Friday, June 5, 2009

Bugshit Insane

Even though my computer is running slower than a 3-legged turtle (hence my restricted online access), I had to post a few thoughts about this bugshit insane Daniel James Murray who is now the object of a federal manhunt.

By now, I'm sure you've seen this story and many others online yesterday and today.

Daniel James Murray lived with an elderly couple in Rexford NY until December 2008. Since then he has been traveling around CA, UT, GA, OK and TX. No one has reported on the status of the elderly couple (were they his parents/grandparents? are they alive and well or missing?), but that is only one aspect that is bothering Detective D.K.

The short story is that Murray showed up here in Southern Utah, in St George specifically, on May 19th. He closed a savings account in his name at Mountain American Credit Union (located near where I shop at Costco) and received an official bank check for $85K. He then deposited that official bank check at Zions First National Bank on St George Blvd.

Here's a Detective D.K. question, but not the one that's really bothering me: Does anyone know why on earth Murray even had bank money deposited in podunkville utah? Does he have money similarly secreted across the U.S.? Why?

Zions Bank has a strict policy about releasing newly deposited funds. They put a 2-week hold on any new funds. They list the date the funds will be available for withdrawal on the deposit receipt. They do this even if what is being deposited is a cashier's check from another bank as I learned the hard way. The only time they don't put a hold on deposit money is if you are depositing cash or if you are transferring funds from another Zions Bank account.

So on May 27th, when Murray walked into Zions Bank and tried to withdraw $13K from his newly opened account, he was refused because it had only been 8-days. His next words, "if I don't get this money, someone is going to die", led the manager to accede to his withdrawal, even agreeing to Murray's request for bills no larger than $50 and in non-sequential order. While his money was being counted out (qty 260 x $50 bills), Murray started a bugshit insane rant about how he's traveled "thousands of miles to be here", culminating with "people will die and there will be chaos in the world", but since he left peacefully, the incident went unremarked.

Murray returned to Zions the very next day, May 28th, to withdraw his remaining $72K, finally capturing the bank's attention by stating, "we are on a mission to kill the President of the United States." This kind of specific assassination threat must be and was reported to Federal Authorities. Murray was spotted later that day at another bank in Cedar City UT (about 50-miles north of St George). Did he deposit the funds he had withdrawn from St George into a Cedar City bank? That's another unknown item, one that might bring Murray back to Cedar City, but not what is really bothering me.

U.S. Magistrate Robert Braithwaite of US District Court in UT, issued a complaint against Murray on June 3rd. A Federal warrant was filed June 4th, formally charging Murray with threats against the President of the United States. Regardless of how the media is claiming that Murray's threats are "more aspirational than operational", you should know that the US Attorney's office for Utah does not file such charges unless they believe the person is capable of carrying out the threat. Note that it took them a week (from May 28 to June 3) to review everything and decide an official complaint was warranted. A week is a long time, even in Murray's 8-yr old Buick La Sabre. But that is only one other aspect bothering me.

No, what is really bothering Detective D.K. are the dates. Murray was in St George on May 27th withdrawing $13K from Zions Bank and babbling bugshit insanity about the sun and moon and eagles and how people will die and there will be chaos in the world (that's my paraphrase). What else was going on on May 27th? Oh yeah, President Obama made a widely-publicized stopover at Nellis AFB on May 27th. Nellis is a 90-minute drive from St George. I'm not kidding. I have not read any one else making that connection.

OK, so Murray then storms back into Zions Bank a day later, on May 28th, to get the rest of his money and leaves town, heading north. As he is leaving, he talks about being on a mission to kill the President.

Anyone else thinking what I'm thinking? Murray may have already tried to get close to the President on May 27th at Nellis! He failed, then returned to St George, frustrated, withdrew the rest of his money and left town "on a mission". Has anyone checked on his whereabouts in CA GA OK and TX to see if the President was known to be nearby during those times?

Murray was last seen driving a blue 2001 Buick LaSabre with NY License ERL 1445. Of course only an idiot wouldn't have already "exchanged" those plates. Is anyone reporting missing license plates from the areas Murray has been traveling?

The fact that Murray has 8 registered firearms, including semi-automatic weapons, is another concern, especially when you consider he might have access to many other non-registered weapons, no doubt acquired on his travels through GA TX OK UT CA and all points in between. Don't expect him to give up peacefully!

And finally, why weren't Murray's bank threats taken more seriously from the beginning? Is it because we have so many bugshit nuts here? A small example: recently my neighbor accused Obama of being a murderer. For enlarging the War in Afghanistan, I ask? No, he says, for supporting abortion! That conversation took place days before Dr. Tiller was murdered. So yeah, UT does tend to harbor bugshit nuts, maybe even more than the national average. And yeah, they all have guns and a direct phone connection to Mitt Romney's Varmint Lodge.

But I think even Mitt would agree, Murray is dangerous! He's got guns and money and has made assassination threats. You know what he looks like, you know what he might be driving, he'll be 37-yrs old on July 12th, he's 6'2" and he weighs 250-lbs. Call the Feds!


UPDATE ... Crooks and Liars did a good job of fleshing out some of the details today. Their commenters have great observations about bank procedures being followed for any withdrawal in excess of $10K cash, especially the odd request for an odd-amount of non-sequential small bills. That's supposed to generate a Homeland Security alert. If that had been done, they could've taken Murray into custody when he showed up the next day to withdraw the balance of his account (which may or may not have been a cash withdrawal, no one is saying, but this might be the reason he quickly drove to a Cedar City bank). And remember, he was able to close one bank account, open a new bank account, deposit $85K and start withdrawing the next week without proper ID. Did someone else put the money into the original credit union account for him? Secret Service is now saying they won't be commenting further since this case involves protective intelligence ... in fact, they are wondering how so much info was made public already (hint: bloggers were on the case cuz it sure as hell isn't making the cable tv news)...

If I get any more updates, I'll put them in the comments ...

10 comments:

Annette said...

At least you have a picture of him, this is the first time I have seen it. Every other report I have seen hasn't even had a picture of him, just the story and the license.

I agree, there is something more they either aren't telling or something that makes this story stand out. What is different with this one that makes it worth charges when all the other threats are not worth them.

However I do have to disagree, the way the idiots on the right have been talking lately, I am not so sure they would all agree he was dangerous.

Thanks for posting this and his picture.

Fran said...

When I saw this story ( without any photo) & read it happened in St. George Utah, of course I thought of YOU- this this was your region.
I know Obama is not used to being s protected and wants to be out & about (the whole family is getting together in Paris this weekend- kids & all) but sadly & historically, the wack jobs , madmen with guns aka the bugshit insane guy......these are the ones who do go after and kill the good presidents.
As much as we are relieved & happy to have a new direction in the White House and proud to have broken the racial ceiling to have a black family as the first family....
there are those who harbor deep prejudice and are lost in that kind of hate talk radio stuff.... all the lies and innuendos are taken as factual so there are still those who question Obama's citizenship, as well as any other lies & dirt "swiftboating" kind of action.
Just like the man who shot & killed Tiller, the inflammatory rhetoric fans the flames to "subtly" promote the violence.
We saw it in the presidential election campaign.... whats her name-- blinky, winky Palin talking about Obama palling around with terrorists... then she would stand & grin & nod when the crowd took on an angry villager mob with torches & pitchforks mentality. Someone even yelling kill him & no one stated opposition or that it is wrong to say that....
there is a purposeful "incitement" that is not subtle at all- but clearly effective.
this can & does happen to anyone of fame.....
John Lennon
Gandhi
Kennedy
Dr. Tiller
Dr. Martin Luther King jr.

So yes.... there are some real threatening people....
like this guy who is armed and dangerous....
and damn the authorities who took a whole week to say something???
Especially when detective DK points out a very important detail.... the President WAS nearby.
the guy could have very well been following his movements waiting for his prey.

I'm glad he went into a rant, and that he is a wanted man. those large sums of money seem to need some detective work too. .... can he account for where all that cash came from, $85,000 bucks driving an 8 year old buick???
And yea are there more accounts???

At minimum this guy's got some splainin' to do.

D.K. Raed said...

Annette:
I started seeing his photo online late in the day. I never saw it on the cable TV news at all. I think it's important to know what he looks like, visualize him blonde & without a beard and be on the lookout. This type of crazy doesn't usually just go away. There was a whole lot of background stuff I didn't post about cuz it's all over the web, so I just stuck to the local aspects & that little piece of Obama in Nellis info that stuck in my head.

And true, I may have been giving Mitt and his ilk the benefit of the doubt, but I'd like to think NO ONE wants to relive 1963.

D.K. Raed said...

Fran:
I'll feel a whole lot better when this particular bugshit nut is apprehended. Maybe he is just a normal wack job who was so incensed over his funds not being available that he jumped off the freakville diving board.

Why would he travel to UT to close one bank account, transfer the money to another bank account, then close & withdraw that bank account within an 8-day period? The locals are saying it was an account "in his name". Hmmmm, so maybe it was account set up for him by someone else? And Zions definitely said he didn't have proper ID yet they caved to his demands while listening to his rant. Curiouser and curiouser, eh?

Whatever his background story is, something set him off, leaving his home town and traveling around the country the last few months (the exact months O has been Prez).

On a side note, just before I posted this, I looked online to see if there was any further news, like maybe he'd already been arrested or something. The #2 google hit was for some white power neo nazi group! I won't repeat their name here. You wouldn't believe the slime they were spewing. It went far beyond O's citizenship. They were all excited about the "hit possiblity"! And they are so dumb, they had the dates wrong and even called "Zions Bank" a jew bank -- idiots! Oh there was lots more, but that was enough of a dip into slimeville for me.

D.K. Raed said...

*****Excerpt from our local news @ midnight:

Murray’s father, Michael Murray, told the Times Union in Albany, NY, that his son often says things he doesn’t mean, and would back off his statements about Obama if challenged.

“He’s sick,” Michael Murray said when contacted Friday evening. “He’s been sick for about 10 years,” adding that his son had been in and out of mental institutions for years. “I hope they find him,” he said.

*****I am in fervent agreement with that last statement!

Annette said...

D.K. I have to believe there is more that is not being told, why are they taking him serious enough to issue a warrant? If they thought he was just a crazy talking I don't think they would have issued a warrant, maybe a BOLA, but not an arrest warrant.

And like you, where did he get all that money, who is financing him? someone is putting up the money, and I hope they are checking that out. there are just so many things wrong with this whole story.

D.K. Raed said...

Annette:
DKos and Craigslist are saying he was a white supremecist. maybe that explains why those groups are all so excited and maybe also where he is getting his money. they are basing this on certain clothing he was known to wear, certain symbols (like exploding crosses) on the clothing. those guys arrested in colorado for the dem convention were also in some kind of racist hate club. the fact that none of these groups has succeeded so far does not make them less dangerous. the feds sure knew a lot about Murray very quickly. seems like they'd been tracking him for some time. tracking, but nothing more until he does something? well this bank flip-out was definitely something. they need to haul his ass in and figure it out. at the very least, the guy is suffering from extreme psychosis and poses a danger to himself and others.

D.K. Raed said...

*****The Feds aren't provding any search help to our local agencies in tracking Murray. Here's this morning's excerpt from our local daily rag, ummm, newspaper, The Spectrum:

...Malcolm Wiley, Secret Service spokesman in Washington, D.C., said he would not provide any additional information on the investigation, adding, "It's a little bit unusual that the affidavit has come to the public's knowledge."

Melodie Rydalch, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office, said any law enforcement agency in the country could apprehend Murray now that federal charges have been issued.

Such charges are typically issued only if a suspect is believed to be capable of carrying out the threats.

Washington County Sheriff's Office Deputy Chief Rob Tersigni said there are no records of Murray in Utah, and federal authorities had not provided any information to help with the search for Murray, other than a request to locate.

"We have nothing on him in our system," he said...
*****
*****
[maybe they think he's already gone from the area, so no need to get the locals involved? I thought the Feds always cooperated with the locals in a "national manhunt" situation! maybe they think cuz we all pack guns around here that this guy wouldn't stand a chance of being brought in alive? or maybe they are working with Iron County which is where Cedar City is vs Washington County which is where St George is because what if he comes back to Cedar City to access funds he may have shoved in a bank there or anywhere else in UT? ] .... oh I also have another pic to add in my post!

mark hoback said...

Nice reporting, DK.

Any clue as to where his guns are registered? He's got a record in NY.

D.K. Raed said...

Mark: good question. All I read was that his weapons are "registered" ... might not even be registered in his name?!?

ps, nice to see ya! I see you also frequent Utah Savage and are a friend of the Bee.