AL AL - J.B. Beasley, 17, & Tracie Hawlett, 17, Ozark, 31 July 1999 #2

[mermaid630]

December, everyone does believe the girls were headed to the party that night for sure, they did run into some other friends earlier in the evening, the girls stopped in Headland, Al to call J.B.'s friend for further directions to the party, however, she could not speak to her friend and instead spoke with her sister, J.B. told her sister to tell her that she had something to tell her when she got there, after the phone call ended they left the store and wound up in Ozark. I wonder if maybe the girls were going to the party only to speak with her friend, they had such limited time they couldn't have intended to stay at the party for very long. This is just me thinking aloud, so to speak, but I have always wondered what she wanted to tell her friend that night, I have often wondered if maybe it could have been a new boyfriend she was ready to tell her best friends about, could it be possible that J.B. may have been seeing someone new for a while, but didn't want to hurt an exes feelings or something, so she kept it quiet until she knew that it was going to turn into something real. What if earlier that night, before Tracie got off work, J.B. met this new boyfriend and things got intimate to some degree and there was DNA left as a result. Maybe after hearing of their murders he was scared that since none of her friends knew of him yet that everyone would think he was guilty, well after the DNA was found, the police were saying that if they found the owner of the DNA they would have their killer, now this guy really isn't going to come forward out of fear of persecution. I have always felt very strongly that the DNA has nothing to do with their killer. The white truck being a screen/distraction seems very convenient indeed! It would allow for a lot of scenarios. It would also be large enough to block a road.... Thank you very much, I hope justice is found soon too, they deserve it after nearly 15 years.

 

[mermaid630]

TedMac, we are definitely on the same page! You are so right, a fresh set of eyes would be very helpful, shaking things up might lead to new angles or new information. Chief Tony Spivey has contacted the producer of the show Cold Justice to see if they will feature this case on the show, no word if this is a sure thing yet or not. Maybe those will be the fresh eyes much needed here! There are so many questions about this case and so few answers. The DNA question really needs to be answered, would love to know if they checked her bed linens and soiled clothing to see if the same DNA could be found, that would be a good way to eliminate it as part of the crime if it did turn up else where. If the person the DNA belongs to really is innocent, he really needs to come forward! It would help tremendously if investigators knew for sure if the DNA was part of the crime or not, if not they could focus on other evidence. Knowing a motive would help too, why would someone kill 2 girls? They were not robbed, they were not raped, the car wasn't stolen, their jewelry wasn't missing, the cash wasn't missing....so what was the motive? Was it simply just to kill?

 

[December]

Mermaid630, thank you for the information.

I never really considered the possibiity that maybe they only needed to be at the party for 15-20 minutes. That puts a different spin on things...

If the girls ran into a person they knew (who, unbeknownst to them was stalking one or both of them) and he offered to ride with them to direct them to the party that might explain another way the murderer got into J.B.'s car. He could've claimed he knew a shortcut to the party. If they really needed to go for some reason, then that would be a big relief. IDK whether or not J.B. would chose to go along with such a thing though..

EDITED to add...

The white truck could be an intentional screen/distraction or it might just have been there and gotten used by someone sneaky. However, it happened, it also blocked part of the video. So, who knows what that might have shown.

I am not familiar with these towns they were visiting, but I have read field parties are very common in that part of the state of Alabama. I am wondering if there are any areas that look a little bit similar to the map or have similar street names or landmarks so that maybe they THOUGHT they found the party before they gave up and went to B/L. Maybe they walked a ways out into a field, realized the group wasn't THEIR group and headed back to their car and went searching for a phone.

 

[mermaid630]

You are very welcome December! Glad to share any information I have!

You raised a good point about the white truck blocking a lot of the video, why did the driver of that truck pull into that specific store and park in that specific place, hanging around until the girls interaction with the 2 witnesses and the phone call was over, then leaving around the same time as everyone else....seems so suspicious to me.

It is very possible the girls ran into someone either one or both of them knew, however, this would almost have to have taken place after leaving the Big Little store in Ozark....if the girls came into contact with the killer after the first stop in Headland, it seems unlikely that they would have been able to stop in Ozark at all, especially if the killer had gained control of them between Headland and Ozark under the guise of a shortcut home or even if by gunpoint.

Yes indeed, field parties are very common still in the area. Most all the small towns in Southeast Al look roughly the same, very rural and sparsely populated. Most of the rural areas are poorly lit as well, which makes it easy to miss your turns or figure out where you are. As far as them showing up at the wrong party, it certainly could have happened, all those fields look the same, especially at night!

There is a closed group on facebook called Justice for J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett, I don't know if any of you guys are members, but if your not, please join. All of your thoughts and ideas would be welcome, family members have encouraged everyone to share the page to draw as much attention as possible to the case.

 

[easongt]

I have thought about this case every day for the last 2 weeks. I STRONGLY believe this murder was not premeditated. By that I mean it was purely an opportunity killing. It was done by a single person most likely. Two people are hard pressed to keep their mouths shut. One gets arrested and spills the beans about a murder to get off on whatever bs charges he is facing by turning on the other. Call me cynical... but I believe the following:

One person committed the murder. If there were two people and a 2nd vehicle... I think they would have left it in a more secluded location farther away.

He lives or lived or was staying within a half mile of the location where the vehicle was left.

He carjacked, or faked needing help, or crept into the vehicle while they were at the gas station.

It was his first killing and possibly last. He did not know the victims. They were not killed out of rage but out of fear of getting caught. I think rape might have been a motive... but he panicked.

I do believe there are several clues we are not being told by the police... which is usually the case.

 

[TedMac]

I have thought about this case every day for the last 2 weeks. I STRONGLY believe this murder was not premeditated. By that I mean it was purely an opportunity killing. It was done by a single person most likely. Two people are hard pressed to keep their mouths shut. One gets arrested and spills the beans about a murder to get off on whatever bs charges he is facing by turning on the other. Call me cynical... but I believe the following:

One person committed the murder. If there were two people and a 2nd vehicle... I think they would have left it in a more secluded location farther away.

He lives or lived or was staying within a half mile of the location where the vehicle was left.

He carjacked, or faked needing help, or crept into the vehicle while they were at the gas station.

It was his first killing and possibly last. He did not know the victims. They were not killed out of rage but out of fear of getting caught. I think rape might have been a motive... but he panicked.

I do believe there are several clues we are not being told by the police... which is usually the case.

I tend to agree that this is the work of only one person. I also agree that it was probably not premeditated, but crime of opportunity instead. The part I am really struggling with is how he managed to get control of them. I can't see these girls picking up a stranger. I believe that this is the work of a law enforcement impersonator that used a flashing blue light to pull them over or perhaps they came upon someone walking that they recognized and he turned on them. I suppose someone could have used a separate vehicle to block the road and stop them, but that would have taken an extreme amount of luck and knowledge of them, what car they were in and what road they were on. Rape or another sex act may have been the motivation. J.B. had DNA on her bra and panties, which leads me to conclude she was made to strip down to her underwear. At this point, she may have been sodomized and the remnants of the act was what was found in her undergarments.

All of this is just a theory and MHOO.

 

[Kell1]

I tend to agree that this is the work of only one person. I also agree that it was probably not premeditated, but crime of opportunity instead. The part I am really struggling with is how he managed to get control of them.

How he came into contact with the victims, could be any 1 of a 100 ways, .. how he gained control was most likely either by con or ruse "can you help me", or hitchhiking....where the firearm was produced, to gain compliance once inside the vehicle

2 other possibilities, were that they actually stopped to talk to the offender, "Can you help us were lost?"

Another possibility is that he approached with the gun drawn, as if in a carjacking, demanded they open the door and the crime escalated from there .

At the scene again any number of ways, for instance he rapes or tries to rape 1 while keeping the other at gunpoint, puts one in the trunk, while raping the other, etc.. it could've played out a number of ways.

 

[Kell1]

I have thought about this case every day for the last 2 weeks. I STRONGLY believe this murder was not premeditated. By that I mean it was purely an opportunity killing. It was done by a single person most likely. Two people are hard pressed to keep their mouths shut. One gets arrested and spills the beans about a murder to get off on whatever bs charges he is facing by turning on the other. Call me cynical... but I believe the following:

One person committed the murder. If there were two people and a 2nd vehicle... I think they would have left it in a more secluded location farther away.

He lives or lived or was staying within a half mile of the location where the vehicle was left.

He carjacked, or faked needing help, or crept into the vehicle while they were at the gas station.

It was his first killing and possibly last. He did not know the victims. They were not killed out of rage but out of fear of getting caught. I think rape might have been a motive... but he panicked.

I do believe there are several clues we are not being told by the police... which is usually the case.

I agree with all of the above, and ill add I believe someone in the immediate vicinity knows who's responsible and hasn't come forward yet

 

[easongt]

Can anyone direct us to a link that shows the CCTV footage from the gas station? Some people have seen in but many of us haven't. I am curious if my theory of someone creeping into the vehicle while at the Little Big even remotely holds water.

There is something else that I recalled... so I researched it. I find it strangely coincidental. He COULD NOT be responsible for the murder in Ozark because he was in custody... but seeing the railroad tracks so close to the store made me think of this.

Ángel Maturino Reséndiz - AKA the railway killer was arrested on July 13, 1999. He actually traveled through Alabama at some point most likely... because he is believed to be responsible for a killing in Georgia.


This is a quote from the Wiki page on him. "After each murder he would linger in the homes for a while, mainly to eat; he took sentimental things and laid out the victims' driver's licenses to learn a bit about the lives he had taken." This is extremely coincidental considering his arrest date. This really has no bearing on the case but I originally thought of him when I saw the tracks and had to research his arrest date.

 

[easongt]

I have one other question. I'm sorry if this has been discussed and I've missed it... but here goes. Were any directions found in the vehicle?? Did these girls try to find the party based solely on verbal directions or did they have anything written down? This could shed light as to where they mistakenly went.

 

[December]

I have one other question. I'm sorry if this has been discussed and I've missed it... but here goes. Were any directions found in the vehicle?? Did these girls try to find the party based solely on verbal directions or did they have anything written down? This could shed light as to where they mistakenly went.

I watched the Haunting Evidence episode with the sound off, but in it the LE guy had a map that looked like something a teenaged girl might draw that he showed them. I assume LE found that in the car. I meant to go back and watch that portion with the sound on to see what he had to say about the map... the map might have not been a very good one and maybe it contributed to them being lost (I don't mean that the map drawer intended this, but just that it happened). The map absolutely did not look like the work of any grown man, so it is not anything LE made.

I think it is in the first part of the episode when LE takes the HE people to behind some blue metal building, he takes out the map and shows it to them. I don' t know what the blue metal building is... it looked kind of deserted.

If your theory is right (and I believe it is a likely one), then J.B. just happened to be chosen by the murderer for extra attention. Maybe she tried to speak up for her and Tracey and that made him pay more attention to her. Or maybe it was only because she was the driver.

I got the STRONG feeling during that episode that after the murderer killed Tracey, J.B.'s mind just blanked out on her because of shock. This is only a feeling I have, I also feel that they stuck together and did try very hard to survive this awful situation. They were smart girls, so they were looking for a way out... but, they were misled. By the way people mourn them together, I think people felt they were loyal to one another to the end.. that is is a common feeling. This is not always the case when two people are murdered together. Again, going by the mourners and their reactions.

 

[easongt]

I watched the Haunting Evidence episode with the sound off, but in it the LE guy had a map that looked like something a teenaged girl might draw that he showed them. I assume LE found that in the car. I meant to go back and watch that portion with the sound on to see what he had to say about the map... the map might have not been a very good one and maybe it contributed to them being lost (I don't mean that the map drawer intended this, but just that it happened). The map absolutely did not look like the work of any grown man, so it is not anything LE made.

I think it is in the first part of the episode when LE takes the HE people to behind some blue metal building, he takes out the map and shows it to them. I don' t know what the blue metal building is... it looked kind of deserted.

If your theory is right (and I believe it is a likely one), then J.B. just happened to be chosen by the murderer for extra attention. Maybe she tried to speak up for her and Tracey and that made him pay more attention to her. Or maybe it was only because she was the driver.

I got the STRONG feeling during that episode that after the murderer killed Tracey, J.B.'s mind just blanked out on her because of shock. This is only a feeling I have, I also feel that they stuck together and did try very hard to survive this awful situation. They were smart girls, so they were looking for a way out... but, they were misled. By the way people mourn them together, I think people felt they were loyal to one another to the end.. that is is a common feeling. This is not always the case when two people are murdered together. Again, going by the mourners and their reactions.

If I recall correctly... it was a map that the psychic had drawn prior to arriving. I don't put much faith into the psychic approach. This case just gnaws at me dang it...

 

[December]

If I recall correctly... it was a map that the psychic had drawn prior to arriving. I don't put much faith into the psychic approach. This case just gnaws at me dang it...

Oh. What a useless thing to show...

I don't really know what psychics have said about the case. It just kind of occurred to me watching that episode that maybe something occurred during the encounter between the girls and the killer that made him focus more on J.B. There have been some theories that he knew her already, but I'm starting to believe he didn't know the girls beforehand. I think if it was someone known to the girls then he'd be a suspect by now.

 

[killarney rose]

MOO about the psychic show is that it only usefulness was to draw attention to the case.

 

[easongt]

Oh. What a useless thing to show...

I don't really know what psychics have said about the case. It just kind of occurred to me watching that episode that maybe something occurred during the encounter between the girls and the killer that made him focus more on J.B. There have been some theories that he knew her already, but I'm starting to believe he didn't know the girls beforehand. I think if it was someone known to the girls then he'd be a suspect by now.

Maybe JB was targeted... but only that night. Hard to say if the killer "liked" or "hated" one of the girls more than the other. Does anyone know if the FBI did a profile of the killer? That is one thing that I do agree with... they know there stuff usually. There is probably enough info to get a good profile. The issue of the semen and not knowing for sure if it came from the killer is a variable. I think at this time... we have no choice but to assume it is from the killer. If the victim had a lover, I feel like someone would have come forward or been excluded.

 

[December]

Maybe JB was targeted... but only that night. Hard to say if the killer "liked" or "hated" one of the girls more than the other. Does anyone know if the FBI did a profile of the killer? That is one thing that I do agree with... they know there stuff usually. There is probably enough info to get a good profile. The issue of the semen and not knowing for sure if it came from the killer is a variable. I think at this time... we have no choice but to assume it is from the killer. If the victim had a lover, I feel like someone would have come forward or been excluded.

I don't really mean he liked her or hated her especially (although murderers generally are carrying around a lot of hate). It may have been just that she was the driver and nothing more than that. But, whatever it was, it happened then

 

[killarney rose]

www.rickeystokesnews.com/article.php/fifteen-years-later-still-no-suspects-in-double-murder-126800


OZARK: One of the most mysterious cases in the southeast Alabama will be entering it's 15th year of being unsolved as the month of July comes to an end.


The two young girls were about to enter their senior year of high school, both were found in the trunk of a black Mazda 929 shot to death.

A prayer vigil will be held at the site where J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett were discovered on July 31st at 7:00 PM.

 

[killarney rose]

http://www.rickeystokesnews.com/art...-spivey-on-the-beasley-hawlett-murders-126812

OZARK: With the 15th anniversary of deaths of the two Northview High School seniors in 1999 approaching, we sat down with Chief Tony Spivey today and talked to him about the still ongoing investigation.



There is more and a video at the link.

 

[easongt]

By coincidence I will be in Ozark tomorrow on an unrelated investigation (my job). If anyone can think of any pictures or areas they need pictures of... please let me know.

 

[easongt]

The following post was from http://wiregrass.com/WIregrass-Talk/aft/4873/afpgj/11

I hate not knowing if I'm participating in small town gossip or crazy theories... but there is always the chance this has substance to it. I have pasted it below.

<modsnip>