There was an engaging conversation back in the beginning of November 2011.  If you wish to refresh your memory, Tuesday, November 1st, a person was walking around our house, at night, getting caught on the cameras, and I came to think of it as quite an obvious alibi set up for a number of reasons.  And on top of that a chain of events was set off that night that still resonates today.

We found out right away from E.F. that Keenan VanGinkel was out of town, hunting with his grandfather in Texas to complete the rumor.  Maybe a day or two later we were stopped along a subdivision drive and having a very rare talk with Brooke Harris who, between telling her gathered friends to “shut up” about what they had heard about the stalker, was quick to point out to that she had heard there was now video evidence that exonerated her boyfriend Keenan.  She never really specified exactly what he was “exonerated” from, her word not mine, and even today I have to wonder if that was a big Freudian slip on her part, because in order to be exonerated, I’m pretty sure you have to be convicted first.

We had a brief snowstorm that night, heavy wet snow that accumulated into an inch or two.  Very surprising considering how little time it actually snowed for.  If you look back at the cameras and see what time it starts to snow and then what time the “young woman” walks around the house, and then when it stops snowing, you can’t help but think that the arrival of snow was just about perfect to catch the trail with all the footprints she left in the snow.  The sudden little storm had to have caught them by complete surprise, which is probably why she stopped over on the back side of the berm to text with someone right in the middle of her walk.  May have been to give an update about the weather, and see if they should abort the mission.  But they carried the carefully planned deception through to completion anyway.

Remember the map Steve had handed the deputy?  I’m looking at it right now and the trail of prints in the snow starts right at Brooke Harris’ back door.  I always thought that was a pretty big clue.

And the engaging conversation?  It was one of those Facebook conversations that you can have over days or months, and won’t show up on your “wall’ making it private, until you decide to share it with someone else.  First Morgan’s felony stalking detectives had it, and then late December I got a copy.  Most of the language used wouldn’t be allowed on this blog without heavy redacting, but there were luckily three clips that can be printed as is.

The first one is this:

November 3, 2011

2:06pm

Keenan James Vanginkel

So I just found out way ur talking about. Dude that was like 5 months ago and the cops excluded me out of that cuz I work all night everynight and I’m in Texas right now and at that time I was dating brooke. If I had to guessing would say it was Wiley cuz that started like 3 days after he moved in.

Seems Keenan VanGinkel always had someone else to accuse, even Brooke Harris, wonder if she knows what she’s supposed to have done?  Then a day later, after some real “longshoreman’s talk” he reinforces everything from the first clip and adds some directions so we can find the, “real,” suspect, in Keenan’s never ending misdirection.

November 4, 2011

8:13pm

Keenan James Vanginkel

Idk I heard something happened on Tuesday. I was on my way to Texas Tuesday. There is a teen named Wiley that lives in the middle house at the end of the street that’s the only person I could guess.

And the last clip he wants to be sure that, make no doubt, there are plenty of alibis and plenty of witnesses all lined up already.  But if you didn’t do anything, why do you need plenty of alibis and lots of witnesses?  And why in the world would you need to go all the way to Texas to be exonerated by video evidence?

November 6, 2011

9:26am

Keenan James Vanginkel

Idk why you are giving me so much trouble cuz I have done nothing wrong. For everything u are accusing me of I will have a story for and multiple people to prove that I wasn’t there. But if u don’t stop right now I will press charges against you.

Now Keenan VanGinkel could not have known back then, because I assume he had not seen the wildlife cam photos taken in the driveway, but Wiley is absolutely not the person in front of Steve’s truck, sorry Wiley, but I didn’t want to change a word of the conversation clips.  And Wiley had not moved in to the neighborhood until way after the stalking and terrorization had been going on.

And Keenan VanGinkel also could not have known back then that I would start a blog about Morgan’s stalking and murder.  I didn’t even know, I thought it was just a matter of time and law enforcement would do what they needed to do, and I started this blog to raise awareness.  So I’m very sure he didn’t know.  And he didn’t know either that Morgan’s Stalking Blog would go over 4 million views in over 115 countries – not because I am such a good writer, but because stalking is such an enormous problem, and Morgan’s story hits on a very big chord that runs all the way around the world.

So Keenan VanGinkel had no way of knowing that with all this attention, his mother’s very good friend rumored to be out on the west coast, and his Godmother of all things, would be forced to assume multiple identities on the Internet, and troll every website that mentions Morgan, and the truth about her stalking and murder culled from wildlife cam pictures, video clips, eye witness testimony, forensic evidence, emails, text messages, phone records, Facebook comments, television show appearances, interviews, and even some Sheriff’s evidence – she defends Keenan VanGinkel any way she could.  And as her lies grew bigger, and bigger she would even have to come to claim there was not even a stalking – she says it never happened!

You can see the rather obvious problem when the young man she is so blindly defending admitted he knew all about the stalking a long time ago, he just forgot to tell her he had.  Or maybe in all her excitement, she never asked.  Reminds me of the time Detective Glassmire came back from his interviews of the Harris’.  When Christina Harris claimed that her daughter Brooke Harris was spreading all the false rumors about the stalking, and letting no good deed go unpunished, then Brooke Harris claimed that her mother Christina Harris was spreading all the false rumors about the stalking.  Detective Glassmire found humor in their attempts to cover for themselves, or for each other, and said that, “you’d think they could at least get their lies straight.”

This was one day in Morgan’s Stalking – one day, a few conversations, and a few interviews.  I have to ask, is it just me, or how did Justice for Morgan so cleanly slip from “we are really close to making an arrest” to “we don’t even have a suspect, in fact we never had a suspect?”  Where did Morgan’s rights go?  Because there are a lot of other victims out there, and we better start asking – who’s looking out for their rights?

Weeks ago I thanked supporters of this blog.  Those who have helped us so much with the emotional toll that is faced by anyone in our position, as parents of a child that was violently stalked, and murdered.

But there are so many others who have delved deeply into the medical and investigative mysteries presented by Morgan’s case.  It is not easy on any level for me to learn what they have discovered.  Morgan was not only my little angel, she was the little angel of our family.  She was a person who helped, shared and nurtured so many things in this world that needed a little extra help.  Throughout the grieving of her passing all of us have had an especially hard time with discoveries of just how Morgan was treated after all of the caring that she gave so freely to others.

I have read a story recently about the victims of the Batman theater massacre in Aurora, CO, and how all their information must now be redacted from court documents because these victims, and their loved ones, who without doubt have suffered mightily since that night, and the many days that followed the shooting, and are now apparently being senselessly harassed and attacked on the Internet.  I wonder how anyone could find a justification for doing this?  Why would you attack the victims of a crime?

In Morgan’s case there have also been those who have chosen to harass and verbally attack Morgan, Steve, I, her extended family, and other supporters, victims who’s only wish is to have an investigation of her case.    But after reading about how it is happening in the Batman shootings, which is just entering its infancy in court, I wonder much more about those who would do the same to Morgan.  What really is their true motivation for this?

Do they support the rights of stalkers?  Do they simply question the truth?  Are they so blindly devoted to the perpetrator of this crime that they never question what others are saying?  While I agree there are most certainly two sides to every story, there is also obvious facts that will not change.  A house painted bright red will, after all, always be a house painted bright red, and arguing that fact seems a bit disingenuous.

The reality in Morgan’s case is that many of the real facts of her case remain known to only a very few.  So how is it, you might wonder, that so many can purport to have complete knowledge, and the true story of what happened, when they simply can not?  I think there are very few reasons to engage is such behavior.  And before I get a flood of demands to “give out all the evidence or I will have or face the consequences”, once again, I will not.  These are decisions for others to make, not me alone, and in a court of law, because it shall be there, so very sadly, that the end of Morgan’s life here with us will be played out.

Morgan was the victim in this saga, Steve and I were also victims, along with so many others, siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins, Grandparents, Godparents, Aunts, Uncles, and friends, who all knew and loved sharing her presence, but now must make do with only the memories.  For me personally, the need to prevent this from happening to others is very strong.  The need to raise awareness of the true dangers of stalking is very strong.  And the need for changes that will see that this is all taken so much more seriously by those that were empowered to prevent it from the beginning, is very strong.

There is a very poignant story to tell about the life of our daughter Morgan, that will be shared on the day her Foundation officially launches, which I hope will be soon.  Until then, thank all of you who have helped with trying to bring true closure to Morgan’s stalking and her most untimely death.

Your dedication here helps all victims of stalking so much, because as I am discovering now more than ever,  so many victims either feel that or actually are – not believed – until it is too late in some cases.  And for victims to be believed is the first step to ending this horrible crime against them.

MORGAN WOULD WISH FOR THE VOICES OF ALL
THE VICTIMS TO BE HEARD !!!

Morgan on a trip to Santa Fe

Today is February 15, 2013 – This has been another of those weeks of heavy recollection for me.  Looking back has brought me to so many places, and I now feel strong enough to try to share some of them with you.

A year ago today I didn’t really even know what had happened to Morgan.  She had been stalked, and terrorized, had her privacy invaded, and violated in every way imaginable – and then – she had died, a perfectly healthy 20 year old woman, The daughter that Steve and I had nurtured through everything her life had thrown into her path, was no longer free to walk the earth.

A doctor I never met had decreed it was natural causes – from a disease she never had, and with a medication she did not take filling her body, but in his opinion a dose that was insignificant.  It was a detached from the world kind of feeling I had, as my life is dependent on a very reality based existence, and this was not acceptable on any level.

Still a year ago, in a few weeks, I would meet with a doctor of Morgan’s.  The woman who had helped Morgan put her life back together many years ago, a time when, “long term exposure to low levels of carbon monoxide,” were just words that most people were not aware of, and Carbon Monoxide detectors were something you could buy at a few stores, but were largely unknown and required by no one.

Today they are a requirement for every new construction in our state, every new home comes with many detectors, the dangers are now known.  Criminal charges have been filed against contractors who were accused of cutting corners, and building inspectors who stood accused of failing to catch the code violations right here in Aspen, all for a family on vacation that had died of Carbon Monoxide poisoning.

Morgan was fortunate on that front, she was not killed by carbon monoxide, but she was severely harmed none-the-less.  And alas, back then, in her wonderful Morgie way, she quietly went about rebuilding her life with the help of this fabulous doctor who gave her all to all her patients.

Steve will always remember that day, way back when he brought Morgan on a trip to a store to purchase Carbon Monoxide detectors.  And how his young daughter had stood in the aisle as he pulled two from the shelf, and she read aloud the label in complete surprise.  “Carbon Monoxide, the silent killer!!!”, “Oh daddy, is that what I have?”  He assured her that it was all gone now (the Carbon Monoxide), now that we had moved out of that townhouse, and this was just to be sure she was never exposed to it again where we now lived, but he will never forget just how shaken she was, and how thankful he was that we had caught it in time.  If only we could have done the same with her stalker!

But as we met with her doctor again, for a completely different reason that afternoon, months after Morgan had died, we had no idea what to expect.  If this mystery, which had killed Morgan were something that could now be lurking in our precious grandchildren we had to know.  Only that was not to be the case at all.  Morgan’s death was not from natural causes she told us, it was, without a doubt, homicide.  And we believed her without doubt ourselves back then, she had an unbreakable history with us all, with me, with Steve, and with Morgan.  And time has proven her to be oh so right again.  We have not found a single doctor since then who does not agree 100%.

Except for the original pathologist of course, the sub contractor for Garfield County, the same pathologist who claims to know what the woman’s intentions were in the very recent, and equally tragic Jensen boy’s death in Mesa County.  The same pathologist who, 9 months after Morgan’s death, decided he better retest some of her stuff and then claim to know pills she took every day, how many pills she took on the night she died, and why she took them.  All completely dispelled once again by every other doctor.  Just a moment for him to jot down an egregious error, ignore all facts presented before him, and then years of heart wrenching despair for us to correct.  It will never make sense, or seem remotely fair to me.

But that little rant pales in comparison to the sacrifice Morgan was forced to make.  Let it not be in vain, Steve and I always remind ourselves.  And do it with love we are always reminded by those tirelessly helping us to stay strong.

Losing a child sets an arduous course.  You must rise above your grief to do that which must be done to have a chance of maintaining their honor.  You must find a way to carry on with all your responsibilities as if life had never hurled this unfathomable horror right into your heart.  And you must find time for a life, all at the same time…it is not easy to do to say the least.

Knowing she was killed lead us right to the next hurdle.  Someone was in her room that night.  It could not happen any other way.  And while that sounds harsh enough on its own, to believe and accept it is quite another thing.  It was a long time before Steve and I fully accepted it.  That the truth being clung to across the thick blue line that exists, instead of protecting the people of GarCo so far only separates them from the citizens of this County,  a complete impossibility has not made it any easier, but we are learning to live with that.  It is without a doubt a big reason we have found it so important to line up more, and more experts to tell us what the facts tell them – in capitol letters.

Our daughter Morgan was killed, and someone was in her room that night, perhaps that is as much as I personally can stand to let out for one day.  So  allow me to close unexpectedly, without telling all I had wished to, but with this one thought that helped me make it through the last year:

Beyond a reasonable doubt, is a high hurdle to attain from the point

 which we have been forced to start – however; the statue of limitations to file

 on a charge of murder – forever – is a long, long time.  Where those two theories of law

shall meet is all that remains to been seen.

The story has been told once, but it was so special it bears telling again.  Steve and I had made a decision, not a conscious decision, but a grief stricken parents decision that we would “visit Christmas” but we would not really have a Christmas.  I told friends and family as I spoke with them, and they agreed it was probably best, perhaps next year it would be better.

So here we were, and it was Christmas Eve – our oldest daughter, and her husband were with us, they insisted that they had made a reservation, and we were all to go out to Aspen for a Christmas Eve dinner.  We agreed, we got ready to go, and I went in Morgan’s bathroom to check on Mogwai.  I was so shocked when I saw, sitting right on top of the closed lid of Morgan’s toilet seat, her gold round box with a tassle on the top…it was her honey glitter powder she always wore when she was going out somewhere special.  I couldn’t figure out how it had gotten there…most of all her stuff had been packed up.  I called Steve and our oldest daughter into the bathroom but neither of them could figure out how it got there either.  Then I started to smile – Morgan wanted her sister, and I to put on the honey glitter before we went out…so we did.  It was like having Morgan with us.  We drove to Aspen and it was beautiful, with all the snow and the lights glittering, and people bustling around, but I still could not shake the feeling like I wish I could just curl up in bed in a ball, and never deal with anything again.  But then this amazing warmth fell over me, and I knew in my heart that it was not what Morgan would have wanted, so we went out to dinner, and tried to have a good time.  It was really nice being with our oldest daughter and her husband – they were trying their best to have bubbly, happy thoughts and memories, and the food was wonderful.  We finished dinner and walked back to the car.  We drove back down valley, and went to bed.  As I lay there I was thinking Christmas Eve had always seemed so exciting and magical to me – wrapping and hiding presents for kids, cooking and inviting friends over – I had never been one for going out and eating in a restaurant, but I guess our lives never really stay the same.  Change is always just around the corner, and I knew it was time for us to change as well.  Morgan’s gift of leaving her honey glitter out so we could wear it was very special, and it made me feel like she was still with us, and that was magical enough for me, so I drifted off to sleep.

Today is February 6, 2013 – Remembering her beautiful soul and all that she gave the world in her time helps me realize it is so much more important than remembering how horribly she has been treated since her death as some people try to cover things up.  The true Morgan will shine forever, and I applaud all of those who help her memory, with all that she gave to others she should be remembered as she was.

Steve’s identity has apparently been stolen, he discovered this through a letter just delivered at his shop of all places, the first of many I am sure.  I have things that need attending to sooner rather than later.  Yet how trivial this all is in comparison to the sacrifice Morgan was not asked, but forced to give.  The full truth is all that remains to come from this horrific tale – that and the sharing of hope for all other victims.  If only Morgan were here to touch you all and share her presence with every single victim of stalking.  The difference she would make is without doubt immeasurable.  If she could have been there for you she would have, Morgan would have dropped everything to be there at your side. To assist and help in this unbelievably trying time for you.  That she can help others only now in spirit is beyond Morgan’s control – but she will help through others.  Steve and I will take up the torch – she would so gladly have chosen to carry if she could is without question.  It is an honor, and it is our destiny to carry on for her where she can not.  And for the wonderful people who assist us in this – thank you so very, very much…we couldn’t do it without you.

We all miss you, and we all love you Morgan…

The detectives were quick to change their mind about a Coroners Inquest the next time we saw them.  Obviously they had talked with someone and now it was not a simple easy thing to do.  In fact it may have never been done in Garfield County, at least not anytime in recent memory.

So basically it was not an option, we would need doctors, specialists and Trey Holt would be very upset if we tried, in fact the order would have to come from Trey Holt as he is the Coroner.

The holidays were coming up and it really had us questioning our ability to forge on without Morgan.  Steve and I were focused on the grandchildren, and trying to let out the happy memories of Morgan, there were so many, and for that we were so very blessed and shall always be.  Morgan’s cousins went out into the forest and had cut us down a small little pine tree and made all handmade ornaments all by themselves.  All little ballerina fairies (to represent Morgan) out of construction paper, glitter, popsicle sticks and all kinds of arts and crafts that they had lying around.  Morgan I’m sure was smiling right beside them…she loved making crafts.  They also made little swedish baskets out of construction paper with little individual notes in them that Steve and I could read on Christmas morning – they were notes to Morgan about the things they loved the most about her.  There was so much love wrapped in that little tree that I couldn’t help smile every time I looked at it – even though my heart was telling me it didn’t think it could celebrate any holidays anymore without Morgan.  Morgan’s Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins that had spent so many hours working on this for Steve and I were a bunch of the most loving and special people in the whole world!  And we could never thank them enough!

Today is February 5, 2013 – And on that same day a person of interest, a suspect, the prime suspect, take your choice, was pulled over in Glenwood Springs by the Glenwood Springs police department. Now remember the Glenwood Springs Police Department is a different jurisdiction.  By the time they had finished searching his car he would be charged with a few more charges than he was facing when he was first pulled over on a warrant.

When we found out about this arrest it would be much later, and we would immediately raise the point that he had been given glowing reports, squeaky clean references and here he was up to his eyeballs in charges.

As usually happens in these kinds of things we were told they were willing to drop the charges of theft by receiving for a guilty plea on the drug charges.  He was serving probation so something had happened.

Out of it all of this all we cared about was the story that he had been to a cash for gold store in Glenwood, and sold someone’s valuables, which had been given to him by someone else, hence the theft by receiving.  The nuances of law were explained to us at length.

It was also after we had visited doctors in California who had completely different interpretations of how Morgan had come to die that night.  So Steve looked at the cash for gold store sale with disbelief.  He said nobody would go to a cash for gold store a dozen miles away and sell Morgan’s things a few weeks after they had been involved in her death – this was too crazy.

But of course we went there anyway after consulting with one of Steve’s friends on the inner workings, legally, of a cash for gold place in Colorado.  The people at the place were friendly and helpful.  We showed them a picture of KVG and they instantly recognized him as a regular customer.  But as for the jewelry sold that day, frantic searches through stacks of papers in various places yielded a copy of his license, but nothing else.  There was nothing to see.

At least it was a lead and we had followed up on it.  Of course parents of the deceased are probably not the first choice to be collecting evidence of this kind.  I was just so starved for answers at that time, I had to know.  But if Morgan’s jewelry was part of that sale, or of the sale before it or the sales after from their “regular customer” we probably will never know, because that part was not investigated.

It’s maddening I know, trust me.  I asked Detective Rob a hypothetical question about this.  I wondered if they were serving a warrant on his house and in the search found things of Morgan’s would that prove it?  And he said, No, he could just say someone gave it to him, wouldn’t prove anything.  I wonder about that, because if I was on a jury and these facts were presented to me I would take it very seriously, that would be a really big coincidence for me to just ignore.  But maybe I am the only one that thinks this is just too peculiar, just like the many other things we have found out over the past year.