But that would never be enough for her parents. "We started a pilot program for GPS monitoring, which was largely connected to Tiana's tragic murder," said Flexer. But she is about to get a Valentine's Day surprise from an insanely obsessed ex-boyfriend who has already made her life a terrifying nightmare of harassment, threats and intimidation. He had never told her," Alvin. "You may want to call it mother's intuition. She may not speak to any of the couple’s many Mormon children. They thought I was lying, and one officer accused me of having a fake restraining order,'" said Kathy. Carter continues harassing Tiana with phone calls, texts and e-mails, and she keeps returning to police to report him, to no avail. no comments yet. Alex readily agrees, only to find that the trip is a ploy to deliver her not into the hands of her grandparents, but instead into the house of a Mormon couple who have declared themselves, although unlicensed and untrained, as experts in “Conversion Therapy.”. So once again they have no video evidence against Carter. In some cases, there are actual facts to wrestle with. Now, enraged, Carter is lurking in the shadows of her apartment complex on Valentine's Day evening, waiting for her to come home. How young Alex Cooper managed to free herself and the actions that she took afterward in coming to grips both with her parents and with the couple that harmed her are the heart of the memoir and will not be discussed here. But when this is revealed and the reader realizes the author would be only twenty or twenty-one today, the almost inept youthfulness of the author’s voice can be forgiven. But this time, Plainville Police attempt to call Carter to ask him to come in and give a handwriting sample. I only saw photos of him and I immediately disliked him," said Kathy Lewis. "My ex-boyfriend just stabbed me to death.". best. ", Tiana returns home the next night to find a letter pinned to her front door, reading "Tiana forgive me. But still in many cases it just boils down to a simple question: Is a good time being had by all? "Looking at the face value what was going on I realized that there was a system failure.". But, as Kurt Vonnegut used to say, “Hi ho.”. "'We even did hand massage on her heart but she had lost too much blood and we couldn't revive her, and she's gone. "It was about him. Nor may she do anything but stand with her face to the wall while wearing a knapsack loaded with rocks (to remind her of the burden of her aberrant sexuality) when not cleaning or preparing meals for the whole family. "So he presented well. And the fact that she has been taken to Utah puts her fully in the Mormon Church’s hands. But the next day, on Valentine's Day evening, Tiana makes the mistake of going back to the apartment to pack a bag. '", "So I went and identified her, she's on the table, looked at her, there were stab wounds everywhere," said Alvin. Locations are listed and names are named, but the reader is left to either accept the author at her word or to reject the whole of the document. Once they are told that their daughter is gay, the parents fall silent and distant, only to finally come to their daughter with the suggestion that she go to stay with her grandparents in Utah for a while, while the family comes to grips with this new reality. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. User Info: Fallacia. Read aloud from in books stores or community meetings or religious gatherings. of the members of the LGBT community. "Then the team of doctors came in, and they told me 'We did everything we could,'" said Kathy. As Alex is told again and again by the couple—their names, we are told are Johnny and Tianna Siale—the fact that nearly everyone in the community was Mormon and had already been prepared for her arrival meant that no one would intervene to help or free her. "She was in her car crying hysterically and she says, 'Mom you wouldn't believe these people, they treated me like dirt. "I'm bleeding to death," Tiana says on the 911 call. What convinces me that the existence of Saving Alex is more important than its flaws is the fact that this book, placed into the hands of a gay youth in a precarious moment in his or her life, might well save that life. I never cheated on you. "I didn't know why they didn't take my daughter seriously," said Kathy. And Alvin was determined to fix it so no one else's child would be murdered like his beloved daughter. And he was an executive.". But she is about to get a Valentine's Day surprise from an insanely obsessed ex-boyfriend who has already made her life a terrifying nightmare of harassment, threats and intimidation. Sort by . "The unfortunate thing for us, the tape ran out," said Alvin. This thread is archived. "She went and visited the police station 33 times in six weeks.". "I don't know what she saw in him because I never met him in person. © 2020 Telepictures Productions Inc. save hide report. Tiana Notice was a 25-year-old blessed with both brains and beauty. In partnership with Warner Bros. Entertainment, Caltrans: California Department of Transportation, Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Florida teens charged with attacking romantic rival, running over victim's mother in street, COVID prompts mistrial in Indiana case of woman accused of murdering stepdaughter, Murder victims found on highway shoulder in Northern California mountains, Exclusive: Emily Defries speaks out on death of fiance's baby girl, Kelsie Schelling disappears after ultrasound visit, fight with boyfriend. Saving Alex is a book that perhaps should not be reviewed. Does anyone know if her abusers, Tiana and Johnny Siale, were charged or convicted with any crime? "More action from the police, more action from legislators, more action from the courts," said Alvin. "If James had a GPS on his person, Tiana would have known he was by her house," said Alvin. "He started stalking her, showing up wherever she was, whether out with her friends, she was out grocery shopping, at work," said Kathy Lewis, Tiana's mother. But six months into their relationship, James Carter II is sentenced to five months in jail for the domestic abuse of a previous girlfriend, and Tiana learned he has a rap sheet for numerous other violent crimes including assault. Gifted from one family to another. 0 comments. Nonfiction is very different. Terms of Use | By using our Services or clicking I agree, you agree to our use of cookies. Privacy Policy | Tiana Louise Collins, 17, passed away Thursday, June 6, 2019 at her home.A memorial graveside service will be held 2pm Saturday, June 15, 2019 at Tirzah ARP Church Cemetery. 100% Upvoted. In the seven years since Tiana's death, he's gotten action that has made authorities in Connecticut and other states take the deadly dangers of domestic violence seriously. And she said no," said Alvin. But still the police take no action against Carter. Tiana's dad speculates that Carter had been cheating on her, so she gives him his marching orders, and then is forced to take out a restraining order against him. "I really wanted to get to the bottom of it," said Alvin. and little else. There I was, in the front hallway of the house, positioned between the entryway, the living room, and the kitchen. What she did not realize, however, was that her family, if forced to choose, would choose the church’s teachings over their child’s happiness and sense of self-worth. Fallacia (Moderator) 11 years ago #2. And yet it is more diatribe than treatise. Remember this email when karma bites you in the ass.". So while Saving Alex—in terms of its writing, voice, narrative (Good Lord, it is not until page 180 that we read: “September 7th of 2010, I, Alexandra Cooper, was brought to live with the Siale family.” And we finally have some idea of when this is set. And she might still be alive. The site may not work properly if you don't, If you do not update your browser, we suggest you visit, Press J to jump to the feed. What do I have to do to open Johnny's shop? Neighbors come to her aid. James Carter II is now serving 60 years without parole for the savage slaying of Tiana Notice. "Tiana texts me and said, 'Dad, my tires were slashed on my car,' and I said 'Did you see somebody do it?' In partnership with Warner Bros. Entertainment | Tiana's mom says Carter is also stalking Tiana sitting outside her apartment building in his car and following her when she goes shopping or travels to and from her temporary job at a local university. Carter is so furious he takes out a restraining order against Tiana. Looks like you're using new Reddit on an old browser. Until then, the reader has no idea of the when of this book, and how old the author is now. But to review it does it, I think, a disservice. And I'm like, 'Look, I don't want my daughter to become a statistic, and I'm telling you now: If something happens to my daughter, you better move to another planet.'". And she said 'He's just bugging me. Through the work of the Tiana Angelique Notice Foundation that Alvin and Kathy formed with the help of Connecticut State Senator Mae Flexer and Karen Jarmoc, a former state legislator and now head of the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, laws have been toughened to prevent domestic violence murders. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. "We got to the hospital quarter of midnight," said Kathy. In fact, in some sections, it is agonizingly weak in terms of writing and structure, and throughout it maintains a uniformly mopey voice that the co-author, Joanna Brooks, or the editor should have strongly resisted. "I spent four hours with Tiana that night, just kind of going over some of the things," said Alvin. And the reviewer can consider the actual narrative, its rhythms, its ebb and flow, the music of the language, and whether the pages seem to turn themselves as the story unfolds in front of a reader’s eyes. A forum for ex-mormons and others who have been affected by mormonism to share news, commentary, and comedy about the Mormon church. When it comes to fiction, things are straightforward enough. He won't leave me alone,'" said Alvin. As the subtitle reveals, at age fifteen, Alex Cooper had come to know herself well enough to realize that she was attracted to women. Tiana Notice doesn't have a date -- or so she thinks. While the concept of being “entertaining” may seem a bit of a stretch, Saving Alex does certainly keep the reader’s attention as various methods of “rehabilitating” a gay youth are rather graphically described. Then she loses consciousness. Didn't have to think too long. All of which is taking the long way ’round before considering Alex Cooper’s new memoir Saving Alex, whose cover copy itself says it all: When I Was Fifteen I Told My Mormon Parents I Was Gay, and That’s When My Nightmare Began. And he knew what was needed. The pages do turn quickly, although the persons described never rise above caricatures—Mormons are thugs or accomplices to thugs, fellow gays are brave and kind, etc. He snarled at me. Tiana is rushed to the local hospital. Tiana goes to Plainville Police Department to report him for violating the restraining order, only to be told by an officer the e-mails are non-threatening. Crime Watch Daily did reach out to both police departments for comment on this story but did not receive any response. share. Complete Files Finished: FFVI / FFVII Currently Playing: FFVIII. Meet Johnny and Tianna Siale, the couple leading conversion therapy.