* (restored)
1. Detention hearing
2. Lane charged with three counts of aggravated murder, two counts of aggravated attempted murder, and one count of felonious assault
3. Judge orders a competency hearing
4. Judge sets a date for the competency hearing
5. Lane pleads not guilty by reason of insanity
6. Judge orders Lane to be tried as an adult
7. Lane pleads guilty on all counts
8. Lane sentenced
The Chardon High School shooting
*
p.s. Hey. Heads up that on this coming Friday, I will be traveling to Los Angeles for the ‘Room Temperature’ premiere and to deal with some visa issues, etc. I’ll be there approximately a month. As always when I go away, the blog will be on vacation while I’m gone. So, this coming Thursday’s post/p.s. will be the last one before things stand still for a while, and then the blog will return to life again on April 17th. ** Corey, Hi. Acker rhymes with cracker. Okay, sounds very interesting: the choreography/dance in-progress. ‘Out 1’-like, wow, nice, intense. ** jay, Hi. No, Jack was one of the original gang of Beyond Baroque writers with myself and others in the early 80s. At some point, he kind of ducked out of the writing/publishing scene for a long time and then made a splashy return a few years ago. I think the equivalent here is North African/Middle Eastern boys who, I think, are generally considered twinkalicious to those who seek sexiness in that realm. Glad you found a way to make that concert instructive. Wow, obviously, fill me in about that game, it sounding massively up my alley and all. Thanks. ** James, Your dad read Acker, or at least bought her. That’s something. Transgression and sincerity are my middle names, I suppose. Thank you for attending to the Skelley-ish shebang. Yeah, coming from the US, French healthcare seems miraculous. A number of times I’ve gone to the doctor here for whatever reasons, and when I leave and am preparing to pay and tell them I don’t have health insurance, they just shrug and say, ‘Don’t worry about it’, and don’t charge me anything. Nuts. It’s Gif with a hard G. Gif stands for Graphic Interchange Format. Hard G. Skip the first Silverchair album. It’s them mimicking grung/Nirvana. But they started finding themselves on the second one, and ‘Diorama’, their fourth, is their peak. Longing’s shelf life is extremely varying. Yeah, I mean, no comfort in this, but I think the vast majority of gay teens live in the same parental situation as you. I sure did. And then when they figure it out, they’ll say ‘we always knew’. And they’ll be fine. Or fine enough to deal with. Like clockwork. Mm, generally when I’m writing, or writing hard and consistently, I stop reading. But only when I’m really into it and don’t want to risk derailing myself with outside interference. I can listen to music or see films or art and stuff, but not other fiction. Maybe poetry sometimes. But I think a lot of writers can do both simultaneously with no prob? ** Jack Skelley, Thank you, sir. Was it only a year ago? Time is so … weird. I revere Reza Abdoh, so, yes, of course, a post on him would be amazing. I probably told you this, but Ishmael Houston-Jones and I were supposed to collaborate with Reza on a work, but then he got too sick and it never happened very sadly. ** Tyler Ookami, Vår was kind of a quick-lived but heady blip. I asked Elias why, and he said huge ego clashes between him and Loke Rahbek. It’s always interesting and strange how an artist’s death adds a religiosity to their work and its reception. At least for the first while. ** Steeqhen, Hi. Speaking from experience, starting a magazine or publishing venture necessitates a lot of objective thought and pre-planning, so maybe the delay is good so you don’t rush into it unawares. Congrats on the publication and successful photo shoot. Zac just joined Instagram in order to set up an account there for ‘Room Temperature’, which he’s doing now. ** Misanthrope, Things could scarcely become more confusing over there. I think pretty much every small publisher does print-on-demand these days, which I believe really helps keep the costs down and doesn’t leave you with a room full of books. Back in the Little Caesar days, my apartment was basically a book storage space with little paths in between. Right, you mentioned print-on-demand, there you go. And eBooks, yes, right. Exciting, George! That sounds so great! ** nat, Your joblessness and, more so, your increased writing time gets a big shout out from me. Your novel sounds enormously promising, need I even say. ‘Closer’ saved you! Feather in its cap. Luck with your Ellis de-virginizing. Where are you starting? ** sasha!, Hi! A pro wrestling novel, whoa! I’m titillated from the outset. I had a period of being kind of obsessed with pro wresting in the 80s through early 90s. Jake the Snake era. I wrote a long essay for an art magazine comparing it to Greek mythology that probably wasn’t all that good and which luckily seems to have gotten lost in the ether. My big faves were Roddy Piper, George ‘the Animal’ Steele, Randy Savage, early Undertaker, and, strangely, Hacksaw Jim Duggan for some reason. Anyway, I’m excited by that novel’s prospect. How far along with it are you? I’ll look for ‘Pure Dynamite’, thanks. Right now I’m writing the script for Zac Farley’s and my next film mostly. I have maybe the beginnings of a novel or a long fiction thing, but I’m not sure yet whether it’s interesting enough to pan out. Hope so. So nice to talk with you! ** Steve, Insomnia, ugh, the worst. Poecilia had some interesting thoughts for/with you, if you didn’t see them. ** Dominik, Hi!!! It feels really good to actually have the film completely finished. It’s been such a long, hard road to get there. Yeah, it feels very relieving. LCTG is a lyric from ‘Pictures of Today/Victorial’, my favorite song by them. Lera Lynn … I don’t know that person at all. Cool, I’ll go fill in the blank around love’s words. I love the way she’s walking, I love the way she’s talking, It’s just the way she’s walking, It’s just the way she’s talking, And I need, All that stuff, G. ** _Black_Acrylic, Thanks, pal. Well, I’m guessing your lucky charm self is also behind the excellent season start (last I checked) of your beloved Leeds. ** Bill, Thanks, Bill. I think we’ll wait to see how the premiere goes before we loosen the champagne cork. Knowing Gary as I did, it wouldn’t phase me if Kathy inspired a character of his, as long as it was a kind of hateful character. No love lost between those two. I saw your email. I’ll get to it asap. Thank you!!! ** Uday, Hey. What will this ‘inversion of Guibert’s ‘To the Friend Whose Life I Did Not Save” be like? Most curious concept there. Enjoy your trip and your friend. Thanks about the crushing. God, I sure hope so. But hopefully see you again before I slip away. ** HaRpEr, I’ve never understood why I like making readers/audiences uncomfortable because I’m generally a pretty nice person, but I clearly do. The university turn, very heavily in play in the US, as I don’t need to mention, is very, very worrying. Vår’s great. I wish Sacred Bones would gather all of their stuff on a single LP or sonic thing because a lot of what they did is really hard to come by. As I think I’ve said, I’m pretty sure that Joy Williams is my favorite living American fiction writer. I so wish I could meet her and have a coffee or something. Yeah, locking the film totally down is a big relief, for sure. Weight lifted. Now nothing stands between us and premiere, so the nervousness about that is eating into the pleasure, of course. Thanks, pal. ** Right. I decided to restore this old post today. There’s something about it I really like. You may agree or not. See you tomorrow.
Now available in North America 
lol at Corey’s comment & your reply bc i just spent the weekend watching Out 1 at the ICA. i’m still, i think, coming to terms with it, but i loved every moment. even just on a formal level, i felt like i was reading a massive novel about various combinations of colours or something. plus the ICA put out bad coffee on tap, which was a great vibe. the audience were a bit depressing tho. they weren’t loud or annoying but by the last few hours it became clear that a lot of them just saw this as an endurance test, like they couldn’t wait to log it on letterboxd. idk maybe that’s an ungenerous read of them. one guy brought a whole tupperware box of olives to eat while he was watching which tickled me a lot.
anyway hi dc!! hopping in to tell you about that & also to say hello before you go to LA. i hope you’re well? what’s the news? if you have news more than flight and film prep — also Room Temperature is finally coming!!! i am so so hyped. the teaser was great, as a not great fan of teaser trailers. are there any plans in the pipeline to have it screened over here?
(also more lattice of unconsciousness of the universe wrt the last post: so my local bookshop has a book subscription system where you subscribe to a bookseller rather than a genre. i am one of the listed booksellers, and i talk about liking experimental and small press fiction & critical theory, and — shockingly — nobody subscribed to me for like two years. anyway someone subscribed *their friend* to me for their birthday, so i actually had to choose and send out a book, and i chose Fear of Kathy Acker in case they thought i was joking.)
Regardless of the final verdict, I think T.J. Lane’s haircut represented a good look.
Of course Leeds United lost at Portsmouth yesterday, taking our 17-game unbeaten run to an end. It’s a popular thing for opposition fans to start singing, to the tune of Joy Division, “Leeds, Leeds are falling apart again.” One can only hope they’re not right this time.
Thanks, Big D! Yeah, it is exciting, and i’m pretty hyped for it. I’m exploring website support right now. I’ve got a couple to check out. They’ve made it pretty easy these days. You don’t have to be some computer wiz to do it.
Onward and upward.
Wow, this isn’t a case I’ve heard of. It’s always strange when perpetrators survive these cases, it does always feel a little wrong – not morally, but more in terms of narrative and aesthetic to so completely end your life without dying. It’s crazy he doubled down on being “right” at the end too, or at least evil or whatever term he’d use.
That’s interesting, about the twinks who do well in France. I have been sort of frighteningly immersed in twinks for the past few days, with that yaoi visual novel called “Slow Damage” I’ve been playing. There was a whole chapter dedicated to some pediatrician you have to date, but he’s got a sort of bizarre sexual fixation on cherubs and his adoptive son, both of which spiral out of control, to the point he knocks you out and turns you into an “angel” surgically. It sounds kind of cheesy, but it’s really strangely evocative writing, and there’s a lot of really strange jokes about Thomas Mann, for some reason. Really cool!
Anyway, really, really good luck to you, Zac, and everyone else at the premiere, it’s amazing this is all finally going ahead. So, so exciting for everyone (including us), can’t wait to see Room Temperature whenever it becomes available on my services. Lots of love, see you in a month!
Hey Dennis,
Huge congrats on finishing RT! Safe travels and best of luck in LA. I’m sure it’s gonna be a success. There’s way more appetite for originality out there than the current crop of cultural gatekeepers can admit.
I’ve got some exciting plans bubbling away to start a DIY press. I want to start by making some booklets containing standalone short prose pieces. By the time you’re back in Europe I’ll hopefully be well on the way and have more to report.
I saw “Inland Empire” for the first time last night at Close Up. I had high hopes and they were exceeded. That digital camcorder effect was sublime.
Bon voyage my friend,
James
Hi Dennis! I’m currently en route to Los Angeles and will be there for two weeks. If your schedule isn’t packed with visa/screening business and want to get coffee, let me know. There may also be a screening of one of my movies, which I can send you the details of. Someone else is putting that together, and I think it’s going to be an invite-only type thing, but I can get you on the invite list if interested. Let me know!
Hi!!
There’s something deeply captivating about this post. Maybe his evolution. Maybe his sleepy eyes. I read (or reread, I guess) the Wikipedia entry you included – I didn’t remember that he had escaped from prison once.
I’m so very happy for you! It must really feel so good to finally have the film finished and fully ready to be born. Less than a month now!
I learned about Lera Lynn from the second season of “True Detective.” I didn’t like the season, but the music was A+. I’ll go listen to “Pictures of Today/Victorial” immediately! Thank you! And “Some Candy Talking,” too. Oh, and you go, You walk out on me, baby, And leave me for another lady, I’ll drink, I’ll drink until you love me, And wake up always thinking of me, You are, You are the devil in me, Od.
Hey, Dennis! Hope you’re doing well. I had such a funny experience this weekend. I had my first kiss (that sounds so childish and girly, specially at 19) with a guy that I don’t even remember the face. He wasn’t very attractive but I thought this way would be better since I wouldn’t have to impress him. He liked me a lot so I asked him to do some kinky things and he did without complaining (I was high as hell), then he starts insulting me out of nowhere saying that he would forget me the next day, that I was a “cheap little twink addicted to porn” (that sounds way funnier in English btw) that he was in love with someone else and all that crap. I’m always surprised when people say things like that because I don’t think I pass the impression that I care. But anyways! I laughed at him, made a joke, kissed him once more, and then I left. It wasn’t very sexy for me, but I thought it was so funny! Not because “sex is funny” or something, but because he did everything that I told him to do. It’s nice to have power, I guess. Do you remember your first kiss, or that’s too much of a mellow talk?
Talking about laughing, my brother made such a funny comment about the escorts list these days. There was a Brazilian twink looking to get snuffed on one of the lists, so he said “He wants to get snuffed in Brazil? Just go around the block!” I laughed so hard, I spent the day giggling about it.
I rewatched ‘Strait-Jacket’ these days and was meaning to talk with you about it. I remember you posted something about that movie once. I watched it for the first time when I was 14, I think, I thought it was kinda corny, but I was surprised by the twist. When I rewatched it I got so moved! I think it may be Castle’s best film and Joan’s best performance. I don’t know why, but I think it’s such an emotional film. People like to call it “camp” and I think they ignore the film as a whole. The scene where Joan is crying at the door because her daughter hates her, my God! That’s such a great scene. I really, really love that movie now. I don’t like when people only know how to joke about art. I certainly detest when people joke about my art, not because “I take myself too seriously”, I mean, I think I take myself seriously enough! But it’s such a boring, shallow reaction. You see something and make a joke about it. Is that all you can think of? A bad joke? How do you feel about that? I don’t mean like, jokes criticising your work, I mean jokes about your work.
And last question: Do you like House music? Thanks! see ya
Hi blog. T. J. Lane’s not a name I’m familiar with. It’s unfortunate when people who do awful things like this are kind of cute, visually-speaking. Something about his hair doesn’t feel very 2012y, though. It improved as time passed, with the slight curliness, but then there comes the fucking buzzcut, inevitable as it apparently is. I guess his eyes aren’t the worst. But ugh, at that fucking shirt saying ‘killer.’ Tasteless, insensitive, immature, all the bad stuff. Revolting person. Post made me frown an awful lot. Did and said terrible things. I can’t really do or say any more than just condemn the indescribable shittiness of people like him. There have been and are too many school shootings in the U.S. for me to keep track of. Post makes me think about the odd kind of, communities? Subcultures? ‘Fanbases’? Following? Which sometimes form around people like this. It’s a weird phenomenon. Interesting. But grossly unethical. It’s just bad when people do shit like this but that’s, you know, obvious. But the post put things in perspective, I guess. I haven’t been shot or killed. That’s good and something to be grateful for.
Woah, blogless till April 17th come Thursday. However to fill my time. With books probably. Maybe hopefully some writing, too. Gratz again on the film, and hopefully you don’t forget to pack anything for LA.
But hi Dennis. My father was in possession of some books I was at first surprised to find, but I’ve since repossessed them for myself. This is handy, because they’re the kind of books which might otherwise raise the question of ‘why do you have this book?’ but if he asks me that, I can ask in return ‘why did YOU have these books in the first place?’ in a kind of cold war-y, mutually assured embarrassment situation. But I think we’re both vaguely aware of and mature enough about each other’s deviance so we can talk about whatever, books-wise. This is what comes of telling your firstborn son about Burroughs. My, what a gamble he made with that.
Dennis Transgression Sincerity Cooper rolls off the tongue just fine, as a name. My middle name has been the source of some light mockery, in the past. Biblical, just in case James wasn’t enough.
Skelley-ish shebangs are so the thing to attend. The only things I otherwise attend are class and meals. In a vaguely linked segue, the chap who felt the need to give me his thoughts on his perceptions of my sexuality and gender in geography told me about a party he attended at some point. Drinking soap was involved. He convinced over 10 people he didn’t know to ditch said party and to instead go bowling with him. Parties are so foreign to me. I’ve no idea what they’re like for my peers.
French healthcare I know even less about. Nice of those doctors, medical people, whatever, to be fine about. Insurance. And stuff. The adult world still baffles me. I was discussing employment with my mother at lunch today. Man. I don’t think I’m cut out for this real life business x_x
Aware you meant nuts as the expression, but. Nuts. I like cashews most, probably. They’re kind of just an excuse for me to consume unhealthy amounts of salt. Pistachios I don’t like much, but pistachio-flavoured things are totally delicious, somehow.
I knew what GIF stands for. I know it *should* be pronounced with a hard G. But I like the sound of, and saying ‘jif’ more x) bleh. Force of incorrect habit, I guess.
Oo, thank you for the Silverchair guidance. Grunge and Nirvana aren’t my favourite kinds of music. They are added to the list of bands I want to give a whirl. I’ve been listening to Ride today. Blimey. Bloody good stuff.
I figure that since everything ends any relationships of any kind I have with anybody will eventually go *poof* and cease existing, which is kind of comforting, since that means the loss of the responsibilities of human to human communication of any kind. Now I’ve just got to reconcile that with the ability to make the most of what happens *whilst* it’s happening. Ostensibly being the subject of some kind of longing is sort of interesting, if implausible.
Hoo, joy. Family. It’s weirdly hard for me to gauge just how aware my relatives are of my inclinations. If my parents pull that feigned(?) ignorance + ‘always knew!’ combo on me I will be damn pissed. And I like to think I’d challenge them on that but if that ends up being the case I will likely just silently put up with it. But I don’t think I’m at risk of disowning or disinheritance or whatever.
Another dodgy segue – clockwork – woke up early today. Saw on my phone that it was 6:30am when my alarm was set for 7am, so I might’ve, might’ve not said ‘fuck this’ aloud and fell asleep again.
I’ve never written ‘hard.’ I’ve *aimed* for consistency. Sometimes I can achieve it. Other times, eeeeehhhhhhhhhh. That perceived risk of ‘outside interference’ is something I’m kind of saddled with too. Annoying. I don’t feel like I read *OR* write enough. It’s a little maddening. After a little nosy aimless skimming the P.S. block, I wish the best with the maybe novel/long fiction thing you might or might not do stuff with. I think I usually write with music. Art – I was recently told I ‘kind of’ look like a guy in a painting. Think that’s a first. I so envy people who can balance reading and writing easier than I can. Harumph, jealous pout, etc.
Hm. History was alright. Friendly feelings. Lessons these days in history are so relaxing. You read a thing and you write about the thing, do a bit of thinking and talking. It’s kind of mind-numbing, but in an enjoyable way, for me. Very chill. Exchanged silent winks and finger flutters with a guy I haven’t seen for a while on my way home. Lunch was yummy. Study okie-dokie. Want to read now. Will read. And I’ve got tomorrow offfff, yaaaaaayyyy. See you and the blog and its commenters tomorrow :0
Part of the reason I came out to my parents at the time I did was that I was storing my book collection at their house, I knew my dad went through them and read some, and he was bound to pick up on the fact I owned many novels about gay men and start asking questions.
Thanks for reminding me about Poecilla’s comments.
After he shaved his head, Lane looked like a baby.
Will you be meeting with any distributors during the Los Angeles trip?
Things are very exhausting. I’ve been in touch with my parents’ doctor, and we’re trying to arrange some care for them. Witnessing America collapse farther and farther is a major source of stress. I’m sure you’ve read about the kidnapping of Mahmoud Khalil by ICE for participating in pro-Palestine protests. Fucking hell!
Hope the trip preparations are going well, Dennis. I’m leaving Friday as well, so we might be two airships passing in the night, haha. On top of everything else, I’m having an absolutely terrible allergy thing, not sure if it will play out in time.
I don’t think TJ Lane was on my radar back in the day. And that prison escape, geez.
I think I’ve mentioned this before, but Joy Williams was in town for a reading years ago. She seems super nice and charming.
Bill
Hey Dennis,
Been sick the past day or two with an obnoxious sore throat, it’s left me doing nothing but feeling ok about it. I did, however catch up with the show Yellowjackets. It’s enjoyable, though I do think it took a noticeable decline since season 1. The premise is Lost and Twin Peaks meets Lord of the Flies and that real life Uruguay rugby team that crashed in the Andes in the 70s; a group of teen girls on a football team crash in the Canadian wilderness, and eventually turn to cannibalism and worshiping ‘It/the Wilderness”. Whilst that is going on, you have the modern day timeline of the grown up survivors slowly losing their minds again over trying to conceal what they did out there. The line between supernatural and just delusions is firmly kept ambiguous, which I enjoy, though the majority of the fanbase online seems to be a bit… stupid, coming up with theories that characters who died are actually faking their deaths for some reason. Anyway, it’s an enjoyable watch and I really find the split timeline interesting as you see these characters in the future, and then slowly find out what they did and it forces you to reckon with where you stand. The main character, Shauna, is basically becoming this evil cruel spiteful monster in the past, wanting everyone to suffer just as much as she is, whilst in the present it starts to explain her behaviour.
Blog going on vacation until April 17th, wow! It’ll be back before my dissertation is due, but I may end up emailing you at the start of April the rough draft, if you have any pointers or critiques involving any biography of you or interpretation of your stuff, but I’ll try do it early in April so as to give both of us time haha.
Yeah, regarding Steeq, I’ve been putting in a lot of thought and planning, but nothing has been started yet. I intend to try and pay everyone *something*, and hopefully i can apply for some arts funding thing after the first or second issue, especially as I intend to try and make a fuss about it being “Irish art outside Dublin” and how that needs to be supported yada yada. It’ll probably end up keeping me in Cork for a while, but if it gets funding then I will be able to (hopefully) spend a lot of time out of Cork.
Hey Dennis,
I’ve been an admirer of your writing and this blog for a while now. Congrats on everything with Room Temperature! The teaser looks so good and I can’t wait to see more. I re-listened to your appearance on Wake Island from a couple months ago, and really enjoyed hearing you talk about making the film. I also appreciate how you talked in that same episode about the game Eternal Darkness, and its meta-horror glitchiness. I love games like that.
Wow, I remember that day of the Chardon shooting quite well. Lots of news coverage here in NE Ohio. I was ~30ish miles away in 7th grade art class, when the news broke about students getting shot at a school on the other side of Cleveland. Freaked us all out. Then, the court sentencing pictures came out with T.J. in the “Killer” shirt. We all thought he looked like Sid from Toy Story. I remember his prison escape and all that craziness, plus the Westboro Baptist Church saying they would pickett one of the victim’s funerals. The whole thing was twisted
I had kinda hoped of attending the RT premiere in LA, but I started a new job recently and probably won’t get the time off. So it goes. I look forward to hearing plenty more about it though, and would love to see it on a big screen soon! Safe travels.
Hi Dennis ! I hope you had a great weekend!! I was so stressed for a second because I didn’t realize the GA tickets for the premiere go on sale next week and thought that you had to buy festival pass . Thank god I can read hahaha anyways…
In Marshall , Wisconsin there is a small 50’s style amusement park called “Little Amerricka” . I don’t know why it is spelled like that. It contains 26 small attractions , roller coasters , scrambler, tilt-a whirl, and also a haunted house! The first time I went there with a daycare group I was around 5-6 and while going through the haunted house I got so scared , I pissed myself. I really doubt they brought extra pants even though I was kinda a serial pants pisser so Im guessing I had to just dry off in the sun. The haunted house is dark with very small winding hallways and while you go through you step on these platforms that trigger a loud alarm sound and lights illuminate mannequins in a cheesy costumes. Definitely super low budget . Looking at the video taken a year ago that I have linked below it seems like everything is exactly the same other than the windows that hid the mannequins used to have sliding doors that opened when you stepped on the platform to provide a jump scare type of effect . Glad to see its still there 20 years later still scaring kids.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR4Ok1l0eYk
top 10 attractions at Little Amerricka
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcHQzP5muR4
Recently I got a job at a dog grooming spot because someone I knew very briefly became the manager. The owner was in the hospital, and let me just say this person I knew had very big dreams. Long story short the manager and her wife moved into the shop, became friends with the wrong locals ( Haight Ashbury heads) , were having drug issues , the store was a mess the manager came out of the hospital and they got kicked out. Luckily I had jumped ship a week before it all came crashing down…. ANYWAYS… one of these Haight heads who I met introduced himself to me as John Wayne, then the next time I saw him as “Cry Baby”.. I guess he had shown my other friend his I.D. and it did say John Wayne. Crazy. He is skinny and tall with a brown bowl cut, maybe mixed white ( with hispanic ?) I’m guessing around 25-26 years old but definitely has one of those drug user faces. He is a nice guy , would come around and help around the shop and has given me a few handfuls of weed before. ANYWAYS … what my manager left out is that he had recently got out of jail for torturing / killing some guy and leaving his body in golden gate park. When I found this out I went online and looked it up, and the names of the people involved were like right out of one of your books I laughed so hard.
In the San Francisco killing, the assault started on May 22 when Nikki Lee Williams, 36, known as “Evil,” forced the victim into a pond with help from other people and repeatedly struck Stephen Williams and held his head underwater, according to court documents. Nikki Williams and the victim are not related.
The following day, 19-year-old Stephen Billingsley, known as “Pizza Steve,” repeatedly struck and stomped Stephen Williams along Haight Street, a popular hangout for young transients, until the man lost consciousness. The day after that, Williams, Billingsley and others again brutally assaulted Stephen Williams, leaving him unconscious near Alvord Lake.
https://www.kron4.com/news/san-francisco-homeless-man-beaten-and-tortured-to-death/
Billingsley, 19, has been charged with murder, torture, conspiracy, elder abuse and assault, according to local media. Nikki Lee Williams, 36, has been charged with conspiracy, assault, elder abuse and false imprisonment.
Billingsley’s nickname is “Pizza Steve,” prosecutors said. Nikki Lee Williams is known simply as “Evil.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/06/08/brutal-slaying-in-golden-gate-park-stirs-san-franciscos-raging-debate-over-homelessness/
Some things you just can’t make up.
Hope you’re having a great day 🙂
P
Hi. Maybe making readers uncomfortable is sort of a part of why you’re a nice person? Like, maybe because you feel for the sorts of people you write about and want people to react in some way to the material… I don’t know really, but maybe there’s something there, though I don’t really know how to articulate that.
I honestly think that some murderers play into the whole twisted-psychopath thing without actually being insane. Especially mass shooters, who are mostly young men who are severely emotionally confused and angry – and they aren’t ‘insane’ for the most part, they just want to be infamous and they want to be above other people and to create a persona of emotionless insanity.
I really hate the whole psychopath labelling thing perpetuated by true crime where murderers are othered so that people can view them as another species who are so completely different to them, and in order to avoid having to look into the world that created them.
I read Kay Gabriel’s ‘A Queen in Bucks County’ today. It does a wonderful job with its hybrid format, and I’m already thinking about re-reading it because it’s so short and there are things that have stuck with me that I want to bask in. I think I can sense an influence of ‘The Letters of Mina Harker’, and I say that because my edition of ‘TLOMH’ has a quote from Gabriel on the back, so not a mind blowing observation.
I’m really being fucked by bills lately, trying to cook up a way to survive for the rest of the month. I’m trying to see if there’s something unimportant to me that I can sell. I wanted to get a job somewhere cool but I got so bogged down by all of my end of year college work that it became impossible. My rent is ridiculous, god. I feel like I have this rising thing in me that I can’t talk to anyone about. My dad is waiting for me to be just about to die in a ditch so he can say ‘I told you so’. If things really turn to shit then I have some money stashed away somewhere but that’s really a last resort. Anyway, it’ll work out. I always land on my feet.
hey! I meant to comment yesterday but got distracted.
Oh im sitting here with a full and satisfied stomach, as today I made homemade Pho from my kitchen. I spent the afternoon gathering ingredients at the asian market, followed by two hours of prepping and cooking, and then finally concluded with the satisfying meal. One very far day we should meet over pho, and I accept no other way.
Oh! So I was going to say this yesterday but its such a interesting parallel that I was at the bookstore and happened upon Jack Skully’s Fear Of Kathy Acker. so I suppose its making a comeback as the page said or something. Anyways I snatched it up and, its too late to tell, but I got a couple pages in and will give an update. It has me interested.
I went to the gym this morning and have been going every morning. It makes mornings funner/easier because ive been struggling to get up at my usual routine(my dream routine!) at 16ish I used to wake up at 3:30 am and write or draw or whatever for two hours and then run and thats the kind of routine I like. Everything seems less chaotic at night have you ever walked around at 3am? Its comfortably silent in the most peaceful way. Well I guess that depends on what street your walking.
We sleep too much I think. My friend thought I was crazy for sleeping 4-6 hours most weeks but they said they slept 11 so I dunno.
There is a band called labyrinth ear, they are a now berlin-based music duo. Ive sent them before. Their influence ranges from operatic performances, jazz to techno. They are incomparable. Their progressions are always so smooth and every melody is like a beguiling smoke hypnotizing you with the sounds of another other world . Every song is another spalash of colors. Im sure if you heard them on mushrooms youd understand.
Heres a song. Would you be bothered if I sent a couple more of their songs for the rest of the week? Depending on if you like them, and if I can respond.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qstLNJTOEw&list=RD3qstLNJTOEw&start_radio=1
The Orchid Room is mythical and you should give it a listen
OH I didnt know your film was on Tubi i’ll go check now. K, sorry if my description of the band was really confusing. I tried to make it more understandable.
Hey, Dennis! I wasn’t familiar with Thomas’ case, but the evolution story these photos tell is really interesting. I’ve been rereading ‘Guide’, and this time around I can’t help but read it as confessional. I’ve gone a bit inward the past few days, so maybe I’m just projecting. Exciting: your upcoming trip/time off—I hope you have a blast! Here’s a song I’ve been enjoying today. What have you been listening to lately?
hi dennis, hi thread. ooo, hope you have fun in la and other blessing you want. also forgot to note but god that teaser is good, farley and cooper’s mischevious tricks got me again. glad it got a thumbs up, i hope this period of writing goes well as well. if not, there are some neat part time jobs that would be cool alongside my savings.
‘the hand that pulled the trigger that killed your sons now masturbates to the memory’ this guy is a fucking loser. like i’m relatively a guy who can be empathic to the worst, but god this guy is a fuckin god damn loser. name does sound familiar, maybe one of his fangirls (and/or fanboy ig) was one of the things i was following as inspiration for my novel.
to clarify; i was obsessed with true crime obsessives, just quietly read up people just make these outlandish excuses or explanation. it inspired me to at least write something about that. though, my novel is ‘about’ a unresolved disappearance and not a school shooter, but i think at some level a lot of true crime onfollowers have recurring aspects.
‘closer’ saved me, ha. yeah. wonder what nat who never read it would be doing, maybe still writing fanfics. scary thought there. though, in all likeliness i would have gravitated to some sort of fucked up queer tradition…. i guess you could call fanfics one of those though lmao.
less than zero! i try to go chronological when i do a deep dive, even if that means i might need to spend time with their lesser stuff or awkward beginnings. though less than zero is obviously not that.
i think that’s it, i should add a question though. uhhh, it was mario day yesterday — MAR10. what’s your favorite mario game?
ps. i’ve been giggling at the name ‘pizza steve’ for almost four hours now.
Is this post a precursor to you GIF novels? Enjoy LA and best of luck with the visa issues. Maybe I’ll pop in again before the blog goes on hiatus. One month is a good arbitrary deadline for me to finish a guest post. I recently started waking up at 4 and love it. Maybe I’ll try 3:30 sometimes on Darby’s suggestion, if I can get to bed early enough for that.