GA - Katherine Janness, 40, fatally stabbed and dog killed, Piedmont Park, Atlanta, 28 Jul 2021 #3

[StarryStarryNight]

Or they carve F A T to humiliate which is part of this gang's m.o. And they blitz her and overkill and film it because that's what earns their cred.

Actually the idea of a possible gang initiation makes some sense so I’m not dismissing it. I don’t think it over complicates things at all.
This crime is over-the-top violent, shocking to everybody. My experience reading about these things leads me to a crime of passion or a crazy killer. I know less about gang related killings so it never crossed my mind, but it did apparently cross LE minds. If MS-13 is infiltrating around Atlanta, it has to be considered in my opinion.

 

[Doriansay]

You guys trying to say this is gang related are way off base. This isn't the MO of Atlanta gangs.

I mean a young woman was stabbed to death a year ago in the ATL suburbs as part of a gang initiation, so it’s not unheard of. Look it might not be gang related, but it’s certainly not a 30 odd or 40 odd year old woman (the demographic likely to be caught up in a love triangle with the couple) obsessed with her or her partner. Or anyone who had “beef” with her. I am also 100% positive that someone who wrote huffy Yelp reviews about poor service from eating at one of the girls’ restaurants DID NOT have the MO (and frankly, the means) to mutilate the poor woman in public at 1 am on a weekday. The gang theory is relatively viable compared to what type of things have been pushed to rationalize the “personal grudge theory”, IMO.

It was mostly likely a random and depraved individual or group of individuals and Janness was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Gang or not, I can’t say for sure. An individual with a history of substance might also be a candidate…hm.

 

[cuffem]

I tend to avoid all social media talk on cases and stick to LE and media. It keeps things clear and thinking does not get bogged down with rumors and speculations on the victim that have no basis.
I really get upset when the victim is speculated to be involved with something nefarious.

 

[cuffem]

The 2 women camping in Utah I believe was from a random psycho who happened upon them but that is different circumstance.

 

[Doriansay]

The 2 women camping in Utah I believe was from a random psycho who happened upon them but that is different circumstance.

Different how?

 

[StarryStarryNight]

I think the extraordinary violence exhibited in this murder separates it from the usual “somebody they know did it” crimes we see. Though I do think it’s possible she was targeted, the person who did this would have had to have an unbelievable amount of hatred and fury against the victim. Enough so that I would think fingers would have been pointed at them fairly quickly by people close to the victim.
Because of that I think it’s more likely she did not know her killer.

 

[cuffem]

Homeless and or mentally ill persons who frequent parks I think would be well known to police and questioned. If they were suspected then they would be brought in on other charges. I am sure LE covered this theory right away.

 

[Deleted member 298047]

I think the extraordinary violence exhibited in this murder separates it from the usual “somebody they know did it” crimes we see. Though I do think it’s possible she was targeted, the person who did this would have had to have an unbelievable amount of hatred and fury against the victim. Enough so that I would think fingers would have been pointed at them fairly quickly by people close to the victim.
Because of that I think it’s more likely she did not know her killer.

Fingers have been pointed. APD doesnt say they have no suspects they said noone has been ruled out as a suspect.
I have to disagree. The more violent and more overkill the more likely they KNEW each other. Statistically and forensically speaking. It is emotion transfer through violence. Overkill- passion killing- whatever you choose to call it. No robbery, no rape. she had a dog, etc etc

 

[fred&edna]

Suggesting it was someone Katie knew doesn't necessarily mean an ex-lover nor someone extremely close. It could be someone she knew "peripherally"... just friendly enough to be okay approaching Bowie. Maybe the killer was the partner of a friend... a crazy jealous partner who possibly assumed an affair where there was none. Or something along those lines.

 

[Periwinkl3]

No, you've got the places of employment mixed up.
KJ worked at Campagnolo Restaurant + Bar
Campagnolo Restaurant & Bar - Midtown, Atlanta, GA
EC worked at Henry's Midtown Tavern, this is where KJ visited EC at work the night of the murder.
Henry's Midtown Tavern - Atlanta, GA

Wow, thank you very much for setting me straight, and sorry for my confusion, all. That said, I think it's still possible for that Yelp post to be useful, since one member of this couple was murdered. I just find the availability of sharp knives in the food industry, and unhappy workers, to be a bad combo.

 

[dotr]

Lengthy article.
‘She Was Still Alive’: Forensics Expert Says Disturbed Piedmont Park Killer Tortured Victim Alive Before Killing Her
by Sheryl McCollum, Contributor
November 17, 2021 rbbm.
''This attack had to have started right after Katie entered the park. Where Bowie was found suggests he was killed first and Katie likely tried to run away, but the killer caught her after about 100 steps. ''

''She had numerous cuts and stab wounds to her hands. These are called defensive wounds because the victim is trying to stop the attacker from stabbing her face, chest, or other vital areas. The autopsy report reveals that Katie was stabbed over 50 times on her head, face, neck, chest, hands, and back.''

''The killer also took the time to crave letters into Katie’s torso. The letters F, A, and T. Craving letters or words into a victim is for the psychological gratification of the killer. This action has nothing to do with accomplishing a murder.

This murder gets more shocking. Former medical examiner and forensics investigator JoScott Morgan tells me according to the autopsy, Katie was alive while these letters are begin craved into her body! She was still alive while this killer tortured her which Morgan says, “is indicative of the hemorrhage is Antemortem meaning these injuries occurred before death.”

JoScott Morgan has worked thousands of homicides from domestics to serial killers. This case is more sinister than most.

“This killer took extra time to write on this live victim. Pull her pants down. Stab her more than 50 times. They had some skill with instrumentation,” Morgan said. “Was this killer using a medical tool or multiple edge weapons”?

''The Atlanta Police have worked tirelessly night and day to try and solve this murder. They brought in the FBI’s BAU for assistance. Literally, the best in the world is working on this case.


But we also know Atlanta has a killer on the loose who can murder at a sinful level of twisted wicked evilness and must be captured.''

 

[Deleted member 298047]

It is hard to imagine what happened on July 28th to Katie. It is hard to fathom in reality. When we try to make sense of something so outside the realm of our own reality it doesn't makes sense no matter how hard we try. The only people we can imagine being so crazed and violent is a homeless person or a serial killer i.e. The boogieman.
Reality is more frightening than fiction IMO. Jodi Arias stabbed Travis Alexander 27 times and shot him in 2008
<modsnip>

 

[cuffem]

Suggesting it was someone Katie knew doesn't necessarily mean an ex-lover or someone extremely close. It could be someone she knew "peripherally"... just friendly enough to be okay approaching Bowie. Maybe the killer was the partner of a friend... a crazy jealous partner who possibly assumed an affair where there was none. Or something along those lines.

This case makes me think of a case many years ago of a woman that was stabbed by her close friends boyfriend, he even supported her while she grieved over her friend. I believe he was angry for the woman's influence on his girlfriend for her independence.

 

[CLGM]

Wow, thank you very much for setting me straight, and sorry for my confusion, all. That said, I think it's still possible for that Yelp post to be useful, since one member of this couple was murdered. I just find the availability of sharp knives in the food industry, and unhappy workers, to be a bad combo.

And add to that -- the proximity in time and location -- the short time between her visit to the restaurant and her murder and the short distance between where she was murdered and the restaurant.... The connection would be more tenuous if, say, she had stopped by the restaurant at lunch and then was murdered in the late afternoon at a dog park across town. If those were the facts, I wouldn't necessarily think anything having to do with the restaurant would be connected to her murder.

 

[fred&edna]

Lengthy article.
‘She Was Still Alive’: Forensics Expert Says Disturbed Piedmont Park Killer Tortured Victim Alive Before Killing Her
by Sheryl McCollum, Contributor
November 17, 2021 rbbm.
''This attack had to have started right after Katie entered the park. Where Bowie was found suggests he was killed first and Katie likely tried to run away, but the killer caught her after about 100 steps. ''

''She had numerous cuts and stab wounds to her hands. These are called defensive wounds because the victim is trying to stop the attacker from stabbing her face, chest, or other vital areas. The autopsy report reveals that Katie was stabbed over 50 times on her head, face, neck, chest, hands, and back.''

''The killer also took the time to crave letters into Katie’s torso. The letters F, A, and T. Craving letters or words into a victim is for the psychological gratification of the killer. This action has nothing to do with accomplishing a murder.

This murder gets more shocking. Former medical examiner and forensics investigator JoScott Morgan tells me according to the autopsy, Katie was alive while these letters are begin craved into her body! She was still alive while this killer tortured her which Morgan says, “is indicative of the hemorrhage is Antemortem meaning these injuries occurred before death.”

JoScott Morgan has worked thousands of homicides from domestics to serial killers. This case is more sinister than most.

“This killer took extra time to write on this live victim. Pull her pants down. Stab her more than 50 times. They had some skill with instrumentation,” Morgan said. “Was this killer using a medical tool or multiple edge weapons”?

''The Atlanta Police have worked tirelessly night and day to try and solve this murder. They brought in the FBI’s BAU for assistance. Literally, the best in the world is working on this case.


But we also know Atlanta has a killer on the loose who can murder at a sinful level of twisted wicked evilness and must be captured.''

Thanks for this link! 'Would be so insightful to hear/see JSM do a deep dive on this! Here I was assuming the carving was after death. (Tortured but no one heard anything?! No scuffle, no yells, no nothin'. Hmmm) Oh, and chased... I wonder which direction (from where to where)??

 

[Evan's Mom]

Thank you, gangs are not going to bother with this woman unless she had something to rob like a car.

And even then, it would be a quick shooting. This guy took a minute with her and it was very personal.

 

[TL4S]

Suggesting it was someone Katie knew doesn't necessarily mean an ex-lover or someone extremely close. It could be someone she knew "peripherally"

RSBM
It could be something like what you said. Almost like all the theories combined into one. EC described KJ as knowing the Mid-town area well. She lived, worked, entertained, walked, and was otherwise active within that community. I think it's very possible her killer(s) had seen her before. While her injuries suggest extreme hatred, I cannot confidently guess whether that hatred was aimed at KJ herself, or perhaps something she represented. She could have been an opportunity who became a target, if that makes sense. Jmo.

Bowie bothers me, though. I don't think his presence necessarily indicates that the killer was known to them, although I can understand where others are coming from with that suggestion. We just don't know. We don't know if the killer(s) even knew Bowie was there at the moment of attack. We don't know if the killer(s) used other means of taking the dog down before stabbing him. We don't know if the dog was part of the killer(s) motive/fantasy/whatever. We don't even know who was attacked first. But Bowie's murder definitely adds yet another extraordinarily confounding factor to this case. Jmo.

 

[cuffem]

And even then, it would be a quick shooting. This guy took a minute with her and it was very personal.

You can not rule out a female, even though I feel this is not a woman. Young male with rage and no impulse control, angry and seeking revenge.

 

[TL4S]

Lengthy article.
‘She Was Still Alive’: Forensics Expert Says Disturbed Piedmont Park Killer Tortured Victim Alive Before Killing Her
by Sheryl McCollum, Contributor
November 17, 2021 rbbm.
''This attack had to have started right after Katie entered the park. Where Bowie was found suggests he was killed first and Katie likely tried to run away, but the killer caught her after about 100 steps. ''

''She had numerous cuts and stab wounds to her hands. These are called defensive wounds because the victim is trying to stop the attacker from stabbing her face, chest, or other vital areas. The autopsy report reveals that Katie was stabbed over 50 times on her head, face, neck, chest, hands, and back.''

''The killer also took the time to crave letters into Katie’s torso. The letters F, A, and T. Craving letters or words into a victim is for the psychological gratification of the killer. This action has nothing to do with accomplishing a murder.

This murder gets more shocking. Former medical examiner and forensics investigator JoScott Morgan tells me according to the autopsy, Katie was alive while these letters are begin craved into her body! She was still alive while this killer tortured her which Morgan says, “is indicative of the hemorrhage is Antemortem meaning these injuries occurred before death.”

JoScott Morgan has worked thousands of homicides from domestics to serial killers. This case is more sinister than most.

“This killer took extra time to write on this live victim. Pull her pants down. Stab her more than 50 times. They had some skill with instrumentation,” Morgan said. “Was this killer using a medical tool or multiple edge weapons”?

''The Atlanta Police have worked tirelessly night and day to try and solve this murder. They brought in the FBI’s BAU for assistance. Literally, the best in the world is working on this case.


But we also know Atlanta has a killer on the loose who can murder at a sinful level of twisted wicked evilness and must be captured.''

Freaking scary. I noted that detail on the autopsy and wondered if that's what it meant, but hoped not. Warning: referring to autopsy below...

There were multiple incisions to her throat, along with stabs to her back that damaged her aorta and lung (iirc). Any of these injuries could have brought her near death, I would imagine, and for KJ's sake, I hope she was not conscious during the cutting. I just can't...

ETA: I highly suspect one of the first injuries made her unable to cry out. JMO

 

[Doriansay]

It is hard to imagine what happened on July 28th to Katie. It is hard to fathom in reality. When we try to make sense of something so outside the realm of our own reality it doesn't makes sense no matter how hard we try. The only people we can imagine being so crazed and violent is a homeless person or a serial killer i.e. The boogieman.
Reality is more frightening than fiction IMO. Jodi Arias stabbed Travis Alexander 27 times and shot him in 2008
<modsnip> .

<modsnip>

I’m not one to generalize transients as violent, nor do I believe in “boogeyman”. I do know however that random strangers commit senseless acts of violence every once in a while, and somehow this theory sounds more convincing to me than grasping for straws imagining someone near to Janness who felt slighted not only enough to kill her, but also to do so in a disorganized, risky way in plain sight while not even trying to hide the body.

Further, considering the brutal nature of the crime, common sense would tell <modsnip> that someone enraged enough to do this to her would have been arrested months ago, given that their grief would have likely been known and the amount of evidence police have.