GUILTY AL - J.B. Beasley & Tracie Hawlett, both 17, murdered, Ozark, 31 July 1999 *ARREST in 2019* #5

[TedMac]

There's no way they could of got lost at the big and little store bc broad Street is right beside the store and takes u all the way into Ozark that goes to 231. Good possibility they took the left coming out of the store which has dark roads that ultimately lead to Dale medical with a pit stop on herring before u go up the hill to Dale medical. More than likely when they left the store, someone approached their car when they were stopped, open the car door and pulled out a gun which led to the murderer gaining access and complete control over the girls while he was in the vehicle. He took them to a swampy/marsh location off a dirt road. One girl took off then finally the second girl who he immediately fired upon bc she was the last to take off, ultimately hitting her in the cheek. The first girl that ran off he chased after shooting the one girl, and shot her close range in the back of the head.

BBM...Or he entered their car at the Big/Little store undetected and pulled a gun on them as they drove away. Both J.B. & Tracie exited the car at the store. J.B. talked to Ms Merritt while Tracie was on the phone with her mother. Just a theory.

 

[somequestions]

There's no way they could of got lost at the big and little store bc broad Street is right beside the store and takes u all the way into Ozark that goes to 231. Good possibility they took the left coming out of the store which has dark roads that ultimately lead to Dale medical with a pit stop on herring before u go up the hill to Dale medical. More than likely when they left the store, someone approached their car when they were stopped, open the car door and pulled out a gun which led to the murderer gaining access and complete control over the girls while he was in the vehicle. He took them to a swampy/marsh location off a dirt road. One girl took off then finally the second girl who he immediately fired upon bc she was the last to take off, ultimately hitting her in the cheek. The first girl that ran off he chased after shooting the one girl, and shot her close range in the back of the head.

I think you should research the case a little more thoroughly. It is a relatively sure fact that both girls were shot while in the trunk of J.B. Beasley's car. I think I even read that the bullet that killed Tracie went through the trunk floor. A shell casing was found on J.B. Beasley's pants leg(often erroneously reported to have been found on Tracie's pants leg).

The trunk had a good deal of blood in it, probably J.B. Beasley's blood. This blood coated the underside of the car from where it was leaking out while the killer drove it to the spot on Herring Ave. This is also why police think they were killed at a different location and their bodies left in the trunk of the car after it was parked on Herring. I think Tracie was shot in the head and died instantly while J.B. was shot in the cheek, and eventually died from blood loss. But when it comes to their manner of death I cannot say that fore sure. Like so many details of this case, I can only go by what I have read or heard in interviews from their families.

 

[somequestions]

BBM...Or he entered their car at the Big/Little store undetected and pulled a gun on them as they drove away. Both J.B. & Tracie exited the car at the store. J.B. talked to Ms Merritt while Tracie was on the phone with her mother. Just a theory.

I think that is a possibility, however, where was the car parked when Tracie made the payphone call and J.B. got out and talked to Ms. Merritt and her daughter? If, for example, it was parked directly in front of where Tracie was making the payphone call, I think it is less likely.

I am guessing there were two cars parked at the Big Little gas station that night. J.B. Beasley's Mazda was one. The other was the car driven by the Merritts. So it is a bit strange the kidnapper would not have tried to gain entry to the Merritt's car first or that the Merritt's would not have spotted this person. And if he arrived after J.B. Beasley parked and her and Tracie got out of the car, how would he know which car belonged to which pair of females? Maybe he thought Tracie was alone because she was making a payphone call, while J.B. Beasley, Ms. Merritt, and her daughter were the other group since they were talking together?

So it looks like that 64,000 dollar question is going to remain unanswered:

Where did J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett cross paths with their killer? In my opinion, that is the most intriguing question in this case.

 

[michellefultzyahoo.com]

Praying for their families! Hopefully soon justice will be brought!

 

[brado]

Haven't posted on here in a long time. This is one of the cold cases that always intrigued me, and I'm so glad they finally caught the guy.

 

[cherrymeg]

Haven't posted on here in a long time. This is one of the cold cases that always intrigued me, and I'm so glad they finally caught the guy.

I was just thinking about this case. I really didn't expect it to be solved. What is your opinion on Coley McCraney? Do you think he has committed other crimes?

 

[brado]

I was just thinking about this case. I really didn't expect it to be solved. What is your opinion on Coley McCraney? Do you think he has committed other crimes?

I'm thinking statistically it would be surprising if this was the only violent crime he was involved in.

Wouldn't his DNA be run through CODIS to see if there are any other hits?

 

[cherrymeg]

I'm thinking statistically it would be surprising if this was the only violent crime he was involved in.

Wouldn't his DNA be run through CODIS to see if there are any other hits?

It's possible he raped women and used condoms or chose victims that didn't report rape. Or there are missing women that are hidden somewhere. moo

 

[Catmommy]

While, in my opinion, the DNA evidence speaks strongly of his guilt, there are no other cases linked to him at this time, something I'm certain LE would've followed up on.

 

[TedMac]

I was just thinking about this case. I really didn't expect it to be solved. What is your opinion on Coley McCraney? Do you think he has committed other crimes?

That is a good question. So far, his DNA ha not shown up in any other cases that I have heard. As you mentioned in your other post, he may have attacked other women who did not report the crime. Most people who commit crimes like these, usually don't stop with just one attack. But, there have been some other offenders that stopped after one attack. I think of the the VA Tech students David Metzler & Heidi Childs and the horrible Houston Texas murders of Cheryl Henry & Andy Atkinson as examples of the latter.

 

[michellefultzyahoo.com]

He stated he never met them however his DNA was on JB

 

[michellefultzyahoo.com]

He also held a woman against her will before while in the military

 

[TedMac]

He stated he never met them however his DNA was on JB

Agreed. His DNA was on and in JB.

 

[killarney rose]

There are probably unreported cases out there. He got away with the murders for too long not to have committed other sex crimes. MOO.

He also held a woman against her will before while in the military

 

[cherrymeg]

There are probably unreported cases out there. He got away with the murders for too long not to have committed other sex crimes. MOO.

Just because rape kits were taken doesn’t mean they were processed. I don’t know if it is still as expensive but I know that was a problem in some states. If there is a back log of tests, by the time they are take the victim might not want to go to trial and where a it’s likely she will be blamed or accused of having consensual sex.

 

[Sunshine95]

http://www.endthebacklog.org/alabama

I agree! It’s a crime in my opinion that so many brave victims go through the additional horror of getting a rape kit done only to have it not tested or even tracked! There could be other victims whose kits are sitting or lost

 

[iluvmua]

I was 10000% sure this case would never be solved.

 

[Fulljustice5]

If McCraney was framed for these murders maybe the true killer/killers had a used condom with his seamen and planted it on one of the girls. Far fetched but it could happen

 

[Fulljustice5]

I think that is a possibility, however, where was the car parked when Tracie made the payphone call and J.B. got out and talked to Ms. Merritt and her daughter? If, for example, it was parked directly in front of where Tracie was making the payphone call, I think it is less likely.

I am guessing there were two cars parked at the Big Little gas station that night. J.B. Beasley's Mazda was one. The other was the car driven by the Merritts. So it is a bit strange the kidnapper would not have tried to gain entry to the Merritt's car first or that the Merritt's would not have spotted this person. And if he arrived after J.B. Beasley parked and her and Tracie got out of the car, how would he know which car belonged to which pair of females? Maybe he thought Tracie was alone because she was making a payphone call, while J.B. Beasley, Ms. Merritt, and her daughter were the other group since they were talking together?

So it looks like that 64,000 dollar question is going to remain unanswered:

Where did J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett cross paths with their killer? In my opinion, that is the most intriguing question in this case.

 

[Fulljustice5]

I think that is a possibility, however, where was the car parked when Tracie made the payphone call and J.B. got out and talked to Ms. Merritt and her daughter? If, for example, it was parked directly in front of where Tracie was making the payphone call, I think it is less likely.

I am guessing there were two cars parked at the Big Little gas station that night. J.B. Beasley's Mazda was one. The other was the car driven by the Merritts. So it is a bit strange the kidnapper would not have tried to gain entry to the Merritt's car first or that the Merritt's would not have spotted this person. And if he arrived after J.B. Beasley parked and her and Tracie got out of the car, how would he know which car belonged to which pair of females? Maybe he thought Tracie was alone because she was making a payphone call, while J.B. Beasley, Ms. Merritt, and her daughter were the other group since they were talking together?

So it looks like that 64,000 dollar question is going to remain unanswered:

Where did J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett cross paths with their killer? In my opinion, that is the most intriguing question in this case.

I think the girls and the lady there in the parking lot would of noticed someone walking up. It's a pretty wide open parking lot where u can see everything. And I think the girls would of noticed a man opening their car and getting inside. And I'm pretty sure the girls would of noticed a man sitting in the backseat of their car. I believe the culprit or culprits gained entry after they left the store. Maybe they were stopped at a stop sign or red light when he walked up to their car door and opened it while holding a gun.