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

[PROTIPZ]

What is the street that bypasses the center of the image? Parallel to Jordan Drive?

 

[PROTIPZ]

I'm getting close to the end here. I was 80% on how the night broke down. I have thoughts, comments, etc.

But for right now, I just have one question. I haven't seen anything posted.

Aside from the grease stain in the back seat, do we know if the car was dirty inside after it was discovered? Mud on the floor boards? Shoe prints.

 

[deca]

I'm getting close to the end here. I was 80% on how the night broke down. I have thoughts, comments, etc.

But for right now, I just have one question. I haven't seen anything posted.

Aside from the grease stain in the back seat, do we know if the car was dirty inside after it was discovered? Mud on the floor boards? Shoe prints.

Sorry- don't have the link to it now and no time to look for it- but in one of the quotes about the car LE said that the perp left a lot of evidence in the car. What does that mean? Was he talking solely about the grease stain or was there something else (footprint for example) left behind? If there was something else interesting left back there, that info hasn't been released IIRC.

 

[LR1]

I recently watched show about a unsolved series of murders that I had never heard of. It was a dark minds episode about the I-70 murders that happened back in 92 where six store clerks were killed in the midwest. They also think he's responsible for two in Texas in 93-94 with a third victim having survived. After viewing the sketch of the perp from the midwest murders the surviving clerk says its the same guy. Its probably not related to this case, the differences are obvious but at the same time there's some similarities that gave me a hinkey feeling after watching the show. Has anyone seen this? Its most likely not related but if the Ozark case is not a local isolated event, to me it would seem the offenders would have a very similar mindset.

 

[DimeDetective]

I recently watched show about a unsolved series of murders that I had never heard of. It was a dark minds episode about the I-70 murders that happened back in 92 where six store clerks were killed in the midwest. They also think he's responsible for two in Texas in 93-94 with a third victim having survived. After viewing the sketch of the perp from the midwest murders the surviving clerk says its the same guy. Its probably not related to this case, the differences are obvious but at the same time there's some similarities that gave me a hinkey feeling after watching the show. Has anyone seen this? Its most likely not related but if the Ozark case is not a local isolated event, to me it would seem the offenders would have a very similar mindset.

I just watched this episode of Dark Minds, and I have to say: Outstanding work, LR1! ITA with everything BBM.

The episode is posted below; I encourage everyone to watch it. As LR1 said, there are certain points in the I-70 Killer case that are of high interest to those of us looking at the Beasley-Hawlett murders. The insights into the I-70 Killer's M.O. (including what appears to be an evolution which, when viewed in light of the DNA discovered on J.B. and what it suggests, is quite alarming), mind set, motives, and possible background are especially of interest.

I took notes as I watched and I'm eager to discuss the show once more of our posters have seen it.


The I-70 Killer* - YouTube

 

[killarney rose]

Very chilling similarities after watching. I'm interested in everyone's thoughts.

 

[DimeDetective]

• When J.B. and Tracie left Dothan that night, what were the chances that they would a) get lost and b) cross paths with a killer? You could say that a) led to b) not only literally, but that a) also contributed to some degree to b) because being lost made the girls vulnerable, opened them up for possible observation by the killer (see below), and generally increased the chances that they would encounter trouble that night. What other actions might have the girls taken that made them vulnerable?
  
  
• The girls were seen leaving the Big/Little Store by two witnesses who stated that "nothing seemed awry." So at this point the girls were probably safe. Possible places and/or actions that made them vulnerable to attack:
  
  
  1. Stopping at a red light
  2. Stopping for restroom, gas, drinks, snacks, etc.
  3. Stopping for fast food, picking up at drive-thru, and eating in parking lot​
  
  
• Did the killer enter J.B.'s car at a truck stop/gas station pump, perhaps while J.B. (possibly accompanied by Tracie) paid for gas inside?
  
  
• Were the girls observed by the killer at some point before they crossed paths? If so, where? When? How? If not, how did the killer see/know that the occupants of a moving vehicle in the dark were two young, lost women?
  
  
• Three miles south of where SR 123 meets US 231, there is a rest area off 231. The girls were traveling south and would have passed the rest area if they made it that far. Rest areas are notorious for being dangerous, especially late at night. Did the girls, needing a restroom and unable to find an open business at that hour, stop here?
  
  
• The probability that the killer has already been interviewed by LE increases exponentially if the DNA found on J.B. does not belong to the killer.
  
  
• If the DNA does not belong to the killer, what was the killer's motive? Was this a "thrill kill"? (www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrill_killing)
  
  
• Were the girls killed as an extension of some other crime (e.g. sexual assault) or event (e.g. they witnessed something)?
  
  
• Chief Spivey stated in 2009 that a time of death could not be determined due to the fact that the girls' bodies were left in the trunk in the heat. Was key evidence altered, destroyed, or otherwise lost during the six-hour gap between when the car was found (8:00 a.m.) and when the bodies were discovered in the trunk (2:00 p.m.)?
  
  
• If the girls were really lost, why didn't they turn around and go back the way they came at some point?
  
  
• Chief Spivey has long maintained there was likely more than one perpetrator, and the perpetrators were local.
  
  
• A possible grease stain was found on the back seat on the driver's side. Did the girls have car trouble and subsequently get help from a stranger who helped with the car, then abducted them?
  
  
• Did the killer keep the keys to ensure the car wouldn't be stolen or moved before being discovered on Herring Avenue by LE?
  
  
• Did the killer keep the keys thinking this would delay the discovery of the bodies in the trunk?
  
  
• To review, J.B.'s car was discovered about one block away from the Dale County Hospital and five blocks from the Dale County Jail. Also in the largely residential area: a small park with baseball diamonds, the Elevations School of Dance, Carroll High School, the Big/Little Store, and Depot Lane. What reward outweighed the risk of driving the car/bodies to Herring Avenue after the murders?

 

[LR1]

Very chilling similarities after watching. I'm interested in everyone's thoughts.

A few thoughts,

Some similarities I see are, A seemingly motiveless execution style killings of females, shell casing left behind, valuables left behind, no apparent sexual component. The differences are way too many to mention, they're like night and day literally. This guy took huge risks, the multiple witnesses led to most likely a very accurate forensic composite drawing, looking at that sketch I don't know how he hasn't been caught. No DNA that I've heard of so he could have been through the system without LE knowing. They say they don't stop unless they're dead or in jail so if neither apply he would have needed to change it up a bit as to not leave a trail. If ViCAP has been utilized at some point in the Ozark case which I'm sure it has, this case would have likely came to their attention. If its him he didn't jump off an interstate to do Ozark, he would have been living in the area. So most likely not related but we'll pin it to the board in case further details emerge.

 

[LR1]

DimeDetective;

The girls were seen leaving the Big/Little Store by two witnesses who stated that "nothing seemed awry." So at this point the girls were probably safe. Possible places and/or actions that made them vulnerable to attack:

1. Stopping at a red light
2. Stopping for restroom, gas, drinks, snacks, etc.
3. Stopping for fast food, picking up at drive-thru, and eating in parking lot

Probably safe but we cant be for sure because we don't know exactly how soon after the witnesses left that the girls pulled out. I've always thought The location of the phones at the store, there in and around the corner where its likely very dark would be a good ambush spot and it wouldn't take but a few seconds to go down. add to that the location where the car was found might suggest the store itself is where they were confronted and by someone on foot. I've mentioned it before but I think its possible they stopped to make another phone call.

Three miles south of where SR 123 meets US 231, there is a rest area off 231. The girls were traveling south and would have passed the rest area if they made it that far. Rest areas are notorious for being dangerous, especially late at night. Did the girls, needing a restroom and unable to find an open business at that hour, stop here?

I've seen the rest area mentioned before but because of some deleted post didn't catch the context. I think its possible on their way from Headland to Ozark they could have stopped and been followed from there, of course this would mean they went to Ozark deliberately.

The probability that the killer has already been interviewed by LE increases exponentially if the DNA found on J.B. does not belong to the killer.

very good point.

If the DNA does not belong to the killer, what was the killer's motive? Was this a "thrill kill"? (www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrill_killing)

Could be revenge, jealousy, to silence a witness or potential witness. it wasn't a property crime

Chief Spivey stated in 2009 that a time of death could not be determined due to the fact that the girls' bodies were left in the trunk in the heat. Was key evidence altered, destroyed, or otherwise lost during the six-hour gap between when the car was found (8:00 a.m.) and when the bodies were discovered in the trunk (2:00 p.m.)?

This question reminds me of one of my own which is did they bring a tracking dog in to see if it could pick up a scent trail. By the time they discovered what they had a dog would have had a hard time but earlier that morning I think it could have been of good use to them. Heat can cause DNA to deteriorate, how rapidly I'm not sure.

A possible grease stain was found on the back seat on the driver's side. Did the girls have car trouble and subsequently get help from a stranger who helped with the car, then abducted them?

I wonder if a bicycle would fit in the back seat of that car.

Did the killer keep the keys to ensure the car wouldn't be stolen or moved before being discovered on Herring Avenue by LE?

Thats how I see it.

To review, J.B.'s car was discovered about one block away from the Dale County Hospital and five blocks from the Dale County Jail. Also in the largely residential area: a small park with baseball diamonds, the Elevations School of Dance, Carroll High School, the Big/Little Store, and Depot Lane. What reward outweighed the risk of driving the car/bodies to Herring Avenue after the murders?

Maybe the reward was being able to get back to home or vehicle without being seen.
This is also why I think it might point to a single perp. If he left the car/bodies where the murders took place he might have had a long walk back and could have easily been seen walking away from what would later be found to be a crime scene. I think its possible he didn't leave them at the murder location because he didn't have time/tools to properly conceal the bodies or perhaps as I've previously speculated the site could be directly tied back to the perp. I haven't discounted the possibility that they were killed in town and no one heard the shots or chose to not come forward. I do think if two people are involved and especially if they had a vehicle the car wouldn't have been left where it was. He/they did take a hell of a chance driving that vehicle with or without the bodies in the trunk.

 

[Dixie811]

LR1, the idea of a bike in the back of the car is a good one. The girls were not killed on Herring Ave, so when the killer drove the car to Herring, the girls were in the trunk. This leaves the back seat empty & a bike is actually quite a good idea of where that grease came from.

Also, if someone remembered a man riding on a bike that morning.. I would imagine they would dismiss the idea of this being the killer. The police may have been asking around if anyone saw someone walking away from that area on foot... but who would think a killer who drove the J.B.'s car to that location would be seen riding in the neighborhood on a bike?

One more thing... IF there is any merit to the bike idea then the killer probably had a backpack or something. I imagine it would be difficult to ride a bike with a gun unless you had some type of bag.

JMO

 

[SCHMAE]

One thing to note about the question of stopping for fast food... I wonder if that can be ruled out. It's only in the last decade or so that fast food is open LATE ish. Whataburger is the only fast food that has consistently been open 24 hrs. So in that area where they were , were there any fast food joints that stayed open that late? Just a possibility that can be taken off the table if there are none. In a small town like that and the surrounding rural area, there were possibly NO fast food places.

 

[killarney rose]

I had completely forgotten about the rest area. I can see the girls leaving Ozark thinking they can get back to Dothan and then stopping for a bathroom. But it's getting urgent and they come upon the rest area and pull in. Rest areas are notorious for victims meeting their attackers/killers there. I see that as a good possibility. However, I don't think this ties in with them being murdered then taken back to Ozark and dumped.

That doesn't make sense to me. Why go all the way back to ozark when there are so many more possible sites out in the country? We have discussed them being left on Herring ave because the killer was on foot and it was close to home. I can't see the killer being at the rest area and being on foot. It's possible, but not likely.

That brings us back to the girls witnessing something they should not have seen. And if you discount the rest area theory, you narrow the area where this could have happened considerably. Which brings me to fast food.

It's been a bummer of an evening. The girls left downtown via Andrews Ave and have made it to the intersection of hwy 231 where they will turn left to continue toward Dothan. At that intersection, there is a McDonald's,Hardee's, Burger King, and sonic. I think the chances are pretty good that at least one of them was open an they pulled in to get a bite to eat, use the bathroom, or both. A good place to come upon their killer and to possibly see something they shouldn't have too.


As far as the grease stain, MOO, is that it's as simple as the killer being in the seat behind the driver with grease stained clothing or most likely shoes, and staining the seat with them. Perhaps he saw an opportunity and hid in the car if the girls went in.

IIRC, earlier in the thread wasn't it posted that the lady, Marilyn saw the girls pull out of theB/L behind her and that was the last she saw of them? If so, we can discount them being taken there.

Re: the I-70 killer, I think we can take him being the killer of the girls seriously, or not. MOO is that from the show, the evidence could lead either way. To me, him possibly being former military, and changing up his MO, could point to it being him, but then again........

 

[killarney rose]

The grease stain in the back seat......if someone in the backseat transferred it from either their clothes or shoes, that brings back Eagle Towing.

Now we could assume they were the white truck at the B/L and followed the girls, pulling in behind. Them at a fast food business, or even the rest area if. They continued to follow them.

Or, the fast food places at the Andrews/231 intersection puts the girls in the vicinity of American Towing/ Daniels Garage. Particularly if they weren't in the white truck following he girls but happened to be on the fast food place when the girls ls pulled in if they did.

 

[killarney rose]

Aaarrrrgh iPad auto correct! Hope y'all can tell what I mean!

 

[killarney rose]

I just continue to add...but things keep coming to me.

I don't have tunnel vision about the garage theory, I just can't discount it without know the theory they were involved is incorrect.

Also, there has always been the rumor of BS the young man from the influential family being the killer I do find it suspect he left here to work in Colorado after the murders. If he wanted to start fresh in a new. Place, I understand that, but at the same time it sets my hunky meter to ticking.

 

[PROTIPZ]

A couple of answers, and a part of the puzzle that has been nagging at me that I don't believe has received much discussion.

1) Per DD earlier this thread. Why Herring? What is the risk reward ratio?

When you think about it, the risk reward ratio is very favorable. There are two characteristics of this road that makes it very interesting. A) It is within walking distance of practically everything. B) Despite this, that specific patch of road is dark, secluded, and crowded by forestation.

It is the best of both worlds, really. it gives the killer a perfect place to discreetly park the vehicle and leave. From what all the locals seem to say, it is not a commonly used road, so low probability of a witness happening by. Even if a witness is driving away, at night, they'll be using their lights, and will be easily spotted from far away--at the first sign of a witness, the killer can keep driving and double back, or circle round without much worry of being noticed. And when the killer does make the drop, in seconds he can disappear into the trees. This means there is a very small window during which the killer would be identifiable on the spot, with a very low probability of that occurring.

And when the drop is made? He's still only a few minutes from wherever he needs to go. If he pulled the girls over somehow and had to leave his vehicle behind, he can walk to his car. If he somehow took control of the victims on foot, he's probably no more than a twenty minute walk from home and that's probably the longest estimate.

He melts into the woods and is where he needs to be within minutes without being detected. I think there are one or two other roads like that in Ozark, from what I saw on the Google Earth pic, but Herring is perfect for this purpose.

2) Did the girls stop at fast food? I find this unlikely because if that were the case, I think we would know by now. From the looks of it, this case received a lot of exposure. Even if the person attending the girls through a drive through at the time wouldn't recognize them, after all the exposure, It's reasonable to expect that they would remember and come forward with something. Especially if a reward was offered. Granted, fast food, like many service industries, result in lots of customers that your average worker wouldn't remember. But that's during the day. This is the middle of the night in a sleepy small town where I'm sure everyone knows everybody. Middle of the night customers are probably rare and stand out more.

Which brings to mind another thing to think about that makes this less likely. Businesses only stay open if it is profitable to do so. I am skeptical that there are many businesses that could justify staying open past 1130 in a place like Ozark, but I could be wrong. Fast food places are the least likely. 7 Elevens and gas stations more likely (but the GS they did stop off at wasn't even open, so... yeah), and those places all have security cameras, and the girls would be required to go inside resulting in a higher probability of being recognized and reported to the police once the investigation began.

I'm thinking that the Big Little really was the last place they stopped before they met their killer. If they did stop for snacks or drinks, it was either at the BP where they called their friends from earlier that evening, or some time after that, before they entered Ozark. In any case, the fact that no night duty fry cook has come to the police with this information alone makes me doubt it is a possibility.

My question:

What do we think of that shell casing. Right now, I'm trying to in my mind, reconstruct the events that occurred that night. I don't think we have enough information to solve this outright--there seems to be too much evidence that the police have kept under wraps, and besides, i think this is case where the perp was not known to the girls before hand. But reconstructing what happened I think can be done.

The big wrinkle I have is the shell casing that was "balanced precariously" on one of the girl's legs.

We know that the killer shot the girls in the trunk. Two bullets. If we are to believe the late comer witness's account, one of those casings was left on the ground at the murder scene. The other, in the trunk with the girls.

But why is it balancing on the leg? We are talking about a round object on a round object. Let's say this is where the bullet landed after the gun was fired. There is a low probability it would stay even at that moment as casings are ejected at velocity and would therefore bounce or roll off the leg immediately, not balance precariously. Even if, by some miracle, it did stay on the leg, now the killer closes the trunk providing mechanical agitation (which might jostle the casing off), then drives in a muddy area (more mechanical agitation), and then down little traveled back roads which are probably poorly maintained (EVEN MORE mechanical agitation). At this point, we are talking about the stickiest bullet casing EVER!

But if one casing fell out of the trunk, and the girls were effectively shot from the same rage and similar positions, shouldn't both casings fall in roughly the same direction at similar distances? Granted, the odds on this are much more generous, but let's say for the sake of argument, both fall out of the car, and the killer is now policing his brass, after all, casings can sometimes have prints on them, right? Why not both casings, though? Well, maybe he couldn't find the other one, it was dark, etc. So he picks up the one case he can find and... throws it in the trunk where it will be found anyway? And even if this was the case, the casing would still have to survive the ride back to the drop off site over muddy patches and rough back roads.

it's not impossible for the casing to have made it the whole way and stayed put, mind you. But it just doesn't seem like basic physics would support it.

So what's the alternative? The killer placed it there on purpose? But then why only one palm print (he would have had to open and close the trunk twice to place the case on purpose)? Reports have said that the killer apparently left a lot of evidence in the car, but no talk of finger prints. If LE allowed a palm print on the trunk to be reported in papers, I would think they would do the same for fingerprints inside the car. This leads me to believe they didn't FIND prints in the car, which suggests he wiped down after driving the car. if he opened the trunk and closed it twice. There was one time when he wasn't thinking about prints (probably directly right after the killing when his adrenaline is up and he is thinking of getting away from the scene of the crime ASAP), and a time when he IS thinking about prints (after stopping at Herring street where it is dark, quiet, under cover with no witnesses, and he has the luxury of thinking about covering his tracks).

Whatever the scenario, the bullet casing poses a big puzzle. Was it an accident or on purpose? The former seems far less likely because of physics. But if it is the latter, what does that say about our killer and his mindset at the time?

 

[PROTIPZ]

My new project for this is to come up with a new time-line. This time trying to as best as possible breakdown where the girls were at what time. But also, I want to make this a timeline that breaks down all the theories that we've come up with, what would have had to happen by such a time to make this theory feasible, and at what point a theory should be discounted.

Example:

11:30-Girls arrive in Ozark at Big Little: At this point, if the girls have not crossed paths with their killer yet, it is much more likely that the killer was a stranger as opposed to someone that one or both knew.

In the above, we are comparing the theory that the killer was a stranger that was either a drifter or an Ozark resident, and the theory that the killer was someone that knew one or both the girls, whether it be a customer that Hawlett dealt with, or maybe a secret boyfriend of J.B.'s

There is a lot of information to sift through here, though, so that will take some time.

 

[SCHMAE]

I mentioned this earlier and it was shot down pretty quick, but I wonder how thoroughly the kids from the party were interviewed ! They did make a call to that house to say they were lost and seeking directions. That means anyone within earshot knew these 2 girls are out on the road, far from home, in the dark and clueless.

 

[Wondergirl]

Are there any scientific tests that could be done now on the remains that could not be done then, to determine COD or otherwise?

 

[Wondergirl]

EXCELLENT point about the bullet casing, Protipz.

Very curious indeed.

I wonder if LE did any experiments to determine the likelihood of the casing being there by accident vs. on purpose???