane and then a helicopter, admitted to lying after he failed a polygraph. He has been charged with interfering with the operator of a mass transportation vehicle and making false statements to the FBI. He appeared in court in early January. The two-man flight crew of a chartered jet with 13 passengers on board reported seeing a green laser light shine onto their windshield three time while they approached an airport. Two nights later, a sheriff’s helicopter investigating the laser activity was hit with the same light. Banach at first told police his daughter shined the laser at both aircraft, but he admitted to lying after being questioned and failed a polygraph exam.
Source: Email from APA member Donald Krapohl. January 2004.

Police find missing girl’s body
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana - One man passed a polygraph in the disappearance of a young girl, but another one led investigators to the girl’s body. Vince Cooley, a 42-year-old convicted sex offender, was the lead suspect in the December disappearance of 12-year-old Christina Tedder. After he passed a polygraph administered by APA member Steve Sims though, police cut him loose and pursued other avenues. Marion County Sheriff investigators found a friend of the girl’s family and eventually that person led them to Tedder’s body in a creek east of Indianapolis. Jeffrey A. Voss was charged in the kidnapping-murder after questioning. "I really believe that if [the Marion County Sheriff’s Department] had continued to focus on Mr. Cooley, I am not sure they would have made an arrest so quickly," said Sims in a letter to this writer.
Source: Letter from APA member Steve Sims. Three articles from the Indy Star were also used, all from December 2004.

Eatery lease terminated
CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee - Airport officials in this middle-Atlantic city have ended a lease with a man that operated a restaurant on a piece of property it owns in town. Billy Hawk, who ran Michael’s Restaurant on Lee Highway, saw the establishment burn down one year ago in what was ruled as arson. No arrests have been made in the case. Hawk is currently being held at the Hamilton County Jail on a firearms charge. Hawk filed a suit against a co-worker, Darrin Webb, about his involvement in the fire. Webb passed a lie detector test in regards to the fire and is not considered a suspect by police.
Source: http://www.chattanoogan.com. 'Airport ends Michael’s Restaurant lease with Hawk.' January 2005.

Suspect denies killing; police hint at lie tests
Moundsville, West Virginia - In a bizarre case, a man has denied involvement in the death and entombing of two residents of this town. Harold Mauss faces two counts of murder in the deaths of William and Susan Coester. Mauss said he built a tomb in the basement of the Coester’s house, but also claims that Mr. Coester shot his wife in November. The arrest warrant stated that after leaving the residence, Mauss returned to the Coester’s home and buried the bodies in the basement. Police are trying to sort out the details and said they are pursuing multiple suspects. They also may need to use lie detector tests to get to the bottom of the case.
Source: http://www.wtov9.com. 'Entombing suspect denies killing Moundsville couple.' WTOV News. January 2005.

Ex-chief’s trial to start
DURHAM, North Carolina - The trial of a former fire chief accused of raping a young girl has begun. Kelly Whitman, 56, is charged with two counts of statutory rape, incest, and taking indecent liberties with the child, 14. After failing a lie detector test about the allegations, he confessed to having a sexual relationship with the girl, to whom he served as a foster parent. The alleged victim is now 21.
Source: http://www.herald-sun.com. 'Ex-fire chief’s rape trial opens.' By John Stevenson, The Herald-Sun. January 2005.

Driver fails test, trial to begin
JACKSON COUNTY, Oregon - The trial of a man charged with two drunken-driving deaths in less than a decade started in January. John Patrick Bush, 30, is on trial for second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and driving under the influence of intoxicants in connection of the 2003 death of Robert Baker, 29. Police said Bush was driving his pickup truck with Baker in the passenger seat when he flipped the vehicle against an embankment. Bush’s blood-alcohol level was nearly four times the legal limit at .296 percent. Baker died at the scene.
Nine years prior to that fatal crash, Bush was the driver in another accident that claimed the life of 21-year-old David Edward Buchanan. Bush was indicted on several charges, but they were dismissed and he served probation after pleading guilty. When police questioned Bush about the most recent crash, he showed signs of deception during a polygraph exam that probed his alcohol use and driving record. He also does not have a valid license.
Source: http://www.mailtribune.com. 'Driver’s manslaughter trial starts today.' By Sarah Lemon, Mail Tribune. January 2005.

Prison security tightens, lie tests given
MEXICO CITY, Mexico - Federal officials have been sweeping through Mexican prisons in efforts to stop crime behind the barred windows. Officials recently went to a prison in Maramoros, Mexico and searched every cell and prisoner for weapons and drugs. More than 650 people took part in the raid but no prohibited items were found. At a federal prison in La Palma, polygraph and psychological tests were given to 150 employees of the high-security facility. Only 43 percent of those people passed the exams and those that failed were fired. Prison officials have been on the highest alert since six employees at a Mexican prison were kidnapped and murdered by armed men at a fake roadblock near the compound. Since then, security has tightened and many restrictions have been put in place.
Source: http://www.brownsvilleherald.com. 'Matamoros prison search fails to fins prohibited items.' By Sergio Chara, The Brownsville Herald. January 2005.

Man charged, says he wants poly
SHAMOKIN, Pennsylvania - A safe containing more than $3 million in valuables is still missing, but police say they have the men that took it. Robert Yoncuski, 55, has been in prison for five months in contempt after failing to reveal the location of his ex-wife’s safe that was stolen from her home. Prosecutors have now filed formal charges against the man, for allegedly breaking into Donna Deitrick’s home last summer and taking the safe. Yoncuski has told the press that he is innocent and said he will take a polygraph to prove his innocence. Witnesses have told police that Yoncuski planned to break into the home, and one locksmith said that he contacted him about needing help opening a safe.
Source: http://www.timesleader.com. 'Man charged with stealing ex-wife’s safe.' By the Associated Press. January 2005.

Girl missing; poly and CVSA used
GROVEPORT, Ohio - Police still have not charged anyone in the case of a missing 5-year-old girl. The case is now being treated as a kidnapping after two days of searching came up empty. More than two dozen sex offenders that live in the area of the disappearance are being questioned. Brent Copley, the boyfriend of the girl’s mother, was the last person to see Emily Rimel before she went missing. After putting her to bed one night, the mother came home hours later after work and discovered she was missing. Copley has been questioned and underwent both a polygraph and voice-stress analysis testing. The FBI is analyzing the results. Jane Rimel, Emily’ mother, doesn’t think Copley has anything to do with the kidnapping.
Source: http://www.foxnews.com. 'Police investigate kidnapping of 5-year old.' Fox News. December 2004.

City officials may face lie tests
WATERBURY, Connecticut - City employees may be asked to take a polygraph after a massive flood in City Hall. Firefighters and City Hall employees (past and current) are all suspects in the eyes of the police in the case of a flood that affected the entire building. A standpipe was opened on the fourth floor and the water leaked everywhere. A firefighter union spokesperson has contacted an attorney, seeking advice on how to handle the request.
Source: http://www.newschannel8.com. 'Waterbury employees face polygraph testing.' WTNH. January 2005.

Studies: CVSA is inaccurate
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana - The debate continues. More than 1,400 police departments in the United States have purchased the controversial Computer Voice Stress Analyzer, or CVSA, but multiple studies are now proving the machine is inaccurate. As opposed to a polygraph, which
measures changes in a person's heart rate, perspiration level, and breathing, the CVSA measures slight changes in a suspect's voice called "micro tremors."

The National Institute for Truth Verification, which makes the CVSA machines, says its product is "a very reliable investigative tool for verifying statements of witnesses, denials of suspects, and for determining the validity of allegations made against police officers." "If these don't work," said David Hughes, executive director for the NITV, "why do so many police departments use them?"

Critics say the evidence is clear. Several scientific experiments have proven that the machine is no more than 50 percent reliable. Frank Horvath, a criminal justice professor at Michigan State University, said about 25 studies on CVSA have "shown that these devices have no merit whatsoever." Conversely, polygraphs range from 70 to 90 percent accurate.

Police who use the CVSA machines say it is just another tool to help them catch the bad guy. "It is a big psychological boost for us," said Lt. Joe Mason, an Indianapolis Police detective. "Is it accurate? Who knows? Is it admissible in court? No. Is a polygraph admissible? No."

CVSA supporters claim that since the polygraph has been around so long, people know how to beat it. Countless Internet Web sites are devoted to teaching people how to beat the polygraph. NITV's Web site has testimonials from police departments with stories of the CVSA's success.

Richard Ofshe isn't buying into any of it. "These are complete nonsense and dangerous," said the University of California-Berkley professor and expert on police interrogations "Any detective should know these aren't reliable. If they don't, they're incompetent."

Charles Humble, the man who designed the voice-stress machine, said the technology isn't perfect, but it has benefits. "There is no such thing as a lie detector," he said. "These are stress monitors. This is an investigative tool. It helps guide the way."

The CVSA machines start at $10,700 each.
Source: http://www.indystar.com. "Voice analyzers draw praise, flak." By John Tuohy, Indianapolis Star. November 2004.