GUILTY AL - Kathleen "Kat" West, 42, murdered, Calera, 13 Jan 2018 *husband arrested*

[Satchie]

I wonder, is this denial partly to protect the girl? So she won't believe her Dad killed her mother? Also, KW's mother might have been shocked and shamed by the very public revelations of her online life.

But they seem to be unnecessarily harsh comments about KW (tho the media can take remarks out of context if the speaker isn't careful). If the comments are accurate, perhaps there was a bad relationship between KW and her mother, and JW and his family have exploited it. For eg, how would KW's mother know about her supposed previous acts of late-night drunkeness, unless informed of them by JW?

 

[Claireishere]

http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2018/04/kat_west_death_husband_jeff_we.html

This breaks my heart. Kathleen's mom is standing by Jeff West and refusing to believe he's guilty. She's stated that her daughter was an alcoholic and bi-polar. But the prosecutors stated that the absinthe bottle had Kat's blood on it and the only set of finger prints on the bottle were Jeff Wests. So they are maintaining that Kat died from a fall. This can't explain the blood on the bottle, the fact that the bottle was found upright on top of a cell phone or the fact that JW didn't seem upset at all when he was told his wife was dead.

I just don't want Kat's mother to be heart broken a second time. She's already lost her daughter and now if she finds out that the man she's standing up for is her killer I imagine that would pain her a lot.

Denial is not just some river in Egypt when it comes to many women. Especially a woman from the south. That generation of women will watch a man hit their daughter and tell the daughter to stop doing whatever makes him hit you. It’s a 100000% stand by your man type, no matter what.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Claireishere]

I wonder, is this denial partly to protect the girl? So she won't believe her Dad killed her mother? Also, KW's mother might have been shocked and shamed by the very public revelations of her online life.

But they seem to be unnecessarily harsh comments about KW (tho the media can take remarks out of context if the speaker isn't careful). If the comments are accurate, perhaps there was a bad relationship between KW and her mother, and JW and his family have exploited it. For eg, how would KW's mother know about her supposed previous acts of late-night drunkeness, unless informed of them by JW?

Well we know they had trouble financially they likely lived with family. However if KW was bipolar that’s a difficult battle to fight. You would expect there to have been some very obvious issues prior to this. However it could be the families attempt to explain away behavior they felt was shameful. The whole “Bless her poor crazy heart” kinda thing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Satchie]

Yeah, people throw around words like 'bi-polar' to label people whom they find difficult. That's what Prince Charles and his supporters labelled Princess Diana, who was a little 'difficult' after discovering she'd married a man who didn't care about her, and had a mistress, and yet she was expected to act happy for the cameras.

If KW had received a diagnosis of bipolar, and was an alcoholic, then what in h*** was her husband doing driving her to the liquor store to buy absinthe?

 

[Traymar]

http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2018/04/kat_west_death_husband_jeff_we.html

This breaks my heart. Kathleen's mom is standing by Jeff West and refusing to believe he's guilty. She's stated that her daughter was an alcoholic and bi-polar. But the prosecutors stated that the absinthe bottle had Kat's blood on it and the only set of finger prints on the bottle were Jeff Wests. So they are maintaining that Kat died from a fall. This can't explain the blood on the bottle, the fact that the bottle was found upright on top of a cell phone or the fact that JW didn't seem upset at all when he was told his wife was dead.

I just don't want Kat's mother to be heart broken a second time. She's already lost her daughter and now if she finds out that the man she's standing up for is her killer I imagine that would pain her a lot.

From your link:

"Shelby County Circuit Judge Bill Bostick denied Jeff West's request to reduce his half-million bond, citing the violent nature of the death."

At least someone's not falling for the family snow job. MOO

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

 

[Gardenista]

Long interview

AUDIO: Kat West's mother says Jeff West is innocent

http://m.wbrc.com/story/37913963/audio-kat-wests-mother-says-jeff-west-is-innocent

 

[GraceG]

Long interview

AUDIO: Kat West's mother says Jeff West is innocent

http://m.wbrc.com/story/37913963/audio-kat-wests-mother-says-jeff-west-is-innocent

I saw that article as well. As I've said here before, it's harder to fall and die from your injuries (unless from a height which involves axial loads on the body) than you'd think. Even hitting someone with a blunt object may cause injury but not likely death. But whack someone on the back of the head with a bottle, the autopsy would show fractures fanning out from the impact point (they will radiate from the temporal bone almost like a spider web). If you hit the critical area in the back of the head, as in the area where the meningeal artery runs right underneath, that could rupture, bleeding into the cranial cavity. Certainly, a fall can cause similar damage depending on what you hit on the way down, but with blunt object (as opposed to ground contact) damage, there is also tissue displaced in the direction of the moving object (especially important for forensic evaluation). So I'm guessing the autopsy which generated the indictment leaned towards forceful blow with the bottle as opposed to the damage one might incur in a fall.

 

[Niner]

Anyone see a date for the his next hearing?

TIA! :wave:

 

[gadgie]

I wonder, is this denial partly to protect the girl? So she won't believe her Dad killed her mother? Also, KW's mother might have been shocked and shamed by the very public revelations of her online life.

But they seem to be unnecessarily harsh comments about KW (tho the media can take remarks out of context if the speaker isn't careful). If the comments are accurate, perhaps there was a bad relationship between KW and her mother, and JW and his family have exploited it. For eg, how would KW's mother know about her supposed previous acts of late-night drunkeness, unless informed of them by JW?

They live in a small town. One of the cons of living in a small town is everybody knows your business. I’m sure if she did any of those things it would’ve eventually gotten back to her mother. I’m not agreeing that she should side with the husband at all. Just speaking on my experience of living in a small town.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[UWrabbity1]

If KW had received a diagnosis of bipolar, and was an alcoholic, then what in h*** was her husband doing driving her to the liquor store to buy absinthe?

Exactly! If someone is an alcoholic and you love them do you take them to the liquor store very happily? Do you go to sleep when you know they're drunk and have a habit of continuing to drink and fall? The mothers excuses for JW just make him look more guilty IMO. It doesn't make sense. I also do not accept her statement that Kat West was known to go outside nude. As many of you in this thread might remember from when we had nothing but neighbor statements to go on - none of their neighbors said there was any activity out of the normal from the Wests. They said they were quiet and mostly kept to themselves. I think if someone saw KW running around nude all the time they'd have said it.

 

[Stratocaster]

I'm not wearing the same rose coloured glasses as both the victim's, and accused mothers. I still can't fathom the accusations that the husband carried his dead wife's body across the street, and dumped her there. Hope there's true justice for KW.

 

[Betty P]

Exactly! If someone is an alcoholic and you love them do you take them to the liquor store very happily? Do you go to sleep when you know they're drunk and have a habit of continuing to drink and fall? The mothers excuses for JW just make him look more guilty IMO. It doesn't make sense. I also do not accept her statement that Kat West was known to go outside nude. As many of you in this thread might remember from when we had nothing but neighbor statements to go on - none of their neighbors said there was any activity out of the normal from the Wests. They said they were quiet and mostly kept to themselves. I think if someone saw KW running around nude all the time they'd have said it.

Agree. If she had a habit of going outside nude, there would have been other behavior, possibly calls to LE. Neighbors would have noticed and said something. If the husband fabricated this, it's a shame her own mother believes and repeats it to the national news media.

 

[Niner]

Can anyone get into Shelby County to see what the next court date is?

TIA! :wave:

 

[PrairieWind]

I have been a bit AWOL lately and haven't heard much on updates. I saw mention of husband saying KW was bi-polar and alcoholic and that she had other issues. If she was legitimately bi-polar then there should be medical records to support this. Was she on any medication? I heard some mention a while ago that the Wests were frequent drinkers. Nothing really wrong with that, but if she was bi-polar that could be a problem. Why wouldn't he have been trying to help her with that? I don't think the full autopsy will support death by falling. Plus, other posters had seen JW's social media postings and I seem to recall that very early on he was saying it was all an "accident." That seemed to imply that he knew what happened. Now supposedly he doesn't know. Additionally, as mentioned just above, if KW had a habit of going outside naked, neighbors would have known. I think KW's mother is perhaps just still in a bit of denial and perhaps trying to protect Jeff because she doesn't want to believe he killed her daughter and because he doesn't want the little girl to be without both parents. I can sort of understand that, though certainly disagree with it. I just can't help but think that there must be some pretty decent evidence for the police and DA to have brought charges. I would really like to know what Jeff told police on the morning she died. Changing stories are a huge red flag

 

[Betty P]

I have been a bit AWOL lately and haven't heard much on updates. I saw mention of husband saying KW was bi-polar and alcoholic and that she had other issues. If she was legitimately bi-polar then there should be medical records to support this. Was she on any medication? I heard some mention a while ago that the Wests were frequent drinkers. Nothing really wrong with that, but if she was bi-polar that could be a problem. Why wouldn't he have been trying to help her with that? I don't think the full autopsy will support death by falling. Plus, other posters had seen JW's social media postings and I seem to recall that very early on he was saying it was all an "accident." That seemed to imply that he knew what happened. Now supposedly he doesn't know. Additionally, as mentioned just above, if KW had a habit of going outside naked, neighbors would have known. I think KW's mother is perhaps just still in a bit of denial and perhaps trying to protect Jeff because she doesn't want to believe he killed her daughter and because he doesn't want the little girl to be without both parents. I can sort of understand that, though certainly disagree with it. I just can't help but think that there must be some pretty decent evidence for the police and DA to have brought charges. I would really like to know what Jeff told police on the morning she died. Changing stories are a huge red flag

There's a transcript of an interview with both mothers (JW's and KW's) at this link

http://m.wbrc.com/story/37913963/audio-kat-wests-mother-says-jeff-west-is-innocent

In the interview, KW's mother says she heard she was taking medication of some kind, not sure if it was for bi-polar disorder. She said she was also told that KW had been to AA meetings. I assume from the interview that this is information she's been told by KW's husband, JW. KW's mother said that JW lived with them (and their daughter) for 4 weeks after the murder. Assume during this time that JW told his mother in law a lot about KW's life, habits, etc. Not sure how much of it is accurate, but LE has probably checked out his stories.

 

[Niner]

So no updates on whether he got his bond reduced from hearing on April 9th? or the next court date?

TIA! :wave:

 

[Betty P]

So no updates on whether he got his bond reduced from hearing on April 9th? or the next court date?

TIA! :wave:

From those news articles linked above, his bond was not reduced and he remains in jail. Otherwise, I don't find anything in the news about his next hearing date. There's also nothing I can find out about it on the county web site.

 

[MsFacetious]

I'm a drinker, but I don't think I have ever had Absinthe. I had no idea it was that expensive! Holy Cow. Guess I won't be trying it anytime soon.
I would really like to know how much money she made from her online activities. I'm not sure its relevant to this case, but just out of my own curiosity. Although, if she was making a lot, there could have been some jealousy since his job was not very high paying.

There is a link earlier in the thread that says Kat had 800-900 subscribers to her website.
I've just caught up on the case the last few days and I did the math when I saw that.
Even a low estimate of 800 subscribers, at $15 a month would bring in $12,000 a month.
That isn't taking into account any other forms of income they may have had, just her website.
Jealous or not, I can't imagine he'd want to kill his money maker. So strange.

 

[Stratocaster]

There is a link earlier in the thread that says Kat had 800-900 subscribers to her website.
I've just caught up on the case the last few days and I did the math when I saw that.
Even a low estimate of 800 subscribers, at $15 a month would bring in $12,000 a month.
That isn't taking into account any other forms of income they may have had, just her website.
Jealous or not, I can't imagine he'd want to kill his money maker. So strange.

Clearly something made him snap that night. The video time stamp of 8:45pm at the liquor store, and the LE report of her time of death being on Friday the 12th (discovered across the street 5am on 13th). I'm guessing they're both drinking hard and it happened unintentionally, but raging, and quick, crime of passion. Why would she have virtually no clothes on when discovered. The husband, presumably staging the scene, re-writes the definition of a brutally callous crime. All MOO

 

[MsFacetious]

Clearly something made him snap that night. The video time stamp of 8:45pm at the liquor store, and the LE report of her time of death being on Friday the 12th (discovered across the street 5am on 13th). I'm guessing they're both drinking hard and it happened unintentionally, but raging, and quick, crime of passion. Why would she have virtually no clothes on when discovered. The husband, presumably staging the scene, re-writes the definition of a brutally callous crime. All MOO

Yes, I agree. Just don't think he would have premeditated it given she was bringing in so much money.