Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Python Murder or Manslaughter? Reptile Owner Python Invites 2 Boys To Sleep With Python

<-- file: 2013\08\reptile-store-owner-says-his-python-got.html update: 4/1/2015 -->Reptile Store Owner Says His Python Got Away And Killed 2 Sleepover Guest Boys ---
tags: Animal Attack, Canada, child victim, snake, sleepover

2 killed, August 5, 2013 Reptile Store Owner Says His Python Got Away And Killed 2 Sleepover Guest Boys  In Campleton, New Brunswick Canada an escaped python killed 2 young boys. "Reptile Ocean" shop owner Jean-Claude Savoie invited children of a friend, 2 brothers Connor and Noah Barthe, aged six and four to an outing on his farm, and a sleepover in his apartment above his shop. He initially reported a snake had escaped from the first floor shop. But later police found he had no permit to keep an illegal 16 foot 100 lb African rock python as a pet in that same living room in a floor to roof enclosure where evidently it climbed out into the ceiling and fell to the floor in the next room where the boys were sleeping. Internet commenters speculate it looks like a suspicious murder case with the snake being only a cover story. March 31, 2015 Savoie was charged a man with criminal negligence causing death after two young brothers were asphyxiated by a python.

It had apparently had strangled the two boys when Savoie says he found them dead the next morning and alerted authorities. He and his own son were sleeping safely in other rooms. One expert believes that if the boys played with goats from their farm visits, they would smell like prey and cause the snake to attack them. Snake expert  Johan Marais doubted the story as pythons always bite before they attack, but no screams were heard. Only 3 cases of human strangulation have been reported in all of Africa, and never two at the same time. Rodrick Rainey and many comments speculate it looks like a suspicious murder case with the snake being only a cover story.

Connor Barthe, left, and his brother Noah were killed during a sleepover.

*Reference


  • 2013 New Brunswick python attack Wikipedia An African rock python killed two boys in Campbellton, New Brunswick on ... The owner of the python was interviewed by the Canadian network Global TV.  An African rock python killed two boys in Campbellton, New Brunswick on August 5, 2013. The boys, ages 4 and 6, were brothers who were visiting their friend, whose father owned a pet shop below the apartment where they were staying. The pipe containing the snake crashed through the ceiling tiles and onto the boys who were sleeping on a floor mattress located about eight feet from the snake’s enclosure. Although the incident was treated as a tragic accident, the RCMP arrested Jean-Claude Savoie, the python's owner, in Montreal on February 5, 2015, but did not immediately file formal charges against him.[10]
s "Reptile Ocean" shop owner Jean-Claude Savoie who lives in apartment above his shop invited children of a friend, 2 brothers Connor and Noah Barthe, aged six and four to an outing on his farm, and a sleepover in living room. He initially reported a snake had escaped from the first floor shop, but police found he had kept an  illegal giant four-metre, 45-kilogram  African rock python in the living room where evidently it climbed out into the ceiling and fell to the floor. It had apparently had strangled  the two boys when Savoie says he found them dead the next morning. Savoie believes that the boys probably smelled like goats from their farm visit which caused the snake to attack them.


.Updates 


4/1/2015


  • Man charged in python asphyxiation death of boys | Toronto ...

    www.thestar.com/.../man-charged-in-python-asphyxiation-d...
    Toronto Star
    1 day ago - A 38-year-old New Brunswick man is charged with criminal negligence causing death after his African rock python escaped in his apartment  ...


  • Snake owner charged in deaths of young New Brunswick ...

    news.nationalpost.com/.../snake-owner-charged-in-deaths-o...
    National Post
    1 day ago - Police in New Brunswick have charged a man with criminal negligence causing death after two young brothers were asphyxiated by a python.



  • Exotic Pet Store Owner Charged In Deaths Of Boys Killed By ...

    www.huffingtonpost.com/.../jean-claude-savoie-char...
    The Huffington Post
    1 day ago - Exotic Pet Store Owner Charged In Deaths Of Boys Killed By Python. AP ... CAMPBELLTON, New Brunswick (AP) — Canadian police have charged a man with... death after two young brothers were asphyxiated by a python.



  • Arrest made in 2013 case of 2 boys killed by python in New ... thestar  The man who owned the python that killed two young boys in New Brunswick in August 2013 has been arrested in the case, his lawyer said Thursday. Leslie Matchim said Jean-Claude Savoie was arrested Thursday by police in the Montreal area, but he doesn’t know what charge or charges his client may face... In May told by the RCMP would be no charges against Savoie... all concluded that criminal charges were not appropriat




    • United Press International9 days ago
      If it grabs a kid, you’re going to have more than enough time to scream. You cannot be asleep and be bitten by a python and strangled.
    • www.theglobeandmail.com › News › National · 9 days ago
      If it grabs a kid, you’re going to have more than enough time to scream. You cannot be asleep and be bitten by a python and strangled. That’s impossible.
      A leading African snake expert is expressing surprise at an attack by a python that left two New Brunswick boys dead. Pythons seeking food “always bite first” before constricting their prey with their coils, said Johan Marais, raising the question of how the snake killed the brothers without anyone hearing screams in the apartment where they were having a sleepover.
      Jean-Claude Savoie, owner of Reptile Ocean, said the snake fell through the ceiling of the living room, where Noah and Connor were sleeping. Asked by Global News whether he had heard anything, Mr. Savoie said: “No, that’s the thing. They were sleeping and they never opened their eyes or nothing.”
      Mr. Savoie told Global that he only learned what had happened when he went to check on the boys on Monday morning. “At first, I didn’t even realize. I thought they were sleeping until I seen the hole in the ceiling, everything had fallen and I turned the lights on and I seen this horrific scene.”
      In the past 100 years, Mr. Marais said experts had traced only three cases of human strangulation deaths by pythons in all of Africa. “It’s an incredibly rare event,” he said from Pretoria, South Africa. It would be even more unusual for two people to be killed in the same incident, he said.
      Most comments think this is a fishy story. One sounds like a disinfo agent defending the suspected ownerSociopathicConservative
      1:45 PM on August 6, 2013

      None of it makes sense - unless the adults were incapacitated or there were no adults in the apartment that night. And still that begs the question of why didn't the python attempt to consume one of the children. Further questions like how long was the snake loose and time since its last meal also come to mind. 

      But it makes no sense that two kids are attacked and don't make enough noise to wake an adult. The whole story smells fishy. Something else is going on here.
      2 replies
      Report Abuse  
      Score: 14
      NewsReader This is beyond suspicious, I hope the police in New Brunswick have the wit to investigate properly.
      This Savoie guy is asking people to believe that:
      -A 100 lb snake that had escaped its' enclosure in the floor below made its' way through the ducts in the building to the ceiling of the second story. It then fell through the ceiling and that didn't make enough noise to wake an adult sleeping in the same apartment. It didn't even make enough noise to wake the two children sleeping in that room.
      -The snake, instead of being alarmed at its' fall and going to hide, immediately went over to the two incredibly sleeping children, and, despite the fact that humans are not prey for pythons, manage to wrap itself around both their necks (still without waking them) and then immediately constricted them both at the same time - all with no struggle at all, no noise, the boys never even woke up.
      -Despite having taken the time and effort to kill both these boys, the snake then made no attempt to eat them. I do not believe this story for ONE SECOND. I hope the police don't either.

      My Name Isn't How could the snake owner know that the boys, "never opened their eyes" if he didn't see anything until the next morning?

      ChandlerDay Something doesn't fit with this. How does a snake climb vertically through small metal ducts? Ducts that have a smooth metallic surface?
      How come there were no adults watching these mere babies? How come the snake killed one child, did not eat it, then moved onto the second child and killed it and didn't eat it. Snakes don't kill for fun. Snakes kill to eat, then they eat, then they sit around and do not much until they want to eat again. This on particular snake is a serial killer snake? And a snake that knows how to remove the covers from ventilation systems (using a screw driver in his mouth and spinning no doubt), and then knows how to navigate through small smooth walled ventilation ducts vertically? That's one smart serial killer snake. Something just doesn't fit here. Stay tuned folks.
      Scott Wylie7 I have been expressing the very same doubts since hearing about this story last night. I can conceive of no possible way this Python could have killed these two boys, especially "in their sleep". No way, no how. This is a coverup for some sort of foul play. A Python does NOT "strangle" it's prey, but rather it coils around the torso in order to constrict breathing. It's prey then usually dies of cardiac arrest. The initial bite by a snake of this size would cause EXCRUCIATING pain and the boy would surely have screamed bloody murder thus waking not only the other boy, but anyone within the vicinity, including the boy in the other room. I'll wait for autopsy results but I think people will be shocked by the results.
      1 reply
      Report Abuse  
      Score: 6
      patrobert The obvious points have already been stated here, and no, NONE of this makes any sense.
      Lack of screams and struggles aside, drop something that weights 100lb from ceiling height and the entire building will shake...not to mention the noise and the fact that some of the ducting—and part of the ceiling—must have come through too. Imagine the noise. Everyone would have been instantly awake. If my 4-year-old is any indication, the reaction would have been immediate and LOUD. Both kids at the same time, silently? Not possible.
      1 reply
      Report Abuse  
      Score: 5
      shoshanab Curiouser and curiouser.
      I don't believe the story of the owner.
      Pincushion Man Maybe these kids were murdered and the snake is just a blind.
      cigarlady Total BS! We had a 7 foot python loose in our house for 2 months when I was little... HONEST!!. First of all, it takes a snake a long time to eat anything, even a rat. they coil and have a complete ritual because they will not anything near dead. As well, while one kid is even remotely nudged by a snake the other one is going to run for help.
      Where was the kid who was hosting these 2 by the way? Seems he won the lotto that night. hmmmmmmm...

      BERT423 This story stinks all the way to Australia.I can smell it from here.I assume he was also selling flying pigs as well !?
      Johnbarrettrose Yep, strange story, very strange. Snakes kill to eat, unlike other predators who strangle little boys.
      How come this snake managed to wrap up TWO little boys, kill them without rousing the household, and then lose its appetite and slither away without eating?
      This story stinks to high heaven, can smell it even here in Europe.
      Perhaps the NB police might contact the Canadian Museum of Nature for an opinion?

      Score: 0
      Name withheld
      11:19 AM on August 7, 2013

      This comment was left by a user who has been blocked by our staff.
      Report Abuse  
      Score: 0
      Javantiger
      9:36 AM on August 7, 2013

      G'day,
      Many snake experts and other readers have commented on the "New Brunswick snake attack" (Jill Mahoney/Jane Taber). I would like to add: that the only way to get to the bottom (truth) of the story-told is the clinical autopsy. The result shall show that most of the commentators are/were right.
      Report Abuse  
      Score: 0
      dphizler
      9:15 PM on August 8, 2013

      So far I haven't seen anyone fathom the possibility that in a moment of panic you have no means to scream. 

      Sometimes when I'm distressed I can't even make a sound. So I don't think it's impossible to not scream.

      This is tragic, but not implausible.

      Funny thing is that I hope I can scream when I need to, but doesn't mean I will be able to.
      Report Abuse  
      Score: 0
      [This sounds like disinfo agent, more evidence this is fishy]
      Kitska I'm thinking this snake expert isn't much of an expert at all. Do some google research, pythons do not always bite first, sometimes they go straight into constricting their prey. There are also numerous reports of people dying from python constriction, victims aging from two years old, a fouteen year old girl was actually consumed by the families 'pet snake' and grown adults have been killed by their own pet python. I just watched a clip on you tube from a game reserve warden in South Africa who says rock pythons have been known to attack/kill man and while normally docile, they can be aggressive when they want to be. (you tube search 'Rock python attacks cameraman') Moral of the story: a snake is a snake, is a snake
    • m.news.com.au/MostPopularNews/fi8750000.htm
      "If it grabs a kid, you’re going to have more than enough time to scream. You cannot be asleep and be bitten by a python and strangled. That’s impossible.
    • ninemsn9 days ago
      "If it grabs a kid, you're going to have more than enough time to scream," Mr Marais told the newspaper. Boys strangled by python clean snake tank. View Fullscreen
    • www.upi.com/blog/2013/08/06/New-Brunswick-snake-euthanized...
      If it grabs a kid, you’re going to have more than enough time to scream. You cannot be asleep and be bitten by a python and strangled. That’s impossible.
    • www.2dayfm.com.au/newsfeed/2013/8/snake-deaths-now-a-murder...
      John Marais from the African Snake Bite Institute said “if it grabs a kid, you’re going to have more than enough time to scream”.
    • news.msn.co.nz8 days ago
      "If it grabs a kid, you're going to have more than enough time to scream," Mr Marais told the newspaper. "You cannot be asleep and be bitten by a python and …
      Investigations into two young Canadian brothers thought to be strangled by a python has taken a twist, with police now treating it as a possible murder. Connor Barthe, 7, and brother Noah, 5, were killed while they slept in an apartment above an exotic pet store, but there were no screams....Police have stepped up their inquiries, but won’t release further details until full post mortem results are known. Snake experts have also raised questions stating pythons seeking food always bite first. John Marais from the African Snake Bite Institute said “if it grabs a kid, you’re going to have more than enough time to scream”. “You can’t be asleep and be bitten by a python and strangled. That’s impossible,” Mr Marais told News Limited. “You’re going to wake up instantly.














































































































































































































































































































    Now it is being investigated as a fishy murder, but disinfo terrorist apologist commenters have stepped up to defend the murder-suspect/owner and pick on grammar mistakes and horrible journalism.

    http://www.ckhid.com/hip-hop-news/2013/08/canadian-boys-connor-noah-barthe-not-killed-by-african-rock-python-snake-homicide-possible/
    Canadian Boys Connor and Noah Barthe Not Killed By African Rock Python Snake, Homicide Possible
    Date: August 13, 2013
    Written by: Rodrick Rainey
    rate news story: 
    3.67/5
    African Rock Python Snake, Close Up Of Head and Teeth
    African Rock Python Snake, Close Up Of Head and Teeth
    The 14-foot-long African Rock Python snake was not neccessarily the culprit behind the death of Canadian boys, Noah and Connor Barthe.   After a long questioning of the snake’s owner, Jean-Claude Savoie, police nor herpetologists could make sense of the case.  In light of the mismatching storyline, investigators are now moving into the possibility of a homicide.
    Why is this now a murder case?
    According to earlier reports [ read here ], the two boys were sleeping above Savoie’s Reptile Ocean pet shop.  It was there he also kept his dino-size 14 foot Python.  The two were in separate rooms allegedly but met in tragic fate-sealing fashion that left the Canadian boys dead.   However, with the snake’s owner in another room and never hearing the boys scream for help, Python experts are saying the probability of the case being accurately is 0%.
    “If it grabs a kid, you’re going to have more than enough time to scream” said John Marais from the African Snake Bite Institute. He continues, “You can’t be asleep and be bitten by a python and strangled. That’s impossible.”
    Such notions from experts are leaving Police no option but to further investigate the case of the two boy’s deaths as a Homicide.
    Mr Marais tolds News Limited , “You’re going to wake up instantly [ if attacked or bitten by Rock python ].”
    The type of snake that attacked the boys is extremely aggressive.   It has become a new predator that is rapidly producing in Florida’s Everglades swamp area and making its way to populated areas.  They’ve been known to kill and eat pets, as well as aggressively bite humans.
    - See more at: http://www.ckhid.com/hip-hop-news/2013/08/canadian-boys-connor-noah-barthe-not-killed-by-african-rock-python-snake-homicide-possible/#sthash.eZN80w65.dpuf


    Derek: Horrible and irresponsible headline-writing. You assert in the title that the snake did not kill the boys -which you simply made up. No RCMP spokesperson and no mainstream news agency - several of whom have been covering the story intensely and with better RCMP contacts than you - have made such assertions. The rest of the story is simply ripped off from Fox News in Australia - which also irresponsibly asserts a murder investigation - an element they made up as well. Bad journalism hurts all journalists. The missing words, bad punctuation and awkward sentence structures don't help either.
    Chris: There are a lot of unanswered questions still about this case and it does seem odd that no one heard a large snake crash through the ceiling or children cry out. However it from an 8ft ceiling a large snake actually landed on 2 small boys and hurt them just from the fall and then and snake went on the defense because it was hurt/scared ... time will tell !!!
    Mr. Loblee: Who wrote this article? There are multiple grammar, spelling and punctuation errors. It's like reading a slow, second grader's text messages. Awful.
    readyourgarbageblog: Your blog article is a fine example of shoddy corrupt journalism. There is not currently or even at the older date of that "Homicide" article a "murder" investigation. The Canadian police have stated the snake WAS INVOLVED ! Here's a recent news article Owner of python that attacked boys wants to speak out about tragic incident "No criminal charges have been laid and Reptile Ocean is no longer a crime scene" http://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/owner-of-python-that-attacked-boys-wants-to-speak-out-about-tragic-incident-1.1409519#ixzz2bttMnI92
    - See more at: http://www.ckhid.com/hip-hop-news/2013/08/canadian-boys-connor-noah-barthe-not-killed-by-african-rock-python-snake-homicide-possible/#sthash.eZN80w65.dpuf

    http://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/owner-of-python-that-attacked-boys-wants-to-speak-out-about-tragic-incident-1.1409519#ixzz2bttMnI92
    lawyer has told Jean-Claude Savoie to stay silent as police investigate .. Savoie made a few comments on Aug. 5 – the same day the boys were found – but has remained silent since then. No criminal charges have been laid and Reptile Ocean is no longer a crime scene, but the store has remained closed since the incident and Savoie has sought out legal advice.
    Lawyer Leslie Matchim ... “But we’ve asked him to contain those thoughts, though I am aware that he has had personal contact with the victims’ family, and we know that has been very helpful to him and, we hope, the victim’s family,” says Matchim.


    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/autopsy-report-on-the-death-of-two-children-in-campbellton-new-brunswick/article13636297/
     two New Brunswick brothers who were found dead after a python escaped its cage were asphyxiated, according to preliminary autopsy results.
    , ages 4 and 6, were found dead early Monday in an apartment above a reptile store owned by their friend’s father in the northern New Brunswick town of Campbellton. Police said the snake, a four-metre-long African rock python weighing about 45 kilograms, was living in the apartment. The animal escaped from its glass-walled enclosure, which has walls all the way up to the ceiling, through a ceiling vent and slithered around in the duct work.


    Python Murder Mystery: How Did a Snake Kill Two Young Boys? - The Daily Beast


    Even reptile experts are puzzled at the death of two young boys, Christine Pelisek reports.
    Read more at www.thedailybeast.com
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