Character Guide
A reference guide to the principal figures, legal professionals, witnesses, and institutions documented in the ChappaquaPoison narrative.
Principal Characters
Steve Russell
Role: Father of Evie; narrator and primary subject of the case.
Background: Former tech entrepreneur in surveillance and documentation technology (3VR). Developed professional expertise in video, audio, and evidence preservation that became central to documenting the events described in this narrative.
Key facts: Met Tara Walsh in May 2015. Father to Evie (born January 27, 2018). After separation from Tara in 2018, pursued custody proceedings in both California and New York. A California jury returned a verdict in his favor on February 22, 2022, finding Tara Walsh liable for battery, domestic violence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Judgment entered: $332,080.74. The verdict was affirmed on appeal on September 15, 2023.
Tara Walsh
Role: Mother of Evie; Steve’s former partner.
Background: Daughter of Stephen Walsh Sr. and Maura Walsh. Part of a family with documented multi-generational patterns of medication use and discipline practices.
Key facts: Found liable by a California jury (February 22, 2022) for battery, domestic violence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Admitted under oath to placing 100mg of Seroquel in Steve’s wine. Jury judgment of $332,080.74 was affirmed on appeal (September 15, 2023). Court-ordered supervised visitation with Evie beginning in 2018. Continued involvement in Westchester Family Court proceedings through 2026.
Evie
Role: Daughter of Steve Russell and Tara Walsh; emotional center of the case.
Background: Born January 27, 2018 at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital in New York.
Key facts: Subject of custody proceedings in both California and New York (2018–present). Has not had regular contact with her father since June 2018. Subject of supervised visits beginning July 2018. Documented to have calmed during supervised visits when her nanny, Abby Tedla, was present.
Aunt K
Role: Steve’s partner after Tara; evidence archivist.
Background: Met Steve at The Battery club in San Francisco. Became instrumental in preserving and organizing documentary evidence used at trial.
Key facts: Creator of StevieLovesEvie.com and the physical evidence books presented at the California trial. Lost a pregnancy in Reno in late 2019 after she and Steve shared wine he believes was contaminated. The bottle analysis he describes has not yet been located. Steve’s July 31, 2019 urine test is a separate record, not a test of the wine. Her archive work provided the documentary foundation for the civil battery case.
Stephen Walsh Sr.
Role: Tara’s father; patriarch of the Walsh family.
Background: Former Wall Street professional. Subject of an SEC enforcement action related to Drexel Burnham Lambert (1993). Owner of Tara Knoll, a family estate in Chappaqua.
Key facts: His voice appears on the Uber recording during the June 4, 2018 incident. Admitted in deposition that “a six-hour flight is not something people simply do on demand,” acknowledging coordinated planning of Evie’s removal from California. Court records reference his instruction to family members to “delete delete” messages. Coordinated the pretextual “vacation” that removed Evie from California in June 2018.
Maura Walsh
Role: Tara’s mother; registered nurse; operational presence in court proceedings.
Background: Registered nurse by profession. Central figure in the Walsh family’s medication practices and discipline methods. Routed her children through a single psychiatrist (Dr. Gianni Faedda) from age 12 onward.
Key facts: Refused to release Evie from her arms at the first supervised visit at Crabtree’s Kittle House (July 2018). Brienne Walsh documented her discipline methods in a 2010 blog post (“A Brie Grows in Brooklyn”). Medicated her children through food and drink. Present at supervised visits and court proceedings throughout the case.
The Walsh Family
Brienne Walsh
Role: Tara’s older sister; citizen journalist and blogger.
Background: Author of “A Brie Grows in Brooklyn” blog (active 2010). Worked in Citizen Journalism/Citywide 911. Witnessed and documented Walsh family dynamics spanning decades.
Key facts: In her September 28, 2020 deposition, Brienne agreed that her childhood was sometimes abusive (excerpt pp. 101–102). Her 2010 Mother’s Day blog describes physical discipline. Aunt K’s later archive account reports repeated CPS calls; that line has not been located in the preserved deposition excerpt. These are distinct sources for the family history.
Brendan Walsh
Role: Tara’s brother; present during key incidents.
Background: Involved in coordinated family actions during the 2018 crisis.
Key facts: Called SFPD from New York on March 22, 2018. Present at the “ambush” visit to Steve’s residence in camouflage clothing. Accepted service of subpoenas for family members during litigation, then claimed under oath “no recollection” of receiving them. Testified regarding Kiara Walsh’s receipt of covert medication.
Matan Gavish
Role: Correspondent in Tara’s text messages.
Background: Corresponded with Tara during 2017–2018.
Key facts: Tara’s February 2018 messages to Matan include her statement that her father said “having the baby was my idea and my problem.”
Kiara Walsh
Role: Tara’s adopted sister.
Background: Member of the Walsh family household.
Key facts: Recipient of covert medication through food (Seroquel), per Brendan’s testimony. Her iMessage exchanges with Tara confirm the family’s pharmaceutical practices as normalized behavior. Subject of the same medication pipeline through Dr. Gianni Faedda as her siblings.
Michael Walsh
Role: Walsh family member.
Status: Referenced in case materials; limited public documentation.
Legal Professionals
Raymond Griffin
Role: Court-appointed forensic evaluator in Westchester Family Court.
Background: CASAC-credentialed evaluator assigned to the case.
Key facts: His CASAC credential was revoked by OASAS (New York Office of Addiction Services and Supports) in July–August 2019. Despite credential revocation, his evaluation remained operative in the case. Another case subject, Margot Veneziano, filed a complaint regarding his conduct with OASAS. First appears in case record approximately early 2019.
Jennifer Jackman
Role: Attorney for the Child (AFC) in Westchester Family Court.
Background: Court-appointed advocate for Evie’s interests.
Key facts: Billed $46,920 in five months (appointed November 29, 2018). Documented a “Deep Pinch Mark on Upper Right Thigh” on Evie during examination—consistent with the multigenerational discipline pattern documented in Brienne Walsh’s 2010 blog. Her court filings raised concerns about supervised visitation conditions.
Delia Farquharson
Role: Court-appointed visit supervisor; director of supervised visitation system.
Background: Managed supervised visits in Westchester County.
Key facts: Described in court records as having a “special relationship with the judge” (September 21, 2018). The supervision system she managed became a site of operational interference and procedural irregularities. Multiple pattern issues documented in appeal filings.
Judge Schauer
Role: Westchester Family Court judge in the 2021–2022 proceedings.
Background: Presided over the custody proceedings addressed in the March 2023 appellate decision.
Key facts: Entered the February 2, 2022 order after the January 5 inquest; the Appellate Division held that it was not entered on default. Entered speech restrictions in orders dated December 3, 2021 and February 2, 2022 restricting Steve’s public documentation. On March 22, 2023, the Appellate Division, Second Department, replaced the blanket deletion provision of the February 2, 2022 order with a narrower directive and affirmed the order insofar as appealed from.
Judge Gordon-Oliver
Role: Westchester Family Court judge.
Background: Assigned to the case at various points.
Key facts: Recused without stated explanation approximately late 2019. Part of the revolving-judge pattern throughout the proceedings.
Support Magistrate Bowman
Role: Support magistrate in Westchester Family Court.
Background: Presided over the February 2026 support proceeding.
Key facts: Presided over the February 2026 hearing. The preserved account of that hearing is a memorandum to counsel.
Genovese
Role: Attorney; represented interests supporting the gag order.
Key facts: Filed for the gag order on October 14, 2021. Part of the supervisor replacement and procedural pattern in the case.
Stacey Poole
Role: Steve’s attorney for emergency custody proceedings in California.
Background: San Francisco-based attorney handling family law.
Key facts: Secured temporary emergency custody of Evie after the Uber incident on June 5, 2018. Represented Steve in the San Francisco Superior Court case that preceded trial.
Witnesses & Supporting Figures
Abby Tedla
Role: Nanny; primary childcare provider and witness.
Background: Employed by Steve and Tara to care for Evie beginning before May 2018.
Key facts: Told Steve in May 2018: “She asked me to put drugs in your wine.” Fired by Tara within the hour of her disclosure. Present during multiple supervised visits where Evie visibly calmed with her and Steve. Provided declaration (July 6, 2018) documenting her observations. Her testimony became key evidence regarding Tara’s intent and Evie’s emotional response.
Bryan Crutcher
Role: Friend and associate; intervened during removal attempt.
Background: Known to Steve prior to the crisis period.
Key facts: Jumped into the Uber during Tara’s June 4, 2018 attempt to depart with Evie from San Francisco. His physical intervention helped prevent the initial attempt to remove Evie from California. Present during the Market Street incident documented by SFPD.
Dr. Gopal
Role: San Francisco psychiatrist.
Background: His July 2018 declaration describes seeing Steve for individual and couple’s therapy and medications beginning in June 2018.
Key facts: Steve’s account describes Gopal diagnosing Tara with drug-induced Borderline Personality Disorder, tracing the condition’s origin to early overmedication by her mother through Dr. Gianni Faedda. Gopal’s July 5, 2018 letter describes his treatment of Steve, reports accounts from Steve, his mother and his chief of security, and concludes that Steve could provide a safe and healthy household for his child. The letter limits its disclosure to Steve’s treatment relationship; it does not state Tara’s diagnosis.
Dr. Gianni Faedda
Role: Child psychiatrist and bipolar specialist; operated medication pipeline for Walsh children.
Background: Author of Parenting a Bipolar Child. Conducted drug trials and published in peer-reviewed literature on pediatric bipolar disorder.
Key facts: Prescribed medications to all Walsh children from age 12 onward through a single-doctor pipeline. Maura Walsh routed all her children through him. His prescribing patterns and role in the Walsh family’s medication practices became part of the documented multi-generational pattern.
Michaelanne Petrella
Role: Journalist; attempted case coverage within court restrictions.
Background: Creator of the ChappaquaPoison podcast. Worked to document the case within legal constraints.
Key facts: On November 16, 2021, Tara emailed Petrella, named her sister, and warned: “You are putting yourself in harm’s way,” attaching a restraining order — 17 days before the gag order was formally entered by the court. Genovese had filed for the gag order on October 14, 2021, but the threat to Petrella preceded its entry. Her journalism efforts were constrained by subsequent court restrictions.
Linda Russell
Role: Steve’s mother; proxy visitor and witness.
Background: Steve’s parent; visited Evie in Chappaqua as Steve’s proxy during custody restrictions.
Key facts: Wrote a detailed letter to Judge Schauer describing her supervised visit with Evie and documenting the conditions. The letter was published on StevieLovesEvie.com and became part of the public record regarding Evie’s living conditions.
Rashmi
Role: Tara’s friend; present during key moments.
Background: Close associate of Tara with knowledge of family dynamics.
Key facts: Present during key incidents documented in the case. Testified or provided evidence regarding Walsh family behavior and specific incidents in 2018.
George
Role: Security advisor.
Background: Provided professional security consultation to Steve.
Key facts: Advised Steve against purchasing a Presidio Heights house based on security assessment. Steve subsequently moved to Millennium Tower instead, per the advisor’s recommendation.
Chris Ochoa
Role: Introduction point; knew both Steve and Tara.
Background: Social connection from San Francisco.
Key facts: Introduced Steve and Tara on a boat in May 2015, the beginning of their relationship.
Lamelle
Role: Supporter; targeted by Walsh family.
Background: Individual who supported Steve’s version of events.
Key facts: Confronted by the Walsh family (September 21, 2019, involving Meenan). Attacked for supporting the truth. Documented as part of the pattern of pressure and intimidation directed at anyone supporting Steve’s account.
Institutions
Westchester Family Court (File No. 154703)
Role: Primary court handling custody and family law proceedings.
Jurisdiction: New York family law; located in Westchester County.
Key facts: Court of discretion with no jury. Issued default orders, speech restrictions in the December 2021 and February 2022 orders, and managed the supervised visitation system. Multiple judges recused during the case (Gordon-Oliver, others). On March 22, 2023, the Appellate Division, Second Department, narrowed the February 2022 order’s deletion requirement and affirmed the order insofar as appealed from. Proceedings continued through February 2026 under Support Magistrate Bowman.
San Francisco Superior Court (Case No. CGC-18-570137)
Role: Civil court hearing the battery, domestic violence, and intentional-infliction-of-emotional-distress case.
Jurisdiction: California state court; located in San Francisco.
Key facts: Evidentiary, adversarial forum with jury trial. Jury found Tara Walsh liable for battery, domestic violence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress (February 22, 2022). Judgment entered: $332,080.74. The verdict was affirmed on appeal by the California Court of Appeal on September 15, 2023. This court provided the public-facing, fully documented record of the allegations and evidence.
San Francisco Police Department (SFPD)
Role: Law enforcement agency responding to incidents.
Key facts: Responded to the Uber incident on Market Street on June 4, 2018, involving Tara’s attempt to depart with Evie. Documented the incident and the presence of Bryan Crutcher’s intervention. A separate March 22, 2018 call from Brendan Walsh is referenced in the records. Part of the documented instances where third parties had visibility into escalating situation but did not intervene further.
North Castle Police Department
Role: Local law enforcement in Chappaqua area.
Jurisdiction: North Castle, New York; Chappaqua area.
Key facts: Police department serving the Chappaqua/North Castle area where Tara Knoll (Walsh family estate) is located. Documentation from this department was used as litigation leverage during the 2018–2020 period.
OASAS (Office of Addiction Services and Supports)
Role: New York state regulatory agency.
Jurisdiction: State of New York.
Key facts: Notified Griffin of suspension in July 2019 and revocation in August. He signed a surrender stipulation August 23, effective on OASAS’s execution August 30. The stipulation resolves two numbered complaints without findings; it does not name the complainants.
Reference Notes
This guide draws on court filings, jury verdicts, sworn testimony, depositions, published blog posts, police records, regulatory agency actions, and the author’s account. This guide is formatted for public distribution and is suitable for inclusion in the blog and book appendices.
For detailed documentation and sources, refer to the case filings, court records, and published posts on the ChappaquaPoison blog.