Friday, January 29, 2016

The John Lang mystery: Update

If you're not familiar with the Lang mystery, read the preceding post before you read this.

This article from April of last year puts the matter in a very different light. Now, at least, we have some idea as to why Lang spoke of heroin trafficking...
In the wake of news about Fresno’s deputy police chief Keith Foster being charged with conspiracy to distribute heroin, another story was being shared widely on social media about the Fresno police department by the daughter of late Fresno police lieutenant Jose Moralez.

Moralez, who was a cop in Fresno for 30 years, was found dead in 2004 not far from the home of the Chief of Police, Jerry Dyer.

In 2004, Dyer suspended Moralez for allegedly violating department policy, and took his badge and firearm from him. November 9, 2004, Moralez went to Dyer’s home to confront him after working out in his garage with his 13-year-old son. That was the last time anyone saw Jose Moralez alive.

It was reported at the time that a motorist saw Jose face down, near a truck, with an alleged self-inflicted gunshot wound to his chest.

Apparent in a statement made by then City Manager, Daniel G. Hobbs, not everyone believed Jose’s death was a suicide...
Jesus. This really is L.A. Confidential!

Jose Moralez was married to a woman who also worked in law enforcement -- and she, too, had stories to tell.
As a former Narcotics Officer, Yolanda Moralez explained how police officers routinely get away with a host of different crimes, or are at times investigated, but not much else is done.
Yolanda continued:

“Jerry Dyer lived right across the street from me, my husband and he started off very good friends. There were 2 instances, one in ‘87 another in ‘89, that Jerry Dyer was dropped off at his home early in the morning by underage girls, Jerry still drunk came over to my house. He could not be taken home to reveal his affairs with young girls to his wife.”
And that may explain where the pedophilia allegation comes from.

But I still have questions. Was John Lang simply reading and regurgitating the words of Yolanda Moralez and others? If so, then I can see no reason why crooked cops would target Lang, a Charlie Nobody with poor communication skills.

Maybe I'm missing something here -- in fact, I'm sure that I'm missing something. But right now, given the facts available to me at this time, I can't understand why the cops would murder John Lang. Such a move would be akin to the CIA killing someone who gave a good review to Rush to Judgment, while leaving Mark Lane alive.

The death of John Lang did not cover up any scandals involving the Fresno police. Quite the opposite: That man's corpse became a spotlight.

3 comments:

Alessandro Machi said...

I once met someone who claimed they lived near a police chief and that that police chief was dealing drugs and stuff. And, it was not Fresno. Is this a thing?

Anonymous said...

There's a high probability that Lang had conflict with many people over the years. Anyone of them could have murdered him and thought that after he blamed the cops it was now the perfect way to get away with it.

Gus said...

Alessandro.......I'm sure it IS a thing. Cops actually dealing drugs, I mean. Considering how little of their known illegal behavior they are actually held accountable for, drug dealing seems like just another form of corruption that would probably get dealt with quietly, internally.

Anon 11:51 AM.....that is a very interesting, and quite probable suggestion. Proof would be needed though, to remove the doubts (largely created by police not being held accountable for many crimes in this country).