AL AL - J.B. Beasley, 17, & Tracie Hawlett, 17, Ozark, 31 July 1999 #1

[Wondergirl]

I am from Dothan. Was born and raised there and didn't move away until 2007. I was a freshman the year they'd have been seniors. I remember the moments of silence we had for them at the DHS vs NHS football game that year. My cousin was 1 year older than them and best friends with them. A few insights from me:

1) ozark has and had no motorcycle gangs. Ozark is the kind of place you tip cows and go jugging on a river.
2) these cities shut.down.entirely at 9pm. You could easily ride around and not see a soul.
3). I worked at JC penny's in the men's dept my senior year of high school and it is in wiregrass commons mall directly on 231. In that year, not long after passing the mall headed north you were quickly looking at nothing but woods. It's very built up now. Not so back then.
4). If any students had cell phones at that point in time it would be NHS people. That school had zoned to it the much much more affluent areas. There could have easily been people at that party with a cell phone that they called.
5) ozark is a small town. Everybody knows everybody for generations back. If there was a crazy/sketchy person in the area that was capable of murder, everyone would point the finger. I got a ticket close to there once when I was 16 and someone recognized my car and called my parents and informed them before I got home. These are small towns.
6) I know this from experience: what if they did turn off somewhere and got stuck in mud. Boys of these towns have wenches on their trucks because they so go mudding so often and can unstuck their friends. Maybe they waved a truck down such as this and picked the wrong person. Pants and shoes are nasty from getting out of the car for it to be yanked out.
7) 231 is often traveled. It's the major highway connecting to Panama City and Florida beaches. People most often know of Dothan for reason. Would be easy for someone passing through to turn off towards ozark. Between Troy and Dothan ozark is the only other town/city.

Sorry if some of these points are redundant. Was trying to wait till the end to post but am on page 15 with no end in sight.

Thanks for posting, SM.

What is your theory on what happened to the girls?

 

[StitchingMama]

I have no real idea. I wish I did. I have a few scenarios that I find likely.

1). I put most of my eggs into the basket that while lost they were spotted by an unsavory individual. This person may have watched from a distance while the girls got directions and then followed them once they were alone. I'm only a couple years younger than them and was raised in the same way probably. You don't stop on a back country road unless for police. I think he got them to pull over and they didn't figure out what he was until too late. He could have gotten one of them out of the car by saying something like "you've got a tail light out...come take a look at this." Subdue JB while Tracey can't see and then get Tracey to drive you around to a location he's comfortable with. Walk them back in the woods and play around with them for a little while by taunting and getting them to beg. Possibly down on their knees hence the pants muddy. JB gets the brunt of his anger. Maybe she taunted or fought. He gets bored and times passing so put them in the trunk and shoot them. Maybe he drove around for a while feeling good about himself and finally gets tired of it and drops the car close enough he can hike back to where he left his car. I think the fluids pertain to the crime as what girl doesn't clean up or gets that messy? She was going to a party so she'd have taken a shower.

2) the only other scenario involves someone they knew got them out somewhere and got embarrassed and angry and it went too far. This is pre 9/11. I can't tell you how common it was for guys to have guns in his vehicle. 90% of guys around here hunt and have that stuff on them 24/7. I can't tell you how many guns were in our school parking lots.

Dothan was close enough and they were running late so I don't see them making any stops unless absolutely necessary (I.e. Bathroom break, snacks, etc...). If they needed to do either of these they'd have held it until a populated area. 17 year old girls are scared of dark roads.

I lean more towards him being an out of Towner or someone not being here long. A young boy would have told someone, let something slip, etc...

I don't think JC Penney had anything to do with it or Tracey would have been the one with DNA evidence. He'd have had to follow them for a crazy long time too and they'd have seen.

 

[Wondergirl]

I have no real idea. I wish I did. I have a few scenarios that I find likely.

1). I put most of my eggs into the basket that while lost they were spotted by an unsavory individual. This person may have watched from a distance while the girls got directions and then followed them once they were alone. I'm only a couple years younger than them and was raised in the same way probably. You don't stop on a back country road unless for police. I think he got them to pull over and they didn't figure out what he was until too late. He could have gotten one of them out of the car by saying something like "you've got a tail light out...come take a look at this." Subdue JB while Tracey can't see and then get Tracey to drive you around to a location he's comfortable with. Walk them back in the woods and play around with them for a little while by taunting and getting them to beg. Possibly down on their knees hence the pants muddy. JB gets the brunt of his anger. Maybe she taunted or fought. He gets bored and times passing so put them in the trunk and shoot them. Maybe he drove around for a while feeling good about himself and finally gets tired of it and drops the car close enough he can hike back to where he left his car. I think the fluids pertain to the crime as what girl doesn't clean up or gets that messy? She was going to a party so she'd have taken a shower.

2) the only other scenario involves someone they knew got them out somewhere and got embarrassed and angry and it went too far. This is pre 9/11. I can't tell you how common it was for guys to have guns in his vehicle. 90% of guys around here hunt and have that stuff on them 24/7. I can't tell you how many guns were in our school parking lots.

Dothan was close enough and they were running late so I don't see them making any stops unless absolutely necessary (I.e. Bathroom break, snacks, etc...). If they needed to do either of these they'd have held it until a populated area. 17 year old girls are scared of dark roads.

I lean more towards him being an out of Towner or someone not being here long. A young boy would have told someone, let something slip, etc...

I don't think JC Penney had anything to do with it or Tracey would have been the one with DNA evidence. He'd have had to follow them for a crazy long time too and they'd have seen.

Good theories.

So you think he is a cop then?

 

[killarney rose]

http://www.truecrimenotebook.com/search?updated-max=2013-04-04T19:00:00-05:00&max-results=10

This from the True Crime Notebook blog:

"The girls were clothed and showed few signs of struggle. Hawlett's arm was scratched, her pants had briars, and the $95 New Balance tennis shoes she had bought the week before were covered in mud. First into the trunk, she had been shot once in the temple.

Beasley had been shot once in the cheek. She was noticeably dirty; her shoes were muddy.

Both girls’ pants were wet below the knee."

We've discussed possible scenes where the girls were murdered. Lets talk about which of these scenes would be wet enough to have caused the girls feet to be be muddy and their jeans to be wet around the bottoms of the legs.

Its summer in SE AL. It is hot and dry. So it would need to be a place that is naturally wet.just an area wet from dew is not going to be wet enough.

So, the possible scene south of 231 on hwy 123, is there a water source there that would cause this much mud and water? If not, should it be ruled out?

What about the grounds of the ice plant where Depot Ln dead ends? Depot Ln has been discussed by LE as a possible crime scene. We know from the photographs that I took and posted that it is very possible the ground was wet and muddy from the piles of ice outside on the lot.

What about that creek through the woods on Herring St?

What about Dale County Lake? It was discussed on a local forum about the strange guy there who accosted women at the lake.

Does anyone else have any thoughts/ideas on this?

 

[SCHMAE]

They ran for their lives and still got caught it seems.
Thank you for keeping this thread going.

 

[Archangel7]

This is where I'd be looking........enlarge the photo of the truck at the gas pumps in DD's post(included link) and the logo I provided.

If they are in fact one and the same, they may have witnessed something or develop leads pointing to RR tracks, creosote, source of mud, background of Employees, etc.

Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - AL AL - J.B. Beasley, 17 & Tracie Hawlett, 17, murdered in Ozark, July 1999

 

[Archangel7]

http://www.truecrimenotebook.com/search?updated-max=2013-04-04T19:00:00-05:00&max-results=10

This from the True Crime Notebook blog:

"The girls were clothed and showed few signs of struggle. Hawlett's arm was scratched, her pants had briars, and the $95 New Balance tennis shoes she had bought the week before were covered in mud. First into the trunk, she had been shot once in the temple.

Beasley had been shot once in the cheek. She was noticeably dirty; her shoes were muddy.

Both girls’ pants were wet below the knee."

We've discussed possible scenes where the girls were murdered. Lets talk about which of these scenes would be wet enough to have caused the girls feet to be be muddy and their jeans to be wet around the bottoms of the legs.

Its summer in SE AL. It is hot and dry. So it would need to be a place that is naturally wet.just an area wet from dew is not going to be wet enough.

So, the possible scene south of 231 on hwy 123, is there a water source there that would cause this much mud and water? If not, should it be ruled out?

What about the grounds of the ice plant where Depot Ln dead ends? Depot Ln has been discussed by LE as a possible crime scene. We know from the photographs that I took and posted that it is very possible the ground was wet and muddy from the piles of ice outside on the lot.

What about that creek through the woods on Herring St?

What about Dale County Lake? It was discussed on a local forum about the strange guy there who accosted women at the lake.

Does anyone else have any thoughts/ideas on this?

Where did the woman that heard gun shots South of town live ? South of 231 near Perry St? Lots of ponds/lakes etc. there.

I'd tend to agree on them being shot in the trunk. A killer wouldn't want to go far on foot with two victims at gunpoint and risk an escape.

That creek on Herring seems to small especially if on a hot and dry Alabama summer night.

 

[killarney rose]

Without searching it out up thread, IIRC, it was 123 south of town. That does fit perfectly with them possibly stopping at a truck stop/gas station there and possibly meeting up with their killer there too.

 

[Archangel7]

Without searching it out up thread, IIRC, it was 123 south of town. That does fit perfectly with them possibly stopping at a truck stop/gas station there and possibly meeting up with their killer there too.

Yep. I would think they picked up attention@the Headland 431/173 stop, Big Little or if they stopped again on 231 or 123. Seems there was mention of a BP or something out near 231?

For sure Barrantine? knew something, maybe not guilty........until he lawyered up.

Looks like LE could check with CSX et al to see if any track work was being done.

 

[killarney rose]

Again, this is if IIRC, 123 south kind of V's off of 231 behind a truck stop. The girls would have passed by here on their way home IF they made it that far.

Again, IIRC, at one time this looked like what we would think of as a truck stop. It has since been torn down and rebuilt as a convenience store with some parking for semi trucks. But it is not a large one. I do not recall of it was the older truck stop or the newer one when the girls were killed.

It's possible that Dime Detective might have taken some pictures of the truck stop when he was in Ozark. I know I didnt, wish that I had.

 

[Archangel7]

Again, this is if IIRC, 123 south kind of V's off of 231 behind a truck stop. The girls would have passed by here on their way home IF they made it that far.

Again, IIRC, at one time this looked like what we would think of as a truck stop. It has since been torn down and rebuilt as a convenience store with some parking for semi trucks. But it is not a large one. I do not recall of it was the older truck stop or the newer one when the girls were killed.

It's possible that Dime Detective might have taken some pictures of the truck stop when he was in Ozark. I know I didnt, wish that I had.

Looking back at satellite images from 1997, it doesn't show any structures where the truck stop(Kangaroo Express)is now. At least at the "v" you mentioned, but one could have been there by 1999 I suppose.

It would seem they would have had to have been stopped, as in a place of business, or they were stopped somehow while on the road. Not much else fits as far as abduction. No damage to car to indicate being forced off the road and stopped apparently.

 

[killarney rose]

Looking back at satellite images from 1997, it doesn't show any structures where the truck stop(Kangaroo Express)is now. At least at the "v" you mentioned, but one could have been there by 1999 I suppose.

It would seem they would have had to have been stopped, as in a place of business, or they were stopped somehow while on the road. Not much else fits as far as abduction. No damage to car to indicate being forced off the road and stopped apparently.

I totally agree. I believe this is how the killer got control of them, wherever he got them. At the time this took place, I was not terribly familiar with Ozark. I had been there a few times for various reasons. I go more often these days so I'm more familiar with the way things are Now. I'm pretty sure that somewhere along that area where the Kangaroo is, that there used to be a truck stop, but of course, I could be wrong. Perhaps Stitchingmama or some other locals can recall.

 

[Archangel7]

Killarney Rose, you know much about Headland?

Reason being, I wonder if the investigation is in the wrong town. Looks like the 3 pigs pub and grill that is next door to the BP/truck stop @ 431/173 was there in 1997 or at least the building was.

Maybe they caught someone's attention in the pub parking lot or someone there thought JB and Tracie saw something when they didn't and they were followed to the phone in Ozark. That act alone could have sealed their fate.(either from a stalker type, someone thinking they were undercover and dropping a dime, or maybe even a dirty cop was doing something in the pub parking lot and thought they recognized it.

 

[killarney rose]

Killarney Rose, you know much about Headland?

Reason being, I wonder if the investigation is in the wrong town. Looks like the 3 pigs pub and grill that is next door to the BP/truck stop @ 431/173 was there in 1997 or at least the building was.

Maybe they caught someone's attention in the pub parking lot or someone there thought JB and Tracie saw something when they didn't and they were followed to the phone in Ozark. That act alone could have sealed their fate.(either from a stalker type, someone thinking they were undercover and dropping a dime, or maybe even a dirty cop was doing something in the pub parking lot and thought they recognized it.

That is a very good theory!

I've been through Headland a time or two. It's a small town. I could get to it, but I know little to nothing about it.

 

[Kell1]

The distances, between where they were last seen alive and where the car was discovered is within walking distance of each other (approx. 13 min according to google maps)

The second scene , where the police searched, (depot lane according to the True crime notebook) webpage, is also within walking distance, of where the girls were last seen alive, AND where they were found . Approx 6 min.


The spot where the girls car was found is off a main road (James st) , approx. 30 feet from the intersection in a wooded area. Though I don't know what the orientation of the vehicle was (which way it was facing) on Herring rd.

If you take into account how small the area in question was I think you're dealing with a local, someone VERY familiar with the area.

that leads me to believe its 1 of 2 possible scenarios

Looking at this case, from beginning to its conclusion, it seems, they most likely were flagged, down by someone, or stopped by someone (such as a carjacking, police impersonator, or someone asking for a ride or help).

There wasn't any mention of either girl showing signs of being restrained (cuffed or bound) , so my feeling is that he used the threat of the gun to gain control of both girls.

Scenario 1) "The dangerous passenger".
-Possibly flagged the girls down while traveling along E.Broad st
-Directed girls to site off Depot rd either at gunpoint, or by ruse
-Gun was control factor
-At some point he attempts to sexually assault Beasley as semen is found on her bra and panties . With no evidence of either girl being bound or restrained,
-I assume Hawlett might've been locked in the trunk, (or deceased already) while he tried to assault Beasley
-Police feel they were shot while in the trunk of the car, though not at the location where he car was found

Both girls pants were wet below the knee , which makes me think they were kneeling at one point.

Once he has killed both girls he has a BIG problem needs to get rid of the car, and their bodies, but he cant go too far, nor can he call anyone to come pick him up (though this cant be ruled out, but I feel he wouldn't risk it) so he drives it to a secluded area, within walking distance back to his car, residence, or residence, of a friend .

Scenario 2) the Police impersonator (Or possibly a police officer)

ANd one more thing, though I hate that this is the case, WHENEVER you consider a police impersonator, you also have to consider the possibility an actual Police officer (Deputy etc..) could be involved.

HOWEVER they did recover a palm print from the car, depending on the local police requirements, they may or may not require, full handprints, along with being fingerprinted for employment .

Plus Id expect a police officer to be familiar with not leaving prints, this seems lie it was done by someone in a hurry

-It also seems unlikely he would be on foot to stop their car, so he would most likely have a police profile vehicle (Ford Crown Victoria/Chevy Caprice etc..) at least a vehicle with lights. Though its possible to walk up to a car flash a badge, and go from there.

-Depot rd is right off the same road as the store where the girls were last seen(E. Broad st) alive, and in the direction they were seen to turn out of the stores parking lot according to the security camera at the convenience store.

-Now from there I feel the sexual assault and murder scenario are the same.

Given the evidence, I feel the 1st scenario (passenger) is more likely however



Offender:
-Offender would most likely be someone who lives in and or works in the area where the abduction happened, or close to where they were dumped.
-Most likely loner, with few friends
-Lives alone or with parents
-Possibly triggered by some precipitating event
-History of failed relationships
-Fascinated with weapons, primarily firearms, because they give him power.
-If he was able to obtain it, I would expect him to have a permit to carry, and would be armed much of the time
-Past criminal history would include assault,
-May have a deep interest in Law enforcement, may also be involved in Fire or EMS as well
-Possibly suffering from some form of sexual dysfunction.
-Would most likely demonstrate heavy almost unnatural interest in the crime post offense
-Increases in drug or alcohol consumption if they use it would be noticeable to those around him
-May've fled the area post offense.
-Possibly revisited the crime scene(s)
-Police may have interviewed him already
-May've injected himself into the investigation

 

[CanManEh]

I have lightly skimmed over this case and my first thought is i would be looking in to any motorcycle gangs as this is often the only way that you can become a fell fledged member of whatever bike gangs were in the area..

 

[Archangel7]

RichKelley, If I remember the crime scene photos from then, the car was North bound and over on the right hand "shoulder" and as mentioned facing North.


CanManEh, I also thought of a patch member, but the info from the locals was no MC Gang activity present in the area.....

 

[Kell1]

RichKelley, If I remember the crime scene photos from then, the car was North bound and over on the right hand "shoulder" and as mentioned facing North.


CanManEh, I also thought of a patch member, but the info from the locals was no MC Gang activity present in the area.....

Thanks, so it most likely turned north from James st onto Herring.

I think your offender lives (or lived) right in that area , WAAAY too comfortable in that 1 mi radius.

 

[Archangel7]

Thanks, so it most likely turned north from James st onto Herring.

I think your offender lives (or lived) right in that area , WAAAY too comfortable in that 1 mi radius.

I tend to agree if the killer is local. I actually looked at 1 mile radius overlay, to get an idea of water, likely staging areas, etc.

A mile radius would provide close enough sanctuary without a prolonged time exposed to possible traffic/witnesses as he/they left the scene.

 

[LR1]

The first link shows a page from march 12 2000 and on it is a thumbnail map of the location on 123 south. It will not let you click on the thumbnail to enlarge it but if you save to your pc and magnify it the place appears to be in the curve in the vicinity of the waste water treatment plant, maybe across the street.

Looking at older aerial photos on google earth from 97 you can clearly see a road across from the entrance to the treatment plant that goes back a fair piece. A older article mentioned some old ww2 era structures but I cant find them from the aerial photos. There is a creek close by that could have been the source of the wet and muddy clothing/shoes. It looks to be about 1/4 - 1/2 miles to the nearest house.

This is my best guess as to the possible murder location going by the small map as well as a distance that was given from 231 that I read in a article awhile ago but can't find now, it was something like 2 miles or so.

http://http://web.archive.org/web/20050504054737/www.wiregrass.com/Ozark/news46.html

And the following week you get this quote from the site...

Investigators are reported to feel pretty confident that they have found the site that the murders took place on Hwy 123, south of Ozark. Evidence has been collected from the scene including a 9mm bullet found a the location. Another item of evidence collected at the scene has been sent to the lab for processing, although exactly what the item collected was hasn't been released to the public.

http://web.archive.org/web/20050222202205/www.wiregrass.com/ozark/news47.html

When I read this back a few months ago when Dime posted the link to all the previous editions I was kind of taken aback because I don't remember reading that they felt confident of the location. Last I heard they were still waiting for soil samples to come back from the lab and that was a decade ago. I have no idea if they ever determined if this was indeed the location.

Here's a street view of the location,

http://goo.gl/maps/K8vQf

And @ RichKelly, Thanks for the detailed analysis.