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

[killarney rose]

I agree it was moved to hide the murder scene... but that being a bonus and a secondary reason. Just too risky late at night with bodies in your trunk driving a vehicle not registered to you. If someone else was working with you... take it out of town... with them following you. Put it in a secluded area... drop it in a lake or pond. Why put it in an area where you KNOW it will be found soon? Because you have to get back home.

Another good reason to say this wasn't a conspiracy by multiple corrupt LE.if it was, they would have had help ditching the car and hiding the bodies. They wouldn't have had to leave them on Herring St. This points to it being someone who lived near, or was visiting the area.

 

[CoolJ]

I agree KR. I don't think this was done by corrupt LE. I think you are very correct when you say the bodies wouldn't have been left there. Thanks for that!

easongt, I respect your opinion tremendously, but I don't think JB is the lone killer. Involved? Possibly.
Witnessed something that spooked him? Likely.
Do you really think the killer had to get home so bad that he left a car with two dead girls executed in the trunk, close to where he lives or is associated with? I do acknowledge your theory as a possibility, but I am much more inclined to think they( I think more than 1 perp/body ditchers) would ditch it somewhere not linked to them.
I guess it comes down to the intelligence of the killer(s). Which brings us back to JB, which fits in with your theory nicely. So I can definitely see here you are coming from.
Let's say your theory is true. What about the DNA?

 

[TooCurious]

I don't think it was a robbery... obviously. I don't think it was a "hit" by LE. In my opinion... if corrupt LE were involved... we would never have found the victims and possibly not found their vehicle. My opinion only...

I agree it all goes back to intelligence of the killer. If an LE was involved, why not have the bodies discovered and be on scene to help explain away any accidental DNA left at the scene? How do we know that LE DNA was not found and excluded as incidental because they were on scene? We don't. In this case it would be the perfect cover. Sorry but 2 teenage girls, giving friends rides, possibly dating, etc... there is going to be some DNA in there. Has anyone heard of them finding DNA and excluding people?
It is not so easy to hide the car, if you are on duty LE you can't drive out to where you would need to be to hide the bodies and make it back to patrol duty without possibly being discovered. IMO, it is much safer to have it discovered. Torching to solve any left over DNA would also cause a problem of drawing attention to themselves. I also the agree that the car was left in town because of access to get away but not by JB of course.

 

[TooCurious]

Another thing that doesn't work out quite right for me. In the pic posted above, JB house is East of the store, the girls were going West of the store. JB had his vehicle, so where did he overtake the girls?
1) At the store? His vehicle would have had to be parked somewhere on the side for people to see and he would have to travel straight up Herring in front of the houses to return or on side of the highway. They weren't at store long enough for him to go park and run back
2) West of the store, isn't that the direction they were last seen heading ? That would make the drop off on Herring out of his way and crossing a more populated area and traveling further.
If he had an accomplice, then there was no need to even park the car close to his residence. They could drive it wherever.

 

[killarney rose]

I have always believed that Barrentine stumbled upon something. I don't believe he was the killer, but I believe he saw something, or inadvertently became involved and he was threatened.
I believe he might've been the one to dump the car and bodies (under threat)while the killers got away.

I have believed this from the time the murders happened and he was arrested. I just don't believe he was smart enough to have pulled this off alone, but I do believe that dumb luck could've gotten him involved.

I've never been completely convinced that the truck at the pumps wasn't involved even if LE says it was cleared. To this day I get the creeps when I see an American Towing truck. I know this was said to be a railroad company truck from out of state, but that grainy film leaves a lot to interpetation.JMHO.

I also believe there could be a chance the killer is someone completely unknown to LE and they just got very lucky. This has always been a crime of opportunity to me.

 

[easongt]

I have always believed that Barrentine stumbled upon something. I don't believe he was the killer, but I believe he saw something, or inadvertently became involved and he was threatened.
I believe he might've been the one to dump the car and bodies (under threat)while the killers got away.

I have believed this from the time the murders happened and he was arrested. I just don't believe he was smart enough to have pulled this off alone, but I do believe that dumb luck could've gotten him involved.

I've never been completely convinced that the truck at the pumps wasn't involved even if LE says it was cleared. To this day I get the creeps when I see an American Towing truck. I know this was said to be a railroad company truck from out of state, but that grainy film leaves a lot to interpetation.JMHO.

I also believe there could be a chance the killer is someone completely unknown to LE and they just got very lucky. This has always been a crime of opportunity to me.

I don't necessarily disagree with that hypothesis. I just have a strong belief that Barretine was involved because of where the vehicle was left. My only issue with multiple perps is usually someone talks or rolls over at some point. Not always... but often.

I just think whenever you have an inept investigation (especially at the start) that it's easy to give the impression of corruption. I have zero doubt that LE were in over their head on this one.

If I were part of LE cold case team... at this point in time... what would I do?

1. Interview Barrentine spouse again - check for inconsistencies or perhaps new information
2. I would metal detect thoroughly the area where vehicle was found... just south to cross road and then spread north

Just my opinion.

 

[TooCurious]

1) The License
Why was the license out? That is a big question for me. She could have left it out but it is doubtful it would have stayed on the dash with all that driving. That coupled with the window cracked open only a couple of inches just screams of an LE stop or an LE impersonator stopping them, IMO. (The 9mm too).
2) The Window
I had to attend a driving school back in 98' and the officer giving the class talked about pulling people over and how sometimes the drivers that have been drinking only crack the windows a little bit to pass the license over and hopefully keep LE from smelling alcohol. (In actuality it creates a funnel doing just the opposite) They were going to a party for a limited amount of time, they very well could have had something to drink that evening, not being drunk but maybe enough to smell like alcohol or think they smelled like alcohol.
Now I don't know about you guys but I absolutely can not drive far with just the window cracked. The noise bothers me and it has to go up. I do not think that many of us can keep it down for a long period of time while driving. Does this indicate that the murder scene was fairly close by? The only other reason (that I can think of) it would be cracked was if there was a smoker driving.
When you add the license, the window, the fact that somehow someone gained control of the vehicle and the girls, and the 9mm you come up with LE or LE impersonator. I see nothing else that points to anyone or even a motive.
You can read stories all over the internet of what police officers are doing when they pull over vulnerable women. It is not too big of a stretch to envision a police predator targeting two young, attractive girls after he finds them in possession of alcohol.(whether physically or by consumption) I do have problems with this theory as well though.
JB motive? Why would he kill 2 girls or pull 2 girls over? Have there ever been any reports of him ever having a gun or more specifically a 9mm? So maybe he does fit as an accomplice but an accomplice to who? You would be a special friend to help with disposing of two bodies, who were the people closest to JB? A friend that close would be well known to the wife and the family.

 

[TooCurious]

I don't necessarily disagree with that hypothesis. I just have a strong belief that Barretine was involved because of where the vehicle was left. My only issue with multiple perps is usually someone talks or rolls over at some point. Not always... but often.

I just think whenever you have an inept investigation (especially at the start) that it's easy to give the impression of corruption. I have zero doubt that LE were in over their head on this one.

If I were part of LE cold case team... at this point in time... what would I do?

1. Interview Barrentine spouse again - check for inconsistencies or perhaps new information
2. I would metal detect thoroughly the area where vehicle was found... just south to cross road and then spread north

Just my opinion.

http://m.topix.com/forum/city/dothan-al/TGEDS92KKMDVSKI9C/p5

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[TooCurious]

I wish this thread was divided up into categories. There are so many different aspects to discuss that when one gets started it easy to get pulled away to a different part of the story. I have seen reports of the girls pants being wet below the knee, that to me speaks of them running away through high grass after the dew has fallen but then I see stuff like this and scratch my head.
Also, I have seen where they were shot in the trunk and other saying they were loaded in the trunk. http://whatliesbeyond.boards.net/thread/2117/unsolved-murder-alabama-teenagers
Can anyone straighten this out for me please?
Also, the 9mm shell resting on the leg was it spent because I have also seen where it wasn't spent. If they were shot in trunk I could see someone chambering a round and forgetting one was in there. It hit the pants legs so no sound was made. Why were there no prints on this casing?

 

[TooCurious]

View attachment 87031

Great thanks for the pic. I was wondering if I could ask you to provide one more pic. Same pic but zoomed out some and mark the police station and hospital. The pic you have shows the closeness of JB's house and kind of gives the feel of being rural, especially where the car was left. In actuality it is pretty close by to the major services of town. JB's house is right across the street from the high school, I bet the car is not even 1/4 of a mile from the hospital and the gas station is probably not even a mile from police hq. If the girls left heading towards 231, they were driving even closer to police department. Over taking a vehicle in this area is pretty brazen to me.

I feel so bad for these girls, if they would have stayed on Broad street they would have ran right into 231. They were almost home.

 

[killarney rose]

My theory has always been that Barrentine ran into the killers when he was out for milk. This explains why he was gone so long. I think he knew the killers, either from school, or just living in Ozark. I'm not convinced that BS was not the killer or was with them. Barrentine happens upon them after they are talking to, or have subdued the girls. He's just a bumbling, friendly guy who likes to impress. he sees the guys and goes over to speak to/ hang out with some cool guys before completing his errand. Oops, now Barrentine knows what they are doing. So what do they do? They threaten him into helping them and he does. Maybe threatening him is enough, or maybe they threaten his wife or child. Either way, he goes along with them and parks the car on Herring St. He gets home late, he's all shook up.

This explains his fascination with the case.

In the meantime, the actual killers go on home, they have the connections , or street smarts to not get caught, looks like Barrentine will be their patsy and take the rap when he is arrested.

Barrentine might have told his wife what really happened. He might have told a family member what happened. They know he is not real bright. They know he wasn't a killer, so they protect him for the rest of his life.

This theory leaves the door open for it to have been several suspects. BS, or the guy that went to MI, or even someone whose name has never been brought up. I have always believed it happened this way. The killers couldve even been LE impersonators but Barrentine knew them and stopped .That would explain the license being left out and the drivers window being partly down.

 

[Bulldog23]

I think that is probably the most well thoughtout theories I have seen.

I've read that, early on, Johnny said he might just know who did it. He was encouraged by friends to go to the police. He wanted to feel important, and he wanted the reward money. The attention and cash lead him to talk, even though his fear of the killer(s) stopped him from being honest.

The killer(s) may have used a flashing light to get the girls to stop, explaining the license and the window.

From what I've read about Tracie, she seemed pretty straight forward. She told her mom they were lost but had gotten directions and were headed home. So after leaving the gas station, they were either pulled over by a cop, an impersonator, or stopped again for some reason.

Deep in the Wiregrass boards there is a claim that JB and Tracie stopped by an informal party in Ozark. I wonder if after leaving the BP, they went by a friend's house- for just a second- but weren't permitted to leave or were followed and pulled over. If memory serves me, the claim about seeing the girls at an informal party came from a self-identified suspect who claims to have been questioned.

Again, great work Killarny Rose. I think you are on the right track.

 

[Goldfinch]

I have always believed that Barrentine stumbled upon something. I don't believe he was the killer, but I believe he saw something, or inadvertently became involved and he was threatened.
I believe he might've been the one to dump the car and bodies (under threat)while the killers got away.

I have believed this from the time the murders happened and he was arrested. I just don't believe he was smart enough to have pulled this off alone, but I do believe that dumb luck could've gotten him involved.

I've never been completely convinced that the truck at the pumps wasn't involved even if LE says it was cleared. To this day I get the creeps when I see an American Towing truck. I know this was said to be a railroad company truck from out of state, but that grainy film leaves a lot to interpetation.JMHO.

I also believe there could be a chance the killer is someone completely unknown to LE and they just got very lucky. This has always been a crime of opportunity to me.

I also feel there is more to the white truck at the scene( Big/Little Store). I read that the owner was traced to Delaware and cleared but that seems too simple. It was described as a small pick up so I doubt it was a tow truck. I've never heard mention of it being a RR co truck either. Besides the 2 women it is the only vehicle known to be at the scene where JB & Tracie were last seen alive.

 

[easongt]

If the missing keys were found in the woods or brush in the direction of travel toward JB house from vehicle/victim discovery location... It would seal it in my opinion. It's a long shot but it's something that could physically be done instead of doing nothing. I have a feeling they were tossed.

 

[easongt]

In regards to how The killer came into contact with the victims... I just don't have a set theory. I feel confident that JB was involved. Alone or not... He had opportunity... time and admittingly was out and in the area at the time the victims were there. Dang I wish they (LE) would interview the wife again. So simple.

 

[TedMac]

In regards to how The killer came into contact with the victims... I just don't have a set theory. I feel confident that JB was involved. Alone or not... He had opportunity... time and admittingly was out and in the area at the time the victims were there. Dang I wish they (LE) would interview the wife again. So simple.

BBM I agree that would be a good thing to do and hopefully, the Cold-Case Investigator has done or will do that. But even more than that, it would have been better if they had re-interviewed him prior to his death. What is even sadder, is Ozark PD didn't even know he had died until Beasley's sister told them.

 

[TedMac]

In regards to how The killer came into contact with the victims... I just don't have a set theory. I feel confident that JB was involved. Alone or not... He had opportunity... time and admittingly was out and in the area at the time the victims were there. Dang I wish they (LE) would interview the wife again. So simple.

BBM I agree that would be a good thing to do and hopefully, the Cold-Case Investigator has done or will do it. But even more than that, it would have been better if they had re-interviewed him prior to his death. What is even sadder, is Ozark PD didn't even know he had died until Beasley's sister told them.

 

[killarney rose]

IMO OPD botched this case all around. Whether it was inexperience , or they were hiding something, they botched it. I lean towards inexperience. If they would be willing to turn their files completely over to a cold case unit(have they?) and work with them, it would go a long way towards re-establishing some credibility in the community.

 

[easongt]

IMO OPD botched this case all around. Whether it was inexperience , or they were hiding something, they botched it. I lean towards inexperience. If they would be willing to turn their files completely over to a cold case unit(have they?) and work with them, it would go a long way towards re-establishing some credibility in the community.

Well said. Ego, pride and an unwillingness to admit you screwed the pooch on the investigation might prevent that from happening. But establishing trust with the people you're sworn to protect would go a long way to dispelling rumor and clearing the air for the actual closing of this case.

The only evidence that I could see still being uncovered would be an additional bullet casing (which would be deteriorated beyond belief by now) or the missing keys. I don't think the keys were kept as a souvenir/trophy. I think they were removed from the vehicle out of habit or to avoid fingerprints or DNA if perp was injured. I think they were tossed. What do you guys think?

It may very well be at this point in time there will be no further evidence uncovered... and as with many cold cases... it will take someone coming clean to put this one in the "Closed/Solved" file.

If I were LE cold case investigator assigned to this case... I for sure would have checked out all these boards by now... so if you're reading this... re-interview the wife... metal detect the paths to JB's former residence... please!

 

[easongt]

I had a water pipe leak somewhere on my property. Normally speaking that's a fairly easy thing to locate... just look for soggy spot or bubbling water. I have 3/4 of a mile of 2" pipe between the meter and my buildings... which makes it a little bit harder than normal. I tried forever to locate a shut off valve that I haven't had to use in a long time (I have about 6 shut off valves). I couldn't locate it... years of heavy rain had buried the box deeper. After looking and prodding for an hour, I broke out the metal detector and found it in 5 minutes. The entire time I just couldn't stop thinking about those keys.