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

[LadyLems]

I watched the HE with the sound on this time. I thought the psychics were pretty restrained in their predictions, so I am considering their words carefully. Mostly, they were concerned about a truck they believe was parked at BL (not the white truck, a dark 'tricked out' pickup) as well as a building that is near to locations the girls were known to be. The building would have seemed very remote at night to two girls unfamiliar with the area. But, apparently, it's not. There is a creek nearby. They believe the killer passed the girls, then deceived them into stopping so he could get into their car via threatening with a gun.

One thing their description made me think about was what if the guy had a spotlight on his truck. If he put that in J.B.'s eyes, she'd have to stop. But, the psychic think J.B. and Tracie believed there was an accident (for a few seconds). This is plausible and it'd be another way to get them to stop.

Also, the psychic felt the type of sexual assault perpetrated was making the girls partially undress and then watch what the sicko was doing to himself. The thing about this is it answers 'why J.B.?' with no, it was both of them... it's just the only person with evidence of such a horrid encounter was J.B. But, almost the same thing happened at the same time. Of course, that part will never be known for sure until the killer is caught.

This being said, the police said they would follow up on the few clues the psychics gave them. So, I guess the building yielded no evidence. I wonder if they found a truck like that? But, if it wasn't usually around, then they wouldn't be able to unless another witness recalls seeing it.

ETA

BTW, I am not saying people should have to trust the psychics. But, if the killer's truck lights momentarily blinded J.B. then she'd have to stop. This would allow him to threaten her with the gun and possibly get into her vehicle.

Just a side note I am not saying that what they provided is off base completely I just have my own thoughts on using psychics. I rather use another method that I have known and trusted my entire life.

 

[December]

Just a side note I am not saying that what they provided is off base completely I just have my own thoughts on using psychics. I rather use another method that I have known and trusted my entire life.

I understand... It just gave me a couple of ideas that fit in with some things we've discussed. The evidence in the backseat of J.B.'s car suggests that the murderer might have ridden back there.

But, it is also possible he found another way to get into the backseat if he ever was back there.

The flaw in what the psychics suggested is that it would have left his truck sitting alongside the road while he committed the crime. This is a pretty big flaw since he couldn't know for sure that no one would see it parked or him walking to it.

 

[LadyLems]

I understand... It just gave me a couple of ideas that fit in with some things we've discussed. The evidence in the backseat of J.B.'s car suggests that the murderer might have ridden back there.

But, it is also possible he found another way to get into the backseat if he ever was back there.

The flaw in what the psychics suggested is that it would have left his truck sitting alongside the road while he committed the crime. This is a pretty big flaw since he couldn't know for sure that no one would see it parked or him walking to it.

I agree.

 

[easongt]

Thanks LadyLems.

I know this might have nothing to do with J.B. and Tracy's case but looking on the right side of the youtube link there is a video of an Ozark man arrested (in Florida on July 29th) regarding a kidnapping/sexual assault/battery case of a 30yo woman and her 8yo daughter in Ozark. I looked it up on news sites and it says the man kidnapped them at knife and gunpoint and brang them to a seclude area 10 miles from where he lives. I really hope the LE will look deeper into this man just in case he has some other 'secrets'

Interesting. Similar crime, but usually (not always) a suspect leaves victims alive... learns from his mistakes then changes MO to leaving "no witnesses". If this person were involved... he did it in reverse order. Just my opinion.

 

[LR1]

J.B. was a competitive dancer, wasn't she? Because I don't want to get bogged down too much into the idea that this absolutely had to be a chance encounter, maybe someone she didn't even know had taken an unnatural interest in her? IDK how likely this is, but I believe she was very serious about her dancing. Of all of the girls who are interested in dancing, not that many continue to take it as seriously after they become teens and the competition gets tough (so I have been told). We're still talking about hundreds of girls, of course. And a lot of people follow dancers just for their talent and do not expect to ever meet the girls in person. However, dancers who are very good these days have fans. Did they in 1999?

I read a article or comment sometime back saying she danced in some type of production not long before this happened so yes she was active from all accounts.

Not that its easy to forget but When brainstorming this case I keep having to remind myself that this was a double murder. Was one caught up in the others drama or were they both targeted? what were the reward/s gained and how do they measure up with the risks that were took?

You are right about not getting bogged down, if they are unsure of motive at this point then everything is still on the table. In fact if there's anything that they consider off the table, like a theory that is thought highly unlikely or a person who is not suspect because of ones inability to imagine a correlation between the person and the known depravity shown in this case, then that might be a good place to look.

what was gained by this and who stood to gain.

why + how = who

 

[December]

I read a article or comment sometime back saying she danced in some type of production not long before this happened so yes she was active from all accounts.

Not that its easy to forget but When brainstorming this case I keep having to remind myself that this was a double murder. Was one caught up in the others drama or were they both targeted? what were the reward/s gained and how do they measure up with the risks that were took?

You are right about not getting bogged down, if they are unsure of motive at this point then everything is still on the table. In fact if there's anything that they consider off the table, like a theory that is thought highly unlikely or a person who is not suspect because of ones inability to imagine a correlation between the person and the known depravity shown in this case, then that might be a good place to look.

what was gained by this and who stood to gain.

why + how = who

Interesting... so, this may have caused her to meet someone very much outside the range of people she normally knew.

Very likely, if J.B. was that into dance then Tracie had similar interests or related interests. The main reason we know about J.B.'s involvement in dance is her dance teacher was her guardian or something like that. This does happen with competitive dancers since they could be injured while away from home and need medical care, so their dance teacher can then authorize it.

 

[killarney rose]

Interesting... so, this may have caused her to meet someone very much outside the range of people she normally knew.

Very likely, if J.B. was that into dance then Tracie had similar interests or related interests. The main reason we know about J.B.'s involvement in dance is her dance teacher was her guardian or something like that. This does happen with competitive dancers since they could be injured while away from home and need medical care, so their dance teacher can then authorize it.

JB's dance teacher was her guardian because she had problems at home with her mother and she lived with her dance teacher. It had nothing to do with dancing and medical care.

 

[LadyLems]

This is going to sound so odd but does anyone know what color shirts these girls had on the day they were murdered?

 

[TedMac]

I read a article or comment sometime back saying she danced in some type of production not long before this happened so yes she was active from all accounts.

Not that its easy to forget but When brainstorming this case I keep having to remind myself that this was a double murder. Was one caught up in the others drama or were they both targeted? what were the reward/s gained and how do they measure up with the risks that were took?

You are right about not getting bogged down, if they are unsure of motive at this point then everything is still on the table. In fact if there's anything that they consider off the table, like a theory that is thought highly unlikely or a person who is not suspect because of ones inability to imagine a correlation between the person and the known depravity shown in this case, then that might be a good place to look.

what was gained by this and who stood to gain.

why + how = who

BBM There are a lot of possibilities in this case. But I don't think that either girl was "targeted". I can't help but think that this crime was not planned. Instead, it was a crime of opportunity. In some way their paths crossed with that of the killer or killers. I believe it was a single killer and he may have just seen them on the road and some how got them to pull over or they may have stopped somewhere that we are not aware of and the killer was present and commandeered their vehicle from there. I think that he had his own vehicle parked somewhere close to where JB's vehicle was located and he walked back to it after dropping off her car.

The motive and who did this is anybody's guess. Possibly sexual attack is my guess? Neither girl was raped in the traditional sense, but JB had DNA on her underclothes, but not on her jeans or top. So, she must have been forced to strip down in order for that to happen.

This case has been impossible to solve thus far because the killer was lucky (nobody apparently saw him) and his DNA is not on file and evidently has kept his mouth shut about what he did.

All of this is JMO

 

[kemo]

A lot of first class sleuthing going on on this site. I hope my contribution is up to the standards you all have set.

For whatever it is worth, I offer up the following observations:

1) As in any homicide investigation, a certain amount of "investigation" must be conducted on the victims. An adequate investigation would require that any chance that the seman got on B.J.'s undies through "innocent means" be ruled out 99.9%. (in 1999, there was no way DNA could be obtained from fabrique after it had been washed). We have to be able to assume that this was done and we can conclude that the DNA belong to the killer..

2)I am satisfied that the narrative that they blundered into Ozark accidentally while trying to find the party or find their way back is essentially accurate. If they had some unknown reason to go there, it is irrelevant to solving the crime. By asking Mrs. Merritt for directions back to Dothan, they established that they were in a town they were unfamiliar with and they were intent on returning immediately. The odds of encountering someone they knew who meant them harm is virtually nil. The were victims of a stranger sexual predator.

3) There is a pattern of sexual homicide where the perp abducts the victim by vehicle at one site, goes to a second site where the rape or whatever is committed and then dumping the victim at a third site. This isn't terribly imaginative but it can be very effective and many unsolved sexual homicides fit the pattern. The key is that as long as the perp can keep LE from identifying the "rape", the perp is free to use a spot that he is very comfortable with without fear that it can be linked to him. Also, forensic evidence that may be left at this site would not be a problem. Very often, finding the "rape site" is key to solving the crime.

The fact that the girls pant legs were wet would be a key clue to this site. It is not clear how wet they were. Pant legs wet by walking through dewey grass would be dry after they had sat, in summer heat, in the trunk of a car until 2:00PM the next day. Presumably they were in standing water. How deep? (one report said it was almost up to their waists) The only reasons for this that I can think of is that they either had to walk through water to get to the rape site or the perp wanted them to wash off some evidence (perhaps mud) from their feet or legs. Goggle Earth shows some small ponds in the area. Were they all checked out?

4)According to Jon Douglas, young or inexperienced sexual offenders may "fail to preform" and will resort to masterbation. The guy planned and executed the abduction well but it was probably his first time and his "failure to preform" might discourage him from doing it again. This might be the only sex crime this guy did.

5)I'm pretty sure our perp left his own vehicle on East Broad st; probably near Depot. He left the Mazda on Herring because it was within walking distance and no one would see him leaving the car. Until the actual abduction, he had no way of knowing in advance that he would need to have a discrete place to abandon a vehicle that night. Still, he knew about Herring St which, from what I can tell is a pretty obscure spot. Soldiers on base will venture into town for shopping and entertainment, but I don't see a reason many would be familiar with that area. I'm betting the guy was a local.

6)It is extremely likely that the White Truck is the perp's vehicle. The drivers behavior is "odd" but it is consistent with someone checking out the girls at the phone both and the guy never came forward. The trouble is, if Alabama is anything like Texas and Louisiana, where I have spent some time, very many men of all ages drive Pick Ups and most of them are white. Enhanced photography might have helped at the time to identify more details but it may not have been available or practical. At this point, it is probably too late to identify the truck .

7)The fact that the guy didn't go through the girls purses an take whatever cash there was is a little unusual. Most Sexual predators would in that situation. It is suggestive that the guy did not routinely engage in property crimes and he was not in any particular need of money. He was probably employed and did not have a "criminal" reputation. I don't know what crimes you need to commit in Alabama to get your blood drawn for DNA, but it seems like he hasn't been caught doing such a crime.

Overall, my WAG (wild *advertiser censored* guess) is that the guy was local and either still lives they or has family he is touch with. He has managed to avoid the kind of trouble that gets your DNA profile on data bases and will probably get away with it if he can stay clean.

 

[LadyLems]

I respectfully disagree, In my own opinion,This individual is extremely smart and is highly educated takes pride in the fact he has complete self control and knows not to cross his own set code of conduct line while carrying out his horrific deeds . This incident is not a one time occurrence he is a seasoned professional. He has a mind set that is quite different from society as a whole and he holds others in the highest esteem whom are like minded even those murderers whom have been caught he sympathizes with them and sees no wrong in what they have done and holds society to blame. This individual is a master of deception and as I stated before highly intelligent. He gets a great pleasure out of the fact that so much time has passed and feels that law enforcement is below him (intelligence wise) to the point of subtly taunting them. As if to say catch me if you can. He is a master in his own mind but unfortunately as is the case with many murderers one day he is going to make a mistake and when he does GAME OVER!

 

[TedMac]

A lot of first class sleuthing going on on this site. I hope my contribution is up to the standards you all have set.

For whatever it is worth, I offer up the following observations:

1) As in any homicide investigation, a certain amount of "investigation" must be conducted on the victims. An adequate investigation would require that any chance that the seman got on B.J.'s undies through "innocent means" be ruled out 99.9%. (in 1999, there was no way DNA could be obtained from fabrique after it had been washed). We have to be able to assume that this was done and we can conclude that the DNA belong to the killer..

2)I am satisfied that the narrative that they blundered into Ozark accidentally while trying to find the party or find their way back is essentially accurate. If they had some unknown reason to go there, it is irrelevant to solving the crime. By asking Mrs. Merritt for directions back to Dothan, they established that they were in a town they were unfamiliar with and they were intent on returning immediately. The odds of encountering someone they knew who meant them harm is virtually nil. The were victims of a stranger sexual predator.

3) There is a pattern of sexual homicide where the perp abducts the victim by vehicle at one site, goes to a second site where the rape or whatever is committed and then dumping the victim at a third site. This isn't terribly imaginative but it can be very effective and many unsolved sexual homicides fit the pattern. The key is that as long as the perp can keep LE from identifying the "rape", the perp is free to use a spot that he is very comfortable with without fear that it can be linked to him. Also, forensic evidence that may be left at this site would not be a problem. Very often, finding the "rape site" is key to solving the crime.

The fact that the girls pant legs were wet would be a key clue to this site. It is not clear how wet they were. Pant legs wet by walking through dewey grass would be dry after they had sat, in summer heat, in the trunk of a car until 2:00PM the next day. Presumably they were in standing water. How deep? (one report said it was almost up to their waists) The only reasons for this that I can think of is that they either had to walk through water to get to the rape site or the perp wanted them to wash off some evidence (perhaps mud) from their feet or legs. Goggle Earth shows some small ponds in the area. Were they all checked out?

4)According to Jon Douglas, young or inexperienced sexual offenders may "fail to preform" and will resort to masterbation. The guy planned and executed the abduction well but it was probably his first time and his "failure to preform" might discourage him from doing it again. This might be the only sex crime this guy did.

5)I'm pretty sure our perp left his own vehicle on East Broad st; probably near Depot. He left the Mazda on Herring because it was within walking distance and no one would see him leaving the car. Until the actual abduction, he had no way of knowing in advance that he would need to have a discrete place to abandon a vehicle that night. Still, he knew about Herring St which, from what I can tell is a pretty obscure spot. Soldiers on base will venture into town for shopping and entertainment, but I don't see a reason many would be familiar with that area. I'm betting the guy was a local.

6)It is extremely likely that the White Truck is the perp's vehicle. The drivers behavior is "odd" but it is consistent with someone checking out the girls at the phone both and the guy never came forward. The trouble is, if Alabama is anything like Texas and Louisiana, where I have spent some time, very many men of all ages drive Pick Ups and most of them are white. Enhanced photography might have helped at the time to identify more details but it may not have been available or practical. At this point, it is probably too late to identify the truck .

7)The fact that the guy didn't go through the girls purses an take whatever cash there was is a little unusual. Most Sexual predators would in that situation. It is suggestive that the guy did not routinely engage in property crimes and he was not in any particular need of money. He was probably employed and did not have a "criminal" reputation. I don't know what crimes you need to commit in Alabama to get your blood drawn for DNA, but it seems like he hasn't been caught doing such a crime.

Overall, my WAG (wild *advertiser censored* guess) is that the guy was local and either still lives they or has family he is touch with. He has managed to avoid the kind of trouble that gets your DNA profile on data bases and will probably get away with it if he can stay clean.

This is a very good post and you obviously have put a lot of thought into it. I would like to add the following:

BBM They were either forced to walk through a pond or perhaps a creek or they may have tried to escape running through a body of water in the process.

BBM He either masturbated on JB or forced her to perform a sex act on him and "finished" on her. He may have done this to Tracie as well and finished on JB. If this act was performed on one or both of them, I believe LE is keeping that part of the investigation under wraps.

BBM I don't have the link in front of me, but I am pretty sure that the driver of the white truck was identified and cleared.

 

[TedMac]

I respectfully disagree, In my own opinion,This individual is extremely smart and is highly educated takes pride in the fact he has complete self control and knows not to cross his own set code of conduct line while carrying out his horrific deeds . This incident is not a one time occurrence he is a seasoned professional. He has a mind set that is quite different from society as a whole and he holds others in the highest esteem whom are like minded even those murderers whom have been caught he sympathizes with them and sees no wrong in what they have done and holds society to blame. This individual is a master of deception and as I stated before highly intelligent. He gets a great pleasure out of the fact that so much time has passed and feels that law enforcement is below him (intelligence wise) to the point of subtly taunting them. As if to say catch me if you can. He is a master in his own mind but unfortunately as is the case with many murderers one day he is going to make a mistake and when he does GAME OVER!

BBM I'm not sure I agree that he is highly intelligent. He left DNA on J.B. and a hand print on the trunk of the car. Taking the girls to a location away from the abduction was a good move on his part for the reasons you stated. However, since we don't know under what circumstances he gained control of J.B.'s car, he may have taken them to a different location to simply keep from being seen. They may have simply stopped at another store and again asked for directions and were taken there. Again, it is so much about this case that we don't know.

 

[LadyLems]

BBM I'm not sure I agree that he is highly intelligent. He left DNA on J.B. and a hand print on the trunk of the car. Taking the girls to a location away from the abduction was a good move on his part for the reasons you stated. However, since we don't know under what circumstances he gained control of J.B.'s car, he may have taken them to a different location to simply keep from being seen. They may have simply stopped at another store and again and asked for directions and were taken there. Again, it is so much about this case that we don't know.

Well we shall see but a inner voice tells me I am right on target. Because I do not know who reads these post I will not go into further details. I was hoping the person whom registered and responded would make contact with me but they did not. So that speaks volumes to me as far as their relationship with the ABI.

 

[easongt]

I don't think he's a genius at all... I think is of average intelligence for that area. I just think he is extremely lucky. I've said all along that I believe he lived or lives very close to Herring. He did not know them prior.

 

[iron_angel]

Interesting. Similar crime, but usually (not always) a suspect leaves victims alive... learns from his mistakes then changes MO to leaving "no witnesses". If this person were involved... he did it in reverse order. Just my opinion.

Yeah I know and was thinking the same thing as well but from what I read it sounded so similar but who knows I just hope LE will look deeper into his past just in case (but he is probably not involved)

 

[TedMac]

I don't think he's a genius at all... I think is of average intelligence for that area. I just think he is extremely lucky. I've said all along that I believe he lived or lives very close to Herring. He did not know them prior.

BBM Agreed-He was very lucky.

 

[December]

All along I have been thinking that the DNA on J.B. was due to the killer specifically getting it on her. But, if they were in a very dark location, he might have believed he did not get any such thing around her or Tracie. He might have believed he had kept such evidence clear of them.

The scenario described on HE, which was not one I thought of before that, is that he made them partially undress and watch what he did to himself. I'm am not saying this is definitely what took place because we just do not know, but it would explain how he could get such a thing on one girl and not even realize it.

I have read several instances of different cities not having backlogs of DNA collected from rape kits tested for quite some time. If the perpetrator is a multiple offender, maybe he hasn't been identified purely for that reason. Detroit was one of the cities that had a huge backlog of untested rape kits. I really can't remember the other cities.

Even if the white truck has nothing to do with this crime, it DID screen part of the parking lot from being filmed on the security camera. We have to be mindful that not only do we not see what is on the other side of that truck, it also might have screened J.B. and Tracie's view. Someone MIGHT have been watching them even though we can't see it and the witnesses at the BL didn't notice this individual.

It might be useful to go park a similarly sized vehicle in that same location and see just how much of the view it really blocks IRL.

 

[December]

I don't think he's a genius at all... I think is of average intelligence for that area. I just think he is extremely lucky. I've said all along that I believe he lived or lives very close to Herring. He did not know them prior.

I agree... the handprint on the car shows a certain sloppiness to the crime. Although, it is possible, I guess that the handprint has nothing to do with the murder. However, if he got grease on the inside of J.B.'s car, that is another piece of carelessly left evidence.

It's possible there was further evidence that got destroyed before it was collected as the car sat there for quite some time before anyone realized what was hidden inside it.

 

[December]

I respectfully disagree, In my own opinion,This individual is extremely smart and is highly educated takes pride in the fact he has complete self control and knows not to cross his own set code of conduct line while carrying out his horrific deeds . This incident is not a one time occurrence he is a seasoned professional. He has a mind set that is quite different from society as a whole and he holds others in the highest esteem whom are like minded even those murderers whom have been caught he sympathizes with them and sees no wrong in what they have done and holds society to blame. This individual is a master of deception and as I stated before highly intelligent. He gets a great pleasure out of the fact that so much time has passed and feels that law enforcement is below him (intelligence wise) to the point of subtly taunting them. As if to say catch me if you can. He is a master in his own mind but unfortunately as is the case with many murderers one day he is going to make a mistake and when he does GAME OVER!

I believe he THINKS he is extremely intelligent. But, a lot of murderers are very arrogant.

Of course, he might be very smart and this was his first murder.