Saturday, March 05, 2005

Persons of interest

The composite sketches of the suspects in the Lefkow killings have proved helpful in identifying some potential "persons of interest" in the case.

Leading the charge has been my old friend and militia compatriot, Devin Burghart of the Center for New Community, who has posted a veritable rogue's gallery of Hale supporters from the World Church of the Creator and elsewhere, taken from the same photo shoot that produced Max Blumenthal's earlier possible ID of Suspect No. 1.

That person is a WCOTC White Beret Scott Gulbranson of Creve Cove, Illinois. There are more photos of Gulbranson at the CNC site (one of which can also be found at Blumenthal's).

A second person of interest has emerged as well, according to the most recent column by Michael Sneed of the Chicago Sun-Times:
Sneed hears police investigating the murders of the husband and mother of federal Judge Joan Lefkow on Wednesday night questioned a man who in 2003 was identified as a confidant/follower of jailed white supremacist Matthew Hale.

Hale, who is awaiting sentencing at the Metropolitan Correctional Center for soliciting the murder of Lefkow two years ago, was accompanied by the man in 2000 when he was collecting petition signatures in an effort to get his white supremacist World Church of the Creator recognized by Northwestern University as an official campus religious organization.

A Sneed source claims the man, a former Deerfield High School student who was once charged with littering and violation of curfew while passing out racist pamphlets, reportedly gave police an alibi at the time of the murders, which occurred between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Monday at Lefkow's North Side home.

Meanwhile, Sneed has been told part of the police investigation's focus is on a New York Times photograph of Matthew Hale being accompanied by several followers, one of whom seems "strikingly similar" to one of the two police sketches released of possible murder suspects.

The Deerfield student mentioned in Sneed's article is a young man named John Schlissmann, who according to the CNC report claimed at one time to be one of Hale's bodyguards.

Another person of interest is another WCOTC activist, a Florida man named Jerald Overturf. One reason Overturf raises investigators' interest is his attempt to takeover the WCOTC when Hale was arrested. At one point, Overturf apparently contacted all the members of the Guardians of the Flame Committee (the group which appoints the "Pontifex Maximus").

In his newsletter, The Gathering Storm, Overturf essentially appointed himself "Hasta Primas" of the Creativity Movement as the group is now called. He wrote:
I am sure this will come as a shock to most U.S. members, but it is now time for us to take matters into our own hands. Time to do what must be done to save not only Our Church, but also Our Race and Our Pontifex Maximus. This is not an action I'm looking forward to taking, nor is it a task I ever contemplated taking on at this time in my life. However, it has become clear to me that no one else with a working knowledge of the teachings of Creativity is willing to step forward.

I have waited, day after day with a heavy heart, hoping that those in a
position to do so would appoint someone to take the place of the last Hasta Primus that P.M. Hale placed in charge. I have waited in vain it seems! Day after day, after offering myself as the next "sacrificial lamb," I continue to wait. Listening to excuse after excuse as the trial of our P.M. grows near. A quick review of the teachings of Creativity will show that I am well within my rights in taking the bull by the horns.

After contacting the Guardians of the Faith Committee with the idea of becoming the next H.P. of The Church, I was told that other things and people are being considered. This is all well and good and I am sure that given enough time they will find the best man for the job. Now I ask you, how much time do we have? How long do we wait? I don't mind waiting, but do we really have to stay in this state of limbo while we're waiting?

I am done with waiting, and there are a good many that feel the same. So, I offered to take on the role of H.P., either for good, or on a temporary basis. Meaning of course, until a replacement can be found! I just want us back at a respectable state. Back to where we were. Back to a respectable state, in the event of P.M Hale gaining his release as we all expect and hope he will. If P.M. Hale was to gain release today, I'm absolutely certain he would be ashamed of our total inaction in his absence.

Apparently, in Overturf's release photo (he was paroled just earlier this year), he looks a great deal like Suspect No. 2.

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