A vary few of you may remember back when I first set up my Murtwitnessone.com website, I had posted a brief message there entitled "Anatomy of an Internet Smear Campign."
Some who saw it probably thought that it had to do with those who were after me. You have to remember, however, that that website was created BEFORE all of the games began.
It is also needed to be remembered that I had stated early on that what was being done was a well organized effort involving a group.
The main reason for the efforts as it turns out was, as it is now, because someone befriended me. In this case it was a Forum and Blog. It turns out one of the largest and most respected of it's kind on the internet:
Websleuths.com
We first must go back a bit in time to around the time of the disappearence of Jessica Lundsford. At that time there were a number of Forums and Blogs following this and other cases of missing children as well as other crimes prominent in the news.
Me and a group I am a member of began to notice that there were a group of trolls out there who thought it was some kind of joke to go around and screw around with these forums and blogs.
They would engage in disruptive behavior, making outrageous statements, and eventually start to use "hacker" tricks in order to bring down whatever website was their target for the day.
One of the earliest sites to be victimized by these antics was a Forum and Blog combination out of Tampa, Florida. While this was mainly a site to promote the city of Tampa, there was contained within it, a forum.
Several cases of interest broke out at roughly the same time. One was the disappearence of Jessica Lundsford and another child. The Ramsey case was also prominent as well as others.
Another forum and blog was also beginning to make itself known on the internet, Websleuths.com.
As many of you know Tricia Griffith is the owner of Websleuths.com. What many of you may NOT know is that she did not CREATE Websleuths.com, she purchased it. Now, there is nothing wrong with this, it is done every day. The problem lies with the person who DID create Websleuths and sold it to her.
I have seen things like this happen in the business world. Someone will start a business and then want to retire. The person sells the business to someone else and has an understanding with the new owner that may not necessarily be a condition of the sale. A "gentleman's agreement" so to speak.
For whatever reason, the new owner brakes this legally non-binding agreement and the former owner feels compelled to take some kind of action. In a lot of cases the former owner simply starts a new company and competes with the old one.
Something of that nature did happen.
Enter the website JusticeQuest.net.
It seems this site was started by the person who sold Ms. Griffith Websleuth. This person created Websleuths.com and built it up to where it was at the time of the sale. The details of the how and why of the sale are sketchy but the outcome is a common one as I described above.
It seems there was an agreement of some kind between the former owner and Ms. Griffith that Websleuths.com was not to be commercialized.
When I came across the posts about this, I was puzzled to say the least. Why would someone pay good money, and I understand that this was not pocket change, for something with that kind of restriction? No matter, it is said to have been the case according to the former owner.
Then, sometime after the new owner took over Websleuths.com, that is precisely what did occur. Other changes began to take effect that the former owner took issue with. I am not certain if this is the exact reason for the appearence in October of 2006 of JusticeQuest.net, but appear it did.
ONE POINT I MUST MAKE ABSOLUTELY CLEAR HERE. I AM NOT ACCUSING THE OWNER OF JUSTICEQUEST.NET OF PARTICIPATING IN ANY OF WHAT IS BEING WRITTEN HERE. THE OWNER WOULD WIND UP BANNING SOME OF THE SAME WEBSLEUTH REFUGEES.
THE WEBSITE IS A SOURCE OF INFORMATION, NOTHING MORE.
The history of what went on from that time forward is told through the posts and comments left at that site. They are there for you to read, if you are not banned, that is.
At this point, I have to remind the readers that I am not taking sides here. All I am doing is pointing out how circumstances that started years ago, found me in the center of one of the largest and most intense blog wars on the internet.
To continue, JusticeQuest.net as I understand it is made up largely of those who were banned from or have left Websleuths because they have issues how it is operated. Nothing unusual about that. This happens all of the time on the internet.
What IS interesting is something that is found in an area on JusticeQuest, called "Back in the day."
The two topic areas are a history lesson of the complaints the former followers have of Websleuths.com.
It makes for an interesting read as does the entire website in regards to their feelings about Websleuths.net.
What was interesting, however was one part of this saga that was brought out. The mass bannings from Websleuths.com.
The story of this has been circulating around the forum and blog community for quite some time. There are other blogs that have written about certain elements of this event. It has been the topic of discussion from time to time in various forums and chat sites.
I first came onto the scene in Websleuths.com during the case of Trenton Duckett. At that time I did not know the history of Websleuths or the internal problems it was having. I read and posted like everyone else and like a lot of others, I wound up getting myself banned.
I understood at the time, why I was banned and agreed with it. I held and still do not hold any grudge against Websleuths.com in regards to this matter. A forum and blog is the property of it's owner and they are free to run their site the way they see fit. This includes who they allow to join their site as well as who they feel like banning from their site.
It was annoying, yes, but I got over it and moved on. Some people, however, did not. There always seems to be those out there who feel that there is some kind of law that states that a website is obligated to run things a certain way. They feel that a webmaster has to have some justification to explain why they make a decision that does not sit well with some people.
Sorry to burst the bubble of some, but there is no such rule. The owners of these websites are free to do what they damn well please as long as they stay within the confines of the law.
None of these sites are obligated to allow people to join them nor are they obligated to tell someone why they are banned. Most sites do give some reasons for their bans out of courtesy others do not.
As it turns out, by the way, I am also banned from JusticeQuest.net. Not quite sure why, but it is what it is.
The site, however turned out to be a treasure trove of information and has been observed over the last 16 months as the group I have been working with researched the problems that came out of the incidents starting in the fall of 2008.
The activities of the trolls, I alluded to when I first started this article started to migrate from the Tampa website to Websleuths and then on to other sites such as Usleuths.com, Courttv.com, a scattering of the smaller blogs and forums, as well as the various Topix forums, the latter being a breeding ground for these kind of people.
Websleuths.com was one of the websites hit hard by the trolls. A lot of it had to do with an alliance that began to be formed over the growing opposition to the changes made to the site after Ms. Griffith purchased it.
Things soon came to a head when it was found out that a secret forum had been operating within Websleuths without the owner's knowledge.
Out of this came a mass banning of both new and long time members of Websleuth's including some names that sent shockwaves throughout Websleuths. Ms. Griffith sent out a letter. Contained within that letter are names of members that I wish I had known about back in November. I might have been able to prevent a lot of what has happened to this date.
A letter, written by Ms. Griffith, appeared on her website:
July 20th 2008
"It is with a very sad and heavy heart that I must tell you this.
First, my apologies to all the members, readers and crime victims through out the world who come to Websleuths for help and guidance. And of course those of us all who really do care about justice. I am going to have to explain to you what is going on behind the scenes that has nothing to do with anything Websleuths stands for.
It came to my attention a while back that there was a "secret forum" where current and past members of WS went to complain about us. Fine. Whatever. Childish but so what. Several of their most trusted members would send me posts but it was just petty crap.
The posters on this "secret forum" thought our attention to crime victims and the missing was a joke. How many of you are laughing about the Missing Forum? Or the Crimes in the News forum. No one I am sure. Just this group.
It came to our attention recently that there is an on going effort to try and bring WS down. Here are the ways they dicussed bringing us down.
1) Hacker attack on the site because they think the new start page is ugly and they are mad about Jaded being banned.
2) Recruit as many posters as possible to their private forum, mostly on Jeana's and Amrann's " GOOD NAMES" at WS and long term relationships with posters there. Also invite people to Jaded's forum.
3) Post flaming posts with their version of the truth and have themselves and anyone who replies to them in a supportive way banned.
4) Aggravate Adnoid with questionable statements, then act like he attacked them. ( This wonderful idea came from Golfmom).
Now, I must act.
I am going to list for you the posters who are participating in this forum and therefore are participating in the effort to stop us. They are now banned for life. You are going to be shocked.
Jaded
Jeana (DP)
pedinurse
Jules
BarnGoddess
Karole28
Sally
jodieo
Golfmom
philamena
Toby
Pepper
Taximom
deanws
Amraann
SpazKat9696
trixie
bakerprune64
absinthe
mic730
dark_shadows
nanandjim
And there are others we are still finding out about.
Since I know many of these posters real names I want to tell them something:
If Websleuths so much as hiccups I will know where to turn. You have been outed. It is illegal to try and bring a forum down. Just FYI.
What is ironic is these people will try like crazy to get back in. Why? Because they are lowlifes with nothing better to do then to try and stop us. Why do they want us stopped? Because they had their feelings hurt at some point. I swear, that is it. They had their egos hurt and so it's time to bring WS down.
None of this has to do with true crime but it has everything to do with running a forum.
I would like to apologize to Melissa Harris. Amber Harris' mom. You see, I have been meaning to call her back and be there for her but because of the time I have spent on this crap I have not been able to find the time to talk to her.
Amber Harris was kidnapped, beaten, raped, and killed. Her killer is behind bars but that doesn't end the pain of her family.
Amber's family turned to us for help.
I would like to ask people like Amraan, Jaded, Tylin, Jeana, Golfmom, Jules, and others what they would say to Melissa Harris. Explain to her why they are trying to cause us problems. Perhaps one or more of you have a drinking problem. I know one does. It is affecting her home and her children. I hope she can recover and make amends.
Please understand that many of these long time members will be trying to email you and tell you it's not true. It is.
If any of these people email me to explain I will not read their words. They are vapor as far as I am concerned.
Again, my apologies for those of you who come her for help or to be helped. I am truly sorry. This is a sad day for all.
The date of this letter is significant in that it was in the summer of 2008. This was to prove to be a centerpoint for all events to follow as well as a highlight point for events that had been traced to as far back as the Troll activity in Tampa.
As I stated before there are names on there that stunned me to say the least. One of the names on there, is that of a person who claims that it is not her name. Well, if this is not the name of this person, then someone has a twin in another universe who has the exact same life history as well as other matching information. No matter, I will leave it to you, the reader, to decide.
What does matter is the CONTENTS of this letter and what was to come later.
We now move to the month of September of 2008. The coverage of Caylee Anthony was in full swing. I was taking the pictures that are now on my Photobucket site and following the case like a lot of other people.
I came up with an idea how to bring this case to those who do not live in this area. Murtwitnessone.com soon came about and the road trips started. Almost immediately my problems started.
Unknown to me at the time was that a group of trolls from the Duckett days was feeding false information to Texas Equusearch and other principals in the search efforts.
This group also started to engage in pranks such as talking me into going to the KOA campground south of the Orlando International Airport to meet with volunteers who were staying there. I was given a password and told that they wanted to see me.
This, of course, turned out to be a lie.
Someone also decided it would be amusing to contact Texas Equusearch and tell them I intended to photograph Caylee if she were found and sell the photos to the National Enquirer.
These and other lies would soon be spread around the internet.
The one event that seemed to have triggered all of this was the growing interest in what I was doing by members of Websleuths.com.
During the time while I was still banned from there, it seems an interest was being generated of my coverage of the case. At some point I was contacted and informed that my ban from Websleuths.com was being lifted.
This, as it turns out, was to have a profound effect on both Websleuths.com, an administrator there, me, and some other, smaller Forums and chats.
Immediately after this event things really started to go down hill. It soon became obvious that a well organized smear campaign was in full swing.
A smear campaign, by the way, far different that I eluded to on my Murtwitnessone website.
At the center of this effort were members of a group of refugees consisting of those banned from Websleuths.com and other websites. The person leading this group is someone that we are all too familar with. This person is perhaps the most spoiled child to ever grace the forum/chat community.
Princess.
She had blindsided me with a most annoying article and I could not understand why she took the tone that she did. In an effort to understand her point of view, I sent her a polite letter asking why she took the stand she did.
What I got back was a profanity laced and quite rude response. It is almost like hearing back from a girlfriend who was enraged that I broke up with her.
I said "oh well, so much for that" and moved on. She did not. Over the months that followed, she engaged in an ongoing campaign to "bring me down" and get me off the internet.
To those who drone on that I keep blaming Princess for everything, the record speaks for itself. Google is your friend and so is the Wayback machine. Try as she might, she is not able to erase EVERYTHING on the internet. Her history is out there. All one has to do is research it. It is an interesting history indeed. It is a history of similar actions by her that had far more reaching effects on her innocent victims that are much worse than against me.
Moving on.
Out of nowhere came someone using the name of Renzolovescake and another Kfcfan. These two take the credit for causing all the damage to my websites starting early in November of 2008 and continuing on until about two weeks ago when they decided to quit contacting me.
Another piece of work in this group is a person called Monoxidemmac, who also has ties to both Websleuths.com and to JusticeQuest.com.
This person, now accused of distributing child pornography, did his part to make things miserable for me and those wanting to follow the case of Caylee Anthony. He added fuel to the fire.
He is credited with being behind the infamous PM's that found their way into the hands of Dominic "the dunce" Casey and the Florida State Attorney's office. His name, interestingly, did not make the cut. I wonder why?
Another nut to join in on the fun was none other than Shortbusdude. His antics are well known.
So, from November on we have this intense and sustained effort to bring down someone who is guilty of nothing more than associating with a website that their leader was banned from.
To go into the exact details of what was done and by who would take a book (now that is an idea) of great length to go through.
I am getting help, however, from an unlikely source. Those who took part.
Every once and a while, someone who had been part of this "take down" effort would be bothered by what was being done and start sending me information. These people would be anonymous "moles" from within a number of websites where some of these actions were being planned.
Some of the "moles" wrote blogs about certain people, Monoxide being one of them, and others fed me and other people information as to what had been going on and what was planned.
Within the last few months some came forward who had been my most harsh critics. One in particular, the owner of FBS, had come down on me quite hard. Her and I had long and bitter arguments.
Something happened, however. For reasons of her own, FBS decided enough was enough. She did not like what she had done and did not like seeing what was being done by others. She changed her mind.
She has paid a stiff price for doing so as have others. Personal histories are being looked into of those who are nothing more than friends. RL names of innocent victims are being posted in chats.
Judges and attorneys are being contacted regarding matters these people have no business being involved in.
FBS and others have seen this and have decided that it is time something is done about it. The silence stops.
QB has come foward and now FBS has come foreward. STCB had been out already.
And no, I must not forget Kari and those from Paltalk who have been there for me no matter what. This small group still pays a heavy price for just being a friend. They are made fun off in cruel ways on a daily basis by those who once were their friends.
The childhood sandlot bullies are now grown mothers and grandmothers who are employing the same tactics of the geek hackers and cyber bullies.. They are adopting tactics used mostly by teen aged bullies.
So there we have it. This is how just having an association with someone or a website can come at a huge cost.
Who knows what would have been the outcome if I had not been associated with Websleuths.com, a website where I am still banned from and whose owner still refuses contact with me.
It is hard to tell. Hindsight is 20/20. Tomorrow is another day.
Stay Tuned,
MURT
