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From:	US1Radionews@aol.com
Date:	Wed, 29 Dec 2004 14:26:25 EST
Subject:	Realcrimes
To:	Cphill27@aol.com

Dear Ms. Harris,

You should be commended for your efforts to find answers to your mother's disappearance. However, reading your website entry on Realcrimes I was sadly disappointed by the false and defamatory statements directed at me and my wife Bernadette. You seem to feel that the end (identifying your mother's killer) justifies the means (smearing innocent people.)

I understand that you are dealing with a personal tragedy, just as our family has for the past nine years. And it is something that we will continue to deal with. (Remember that Tom Stump walked off and committed suicide on his daughter's eighth birthday.) Turning the tables, how would you feel if, in your grief, someone accused you of being involved in your mother's disappearance?

That is what we have had to deal with: a disillusioned old woman (Rose Stump) -- living in self-absorbed denial of her son's suicide and all the evidence and eyewitness testimony -- wrongly accuses this family, and attempts at every turn to slime us. And now you have bought into it....that is the real crime.

Bernadette contacted you in good faith. She read your message pleading for information about your mother. As a mother, daughter and victim of a tragic disappearance, she contacted you to tell you what she knew of your mother, hoping to help you understand what may have happened.

However, as they say, no good deed goes unpunished. Through your Realcrimes website entry, you have now attempted to implicate this innocent family in your own sad situation. You repeatedly use the word "linked," implying a connection or involvement. You say that individuals "linked" to your mother's disappearance are also "linked" to the disappearance of Tom Stump. You are no doubt aware that the investigating detectives questioned many people in both cases. Does that mean that all those people are "linked" to the disappearances? If that were the case, Tom's business partner Scott Haskell and his wife would be "linked" to Tom's disappearance. Our daughters Bonnie and Sally would also be "linked" since they were questioned as well.

And for you to say that Mark Ripin is a "suspect" in the Tom Stump case is nothing less than libelous. Mark is not now, nor has he ever been a suspect. He voluntarily took a polygraph test for the detectives...and passed with no deception indicated. Bernadette and I have done the same. The detectives have eliminated all of us as even possible suspects in the case. Yet you say that we are linked to both disappearances. (Your accusations are particularly disturbing in the wake of the tsunami disaster in southeast Asia where Mark has been living. We have not heard from him and can only hope that with his E.M.T. training he is busy helping the injured.)

Another falsehood that you perpetuate is your statement that Bernadette "was getting ready to divorce Tom for a man named Bill Becker." That was never the case. She had plenty of reasons to ask for a divorce (the AK-47 and 2000 rounds of ammunition under the bed?) I was not one of them.

You also say that I was Bernie's live-in boyfriend in 1980. That is also not true.

The final slap-in-the-face is when you say that "Bernie has since admitted to knowing my mom." You make it sound like that information came out under some sort of interrogation, when, in reality, it was done voluntarily and out of compassion for you.

Again, you are to be commended for seeking answers to your mother's disappearance, but it seems obvious from the information that Gary Argenzio murdered your mother and disposed of her body. And the only person who likely knew the whole truth took it to his grave. You need to face the reality that you may never have a final answer. I can understand your frustration and anger at that prospect, but smearing innocent people, especially those who took pity and tried to help you, is inexcusable.

Your statements about us are false, defamatory and libelous. Do the right thing and eliminate those references in your website entry.

This email is not intended for publication or dissemination. However, if you do not correct the misstatements I will be forced to turn the matter over to my attorney for legal action.

Thank you for your attention to this,

Bill Becker

I'm not sure if any legal action can be taken if you post this email from Becker because he states it is not meant for publication, however to let you know he sent this to me after my refusing to take the message off the Real Crimes site about me being told that Gary met Mark in prison. I never did hear from his attorney.

Sat Jan 4, 2003

Posted by Tom Stump’s employee:

For the time being, I wish to remain anonymous. Some of you out there know very well who I am, but I wish not to sign my name. I knew Tom Stump very well for many years in the Florida Keys . There is no way in hell he took his own life. The facts are the facts and I have intimate knowledge of all the unsavory details.

I last spoke to Tom on the morning of his disappearance in 1995, he was not suicidal. Perhaps a bit distressed over the ongoing affair Bernie had been having with Becker, but not in any way suicidal. The actions he took that July morning were not the acts of a man that would do himself in a few hours later. The trip to the bank where the tellers found him to be in fine spirits, the trip to the Chevron to get a full tank of gas, the trip to the Post Office on Summerland to put business mail on hold for his upcoming vacation....are these the actions of a man on the verge of suicide?

I knew Tom Stump and Scott Haskell well, as I was in their employ for a number of years. I will never forget the day I went with Scott Haskell to the Stump residence, shortly after the disappearance. Bernadette, that scary woman, came out of the house swinging with both fists at Scott Haskell, she was like a crazy woman, which, in fact, I believe she is. I and Bill Becker had to pull her away from Scott Haskell. I have no doubt that Mr. Haskell has been threatened by them and no doubt he may fear for his life. I can fully understand this after seeing the wild look she had on that day.

To say that Tom's life was out of control, that he was a gun nut and a drug addict cannot be further from the truth. Sure he owned guns.... is that not the right of every American? To say he was a drug addict.... well I know for a fact that he liked to smoke some marijuana, but I see no harm in that. Bernadette was the one with a serious drug problem. Have any of you considered that she was fired from a job and arrested for filling out false prescriptions? I remember in the beginning days of Tom and Bernie’s relationship how she demanded he supply her with cocaine. She was and likely is to this day, the epitome of a coke whore.

This whole matter stinks and one would hope sooner or later the truth will be out.

I will be back...thank you for your time...I get upset just thinking about this matter, but I do have more to say.

Copy of above statement and all material on this story was downloaded from this site.... http://www.realcrimes.com/Stump/Stump_additions.htm

"The Citizen" newspaper refuses to run reward advertisement by Rose Stump. Citizen caught in big lie......imagine that!!!!!!!

In March, 1997, I placed an ad in two newspapers that service the Florida Keys , Citizen and The Key Noter. The ad read: "A reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of person or persons responsible in the disappearance of Tom Stump on July 24, 1995 . All information confidential. Send information to (a Post Office Box) ." I included Tom's picture. In May, 1997, I called the Citizen and asked them to run the ad a second time. I was told by Randy Erickson, who was in charge of advertising, that the State Attorney had forbidden him to run the ad again. When I contacted State Attorney, Kirk Zuelch, he said his office had nothing to do with the decision and that Mr. Erickson had informed him that the paper had made the decision not to run the ad. I also received a letter from Bernie's attorney saying that I should not run ads seeking information about Tom's disappearance.

Something stinks!!!!!

I think Sheriff Roth should re-open the case....Looks like someone had their thumb on the scale.

Story sent to this guy 04/28/07

Maybe we can find the killer/killers.....