Where did I say otherwise?
Ok, let’s all go back to post #34 and re-read how “staged” is frequently used to describe Real-Life Real Actually Committed Actual Crimes…
Right. So can we dial the pedantry down to about, oh, a tenth of what it was and in the process stop damn near alleging that everyone who’s arguing in favor of its usage is trying to claim that this gal wasn’t in any real danger or something? Thanks.
Right, I understand. It’s a difficult concept to get across in a short space while still communicating the stuff that could get a reader’s attention. I think “staged” is an OK way to show that there was an element of deceit here even though the kidnapping part was real.
It wouldn’t matter to the police, no. It might matter to a jury (‘I only did it to feed my family!’), and it could absolutely matter to reporters and editors. Not every crime becomes national news- not even every kidnapping and murder. If there’s something crazy or surprising about the crime, it might get a lot of attention. That’s the case here. I guess you could call that kind of superficial, but people are attracted to novelty and it’s always been part of news. The fact that this asshole kidnapped a girl and she wound up dead isn’t really unique. The fact that he apparently did it as part of a scheme to trick her into thinking he was a hero who had rescued her from a kidnapper makes it pretty unusual.
Pretty good; how about “Kidnapper Claims ‘Wanted to Look Like Hero’, but Hostage is Dead”
I like it. You can’t attribute that quote directly to the killer because he didn’t say it, but if you make it “Kidnapper says he wanted to look like hero, but hostage is dead,” I think that works very well.
I like it!
Bravo!
Kidnapper Claims “Wanted to Look Like Hero”, Doesn’t.
I saw what you did there.
Should have picked a live hostage.
The headline is a perfectly acceptable use of the word “stage”.
From the Merriam Webster online dictionary:
“to produce or cause to happen for public view or public effect <stage a track meet> <stage a hunger strike>”
“Staging a hunger strike” is not the same as “faking a hunger strike”. “Staging” means that you’re doing something so that that people will know its been done. The kidnapper in the news story staged a kidnapping – he kidnapped someone so that he could publicly play the hero when he faked rescuing her.
Kidnapper Claims ‘Hero’ Plan Gone Awry, Hostage Killed
From what I’ve read, the murderer’s brother turned him in, after the murderer divulged what he’d done. It’s amazing how mind boggling stupid his plan was. Do we not all know that our IP addresses can be tracked? I mean, anyone who watches a few episodes of CSI would know that. Did he not think that people would think it was suspiciously coincidental that he, her stalker, happened to discover her? After she went missing, everyone suspected this dude, including his own brother, because he’d been so overt with his obsession with her.
It’s also hard to swallow the story that he wanted to fake rescue her. Surely at some point in her ordeal, which I strongly suspect involved raping her, she’d recognize him. Did he think she wouldn’t ID him? No, i suspect that murdering her was always part of his plan. It’ll be interesting to see what the forensics turn up.
I don’t know if I should take pride in the fact that I’d be a much, much better criminal than this dude. Hell, Wile E. Coyote hatched better plans.
Poor girl. Poor family. 
A definite improvement.
For what it’s worth yours was one of my favorite posts around here in a while. I think none-the-less is what made it.
The Variety version:
'Napper Snaps, Heroics Nixed When Chick Kicks
A little incomplete, but it’s funny. Again- I don’t think you can use quotes like that in this story. ‘Wanted to look like hero’ isn’t a quote from the kidnapper, it’s a synopsis of the police’s statements about his actions. Without the quotes it’s alright. And attributing the statement solely to the kidnapper sort of obscures the fact that the police seem to think this is really why he did it.
Yep. There are so many different reasons this scheme was never going to work.
Is there any particular reason you suspect that?
How about:
“Shit happened!”
A few things:
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The guy whom he impersonated said that Dube had made sexual advances towards Cable and had been rebuffed.
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He disrobed her. I don’t know about you, but that’s the last thing I’d do if I accidentally killed someone. Also, when crimes are committed by a person who cares about the victim, the perpetrator often poses the body in a respectful way (e.g. in repose), and does things such as cover the body in a blanket.
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His DNA was on her sock. They don’t say what the DNA sample was, but it will be interesting to see what the test results indicate. It could be blood or saliva, but the whole story stinks to me.
Right. Thus the plot where he was going to “save” her and be a hero.
Wait, what? I haven’t seen that in any of the stories I’ve read about this case. If it’s true, you might be right.
Or he could’ve touched her sock while moving her body. We’ll see, I guess.