Once Fallen: The murder of Mattieo Condoluci
Many of you are aware that there was a vigilante killing in Omaha, Nebraska this past weekend, and the murderer turned himself into the police last night.
The Omaha media, particularly the World-Herald, has all but canonized the murderer, making him a sympathetic character, while the registrant he killed was not a sympathetic character. This has led to an outpouring of support for the murderer.
But, no matter the backstory between the two individuals, the fact remains that this was an act of pre-meditated murder by someone who used registry information as a weapon to murder a registered citizen. This was not self-defense, but a cold, calculated killing.
The murderer is behind bars right now, but for how long, I don’t know.
There is a Facebook group, the same group that was stalking the registrant for years, has repackaged itself today as “Free James Fairbanks” in honor of the man they had a role in murdering (the killer has been connected with this Facebook page). Facebook has a long history of discrimination against registrants. Last year, Facebook was caught allowing threats against those accused or convicted of sex offenses.
There have also been GoFundMe pages popping up to raise money for this killer.
After spending all day with this news, I’ve settled on some ideas on how you, particularly those of you in larger, more influential groups than OnceFallen, may address this issue:
- Contact the Douglas County County Attorney’s office and request they deny bail to Fairbanks. Ask he be prosecuted for a hate crime. The vigilante group is raising funds now for this killer’s legal defense so if he gets bail, he could be free. Here’s a contact form:
https://countyattorney.douglascounty-ne.gov/contact-ciminal-division
- Report the vigilante group “Free James Fairbanks” to Facebook as a hate group. They whitewashed some threatening statements but this is the group connected to the killer:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1710566045863512/
- Report this Change.org Petition. There is a “Report a policy violation” option but it is part of the way down the page, below petition updates.
https://www.change.org/p/donald-j-trump-pardon-james-fairbanks
- Contact GoFundMe and demand they reject ALL vigilante petitions for funds that reward criminal behavior. At last count, there were 5 separate fundraisers for James Fairbanks:
https://support.gofundme.com/hc/en-us
- I’d contact the Nebraskans Unafraid Group to see if you can help them in any way. This is a good time to attack the Nebraska registry:
https://nebraskansunafraid.org/
I have found the local Omaha World-Herald to be a less than neutral source. They are, in my opinion, very slanted in painting James Fairbanks as a sympathetic figure and seemingly promoting the vigilante group and the fundraisers.
This is a very good time to make the Nebraska legislature aware of the dangers the public registry creates. This is not the first time there was a murder in Nebraska and it won’t be the last.
Derek W. Logue of OnceFallen.com
Registered Citizen/ Civil Rights Advocate #abolishtheregistry
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“quia oculo ad oculum” … be prepared or be a victim. We have talked about threats to us and our families before and this case is but another senseless and preventable loss of life. These people always seem to select the elderly as their victims because the murders are cowards and choose those who are least able to defend themselves.
To remind myself to maintain a mindset that will keep me and my family safe, I have the words “No Quarter No Mercy” on the wall of my garage. Hopefully, all of you will adopt the same mindset as this will be what protects you and your family, not law enforcement. Do whatever it takes to win the encounter should one of these cowards target you, the legal consequences you can address later as you will survive and hopefully the vigilante will not. Stay alert, stay safe and be prepared.
Legal consequences? Pretty sure there are lawful ways to defend ourselves against homicidal assailants and that every murder victim we’ve read about here did what they could to avoid dying.
Sentinel,
Please replace “vigilante” with “criminal” in your prior post, and it would be factually spot on. Anyone who targets a law-abiding individual or family doesn’t deserve to be honored a moniker such as a vigilante.
How about we replace it with “terrorist?” After all, the general definition of terrorist is someone who uses violence to promote some political objective, right?
First, Trump will never pardon him that is a joke but again i say to all of my fellow RSO’s watch your back at every turn. If your allowed to carry a weapon of some sort legally, then do so. I would rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6.
If the Supreme Court cannot see how dangerous a registry is then why should anyone else. Stay vigilant my friends.
Just a side note that’s why they take away our guns and so on at sentencing so that we are allowed to be picked off one by one. Who if not RSO’s need to protect themselves more than anyone. Luckily not all of us lose our right to bear arms.
Apparently, Trump has no authority to pardon a State crime – only a federal crime. Maybe the Nebraska Governor has that power? I would think so. I hope he doesn’t.
Fairbanks is a turd, and I hope he gets life in prison so that he’ll have to suffer for his premeditated murder. (Smile)
Yeah, I know that revenge and mercilessness are just plain wrong, but just this once I’ll let myself SMILE!!! (I’m picturing a certain turd in prison til he dies. I hope he lives for long long time! Maybe I’ll send him a nice letter – Haha!!)
The Germans have a word for it…shadenfraud
That’s schadenfreude? I can’t spell
Ok. I contacted Douglas County prosecutor, and Facebook’s legal department. I also contacted the nebraska Legislation’s Ombudsman. I contacted Change.org. I couldn’t reach Gofundme.
Facebook, gofundme and change make it very hard to cantact anyone (especially if you are not a member – facebook).
I also contacted nebraskansunafraid and expressed my solidarity.
Please take the time and follow the instructions in Derek Logue’s post as well as you can.
It is critical that we speak up at this time!
I read the article. The article goes a long way in setting up Mr. Fairbanks insanity defense with comments from the ex-wife psychiatrist and recent trips to see one.
From Wikipedia, “The insanity defense, also known as the mental disorder defense, is an affirmative defense by excuse in a criminal case, arguing that the defendant is not responsible for their actions due to an episodic or persistent psychiatric disease at the time of the criminal act.” In other words, he just could not help himself.
From an opinion from the Nebraska Supreme Court “Cite as 303 Neb. 729” we get the following, “The insanity defense requires proof that (1) the defendant had a mental disease or defect at the time of the crime and (2) the defendant did not know or understand the nature and consequences of his or her actions or that he or she did not know the difference between right and wrong.” Mr. Fairbanks knew exactly what he was doing and He knew it was wrong.
Due to (2), insanity defense won’t be possible here.
Correct. The “uncontrollable urge” defense was pretty much eliminated from the law across the United States after the attempted assassination of President Reagan by John Hinckley.
Sent this to the DCAO:
I understand there is a lot of public discourse about this case, and even some misguided public sympathy for the defendant. In the interest of public safety, however, and as a member of the community, I urge the Douglas County Attorney’s Office to withhold bail from this individual.
Mr. Fairbanks on his own accord has confessed to this killing, which makes those of us in the community feel unsafe should he be free on bail. With nothing to lose, being free could likely result in him committing more despicable crimes such as the one to which he has confessed. Please don’t afford him that opportunity.
James
ALSO, let us hope that the victim’s death was not in vain. Not making light of what happened to him but some good could come out of it maybe, shedding some credibility to the harm the registry brings to not just us but our families as well.
This was NOT the first person ever killed or even beaten for being on the registry. I had a guy who lived next door to me who was applying for a federal law enforcement job. After he got it, he went and got copies of my ENTIRE criminal record, NOT redacted and hung it on every neighbors door.
When I complained, law enforcement and the judge DID NOTHING about it. It even exposed the alleged victim’s name and address as well.
When I got released finally from probation, I bought a shredder and got rid of all my case files other than the ruling granting me relief from probation. That was one of the best days in my life along with the day I got released from the D.O.C. The first thing I did that day was stop and get a steak on the way home. Parents paid for it LOL
I just read the article posted above,and they seem to paint the shooter as crazy, violent, and irresponsible. They even go so far as to mention the injunctions his now ex wife has against him, trips to a psychiatrist, and the fact he filed bankruptcy. But in spite of all that, the most damning thing is the quote from the victims own daughter, she basically says she’s sorry about her dad, but the shooter did everyone a favor(I don’t remember her exact words, but it basically comes to that),and that’s what everyone reading that article is going to cling to. In all honestly, I’m surprised the paper even bothered listing the victims past offenses, considering they were 26 and 13 years ago respectively. But then again, maybe I’m not that surprised….
#1 Most of us are not allowed on facebook so that is a non starter
#2, so the guy wanted to be a hero. Not sure if he has a family but if justice is served and he gets sentenced for murder, he won’t be doing his own family any favors by leaving them to fend for themselves.
3 Although just an opinion from being in law enforcement, but a HUGE amount of law enforcement is going to feel sympathy for this killer, even if they do not claim so in public.
I use to watch in horror as fellow officers would stand around and laugh as a drug dealer lay dying. One of many reasons I left the department. Humans were only humans if they were perfect like them? Wonder what skeletons they had in their closets.
Kind of off subject but reminds me of an officer a few years ago that was hurt so badly during a traffic stop he was unable to work again. After some time not being able to come back to work, they tried to fire him with no further benefits. So they throw their own officers under the bus, another reason I left. You are one of them, until you are not. They act no better than a bunch of jealous high school cheerleaders.
Skeletons in their closet i couldn’t have said it better. How many times have we seen an article of an officer who is high an mighty when it comes to keeping RSO’s down get arrested for doing something that gets him on the registry. Some go as far as committing suicide because they know what they put us through and are not strong enough to face it themselves
You should write a book and expose all of this stuff. Just a thought.
Maestro
Not sure if your comment about writing a book was about me or not. If it was, I already have enough heat on me as it is. While I was in prison I wrote an entire movie. I sent it in and never heard anything. When I got released on probation, the entire movie ALONG with the SAME title and everything was shown in the theaters and credited to a famous actor. NO mention of me anywhere even though I still have my copyright paperwork.
I tried to hire a lawyer and showed her proof. She said I had a great case but, She would need $50,000.00 to start and $10,000.00 a month for the next 5 years to fight against the untold millions the famous actor could spend counter suing me.
In the end I decided I did not want the undo exposure about my past and just let it go. If It had not been for my past, I would have fought it.
Not going to name the movie nor the actor because my name will come up in the initial complaint against the actor and am choosing to remain behind the scenes for my families sake who are also somewhat well known. I should not have even said this much.
Writing a book isn’t going to happen even though writing and literature was my strong genre in college. I once wrote a book about my life similar to A million little things but again, decided not to expose myself and my family, MONEY is not everything. So I put my life’s work through a shredder, cried a lot, then felt 1000 times better. Both from the crying but mostly from shredding my past and giving it to God.
You could always write and publish under an assumed “artistic” name like many do and have done. Stephen King did it.
CherokeeJack,
Letting go of past dreams is not a bad thing. God has much better things to offer us than what we could possible scrape together here for ourselves. See Matthew 13:45 and you’ll understand what I mean.
Since you wrote about Mathew 13:45 I am going to share something with you all. I have a young son who is in jail now awaiting trial. My children have been my life. He is my youngest and also the most gentle spirited person one could ever meet in this world. He helped everyone. Our lives have been shattered …to the point where its almost hard to breathe because its terrifying to us what we are learning about the prisons and the registry and he is so young…and his life seems as every step will be a struggle. The only hope and peace we have gotten is from God and we are so thankful for his love. It has kept us breathing… When sometimes the next breathe seems hard.
I was really not sure a few months ago if I was going to have a breakdown ( I have always been that strong person everyone knows)… But my son had a public defender who was awful and we needed desperately to hire an attorney. I had no money and there was no way to get the down payment. That’s when I actually started losing it . ….
Now here’s what happened at that exact moment…
My son , who is in jail, suddenly go overwhelmingly tired and laid down. He fell asleep and had a dream. In this dream he found himself working on building a house with another man. He said, ” Mom, this house had all this light just shining so brightly on the inside of it when we were building it. It was so strange”. Then he said that in the dream he fell asleep…and when he woke up the house was finished and it was just beautiful. He said that the light inside that house was so bright that it was shining out on all the trees outside very very brightly and that it was truly amazing. Then he woke up from the dream. He said it was all so odd because he never remembers his dreams but that this one was so real to him that he felt it.
At the same moment that he had that dream I also received the down payment for his attorney and got a job.
To me, this dream was a God dream …a gift from God for my son and myself. It showed me that the house being built was my son and the light shining in that house was the light of God within my son shining out. The beautiful house being finished with the light inside shining out on the trees was my son with God shining out of him onto the trees which to me are people. The words he remembered from the dream are these… ” It is finished”
This has given us both much hope and has reminded us to remember to not lose our faith. You reminded me of all this with Matthew and I needed to remember that again tonight. Thank You
ANN,
THE MOST important thing for your Son is NO matter what, let him know you love him and are there for him. My Parents did not give up on me and that gave me hope and a goal. Most of the people I met in prison who felt they had no reason to live were the ones who either had no family or whose families turned their backs on them.
I adopted a LOT of guys in prison both young and old. I had little brothers, papas and everywhere in between when I was there. Encouraging them took my mind off my own doubts and fears. I wrote to a few when I got released but over time they stopped writing for one reason or another but I always was there for them as a brother.
Even though I am Pentecostal, I attended every church service I could go to from Baptist to Holy roller just to share with brothers and get away from the creeps if only for an hour or two. I was a Christian before my arrest and had my parents send me my Baptism Bible. When I got released the guards asked why I was taking my Bible as most dumped them in the trash when they got released. I said faith in God is not a switch you can turn on and off when it is convenient .
During this pandemic, none of the groups, religious or not were allowed to enter the prisons and I am sure that took a toll on many of the inmates.
Prayers for your son. I do not know his name but God does so He will know who I mean when I pray for him.
Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
Jack
Ann, Jack is right on. I agree with him totally. I still write guys I met while incarcerated…they too are no longer incarcerated. My faith got me through that trial and gets me going everyday. I am thankful that my parents gave me a Christian background and were my supporters throughout my ordeal. It’s only through such times that you find out who your true friends are. I am this day blessed with my children and my many friends…Mom and Dad have gone to their reward.
And it’s pretty obvious to me that you are gifted with ability. Go for it.