The Story of a Loss
Sheila Lowe is a court-qualified handwriting expert who testifies in forensic cases. She has more than thirty years experience in the field of handwriting analysis and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. The author of Handwriting of the Famous & Infamous, and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Handwriting Analysis, her analyses of celebrity handwritings have appeared in Time, Teen People, and Mademoiselle. Her articles on Personality Profiling and Handwriting Analysis for the Attorney have been published in several bar association magazines. 
Sheila’s clientele includes a wide spectrum of corporate clients, mental health professionals, attorneys, private investigators and staffing agencies, among others. Her award-winning Handwriting Analyzer software is used around the world and her profiles help uncover important information in background checks and pre-employment screening. She enjoys analyzing handwriting for individuals, too, helping them understand themselves and others better.
www.sheilalowe.com for handwriting analysis information. www.claudiaroseseries.com for her forensic handwriting mystery series.
As a handwriting analyst I’ve examined countless thousands of handwriting samples. I’ve analyzed serial killers, doctors, school teachers, psychics, entertainers, politicians, historical figures, hoteliers, physical trainers, writers, administrators, psychologists, and a seemingly endless spectrum of just plain folks. Often, when I’m interviewed, I’m asked, “What was the most interesting sample you ever analyzed?” Trying to remember a “most interesting” one from at least fifteen thousand samples is a pretty big order. In the end, I have to return to the one that has affected me the most profoundly: The man who murdered my daughter.
In 1999, Jennifer, at twenty-six, was finally beginning to mellow from the headstrong (to put it mildly) girl she had been almost from birth. We’d always had a love/hate relationship, but recently she’d told me she no longer hated me, which I took as “I love you,” and we were growing close. She was working for Child Protective Services as a secretary and a friend introduced her to Tom Schnaible. There was immediate and intense attraction between them.
Growing up with a professional handwriting analyst for a mom, naturally, she told him he would have to supply a sample of his handwriting, which he willingly did [see below]. When I got his sample in the mail, red flags immediately leapt off the page and I knew there would be problems in the relationship. Tom was a special agent for the federal government, a tall, good-looking guy with a lot of charm. His handwriting, though, told the truth: beneath the charm was an authoritarian personality—someone who must be in charge, who is happiest with a known set of rules that he enforces for others but doesn’t necessarily follow himself. It showed him as being an underachiever who, at thirty-four, probably would not develop emotionally any more than he already had. And the thing that alarmed me most was the lack of self-discipline coupled with a potential for explosive behavior.
Tom Schnaible Handwriting Sample
Tom, Jennifer, and I got together on a conference call and I explained what I’d found as diplomatically as I could. I asked whether he had experienced a severe blow to the head (handwriting sometimes reveals certain physiological problems) and he admitted that he had sustained an injury on the job and suffered blinding headaches as a result. He also liked to drink (as did Jen). It seemed odd to me that he would still be allowed to carry a gun under those circumstances.
We talked about how Jen was not the type who would let anyone tell her what to do. She was intensely independent and had a strong rebellious streak. I outlined the personality traits that could work for them in a relationship, and we discussed at length the weaknesses. Like most couples in love, they heard what they wanted to hear and ignored the rest. For the next few months I heard from both of them about the good times and more and more, the bad times. Tom never dared strike Jen with his fists, but he began to abuse her mercilessly with his words, keeping her up late at night with threats and accusations.
It was less than a year after they met that this man chased my daughter down the stairs of their apartment with his service weapon, shooting one round after another until eight bullets had pierced every vital organ of her body. A few moments later he knelt beside her and kissed her, then put the gun in his mouth and ended his own life.
I had seen the potential for explosive behavior in his handwriting, but nothing could have predicted how this relationship would end. Handwriting reveals a lot of important information, but it can’t tell everything about the writer.
As a mystery writer as well as a handwriting analyst, this experience has colored my outlook, both on what I read and what I write. The twenty-seven years I got to spend with Jennifer has informed my writing and my life in some important ways, and so has her death. The best thing I’ve learned is that life is eternal and that she is still actively involved in mine. Still, it seems unbelievable to me that next month will be ten years since I received that phone call from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department: “I’m sorry to tell you, your daughter’s been murdered.” That call. But that’s another story for another time. For now, I’ll leave you with these words: Read, read, read.
January 19, 2010
Posted in: Guest Blogs
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7 Responses
It breaks my heart to hear your story. I think you are an amazing person.
“The best thing I’ve learned is that life is eternal and that she is still actively involved in mine.”
It’s hard to give up someone you love, especially in such a cruel way. It helps to realize they are still with us. Thanks for sharing your story.
Pat Browning
Thanks so much for the kind thoughts. I dedicated my second mystery, Written in Blood, to Jennifer because even though I didn’t realize it while she was here, she taught me a lot about strength.
Sheila, I am so sorry. I’m just at a loss for words. As a parent, I found this particularly horrifying. My heart goes out to you.
Truly touching………
Sheila I cannot believe it is 10 years. I admire you for having been able to turn your grief and deja vu into a creative flow that benefits all of us. My loss of two sons is still raw, but I hope to find an energy that I can share with others in a positive, joyful way. Susanne
I like the way you presented the matter,
heart touching story..
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