After watching the direct examination of Roy Kronk, the utility meter 
reader who found the remains of little 2-year-old Caylee Anthony in a Florida woods, I don’t know why any citizen would ever report such a discovery to the police.
Kronk stopped in the woods located within a mile of defendant’s home to relieve himself on August 11, 2008. Although a lot of the swampy terrain was underwater from a recent tropical storm, Kronk saw something about 25 to 30 feet in the distance that caught his attention. Later that night Kronk called the local police to report what he saw: something white that didn’t look like it should have been there.”
On each of the next two days, Roy Kronk made a follow up call to police to see if they found what he had seen in the woods. On the third day, an officer met Kronk at the site. According to Kronk’s testimony during the murder trial of Caylee’s mother Casey, the officer stood in one place, looked left, then right, took a step and slipped down into the muddy mire. For the next 30 minutes, according to Kronk, the officer “chewed him out” for making him come out to that location made muddy by Tropical Storm Faye.
Exactly four months later, Roy Kronk again went into the same woods to relieve himself. This time he came across the skull and skeletal remains of a young child. They belonged to Caylee Anthony.
After watching every minute of Mr. Kronk’s testimony, I believe the man is telling the truth. In the age-old no-good-deed-goes-unpunished tradition, instead of being credited for his tenacity while attempting to aid in the solution of the Anthony mystery, Kronk became a scapegoat and a suspect. The defense team’s theory of defense for Casey Anthony alleges Kronk stole the child’s body from they-don’t-know-where; kept it stored in an unknown place; and dumped the remains in the woods so that he could “find” it and claim the $225K reward offered by something called the Never Lose Hope Foundation. In my opinion, the defense failed to support the allegation.
I am reminded of the case of Richard Jewell, the man who discovered the
backpack containing the pipe bomb that detonated at the 1996 Olympic Games here in Atlanta. Jewell saved many lives and injuries that night by attempting to clear the area around the bomb before it exploded. Wikipedia summarizes Jewell’s “reward:”
Initially hailed by the media as a hero, Jewell later was considered a suspect. Despite having never been charged, he underwent what was considered by many to be a "trial by media" with great toll on his personal and professional life. Eventually he was exonerated completely: Eric Robert Rudolph was later found to have been the bomber. [2][3] In 2006, Governor Sonny Perdue publicly thanked Jewell on behalf of the state of Georgia for saving the lives of those at the Olympics. [4]
It wasn’t until Eric Rudolph pled guilty to the Centennial Olympic Park bombing that Mr. Jewell was fully exonerated. By then, it was too late for him to have any semblance of a normal life.
Richard Jewell died at the early age of 44 from so-called natural causes, but it is difficult to believe the ordeal he was put through by the FBI and the national media didn’t have everything to do with his physical and emotional ruin.
In my opinion, the same thing has happened to Roy Kronk. My hope is for him to find a way to go on with his life and put the grisly accusations against him behind him. Is it any wonder that anonymous tip lines have become de rigueur in today’s criminal justice?
reader who found the remains of little 2-year-old Caylee Anthony in a Florida woods, I don’t know why any citizen would ever report such a discovery to the police.Kronk stopped in the woods located within a mile of defendant’s home to relieve himself on August 11, 2008. Although a lot of the swampy terrain was underwater from a recent tropical storm, Kronk saw something about 25 to 30 feet in the distance that caught his attention. Later that night Kronk called the local police to report what he saw: something white that didn’t look like it should have been there.”
On each of the next two days, Roy Kronk made a follow up call to police to see if they found what he had seen in the woods. On the third day, an officer met Kronk at the site. According to Kronk’s testimony during the murder trial of Caylee’s mother Casey, the officer stood in one place, looked left, then right, took a step and slipped down into the muddy mire. For the next 30 minutes, according to Kronk, the officer “chewed him out” for making him come out to that location made muddy by Tropical Storm Faye.
Exactly four months later, Roy Kronk again went into the same woods to relieve himself. This time he came across the skull and skeletal remains of a young child. They belonged to Caylee Anthony.
After watching every minute of Mr. Kronk’s testimony, I believe the man is telling the truth. In the age-old no-good-deed-goes-unpunished tradition, instead of being credited for his tenacity while attempting to aid in the solution of the Anthony mystery, Kronk became a scapegoat and a suspect. The defense team’s theory of defense for Casey Anthony alleges Kronk stole the child’s body from they-don’t-know-where; kept it stored in an unknown place; and dumped the remains in the woods so that he could “find” it and claim the $225K reward offered by something called the Never Lose Hope Foundation. In my opinion, the defense failed to support the allegation.
I am reminded of the case of Richard Jewell, the man who discovered the
backpack containing the pipe bomb that detonated at the 1996 Olympic Games here in Atlanta. Jewell saved many lives and injuries that night by attempting to clear the area around the bomb before it exploded. Wikipedia summarizes Jewell’s “reward:”Initially hailed by the media as a hero, Jewell later was considered a suspect. Despite having never been charged, he underwent what was considered by many to be a "trial by media" with great toll on his personal and professional life. Eventually he was exonerated completely: Eric Robert Rudolph was later found to have been the bomber. [2][3] In 2006, Governor Sonny Perdue publicly thanked Jewell on behalf of the state of Georgia for saving the lives of those at the Olympics. [4]
It wasn’t until Eric Rudolph pled guilty to the Centennial Olympic Park bombing that Mr. Jewell was fully exonerated. By then, it was too late for him to have any semblance of a normal life.
Richard Jewell died at the early age of 44 from so-called natural causes, but it is difficult to believe the ordeal he was put through by the FBI and the national media didn’t have everything to do with his physical and emotional ruin.
In my opinion, the same thing has happened to Roy Kronk. My hope is for him to find a way to go on with his life and put the grisly accusations against him behind him. Is it any wonder that anonymous tip lines have become de rigueur in today’s criminal justice?
Photos: cbs news
No comments:
Post a Comment
If you choose to comment as Anonymous but you want me to know who you are, just sign your comment in a way I will recognize. Thanks!
WARNING: This site cannot receive comments from iPads, unfortunately. I am trying to find a solution.