The Montreal Gazette reports on Dennis Markuze. The headline is good.
Man charged with threatening people using social media — again
Yes exactly: again. He was charged with it before, he was released on condition that he not do it again, he did it again. A lot.
A Saint-Laurent man has been charged, again, with abusing social media to threaten people who express their views online.
Dennis Markuze, 40, faces three new charges, including one alleging he violated the conditions of a sentence he received in May for the same offence. He was also charged with threatening the Montreal police officer who was investigating claims from several of Markuze’s past victims. Those victims alleged that Markuze’s threats have intensified in recent months.
In May, Markuze received an 18-month suspended sentence after pleading guilty to uttering threats toward eight people he believed to be atheists. The court was told Markuze’s problems could be attributed to drug consumption, which caused him to believe he was “the Voice of God.” As part of his sentence, he was ordered to “abstain from participating in a social network, blog and discussion forum.” But during the summer, several people contacted The Gazette to report that Markuze appeared to be ignoring the court order.
Ignoring it as if it had never happened. Threat threat threat, threat threat threat threat threat threat.
Tim Farley told the cops this, and they said “what court order?”
But they get it now. They know there was a court order. They’re all over it.
Markuze appeared before a judge at the Montreal courthouse on Monday where he was released after agreeing to a series of conditions, including that he not communicate with Farley.
Um………….
20 comments
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Eamon Knight
November 20, 2012 at 10:42 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
….that worked sooooo well last time, dinnit?
Ophelia Benson
November 20, 2012 at 10:50 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Well, no, but it will totally work this time, because…um…
Kausik Datta
November 20, 2012 at 10:54 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I can’t put my finger on it, but… Something seems not quite right with the Montréal justice system.
adriana
November 20, 2012 at 10:54 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I’m not a psychiatrist, but it seems that this guy is really mentally ill. He needs professional help. And unless he gets it, he may never leave people alone.
Kevin
November 20, 2012 at 11:04 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I don’t understand why he doesn’t just become a preacher. He’d make millions at a mega-church. There, they don’t just forgive mentally deranged wing-nuts. They promote them.
Eamon Knight
November 20, 2012 at 11:05 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
@3: Read the CBC website for a while. See how often Montreal makes the front page. “Not quite right” doesn’t cover it, not by a long shot.
@4: Last time, Markuze was sent for assessment, and diagnosed as bipolar exacerbated by substance abuse. Apparently, the release order did not include mandatory psychiatric treatment. Of course, the mental health system is pretty fucked up most places these days.
Miriam, Professional Fun-Ruiner
November 20, 2012 at 11:24 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
It’s really quite tragic how even people who clearly need mental healthcare are rarely compelled by the justice system to get it, even when they repeatedly break the law (and in the same way over and over, I might add).
Ophelia Benson
November 20, 2012 at 11:27 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Eamon, I’m pretty sure Kausik’s understatement was intentional. :- )
Yo, have you peeps all met Miriam? Our newest FTB colleague? Say hello!
Stevarious, Public Health Problem
November 20, 2012 at 11:41 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Not quite ignoring it – he was making a pathetic pretense of not being himself by claiming to be “Not Dennis Markuze but a fan. (emphasis his)
Stevarious, Public Health Problem
November 20, 2012 at 11:48 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Hi, Miriam!
Nemo
November 20, 2012 at 12:03 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
@Kevin #5: I think his particular style of unhingedness is a little too idiosyncratic to work with the megachurch crowd.
Eamon Knight
November 20, 2012 at 1:07 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
@11: Agreed. I can’t imagine a congregation sitting still for rambling rants about Nostradamus, punctuated by Depeche Mode videos.
Miriam, Professional Fun-Ruiner
November 20, 2012 at 2:42 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Hi guys!
(Can you tell I’m excited?)
Ophelia Benson
November 20, 2012 at 3:47 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
You’re right to be excited! And that’s before you’ve even found out who the other two who are joining are.
Rodney Nelson
November 20, 2012 at 3:48 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Welcome, Miriam. Which is your blog? I don’t see one called “Brute Reason” on the sideboard.
Ophelia Benson
November 20, 2012 at 3:56 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I think it’s not up yet. It takes some time, which is why the other two aren’t public yet.
Miriam, Professional Fun-Ruiner
November 20, 2012 at 4:17 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Psh, I know who one of them is because it was all over The Twitter.
As for the third, I am woefully in the dark.
Ophelia Benson
November 20, 2012 at 4:22 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Yes, true; I was one of those relentlessly pushing P___ ____l__ to go public, but when you’re not ready yet you’re not ready yet.
The third is a doozy.
Rodney Nelson
November 20, 2012 at 5:50 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Tease.
krelnik
November 21, 2012 at 6:14 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
For those interested, more details on the Markuze case at this epic length blog post at my blog. Lots of interesting details.