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A RUSH TO JUDGEMENT: MAIN INDEX |
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MARIHUANA FIEND KILLS WHOLE FAMILY
To this day he is still known as the "MARIHUANA FIEND", the "KID WITH THE AXE", etc. And during the Reefer Madness Era the Narcotics Police would turn his name into a legend. For he was accused of committing a crime that was so hideous, it is said by many to have led to the creation of the anti-Medical Marihuana laws which are still with us to this very day. But . . .
THERE WAS ONLY ONE PROBLEM – HE WAS INNOCENT.
Here in this book, we document how a few (probably well-meaning officials) in Tampa Fla., FRAMED this poor innocent young man.
This is the first truly objective look at what actually happened in Tampa Florida that night. The first truly objective look at ALL the evidence.
VICTOR LICATA – A RUSH TO JUDGEMENT:
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DID YOU KNOW
"
FORWARD
It is this author’s sincere opinion that Victor Licata was innocent. Whatever else Victor Licata was, he was no murderer. This was no opinion conveniently derived in order to write a book, but a conclusion reached by happenstance while examining the evidence. For like so many others I believed that Victor was guilty and as long as the Medical Marihuana was not responsible for his actions, simply accepted his actions as those of a deranged madman. It was only after learning that there was a serial axe murderer operating in the Tampa area that my natural skepticism began to kick in and begin to question the established viewpoint.
Soon however, as I examined the evidence, that skepticism turned into pure shock. How could I have fallen for yet another of Harry Anslinger’s lies? I, who have disproved so many Reefer Madness era lies, had fallen for the biggest one out there. And the evidence itself made it clear that I had. How would that Comedian Groucho Marx have stated it: “Lady, Half the Evidence was Fake, and the Other Half isn’t all that much better!”
Who Was Victor Licata?
Why Does He Matter to us Today?
CHAPTER 1 - WHO WAS VICTOR LICATA?
AND WHY DOES THIS CASE MATTER TO US TODAY?
Victor Licata was an innocent young man who in 1933 was accused of (allegedly under the influence of Marihuana) committing a terrible crime. His crime was so hideous, and because of the alleged use of Marihuana, it is said by many to have led to the creation of the anti-Medical Marihuana laws which are still with us today.
[6 pages total] - [CLICK TO READ CHAPTER]
CHAPTER 2 - ENTERS HARRY J. ANSLINGER
AND THE BUREAU OF NARCOTICS
As part of a Hysteria campaign against the use of Medical Marihuana, Harry Anslinger (America's first drug czar), ordered his field agents to start looking for and gathering together stories of “Bestial Crimes” committed while under the influence of Marihuana. Of these the Victor Licata case was the most prominent of all.
[6 pages total] - [CLICK TO READ CHAPTER]
CHAPTER 3 - THE VICTOR LICATA CASE
THE FIRST CRACKS BEGIN TO APPEAR
It was Anslinger’s D.E.A. that created the legend of Victor Licata, demonizing him into the “Kid with the Axe”, the “Marihuana Fiend”. But in 1939, Earle Rowell’s book, “On the Trail of Marihuana, The Weed of Madness,” began to challenge their official version of the story.
[8 pages total] - [CLICK TO READ CHAPTER]
CHAPTER 4 - JOHN KAPLAND’S INVESTIGATION
– The Licata Case Breaks Wide Open:
An independent investigation conducted by John Kaplan (A law professor at Stanford University) finds out new facts about the Licata case and breaks it wide open.
[8 pages total] - [CLICK TO READ CHAPTER]
We Begin Our Own Investigation:
CHAPTER 5 - LOCAL NEWSPAPER ACCOUNTS:
We begin our own investigation by going over the local Tampa area newspaper accounts at the time of the murders. As expected, much is hearsay . . . . but still the facts slowly start coming out.
[15 pages total] - [CLICK TO READ CHAPTER]
CHAPTER 6 - THE EVIDENCE AGAINST VICTOR:
A look at ALL the evidence (real or imaginary) compiled against Victor Licata. And it looks quite impressive, very compelling – he must have been guilty. ---- UNTIL that is, one actually starts going over it in more detail. As that great Comedian Groucho Marx would have phrased it: "My lady, half of it is fake, and the other half isn’t all that much better.
[4 pages total] - [CLICK TO READ CHAPTER]
CHAPTER 7 - THE EPIPHANY MOMENT, --- VICTOR WAS INNOCENT:
About the moment (and piece of evidence) that changed our mindset about Victor Licata. That not only had Medical Cannabis played no role in the murders, but he had actually been framed for the murders. – AKA, the kid was innocent.
[5 pages total] - [CLICK TO READ CHAPTER]
The CONSPIRACY PART A:
CHAPTER 8 - THE PLAYERS:
Who were the players -- It now appears that a lot of big players had their hands in this case. Everyone from Benito Mussolini to Harry Anslinger, etc. And why would they try to frame a young innocent boy by the name of Victor Licata?
[12 pages total] - [CLICK TO READ CHAPTER]
CHAPTER 9 - VICTORS PHYSICAL HEALTH:
At the time, Victor Licata ONLY weighed 113 pounds, yet we are expected to believe that he was able to perform super human feats that not even Charles Atlas could do.
[6 pages total] - [CLICK TO READ CHAPTER]
EXAMINING THE EVIDENCE:
CHAPTER 10 - INSIDE DETECTIVE MAGAZINE:
The July 1938 issue of Inside Detective magazine devoted an entire article to the Licata family murders entitled “Marihuana Maniac!” Technically, it was supposed to be a “True (first hand) Account” of the tragedy --- the inside scoop on what actually happened by W.D. Bush, the chief detective on that case. However, what actually made its way into print was anything but. In fact, to say that it was a work of fiction (or fantasy actually) is not enough to do credit to the article. However, the article (fiction or fact) is one of the few “FIRST HAND” accounts that we have on the matter. Additionally, (again fiction or fact) it established -- by its omissions, it’s false leads, and obviously totally fabricated inner-stories, that Chief Detective W.D. Bush was a member of cover-up conspiracy and possibly involved in the murders themselves.
[14 pages total] - [CLICK TO READ CHAPTER]
CHAPTER 11 - EXAMINING THE POLICE REPORT:
A copy of the Official Police Report as per the City of Tampa Florida P.D. is examined. Its importance lies not so much on what it says but what it doesn’t say.
[6 pages total] - [CLICK TO READ CHAPTER]
CHAPTER 12 - VICTOR LICATA’S AGE:
How old was Victor Licata at the time? Or an even more important question; Why should anyone care? The answer here is both simple and yet complex at the same time. If Victor Licata was over 21 years of age at the time, he would then be tried as an adult. And if found guilty (as the conspirators hoped), this being the 1930’s, he would quickly within a matter of a couple of months, be executed and hopefully quickly forgotten. HOWEVER, if he were a juvenile, then he would be awarded special rights, and fall completely under a different set of judicial laws, etc. Thus, it was important to the conspirators (those who wanted to frame him) to have Victor be an adult at the time.
[5 pages total] - [CLICK TO READ CHAPTER]
CHAPTER 13 - THE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE EXAMINED:
Here in this Chapter, we will go over ALL the physical and circumstantial evidence (real or imaginary) against Victor Licata. To avoid complications (conspiracy theories, etc.), the physiological evidence (homicidal tendencies, etc.) against him will be examined in another chapter.
[16 pages total] - [CLICK TO READ CHAPTER]
CHAPTER 14 - PSYCHIATRIC EVIDENCE EXAMINED:
Here, we go over all of the psychiatric evidence that was presented against Victor Licata. And why it too has been shown to be false.
[15 pages total] - [CLICK TO READ CHAPTER]
CHAPTER 15 - Victor Licata Escapes from prison -- 1945 – 1950:
On Oct 14, 1945 Victor Licata (and four other patients) escaped from their prison hospital in Chattahoochee. In the words of the then Florida Governor Caldwell, “It is worse than bad.” --- Victor Licata out on the lamb.
[7 pages total] - [CLICK TO READ CHAPTER]
THE CONSPIRACY PART B:
CHAPTER 16 - VICTOR LICATA’s STRANGE AND SUSPICIOUS DEATH:
Simply put, it is the author’s viewpoint that Victor Licata DID NOT commit suicide but was instead murdered as part of a cover up. In addition, (again in the author's opinion), Victor was NOT the only one killed as part of this cover up. A second prominent individual being Courtney Ryley Cooper – Ghost writer to both J. Edgar Hoover (head of the F.B.I.) as well as Harry J. Anslinger (head of the Bureau of Narcotics – aka the D.E.A.) himself.
[7 pages total] - [CLICK TO READ CHAPTER]
CHAPTER 17 - SCENARIOS -- WHAT REALLY HAPPENED:
If Victor Licata is innocent, as is the supposition of this book, then this begs the question, what really happened? Here in this chapter, we present some possible (and very plausible) scenarios of what some of us feel really happened.
[10 pages total] - [CLICK TO READ CHAPTER]
CHAPTER 18 - THE EVIDENCE THAT WASN’T:
Throughout the investigation we were hindered by an incredible lack of document-able evidence. Much of the paper work has long ago been lost or deliberately destroyed. In this chapter we go over the attempts made to secure still existing documentation.
[7 pages total] - [CLICK TO READ CHAPTER]
CHAPTER 19 - CONCLUSIONS:
It is this author’s sincere viewpoint that Victor Licata, whatever else he might have been, was no murderer. This was no opinion conveniently derived in order to write a book, but a conclusion reached by happenstance while examining the evidence. For to my great shame, like so many others before me (at least at first), I also believed that Victor was guilty. But as long as the Medical Marihuana was not responsible for his actions, Victor himself mattered little to me.
[7 pages total] - [CLICK TO READ CHAPTER]
CHAPTER 20 - NEW FINDINGS AND EVIDENCE:
The following consists of bits and pieces of newly discovered information and/or evidence related to the Victor Licata case. Among the findings are:
- High-school (1931) year book pictures of both Victor as well as his sister Providence Licata.
- A memorandum found via the Harry Anslinger Collection (Penn State University) detailing some of the corruption within the Tampa P.D. No names or dates are given; however, it is obvious just who the memo is referencing.
- More revelations about the “ALLEGED” dog found at the Licata crime scene.
- Some more photo-shop images of interest to us.
[6 pages total] - [CLICK TO READ CHAPTER]
AFTERWARDS:
Is it possible that we have made a mistake -- that our findings are wrong --- absolutely. If there is one thing that this museum has learned it is to Never Say Never. In fact, several chapters of this book have already had to be rewritten to take into account new findings that we have run into along the way. In addition (and here we warn the reader), we are already thinking of preparing an Addendum section to take into account future findings or evidence that may force us to reevaluate or present position yet again.
However, as of the time of this writing, the evidence and our findings seem very clear. Victor Licata was innocent --- whatever else, he just wasn’t a murderer.
WANT TO KNOW MORE:
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