Murder Mountain documentary

[SC Tiger]

I finished the documentary series "Murder Mountain" on Netflix.

It's about an area in California called "The Emerald Triangle" where a LOT of weed is grown - both legally and illegally.  It talks about two different aspects mainly:

1)  The legalization of marijuana in California and how some of the farms are trying to go legal - and the struggles involved

2)  The disappearance of a kid who went up there as a "weed trimmer" and was never heard from again.

That place made rural SC look like a metropolis.  I kinda felt bad for the LEOs in that area as it did kind of paint them in a bad light for not pushing harder on the disappeared kid.  The only way they found him is that a group of guys from that area decided to have a "talk" with the guy that everyone knew killed him, and he lead them to the body.  They then dropped the guy off at a hospital with three gunshot wounds.

Problem was the guys who found him wouldn't talk to law enforcement (because most of them grew weed illegally up there) and the confession was coerced anyway (they shot him three times).  But he did lead them to the body.  

On the surface it seems like yeah - the LEOs could have done more, but at the same time they have a LOT of missing persons cases up there and they got VERY little cooperation at that time from the locals,  And you just aren't gonna solve a lot of cases that way.  Obviously the kid's family had few good things to say about local law enforcement but that's to be expected I guess - mainly due to frustration and lack of understanding of what they were up against.  Plus they couldn't get anyone who heard the confession to go on record plus a decent lawyer would be able to get it thrown out in about two seconds.  They want something that will stick in court.

(IMO the "Alderpoint 8" should have killed the guy right there).

It seems like things are changing though.  The legal growers want more law enforcement presence - but of course they then did go up there on a raid for an illegal grower and wound up at the wrong place.  To the LEOs credit though, they did their due diligence, figured out they were in the wrong spot, and didn't damage anything other than slicing a hole in one plastic sheet.  No "guns blazing", no flash-bangs, no no-knock bullshit - they were very professional.  The owner was a little miffed but I'd bet that he'll calm down in time.

It's worth a watch IMO.

Edited May 16, 2019 by SC Tiger

[Mrs.Cicero]

Why would anyone expect the police to solve a missing person case when NO ONE WILL TALK TO THEM?  What are they supposed to do?  Call the psychic hotline for clues?

[janice6]

2 hours ago, Mrs.Cicero said:

Why would anyone expect the police to solve a missing person case when NO ONE WILL TALK TO THEM?  What are they supposed to do?  Call the psychic hotline for clues?

It's like in the Ghetto.  The residents want thugs brought to justice, but at the same time they won't lift a finger to help the investigation.  I think they are worried that if they turn in the perpetrator, the next time someone will turn them in.

It's beyond redemption when there are so many breaking the law, that they are afraid to turn each other in.

[SC Tiger]

28 minutes ago, janice6 said:

It's like in the Ghetto.  The residents want thugs brought to justice, but at the same time they won't lift a finger to help the investigation.  I think they are worried that if they turn in the perpetrator, the next time someone will turn them in.

It's beyond redemption when there are so many breaking the law, that they are afraid to turn each other in.

I don't think it's exactly like that, but that isn't very far off.  I don't think the family of the missing kid they were talking about quite got that.  I suspect there were groups that wanted the police to solve crimes, but they understood the challenges.  Outsiders, however, didn't understand the challenges.  And I completely get that.

It does seem that a lot of people in that area are trying to change that though.  Legalization is helping.  Though it is killing the smaller "farmers."

I'm not overly sympathetic to the ones being pushed out by legalization.  Basically they're having to do the same stuff other farms are I believe, so it is fair.  I don't know the science well enough to know if they are 100% right or what, though.

[Foxterriermom]

I watched it a while back.  Quite interesting.