Saratoga News

Letters & Opinions

Speak Out

Baratta-Lorton offers
response to story

When Jason Sweeney first contacted me about writing an article about my wife Mary ("Cold Case," Nov. 15), he said he had been inspired to do a story about her because he had read the tribute I had written about Mary that was posted on the Center for Innovation in Education's website [www.center.edu]. I loved Mary very much and would have been very willing to help Mr. Sweeney write an article sharing her many accomplishments.

However, it quickly became apparent in my email exchanges with Mr. Sweeney that he was not at all interested in Mary as a person. To him, it seemed, she was an opportunity to gain a front-page byline for himself writing of some old unsolved murder.

At the point I could see that Mr. Sweeney had little interest in focusing on Mary's accomplishments, I declined to cooperate further in his efforts.

The front page of the Nov. 15 issue of the Saratoga News had splashed across its cover a picture of Mary that Mr. Sweeney downloaded from my tribute to Mary. However, Mr. Sweeney did not use this picture as a tribute to anyone. Instead, he used it as a lead in to an article that is a shameful depiction of Mary's and my loving relationship.

Ordinarily, I would not respond to Mr. Sweeney's article, because his innuendoes have no impact on those who know me. However, in the age of the Internet, there is no such thing as local news. Mr. Sweeney's article is now available for anyone in the world who searches either for my name or Mary's to see. For the good of Mary's legacy, which I have been advancing for the past 28 years, I cannot let Mr. Sweeney's article go unanswered.

Mary's death was very painful for me, for her family and for everyone who knew her.

The facts of her death were that she was out jogging at night in San Francisco in the area around 19th Street, someone followed her into the home in which she was staying, shot her in the back of the head and then robbed her. Although detective Frank Falzon, who is used as a source in Mr. Sweeney's article, was presented evidence of both the robbery and what was taken, he rejected the information, preferring his own theories to the facts of the matter.

Det. Falzon told me that in the course of his investigation, he learned what an incredibly nice person, Mary was, which made him all the more anxious to catch her killer. He also told me that people said I was a very nice person as well, which he said led him to believe I was the leader of a cult and was controlling the minds of everyone with whom he spoke.

Since Mr. Falzon was convinced I was the leader of a cult, he had no qualms about telling everyone he spoke to that I was, in fact, Mary's killer. This "everyone" included all my family members, all of my employees, and any of my friends who lived locally.

Mr. Falzon's pronouncing to everyone that I was Mary's killer had no effect on anyone who really knew Mary and me, because it was simply nonsense. It did, however, have an effect on Mary's brother Joseph, who lived in Boston and had very little knowledge of Mary and me as a couple. Joseph became obsessed with the idea that I either killed his sister or knew who did. Over the years since Mary's death, Joseph has even written to me asking me to confess to him, on his promise that he will not reveal anything I tell him to the authorities.

I do not blame Joseph for his obsession. He loved his sister Mary nearly as much as did I. I am sure he meant well by providing the information he did for Mr. Sweeney's article, no matter how factually misleading his information may have been. I do not wish to rebut each and every point made in the article about Mary's and my relationship. It should suffice to say that Mary's talk of leaving me had been an annual event for the three years since we had started the center in 1975, but it was not because we were at all upset with one another.

Mary frequently found the stress of writing books and running the center to be overwhelming. What she wanted to do at those points in time was move to Oregon, live in the woods and make pottery. She knew if she were to go, it would be without me, regardless of how much I loved her. However, in each year, Mary's obsession with making pottery wore off with the passing of summer, and she knew, occasionally to her frustration, that I never took her talk of going off to live in the woods very seriously.

Mary's friend Kathy said to us once that she had never seen a couple contemplating separation that got along so well. It is too bad that Joseph did not get to know Mary and me better as a couple.

I wish Mr. Sweeney had chosen to write about Mary's life with the respect her life deserved. I would hope anyone who read Mr. Sweeney's article would also read the tribute I wrote for and about Mary at the time of her death. To do so, please google Mary Baratta-Lorton, and click on the "A Tribute to Mary" link.

Bob Baratta-Lorton

Vineyard Lane

Murder story was a
meaningless article

Why has the Saratoga News written an irresponsible, tabloid, meaningless article about the 28-year-old murder of my late Aunt Mary? The paper has uncovered no new evidence on the circumstances of her death. This year is not a numerically significant anniversary of her demise.

The phrase "Saratoga teacher," which leads the article, is used only as a hook. Mary didn't teach in Saratoga, she lived here. This phrase makes it sound like she was a community figure everyone remembers because her death traumatized a lot of Saratoga students, which is not the case. The paper reports only one side of the story, unfairly implying my uncle is unusual for not discussing this most intimate tragedy with a bunch of strangers in the local paper. Why?

The Saratoga News uncritically accepts slanted information from Mary's brother, who mentions how distraught his family was over their daughter's death. Yet neither Mr. Baratta nor the Saratoga News thinks to acknowledge the trauma and loss suffered by the numerous local members of our family (including my 8-year-old self), not only from Mary's senseless killing, but the misguided actions of the police, and in particular Mr. [Frank] Falzone (colleague of the infamous political assassin Dan White), in the impotent 1978 investigation. The paper has not tried to contact any of us. Why? Because they would have had to report that scores of people refused to participate in this sensationalized and disrespectful rehash, rather than just my uncle.

Does the Saratoga News seriously believe it's helping to solve this case by suggesting someone within its readership may have overheard the killer discussing the crime? Give me a break. Mary's murder was committed in San Francisco, which, last time I checked, is 50 miles from Saratoga. The odds of the killer residing in Saratoga are remote, unless one is making amateurish, unsupported, very, very leading assumptions.

Why has this community newspaper gone out of its way to write an unbalanced, voyeuristic, lurid piece on the tragic death of my late aunt?

P.S.--Call the Saratoga News immediately if you've heard anyone mention the words "Dealey Plaza," "Operation Mongoose" or "East Wind Rain."

William Lorton

Los Angeles