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

[LR1]

New to this case, and wondering...

Was JB living with a foster family?? Does anyone know the outcome of the "negligence" lawsuit JB's mother filed in 2001?

Supposedly she was living with her dance teacher, a female who's name escapes me at the moment, for months but JB's mother has recently said in a interview that JB usually stayed with her Mon-Fri. The lawsuit went nowhere. dismissed I think.

JB's sister, Lily... was her death long before JB's murder??

From what I read and seen JB's sister Liiv (19) died in the spring of 1994, COD unknown to me. I wasn't aware of another sister besides the four that are younger from a second marriage.

I did a quick search of the thread before posting and didn't find anything related to my questions, but apologies if this has been discussed previously.

No apologies needed, don't be a stranger.

 

[iron_angel]

If the car keys were kept by the killer, then it changes the whole scope of the killing from an opportunistic killing to a possible serial scenario with a souvenir being kept. Just my thought

I totally agree with you on this! I dont think an opportunistic killer or an one-time criminal would want to keep a souvenir, since they would be quite 'high' on fear of being captured and kind of paranoiac when seeing cops around him unless he has some sociopathic tendencies! Souvenir are s.k. way of remembering their crimes so in this case if the keys had been taken as a souvenir we might have someone who already had committed or has committed other murders after the girls! I was wondering is there a truck stop near by or an interstate highways used by truckers near by the location where the car had been found? Thinking about a serial killer here, I'd think of somebody like s.k. Bruce Mendenhall, a truck driver who killed in different states (including Alabama in the mid-00's)! The most likely scenario though, is he took the keys so he could keep control of the girls so they dont escape and threw the keys somewhere near by or while walking/driving home or throw it in the garbage at home or at his workplace etc...

 

[somequestions]

I think you can speculate all day long on where J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett crossed paths with their kidnapper/killer. I have my own theory if the crime took place at a residence.

I am still confused as to whether both girls had briars or burrs attached to their clothing. Briars are actually thorn that stick out from a plant like those from a rose. They are different in my interpretation from a burr. Burrs are those round balls with many pointy parts sticking out that I have definitely come across before. Then you have to take a napkin or something else to grab them off. In researching the most common burrs that stick to clothing come from the common burdock and the bluebur. Supposedly plants adapted the burr as a way to move seed by sticking to animal fur. Dogs sometimes get burrs stuck in their hair or in their mouth trying to get them out of their fur.

If this crime did happen at someone's home, I would think the house would probably have many plants in the backyard or lots of weeds.

 

[easongt]

Although nothing can be ruled out at this point... my gut tells me that this was not a traveler or transient. I believe it was a local or a recent/temporary transplanted local. The area looks so much different in person than the satellite images from Google Earth. My gut just tells me the person KNEW the area and lived/worked/stayed very close by. I don't think they are a criminal mastermind, but they aren't stupid either.

Again, if anyone can help get the metal detecting group together/approved... I will be there.

 

[easongt]

I think you can speculate all day long on where J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett crossed paths with their kidnapper/killer. I have my own theory if the crime took place at a residence.

I am still confused as to whether both girls had briars or burrs attached to their clothing. Briars are actually thorn that stick out from a plant like those from a rose. They are different in my interpretation from a burr. Burrs are those round balls with many pointy parts sticking out that I have definitely come across before. Then you have to take a napkin or something else to grab them off. In researching the most common burrs that stick to clothing come from the common burdock and the bluebur. Supposedly plants adapted the burr as a way to move seed by sticking to animal fur. Dogs sometimes get burrs stuck in their hair or in their mouth trying to get them out of their fur.

If this crime did happen at someone's home, I would think the house would probably have many plants in the backyard or lots of weeds.

Keep in mind it was reported their pant legs were damp/wet... i think to the knee section. Swampy damp area of woods.

 

[killarney rose]

For those of you new to the thread, or fairly new, there is a small creek in the woods on Herring St inbetween where the car was found and the apartments north of where the car was found. This was discussed in the first thread.

 

[somequestions]

I had a theory as to the type of road J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett were on. I went to an event and when I pulled into the parking lot there were puddles and I slowly when through some of them. Later I came out to my car and I had streaks of mud from the puddle water on my back side bumper and wheel well. Gravel parking lots I thought. It made me think of this case.

Just looking at J.B. Beasley's car from the few pictures I have seen it did not look like the tires were all that muddy. Even if they were in a very muddy area, once the killer goes to leave their car somewhere he can only be driving it tops 2 minutes if he leaves it a mile away and travels a speed of 30 mph. I use a mile away because a mile is close to 15-20 minutes walking time. The car would not have very much time for the mud to come off.

One of the things I have never understood is why people think the killer stopped them, then got into their car to make them drive somewhere else to commit the assault? He would have to leave his car wherever he encountered them. This would be a big problem for a police car. In this case, if you believe that, he would have left his car close to the spot on Herring Avenue where their car was found.

If it was a paved road, the car would probably be clean around the tires. If it was a dirt road, I think the car would have had major difficulty with traction and the tires and wheel well would probably be caked with mud. Kidnapper must not be that bright if he is trying to take a Mazda down a dirt road. How is tire traction with those cars? How many dirt roads are there in Ozark, AL?

I think the road J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett drove down was gravel with maybe some standing puddles of water.

 

[LR1]

What if someone wanted JB dead and the one sure way to not be identified as the killer was to kill Tracie also, because if JB was killed Tracie would be the only one who knew the motive behind the killing thus leading to the killer, as a result she had to die as well. Now it probably didn't happen that way but the way I see it all options are still on the table.

Someone mentioned the psychology/psychopathy behind the killers actions that night. A psychopath is never easy to spot. People who've studied in this field would have a easier time spotting one but even then it can be difficult. I wouldn't expect Ozark to have such a person at the ready but I'm thinking the FBI with their involvement likely had such an individual take a look but even the feds are not going to assign someone to work this case for very long.

I've mentioned it before but a very renowned fellow in the field of forensic psychology came down and took a look at this case according to an article I saw, it was around 2005-2007, Richard Walter. I've always wondered what his thoughts were on this case.

It seems to me if you took a very hard look at the list of possible suspects, if such a thing exists, looking at both pre and post crime behaviors, somewhere in there would be a red flag that would point to the perpetrator. It's this knowledge coupled with the fact that so much time has passed with no resolution that makes me think they have yet to encounter the killer. Then again, I might be giving them too much credit.

 

[easongt]

I would like to contact the detective who is now assigned to this case. I am hoping for some of us to volunteer to search the properties and wooded areas with metal detectors. I'm not sure if this is legally possible. I have no idea where to start without going through LE. In fact, I wouldn't do it without LE consent. FYI... I'm hoping to search the immediate woods from where the vehicle was found... approximately 20 yards deep... in a direction walking towards Dale Medical Center. I feel that is the direction the vehicle passed due to how it was parked... and I feel they walked back that direction. Of course if I'm wrong and there actually WAS a 2nd vehicle... then the missing keys could be anywhere. I just feel the need to do somnething other than speculate in this case. I think an entire Saturday and sore feet is the least I can give. Anyone interested in helping... PM me.

 

[somequestions]

What if someone wanted JB dead and the one sure way to not be identified as the killer was to kill Tracie also, because if JB was killed Tracie would be the only one who knew the motive behind the killing thus leading to the killer, as a result she had to die as well. Now it probably didn't happen that way but the way I see it all options are still on the table.

Someone mentioned the psychology/psychopathy behind the killers actions that night. A psychopath is never easy to spot. People who've studied in this field would have a easier time spotting one but even then it can be difficult. I wouldn't expect Ozark to have such a person at the ready but I'm thinking the FBI with their involvement likely had such an individual take a look but even the feds are not going to assign someone to work this case for very long.

I've mentioned it before but a very renowned fellow in the field of forensic psychology came down and took a look at this case according to an article I saw, it was around 2005-2007, Richard Walter. I've always wondered what his thoughts were on this case.

It seems to me if you took a very hard look at the list of possible suspects, if such a thing exists, looking at both pre and post crime behaviors, somewhere in there would be a red flag that would point to the perpetrator. It's this knowledge coupled with the fact that so much time has passed with no resolution that makes me think they have yet to encounter the killer. Then again, I might be giving them too much credit.

Richard Walter is part of a group known as the Vidocq Society. The Vidocq Society is a group of the world's best detectives that help local law enforcement with unsolved cold case homicides. Has J.B. Beasley or Tracie Hawlett's family thought of asking them to look at the case? I think local law enforcement also has to ask for their help. The Vidocq Society choose one case a month and the law enforcement agency is asked to come to a luncheon where they put on a presentation of the cold case for the members of the society in hopes of generating useful feedback towards the investigation.

If Richard Walter has already commented on the case then it probably was suggested, but it would be interesting to know what the Vidocq Society thinks about this crime.

 

[Goldfinch]

Richard Walter is part of a group known as the Vidocq Society. The Vidocq Society is a group of the world's best detectives that help local law enforcement with unsolved cold case homicides. Has J.B. Beasley or Tracie Hawlett's family thought of asking them to look at the case? I think local law enforcement also has to ask for their help. The Vidocq Society choose one case a month and the law enforcement agency is asked to come to a luncheon where they put on a presentation of the cold case for the members of the society in hopes of generating useful feedback towards the investigation.

If Richard Walter has already commented on the case then it probably was suggested, but it would be interesting to know what the Vidocq Society thinks about this crime.

Yes, The Vidocq Society meets one Thursday a month in Philadelphia, PA. The case must be submitted by a family member or ith investigating LE authority involved. They must be invited by the law authority that has jurisdiction over the case to proceed.

 

[LR1]

Richard Walter is part of a group known as the Vidocq Society. The Vidocq Society is a group of the world's best detectives that help local law enforcement with unsolved cold case homicides. Has J.B. Beasley or Tracie Hawlett's family thought of asking them to look at the case? I think local law enforcement also has to ask for their help. The Vidocq Society choose one case a month and the law enforcement agency is asked to come to a luncheon where they put on a presentation of the cold case for the members of the society in hopes of generating useful feedback towards the investigation.

If Richard Walter has already commented on the case then it probably was suggested, but it would be interesting to know what the Vidocq Society thinks about this crime.

Yes I was aware of who he is because of the book "The Murder Room" a book about Vidocq written a few years ago. Actually it was a audiobook I listened to. But yeah he was one of the founding members who spent a great deal of his career as a prison psychologist in the state of, guess where... that's right Michigan of all places. I don't know if LE reached out to Vidocq wanting to give a full presentation to the society or RW just came down to work directly with LE for a short time individually, according to the book this does happen at times when possible because they can't accept every case submitted obviously.

 

[TedMac]

I would like to contact the detective who is now assigned to this case. I am hoping for some of us to volunteer to search the properties and wooded areas with metal detectors. I'm not sure if this is legally possible. I have no idea where to start without going through LE. In fact, I wouldn't do it without LE consent. FYI... I'm hoping to search the immediate woods from where the vehicle was found... approximately 20 yards deep... in a direction walking towards Dale Medical Center. I feel that is the direction the vehicle passed due to how it was parked... and I feel they walked back that direction. Of course if I'm wrong and there actually WAS a 2nd vehicle... then the missing keys could be anywhere. I just feel the need to do somnething other than speculate in this case. I think an entire Saturday and sore feet is the least I can give. Anyone interested in helping... PM me.

BBM Here is the contact info for the Cold Case Investigator assigned by the AL Attorney General's Office: "Anyone with information on these murders is urged to contact the Alabama Attorney General’s Office, Cold Case Unit Toll Free Tip Line at (866) 419-1236 or email ColdCaseTips@ago.state.al.us. You could be eligible for a reward"

 

[Gimpalong]

...I am hoping for some of us to volunteer to search the properties and wooded areas with metal detectors. I'm not sure if this is legally possible. I have no idea where to start without going through LE. In fact, I wouldn't do it without LE consent...

Please don't go tromping through someone's private property. LE cannot give you permission to trespass.

There's at least 6 separate parcels on the north side of James St. west of Herring Ave. At a minimum you need to contact the owners of those parcels to gain their permission to metal detect on their land.

 

[easongt]

Please don't go tromping through someone's private property. LE cannot give you permission to trespass.

There's at least 6 separate parcels on the north side of James St. west of Herring Ave. At a minimum you need to contact the owners of those parcels to gain their permission to metal detect on their land.

Thank you. It goes without saying I would obtain consent from the property owners. But even with consent, I would want the partnership or approval of local law enforcement to be aware of what I was doing.

 

[somequestions]

In my opinion, the biggest question mark in this case is whether or not J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett were kidnapped by someone driving a vehicle. So let's go through some of the major theories that have been put forth.

1. J.B. and Tracie were at the gas station talking to the witness who gave them directions and someone overheard or just decided to sneak in the backseat of their car. He could be a transient or someone hopping rides on railroad cars. He takes them to secluded damp location where he assaults them and shoots them in the trunk of their own car. Why would he then drive the car to Herring Ave leaving it in another secluded spot on the road? Since he is a transient it would be better to just leave it in the secluded area where he shoots them making it more difficult to be found so he has longer to get away. It does not make a lot of sense to hide evidence if he has already left his DNA on one of the victims and a palm print on the trunk.

2. The Haunting Evidence scenario- I have a hard time believing this one at all. The killer has a truck that drives in front of them quick, then gets out to fake an accident scene. The street J.B. and Tracie were driving seems rather well-traveled and I find it hard to believe the killer just leaves his truck there. Carla Baron said that the killer passed them while driving. It is only about 2 miles to U.S. 231. So what does the guy do pass them, speed up like crazy, slam on the brakes to park his truck(because J.B. and Tracie would still be moving up quickly behind), and then get into the street to flag them down?! The problem is time and distance. Many times this is distorted in people's minds.

3. The killer knows J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett- This actually has a ring of truth to it. Someone who knows J.B. or Tracie might know the car and it was found parked near land owned by J.B. Beasley's family. But then if the killer knows the victims why not do more to try and cover up that association if he met them out in public. If they were at a lake or river, why not put the car in neutral and push it into the water? Why not put the victims in the water? Why look at their driver's license or ask for it if you already know who you are talking to?

4. The crime happened at someone's property and home- I tend to think this but their are huge problems. Single young men usually do not own their own homes unless they are successful or inherited it. But a single man might have a dog for security and maybe that dog got into some briars or burrs and needed to go to the vet? Maybe the killer thought J.B. and Tracie were someone else when they pulled up? This is another problem. What type of person carries a 9 mm on them at all times unless they grab it for protection? The killer has to see them face to face if it is dark outside.


These are just some theories. None of them is right and none of them is wrong. Anything is a possibility.

 

[Goldfinch]

In my opinion, the biggest question mark in this case is whether or not J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett were kidnapped by someone driving a vehicle. So let's go through some of the major theories that have been put forth.

1. J.B. and Tracie were at the gas station talking to the witness who gave them directions and someone overheard or just decided to sneak in the backseat of their car. He could be a transient or someone hopping rides on railroad cars. He takes them to secluded damp location where he assaults them and shoots them in the trunk of their own car. Why would he then drive the car to Herring Ave leaving it in another secluded spot on the road? Since he is a transient it would be better to just leave it in the secluded area where he shoots them making it more difficult to be found so he has longer to get away. It does not make a lot of sense to hide evidence if he has already left his DNA on one of the victims and a palm print on the trunk.

2. The Haunting Evidence scenario- I have a hard time believing this one at all. The killer has a truck that drives in front of them quick, then gets out to fake an accident scene. The street J.B. and Tracie were driving seems rather well-traveled and I find it hard to believe the killer just leaves his truck there. Carla Baron said that the killer passed them while driving. It is only about 2 miles to U.S. 231. So what does the guy do pass them, speed up like crazy, slam on the brakes to park his truck(because J.B. and Tracie would still be moving up quickly behind), and then get into the street to flag them down?! The problem is time and distance. Many times this is distorted in people's minds.

3. The killer knows J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett- This actually has a ring of truth to it. Someone who knows J.B. or Tracie might know the car and it was found parked near land owned by J.B. Beasley's family. But then if the killer knows the victims why not do more to try and cover up that association if he met them out in public. If they were at a lake or river, why not put the car in neutral and push it into the water? Why not put the victims in the water? Why look at their driver's license or ask for it if you already know who you are talking to?

4. The crime happened at someone's property and home- I tend to think this but their are huge problems. Single young men usually do not own their own homes unless they are successful or inherited it. But a single man might have a dog for security and maybe that dog got into some briars or burrs and needed to go to the vet? Maybe the killer thought J.B. and Tracie were someone else when they pulled up? This is another problem. What type of person carries a 9 mm on them at all times unless they grab it for protection? The killer has to see them face to face if it is dark outside.


These are just some theories. None of them is right and none of them is wrong. Anything is a possibility.

JMO: someone comfortable being out late at night(darkness), familiar & comfortable with handguns(experienced), someone conifdent that they can move freely in this area(local or works locally), someone that has killed before ( former military, LE, or sociopath). Also why does he have to be a young man? Where does this dog with the briars fit in?? Was it just luck leaving so little clues behind?

 

[LR1]

In the interest of gauging where we stand as a group on some key aspects, here are five poll questions. Obviously we're all unsure about a great many things related to the case, so I'm not going to include "Not Sure" as an option here. Whether it's instinct, deduction or you have reliable information, I'm interested in your answers and, by extension, whether a majority of us share some of the same suspicions and beliefs, or if we're completely divided as we continue to discuss.

Feel free to answer publicly or, if you're not comfortable with that, send me a private message. The goal is not to isolate and critique any one person's views, but to see what we're thinking as a group at this point.

1. Did Johnny Barrentine have direct involvement in the murders?

2. Is the DNA that was found on J.B. Beasley related to the murders?

3. Why was the car moved to Herring Avenue following the murders?

4. Who is the strongest suspect?

5. Does LE know who the killer is but they lack the evidence to convict, or does the identity of the killer continue to elude authorities?

Was the poll taker going to participate in this poll? What's your best guesses to these questions along with my two...

killer known to them?

any planning involved?

 

[LR1]

Thank you. It goes without saying I would obtain consent from the property owners. But even with consent, I would want the partnership or approval of local law enforcement to be aware of what I was doing.

If there hasn't been an effort to look for these keys within a reasonable distance from where the car was found with metal detectors then it should be done. Ideally, several people working together all the way up herring on both sides of the road within throwing distance of the road should be searched. You might wait until it cools off though and watch for snakes.

If found what would it tell us? Direction of travel maybe, and they were not kept as a trophy. It might tell us they were on foot if you found them in deep, but theres a lot of ground to cover there.

 

[TedMac]

I don't know if it just a coincidence or not, but the land on Herring Ave where the car was found belongs to a relative of J. B. Beasley. You could probably make contact with some of them on the Facebook Page (Justice for J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett) and see if they would be give you permission to go on their land.

BBM I want to correct my earlier post. At the time I wrote the above, I relied on information that cannot be verified. I was wrong to do that and I humbly apologize to everyone I unintentionally misled. Again, my mistake and again, my apologies.