And she said no," said Alvin. Nonfiction is very different. Through the work of the Tiana Angelique Notice Foundation that Alvin and Kathy formed with the help of Connecticut State Senator Mae Flexer and Karen Jarmoc, a former state legislator and now head of the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, laws have been toughened to prevent domestic violence murders. Police tell her there is no way to prove Carter was responsible. And she might still be alive. But to review it does it, I think, a disservice. What do I have to do to open Johnny's shop? share. Tianna Woods at the Royal York Hotel Join my VIP friends win prizes here... http://www.tiannawoods.com If I'm lying may God take my life. "Looking at the face value what was going on I realized that there was a system failure.". “Here is the part that chilled me the most, the part that chills me still: people saw me standing at the wall, and on one said a word. Does anyone know if her abusers, Tiana and Johnny Siale, were charged or convicted with any crime? Already I knew from my escape attempts that I was invisible, that everyone trusted the Siales, and that I was just another problem kid who deserved whatever she was getting . of the members of the LGBT community. And he knew what was needed. Saving Alex is a book that perhaps should not be reviewed. "I saw the expression of the receptionist when we identified ourselves, and I saw the look on the surgeon when the surgeon came out and told us that we're going to find a place to meet. Locations are listed and names are named, but the reader is left to either accept the author at her word or to reject the whole of the document. In partnership with Warner Bros. Entertainment, Caltrans: California Department of Transportation, Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Florida teens charged with attacking romantic rival, running over victim's mother in street, COVID prompts mistrial in Indiana case of woman accused of murdering stepdaughter, Murder victims found on highway shoulder in Northern California mountains, Exclusive: Emily Defries speaks out on death of fiance's baby girl, Kelsie Schelling disappears after ultrasound visit, fight with boyfriend. Tiana Notice doesn't have a date -- or so she thinks. There I was, in the front hallway of the house, positioned between the entryway, the living room, and the kitchen. "I didn't know why they didn't take my daughter seriously," said Kathy. Once they are told that their daughter is gay, the parents fall silent and distant, only to finally come to their daughter with the suggestion that she go to stay with her grandparents in Utah for a while, while the family comes to grips with this new reality. Tiana goes to Plainville Police Department to report him for violating the restraining order, only to be told by an officer the e-mails are non-threatening. Terms of Use | Then she loses consciousness. It could be written about in the media. In partnership with Warner Bros. Entertainment | Her parents back in California were, of course, paying good money for these “good works” and allowed themselves to remain blissfully unaware of the treatment their daughter was undergoing. Sort by . But six months into their relationship, James Carter II is sentenced to five months in jail for the domestic abuse of a previous girlfriend, and Tiana learned he has a rap sheet for numerous other violent crimes including assault. A jury agreed with the family, awarding them a $10 million judgment. Following her murder Tiana's estate filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the officers who handled the complaints against James Carter II. While other guys are giving their sweethearts roses and candy, this crazy Valentine will give Tiana a knife, right in her heart. Nor may she do anything but stand with her face to the wall while wearing a knapsack loaded with rocks (to remind her of the burden of her aberrant sexuality) when not cleaning or preparing meals for the whole family. Neighbors come to her aid. .”. And I'm like, 'Look, I don't want my daughter to become a statistic, and I'm telling you now: If something happens to my daughter, you better move to another planet.'". The site may not work properly if you don't, If you do not update your browser, we suggest you visit, Press J to jump to the feed. After being placed in the couple’s hands, the young woman is brutalized, threatened with her very life, and forced to undergo a series of gut punches, whippings, and systematic religious reprogramming—all while also being forced to act as an unpaid servant in the couple’s home. no comments yet. So while Saving Alex—in terms of its writing, voice, narrative (Good Lord, it is not until page 180 that we read: “September 7th of 2010, I, Alexandra Cooper, was brought to live with the Siale family.” And we finally have some idea of when this is set. Read aloud from in books stores or community meetings or religious gatherings. Thanks. "I really wanted to get to the bottom of it," said Alvin. "The unfortunate thing for us, the tape ran out," said Alvin. And Tiana is left in tears after one visit to the Waterbury Police Department near the university after he repeatedly called her at work. And historical eras’ actual timelines and famous faces, who may or may not be willing to hand over the facts, preferring instead evasions and myths. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Tiana Notice was a 25-year-old blessed with both brains and beauty. "She went and visited the police station 33 times in six weeks.". "More action from the police, more action from legislators, more action from the courts," said Alvin. "He started stalking her, showing up wherever she was, whether out with her friends, she was out grocery shopping, at work," said Kathy Lewis, Tiana's mother. Sign up to receive breaking True Crime Daily news, exclusive stories and behind-the-scenes info. "I even pretended to be someone who was coming at her that night. "Tiana texts me and said, 'Dad, my tires were slashed on my car,' and I said 'Did you see somebody do it?' They didn't believe anything I told them. They thought I was lying, and one officer accused me of having a fake restraining order,'" said Kathy. And the reviewer can consider the actual narrative, its rhythms, its ebb and flow, the music of the language, and whether the pages seem to turn themselves as the story unfolds in front of a reader’s eyes. Carter continues harassing Tiana with phone calls, texts and e-mails, and she keeps returning to police to report him, to no avail. User Info: Fallacia. The pages do turn quickly, although the persons described never rise above caricatures—Mormons are thugs or accomplices to thugs, fellow gays are brave and kind, etc. He snarled at me. "So through that system the victim is alerted when the offender is coming within a certain distance of their home, of their workplace, of their family members' homes," said Jarmoc. How young Alex Cooper managed to free herself and the actions that she took afterward in coming to grips both with her parents and with the couple that harmed her are the heart of the memoir and will not be discussed here. He won't leave me alone,'" said Alvin. Didn't have to think too long. But still the police take no action against Carter. "We started a pilot program for GPS monitoring, which was largely connected to Tiana's tragic murder," said Flexer. and little else. Alex readily agrees, only to find that the trip is a ploy to deliver her not into the hands of her grandparents, but instead into the house of a Mormon couple who have declared themselves, although unlicensed and untrained, as experts in “Conversion Therapy.”. ", "He was well-to-do and he's got his own house and stuff like that," said Alvin Notice. It's supposed to be a day of love, but for the family of Tiana Notice, Valentine's Day will always be a sad reminder of the day their daughter was murdered in Plainville, Connecticut in 2009. Hey, I’m reading the memoir by Alex Cooper who survived gay conversion therapy by Mormons. See how Trapped: The Alex Cooper Story unfolds Saturday at 8/7c. I only saw photos of him and I immediately disliked him," said Kathy Lewis. © 2020 Telepictures Productions Inc. "We got to the hospital quarter of midnight," said Kathy. Tiana's dad speculates that Carter had been cheating on her, so she gives him his marching orders, and then is forced to take out a restraining order against him. Carter viciously stabs Tiana about 20 times, twice in the heart, as she gets to her front door. What convinces me that the existence of Saving Alex is more important than its flaws is the fact that this book, placed into the hands of a gay youth in a precarious moment in his or her life, might well save that life. "It was about him. So her worried dad installs a security camera in her parking lot aimed toward her car. What she did not realize, however, was that her family, if forced to choose, would choose the church’s teachings over their child’s happiness and sense of self-worth. But that would never be enough for her parents. The reader can comment upon whether the author has drawn his or her characters finely enough to make them seem to come alive on the page. She was a genuine child prodigy way ahead of her classmates. I have left the screen and come back to the console several times, only for the shop to be closed every time. Tiana Louise Collins, 17, passed away Thursday, June 6, 2019 at her home.A memorial graveside service will be held 2pm Saturday, June 15, 2019 at Tirzah ARP Church Cemetery. You're just having bad luck. But still in many cases it just boils down to a simple question: Is a good time being had by all? But, as Kurt Vonnegut used to say, “Hi ho.”. You can hear her fading fast on the 911 call. "And the first thing comes to mind: Who did it? Complete Files Finished: FFVI / FFVII Currently Playing: FFVIII. Tiana's mom says Carter is also stalking Tiana sitting outside her apartment building in his car and following her when she goes shopping or travels to and from her temporary job at a local university. But having grown up in a Mormon family living in California, she knows how strongly—violently—the church resists homosexuality. "And I said, 'What happened?' "Then the team of doctors came in, and they told me 'We did everything we could,'" said Kathy. "But if we have a video, hands down we got something," said Alvin. Tiana is rushed to the local hospital. But somehow she has the strength to make a 911 call. Looks like you're using new Reddit on an old browser. "If James had a GPS on his person, Tiana would have known he was by her house," said Alvin. James Carter II is now serving 60 years without parole for the savage slaying of Tiana Notice. Now, enraged, Carter is lurking in the shadows of her apartment complex on Valentine's Day evening, waiting for her to come home. All of which is taking the long way ’round before considering Alex Cooper’s new memoir Saving Alex, whose cover copy itself says it all: When I Was Fifteen I Told My Mormon Parents I Was Gay, and That’s When My Nightmare Began. Remember this email when karma bites you in the ass.". Crime Watch Daily did reach out to both police departments for comment on this story but did not receive any response. Forgive me for everything else I have done.". She seemed too smart to fall for someone as dangerous as James Carter II. And yet it is more diatribe than treatise. This thread is archived. Tiana Notice doesn't have a date -- or so she thinks. As Alex is told again and again by the couple—their names, we are told are Johnny and Tianna Siale—the fact that nearly everyone in the community was Mormon and had already been prepared for her arrival meant that no one would intervene to help or free her.