The Crimes of Suzanne Basso

Suzanne Basso and five co-defendants, including her son, kidnapped a 59-year-old mentally disabled man, Louis Buddy Musso, then tortured and murdered him so that they could collect on his life insurance money. Basso was identified as the ringleader of the group and instigated the others to torture their captive. An Unidentified Body On August 26, 1998, a jogger discovered the body in Galena Park, Texas. Based on the observations of the police, when they arrived at the scene, they determined that the victim had been killed elsewhere, and then dumped on the embankment. He showed severe injuries, yet his clothing was clean. There was no identification found on the body. In an effort to identify the victim, investigators reviewed missing person files and learned that a woman by the name of Suzanne Basso had recently filed a report. When a detective went to her apartment to see if the victim found in Galena Park was the same person that Basso had reported as missing, he was met at the door by Bassos son, 23-year-old James OMalley. Basso was not at home, but returned shortly after the detective arrived. While the detective talked to Basso, he noticed that there were bloody sheets and clothing on a makeshift bed on the floor of the living room. He asked her about it and she explained that the bed belonged to the man she had reported as missing, but she did not explain the blood. She and her son James then accompanied the investigator to the morgue to view the body of the victim. They identified the body as   Louis Musso, the man she had filed a police report as a missing person., The detective noticed that, while Basso appeared to be hysterical on viewing the body, her son James showed no emotion when he saw the horrific condition of the body of their murdered friend. Quick Confession Having identified the body, mother and son accompanied the detective to the police station to complete the report. Within minutes after the detective began talking to OMalley he confessed that he, his mother and four others- Bernice Ahrens, 54, her son, Craig Ahrens, 25, her daughter, Hope Ahrens, 22, and her daughters boyfriend, Terence Singleton, 27, all participated in beating Buddy Musso to death. OMalley told investigators that his mother was the one that planned the murder and spearheaded the others to kill Musso by administering brutal beatings over a period of five days. He said that he was terrified of his mother, so he did as she instructed. He also admitted to dunking Musso four or five times in a bathtub filled with household cleaning products and bleach. Basso poured alcohol over his head while OMalley scrubbed him bloody with a wire brush. It remained unclear if Musso was dead or in the process of dying during the chemical bath. OMalley also provided information about where the group had ditched evidence of the murder. Investigators found   items that were used to clean up the murder scene that included bloodstained clothes worn by Musso at the time of his death, plastic gloves, bloodstained towels, and used razors. Wooed to His Death According to court records, Musso had been widowed in 1980 and had a son. Through the years he became mentally disabled and had the intelligence of a 7-year-old child, but had learned to live independently. He was living in an assisted living home in Cliffside Park, New Jersey and had a part-time job at ShopRite. He also attended church where he had a strong network of friends who cared about his welfare. Police discovered that, two months after the death of her live-in boyfriend, Suzanne Basso, who was living in Texas, met Buddy Musso at a church fair while she was on a trip to New Jersey. Suzanne and Buddy kept up a long-distance relationship for a year. Basso finally convinced Musso to move away from his family and friends to Jacinto City, Texas, on the promise that the two would marry. In mid-June 1998, wearing a new cowboy hat he had purchased for the occasion, he packed up his few belongings, said goodbye to his friends, and left New Jersey to be with his lady love. He was brutally murdered 10 weeks and two days later. Evidence On September 9, investigators searched Bassos Jacinto City small cluttered home. Within the mess, they found a life insurance policy on Buddy Musso with a base payout of $15,000 and a clause that increased the policy to $65,000 if his death was judged a violent crime. The detectives also found Mussos Last Will and Testament. He had left his property and his life insurance benefits to Basso. His Will also read that no one else was to get a cent. James OMalley, Terrence Singleton, and Bernice Ahrens signed as witnesses. They would all assist in his murder. The detectives found a   hard copy of Musso’s Will written in 1997, but the more recent copy of his Will on a computer was dated August 13, 1998, just 12 days before Musso would be murdered. Bank statements were found showing that Basso had been cashing Mussos Social Security checks. Further documents indicated that Basso had   tried unsuccessfully to arrange to take over the management of Mussos monthly Social Security income. It appeared as if someone had fought the request, possibly Mussos niece who was close to him, or his trusted friend Al Becker, who had been handling his benefits for 20 years. There was also a copy of a restraining order forbidding Mussos relatives or friends from making contact with him. More Confessions Each of the six perpetrators confessed to different degrees of involvement in Mussos murder and the attempted cover-up afterwards. They also all admitted to ignoring Mussos cries for help. In a written statement, Basso stated that she knew that her son and several friends beat and abused Musso for at least a full day before his death, and that she also beat Musso. She confessed to driving a car belonging to Bernice Ahrens, with Musso’s body in the trunk, to the site where O’Malley, Singleton, and Craig Ahrens dumped the body and then to a dumpster where the others disposed of additional incriminating evidence. Bernice Ahrens and Craig Aherns admitted to hitting Musso, but said Basso was the one pushing them to do it. Bernice told the police, (Basso) said we had to make a pact, that we cant say anything about what happened. She said if we get mad at each other we cant say anything. Terence Singleton confessed to hitting and kicking Musso, but pointed the finger at Basso and her son James as responsible for administering the final blows that caused his death. Hope Ahrens’ statement was the most odd, not so much in reference to what she said, but because of her actions. According to the police, Hope said that she was unable to read or write and demanded a meal before giving her statement. After scarfing down a TV dinner, she told police that she hit Musso twice with a wooden bird after he broke her Mickey Mouse ornament and because he wanted her and her mother to die. When he asked her to stop hitting him, she stopped. She also pointed most of the blame to Basso and OMalley, who, corroborating statements by Bernice and Craig Aherns, who had administered the final blows that caused his death. When the police attempted to read her statement back to her, she brushed it off and asked for another TV dinner. Lost Opportunities Not long after Musso moved to Texas, his friend Al Becker tried to contact him to check on his welfare, but Suzanne Basso refused to put Musso on the phone. Concerned, Becker contacted different Texas agencies requesting that they conduct a welfare check on Musso, but his requests   were never answered. A week before the murder, a neighbor saw Musso and noticed that he had a black eye, bruises and bloody cuts on his face. He asked Musso if he wanted him to call for an ambulance or the police, but Musso only said, You call anybody, and shell just beat me up again.   The neighbor did not make the call. On August 22, just days before the murder, a Houston police officer responded to a call of an assault going on near Jacinto City. Arriving on the scene, he found Musso being led around by James OMalley, and Terence Singleton in what the officer described as a military-style run. The officer noted that both of Musso eyes were blackened. When questioned, Musso said three Mexicans had beat him up. He also said he did not want to run anymore. The officer drove the three men to Terrence Singletons apartment where he met Suzanne Basso who said she was Mussos legal guardian. Basso reprimanded the two young men and comforted Musso. Assuming Musso was in safe hands, the officer left. Later, a note found in a pair of Mussos pants was addressed to a friend in New Jersey.   You must get ... down here and get me out of here, the note read. I want to come back to New Jersey soon. Apparently Musso never had a chance to mail the letter. Five Days of Hell The abuse that Masso endured prior to his death was detailed in courtroom testimony. After arriving in Houston, Basso immediately began treating Musso as a slave. He was assigned a long list of chores and would receive a beating if he failed to move quickly enough or complete the list. On August 21-25, 1998, Musso was denied food, water or a toilet and was forced to sit on his knees on a mat on the floor with his hands on the back of his neck for long periods of time. When he urinated on himself, he was beaten by Basso or kicked by her son James. He was subjected to violent beatings administered by Craig Ahrens and Terence Singleton. He was abused by Bernice and Hope Ahrens. The beating included being hit multiple times with a belt, baseball bats, punched with closed fists, kicked, and struck with other objects that were around the apartment. As a result of the beatings, Musso died on the evening of August 25. In a seven-page autopsy report, numerous injuries on Mussos body were cataloged. They included 17 cuts to his head, 28 cuts to the rest of his body, cigarette burns, 14 broken ribs, two dislocated vertebrae, a broken nose, a fractured skull, and a fractured bone in his neck. There was evidence that blunt force trauma extended from the bottom of his feet to his upper torso, including his genitals, eyes and ears. His body has been soaked in bleach and pine cleaner and his body was scrubbed with a wire brush. The Trials The six members of the group were charged with capital murder, but the prosecutors only sought the death penalty for Basso. James OMalley and Terence Singleton were convicted of capital murder and given life sentences.Bernice and her son Craig Ahrens were convicted of capital murder. Bernice received an 80-year prison sentence and Craig received a 60-year sentence. Hope Ahrens trial ended in hung jury. She worked out a plea deal and was sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to murder and agreeing to testify against Basso. Suzanne Bassos Trial Performance By the time Basso went to trial 11 months after her arrest, she had dropped from 300 pounds to 140 pounds. She showed up in a wheelchair which she said was a result of being partially paralyzed after receiving a beating from her jailers. Her lawyer later said it was due to a chronic degenerative condition. She mimicked the voice of a little-girl, saying she had regressed to her childhood. She also claimed she was blind. She lied about her life story which included tales that she was a triplet and that she was having an affair with Nelson Rockefeller. She would later admit it was all a lie. She was granted a competency hearing and the court-appointed psychiatrist who interviewed her testified that she was a fake. The judge ruled that she was competent to stand trial. Each day that Basso appeared in court she looked disheveled and would often grumble to herself during testimony or squeal and wail if she heard something that she did not like. Hope Ahrens Testimony Along with the evidence found by investigators, the testimony given by Hope Ahrens was likely the most damaging.   Hope Ahrens testified that Basso and O’Malley brought Musso to the Ahrens apartment and that he had two black eyes, which he claimed he got when some Mexicans beat him up. After arriving at the apartment, Basso ordered Musso to stay on a red and blue mat. Sometimes she had him on his hands and knees, and sometimes just on his knees. At some point during the weekend, Basso and O’Malley began beating Musso. Basso slapped him, and O’Malley kicked him repeatedly while wearing steel-toed combat boots. Hope Ahrens also testified that Basso hit Musso on the back with a baseball bat, hit him with a belt, and a vacuum cleaner, and jumped on him. Testimony was given that Basso weighed about 300 pounds at the time that she jumped repeatedly onto Musso while it was obvious that he was suffering from pain. When Basso went to work, she instructed O’Malley to watch the others and make sure they did not leave the apartment or use the phone. Each time that Musso tried to get off the mat, O’Malley beat and kicked at him. After Musso sustained injuries from the beating, O’Malley took him into the bathroom and bathed him with bleach, Comet and Pine Sol, using a wire brush to scrub Musso’s skin. At some point, Musso asked Basso to call an ambulance for him, but she refused. Ahrens testified that Musso was moving very slowly and was clearly in pain from the beatings. Verdict The jury found Basso guilty of capital murder for murdering Musso during the course of kidnapping or attempting to kidnap him, and for remuneration or the promise of remuneration in the form of insurance proceeds. During the sentencing phase, Bassos daughter, Christianna Hardy, testified that during her childhood Suzanne had subjected her to sexual, mental, physical and emotional abuse. Suzanne Basso was sentenced to death. Profile of Suzanne Basso Basso was born on May 15, 1954, in Schenectady, New York to parents John and Florence Burns. She had seven brothers and sisters. Few real facts are known about her life because she often lied. What is known is that she married a Marine, James Peek, in the early 1970s and that they had two children, a girl (Christianna) and a boy (James). In 1982 Peek was convicted of molesting his daughter, but the family later reunited. They changed their name to OReilly and moved to Houston. Carmine Basso In 1993 Suzanne and a man named Carmine Basso became romantically involved. Carmine owned a company called Latin Security and Investigations Corp. At some point he moved into Bassos apartment, even though her husband, James Peek, was still living there. She never divorced Peek, but referred to Carmine as her husband and began using Basso as her last name. Peek eventually moved out of the home. On October 22, 1995, Suzanne placed a bizarre quarter-page engagement announcement in the Houston Chronicle. It announced that the bride, whose name was listed as Suzanne Margaret Anne Cassandra Lynn Theresa Marie Mary Veronica Sue Burns-Standlinslowsk   was engaged to Carmine Joseph John Basso. The announcement claimed the bride was an heiress to a Nova Scotia oil fortune, educated at Saint Annes Institute in Yorkshire, England and had been an accomplished gymnast and at one time even a nun. Carmine Basso was reported to have received a Congressional Medal of Honor for his duty in the Vietnam War. The ad was retracted three days later by the newspaper due to â€Å"possible inaccuracies.† The $1,372 fee for the ad had gone unpaid. Basso sent Carmines mother a letter claiming that she had given birth to twin girls. She included a picture, which the mother later said was obviously a picture of a child looking into a mirror. On May 27, 1997, Basso called the Houston police, claiming that she was in New Jersey, and asked that they check on her husband in Texas. She had not heard from him for a week. Going to his office, police found Carmines body. They also found several trash cans filled with feces and urine. There was no restroom in the office. According to the autopsy, Carmine, age 47, was malnourished and died from erosion of the esophagus due to the regurgitation of stomach acid. The medical examiner reported that there was a strong smell of ammonia on the body. It was listed that he died from natural causes. Execution On February 5, 2014, Suzanne Basso was executed by lethal injection at the Huntsville Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. She declined to make a final statement.

John F. Kennedys Life, Struggles, and Accomplishments Essay

John F. Kennedy’s beginnings These words said by a powerful president, who had helped this country not only be successful but a very strong country. John F. Kennedy said these words to tell Americans, you need to care for your country not just yourself. John F. Kennedy was not only a president but he was in the U.S. Navy, which I think means he has pride in his country and was willing to do anything he could do to make it a better place. In chronological order I will discuss John F. Kennedy’s life, his problems and struggles that made him a stronger man, and Kennedy’s accomplishments that helped change this country and the world. John F. Kennedy’s life in chronological order John F. Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts in 1917†¦show more content†¦John F. Kennedy died on November 22nd 1963, in Dallas, Texas. He had flown to Dallas for a campaign appearance. He had been riding in a presidential convertible motorcade, with his wife and the governor of Texas. 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Consider the Role of Women in the Society Portrayed in this novel Jane Eyre Essay Example For Students

Consider the Role of Women in the Society Portrayed in this novel Jane Eyre Essay Jane Eyre was written in a time when women in positions like Janes were left with few options. Jane had to work to support herself, as she possessed no money of her own, yet her rank in society prevented her from doing many occupations. One of the main options was to become a governess to a child from a wealthy family. The Reed family was openly against Jane and was quite happy to send her off to Lowood where she would spend many years with little food and poor clothing. At the beginning of the novel Mrs. Reed telling Jane to go away from the rest of the family Be seated somewhere; and until you can speak pleasantly remain silent. Mrs. Reed showed in the opening pages how she disliked Jane and this makes the reader sympathetic towards Jane. Jane often has passionate outbursts when she feels things are unfair, for example when she tells Mrs. Reed how she feels. People considered women speaking out of turn to be unladylike. Jane is frequently told that she is not pretty so people have less appreciation for her. If she were a nice pretty child, one might compassionate her forlornness, but one really cannot care for such a little toad as that. People often tell her she is dependent as people such as Mrs. Reed are left to care for her. When Jane falls in love with Mr. Rochester she believes Miss Ingram is the one he is going to marry because she is pretty and in his social class. When Jane is set to marry Mr. Rochester Mrs. Fairfax says Gentlemen of his station are not accustomed to marry their governesses. This shows her views on different classes getting married. In the end Charlotte Bronte shows that women such as Jane who are plain in looks and have no money to their name can become great. Jane becomes wealthy and marries the man of her dreams Mr. Rochester; this is a triumph for the anti-heroine! Charlotte Bronte touches on many controversial points that many authors in the Victorian era would not dare to touch. What is more is that she herself is a women who was forced to publish under a mans name so we learn how she feels women are being mistreated. Bronte makes many of the main characters female and most of them are strong willed and they can easily look after themselves without a man! Mrs. Fairfax, Mary Rivers and Diana Rivers were all women in the novel that did not have the support of a husband at some point in the novel. All three proved to the reader that they were perfectly capable of surviving without a man. Jane was different from the other women as she pursued independence when the other three lived in the home of a male relative. We can learn some of her own personal feelings towards women in her society by the way she makes the women act in different classes of society. Many of the male characters have faults, like Mr. Brocklehurst who treats his daughters differently from the girls at Lowood. We learn this when Mr. Brocklehurst and Mrs. Reed talk. He says that when his second daughter Augusta visited the school she said, Oh, dear papa, how quiet and plain all the girls at Lowood look hey are almost like poor peoples children! Mr. Rochester can seem uncaring towards others and treats Adele with little respect but when he is near Jane he pays Adele more attention. St. John Rivers offers to marry Jane so that Jane can join him and become a missionary in India. This plan, although it appears to be something that would suit Jane, does not really because they do not love each other and Jane felt she could not get married with out love. Also St. John Rivers loves another, Rosamond Oliver, but he does not follow his heart but follows his mind. The scandals in the text include Adeles parentage as Mr. Rochester says that he is her self appointed guardian but in those days men were not likely to own up to having a child out of wed-lock. Another scandal is that Georgiana eloped with a man. This is a very controversial topic in those days and many families would disown their child for doing it. It also showed that although Georgiana had a better start in life financially and received love from her mother she still went against what people thought was acceptable for women in those days. Huckleberry Finn: A Good Role Model EssayJane suffered greatly from her plain looks and saying what she really thought. Women worried about their reputation and what others might say. Mrs. Reed did not want Jane to speak badly of her at Lowood even though she had treated her like a servant. If anyone asks me how I liked you, and how you treated me, I will say the very thought of you makes me sick, and that you treated me with miserable cruelty. And then Mrs. Reed tries her best to be nice to Jane and change her view How dare you affirm that, Jane Eyre? Mrs. Reed lets Jane say what she thinks in a bid to save her reputation and does not shout back. Jane did not become Mr. Rochesters mistress even though she could do everything they had done if they were married. This shows how even someone like Jane wanted to do what was right in their society. The language Bronte uses reflects the mood of the story. Gateshead Hall is the place where Jane started off her life or in other words it was her gateway into life. The weather reflects the mistreatment Jane receives. Bronte describes it clouds so somber, and a rain so penetrating raw twilight, with nipped fingers and toes these images of unsettled weather is a bit like what is going on in Janes mind. Bronte could possibly have named Lowood after Janes low experiences there for example losing her best friend Helen Burns to TB. The weather there is bleak like Janes experiences in life. A contrast to that bleak weather is when Mr. Rochester proposes there is beautiful sunshine. But that night the oak tree is blown over in a storm signaling the change in Janes fortunes. The way in which Bronte uses such a strong willed character to lead the novel would have been considered controversial to anyone reading it and many condemned Janes passionate outbursts a they thought it was unladylike but nowadays people do not really think about it the same as society has changed a great deal. I conclude that the text does support the feminist movement in quite subtle ways. Bronte shows us mainly through Jane her views on women being equal to men and that just like Jane women can improve themselves even if they are not pretty or wealthy. It is interesting the way she portrays the men with lots of faults and even though the women do have faults the men are stubborn and slow to change their ways. Bronte uses language that is very descriptive in the way she describes people and places. For example: Miss Miller was more ordinary; ruddy in complexion, though of a careworn countenance. In this line we can understand what she looks like at first glance and a bit about her personality. She uses this style of writing to show the reader how the appearance of people is what we see first and how assumptions can be made about the person on looks alone. Her descriptive writing makes it easy for us to get a clear image of the surroundings and the characters in the novel. In this novel the reader can see how money drove people like Master Reed who became such a dissipated young man according to Bessie and Miss Ingram to make important decisions in life. Bronte makes statements about womens lives throughout the text but she does it subtly. When Jane thinks about her growing love for Mr. Rochester she realises that society will never let them marry I understand the language of his countenance and movements, though rank and wealth sever us widely. Bronte says through Jane how unfair this society is that people cannot marry for love alone but must marry into their own class as well.