Use of Force And Self-defense Results In Too Many Bogus Prosecutions!

I have done this cases in many cities with incredible success.  It's my speciality!

A lot of people ask me why I love Germany. Here is the answer!

Aschaffenberg, Germany--it was December 1968 when after being drafted by the Army I wound up in this beautiful hamlet.  I was just about 15 miles from Frankfurt and was blessed to be assigned there as a medical corpsman.

It was Christmas time and I was in a strange land far away from home.  I decided that since I was a guest in  this nation I'd act like one. 

I was compelled to learn the customs, language and culture.  I stayed far away from fellow soldiers if for no other reason I liked the elegant German babes better.  

I soon found that the German people were incredibly kind to me.  I made some wonderful new friends and got an education few Americans ever get.  

The 18 months I spent in Germany  was the very best time of my life.  I traveled everywhere I could.  The money exchange rate was four Marks to the Dollar then. It was truly an adventure! 

If I made a mistake it was not staying there and finishing my education in a medical profession in Munich or Berlin.  

I never forgot the kindness and love that the German people showed me when I was so young.  

Over the last 25 years I worked on the Debra Milke Death Penalty travesty in Arizona.  I investigated not on her behalf but was hired by many media organizations to help them cover that nightmare.  

It turned out that I discovered early that Milke was framed and told that to anyone who'd listen. It turned out I was correct once again. 

The Milke case actually got me sent back to Europe three times.  The last trip in December was indirectly because of my involvement with the case.

Woody Allen Move Over, an 800 Pound, Bright Blue Gorilla is Here!

Michael Glover, Robyn Rosenkrantz, Paul Huebl and Gregor Marvel

Berlin, Germany—I had the absolute pleasure to sit down with two expatriate Americans living in this great city.  Musicians and filmmakers Michael Glover and Robyn Rosenkrantz sold everything they owned but their musical instruments and the clothes on their backs taking the very bold step of moving to Europe. 

They’ve been making films with their own production company Bright Blue Gorilla.  I first met them through their European friends after getting invited to a Hollywood Screening of their farce film, Go With Le Flo.  It was a real Blue Carpet Event where I was handed a banana as I walked in the door.

The Film was terrific and the reception after was filled with cast members that flew in for the event.  It made for a delightful evening. 

I knew it was just a matter of time and I’d be visiting with them and another Berlin pal, Gregor Marvel that was in that film.

Imagine making a film in another country with several actors and crew members that have limited English skills.  A great director knows how to get the most out of actors and doing that with the accompanied communications challenges can be daunting. The Bright Blue Gorilla team has delivered in spades.

Thankfully far less expensive but sophisticated filmmaking equipment has become obtainable to these talented kids enabling their filmmaking visions.  In return they take the audience away from their own difficulties and entertain, delight and thrill them with their movies.

Internet Crowd-Funding has been a necessary part of their films and it’s been paying off for everyone.  Right now they are involved in yet another project,  Mr. Rudolpho’s Jubilee. I just know it will be another fun film to watch.

I have to ask what’s next for the Bright Blue Gorilla?  Will he come to the USA and make films here too?  If the monster talent agencies (like CAA) spies ever get wind of the Gorilla they will quickly sign him up and he may just bring his parents back to L.A.

I heard there maybe a surprise announcement regarding, Go With Le Flo next month!  I wonder just what that may be? 

Here is a trailer for GO WITH LE FLO!

Berlin’s Somber 69th Anniversary of Col. Claus Von Stauffenberg’s Execution

Here I'm standing at the Bendlerblock memorial for the fallen 20 July conspirators. 

Berlin, Germany—July 20, 1944 was the day that the first of many fine German men were executed for the last known attempt to kill Adolph Hitler. 

The war was a total disaster bringing dishonor and blight on the German people.  A madman with absolute power had caused the needless deaths of nearly 9,000,000 good Germans.  That does not take into account the Holocaust or the deaths of non-Germans.

A group of brave men took on the responsibility to kill Hitler risking all.  There were different failed attempts to Kill Hitler and this was the last of them. 

Col. Claus Von Stauffenberg became the leader of the group and brought a briefcase bomb to the secure field headquarters called Wolfsschanze near Rastenburg East Prussia.

Von Stauffenberg lost an arm and part of his remaining hand.  With only three fingers he was only capable of arming half of the device.  He ill advisedly discarded the unarmed half of the explosives.  There were other environmental issues that reduced the effectiveness of the device. 

The device detonated killing four and wounding 24 others.  Hitler was sparred from all but minor injuries. Von Stauffenberg escaped the Wolfsschanze and flew to Berlin to direct the coup. 

The coup ended quickly after it became known that Hitler survived the blast.  That evening at the Beldlerblock military complex five conspirators including Von Stauffenberg were arrested.  On order from General Fromm they were placed before a firing squad and executed in the courtyard. 

General Ludwig Beck asked for and was given a pistol so he could dispatch himself with dignity.  The others, Gen. Fredich Olbricht, Col. Albrecht Mertz Von Quirnheim ant Lt. Werner Von Haeften faced the firing squad with Von Stauffenberg.

Eventually the Gestapo rounded up 7,000 men and women that they somehow connected to the plot. Many were relentlessly tortured and eventually nearly 5,000 were put through sham show trials and garishly and slowly hanged at the Plotzensee prison using wire.

Every year on this date the surviving families gather for an invitation only ceremony at the Bendlerblock.   They vet the attendees very carefully to prevent disruptions by Neo-Nazi sympathizers.  

Below I have two videos that I shot and edited of my visit to the Bendlerblock military complex that also houses the German Resistance Museum.  The other was shot  at the Plotzensee Prison execution chamber.  The videos were shot with a tiny Flipcam but I think you will find them interesting and watchable.

The Berlin Portion of The Fifth Estate Spielberg Film has Wraped!, by Paul Huebl

Berlin, Germany— The principal Berlin photography involved with, The Fifth Estate is finished and now they are off to Belgium for the rest of the production.  I can’t wait to see the final product. This is yet another milestone for Studio Bablesberg located in one of my favorite cities.

Governments have a terrible habit of lying to their citizens, as they get involved in deadly adventures and intrigue that few rational people would approve.   This is a story about the failure of civilized nations to engage in honorable diplomacy.

Investigative Journalist, hacker and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange risked his life and liberty to expose the truth to the citizens of the world.  Today there is a price on Assange’s head.  The government and people of Ecuador are protecting him from imprisonment in any number of nations.

Any great effort like the wildly successful WikiLeaks website brings conflict even among friends and this film explores that and other issues.  In most circles Assange is hated and considered a traitor.  I see it differently.  I find it very difficult to accept that exposing the truth is somehow wrong. 

As a journalist Assange is a hero.  Long ago the late, George Orwell so adequately said, “Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed: everything else is public relations.”  Assanage sure brought out the dogs when he published thousand of secret cables that exposed government treachery, dishonesty and hostility.   I can’t fault him for exposing the truth.  I don't think this film will speak well for Assange but we will wait and see. 

Steven Spielberg’s Dreamworks is producing this sure to become a blockbuster film.  It’s based upon the writings of Daniel Domscheit-Berg and Luke Harding.

Film director Bill Condon molded a troupe of fine actors into this fascinating story.  Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Brühl, Carice van Houten and one of my favorite American actresses Laura Linney star in this film.

I have a special fondness for the multi-talented Dutch actress Carice van Houten’s fine work.  I hope to somehow obtain a video interview with her about the challenges she’s faced in her career when she visits Los Angeles later this month.  That will depend on how much time she can spare for Crimefile News.  Ms. Van Houten’s name surely will be exploding on American theater marques over the next few years.  Of course if I can land that interview you will see it right here at Crimefile News.

Can that Canadian, Gay, Zombie, Cannibal Suspect Be Innocent?

Berlin, Germany—After a desperate and very intense worldwide manhunt, Canadian murder suspect Luka Magnotta was arrested outside of an Internet café without incident.  

This story was twisted and depraved from the beginning.  Body parts were delivered to various politicians.  Threats and a strange video purportedly of Magnotta feeding a live kitten to a snake surfaced.  Suggestions of cannibalism were being published and broadcast everywhere.

Magnotta is Gay and a porn star to boot.  We all seem to forget that porn and being Gay is legal these days anywhere in the free world.  The truth is that this lad’s lifestyle is considered disturbing and depraved to a huge segment of the world's population.  He is the classic, usual suspect.

They called him everything from a zombie killer to a master of disguise.  Sensationalism elevated this apparent murder to the front pages of all the world’s papers.  But now with additional body parts being distributed in Canada I have to wonder if there was a rush to judgment considering he's in a Berlin lockup. 

I guess there could be accomplices but perhaps there is a killer out there who left the police obvious clues to mislead them.

The police and public are not clairvoyant and work off of things like hunches, gut feelings and guesswork.  DNA evidence is wonderful but it walks.  It’s easy for criminals to gather DNA laden materials from people they’d like to see blamed for crimes they committed.  Also over-zealous police can and do occasionally frame people with fingerprint or DNA material they deliver to the crime scenes.

While Magnotta is behind bars the crime activity is continuing.  There is a lot more to this story.  This lad will still need a top-notch lawyer and defense investigator.  Even kinky, Gay, porn stars deserve a fair day in court.  

Magnotta has reportedly waived extradition back to Canada.  Let's hope the authorities can deal with real evidence and fact rather than sensationalism and media hype overload.
I'd like an assignment to investigate this mad case and put my findings into a book or screenplay.   

A summer adventure for Cops, Lawyers, Judges, History Buffs, and Reporters

Germany—People involved in the law, courts and justice need so see what’s not taught in law school. They need to see how the law can quickly go wrong even in a sophisticated and civilized society.

Under National Socialism, justice was perverted into a filmed spectator sport where capital punishment for even minor resistance to government became acceptable and frequent.

I’ve spent decades inside the criminal justice system. I have always wondered where the line is drawn for determining just when justice becomes Judicial Tyranny. Trust me it’s not easy to figure out unless of course you’re the victim justice gone wrong.

My visits to Germany have taken me to some very infamous places deep inside Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich and Nuremberg.

It is shocking and indeed moving to stand where the authorities were criminals dispensing their justice under color of law. To say these visits were life changing is an understatement. For lawyers, judges and those working in and around or courts, what’s past is prologue.

This trip is not about the Holocaust but rather how the Nazis treated German non-Jews that spoke out against the Nazi police state. Jews were stripped of their citizenship and were not entitled to even Nazi Due Process. The German citizen turned in by a neighbor was in for some real horror at the People's Court. Government propaganda made people believe that the accused citizens would be treated fairly. Americans today are grossly ignorant of just how the Nazi dictatorship manipulated the truth and easily fooled the public.

You will meet Judge Roland Friesler, President of the People’s Court shown above. He was a former Communist who embraced National Socialism. Frisler can be seen in action in many videos on YouTube.

This horrible man was killed during an allied bombing raid in 1944. Rather than seek refuge in the shelter he was trying to gather and protect the files of the defendants being tried before his court.

Unfortunately Frisler is alive and presiding in courtrooms all over the world including our own. Every practicing lawyer has seen Frisler in one form or another.

I want to lead a small tour to Germany to the actual sites of Nazi administered Judicial Tyranny.

The criminal trials of the Third Reich all involved career cops investigating the reports of busybody snitches. They established probable cause for some wartime anti-terrorism violation arresting their suspects.

Torture was not used except in major conspiracy cases. The cops made detailed reports and forwarded the cases to Nazi prosecutors that filed formal complaints in The People's Court.

The accused had a right to an appointed attorney that functioned as a bearer of bad news to the accused.

A public trial was held and the prosecution always won. Death sentences were handed down for trivial anti-Nazi offenses using wartime as an excuse.

The fixed trials were well documented and the sham appeal process was really quick. Nazi Justice was very swift.

The Third Reich’s executioners were very buzy.

Sippenshaft Justice: That German word translates to Kin Liability. This was a Nazi tool of collective punishment used primarily after the Stauffenberg July 20, 1944 failed bomb plot. Relatives those accused of crimes against the Reich often were executed or imprisoned. Nina Von Stauffenberg was sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp and her children were renamed and placed in an orphanage.

Today this great nation celebrates human rights and is a terrific friend of America. The food here is as good as it gets with sweets to die for. This also calls for a river cruise with wine, cheese grapes and breathtaking views. German nightlife is really exciting. You'll find elegance, entertainment and lots of fun.


Places on the proposed agenda:

1. Munich: Here we would visit the University and the Stadleheim Prison. This is about the students and teachers who made up the White Rose. That group simply created and passed out leaflets critical of the Third Reich government. Sophie Scholl was just 21 years old when she was arrested, tried, convicted and beheaded within four days. We will visit the places here where Adolph Hitler brought National Socialism into the world’s spotlight. The Dachau Concentration Camp is near Munich where many resisters or there spouses were sent for punishment.

2. Frankfurt: Here was the site of the second major war crimes trial after the Nazi government fell.

3. Berlin's Bendlerblock German Resistance Memorial Center: This great city is the location of the German Resistance Museum dedicated to the victims of judicial Tyranny. It is the site of the firing squad executions of Colonel Claus Van Stauffenberg and the other conspirators that tried to stop Hitler in the Wolf’s Lair Bombing. Here you can learn about 5000 people murdered in the name of the law. The pictures, stories and actual Nazi court documents are all here for your inspection.

4. Berlin’s Plotzensee Prison Memorial: Here you can see the execution chamber where at least 5000 German citizens were either beheaded or hanged on piano wire. On a single night in this room nearly 300 men and women were placed in a line for their turn on the wire.

5. 8 Prinz Albrecht Street Gestapo and SS Headquarters building: Only a small portion of this infamous structure is left. Next to the remains is a new museum, the Topography of Terror Documentation Center dedicated to exposing this dreaded Homeland Security organization. They have thousands of photographs and 12 years of police related reports for viewing. Here you can learn about turning neighborhood busybodies and your own children into snitches.

6. Berlins People’s Court: allied bombing destroyed this courthouse that took the life of the court’s President, Roland Frisler in 1944. Today the beautiful Sonny Center stands there with many wonderful restaurants and great stores. There is a simple brass marker at the court’s former entrance.

7. Berlin’s Spandau Prison: The actual prison is a closed supermarket but there are a significant number of buildings of this military complex of similar architecture. This is of course where the imprisoned war criminals such as Rudolph Hess and Albert Speer were held for decades after the war.

8. Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum: The Nazi regime felt the need for preventative detention of political dissidents in 1936 so that visitors to the Olympic Games would see no signs of resistance. They quickly rounded up their detractors and interred them in this concentration camp near Berlin. This place housed all manner of misfit, criminals, homosexuals and the racially rejected. More than 200,000 people were detained here until it was liberated in 1945. Needless to say tens of thousands did not survive incarceration here. The Soviets quietly continued using the facility for their own agenda for years after the war.

9. Nuremberg: Here is where the Nazis promulgated their race laws, outlawing Jews and stripping them of their citizenship. This is also where the Hall of Justice that was the scene of the first and largest War Crimes Trial. Also here is that stadium where Adolph Hitler addressed thousands in a military display of might.

To do this right I’d plan on about ten days. Many will want to explore other German or European cities and can do so once this tour is concluded.

I would also shoot a broadcast quality video of our adventures that would be distributed to everyone on this tour.

I want to plan this tour for this summer so anyone interested needs only to click on my color picture in the sidebar and send me an e-mail.

If I have some takers I will work to get the best possible deal for an unforgettable trip of a lifetime. A smaller group may be more desirable and the cost may insure that. I will gather costs based on the response.

For follow-up information let me direct you to two DVD's. Get the Blu-Ray version of Valkerie starring Tom Cruise. The two hours of extras will give you lots of information. The second one is, Sophie Scholl, the Final Days. That film is about a 21 year-old girl, her brother and a friend caught passing out anti-Nazi hand bills for a group called, The White Rose.

UPDATE: The cost for great accommodations so far is coming in around $3,000 Per person based on double occupancy. Meals other than hotel breakfasts are extra.

Before Steven Speilberg there was Leni Riefenstahl!

Berlin, Germany—As a film lover and novice filmmaker I am beyond fascinated and spellbound by a truly amazing woman. She was an athlete, rock climber, mountain climber, dancer, actor, photographer, filmmaker, writer, scuba diver and major artist. This woman was gifted, talented and downright gorgeous.

Leni Riefenstahl was born in 1902 in this great city. Riefenstahl was raised in prosperity and rather than follow in her father’s business footstep chose to make her mark in performance and art. Riefenstahl was a strikingly beautiful contemporary of fellow actress Marlene Dietrich.

Riefenstahl had a problem, this incredibly lady had to master absolutely everything she ever tried. She made it her goal to do everything perfectly. She failed at nothing and was redundantly proven to be fearless.

As a budding filmmaker she was nothing less than a major pioneer that invented cinema techniques still being used today. She’d go to any length to create an exciting film shot out of the most ordinary human movement. Riefenstahl created cranes, rails and every conceivable kind of device to capture nearly impossible cinematic shots.

She attended one Nazi Party rally and like most of the world at that time, she admired Adolph Hitler as a potential savior of Germany. Her goal was always to gain opportunities to act, perform and make films. Hitler and his propaganda minister, Josef Goebbels was mesmerized by the exceptional young woman and invited her into what became an incredible nightmare.

Riefenstahl made a film that showcased the Third Reich called, Triumph des Willens or Triumph of the Will. The film was a documentary of feature film proportions that was made in Nuremberg. The film was a masterpiece of precession and military pageantry. Today the film is banned in Germany as a result of aggressive de-Naziification. For Riefenstahl this was more about art and filmmaking than documenting the birth of what would later become a ruthless, cruel and monstrous political regime.

In 1936 Riefenstahl created 200 miles of film to show the world the Olympics. Her film never once slighted America’s black athletic wonder, Jessie Owens of his stunning victory. With her films Olympia I and 2, Riefenstahl became the quintessential sports filmmaker that is still the role model of every sports photographer or filmmaker worldwide.

Josef Goebbels understandably wanted to make a mistress out of Riefenstahl but the truth was that she found him unattractive. To Riefenstahl's chagrin, Goebbels embellished their “friendship” in his personal diaries.

The war ended and despite the fact that Riefenstahl never once placed an anti-Semitic scene in her films or let such a word to pass her lips was arrested and put on trial. Her career was over and the best years of her life were just beginning. Riefenstahl was condemned, castigated and blackballed. Rather than to accept total defeat Riefenstahl went to Africa and began filming primitive tribes and even pursued groundbreaking oceanographic filmmaking. She never found real success again as the cinema legend she truly was.

Like all German civilians Riefenstahl was misled by the criminals running her government and only learned about the death camps after the war ended. This gifted artist was soon blamed for creating Hitler’s image and allowing him to seduce the world through her films. Unfortunately the world still remains ignorant of the truth nearly a decade after her death at the age of 101.

Blondie Says, “The Tide Is High!”

When I was in Berlin during the 20 year Wall Fest Celebration in November this great song was played. It was perfect music for the celebration. I give you two videos, one from the Wall Fest and the other from a Blondie concert. It’s difficult to believe by Debora Harry is 65 years-old now. This song really rocks.

Why Berlin Germany is A Great City

Click on Pictures to enlarge them!

Berlin, Germany—I’ve been on a lot of major cities thought the world. Of course I compare all of them to Chicago where I was born and raised.

I have my own list of great cities I could live in. Being a city boy I do prefer the fast pace of large cities. I love entertainment, nightlife, history and any place where the locals work to make their city a fun, safe, and inviting place to live. Most of all freedom and liberty must prevail.

I’m an adrenalin junkie and would never survive in a job where every day is the same with little challenge. I guess that’s why I do the kind of work that I do. The challenges, excitement and competition are usually found in the world’s big cities.

Yes the people of Berlin were fooled by a Socialist politician that promised Hope and Change during an economic crisis. That was during the age of radio where millions were mesmerized by the new media that had few choices.

Any politician that could control microphone time was treated as a hero. Radio made huge celebrities of the politicians and the listeners became star struck.

A criminal and wildly corrupt political regime was given absolute power. The people had no way of knowing what their public officials were really doing. This lack of transparency was aggravated by allowing only politically correct speech or thought.

Okay, Berlin’s folks made the wrong choice and allowed a Nazi to rule. In hindsight Hitler concealed his horrid genocide program from the masses and those nasty rumors were laughed off as mere fabrications of Adolph Hitler’s treacherous political opposition.

The German people were suffering, hungry and desperate and Hitler brought much needed relief. The chaos that had been was quelled by a police state. Nobody likes chaos. It took a while but the police state was recognized for the evil it was.

The people of Berlin found out the hard way that their political choice would ultimately bring them more misery than they could ever imagine. After the fall of the Third Reich, Berliners and the rest of Germany showed their conscience. That is evidenced by various memorials and a vigilant effort not to repeat the same mistakes.

A bombed out unlivable Berlin rose from the ashes to become an ideal place to live, work, play and raise a family. Berlin is an exciting and beautiful new city today.

Another Treat From Berlin…

Berlin, Germany—I was delighted to be in Berlin for the 20th Anniversary of the collapse of the infamous Wall and Communism. Getting to the celebration involved taking the subway because of street closures and a lack of parking facilities.

My dear friend Andrea was kind enough to show me around Berlin. Her brother Klaus is a history buff who met us later giving me the rundown on the historical sites.

All the video I captured in Germany and Switzerland was on the Flip HD camera.

Enjoy the highlights of the subway ride.