In the article, a woman’s body is found under the bed of a man taken to the hospital for self-inflicted stab wounds. The man, David Cavalieri, allegedly strangled his girlfriend, wrapped the body in plastic, and left her body under his bed. The police go on to say that they had never encountered such a case before, in which the perpetrator kept the victim’s body with them for weeks.
Firstly, this article portrays Cavalieri as “other.” He attempted suicide or at least wanted to hurt himself, as evidenced by the self-inflicted wounds. Also, the heinous nature of the crime – killing his girlfriend, holding onto the body – makes him different from the “heat of the moment” crimes that we typically read about. To further the idea of marital problems (as evidenced by his killing her), neighbors are interviewed as saying that the two had lived together for many months, but they hadn’t seen her of late. This indicates, too, that the alleged perpetrator is not close with his neighbors, furthering the idea of his otherness. The end part slants Cavalieri as homocidal mastermind, like Hannibal Lector. It explains that while in the hospital, Cavalieri admitted to sheriffs that they might find something in his apartment. One can well imagine the man with an evil grin and a mischievous twinkle his eye, a la Anthony Hopkins, rather than lying in a bed, recovering from self-inflicted wounds. This article’s purpose is not only to inform – it also seeks to slant the reader against this man. No mention is made of his mental state (alleged or confirmed), or of the injuries he sustained. Rather than telling of a potentially troubled man, this is a story of cold-blooded killer who may have wanted to be caught. Between the lines are messages of Cavalieri’s otherness and how this can be dangerous, even deadly.
i knew this man personally & better than anyone, for over 10 years. trust me, there was no slant. he is cold blooded & not nearly as amusing or clever as hannibal. he only thinks he is.
Comment by knewhim — June 3, 2009 @ 6:42 am
I agree with the comment that there was no slant to imply negative attributes to David Cavalieri. I have pasted an article below regarding his court testimony on June 4th during his indictment that clearly shows a cold-blooded sociopath who murdered my bestfriend, who was a kind & loving person. I’ve had dealings with this “monster” before her murder and spoke to him on April 9,after he killed her,yet before it was known. Having been calling her for 1 1/2 weeks, he answered her cell phone & told me she’d been “too busy to return my calls & knew we had lengthy conversations & hadn’t had enough time over the past week½ & she was at work (she was unemployed), & she’d decided to give their relationship another chance& were now happy & doing great,& would tell her I called AGAIN & make sure she called.”He’d already killed her & hid her body under the bed during this conversation! His perversed gratification to answer my call & say they were back together & happy. Especially since I knew he broke a bottle over her head & needed stitches in March 2009 and in Nov. 2008 he’d severly beaten her on which she finally ended the abusive relationship. He was a jealous,paranoid, manipulative, controlling, abusive, insecure, arrogant alcoholic who believed & wanted people to believe he was charming,personable & of high intellect. The information being reported in no way is prejudiced against this evil person who maliciously took the life of a loving mother, daughter, sister & friend.
Ashburn Strangling Case Will Go to a Grand Jury
By Jonathan Mummolo
Updated: Thursday, June 04, 2009
An Ashburn man confessed that he strangled his girlfriend in late March after a heated argument, then kept her body hidden under a bed in his apartment before authorities discovered it more than two weeks later, according to testimony yesterday.
David Cavalieri, 40, is charged with first-degree murder in the slaying of Stacie Harper, 37, who lived with him, authorities said. Loudoun County Judge Avelina S. Jacob ruled that there was sufficient evidence to send the case against Cavalieri to a grand jury.
Cavalieri called 911 the morning of April 15 to report that he had injured himself, authorities said. He later told investigators that he had stabbed himself in the abdomen and neck, one of several suicide attempts he made after killing Harper, according to testimony during the hearing in Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court.
After killing Harper, Cavalieri e-mailed her relatives using her account and name to make it appear that she was alive, explaining why she had to miss appointments, could not pick up her young son and had been out of touch, said Harper’s aunt, Carol Sheppard of Reston.
“He was e-mailing people so they wouldn’t miss her,” Sheppard said after the hearing. “We’re devastated. . . . She was a beautiful woman that definitely did not deserve to have this happen to her.”
Investigators recounted a gruesome series of events, in which they said Cavalieri methodically took steps to conceal Harper’s body.
During an interrogation in April, Cavalieri said he choked Harper because she was “self-righteous,” and he said he and Harper had been drinking and arguing over finances and alleged infidelity, testified Shannon Coderre, an investigator with the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.
Cavalieri told investigators he then smoked a cigarette and choked Harper again, this time with a piece of twine, “so tight his fingers were going numb,” Coderre said. Cavalieri said he could not remember everything that had happened, Coderre said.
Cavalieri then wrapped Harper’s body in a shower curtain and comforter and later in garbage bags secured with masking tape, authorities testified.
Public defender Lorie E. O’Donnell argued that the first-degree murder charge was too severe, noting that Cavalieri had been drinking and was in a heated argument.
“The question is: Was there premeditation? Was there malice on the 29th?” O’Donnell said. “There was not.”
Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney James P. Fisher disagreed, saying that the account Cavalieri gave to investigators showed premeditation and that Cavalieri attacked Harper “upon no reasonable basis.”
“The testimony revealed a very violent and disturbing episode,” Fisher said in an e-mail after the hearing.
Sheppard said that Harper had been dating Cavalieri for more than a year, that she was not working at the time of her death and that she had three sons.
Prosecutors plan to bring Cavalieri’s case before a grand jury next week. The maximum sentence for first-degree murder is life in prison.
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Comment by Lisa Jones — June 5, 2009 @ 6:57 pm
Man u Fuken haTer
Comment by LizAbETH — April 23, 2010 @ 10:14 pm
Anthony Hopkins is one of the veteran actors in Hollywood that should be given a lifetime acheivement award.~”.
Comment by Allison Hill — July 9, 2010 @ 12:08 pm