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

[somequestions]

I think in this case you have to start from a point. At the gas station in Ozark, AL Tracie Hawlett called her mother at 11:35 pm to tell her that she and J.B. Beasley were lost, got directions and were now headed home. I know that Tracie may have lied or J.B. Beasley may have asked her to go somewhere else but that is all just guesses. My ideas are guesses based on my experiences and observations.

In my opinion, what the case needs is a profile from real criminal investigators. There are probably many aspects of the crime that have not been made public so it is difficult to come to conclusions. There is a group in Philadelphia called the Vidocq Society. Police lay out all the evidence to the group and they come up with new ideas, suspects, and theories. They solve a lot of their cases and it would be interesting to know what they would say about this murder.

 

[iron_iking]

I'm really not sure I agree at all that the key to this is figuring out the girls' plans, and why they were where they were.

There's so much speculation trying to understand their route, who they were planning to meet, and whether they were lost. I would posit there's a very good chance that they were "just driving." I'm a few years older than they were, but it was incredibly common as a teenager to just get out and drive. The key was to get out of the house. Where you ended up, if you ended up anywhere at all, was secondary. In the days before social media put you in constant contact with all your friends, just being in the car talking was an activity of its own.

And even "plans" weren't plans the way you think of them today. Often the plan for the night was nothing more than a whiff of a rumor.

I heard So and So was having a party.
Was that tonight or tomorrow night.
Not sure, thought it was tonight.
He lives out near Smith Elementary, right?
No, I think that's Some Other Guy. I think So and So is over by The Mill.
Ok, we'll try that first...do you know where he lives?
I was there once, I'm pretty sure...I might recognize it.
Ok, we'll drive there and see if we see cars.

I mean, that was our evening a LOT of nights. Many times you never found it, and didn't really care. Often you decided on the way to do something else, or that you didn't feel like going. It was such a different world when there wasn't any way to just reach out and find out what and where and when. And gas was cheap.

The point is...obviously knowing their exact route would be helpful in finding out where they might have been picked up. However, this assumption that there was logic around their travels, or they wouldn't have gone out of the way for no good reason...I don't buy it. They were just kids, out in a car, killing time and enjoying each others' company. The alternative being stuck at home.

That's not to say that people shouldn't try to nail down every move. But I just think that there's a common assumption that if we could just figure out who they were going out to see or what they drove out there to do, we'd have the killer. I think it's highly likely that isn't the case.

If I had to take a guess, I would now speculate they were killed by a predator and it was a total crime of opportunity. I think they were seen out and around on pretty deserted roads, and someone pulled them over imitating a cop. I'm not sure what the killer might have had in mind, but it might have gotten out of control. There are many people with cop fetishes that get caught over and over pulling women over.

I think it's possible that this was their first crime of this nature...this feels like something to me that just didn't go according to plan. It doesn't see like a well executed crime. I think it's possible that he imitated a cop, pulled them over, with Penthouse letter fantasies about what they might be willing to do to avoid a ticket. It didn't go the way he expected, maybe there was panic, and things escalated.

I would look at everyone who's been arrested for imitating a cop in all the years since and try to find if there are any with ties back to the area. I think there's a chance it's someone not settled in the area. That's a pretty deserted place for to be just "passing through", but there are any number of reasons why someone could have been in the area and crossed paths with them.

iciaccia,

I think you have really hit on something. It brings back memories of my younger days in the 1970s regarding how important it was to get out driving around with a friend or friends and how 'plans' were fluid

There's another tradition from the pre-social media, pre-cell phone age I've also thought could be in play here. Back in my youthful days it was common for girls who were in some sort of relationship or flirting and hoping to start one with an adult man to keep it secret from everyone but perhaps their closest friend. I've often wondered if one of the girls was seeing an adult who was a few years older and she asked her friend to come along with her for support? Then something went real bad.

I'm still leaning towards the rogue/phony cop traffic stop theory, but tunnel vision can keep cases, especially cold cases, from being solved.

 

[CoolJ]

I think in this case you have to start from a point. At the gas station in Ozark, AL Tracie Hawlett called her mother at 11:35 pm to tell her that she and J.B. Beasley were lost, got directions and were now headed home. I know that Tracie may have lied or J.B. Beasley may have asked her to go somewhere else but that is all just guesses. My ideas are guesses based on my experiences and observations.

In my opinion, what the case needs is a profile from real criminal investigators. There are probably many aspects of the crime that have not been made public so it is difficult to come to conclusions. There is a group in Philadelphia called the Vidocq Society. Police lay out all the evidence to the group and they come up with new ideas, suspects, and theories. They solve a lot of their cases and it would be interesting to know what they would say about this murder.

Authorities have refused to release anything in the case file for a third party to investigate.

 

[smm31822]

This I dont understand. I mean its been 18 years and maybe fresh eyes would help. I see no reason for them to be so resistant to help.

 

[CoolJ]

This I dont understand. I mean its been 18 years and maybe fresh eyes would help. I see no reason for them to be so resistant to help.

I can think of a few reasons.

 

[Bulldog23]

Ok. So if memory serves me correctly, that was one of the major complaints from JB's sister...that the OPD would not release information so a 3rd party, independent investigator could look at that case. Does anyone know if the family or anyone else has consulted with a lawyer to try to petition the court for the records? Could just anyone petition the court? Does anyone have any knowledge of how this process works? I know that with an open case, the police are hesitant to release information, but perhaps there is a way to force their hand.

 

[thenotebook]

The case won't solve itself by sitting in boxes on the shelf. After 18 years why not try a new strategy???

 

[lciaccia]

I can think of a few reasons.

The go-to explanation when this happens is usually that evidence points to a cop, or failing that, a prominent member of the community.

Another reason perhaps is that they think they know who did it, but can't prove it. They don't want that person's status as a suspect compromised by more scrutiny on them.

Sometimes it's just plain arrogance...there's nothing more to be discovered that they haven't already discovered, so why waste time fielding challenges from rubes.

In any event...I agree with everyone else...unless they can credibly claim they are actively working the case currently, some additional information should be released by now. If it was a case of "we know who did it, we just can't prove it, so we consider it solved" sometimes a little pressure can get people talking.

 

[CoolJ]

The case won't solve itself by sitting in boxes on the shelf. After 18 years why not try a new strategy???

Maybe some people feel that certain cases are better left unsolved.

 

[TedMac]

I have enjoyed reading the recent posts. Good job everyone! Has anyone heard any thing further on the "Shined Rabbit" documentary such as when it will be released and which network will produce it? There was earlier reports that Sundance was going to broadcast it his summer.

 

[somequestions]

I look at the case of J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett from a common sense perspective(what I consider common sense).

I do not think they would have ended up in Ozark, AL if they had planned on it. They would have driven directly there. I do not think even when they stopped in Headland, AL like the Haunting Evidence program shows that they met anyone in Ozark, AL. The reason is that when they stop at the Big Little Store in Ozark, AL Tracie called her mom to tell her they had gotten lost and were now on their way home. Why would she do that if they met individuals in Headland who may have invited them to another party in Ozark? Plus, I give a certain weight to Tracie's mom's statement : Tracie is never late. I knew something beyond her control was keeping her from getting home. I know you still have J.B. Beasley to consider who I read her mom said J.B. had no intention of hitting any curfew. So in my opinion whatever place they went after the Big Little in Ozark, Al was probably influenced, if it was influenced, by the only person with Tracie at the time.

I also do not think this is a police conspiracy. While police do stick together I have a feeling most would want the person responsible brought to justice for these two murders, regardless of whether or not the killer is a police officer. That is my opinion.

What the case really looks like is some below average investigation. For example, when canvassing the neighborhood and asking questions did police look for shoes that might be left outside to dry? The investigation looks like they focused on suspect Barrentine to the exclusion of everything else because it seemed like it was him.

One thing I would have done was find some 17 year old girl who might be like J.B. Beasley and have them drive the same route that night without them having any prior knowledge of why they are performing this experiment. I know that it will be difficult to determine where and how J.B. Beasley thinks when she drives, but it might lead to some idea or theory. Experiments have to have the exact same control factors in order for them to yield results. I know that would be very difficult.

I think you should be able to say to a family that you did everything in your power to bring the case to a conclusion, whether or not it gets solved. Or present the case to someone else to look at with fresh eyes. Sometimes new ideas can help bring a fresh perspective to a cold case.

 

[CoolJ]

I look at the case of J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett from a common sense perspective(what I consider common sense).

I do not think they would have ended up in Ozark, AL if they had planned on it. They would have driven directly there. I do not think even when they stopped in Headland, AL like the Haunting Evidence program shows that they met anyone in Ozark, AL. The reason is that when they stop at the Big Little Store in Ozark, AL Tracie called her mom to tell her they had gotten lost and were now on their way home. Why would she do that if they met individuals in Headland who may have invited them to another party in Ozark? Plus, I give a certain weight to Tracie's mom's statement : Tracie is never late. I knew something beyond her control was keeping her from getting home. I know you still have J.B. Beasley to consider who I read her mom said J.B. had no intention of hitting any curfew. So in my opinion whatever place they went after the Big Little in Ozark, Al was probably influenced, if it was influenced, by the only person with Tracie at the time.

I also do not think this is a police conspiracy. While police do stick together I have a feeling most would want the person responsible brought to justice for these two murders, regardless of whether or not the killer is a police officer. That is my opinion.

What the case really looks like is some below average investigation. For example, when canvassing the neighborhood and asking questions did police look for shoes that might be left outside to dry? The investigation looks like they focused on suspect Barrentine to the exclusion of everything else because it seemed like it was him.

One thing I would have done was find some 17 year old girl who might be like J.B. Beasley and have them drive the same route that night without them having any prior knowledge of why they are performing this experiment. I know that it will be difficult to determine where and how J.B. Beasley thinks when she drives, but it might lead to some idea or theory. Experiments have to have the exact same control factors in order for them to yield results. I know that would be very difficult.

I think you should be able to say to a family that you did everything in your power to bring the case to a conclusion, whether or not it gets solved. Or present the case to someone else to look at with fresh eyes. Sometimes new ideas can help bring a fresh perspective to a cold case.

Couple of things.

Be careful applying common sense to this case.

No offense whatsoever to Tracie's mom. But how would she know Tracie is never late? She didn't notice they weren't home until 5am or later.

I agree. This case needs fresh eyes in big way.

 

[killarney rose]

Some very good points brought up in these recent posts.

 

[somequestions]

In terms of common sense reasoning in this case what I am describing is how J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett may have interacted at the Big Little Store in Ozark, AL the night they were murdered. I could see the conversation as Tracie telling J.B. she is going to get out of the car and call her mom because she is worried her mother is wondering where she is. Now if J.B. Beasley knew this especially after Tracie gets back in the car to tell her she told her mom they were on the way home, why would J.B. then choose to take Tracie to someone's house or any other place but home?

As for Tracie Hawlett as a person, I think parents tend to get to know their children well. So was Tracie the type of person who had to constantly be told to get up to go to school? Did she get lots of detention slips for being late to class? What did her room look like at home? Did she wear a watch? When she her mom she was going to be somewhere was she there? How was her attendance at work? I think these are valid questions that can help determine whether or not a person is prone to being late or on time.

As for the first part about potential conversations J.B. and Tracie may have had at the Big Little Store in Ozark, AL on July 42, 1999 only they know. Someone could make the argument that Tracie got out of the car, made the phone call to her mom, but did not tell J.B. before or after who she called and why. And that would be a valid argument, just as much as it possibly being a police officer because their car was pulled off to the side of the road on Herring Ave.

My opinions are as much guesses as any other person, but what I wrote above is WHY I came to my conclusions. Remember we will never know what the police know and basing conclusions on television shows and what you read online is sketchy at best.

 

[TedMac]

Couple of things.

Be careful applying common sense to this case.

No offense whatsoever to Tracie's mom. But how would she know Tracie is never late? She didn't notice they weren't home until 5am or later.

I agree. This case needs fresh eyes in big way.

BBM I am going to respectvely disagree concerning Carol Roberts (Tracie's mom). Carol had worked a double shift that day which have required her to work 16 or so hours. Even after the exhausting day, she waited up for Tracie until she called at approximately 11:30 PM. After receiving the call from Tracie, she then went to bed expecting her to arrive within 30 minutes. M.O.O., but Tracie knew her mom waited up for her when she went out on dates, went out with friends, etc. That is why she called her Mom. She knew her mom would be waiting up for her and she knew she was late. Otherwise, she wouldn't have bothered to call.

I am not disagreeing concerning "fresh eyes", but lets consider who all has been involved in the investigation of the case. From the time the bodies were discovered, 15 different agencies were involved. Granted, some only provided technical support, legal guidance and assisted in searches. Lt. Rex Tipton of the Ozark PD was initially assigned to the case. He was assisted by the Ozark's Police Chief Tony Spivey and by the Alabama Bureau of Investigation (ABI) Special Investigator Charles Huggins. In fact, Investigator Huggins testified at Johnny William Barrentine's preliminary hearing concerning how Barrentine could "correctly identify the girl's clothing and other items consistent with the girls and the crime." After the case was several years old, Lt. Tipton retired and the case was given to another investigator with Ozark PD. Approximately three years ago, Shawn Smith, an investigator with the Alabama Attorney General's Cold Case Investigations Team was assigned to the case. He is currently working the case along with the new Ozark Police Chief who has his own investigation going.

Also, lets not forget that about 10 years ago one of the families hired a Private Investigator. I believe we have all read some of his comments concerning his findings.

Still, after 18 years, two police chiefs, numerous investigators, one private detective, broadcasts on YouTube, Unsolved Mysteries, numerous newspaper aricles and one infamous blog, we have nothing. Perhaps some progress is being made. But, if it is, they are certainly not publicizing it.

Maybe a fresh set of eyes would help. But fresh eyes is batting .000 so far.

Who knows? Maybe the documentary (if it is ever released) will flush the killer out?

 

[CoolJ]

[/B]

BBM I am going to respectvely disagree concerning Carol Roberts (Tracie's mom). Carol had worked a double shift that day which have required her to work 16 or so hours. Even after the exhausting day, she waited up for Tracie until she called at approximately 11:30 PM. After receiving the call from Tracie, she then went to bed expecting her to arrive within 30 minutes. M.O.O., but Tracie knew her mom waited up for her when she went out on dates, went out with friends, etc. That is why she called her Mom. She knew her mom would be waiting up for her and she knew she was late. Otherwise, she wouldn't have bothered to call.

I am not disagreeing concerning "fresh eyes", but lets consider who all has been involved in the investigation of the case. From the time the bodies were discovered, 15 different agencies were involved. Granted, some only provided technical support, legal guidance and assisted in searches. Lt. Rex Tipton of the Ozark PD was initially assigned to the case. He was assisted by the Ozark's Police Chief Tony Spivey and by the Alabama Bureau of Investigation (ABI) Special Investigator Charles Huggins. In fact, Investigator Huggins testified at Johnny William Barrentine's preliminary hearing concerning how Barrentine could "correctly identify the girl's clothing and other items consistent with the girls and the crime." After the case was several years old, Lt. Tipton retired and the case was given to another investigator with Ozark PD. Approximately three years ago, Shawn Smith, an investigator with the Alabama Attorney General's Cold Case Investigations Team was assigned to the case. He is currently working the case along with the new Ozark Police Chief who has his own investigation going.

Also, lets not forget that about 10 years ago one of the families hired a Private Investigator. I believe we have all read some of his comments concerning his findings.

Still, after 18 years, two police chiefs, numerous investigators, one private detective, broadcasts on YouTube, Unsolved Mysteries, numerous newspaper aricles and one infamous blog, we have nothing. Perhaps some progress is being made. But, if it is, they are certainly not publicizing it.

Maybe a fresh set of eyes would help. But fresh eyes is batting .000 so far.

Who knows? Maybe the documentary (if it is ever released) will flush the killer out?

OK i will concede that Tracies mom could have known she was never late. Its definitely possible. But my thoughts are that there is so much most parents do not know about their teenagers. Maybe Tracie knew if she made that phone call it would buy them more time as she knew her mother was likely to fall asleep. I have seen this done first hand many times by teenage girls and boys. We have to keep that option at least on the table.

In the end its not that big of a deal. It doesn't get us much closer to finding out what happened. But it does keep open the idea that the girls may have had plans for that evening that extended past their allotted curfew time. It happens.

As far as the fresh eyes. I guess I am thinking along the lines of out of state fresh eyes. Fresh eyes without any connection or allegiance to Alabama LE. Maybe a more accurate term would be "unbiased eyes"

 

[dancemom]

I love seeing activity on this thread. I've always thought that this was a solvable case if only someone would come forward with key information. Maybe that is wishful thinking as so many years have gone by, but I still believe it could happen.

 

[Redheaded]

As someone from the area, many people (from my understanding) believe the man who was responsible died in prison years ago. If that's the case we may never know.

 

[TedMac]

As someone from the area, many people (from my understanding) believe the man who was responsible died in prison years ago. If that's the case we may never know.

Welcome to Websleuths!! :welcome2:

That is a rumor we were not familiar with and we are interested to know the name of the person you are referring to (the one that died in prison years ago).

Thanks and again Welcome to Websleuths!

 

[somequestions]

Something I always wondered was whether J.B. Beasley or Tracie Hawlett were alive after they were shot in the trunk of the car. I do not know a lot about guns, but I always thought these questions were important.

J.B. Beasley's sister said that the bullet that killed Tracie went through the trunk. Is it possible to shoot someone in the head and the bullet exits the victim's head? Maybe it was Tracie who was bleeding in the trunk of the car and not J.B.? There is so much confusing information. Haunting Evidence said a bullet casing was left in the trunk on Tracie's leg. J.B. Beasley's sister said that a bullet was found on J.B. Beasley's leg. So was it a bullet or bullet casing?

In another case I looked at, both victims were shot in the cheek and jaw bone and both survived. When their assailant put their bodies in the water, the boyfriend told his girlfriend to continue to play dead until they were far enough down the river to get out of the water and out of view. Luckily people spotted them and they were both taken to a hospital and survived. Even though the assailant was someone they did not know, they had enough info for the police that the guy was arrested rather quickly. The point is that they could think clearly even with being shot in the jaw area. So it made me wonder if either J.B. or Tracie were alive in the trunk what they would be thinking?

If for example they knew who it was that shot them, would they write the name of the person in blood under their shirt or some place in the car trunk? If they did not know the person who shot them, how would they communicate where they were and who they had been with that night?

Or maybe no communication proves they both died rather quickly. J.B.'s sister said there was a lot of blood in the trunk and I took that to mean that one or both of them might have still been alive after being shot. The case is very confusing in this regard as what is said leads to the confusion. The medical examiner I talked to wrote to me in big words, DEAD BODIES DO NOT BLEED.

For example, in the interview J.B. 's sister did with Henry County report she said that J.B. asked for and got directions from a guy named Bookie. She asked for directions for the quickest route to either Ozark or Midland City? So J.B. drove to Ozark so why did she stop for directions at the Big Little Store? Did they go to someone's house they knew in Ozark? I think then they would know the name of the person who shot them.

Or maybe they were driving to 231 but a hitchhiker stepped in front of their car? But a hitchhiker who probably has no money if he is walking around at 11:30 at night would probably want to take something from their purses if they had money. And from what I read, the 1993 Mazda 929 was unique in that it did not have a glove box so their money, purses, registration, had to either be in the side door compartment or left out on the seats.

I thought of an idea a while ago that is totally off the wall, but that maybe it was somehow J.B. Beasley who put the bullet on her own leg maybe to signify it is someone who knows about guns. So that is how I came across a gun shop in town. A slang term for a part of a woman's knee is a cliff. But J.B.'s sister and Haunting Evidence only said the bullet was on either Tracie or J.B.'s leg, not actually on the knee which would make it even more remarkable since the knee bone tends to be round.

But I am the first critic of my idea in that no one would go to such convoluted lengths to get a location point across. They could just write the name in blood, but it is hard to understand how severe the cheek/brain injury was or whether they were even alive after being shot. I know my idea is way out there. I have been watching too many fictional crime shows. Most crime solutions are simple.

On television, the crime is always solved. If only solving crimes in real life were that easy.