Fornits
Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform => The Ridge Creek School / Hidden Lake Academy => Topic started by: Guest3 on November 01, 2010, 08:21:18 PM
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Another HLA "success" story... Taylor Hurst murdered his pregnant fiancee.
Gosh - why doesn't Ridge Creek use him as their Poster Boy????
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/featu ... rpass-2009 (http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/features/x316188737/Domestic-murders-in-Massachusetts-on-pace-to-surpass-2009)
http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a ... 60661/1116 (http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070306/NEWS/703060661/1116) [list=][/list]
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Another HLA "success" story... Taylor Hurst murdered his pregnant fiancee.
Gosh - why doesn't Ridge Creek use him as their Poster Boy????
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/featu ... rpass-2009 (http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/features/x316188737/Domestic-murders-in-Massachusetts-on-pace-to-surpass-2009)
http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a ... 60661/1116 (http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070306/NEWS/703060661/1116) [list=][/list]
Whoa, I read both links and I believe this is one of these very bazaar posts which makes me wonder how many posters here think. I have no idea what they mean. The links you presented, Guest3, have nothing to do with HLA. This murder occurred in Massachusetts and HLA is in Georgia. But I am sure in your mind somewhere you have made some connection that blames HLA for these events. So lets hear it: Is this guy a staff person who sneaks up to Massachusetts and kills people? Did this guy go to HLA and now HLA is responsible for everything he does for the rest of his life? Did they brainwash this kid to wait several years and then program him to kill people? Is there a conspiracy that is unfolding? Did the woman go to HLA and was so screwed up by it that this Taylor kid killed her to put her out of her misery?
There are people who graduated from Harvard who steal millions of dollars from people in scams. There are graduates from Yale University who kill people and abuse their wives and kids. What is wrong with you? How can you possibly connect a dotted line back to HLA on this? Is Yale and Harvard responsible for the actions of all their graduates?
Why is everyone so desperate to dirty up programs that they have to resort to extreme conspiracy theories and grab any random crime and try to blame it on a program? If these places are so bad why make up stories about that are not true?
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Another HLA "success" story... Taylor Hurst murdered his pregnant fiancee.
Gosh - why doesn't Ridge Creek use him as their Poster Boy????
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/featu ... rpass-2009 (http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/features/x316188737/Domestic-murders-in-Massachusetts-on-pace-to-surpass-2009)
http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a ... 60661/1116 (http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070306/NEWS/703060661/1116) [list type=][/list]
Whoa, I read both links and I believe this is one of these very bazaar posts which makes me wonder how many posters here think. I have no idea what they mean. The links you presented, Guest3, have nothing to do with HLA. This murder occurred in Massachusetts and HLA is in Georgia. But I am sure in your mind somewhere you have made some connection that blames HLA for these events. So lets hear it]
Spin spin spin... :beat:
Why is it so difficult to understand, Whooter? You just don't want to acknowledge that this kind of thing is part and parcel of the fall-out from having been subjected to a thought reform program! There's a cognitive dissonance that comes from trying to assimilate that — or even just trying to come to some understanding of it — vis a vis the "real world." Kids sometimes snap from that, sometimes violently.
These programs clearly do not prepare everyone, perhaps anyone, for a normal mode of existence or a healthy outlook on life.
Incidentally, in case it wasn't obvious, or in case you felt disinclined to google it 'cuz that would have surely obviated ~90% of your condescending diatribe, Taylor Hurst was a former student at HLA.
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Spin spin spin... :beat:
Why is it so difficult to understand, Whooter? You just don't want to acknowledge that this kind of thing is part and parcel of the fall-out from having been subjected to a thought reform program! There's a cognitive dissonance that comes from trying to assimilate that — or even just trying to come to some understanding of it — vis a vis the "real world." Kids sometimes snap from that, sometimes violently.
These programs clearly do not prepare everyone, perhaps anyone, for a normal mode of existence or a healthy outlook on life.
Incidentally, in case it wasn't obvious, or in case you felt disinclined to google it 'cuz that would have surely obviated ~90% of your condescending diatribe, Taylor Hurst was a former student at HLA.
Come-on, Ursus. I read the article and there is no indication that HLA had anything to do with it. If you took a room full of alcoholics and put them through AA and then years later one of the group kills 3 people in a alcohol fueled rage or drunk driving accident then we could not Conclude that AA caused this. We may conclude that AA was not effective but even this would be a stretch because we do not know if this person was sober a few years after he left AA.
Maybe the kid is a borderline sociopath and would have killed people in his class in highschool but HLA helped him to handle his rage better and after the program he slowly resorted back to his old ways. Maybe this kid started taking drugs or alcohol. Maybe he stopped taking medication which would have kept his rage under control. There are so many different possibilities which are equally viable.
Why try to draw a dotted line back to one event (HLA) and say this is the cause without knowing what events were effecting this person at the time of the killings? I have seen people try to do the same thing when a child commits suicide years after graduating from a program. To me it is just an obvious attempt to try to place blame on the programs for something they have no control over. Maybe some of these programs are not the best but it makes people look foolish to try to blame them for events outside their boundaries.
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Spin spin spin... :beat:
Why is it so difficult to understand, Whooter? You just don't want to acknowledge that this kind of thing is part and parcel of the fall-out from having been subjected to a thought reform program! There's a cognitive dissonance that comes from trying to assimilate that — or even just trying to come to some understanding of it — vis a vis the "real world." Kids sometimes snap from that, sometimes violently.
These programs clearly do not prepare everyone, perhaps anyone, for a normal mode of existence or a healthy outlook on life.
Incidentally, in case it wasn't obvious, or in case you felt disinclined to google it 'cuz that would have surely obviated ~90% of your condescending diatribe, Taylor Hurst was a former student at HLA.
Come-on, Ursus. I read the article and there is no indication that HLA had anything to do with it. If you took a room full of alcoholics and put them through AA and then years later one of the group kills 3 people in a alcohol fueled rage or drunk driving accident then we could not Conclude that AA caused this. We may conclude that AA was not effective but even this would be a stretch because we do not know if this person was sober a few years after he left AA.
As useless and counterproductive as I believe AA to be, they do not hold people captive, which makes their coercive thought reform tactics much less dangerous than those used in places like HLA. Whooter, are you seriously just going to ignore all of the cases of PTSD caused by these places? I will again remind you that these programs use a "treatment model" that is very close to one that has been recognized as torture by the United Nations.
Maybe the kid is a borderline sociopath and would have killed people in his class in highschool but HLA helped him to handle his rage better and after the program he slowly resorted back to his old ways. Maybe this kid started taking drugs or alcohol. Maybe he stopped taking medication which would have kept his rage under control. There are so many different possibilities which are equally viable.
It is far more likely that HLA actually turned him into a sociopath, as that is the best type of person to be if you want to be successful in one of those programs. It is mentioned in the article that he was indeed using drugs and alcohol, wasn't HLA supposed to cure him of that? Where did all of his rage come from, I wonder?
Why try to draw a dotted line back to one event (HLA) and say this is the cause without knowing what events were effecting this person at the time of the killings? I have seen people try to do the same thing when a child commits suicide years after graduating from a program. To me it is just an obvious attempt to try to place blame on the programs for something they have no control over. Maybe some of these programs are not the best but it makes people look foolish to try to blame them for events outside their boundaries.
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What is outside their boundaries? Their "treatment" effects the kid for his whole life. You know as well as I do Whooter that one of the hallmarks of these places is a kind of dissociative amnesia. The brain protects itself by "forgetting" extremely traumatic events, but it is usually only temporary. Often the person will have vivid flashbacks and nightmares that might not even start until they have been out of the program for 10 or 20 years.
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These programs create little Taylor Hursts all the time. Sick kids get sicker. Healthy kids get sick.
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It is mentioned in the article that he was indeed using drugs and alcohol, wasn't HLA supposed to cure him of that?
I don’t think any of us know why he entered HLA. Maybe he was there for abuse issues and they are just now emerging. I don’t think anyone believes that programs cure anything especial drugs and alcohol. Many of these programs are designed to get the kid back on track, build up their self esteem and strengthen family ties. Taylor may have been at HLA to help him with his academic issues, who knows.
What is outside their boundaries? Their "treatment" effects the kid for his whole life. You know as well as I do Whooter that one of the hallmarks of these places is a kind of dissociative amnesia. The brain protects itself by "forgetting" extremely traumatic events, but it is usually only temporary. Often the person will have vivid flashbacks and nightmares that might not even start until they have been out of the program for 10 or 20 years.
If something extremely traumatic occurs while they are in the program then I would agree. But again the program is designed to get the kids back on track. The kids are not traumatized. After they get out they can choose to go back to their old way of life if they want but many chose not to because they were shown that they have control of their future and can be successful if they choose to. If they want to go back and sit in their bedroom and do drugs the rest of their life then that is their choice. The school cannot be blamed for that.
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Spin spin spin... :beat:
Why is it so difficult to understand, Whooter? You just don't want to acknowledge that this kind of thing is part and parcel of the fall-out from having been subjected to a thought reform program! There's a cognitive dissonance that comes from trying to assimilate that — or even just trying to come to some understanding of it — vis a vis the "real world." Kids sometimes snap from that, sometimes violently.
These programs clearly do not prepare everyone, perhaps anyone, for a normal mode of existence or a healthy outlook on life.
Incidentally, in case it wasn't obvious, or in case you felt disinclined to google it 'cuz that would have surely obviated ~90% of your condescending diatribe, Taylor Hurst was a former student at HLA.
Come-on, Ursus. I read the article and there is no indication that HLA had anything to do with it. If you took a room full of alcoholics and put them through AA and then years later one of the group kills 3 people in a alcohol fueled rage or drunk driving accident then we could not Conclude that AA caused this. We may conclude that AA was not effective but even this would be a stretch because we do not know if this person was sober a few years after he left AA.
Maybe the kid is a borderline sociopath and would have killed people in his class in highschool but HLA helped him to handle his rage better and after the program he slowly resorted back to his old ways. Maybe this kid started taking drugs or alcohol. Maybe he stopped taking medication which would have kept his rage under control. There are so many different possibilities which are equally viable.
Why try to draw a dotted line back to one event (HLA) and say this is the cause without knowing what events were effecting this person at the time of the killings? I have seen people try to do the same thing when a child commits suicide years after graduating from a program. To me it is just an obvious attempt to try to place blame on the programs for something they have no control over. Maybe some of these programs are not the best but it makes people look foolish to try to blame them for events outside their boundaries.
More spin! :beat: :beat: Mix in a lil truth with a whole lot of naysaying crapola, and maybe the readers won't have a friggin' clue.
Sure, maybe Taylor Hurst was a borderline sociopath, maybe not. We really don't know. If so, it certainly speaks volumes for the kind of "student" Hidden Lake Academy was admitting back then. More likely, Mr. Hurst had/has some anger issues which HLA neglected to fully address, not to mention neglected to assist him in learning some relevant coping skills, not to mention probably adding to the reservoir of things to be angry about!
And yes, I do believe some drug use was involved in Mr. Hurst's case, which is yet another arena of inadequacy on the part of HLA's ability to teach kids healthy coping and living skills. Indoctrination and peer-based group confrontational methods are never a substitute for genuine and mutually respectful therapy.
Did I draw a dotted line and say HLA is the cause? NO. More spin and obfuscation by extrapolating to extremes on your part, Whooter. I will say, however, that it looks like HLA did not help, and may have contributed to the likelihood of something like this happening. There have been too many cases like this for there not to be a connection.
As to your attempt to draw the issue of suicide into your whitewash? Please. You can kiss my hairy bear-suited butt. I know of at least one suicide attempt that was directly and causally related to program experiences and there are several others that fit a pattern too closely to be strictly "coincidental." And, once again, we're talking about approximately 1-6 years post-program in a typical case, not years and years later, although I certainly wouldn't rule that out in certain cases.
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Maybe the kid is a borderline sociopath and would have killed people in his class in highschool but HLA helped him to handle his rage better and after the program he slowly resorted back to his old ways. Maybe this kid started taking drugs or alcohol. Maybe he stopped taking medication which would have kept his rage under control. There are so many different possibilities which are equally viable.
It is far more likely that HLA actually turned him into a sociopath, as that is the best type of person to be if you want to be successful in one of those programs. It is mentioned in the article that he was indeed using drugs and alcohol, wasn't HLA supposed to cure him of that? Where did all of his rage come from, I wonder?
Excellent point! :tup:
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It is mentioned in the article that he was indeed using drugs and alcohol, wasn't HLA supposed to cure him of that?
I don’t think any of us know why he entered HLA. Maybe he was there for abuse issues and they are just now emerging. I don’t think anyone believes that programs cure anything especial drugs and alcohol.
Actually, that is EXACTLY what the parents of most of these kids believe, because that is what the programs told them.
Many of these programs are designed to get the kid back on track, build up their self esteem and strengthen family ties.
Then why do they consistently accomplish the opposite of this?
Taylor may have been at HLA to help him with his academic issues, who knows.
What is outside their boundaries? Their "treatment" effects the kid for his whole life. You know as well as I do Whooter that one of the hallmarks of these places is a kind of dissociative amnesia. The brain protects itself by "forgetting" extremely traumatic events, but it is usually only temporary. Often the person will have vivid flashbacks and nightmares that might not even start until they have been out of the program for 10 or 20 years.
If something extremely traumatic occurs while they are in the program then I would agree.
The programs themselves are extremely traumatic.
But again the program is designed to get the kids back on track.
No, I don't think they are. They are designed to make the parents feel "right" about the subjugation of their own children.
The kids are not traumatized.
What!?! Have you asked any of them?
After they get out they can choose to go back to their old way of life if they want but many chose not to because they were shown that they have control of their future and can be successful if they choose to. If they want to go back and sit in their bedroom and do drugs the rest of their life then that is their choice. The school cannot be blamed for that.
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Old way of life? At 15 I did not have a "way of life". My "way of life" was trying to cope with the obstacles my parents kept putting in my path (divorce, relocation, etc...).
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Did I draw a dotted line and say HLA is the cause? NO. More spin and obfuscation by extrapolating to extremes on your part, Whooter. I will say, however, that it looks like HLA did not help, and may have contributed to the likelihood of something like this happening. There have been too many cases like this for there not to be a connection.
Most of what you wrote is spin yourself, Ursus. So you admit that we cannot tie Taylors events back to HLA. They may have contributed they may not have. We agree here.
You go on to say that you feel that HLA did not help him. But we wouldn’t know if HLA helped him or not unless we knew what he entered HLA for. He may have entered because of academic issues. He may have been abused as a child and HLA wasn’t 100 % effective in helping him.
So I think we can agree HLA along with all the events in Taylors life had an effect on him either positively or negatively but not one single event can be isolated to say that it caused him to kill this girl.
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So I think we can agree HLA along with all the events in Taylors life had an effect on him either positively or negatively but not one single event can be isolated to say that it caused him to kill this girl.
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One thing is obvious, the treatment he received at HLA did not stop him from committing murder, and may indeed have contributed to his emotional instability.
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So I think we can agree HLA along with all the events in Taylors life had an effect on him either positively or negatively but not one single event can be isolated to say that it caused him to kill this girl.
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One thing is obvious, the treatment he received at HLA did not stop him from committing murder, and may indeed have contributed to his emotional instability.
I can agree with this, Shady, I dont think there is any program or treatment which could guarantee that the person would never murder anyone. HLA may have contributed to this emotional stability or it may not have. I dont think we will ever know. He may have been suffering with mental issues for awhile or had just started or stopped some medication.
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It is mentioned in the article that he was indeed using drugs and alcohol, wasn't HLA supposed to cure him of that?
I don’t think any of us know why he entered HLA. Maybe he was there for abuse issues and they are just now emerging. I don’t think anyone believes that programs cure anything especial drugs and alcohol.
Actually, that is EXACTLY what the parents of most of these kids believe, because that is what the programs told them.
More program lies!
Many of these programs are designed to get the kid back on track, build up their self esteem and strengthen family ties.
Then why do they consistently accomplish the opposite of this?
Yep. I was gonna say: Funny that you should mention that, Whooter, since these areas are precisely what many folks accuse them of destroying. Why is that?
What is outside their boundaries? Their "treatment" effects the kid for his whole life. You know as well as I do Whooter that one of the hallmarks of these places is a kind of dissociative amnesia. The brain protects itself by "forgetting" extremely traumatic events, but it is usually only temporary. Often the person will have vivid flashbacks and nightmares that might not even start until they have been out of the program for 10 or 20 years.
If something extremely traumatic occurs while they are in the program then I would agree.
The programs themselves are extremely traumatic.
But again the program is designed to get the kids back on track.
No, I don't think they are. They are designed to make the parents feel "right" about the subjugation of their own children.
The kids are not traumatized.
What!?! Have you asked any of them?
Whooter has, in the past, repeatedly likened the behavior modification used in programs (i.e., thought reform) to the behavior modification used in toilet training. Although I can't really speak for him, it appears that Whooter does not believe that program BM (thought reform) is wrong, or inherently psychologically invasive, or potentially damaging in and of itself.
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Yep. I was gonna say: Funny that you should mention that, Whooter, since these areas are precisely what many folks accuse them of destroying. Why is that?
You may feel this way because many here on fornits are distant from their families. I have seen the process and the results and they work towards bringing families together. Some kids may choose to not work in this area and stay distant from their families. Programs will not work unless the child puts in some effort.
Whooter has, in the past, repeatedly likened the behavior modification used in programs (i.e., thought reform) to the behavior modification used in toilet training. Although I can't really speak for him, it appears that Whooter does not believe that program BM (thought reform) is wrong, or inherently psychologically invasive, or potentially damaging in and of itself.
I don’t think you could find many professionals at all which would say that Behavior Modification is damaging.
Toilet training is Behavior Modification. It can be abusive if you beat the kid or it can be gentile depending on how you choose to implement it. Learning to put clothes on before leaving the house is behavior modification. There is nothing inherently bad about this.
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Whooter has, in the past, repeatedly likened the behavior modification used in programs (i.e., thought reform) to the behavior modification used in toilet training.
As someone who studies this professionally, I can assure you that these two types of "behavior modification" are vastly different. This analogy is obtuse at best.
Toilet training obvioulsy is not "behavior modification." It is exactly what its name implies: training. The child has no knowledge of toileting and is trained to use the potty. This is completely different from modifying the behavior of adults and subadults who already have certain views and understandings of the world and their place in it. They behave according to their own paradigms that they realized over a long time via experience.
Changing the ingrained behaviors of this set of people is a completely different ballgame than teaching a youngster to use the potty.
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Yep. I was gonna say: Funny that you should mention that, Whooter, since these areas are precisely what many folks accuse them of destroying. Why is that?
You may feel this way because many here on fornits are distant from their families. I have seen the process and the results and they work towards bringing families together. Some kids may choose to not work in this area and stay distant from their families. Programs will not work unless the child puts in some effort.
Always the "fault" of the child, and never that of the program, eh? How facile can one get?
Whooter has, in the past, repeatedly likened the behavior modification used in programs (i.e., thought reform) to the behavior modification used in toilet training. Although I can't really speak for him, it appears that Whooter does not believe that program BM (thought reform) is wrong, or inherently psychologically invasive, or potentially damaging in and of itself.
I don’t think you could find many professionals at all which would say that Behavior Modification is damaging.
Toilet training is Behavior Modification. It can be abusive if you beat the kid or it can be gentile depending on how you choose to implement it. Learning to put clothes on before leaving the house is behavior modification. There is nothing inherently bad about this.
There is actually quite a profound difference between learning to modify one's external behavior, and revamping one's internal psyche and self-identity. Especially when that latter process involves a "break them down, then build them back up" modus operandi that is imposed on one by others. I don't think you'll find many professionals who'd equate these two processes.
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Yep. I was gonna say: Funny that you should mention that, Whooter, since these areas are precisely what many folks accuse them of destroying. Why is that?
You may feel this way because many here on fornits are distant from their families. I have seen the process and the results and they work towards bringing families together. Some kids may choose to not work in this area and stay distant from their families. Programs will not work unless the child puts in some effort.
I am very close with my family, with the exception of my mother, who locked me in a place that tried to murder me in such a way that my body would remain "alive". As soon as she acknowledges this, I will resume civil relations with her. Unfortunately she is still brainwashed and still convinced that denying me all human rights was the right thing to do because I was skipping school. She was never very maternal in the first place, and that program just turned her into another fascist program monster.
Whooter has, in the past, repeatedly likened the behavior modification used in programs (i.e., thought reform) to the behavior modification used in toilet training. Although I can't really speak for him, it appears that Whooter does not believe that program BM (thought reform) is wrong, or inherently psychologically invasive, or potentially damaging in and of itself.
I don’t think you could find many professionals at all which would say that Behavior Modification is damaging.
On the contrary, there are several books available on this forum by professionals who say exactly that. Furthermore, all of us with the exception of Whooter are uniquely educated on the subject, having experienced it firsthand. Who's stories are more believable? Survivors who have lived through these places, or a shill with obvious program affiliations?
Toilet training is Behavior Modification. It can be abusive if you beat the kid or it can be gentile depending on how you choose to implement it. Learning to put clothes on before leaving the house is behavior modification. There is nothing inherently bad about this.
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The kids in these programs are not three year olds, why do you insist on this comparison? What do you have against treating teenagers with respect and dignity? If you treat them like they are a piece of garbage, why should you be surprised when they act accordingly? Don't you think this degradation might be connected to the myriad reports of suicides of former residents or "students"?
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Whooter has, in the past, repeatedly likened the behavior modification used in programs (i.e., thought reform) to the behavior modification used in toilet training.
As someone who studies this professionally, I can assure you that these two types of "behavior modification" are vastly different. This analogy is obtuse at best.
Toilet training obvioulsy is not "behavior modification." It is exactly what its name implies: training. The child has no knowledge of toileting and is trained to use the potty. This is completely different from modifying the behavior of adults and subadults who already have certain views and understandings of the world and their place in it. They behave according to their own paradigms that they realized over a long time via experience.
Changing the ingrained behaviors of this set of people is a completely different ballgame than teaching a youngster to use the potty.
You should go back and check your text books.
Behavior Modification is central to working with toddlers in changing their present behavior (diapers) to a new behavior (Toilet)
Link (http://http://www.baby-medical-questions-and-answers.com/reward-charts-for-toddlers.html)
Remember that behavior modification works best when there is positive reinforcement for behaviours you want and undesirable behaviours are ignored
Link (http://http://www.pregnancy-baby-care.com/toddler-behavior/toddler-behavior-modification.html)
Toddler behavior modification therapy revolves around the practice of giving rewards for changes in behavior that are socially acceptable. Most parents who use the progress chart feel that it has greatly helped their toddler to calm down and become less irritable through the method of positive reinforcement. It must be advised, though, that a progress chart must be used only to indicate progress and not for negative reinforcement by pulling off stickers or other forms of punishment for unacceptable behavior.
Link (http://http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2003/0054326.html)
The sticker sets are an improved and portable toilet training aide and behavioral modification teaching and learning tool system.
Link (http://http://www.parallaxweb.com/parenting/ttt.html)
There are no fixed rules. However, the technique that works the best is behavior modification with a primary and secondary reward.
Behavior modification works and is a powerful training tool.
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Taylor Hurst was not sent there to help with "academic" issues. If he needed assistance with academic issues his parents would have just hired a tutor.
Taylor Hurst is a prime example of how HLA/Ridge Creek fails to help children placed in their care. End of story.
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Circumventing the focus a lil away from the toilet training issue for a moment, here's the first article mentioned in the OP (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=31561#p385540):
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Domestic murders in Massachusetts on pace to surpass 2009 (http://http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/features/x316188737/Domestic-murders-in-Massachusetts-on-pace-to-surpass-2009)
By Danielle Ameden/Daily News staff
The MetroWest Daily News
Posted Aug 14, 2010 @ 11:59 PM
(http://http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/archive/x2092794006/g12c000000000000000a1c798cdd5419bdf139e280b71192d69d338efb8.jpg)
Katie MacDougall was killed by her fiance in 2007. Photo contributed
Katie MacDougall's family and co-workers at the Staples corporate headquarters in Framingham never saw any black-and-blues or other red flags.
The 23-year-old was fun, optimistic and giddy about the baby she was expecting with her fiance. To her colleagues, he "seemed like a nice guy."
So the news that Taylor Hurst strangled to death the young mother-to-be in their Worcester apartment on March 4, 2007, came as a shock.
"It's still something that I don't understand, I just can't get my head around," said Libby Dawe, who worked with MacDougall at 500 Staples Drive.
So far this calendar year, there have been 27 cases of domestic violence-related deaths in the state.
There were a total 28 in 2009.
Jane Doe Inc., the state's nonprofit coalition against sexual assault and domestic violence, is also tracking two new cases that could bring this year's count to 29.
One is the murder of Heather Alleyne, 19, of Framingham. Police found the mother of two babies stabbed to death in her Oak Terrace condo last Monday.
Although authorities have not yet ruled it a domestic homicide, Alleyne's husband, Kyle Alleyne, is wanted by police as a person of interest in the case.
For abuse victims, stories like these are frightening reminders.
"It can be very scary because I think what we hear from people is, 'Oh my God, that could be me' or 'That could have been me,"' said Mary Gianakis, director of Voices Against Violence in Framingham.
Also last week, Joseph Ventola, 66, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the 2007 stabbing death of his wife Esther, 60, in their Milford home. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility for parole after 15 years.
In MacDougall's murder, Hurst was sentenced in 2008 to 18 to 20 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
While a domestic homicide, her family believes MacDougall's death was a horrific, isolated incidence of violence and not part of a pattern of abuse.
Her older brother, Damien, said Hurst appears to have snapped, partly due to his drug abuse, unemployment and the stress of settling down.
"I'm not sure if Taylor felt comfortable becoming a father and a husband all at once," Damien MacDougall said.
Authorities said Hurst admitted to using crack cocaine, and after the murder he sold a sapphire and diamond ring he had given MacDougall to buy drugs.
She was three months pregnant with a baby boy when she died.
Her family forgave Hurst and supported the plea deal accepted by a Worcester Superior Court judge.
"Katie loved him and he was going to be the father of my nephew and my mother's grandchild," Damien MacDougall, 36, of Plymouth, said last week.
"We've seen or heard so many stories about people whose lives are devastated by something like this," he said. "We knew the answer wasn't in bitterness or anger."
Dawe and co-workers Diane Choquette and Amy McGrady at Staples last week recalled their former colleague as a happy person and huge Red Sox fan who loved helping people and driving demolition cars on the weekend.
At Staples, she worked for a temp agency doing purchasing, but she talked about going back to school to become a nurse.
She and Hurst, a native of Louisiana, were in a long-distance relationship until they moved in together in Worcester and soon after became engaged.
Her MySpace page is still active online, on which she talked about her life.
She listed her heroes as her family and showed off favorite pictures, including three of she and Hurst, smiling.
Friends continue to post messages there.
In January, one wrote, "Life just isn't fair Katie. I miss you every day."
A note from 2008 reads, "Happy Mother's Day love. I miss you."
At work, MacDougall sometimes hinted to colleagues she sometimes had trouble with Hurst. But she didn't give them any reason to worry or intervene.
MacDougall was optimistic, believing "she was going to love him so much he would change," Dawe said.
The colleagues say they met Hurst at a party thrown by one of the company's vendors around Thanksgiving in 2006.
"He was a nice guy," McGrady said. "He seemed like a nice guy."
To honor MacDougall's memory and fight domestic violence homicide, Staples has hosted a fundraiser carwash every June since the murder. The company donates about $2,000 in annual proceeds to Voices Against Violence.
"It's such an important cause," Dawe said. "It really is."
Voices Against Violence, a nonprofit program of the South Middlesex Opportunity Council, supports domestic violence victims and survivors.
"What we know is the money that is raised and donated to Voices helps us to do all of the things that reduce the chance there's going to be another tragedy in our community," Gianakis said.
The organization provides domestic violence and rape crisis services, including 1:1 counseling, a hotline service and advocacy and support groups, as well as outreach and education efforts.
On average, Voices serves 1,500 individuals a year, houses about 100 families at its confidential shelter and answers 3,000 hotline calls.
Voices Against Violence leads a team that works on high-risk abuse cases, bringing together advocates, the police, district attorney's office and probation and parole departments trying to prevent domestic violence homicides.
"It is said to be so predictable as to be preventable," Gianakis said.
Risk warning signs include threats to kill or harm, extreme jealousy, forced sex, controlling behavior, stalking and alcohol or drug abuse.
Gianakis said the high-risk team organized after a devastating 2006 murder.
Jeremias Bins, 32, was convicted in 2008 of bludgeoning his wife Carla Souza and stepson Caique, 11, to death with a hammer in their Framingham home.
She called 911 and asked police to "please" come because she was having a problem with her husband. When officers arrived less than 2 minutes later, she and the boy were lying in pools in blood.
He was sentenced to serve two consecutive life sentences at MCI-Cedar Junction without the chance of parole.
While people may wonder why victims stay in abusive relationships, Gianakis said the real question is why batterers do what they do.
"And how can we do a better job of holding them accountable?"
Victims often stay in an abusive relationship out of fear of retaliation violence if they leave, or to keep a family intact or for financial reasons.
Sometimes they hear the threat that even if they leave, "You will never be free," Gianakis said.
When domestic homicides occur, batterers sometimes use the news to intimidate their victims.
"They will say things like 'You better be careful or the next one will be you,"' Gianakis said. "It's a fear tactic. It's a threat. It's a way to really terrorize the victim."
She stressed that the violence is never the victim's fault.
'Perpetrating violence is always a choice," she said, "and it's not the victim's fault that they were on the receiving end of that."
For more information, contact Voices Against Violence at 508-820-0834 or http://www.smoc.org (http://www.smoc.org), or Jane Doe Inc. at 617-248-0922 or http://www.janedoe.org (http://www.janedoe.org).
For help, call Voices Against Violence's confidential sexual assault and domestic violence hotline at 508-626-8686 or 1-800-593-1125, or SafeLink, the state's 24-hour hotline at 1-877-785-2020.
(Reporter Danielle Ameden can be reached at 508-626-4416 or [email protected].)
Copyright 2010 The MetroWest Daily News.
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The Worcester Telegram & Gazette actually followed this murder quite closely. I believe the following article may have been their first day of coverage:
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Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Monday, March 5, 2007
Boyfriend charged with slaying in Elm Street apartment (http://http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070305/ALERT01/70305003/0/FRONTPAGE)
By Mike Elfland · TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
(http://http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=WT&Date=20070305&Category=ALERT01&ArtNo=70305003&Ref=AR&maxW=335)
Taylor Hurst, charged with the murder of a 23-year-old woman, at his arraignment in Central District Court this morning.
(T&G Staff /MARK C. IDE)
WORCESTER — A 23-year-old woman was found dead in an Elm Street apartment last night, the apparent victim of an attack by her boyfriend.
The boyfriend, Taylor Hurst, 24, was in Central District Court this morning to face a murder charge. He pleaded not guilty and was ordered held without bail.
Authorities said the woman may have been dead since Friday.
"Everything indicates it was a couple of days," said police Sgt. Kerry F. Hazelhurst.
Authorities have identified the woman as Katherine MacDougall. Court records indicate she was strangled to death.
She was three months pregnant, police said.
The body of Ms. MacDougall was discovered about 10 last night by police who had been asked by a relative to do a well-being check, according to authorities. Family members had not heard from the woman for a few days.
"Her mother called out of concern," Sgt. Hazelhurst. "When officers got there, the place was in darkness, all locked up."
As some officers were making entry to the apartment, other officers were told to be on the lookout for the type of car in which the woman might be riding.
About the time officers entered the apartment and came across the body, other officers encountered the sought-after car in the area of Washington Square. Mr. Hurst was inside the vehicle. At the time, he had an open container of alcohol, and was taken into custody for a violation of a city ordinance.
Police questioned Mr. Hurst at police headquarters. He was charged with murder.
Ms. MacDougall and Mr. Hurst lived at Apt. 1, 90 Elm St.
Detectives are continuing their investigation this afternoon.
Scott J. Croteau of the Telegram & Gazette staff contributed to this report.
© 2010 Worcester Telegram & Gazette Corp.
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I am very close with my family, with the exception of my mother, who locked me in a place that tried to murder me in such a way that my body would remain "alive". As soon as she acknowledges this, I will resume civil relations with her. Unfortunately she is still brainwashed and still convinced that denying me all human rights was the right thing to do because I was skipping school. She was never very maternal in the first place, and that program just turned her into another fascist program monster.
Sorry to hear this, Shaddy. I have seen many families where the child was totally disconnected from their family and the program brought them together again. My Daughter is an example of this also. I think we can conclude that not all families and program are alike and we cannot generalize.
On the contrary, there are several books available on this forum by professionals who say exactly that. Furthermore, all of us with the exception of Whooter are uniquely educated on the subject, having experienced it firsthand. Who's stories are more believable? Survivors who have lived through these places, or a shill with obvious program affiliations?
I would like to see one. I have always known BM to be an integral part of growing up and learning new and healthy behaviors. How else would we all survive? What other tools could parents use besides Behavior Modification methods.
We are exposed to external stimuli every day which constantly changes and molds our behavior. There is nothing abusive or unnatural about it.
The kids in these programs are not three year olds, why do you insist on this comparison? What do you have against treating teenagers with respect and dignity? If you treat them like they are a piece of garbage, why should you be surprised when they act accordingly? Don't you think this degradation might be connected to the myriad reports of suicides of former residents or "students"?
I think you may be confusing me with another poster. I never have treated teenagers like garbage.
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There is actually quite a profound difference between learning to modify one's external behavior, and revamping one's internal psyche and self-identity. Especially when that latter process involves a "break them down, then build them back up" modus operandi that is imposed on one by others. I don't think you'll find many professionals who'd equate these two processes.
This is a very good point and well taken. I also believe you would not find a single professional willing to equate toilet training with troubled teen program behavior modification, despite the protestations of your resident "forum troll" who seems bent on disrupting the converstaion about this abused boy's subsequent criminal behavior.
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I think you may be confusing me with another poster. I never have treated teenagers like garbage.
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You do this here, every day. You question the validity of their accounts with absolutely no proof of any dishonesty on their part. They are abuse victims, have you no conscience?
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There is actually quite a profound difference between learning to modify one's external behavior, and revamping one's internal psyche and self-identity. Especially when that latter process involves a "break them down, then build them back up" modus operandi that is imposed on one by others. I don't think you'll find many professionals who'd equate these two processes.
This is a very good point and well taken. I also believe you would not find a single professional willing to equate toilet training with troubled teen program behavior modification, despite the protestations of your resident "forum troll" who seems bent on disrupting the converstaion about this abused boy's subsequent criminal behavior.
Actually it was Ursus who brought up the toilet training comparison. If you take some time to read up on Behavior Modification you will find that it can be applied to toddlers as well as teenagers and adults. Many programs use positive reinforcement to attain changes in the students behavior which is in-essence Behavior Modification.
Everyone works well as a group we get Pizza for dinner..... If we all work together and get to the next leg to the trip we can break early and have some free time... If you make it to the next level you can get more freedoms etc.
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Many of these programs are designed to get the kid back on track, build up their self esteem and strengthen family ties.
You can believe that all you want but the exact opposite is what happens.
If something extremely traumatic occurs while they are in the program then I would agree.
Something traumatic occurred every single day that I was in Straight.
But again the program is designed to get the kids back on track.
No, it's really not. It's designed to drain the parents wallets.
The kids are not traumatized.
You have no authority to speak on that since you've never been through a program. They most definitely ARE traumatized.
After they get out they can choose to go back to their old way of life if they want but many chose not to because they were shown that they have control of their future and can be successful if they choose to. If they want to go back and sit in their bedroom and do drugs the rest of their life then that is their choice. The school cannot be blamed for that.
Such a double sided coin....if the kid does great, it's due to the "success" of the program, but if he fails, it's because he didn't apply himself enough and has NOTHING to do with the abuse he suffered AT the program. ::)
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You can believe that all you want but the exact opposite is what happens.
Actually you are wrong, Anne. I believe it may not be true in your individual case or with straight.
Something traumatic occurred every single day that I was in Straight.
That is one of the reasons straight is closed.
You have no authority to speak on that since you've never been through a program. They most definitely ARE traumatized.
Kids are not traumatized in todays programs. You have never experienced a program of todays design and therefore have no valid basis for your opinion.
Such a double sided coin....if the kid does great, it's due to the "success" of the program, but if he fails, it's because he didn't apply himself enough....
Exactly, I think most everyone here on fornits has said that these kids are old enough to decide for themselves how their life should go. Some even believe they should have a choice on whether or not they should attend a program even.
I believe, for the most part, that the child is mature enough after graduation to decide if they want to continue down a new path or the old path of destruction. I don’t think the child should continue to blames others for their bad choices post graduation.
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You have no authority to speak on that since you've never been through a program. They most definitely ARE traumatized.
Kids are not traumatized in todays programs. You have never experienced a program of todays design and therefore have no valid basis for your opinion.
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Uh, by your own criteria, neither do you. Being a parent who does this to your child does not qualify as "experiencing a program". There are many posts here that prove you wrong Whooter, MANY kids have been traumatized by programs that still exist today.
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That is one of the reasons straight is closed.
And then re-opened under a different name. The exact same shit that goes on today
Kids are not traumatized in todays programs. You have never experienced a program of todays design and therefore have no valid basis for your opinion.
Well, when I hear the exact same things happening that happened to me way back then, it seems fairly reasonable to assume that not much, if anything, has changed....except superficially. It's always the "kinder, gentler" version of some other program that got shut down or closed on it's own due to the horrible publicity. Straight was billed as The Seed minus the abuse, but ended up being even more abusive than the Seed. Then when Straight was shut down, suddenly KIDS opened up. Same staff, same techniques, just a different name to avoid the bad publicity of Straight. Then when KIDS was shut down it became Pathways (I think....I'm not up on the chronology of the program names) but every time one closed down, another opened up using the exact same methods but they always swore they took the "good" from the closed down program and left out the "bad". Bull-fucking-shit.
Such a double sided coin....if the kid does great, it's due to the "success" of the program, but if he fails, it's because he didn't apply himself enough....
Exactly, I think most everyone here on fornits has said that these kids are old enough to decide for themselves how their life should go. Some even believe they should have a choice on whether or not they should attend a program even.
I believe, for the most part, that the child is mature enough after graduation to decide if they want to continue down a new path or the old path of destruction. I don’t think the child should continue to blames others for their bad choices post graduation.
Why is it never, ever the programs fault with you? When you fuck with someone's psyche.....their very core, especially at an age when they're developing who they are as separate beings from their parents, it causes deep, lasting damage. I don't care how well intentioned it is or isn't.....when you force that kind of "treatment" on a kid, you fuck with their very soul.
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And then re-opened under a different name. The exact same shit that goes on today
Vastly different, Anne. The days of straight are long gone.
Well, when I hear the exact same things happening that happened to me way back then, it seems fairly reasonable to assume that not much, if anything, has changed....except superficially. It's always the "kinder, gentler" version of some other program that got shut down or closed on it's own due to the horrible publicity. Straight was billed as The Seed minus the abuse, but ended up being even more abusive than the Seed. Then when Straight was shut down, suddenly KIDS opened up. Same staff, same techniques, just a different name to avoid the bad publicity of Straight. Then when KIDS was shut down it became Pathways (I think....I'm not up on the chronology of the program names) but every time one closed down, another opened up using the exact same methods but they always swore they took the "good" from the closed down program and left out the "bad". Bull-fucking-shit.
You are living off assumptions and extremely dated information, Anne. You have no valid foundation on which to base your conclusions. I have seen them first hand and they are nothing like you describe in your time at Straight.
Why is it never, ever the programs fault with you? When you fuck with someone's psyche.....their very core, especially at an age when they're developing who they are as separate beings from their parents, it causes deep, lasting damage. I don't care how well intentioned it is or isn't.....when you force that kind of "treatment" on a kid, you fuck with their very soul.
Again, most of todays programs are not straight. They are nothing like straight or the seed etc.
If all the programs today were straight then I might agree with you.
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Taylor Hurst is an extreme example. But obviously, the program did him no favors. Especially if the program model uses attack therapy as an interactive model. I see programs as directly contributing to various suicides, as well. One reason is because you are emotionally dislocated. However, you are also indoctrinated, so you can't even address this as a program-related issue. Also, the break down to build up is a false premise. There is no build up. You can't break down an individual and expect them to ever be whole. Individuals can only build from their own strengths and hopefully, recognize areas of weaknesses to either accept or fortify. Becoming a Stepford program kid does not constitute "building up."
DJ is right about one thing. Sick kids - sociopaths and highly intelligent manipulators only honed their skills in this environment. Those kids got a sick sense of pleasure humiliating and attacking others for staff approval. The real feather in their caps occurred when they could degrade rookie staff with the approval of power staff. This did not often happen, but one of my most disturbing raps featured this scenario. Healthy kids, of course, were traumatized. Sick kids became staff. We had many staff graduates that visited their monstrosity on others. It is very hard for me to see them as "victims."
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Exactly how does Whooter become the resident expert about how programs were and are today? If we are to believe his highly suspect "personal story," Whooter has never seen any program from the inside and has only seen one up close and that was over ten years ago. What exactly gives Whooter any expertise or experience with programs when he has only seen one over a decade ago?
Now, if you believe as I do that Whooter is intimately involved in the TTI then maybe you can accept that Whooter has insider knowledge and he's just spinning it for profit. But, if you take him at his word (lol) he knows nothing except what he saw as a parent a decade ago, which is to say, basically nothing.
You have never experienced a program of todays design and therefore have no valid basis for your opinion.
This applies to you, Whooter. what little experience you have is ten years old already. You know nothing about what happens in programs today. Nothing. Yet you hold yourself out as an expert. But you know exactly nothing.
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Here's another story that came out that first day of news coverage, the Monday after the murder:
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7NEWS WHDH-TV
Man accused of murder in death of pregnant girlfriend (http://http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/BO45194/)
(http://http://www.whdh.com/images/news_articles/389x205/070305_hurst.jpg)
Posted: 03/05/07 at 1:39 pm EST
WORCESTER, Mass. -- A Worcester man is charged with the murder of his 23-year-old pregnant girlfriend.
Police discovered Katherine MacDougall's body in an apartment on Elm Street Sunday night.
Taylor Hurst, 24, was arrested a short time later and charged with murder. He was ordered held without bail following his arraignment Monday in Central District Court in Worcester.
An autopsy is being conducted today to determine the cause of death of the victim, who was about three months pregnant.
Police Sergeant Kerry Hazelhurst told the Telegram and Gazette that MacDougall may have been dead for two days before her body was discovered.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press.)
Copyright ©2010 Sunbeam Television Corp.
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Here's the second story from the Worcester Telegram & Gazette (and the second link posted in the OP (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=31561#p385540))...
[See also previous article (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=31561&p=385606#p385606) from the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.]
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Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Woman found strangled (http://http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070306/NEWS/703060661/1116)
Boyfriend charged with murder
By Scott J. Croteau · TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
[email protected]
(http://http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=WT&Date=20070306&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=703060661&Ref=AR&Profile=1116&maxW=335)
Taylor Hurst is arraigned yesterday in the strangulation death of Katherine MacDougall.
(T&G Staff/MARK C. IDE)
WORCESTER — A 23-year-old woman authorities believe was three months pregnant was allegedly strangled by her boyfriend in their Elm Street apartment Friday night and left there until police discovered her body Sunday.
Taylor Hurst, 24, of 90 Elm St., Apt. 1, was charged with murder and violation of the open container law yesterday in Central District Court. The Louisiana-born man is accused of strangling Katherine MacDougall about 7 p.m. Friday. Police said Ms. MacDougall might have been Mr. Hurst's fiancée.
Police said Mr. Hurst allegedly stayed in the apartment for a couple of days after the death, and admitted to committing the crime.
"Hurst gave a detailed statement, indicating that he killed the victim by manual strangulation on Friday," according to the police report by Detective Sgt. John W. Towns.
Ms. MacDougall's mother called police to check on her well-being Sunday, police said. The mother called the apartment, but no one answered. The mailbox on the door had the last names of Mr. Hurst and Ms. MacDougall on it.
"Her mother called out of concern," police spokesman Sgt. Kerry F. Hazelhurst said. "When officers got there, the place was in darkness — all locked up."
Detectives learned that the couple had been recently engaged, according to Detective Capt. Edward J. McGinn Jr. Police understand that the child was Mr. Hurst's, he added.
Authorities are still investigating the slaying.
"We don"t know exactly what the motive was," Capt. McGinn said.
When police went to the home, no one responded. They then alerted patrols to be on the lookout for the young woman. A description of her car was also given.
Authorities went back to the apartment about 10 p.m. Sunday and entered the home, after finding someone who had a key.
"Once inside, police immediately became suspicious, and ultimately located the body of the 23-year-old woman within the apartment," police said.
Ms. MacDougall, who worked at Staples headquarters in Framingham, was pronounced dead by paramedics. She was found in the bathroom of the apartment, which was described as well-kept and decorated with several family pictures.
About the time police were entering the apartment, Officer Joseph P. Hearn saw a 2000 green Pontiac Grand Prix, described as the victim's car, near Washington Square.
Mr. Hurst was found inside drinking a Budweiser beer, according to court records. He was arrested for the open container violation, taken to the station and interviewed by police.
The woman's family told authorities that Ms. MacDougall was three months pregnant, but police did not have medical records to confirm it, Sgt. Hazelhurst said.
Mr. Hurst has not been charged with any crimes related to ending the pregnancy.
"The stance being taken right now is, we are not pursuing those charges," the sergeant said.
Capt. McGinn said it is the department's understanding that the fetus would not have been viable outside the uterus.
The exact cause of Ms. MacDougall's death has not been determined, Sgt. Hazelhurst said. An autopsy was scheduled yesterday at the office of the state medical examiner.
There were no records in court or of calls to police regarding any past domestic violence at the apartment the two shared.
"There has been no history of domestic abuse between either parties," Sgt. Hazelhurst said.
The couple moved into the first-floor apartment of the three-story building about two months ago, according to Joel Fisak, who lives with his wife in the apartment directly above.
He described them as quiet loners.
"We rarely saw them," he said, but added that there is little interaction among the tenants at 90 Elm St. "I've never seen the people on the third floor. I just found it strange that she was 23 and never had any friends over. Neither did he."
A couple of weeks ago, Mr. Fisak encountered Mr. Hurst about 2 a.m. pacing back and forth outside the apartment building while a cab waited at the curb.
"He didn't do any of the things I would have done to get into my apartment like knock on the door or call out my wife's name," Mr. Fisak said. Finally Ms. MacDougall opened the door and said, "Where've you been?"
"My heart goes out to her parents," Mr. Fisak said. "Parents should never have to bury their children."
Mr. Hurst was held without bail in a quick arraignment yesterday. His case was continued to March 30. He wore a white sterile jumpsuit provided by police after they seized his clothing, which will be examined for evidence.
Mark Melady of the Telegram & Gazette staff contributed to this report.
© 2010 Worcester Telegram & Gazette Corp.
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And another article from the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, a coupla days later:
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Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Boyfriend seen fleeing slaying site (http://http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070308/NEWS/703080738/1101)
Victim found in bathtub
By Scott J. Croteau · TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
[email protected]
WORCESTER — The man accused of killing his girlfriend Friday night was seen fleeing the apartment Sunday afternoon when the woman's mother went to the home to check on her daughter, according to court records.
Katherine MacDougall's mother saw Taylor Hurst take off from 90 Elm St., Apt. 1, the apartment the couple shared, when she went there Sunday, a search warrant affidavit on file in Central District Court states.
The mother "called out to Hurst, but he drove away at a high rate of speed" in Ms. MacDougall's green 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix, Detective Sgt. John W. Towns wrote in the affidavit.
The couple, who reportedly had been recently engaged, apparently had a fight Thursday night, police said. A motive for the slaying is still under investigation, Detective Capt. Edward J. McGinn Jr. said yesterday.
Ms. MacDougall's mother called police to check on her daughter's welfare and later that night, once police found someone who had a key to the locked first-floor apartment, they found the young woman dead.
The body of 23-year-old Ms. MacDougall was found face down in the bathtub, records said. She was partially clothed and appeared to have suffered some blunt trauma in the area of her face, the sergeant wrote. She was pronounced dead by paramedics.
Court records said Mr. Hurst admitted to killing the young woman by manually strangling her. The affidavit said police recovered a letter from the apartment describing it as an "apology type, handwritten note." There was no other information about the note contained in the affidavit.
Family told police the couple had been recently engaged and Ms. MacDougall was three months pregnant with Mr. Hurst's child. Mr. Hurst, 24, was charged Monday in Central District Court with murder and violation of the open container law.
The Louisiana-born man is being held without bail and will return to court at the end of the month. Mr. Hurst allegedly strangled Ms. MacDougall about 7 p.m. Friday.
"We have reason to believe there was some discord there the day before (her death)," Capt. McGinn said. An autopsy conducted Monday listed strangulation as the cause of death.
Mr. Hurst allegedly spent all day Saturday and some of Sunday in the apartment while Ms. MacDougall's body was in the bathroom. The affidavit said investigators found a 128 ounce bottle nearly full of urine in the apartment.
Police were looking for the Pontiac Grand Prix Sunday and it was found near Washington Square. Mr. Hurst was inside drinking a beer, records said. Police arrested Mr. Hurst for having the open container of alcohol.
Around the same time, police discovered that Ms. MacDougall was dead in the apartment.
Detectives interviewed Mr. Hurst about 1 a.m. Monday and at that time he allegedly admitted to the crime.
"Hurst gave a detailed statement, indicating that he killed the victim by manual strangulation on Friday," according to the police reports.
Police had not responded to the home for any kind of domestic calls. Neighbors said the couple had only been living in the apartment for a couple of months.
© 2010 Worcester Telegram & Gazette Corp.
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Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Solemn vigil (http://http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070310/NEWS/703100348/1008/RSS01&source=rss)
(http://http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=WT&Date=20070310&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=703100348&Ref=AR&Profile=1008&MaxW=500)
(T&G Staff / MARK C. IDE)
WORCESTER — People gather at Elm and Sever streets yesterday for a vigil for Katherine MacDougall, a 23-year-old pregnant woman and resident of 90 Elm St., Apt. 1, who was found strangled in her apartment Sunday. Her live-in boyfriend, Taylor Hurst, 24, has been charged with murder. Those who attended yesterday’s vigil, sponsored by Women Together, created a memorial at the site.
© 2010 Worcester Telegram & Gazette Corp.
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Apparently, after having allegedly murdered Katherine MacDougall, Taylor Hurst may traded in the ring he had given her ... in order to obtain some crack:
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7NEWS WHDH.com
Police locate diamond ring belonging to murdered woman (http://http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/MI2682/)
Posted: 03/12/07 at 9:13 am EDT
WORCESTER, Mass. -- Police in Worcester say a diamond engagement ring belonging to a pregnant woman who was found murdered earlier this month has been found at a house in the city known for drug activity.
Police had been looking for the ring since 23-year-old Katherine MacDougall was found strangled in the apartment she shared with her boyfriend, Taylor Hurst.
Hurst has been charged with the killing and is being held without bail.
Detective Captain Edward McGinn says investigators believe Hurst may have traded the ring -- valued at several thousand dollars -- for drugs.
McGinn tells the Telegram and Gazette of Worcester that there is evidence Hurst used crack cocaine sometime after MacDougall's death.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press.)
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Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Monday, March 12, 2007
Ring was traded for drugs (http://http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070312/NEWS/703120615/1116)
Diamonds scored fiancé's cocaine
By Scott J. Croteau · TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
http://www.antsmarching.org (http://www.antsmarching.org), Ms. MacDougall described a ring given to her by Mr. Hurst during a dinner out. The site allows fans of the band to converse about a range of subjects.
"We both ordered martinis and we start to chat. He pulled out a little wrapped box from his pocket and hands it to me, I love you, Merry x-mas," Ms. MacDougall wrote on Oct. 26. "I opened the box and it is the most beautiful ring. A big pink sapphaire (sic) surrounded by 10 diamonds, so sparkly."
She said Mr. Hurst didn't ask her to marry her at the time. "No he didnt (sic) ask me to marry him (thank god!!)," she wrote. The story said the two shared a romantic kiss only to have Ms. MacDougall's hair catch fire from the candle on the table.
"Everytime (sic) I show someone my ring, I have to bring up that story," she said under the name NewEnglandCutie. "Everytime (sic) I go to dinner with him, we always make sure that if theres (sic) a candle, we blow it out."
The young woman who grew up in Randolph and Dedham and attended Salem State College for a couple of years allegedly fought with Mr. Hurst sometime before her death, police said.
Records on file in Central District Court said Mr. Hurst admitted to manually strangling Ms. MacDougall sometime in the evening on March 2. Ms. MacDougall's mother, concerned about her daughter, went to the home March 4, but no one answered the door.
The mother told police she saw Mr. Hurst drive away in her daughter's car. Police were then called to the home and around 10 that night they found Ms. MacDougall's body and an "apology-type" letter inside, court records said.
Police were looking for the Pontiac Grand Prix Sunday and found it near Washington Square with Mr. Hurst inside drinking a beer, records said. Police arrested Mr. Hurst for having the open container of alcohol. They later interviewed him about Ms. MacDougall's death.
"Hurst gave a detailed statement, indicating that he killed the victim by manual strangulation on Friday," according to the police reports.
More postings on the Dave Matthews Band fan Web site show that on Jan. 18 Ms. MacDougall and Mr. Hurst had found out they were having a baby. She said Mr. Hurst, who was born in Louisiana, was thinking about rejoining the military. In previous posts, Ms. MacDougall said Mr. Hurst was in the Navy before they met in Massachusetts.
"He thinks he can join the military and they will take care of me, him and the baby," she wrote. "He thinks this is the best option, instead of working 2 $10/hr jobs. I told him its (sic) not that easy, and I would prefer to struggle to make ends meet together, than be alone raising a baby, while he's off in the military."
Mr. Hurst allegedly said if the two were married the military would pay for housing and living expenses. She asked for advice from others on the Web site.
Ms. MacDougall, who worked for Staples at their corporate office in Framingham, also was looking for a Web site where she could use pictures of Mr. Hurst and herself to see what the baby might look like.
After her death, friends posted messages on Ms. MacDougall's myspace.com Web site, referring to her as Katie, and said their goodbyes to the avid Red Sox fan who one friend said had a "contagious smile."
One friend noted that Ms. MacDougall mentioned being excited about getting married and having a baby.
Ms. MacDougall and Mr. Hurst had a long-distance relationship during some of their time together. She said Mr. Hurst was in Louisiana at some point during their relationship. She posted on the band fan Web site that they could move to Louisiana, where Mr. Hurst's parents live and own a cattle company.
"He can raise cows and I can raise a baby," she said in a Jan. 18 posting.
© 2010 Worcester Telegram & Gazette Corp.
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A little over a year later, as his trial is approaching its inevitable conclusion, Mr. Hurst is given a gift of extraordinary mercy:
"Yes, what Taylor did was horrible and inexcusable. But was it unforgivable?"
-- Damien MacDougall, VICTIM'S BROTHER
[/list]
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Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Friday, May 9, 2008
Mercy out of tragedy (http://http://www.telegram.com/article/20080509/NEWS/805090712/1116)
Slain woman’s kin urges reduced charge
By Gary V. Murray · TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
[email protected]
(http://http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=WT&Date=20080509&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=805090712&Ref=AR&Profile=1116&maxW=335)
Taylor Hurst and the late Katherine MacDougall, as seen in 2007 on the Web site myspace.com.
WORCESTER — In an unusual display of forgiveness and compassion seldom seen in a courtroom, Katherine MacDougall's family urged a judge yesterday to allow the man accused of her murder to plead guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter.
Ms. MacDougall was 23 years old and three months pregnant when she was found strangled last March in the apartment at 90 Elm St. that she shared with her fiancé, Taylor Hurst. Mr. Hurst, born and raised in Louisiana, later admitted to police that he killed Ms. MacDougall on the night of March 2, 2007, by choking the life out of her with his own hands. He also acknowledged to investigators that he had been smoking crack cocaine on a regular basis.
After her death, police say, Mr. Hurst traded a diamond ring he had given Ms. MacDougall for more drugs.
Investigators learned from the victim's mother, Sheila Jewell of Randolph, that Ms. MacDougall and Mr. Hurst got into an argument on the night of the slaying. Ms. MacDougall told her mother Mr. Hurst left the apartment, but later returned and everything was all right. It was the last time Mrs. Jewell spoke with her daughter.
Mr. Hurst, 25, who was charged with first-degree murder in the slaying of Ms. MacDougall, was sentenced to 18 to 20 years in state prison yesterday after pleading guilty in Worcester Superior Court to voluntary manslaughter. The charge concession and the term of imprisonment imposed by Judge John S. McCann were jointly recommended by Assistant District Attorney Maura K. McCarthy and Mr. Hurst's lawyer, Christopher P. LoConto.
While the prosecution had planned to seek a murder conviction in the case, Ms. MacDougall's family asked that Mr. Hurst be allowed to plead guilty to manslaughter, according to Ms. McCarthy. Mr. LoConto said members of the victim's family recently met with his client at their request and extended Mr. Hurst an "expression of forgiveness" that has helped him deal with his guilt and grief.
Mr. Hurst had been held at Bridgewater State Hospital while awaiting trial. Mr. LoConto said he is suffering from depression and has been suicidal at times.
"In the course of trying to make sense of all of this, from blaming ourselves to anger with Taylor, to a sense of hopelessness that things would never be OK again, we have had to ask ourselves some difficult and important questions," Ms. MacDougall's brother, Damien MacDougall, said in an impact statement read in court yesterday.
"The biggest of these were about love, about Katie's love for Taylor and about Taylor's love for Katie.
In exploring the depths of these issues, we have come to an amazing conclusion," Mr. MacDougall wrote.
Under the circumstances, he said, the family naturally had to question whether Mr. Hurst's professed love for his fiancée was real.
"But we also realize that Taylor was under the influence of very powerful drugs," the victim's brother said.
"Yes, what Taylor did was horrible and inexcusable. But was it unforgivable? We all know what it means to need forgiveness and have chosen not to withhold such from anyone. God implores us to forgive as we have been forgiven," Mr. MacDougall said on behalf of his family.
"So, in questioning whether or not Taylor could love Katie and still do something so horrible, we believe that he could, and did, and still does."
Mr. MacDougall said his family believed Ms. MacDougall was aware of Mr. Hurst's drug problem, but "chose not to abandon the man she loved despite the obvious challenges she would face.
"In the end, she paid with her life, but she never gave up on Taylor. We have decided to honor her by continuing what she has begun as well as we can, beginning with choosing forgiveness and mercy for Taylor and, in the end, choosing to love him," Mr. MacDougall wrote.
The slain woman's sibling urged Judge McCann to adopt the disposition of the case proposed by the lawyers, saying it would "satisfy the needs of the commonwealth for justice" and the family's desire for "mercy" for Mr. Hurst.
"As we have mentioned before, we have had to ask ourselves how we can ever go on with life and we have found that answer — love expressed through mercy," Mr. MacDougall said.
© 2010 Worcester Telegram & Gazette Corp.
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I knew Taylor.
He was pretty much par for the course, as HLA detainees went. He was pretty much par for the course as OVERALL American high school boys in 1999 went.
He wanted to be liked and admired.. he wanted girls to want to have sex with him.. he was constantly trying balance his own personality with that of his peers, and although he was often callous as a part of this face management strategy, I wouldn't say he was without compassion or empathy.
There was a back and forth here over Taylor's crime and whether it was related to HLA, so, to wit:
1.) First, let me point out that a person's high school experience often informs their self-concept well into adulthood. The average male brain isn't fully developed until age 24.
Taylor was 15 when I met him.
These are formative years, critical for identity development and acquisition of personal morals, and I think we may all do well to pause and consider what effect it may have to spend formative years in an institution such as Hidden Lake Academy, where trust is impossible with peers, the idealized role-models (counselors) abuse power and display dispassion towards their wards, and other examples of adult behavior (restriction staff for example) are people who consistently model sadism.
(Social Learning Theory, anyone??)
2.) A second assertion: Children WERE traumatized at Hidden Lake Academy .
I know of many students with PTSD diagnoses, made by licensed professionals in full accordance with DSM-IV, and explicitly linked to his or her experiences at HLA (myself included).
I won't bother with the defense of this assertion here, as it is well documented under other topics for anyone with opposable thumbs to find.
3.) I would now ask you to consider what you know about PTSD and violence.
Perhaps you recall hearing news coverage of cases wherein soldiers returned home from deployment, only to "snap?"
That is PTSD in action.
Numerous cases exist of these men suddenly murdering their family members. (P.T.S.D.)
If you can't use a search engine, this link is a start:
http://http://ptsdcombat.blogspot.com/2006/12/ptsd-timeline-latest-incidents.html
4.) Taylor Hurst is being tried for his fiancee's murder, and will likely be found quilty. (We all agree on that much, right?)
Right.
...
...
* * * * * * * * * * *
So, to reverse engineer a summation:
* Taylor Hurst murdered his fiancee and unborn son.
* There are numerous cases of uxoricide and filicide being committed by individuals with Post-Traumatic Stress.
* Professionals have determined cases of Post-Traumatic Stress to have a causative relationship with internment at Hidden Lake Academy.
* Taylor Hurst was interred at Hidden Lake Academy for at least two of his formative teenage years.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Correlation is not the same as causation, and so I am not stating that Taylor committed murder as a result of his time at HLA.
I would, HOWEVER, love to see HLA participate in study examining PTSD and the prevalence of violent behavior among its former detainees.
If you are an advocate of Hidden Lake Academy, and keen to challenge any of these assertions, I would first challenge you to lobby for just such research to be conducted (lest you come across as either a pawn of HLA or, worse, a person who would put more effort into protecting an ethically and legally questionable institution than into protecting the children who have been kept there... and those they may grow up to slaughter...).
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Has anyone written to his defense laywer about the possibility that he would suffer from PTSD as result of his stay at HLA?
Not that I in any way can accept his actions, but the possibility of letting the trial being an eye-opener for the problems residential treatment can bring along should not be untried.