Tina Resch
Encyclopedia
Tina Resch born October 23, 1969, achieved some fame during what the media called the Columbus Poltergeist
case. In 1984 a series of alleged spontaneous telekinesis events at her home were covered extensively by news media. The coverage included a series of color photographs that were taken by newspaper photojournalist Fred Shannon of The Columbus Dispatch
of Columbus, Ohio
, USA, which showed her sitting in an armchair with a telephone handset and flexible cable in flight in front of her from left to right. Tina's story, including the now-famous photograph, was featured on a 1993 episode of Unsolved Mysteries
.
The story lost some of its credibility when a video camera that had accidentally been left on by a visiting television station crew revealed Tina knocking over a lamp, an event that had been ascribed to the poltergeist. Tina claimed she had done that to get the reporters to leave. James Randi
accused the Resches and parapsychologist William Roll of denying him a look at the phenomena. Randi later obtained a contact sheet of Shannon's photographs which contained evidence of Resch faking the phenomena.
In 1992, as an adult with the divorced name of Christina Boyer, she was jailed, along with a boyfriend of only a few months, for allegedly being responsible for the death of her three-year-old daughter, who was in the sole custody of the boyfriend at the time. She did not have a trial, but in October 1994 accepted a plea bargain to avoid the possibility of a death penalty. She passed a polygraph
examination indicating her innocence less than 24 hours before her plea hearing, and questions have since been raised concerning her convictions on the two counts in her indictment, for which she was sentenced to life plus 20 years in prison. The type of plea she entered is called an Alford plea
, one in which the defendant maintains their innocence but accepts a lesser sentence imposed to avoid the possibility of a harsher one, which in Ms. Boyer's case would have been death. The prosecutor in the case representing the State of Georgia was District Attorney Peter J. Skandalakis of the Coweta Judicial District.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper gave her the title "Telekinetic Mom" in some of its reporting on the legal issues in 1994. In 2004, a book about the case Unleashed - Of Poltergeists and Murder: The Curious Story of Tina Resch by Roll and writer Valerie Storey was published which shed some light on the family's and paranormal investigators' side of events.
Poltergeist
A poltergeist is a paranormal phenomenon which consists of events alluding to the manifestation of an imperceptible entity. Such manifestation typically includes inanimate objects moving or being thrown about, sentient noises and, on some occasions, physical attacks on those witnessing the...
case. In 1984 a series of alleged spontaneous telekinesis events at her home were covered extensively by news media. The coverage included a series of color photographs that were taken by newspaper photojournalist Fred Shannon of The Columbus Dispatch
The Columbus Dispatch
The Columbus Dispatch is a daily newspaper based in Columbus, Ohio. Its first issue was published on July 1, 1871, and has been the only mainstream daily newspaper in the city since The Columbus Citizen-Journal stopped printing in 1985....
of Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, USA, which showed her sitting in an armchair with a telephone handset and flexible cable in flight in front of her from left to right. Tina's story, including the now-famous photograph, was featured on a 1993 episode of Unsolved Mysteries
Unsolved Mysteries
Unsolved Mysteries is an American television program, hosted by Robert Stack, from 1987 until 2002, and later by Dennis Farina, starting in 2008...
.
The story lost some of its credibility when a video camera that had accidentally been left on by a visiting television station crew revealed Tina knocking over a lamp, an event that had been ascribed to the poltergeist. Tina claimed she had done that to get the reporters to leave. James Randi
James Randi
James Randi is a Canadian-American stage magician and scientific skeptic best known as a challenger of paranormal claims and pseudoscience. Randi is the founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation...
accused the Resches and parapsychologist William Roll of denying him a look at the phenomena. Randi later obtained a contact sheet of Shannon's photographs which contained evidence of Resch faking the phenomena.
In 1992, as an adult with the divorced name of Christina Boyer, she was jailed, along with a boyfriend of only a few months, for allegedly being responsible for the death of her three-year-old daughter, who was in the sole custody of the boyfriend at the time. She did not have a trial, but in October 1994 accepted a plea bargain to avoid the possibility of a death penalty. She passed a polygraph
Polygraph
A polygraph measures and records several physiological indices such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and skin conductivity while the subject is asked and answers a series of questions...
examination indicating her innocence less than 24 hours before her plea hearing, and questions have since been raised concerning her convictions on the two counts in her indictment, for which she was sentenced to life plus 20 years in prison. The type of plea she entered is called an Alford plea
Alford plea
An Alford plea in United States law is a guilty plea in criminal court, where the defendant does not admit the act and asserts innocence...
, one in which the defendant maintains their innocence but accepts a lesser sentence imposed to avoid the possibility of a harsher one, which in Ms. Boyer's case would have been death. The prosecutor in the case representing the State of Georgia was District Attorney Peter J. Skandalakis of the Coweta Judicial District.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper gave her the title "Telekinetic Mom" in some of its reporting on the legal issues in 1994. In 2004, a book about the case Unleashed - Of Poltergeists and Murder: The Curious Story of Tina Resch by Roll and writer Valerie Storey was published which shed some light on the family's and paranormal investigators' side of events.
External links
- Tina Resch - Columbus Poltergeist A research article with photos from the 1984 paranormal case.
- Tina Resch / Christina Boyer legal case
- Skeptic's Dictionary on poltergeists and Tina Resch