Linguist deciphers girl's texts: Experts testify in case of double-fatal collision
A forensic linguist testified Wednesday that Justine Winter likely did not mean to kill herself when she texted her boyfriend about intentionally crashing her car.
The testimony came as part of the final day of Winter’s preliminary trial on charges that she committed deliberate homicide in the deaths of Erin J. Thompson, 35, and her son, Caden V. Odell, 13.
District Judge Katherine Curtis will use the preliminary trial as the basis for her decision on whether Winter will be tried as a juvenile or adult.
There are two likely hypotheses, Robert Leonard testified Wednesday.
One is that text messages Winter sent prior to her car’s collision with Thompson’s vehicle on March 19, 2009, constituted a suicide note.
The other is that the texts were just part of a continuing conversation between two teens who somewhat regularly threatened to commit suicide to exercise power and control over the other person.
“I can see how the preliminary analysis ... was a very appropriate hypothesis,” Leonard said. “When we broaden the context, the ongoing conversation is far superior.”
He offered an example to explain what he meant. “When people say ‘kill the umpire’ at a baseball game, they certainly don’t mean to kill the umpire.”
Leonard, who said he trained Federal Bureau of Investigation agents in forensic linguistics in Quantico, Va., and is a professor and department chairman at Hofstra University, called Winter’s threats “very low-level.”
Leonard used the text messages, the last of which was sent just prior to the collision, and an April 29, 2010, interview with Ryan Langford (then Winter’s boyfriend), to form his opinion.
In summarizing their points of view in the texts, Leonard said Langford’s main topic was that Winter should change. Winter’s thrust was “requesting, pleading or resisting” based on the theme, “You should love me as I really am.
“If someone is intending to commit suicide, they don’t typically talk about future events,” Leonard said. He referred to a specific text that Winter sent: “I will do what I can to make all the difference, because it’s ending.”
“Given the context between two young lovers, ‘it’ could be about the relationship,” he said.
Under cross-examination by Deputy County Attorney Lori Adams, Leonard said Winter’s perspective would be important.
Adams asked if Leonard was relying on Langford being truthful in his interview. “Yes,” he said.
Defense attorney Max Battle said last he didn’t plan to put Winter on the witness stand. Winter has no recollection of the day of the collision, according to defense attorney David Stufft.
Also on Wednesday, defense witness Dr. Stephen G. Hipskind, a nuclear neurologist from Denver, testified via telephone that Winter has a traumatic brain injury as a result of the crash.
Editor’s note: Leonard was a founding member of the rock group Sha Na Na, a fact that was mentioned in court Wednesday.
Reporter Caleb Soptelean may be reached at 758-4483 or by e-mail at csoptelean@dailyinterlake.com.