My Sons Have Been Charged With Murder In Sean Dugas Case. How does A Father/Journalist Respond Appropriately?

For those that know me, I'm sure that some of you have been wondering whether or not it was my sons that were involved in the Sean Dugas Murder Case originating out of Pensacola, Fl. This is a bizarre case and it has gained national attention, possibly because of the circumstances that surround a case that none of us have any answers to and also because Sean was a  former News Reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. Journalists tend to care for their own so I expect a high degree of scrutiny in this matter and a trial that will be held under the microscope to ensure that all of the evidence is properly handled and the Press is satisfied that Sean receives justice in what appears to be a senseless crime.  Let me add this; nothing I write should be construed as attempting to defend my sons on a matter that I am almost in the dark as much as the general public. Furthermore, they will be assigned Lawyers to defend them and it is their job to sort through the evidence and statements in an effort to bring forth the truth and facts rather than speculation and assumptions. Finally, I believe it would be highly inappropriate for me to jump-in and blindly attempt to defend anyone, even my sons, when I am not privy to the facts and evidence in this care. The purpose of this brief article is for informational purposes only and to comment on other matters that do deserve to be brought to the public's attention. I also find the entire matter too emotionally charged for me to speak about it intelligently and without bias which is why we are refusing to make any comments in regard my sons whatsoever.

For those who are unaware of the case, here is the lead article that first appeared on CNN, and while some of the facts and the article itself is somewhat vague and sketchy, it does cover as much as they were aware of when it was first written, and even now, the facts in this case seem to elude law enforcement as well as those that have a personal interest in the case:

Police probing whether concrete-encased body is former Florida reporter

By Michael Martinez and Joe Sutton, CNN

updated 8:35 AM EDT, Wed October 10, 2012

An autopsy was being conducted Tuesday to determine if remains found in Georgia belong to Sean Dugas of Florida.

Articles and video news reports have been generated by all of the news media in the Greater Atlanta area as well as material generated for the national audience(s) that are following this bizarre murder and circumstances surrounding the case that most people would expect to see on a fictional television program rather than reality. Some of the reporting has been excellent and other stories appear to have been written without any clue or substantive facts and/or evidence that normally substantiates news reports that are generated by news organizations other than Faux News and other news organizations that prefer to print what they believe the public wants to hear rather than the actual facts and evidence that surround a case of this prominence.

If you read the story that first appeared in CNN, many of the comments were vulgar, disgusting, and some actually made fun of the victim who lost his life in this senseless murder. The CNN Community moderator has since deleted many of the most disgusting comments, however many still remain, and when CNN reported that the victim had been positively identified as Sean Dugas, the feeding frenzy of vulgarity and nasty remarks began again. Even though I had no personal knowledge of this matter I found it necessary to post two comments on CNN that expressed my revulsion with the "community" that was making  comments via their "screen names" rather than posting under their real names that were designed to cause pain and suffering to the victims family. Rather than adding to my comments or attempting to explain my rationale for commenting on a  Murder Case that involved my own sons I'll let the comments stand as the only explanation/rationale for posting comments that admonished those whom were acting like heartless heathens rather than caring human beings:

William Cormier

First, I am the Twins father, the one supposedly cooperating with the police. I am devastated as our entire family is over this senseless act and none of you know exactly what happened and neither do I. How about having some respect for the dead, as Shawn's family has to be grieving and must also be completely devastated. I normally would not comment on a matter that involves my own family but I am disgusted at the comments that make fun of the loss of human life and the pain that both families are now experiencing. If you don't have something kind to say to Shawn's grieving family or something intelligent to add -- try crawling back into your hole and display your lack of compassion somewhere else. Neither family, both whom are grieving at this point, need this garbage so try growing up and consider how you would feel in a situation like this.  If this was your son that had been killed or you were the patent of the men that have been charged with this crime would your comments be the same? It seems to me that we are losing our moral compass and react to tragedy with disrespect and jokes rather than attempting to understand why senseless crimes like this take place. It's easy making fun of tragedy when you can post comments without revealing who you actually are; I'd like to know if those who are making light of this situation would still do the same if they had to post using their real names and then have to explain to their friends and neighbors why they are such inconsiderate fools.

(Edited by author 4 days ago)

In summation, our family is devastated by this murder alleged to have been perpetrated by our own flesh and blood. We live in a small town, and those who actually know us have been very kind and have attempted to help us in any way they can. Others, who stand in the majority, are still driving by our home and we hear the occasional "Murderer" being screamed from a passing vehicle and when we happen to be in the yard, some people slow down and gawk while others stare and flip us the "Bird" as if we were the criminals rather than those who are now housed in separate County Jails.

Our landlord came by our home to inquire if we were moving. I stated that as much as this has hurt our finances we believed that we could remain here and hope that the circus atmosphere finally dies down. Unfortunately, my willingness to stay in a town that we have thoroughly enjoyed may now be impossible; I had a part-time job lined-up with a local business and was told that I was being hired. When I returned to the store the next day, the General Manager stated that when he told the owners of the store who he was hiring, their response was a firm "absolutely not!" Evidently there is a fairly large segment of this town that blames my disabled sister, her children and myself for what happened to Sean Dugas. The News Media has been clear that since day one we have been cooperating with the Winder Police, Pensacola Police and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. None of us were responsible for this senseless crimes and we are as devastated as anyone else in this matter.

Just as soon as we figure out how to raise the money to move from Winder we will. In the mean-time, we would request that the good "Christian Folk" of Winder reevaluate their animosity toward us, especially as how it will affect my Sister and her two children. If this is an example of "Christian Values" and Southern Hospitality, I for one will move from the Deep South which has been my home for over 30 years and attempt to find a "Blue State" to live in where religion and Christian values are not paraded for the news media and then abandoned just as soon as no one is looking. This is the first time in 30 years living in the Deep South that I have witnessed behavior this disgusting and even if we have to sell everything we own, will move and go to an area where people don't judge others and then pat themselves on the back for their unblemished Southern Hospitality and their adherence to non-existent Christian Values which they wear on their sleeves and is now becoming a hallmark for the GOP's daily behavior. I also should add, because of recent events toward our family, that until we leave, we have the means and ability to defend our property and family members. We have sincere hopes that nothing will occur that will make that necessary; in fact, we are praying that those who hold us responsible for this murder will back-off and allow us to live in peace and tranquility until we have the ability to move.