![]() ![]() That includes evidence that is inconsistent with the theory of guilt they have posited. Prosecutors have an obligation, rooted in due process and professional ethics, to reveal exculpatory evidence. By then, there was already substantial reason to question the fire-extinguisher allegation. Second, and more significantly, the death of Officer Sicknick became a building block for the House’s impeachment of former President Trump and of the allegations posited by the Democratic House impeachment managers that were publicly filed in their pretrial brief on February 2. Julie Kelly took me to task again yesterday for having “ regurgitated” the “narrative that Sicknick was murdered,” which I certainly did do - although I am not, as she describes, a political pundit of the “NeverTrump Right.” Because I repeated a very serious allegation that had not been supported by credible evidence from identifiable sources, I thought it was important to make clear, to the extent it is in my power to do so, that there is now immense reason to doubt the original reporting - while confessing (with a link to the column in which I included the “murder” allegation) that I was as guilty as any other analyst or reporter who amplified the dubious account. I have focused on the story for two reasons.įirst, I am one of the analysts who uncritically relied on the Times’ initial reporting, deducing from it the conclusion that Sicknick had been “murdered” by the rioters - not a long logical leap if you credit the assertion that a police officer was bashed over the head with a lethal object by rioters who were intentionally and forcibly confronting security forces. In addition to Tucker Carlson, Revolver News, and KHOU, Julie Kelly of American Greatness was also on this before I was - and has emphasized that I was duped. To be clear, my purpose in focusing on this story has not been to break news, much less to claim credit for the Times’ implicit acknowledgement that its original stories were wrong. To the contrary, not only had the officer made it back to police headquarters he had texted his brother hours after the siege, stating that although he had been “pepper sprayed twice,” he was “in good shape.” Moreover, Carlson pointed to a CNN report on February 2, to the effect that, according to unidentified law-enforcement officials, medical examiners had found no evidence of blunt-force trauma on Sicknick’s body and concluded the fire extinguisher account was not true. ![]() My aforementioned column noted that Fox News’s Tucker Carlson (relying on a report from the website Revolver News) had just reported that Sicknick was not taken to the hospital directly from the Capitol. The body of the story identified Papathanasiou as its source for what turned out to be the erroneous report that Sicknick had passed away during the day on Thursday (the day after the riot) in fact, he was still on life support at the time and was pronounced dead late Thursday night. It did claim, however, that the stroke occurred “at the Capitol during riots,” and a caption under the officer’s photograph stated that he died “of injuries sustained during the riot at the Capitol.” The headline of the KHOU story attributes the conclusion that a stroke was the cause of death to the head of the Capitol Police union, Gus Papathanasiou. The KHOU story made no mention of the officer’s being struck by a fire extinguisher. All 31 of these films provide powerful examples that are guaranteed to leave you shaken.Yet, as early as the morning of January 8, KHOU in Houston reported that Sicknick had died from a stroke. These movies dare to shine a light on the darkest corners of the human psyche, and in doing so tell us something about ourselves – some things we might not want to admit. And secondly, forcing audiences to confront the worst of humanity, to stare into the abyss rather than ignoring it, has value as well. When putting together this list of the greatest serial killer films, we paid special attention to those movies which focus on the things that go into making a murderer – movies that question the role society plays in devaluing human life, or creating such desperation that some deeply damaged folks feel taking a life is their own choice. So again: why do we watch? Well, first of all, the best movies about serial killers aren’t only about violent exploitation. It’s an irrational fear but a tangible one, and not one that can be alleviated so easily, since serial killers aren’t giant lizards or monsters from another dimension but as real as your next door neighbour. Serial killer movies are pretty much just about, well, the fear of being serial killed. Why would anyone voluntarily watch a movie about a serial killer? More general horror films scare us by manifesting deep, sometimes abstract anxieties, and by forcing us to confront those fears they shock us into feeling just a little bit better about living with them. ![]()
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