GUILTY GA - Lauren Giddings, 27, Macon, 26 June 2011 # 6

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First off, why would a law student who lives in an apartment ever need to purchase a hacksaw?
Second, I haven't read anywhere that SM worked, unless I missed it. Were his parents paying for his rent, groceries, spending money and hacksaw money? How was he surviving financially?
did the owner/manager of the building know he ad some sort of master key to the apartments? Was there a reason for it or did he obtain it on his own?
 
I think using the Law School dumpster makes sense. It's much larger that the 90 Gal. waste containers at the apartment complex. The container would be emptied by a front load garbage truck which has forks to pick it up. In other words, no one is getting close to the container or touching it in the process of emptying. After a bin is emptied the truck compacts the waste to make room for more bins.

I think McD used the apartment complex trash container because time ran out.

The thought has also crossed my mind that McD knew Lauren's family owned a waste disposal business. Landfill's and Waste Disposal Companies go hand in hand. If there was a component of anger involved in what he did to Lauren. Did he enjoy the fact that her final resting place would be a Landfill?
 
Backwoods said:
Not seeing this link from Macon Telegraph posted here yet -- if it already has been, please excuse duplication.

link: http://www.macon.com/2011/08/07/1657333/funeral-held-in-her-home-state.html

Quote:
Lauren Giddings' funeral held in Maryland
"LAUREL, Md. -- Lauren Teresa Giddings came home Saturday.She came home to her hometown, to her family and friends, to her church and to her Lord. ..."



Read more at link above.
Click to expand...
They had a story for this posted last night, but it was very brief.
I don't see that one now. I think this may be the same one, only updated.

The Telegraph and WMAZ both have the habit of posting stories,
then changing the story's content after the fact. Drives me nuts.
 
And my 8-year-old said, ‘Satan is trying to steal Stephen.’ I said, ‘Yes, dear, he’s trying to steal Stephen. He’s trying to steal our testimony. He’s trying to steal our faith in God. He’s trying to steal our peace, and we’re not going to listen to Satan.’ And the 10-year-old said, ‘Well, Satan is powerful.’ I said, ‘Yes, Satan and his demons are powerful. And one day they will be chained forever.’”

Read more: http://www.macon.com/2011/08/07/1657322_p2/man-on-the-street-how-fledgling.html#ixzz1UNDT9ALp

wow-this gives me the heebie jeebies...
I bet if they could ever convince mom that he did it-her next response would be it was the victims fault.
 
Knox said:
Well put Sandstorm and I agree. McD never planned on being looked at as a suspect, having his apartment searched or being arrested. I really think it is that simple.

Assume Lauren died sometime in the early morning hours of June 26th. Fast forward to Wednesday, June 29th. Boni Bush enters Lauren's apartment and noticed nothing out of the ordinary. She leaves a note for Lauren on the door.

From that point on McD is handicapped. Three days may sound like a lot of time to dismember, cleanup and dispose of a body, but McD can't be seen in Lauren's apartment, nor carrying large objects around. He has to work under the cover of darkness I would imagine and at a time when no one is likely to be around. In addition, he has Bar classes to attend. Staying up all night, attending classes and trying to appear normal would be extremely stressful and I bet he was running on exhaustion, maybe not thinking clearly.

The friends come looking for Lauren and enter her apartment the night of the 29th. He hasn't had time to get rid of the final piece of evidence, her torso. Time is running out, the police have been called and he knows they will be looking around the complex. He spends time with the friends that night and into the early morning hours of June 30th. They leave and it's all about getting rid of everything quick.

After 9:30 am the morning of June 30th, he never has another chance to hide or get rid of evidence.
Click to expand...

Very good post, agree with this. About the parts I bolded ..... I also think the hacksaw was one of those things he had to get rid of quickly that final night/morning. Thinking maybe he kept it around after the initial dismemberment in case he needed it more for the torso (this is weird to talk about). But once he had to scramble to get rid of the torso, he also had to get rid of the hacksaw.

So why not just put the hacksaw in the trash as well? I'm not totally on board that SM was trying to frame the MM, though that may have been incidental to him putting it there. What if he just didn't want to put it in same trash can as the torso? Like, maybe a large object in a trash bag wouldn't draw the attention of a garbage man, but a stray hacksaw might .... could even be dangerous to the garabge pickup guys if they handled it the wrong way. This would draw additional attention to the can's contents, and increase the likelihood of them discovering the torso. So instead he puts the hacksaw in a place where it will blend in more.

That all may be a stretch, and it assumes SM had access to the storage room (which I think is still not 100%). Just one thought I had about why he wouldn't just throw it away. Oh, and the packaging I think he just totally overlooked in his haste .... didn't plan on his apartment being searched.
 
I'm serious leaning toward the idea that the reason the hacksaw was in the utility closet
and the packaging still in his apartment is simply due to his over-confidence.
He didn't expect anyone to be searching his apt.

We know from the mother he'd kept receipts for things purchased as far back as 2001,
and given his attention to detail and/or possible OCD tendencies, I really think it's reasonable
to assume that he didn't throw the hacksaw away because he felt this would be wasteful.
The more I think about him and his habits, I really think he may have put it there simply because
he had no further need for it and couldn't bring himself to throw away a perfectly good hacksaw.
 
tut med said:
And my 8-year-old said, ‘Satan is trying to steal Stephen.’ I said, ‘Yes, dear, he’s trying to steal Stephen. He’s trying to steal our testimony. He’s trying to steal our faith in God. He’s trying to steal our peace, and we’re not going to listen to Satan.’ And the 10-year-old said, ‘Well, Satan is powerful.’ I said, ‘Yes, Satan and his demons are powerful. And one day they will be chained forever.’”

Read more: http://www.macon.com/2011/08/07/1657322_p2/man-on-the-street-how-fledgling.html#ixzz1UNDT9ALp

wow-this gives me the heebie jeebies...
I bet if they could ever convince mom that he did it-her next response would be it was the victims fault.
Click to expand...

I just read that in today's paper, too. I don't even know what to say about that...

You know that Floyd Buford has got to be beyond frustrated with everything she is saying and I'm sure he has told her to stop. With that said - why hasn't she?

I read an opinion piece in The Telegraph today (will try to find it online) that said when she stood up and asked to speak in the earlier hearing, that Buford was using hand motions to try to get her to sit down.

I felt bad for her then, she was so distraught, and at that point, had not done any media interviews. But now, I've gone from thinking she is oversharing to thinking there are serious issues within that family. They have told those young children that McD is charged with murdering Lauren and that her body is in pieces. (mentioned in that same article). Why would you tell children horrific details like that? And children that have these beliefs, and vocalize them, about Satan?

I think we are getting our first glimpse into how McD could've developed such a bizarre personality (and also, why he thinks it's ok/normal to share all these things).
 
I think he probably figured a hacksaw discovered in a trash can would draw more suspicion than a hacksaw discovered in a maintenance storage compartment. I don't know why he wouldn't have dumped it in a river or thrown it into the woods in the middle of the night off of a highway or something, but perhaps he figured a hacksaw in a utility closet would not draw suspicion or be tested and placing it there would not put him at much risk, since [if the former BH tenant who posts here is right] the utility closet thing is in the laundry room where Stephen had every right to be anytime.
 
Knox said:
Well put Sandstorm and I agree. McD never planned on being looked at as a suspect, having his apartment searched or being arrested. I really think it is that simple.

Assume Lauren died sometime in the early morning hours of June 26th. Fast forward to Wednesday, June 29th. Boni Bush enters Lauren's apartment and noticed nothing out of the ordinary. She leaves a note for Lauren on the door.

From that point on McD is handicapped. Three days may sound like a lot of time to dismember, cleanup and dispose of a body, but McD can't be seen in Lauren's apartment, nor carrying large objects around. He has to work under the cover of darkness I would imagine and at a time when no one is likely to be around. In addition, he has Bar classes to attend. Staying up all night, attending classes and trying to appear normal would be extremely stressful and I bet he was running on exhaustion, maybe not thinking clearly.

The friends come looking for Lauren and enter her apartment the night of the 29th. He hasn't had time to get rid of the final piece of evidence, her torso. Time is running out, the police have been called and he knows they will be looking around the complex. He spends time with the friends that night and into the early morning hours of June 30th. They leave and it's all about getting rid of everything quick.

After 9:30 am the morning of June 30th, he never has another chance to hide or get rid of evidence.
Click to expand...

Agreed, Knox. I think you are 100% correct. And, remember that the first half of the now-infamous interview with TV reporter (before he learned of the "body") was part of his original plan.

The socially awkward personality that has been so often remarked upon (and probably exaggerated) was strong enough to keep him from seeing that even his "She was just gone!" statements to TV created a strong suspicion in a lot of people. That suspicion was NOT all due to his appearance, but to the fact that he thought it normal to "insert himself into the investigation" both the night before with friends and on Thursday with TV. "Normal" folks know it's not normal and became suspicious accordingly.

And that lack of awareness on his part is a big cause of the failure of his plan to get away with murder (if he, indeed, had one). The other cause, of course, is that the trash truck didn't come a bit earlier that Thursday morning.
 
I'm also still not sure about the idea that this was premeditated.
I'm sure he'd written about how he could get away with murder.
I've theorized before about this and other crimes in the past,
but not because I was planning to commit them. It's more an exercise in intellect.
However, if he were to find himself in the situation where he now needed to get away with murder,
he would certainly try to employ some of his theoretical methods.
 
Its noted in the arrest warrant that he says he could get away with murder but where is that coming from? does anyone know? He told someone that? Who? Seems like there should be more detail about it if they are considering it credible, otherwise its rumor or hearsay, right?
 
Peepers said:
Its noted in the arrest warrant that he says he could get away with murder but where is that coming from? does anyone know? He told someone that? Who? Seems like there should be more detail about it if they are considering it credible, otherwise its rumor or hearsay, right?
Click to expand...

MPD knows who told them about the "get away with murder" comments and MPD & the DA believe those witnesses to be credible. Identity of those witnesses does not have to be disclosed for an arrest warrant (which is not an adversary proceeding -- just the cops and DA go before the judge for the warrant; the defense is not present).

It will be interesting to see -- at the commitment hearing (which IS adversarial) whether the defense objects to this reason being offered to hold SMD in jail.

All this leads me to speculate that the DA took that into account in his decision to initially charge SMD with FELONY MURDER rather than malice murder.

The final decision on the charge need not be made until the Grand Jury issues an indictment. At that point the DA will have to decide whether he thinks he can prove that it was planned. He can, I think, charge both maiice murder and felony murder in the alternative, then allow the trial jury to decide which has been proved.
 
ThinMan said:
MPD knows who told them about the "get away with murder" comments and MPD & the DA believe those witnesses to be credible.
Click to expand...

If I had to guess who those witnesses are, I'd bet they are classmates. If two or three of them testify to the same statements made by SMD, it will be VERY difficult for the defense to challenge the credibility of these young lawyers. They will make excellent witnesses and will be convincing to the jurors because they ARE trustworthy people -- just as LG was. SMD is a HUGE exception to what one would expect from folks who complete 3 years of difficult and have been screened for character ("fitness for the bar") by the State Bar of GA before being cleared to take the bar exam.
 
ThinMan said:
Agreed, Knox. I think you are 100% correct. And, remember that the first half of the now-infamous interview with TV reporter (before he learned of the "body") was part of his original plan.

The socially awkward personality that has been so often remarked upon (and probably exaggerated) was strong enough to keep him from seeing that even his "She was just gone!" statements to TV created a strong suspicion in a lot of people. That suspicion was NOT all due to his appearance, but to the fact that he thought it normal to "insert himself into the investigation" both the night before with friends and on Thursday with TV. "Normal" folks know it's not normal and became suspicious accordingly.

And that lack of awareness on his part is a big cause of the failure of his plan to get away with murder (if he, indeed, had one). The other cause, of course, is that the trash truck didn't come a bit earlier that Thursday morning.
Click to expand...

What is "Normal" is extremely subjective. But in society, we have what I will call a baseline for normal. We can all be different, but at some level we have to have common denominators to function in the world.

I never gave McD's physical appearance much thought. His hair was wild, but whatever floats your boat. What caught my initial attention in that interview on June 30th was his odd habit of starting his sentences with "I" and switching it up to "We". It seemed like he was trying to deflect attention away from himself.

I also don't put a lot of weight in what people coming forward now that he has been arrested, say. It's easy to come forward after a person has been arrested and say how weird he is/was.

What I have paid close attention to is what his Mom said and continues to say. Her defensive posture is not surprising, but her words and what she chooses to tell us is very interesting. IMO, she has been defending his "different" behavior for a very long time now and has known he is not normal. Why tell us that McD stuck a key in an electrical socket, not once, but twice as a child? And while we can't be sure why he chooses not to speak, I find the Father's silence interesting. No united front for their son?

I still feel a certain amount of compassion for the McD's even now after reading several interviews with Mom. But there is just such a huge contrast between the two families. It's interesting to look at what came from those two very different households, Lauren and Stephen and wonder how and why it all went wrong?
 
~SuperSleuth~ said:
I'm also still not sure about the idea that this was premeditated.
I'm sure he'd written about how he could get away with murder.
I've theorized before about this and other crimes in the past,
but not because I was planning to commit them. It's more an exercise in intellect.
However, if he were to find himself in the situation where he now needed to get away with murder,
he would certainly try to employ some of his theoretical methods.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure it was premeditated either, but I do think he employed some of his theoretical methods.

But in real life, it didn't work as well as his written theory did.
 
I have a feeling this entire case and trial if it ever happens will be one long road down Crazyville. It still seems like to me that there should be pretty clear evidence though that somehow proves the truth. Of course, the Anthony case has left me wary-it seems like jurors pretty much want a video of the murder happening to convict now :(
 
Darcyline said:
I have a feeling this entire case and trial if it ever happens will be one long road down Crazyville. It still seems like to me that there should be pretty clear evidence though that somehow proves the truth. Of course, the Anthony case has left me wary-it seems like jurors pretty much want a video of the murder happening to convict now :(
Click to expand...
I wouldn't be too overly concerned about it at this time.
I'm sure there's plenty of evidence coming :)
 
I'm sure this has already been discussed, but I wonder how long Buford is going to stick with the case. Now that the stakes have been raised with the murder charge, I would bet he'll be off the case when/if Winters announces they're going for the death penalty.

I'm not sure whether Buford is qualified to take death penalty cases, and even if he is, I doubt the McD's could fork over the massive fees retaining him on a DP case would require. I would guess he'll be passed over to the Capital Defender's Office.

If I was Buford, I wouldn't be able to get rid of the case fast enough. McD's mother is a liability, and would likely try to involve herself at all the wrong times between now and trial. Kind of sad though that I can see her going to all kinds of extremes to foot the bill for a paid lawyer- mortgaging the house,selling everything they own, etc.
 
Thought I would just mention this...
Lauren's mom has a "Mobile Uploads" photo album on her facebook page,
which she updated yesterday with some recent photos.
There are some really nice older photos of Lauren in there too.... and butterbean :)
 
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