Here he is...it's just a tragedy all the way around. My heart goes out to the family and friends of his victim, and to his own family and friends.
I think there is abundant evidence that doing the upper levels of Scientology in the culture of heavy coercion for ever increasing payments and donations for COS events and projects and threats of ethics actions against one, disconnection and blackmail with personal confession files drives people insane.
Not that I am in any way condoning murder. I think Fowler's sentence was just. I just think that Scientology Executives should be held legally accountable for the system of heavy psychological manipulation, blackmail and coertion that they have created and maintain.
Here's the report from the Colorado Channel 2 news website for anyone who missed it.:
"Hendrik Sybrandy Reporter
10:02 p.m. MST, February 25, 2011
DENVER -- After deliberating for two-and-a-half hours, an Adams County jury on Friday found software executive Rex Fowler guilty of first degree murder for the death of his business partner more than a year ago.
"We got justice as best as was able today but real justice we'd be able to have Tom Ciancio return to the 50 family members that are inside the courtroom and that's not gonna happen," said Adams Co. D.A. Don Quick.
Fowler, the founder of Fowler Software Design, received a mandatory life sentence without parole for killing Thomas Ciancio, his COO, at the company’s office at 84th and Elati Street on Dec. 30, 2009.
Ciancio had walked into the office to collect a severance check after negotiating a buyout when, according to prosecutors, Fowler shot him in the head three times and then tried to kill himself.
"I've tried a lot of murder cases and this is one of the few murder cases that I've tried where I couldn't figure out what their defense is going to be because quite frankly it's a nondefensible crime," said Assistant Adams Co. D.A Dave Young.
"Tom was wanting to separate himself from a system of beliefs or a type of thinking that thought it was okay to mistreat people, to not operate in a professional honest business fashion," said the victim's brother, David Ciancio. "It's unfortunate though that in taking that stand that he paid with his life."
The business had been failing due in large part to Fowler’s decision to reportedly donate as much as $250,000 to the Church of Scientology.
“This was a senseless killing of a devoted family man” said Quick. “He had a wife and four children and a close knit extended family. I am deeply saddened that they all have had to suffer such an indescribable loss.”
"The facts speak for themselves. Anytime you have three gunshot wounds to the head at close range that says a lot, and I think that speaks volumes in why the jury came back the way they did," said Dave Young, Assistant Adams County DA.
Copyright © 2011, KDVR-TV
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