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

[somequestions]

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.

I agree. There is no way of knowing how bad the shooting wound was to J.B. Beasley. She probably would have been very lethargic from blood loss which would certainly affect her brain and ability to think clearly. If there was blood on the undercarriage of the car she was bleeding which meant her heart was still pumping blood.

I thought that if they knew their killer that at some point they might have left something or some message letting people know who it was that kidnapped them. This could have happened at any time that night. In the trunk, as a last resort, maybe write the name of who murdered them. This is why I tend to believe that whoever murdered them was probably some stranger who they had never met before.

If the rumor about taking the baseball cap is correct, since it was night, the person might have long hair or no hair. It is another guess, but a simple one.

If the murderer was a stranger, this is the type of case where it would not come as a surprise if the murderer lived across the street from where the car was parked.

 

[easongt]

Whoever committed the murder had ties to land or the community. That's why they were not left where they were shot. It's also why they were left where they were left so it couldn't be traced back to them during the investigation. My opinion of course

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[somequestions]

Without knowing the information that police and family have it will probably be very difficult to come to any solid conclusions.


1. Were J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett's pants actually wet from being in a place that had water because they were standing in water or were just the pants wet like they were kneeling on the ground?


2. Where did the briars on their pants come from? Blackberry bushes sometimes can have lots of briars.


3. How can anyone explain the car ending up almost completely back at the area from where it pulled out of the Big Little Store that night and ending up on Herring Ave.? With the directions to get back to 231 seeming so simple, where did they go wrong? This last question is what drew me to this case because if you consider the murderer has to walk back home, that two gunshots would require distance from neighbors, and that the property might be where they were assaulted, it goes a long way in examining the possibilities.


I think they turned around and went back towards the party but never made it out of town. It is something that they ended up in Ozark in the first place. The entire way there going the opposite direction of the party gives credence to the idea that maybe they really were meeting someone they knew.


What do others think? I think the murderer lives in the southeast part of town, either on Bingham Ave or close to that area. Blackberry bushes and water are probably a part of the property. The person might be in an occupation that requires a gun but rarely uses it so security guard might be a good example. That is my opinion.

 

[LR1]

@somequestions

I've thought it at least possible that someone somehow gained entry to the car either while at the store or as the girls were exiting the parking lot. Reports suggested of the three vehicles at the store, the girls were the last to leave. If they were taken out of town and murdered this might explain why the car ended up back near the store.

What does not make sense to me is the girls getting across town or any substantial distance from the store, being abducted and ending up back near the store. A lot of us feel the car was dropped fairly near where the perp had to get back to, but I also think it suggests that whatever happened to gain control happened not far from the store. Them leaving the store and taking one of the side roads near the store for whatever reason instead of heading to 231 is also a possibility.

Take this with a grain of salt but I do remember reading years ago at the old site of talk of gunshots being reported. My understanding is that it was in the area of northwest of the store. I want to say the reports weren't taken seriously, at least that's what was implied in the post. But like I say, that was hearsay and fuzzy hearsay at that. I do not remember coming across that post in the subsequent and more recent viewing of that forum.

Speaking of gunshots being reported, in the old WG.com reports, there were shots reported that same night and without going to look I think it was in the area of hwy 123 but north of 231, but don't quote me on that. I want to say they found casings and were not thought to be related. Anyone else see this?

 

[LR1]

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?

I have not heard of that one before Irishrose.

 

[somequestions]

@somequestions

I've thought it at least possible that someone somehow gained entry to the car either while at the store or as the girls were exiting the parking lot. Reports suggested of the three vehicles at the store, the girls were the last to leave. If they were taken out of town and murdered this might explain why the car ended up back near the store.

What does not make sense to me is the girls getting across town or any substantial distance from the store, being abducted and ending up back near the store. A lot of us feel the car was dropped fairly near where the perp had to get back to, but I also think it suggests that whatever happened to gain control happened not far from the store. Them leaving the store and taking one of the side roads near the store for whatever reason instead of heading to 231 is also a possibility.

Take this with a grain of salt but I do remember reading years ago at the old site of talk of gunshots being reported. My understanding is that it was in the area of northwest of the store. I want to say the reports weren't taken seriously, at least that's what was implied in the post. But like I say, that was hearsay and fuzzy hearsay at that. I do not remember coming across that post in the subsequent and more recent viewing of that forum.

Speaking of gunshots being reported, in the old WG.com reports, there were shots reported that same night and without going to look I think it was in the area of hwy 123 but north of 231, but don't quote me on that. I want to say they found casings and were not thought to be related. Anyone else see this?

Take what I have to explain with a grain of salt as well since I am not an expert on guns and have only read about them. According to what I read a shell casing can be matched to the exact gun used so if you have a comparison it can be matched. So if the bullet casings police tested did not match they would know this definitively. And that would place the gun at some point at that place you talked about in the area of hwy 123 but north of 231. I read it was somewhere like Depot Lane. The point is police would know if the bullet casings matched the gun that killed J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett.

I also read somewhere about bullet casings and how they are ejected, to the right or to the left. For revolvers, from what I read, the initial shell casing when fired would stay in the chamber. It would not be ejected. But the second shot would clear that shell casing. I think a 9mm is a semi-automatic whatever that is considered? I do not have a lot of knowledge about guns. The point is that leaving shell casings behind at a murder scene is not a very smart choice, especially if you ever plan on using that gun again.

I think the murderer would toss the gun. Maybe he felt leaving the bodies and the gun in the same place was a problem so he moved the bodies.

In all these movies and t.v. shows you see the murderer tossing the gun in a body of water. So I am guessing in the past 17 years that Ozark P.D. and the FBI used sonar on bodies of water to see if they could try and find the gun. That is what I would do.

I would try to find the gun.

 

[December]

A 9mm semiautomatic ejects its shells. But, we don't know how many shots were fired, we only know how many hit something.

Some people say it was a shell casing found in the car, some say an unspent bullet. I don't know, but even if it's a shell casing that's one less than hit. So, either that brass hit ground somewhere or the murderer policed his brass.

ETA: I remember a report about someone hearing gunshots that night. It might be in the old thread. It came in a few days after the girls were found, I guess after the person realized the potential significance of it.

 

[December]

Here is a brief slow motion video of a 9mm being shot and the casing being ejected. Note that not all 9mm pistols eject in exactly the same way, some send the casing farther away (over the shooter's shoulder in some cases). But, for people who have never seen this, this will give you an idea.
Marine Fires 9mm Pistol in Slow Motion: [video=youtu;6VK6Dlu2kyg]http://youtu.be/6VK6Dlu2kyg[/video]

 

[LR1]

A 9mm semiautomatic ejects its shells. But, we don't know how many shots were fired, we only know how many hit something.

Some people say it was a shell casing found in the car, some say an unspent bullet. I don't know, but even if it's a shell casing that's one less than hit. So, either that brass hit ground somewhere or the murderer policed his brass.

ETA: I remember a report about someone hearing gunshots that night. It might be in the old thread. It came in a few days after the girls were found, I guess after the person realized the potential significance of it.

You might be thinking of the report that led to the searching of the possible crime scene on 123 south of Ozark where they took soil samples and found the unspent 9mm from a different mfg. than the spent casing that was found in the trunk. I think it was like 6 months after the murders when that person came forward.

After I mentioned the reports of shots fired yesterday I went looking for that article, I'm almost certain this was in the news in the day's that followed but I couldn't find it. I thought it was in the chronology of events or one of the previous editions of the wiregrass site but no luck. I searched wtvy, southeastern sun, dothan eagle...nothing. Most of the archives only go back to around the mid 2000's so maybe it got purged idk, it's got me puzzled though cause I know I read it somewhere.

 

[TedMac]

You might be thinking of the report that led to the searching of the possible crime scene on 123 south of Ozark where they took soil samples and found the unspent 9mm from a different mfg. than the spent casing that was found in the trunk. I think it was like 6 months after the murders when that person came forward.


After I mentioned the reports of shots fired yesterday I went looking for that article, I'm almost certain this was in the news in the day's that followed but I couldn't find it. I thought it was in the chronology of events or one of the previous editions of the wiregrass site but no luck. I searched wtvy, southeastern sun, dothan eagle...nothing. Most of the archives only go back to around the mid 2000's so maybe it got purged idk, it's got me puzzled though cause I know I read it somewhere.

BB< This is from Dime Detective's post #9 in the 1st thread:

"Since the day police discovered the bodies, they have said that J.B. and Tracie were shot while inside the Mazda's trunk. And, they've said, they believed the actual shooting happened somewhere other than where the car was found.

Yet, months into the investigation, police couldn't say where that somewhere else was.

Then, in March 2000, a woman who lived just south of town reported that she heard screams and what sounded like two gunshots on the night of the murders.

The woman didn't report the information sooner because she "didn't want to get involved," Chief Spivey said.

The area, next to what neighbors said is a now-vacant house, is surrounded by trees and has two World War II-era buildings on the property. The spider-web-encrusted buildings -- wooden structures that appear to be a barn and a half-collapsed garage -- sit about 100 feet off the roadway.

With FBI help, Spivey said, crime scene specialists and investigators combed the area and found a spent 9mm shell casing, the same caliber casing found in the trunk with the bodies.

Police sent the casing and a soil sample from the area to the state forensics lab, where they still sit. [July 2000]

Tipton said forensics experts will compare the dirt from that location with dirt found on J.B.'s and Tracie's clothing.

He said they will also examine the unique "extraction marks" left on the two casings by the gun that ejected them.

Because investigators are still awaiting those test results from the forensics lab, they don't know if the scene south of town is the actual murder scene."

 

[TedMac]

Take what I have to explain with a grain of salt as well since I am not an expert on guns and have only read about them. According to what I read a shell casing can be matched to the exact gun used so if you have a comparison it can be matched. So if the bullet casings police tested did not match they would know this definitively. And that would place the gun at some point at that place you talked about in the area of hwy 123 but north of 231. I read it was somewhere like Depot Lane. The point is police would know if the bullet casings matched the gun that killed J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett.

I also read somewhere about bullet casings and how they are ejected, to the right or to the left. For revolvers, from what I read, the initial shell casing when fired would stay in the chamber. It would not be ejected. But the second shot would clear that shell casing. I think a 9mm is a semi-automatic whatever that is considered? I do not have a lot of knowledge about guns. The point is that leaving shell casings behind at a murder scene is not a very smart choice, especially if you ever plan on using that gun again.

I think the murderer would toss the gun. Maybe he felt leaving the bodies and the gun in the same place was a problem so he moved the bodies.

In all these movies and t.v. shows you see the murderer tossing the gun in a body of water. So I am guessing in the past 17 years that Ozark P.D. and the FBI used sonar on bodies of water to see if they could try and find the gun. That is what I would do.

I would try to find the gun.

Not sure it much matters, but JB's sister indicated that the shell casing was actually on JB's leg and not Tracie's. She had the pictures to support this. MOO The killer may have in his haste to shut the trunk and never noticed the shell casing on J.B.'s leg. Plus, it was probably very dark where the actual murders occurred and he simply didn't see it. Again, MOO.

 

[CoolJ]

Just to be clear. We are talking about the shell casing that "got lost" right?

 

[somequestions]

A 9mm semiautomatic ejects its shells. But, we don't know how many shots were fired, we only know how many hit something.

Some people say it was a shell casing found in the car, some say an unspent bullet. I don't know, but even if it's a shell casing that's one less than hit. So, either that brass hit ground somewhere or the murderer policed his brass.

ETA: I remember a report about someone hearing gunshots that night. It might be in the old thread. It came in a few days after the girls were found, I guess after the person realized the potential significance of it.

So a semi-automatic is not the same as a revolver. You learn something new every day. Thanks for the video. That really illustrates it. I do not really like guns, but they are important to crime scenes like this one.

As for any idea of searching for the gun, for all anyone knows, the murderer took the gun and any other items and threw them away later. Maybe he drove 40 miles outside of town and tossed the gun? So it is hard to say where to look for the gun. Plus if it is on private property you would need a search warrant.

The only other thing I might look for is the bottle. Maybe he was drunk?

The main question in this case for me is "How did the murderer manage two cars if he had a vehicle?" If you assume for a second that J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett were not lost and got stopped or stopped off somewhere else on the way to 231, where did the murderer leave his car? If they got all the way over to close to 231 and were kidnapped on the way out of town, the only way it makes sense is if the guy did not have a car. Otherwise when he kidnaps and murders them he then has to walk from Herring Avenue all the way back across town in the early morning hours OR he leaves the car close to where he lives so he does not have too far to walk home.

The whole case is strange as far as directions are concerned when you consider they drove 20-30 miles in the wrong direction and never turned around before they got to the town of Ozark, AL. When you consider it was J.B. Beasley's birthday, it certainly looks like the driver was a strong-willed individual who made the decisions and was sure she was going the right way. But I can definitely understand why others might think they were meeting someone. Without actually knowing any of the victims it is very difficult to come to any conclusions. That is my opinion and the way it looks to me.

 

[December]

A revolver is basically what you see in westerns. A semiautomatic is a newer type of gun than a revolver. Granted, "new" is a little misleading since they have been around for all of our lives. You load a revolver by putting the bullets into the chambers of the cylinder. The casings stay in there until you remove them. You load a semiautomatic by putting the bullets in a magazine. The shell casings are ejected so the next bullet in the magazine can move up for the next time you fire. (You have to pull the trigger every time, hence the "semi" part in the name). After you fire off the rounds, the magazine will be empty. You see in movies sometimes people ejecting magazines to see how many bullets are left.

As for the car, there is a hospital not that far from where J.B.'s car was left. So, potentially, there are places not far away a spare car would be that probably no one would notice. I am not saying it went down like that, but it is enough to say maybe the murderer had a car.

Of course, I am not married to the only one killer theory. I think it is entirely possible two people did this.

 

[TedMac]

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?

I don't believe either of the girls were taken to the hospital. LE took pictures of the bodies in the trunk of the car. I don't think they would have photographed them and then take one of them to the ER. The bodies were probably not moved until after LE finished processing the crime scene and taking photos.

 

[Irishrose70]

Sadly, I have knowledge of something going on in Dale County that is screaming of corruption and abuse of power. It is involving DCSD and a minor child.

 

[TedMac]

Just to be clear. We are talking about the shell casing that "got lost" right?

Yes-I am only aware of the two shell casings. One was found in the trunk and the other found at the scene where LE suspected the actual shootings took place. From my understanding, the one found in the trunk was the one that was lost. Not sure about the other one.

 

[somequestions]

Yes-I am only aware of the two shell casings. One was found in the trunk and the other found at the scene where LE suspected the actual shootings took place. From my understanding, the one found in the trunk was the one that was lost. Not sure about the other one.

You wrote about the shell casings, "the other found at the scene where LE suspected the actual shootings took place." So police actually know the location where the girls were shot in the trunk of the car or have a good idea where that place is? I did not know that. So police know where the car was left on Herring and they also have a good idea where the girls were shot based on a shell casing in that other location that matches that of one of the bullets recovered from the victims.

My theory is just my theory, but I think what happened was after J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett left that gas station in Ozark with directions back home, sometime down the road they turned the car around to go back the way they came to find the party. I know that does not make a lot of sense because they did not have time to do that. That is how their car ends up back in that part of town. They then get lost somewhere in that southeastern part of town.

I remember one time I was on my way to a destination and had to be there by a certain time and even though I knew I was going to be late and it would not matter, I still wanted to find the place just to say I found it. That is my guess. Sometimes things don't make a lot of sense.

 

[TedMac]

You wrote about the shell casings, "the other found at the scene where LE suspected the actual shootings took place." So police actually know the location where the girls were shot in the trunk of the car or have a good idea where that place is? I did not know that. So police know where the car was left on Herring and they also have a good idea where the girls were shot based on a shell casing in that other location that matches that of one of the bullets recovered from the victims.

My theory is just my theory, but I think what happened was after J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett left that gas station in Ozark with directions back home, sometime down the road they turned the car around to go back the way they came to find the party. I know that does not make a lot of sense because they did not have time to do that. That is how their car ends up back in that part of town. They then get lost somewhere in that southeastern part of town.

I remember one time I was on my way to a destination and had to be there by a certain time and even though I knew I was going to be late and it would not matter, I still wanted to find the place just to say I found it. That is my guess. Sometimes things don't make a lot of sense.

BBM I'm not sure if LE knows the actual location or not. The place I mentioned was the area that the "late-reporting witness" claimed 7 months after the murders that she heard screams and gunshots. It is also the same area that the 2nd 9 mm shell casing was found. LE submitted soil samples from there to the lab and had them compared to the soil found on the girl's clothes in an attempt to see if the location was in fact where the actual murders occurred. To the best of my knowledge, the results of the test were never disclosed to the public.

So, we really do not know if that was the location of the murders or not.

 

[Bulldog23]

I, like many of you, have read through the Wiregrass.com postings by this suspect, and either he is a sociopathic troll who enjoys the attention he gets from posting suspicious things, or he is the reason the girls died that night. When I have time, I would like to go back through the old forum and take notes on all the things he has said...but part of his game seems to be "muddying the water" around this case.

This is what I know from his own posts...if he is to be believed: He and JB were friends. He was "there for her" when she needed someone. His girlfriend was furious with JB that night. He was questioned by the police and FBI. He once wrote in a letter that JB was seen hugging an "african boy" under the bright lights of a gas station. He is a member of the Christian Identity movement, a white supremacist organization. Also in one post, he wrote about 5 moves he would make if he were investigating. One was to guarantee immunity from prosecution any "witness" who had hired someone to harm JB so she couldn't dance or to set her up with drugs. Another was to guarantee immunity from prosecution for any family member of this "witness" who may have been present when the girls were killed. From his writing you can tell he is fairly intelligent and loves the mind games.

From others I have heard that the private investigator hired by JB's guardian believed him to be involved, and he has fairly recently contacted people related to the victims to alledge that the police were responsible for the murders.

Surely the investigators know all this. It almost seems to me that a prosecutor could make a pretty good circumstantial case just with the facts listed above and the suspect's own words. Maybe not...but it's damn suspicious. Anyone else have anything to add about this suspect?

I've done a little more research on this suspect and found he was arrested in 2012 for assault, menacing, criminal mischief, and public intoxication. Also, there is an incident detailed on wiregrass.com where the same suspect was caught with a video camera hidden under clothes in his restroom while a teenage girl was using his toliet. (He admits he placed the camera there but said that it was to capture a fake spider falling on his girlfriend). As I mentioned above, he identifies with the Christian Identity sect, and one time posted that he thinks that mixing of the races should result in a death sentence. He also wrote that JB was seen "hugging an african boy under the bright lights of the Citgo." Now, like I said before, If I can find this information, so can the police. All I can say is that he must have one heck of a good alibi! I've read that his alibi is that he was brushing Barrentine's sister's hair. Too many coincidences if you ask me!