UPDATE
The death of the attractive, single woman in South Carolina, Katherine Waring, has had no new evidence emerge due to an Oct. 13 gag order issued by Circuit Judge Markley Dennis. The order was issued after the Charleston Police Department confiscated the personal belongings of a private detective hired by the Waring family. The private investigator had found skeletal remains on Wadmalaw Island. The remains were later determined to be those of the missing Katherine Waring who was last seen in July.
The feuding between the Private Investigators and Charleston P.D were settled discreetly behind closed doors and that is where everything else about the case has continued to stay. However, the case of Katherine Waring was in the Top 10 list of 2009 on Live5news in Charleston, S.C. The public, thus the media, wants to know… WHAT HAPPENED TO KATE? And WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW?
The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC) reported on November 19, 2009 “that the attorneys waive rights to preliminary hearings. More details were expected to emerge Tuesday during preliminary hearings for three suspects accused of hindering the police investigation into her disappearance and death. The proceedings, however, were canceled after defense attorneys waived their right to the hearings, which are held to determine probable cause in criminal cases, authorities said.”
The Post and Courier also said, “The gag order applies to everyone involved in the case, including witnesses and the victim's family. Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson requested the gag order with the consent of defense attorneys, citing the potential for the case to receive "substantial local media coverage and additional national media coverage." Statements made outside of court could jeopardize "the fair administration of justice," attorneys asserted.”
In what extreme situation should a Judge order the complete silence of everyone involved with a case?
The Post and Courier went on to say, “Such sweeping gag orders are somewhat rare in local criminal cases, and one open-records law expert questioned whether the order would hold up on appeal.”
The Post and Courier, “Jay Bender, an attorney for the South Carolina Press Association, said the judge likely has the authority to impose restrictions on lawyers involved in the case, but he is on rockier legal ground in trying to muzzle the coroner, police and the family. "It's extremely unusual," he said.”
Protecting the integrity of the case and the witnesses involved is understandable. However, there are too many questions and too many opportunities for speculation. One of the more sought after answers in the case is- HOW did Kate Waring die?
Other questions that remain unanswered are understandably too delicate to publicize. For example, who is the unknown source? Obviously, their identity is being withheld for their protection and for the least amount of contamination to the case. They are being protected for the moment.
The allegations that have been made based on the testimony of the “source” have led to more questions. Who had so much information to give to investigators? They knew where Kate’s body was located. They knew who moved it, they were able to tell authorities that Kate’s iPod was given to Terry Williams as payment for helping move Waring’s body and they knew who delivered the iPod (Kamp) and on whose orders.(Mack) Did they also know HOW she died?
With so much partial information and the unnamed witness, why are the three people of interest Williams, Kamp and Mack being held for “Obstruction of Justice” instead of Murder or Manslaughter? In one article, it was stated they were arrested for her murder and in another, it said they were being investigated IN CONNECTION with her murder. The only official charges at this time are Obstruction of Justice and Forgery.
When facts are left out of a story is becomes fiction. When blanks are left in a sentence, it’s a natural inclination to fill in the blanks.
As an example, “The __________ cat ran across the street, startling the __________ who nearly hit a ___________.”
Did you conclude that it was a “black cat” that ran across the street, startling the “old lady” who nearly hit a “curb”? You could be correct. Or it could be that it was an “injured cat” that ran across the street, startling the “motorist” who nearly hit a “child”.
When you leave blanks, ANY answer is acceptable until a fact is inserted. The fact has to be proven to be true. It has to precede any false beliefs, misconceptions, theories, speculation and rumors that have been taken to heart and applied as “the truth”. The power of suggestion can be a remarkably powerful tool.
The imagination, curiosity and speculation of what “could be” are greatly increased when it remains such a big mystery. The integrity of the case can be questioned simply because eventually there will be a jury selection. A jury of their peers will come from within the community.
The community has been bombarded with rumors and partial truths. To apply anything or suggest something in the face of uncertainty is the same as inserting “your own” answers. To repeat it as the truth because it seems plausible and you find yourself comfortable believing it -doesn’t make it the truth.
Even someone who has knowledge of an individual’s past behavior doesn’t necessarily mean they can predict the future behaviors of that individual. Even if it’s only a 1 in 100 percent chance, there is still a chance that they are wrong. No amount of obscure insight or baseless assumptions is worth the integrity of the truth.
Lies are hard to disprove once the lie has taken residence in the heart and mind of the person hearing it. The truth can be just as evasive and tricky. Is it based on a person’s perspective or is it based on more than that?
In the case of Katherine Waring and the uncomfortable silence that continues to keep the public in the dark, curiosity and questions are the only things available. The need for ANY answer will jeopardize the integrity of truth once it is revealed. Shadows of doubt will remain after the unnecessary and prolonged suspense ends. O.J Simpson was acquitted of the crime of murder, but his name was never erased as the murderer in the public’s mind.
More questions about Kate’s addictions, her D.U.I, her need for daily medication and the childhood incident that she never got over. Did her past addictions come back? Did they ever leave her or was she always plagued with the desire to participate occasionally? Faced with questions of this nature is it reasonable to ask if Kate could have overdosed that night?
Is that why there are no official murder charges? Did it happen in the company of her companions that night? The colorful characters with checkered past. Did these companions have self-preservation in mind? Was the thought of explaining themselves to authorities more than they wanted to deal with? Did they unceremoniously move the body of Waring to a place they couldn’t be associated with and then leave her?
Why would anyone dump the body of a young woman in the woods? Did they feel no responsibility? Which brings us once again to the unknown source, why were they so fearlessly able to tell investigators everything? Perhaps, it isn’t without fear. Now that the rumor mill has begun, with so many unanswered questions and speculations, we have to come back to the question once more. How will Charleston find a suitable jury?
Will they be sequestered in order to keep the public and media from getting any information? Will the potential jurors be able to disregard preconceived notions without tainting their ability to listen and take in the pieces of information without bias?
How much effort is going into the background of the three people being held on Obstruction of Justice charges? Are they absolutely certain they have the right people? Is it a possibility that Kate’s choices of friends, the accused, are being scrutinized too harshly?
Heather Kamp, Terry Williams and Ethan Mack aren’t among the social elite. They do not have memberships to private country clubs, they aren’t “new money” or “old money” and they could not be classified as the “influential” types. In fact, they would be considered by the social elitists as “low class”. Using the term “from the wrong side of the tracks” is putting it mildly in this case.
Unfortunately, addiction and driving while intoxicated does not have social boundaries. How often Kate got behind the wheel of the car while intoxicated is unknown. Her mom’s description of Kate’s “courageous battle” with an addiction was put on the website http://www.bringkatehome.com. She said her daughter was “like so many others”. Is it possible that Kate’s battle was ongoing and like so many others, she had her moments of weakness?
Why did Kate’s friend disregard her call that night? He looked at the phone and chose not to answer it. He didn’t get her voicemail until the following day. Was Kate like many other addicts and alcoholics who have a tendency to “drunk dial” in search of anyone who will pick up the phone?
Was she always asking others for rides to and from places due to her driving situation? Had she become such an inconvenience that her friend avoided her and by doing so missed an opportunity to spare Kate’s life? If he hadn’t ignored her call that fateful night is it possible that Kate would have told him her location and who she was with at the time.
I questioned whether or not there is a remote possibility that Kate’s friends are being scrutinized for being from the wrong side of the tracks. However, it would seem that if Ethan Mack had cashed several checks from Katherine Waring in the past that there would be no need in forging a check. Why didn’t he just wait for Kate to sign the check? Unless, of course, he knew that Kate was never going to be writing any more checks.
I remain puzzled at the Obstruction of Justice charge. The unnamed witness gave so many details. “Moving a body” implies death has already occurred. So where was she moved from? Why risk moving a body at all? When did they come in contact with her iPod? When did they take her checkbook and what did they do with the remaining checks if only one was stolen?
Why did Heather Kamp tell the Authorities that she and Mack had not told the truth when they were first asked about the night that Kate disappeared?
She gave them a new version but no one knows yet what it was. Three accused and one witness, a witness with very specific details. Is one of the three the unnamed source? Did Ethan Mack cut a deal with the D.A in exchange for the truth about what really happened that night? Why did Kamp and Mack apply for a marriage license but never follow through? Did Heather Kamp go to the authorities to tell them they had lied because Mack didn’t marry her?
William’s claimed the iPod that belonged to Kate Waring was give to him by Heather Kamp. He claimed it was in return for all of the cigarettes and food he had bought for her. Was she Mack’s girlfriend at the time? Did Ethan Mack not care that another man was taking care of his girlfriend? How did Heather Kamp meet Terry Williams and Ethan Mack? Mack claimed to have been friends with Kate Waring for a very long time. Before the gag order, his family said Kate often visited the house and had dinner.
How did Heather Kamp feel about Mack’s friendship with the attractive Waring? With Heather Kamp’s record of deceiving and manipulating to find and keep love, was she threatened by Kate? Did her past relationship with a particular man (who told her that he was only friends with a woman and later admitted to being in love with the same woman) play any role in her feelings toward Kate Waring and Ethan Mack’s friendship?
Why did Heather Kamp not have representation in court the day bond was set? When the Judge asked her about her “not appearing” before the court when ordered to, Kamp said she had always appeared in court when she was supposed to. Why did she lie to the Judge? The warrant for her arrest was for “failing to appear”.
The text messages that Kate told her father about were threatening. Waring’s father told authorities that Kate said she wanted to distance herself from Mack and his girlfriend. After Ethan Mack’s arrest, he told the authorities that after he returned Waring to her home that she had called him. He said, “She told me that she showed the police the text that she sent.” What “she” was Kate referring to when she said that? What was Mack’s point in saying that to the authorities?
Did Heather Kamp send those text messages to Kate Waring? It would not be Kamp’s first time to send unfriendly text messages to a woman who was friends with her boyfriend. However, even with Kamp’s temper, none of her crimes appears to be related to violence.
Regardless of Kamp’s former “possessive” nature, is she capable of killing? Is Kamp the unnamed source? Under what extreme circumstances and in what situation would she betray the man she loves to the authorities? She has lied to boyfriends in the past. She has betrayed boyfriends, but it was often when she realized there was no hope left. She knew the relationship was over.
"Substantial local media coverage and additional national media coverage." Statements made outside of court could jeopardize "the fair administration of justice," attorneys asserted.”--- Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson
What lies and what truths will the authorities have to sort through to find out what actually happened? The dragging out of this case, the delayed arrest, the lack of sufficient charges in comparison to the version of events given by the unnamed witness, the private investigators locating the remains instead of the police department. Are we to presume that none of those things will jeopardize the fair administration of justice?
Overall, there is doubt about whether the truth will be revealed. There is a fear of incompetency and a fear that errors will be made due to pride, self-centered heroism and insufficient evidence.
It takes a great deal of humility to self evaluate and admit if someone else is better for a particular job. I sincerely hope that people in the Waring case have taken inventory of their capabilities. I hope the judge reconsiders the gag order. The public attention and the anticipation for answers are the only stated reason for the gag order. Meanwhile the facts are slowly being butchered by the suspense and the speculation that the gag order is creating.
The public is waiting for the truth to be brought to light. As far as the public is concerned, we are still in the wooded, gated community on Wadmalaw Island. We are still with Kate on her last dark night – and it seems endless. Until the gag order is lifted, Kate is still being silenced. She is still alone in the dark. The trio in jail is innocent until proven guilty by a court of law. Neither the local media nor attention from the National media has the power to convict them without a judge, jury, proof of a crime and evidence substantiating it. However, the media does have the right to serve the public. We do have right to freedom of speech. The public does have the right to be given factual stories. It’s called, “News” and it serves a purpose.
Kate Waring’s story has the right to be heard. The cause of death and the possibility of more charges being added are not going to jeopardize the case. The public would like to know, why is Kate being silenced?
"Freedom is only one generation away from extinction. It is not passed onto our children through the bloodstream. It is fought for, defended and given to them to do the same." -- Ronald Reagan 
