Elli Perkins

Infobox Person
name = Elli Perkins


imagesize = 200px
caption =
birth_name = Elli Present
birth_date = 1949
birth_place = Rochester, New York, U.S.
death_date = death date|2003|3|13|mf=y
death_place = Buffalo, New York, U.S.
death_cause = Murdered by her son Jeremy
known_for = Circumstances of her death
occupation = Artist - glass painting
religion = Scientology
spouse = Don Perkins
children = 2

Elli Perkins née Present (1949 – March 13 2003) was a mother of two, a professional glass artist, and a Scientologist who lived in Western New York. She was a senior auditor at the Church of Scientology in Buffalo, New York. Her son, Jeremy, started showing signs of strange and disturbing behavior. She attempted to correct this with treatment by non-psychiatric means consistent with her Scientology beliefs, but his schizophrenia progressed to the point where he felt Elli was poisoning him, prompting an unsuccessful suicide attempt. When this failed, Jeremy instead murdered his mother.

The crime received both local and national coverage including "The Amherst Bee", "The Buffalo News", the "New York Post", and an installment of the investigative news program "48 Hours". Aside from the tragedy itself, issues covered included the implication that her refusal to allow Jeremy to be treated by a psychiatrist caused his eventual outburst, and her death.

Early life

Elli Presentcite news
last = Staff
first =
coauthors =
title = Son Held in Stabbing Death of Hopkins Road Woman
work = The Amherst Bee
pages =
language =
publisher =
date = March 2003
url = http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/JeremyPerkins/Articles/amherst-bee-2003-03-xx.html
accessdate = 2007-03-23] was raised Jewish, and married Don Perkins, who was brought up with a Christian background.cite news
last = Staff
first =
coauthors =
title = Scientology - A Question of Faith: Did A Mother's Faith Contribute To Her Murder?
work = 48 Hours
pages = 1-9
language =
publisher =CBS News
date = 2006-10-28
url = http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/25/48hours/main2124568.shtml
accessdate = 2007-03-23] Elli had met Don shortly after taking a Scientology course. Before coming to Buffalo, Perkins had lived in Rochester, where she attended the Rochester Institute of Technology.cite news
last = Pignataro
first = T. J.
coauthors =
title = Son arrested in woman's fatal stabbing
work = The Buffalo News
pages =
language =
publisher =
date = March 14 2003
url = http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/JeremyPerkins/Articles/buffalo-news-2003-03-14.html
accessdate = 2007-03-23] Elli Perkins crafted handmade glass art, and traveled to an annual Renaissance fair in upstate New York to sell her wares. She had been a member of the "Sterling Renaissance Festival" for twenty-three years, and had helped to run the Niagara Craft Association. She had previously been unsuccessful selling paintings, and was inspired to start glass painting by a friend.cite news
last = Gramigna
first = Glenn
coauthors =
title = Ex-hippie turns successful businesswoman
work = Metro Community News, Buffalo, New York
pages =
language =
publisher =
date = 1995
url = http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/JeremyPerkins/Articles/metro-community-news-1995.html
accessdate = 2007-03-23] When her friend left town, the market was left open for Elli to set up shop and begin selling her painted glass works.

In 1979, both Don and Elli Perkins reached the Scientology state of "Clear", after taking Scientology courses and receiving "Auditing" processes. The Perkins family then moved to California and lived there during the 1980s, where Elli worked at the Celebrity Centre. In the late 1980s, the family moved back to Buffalo. Elli and Don had a daughter, and a son named Jeremy Perkins, who lived at home and worked for Don's contracting company. In addition to contracting work, Don Perkins is also a cabinetmaker and carpenter.

Declining mental health of her son

Perkins' son Jeremy, at age 24, began to show changes in behavior which concerned her. Jeremy told his father that he was hearing voices in his mind. At that time, the Perkins sent Jeremy to join Scientology's Sea Org in California, which they hoped would help resolve his troubling behavior. Jeremy's treatment didn't succeed with the Sea Org, so he returned to his parents within a few months, rejoining his job at his father's business.

A family friend explained; "Elli strongly believed that psychiatry was an evil", so she would not consult a psychiatrist about her son's behavior. Scientologists believe as part of their ideology that psychiatry "doesn't work". Court-ordered psychiatric evaluations of Jeremy Perkins showed that he was displaying symptoms of schizophrenia in 2001. Jeremy's defense attorney John Nuchereno stated that his condition declined further over the summer of 2002, and that his father had to terminate his employment. His deterioration exhausted the Church of Scientology's efforts to cure him. They classified Jeremy Perkins as a level III "Potential Trouble Source", and banned him from taking further Scientology courses.

earch for alternatives to psychiatry

After being found trespassing outside of the University of Buffalo on August 14 2001, Jeremy was arrested and later remanded to a local hospital after a court-ordered psychiatric exam confirmed that he was schizophrenic.cite news
last = Stasi
first = Linda
coauthors =
title = Scientology Schizo: His Mom's Religion Said, No Meds. That Edict May Have Cost Her Life
work = New York Post
pages =
language =
publisher =
date = October 27 2006
url = http://www.nypost.com/seven/10272006/tv/scientology_schizo_tv_linda_stasi.htm
accessdate = 2007-03-23] However, Elli Perkins later convinced the court to release her son into her custody, and she began to seek out alternative methods of treatment to psychiatry, and refused to allow her son to be treated with anti-psychotic medications. In the fall of 2002, the Perkins family consulted with Dr. Conrad Maulfair, an osteopathic physician and Scientologist. According to Jeremy's defense attorney, Dr. Maulfair concluded that "he was suffering from certain digestive problems, that he had certain chemical toxins in his body. And he needed to be purged of it. And he needed to be energized through vitamin therapy".

Elli Perkins began feeding Jeremy the recommended vitamins, but the only result was to make Jeremy suspicious. In a recorded interview, after being asked what concerns he had about taking these vitamins, Jeremy stated: "Well, concerns just that maybe she's trying to poison me or something." In February 2003, Elli Perkins took Jeremy to see Albert Brown, a self-taught "natural healer". Jeremy told Brown in a session: "Sometimes I think I'm Jesus Christ." Elli Perkins' plan was to send Jeremy to live with Brown for treatment, but days beforehand Jeremy began to act more aggressive. After consulting with her son-in-law Jeff Carlson, the executive director of the Buffalo Church of Scientology, Elli was told to give Jeremy "MEST", or busy-work around the house in order to get him tired.

Murder

Jeremy was 28 years old at the time his parents had agreed that he should stay with Albert Brown, whose treatment regimen was acceptable to Scientology doctrines. Jeremy had also agreed that Brown might be able to help him, and was to leave in the afternoon of March 13 2003. That morning Don Perkins had to return from work briefly in order to settle an argument between Jeremy and his mother. Later Elli told Jeremy to take a shower, which he did. When he finished his shower, Jeremy found his mother in the kitchen talking on the phone. He retrieved a steak knife and attacked Elli as she spoke to her friend. According to a statement given to the police, Jeremy Perkins stated:

"I tried to slit my wrists after the shower … but I wouldn't die so I decided to do my mom in instead...She was screaming, 'No, Jeremy, don't.' I stabbed her about four to five times before she fell down. … I then stabbed her about ten more times in the stomach after she fell to the ground. I knew she was a goner. … I believe that I have lived different lives for the past thousand years, and wished I was in another life now."

He also indicated that an attempt to cut her right eye out was made, because he thought it was evil. The attempt was unsuccessful, and this along with statements like "She gets mad at me when I play my drums in my room and she makes me take these vitamins everyday. When she made me take the shower this morning this was the last straw." [ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
] People's exhibit used at the trial. Read into the public record, April 17 2003.] Jeremy's Police Statement led to a court-ordered psychiatric examination.

Autopsy reports later showed that Elli Perkins was stabbed 77 times.cite news
last =
first =
coauthors =
title = Amherst Man Accused of Stabbing Mother to Death, Pleads Not Guilty
work = WIVB TV
pages =
language =
publisher =
date = 2003-06-04
url = http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/JeremyPerkins/Articles/wivb.com-2003-06-04.html
accessdate = 2007-03-23] In June 2003, Jeremy Perkins pleaded not guilty to charges of criminal weapons and second degree murder in a court in Erie County. The District Attorney in the case stated that death by stabbing is not unusual in homicides, but 77 stab wounds is "really rare." The court ordered another psychiatric examination for Jeremy.

Aftermath

Jeremy Perkins was found not responsible by reason of mental disease or defect on July 29 2003, and was placed on probation. [ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
] ] Six months later, on January 29 2004, a commitment order was issued which assessed him as "Dangerously Mentally Ill" authorizing him to be committed in a "secure facility of your choosing" by the NY State Office of Mental Health. [ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
] ]

According to Rich Dunning, a former deputy director of the Buffalo Church of Scientology, there "was a panic" among the Church of Scientology's international leadership after the murder of Elli Perkins. Dunning stated that the goal was "to distance the church as far away as they could from Jeremy Perkins." He also stated that the murder was a public relations fiasco because it exposed the dangers of Scientology's ban against consulting psychiatrists, and the belief that members who attain high Operating Thetan levels achieve special powers. Jeremy Perkins was later placed on psychotropic medications, which court psychiatrists state have not cured him, but stabilized his condition. Jeremy Perkins' defense attorney stated: "Jeremy himself told me that he firmly believes that had he been taking these medications that it would not have happened." After attorney Nuchereno spoke with "48 Hours", Jeremy was visited by a senior Church of Scientology staff member, and Nuchereno was replaced by an attorney whose law firm had worked previously for Scientology.

In March 2006, an advertisement was taken out in "LA Weekly" which blamed Tom Cruise and the Church of Scientology for the murder of Elli Perkins.cite news
last = Walls
first = Jeannette
coauthors =
title = Scientology foes blast Cruise in ad
work = MSNBC
pages =
language =
publisher = NBC
date = March 29 2006
url = http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11878503/
accessdate = 2007-03-23] The ad stated: "Thanks, Tom Cruise and the Church of Scientology, for your expert advice on mental health."cite news
last =
first =
coauthors =
title = The Fix: In other Scientology news
work = Salon
pages =
language =
publisher =
date = March 21 2003
url = http://www.salon.com/ent/col/fix/2006/03/21/tue/
accessdate = 2007-03-23] The ad went on to recount the story of Elli's death, stating she was murdered "by the schizophrenic son she was told to treat with vitamins instead of psychiatric care." The advertisement also cited the Web site " [http://www.PerkinsTragedy.org/ PerkinsTragedy.org] ", as did "Salon".

On October 28, 2006, the CBS program "48 Hours" aired a feature story on the murder of Elli Perkins.cite news
last = Montopoli
first = Brian
coauthors =
title = '48 Hours' Questions Role Of Scientology In Murder, Scientologists Question CBS Ethics
work = PublicEye
pages =
language =
publisher = CBS
date = November 2 2006
url = http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2006/11/02/publiceye/entry2144647.shtml
accessdate = 2007-03-23] CBS later reported on the background behind the production of the program, and wrote that they had received complaints from Scientologists: "The Scientology community was not happy with the story, which raised the possibility that Elli Perkins might not have been murdered had her son been given psychiatric treatment." According to CBS, the Church of Scientology did not provide the "48 Hours" production staff with an official spokesman, and also attempted to influence the broadcast itself. Scientologists claimed that CBS had a conflict of interest, due to the fact that pharmaceutical companies advertise on the network's television programming. However, CBS News Senior Vice President, Standards and Special Projects Linda Mason stated: "Nothing could be further from the truth...At CBS the sales department and the news department – there is a Chinese wall between them. And we just don't cross. And we've done numerous stories on the ill effects of drugs of various sponsors that are on CBS." When questioned about the litigious nature of the Church of Scientology, Mason stated that this history of litigation did not influence the show's production, saying: "We do stories that we feel stand on their own grounds in the court of law."

ee also

*Lisa McPherson
*Chemical imbalance

References

External links

* [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/25/48hours/main2124568.shtml Scientology - A Question of Faith: Did A Mother's Faith Contribute To Her Murder?] , CBS News
* [http://www.PerkinsTragedy.org/ PerkinsTragedy.org] - Web site cited in the "LA Weekly" ad and by "Salon"