A Letter of Confession?

There is a bizarre confession incident hitting the news. A Robert J. Tisland has been charged with repeated sexual assault of a nine-year-old girl on 30 December, 2006. The complaint was filed on 08 September, 2008.

According to police, Tisland has threatened to kill his family and police. But, he also has gone on a short lived hunger strike until he is allowed to see his family. Tisland has been under suicide watch at the Wood County, Wisconsin, Jail.

According to the Wood County Sheriff’s Department, Tisland wrote a letter to the local newspaper, the Wisconsin Rapids Tribune, confessing to the crime and claiming that his attorney would not allow him to plead guilty. Tisland misidentified his attorney in the letter.

During a letter intercept, jailers discovered the statement. To some this would be a rock solid confession.

But, Tisland wrote that he committed the crime in a “depression blackout.” If he were in a blackout, how could he remember? Given his other behaviors, I’m unsure how any of his statements could be considered reliable. Until he gets a proper psychiatric evaluation, any claim by authorities or defense attorney is conjecture.

I don’t know what the basis of the sexual assault charge is. Police are notoriously incompetent when it comes to determining the background of these accusations. Often, the basis is hysterical and the child is nagged by a parent until they believe something occurred. Another well for these complaints is a weapon of the mother in a divorce case.

The political nature of child sexual abuse charges means that law authorities are excited to put as many people as possible in prison for these crimes. If fifty percent of the convictions are false that is not important to prosecutors.

I don’t know if there is a good basis for the charge against Tisland. But, obviously he needs immediate psychiatric care. And we will have to wait so see if Tisland has a competent defense attorney who will challenge the blackout confession.