#ColdcaseJoe

Dr. Michael Berkland, medical examiner, for Cold case Joe

Dr. Michael Berkland, former medical examiner, arrested for storing human body parts in Fla. storage unit

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dr-michael-berkland-former-medical-examiner-arrested-for-storing-human-body-parts-in-fla-storage-unit/

What Really Happened to Lori Klausutis? (Everything Joe Scarborough Does NOT Want Viewers To Know)

This past June a Media frenzy began when it was revealed that Morning Joe had been divorced since 2013 and Mika Brzezinski was quietly divorcing her husband James Hoffer. Rumors of their romance had been floating around for some time. This was Joe’s second one having divorced his first wife, Melanie Hinton in 1999.

IMG_3773.JPG

Autopsy by Disgraced ME Micheal Berkland?

Most viewers of Morning Joe’s show do not know he once served as a U.S. Congressman from Florida’s 1st District from 1995 until he suddenly resigned only 5 months into his 4th term in September 2001. His reason? The classic “In order to spend more time with his children”

Curiously, just 2 months before this occurred:

Naples Daily News July 21, 2001

"FORT WALTON BEACH, FL. - Lori Klausutis, a 28-year-old office worker for Rep. Joe Scarborough (R-Fl), was found dead in the congressman's district office. Police said preliminary findings from the medical examiner's office showed no foul play or any outward indication of suicide."

Why was there a virtual news blackout on this very mysterious death?

1. IOKIYAR (It’s OK If You Are Republican) Syndrome- A disease of Corporate Media where Republicans get free passes on issues and behaviors that destroy the careers of Democrats.

(See Gary Hart)

While Mainstream Media was hounding Democrat U.S. Congressman Gary Condit about his missing ex-intern, Chandra Levy, viewers heard next to nothing about Joe’s intern, a healthy 28 year old woman, being found dead in his Congressional District Office in Fort Walton Beach, FL.

1. Only days later - September 11, 2001

Naturally worldwide focus shifted for weeks and months as Americans & the world tried to comprehend and cope with the horrific loss of life and catastrophic events of that day.

However, the Media’s relentless scrutiny and insinuations cost Condit his re-election in 2002, even though Levy’s murderer was later found and convicted while Morning Joe’s mysterious case vanished into thin air.

Why?

Begin with former Medical Examiner Dr. Michael Berkland whose autopsy results help bury Lori and all legitimate questions surrounding her death.

Who is Dr. Michael Berkland?

He was a Pathologist whose medical license in the state of Missouri had been revoked in 1998 as a result of Berkland reporting false information regarding brain tissue samples in a 1996 autopsy report. Berkland never denied the charges.

He moved to Florida in 1997 and in July 1999, Berkland was suspended from his position as Medical Examiner in the State of Florida. Yet in 2001 he was issuing reports on Klausutis’s death that were questionable if not downright false.

Berkland continued to get into trouble and in 2003 not only was he fired but had his license as Medical Examiner withdrawn.

In 2012 he was arrested & charged when this gruesome discovery was made:

It is more than fair to question the competency and accuracy of any and all Dr. Berkland’s autopsy reports especially given the inconsistent reports of Lori’s health prior to her death. Joe himself said that Lori had a "complicated medical history" including "stroke and epilepsy," though this was absolutely not true.

To this day no one truly knows how and why a healthy 28 year old woman died in her boss’s office?

These THREE questions have never been adequately answered:

From American Politics Journal August 8, 2001

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/12/21/1613261/-What-Really-Happened-to-Lori-Klausutis-Everything-Joe-Scarborough-Does-NOT-Want-Viewers-To-Know

! of several

>>9278997

Joe was going to sue Micheal Moore

"

Is Scarborough getting ready to sue Moore? Scanning the tube last night, I stopped on MSGOP because beady-eyed Joe was talking Michael Moore with radio wingnut, Lars Larson.

Larson is accusing Moore of giving out his phone number and because of that, Larson has been receiving death threats.

But the interesting part was what Scarborough said about Moore …

SCARBOROUGH: Well, you know what? I can’t even say on the air right now because there may be a legal issue involved. I can’t even tell you what he said to me in front of a couple different crowds. I started getting flooded with e-mails about a crime that he accused me of doing. And we’ll reveal that later on but certainly not on tonight’s show, because this is about you.

http://www.msnbc.com/news/987604.asp

Have you noticed the right-wing loons have started to rachet up the attacks on Moore lately? They're trying to malign him before the release of his next movie. "

https://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x626972

Joe Scarborough threatens to sue Michael Moore

Scarborough did not appreciate Moore's explanation to an NBC reporter as to why he would not appear on Scarborough's show. Moore rehashed the facts concerning Lori Klausutis, a young intern found dead in Scarborough's Florida office, around the time Scarborough announced he would not seek reelection. Scarborough says Moore accused him of being a murderer:

SCARBOROUGH: You going to talk to Michael?

GOLDBERG: When he has time for me.

SCARBOROUGH: When he has time for you, just tell him to stop going around calling me a murderer or I`m going to have to call my lawyers. Will you do that for me?

GOLDBERG: Well, I`m sure you can get to him yourself, Joe, but I appreciate you having me on. I really do.

Once again, Moore is casually commenting on facts that he reasonably assumes the media already knew about. Scarborough will come out with egg on his face, as Peter Jennings did for challenging Moore's apt description of Bush as a deserter. If Scarborough is serious about his threat, then he will suffer a worse defeat than Bill O'Reilly (in going after Franken).

These guys never learn. I hope Scarborough makes Moore's day!

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2004/6/15/33603/-

A Death in the Congressman's Office

Does Anybody in the Press Care About Lori Klausutis?

By Denis Wright and Chris George

Once upon a time, the phrase "investigative reporter" actually meant something. It usually involved hard work, possibly even mentation. Now, it seems, they just make stuff up. Especially on the Fox News Channel, where an uninitiated viewer could easily think she/he had tuned in Comedy Central. It's "Chandra-Chandra-Chandra" with the occasional "Condit is just like Clinton" thrown in. Given our media's 24/7 obsession with the Gary Condit "scandal", you might assume that there is a real dearth of hard news to pursue.

In reality, there is indeed a news story percolating out there. The story bears remarkable and ironic similarities to the Condit/Levy story. Both involve Congressmen, rumors of infidelity, and the fate of a younger female subordinate. The details are so similar as to remind one of two alternate universes. The difference between the two stories? First, in the Klausutis case as not in the Levy case, there is a real body, very dead. Second, the Klausutis case involves a Republican.

The story had a brief flutter in the Northwest Florida press, which ran a few very short stories on Lori's death. With the exception of the Northwest Florida Daily News, they were of the "Aw-what-a-shame/ nothing-to-see-here-move-along-now-folks" variety. But nationally, this mysterious death earned a mere one paragraph mention in The Washington Post's NATION IN BRIEF column:

"FORT WALTON BEACH, FL. - Lori Klausutis, a 28-year-old office worker for Rep. Joe Scarborough (R-Fl), was found dead in the congressman's district office. Police said preliminary findings from the medical examiner's office showed no foul play or any outward indication of suicide."

Unbelievably, that was it. The story was simply dropped. A young female employee of one of Florida's Congressmen had died unexpectedly in the Congressman's office. There were no witnesses to her death and the cause of death was not apparent. Klausutis' boss, Joe Scarborough had recently resigned from Congress prematurely and unexpectedly, amid rumors about his marital fidelity and soon after a divorce. He had also abruptly resigned as publisher of the Independent Florida Sun, claiming that resigning from Congress and as publisher was necessary to spend more time with his sons.

Such circumstances make one pause. Sick to death of the clear bias of the corporate owned media, and suspicious of the odd nature of this death, we began to dig for answers. The more information we discovered, the more unlikely, and the more newsworthy the story became.

Here are the facts. Lori Klausutis had a seemingly happy life. A devoted husband who listed on his online homepage "being married to Lori" as one of the honors he enjoyed, a new home in Niceville and a Catholic congregation where she was a cantor and in whose choir she sang, were some of the elements of the Good Life she enjoyed. Her husband, Dr. Timothy Klausutis, did research and development for the munitions group at nearby Eglin Air Force Base, where he presumably made a good livelihood. Although Lori hailed from the Atlanta, Georgia area where she had attended school, there were numerous family members in the area. According to her obituary in the Fort Walton Daily News, Lori had served as President and, later, Treasurer, for the Emerald Coast Young Republicans and as a aide to Congressman Scarborough, she was active during the Florida recounts. A former neighbor, Barbara Cromer, said "Every morning, I would see her run while I walked. We'd wave to each other as we passed. I loved Lori so much. She was wonderful. She was a kind, generous person, so sweet.

Lot's of links could use some help with this

https://web.archive.org/web/20170702072117/http://americanpolitics.com:80/20010808Klausutis.html

Cont

Then, on Friday, July 20th, the body of Lori Klausutis, 28, was found slumped next to a desk on the floor of Florida Republican Congressman Joe Scarborough's Fort Walton Beach office where Lori had served as a constituent services coordinator since May, 1999. Her body was found around 8:00 a.m. on Friday morning by a couple arriving for an appointment. She had been dead for some time. A second employee, who would have normally arrived for work at around the same time, was away on vacation. Police cordoned off the area for investigation, later announcing that there was no reason to suspect foul play, nor were there signs of suicide.

Scarborough's office released a statement several hours after the discovery:

"My staff and family are greatly saddened by the loss of Lori Klausutis. I know Lori will be missed by the thousands of citizens who regularly contact my office to seek assistance with a variety of problems. May God grant Lori's family the grace, comfort and hope that will get them through this difficult time."

The Congressman returned to Florida that same day, and his office was quick to point out that it was not unusual for him to fly home for the weekend.

There was a great deal of ambiguity over whether Lori had suffered past medical problems. Scarborough's press secretary, Miguel Serrano, made mention of health problems in Lori's past, but could not be more specific. In response, Fort Walton Beach Police Chief Steve Hogue is quoted as saying "That's part of our investigation, checking into her medical history." Associate Medical Examiner Dr. Michael Berkland said "She had a past medical history that was significant, but it remains to be seen whether that played a role in her death". Soon after a member of the immediate family rejected out of hand that Lori had any significant medical problems. She was, in fact, quite an athlete, having recently run an 8K with a very respectable time and she belonged to the Northwest Florida Track Club.

The results of the mandated autopsy, however, were deemed "inconclusive" by Dr. Berkland, who ordered more specific toxicology tests. These results were expected by the middle of the following week, around the first or second day of August. Dr. Berkland commented at the time "This turns over several puzzle pieces in the case of her death and reveals more of the picture".

Welcome to the Wheel of Fortune.

Michael Berkland, it turns out, has a very interesting background himself. Recently relocated to Florida, it is a matter of public record that Dr. Berkland's medical license in the state of Missouri was revoked in 1998 as a result of Berkland reporting false information regarding brain tissue samples in a 1996 autopsy report. Berkland does not deny the charges.

It's also a matter of public record that he was suspended from his position as Medical Examiner in the State of Florida in July, 1999.

Quincy, he's not.

In October 2006, Joe Scarborough sent a cease and desist letter to have all references to himself and his dead aide, Lori Klausutis, removed from this website.

Click here for the PDF.

Nothing was removed from this site

What Liberal Media?

Joe Scarborough

Conservative Republican that served from 1994-2001

Represented northwest Florida

Never served in the military

Rock and Roll musician

A dead female aide was found in his Florida office at the same time Democrat Congressman Gary Condit was under intense national media scrutiny

ONLY ONE NEWSPAPER IN THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES COVERED THIS DRAMA – The NW Florida Daily News (Ft. Walton Beach) wrote 21 articles about the death of Lori Klausutis. Joe's hometown newspaper, the Pensacola News Journal only ran three brief articles buried within the newspaper.

Listed below are links to other websites and other information on Scarborough and Lori Klausutis.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_01/01.05B.Klausutis.1.htm

http://www.americanpolitics.com/20010808Klausutis.html

http://www.whoseflorida.com/lori_klausutis.htm

Northwest Florida Daily News articles on the dead aide

NOTICE: Most links were taken down in September 2006 by the NW Florida Daily News. The links below were archived via Google cache.

The following is a collection of links gathered after a dead aide was found in Republican Congressman Joe Scarborough's Fort Walton Beach, Florida office in late July 2001.

Northwest Florida Daily News

… Scarborough aide dies. Police have found no evidence of foul play in the death of

Lori Klausutis. By JEFF AYRES, Daily News Staff Writer An employee of US Rep. …

Northwest Florida Daily News

… The medical examiner investigating the death of Lori Klausutis said Saturday

there is absolutely no evidence that the 28-year-old employee of US Rep. …

Northwest Florida Daily News

… Scarborough aide laid to rest. Information on the cause of death of Lori Klausutis may be released today. By AMBER BOLLMAN, Daily News Staff Writer …

Northwest Florida Daily News

… Repeated attempts Thursday to contact Associate Medical Examiner Dr. Michael Berkland about the death of Lori Klausutis were unsuccessful. …

Northwest Florida Daily News

… Details emerge in aide's death. A police report reinforces the finding that Lori Klausutis' death was accidental. By TOM McLAUGHLIN, Daily News Staff Writer …

www.nwfdailynews.com/archive/news/01/010829news1.html - 9k -

Northwest Florida Daily News

… Autopsy report on aide released. The findings confirm Lori Klausutis died after falling and hitting her head on a desk. By JEFF AYRES, Daily News Staff Writer …

www.nwfdailynews.com/archive/news/01/010901news3.html - 8k -

http://www.allhatnocattle.net/congressman_joe_scarborough.htm