Subjected to the Cult of Rusty: Paul Rubin has opened up a real can of worms with this one and has subjected himself to the Cult of Rusty, whose membership consists of Rusty Stuart and [a few] other PPD wing-nuts who're still pushing this Terry Wayne Smith thing.
They are pushing Smith as the Baseline Killer without a shred of real evidence. Their mania over this is rooted in fundamental disagreements with the Phoenix Police Department. The Smith thing is just a metaphor for everything else they find wrong with the department.
As Rubin's story notes, there is no reason to believe anybody but Mark Goudeau was the Baseline Killer. And there is no reason to believe that Terry Smith had anything to do with these killings, as much of a bat-crazy scumbag as he obviously is.
Robert Francis, Phoenix
Stuart is a great cop: Paul Rubin is a tool of the Phoenix Police Department. He should be ashamed of himself for writing a story blasting [Rusty Stuart], a great cop and a great member of the community.
This kind of story makes it unlikely that another beat cop will stick his neck out again in an effort to arrive at the real truth. Mark Goudeau is the wrong guy in the Baseline Killer case! One day, Stuart and Goudeau will be vindicated.
Dick Fink, Phoenix
Getting to the bottom of things: Another great investigative story by Paul Rubin. This guy has a knack for getting to the bottom of things.
And, since Rusty Stuart is the kind of cop most sane people wouldn't want to piss off, Rubin must have balls of steel. Superior work.
Frank Galvan, Phoenix
An innocent man: New Times usually gets it right. They got it wrong here, and an innocent man is in jail.
Jeff Prager, Minneapolis
No love for Rubin: Gotta love that Paul Rubin previously [wrote]: "Don't believe everything you read in a newspaper article (mine or anybody else's)." This is especially awesome now that he has this new article trying to discredit and disgrace Rusty Stuart, both as a professional, seasoned officer, and as a man.
Rubin is seemingly implying that people who take an interest in Terry Wayne Smith as a suspect are less than intelligent. I'm in awe at this quote in the article: "Stuart's effort eventually found a receptive audience with an uncritical news media, a virulently anti-Phoenix PD Web site, and Goudeau's defense team."
Uncritical? Really? I guess Rubin has forgotten that good reporting should be done without discrimination. Rubin, on the other hand, hangs out with a bunch of cops for a year and reports what his new buddies tell him to. Robot.
Shanny Ardelle, Phoenix
Rational people know: Never trust anybody who writes in all-CAPS. Rusty Stuart seems like a real piece of work. Some might call his zealousness to get Terry Wayne Smith dedication. Some might call it crazy.
It's true that Smith's loss to society would leave nobody crying — even, probably, his sainted mother — but putting him in jail for crimes he didn't commit would mean the real Baseline Killer was still on the loose.
Rational people have to believe that the cops nailed the right man for the crimes. In any case, it will all come out in court, right?
Jim Valentine, Phoenix
He needs to realize he's not a detective: There's something to be said about those who type in CAPS and/or write notes and letters in red. It's not good.
I've worked with cops who become obsessed over one person as "the one who done it." They spend so much time and energy trying to prove it that they neglect other duties.
One good thing about direct evidence: It normally doesn't lie and it normally doesn't discriminate. No one could have made up the DNA from Goudeau, and the fact that none from Smith was present at any crime scene should be very telling.
Sometimes a patrol officer needs to realize he's not a detective and that there must be a reason for [it].
Name withheld
Way to go after a good cop: Paul Rubin is a pawn for the Phoenix Police Department. Way to go after a good cop who won't agree with the "Task Force." I wonder if Rubin got all his info from public records or from his very good friends, detectives Alex Femenia and Jack Ballentine.
Can't wait for the trial when all the truth will come out — not just what the Phoenix PD wants Rubin to write about. Another hit piece by Paul Rubin.
Name withheld
Writer seems to know: This was a good story. I have no idea who's right or who's wrong, though I've got an idea that the writer knows what's going on.
Name withheld
Rusty and Goudeau will prevail: This story disgusts me. Once again, Paul Rubin shows he has no idea what an investigative journalist is supposed to do — show just the facts without bias.
I read the whole report that Stuart put together. Everything in that report points to Terry Wayne Smith as the Baseline Killer.
The order of protection against Rusty from his wife is probably a bunch of crap. I have been there, done that.
My ex-husband just put out an order of protection on me. In it, he said that I had threatened him, called him all hours of the day and night, caused harm to his car, and coerced my son into making a false police report about my ex beating him up.
I have done nothing to this man but try to co-parent our son.
I'm certain that Rusty and Mark Goudeau will prevail in their matters.
Name withheld
In more defense of Stuart and Goudeau: Let's start with Officer Rusty Stuart. A good cop who, time and time again, encountered Terry Wayne Smith on his beat. With high marks in performance reviews and not intimidated by the likes of Alex Femenia, he refused to join in the cover-up. Good for him! And what the hell does Rusty's divorce have to do with anything? Please!
Terry Wayne Smith is described in your article as a seriously mentally ill transient. Well, guess what? That is how some of the victims described their attacker — a crazy transient!
Smith is a violent man who has a rap sheet longer than this crappy article. He beat up a complete stranger at a bus stop, which you try to downplay. Unbelievable.
Goudeau a night-crawler? Goudeau was up at 3 a.m. for his construction job, an hour's drive away. He often worked 10-hour days. No man out at all hours of the night and reporting to work at 4 a.m. would ever have been awarded employee of the month, as Goudeau was.
As for the letter Mark Spencer [of the police union] wrote to Sheriff Arpaio, you inaccurately state the subject was the Baseline investigation. The real subject of the memo was the rampant racism of staff at the PPD.
And the badphoenixcops.com site is not a cop-bashing site; it's the only place where good cops who have to witness corruption by other cops have a safe place to voice the truth and their concerns.
Name withheld
SPY VS. SPY
Wished he'd thought of it: I loved "Spy Games". I can't wait to get out in the community and play it!
And what a moneymaking adventure this should turn out to be for Greg and Sonja Shaw, the game's inventors. And who would've thunk it? A great game that doesn't rely on computers. Wish I had thought of it!
Miles Champion, Phoenix
Beats dinner and a movie: This sounds like a totally fun night out — something definitely different from dinner and a movie. My husband is such a geek [that] he'll love it, too.
Julie Coleman, Glendale
A must-do when in Phoenix: Wow, this sounds pretty damned cool. If this becomes a viable business, I might just have to play next time I come to Phoenix to visit family.
Great story, too. Gives background on role-playing, LARPs, and a lot of other stuff. I hope The Citadel works out for [its creators].
Mike Wells, Salt Lake City
