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Denver, Boulder ignored ICE detainers for migrants with child abuse, assault arrests, House GOP report reveals

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FIRST ON FOX: A blue state’s law enforcement officials are keeping illegal immigrants accused of violent crimes out of the reach of federal authorities, a new report claims.

The House Judiciary Committee, led by Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, released new findings Friday in its investigation into sanctuary jurisdictions and their impact on law enforcement across the country.

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The latest is a 25-page report that accuses top prosecutors in Denver and Boulder of helping illegal immigrants evade Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), while also revealing for the first time the names and graphic charges against some of those whom House GOP investigators say are being shielded from President Donald Trump’s federal crackdown.

Both the district attorneys for Denver and Boulder pushed back against Republicans’ accusations.

JIM JORDAN SUBPOENAS BLUE STATE DAS ACCUSED OF ‘PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT’ FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CRIMINALS

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Among the list is «Fernando Barrios-Ramirez, a Venezuelan national arrested for sexual assault on a child,» the report said. 

Denver District Attorney John Walsh told Digital, «Unfortunately, in Barrios-Ramirez’s case, we were prevented from pursuing a decades-long sentence by ICE,  who deported Barrios-Ramirez to Mexico over our objection, effectively setting him free.»

Walsh said his office prosecuted other cases listed in the report as well.

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Another alleged criminal Denver is accused of ignoring an ICE detainer for is Juan Andres Holguin-Mendez, a Mexican national whose «criminal history also includes arrests for willful cruelty to a child, DUI, malicious mischief, possession of a controlled substance, trespassing, disturbing the peace, and evading a peace officer.»

Holguin-Mendez was arrested for damage to property, the report said.

A Venezuelan national named Diego Cano-Diaz with multiple alleged protective order violations was «arrested for aggravated assault with a weapon, resisting arrest, and assault,» the report said.

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At least four illegal immigrants were arrested due to alleged domestic violence in Denver but also had their ICE detainers ignored, the report said.

WATCH: DEM DEMANDS ‘ONE CASE’ WHERE SANCTUARY CITIES DIDN’T TURN OVER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS; DHS PROVIDES LIST

In Boulder, «Mario Hernandez-Quiroz, a Mexican national arrested for child abuse and failure to appear,» was among those whose ICE detainer was ignored.

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Ignoring an ICE detainer does not necessarily mean law enforcement released the accused back onto public streets. It does, however, delay potential federal deportation proceedings to ensure the accused does not stay in the U.S.

DHS BOSS REVEALS OVAL OFFICE PLAN TO ‘WITHHOLD FUNDING’ FROM SANCTUARY CITIES AFTER AGGRESSIVE NEW YORK BUST

But the report did accuse district attorneys in Denver and Boulder of helping illegal immigrants suspected of criminal acts to evade ICE, including being more lenient with their treatment in order to avoid federal immigration proceedings — in effect, accusing them of letting more undocumented criminals back onto the streets.

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For instance, House GOP investigators said they obtained internal documents that show the Denver Sheriff’s Department provided written explanations in a suspected illegal immigrant criminal’s preferred language that said they have «the right to refuse to speak to federal immigration authorities.»

DENVER MAN’S ESCAPE EXPOSES CHILLING TREN DE ARAGUA KIDNAPPING PLOT THAT LANDS TRIO IN PRISON

The report also accused Denver officials of providing insufficient notice when they do notify ICE about suspected illegal immigrant criminals.

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An example highlighted in the report involved a suspected Tren de Aragua gang member, about whom ICE was given «between one and two hours’ notice to take him into custody.»

The suspected gang member, Abraham Smith Gonzalez, was subsequently released, the report said, and «as a result, when ICE officers attempted to arrest Gonzalez outside a Denver jail in 2025, he assaulted one officer.»

The report also accused both Boulder and Denver prosecutors of weighing immigration consequences when pursuing charges against an individual.

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DOJ ACCUSES MARYLAND OF ‘ACTIVE AND DELIBERATE EFFORT’ TO PREVENT DEPORTATIONS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS: LAWSUIT

«In Boulder, District Attorney Dougherty prohibits information sharing with ICE,» the report said. «Before President Trump even took office in January 2025, Dougherty emailed Boulder defense attorneys to remind them of his office’s pro-illegal alien policies, including his office’s consideration of collateral immigration consequences.»

An excerpt that the report noted is part of Boulder County District Attorney’s Office guidance stating that attorneys «consider the immigration and other collateral consequences to a defendant in recommending dispositions.»

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Both Denver and Boulder encourage suspected illegal immigrants to not cooperate with ICE unless a judicial warrant is presented, the report said.

ICE ARRESTS ILLEGAL ALIEN ACCUSED OF SEXUALLY ASSAULTING CHILDREN AFTER FAIRFAX COUNTY RELEASE: DHS

Dougherty in Boulder has already been targeted by Jordan’s probe, with the Ohio Republican subpoenaing Dougherty and accusing him of failing to sufficiently cooperate.

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He told Digital in response to the report, «This report is a political stunt to sway voters before the midterm elections. My responsibility is to do justice, enhance public safety, and fight for victims. I’m not going to be distracted by political theatre or intimidated into abandoning my responsibility to protect the community and uphold the law. I am proud of our amazing and dedicated staff. They work incredibly hard to uphold the best interests of Boulder County and Colorado. It is my privilege to work alongside the outstanding women and men in the District Attorney’s Office.»

Dougherty’s office also accused committee Republicans of «intentionally» misrepresenting one individual’s case in its report that was not mentioned in this article.

«Under the Republicans’ approach, Contreras would have been released to ICE and immediately deported. That would have been a violation of state law. Also, Contreras would be free in another country with no consequences for his criminal conduct, the harm to the victim, and the risk he poses to the community,» the office said. «Under Boulder County’s approach, the Sheriff complied with state law and, ultimately, Contreras was held fully accountable by the prosecutors in our office and sent to state prison for eight (8) years. When he completes that sentence, he will then face deportation.»

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Walsh told Digital, «The men and women of the Denver District Attorney’s Office work tirelessly every day and every night to protect community safety and have helped achieve historic reductions in crime in Denver.  Our immigration collateral consequences policy closely tracks the guidance of the United States Supreme Court in Padilla v. Kentucky, and not only complies with the law, but advances community safety by ensuring that convictions are not subsequently overturned.»

«The Denver Sheriff’s Department is responsible for addressing ICE detainers and does so in full compliance with Colorado law and the requirements of the United States Constitution,» Walsh said.

politics, sanctuary cities, migrant crime, illegal immigrants, tren de aragua, denver

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Albanian opposition lawmakers disrupt parliament with smoke flares and furious attacks on socialist PM

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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Opposition lawmakers in Albania disrupted a parliamentary session on Thursday by setting off flares that filled the chamber with colored smoke, marking an escalation following weeks of student-led anti-government protests.

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Members of the main opposition Democratic Party also blocked access to the podium during a vote on a central bank bill, Reuters reported.

«These ruling lawmakers are criminals, and they deserve tear gas, rubber bullets, cracked skulls, and broken bones—not the young people,» opposition leader Sali Berisha declared during a speech before his microphone was cut off.

SERBIA’S STUDENT MOVEMENT TOPPLES VUCIC’S PARTY AFTER 14 YEARS, BUT POLITICAL AGENDA REMAINS UNCLEAR

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Opposition Albanian lawmakers lit flares inside a parliamentary session amid weeks of anti-government protests. (Reuters)

As the chamber devolved into chaos, fellow opposition members surrounded Berisha, holding blue flares, the official color of their party, and displaying images of protesters injured by police rubber bullets.

Albania has been gripped in recent weeks by student-led demonstrations demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama over alleged government corruption, underfunded schools, widespread unemployment, and a lack of economic opportunities.

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SERBIA’S LONGTIME LEADER FACES BIGGEST POLITICAL TEST AS STUDENTS MOUNT ELECTION CHALLENGE

The protests began on Oct. 13 and quickly turned violent as demonstrators clashed with police and set fire to government buildings. Protesters also targeted Rama’s ruling Socialist Party headquarters in Tirana, clashing with riot police deployed to protect the property.

The unrest has since spread to several other cities across the country.

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THOUSANDS FLOOD BRUSSELS STREETS AS ANTI-AUSTERITY PROTESTS ERUPT INTO CLASHES WITH POLICE

In response, Rama, who has governed since 2013 and secured a fourth term last year, blamed «foreign hands who do not want Albania in the European Union. » He accused outside forces of manipulating the movement, claiming they «represent organized crime rather than students. «

To curb the violence, Rama introduced strict new measures, including $6,000 fines for anyone participating in a protest that turns violent, regardless of whether they personally commit acts of violence.

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Another demonstration is scheduled for Saturday.



the balkans, world protests, world

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Election expert sounds alarm on how noncitizens are landing on voter rolls

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An election integrity expert raised concerns Wednesday about California and Washington after the Justice Department identified thousands of suspected noncitizen voter registrations, including cases in which residents told officials they were not U.S. citizens yet were still registered to vote.

In an interview with Digital, J. Christian Adams, president of the Public Interest Legal Foundation, blamed the states’ automatic voter registration systems and local officials’ refusal to use available federal tools to verify citizenship.

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«Noncitizens are getting on the rolls all over the country through the motor voter program. They’re going into (the) DMV. Sometimes they’re even telling the DMV they’re not citizens, and states are still registering them to vote,» Adams said.

«That’s why aliens are getting on the rolls in states like Washington and California that have automatic voter registration.»

FEDERAL OFFICIALS IDENTIFY 400 NONCITIZENS REGISTERED TO VOTE IN WASHINGTON STATE: ‘TIP OF THE ICEBERG’

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California and Washington both require U.S. citizenship to register to vote, though their automatic voter registration systems differ. California DMV customers who indicate they are eligible to vote can be automatically registered, while Washington’s automatic registration through the Department of Licensing is tied to transactions requiring proof of U.S. citizenship, such as obtaining an enhanced driver’s license or ID.

However, federal officials said they identified more than 20,000 likely noncitizens on California voter rolls, many with addresses in Los Angeles County, and more than 400 suspected cases in Washington. The findings come just ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

Washington Secretary of State Steve R. Hobbs pushed back against the Justice Department on Wednesday, criticizing its findings for containing «several glaring deficiencies.»

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The list included U.S. citizens and individuals who are not currently registered to vote, Hobbs said.

«Without individualized proof of ineligibility, it would be both irresponsible and illegal for election officials to decline to process a registered voter’s ballot. If you have individualized proof, I invite you to provide it so election officials can take appropriate steps that are consistent with federal and state law,» Hobbs said. 

The California secretary of state also pushed back last week, saying a review of the DOJ’s data on Los Angeles County found «significant accuracy problems with their sweeping claims.»

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«At best, this litigation is a reckless political stunt. At worst, it threatens to disenfranchise thousands of Californians this election,» the office said. 

DOJ HAS VERIFIED 20,000 NONCITIZENS ON CALIFORNIA VOTER ROLLS, FEDERAL PROSECUTOR SAYS

Adams also blamed election officials for refusing to use the Department of Homeland Security’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database to identify noncitizens on voter rolls.

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He described SAVE as the «best database there is for aliens» that is «just sitting there waiting for them to use.»

«They don’t want to check. They don’t have to check. Federal law doesn’t require them to check. What federal law does is make data available through the SAVE database at DHS,» Adams said.

Hobbs criticized the DOJ’s reliance on the SAVE database, calling it «unreliable» and arguing that the absence of a citizenship record does not establish immigration status.

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«It cannot rely on the mere absence of a name from the SAVE database or the department’s assertions based on the vague and untested methodology described in the lawsuit against California,» Hobbs said.

MORE THAN A QUARTER-MILLION NONCITIZENS MAY BE REGISTERED TO VOTE IN 4 KEY STATES, DHS ALLEGES

As a result of lax regulations, Adams said his team has identified major voter roll issues in California beyond noncitizen registration, including duplicate registrations and registrations associated with deceased residents.

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«It’s what we expect now from California because partisan politics has taken over election administration in that state,» he said.

«They think it’s part of the program to disenfranchise people if they check citizenship, but it’s not,» he added. «They’re saying that everything’s fine here. ‘Don’t look at us. We’re as good as it can be,’ But the reality is they’re really not using the data that are available to keep the rolls clean.»

DOJ THREATENS EMERGENCY LEGAL ACTION AGAINST CALIFORNIA OVER SUSPECTED NONCITIZEN VOTERS

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Other states, including Florida and North Carolina, have used the SAVE database and found fewer issues, according to Adams, contrasting their approach with California and Washington.

While the Justice Department’s disclosure marks a rare public accounting of suspected noncitizen voter registrations, Adams said the findings will likely not affect the upcoming midterm elections.

Audits usually happen during off-election years when there is sufficient time for legal review, according to Adams. Waiting until just before an election in an even-numbered year can result in courts dismissing challenges due to «laches,» a legal principle that penalizes someone for waiting too long without a valid reason to file a legal claim.

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«There’s very little you can do right before an election. That’s why the hard work in these cases is in odd-numbered years, not in October or even-numbered years. So, you really have to do this stuff early, or you could lose on what’s called laches,» he said.

Despite the timing, Adams, who worked in the DOJ’s Voting Section more than a decade ago, applauded the department for taking the matter seriously.

«Nobody took noncitizen registration seriously until now. And that’s a welcome change,» he said.

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voter fraud concerns, politics, california, elections disputes, washington

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A 100 años de la muerte de Houdini, los documentos que ponen en duda la causa de su fallecimiento

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Uno de ellos, Joscelyn Gordon Whitehead, le preguntó si era cierto que, como Houdini solía alardear, su abdomen podía resistir cualquier golpe. Luego le asestó unos cuantos puñetazos rápidos y sucesivos.

Houdini, tomado por sorpresa, hizo un gesto de dolor, pero no le dio mucha importancia y subió a un tren nocturno con destino a Detroit. Nueve días después, estaba muerto.

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La causa oficial de su muerte fue una infección abdominal provocada por la ruptura del apéndice, ampliamente atribuida a los golpes de Whitehead.

El fallecimiento de Houdini conmocionó a un público que había llegado a verlo como alguien inmune al peligro. ¿Cómo se las había arreglado el poderoso mago para morir a la joven edad de 52 años de algo tan prosaico como una apendicitis?

Después de todo, Houdini, un escapista nacido en Hungría, había alcanzado el renombre mundial por burlar repetidamente las garras de la muerte: al liberarse de cajas cerradas con candado, emerger de ataúdes bajo el agua y zafarse de camisas de fuerza colgado boca abajo.

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Era famoso por su acondicionamiento físico y se enorgullecía de tener la condición de un atleta profesional. El mito decía que podía controlar músculos individuales y dislocarse los hombros a voluntad.

A lo largo de los años han surgido múltiples teorías que alimentan el aura de sospecha en torno a la muerte de Houdini. Este Halloween se conmemora su centenario.

Un libro planteó que fue eliminado “por un equipo de malévolos enanos de circo que entraron sigilosamente a su habitación de hotel para añadir arsénico a su té matutino”. Otros han asumido, de manera incorrecta, que Houdini murió como en la película Houdini de 1953, protagonizada por Tony Curtis: al no lograr escapar de un tanque cerrado durante su acto de la celda de tortura acuática.

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Algunos han insinuado que el mago fue asesinado por espiritistas, debido a su cruzada para desmentir la creencia en la comunicación con los muertos. Otros han postulado que tal vez dichos espiritistas estaban confabulados con Whitehead.

Muchos consideran más probable que los golpes del estudiante simplemente hayan puesto de manifiesto un caso de apendicitis avanzada preexistente.

Ahora, Larrian Gillespie, una cirujana urológica jubilada de 77 años, ha desplegado las habilidades de una investigadora médica forense para desafiar la creencia generalizada y limpiar el nombre de Whitehead.

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“Esta no es solo una historia sobre la muerte de Houdini”, escribe Gillespie en Houdini: The Man Who Died Twice, publicado en julio. “Es una historia sobre cómo la verdad desaparece y por qué, a veces, se necesita a la ciencia para recuperarla”.

Surge una nueva teoría

Gillespie se topó con el tema de Houdini de forma accidental, mientras creaba un sitio web para la clase de un amigo sobre el mago en la Universidad de Nevada, Las Vegas.

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Cuando revisó el certificado de defunción municipal de Houdini, le pareció extraño. Había información tachada. Los nombres eran incorrectos. Estaba firmado por un médico que no había estado presente cuando Houdini murió.

“Supe de inmediato que algo estaba mal, que esta no era la forma en que normalmente se llena un certificado de defunción”, dijo en una entrevista. Gillespie estaba intrigada, aunque “no tenía ningún interés en Houdini en lo absoluto”, dijo, y agregó: “No me interesa la magia”.

Gillespie, quien vive en Los Ángeles, ejerció la medicina en Beverly Hills durante 15 años. Creció en una familia dedicada al mundo del espectáculo (su hermana Darlene fue una de las Mouseketeers originales). Ella apareció en series de televisión como el episodio de Navidad de 1960 de La dimensión desconocida. (“Soy la elfa que se lleva a Art Carney al final”, dijo).

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Formada en la UCLA, Gillespie escribió artículos revisados por pares sobre temas como la cistitis intersticial, pero le suspendieron la licencia médica en 2002 tras llegar a un acuerdo con las autoridades de California a raíz de las quejas de varios pacientes.

Gillespie también ha escrito nueve libros sobre nutrición, entre ellos The Goddess Diet y You’re Not Crazy It’s Your Hormones, lo que la ha llevado a aparecer en Good Morning America y otros programas.

Para investigar la muerte de Houdini, Gillespie consultó libros de medicina, declaraciones juradas, certificados de defunción, cartas y relatos de periódicos de la década de 1920. Entrevistó a expertos, médicos y a un familiar de Houdini.

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Gillespie dijo que, además del certificado de defunción de Míchigan, había habido otros dos, uno presentado en Detroit y otro ante la compañía de seguros de Houdini. Más tarde, el jefe de fraude del Departamento de Estadísticas Vitales del Estado de Míchigan demostró que el certificado municipal no era válido, dijo Gillespie, debido a varios indicios de manipulación.

Gillespie dijo que encontró un rastro documental de declaraciones falsas y acciones por parte de más de una decena de personas cercanas a Houdini, incluidos familiares y empleados. Entre ellos, afirma, varios ayudaron a encubrir la fecha de su muerte, en parte para que pareciera que fue el 31 de octubre: “Recordamos a Houdini por la asociación con Halloween”, dijo.

Durante su investigación, contó con la ayuda de especialistas en Houdini a los que describió como sus “Watsons”, incluidos Patrick Culliton, autor de varios libros sobre el mago, y John Cox, quien opera el sitio web sobre Houdini “Wild About Harry”.

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“Nadie ha abordado esto nunca desde el punto de vista de un cirujano”, dijo Culliton en una entrevista telefónica.

“Hay pruebas muy buenas de que tiene razón”, agregó. “En realidad, ha exonerado por completo a Whitehead”.

¿Nunca fue la apendicitis?

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El relato aceptado es que Houdini murió cuando la apendicitis, agravada por el golpe, derivó en una peritonitis por Streptococcus pyogenes, una forma de infección.

Gillespie argumenta que la apendicitis no fue la causa principal y que el puñetazo no fue un factor crítico. Más bien, dice, la culpable fue una obstrucción intestinal, provocada por una masa fibrosa de chop suey que Houdini comió el 28 de octubre.

Debido a la obstrucción, tuvo que ser operado de urgencia la tarde del 29 de octubre, argumenta Gillespie: una enterotomía para evacuar el intestino. Pero era demasiado tarde. Según la autora, se presentó un choque séptico, la fiebre de Houdini se disparó a 40,5 grados Celsius y su respiración agitada le provocó espasmos musculares y pérdida del conocimiento.

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“No se espera que alguien sobreviva 24 horas en esta condición”, dijo, “y por lo tanto, no sobrevive”.

Pero la obstrucción intestinal nunca se mencionó en ninguno de los registros de defunción.

Houdini fue operado por segunda vez el 30 de octubre. La investigación de Gillespie sobre los certificados de defunción indica que el mago murió esa tarde a la 1:26 p. m., no al día siguiente a la 1:30 p. m. Pero los documentos fueron manipulados para cambiar la fecha.

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“El no identificar la segunda cirugía en el certificado de defunción es el indicio crítico”, dijo. “Esa es la prueba irrefutable. ¿Por qué no se mencionó?”.

Ella plantea que el personal médico involucrado podría haber estado preocupado de que la alimentación y la obstrucción intestinal pudieran dar motivos para una demanda por negligencia médica.

Nunca se hizo una autopsia para confirmar la causa de la muerte de Houdini. Gillespie argumenta que no se hizo la autopsia para evitar cualquier sospecha de negligencia médica y que el hecho de que se concluyera que fue una muerte accidental permitió a la viuda de Houdini, Bess, obtener un pago de doble indemnización por parte de la compañía de seguros de vida de Houdini.

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El pasado mes de julio, Gillespie publicó sus conclusiones en el libro, lanzado por Cipher House Books, de la cual es propietaria.

El libro recibió una reseña destacada de Kirkus y fue finalista al Mejor Libro Independiente de Biografía de Kirkus. “Todo esto da forma a una búsqueda peculiar e irresistible de la verdad médica oculta”, escribió Kirkus, y lo llamó “un relato fascinante que dará pie a debates sobre lo que realmente le sucedió a Harry Houdini”.

Houdini fue enterrado el 4 de noviembre de 1926 en el Cementerio Machpelah, en el vecindario de Ridgewood, en Queens. Cada año –en un ritual de Halloween tan tradicional como tallar calabazas– la gente se presenta allí para ver la lápida, aunque el cementerio está cerrado por la noche.

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Cox, en su reseña del libro, elogió a Gillespie por haber descubierto nueva información sobre Whitehead, “¡quien resulta ser la única persona libre de culpa en el libro!”.

“En última instancia, esta es una historia de detectives bien contada con muchas conjeturas intrigantes”, concluyó Cox. “Pero al final, el misterio persiste”.

El sobrino nieto de Houdini, George Hardeen, dijo en una entrevista que creía que la hipótesis de Gillespie era “convincente y persuasiva”, pero reconoció que a los muchos historiadores, aficionados y magos de Houdini “les resultará difícil abandonar sus creencias”.

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Sin duda, señaló Hardeen, un siglo después de la muerte de su tío abuelo, el mago sigue despertando una fascinación generalizada. “Me gusta plantear la pregunta: ¿Quién era el presidente en 1926? ¿Cuál fue la gran noticia en 1926?”, dijo Hardeen. “Pero si le preguntas a un estudiante de quinto grado: ‘¿Quién es el mago más importante del que has oído hablar?’, algunos de ellos podrán decirte: Harry Houdini”.

Whitehead, por otro lado –aunque en su momento fue tristemente célebre–, murió en el anonimato. Si bien nunca fue acusado de ningún delito, pagó un alto precio por la muerte de Houdini; se convirtió en un hombre solitario y un ermitaño para evitar la vergüenza de ser etiquetado como el hombre que mató a Houdini. Finalmente, murió de desnutrición en 1954 a los 58 años y fue enterrado en una tumba sin nombre en Montreal.

Gillespie, quien se convenció de su inocencia, ha trabajado para remediar eso. Recientemente –con la aprobación posterior de un familiar– encargó que se colocara una lápida de granito en su tumba y viajó al lugar para verla instalada.

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La lápida dice: “WHITEHEAD, Joscelyn Gordon, 25 de noviembre de 1896, 5 de julio de 1954. Libre de acusaciones falsas”.

The New York Times, data-cc, data-cc-nyt

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