# Police Torn Over Publishing Lurid Photos



## Cinderella (Jun 17, 2005)

*Police Torn Over Publishing Lurid Photos*
By ELAINE SILVESTRINI 
Published: Dec 10, 2005

http://tampatrib.com/floridametronews/MGB2JZUF1HE.html

TAMPA - Investigators say they are facing an ethics dilemma in their struggle to learn 
how many men Steven Lorenzo drugged, raped, tortured and killed to fulfill his 
sadomasochistic fantasies.

At issue are photographs found on Lorenzo's computer of at least four nude men in 
bondage, some with plastic ties binding their wrists, others wrapped in duct tape. 
The men appear unconscious. Some are visibly injured. Some might be dead.

After failing to identify them through shoe-leather detective work, investigators are 
considering enlisting the public's help by posting portions of the photographs - 
showing faces or tattoos - on the Internet.

Here's the dilemma: There's no way to know whether the men were willing participants 
in Lorenzo's sex life, part of a sadomasochistic subculture of so-called dominants and 
submissives - "doms" and "subs" - where men seek out others who want to be beaten, 
drugged and tortured.

Publicizing the photos could help find answers, but it also could destroy lives. It could 
expose rape victims' identities or reveal the sexual orientation of men who have not 
shared that part of their lives with family, friends or co-workers.

Seven men have stepped forward to testify that Lorenzo drugged and raped them, and 
authorities say Lorenzo teamed up with another man, Scott Schweickert, to kill two 
men, Jason Galehouse and Michael Wachholtz. A federal jury agreed and last month 
convicted Lorenzo of nine counts of drug-facilitated crimes of violence and one charge 
of conspiracy.

Hillsborough County prosecutors are considering bringing murder charges. In a letter 
after his conviction to News Channel 8 reporter Samara Sodos, Lorenzo said he expects 
to face a county trial. "I fully anticipate and encourage the filing of these pending 
charges," he wrote. "The obvious delay by the authorities has not been in the best 
interest of all concerned."

Meanwhile, federal authorities have decided not to publish the photographs on a law 
enforcement Web site. 
Tampa police are struggling with the issue. A number of high-ranking officials in the 
department plan to meet Monday with case detectives to discuss it.

"It could help in the case, but it could also be devastating to somebody who's a victim 
or a participant that does not want to be public about their lifestyle," said Steve Cole, 
spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office.

"As we sit here, we still wrestle with" the issue, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony 
Porcelli, who prosecuted Lorenzo.

"At this point, we're weighing the pros and the cons of posting the pictures," said Tampa
Police Department spokeswoman Laura McElroy. "One of the things we're concerned 
about is if it was to expose a sexual battery victim, a rape victim who's already been 
victimized by Lorenzo, we don't want to victimize them further."

Porcelli said detectives will show the photographs to anyone who might be able to help 
the investigation, and he wants people with information to call Tampa police, the U.S. 
attorney's office or the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The Tampa Tribune considered publishing the photographs, which are public record
because they were evidence in Lorenzo's trial.

Editors decided against it "simply because of the conflict of identifying rape victims, 
particularly because of the possibility they and their family would suffer a great deal of 
pain," Managing Editor Richard "Duke" Maas said.

Brian Winfield, spokesman for Equality Florida, a gay advocacy group, was unsure of 
what police should do, but his initial reaction was that the conservative approach might 
be best.

"There may well have been a number of victims who never came forward," he said. 
"I think, frankly, that is their privilege; that's their right. I don't recommend it, but 
people have a right to not come forward."

Bonnie Bucqueroux, coordinator of the Victims and the Media program at Michigan State
University, said there are no easy answers. She suggested police consider setting up a 
Web page that asks people for information about themselves before allowing access. 
This could deter "the morbidly curious" but allow those in who are seeking answers 
about loved ones.


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