Ted and John Henry Williams circa 1970.
Posted on 08/14/2003 6:40:21 AM PDT by presidio9
Florida authorities are investigating the note in which Ted Williams allegedly said he wanted to be frozen after death, as a source said the slugger's son has blown his inheritance and often channels the Hall of Famer.
``This was a guy who never wanted his father to die,'' a source said of Williams' son, John Henry Williams. ``He'd talk with him after he died. We'd sit in meetings and he'd say, `Dad says,. . .' present tense.''
John Henry, 34, who split his father's estate with his sister, Claudia Williams, 31, owes $110,000 on a $136,000 debt to the Alcor Life Extension Foundation in Arizona where his father is cryonically frozen, primarily because he has spent his inheritance.
``The estate is out of money, until such time that they sell some real estate or liquidate some assets,'' the source said. ``There's no money left.''
On Tuesday, as the contents of a sensational Sports Illustrated article was leaked, John Henry's brother-in-law called Florida's State Attorney's office requesting they investigate the authenticity of Claudia Williams' signature on a pact presented as evidence that overruled the Splendid Splinter's will.
``What we're looking at is if in fact the note is not what it purports to be, has a crime been committed?'' said Ric Ridgway, chief assistant state attorney in Ocala. ``The answer to that will depend on what the note was used for, how it was used, and what effect, if any, it had on anything.''
After Williams died July 5, 2002, John Henry and his sister, Claudia produced a grease-stained scrap of paper they claimed to have signed alongside their father, expressing the trio's wishes to be frozen after death for a possible reuinification. Their half-sister, Bobby-Jo Ferrell, and her husband, Mark, unsuccessfully fought them in court to have the slugger cremated, as stipulated in his will.
Mark Ferrell, said yesterday that affidavits have been presented to investigators from two of Ted Williams' caretakers who claim Claudia Williams wasn't at the hospital Nov. 2, 2000, the day the note is dated, and that she didn't know her father was hospitalized until a couple of days later.
``I think the witnesses we have and the documentation we have can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt . . . that the note is a complete fraud,'' Ferrell said.
Shortly after Williams died of a heart attack, he was flown to Alcor, where he was decapitated. His body and freshly shaved head - drilled with holes - were stored separately. In the last year, his skull was cracked 10 times, and recently, several samples of his DNA were discovered missing, said the attorney for a former Alcor employee who told all to Sports Illustrated.
In light of the news, the Ferrells were scheduled to meet with their attorney, Richard ``Spike'' Fitzpatrick, last night.
``All of this is very disturbing to my clients,'' Fitzpatrick of Inverness, Fla., said. ``We'll meet to decide what options are available to them.''
The source for the Sports Illustrated story is Larry Johnson, a paramedic hired at Alcor in January who became disenchanted with the company's ``egregious'' techniques.
Johnson's web site seeks donations to pay for his anticipated legal fees against Alcor. In return for a $20 gift, a subscriber can view gory pictures of Alcor's decapitation procedure.
A skiddish Johnson has retained attorney John Heer of Ohio, who also represents the Ferrells.
``Larry has done some pretty serious damage to (Alcor's) idea of paradise,'' Heer said. ``They could easily view him as a significant threat to their immortality. ''
Heer said an Alcor employee, after hearing about the article, tried to storm Johnson's apartment. The company has also issued a criminal complaint against Johnson for stealing their laptop and cell phone, which was returned yesterday.
Johnson has said that the bodily fluids extracted from corpses are routinely dumped in Alcor's backyard or in the sewer. Yesterday, Heer received calls from Scottsdale Police and the state's environmental agency.
In a press release, Alcor described Johnson as a disgruntled employee desperate for a spotlight.
``Since his allegations are inaccurate and we find no instance where he has accused Alcor of any illegalities, we regard his attack as a spiteful parting shot by an employee who may have personal problems and definitely had an exaggerated opinion of his own worth,'' Alcor spokesman Carlos Mondragon wrote.
Heer said he hopes the firestorm of attention over the disposition of Williams' body leads to the Ferrell's ultimate goal.
``We're hopeful that these disclosures will ultimately result in Ted's wishes to be cremated being carried out,'' Heer said.
Ted and John Henry Williams circa 1970.
Ok, doesn't the decapitation and "storing separately" defeat the purpose of cryogenic storage?
How can someone be "re-animated" in the future, if your heads not attached.
What a freak show this whole case is.
Do journalists not need to know the language? I presume he means definition 3b.
Main Entry: skit·tish
Pronunciation: 'ski-tish
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English
Date: 15th century
1 a : lively or frisky in action : CAPRICIOUS b : VARIABLE, FLUCTUATING
2 : easily frightened : RESTIVE
3 a : COY, BASHFUL b : marked by extreme caution : WARY
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