Bernadette Protti IS Jeannette Tomanka: Sorry for the wait...

Saturday, June 4, 2016

Sorry for the wait...

I'm back guys, sorry I've been busy with life lol. Startin Sunday new threads will be made. Thank u!

-Britt

491 Comments:

At June 5, 2016 at 7:05 AM , Anonymous said...: Hi there,

I find this website pretty interesting with all the stories and details on here. I do agree that Ms. Protti should have to suffer the rest of her life for what she did. I just hope this website or any other doesn't result in any innocent bystanders being harmed - I'm talking about Ms. Protti's sister, her own children or husband (why someone would want to marry a convicted murderer is beyond me though and I'm guessing he does know about her past). They did not commit any murder and as far as I know Bernadette's sister had zero involvement, other than show up at her trial to be supportive. They should not suffer. Otherwise keep the stories and information coming!
At June 5, 2016 at 9:39 AM , Anonymous said...: No, umm you are wrong. Her sister, Virginia is the one that said, "Under Oath" that the almost 2 foot long butcher knife that Bernadette used to slaughter Kirsten was HERS, and that she kept it in her car to cut "vegetables"; Yeah, RIGHT. Furthermore, her sister, Virginia has continued to LIE and slam Kirsten Costas, by saying that Bernadette was a victim of "Bullying!" That is complete, utter, BS!!!
At June 5, 2016 at 9:45 AM , K said...: there should never be even a slight possibility that anyone could be harmed from this blog. We are only here to discuss the facts & our opinions. If anyone ever suspects that someone wishes to cause harm to anyone, it needs to be reported ASAP. There should be a zero tolerance policy regarding violence, harassment, and threats. But as for suffering, well, there's not a person associated with this case that has not suffered. The Costas' & Prottis have all suffered a great deal. That's the unfortunate aftermath of violent crimes.
At June 5, 2016 at 10:27 AM , Karen : ) said...: This comment has been removed by the author.
At June 5, 2016 at 10:28 AM , Karen : ) said...: Hi Brittany, I hope you are well.

I concur with "Anonymous" (second Anonymous comment) and "K".
At June 8, 2016 at 4:00 PM , Unknown said...: Interesting first post. From the first anonymous.
At June 8, 2016 at 4:16 PM , Karen : ) said...: Hi Kmaham,

Why do you think so?
At June 8, 2016 at 4:21 PM , Unknown said...: Purple Haze- makes me wonder who wrote the post. Interesting that they loved part of what is being discussed but, stuck the sister in the mix.
At June 8, 2016 at 4:46 PM , Karen : ) said...: Hi Kmaham,

I thought it was weird. She gave the impression that she has read all of the articles on the site and if she has, she would be familiar with Virginia's 15/18 inch knife "left in the car to to cut vegetables" and Virginia having the bold-faced impudence to say that in court under oath in front of Kristen's family and loved ones.
At June 8, 2016 at 4:50 PM , Unknown said...: Purple Haze- not to mention, someone had to have helped clean the car. There is no way I will ever believe there was no blood on anything.
At June 8, 2016 at 4:52 PM , Karen : ) said...: Obviously no-one wants any harm to come to Bernadette's children and no-one is advocating vigilante justice towards Bernadette or her sister.
At June 8, 2016 at 4:55 PM , Karen : ) said...: Hi Kmaham,

Kirsten was reported to have "gushed blood". I'm sure Bernadette was covered in it. Kirsten had two two foot wounds so it's obvious she was bleeding heavily and impossible for Bernadette not to get any blood on her. Yes, I agree someone must have helped her clean the car.
At June 8, 2016 at 4:58 PM , Unknown said...: I wonder if they found blood going towards the direction of where her car was parked.
At June 8, 2016 at 5:00 PM , Unknown said...: Heavens no, nobody wants anything to happen to anyone. I hope Bernadette's kids know nothing about the murder.
At June 8, 2016 at 5:07 PM , Karen : ) said...: Hi Kmaham,

The comment about "no- one wanting harm to come to Bernadette's children" wasn't directed at you.

"I wonder if they found blood going towards the direction of where her car was parked"

They must have, but it wasn't mentioned. I can't recall it anyway. An individual wrote else where on the blog that there are dissertations about Bernadette's crime on "course hero". Apparently, the dissertations are detailed with interviews. Have you heard of course hero?
At June 8, 2016 at 5:16 PM , Unknown said...: Purple Haze- I never thought it was directed at me. Not even for a second. I have never heard of course hero.
At June 8, 2016 at 5:27 PM , Karen : ) said...: Good. I just wanted to be clear anyway.
At June 8, 2016 at 10:46 PM , K said...: When she ran off, I wonder how much grass she ran on vs concrete?
At June 9, 2016 at 12:32 AM , Unknown said...: K- good question. I guess that depends on where her car was parked. There is no way Bernadette did not have some blood on the bottom of her shoes.
At June 9, 2016 at 12:40 AM , K said...: The the man who drove Kirsten home said she was parked on the curb, right? And those houses had good sized front lawns. Just running a few steps through the grass would have gotten enough blood off the bottom of her shoes that footprints may not have been detected on the cement.
At June 9, 2016 at 12:43 AM , Unknown said...: K- no matter where she parked, she would have had to go around onto the street to get in the drivers seat. I can't see her entering through the passenger side.
At June 9, 2016 at 5:17 PM , K said...: You're right. But running on the grass would have gotten rid of a lot of the blood on the bottom of her shoes, possibly enough to not leave footprints on the sidewalk. Blood on the asphalt probably couldn't have been detected by the naked eye
At June 10, 2016 at 9:33 AM , Karen : ) said...: So many things went in Bernadette's favor that night.
At June 10, 2016 at 10:21 AM , Unknown said...: I do not know what kind of shoes she had on that night. I would bet they had smooth soles unlike the ones we have today. Tennis shoes today have so many ridges in them.
At June 10, 2016 at 3:08 PM , Anonymous said...: Even if faint traces of bloody footprints were detected, would forensics have been advanced enough to examine them? Forensic podiatry wasn’t a thing in the 80s. The pinto was examined which likely would have had evidence of a clean-up (bleach to remove blood stains -- apparently, Luminol would have detected chlorine bleach) yet nothing was discovered. Luckily the FBI got involved because the Contra Costa PD failed Kirsten and her family.

Did Jeannette pass the lie detector test or did Law Enforcement fail to read it correctly??
At June 13, 2016 at 4:31 AM , Karen : ) said...: This comment has been removed by the author.
At June 13, 2016 at 7:45 PM , Anonymous said...: You guys keep rehashing the same shit over and over.
At June 14, 2016 at 1:33 AM , Karen : ) said...: Oh, it's you again, Stephanie. Why you continue to go to a website which you claim "rehashes shit" is beyond my understanding.
At June 14, 2016 at 4:04 AM , Unknown said...: I would not go on a site if I thought that.
At June 14, 2016 at 10:31 PM , K said...: Do we? Well, what would you like to discuss?
At June 15, 2016 at 1:05 AM , Unknown said...: K - The "same shit" is off limits. Maybe Anonymous has an idea.
At June 15, 2016 at 4:02 PM , K said...: I'm anxious to hear her suggestions. 🙄
At June 15, 2016 at 5:43 PM , Unknown said...: We better not say anything. God forbid we rehash shit.
At June 15, 2016 at 5:46 PM , Karen : ) said...: That won't happen. I was probably wrong about it being Stephanie. People like the above poster make daft comments and slink away in cowardice rather than elucidating their point or directing their comment at a specific poster.
At June 15, 2016 at 6:02 PM , Karen : ) said...: I agree, kmaham.

"Anonymous" is so petulant. I'm sure she wouldn't have a problem if people were criticising Kirsten. I've conversed with people that were spitting nails because I support Kirsten and don't agree that Bernadette was the poor sweet self- conscious little lamb that just wanted to be accepted. I apologize for repeating myself, but a sweet person wouldn't stalk someone else and cowardly ambush them from from behind with a 15/18 inch knife, a "sweet" person wouldn't continue to stab their victim whilst seeing the pain and anguish on their victims face, seeing the fear and shock in their victim's eyes, listening to their victim scream in agony as the "sweet" person felt the knife rip through her victim's flesh, she would have smelled her victim's blood and her victim's blood would have gushed out all over her.

I don't like referring to Kirsten as a victim. She was a strong girl to get away from Bernadette even though she was mortally wounded.
At June 15, 2016 at 6:33 PM , Anonymous said...: Holy crap. That's quite the description. It's almost like you're getting off on it.
At June 15, 2016 at 6:46 PM , Karen : ) said...: Don't judge me by your deprave standards. I think it's a sickening description and I hate writing it, but I think it’s important to detail the hell that Bernadette put Kirsten through in order to dispel the erroneous statements that Bernadette was “a sweet innocent self-conscious little lamb” that could do no harm, when her actions clearly depict an evil black - hearted little monster.

You will anything to provoke a negative reaction, won't you? Nice try, dear. Your sub par trolling gets a D- for effort.
At June 15, 2016 at 6:48 PM , Karen : ) said...: * You will write anything.
At June 16, 2016 at 12:55 AM , Unknown said...: I will add something to your post Purple Haze. I have questioned why Kirsten did not tell the man who was driving her home, Bernadette's name. It must gave meant Kirsten was a nice person. She did now want o get her in trouble. This is a blog about this case. What do you want us to discuss? I am new to the case and blog. I am sure all of this has been discussed but that is what happens when new people enter and want to throw ideas around.
At June 16, 2016 at 1:05 AM , Unknown said...: P.S. Anonymous , your comment about "getting off" was just uncalled for.
At June 16, 2016 at 8:42 AM , Karen : ) said...: This comment has been removed by the author.
At June 16, 2016 at 8:46 AM , Karen : ) said...: Hi Kmaham,

I forgot to mention in my previous comment that a major artery in Kirsten's neck was hit. I didn't know Kirsten's neck was cut, but a helpful individual informed people under DEC 2014. Kirsten really was put through a hellish painful ordeal and although I hate referring to her as a victim, she is the only victim in this case.
.
At June 16, 2016 at 10:48 AM , Karen : ) said...: Hi Kmaham,

I agree. If Kirsten was the insufferable little bully bitch people have attempted to portray her as, she would have made fun of Bernadette’s strange behaviour to the guy that drove her home, particularly when Bernadette was obnoxiously tailgating the guy’s car. I wouldn’t pay too much attention to the individual’s petulant comment. I don’t feel comfortable writing such descriptive comments which others might perceive as a bit graphic and in poor taste, but I felt it necessary to dispel the ridiculous notion that Bernadette was the hard done by victim in this tragic case. I wanted to detail the horrendous ordeal so people can picture the sheer agonizing hell that Bernadette put Kirsten through. Kirsten is the only one that deserves pity in this sad case.
I would have reacted the same way as Kirsten if I was lured out of my house under false pretences to a dinner that didn’t exist, so Bernadette could get me alone in an empty car-park at night because she wanted “to get to know me”. I think a lot of people would have found Bernadette’s behavior very disconcerting. Also, who sticks a 15/18 inch knife between the front seats before setting off to “get to know someone”?

I had a feeling my comment would get a response from a troll. I almost feel pity for the grown adult troll that thought it would be funny to provoke me by suggesting “I must have gotten off” on my comment. It really reflects that she has a good healthy moral character, doesn’t it? Just like previous negative comments written on this blog with the intent to provoke, the individual writes one or two comments and slinks away like a pathetic coward.

I’m fairly certain I was wrong about the person who wrote “rehashing the same shit” being Stephanie and I apologize, Stephanie.
At June 20, 2016 at 3:56 PM , Anonymous said...: Kirsten's anniversary is coming up. I wonder if Bernadette reflects on her monstrous crime on Kirsten's anniversary and thinks about all of the pain she has caused Kirsten's loved ones, and also the pain she caused the two girls she allowed to be accused for her despicable crime.
At June 20, 2016 at 5:30 PM , Unknown said...: Purple Haze- I found nothing wrong with your post. I did not know about the major artery. That really breaks my heart. Kirsten put up one hell of a fight.
At June 20, 2016 at 5:31 PM , Unknown said...: Anonymous - good question. I would love to know the answer myself.
At June 20, 2016 at 9:13 PM , Anonymous said...: 'You can't replace your child so you think about that all the time,' (Kirsten's father)
At June 21, 2016 at 1:49 PM , First Anonymous said...: Just wanted to say that I was the first anonymous comment, and I am not any of the players in, nor related to, anyone associated with this case. I've seen the movie and read most of the articles. All this stuff about the knife belonging to Bernadette/Jeanette's sister, her sister potentially lying under oath about the knife and helping to cover up the crime may be true, but no court has proven it. She was never indicted or even arrested so I don't see why she has to suffer like Ms. Protti/Tomanka should. If new evidence is uncovered one day that directly links her to the crime, I'd certainly feel differently. But in the meantime, Ms. Protti has already caused a lot of collateral damage to her family members and I don't think anyone should add onto that. They are innocent bystanders.
At June 21, 2016 at 1:52 PM , Karen : ) said...: Hi Kmaham,

Yes, Kirsten did put up quite a fight. What a strong girl she was. I didn’t think it was possible to be more horrified about what Bernadette did to Kirsten until I read that Kirsten was also stabbed in the neck. A major artery was hit, so I’m guessing it was a carotid artery, which would have “spurted” blood and cut off blood supply to the brain. The panic, shock and pain Kirsten must have felt is unfathomable. I can only imagine the shock Kirsten’s neighbour felt when he saw Kirsten. The wounds Bernadette inflicted on Kirsten would have been a chilling and upsetting sight. Bernadette must have been very strong to “slice” Kirsten and inflict her with two two foot wounds down the stomach. The hell, pain and suffering Bernadette put Kirsten through was incomprehensibly monstrous. Bernadette literally butchered Kirsten. She then allowed Nancy and “J” to be blamed for her vile, savage murder. Fortunately, Nancy and “J” weren’t physically harmed by others seeking vigilante justice.
At June 21, 2016 at 2:48 PM , Karen : ) said...: Anonymous,

It wasn't "proven" that the sister lied because it wasn't explored further.

However, imo, it is ludicrous to assert that a 15/18 inch knife was used to cut fruit and vegetables for lunch and then stored in the car between car seats. If one was going to use a knife to cut fruit or vegetables for lunch, logically a smaller knife would be used, not a carving knife. Also, the knife would not be "jammed" between car seats. What a strange and unhygienic place to keep a utensil that will allegedly be used to prepare food. If Bernadette found the knife in the car, why did she return it to the kitchen?
If you find Virginia's story plausible, that's your opinion. Perhaps you are the type of person who eats a steak with a spoon and eats jello with a fork.

"I don't see why she has to suffer like Ms. Protti/Tomanka should"

How do you know she is suffering? What makes you think she is aware of this blog?
At June 21, 2016 at 3:06 PM , Karen : ) said...: Hi Kmaham,

The anniversary comment was my comment. I just couldn't sign in. i'm not convinced that Bernadette cares about what she did, but if she did feel remorse and think about Kirsten on her anniversary, maybe she busies herself with different pursuits that occupies her mind and thoughts so the day goes by quicker. I'm still not convinced she cares, though.
At June 21, 2016 at 3:11 PM , Karen : ) said...: Anonymous,

I didn't mean to imply by my comment "Perhaps you are the type of person who eats a steak with a spoon and eats jello with a fork" that I think you are cerebrally challenged.

Did you write the anonymous comment to me about "getting off" on the description of Kirsten's death? Would you admit it if you did? Probably not.
At June 21, 2016 at 4:19 PM , Unknown said...: Purple Haze- would the artery being cut kill her quickly? If so, that must have been one of the last cuts. I do not see how that child lived and crawled as long as she did.
At June 21, 2016 at 8:21 PM , First Anonymous said...: Purple Haze -

I never wrote on on this blog before this June 6 posting. Why on Earth would I consider anyone to be "getting off" on Kirsten's death?

Anyway, why wasn't anything explored with Virginia being involved? It seems like the homicide investigators would be smart enough to consider her involvement. Yes, a knife of that size being left between the seats just to cut vegetables does sound awfully ludicrous. At the same time, I have a hard time believing Bernadette's sister would want to supply a murder weapon that could potentially be traced to her (even though it apparently wasn't).
At June 22, 2016 at 6:47 AM , Unknown said...: Tomorrow will mark 32 years since this horrific crime. I doubt Tomanka will feel any remorse or anything similar. So very sad. Kirsten's family will certainly be suffering tomorrow. My heart and thoughts go out to them, as well as Kirsten's friends. This girl was no bully. She was just a confident, popular girl who was targeted by a psycho. It all breaks my heart.
At June 22, 2016 at 6:09 PM , Karen : ) said...: Hi Kmaham,

I thought it would. When an artery is hit, blood gushes out when the heart beats, so a lot of blood would be lost very quickly and unconsciousness would ensue followed quickly by death. Not only did she have the horrific wound in her neck, she also had the two foot stab wounds down her stomach and stab wounds on her back. The fact that she “leaped up” after her vicious attack and ran to her neighbor’s house really defies belief, doesn’t it. Kirsten was such a strong girl and as you mentioned, she put up a hell of a fight. She fought so hard to live
At June 22, 2016 at 6:18 PM , Karen : ) said...: Hi Frankie,

No, I don't think Bernadette will.

"My heart and thoughts go out to them, as well as Kirsten's friends"

Mine does too How agonizing to lose a loved one in such a heinous way.

"This girl was no bully. She was just a confident, popular girl who was targeted by a psycho"

From what I have read, her behavior was so, so innocuous and no worse than a typical teenager. Yes, Kirsten was killed because she was understandably perturbed by Bernadette's strange behavior to get her alone and Bernadette killed Kirsten when she didn't get the reaction she wanted.

Btw, were you able to get the Michael Covino paper?
At June 22, 2016 at 6:59 PM , Karen : ) said...: “I never wrote on this blog before this June 6 posting. Why on Earth would I consider anyone to be "getting off" on Kirsten's death?"

The post was after June 6th. It was written last week. My apologies if I was wrong.

“Anyway, why wasn't anything explored with Virginia being involved?”

It was a very poorly conducted investigation. It’s likely Bernadette would have gotten away with it if the FBI didn’t get involved.

“It seems like the homicide investigators would be smart enough to consider her involvement”

I don’t know. The investigators failed to properly read Bernadette’s like detector results. Bernadette’s alibi wasn’t verified. The investigators knew Kirsten was lured out to a fake bobbies dinner and they had a very clear description of the perpetrator and her unusual car, which perfectly fitted the description of Bernadette - a bobbies member - yet Bernadette walked around free for 6 months. Due to the magnitude of Kirsten’s wounds, Bernadette would have been covered in blood and it’s highly probable that blood transferred from Bernadette’s clothes and hands to the interior of her car. As I wrote in a comment above, the pinto was examined which likely would have had evidence of a clean-up (bleach to remove blood stains - apparently, Luminol would have detected chlorine bleach) yet nothing was discovered.

“Yes, a knife of that size being left between the seats just to cut vegetables does sound awfully ludicrous”

Yes, it is ridiculous and far-fetched, amongst other things.

“At the same time, I have a hard time believing Bernadette's sister would want to supply a murder weapon”

“Supply a murder weapon” suggests that the sister gave the knife to Bernadette and knew Bernadette was going to kill Kirsten. No-one has suggested that.

The sister said on the stand that she left the carving knife 15 – 18 inch long in the car to cut vegetables and fruit for lunch, which Bernadette happened to find, so she DID implicate herself and was very fortunate that it wasn’t investigated further. It wasn’t traced back to her because it wasn’t investigated.
At June 23, 2016 at 7:17 AM , Unknown said...: Hi Purple haze. I haven't read the paper. I haven't been on this blog in a minute. Do you know where I could read it? Thanks!
At June 23, 2016 at 1:21 PM , Anonymous said...: Today is Kirsten's anniversary. May she rest in peace.
At June 23, 2016 at 4:53 PM , Karen : ) said...: Hi Frankie.

A helpful individual wrote the following under a different article on the blog:

There is an in depth article by Michael Covino about this murder. It's available through World Cat (ask your local librarian and they'll email it to you). Several graduate students wrote their thesis on this when they were doing an internship at the Ventura School when Jeanette/Bernadette was there. The article is available through the Institute of Government Studies through the University of California at Berkeley.

I haven't been successful in getting it. I hope you will be.

Also, another individual mentioned that there are papers about Bernadette on "course hero". All the best.
At June 27, 2016 at 6:55 AM , Unknown said...: Thank you so much, Purple haze! I'll try to get it, and if I do, I will try to send it to you, if you'd like.
At June 27, 2016 at 12:40 PM , Karen : ) said...: This comment has been removed by the author.
At June 27, 2016 at 12:40 PM , Karen : ) said...: Hi Frankie,

I didn't realise that I forgot to mention the name of the article in my above comment. Sorry about that. It's called Borderline: (Murder Trial of Bernadette Protti) by Michael Covino.

That's very nice of you, thank you. I was speaking with a very helpful Berkeley librarian on the Berkeley website and she informed me that the article is available in the Institute of Government Studies as a hard copy. Unfortunately, I'm a long way from California and can't physically go into the Institute of Government Studies. However, I was just informed that it's possible to get a copy mailed to you, which I'm looking into at the moment. If I get it, I will email it to you and others on this blog who are interested in it. All the best.
At June 28, 2016 at 6:35 AM , Unknown said...: Thanks a bunch, Purple haze! You've got a kind heart.
At June 28, 2016 at 8:02 AM , Sara E. said...: I have read all the articles their is to read on this case,what I don't understand is while she admitted to the murder she told deputies " I don't think anything in the world justifies killing someone." I think if that were the case then she would have shown remorse,but, bernadette however never showed any remorse. She confessed because they were closing in on her. Why in the world the family has tried to tarnish kirsten's reputation over the past 32 years in beyond anything I can understand, Jeannette already caused enough pain by killing kirsten.I wax reading through an article that said bernadette was still seeking drama while incarcerated at the California youth authority. Whoever, made the movie over exaggerated too much, the hearing however was verbatim to what actually happened. I don't know this case makes me so sad that a young girl was murdered and the the killer got off with a slap on the wrist.
At June 28, 2016 at 8:07 AM , Sara E. said...: I read that when kirsten's mother seen the murder weapon she dropped her head and broke into tears, that ripped my heart in two. Kirsten would be beautiful today.
At June 28, 2016 at 4:23 PM , Karen : ) said...: Hi Frankie.

You're welcome. I'm not so sure Bernadette supporters on this blog would agree with me having a kind heart, but it's nice of you to say. If I can get a copy sent to me and I was told it is highly likely that I can, it might take a while because I'm in a different country. I'll let you know. All the best.
At June 28, 2016 at 4:29 PM , Karen : ) said...: Unknown,

"I think if that were the case then she would have shown remorse,but, Bernadette however never showed any remorse. She confessed because they were closing in on her"

One of the many things that shows how detached Bernadette was from killing Kirsten was that she appeared to have no inhibitions about attending Kirsten's funeral. She was able to feign sadness in the presence of mourners at the funeral. She would have seen Kirsten's parents and brother crying anguished tears of unfathomable sorrow and would have seen the inconsolable grief and despair etched into their faces. She would have seen Kirsten's friends crying with sadness and confusion. Bernadette had the unconscionable gall to not only be in the presence of Kirsten's coffin, but she had the cold nerve to be able to look at the coffin knowing she was responsible for putting Kirsten in it. The sadness and grief at Kirsten's funeral would have been heart wrenchingly palpable and a sane person would not have been able to endure being confronted with so much pain that they were responsible for, yet Bernadette could and did. She could "block it out of her mind" (her words).

Bernadette took Catechism classes with Nancy and she would have seen the emotional toll being accused of murder took on Nancy, yet it was stated that she acted "normal" and like nothing was amiss.

" Why in the world the family has tried to tarnish kirsten's reputation over the past 32 years"

I don't know why someone would attempt to disparage Kirsten and sully her reputation many years after her death and for those that do, it reflects a cold, callous and utterly deprave soul.

"Bernadette was still seeking drama while incarcerated at the California youth authority"

What exactly did she do?

"Whoever, made the movie over exaggerated too much, the hearing however was verbatim to what actually happened"

Yes, the movie was clearly biased in Bernadette's favour and it was cruel to portray Kirsten as an insufferable bully bitch with no redeeming qualities, whereas Bernadette was portrayed as a pitiful timid self conscious little lamb that just wanted to fit it. That's interesting about the court scene.

"I don't know this case makes me so sad that a young girl was murdered and the the killer got off with a slap on the wrist"

It was such a small sentence for such a brutal crime.
At June 28, 2016 at 4:31 PM , Karen : ) said...: Sara,

"I read that when kirsten's mother seen the murder weapon she dropped her head and broke into tears, that ripped my heart in two"

It is heart breaking what Mrs Costas and Kirsten’s family went through. It would be shocking and horrific to see the large knife (15-18inch) that was used to monstrously murder your daughter. The unfathomable grief would be difficult to bare.

"Kirsten would be beautiful today"

Yes, I'm sure she would have been.
At June 28, 2016 at 8:22 PM , Anonymous said...: Purple haze- you are 100% right on what you said. I can not see how the sister could just sit in court and lie under oath after witnessing the agony that the costas family was going through, I said it once and I will say it again nobody uses a knife that big to cut vegetables or fruits. On the documentary nancy kane said Bernadette was nice, yes but her actions depict an evil little monster. I think the murder was premeditated from the start because if there was in fact a party then where is the information at, and if there was what made Bernadette believe Kirsten would be friends with her even after the party? The knife was reported to be "jammed in between the seats." That's why I feel she got it from the kitchen and then returned it after killing Kirsten. I also believe that Kirsten smoking pot was a lie. I may be wrong after all I'm not a know it all. I do notice people trying to stand up for her from time to time when the only support that should be held for is Kirsten, she is the real victim. It was reported that she inflicted two foot long gashes in Kirsten and that a main artery was hit. I don't mean to toot my own horn but I did attend medical school and it obviously was the carotid artery that was hit because their is two main arteries that branch in the neck, one on the right and the other on the left. The carotid artery carries blood supply to the brain, which if the carotid artery is punctured or cut the victim dies within minutes. The fact is though two foot long gashes means she had to be stabbing and ripping to inflict that kind of damage.
At June 28, 2016 at 8:27 PM , Anonymous said...: Purple haze,
What copy are you talking about? A copy of what? Where can I get one?
At June 29, 2016 at 9:22 PM , Karen : ) said...: Anonymous, June 28

"I said it once and I will say it again nobody uses a knife that big to cut vegetables or fruits"

No, I don’t think they do.

"I think the murder was premeditated from the start because if there was in fact a party then where is the information at, and if there was what made Bernadette believe Kirsten would be friends with her even after the party?"

I think so, too. I think something must have "snapped" within her the weeks leading up to Kirsten’s murder. There is no info on a party because there was no party. I don't know why she thought Kirsten would be friends with her if there was a party. It appears that Bernadette was so needy and desperate to such a deluded and off-putting degree. As I wrote elsewhere on the blog: neediness and desperation repels people like the stench of a skunk.

"The knife was reported to be "jammed in between the seats." That's why I feel she got it from the kitchen and then returned it after killing Kirsten"

I agree. It's absurd and laughable to suggest that a person would keep such a knife in the car to cut veg and fruit and it doesn’t make sense that a person would "jam" the knife between seats.

"I do notice people trying to stand up for her from time to time when the only support that should be held for is Kirsten, she is the real victim"

Some people appear to identify with Bernadette due to the mistaken belief that Kirsten bullied Bernadette. Most of the Bernadette supports I've conversed with have issues. An example is the recent comments under "Do you think Bernadette/Jeannette got enough time"

I also thought it was a carotid artery that was hit.

"The fact is though two foot long gashes means she had to be stabbing and ripping to inflict that kind of damage"

Yes, it's a sickening thought. Kirsten was so strong.
At June 29, 2016 at 9:27 PM , Karen : ) said...: "What copy are you talking about? A copy of what? Where can I get one"

It's a detailed article on Bernadette's trial called Borderline: The murder trial of Bernadette Protti/ written by Michael Covino.
It's available as a hard copy at the Berkeley Institute of Government Studies.
At July 1, 2016 at 1:38 PM , Karen : ) said...: Anonymous, if going to the Berkeley Institute of Government Studies isn't an option for you, contact the University on their website. They will duplicate the article and send you a copy, but you will have to pay for it.
At July 1, 2016 at 1:40 PM , Karen : ) said...: * if it's not an option for you to go to...
At July 2, 2016 at 9:00 AM , Anonymous said...: It is an option for me! I think I have seen that before.
At July 2, 2016 at 9:28 AM , Karen : ) said...: That's great that you can physically go into the college to get a hard copy.
At July 3, 2016 at 2:14 PM , Anonymous said...: First Anonymous, why do you think Jeannette's sister is suffering?
At July 4, 2016 at 5:50 PM , Anonymous said...: First of all, Jeannette's sister isn't suffering she I think knew about the murder before hand!
At July 7, 2016 at 1:49 AM , Anonymous said...: Maybe she did. It would explain why she concocted a story about using a butcher knife in her car to cut veg & fruit for lunch.
At July 7, 2016 at 5:34 PM , Anonymous said...: You think family members knew a murder was going to occur? And concocted a story to facilitate it? For what reason, pray tell?
At July 7, 2016 at 8:26 PM , Karen : ) said...: Anonymous, are you the anonymous I was conversing with above?

I personally don't think the sister knew the murder was going to occur. I have already written this to you, but the story about the sister leaving a massive carving knife in the car to cut vegetables for lunch is too far fetched and ridiculous. Why have such a large knife in the car to cut vegetables and fruit when a smaller knife would have been more suitable and logical. I doubt she used a large knife because she didn't have access to a smaller knife. Surely the Protti kitchen had a selection of different sized knives like any other normal kitchen, so it is inexplicable that one would choose such a large knife when other smaller options were available.
At July 9, 2016 at 4:53 PM , Anonymous said...: How was Kirsten's name pronounced? Was it kur--sten or keer--sten?
At July 11, 2016 at 3:35 PM , Karen : ) said...: Frankie, the article (Borderline: murder trial of Bernadette Protti) has been sent to me and I will get it soon. I will let you know when I have it. All the best.
At July 11, 2016 at 3:37 PM , Karen : ) said...: I think it was keer-sten.
At July 13, 2016 at 12:15 PM , Unknown said...: Thank you so much, Purple haze. I really appreciate that.
At July 14, 2016 at 1:46 PM , Karen : ) said...: Hi Frankie. I have it. You need to install dropbox in order to view it because it is apparently too large to send via an attachment. Do you have an alternative email address you can publish rather than your real one.
At July 17, 2016 at 7:36 AM , Anonymous said...: Hallo Purple haze, i am also interested in that article. I follow with interes this story and your blog. Will you be so kind to send me a copy of the article? Thank you
At July 17, 2016 at 9:23 PM , Karen : ) said...: My blog? This isn't my blog. I have no problem sending it to you if you can give me your real name and prove who you are. Sorry, but there is a person or two on this blog who I don't want to do any favours for.
At July 18, 2016 at 2:38 PM , Al said...: Sure, and i have no problem doing that.
At July 18, 2016 at 8:10 PM , Karen : ) said...: Ok then.
At July 18, 2016 at 10:44 PM , Al said...: Thank you, Purple haze. Do you need more prove? And how can we do to send that article to me?
At July 19, 2016 at 11:26 AM , Karen : ) said...: Yeah, I do. Sorry.
At July 19, 2016 at 11:57 AM , Al said...: This comment has been removed by the author.
At July 20, 2016 at 1:20 AM , Unknown said...: Alma- it seems like you could spell the country you are from.
At July 20, 2016 at 8:16 AM , Al said...: Just delete the s and you are ok ;)
At July 21, 2016 at 1:42 AM , Karen : ) said...: I'll send it to the blog owner and she can post it if she wants to, or maybe she won't.
At July 21, 2016 at 10:33 AM , Al said...: Did you have this in your mind before or after asking me to first prove who i am? Just curious. Anyway, do as you want. I will be able to read that article or not, eather way is ok to me. I was just curious about it, the same as you.
At July 21, 2016 at 6:56 PM , Karen : ) said...: Don't be so sensitive, "Alma". It would be best for everyone who is interested in the article if it was posted on the blog, rather than me just emailing it to a few people.
At July 21, 2016 at 9:46 PM , Al said...: It's you thinking i'm sensitive. I'm not, i just didn't understand why i had to prove who i am for nothing. Thats all. You don't need to write Alma with quotation marks, it's my real name. But you are right Purple haze, i agree with you, it's beter if all the interested people here can read it. I asked you for the article simply for privacy reason. Hopefully the owner of this blog will post it.
At July 21, 2016 at 11:50 PM , Karen : ) said...: Yes, I wrote Alma in quotation marks because it is a different name to the Facebook name you gave. You say that the blog name is your real name, yet you go by something else on Facebook. Anyway, it doesn't matter now.
At July 22, 2016 at 12:00 AM , Karen : ) said...: If she doesn't post it, I'll send it to you. I might also send it to another blog.
At July 22, 2016 at 6:17 AM , Unknown said...: Alma- I am new to this blog. I use my real name as well. However, I have never used my name on FB and another one here. There have been many people just since I have been on here who have used many different names. Purple Haze has been on long enough to pick up on it. I am interested to how you found out about this story and this blog. I live in the USA and have just learned about it by accident. And, why are you using a different name on here? Just curious.
At July 22, 2016 at 8:38 PM , Al said...: The reason I'm not using my real name in Facebook is because i had a stalker at my old work place. I was called endlessly and i was checked on internet, it was an awful time. My Facebook is strictly for my friends. I use my real name on my Google account because my account on Apple store. So Alma Kuilder is my real name. I know about this story from long ago, i watch a lot of documetaries, like "Forensic Files", Disappeared" and so on and i was really impressed about this tragedy, as well as about the Missy Avila tragic story, but that's not the topic here. And so i found this blog. I perfectly understand the doubts that Purple haze has that's exactly why i showed her my Facebook. Purple haze, if you decided to send it to me thank you very much :)
At July 22, 2016 at 9:04 PM , Al said...: In my opinion what keeps still the interest awake on this story is the fact that she didn't get the sentence that she really deserved and she is still hiding without making an attempt to get the forgiveness especially from Kirsten's family. On the contrast to Karen Severson who didnt change her name, her sentence was decided according to the crime and she came out on a Dr. Phil show , showing some remorse. So it was easier for the people to somehow put it on the past, except for Missy's family of course. Anyway both are awful tragedies.
At July 23, 2016 at 4:54 AM , Anonymous said...: My thoughts are with Kirstens family today. It would have been Kirsten's birthday today.
At July 23, 2016 at 5:42 AM , Al said...: Yes, what a sad day for her family and the close ones. It could have been such a joyful day...
At July 23, 2016 at 12:04 PM , Karen : ) said...: Alma, have you commented on this blog before? What are your thoughts on this case?
At July 23, 2016 at 4:59 PM , Unknown said...: Alma- just wondering if you have been on Jeannette's Facebook page?
At July 23, 2016 at 6:01 PM , Al said...: For what i have read so far, I don't think this was a planned murder. I have also watched the Landscape Suicide film which is apparently based on actual courtroom transcripts. Very incoherent monologue, she couldn't assume what she did. The fact that she couldn't assume what she did resulted also from her afterward decisions - of running away and living in hiding. To me her behavior is of a dangerous person who can snap any moment the inside trigger is pulled. She made great attempts to be liked and accepted and when they were unsuccessful than the rage came out. Very unbalanced caracter, not really of a well calculated murderer but rather of an unforeseen one. But that's of course my opinion, the reality could be very different. No Purple haze, i have not commented on this blog before, only reading the topics here.
At July 23, 2016 at 6:09 PM , Al said...: Kmaham, do you mean that cookies and recipes stuff? Lol yes i have seen it some while ago. But i still wonder - is that really of hers? If yes, i find it very creepy (to say the least) to describe yourself as a "life hacker".
At July 25, 2016 at 12:28 AM , Karen : ) said...: I disagree. No sane person would have a 15-18 inch knife in the car. I think she was going to kill Kirsten if something went wrong.

Where did you see landscape suicide. It's not available online. Was it good?

Is it possible that a person who commits such a brutal murder can be rehabilitated? I don't know. Bernadette ambushed Kirsten from behind and stabbed her in the back inflicting her with two words two feet long, cutting Kirsten's lung. Bernadette continued to stab Kirsten in the stomach as Kirsten was struggling on the ground and screaming in pain. Bernadette also stabbed Kirsten's neck and appears to have hit a carotid artery, which would have spurted out a lot of blood very quickly. If she could " block it out of her mind" then, it's possible she can do that now.

I don't know if the FAcebook and blog are actually Bernadette posting or someone doing it on her behalf.

Yes, to refer to yourself as a "life hacker" is disgusting. Even if someone else is behind the Facebook and blog on Bernadette's behalf, they knew perfectly well how "life hacker" would be interpreted. It looks like it was deliberately used as a sick joke.
At July 25, 2016 at 3:38 AM , Karen : ) said...: Stupid auto correct. *wounds* not words.
At July 25, 2016 at 8:16 AM , Al said...: Agree, it's very sick to make a joke out of this tragedy. The film was very good, because Rhonda Bell who interpreted Bernadette was perfect. Very very credible interpretation. The film was online on a site some 4 years ago and i believe i still have a copy of it. If you are interested Purple haze, just tell me and i will check.
At July 25, 2016 at 8:19 AM , Al said...: And as about the rehabilitation, hmm good question. I don't really think that's possible. The rage and the violence of her actions were beyond understanding.
At July 25, 2016 at 9:17 AM , Unknown said...: I am going to address all at once. Alma- that is the FB page I was talks about. I don't know if she runs it or not but someone spends a lot of time deleting comments that she hates. As far as being rehabilitated. When you keep a FB page up knowing the people who are posting are haters, there has to be a reason why you keep it up. Is it to keep things stirred up. I have read some of the comments directed at her. Wow! If she really learned from this, she would have gone on with her life quietly. I really think it as premeditated. Too many things that to me seemed like she had a plan in her head. I also think there had to be an incredible amount of blood.
At July 25, 2016 at 11:58 AM , Al said...: Kmaham, she is a person of extremes. From being caring, sweet and humble (the family for whom she was babysitting said that they would never have think that could be her), to extreme rage. That's why i said that she is very umbalanced. You never know when it hits you. The presence of that huge knife in the car is indeed very suspicious. But still, if it was premeditated, I don't think she would have committed the murder after the neighbour that drove Kirsten home was already alterted. I think she desperately took the decision before losing Kirsten in the safety of her home.
At July 25, 2016 at 12:18 PM , Unknown said...: Alma, like I said, I knew nothing about this case until I stumbled upon Jeannette's FB page. I am not sure how I came upon it. On Pinterest and Facebook, if I see something I want to save, I like it. Sometimes, I will search for certain things and I like it. That is the only thing I can think of. Anyway, I must of liked her page because every now and then, I would get an update. One day I was looking through it and noticed the comments. They had all been deleted. It would say she had a certain number but no comments were there. Finally, I started going through it and did see where people were asking crazy things. I googled her and found this blog and a whole story that I was not prepared for. Reading through this blog and asking questions, I came to the conclusion that Bernadette had her plan set. I think she had a plan a and a plan b. She was lucky to have had 6 months of freedom.
At July 26, 2016 at 2:06 PM , Karen : ) said...: Alma,

" the family for whom she was babysitting said that they would never have think that could be her"

I think you will find that a lot of people have said similar things about psychopaths/sociopaths that have committed brutal murders. Ted Bundy was described to be a nice, popular sociable guy. Friends of Scott Peterson were shocked that he killed his wife and described him as "caring" and a "good friend". Some still believe he is innocent when it has been proven otherwise.

Referring to Bernadette as "unbalanced" is an understatement. Bernadette stalked Kirsten to her house and ambushed her from behind Inflicting her with two wounds down the back that were 2 feet long and cut her lung. Bernadette continued to stab Kirsten when Kirsten was struggling on the ground with her wounds and screaming in terror. Bernadette also stabbed Kirsten in the neck and cut a very serious artery. Why did she do it? She did it because she foolishly thought that Kirsten would respond well to being lured out of her house to a fake bobbies dinner and driven to an empty car park at night. Most people would have been livid to have been lied to and lured out of their house under false pretences. It seems that Bernadette lured Kirsten out of her house because she was desperate for her friendship. friendship is a two way thing and most people will not respond well to a desperate Individual trying to befriend them and certainly not if they were lied to so the individual could get them alone. As I wrote elsewhere, neediness and desperation repeals people quicker than the stench of a skunk. Also, it appears that Bernadette's desperate attempt to befriend Kirsten wasn't for genuine reasons, but because Kirsten was popular. I'm sure Kirsten picked up on that.

"Extreme" isn't a sufficient word to describe Bernadette's actions. Heinous, monstrous, brutal, vile and evil are more appropriate.
Bernadette could then "block it out of her mind easily" ( her words) , could coolly take a walk with her mother after the murder, and was able to nonchalantly discuss the murder in class with her classmates. Bernadette put her arms around one of Kirsten's friends who was crying over kirsten's murder and told the friend "we need to go on". Bernadette also allowed two innocent girls to be blamed and ostracised by the Orinda community. The only thing In my opinion that is just as bad as being falsely accused of pedophilia, is being falsely accused of murder. What a horrendous thing for a teenager to be falsely accused of. Nancy drank and took drugs for years in an attempt to deal with it.

"You never know when it hits you"

Are you suggesting that this "could hit anyone". I don't agree. There is something seriously wrong with a person's inner wiring to viciously kill someone in an unprovoked attack the way Bernadette killed Kirsten. A sane person would never have reacted the way Bernadette reacted, so, no, your comment "you never know when it hits you" doesn't apply to everyone and you know it doesn't.

Yes, the knife is suspicious and to suggest that it was used to cut vegetables and fruit for lunch is stupid and ridiculous beyond comprehension. The sister apparently took the 15/18 inch knife from the kitchen, yet there would have been smaller knives to choose from, so why take a carving knife when a smaller knife is available and more suitable?
At July 26, 2016 at 2:16 PM , Karen : ) said...: Continued..........

Alma,

"I don't think she would have committed the murder after the neighbour that drive her home was already alerted"

What?? That is exactly what happened. The neighbour was perturbed by the fact that Bernadette was tailgating him. He stated that his car and Bernadettes car was" bumper to bumper", so he knew something was off about Bernadette. If I was in his position I would have gotten out of the car and lambasted Bernadette for tailgating me. She could have caused an accident with her stupidity and rear ended end the neighbour if he had to stop the car abruptly. I would have put her in her place and it's a shame the neighbour didn't, but I git the I got the impression he was too polite to do so.

Bernadette stabbed Kirsten when the neighbour was nearby, so your comment doesn't make sense. It seems that she was determined to kill Kirsten and didn't care that the neighbour was close by in his car.

I agree with Kmaham that Bernadette had a " plan a" and a " plan b"' or plan k (k for kill) if she didn't get the reaction she wanted from Bernadette.
At July 26, 2016 at 9:05 PM , Al said...: Maybe some of my comments don't make sense because of my bad english. I said that no calculated murderer will want to have any witnesses. What doesn't make sense??? She was disperated, that's the state of mind when one won't care anymore whether there are witnesses or not. By extrememes i meant switching from being very sweet to extreme violence. I never said Ted Bundy wasn't the same. By umbalanced i meant she had no control over her feelings - feeling rejected, feeling unsuccessful, feeling hated, having a big amount of low self esteem, she couldn't control that, they just took over leading to this terrible tragedy.
At July 28, 2016 at 2:43 AM , Karen : ) said...: Alma,

What didn't make sense was your comment " I don't think she would have committed the murder after the neighbour that drive her home was already alerted". My point was that is what exactly happened.

I understand what you meant by extremes and unbalanced. My point was that you will find that sociopaths and psychopaths that have committed brutal murders also have people in their lives that comment on how nice they were, like bernadette's neighbour commented on how "nice" and "sweet" she was. My point about "unalanced" was that it was too tame and word to refer to Bernadette.
There was also lot more than "desperation" going on with her.

I think your English is improving with every comment.
At July 28, 2016 at 2:53 AM , Karen : ) said...: * Repels * people like the stench of a skunk, not *repeals *.
At July 30, 2016 at 3:44 PM , Karen : ) said...: I might just post the Borderline article in parts in the comments section. It might take a lot of comments, though.
At July 30, 2016 at 3:59 PM , Karen : ) said...: This comment has been removed by the author.
At July 30, 2016 at 4:10 PM , Karen : ) said...: Borderline; murder trial of Bernadette Protti.

Part 1

On June 23, 1984, on a quiet lane in suburban Orinda, fifteen- year-old Bernadette Protti stabbed a popular schoolmate to death. Last week, Protti was sentenced, but many people believe it was the town itself that was on trial.

By Michael Covino

Borderline feel like I’m going to lose my mind……
Something in your eyes is makin’ such a fool of me…..
Stop driving me away,
I just wanna stay, but there’s something I’ve just got to say
Just try to understand, I’ve given all I can, ‘cause
You got the best of me -- Madonna

The Kirsten Costas murder was headline news from day one. The first three paragraphs of the Chronicle’s front page piece on Monday, June 25th, set the pace: “A popular high school cheerleader was stabbed to death.... described by friends as ‘an- all American girl’..... the killer may have been another teenage girl.... Friends and neighbor’s acted with disbelief that such a thing could happen to such a model teenager in a quiet town like Orinda, the scenic and affluent community in Contra Costa County…….”. The trouble is, instant biographs like ‘all- American girl’ and ‘model teenager’ always come back to haunt you. There’s no avoiding it – and one doesn’t want to avoid it because people are human. And meanwhile junk like that ruins it all for those trying to follow up. You go out to Contra Costa days or weeks or months after the murder and start asking what the murdered girl was like, and people – even those who has known her intimately all her life, known all her idiosyncrasies, all her life, all her quirks, all the things that made her special – start solemnly saying “Oh yeah, Kirsten. She was a model teenager.”
Kirsten was indeed a well – liked, bouncy, popular girl, a cheerleader a swim team member, etc, etc, But once canonized in the press with that “all- American” crap, one fights to keep her from disappearing from sight. Six months later, when she had shocked Orinda by confessing to the crime, sixteen – year old Bernadette Protti was also described as “ a typical, well- behaved adolescent” from a model family”. And later, at her trial, when an FBI agent said that Bernadette had told him that she and Kirsten had driven up to the parking lot of the Moraga Valley Presbyterian Church because Kirsten had wanted to smoke pot, a gasp o outraged disbelief went up from the dead girl’s parents and was audible throughout the packed courtroom. And who could blame them? Their dead daughter wasn’t on trial; her killer was. But that’s what happens with model this and model that. The next day the defense attorney and the prosecutor allowed onto the record two sworn statements by teenagers who had seen Kirsten snorting coke at parties – which evinced still more groans. The defense attorney wasn’t trying to smear the girl but to buttress his client’s credibility. However, for the grieved parents – and there was no mistaking the profound pain on their faces – it was character assignation.
At July 31, 2016 at 3:58 PM , Karen : ) said...: Borderline; murder trial of Bernadette Protti by Michael Covino

Part 2

Orinda lies just over the first ridge of Oakland hills. Beyond the Caldecott Tunnel, big differences are immediately clear, the climate for instance. The sun can be blazing on Oakland, Berkeley, and the San Francisco Bay, then the car shoots out of the tunnel into a cooler land where the hills are shrouded in mists. Or vice-versa. But Orinda is also different from the rest of Contra Costa County. The foliage is denser here; there are more trees. The hills somehow seem to lie closer together. This is not the huge, sprawling bowl filled with tract houses you will find further out in Concord. High-rises aren’t shooting up here, like they are in Walnut Creek. Nor does this village have the run- down semi rural feel of places like El Sobrante and Martinez and the agricultural communities of eastern Contra Costa. This is a place of spacious, secluded homes on wooded hills with a smattering of estates. And there are more quantitative differences as well. Whereas the average Bay Area household income in $29, 500- 415,600 in Richmond, $13,500 in Berkeley,$13,800 in Oakland – Orinda has an average household income of $70,000. The Holiday Cotillion and the Winter Ball, the two formal East Bay balls given or debutantes, recruit or girls from Orinda with its population of 17,720 than from anywhere else, This is a somewhat transient town of top corporate people, a town where posters o pom-pom girls for High School football appear in luncheonette windows, a town where burglary is the main problem, where assaults and killings are pretty far down the list.

All this had something to do of course with the extraordinary interest the case generated from the start. Let’s face it. If one is looking for a front page story, it’s not Oakland’s 37th drug – related killing of the year. And so the “all American” this and “model” that- the story itself - grew out of a sort of mutual antagonistic yet symbiotic relationship that sprang up between Orinda and the media (considered here a monolith for purposes at the moment); the people in the community picked it up just as quickly as the press, which they disparaged, put it out.

Branislav Yaich, the Principal of Miramonte High School in Orinda in Moraga, which both Kirsten and Bernadette attended, immediately said there was no connection between the “Bobbies”, the sorority- like group to which Kirsten had belonged, and the killing. “We don’t have violent kids,” he was quoted as saying, “period”. And shortly after Bernadette’s arrest he would say to the press, “Everyone (the media) wanted whatever caused the murder to be related to jealously, or quote, ‘ Orinda society’. Did anyone ever consider, maybe it’s just a sick kid? We don’t have a monopoly on healthy kids here”.

Indeed. About a month after the start of school (and more than two months before Bernadette’s confession), I was wandering around Miramonte campus. High schools tend to be cliquish, of course, but Miramonte by all reports, is even more so than most, with fewer available models for teen imitation. There are not many blacks or Hispanics at Miramonte. Even the Italians, like Bernadette Protti tend to be blonds. This is not a school whose corridor walls disappeared a generation ago beneath successive layers of graffiti. This is not a school where the girls wear studded leather bracelets and fishnet stockings and nail boots and sport green finger nails, where the guys try to emulate the Matt Dillon/S.E. Hinton look. Spiked hair is not big here. In fact, in the months before Bernadette was arrested, several kids who didn’t quite fit the Miramonte mold would be pressured into transferring out. These are nice, clean, wholesome teenagers, and Miramonte is the best academically rated school in Contra Costa County.
At July 31, 2016 at 4:05 PM , Karen : ) said...: Borderline; murder trial of Bernadette Protti by Michael Covino

Part 3

The break between classes had just ended, and the campus, bustling just a minute earlier, was suddenly deserted- or almost deserted. I spotted three girls; one of them was wearing a Cheerleader’s sweatshirt, so I asked her if she had known Kirsten Costas. She nervously shook her head and said “I shouldn’t be talking with you”. A minute later I saw her in the distance saying something to a teacher, and a minute after that the teacher came by and told me I shouldn’t be wandering around campus without a pass. I shrugged. A cultural misunderstanding. The High school I had gone to had all sorts of people walking around the halls without passes: drug dealers, drug buyers, student’s cutting classes, drop-outs who had gotten to feeling nostalgic. But I could understand his point of view. I explained that I had phoned the school to speak to the Principal, left a message and never had my call returned. He nodded sympathetically, showed me to the Principal’s office, and after an appropriate you- can’t - barge in- and- expect- to see- me- just- like- that period of time had passed, I was let in.

After accepting my apologies, Principal Yaich, you looks like one tough Marine drill sergeant with his solid frame and crew cut hair, and who everyone says cares for, and is highly protective of his students, went on to tell me that he felt certain that the murderer as yet unidentified didn’t go to Miramote. Moreover, he didn’t see why everyone was making a big deal of it. “This happened in the community”, he emphasized. “This didn’t happen in the school”. In the course of our conversation, he let it slip that the police had been out to Miramonte interviewing students every single day since the start of the school year, but then, realizing this ran counter to everything he had been saying, quickly added that, of course, their investigation was on-going in the community too. What the hell. The man’s job is to defend his turf. Which is also the turf of the Bobbies- though perhaps “turf” with all of its romantic associations with inner city youth gangs may not be quite the right word. When Kirsten was murdered it was mentioned in all the papers that she had recently been accepted into the Bobbies, an elite sorority-like club of forty or so girls at Miramonte. The killer had apparently gotten Kirsten out of the house by saying there was an initiation dinner that night for new Bobbies – a fact which fuelled speculation that it was someone that had it in for the Bobbies, someone who was “anti- establishment” (it should have fuelled speculation that the killer was in the Bobbies, especially since Kirsten knew the girl she went off with). In the week following the killing, news stories stressed that the Bobbies were an adult supervised auxiliary of girls who raised funds for the Mt. Diablo Rehabilitation Centre in Pleasant Hill, which treats the disabled. “These girls are all top achievers”, a spokesman for the centre was quoted as saying, “from some of the better homes ( in Orinda and Moraga). They are invited in on their ability to get things done.”
Everything was in place, letter perfect. A week later a story appeared in the Tribune, by Jack Cheevers, that some Bobbies arrive for school in the bucket seats of Fiats and Porches, that classmates considered them pretty stuck up, that their Spring initiation rights can get pretty weird - “weird” is a popular word in Orinda, keep track of it – ant that they were more likely to be found at parties than helping paraplegics. In short, it was the first article that suggested that these might be normal teenagers that gave some hint of the texture of upper-middle class suburban life. I thought the piece humanized the girls. Apparently not in a way that pleased all readers though. The Tribune got a batch of letters criticizing the article. Suggesting that is justified the killing.
At July 31, 2016 at 4:08 PM , Karen : ) said...: Borderline; murder trial of Bernadette Protti by Michael Covino

Part 4

Ten days later the Tribunes ombudsman, William Wong, gently censured Cheevers. Austin Scott. The metropolitan editor, was quoted as saying “he didn’t like” the story because “it read a lot like an easy stereotype”. Presumably no one had complained to the Tribune that “well liked” and “all – American girl” and “the kind any mother and father would be proud of” all have been equally “easy” (redundant) stereotypes.

Meanwhile the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s office, which initially expected a quick arrest, saw the investigation bog down, turn into a nightmare, become the most extensive murder investigation in Contra Costa’s history. Nearly 1000 telephone tips were received at a special hotline number, 750 Ford Pintos matching the description of the killer’s car were checked out, more than 300 interviews were conducted, 100 of them with Miramonte students – and not a thing turned up.

The Costas family went into seclusion for two months but then called a press conference just before school resumed in fall of ’84. On the back patio of their white brick, ranch-style house on a heavily wooded street in Orinda, Arthur Costas, a regional manager for the 3M company, and his wife, Berit, stated that they thought a group was probably involved that had it in for the Bobbies. “I don’t know if the motive was jealousy or ant-establishment,” Mr. Costas said. “Kirsten may have represented the establishment”. “So this group may have planned an ambush that got out of hand.” And so it was that a distraught parent had begun to believe all the nonsense he’d read in the papers and was now spewing it back to the press - which would digest it and spew it back into the community.....

These are the known facts about the killing, as corroborated by police reports, reliable court testimony, and, in one instance, my own interview; it never gets any better. This is not a satisfying Agatha Christie story where everything gets wrapped up, and killer and motive are made crystal clear. It’s murky, vague, unsatisfying. Someone once said that once the media gets hold of an event, the truth is lost forever, even to the participants. Something like that may well have happened with the killer. So the interest, of necessity, lies elsewhere, in the web of crazy circumstances surrounding this confused act. On Friday evening, June 22, 1984, Bernadette Protti, a sophomore at Miramonte High who earlier that month had been initiated into the Bobbies and rejected from the cheerleaders team, telephoned the Costas residence. At the time, she was fifteen years old. “I’m calling for the Bobbies, she said”, not identifying herself further. “I know Kirsten’s at cheerleading camp”, but will she be free for the initiation dinner on Saturday?” The caller told Mrs. Costas not to mention this to anyone else that Kirsten should dress nicely, and someone would be by at around 9:00 p.m. to pick her up. The next night the Costas drove their youngest son to a potluck dinner. Mrs. Costas called home to remind her daughter of her date; it was the last time she spoke to her.
At July 31, 2016 at 4:12 PM , Karen : ) said...: Please excuse the mistake "Whereas the average Bay Area household income is $29, 500- 415,600" It should be $29,500 - $15,600. The dollar sign is on the number 4 key on my computer.
At August 1, 2016 at 11:25 AM , Anonymous said...: I just watched Landscape Suicide. It was interesting to hear the confession even though it was an actress reading a script but all the footage with no comment and no explanation. A girl talking on the phone while music was playing. If this was somehow supposed to give a deeper understanding of the murder - I didn't get it. Could someone please explain it to me?
At August 1, 2016 at 8:08 PM , Karen : ) said...: Sorry Anonymous, I haven't seen it yet. Is it worth watching? I will certainly give an opinion when I've watched it.
At August 1, 2016 at 8:11 PM , Karen : ) said...: Borderline; murder trial of Bernadette Protti by Michael Covino

Part 5

That same night Bernadette’s good friend Trudy (not her real name) was going to the movies with eight other friends. Bernadette told her she had to babysit. She also told her father she had to babysit and he drove her over to Joanne Weemes’ house on El Caminito in Orinda village. She asked him to leave the car, an old beat up mustard – colored Ford Pinto, so there’d appeared to be someone at home. Bernadette didn’t have a license yet, just a driver’s permit, but it was a short distance on neighbourhood backroads, so her father left the keys and walked home. Soon after, Bernadette drove to the Costas residence on Orchard Street. She wasn’t sure which house was Kirsten’s, so she just honked. When Kirsten came out and saw Bernadette, she said, “Oh, it’s you”.

The two girls next drove the three miles to Moraga, where they rode up the hill to the parking lot of the Moraga Valley Presbyterian Church at the top of Idlewood Court. The spot’s off- limits to nearby students at Miramonte, though they’ll sometimes head up there during lunch for some quiet and a smoke. Teenagers also go up there at night to drink. What happened during the next 30 minutes or so is the mystery; and perhaps that is why it is to this parking lot, rather than the actual murder site three miles away, that people keep returning in their imaginations. Whatever happened in the parking lot, it ended when Kirsten left Bernadette and walked down the hill by herself.

That night, the Arnolds, a young couple, just a few doors down Idlewood Court from the Church, were playing cribbage with the Flahertys while the children watched TV. The game had just broken up and the Flahertys were preparing to leave when the doorbell rang. Outside was a teenaged girl who said, “My friend went weird on me”. She seemed upset, but not frightened, and Alex Arnold invited her in so she could call her parents; he also noticed someone lurking outside. The girl dialled a number, waited, got no reply and hung up. There was an uncomfortable pause. Seeing that the girl was at a loss, Mr. Arnold offered to drive her home. It was 10:p.m. and dark outside, and only when he switched on the his Volvo’s headlights could he see anything. He actually had to manoeuvre out of his driveway between his mail box and a Pinto, which was partially blocking it. As they drove three miles of semi-rural road from Moraga to the Costas residence in neighboring Orinda, Mr. Arnold noticed that the Pinto was following them. At times it was almost riding on his bumper. The girl turned to look, and more than once, he asked her what was going on. She told him, “ Oh, relax. Don’t worry about it”. When he reached her home the lights were out so she asked him to pull into the driveway of a neighbor’s house. She got out and walked toward the porch. Suddenly from between his car and a hedge, a female strode toward the girl. At first he thought a fist-fight had broken out, but then he saw something flash and heard the girl scream. She fell, got up, and ran past his car toward another neighbor’s house. Just then he heard the Pinto starting up. He chased it for a quarter – mile, but then realized the other girl might be seriously hurt and drove back.
At August 1, 2016 at 8:13 PM , Karen : ) said...: Borderline; murder trial of Bernadette Protti by Michael Covino

Part 6

A little earlier, Arthur Hillman, an older man who lives just across from the Costas’ on Orchard Road, was relaxing at home with his wife and two sons, both Stanford students. All at once, he hear a blood-curdling scream and rushed to the front screen door where he saw his neighbour, Kirsten Costas, staggering and crying, “Help me, help me, I’ve been stabbed”. Five times it was later discovered, twice in the lungs. She collapsed in his arms; spurting blood like an artery had been hit, and soon after went into shock. Mr Hillman prayed to himself while pressing his hands against the wounds to stop the bleeding, but the blood was coming too fast and from too many places. His family, meanwhile, called the police. Soon after, the Costas’ drove their son home from the dinner. They came up over the rise on Orchard Road and suddenly saw ambulances and lights and people everywhere. It was a nightmare scene. By 10:30 that evening, their daughter was pronounced dead at Kaiser Medical Centre in Walnut Creek.

Jackie Hatfield (not her real name) first met Bernadette when they were both in the seventh grade and swimming competitively; there was sweetness about the shy girl, who then was attending a Catholic school, that intrigued Jackie right away. There was nothing mean about her, and people started seeing that sweetness, and Jackie wanted to be part of it. Jackie thought of herself as loud, even a bit obnoxious, and Bernadette seemed a bit defensive around her at first. But they soon became friends and Jackie convinced her to Miramonte rather than go to a Catholic high school. She told Bernadette she would love it at Miramonte.

Bernadette’s freshman year was a bit hard. She didn’t know many people. But by her sophomore year she was starting to find her way. Bernadette would always tell Jackie how embarrassed she was about her home, a nice home set on a hill on the Orinda Village side of Highway 24. Her family was large - she was the youngest of six- and her parents, devout Roman Catholics, were a lot older than most of her friend’s parents. Yet Jackie, like other of Bernadette’s friends, loved going there, and told her there was nothing to be ashamed about. Still, Bernadette wasn’t really happy about her parents and wished she could get on better with her father, a retired engineer. He was a solitary man, Bernadette told Jackie, and she felt he hurt her mother with his silence. At times Bernadette told Jackie that she hated him. They always had great food in the house, and Bernadette and Jackie would sit up late at night making cookies and cakes from box mixes. Bernadette was easy to talk to and was always right about her observations about people, too. Like about Matt. Jackie was in love with this guy who she didn’t think noticed her, But Bernadette told her she had a feeling. “I think he is going to ask you out”. Two weeks later he did. Bernadette was good at sensing that sort of thing.

Another time at the beginning of their sophomore year, Bernadette and two other girls were down in Jackie’s room drinking. Bernadette had never gotten drunk before and didn’t know her limits. She could not walk. Jackie had to practically carry her to the Miramonte football game and take care of her the whole time even though Bernadette was pulling Jackie’s hair and swearing. She threw up on Jackie and threw up all over the bus. She was just absolutely, belligerently wasted. She couldn’t walk, couldn’t even talk right. Jackie later delivered her to her home and Mr. Protti ordered, “Get out of this house”. The parents didn’t know what was wrong with her; they thought she was on drugs and they took her to the hospital. Later, Bernadette’s parents apologized to Jackie. And much later Jackie’s mother, remembering that day, wondered if there weren’t drugs in the car that night at the church parking lot, that perhaps Bernadette just couldn’t take that stuff right and it turned her into someone else.
At August 2, 2016 at 1:56 PM , Anonymous said...: The movie (well the interview only actually) was interesting. Here is the link if you’re interested https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ya9t5CUxnH4
Not many words about the victim but she seemed very concerned what would happen to her.
I also realize that I would make a lousy detective. When people keep responding "I don't know why I did it. It just happened" it makes me want to slap their faces.

Something was seriously wrong with that girl. I wonder if any incidents had happen prior to this, incidents where she lost self control or lashed out because something didn't go as she planned.
At August 2, 2016 at 5:39 PM , Karen : ) said...: Hi Anonymous

Thank you for the link. I really appreciate that. I will watch it tomorrow.

“Not many words about the victim but she seemed very concerned what would happen to her”

Yes, the detective that interviewed her stated that she only felt remorse for herself and didn’t care that she brutally murdered Kirsten. “Oda (detective who interviewed Bernadette) said Protti was determined to kill Costas if Kirsten did not agree “to be her friend and get her into the in-crowd.”

“The detective called Protti’s confession to authorities ”self-serving” and said that she was without remorse until she realized her arrest was imminent.”

“Asked what Kirsten had done to make her angry, Bernadette said: “I have a lot of inferiority feelings — and I really have bad feelings about myself. I lost for cheerleader. I didn’t get into the club I wanted to. I didn’t get on yearbook. So, I don’t know, I just felt bad.”

Bernadette said "she was really good at blocking [what had happened] out of her mind, and I still am,” she said later. “That’s why I can live through every day, because it doesn’t seem real.”

"I don't know why I did it. It just happened" it makes me want to slap their faces.”

I agree. She had a lot of built up rage in order to attack Kirsten like that. It was stated that Bernadette was jealous of the close friendship between Kirsten and Bernadette’s mutual friend. A friend of Kirsten’s wrote on another blog about a picture that was taken at Bernadette’s and Kirsten’s mutual friend’s house. Kirsten was the centre of attention and everybody was smiling, except Bernadette. Bernadette was glaring at Kirsten. I think her negative feelings toward Kirsten were festering for quite a while before she killed her. The manner in which she executed Kirsten obviously suggests that Bernadette hated her. Why did she hate? We can only surmise why. Kirsten exhibited qualities that Bernadette lacked, such as confidence and charisma. Kirsten was also stated to be very sociable and outgoing. Kirsten was a star swimmer and was picked to be a cheerleader. Bernadette was very upset that she wasn’t picked to be a cheerleader. In essence, Kirsten appeared to have the life that Bernadette desperately wanted and Bernadette also appeared to desperately want to be Kirsten.

“Something was seriously wrong with that girl. I wonder if any incidents had happen prior to this, incidents where she lost self-control or lashed out because something didn't go as she planned”

Yes, there was. There is something very off with a person’s inner wiring to react the way she did over something so insignificant. It's very scary. She was getting counselling before the murder. Her father said the counselling was due to feelings of despondency. It does seem odd that someone could lash out so viciously with fatal consequences for someone else and not have some sort of history of violence. According to Bernadette, the murder “didn’t feel real” and it felt like she was watching it happen, like in a dream. An individual I have conversed with about Bernadette and who has also met Bernadette thinks that Bernadette dissociated and killed Kirsten. Bernadette feeling that the murder “felt like a dream” and that she was "watching it happen" suggests that she might have dissociated. However, it was stated that Bernadette may have been unwittingly lead to say she viewed the murder like “it happened outside of her”.The detective interviewing Bernadette was reported to have referred to kirsten's murder “like you were on the outside watching?” and Bernadette picked up on that explanation and ran with it. I think if she didn’t lash out at Kirsten, she would have lashed out at someone else at some other point.
At August 2, 2016 at 5:44 PM , Karen : ) said...: I will continue to post the borderline article in the comments which will probably take up to 20 comments.
At August 2, 2016 at 7:10 PM , Karen : ) said...: Hi Anonymous,

" A girl talking on the phone while music was playing. If this was somehow supposed to give a deeper understanding of the murder - I didn't get it. Could someone please explain it to me?"

I'll try.

The teenager talking on the phone in her room as the song "memory" plays in the background was a reference to what Kirsten was like. Mrs Costas described Kirsten as the life of their house; she was always talking on the phone, dancing, singing, listening to music, laughing...ect Now, she is only a “memory”.

The following verse from the song “Memory” by Cats (the song playing in the background):

"I can dream of the old days
Life was beautiful then
I remember the time I knew what happiness was
Let the memory live again"

was also on Kirsten’s memorial page, so perhaps she was a fan of “Cats” the musical and liked the song “memory”, but she is now unfortunately a "memory".

I though it was quite touching.
At August 2, 2016 at 7:26 PM , Karen : ) said...: The song "memory" was also played at Kirsten's funeral. Bernadette attended Kirsten's funeral.
At August 3, 2016 at 5:58 PM , Karen : ) said...: Borderline; murder trial of Bernadette Protti by Michael Covino

Part 7

The two girls would often go see movies together at the Festival cinema in Walnut Creek. Their tastes in music didn’t always correspond, though. Bernadette loved the cars and went to see them with some other friends, while Jackie preferred Ratt, Van Halen, Billy Idol. They both agreed on their favourite song, though: Madonna’s “Borderline”. It described how they felt at times, and they’d talk about it and listen to it over and over, just keep rewinding it and playing it back.

Bernadette was hoping she would be asked to join Ailanthus or the Bobbies at the end of their sophomore year. Those were the two sorority- type groups at Miramonte. Her first choice was Ailanthus because more friends were in it. Ailanthus put out their invitations first, and, while Bernadette’s friends Trudy and Giselle (not her real name) were asked to join, she wasn’t. Another friend, Jessica Grant, had been blackballed from both clubs. All that took was just one person with a really strong dislike for you: No, I don’t like her; I don’t want her in here. And that would be that. Jessica didn’t care though; she thought the clubs were stupid and pointless. She didn’t understand why they even existed. Yet so many girls felt hurt when they didn’t get in. Jessica told Bernadette, “Oh, it’s no big deal”. “It’s just a little club. Nobody pays attention to it anyway”. Bernadette said, “Yeah, I know - but I just wish I was in it". Anyway, there was still the Bobbies. In Jackie’s yearbook Bernadette wrote: “We’re going to be in the -------.” But she didn’t write it in, she just made seven spaces; otherwise it would be putting a jinx on it. Jackie felt Bernadette wanted in really bad. Jackie also thought to herself that Bernadette might not get in. Jackie had connections. Her best friend, who was a senior, was in, so she wasn’t worried. But it was snobbish the way they elected people. Someone might call out “Jane So- and so”, and people would laugh and yell back, “NO!”. It was as though they had a questionnaire. Who does this girl date? Can she drink a certain amount? As it turned out, Bernadette was invited to join the Bobbies- as were Jackie, and Kirsten Costas.

The initiations, which were a lot of fun, were held at the end of the sophomore year, on June 8th. Groups of five juniors and seniors would take groups of five sophomores around. They would come to your house extremely early in the morning, like six maybe, and catch you when you were at your worst. And they they’d make you look even worse. It was raining that day so Jackie wore her sweats. Kirsten was in a little cheerleading outfit and had mayonnaise in her hair, but Jackie thought she still looked great.
At August 3, 2016 at 5:59 PM , Karen : ) said...: Borderline; murder trial of Bernadette Protti by Michael Covino

Part 8

It would start with everyone gathering for breakfast at the home of a Bobbie whose parents weren’t home. People would drink and get stoned because that would make it easier to go through with the rest of the initiation, which could get pretty embarrassing. Like taking leaves and pretending they are drugs and trying to sell them to motorists in passing cars. Or going through Longs drugs store with egg in your hair and collecting money. Or maybe you’d have to eat a cake in the middle of an intersection. Jackie was driven out to Berkeley where she had to run out of the car, knock on another car’s window, kiss the guy at the wheel, and then get back to the car before the light changed. She was surprised a cop in Berkeley didn’t arrest her. She was just scattered all over the place that day, like Bernadette the day of the football game.
Later they had to go to Miramonte and get their arms signed by varsity guys. Then, still later, they were supposed to go over to someone’s house where they would have to sing a song in front of a lot of people including some of the senior Varsity guys. What they’d do is pick an advertising jingle, and add some of their own lyrics, getting in the name of a senior guy they might have a crush on; Jackie had picked a Ban-Roll On commercial. But then no-one could come up with a free house, so that part of the initiation got cancelled. It was just as well. Jackie was so drunk her boyfriend had to take care of her. She was surprised she even made in home. It was too awful.

On the face of it, life didn’t change much for Bernadette after the killing. That night she went home and hid the knife; later that evening she took a walk with her mother. The next morning, Giselle who was a good friend of both girls, heard about the killing. Crying, she called Bernadette. “Yeah, my Mom just showed me that”, Bernadette said and started to cry too. That was Sunday. The next day Bernadette phoned Mrs. Johanna Weem’s, for whom she’d once babysat, and said that she thought she had been supposed to babysit for her that Saturday night and was just calling to check. Mrs. Weem’s said no, she must’ve made a mistake, and then they discussed Kirsten’s death a bit. A few days later, Bernadette and her mother attended services for Kirsten Costas at the Lafayette – Orinda Presbyterian Church, a modern redwood and concrete structure that overlooks much of Orinda.They drove there with Giselle and her mother in Giselle’s mother’s car. Bernadette had explained that she didn’t want to go in her family’s mustard - colored Pinto because people wouldn’t want to see that type of car driving up to the services.
At August 4, 2016 at 3:28 AM , Anonymous said...: Purple Haze: Thank you for taking the time to explain all those things to me. Now they make sense – well at least the girl talking on the phone.
I am not very familiar with the case. I live in Sweden and the movie was on TV when I was in my early 20’s. Somehow it stuck in my mind (along with the movies about Missy Avila and Cinnamon Brown). Since there wasn’t really much of an internet those days it was impossible to find out more about the cases.

I also appreciate you posting Borderline. Thank you!
At August 4, 2016 at 7:25 PM , Karen : ) said...: Hi Anonymous,

You're welcome.

"Now they make sense – well at least the girl talking on the phone"

Is there something else you didn't understand? If so, I will try and explain it better.

I'm not surprised it stuck in your head. It's such a horrific case that was preventable.
At August 4, 2016 at 7:29 PM , Karen : ) said...: Borderline; murder trial of Bernadette Protti by Michael Covino

Part 9

It was an emotional service attended by hundreds of friends and classmates. The Reverend James S. Little told the mourners that he was sure that God was with Kirsten the night she was killed, and that now Kirsten was with him. In his eulogy he described her as a girl with a will of her own, who was “kind, loving and reaching out”, and mentioned that she had just recently attended cheerleaders camp to learn the steps for the Miramonte High Matadors. The cheerleaders, the reverend said, “are the best part of the football game”.

Bernadette went to summer school, continued her activities with the Bobbies, did her homework every day, and studied to get confirmed in the Catholic Church. Catholic youths used to get confirmed at about age 12, but in recent years this has been pushed back with the hope that 16 year olds will take the rite more seriously. Bernadette and Trudy saw each other almost every day that summer. Trudy’s parents were away a lot, so Bernadette would stay over often, Not that she minded Trudy’s parents. They were much younger than her own, and she envied Trudy’s easy relationship with them. Bernadette and Trudy had become friends that year when they had shared five classes. Like most of Bernadette’s friends, Trudy thought her quiet, sweet, pretty, and very smart – in school and in life. The previous summer Trudy had been good friends with Kirsten, had in fact attended a slumber party on Kirsten’s birthday. The girls had sneaked into a local country club that night and gone swimming, just climbed right over the fence. It had been a fun night. But Trudy hadn’t remained as good friends with Kirsten in the past year. Her death made her feel bad, though; she’d thought Kirsten was nice and sweet too, different from Bernadette, not as smart but more outgoing, bouncier.

Jackie saw Bernadette often after Kristen’s murder. The Bobbies seemed demoralized; they weren’t fun anymore; the group was breaking apart. They had a meeting that summer, and that’s when Bernadette’s and Jackie’s views started to go in different directions. Bernadette got up at the meeting and said how wonderful the club was and how they had to keep it together. She just got up and spoke forcefully and proclaimed her views, and was instantly made an officer at that meeting. Jackie even felt a bit jealous of her. Driving home they got into an argument. Since the murder Jackie had come to feel that the initiation should be open to everyone but Bernadette felt it should stay as snobbish as ever. Jackie was surprised and asked, “Why?” “I just feel that way”, Bernadette said. Still, they remained friends. School began and Bernadette seemed to be doing better than ever. She served in several clubs, participated in lots of extracurricular activities, and had more friends than ever before. Looking back, Trudy felt that if it had been one year later Bernadette would never have killed Kirsten.
At August 4, 2016 at 7:31 PM , Karen : ) said...: Borderline; murder trial of Bernadette Protti by Michael Covino

Part 10

Sometimes Bernadette would sit there for hours listening to people talk about the murder; just sit there while some of Kirsten’s closest friends cried. Other times just Jackie and Bernadette would talk about it. Jackie would say things like “I don’t miss her. I don’t care that she’s gone. I think she was a bitch. I couldn’t stand her”. Jackie had though Kirsten was an airhead with a snob attitude, like if you’re not popular, screw you. (One day months later during the trial, a woman from channel five spoke to Jackie at length on camera, asking her what she thought of Kirsten; Jackie told her. At the end of the interview the woman asked Jackie what other people had thought of Kirsten. Jackie shrugged and said, “Well, Kirsten was popular, an all- American girl”. Later that evening Jackie watched herself on TV saying, “Kirsten was popular, an all - American girl”. Jackie felt angry at the way her words had been taken out of context.)
Another time Jackie and Bernadette were driving to a Bobbie’s meeting. A ski trip was upcoming and Jackie joked, “Couldn’t you see a big male with a big machete coming up to the cabin? ‘The Bobbies massacre’. A new movie!”. Bernadette laughed and laughed. But then a few weeks after Halloween Jackie got a phone call from Bernadette. She was hysterical. “I can’t hold it in anymore, she cried”. “I gotta tell someone”. “So come over. Jackie urged. But by the time Bernadette arrived her demeanour changed completely. She just sat on Jackie’s bed.
“Well, you were hysterical, what was it?”
“Oh, it was nothing”
“What? Did you kill someone? Jackie asked jokingly”
Bernadette looked startled. “Why? Do I seem like I did?”
But Jackie just felt mad at the way Bernadette could change so fast and just clam up. It was also around this time that Bernadette visited the Catholic Church in Berkeley and went to confession. She changed a few details around, but the basic story she related was enough to turn a good Irish priest to drink. He told her she needed help and urged her to speak to her parents. She never went back and the priest, respecting the obligation of his sacred vows, didn’t report their conversation to the police.

Basically it was a good fall for Bernadette at Miramonte, but other girls did not fare so well. Rumours were rampant. Several girls, variously described as “punk types” and “toughish”, were rumoured to have killed Kirsten. These were girls who fit the “anti – establishment” criteria which the press had speculated about and which Kirsten’s father had seemed to endorse on his back patio. In essence there just weren’t enough anti – establishment types to go around at Miramonte. One reason people suspected Nina (not her real name) was because she was “weird”, like she was always on drugs or something. Other girls thought she was scary. Several times that summer Trudy and some friends had gone dancing at Ruthie’s on San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley, and one night when Monkey Rhythm was playing Trudy and had gone to the bathroom and there was Nina, talking about all these weird things, like why we are all on this planet and what we have to accomplish and about God – strange drug talk. It was easy to believe Nina had killed Kirsten. So easy in fact that Nina had to eventually transfer from Miramonte. Everyone in Orinda knew her name and people would give her dirty looks. She’d walk down the street and people would be like, “Oh, that’s the girl. She did it”. And the same thing happened to another girl.
At August 6, 2016 at 8:24 AM , Anonymous said...: This is my first post ever here on this forum, so bear with me. Reading over what information I have read so far, I go back to the man who drove Kirsten home. He stated that she didn't seem worried about the car tailgating them. His statements basically state that he had no reason to suspect she could be in any danger, so he waited in the car as she approached the neighbor's doorstep.

I wonder, and this is just how I think, if he was being entirely truthful. In a different scenario, if he had walked her to the doorstep, even if Bernadette did attack them both, he was a grown man who could have sustained a lot of cuts but still could have saved Kirsten's life. He instead waited in the car, watched her attack, and then followed the pinto for a 1/4 mile before driving back.

He might have realized afterwards that he would fall to severe criticism if he left a young girl on her own when she expressed being afraid for her safety. And of course, the fact that he chose to drive off instead of rendering aid. So what if he suggested there was no indication of danger, as a way to cover his behavior? Maybe he was afraid to get involved in any altercation with the pinto driver, and stayed in the car for his own safety?

What if Kirsten did tell him that she was scared and this weird girl was coming on to her and threatening her, and yet he still let her walk alone to the door, knowing that car that was previously on his bumper, was parked right behind them?

Just throwing that out there for discussion. Has anyone else wondered about this? I know, I can overthink things. But I don't always believe what people say when they're put on the spot about their actions or lack of action. I get that I can be entirely wrong and way off base here. Just wondering about this.
At August 6, 2016 at 11:28 AM , Unknown said...: I have talked about that on here. That has bothered me terribly. What man would have stayed in the car when he saw Bernadette run after Kirsten? What man knowing they were being followed would have allowed a young girl to walk to the door by herself? I do not know how he puts his head on his pillow at night and sleeps. Another person who let Kirsten down.
At August 6, 2016 at 9:31 PM , Anonymous said...: Kirsten is not alive so we will never know what really happened that night like what was said in that car with Bernie or what she said to the man who drove her home. All wee have are their versions. The truth usually lies somewhere in between.
At August 7, 2016 at 1:16 PM , Anonymous said...: What if he didn't follow the pinto at all? What if he saw the knife, which was pretty big and hard to miss, saw this poor defenseless girl being stabbed and he freaked and sped out of there? And a few minutes later returned for fear of being labeled cowardly? Anything is possible.

According to his story he thought it was a fist fight and didn't see the knife. So why would he follow the pinto? If it was just a fist fight? The victim (Kirsten) already knew who the assailant was, as she tailgated them. So why speed off after the car as Kirsten is laying there screaming?

His story makes zero sense, and I'm surprised the attorneys didn't tear him apart over this. He should have been issued a polygraph.
At August 8, 2016 at 1:53 AM , Anonymous said...: Who cares if his story makes zero sense to some people. It was over 30 years ago. I'm sure if he didn't do all that he could've that night he doesn't sleep soundly.

He broke no laws either way-way to deflect from the REAL guilty person. You first post here and you use it to bash the man who helped her out by giving her a ride home.
At August 8, 2016 at 6:39 AM , Unknown said...: I agree the real guilty person is Bernadette . It still bothers me that so many things worked for Bernadette and against Kirsten. Poor Kirsten never had a chance. As far as the man is concerned, didn't I read he saw something shiny? I agree he broke no laws, I just know I would always ask myself why didn't I help?
At August 8, 2016 at 6:43 AM , Anonymous said...: No Susan, it's not to deflect from the person guilty of murder. Not at all. No one said anything about him breaking laws either. I'm simply suggesting that his story did not add up and could have hurt this murder case.

If there was even the slightest possibility that Kirsten told this man that a girl got weird on her and she ran out of the car because she saw a huge knife and felt threatened - this could be that one piece of evidence that would have put Protti away for longer. It would have reinforced premeditation. I think his story should have been studied harder because no, it never made sense to act the way he did.
At August 8, 2016 at 7:08 AM , Unknown said...: I feel like if so one beats on my door needing help, I would have at least walked her to the door knowing the person followed us. If Kirsten did not mention what happened or Bernadette's name, shows she may not have seen the knife and was not scared. Probably just mad at Bernadette and wanted to leave the car. If she was scared, it seems she may have told the man what went on. No, we will never know what went on and that is truly sad.
At August 8, 2016 at 12:30 PM , Sheryl said...: Thank you purple haze for posting borderline. Very interesting.
At August 8, 2016 at 5:37 PM , Anonymous said...: Purple Haze-is there more to the posts you have been posting because they are an interesting read. It highlights Bern's behavior before and after the murder. How someone can just act like nothing happened the way she did is beyond me. Then again, I would never kill someone so I don't have that mindset to pretend it never happened.

And we can debate all we like about the man that drove her home but it's not going to change anything. We weren't there so we don't really know the truth and attacking him for perceived wrongs on your part is disgusting since he did help her get home. And it does deflect from the real issue which maybe you want to do, anonymous. Anyone can post here-even Bernie, and I wouldn't put it past her to try and make someone else look bad just because people she is a psycho.

You've not really mentioned Bern and her part in your posts anonymous so you'll have to excuse me for questioning why you are doing what you are doing.
At August 8, 2016 at 5:49 PM , Karen : ) said...: Hi Anonymous,

We can only surmise what happened. Bernadette said that Kirsten was talking to the man before she went up to the neighbor's door, so perhaps she was insisting that she didn't need his assistance walking to the neighbor's door. Bernadette was described as timid, shy and weak by a close friend of hers so perhaps Kirsten viewed Bernadette as nothing but an innocuous weirdo. Maybe the guy was concerned that if he insisted that he walk Kirsten to the neigbour's door even though she didn't want him to, it might be construed as something negative. Kirsten may have been calm in the car, but she was banging her fists on the neighbour's door and telling Bernadette to "go away", which suggests that she was distressed. I think the neighbor could have intervened at that point. It was reported that he was parked near the driveway so it's highly probable that he heard Kirsten banging her fists on the door. Why didn't he intervene then? We will never know, but giving him the benefit of the doubt, perhaps he thought that Kirsten and Bernadette were engaged in insignificant teenage girl drama and it's understandable that a man wouldn't want to intervene in something like that.

"So what if he suggested there was no indication of danger, as a way to cover his behavior? Maybe he was afraid to get involved in any altercation with the pinto driver, and stayed in the car for his own safety?"

Judging from his account which you may or may not believe, He did know something was up. When Bernadette was obnoxiously tailgating him, he is reported to have asked Kirsten more than once "what was going on" and she told him "relax, don't worry about it"

Why did he drive after Bernadette?

Kirsten ran past his car screaming, so perhaps he saw that she was covered in blood and obviously knew something much more serious than a "fist fight" had occurred, so he chased Bernadette as a result of that? I don't know. We will never know for sure how frightened Kirsten was, but I thought it was believable that Kirsten was reported to be generally unfazed by Bernadette's odd behaviour and viewed her as nothing but innocuous because Bernadette had a reputation as being timid, shy and weak. The fact that he didn't stop his car to confront Bernadette when she was obnoxiously tailgating him "bumper to bumper" and could have rear ended him does suggest that he might have been concerned about getting into an altercation with the pinto driver. Some people are really, really passive and clam up when faced with confrontation. The prospect of confrontation can make some people feel very nervous, even if it is a confrontation with a teenager.

"What if Kirsten did tell him that she was scared and this weird girl was coming on to her and threatening her, and yet he still let her walk alone to the door, knowing that car that was previously on his bumper, was parked right behind them?"

If he had an attitude like that, surely he wouldn't have even bothered to allow Kirsten to phone her parents, or drive her home.
At August 8, 2016 at 5:52 PM , Karen : ) said...: Sheryl- You're welcome

Susan - Yes, there are more comments to post (up to 10). I haven't had the time lately, but will post something later. I'm glad you find them interesting. Did you watch the Borderline documentary? That's also very interesting.
At August 8, 2016 at 5:56 PM , Karen : ) said...: I agree, Susan. The blame lies solely with Bernadette who brutally took Kirsten's life away.
At August 8, 2016 at 8:44 PM , Karen : ) said...: Borderline; murder trial of Bernadette Protti by Michael Covino

Part 11

During the fall, meanwhile, the Contra Costa County Sheriff's office requested the FBI's assistance. From data provided by the Sheriff's office the FBI developed a psychological profile of the killer at their behavioural science unit at the BTI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. The FBI report said that the killer, contrary to everyone's expectations, would show little emotion or remorse when confronted with the crime, that she showed strong emotion at the moment of the killing, and that she probably knew the victim. The profile also described the killing as "impulsive, abrupt, irrational, and disorganized". The profile helped the sheriff's office to pare the list eventually down to one girl - Bernadette Protti. She had already been interviewed several times, as had other girls, but when she was called in on Friday, December 7, about a week after her confirmation in the Catholic church, she suspected something was up.

FBI agent Ronald Hilley told her that her babysitting story didn't wash. He described the profile of the killer to her and she said, "it sounds just like me." Then she asked, "Does it have to be resolved today?" He said no, but it should be resolved soon. She left, granted a reprieve for the weekend to mull things over.

Three days later, on December 10, Bernadette told her mother she needed to talk to her. Elaine Protti, aware that the police had interviewed her daughter several times - at length that Friday – and perhaps frightened, said she was too tired. The next morning Bernadette gave her mother a letter she had written her and asked her "not to read it for 30 minutes". Then Bernadette left for school. Her mother set the kitchen timer and did some Bible study. Finally, she read her daughter's letter:

Dear Mom and Dad

The reason why it took so long on Friday is because the FBI man, Ron Hilley, thinks I did it. And he is right. Please don't say how could you or why, because I don't understand this and I don't know why. He told me you would still love me, but not what I did, and that life is still worth living. Please forgive me. I need you. I'm so sorry that I have been a disappointment to you in every way. And after all I have done, I still have demands, but I don't know what else to feel – I need your love, please love me. I can't live unless you love me. I've ruined my life and yours and I don't know what to do and I'm so ashamed and scared. I love you.

Bernadette.
At August 8, 2016 at 8:47 PM , Karen : ) said...: Borderline; murder trial of Bernadette Protti by Michael Covino

Part 12

After Mrs Protti showed the note to her husband and discussed it with a daughter studying law, they decided to get Bernadette and bring her to the Sheriff's office in Martinez. The mother drove by herself to Miramonte, not so much to talk with her daughter but to just be alone with her one last time.
Stunned Miramonte students and Orinda residents reacted with disbelief to Bernadette's confession – and with coolness and anger toward a renewed assault by the press. Students booed one reporter that came around that day, and a store owner scolded another. Rumours circulated about one reporter who was supposed to have gone around telling students he was a cop, then interrogating them.
But then, the press seemed as confused by the arrest as the town. Like the murder itself, the arrest hit the front pages, but the stories only seemed to mention only incidentally that the killer, too, belonged to the Bobbies. It was all too much to digest.

Three months later on Monday, March 11, the Protti trial opened in the Contra Costa County Courthouse in Martinez. Orinda residents, many of them friends and neighbors of the Costas', or classmates of one of the girls, jammed the marble halls outside room 222. The non-jury trial as is standard with minors, was to be heard by Superior Court Judge Edward L. Merrill. A second degree plea of guilty had been offered by the public defenders office, but District Attorney Gary Yancey had rejected that. The Costas' also wanted a trial.

The marshall opened the doors and people plowed into the 44 seat courtroom. Spectators sat on each other's laps, on the floor, filled the aisles, and spilled out into the hallway. The judge ordered the courtroom cleared of those who didn't have seats and close to 40 people had to leave. The media was well-represented too; all the Bay Area dailies had reporters there, as did several weeklies and the TV stations. There were writers covering the trial for California Magazine, People and Rolling Stone. (After the trial the public defenders office would hear from a producer in Hollywood.)
At August 9, 2016 at 7:26 PM , Karen : ) said...: Borderline; murder trial of Bernadette Protti by Michael Covino

Part 13

Deputy District Attorney John Oda delivered the opening statement. He said that Kirsten didn't drink, didn't take drugs, hadn't started dating yet, was well-liked, not a problem kid, and so forth. Then he rang briefly through the case he would be making in asking for first degree murder, which requires proving meditation beyond a reasonable doubt.

As a minor with no assets, Bernadette had automatically been signed a public defender. Her parents were entitled to bring in a private attorney but chose not to. Just before the trial began, Giselle's mother went over to Mrs. Protti and said, "I want the best for all concerned". Mrs. Protti replied, "it's in the hands of the Lord". Giselle's mother felt that was really beautiful; "she wasn't saying I hope Bernadette gets off". Or "I hope there's a light sentence", but that she was willing to accept the judgement. Giselle's mother thought Mrs. Protti was an inspiration.

The assistant public defender, Charles James, got up and delivered his opening remarks. He said that Bernadette, too, didn't do drugs, that the murder hadn't been premeditated, and that she felt horror and remorse. Then came the first few witnesses. When the trial broke for lunch, the spectators, now that they understood the odds of getting back in, pressed closely around the courtroom's locked doors. Some of the mothers, most of them in their late 30's and early 40's, were reacting to the headline of an article that had appeared the day before in Sunday's Oakland Tribune. The story, which discussed the upcoming trial and reactions to it in Orinda, was headlined, "Orinda society goes on trial with murder defendant". "Remember to behave ourselves", one woman in front of me smirked, "because we're on trial". Her friends all giggled. Then the marshall opened the doors and the crowds stampeded into the courtroom. "It's like a concert, one teenager laughed", conjuring up images of the Who debacle as smartly tailored Orinda mothers smashed Orinda teenagers out of their way. (The press got to enter through a side door and didn't have to fight for seats. Otherwise- let's be frank – we probably would've come on like the 49ers offensive line).
At August 9, 2016 at 7:29 PM , Karen : ) said...: Borderline; murde trial of Bernadette Protti by Michael Covino

Part 14

The much anticipated highlight of the trial, the playing of Bernadette's taped murder confession, wouldn't happen until Tuesday, however. And indeed, the next morning the crowd had piled up around the doors two hours before they opened.
That morning the Contra Costa coroner testified in graphic detail – Mrs Costas left the courtroom as to the nature of the wounds. He said that no poisons, drugs, alcohol, or narcotics had been found in the body. Defense Attorney James asked if the tests would have detected marijuana. He said, "No". Next, FBI agent Hilley described his meeting with Bernadette. It was at this point that the story about driving up the hill to smoke marijuana first got mentioned – and from then on everyone's attention perked up. It was interesting outside the courtroom too. During the lunch break before the playing of the tape, one Orinda mother went over to Jackie and told her she should "reconsider" why she was there, that the trial was for friends of the Costa', for those who cared. Jackie told the woman that just wasn't true: Bernadette was her close friend. The woman walked off in a huff. Jackie said she thought that was your typical Orinda mother. Also during the break two young women, one whose husband had been murdered, went around collecting signatures in support of enforcing the death penalty; a lot of people signed on including Mr. and Mrs. Costas.

The court convened for the afternoon session with the tape, but first came some very bad comedy involving the murder weapon. The defense contended that Bernadette had acted spontaneously in the murder, grabbing a kitchen knife her older sister left in the car. Sgt. Richard Weckle of the Contra Costa County Sheriff's office took the stand with a brown paper bag – exhibit one – out of which he pulled various knives. The one that he described as the murder weapon was this monstrous 15 inch bread knife that looked like a prop out of a teenager slasher pic, Friday the 13th or Halloween. Under persistent questioning Weckle had admitted that Bernadette had not been shown actual knives but had "identified" the murder weapon only by looking at several mediocre quality Polaroid snapshots that Weckle had shown her in jail; he hadn't brought the knife itself to the girls juvenile hall because he had been afraid to bring it there and wasn't sure he was allowed to. He had also failed to explain to her the scale of the photograph.

No, it wasn't an impressive first degree case that the DA's office mounted, and the final blow was their own introduction of the taped confession. This tape represented the heart of their case – the admission of guilt - but it was not material to prove first degree murder. The tape was also of astonishingly poor quality, especially the confession brought to an end the most extensive homicide investigation in Contra Costa's history: voices leaked through from the other side, or from improper erasure of previously recorded material; parts were inaudible.

The tape played for more than 90 minutes. In a low haltering, vulnerable childish voice, Bernadette began to speak. Her first question to Sgt. Weckle and FBI agent Hilley – again, mirroring perfectly her community's own paranoia and concern with social standing and ignominy – was, "Will the press get my name?" ("Can you imagine that a 16 year old might be more frightened of the press than prison?" She would later ask Agent Hilley.)
At August 10, 2016 at 5:47 PM , Unknown said...: Purple Haze- I am so glad you are posting the Borderline article. I still find it hard to believe it took the police that long to see the babysitting story wasn't true. You have the description of the car with the dents, the false babysitting story, knowing the killer mentioned a meeting with the group and a description of the killer. Seems that could have been wrapped up a lot sooner than 6 months. I am not blaming anyone but when you are dealing with a walking, talking killer, every minute counts. I know things are advanced now but 6 months...
At August 11, 2016 at 4:49 PM , Karen : ) said...: Hi Kmaham,

You're welcome.

I don't understand that either. As someone else wrote: Due to the VERY clear description of the murderer, Bernadette was pretty much handed to them on a plate. I'm astonished that it took so long to catch her.
Michael Covino also mentioned something about that in the above article. I also find it astonishing that none of the Bobbies members suspected her (or maybe some did). If she was never caught, I'm sure she would have continued to "block it out of her mind" and live quite comfortably with what she did.

Did you watch Landscape Suicide?
At August 13, 2016 at 10:00 PM , Anonymous said...: Thanks so much for posting these Purple Haze.

So very interesting to read how the community wanted an eye for an eye(the death penalty petition) What's funny is she was a juvenile at the time so even if she had received that sentence it would have eventually been commuted to life when that law was passed a few years back regarding minors and the death penalty(she would never have been executed in California-the death penalty in that state is a joke)

But you guys are right-she was such an obvious suspect.

I never saw the documentary. Will look for it.
At August 13, 2016 at 10:50 PM , Karen : ) said...: Borderline; murder trial of Bernadette Protti by Michael Covino

Part 15

Bernadette spoke of wanting to take Kirsten to a party that night (there was one) and of making up the dinner invitation so that Kirsten's parents would let her out of the house. She said that Kirsten put her down for not wanting to smoke pot. She spoke of later flushing the marijuana down the toilet and washing off the bloody knife which her sister had probably left in the car, She said, "Kirsten never really liked me, but I thought she was okay". She said "I never have friends over because I'm embarrassed." At this, her elderly parents, far older than most Orinda parents in the courtroom, looked perfectly miserable. (If Mr. Costas looked as though on a happier day he'd be at home swinging a club on golf course, Mr. Protti looked like he'd be far more content working a hoe in a tomato garden.)

She mentioned a ski trip and how she'd had these "crummy" skis and how her other classmates might think they were crummy but only Kirsten would say so out loud. (Kirsten's good friend Harmony would later sensibly say to me, "Sure, I could see Kirsten making fun of Bernadette's skis. But if she'd made fun of my skis, I would've just laughed and said, 'Yeah, they are pretty junky, aren't they".) Bernadette said, "I was afraid she would tell friends at school I drove without a license." The detective, perhaps fling the need for comic relief said, "That's an extreme way of stopping someone".

Then the detective said, "I asked if you had boyfriends over and you said no, then quickly added, 'But I'm attracted to boys' ".

"If you're asking if I'm attracted to girls" Bernadette said, "no"

The tape played on. Bernadette said she thought some of the girls who made the cheerleaders "were not as deserving" as she would have been. She said she'd considered suicide, then dismissed it figuring she'd already caused enough people grief. She mentioned a Miramonte student who'd once remarked that when they caught the murderer they ought to make her go to school for a week with everyone knowing. "That would be a fate worse than death, "Bernadette said.
At August 13, 2016 at 10:54 PM , Karen : ) said...: Borderline; murder trial of Bernadette Protti by Michael Covino

Part 16

At another point she was about to describe the murder and faltered. "Like you were on the outside watching" a detective offered. She picked it right up. "It was exactly like I was watching it. It was like how you see a dream and you see yourself doing things. It was so much like a dream I thought I would wake up". It was good copy and all the dailies quoted her – without mentioning a detective prompted the line.

Bernadette had said that she wanted to explain to Kirsten that she wasn't "weird", but that Kirsten was being mean. Bernadette said animatedly, "I thought, 'Oh my God she's gonna tell everyone.'"

The detective breathlessly asked, "What"?

She replied blandly. "It wasn't a secret or anything." She said, "I've sort of apologized to her in my mind."

The detective asked, "You think she's' in heaven"?

"Uh-huh."

"Do you think she's partly responsible?"

"I remember I had dreams about her and remember the mean things about her." She added, " I couldn't ever think it was her fault. I don't think there is any reason in the world that justifies killing someone."

By the time the tape had finished a lot of people were crying. Bernadette, her mother, her four sisters, spectators; upset friends of Bernadette had gotten up and left; even Berit Costas who had glared at Bernadette throughout most of the trial, gazed downwards (it was later revealed that Berit was not gazing downwards because she felt sympathy for Bernadette, but because she felt like vomiting).

It was a moving confession, and though introduced by necessity by the prosecution it had just about destroyed their chances for a first degree conviction. They had said as much on the tape. At one point Bernadette felt sick and had gone to the bathroom. As soon as she was gone, the FBI agent and the sheriff had dropped their palsy- walsy routine. "At least we have a voluntary", one cop told another, "but we need more on intent". But more never came. Prosecutor Oda would later argue that Bernadette had three days to construct a self- serving story – and he may well have been right but on the other hand he failed to construct his own story showing beyond a reasonable doubt that she acted with premeditation. Oda, in fact, gave a long convoluted explanation for the murder, after which the judge asked him to clarify what he was saying. So he launched into another long, convoluted explanation, then asked Judge Merrill, "Does that clarify things?" The judge smiled and said, "No", and most of the reporters cracked up.
It was an amazing show by a DA's office that had rejected a second degree plea bargain and insisted on a trial; defense attorney James, a far more eloquent speaker might have beaten the rap down to manslaughter before a jury. As it was, he asked for second degree, perhaps because that's all he knew he could expect from Judge Merrill, who was no fool and felt pretty disgusted by the trial.
At August 13, 2016 at 11:02 PM , Karen : ) said...: Hi Susan,

The documentary is on youtube. Someone posted a link above.

"So very interesting to read how the community wanted an eye for an eye(the death penalty petition)

The death penalty petition was started by a woman whose husband was murdered. I agree she would never have been put to death. I can understand why someone would want a perpetrator who murdered their loved one to fry (I know the electric chair isn't used anymore in most States). I think a lot of people would feel the same way, especially if your child was brutally murdered.
At August 14, 2016 at 12:28 PM , Anonymous said...: I feel the same way. It's too bad we live in a society who feels that if you are under 18 you aren't mature enough to be responsible for murder.
At August 14, 2016 at 3:16 PM , Karen : ) said...: Borderline; murder trial of Bernadette Protti by Michael Covino

Part 17

Still, James had a few things to get off his chest, and he did so in his closing statement. In Orinda, "he said" "everybody is expected to be beautiful, successful, and popular. There are no low expectations at Miramonte. Nobody's studying to be a hod carrier there". He mentioned that the court processed plenty of murders from Richmond. "I sometimes feel there is too little hope in Richmond. I think there might be too much hope in Orinda".
On Wednesday, after the lunch break, Judge Merrill found Bernadette Protti guilty of second degree murder with malice. He said, "We have a kind of Alice In Wonderland situation here. If the minor is under the age of sixteen, then the youth authority has jurisdiction until she turns twenty-five. The degree, whether it is first or second, is irrelevant. So I'm really wondering what we have accomplished here in the past three days. And I hope this isn't here for entertainment value – because it's much too serious.

Two weeks later Merrill sentenced Bernadette Protti to a maximum nine years term with the California Youth Authority; she will serve her sentence at the Ventura Girls School. Bernadette could be released after as little as one year, though it is unlikely. The average stay at the Ventura school is four years.

And so it ended with many questions left unanswered – including the biggest question of all – Why? The problem was that Bernadette's story just didn't make sense; motivation was still missing. She'd said, of course, that Kirsten symbolized her rejection, but it was also possible that Bernadette, after having followed media speculation for six months, had constructed an explanation that conformed to the one that had been constructed. In her confession, Bernadette painted herself a loser - and indeed she might have believed it – but there is scant evidence in reality for the theory that she was an unpopular outsider who had it in for someone at the center of things. Kirsten was pretty, and that was often cited, but Bernadette is pretty too. Her friend Jackie told me, " I was jealous of her. Bernadette was intelligent beyond belief" and "just always looked good. She looked different from everyone else; everyone looks the same at our school". Bernadette cited Kirsten's popularity, but Bernadette it turned out had lots of friends too. Jessica said, " she was just as popular as Kirsten – it's just that Kirsten and her frined's think they are popular". She said she never had any close friends over to her house, but at least four close friends I spoke to had been there frequently. Did she really fear it would get around that she had driven without a license? That sounded like just the sort of thing to increase one's social standing among other teenagers. Still, it's not always easy gauging other people's reactions.

One bright day a week after the trial I drove to Orinda to speak with Giselle at her home, high up on Tahos road overlooking much of the town. Her mother put a plate of chocolate chip cookies down alongside me, then sat on the sofa next to her daughter, smiling as she waited for the interview to begin. I shrugged and figured I might as well ask the mother questions. Like about the car. "That was the part I find hardest to believe", she said. My mind was so far from comprehending her capable of murder, that I could not comprehend her driving without a license because I never saw her do anything really wrong. She was a very moral person. So I couldn't dream of her taking the car without asking her parents. To me that was a big thing to do wrong. I couldn't even get higher than that". Perhaps it was just your standard generation gap.
At August 14, 2016 at 3:21 PM , Karen : ) said...: I agree, Susan. It varies from state to state, doesn't it. Two 14 year old girls in Wisconsin who attempted to kill their friend when they were 12 will be tried as adults. A juvenile as young as 10 years old can be tried as an adult for attempted murder/murder in Wisconsin.
At August 14, 2016 at 7:18 PM , Anonymous said...: Thanks for posting these and I will look for that video.
At August 16, 2016 at 5:54 PM , Karen : ) said...: Borderline; murder trial of Bernadette Protti by Michael Covino

Part 18 (last part)

Perhaps it was just your standard generation gap. Or perhaps not. At one point I got up and went to the bathroom, and was soon marvelling at the incredible adobe-like shelving that had been built right into the wall all around the toilet tank so that only two inches of space remained between the top of the removable tank lid and the structurally immovable bottom shelf. There was no way to get inside the water tank. These were people who never expected to have trouble with the toilet, never mind the kids.

Of course it was possible that Bernadette just had an ungenerous view of herself that differed radically from how her friends perceived her. But the speculation of most of her friends seems to inevitably return to the half hour up on the hill. Something frightened Bernadette, says Jessica, "that Kirsten might say it, so I think that's why it happened. Because she got scared." The thing that was in the back of a lot of people's minds, including the law enforcement people, was that Bernadette made a clumsy pass at Kirsten, then been rejected and taunted. It made sense if one considered just what might send a somewhat shy, fifteen - year old girl from a strict Catholic household in a "model" community over the edge into a frenzy of homicidal fear and rage, what she'd prefer to hide even while owning up to murder. And it was a possibility discussed by some girls attending the trial but dismissed as other close friend's of Bernadette's as absolutely ridiculous.

In the end one thing was clear. Something "weird" had happened up on the hill, and now one popular girl was dead and another was in prison. As for Kirsten's friends, if they never see Bernadette again it'll be too soon. And as for Bernadette's friends, their feelings are mixed. Giselle, who was close to both girls, doesn't feel she can forgive something like that. Her mother, in fact, is more forgiving. Jessica, who corresponds with Bernadette, feels, "So many lives have been hurt, and if everybody hated her it would just hurt her even more. I don't think we should waste another life." Trudy, too, has been corresponding with Bernadette, who wrote her, "You know, I don't even understand it so how can I expect you to?" Sometimes Trudy wakes up and feels sorry for Bernadette. Then other days, "Ill see the Costas' or a movie where a similar thing happened and I just hate her". Whichever, she thinks about it every day.

As for Jackie: "She's like my sister. I really cared about her. I just believe that – like my Ma says – if you really love somebody, then whatever they do doesn't affect you. I'd go driving with her right now because she's not violent". Nonetheless, Jackie doesn't go up to the Moraga Valley Presbyterian Church anymore; the place seems haunted. The parking lot, which flanks the small, plain modern church on two sides, ends and the meadows begin, then just before the hill starts to slope away a twelve – foot high, simple wooden cross rises straight up out of the grass, looking out over the Moraga Valley – a peaceful blend of orchards, pastureland with grazing horses, grassy and wooded hills, Miramonte High, and several hillsides with tract developments going up across them.

No doubt within in a few years there'll be the new students who never heard of wither girl, some even from the new developments, and they'll come up here for a lunch break smoke or perhaps just for the sweeping view. And within a generation, as Contra Costa County continues its aggressive push into the 21st Century, most of the facing hills will probably have gone suburban, and Moraga Valley, thanks to the real estate boom, will seem less haunted all the time.
At August 21, 2016 at 5:49 PM , Anonymous said...: Thanks for posting all this Purple Haze. It was an interesting read and one of the better articles on the murder.
At August 22, 2016 at 10:09 PM , Karen : ) said...: Hi Susan. You're welcome. I agree that the article was a good read.
At August 26, 2016 at 9:39 PM , Anonymous said...: It was because it gives us insight into what happened after the murder and how cool she was. Unbelievable IMO.

I mean, she just murdered another human in cold blood and went about her merry way as if nothing had happened.

Reminds me of serial killers and how they keep on killing with no remorse. I don't even think she is remorseful to this day.
At August 28, 2016 at 5:37 PM , Karen : ) said...: Hi Susan. Was that in response to the person asking "what is the point of this blog"? It was asked under the "Belated Birthday" article which I responded to.

I agree with your comment. Why is it so hard for some people to grasp that others find it horrifying that Bernadette "murdered another human in cold blood and went about her merry way as if nothing had happened" or that "it gives us insight into what happened after the murder and how cool she was" after the murder. After all, she could "block it out of her mind easily" (her words).
At August 29, 2016 at 8:07 PM , Sassygurl said...: She is a unhinged sociopath! I can't believe she actually went to Kirsten's funeral and seen Kirsten laying in the casket and Bernadette was responsible for putting her in it. I wish Kirsten would have made it and could have pointed a finger at her!!!!!
At August 30, 2016 at 4:51 PM , Karen : ) said...: This comment has been removed by the author.
At August 30, 2016 at 6:37 PM , Karen : ) said...: This comment has been removed by the author.
At August 31, 2016 at 12:49 PM , Anonymous said...: I too don't understand why people can't understand it why some of us are perplexed how someone can do what she did and live life as if nothing happened.
At August 31, 2016 at 6:03 PM , Karen : ) said...: Hi Susan,

You should see some of the rubbish I sometimes get on youtube from Bernadette supporters. They resort to petulant name calling when you attempt to explain why you are disgusted by Bernadette's behaviour. One shouldn't have to explain why they are disgusted by murder, especially a murder as heinous as Kirsten's.
At September 7, 2016 at 7:06 PM , Anonymous said...: Her supporters are probably family and friends that she has brainwashed into believing that she was this long suffering angel who was bullied by the evil Kirsten and she is the victim because people won't just let it go.
At September 14, 2016 at 2:14 PM , Anonymous said...: They even pushed for the death penalty. People signed for it.
At September 14, 2016 at 2:17 PM , Karen : ) said...: "They even pushed for the death penalty. People signed for it."

What are you referring to?
At September 14, 2016 at 6:30 PM , Anonymous said...: During court recess they went around asking people to sign a death warrant, Costas's and all. Il. find the chapter and get back with you about it.
At September 14, 2016 at 6:36 PM , Anonymous said...: Part 14. Purple. Haze, they enforced signatutes for the death penalty. Its right after the. Orinda mother goes to. Bernadette s friend. Jackie and bawls her out for being there.
At September 15, 2016 at 6:01 AM , Anonymous said...: Hi purple haze, I did read that she did attend the funeral and they do allow a last viewing if they want before they cremate the person. Kirsten was cremated but I think the costas wanted to allow a viewing, they sometimes say that helps with closure but I don't think it gave them closure it was sickening to think about how she was viciously stabbed and then knowing that happened and what she went through makes me queezy. I know if I was the person that had driven her home I would have walked her to the door of the neighbors house but mr. Arnold didn't think Bernadette would do something like that and Kirsten didn't know she was capable of something like that, Bernadette is sick and needs to still be locked up I don't care who agrees and who disagrees. Bernadette said she was afraid that Kirsten would tell everyone that she drove without a license is a bunch of bullcrap and she knows it. I think what happened and all may not agree but I think Kirsten felt as if Bernadette was making a pass at her, after all in the newspaper articles of the murder it does say they quarreled, then I think Bernadette lashed out at Kirsten and she thought she was weird and then Kirsten got out the car but my opinion is my opinion. I would freak out to if someone I didn't hang out with just atarted telling me that I'm pretty and whatever else. I feel sorry for the costas and I am saddened by kirstens murder! I am going to leave on this note as well, Lifetime should be ashamed of themselves for trying to make the one who was murdered out to be a monster, Kirsten wasn't some mean, evil witch like she was cast. Rest in peace beautiful Kirsten I'm on your side beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!
At September 15, 2016 at 6:09 AM , Anonymous said...: I can say that the justice system is crooked. How come she wasn't tried as an adult, Jamie fuller was only 16 when he killed his girlfriend and he was given life in prison without the possibility of parole. The moron attorney Bernadette had should have to live with his guilt knowing he lied in court for that psycho. This whole case makes me upset because as a mother I cant even imagine what mrs. costas is going through and she shouldn't have had to go through that all because one psychotic teenage girl who was in counseling for problems before the murder should have went to the insane asylum for her issues or they should have done something with her. I'm not blaming Bernadette's parents but I do however agree that Elaine did the right thing for making her daughter face the consequences and she was ok with whatever Bernadette got! Life without parole still wouldn't be enough to change what she did!!!!!!
At September 15, 2016 at 10:15 AM , Anonymous said...: Death, eye for an eye. Sister studied law, probaly one of the. Protti private one" s.
At September 15, 2016 at 10:24 AM , Anonymous said...: Mrs. Costas was never the same again. People supported her through the trial, friends , neighbor"s, and. Kirsten"s schoolmates, few supported Bernadette.
At September 15, 2016 at 1:54 PM , Anonymous said...: The movie labeled Bernadette as.a wannabee who wanted it all, and had just one friend, and another childhhod friend. The article stated her BFF who stood by her on court, was also a Bobbie. In the movie, they had her friend as someone who was smart, but didn' t have any friends except. Bernadette. They were'nt invited out much according to the Rolling Stones article , and, they were average students, and alot of people did'nt know who they were. Alot of it was added on. like an. Orinda mom telling her friend she had no business here, this is supporters for the. Costas's. In the movie, Stacy. Lockwood's friend told her she should'nt be here, this trial is for. Kirsten's friends. It mayof been the reak life girl's mom who told her. 2 girl's were friends with. Kirsten and. Bernadette, but not anymore after. Kirsten's murder. The goth girl in the movie showed student's bullying her. Maybe both girl's were bullied. One was ran out, the other was'nt allowed to go back to. Miramonte and moved to. England, she said people saw her out they glared at her, and made her feel bad, she ended up gping back and graduating. The other left school, and, never returned. cause the treatment and harrassment she received. Im assuming it's the one they labeled in Satanism. So hard to say, alot of lives ruined, Costas family was never the same, Kirsten's friends and classmates were never the same, Protti's were never the same,and, Miramonte was never the same.
At October 19, 2016 at 3:09 PM , Anonymous said...: My pussy stinks!
At October 19, 2016 at 6:02 PM , Anonymous said...: Well, you'd best give it a good wash then.
At November 7, 2016 at 11:16 AM , Unknown said...: Thank you SO much for posting that article, Purple haze! It's an incredibly interesting read, and it tells me even more that Kirsten wasn't a bully - it sounds like even the "awful" comment about Bernadette's skis may have been in jest. Bernadette took everything way too seriously and personally. She really was/is weird.
At November 25, 2016 at 2:40 PM , Anonymous said...: Anonymous you are a disgusting weitdo. Say that about your private part, you te an eccentric whore, you re just plain sickening, get help weirdo.
At November 25, 2016 at 2:42 PM , Anonymous said...: YOURE A FREAK
At November 25, 2016 at 2:43 PM , Anonymous said...: YOURE A FREAK
At November 26, 2016 at 1:27 AM , Anonymous said...: It was probably you that wrote that.

Bernadette Protti IS Jeannette Tomanka

Saturday, June 4, 2016

Sorry for the wait...

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