Comments on: Is there really such a thing as a "geek defense"?

By: mickey blue eyes

mickey blue eyes — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 19:38:02 +0000

And he was busy doing then instead of helping looking for his wife. After all, the authorities had that covered, but he HAD to get the ballistics gel out of the seat and floorboard.

By: K Owusu

K Owusu — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 08:21:42 +0000

Geek behaviour? I’m offended. Gonna lay it out here not to prove that he was innocent or guilty but to prove that this behaviour can be done by anyone not just a geek

* He purchased two books on murder.
What constitutes a book on murder? Was it how to murder or just novels on murder? If he was truly a geek, he would not have bought books, he would have looked it up on the net. Actually, you don’t even need to be a geek to know that.

* He took no part in the search for his missing wife
He could have been distraught at the death of his wife, and was therefore unable to assist in the search.

* He had removed the battery from his cell phone
He could have done this to stop people phoning him about the death of his wife, which would obviously have made the pain worse. I would also not want to talk to anyone in particular for a while if this happened to me.

* The floor of his car was soaking wet as if it had just been cleaned
Maybe it had just been cleaned. It is not uncommon for people in this situation to throw up at the thought of something like this happening. He probably threw up in his car, and wanted to clean it up. Or the wetness was his tears.

* He had removed the front passenger seat of his car
How is this geek behaviour? unless he wanted to replace it with a computer?

By: David Scrimshaw

David Scrimshaw — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:45:15 +0000

In the 1940s, members of MIT’s DKE fraternity planted explosive cord in Harvard Stadium that would have spelled out “MIT” when detonated.

The grounds crew found the wires and foiled the hack before it could go off.

In one version of the story told at MIT, a DKE member was arrested and taken before the court. The evidence against him was that he had wire and batteries in his pockets. “But your honour,” said his defence lawyer in a courtroom packed full of sympathetic classmates, “all MIT students carry batteries and wire in their pockets.” All the students in the courtroom proceeded to pull wire and batteries out of their pockets and the suspect was set free.

[I heard this story in 1979. I have never come across any documentation of anyone actually being charged for the prank.]

By: Mark O'Neill

Mark O'Neill — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 11:29:52 +0000

Are you one of OJ Simpson’s lawyers?!

“If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit…”

By: troy

troy — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 08:11:47 +0000

Actually it makes perfect sense. The guy made a false passenger out of ballistics gel so he could drive in the carpool lane, but he left it parked at a convenience store for too long in the sun and it melted. He removed the now ruined seat in hopes that he could get it cleaned before his Wife found out. Thats also why he cleaned the floor panel. He removed the battery from his, potentially ruined by melted ballistics gel, phone so it could dry out without shorting out. Seriously are you going to tell me this has never happened to you? And you call yourselves geeks?

By: Todd

Todd — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:57:42 +0000

Definitely Not Geek Behavior. But since they are playing the geek card, they should call in some of his WoW friends to testify.

Can you send out a subpoena a person from WoW?

By: Ktistie

Ktistie — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 03:55:24 +0000

It doesn’t sound like they have that much evidence really. Not even a body… Just a clean car, and some strange habits. Mind you, you can’t trust anything you read in the papers. I’ll try not to have an opinion.

By: Kiltak

Kiltak — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 02:00:45 +0000

Mark: Uh? No login required for me…

By: Andy

Andy — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 01:57:33 +0000

umm no, not geeky at all.
If anything a geek would NOT take the battery out of his phone!
There’s nothing geeky, or often sane about removing the passenger seat of your car.

I could understand if he were anti-social, secluded, basement-dwelling etc. etc. That would be a more viable ‘geek defense’.