Suspects threatened to sue – did they sue?

           NO –  I was not sued, although that is another false statement, one of many, being passed around on the Internet.  The following are the facts about what really happen, and they are pretty outrageous, but true!

  • During the stalking the Ingrams were advised by Garfield County Sheriff Deputy Rob Glassmire to hold off on getting a Protection Order against “the suspect Keenan Vanginkel” so they would have a better chance of “catching him in the act.”  Which you all know did not happen in time, and Morgan ended up dead.
  • Then in 2012, Christina and Brooke Harris filed a TRO against the Ingrams and claimed in court that Toni’s blog (this blog) was targeting and threatening them. Their claims were dismissed.
  • A temporary restraining order (TRO) is a compelling legal option for anyone,  It can require the abuser to keep at least 100 yards away from the victim, enforceable by arrest. In this case, even though the judge admitted, in the first court appearance, that this was not the proper venue for their complaints against the Ingrams, as the blog was protected under the Freedom of Speech ACT – he would keep the case open for a short while, giving the Harris’ time to prove their concerns – which they ultimately could not do.
  • A TRO will stay in effect for 15-20 days, or until the court-ordered hearing “Order to Show Cause” to evaluate the TRO with both parties present takes place.
  • Jamis Harris claimed to the court that he couldn’t afford a lawyer so he was using Alpine Legal Services. And yet we had to hire a lawyer to defend us…against our stalker!
  • The Harris’ lawyer, Jonathan Shamis, executive director of Alpine Legal Services at that time, represented the Harris’.  Alpine Legal Services, Inc., is a private, non-profit legal assistance agency. While representing the Harris’ Mr. Shamis had to finally recuse himself, as he had acted as a stalker himself, just as the Harris’ had, and not only called and threatened me, during the time of the TRO, but also contacted a supporter of ours with threats – and he was an attorney, he was an officer of the court!  Physical proof was given to the courts and at that time and Mr. Shamis recused himself, and the judge closed the case.
  • And what does the state of Colorado do with people like Mr. Shamis when they do something this unethical?  They make them a judge! http://www.leadvilleherald.com/free_content/article_ed53bbe4-ff94-11e2-a08c-001a4bcf6878.html 
  • It is a known fact that in many cases criminals have tried to use the legal system to go after the victims, as was done in our case.
  • Keenan’s family has sent me messages expressing they were going to sue me, just like the Harris’ did – they did not sue me and neither did the Harris’.  If they had we would have been able to produce evidence in a court of law showing evidence of the stalking, and who was involved.  In a civil case, unlike a criminal case, you only need the preponderance of proof – we have plenty of evidence and would have loved a venue in which to produce the proof…guess they were advised against a lawsuit.

Why am I telling you all this now?  Well, I feel it’s important for people to know how the law can sometimes be used against victims of stalking, and stalkers and bullies come from all different walks of life. Many stalkers know how to use our justice system to their advantage – but victims should never give up…keep up the fight when you know you are right.  In the immortal words in the song by Bono from U2, “Don’t let the bastards grind you down.”

As AEQUITAS has said, “Typically the perpetrator harrasses and attacks the victims and victim’s family.  Often the Offender’s family members and friends attack (they say don’t snitch to others).  When members of the criminal justice system do not respond appropriately to intimidation and fail to correct system deficiences that enable opportunities to intimidate they become inadvertent accomplices to the intimidators.  The victim, victim’s or witness’ immediate family, including spouses, children and pets become targets.”

This is another aspect of stalking that I want to bring awareness to…stalking is serious and victims of stalking need to have the proper response from law enforcement.  Criminals should not have more protections then the victims!

 

 

 

Alice’s Tea Cup in New York…

Alice’s Tea Cup in New York was another of Morgan’s favorite places to be…and Lemongrass Jasmine Tea was her favorite tea she ordered while there.  Just another memory of Morgan.  She loved tea shops, book stores, and museums.  That was also who Morgan was.

I miss her so much – my heart hurts every single day without her.  Every time I find a memory like this, I smile thinking about how much she loved such simple things as good tea, then I cry because it will never be again.  Someone evil stole her away from her life on this planet – these are now just precious memories of her.  I believe Morgan’s soul is still on her journey, and I will see her again someday when my time on this planet is done…but till that day I will miss her with all my heart.

The Sheriff’s Supplemental Reports

 This is what you will see, starting with Supplemental #1 from the Garfield County Sheriffs.

I am slowly going back through my old posts on this blog, that are from my Timeline, in order to add the Sheriff’s Supplemental Reports… – it will be a slow process so please bear with me, as it is upsetting to relive this over, and over again…but I will.

As I update the posts, if you would like to read those posts again, the ones that are dated, starting with “Day One of Morgan’s Stalking,” you will be able to see a much more complete picture of what was happening back then, and what was promised, but not happening, in this stalking case.  There were many mistakes made on the part of the sheriffs, and at this point I can only hope that they have learned from those mistakes, and will change their protocol in future cases.  We all make mistakes, BUT if we don’t learn from those mistakes, in order to get it right in the fight for justice, then the only thing that comes to my mind is that ego is more important than helping victims…and that is so not right!

When I woke up this morning, I walked around the house and I kept saying out loud, “I want you here Morgan, I want to share the magic of Christmas with you again.”  My tears kept falling, the pain in my chest was crushing, and then I said out loud, “I know you can’t be here, but I just want you here so badly sweetheart.”  Again, I know we can never bring Morgan back, which is my greatest wish, but maybe, just maybe, the lessons learned from her case can help save another innocent victim of stalking.

My wish for the New Year is to have Morgan’s case finally opened, investigated, and arrests made, as there is NO statute of limitation on murder.  I will continue my work as a Victim’s Advocate, working with the families of Missing Person & Cold Case Homicide cases, but every single day I still imagine what it would be like to finally have #Justice4Morgan – because she deserves it and we are still waiting for it come.