Dedpanman - I see so few similarities between Christine's murder and how it was carried out and the murder of Jorelys Rivera that I cannot comment.
Heres an explanation for why the Jorelys Rivera case jumped out at me.
I see some useful comparisons between the Jessop case and the Rivera case that might give us some insight into the killer were looking for and maybe fill in some blanks a little bit in terms of the bigger picture of the crime.
Also, I think looking at cases like this, and seeing how the common elements fit together might allow us to see the Jessop case from a new angle. A lightbulb might go off in someones mind and a puzzle piece in the Jessop case might have new meaning. Or a new place to fit instead of trying to jam the same old pieces into the same old spots.
First, a review of John Douglass profile (of Christines killer) that are probably relevant (in my opinion).
The killer:
- (was) a loner who lived in the neighbourhood
- was youthful late teens, early twenties.
- was having personal problems at home, school or work
- was experiencing many life stresses
- was not antisocial, but somewhat of a loner who prefers his own company
- may present a facade as a macho individual, superior to others, but has poor self-esteem and lacks self-confidence
- tends to play with children who might be impressed by his antics
- drives older model vehicle, not well-maintained and cruises area in vehicle
- spends time cruising in his car as a vehicle for convenience to escape
- has a poor self-image and may have a physical ailment, disability or disfigurement or facial scars and does not maintain good personal hygiene, is not well-groomed, needs a haircut or shave, wears sloppy, soiled clothing in need of repair
- occasionally drinks alcohol
- will have a criminal history of nuisance, arson, cruelty to animals, voyeurism, or break and entering
- lazy, not a high-achiever, of average intelligence
- a mediocre student; offenders of this type generally do not graduate from high school, but if he did he would have gotten by with barely passing grades;
- knew the area well
- misinterpreted Christines openness and enthusiasm and that incorrectly believed that she would welcome his sexual advances
- was known to the family
- had a hard time subduing her
- was probably in his early twenties but could be older (but with a case of arrested emotional development)
- was not an experienced offender
- this was probably his first homicide
- was nocturnal, preferring to sleep during the day
- if he had a job, would not be mentally taxing
- his car would have high mileage
-feels like something about him puts him at a disadvantage with women his own age
A review Christines major injuries:
- was probably the victim of a sexual assault
- was decapitated or nearly decapitated (After having her throat cut? This is one possible interpretation of that injury, but some will disagree.)
- blunt force trauma to the head
- was stabbed numerous times in a wide pattern - front and back
- massive injury to her chest (sternum injury)
Also:
- lack of blood in soil, and some other forensic data suggests that Christine was killed at another location and then disposed in the Sunderland field
- the placement of the body close to the tractor trail and the close proximity to the Culls trailer might suggest that the killer preferred her body to be discovered quickly after it was dumped there (but maybe that didn't happen).
Now lets look at Ryan Brunn and see how he fits the same sort of profile as Christines killer (as sketched by Douglas), and lets examine his thought processes, motivations, and his behaviours.
Ryan Brunn
- 20 years old
(John Douglas: was youthful late teens, early twenties)
- maintenance worker at the apartment complex where 7-year-old Jorelys Rivera disappeared
(John Douglas: was a loner who lived in the neighbourhood, if he had a job, would not be mentally taxing)
- neighbour Lindsey Hale said that in recent weeks she had noticed Brunn driving slowly around the playground, looking at the children
(John Douglas: spends time cruising in his car, tends to play with children, was not antisocial, but somewhat of a loner who prefers his own company)
- Police say Brunn snatched the girl as she walked from the playground to her apartment to get sodas for her friends
(Christine had a plan to meet a friend at a playground and may have been abducted in close proximity to her home.)
-Brunn said he came across a roller skate while cleaning and knew it was Jorelys because he had seen her skating
(It's highly likely that Christines killer had seen her before, observed her, made note of her although this is speculation on my part, but I will argue that Christine was highly visible in the community and at the park.)
- Brunn took a picture of the skate and waited for Jorelys to come back to her apartment building so he could show it to her and ask whose it was
(In other words, Brunn was waiting for her close to her home and had a plan for gaining her trust and luring her closer in order to abduct her.)
-I told her to come with me and Ill get it for her, said Brunn. And she did.
(Brunn earned Jorelys trust by presenting himself as a good Samaritan with something Jorelys wanted. Devious planning, really. Very clever. Did Christines killer use this same type of strategy? What things could Christine have desired that were offered to her by her abductor? Someone offering her a ride to go visit her father? Did someone get their hands on her recorder? Or, her bicycle? Or, her dog, Freckles?)
- Brunn said he had identified a vacant unit where he thought he could take the girl for sexual purposes,
(Brunn had a secondary location planned out for his sick fantasy. Did Christines killer have a secondary location as well? Some forensic evidence suggests yes.)
- She asked if after shes done, would she go home? Brunn said. Thats the only thing she asked. Brunn said he told her yes.
(Did this type of exchange occur between Christine and her abductor? Did she comply at first because she realized how dire her situation was and she was already familiar with certain sexual activities? Did the violence to Christine happen only after the rape was completed and she knew that she would not be going back home?)
- the first thing Brunn did was sexually assault Jorelys
- Brunn said he made Jorelys partially undress and at one point get into a bathtub
- after the rape, Brunn said he thought, I didn't want her to go home and tell her mom or dad on me. So I cut her.
(His organized thinking only went so far as his fantasy. After his fantasy was completed, he had no plan. He now becomes a disorganized killer. Also, soil samples suggest that Christine was not killed at the Sunderland field due to absence of blood so where did all the blood go? Down a bathtub drain?)
- Brunn told the judge he never had an idea of killing a child in my life.
(John Douglas: was not an experienced offender, this was probably his first homicide)
- he bound her arms with plastic ties in the bathtub and then taped her face before cutting her with a razor he uses to slice carpet
(Jorelys face was taped up so that killing her would be easier - because Brunn wouldnt have to see her face or her eyes. Christines head was found wrapped up in her sweater.)
-Brunn said he cut the girls throat
(Christines throat may have been cut, but I might be reaching here. My notes on the decapitation indicate damage to the neck vertebrae from behind but that doesnt mean there was no soft-tissue damage from a throat-cut at the front of her neck.)
- Brunn then repeatedly struck her with the skate until she lost consciousness
(Christine sustained massive injuries to the face and head)
- when Jorelys didn't die immediately, Brunn hit her about five times with a 'hammer-like object' and stabbed her in the chest
(Christine was stabbed in the chest.)
- Brunn said he wrapped her body in a sheet or blanket
(Did Christines killer do something similar to make transporting her body easier?)
- Brunn used a golf cart to take Jorelys' body to the apartment complexs trash compactor
(Christines body was dumped in a spot where garbage was discarded. A place familiar to the perpetrator.)
- I guess I got scared in there and I didnt want her to go home and tell on me, he said.
(Brunns simple motive for murder: to silence the only witness to his crime. Note the enormous damage done to the little girl in this case. Jorelys throat was cut, blunt force trauma to the head, stabbing
It looks like overkill like in the Jessop case. In fact, law enforcement officers were extremely distressed and emotionally traumatized by the sight of Jorelys when she was eventually found.)
-two days after Jorelys disappeared, as the feverish search for her was underway, Brunn said he wrote a note on a small McDonalds receipt and taped it to the compactor. Shes in the trash can, it said
(For some reason, Brunn wanted the body to be found quickly and we can only speculate why. Was Christines body placed where it was because the perpetrator wanted it found quickly as well?)
In conclusion, Brunn fits into Douglass profile quite snugly (in a way that GPM absolutely does not). He may be very similar to the individual who abducted Christine Jessop on October 3, 1984. If so, his thought processes, motives, and actions may provide some dim illumination on the crime we're discussing.
One final footnote: Ryan Brunn hanged himself with a sweatshirt in his cell at the Jackson State Prison, Georgia.
Did Christine Jessops killer spiral so far down into a self-destructive void of delusion, depression, substance abuse, guilt, self-loathing
that he, too, killed himself?
