Most of the cases in the USA where a woman is assaulted and/or murdered, she was alone and often at night. Those two factors are what the predators seem to look for.
I live in a neighborhood with just homes and lots of elderly retired folks and some families with little kids, but I still would not take a walk after dark. Society is so mobile these days, bad guys travel around and seek out victims everywhere.
Jill's death is horribly shocking and should never have happened. And sometimes people, including women, have no choice but to be out and about alone at night, i.e. walking from a bus, to and from work, whatever. There will always be a risk. But I don't see the point of walking alone at night if you don't have to, just because it is your right; sure it is, but it is not a safe thing to do.
Any fighting back needs to be against the system that is letting felons out of prison time and again, and maybe for added police officers at bus stops, shopping malls, etc. places where people may have to travel on foot alone. Even new laws don't always help, as many would-be killers are looking for their first victim and/or have not been caught yet.
I guess most of us who have been at WS for a while are super-paranoid, so I realize Jill's case must come as a life-changing shock to members who only just joined and maybe are not as accustomed to thinking about the evil in the world. It is a very sad way to have to be forced to think about such things.
