by PL

When it comes to Elvis’s death, the “What If” list is rather lengthy. Where to start? How about here:

(Fixed it.)

This is a good time to quickly re-visit a key point in this story that seems to get overlooked quite often. On the day of Elvis’s death, by all accounts Rick Stanley was the aide on duty, his shift covering 12am (midnight) to 12pm (noon). Elvis’s death is estimated to have occurred inside the broad window of 9am to 12pm, a 3-hour block of time that falls within Rick Stanley’s work shift. Is this correct so far? Yes, it is. David Stanley and Rick Stanley have both said numerous times over the years that Elvis asked to not be disturbed until 4pm that day, and they cite this as evidence that they were presumably excused from work. As I have written previously, if Elvis had asked not to be disturbed until 4pm that day, so be it, but that does not mean the aide is relieved of his duties, and that he is off the clock. For example, if Elvis had called downstairs for someone to go pick up a pair of shoes at the shop down the street, would this task have be assigned to someone else? Nancy Rooks…? Aunt Delta…? Vernon…? Of course not. If Elvis had needed his shoes picked up, that task would have been Rick Stanley’s task to complete. He was the aide on duty, after all.

Now, let’s look at the timeline that morning and focus on one key event: the delivery of the third packet of pills. From the available accounts, Rick Stanley delivered the first two packets of medication that morning between roughly 6am and 8am. After the second packet, Elvis requested the third, and those present who were aware of the request searched for…Rick Stanley. They knew he was the aide on duty. Would Rick have argued that he was not on duty because Elvis’s said he didn’t want to be disturbed? I don’t know, but that is essentially the position he and his brother have taken in recent years. Imagine this exchange:

Nancy Rooks: “Rick, you need to go get medication from Tish Henley’s Fort Knox trailer and deliver it to Elvis.”

Rick Stanley: “No, Elvis said not to be disturbed.”

Nancy Rooks: “You’re not disturbing him, you are delivering something he requested.”

Makes sense, right? Was Rick Stanley still on duty? Of course he was. Even if Elvis did not want to be disturbed, Rick was still on duty until 12pm that day, and David was on duty after 12pm that day. And yet they both seemed (according to the official story) to be AWOL.

So, when the question comes up about who should have been there, or who might have saved Elvis’s life, the first person on the list has to be Rick Stanley. Why has he been given a pass?

“Gee, I sure wish Linda Thompson had been there.”

“Gee, I sure wish Mindi Miller had been there.” [Said no one ever.]

But the person who should have been there, alert and available, was Rick Stanley. Could he have saved Elvis’s life? No, but he is the person who was on duty and he should have been the first person to act on the emergency.

And the “do not disturb Elvis” defense? Here’s what Rick said he was going to do when he returned to Graceland before 4pm that day:

“I was fixing to go straight up to his room.”

Why, if he asked not to be disturbed?

See how this works?

Now, the rest of the “What if…” list: