Vignettes 19

SPIKERS

VIGIL: We have been blessed with a courtroom full of friends throughout our trial. Spiker Leon, Tom Byl, and Mike Davis drove up from Louisiana; Navy Chief Bob Noll appeared in his turtle shell from Colorado; Media By-Pass writer, Pat Shannon made two pit stops enroute from Mississippi (Cover-feature of the March edition of MEDIA BYPASS, call 1-800-4-BYPASS for a copy; John Moore and his two sons took a road-trip with their mom across the USA from Idaho; Doctors Lyle made a stop from Florida; Glenn James drove over from Oklahoma; Bobbie and Carol Stewart dropped in from Arkansas; Pat Robinson, Sheldon’s Mom, and his three sons, Heath, Josh, and Anthony, flew in from Texas; Navy Chief Bob and Pat Stielau not only was in court everyday, but offered a rental home to our long distance travelers. Bessie Crenshaw, Noel LaVallee, Arthur Place, Vernon Fuerst and friend Karl, Ed and Marilyn Toth, Task Force Cross Pat "Fryer Tuck" O’Donald, Terry and Gloria Richards with their "Mum," Andy and Dot Alexander, Albert, John "Hammerhead" and Lisa Goodrich, Tony Morianos, Mark, his wife, Carrie, and Scott Barr, - all New Englanders, stayed the long watch. Most of the courthouse staff were also pulling for us. Shelley, a court recorder, found us the Crystal Lake cottage, became a close friend to Judy, and was there to help throughout.

WITNESSES: Our vigil was joined by the following witnesses: Charles Eure from Southern California; Richard Flowers and Lamoine Gerhard out of Oregon; Preparedness Expo director, Dan Chittock from Utah; Almost Heaven resident Michelle Moore; Texas airline pilot Jeff Turner; Sheldon’s Dad, Jack Robinson; Vicci Gritz, Nevada; Mitch Edland, Texas; Spiker Leon Riche; Dana Sylvia, Boston, and two local people. Our small number of true quality Christians more than made up for the 47 prosecution nay-sayers and Malone’s box of feathers containing 105 pieces of so-called evidence. John Armeniaco, for example, is a businessman from New Jersey who agreed to fly in. His plane of one of several falsely listed with Sheldon’s as being at Bradley Airport on the "day of the kidnapping." He explained to the jury that at first he thought not to bother testifying, but then it occurred to him: "It is scary to think that someone can say you were someplace you weren’t." John had flown over Connecticut on 26 September enroute to Rhode Island. His plane hadn’t been anywhere near Bradley Airport - ever!

SCUM: Only four of the 47 people presented to convict us had anything negative to say. The police officer, David Reese, was forced to admit that his entire report was made from fantasy, fiction, imagination and illusion. By the time he left the witness box the only valid entry on the complaint was his name! Trochmann’s treachery - both John and his wife, Carolyn, came out of left field. They both swore they saw me with Linda Wiegand at least three times at the Las Vegas, Nevada Preparedness Expo in March 1996. It provided Malone with his "conspiracy" angle. Normally I would have been there, but unfortunately for Trochmanns, I was finishing up our Spike Training Program and only appeared at the November, Denver Expo. At the time sworn to by Trochmanns, I was in Los Angeles.

Jerry Gillespie stabbed repeatedly with his perjured dagger. Their goal because of the gravity of their lies, was obviously to see me spend the rest of my life behind bars!

Interestingly, Wiegand’s detailed diary, offered into evidence showed on March 23-24, 1996 she did meet with John and Carolyn Trochmann, Clay Douglas and his wife, Aaron Russo and his wife Heide, and John Byant. There was no mention of my name whatsoever!

HEROES: How do you prove a negative? I needed heroes - Right THEN! Charles Eure was one of 122 Spike students at the Lockmaster course. I asked him to come as a counter to Trochmann’s perjury. I didn’t know he had just suffered a major heart attack, required dialysis three-times a week, and was restricted to a wheelchair until he showed up! Most people would have rightfully begged off due to their poor health, but not Charles. Jesus Christ was talking about people like Charles Eure when He said, No greater love hath a man than this, that he lay down his life for a friend. Charles was willing to risk it all to come and testify for me.

The prosecutor asked for special consideration to finish with Trochmann’s testimony in time for them to return home Friday afternoon. Dan Chittock nailed the prevaricators by proving that I was absolutely not at the Las Vegas Expo. Prosecutor Malone hoped that Dan would jump ship when he refused to cross-examine him before the Friday session ended, requiring Dan to stay over four extra days!

Another wonderful angel and hero drove 3,000-miles from Idaho to Connecticut, despite my admonition to stay at home. Michelle Moore had come with her husband, John and two sons to Jasper, Tennessee in September 1996 for Spike Airborne. She was watching a class when Linda Wiegand approached her and asked if she could "point out Bo Gritz?" I was standing not 10-feet from her teaching what allows an airplane to fly! It was the first time in my life to see Linda. I had interviewed her on the radio the week before (16 September). The Moores made the trip to Enfield Superior Court in their 1983 compact car.

Jerry Gillespie was the worst. He said that in mid-July 1996, I ordered him to call Linda Wiegand and have her fax him two letters in her own hand that I would use when kidnapping the boys. He went on to swear in God’s Name that I instructed him to arrange 10 families willing to hide Jon and Ben after they were kidnapped. The only name he could remember was "Lamond." After phoning his wife, he identified his remembrance as Lamoine Gerhard. Gillespie didn’t know Linda was in jail at that time with no access to telephone nor fax! Lemoine left his business to testify to his disappointment in Gillespie.

Richard Flowers, long time friend and associate to both Gillespie and me, came on a moment’s notice to reveal that Gillespie had walked away from Almost Heaven leaving me with a million-dollar debt. Gillespie had telephoned Richard in January 2000 to tell him: "I will say anything they want me to, to bring Bo down." Gillespie admitted to writing $16,000 in fraudulent checks months after leaving the business - the actual amount was more than $20,000. Richard had handled the books for Almost Heaven and testified to Gillespie’s mismanagement.

Officer Reese said that Sheldon Robinson’s aircraft was a "stealth plane" that could avoid radar detection. Airline Transport Pilot and FAA Air Traffic Controller Jeff Turner had to come to Connecticut twice before the court allowed him to testify. His patience and willingness to endure paid off. Jeff showed how, by an actual video, the Robinson aircraft (flown by Jack) put out the same radar signature as an airliner, even a C-5 transport. Officer Reese insisted that Sheldon had no children and his dad, Jack Robinson, was the president of Triadon Medical, the company Sheldon worked for in September 1996 that paid for the trip to Connecticut. Jack and Pat Robinson brought Sheldon’s three strapping sons, Heath 15, Josh 14, and Anthony 12 to the court and wiped out another large portion of Reese’s faulty report. All of this was in a Texas FBI report which Reese excluded since "It didn’t fit my investigation."

Purchase back issues here

More vignettes from past issues