need to add title here

Desperate Measures

February 9, 2013 7:45 PM

A married couple is assassinated -- could an online map have led killers to the wrong house? Peter Van Sant reports.

Who killed Dennis and Merna Koula?
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by 18savage June 5, 2013 12:14 PM EDT
And where the hell is BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT????????
I'm speechless how easily people are convicted...Seriously tomorrow it might be any of you for whatever reason!!!!
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by lpishere June 1, 2013 9:41 AM EDT
One thing that strikes me - contrary to what the cop said, professional burglars DO open bureaux from the bottom drawer up, because if they did it top-drawer-first, they have to waste time closing the one on top before they can open the next one. It's a very well-known fact, so I am surprised he hasn't heard of that. Not that it has anything to do with this clear non-burglary, but still.

I do think he did it. He's stupid enough to do things and tell lies that can be easily found out, ie, not being at the shop when he said he was, forging the cheque, etc., and I'm sure he only admitted to writing the note because his defence team knew the handwriting experts would find him out, so I dismiss his lawyers comment that no-one would be dumb enough to deposit the forged cheque if they'd done the murder. But I think the sister should let his kids have the money. I guess, though, she's worried they might spend it on their dad's defence or comfort in prison.
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by martam86 May 1, 2013 12:53 AM EDT
The problem with prosecutors today is that, their job is to quickly convict someone so they can close the case and move on to the next. I know a man that was in jail for 20 years and finally was released because new forensics technology proved that he was not the killer. We have enough technology today, we should not be so hasty and lazy to make quick decisions to determine someones life. It is simple, this guy was being well taken care of by his parents which we all know makes a person lazy when they are fed spoon to mouth. There is nothing wrong with him signing his father's signature on a check and i can certainly understand him avoiding the whole issue knowing the problems it would bring up. He isn't the brightest crayon in the box but he, from what i can see, is ultimately honest. he did not kill his parents. Why on earth would he do that when he would get the money in the end when they die of natural causes anyways. And as far as his sister is concerned, she clearly has a seed of jealousy in her from all the years that the father has taken good financial care of her brother but not so much herself. She was also too quick to judge her own brother. She will have to answer to God for that and I hope she realizes this.
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by martam86 May 1, 2013 12:50 AM EDT
The problem with prosecutors today is that, their job is to quickly convict someone so they can close the case and move on to the next. I know a man that was in jail for 20 years and finally was released because new forensics technology proved that he was not the killer. We have enough technology today, we should not be so hasty and lazy to make quick decisions to determine someones life. It is simple, this guy was being well taken care of by his parents which we all know makes a person lazy when they are fed spoon to mouth. There is nothing wrong with him signing his father's signature on a check and i can certainly understand him avoiding the whole issue knowing the problems it would bring up. He isn't the brightest crayon in the box but he, from what i can see, is ultimately honest. he did not kill his parents. Why on earth would he do that when he would get the money in the end when they die of natural causes anyways. And as far as his sister is concerned, she clearly has a seed of jealousy in her from all the years that the father has taken good financial care of her brother but not so much herself. She was also too quick to judge her own brother. She will have to answer to God for that and I hope she realizes this.
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by wonderingonr April 27, 2013 9:47 PM EDT
From what i have read if i recall it correctly Eric Children did get a inheritance but it was not as large as one would expect.It appears that eric had blown a large part of the money before the murder.I wonder if lack of money was a problem for the eric koula defense.Though his lying was a bigger problem.Though a really pathological liar would have stuck to the lies no matter what it would seem.
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by SixthSense- April 27, 2013 6:37 PM EDT
Law enforcement & judicial system need to consider that circumstances can sometimes conspire to implicate the innocent... I believe an innocent man has been convicted. The sister's demeanour & dialogue gives me certain cause for suspicion -along with her readiness to blame Eric. However, also can't rule out the hit man / mistaken identity scenario (frankly I think it ridiculous that a reason law enforcement had ruled this out being that a chest of drawers were found opened in the bedroom & hit-men usually don't rifle through drawers .. this is Keystone Cops stuff)
As for the computer expert being consulted to pinpoint the last time the mother entered a keystroke on her computer before she was shot whilst using it.... well wouldn't the advent of rigour mortis 'potentially' stuff up the accuracy here?... also apparently the time of death cited by the computer expert doesn't tarry with eyewitness accounts of seeing the father alive ??
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by Tim-72 April 4, 2013 3:44 AM EDT
Reminds me so much of the blubbering William Macy( Jerry Lundegaard) car salesman character in Fargo!
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by QQQQIIIIIIIIIWWWWW March 30, 2013 2:21 AM EDT
I'm just completely shocked that a banker wuuld receive death threats. Who could possibly make death threats against a banker? They're such upstanding citizens and the epitome of honesty and fairness. I'm just shocked, shocked, I tell ya.
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by buzzzzub March 27, 2013 7:54 PM EDT
Why would he write a cheque he didn't need for that month when he would have inherited? Either he was an innocent man convicted because he did really dumb things or he is a dumb guilty man. The only thing I'm certain of is that he did really dumb things.
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by DavidD38 March 25, 2013 4:49 PM EDT
I NEVER would have thought the son did it. He seemed so guileless and sincere. As far as the 'assassin' theory goes, no 'profession' hit man is going to use a 22 caliber rifle to shoot someone!!!
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