Transcript: Fox13 news on felony charges against Flag


[Transcript 13 November 1998]


From: mdallara@kcii.com (Mark Dallara)
Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology,fl.general
Subject: Transcript: Fox13 news on felony charges against Flag
Date: Sat, 14 Nov 1998 03:36:09 GMT
Lead story on Fox 13 News at 10:00...


--BEGIN TRANSCRIPT--

[news reporter standing in front of big graphic "Scientology charges"]

REPORTER:  Kelly, the family of Lisa McPherson has been claiming
for nearly four years now that the Church of Scientology is responsible
for her death.  They sued long ago.  The church denies it.  But now the
state has filed charges, and this time, the church may end up in
criminal court.

[Big graphic interlude - "First on Fox"]

[footage of Lisa dancing on the Freewinds]

REPORTER: Lisa McPherson, dancing to country and western - alive
and well in the early '90's and a devoted follower of the Church of
Scientology. Just a few years later, she'd be dead, her body emaciated
and covered with cockroach bites.

[shot of an autopsy photo of the hand with cockroach bites]

[Ken Dandar]

DANDAR:  They killed Lisa McPherson.  She's dead.  Her entire
death was preventable.  They chose to let her die.

[footage of the Ft. Homicide]

REPORTER:  That's the family attorney talking.  The family's
blamed the Church of Scientology for years.  Now there are criminal
charges against the church, the state claiming the church engaged in
unlicensed practice of medicine and knowingly abused and neglected Lisa
McPherson.

[graphic of excerpt from the indictment: "...did engage... in the
illegal, unlicensed practice of medicine."]

[another graphic: "...did knowingly... abuse or neglect Lisa
McPherson..."]

[footage of the front entrance of the Ft. Homicide, with Sea Org'ies
running around in full dress]

REPORTER:  Lisa went to church for help after a car accident in
1995. Seventeen days later she was brought to the hospital, dead.

[head shot of Lisa, shot of the front doors of the Ft. Homicide]

The charges are against the church, as a whole, and Scientologists were
relieved no individuals were named.

[Laura Vaughn, attorney for Scientology]

VAUGHN: There is no charge for manslaughter.  There is no charge
for the death of Lisa McPherson.  And I think that is significant to the
church.

[another autopsy photo of the hand with the roach bites]

REPORTER: But the Clearwater police say the case is not closed.

[Wayne Shelor, CPD Public Information Officer]

SHELOR:  But understand, this is just another step in a long
journey. This is by no means the end of the case...

[Reporter with "Scientology charges" graphic]

REPORTER:  Lisa McPherson's family hopes the criminal case
strengthens their civil suit.  The church says it just learned of the
criminal case today, and doesn't enough about it to respond specifically
to each allegation.

--END TRANSCRIPT--

Whoa.

Keep in mind, kids, that there are some charges that CPD recommended that
have no statute of limitations.  And no individual Scientologists have
been charged... YET.

To the cult's credit, they chose to put Laura Vaughn in front of the press
instead of their creepy counsellors like what's-his-name and liver-lips.
Her statement is clearly a stretch, but she always comes across as a
lawyer doing her job, rather than a sleazy cult shill.  I bet this case
gives her nightmares.


--
Mark Dallara                        ATG exposed:
mdallara@kcii.com                   www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/ATG
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