H.I.T. Self Defense

Here is a really unfortunate story about the abduction and death of Lily Burk up in L.A. For any of you who did not hear the story, here it is:

Coroner: Lily Burk Died of Slash to the Neck
KTLA News
11:29 AM PDT, July 31, 2009

LOS ANGELES — Lily Burk, the 17-year-old student who was abducted and killed last week, died from a slash wound to her neck, according to the L.A. County coroner’s office.

Burk suffered the traumatic injury July 24 in the form of an “incised wound to her neck,” said Ed Winter, assistant chief of the L.A. County Coroner’s Office.

Police say surveillance video shows Lily Burk and Charlie Samuel walking to an ATM at the Union Bank on Second and San Pedro streets in Little Tokyo in the hours before her death.

Police say the 17-year can be seen trying and failing to extract cash.

The video, which has not been released, shows other customer using the ATM as well as numerous other people walking by the couple.

Police say the two went unnoticed and that Burk did not appear to call out to anyone or appear to be in distress.

Samuel, a 50-year old parolee, was given a pass to leave a residential drug program on the day Burk was killed.

He was supposed to visit the DMV, but because of state furloughs, the office was closed that day.

Samuel was reportedly with an escort, but after a few hours, that person returned to the rehab center alone, saying Samuel refused to come back.

Police say Burk was running an errand for her mother at the Southwestern University School of Law when she was approached by Samuel.

Samuel has a long criminal record, including 10 criminal convictions in the last 30 years.

Most of Samuel’s convictions were for misdemeanor crimes such as DUI and theft, but now the 50-year old is facing murder charges.

The murder charge includes the special circumstance allegations of murder during the commission of a kidnapping and murder during the commission of a robbery, which could make him eligible for the death sentence if convicted of the teen’s slaying.

Samuel didn’t enter a plea during a court appearance on Tuesday.

His arraignment was rescheduled for Aug. 20, and he remains in custody without bail.

Here is the list of Samuel’s prior convictions:

* 1978: Misdemeanor grand theft in San Bernardino County.
* 1981: Misdemeanor petty theft in San Bernardino.
* 1985: Misdemeanor providing false information to a peace office in San Bernardino.
* 1985: Misdemeanor under the influence of a controlled substance in San Bernardino.
* 1986: Misdemeanor under the influence of a controlled substance in San Bernardino.
* 1987: Felony home invasion robbery, felony burglary, unlawful taking of vehicle in San Bernardino.
* 1997: Felony burglary in San Bernardino.
* 2003: Misdemeanor driving on a suspended license in Los Angeles County.
* 2006: Felony petty theft with prior theft in Los Angeles.
* 2009: Misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia in Los Angeles.

Police say Burk was killed Friday after hours of trying in vain to get money for Samuel who abducted her off Wilshire Boulevard.

Her body was found Saturday inside her black Volvo in a downtown parking lot at the corner of Alameda and Fifth streets.

Copyright © 2009, KTLA-TV, Los Angeles

Let me first say (as always) that I only suggest these preventative measures for any potential future incidents. I don’t mean to suggest that Lily should have done something different, as we don’t know the exact circumstances of the case.

Here are a few quick tips to remember if you are ever in an abduction situation:

A. Be alert, keep your head on a swivel. Don’t let anyone who gives you that ‘bad’ feeling in your stomach get close enough: keep your survival space - usually 8-10 feet.

B. Do not allow yourself to be taken to a secondary location. To put this frankly; if the ‘perp’ wants something on your person (property crime) - give them the property. Maybe throw the property in the opposite direction to give yourself a potential few seconds to run the other way. If the ‘perp’ wants to get you into the car and go to another location, fight with everything you have to get away. If they wanted to kill you, they’d kill you there… they want to get you to an isolated area - you don’t want to be in that situation. The bottom line is - you have nothing to lose if you fight back.

C. Make yourself an undesirable (or hard) target. This follows along the same lines with ‘B’, above. If someone tries to get you into your car - or their car - fight with everything you have - and YELL. These are circumstances the ‘perp’ does not want. There was a recent case in Escondido, CA where a young lady grabbed coffee from her car and threw the coffee in the ‘perps’ face; thereafter, she scratched him and escaped. She became an undesirable target: http://www.hitselfdefense.com/blog/hit-notable-failed-carjackingkidnap-unconventional-weapons

D. Fake compliance: similar to the story above, I believe this woman faked compliance; ‘o.k., o.k., I’m going to do what you want, don’t hurt me…’ - she then threw coffee in the ‘perps’ face. Sometimes you have to fake compliance until you can gain an advantage (get the ‘perp’ to let their guard down) and find an avenue of escape.

E. Set up a ‘Code’ word for your kids to use if they’re ever in trouble. This has to primarily do with phone calls - you should have one general word that your kids can use that will immediately let you know that they are in trouble. As an example, if your kids refer to you as dad, maybe have them call you (or your wife) by your first name. You want to use a word that will not draw attention, and at the same time, alert you that they’re in trouble.

D. Practice scenarios with your kids. If approached by someone (you act as the ‘perp’) give them some common statements that someone might use to get them into a vehicle. Example: “Your mom’s been hurt and she’s at the hospital, you need to come with us right away.” Set up some scenarios and let them answer and maintain a safe distance. With the scenario above, remind them - if something ever happens to mom and dad, someone will call you and let you know… if someone approaches you with this tactic, run and YELL!. The more you practice, the more your kids (and loved ones) will act instinctively.

My sincere apologies go out to Lily’s family. This was really an unfortunate situation. Here is a clip from the DVD I ran a few months ago about abduction prevention techniques.

Stay safe.

Visit the Site/Get the DVD: www.hitselfdefense.com