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Re: Kyle Brennan Investigation

Title: Re: Kyle Brennan Investigation
Date: Monday, 27 August 2007
Publisher:
Main source: forums.whyweprotest.net

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Re: Kyle Brennan Investigation

Content of conversations: Victoria Britton and Detective Steve Bohling of the Clearwater Police Department.

August 27, 2007

After Kyle passed away, family members were upset and puzzled as to why we had never received a phone call from the Clearwater Police Department. We thought for certain they would have some questions to ask us regarding Kyle. It was also questioned why Kyle’s physician “Dr. Steven McNamara” was not contacted by the Clearwater Police Department or the medical examiner of Pinellas County. The doctor’s name and phone number were printed on the prescription bottle that was found in Tom Brennan’s truck in the early morning of February 17,2007.

We were soon alerted by family members and friends that they had found Kyle’s name on a web site called Operation Clambake, while searching for his obituary on the internet.
The Clambake web site claimed that Kyle had died for the anti-psych beliefs of Tom Cruise. An individual anonymously sent information regarding Kyle’s death to an Andreas Heldal- Lund. Lund being the author and host of the web site. The family believed that the information had come from a leak within the Clearwater Police Department, and not a “Scientologist” as stated in the thread on the Clambake web site.

This new information was very upsetting to all the people who loved and cared for Kyle. It also
made family and friends start questioning what had gone so terribly wrong in Florida. Not only had we never been contacted by the “Clearwater Police Department,” but questions were raised about the behavior of Kyle’s father Tom Brennan.
Tom showed no emotion, or caring over the death of his only son and child. He was very flippant and unfeeling. His lack of caring was so disturbing and unsettling to family members it was decided to not include his name in Kyle’s obituary as his surviving father.

Conversations with Detective Steve Bohling:

Scott M. Brennan, would be the first person to speak with the Clearwater Police Department. This is when we learned that a “Detective Steve Bohling” had been assigned to the case. Scott told family members that the detective was very rude and antagonistic towards him. He spoke with “Bohling” on only two occasions and decided it would be best for another family member to speak with the detective as he could not be certain if Bohling’s negative attitude was something personal against him. Scott, had asked “Detective Bohling” during both interviews for information and the full name of the man who notified our family of Kyle’s death. Bohling, was hesitant on this subject. His response to Scott was "he's a Scientology guy." He would not give Scott, the last name of “Jerry” or offer an explanation as to why the Clearwater Police Department, did not contact the family when Kyle died .

My first attempt to call Detective Steve Bohling was on April 3rd, 2007 at 4 p.m. Two messages were left on April 4th at 9:30 a.m. and another at 1:40 p.m. I left another message on April 5th, at 9:31 a.m. I spoke with Det. Bohling for the first time on the afternoon of April 5th. I started the conversation by saying that I may not be able to emotionally handle certain aspects of the conversation but I would do my best.

This is when I first heard the name “Jerry Gentile.” The family did not know the full name of the individual who notified us of Kyle’s death before this date. Detective Steve Bohling seemed to be genuinely empathetic during this fifty-six minute conversation. He mentioned that he was looking for a man named “Eddie Childress” to interview. I was told that he was the individual who was renting a room in Tom’s apartment.

This interview was to clarify where Tom Brennan had stored the weapon that killed Kyle. Childress was going to be interviewed to confirm if he recalled it being stored in the room Kyle was staying in-the same room Childress was renting from Tom Brennan.

On April 6th 2007, my husband Rick Britton called Detective Bohling to ask him some further questions. Rick asked if there was a suicide note found on Kyle. Bohling responded that he believed the note found in Kyle’s pocket was a suicide note. Also discussed was Kyle’s lap top computer. Det. Bohling said that he would like to have it sent to Florida so that the FBI could look at it and have it analyzed.

The Clearwater Police Department makes no further effort in explaining or obtaining answers to questions regarding the circumstances of Kyle’s death.

In June of 2007, Attorney Luke Charles Lirot of Clearwater, Florida is retained by Kyle’s surviving family.

Content of conversation between Victoria Britton and Detective Steve Bohling on August 22, 2007:

This was the second time that I spoke to Detective Bohling since the death of my son Kyle Brennan more than six months prior.

I began the conversation by telling him that I was calling to ask him about the status of the case. He proceeds to tell me that it is currently inactive.

I told Det. Bohling that I was having a difficult time accepting that Kyle’s father would treat him as if he were no more than a pile of dirty laundry and leaving him on the floor for over forty minutes before calling for help.

Det. Bohling laughs out loud in a sardonic manner after I make this statement. He apologizes while still laughing saying that he is not laughing at the situation.

He went on to say, “you people” need to get your facts straight before making statements like that. He said that Tom had made the call for help much sooner than forty minutes. I tell him that my information must be different than his. He asked me if I have a minute and he would pull the record up on the computer. After a moment he started mumbling military times in a barely audible voice and announced that a call was sent out at 12:03 a.m.(He seemed flustered).I tell him that my information was correct, as Tom told my husband Rick, that he arrived home at 11:20 on February 17th. Bohling told me that “Scentologists” have the right to call (he said a name that I did not understand) before calling for emergency help. I told Detective Bohling that Tom had obviously lied about details regarding the case and I question why he would do this. Bohling said that he may have lied because of the guilt he was feeling over the outcome and how he handled the situation.

( I had actually given some leeway on the time frame as Tom had told Rick Britton that it was between 11:15 and 11:20 when he arrived home. Tom Brennan gave a different time to his step-son Scott, saying that he arrived home between 10:30 and 11:00 p.m).This would place him in the apartment at the time of Kyle's death.

I can only assume that the “you people” statement was meant to be derogatory. I had recently made a public statement about Kyle’s death through a “Dr. Dave Touretzky”of Carnegie Mellon University. Doctor Touretzky, had published my statement on a web page that he created for Kyle after his death. I was intentionally vague with information in the statement and did not tell the public to what extent, or how deeply disturbing it was to Kyle that his father was affiliated with “The Church of Scientology.” Kyle would have wanted me to do this for him as he openly expressed disdain for Scientology’s beliefs and teachings.

Detective Bohlings reference of “you people” was in all probability a dig at the anti-Scientology movement.

I personally have never been involved with an anti-Scientology organization.

Detective Bohling asked me if I thought that my ex-husband had killed my son. He would ask me this question twice in the thirty-seven minute conversation.

I asked Bohling for the first time about the suicide note found on Kyle. He said that it was really not a suicide note but merely a list of grievances. Bohling, told me that Kyle’s notes read like someone who was about to kill himself. I asked him if Kyle wrote about committing suicide in these notes. He responded with a no.

(Detective Bohling has given each family member a different answer regarding the suicide note)

I tell Detective Bohling about a recorded message that was discovered on Kyle’s cell phone. The message is to Kyle from his father. Tom Brennan is telling his son to take his vitamins as they hold the key in helping him feel better. The message is spoken in a sarcastic manner which would have been upsetting to Kyle.

Detective Bohlings response is that giving vitamins along with a healthy diet (?) Is not against the law.

I also asked about a timeline regarding Tom buying ammunition for the weapon. Bohling, tells me that it is not against the law to buy ammunition for a gun in the State of Florida.

He continued...if Tom went out and bought the ammunition on the day Kyle died there is nothing wrong with him doing that.

Bohling, states that as far as he is concerned, Tom could have gone out on the day Kyle died, bought the ammunition, thrown it on the bed with the gun and then tell Kyle that he can go and play with it and that would be fine. ( His exact words ) I was shocked at the crassness of this statement. I am still left wondering what would possess an individual to make such an insensitive remark to a mother who had lost a child in such a violent manner.

It is after this statement is made, that I decide that my questions regarding the death of my son will never be answered by the Clearwater Police Department. It had become very clear that Detective Steve Bohling’s behavior is lacking in the most basic of professional standards and human decency.

I did not understand what Detective Bohling found amusing about my reference of Tom Brennan’s treatment of his dead son until after my conversation with medical investigator Marti Scholl in December 2007.It was Ms. Scholl who would tell me that my sons head was found in a laundry basket. I then understood what Detective Steve Bohling found amusing about my comment regarding Brennan's treatment of Kyle after he died.