LA - ***ARREST*** Mickey Shunick, 21, Lafayette, 19 May 2012 #36

[gngr~snap]

He wore a nametag on his military uniforms when at the coffeeshop. I remember it as being Brandon. I remember seeing his wholename on his tag on his military uniform. Yes I have said a few words to him and could recognize his voice. He told me he had been stationed at Ft Polk. He told me 'the military kept him here' instead of going to iraq and afghanistan. He stared at me wierdly, like 'what the hell are you doing talking to me in public' kinda thing. I now recall that I do not remember him talking to anyone else at said coffee shop ; he just sat there for hours and hours. like me, except I was buried in books in my own world. and he was probably in his own world too.

Well right there is a red flag because the military wear their LAST NAME on their uniforms... NOT their FIRST!

 

[heidisams]

I immediately recognized him from his mugshot; an younger version of him without his beard that they posted. I definitely saw him at cc's and said a few words to him. I am local;but only after returning to this area after 25 years away. He sized me up with 'scrunchy eyes' like who the hell are you?

Nevermind... I deleted my post... I saw that you posted you didn't realize the coffeeshop guy was BSL until you saw his mugshot... Couldn't have been related to an earlier theory. My bad... It's late.

 

[slowlybutshelly]

I edited my orginal post to say that I did see him regularly at the cc's coffeehouse on Johnston street in Lafayette, late at night often till midnight when they were closing. This is very near parkside on university where the photo 'may have shown BSL' following MS on Versailles. I think BSL was in the area many many nights in previous months stalking the area. I am trying to jog my memory. It is now July. I know I saw him a lot in April. I was very active searching for MS in the days after her mishap; I have not seen BSL since then at that coffeeshop. When I saw his mugshot, I literally jumped out of my seat having recognized his mug shot from an earlier photo of him.

I have spoken with him. In relation to his military service and being at Ft Polk. I was in causal clothes, none of my own professional garb. So he looked at me as if 'who are you?' - not anybody he can picture from past parole, legal issues etc.

disclaimer. I am a local who has been away from the area for many many years and do not appear to have a cajun accent or know the area very well. I stay that way, liking the anonymity it provides me. But I am petrified about this case.

LE is regularly in this coffeeshop late at night; that is why I felt safe. But funny enough, I always remember NOT seeing BSL there when LE was there. Maybe he knew when and what hours they came in and could 'dodge them'? I never saw BSL in daylight hours at the coffeehouse; he was always there when it was quiet like me. But before LE came in late at night. I often stayed while LE was there and just kept studying till they closed. BSL never stayed while LE was there; now all this is triggering my memory.

Would BSL go nack and forth to his home from CC's in Lafayette every day for 10 weeks? Or would have a place or accomplice in Lafayette to help him?

 

[gngr~snap]

http:///viewArticle.action?articleId=281474981479974

"The man accused of abducting Mickey Shunick, and murdering her, has requested a hearing to determine a decrease in his bond -- which may lead to an early release from jail prior to his trial. This is an outrage to those who are convinced that he's the man responsible for this unsolved disappearance. While search groups are still trying to locate the remains of the missing anthropology student, Brandon Scott Lavergne's lawyer is trying to get the monster freed."

This isn't unexpected, but troubling none the less.

I'm not worried. IMO this is hype. His case is scheduled to go to the Grand Jury
on WED JULY 18 at 3:00pm. No hearing will be granted before that. Even if it was it will be denied.

moo

 

[slowlybutshelly]

That is extremely creepy.
Seems like this guy was searching for prey, and waiting for the perfect one.

Yep. Glad I was too old and too tall. But MS was never at said CC's, has never been the whole time I was going there. Maybe others have spotted him at other places in Lafayette just hanging out? I think it was a nice coffee joint for a serial rapist; it was probably the nicest place in Lafayette he goes.

 

[katie78]

what do you guys think the point of this would be??!! especially after the father stated how difficult it was to take the grips off. if it was just for fingerprints he would just need to wipe them off, not remove the entire grips. and if he didn't want the bike identified then randomly through the grips out the window going down the highway or something in different locations you'd think???

Could be the narrow grooves of the grips had his blood in them from his injuries that couldn't be wiped off like the rest of the bike. If he went home or some other location where he felt safe/hidden prior to going to WB, he could've removed them to soak in a sink or something. If he was confident that he removed all evidence from the bike, there would be no reason not to dump them together. LE stated the bike was dumped the same day as the abduction, so before the massive search effort and detailed description of bike were released. He probably didn't realize how the gold grips would make the bike so easy to ID.

 

[goldiegirl]

Ali Lowitzer is one who has a thread here, one that seems like an abduction. She vanished from her bus stop in April 2010. At least two, if not more of the other girls appear to have left on their own, even according to their families. Not sure if they ever returned or were located. JMO

Yep, I followed Ali's case. It was sad ,because it wasn't very well publicized and there never seemed to be any new information. I remember either TES or Laura Recovery Center did another search in either late 2011 or early 2012, and it turned up nothing new. I feel really bad for that family.

Shelly, please check out Holly Bobo's thread. You wouldn't believe the number of times we have hashed over "camo". That's one of the few facts in that case that has never changed, and I really think a possible link between her case and BL should be explored.

 

[slowlybutshelly]

I am getting mixed up about Military fatigues and the Military Uniform.....
My understanding of fatigues is full camouflage gear where as the Uniform would be different.
I do not think you would be allowed to wear a Military cap,Badge etc especially if you were thrown out of the Army and put in jail for a horrendous crime....MO

slowlybutshelly can you elaborate on what type of gear he was wearing or a link to an image of similar at all...

I would let LE know as BSL could have been wearing Military gear on the night that Mickey went missing and might just help to trigger someone's memory of seeing BSL around.
Thank you for your posts....

You are welcome. I am a pretty quiet person. I hesitate to call anything into LE as I was asked (thru a equasearch background check) not to get involved. I think it because they want to keep certain people out of court. I am not going to call into anything about my sitings because I have already pointed at my sitings to a P.I. at CC's. But any of you are welcome to call in for me and reference these posts.

I should not be studying at coffee shops IYKWIM....

 

[goldiegirl]

You are welcome. I am a pretty quiet person. I hesitate to call anything into LE as I was asked (thru a equasearch background check) not to get involved. I think it because they want to keep certain people out of court. I am not going to call into anything about my sitings because I have already pointed at my sitings to a P.I. at CC's. But any of you are welcome to call in for me and reference these posts.

I should not be studying at coffee shops IYKWIM....

Just curious what you mean about the equusearch background check. I'm a member and volunteer for TES, and I don't recall ever being told anything like this. I'm not challenging you in any way, I just am curious. It never came up for me when I sent in my membership application.

 

[katie78]

If that were the case, Oschner's would have cleaned it and stitched it and then tell him to follow up with his family doctor. No, he had to have some sort of tendon/ligament damage.

Unless he left AMA from Oschner's before they could stitch it. Could've panicked when 2 different sets of LE showed up to question him. Especially with his truck out in the parking lot possibly with evidence in it, he might've wanted to just get out of there asap.

 

[slowlybutshelly]

Is this March 2010 or 2012 that we're talking about?

And, Catchy Kitty, who are the missing teens from Spring? I lived in Houston in 2010, so I'm curious which cases you're referring to. Thanks : )

IT was 2012. Cannot exactly remember where I was in 2010...

 

[northxnorthwest]

I think I've gotten caught up on this thread and the coffee shop is really interesting to me. I have some questions about BSL for slowlybutshelly if you remember!

What did BSL typically do when he was there? Read? Surf the Internet? Listen to music? Chat with others? I'm sure you were probably busy studying but I'm just curious! Did he seem to be "busy" with work, maybe he just pretended to look online when he was really just creepily staring at girls or thinking about his next sick act.

In advance I apologize if you answered this kind of or can't remember!

 

[katydid23]

But with all due respect Shelly,

we are not absolutely certain it was Brandon that you used to see there. Brandon is a very common name, and he has a very Cajun look, so it might have been someone who looked very much like him, and not been the actual suspect.

I don't want to get too far off track without any verification that he indeed wore army fatigues and went there 4 nights a week.

 

[goldiegirl]

IT was 2012. Cannot exactly remember where I was in 2010...

But in post 759, the one you quoted when you responded about March, Catchy Kitty asked about 2010 not 2012. And 2010 is the year she mentioned when Ali Lowitzer went missing.

Sorry, Shelly, I'm really heckling you tonight. I'm not meaning to. You're one of my "favorite" posters and I always appreciate the info and insight you provide.

 

[RedCardinal]

What other case? I saw him many times in military fatigues on cc's late night hours during march april may 2012.

The coffee shop workers' get to know all their regulars and the workers' can verify if it was him easily & if Mickey visited the shop.

 

[katie78]

I think something we keep forgetting is that his mailing address was Church Point, which is in Acadia Parish. His actual physical address is in Swords, in St. Landry Parish, which is just past Lawtell on Hwy 190, where he had a post office box. He is spread out all over.

I could be wrong, but I think the CP address and the Swords address are the same. I don't think Swords has a zip code, so depending on where you live in this area your address is either CP (Acadia) or Lawtell (St. Landry). Just like in Richard (also no zip/post office) where ppl have a Branch, CP or Eunice address. So he lived in Swords, which is physically closer to Lawtell than the incorporated part of CP, but due to zip code zones it is a CP address. Not sure where the PO Box is located, hadn't heard about that yet. Just heard about the Duson address. He really is all over the map though.

 

[katie78]

CP is in St. Landry Parish too

Church Point is Acadia parish.

 

[katie78]

My husband and I were looking to buy a piece of property in arnaudville. Part of arnaudville is in St Landry parish and part of it is in St Martin parish. Maybe church point is partly in Acadia AND St Landry?

CP is fully Acadia parish as far as I know. But all these rural areas get so confusing!

 

[slowlybutshelly]

Slowlybutshelly,

Did Brandon ever pop into your head prior to his arrest?
Like did he ever slap out as being someone who might have had something to do with Mickey?

Creepy that you say you hadn't seen him since about 2 weeks before Mickeys disappearance. That is around the time Brettlys bike went missing, and his location isn't too far from there.
I wonder if they had ever ridden bikes from CC's to Brettly's house on another occasion, and BSL saw them.

That is a very good question. I can say that I felt very uneasy before MS went missing. I used to come home late at night from the CC's, park my car in the dark, Let my father know I was home, and continue to study all night on the computer. Sometimes, I would walk outside when I left study materials in my car and get stuff out of my car.

Needless to say, I felt that in the weeks before MS went missing that I might have been followed that I should stop going out to my car in the wee hours of the night. And I stopped leaving inside lights on, thinking someone might be staring at me through the window.

I feel like I have stayed safe in many places in the world and wonder now how I have stayed alive. I can remember being followed by a little volkswagon when I was a kid and running through the woods all the way home (interestingly near where Holly Bobo lives in TN). with my parents never believing it or calling police 'thinking I was imagining things'.

I have learned as an adult that I do not imagine things and that my parents were not wanting LE attention themselves when I was young. Now I trust my intuition fully.

I feel like I had deja vu (dorme' vu)? the sense that something bad was going to happen in the months prior to MS going missing.

After she went missing I thought OK this is my wake up call ' be more alert'. But I never could point a reason why.

So NO. I searched for MS for a week after she went missing, but I did not put a face with my ill feelings from the previous months. But when BSL was arrested, I said 'OF COURSE". It made total sense.

I have been trying to get back to my own routine and life since the case.

BUT after BSL was arrested, I thought "duh, how could I have not been more aware of my own surroundings?".

After the arrest, I thought well I should have been more aware; should have not talked to him; should have stayed quiet and studied. But I do feel like I could have been followed easily. And that BSL may have followed me and knew where I and my fam lived. and that is downright creepy.

 

[Backwoods]

What other case? I saw him many times in military fatigues on cc's late night hours during march april may 2012.

slowlybutshelly, I remember how frightened you felt at the beginning of this case, so I hope thinking about this and answering questions isn't too upsetting for you.

I have one question: Do you feel absolutely sure it was BSL that you are remembering?