Meredith Viera Asks "Did You Have Anything To Do With Your Husband's Death"?

[KharmaTrain]

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/10/today_show_asks_tiffany_hartley_did_you_have_anyth.php?ref=fpblg

Tiffany Hartley, the wife of the man reportedly shot by "lake pirates" on the Mexican side of Falcon Lake last week, was back on television today, telling her story the morning after a memorial service for her husband, David Hartley. On Today, Meredith Vieira pointedly asked Hartley if she'd had anything to do with David's death.

Tiffany Hartley has maintained that her husband was shot in the head by "lake pirates" while the couple were on jet skis. His body hasn't been recovered, and she says she was able to escape on her own jet ski.

According to Today, Hartley spent three hours yesterday at the Mexican consulate. She said that she'd filled out a form -- presumably the document Mexican officials have said they need to begin a formal investigation -- so that Mexican officials could "get the ball rolling on getting the government to do something." Vieira asked Hartley a series of questions about her story.

"Tiffany, Mexican authorities and even some Americans have questioned your stories, you're aware of that -- partly because there is no evidence at this point of a crime, no body has been found," Vieira said. "So I have to ask you just point blank: Did you have anything to do with the disappearance and or the death of your husband David?"

<snip>

Shades of Susan Smith? Or something else?

Discuss...

[trotsky]

1. Lake pirates?

Really?

[closeupready]

5. Not to flame you, but two seconds of googling confirmed for me that, yes, lake pirates exist

>>Mexican pirates have been targeting boaters that get close to the Mexican part of the lake. So far only five incidents have been reported, but officials believe that there may be more.

Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) believe the pirates are part of the feuding drug cartels that have been murdering hundreds of people in Mexico...<<

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5861018/falcon_lake_texas_not_only_for_tourists.html?cat=8

[trotsky]

12. OK, cool. No flames taken.

I just chuckled a little bit at that phrase.

[closeupready]

18. You're right, it does sound like a twist on SNL's Land Shark routine.

:D

[Jamastiene]

20. Yes.

There are pirates in the oceans too. Yes, Virginia, there are pirates.

[trotsky]

21. Don't get me wrong. I love pirates.

The more we have, the less global warming there is. It's a proven fact.

[closeupready]

2. At this point, I believe Tiffany.

What is her story exactly? And what doubts do people have, and why?

I read the story here, and all of it seems believable.

[cbdo2007]

3. So what was her answer?

[DontTreadOnMe]

4. Without jumping to conclusions...

I thought I read that this area, in particular the lake, was notorious for having Mexican drug lords controlling the area - with numerous murders already reported in this area.

As in, why would anyone even think of jet skiing in the area!

If he was shot by drug lords, do you think they would be smart enough to go out and retrieve the body, and dispose of it... or would they just leave it floating in the water?

It would be a good cover to kill your husband... when I first read the story, I thought to myself... so they had rifles with scopes to shoot the guy... but they missed the girl?
How could she get away?

A lot of questions without the body...

[closeupready]

7. Again, if people would take two google seconds to inform themselves...

You'd jet ski at lakes, like the Falcon Lake at issue here, which have been tourist resorts for decades.

[qazplm]

11. ok so lake pirates exist

that doesn't say much other than her story isn't implausible, then again, neither was Susan Smith's story.

We'll see. Jury's out on this one. Need more evidence. If she did it, her story is going to break down over time.

[alfredo]

24. What monetary gain would they obtain by killing a

guy on a jetski? Sure a jet ski might bring some money, only if it isn't riddled with bullets.

[davidinalameda]

6. I hope she didn't have anything to do with it

but the whole thing smells as fishy as that lake

[tyne]

8. Yep

And she's changed her story several times.

I believe the husband is in Mexico.

[davidinalameda]

19. didn't know that she's changed her story

I think the husband is probably dead but she had someone kill him

it will all come out on Nancy Grace sooner than later

[qazplm]

9. it's tough to know

lake pirates does sound pretty darn laughable, but the reality is that there is a lot of crime in Mexico with the drug issue right now.

If the story was that they'd been robbed on the road and she managed to drive away, everyone would be more prone to believe it. It's the shot by pirates on a lake on a jet ski that makes it less believable.

[Bitwit1234]

10. A lot of law office officials are questioning her story

they say it doesn't sound reasonable. And if the search the lake like they are going to do, and find the body and can tell from forensics that she did it, she will deny it anyway. Did he have a large insurance policy. Is there any reason at all why they would think she did it. Or that he never ever was on the lake. They must have something or they wouldn't be suspicious.

[qazplm]

13. well that isn't true

saying, they must have something or they wouldn't be suspicious is akin to saying if you are arrested you must have done something.

Which patently isn't true. I think it's fair to wonder, and I would say we need more info. She could be guilty, or not. No way to know at this point. If she did it, her story will break down or she will confess sooner or later, folks would be surprised how often criminals confess at the end of the day.

[closeupready]

16. On a side note, re your comment being arrested is no evidence of guilt,

you are absolutely right. I served on a jury in federal court, and one of the other jurors stated (to paraphrase), "well, he was arrested - I'm sure they didn't arrest him for no reason," implying she felt we should find him guilty merely because even though the prosecution presented nothing in support of the charges, the fact that he was arrested implied he was guilty. I had to remind her that the judge instructed us explicitly that an arrest is absolutely utterly no evidence of guilt in any way, shape or form. We did not find him guilty on that, though we did find him guilty on a lesser charge.

[qazplm]

23. having spent years as a defense attorney

and a job I'd love to do again if the army lets me...we are schizophrenic when it comes to innocent til proven guilty.

Folks swear up and down that this is a core value, yet I'd wager the vast majority of Americans truly believe that only the guilty get arrested. Maybe you weren't guilty of a specific offense, but you must have done something wrong to get the attention of the police. Because after all, they've never been arrested, so it must be easy to stay out of trouble.

I think this is probably even more apparent on juries, because I'd guess folks with any significant police interaction are weeded off by challenges from one side or the other.

[qazplm]

14. this is the part that gives me pause

"Viera: Yesterday, you told me, Tiffany, that 'one of the boats came up to me' -- this is your quote -- 'and had a gun pointed at me, trying to decide what to do with me, and then they left.' How close did these people come to you? Can you describe them to me?'

Hartley: Honestly, looking at the barrel of the gun is all I saw. I was pretty focused there. I couldn't tell you what they look like. But they were within the length of my jet ski of me, which is about 10 feet."

Viera: Why do you think, Tiffany, why do think that they would spare your life? If in fact they had killed your husband. Why would they want anyone around that could possibly ID them?

Hartley: I have no idea. All I can do is give God the glory. That's all I can do. Is that he had touched them to leave me, and go and figure out with the other two boats what could happen, so I had that time to get away. God's grace, I wouldn't be alive."

I gotta tell you, one assumes they came to rob these folks. And one assumes that the man offered no resistance or we'd hear it in her story. So they what, just randomly shot the guy (presumably for no witnesses) but let the woman go? They are gentlemanly killers? I dunno...it's one thing if they were shooting at both of them and she just got lucky, but for them to shoot him point blank and then just let her go, a witness, that seems fishy to me.

But we will see. The sheriff does seem to say another witness lends credibility to her story.

[KharmaTrain]

15. Damned If You Do...

By going that route Vierra runs into what could be a PR buzzsaw. If the story is legit, she looks cold-hearted and if she had avoided asking the question and it comes out this was some kind of hoax she'd get roasted for being used as a patsy. That why I find her direct question to be telling. There's still too many unanwered questions here to jump to any conclusions but I have a strange feeling about this story...we've seen the media played like this befor (as has Vierra) only to learn it was all a big act. I haven't seen or heard if the usual xenophobes and racists on hate radio have picked up on this yet. If they run with it, let the circus begin...

[trotsky]

22. Well and really...

if you're looking for someone to rob, why would you go after people on jet skis? Like they're going to be carrying a bunch of cash and valuables?

[ceile]

17. From the Texas Forum

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=180x65912

Article from CS Monitor about the incident.