Since we are bringing this one back, here is my take on it.

I'm far from an expert in handwriting analysis, but I have made it an interest of mine, in fact it was through my interest in handwriting analysis that I came to be interested in this case at all.

There are many things taken into consideration when analyzing handwriting other than the formation of individual letters. Some of them are:

1. Letter spacing within words
2. Spacing between words.
3. Slant
4. Pressure (very hard to determine with felt-tip pen)
5. Base line (up, down,wavy)
6. Margins
7. Region the writing is consentrated in (mid, upper, lower)
8. Connections between letters (garland, line, none)
9. Size

All of these things are important and they are hard to fake when disguising handwriting.

Letter Spacing-In the above samples, notice that over all the spacing within words does not match. Oliva's writing shows greater spacing, not to a large degree, but it is not as crowded as the RN sample.

Word Spacing-Spacing between words is about the same. (word spacing indicates how well a person can respect other people and their "space" close word spacing is someone who doesn't observe proper boundaries between himself and other people.

Slant is also similar, although the Oliva sample tends to be upright/left whereas the ransom note is upright/right. (slant indicates the amount of expressed emotionalism. Left is someone very reserved emotionally, who reins in his/her emotions very tightly, upright is a person who is emotionally controlled, while right leaning is someone who is very expressive

Pressure is hard to determine when a felt tip is used, but it appears that Oliva’s pressure is lighter. (I don’t think this can accurately be determined from the note)

Baseline in the RN is extremely variable. Whereas in the Oliva latter it is fairly stable with somewhat of an upward slant. Baseline usually indicates overall mood. Oliva’s upward slant indicates someone in good spirits, relatively happy, upbeat. (downward writing would be an indication of depression or sadness. An extreme drop at the end can sometimes be an indication of thoughts of suicide) The RN baseline wobbles up and down, this indicates someone who is very emotionally moody and unstable.

Margins-This is difficult to compare accurately because the sample of Oliva’s writing is cut off but it appears that in Oliva’s sample the margin moves to the left, while the RN margin is very even on the left.

Region-Remember when you first learned to print and you used paper with three lines on it? Each section was a region Upper, Middle and Lower. People vary on the region their writing occupies. The upper portion signifies thought (daydreamers, philosophers, artists etc…, Mid- is self-people who concentrate in mid are often self-centered, Lower is physical-sex, money, material gain) The RN is heavily concentrated in the MID range while Oliva has strong MID and UPPER range. Neither of them have any odd low range indicators for deviant sexual interests.

Connection between letters-The RN is printed without any connections between letters at all. There are a lot of letters that touch each other, but they are not connected with loops, garlands, or arches or lines. Oliva’s writing includes some connectors even though it is a printed sample.

Size-Oliva’s writing overall is larger. Large writing is usually someone who is more outspoken, flamboyant and noticeable. The RN is in a very small print. Small writing is usually someone who is very precise and detailed.

A few other differences I noticed:

1. Oliva’s sample includes some capital letters mixed with his small letters. M’s and N’s primarily while the RN writer does not.
2. Oliva’s small t’s are crossed with loops while the RN letter is not. T crossings are am important feature of handwriting analysis
3. Many of Oliva’s letters include beginning strokes and return strokes going back up or down. As in his capital F’s , A’s, H’s, R’s. In other words he adds extra strokes that are not needed to create the letter. The RN writer is very utilitarian in his script with no extra flourishes or strokes.
4. Overall Oliva’s writing is much more fluid and consistent. It seems to be sort of a print/script while the RN writer is very inconsistent in slant, fluidity and movement of the writing.
5. The placement of the signature is also quite different. I think for purposes of comparison Victory! SBTC can be considered a signature. It’s located far to the left, while in Gary’s sample it is far to the right.