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

[Irishrose70]

wow, that is the first I ever heard that as a definitive thing (both wearing jeans) I think I just always figured they were, even though it was implied one was wearing a skirt, because there was talk of moisture levels, briars, etc. A skirt implies scratches and tears if nylons were worn.

 

[TooCurious]

wow, that is the first I ever heard that as a definitive thing (both wearing jeans) I think I just always figured they were, even though it was implied one was wearing a skirt, because there was talk of moisture levels, briars, etc. A skirt implies scratches and tears if nylons were worn.

From reading I was always under the impression JB was wearing some blouse, dress looking contraption over jeans.

 

[December]

"Blouse dress looking contraption" over jeans was a thing in the late nineties. So, she might have been. I do not know this was what she had, but very long blouses or short dresses were worn over jeans at the time (sometimes) especially by teens.
https://az616578.vo.msecnd.net/file...1246_e9437e85-3482-4860-b446-e98869c513b4.jpg

 

[folieadeuxnola]

Thank you for posting as well folieadeuxnola, right back at you and you're far too kind.

...you should have seen me trying to type your name correctly with my one finger chicken pecking Yeah I'll need to abbreviate that one for sure. How do you pronounce that... never mind. I had a hard time with Eugenie Boisfontaine until I heard someone's pronouncement, beautiful name that one.

Perfectly fine LR1, many thanks ! Often pronounce names as I see them as well its human nature, in Louisiana very little is pronounced as how it appears.
Took 18 years to pronounce tchoupitoulas may take another 5 years to spell it w/o googling :shame:

The name was indifferent a friend came up with it 12 years ago for a business venture ... however now-a-days it is a name of a wine :cheers:

folie à deux - (French, literally, double madness) the presence of the same or similar delusional ideas in two persons closely associated with one another

The killing fields indeed what a story, this I will say if you google and read there is a mass amount of unsolved murders in BR or very close proximity and many
have been linked to serials killers in which there have been several. Strange place

 

[somequestions]

I think in order to really understand the case of J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett you have to understand the 4 locations that might or might not be linked together.

1. Where they met the killer- This has been the source of much debate, whether their meeting was planned or accidental, whether they were going to a specific place or lost in the town of Ozark, AL.

2. Where they were assaulted- It is thought that this location contains briars and water as that is what was found on their clothing. The mud on their shoes from the pictures on Haunting Evidence looks like splotchy mud to me, like someone who was walking through grass that was soaked in water and the pressure from the shoes sprayed mud on the other as they walked.

3. Where their car was found- The only known location in this case is that the car was found facing north along the very southern end of Herring Avenue in Ozark, AL. A memorial marks the location.

4. Where the murderer lives- Again this could be anywhere, but with J.B. Beasley being found in a sleeping position and the shell casing on Tracie Hawlett's pants leg suggesting J.B. never tried to shake her awake, it seems likely that the killer either waited for a period of time before moving the car or when he did finally move the car J.B. Beasley was no longer alive.

Understanding these locations is important in this case. For example, if they were meeting some guy who lived in town, would he really shoot them in the trunk of their car with the possibility of waking up his next door neighbors in the early morning hours? If the murderer planned on killing them, why not invite them to the actual assault location and skip the potential for witnesses to see them entering his house?

What actually happened in this case is a mystery, but understanding the actual locations and how they link or do not link up makes the case a little bit easier to understand.

 

[TooCurious]

I think in order to really understand the case of J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett you have to understand the 4 locations that might or might not be linked together.

1. Where they met the killer- This has been the source of much debate, whether their meeting was planned or accidental, whether they were going to a specific place or lost in the town of Ozark, AL.

2. Where they were assaulted- It is thought that this location contains briars and water as that is what was found on their clothing. The mud on their shoes from the pictures on Haunting Evidence looks like splotchy mud to me, like someone who was walking through grass that was soaked in water and the pressure from the shoes sprayed mud on the other as they walked.

3. Where their car was found- The only known location in this case is that the car was found facing north along the very southern end of Herring Avenue in Ozark, AL. A memorial marks the location.

4. Where the murderer lives- Again this could be anywhere, but with J.B. Beasley being found in a sleeping position and the shell casing on Tracie Hawlett's pants leg suggesting J.B. never tried to shake her awake, it seems likely that the killer either waited for a period of time before moving the car or when he did finally move the car J.B. Beasley was no longer alive.

Understanding these locations is important in this case. For example, if they were meeting some guy who lived in town, would he really shoot them in the trunk of their car with the possibility of waking up his next door neighbors in the early morning hours? If the murderer planned on killing them, why not invite them to the actual assault location and skip the potential for witnesses to see them entering his house?

What actually happened in this case is a mystery, but understanding the actual locations and how they link or do not link up makes the case a little bit easier to understand.

The bullet/casing on the pants leg could also suggest the car was not driven very far and not driven on unmaintained road.

 

[somequestions]

There are other small aspects of the case of J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett that are worth mentioning.

Did either girl smoke or drink? If they were involved in some type of drug activity, I would find it a little curious they did not smoke or drink.

Whatever happened to Tracie Hawlett, she was not expecting it. This is because of the new shoes. If she knew she was going to a place that might end up ruining her new shoes, I think she would have chose a different pair.

It is a strange case. I find it odd that it seems J.B. Beasley did not try to shake her friend awake, but maybe the injury to J.B. was more serious than thought or she simply assumed Tracie was dead. It makes you wonder if Tracie was killed well before J.B. too and that is why J.B. knows she is dead. I know the evidence does not suggest that.

If you assume they were not lost and if you are relatively sure they were not stopped on AL 27 Broad Street(where would the killer leave his car?), how this crime occurred or why they ended up making a total circle is strange to me. Maybe somehow one of the guys they met earlier jumped in the trunk as a practical joke? I am sure one of them would realize that. How would he get in the trunk?

I get the impression this case is simpler than people think. Even simple cases sometimes are really confusing mysteries.

 

[killarney rose]

SomeQuestions, ITA with the last line of your post. If this case is ever solved, I really believe it's going to be very simple, and most likely a scenario we have not come up with.

 

[TedMac]

There are other small aspects of the case of J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett that are worth mentioning.

Did either girl smoke or drink? If they were involved in some type of drug activity, I would find it a little curious they did not smoke or drink.

It is a strange case. I find it odd that it seems J.B. Beasley did not try to shake her friend awake, but maybe the injury to J.B. was more serious than thought or she simply assumed Tracie was dead. It makes you wonder if Tracie was killed well before J.B. too and that is why J.B. knows she is dead. I know the evidence does not suggest that.

I get the impression this case is simpler than people think. Even simple cases sometimes are really confusing mysteries.

I don't know if either smoke or drank. Their autopsies indicated that neither girl had any alcohol or illegal drugs in their systems.

I agree that the case is simpler than most people think.

I have a question for anyone that can answer it...I have seen it mentioned on this thread more than once that Tracie was killed before J.B. and maybe by as much as a couple of hours. I guess I missed reading that part. Could someone please let me know the link where that was stated? I would be most interested in reading it. I was always under the impression that they were shot at the same time. Tracie was shot in the head and I feel certain died instantly. J.B. was shot in the cheek and depending on the trajectory of the bullet, may or may not have lived a short while. Thanks!

 

[somequestions]

There is one other possibility in the case of J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett that might explain the car movement and how they might have been kidnapped. If the kidnapper stopped them like on the show Haunting Evidence, but then took just Tracie and told J.B. to follow or he would kill her friend, that might explain how the killer has transportation to leave from any scene nearby. That would be taking a big risk in case J.B. just leaves, but it might be possible.

The whole idea behind another vehicle stopping them is rather ridiculous though. I run it through my head and if it was just some random guy who saw their car, but then traveled in front of them and stopped and can somehow recognize a black Mazda in the dark and know there are two females inside is rather remarkable. If the car had a headlight out, then maybe it was possible. During this entire trip, there never was any time when the car was alone? J.B. stopped in front of Tracie's house, Tracie comes out and gets in, and from then on, they are always at or near the car.

What is really remarkable is that if the killer is someone they know, how in the world did the killer know they would get "lost" and end up in Ozark, AL or even prepare for the lateness associated with Tracie Hawlett making the phone call to her mom that night?

Whoever the killer is in this case, it certainly looks like he does not mind getting dirty. If his idea was to take them to some swampy area, I would expect he has been there before.

The quickest way between two points is a straight line. I think either the killer in this case was following them and was very familiar with their car or he is a random individual living in Ozark who walked home from where he left their car in such a way that it was a direct straight line back to his house. This is what I think.

 

[TooCurious]

After 17 years we do not even know where they were killed!! How ridiculous is that? I mean I guess it is feasible but they have not excluded the site from 123 as the murder location nor have they confirmed it. Why not work on the assumption it is the wurder site and start investigating all people familiar with that site? Or maybe they have, who knows. Keeping things this quiet after this long is just wrong. Why have they not excluded that site as the murder scene?

 

[THErealshanm]

There is one other possibility in the case of J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett that might explain the car movement and how they might have been kidnapped. If the kidnapper stopped them like on the show Haunting Evidence, but then took just Tracie and told J.B. to follow or he would kill her friend, that might explain how the killer has transportation to leave from any scene nearby. That would be taking a big risk in case J.B. just leaves, but it might be possible.

The whole idea behind another vehicle stopping them is rather ridiculous though. I run it through my head and if it was just some random guy who saw their car, but then traveled in front of them and stopped and can somehow recognize a black Mazda in the dark and know there are two females inside is rather remarkable. If the car had a headlight out, then maybe it was possible. During this entire trip, there never was any time when the car was alone? J.B. stopped in front of Tracie's house, Tracie comes out and gets in, and from then on, they are always at or near the car.

What is really remarkable is that if the killer is someone they know, how in the world did the killer know they would get "lost" and end up in Ozark, AL or even prepare for the lateness associated with Tracie Hawlett making the phone call to her mom that night?

Whoever the killer is in this case, it certainly looks like he does not mind getting dirty. If his idea was to take them to some swampy area, I would expect he has been there before.

The quickest way between two points is a straight line. I think either the killer in this case was following them and was very familiar with their car or he is a random individual living in Ozark who walked home from where he left their car in such a way that it was a direct straight line back to his house. This is what I think.

OK...someone from Ozark...there were stoplights on the route they would have taken after leaving the B/L Store, correct? It has more than 20 years since I moved away so I'm having trouble remembering. If so, I have a theory of how and why they may have been stopped. I am only a few years older than JB and Tracie and I know my friends and I would do this all the time....if we were riding down the street and some cute guys stopped at the light next to us a lot of times we would roll down our windows and talk with them. Looking back on it this was a really dumb thing to do but we were teenage girls. We saw no danger in this whatsoever... It was just a way to meet guys. Also might be another reason for the window being down. If this happened, someone would have plenty of time to pull a gun and take control of the them and the car. JMO

 

[LR1]

I have a question for anyone that can answer it...I have seen it mentioned on this thread more than once that Tracie was killed before J.B. and maybe by as much as a couple of hours. I guess I missed reading that part. Could someone please let me know the link where that was stated? I would be most interested in reading it. I was always under the impression that they were shot at the same time. Tracie was shot in the head and I feel certain died instantly. J.B. was shot in the cheek and depending on the trajectory of the bullet, may or may not have lived a short while. Thanks!

I'm not sure where that came from either. Back a while ago I suggested that one way LE might have been able to determine they were shot somewhere other than where the car was found would be from possible blood pattern on the undercarriage. R Kelly and I were going back and forth about it and he thought they would have died quickly and not from blood loss. He also thought it was unlikely there would have been any leakage given the way trunks are sealed. I suggested JB might not have died instantly because from some reports she was shot in the cheek, but her possibly living for hours is speculation I had not heard before.

Your last sentence sums up my thoughts on it. Whether she lived for a short time would depend on the trajectory.

 

[somequestions]

OK...someone from Ozark...there were stoplights on the route they would have taken after leaving the B/L Store, correct? It has more than 20 years since I moved away so I'm having trouble remembering. If so, I have a theory of how and why they may have been stopped. I am only a few years older than JB and Tracie and I know my friends and I would do this all the time....if we were riding down the street and some cute guys stopped at the light next to us a lot of times we would roll down our windows and talk with them. Looking back on it this was a really dumb thing to do but we were teenage girls. We saw no danger in this whatsoever... It was just a way to meet guys. Also might be another reason for the window being down. If this happened, someone would have plenty of time to pull a gun and take control of the them and the car. JMO

It is always nice to hear from someone who actually lives in the area. I did not really consider that possibility that they stopped to talk to some guys. You bring up an interesting point. If the killer is known to the girls, then he really got lucky with them getting lost and ending up in Ozark, AL, whether meeting them at a stoplight or them stopping by his house.


I think sometimes we are all forgetting a very important part of this case. Unless you believe J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett were intentionally trying to fool people into where they were heading that night, they were supposed to go to a birthday get together for J.B. Beasley. This is where they were headed, the birthday field party. Any other place they end up is circumstance. That is why it looks as if the person they met up with that night was a stranger and not someone they knew. But every possibility is on the table.

 

[somequestions]

I'm not sure where that came from either. Back a while ago I suggested that one way LE might have been able to determine they were shot somewhere other than where the car was found would be from possible blood pattern on the undercarriage. R Kelly and I were going back and forth about it and he thought they would have died quickly and not from blood loss. He also thought it was unlikely there would have been any leakage given the way trunks are sealed. I suggested JB might not have died instantly because from some reports she was shot in the cheek, but her possibly living for hours is speculation I had not heard before.

Your last sentence sums up my thoughts on it. Whether she lived for a short time would depend on the trajectory.

I actually asked this question of a medical examiner: Do dead bodies bleed? His simple response: NO. Now before you all go pointing to some t.v. program or some crime scene photo, remember a dead body will leak blood from the wound while the natural processes after death continue. But dead bodies do not bleed. At least this is what I was told. Maybe the guy I talked to does not know his stuff and with all this online sleuthing, I have definitely gotten things wrong before. Anyone can correct me.

What the medical examiner was explaining to me was that in order for your body to "bleed" blood you have to have blood circulation. When your heart stops pumping you do not have blood circulation. Someone who is actually a medical expert can explain this better than I can.

So in this case I would suspect that the majority of the blood in the trunk was J.B. Beasley's. And yes, if there was enough blood to leak onto the undercarriage of the car, she probably was alive for a while. How long is anyone's guess. It would be a good question for an M.E. Based on the wound, her weight and size, how long would it take for her to lose enough blood and pass away? If she was actually found in a sleeping position in the trunk, it might also mean that the order of shooting was Tracie Hawlett first, J.B. Beasley second, given that if the killer saw that she was still alive might have then finished her off. It could also be that the casing from the bullet that killed J.B. Beasley was the one on Tracie Hawlett's leg. How he did not see the bullet casing was strange, especially if he was a police officer, but maybe the guy has some problem with his eyes.

I think I could be wrong about one thing. Before I wrote that maybe the killer waited to move the car. That could definitely be wrong. In order for the blood to actually form a trail under the car that would mean that it had not yet coagulated. So there is also the possibility, at least based on this online evidence, that not only was J.B. Beasley alive, but that she was alive while the killer was driving the car to the spot on Herring Ave.

So I hope this information helps, at least in terms of understanding blood loss, blood hardening, and how it contributes to a time frame associated with the case of J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett. Every crime scene tells a story. You just have to look for the clues to understand it.

 

[TedMac]

It is always nice to hear from someone who actually lives in the area. I did not really consider that possibility that they stopped to talk to some guys. You bring up an interesting point. If the killer is known to the girls, then he really got lucky with them getting lost and ending up in Ozark, AL, whether meeting them at a stoplight or them stopping by his house.


I think sometimes we are all forgetting a very important part of this case. Unless you believe J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett were intentionally trying to fool people into where they were heading that night, they were supposed to go to a birthday get together for J.B. Beasley. This is where they were headed, the birthday field party. Any other place they end up is circumstance. That is why it looks as if the person they met up with that night was a stranger and not someone they knew. But every possibility is on the table.

BBM I believe they went to the killer's house or where he was because they were invited to go there earlier that day. I have a strong feeling that Beasley may have talked to this person by phone while Tracie was on the other phone speaking with her mom. I don't think it was just luck they went there. Think of it as a Venus Fly Trap slamming shut on the fly. I believe they went there just to put in an appearance before going home or maybe even to use the bathroom before the 20 or so minute drive back to Dothan. The killer was there, in position and ready. If the truth ever comes out in this case, I really believe it will show that Beasley was the actual target and that she was set up by the killer and maybe an accomplice.

The initial news reports said the field party was for J.B.'s birthday, but later that story changed from it just being a field party and J.B. was simply invited because it was her friend hosting it and it was her birthday. The field party was their original destination, but their plans changed at some point that evening and they had hoped to meet up with a couple of guys. Either due to miscommunication or lack of knowledge of the roads, they were never able to meet the boys. J.B.'s sister confirmed all of that and so did the PI that investigated the case about 10 years ago.

 

[TedMac]

I actually asked this question of a medical examiner: Do dead bodies bleed? His simple response: NO. Now before you all go pointing to some t.v. program or some crime scene photo, remember a dead body will leak blood from the wound while the natural processes after death continue. But dead bodies do not bleed. At least this is what I was told. Maybe the guy I talked to does not know his stuff and with all this online sleuthing, I have definitely gotten things wrong before. Anyone can correct me.

What the medical examiner was explaining to me was that in order for your body to "bleed" blood you have to have blood circulation. When your heart stops pumping you do not have blood circulation. Someone who is actually a medical expert can explain this better than I can.

So in this case I would suspect that the majority of the blood in the trunk was J.B. Beasley's. And yes, if there was enough blood to leak onto the undercarriage of the car, she probably was alive for a while. How long is anyone's guess. It would be a good question for an M.E. Based on the wound, her weight and size, how long would it take for her to lose enough blood and pass away? If she was actually found in a sleeping position in the trunk, it might also mean that the order of shooting was Tracie Hawlett first, J.B. Beasley second, given that if the killer saw that she was still alive might have then finished her off. It could also be that the casing from the bullet that killed J.B. Beasley was the one on Tracie Hawlett's leg. How he did not see the bullet casing was strange, especially if he was a police officer, but maybe the guy has some problem with his eyes.

I think I could be wrong about one thing. Before I wrote that maybe the killer waited to move the car. That could definitely be wrong. In order for the blood to actually form a trail under the car that would mean that it had not yet coagulated. So there is also the possibility, at least based on this online evidence, that not only was J.B. Beasley alive, but that she was alive while the killer was driving the car to the spot on Herring Ave.

So I hope this information helps, at least in terms of understanding blood loss, blood hardening, and how it contributes to a time frame associated with the case of J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett. Every crime scene tells a story. You just have to look for the clues to understand it.

The info the medical examiner gave you is correct. Once the heart stops beating, the blood is no longer moving in the body and settles to the lowest point where the body is laying. But, if a gunshot wound is to the head as is was with Tracie, the blood "above" the wound in her head run out due to gravity. Also, if her head was lower than the rest of her body, then more of her blood would escape through the wound. In my police days, I saw several murder victims and one that stands out was a man that was shot in the chest with a .44 magnum. The bullet went through his heart and exited through. The impact knocked him backwards and he ended up his back. Even though he died instantly, he lost an enormous amount of blood through the massive wound.

 

[somequestions]

We can all debate whether or not J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett knew the killer. This idea was probably already thought of on Websleuths and checked by police but here it goes:


The one thing I keep thinking is that if J.B. Beasley was still alive when the murderer left the car on Herring Avenue and if she knew the killer, I was kind of surprised she did not try to write that person's name in blood either in the trunk or on Tracie's body somehow. But then she would have no way of pointing to where she left her note. She would need some item to try to write on too. I just think that if I knew the murderer's name I would want police and my family to know who murdered my friend.

 

[December]

Still alive and still conscious or able to do things are different things.

Also, if the bullet went through the bottom of the trunk, blood from the initial wounds would follow it. There would be some bleeding because their hearts were beating when they were shot.

The car wasn't sitting in a puddle of blood. There was just blood on the undercarriage. We don't know specifically how much.

 

[Irishrose70]

I did not give it much credit at the time, but I was told that one of the girls was taken to the hospital for resuscitation efforts. It was not a standard rumor, I only heard it once. I am beginning to wonder now if there was anything to it. Does anyone else know if this really happened or did anyone else hear it may have?