Global InformationDanny Casolaro information
Danny Casolaro | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Joseph Daniel Casolaro June 16, 1947 McLean, Virginia |
| Died | August 10, 1991 (aged 44) Room 517, Sheraton Hotel, Martinsburg, West Virginia |
| Cause of death | Exsanguination (suspected homicide) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Providence College |
| Occupation(s) | Computer-trade magazine owner, writer |
| Spouse | Terrill Pace (divorced) |
| Children | 1 |
Joseph Daniel Casolaro (June 16, 1947 – August 10, 1991) was an American freelance writer who came to public attention in 1991 when he was found dead in a bathtub in room 517 of the Sheraton Hotel in Martinsburg, West Virginia, his wrists slashed 10–12 times. The medical examiner ruled the death a suicide.[1]
His death became controversial because his notes suggested he was in Martinsburg to meet a source about a story he called "the Octopus". This centered on a sprawling collaboration involving an international cabal, and primarily featuring a number of stories familiar to journalists who worked in and around Washington, D.C. in the 1980s—the Inslaw case about a software manufacturer whose owner accused the Justice Department of stealing its work product, the October Surprise theory that during the Iran hostage crisis Iran deliberately held back American hostages to help Ronald Reagan win the 1980 presidential election, the collapse of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International, and Iran–Contra.[2]
Casolaro's family argued that he had been murdered; that before he left for Martinsburg, he had apparently told his brother that he had been frequently receiving harassing phone calls late at night; that some of them were threatening; and that if something were to happen to him while in Martinsburg, it would not be an accident. They also cited his well-known squeamishness and fear of blood tests, and stated they found it incomprehensible that if he were going to kill himself, he would do so by cutting his wrists a dozen times.[3] A number of law-enforcement officials also argued that his death deserved further scrutiny, and his notes were passed by his family to ABC News and Time magazine, both of which investigated the case, but no evidence of murder was ever found.[4][5]
A Netflix docuseries titled American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders is centered around the Casolaro case.
- ^ Ridgeway, James and Vaughan, Doug. "The Last Days of Danny Casolaro", The Village Voice, October 15, 1991, p. 34 ff.
- ^ Ridgeway, James and Vaughan, Doug. "The Last Days of Danny Casolaro", The Village Voice, October 15, 1991, write that: "In particular, Casolaro was interested in what he called the 'Octopus', a network of individuals and institutions that he believed had secretly masterminded a whole series of scandals, from the Iran-Contra affair and the S&L debacle to the BCCI collapse and the 1980 October Surprise deal." See also Lewis, Neil A. "Reporter Is Buried Amid Questions Over His Pursuit of Conspiracy Idea", The New York Times, August 17, 1991, who writes: "Friends of the journalist said he was looking into a connection between the Inslaw matter and the Bank of Credit and Commerce International". Elliot Richardson, a former United States Attorney General who now represents Inslaw in its suit against the Justice Department, said "it involved B.C.C.I., drugs and the persistent but unproven allegations that in 1980 some members of Ronald Reagan's Presidential campaign team worked to delay the release of American hostages in Iran to damage President Jimmy Carter's re-election chances."
- ^ Lee, Gary. Area Writer Investigating Inslaw Case Found Dead Archived November 7, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, The Washington Post, August 13, 1991, p. A8.
- ^ Committee on the Judiciary. House Report 102-857:The Inslaw Affair, Investigative Report Archived October 24, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, September 10, 1992, accessed August 22, 2008. Also see House Report 102-857 Archived October 24, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, subsection "Findings", item 13, page 110.
- ^ Lee, Gary. Writer's Papers Shed Little Light on His Death; Casolaro Sought to Prove `Octopus' Theory Encompassing Hostage Delay Archived November 7, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Inslaw, BCCI, The Washington Post, August 19, 1991.