by Patrick H. Moore
Although Hannah Anderson has been rescued and James DiMaggio has been killed by either a special tactical SWAT team or the FBI or both, numerous key questions remain unanswered. First, was Hannah raped and abused by DiMaggio during the seven days she was held captive? Second, during her time in captivity, was she aware that DiMaggio apparently killed both her mother Christina Anderson and her brother Ethan prior to torching his house in the tiny hamlet of Boulevard, 65 miles east of San Diego? Third, whether or not Hannah knew they had been killed by DiMaggio, how will she cope as she tries to move forward in life knowing that two of her family members were murdered by the same man who kidnapped her and held her captive?
And fourth, was James DiMaggio shot down in cold blood by law enforcement, or did he exchange fire and refuse to surrender prior to his death?
The first two questions may well be answered, albeit in fits and starts, over the next few weeks. It will be years before we know if Hannah is able to come to grips with the horror of what she has experienced. Sadly, she may have to wrestle with survivor’s guilt knowing that her mother and brother would almost certainly still be alive if DiMaggio had not developed his deadly crush on her.
The fourth question may never be adequately answered. If someone got trigger happy after DiMaggio was located in the rugged Idaho wilderness, the facts of the matter could easily be suppressed. Based on what is currently known, the FBI is apparently investigating itself which will not necessarily lead to a full and complete disclosure of what actually transpired.
The Deja-Vu of Death
Meanwhile, a related DiMaggio story has been reported by multiple media outlets which at first glance seems completely implausible but which is apparently true. It turns out that DiMaggio’s father, James DiMaggio, Sr., also held a 16-year-old girl, on whom he had developed a dangerous crush, captive in a violent home invasion – although for a much briefer period of time — back in the mid-1990s.
Not only that, remarkably, DiMaggio Sr. committed suicide 18 years to the day of his son’s death.
The similarities are chilling. Reports indicate that after becoming infatuated with one of James Jr.’s 16-year-old classmates, James Dimaggio Sr. resorted to violence when she refused to run away with him. According to a local news interview with the victim — who is now an adult — DiMaggio broke into her family’s home with handcuffs and a shotgun and threatened to kill her if she didn’t comply with his demands.
According to the victim, DiMaggio had been showering her with concert tickets and telling her he wanted to take her away to a better life. He had also dated her mother. DiMaggio Sr. reportedly held the teenager and her boyfriend at gunpoint. While the boyfriend was handcuffed to a bed, the young girl managed to escape after asking to use the bathroom.
The unidentified woman was so shaken by DiMaggio Sr.’s attempted abduction that she was forced to change schools as well as her name.
DiMaggio Sr. — who has been described as a heavy methamphetamine user — was not a pleasant fellow. A December 1989 article in The Tribune reports that James Everet DiMaggio was wanted for questioning in connection with the beatings of two people with a baseball bat at an El Cajon motel.
DeMaggio Sr. was never arrested, however. Instead, he committed suicide on August 10, 1995, exactly 18 years to the day before DiMaggio Jr. was killed under as yet undetermined circumstances.
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During the ten years I have worked in criminal defense, I have been repeatedly struck by the fact that oftentimes “criminal families”, i.e., families with one or more criminally-inclined members, seem to be plagued by incredibly bad luck. The bad luck takes various forms including illness, sexual molestation and mental illness. The entire family seems to have “been born under a bad sign.” This would certainly appear to be the case with the DiMaggios.
Click on the links below to view our previous posts on this case:
Hannah Anderson Rescued: SWAT Team Kills Kidnapper James DiMaggio in Idaho Wilderness
Amber Alert: Abducted Teenage Girl Hannah Anderson Sighted with Kidnapper in Idaho Wilderness