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LAURIE LEE KELLOGG
Born Laurie Lee Finestein in New York City, August 16, 1964, then moving to Holyoke Mass at the age of 2. Father is Bill Finestien,
Mother is Linda Francis, Step Dad is Ed Francis. A younger brother Billy, two sons, Kyle 16, and Kristopher 15. Laurie used
to baby sit for young children in her neighborhood. She was like the neighborhood nanny and 16 years old when she first met
Bruce Kellogg. He was 33 at the time. The relationship between them spanned over a period of ten years. 6 of them married.
Bruce Kellogg physically, sexually and psychologically abused Laurie for the duration. As a result of repeated physical beatings,
Laurie has had a significant amount of bones broken, concussions and massive hearing loss as a result. She suffered miscarriages,
had reconstructive surgeries on her jaw (which was never corrected). Bruce Kellogg raped and sodomized Laurie. He incerted
the barrel of a loaded revolver into her vagina, and into her mouth, threatened to kill her on various occasions (particularly
if she ever attempted to leave him and/or take the children).
Threatened to kill their biological children on numerous occasions. He abused his children from a previous marriage,
he abused the children he had with Laurie. Several of those children that Laurie used to baby sit for were sexually abused
by Bruce Kellogg. One young female victim of Bruce Kellogg (Nicole Pappas) was the girlfriend of Laurie's husband's murderer
(Denver McDowell) who is currently serving twenty-five to life for his crime. Nicole was at McDowell's side when he shot
Bruce Kellogg in the head. It is alleged that they were both under the influence of a hallucinogen at the time of the murder.
Nicole has since been released from prison. She spent the beginning of her time with Laurie in Bedford Hills before being
transferred to a medium facility and then released. She served 10 years.
Laurie was also sexually molested and abused by an immediate family member at a very young age. She carried that torture
through pre-adolescence to young adulthood. Bruce Kellogg was the answer (or so she thought at the time) to her prayers.
Laurie was very much in love with Bruce Kellogg. He was independent, nice looking, mature, a strapping 6 foot, two hundred
and some odd pound, employed individual with his own home. He offered to take her away from home and promised her paradise.
What was not to love? Nothing this man could do was wrong in her eyes. Thus, it was extremely difficult for Laurie to accept
the horrible stories she'd heard from those babies she used to baby-sit for.
Bruce Kellogg was a big game hunter and had hunting cabin up in the Finger Lakes area of New York State, and an impressive
gun collection in his home consisting of rifles, shotguns and hand guns. McDowell was well aware of this having been at the
Kellogg home many times and stole a .41 caliber magnum revolver from the house. McDowell had a long history of crime as a
juvenile. He spent time in jail various times for various crimes. He was heavily into hard drugs, and dabbled in occultic
religious practices. He allegedly had been sexually abused while in jail a number of times.
Bruce was at the cabin one weekend when the story was told to Laurie of Bruce's sexual offenses against the neighborhood
children. Laurie was devastated upon hearing such horrible things about the man she loved more than anything in the world.
She decided to drive up to the
cabin that night. They lived in Pennsylvania, and had to drive some four hours to the cabin in New York. Laurie wanted
to confront him on the stories she'd recently heard. She wanted desperately for Bruce to say they were false allegations
and fabrications. That's what was going through Laurie's mind the night of the incident. In the interim, McDowell had other
plans, as he was one of those who accompanied Laurie for the ride up to the cabin.
There were in total four in addition to Laurie (who was driving). I believe the names were Chuck Sebelist (recently released
from prison), Nicole Pappas (recently released), Denver McDowell (currently in custody), and Christy Mullin, who spent a minimal
time in juvenile detention until 21, and then released. McDowell had Kellogg's .41 magnum with him. At some point He showed
the gun in the wagon. Laurie does remember seeing the gun, however, she recalls telling him to "put that away."
However, in her state of mind, not knowing what McDowell had intention of doing when they arrived at the cabin. McDowell
and Pappas jumped out of the vehicle, ran into the cottage, and shot Bruce Kellogg in the head while he slept. Laurie was
arrested and subsequently incarcerated the following night for the murder of her husband.
The prosecution tried to make it look like Laurie coerced McDowell into killing Bruce Kellogg by persuading McDowell sexually.
The prosecution tried to convince the jury that there was a love affair going on between Laurie Kellogg and McDowell and that
Laurie had willfully planned this murder.
McDowell admittedly perjured himself on the witness stand. In fact he admitted fabricating several stories regarding
the events that led to the incident. At the request of the procecution, Nicole Pappas plea bargined in order to receive the
sentence she received.
"I read a good portion of the court transcripts, says De Mers. Laurie's attorney at the time admitted during closing
arguments that he did not do certain things that he should have, and did certain things that he shouldn't have because he
was inexperienced and learned them too late. This was also his first murder case. According to Laurie's mother, the judge
had to keep asking the apparently timid defense counselor to speak up. The jury foreman even made a comment to the media
stating about Laurie that, 'well, she's been locked up for nearly a year already anyway, so she must be guilty of something.'"
Laurie's late husband Bruce's brother is an environmental police officer with the state of New York. The judge and prosecuting
attorney were also up for election and promotion at that time. Laurie didn't have a chance. The waters at this trial were
very murky.
Laurie to this very day has vivid nightmares about her past. Mostly related to the abuse she took from Bruce while he
was alive in addition to having no closure from him personally in the matter of whether or not he did in fact sexually abuse
those children as well as his own children.
"In the jail I was also a Fire Marshal on my watch in addition to Correction officer, says De Mers. Laurie worked
for the Fire and Safety office. Thus, I occasionally worked with this woman. My primary function as correction officer was
running a cell block in a maximum security prison; thoroughly and efficiently. One of the most fundamental attributes of
that function is observation, and observe I did! There is no way that this woman is guilty of any crime not to mention the
murder of a human being or coercing another human being into performing such an ugly task" De Mers contends. "Of
course, this is merely my opinion of the women having known her, having listened to her and observed her every day for nearly
seven years."
Laurie's current attorney said that he had written to co-defendant, Chuck Sebelist some time ago regarding testifying
on Laurie's behalf, and Mr. Sebelist declined out of fear of receiveing more time. The same thing was said for Ms. Pappas.
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SENTENCED TO 25 YEARS TO LIFE
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ADDING INSULT TO INJURY
Victim of Prison Politics Languishes in Solitary Confinement After Charges Alleged to be Insupportable
While Kellogg has been a model prisoner for 13 painful years with a reportedly unstained record, the same may not be able
to be said for the Administration at Bedford Hills. They're players and they play very dirty, insists Andy DeMers after working
the inside of the facility up close and personal for some seven years. He not only knows the prison politics and the way
the gears of the institution machinery are greased, DeMers has the guts, moral outrage and conviction to name names. This
guy McElroy was on an egotistical, power hungry crusade. It's not that he had a personal vendetta against Laurie herself,
it could have been anyone, however, we are making such a stink about Laurie and he saw an opportunity to flex his departmental
muscles and so he was out to prove a point! NOBODY tells McElroy what to do; least of all, a former correction officer! It's
definitely a power struggle; I'm thoroughly convinced of that because of a previous experience I had with administration.
He is referring to former Deputy Superintendent of Security, Terrance McElroy, who is said to have recently retired and
to have leveraged Laurie Kellogg's unceremonious transfer to solitary confinement on allegedly trumped up charges that she
possessed escape paraphernalia. The charges were reportedly dismissed for lack of evidence, (the alleged escape paraphernalia
is said to have been two Tee Shirts), but her assigned status (a commodity subject to the integrity of those who oversee her
incarceration), allows her to be held in solitary for up to three years pending investigation according to DeMers. And while
there are strict and reasonable policies embedded into the corrections system with respect to what an inmate should and should
not possess, Kellogg's consignment to solitary has a very dubious spin to it suggesting Mr. McElroy's motives to be very questionable.
It concerns an injury sustained by Laurie that required medical attention which prison officials withheld from her. Ultimately,
she was advised by her attorney to pursue civil action against the prison, which she reluctantly did, and won. DeMers contends
that as the law suit wound down and Kellogg's victory became apparent, she was abruptly labeled a "security threat",
and transferred, along with 13 years of model conduct, into solitary (thrown in the hole as it were). He insists that the
action was a retaliatory measure levied against Laurie for suing the prison, and it is no joy ride. She's experienced severe
chest pains, soreness in her arms, shortness of breath due to asthma, bug bites and welts all over her body due to an infestation
of bugs in her cell, maggots in the sink and vermin, DeMers says. He also alleges that Kellogg is subject to sexual innuendo
and harassment from officers; horrible, horrible stuff going on here on a daily basis, and they will not tell her why she
was there. The original charge for locking her down was having "escape paraphernalia" in her possession and it
was said to be dismissed because there wasn't enough evidence to support such a charge, and yet they kept her in solitary.
This is nothing more than sheer and utter harassment and something must be done about it.
Something was, it got worse. According to DeMers he received a letter from Kellogg profiling the details of her "Sixty
Day Administration Review," which she received almost six weeks late. The review, a state mandated protocol, explained
Mr. McElroy's reasons why the inmate (Kellogg) was initially determined to be appropriate for administration segregation,
(solitary confinement). Her hand written copy of the document is reported to say that she must remain in solitary indefinitely
pending investigation: "For the safety and security of the facility and due to the large amount of unauthorized property
and contraband which included civilian clothes. These items found in your possession (cell) were acquired from an unknown
source or sources. This makes your continued presence in general population a threat to the security of the facility and orderly
running of the institution." Mr. McElroy allegedly went on to credit her with no documented misconduct and then verify
that "There is a continuing investigation being conducted by the Office of the Inspector General." However, according
to DeMers, the reason to continue Kellogg's isolation in solitary was left blank in a note at the bottom of the page, reading:
A determination has been made to continue your administration segregation status for the following reasons . . .
DeMers's efforts to counter what he feels is a grave injustice border on legendary. He and his wife Eva, have sweat buckets
passionately pleading with numerous organizations and governing officials, including the office of New York State Senator
Thomas Morahan. Morahan, by all accounts has the muscle to make a difference, but, according to DeMers, like many politicians,
would rather conceal his indifference than make a difference. The Senator's Office wrote me off, he lamented. I spoke with
a lady named Mary at Senator Morahan's office, a lady that I've talked with extensively about Laurie, her case, and how they're
sticking it to Laurie. They wrote "one" letter, got back a negative response and this lady Mary, tells me, "I'm
sorry, there's is nothing more we can do. The facility claims one thing and you claim another." NO KIDDING? Gosh,
if it was going to be SLAM DUNK, I wouldn't need Senator Morhan. I wonder what their response would be if it was the Senator's
daughter or niece being abused and exploited like this?
As intimidating as circumstances appear, both DeMers and Laurie remain confident in light of Gerry Spence's pending review,
which is considerably more encouraging than Mr. McElroy's or Senator Morahan's. The high profile nature of this case coupled
with the reportedly generous deposit of additional evidence and high probability of a legal victory are very likely to attract
a crack legal team even if Spence declines to take the case. However, as things legal go, DeMers believes that there are
verifiable serious Constitutional infringements of Kellogg's rights which could lead to significant litigation up the road,
making her case that much more attractive. "I'm still very optimistic regarding Laurie's release, DeMers declares.
If we let the right people know about her, they'll take a stand, I'm sure." If he is right, the lawyers may soon line
up and jockey for position to the music of a ringing cash register.
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