GARY P. POSNER

A Man Obsessed with A Psychic's Destruction.

Part 1

“Supporters of Renier’s alleged psychic abilities can be
found in law enforcement and academic communities.” (G. Posner)

“Naturally the Tampa Bay Skeptics are above such people.” (P.Duffie)

In an article with the above title, Gary Posner, computer software salesman and founder of the Tampa Bay Skeptics, takes 22 pages in an attempt to discredit Police Psychic, Noreen Renier. Let’s first let's look at the evidence Posner presents for Ms Renier. Then we’ll analyze his debunking attempts.

The Posner article originally appeared in Psychic Sleuths: ESP and Sensational Cases, edited by Joe Nickell (Prometheus Books, 1994).

In 1986, in Albany, New York, a couple were shot to death in their home. By 1988 the case had run full cycle and had hit a brick wall. After reading an article about Noreen Renier in a magazine, the dead couple’s son asked, the investigating officer in charge of the case, Detective Ray Krolak, if he would bring Ms Renier onto the case.

On live television, Detective Krolak, stated,

“We’d just about run out of leads after two years of investigation.... I checked out her credibility through police agencies I knew, through articles I had read about her. I spoke to officers involved with Noreen.... Noreen described the crime scene like she was standing at the crime scene. She described the victims.... She described the killer. I presented her with ten photographs and she picked out the killer’s picture. She also told us where the killer went after the crime, and that fit exactly into where the alibi was.”

This information corroborated much of what the police had already discovered. BUT, remember the case was about to be assigned to the bottom drawer. Also, the police had been unable to break the alibi of the suspect.

As a result of what Noreen Renier told them, the police re-examined the alibis and, after a lot of hard work by the police, arrests were made.

It is interesting to note that later in his article, Posner, while discussing an episode of the TV program 48 Hours that featured Noreen Renier, makes the most astonishing attack on the integrity of Detective Ray Krolak, when he states:

“To further bolster the credibility of Renier and of his uncritical journalistic effort, Tunnell [presenter] also interviewed Ray Krolak about his upstate New York double homicide case discussed earlier in this chapter.”

Make of that what you like. I bet Krolak hasn’t seen that! Yet.

New York City Police Squad Commander Vernon J. Geberth, states in a police handbook,

“...a psychic and recognized authority on phenomena of extrasensory perception who has worked with various police agencies including the FBI on homicide cases and other criminal investigations.”

While lecturing to the FBI in January1981, Noreen stated that she felt as if President Reagan (in the future) was having a heart attack , chest pains. Later in the same lecture she further stated that these chest pains were sharper, coming from outside of him, more like a gunshot - as she patted her left side. She also said that the assassination attempt would not kill Reagan. And, it would take place within 3 months. That was January 1981.

Reagan was shot by John Hinkley three months later. Yep, he survived.

Supervisory Special Agent Robert K. Ressler was present when Noreen made her prediction. To this day he insists that Noreen made her prediction with clarity and without ambiguity. He has seen the video tape of Noreen’s predictions many times.

[Note from Gary Posner (July 2006):  See my reply to this ridiculous attack.]