GUILTY GA - Lauren Giddings, 27, Macon, 26 June 2011 #15 *appeals denied*

[bessie]

McDaniel investigators relive case

Katelyn M Heck, WMAZ
8:15 p.m. EDT April 24, 2014

"The wind started turning and at that same time, me and Patterson recognized a smell that we had smelled before," says Chapman. "We immediately made eye contact with one another. We both recognized that smell. We had smelled it before, and the level of concern just went way up."

However, he says just a few minutes could have moved the case in a different direction.

McDaniel’s parting shot: I was wronged

By AMY LEIGH WOMACK and JOE KOVAC JR.
Telegraph StaffApril 25, 2014

After being told by a reporter that Giddings had been found on the property, “I collapsed from the mental and emotional shock of the news, because, despite my own actions, at the time, my mental state was such that I was unaware of her death,” McDaniel wrote.

He went next door to the AT&T building and “remained weeping uncontrollably for close to an hour.”

Copy of handwritten letter

 

[cocomod]

(bolded for emphasis)
Excellent post, Hyrax . Thank you.

IMO
When a human being can do what SM did: premediate Lauren's murder, then dismember her and put her body parts in the trash - then ANYTHING he imagined is a strong possibility and most likely happened.

Anyone who can do what he did has gone down the rabbit hole of pure evil where there are NO BOUNDARIES.
Anything and everything is a possibility as to what SM did once he subdued Lauren.

There are too many clues found on his computer, SOL posts and on his internet searches that suggest he was intrigued with cannabalism and torture prior to the murder.

So as for me, not for one minute second do I believe his confession tale.
Remember the video how SM rambled on prior to finding out that Lauren's torso had been discovered?
SM: "She was out running and maybe someone just snatched her"

I believe SM is pure evil and a liar.

There is much much more to the events of Lauren's last night.

Yes, we have to remember that he talked in great detail on many occasions about planning the "perfect" murder. He also talked about how he would try to "fool" LE by becoming almost catatonic if he is caught - so as to try to fool them into believing that he was insane. He followed through with this plan too.

He is pure evil. He planned, he followed through, and the unexpected happened (unexpected to him), he got caught! And, he was caught good! He couldn't talk his way out of it, he couldn't reason his way out of it, he couldn't fool them, he couldn't claim insanity. The fact of the matter is - he is insane - insanely evil! He is a liar - a manipulator - a no remorse killer. Trying to strike back at LE was almost like blaming them for his actions. It is their fault that he is in jail. NOPE - It is HIS fault. He likely will never take full responsibility for his actions because he will never look far enough inside of himself to see how horrible his THOUGHTS and actions really were.

Lauren was beautiful - and deserved to live. He took a life of a wonderful, aspiring, beautiful woman that had so much to offer to this world. Lauren is gone, and her family will never be able to get her back.

 

[bessie]

In his confession, McDaniel wrote that he dumped Giddings’ torso in one of the two trash cans beside their building before daybreak on June 28 -- two full days before it was discovered after her friends reported her missing. Bush said that after dark on June 29, she threw something away in one of the cans.


She noticed no flies, no rotten smell.


“If (a torso) was in that trash can for two days at that point,” Bush said, “are you gonna tell me that in 90-something-degree weather that I would not have noticed something?”

Read more here: http://www.macon.com/2014/04/22/3060135/mcdaniel-thought-he-was-gonna.html?sp=/99/148/#storylink=cpy


I tend to agree with Ms. Bush.

​

 

[Hyrax]

Read more here: http://www.macon.com/2014/04/22/3060135/mcdaniel-thought-he-was-gonna.html?sp=/99/148/#storylink=cpy


I tend to agree with Ms. Bush.

​

Exactly. Ain't no way he left her body out in the trash two days before it was found. I don't think it's even possible it was ever out there during daylight hours.

Does anyone have the autopsy report that was released? I think I remember it saying something like there was "some evidence" of decomposition, or otherwise noting that there was only early stage decomp.

 

[bessie]

Exactly. Ain't no way he left her body out in the trash two days before it was found. I don't think it's even possible it was ever out there during daylight hours.

Does anyone have the autopsy report that was released? I think I remember it saying something like there was "some evidence" of decomposition, or otherwise noting that there was only early stage decomp.

You're right. On p. 17 of the pdf, end of the third paragraph: "Early decomposition was noted."

http://download.gannett.edgesuite.net/wmaz/docs/fbi-mcdaniel.pdf

Here's an approximate timeline, IF McD is telling the truth:

LG is deceased - June 26, 4:30-5:00 A.M.

48 hrs PM - June 28, before daylight; he places her remains in a trash can

88 hrs PM - June 29, after dark; BB places trash in a can, and "no flies, no rotten smell".

100 hrs PM - June 30, 9:40 A.M.; detectives note distinct odor.

 

[Backwoods]

You're right. On p. 17 of the pdf, end of the third paragraph: "Early decomposition was noted."

http://download.gannett.edgesuite.net/wmaz/docs/fbi-mcdaniel.pdf

Here's an approximate timeline, IF McD is telling the truth:

LG is deceased - June 26, 4:30-5:00 A.M.

48 hrs PM - June 28, before daylight; he places her remains in a trash can

88 hrs PM - June 29, after dark; BB places trash in a can, and "no flies, no rotten smell".

100 hrs PM - June 30, 9:40 A.M.; detectives note distinct odor.

I don't have the document (one you consulted, bessie) with report included open right now and am kind of posting between other duties so can't hunt it right now, but I think the autopsy report says SOME of the bags had tears in them...?

How many bags was it ...three, or five? Arrghh, can't remember, sorry.

Anyhow, when I first read that weeks ago, I remember wondering WHICH bags the tears were in ... thinking, if in inner bags, could be from weight/shifting of contents and perp added more bags to cover tears; or, if outer bags, could be from tearing as perp was first placing into trash OR could be from an attempt to lift out and move to another location AFTER first being put where found. Or, as I've mentioned before, could be from an on-time garbage worker trying to lift out, bag tearing, and worker thinking ...uh-oh, something is not right here, better make a phone call ...

I think -- especially if there were five bags -- the torso could have been placed when he said it was and, as long as the receptacle was not opened more than briefly and the tears had not yet occurred, there might have not been a very noticeable odor or insects, and so BB might not have noticed. I wonder, therefore, if he may have planned originally to MOVE the torso, perhaps to the law school dumpster, and could not for some reason -- but maybe in the attempt tore the bags. Just one theory. Or garbage worker tore them...

I wonder what BB placed in the trash can...if she or someone else dropped something heavy or sharp in there, it could have made the tears in the layered bags holding the torso.

Other than that he was "keeping" the torso, as long discussed as a possibility (and yes, I think still a possibility), I can't think of another good reason why he would lie about WHEN he placed the torso...?

 

[pearl]

macon.com's link to the letter: http://media.macon.com/smedia/2014/04/24/23/05/18Oya6.So.71.pdf#storylink=relast[/quote]

snipped by me
I'm a little behind in the discussion of SM's letter to the judge. After reading it, I believe we have not heard the last of SM's legal shenanigans (sp?). Could he possibly be setting up a civil suit against the Macon LE and the Bibb County DA's office?

I think he will forever (as long as he lives in prison) be a whiney baby. As my grandmother used to say, "He will wear out his welcome very soon."

It is maddening to me that he can remember in this letter every little perceived violation of his rights but yet not remember everything he did to Lauren for his allocution.

I will always think of Lauren when I pass that park/walking trail place near the I-16 exit off of I-75. That place, for some reason, always associates with Lauren to me.

 

[Backwoods]

macon.com's link to the letter: http://media.macon.com/smedia/2014/04/24/23/05/18Oya6.So.71.pdf#storylink=relast

snipped by me
I'm a little behind in the discussion of SM's letter to the judge. After reading it, I believe we have not heard the last of SM's legal shenanigans (sp?). Could he possibly be setting up a civil suit against the Macon LE and the Bibb County DA's office?

I think he will forever (as long as he lives in prison) be a whiney baby. As my grandmother used to say, "He will wear out his welcome very soon."

It is maddening to me that he can remember in this letter every little perceived violation of his rights but yet not remember everything he did to Lauren for his allocution.

I will always think of Lauren when I pass that park/walking trail place near the I-16 exit off of I-75. That place, for some reason, always associates with Lauren to me.

bbm: I know "never say never" but I think, with the guilty plea, Stephen pretty much traded away any right to appeal, etc., the criminal case, right? But you know, I have NO idea about the civil angle -- could he even do that?

I'm thinking that maybe the letter was pretty much what The Telegraph called it -- his "parting shot". IMO, some of the info in his letter -- whether true or partially true or totally false -- was something he had "banked on" as "insurance"/a final measure for a long time, but as things turned out, it did him no good ... but he couldn't stand to leave it unsaid.

There are several spots in Macon that bring Lauren strongly to mind for me, too.

 

[bettiepageturner]

So, earlier on in the case one of the most baffling aspects to me was SM's condom/prowling confession. At the time it appeared a major red flag to his proclivities, but now I can't see it being anything other than his attempts at getting a premeditation charge thrown out. "I prowl all the time, indiscriminately" -> "I was caught prowling and panicked" vs. "I targeted Lauren specifically with extensive planning." The "I panicked" defense wouldn't have stood a chance without establishing the behavior. He knows which crime would've seemed worse: the one he actually committed.

JMO.

 

[pearl]

bbm: I know "never say never" but I think, with the guilty plea, Stephen pretty much traded away any right to appeal, etc., the criminal case, right? But you know, I have NO idea about the civil angle -- could he even do that?

I'm thinking that maybe the letter was pretty much what The Telegraph called it -- his "parting shot". IMO, some of the info in his letter -- whether true or partially true or totally false -- was something he had "banked on" as "insurance"/a final measure for a long time, but as things turned out, it did him no good ... but he couldn't stand to leave it unsaid.

There are several spots in Macon that bring Lauren strongly to mind for me, too.

I think I remember hearing on the video the judge telling him he would not be able to appeal his guilty plea. I don't know whether he could actually bring a civil suit, but that letter sounded to me like this could be on his mind. For some reason that I can't describe, I just feel that he will not slip quietly into prison. It was shown to him that he was in fact not as smart as he thought he was. I don't think he will be able to personally accept this. He reminds me of one of those type people who insist, "Let me show you." His perfect crime was not perfect after all. In fact, he made quite a lot of mistakes.

 

[Backwoods]

Looks like a good portion of the case file has been released:

Exclusive: Documents detail McDaniel investigation

http://www.macon.com/2014/04/27/3066850/documents-detail-mcdaniel-investigation.html


Many links at the link.


Wow.


Thank you, D.A. Cooke, and thank you Telegraph/macon.com.

 

[Backwoods]

Also a new article:

McDaniel guilty plea almost didn’t happen

Stephen McDaniel almost didn’t plead guilty last week.

Though his attorneys have said he drafted a confession -- a portion of the plea that prosecutors insisted on -- the plea hung in the balance as the hearing was about to begin Monday morning. ...

more at: http://www.macon.com/2014/04/27/3068279/mcdaniel-guilty-plea-almost-didnt.html?sp=/99/100/&ihp=1


ETA: Make that two new articles...

The Killer Wouldn't Crack

How Stephen McDaniel clung to a deadly secret

Stephen McDaniel may not have known it, but his days as a free man were over.

He sat in a chair in a small, rectangular interrogation room at the Macon police detective bureau. A hidden camera was trained on him. ...

more at: http://www.macon.com/static/media/projects/McDaniel/sinclair.jquery/McDaniel/index.html

 

[Sonya610]

I think I remember hearing on the video the judge telling him he would not be able to appeal his guilty plea. I don't know whether he could actually bring a civil suit, but that letter sounded to me like this could be on his mind.

Yeah I had the same impression when reading the letter, it sounded like he was laying the groundwork for future legal action.

It makes sense that he would want to pursue some sort of legal action, what else does he have to do in prison for the next 30 years?

The fact that he DID allow the police to manipulate him makes me think maybe he wasn't all there mentally after the murder. The moment they started putting pressure on him he should have asked for an attorney and shut his mouth.

I don't think he believed he was "smarter than they were" I think he completely lost control of the situation and that does imply some sort of mental impairment considering his education. IF he thought he was smarter than they were he likely WOULD have talked more and been arrogant about it, instead he started shutting down and not answering questions instead of simply asking for an attorney.

 

[Sonya610]

Another thought -- keeping the door open for future possibilities might also explain the confession. By only confessing to things that were known to the DA and relayed to McDaniel it seems that might be used later to say "I was pushed into confessing but I didn't do it, I just wrote down what they TOLD me had happened, I wasn't there so I only knew what they told me".

Apparently Stephen really did NOT want to confess at all.

 

[Backwoods]

Another thought -- keeping the door open for future possibilities might also explain the confession. By only confessing to things that were known to the DA and relayed to McDaniel it seems that might be used later to say "I was pushed into confessing but I didn't do it, I just wrote down what they TOLD me had happened, I wasn't there so I only knew what they told me".

Apparently Stephen really did NOT want to confess at all.

About what you bolded in your post: Kind of rings a bit like the post about how to deal with the Westboro Baptist Church thing, huh? (I know what you're saying is a different angle, but the "what they TOLD me had happened" part is reminiscent.)

Holy moly. I just didn't think all this could get stranger... (Just came from looking at a lot of the info dump on macon.com ...)

And what about this (bbm):

...Miller said Buford threatened to pull the entire deal off the table if the Giddings family didn’t dismiss the suit.


Kaitlyn Wheeler, Giddings’ sister, said McDaniel “took advantage of us in our most vulnerable state. He had no respect for us.”


The parties agreed to a consent judgment against McDaniel in which he was found liable for Giddings’ death. The Giddingses are entitled to a hearing to determine monetary damages if McDaniel is ever paroled....

http://www.macon.com/2014/04/27/3068279/mcdaniel-guilty-plea-almost-didnt.html?sp=/99/100/&ihp=1

Since the suit was settled with the consent judgment ... where does that leave the search of Stephen's late grandfather's place? Is it still on or is it off? (Or has it maybe happened already...?) I never thought the rest of Lauren was there... still don't, really, but...now all this has me wondering.

​

 

[Backwoods]

Yeah I had the same impression when reading the letter, it sounded like he was laying the groundwork for future legal action.

It makes sense that he would want to pursue some sort of legal action, what else does he have to do in prison for the next 30 years?

The fact that he DID allow the police to manipulate him makes me think maybe he wasn't all there mentally after the murder. The moment they started putting pressure on him he should have asked for an attorney and shut his mouth.

I don't think he believed he was "smarter than they were" I think he completely lost control of the situation and that does imply some sort of mental impairment considering his education. IF he thought he was smarter than they were he likely WOULD have talked more and been arrogant about it, instead he started shutting down and not answering questions instead of simply asking for an attorney.

bbm: Not so sure I agree that he didn't think he was smarter...but you're right, he did kind of shut down. I've always felt there's likely something going on with him instead of and/or in addition to being sociopathic/evil/etc.

Then again -- if you're really convinced you're smarter than everyone and you can commit the perfect murder and avoid detection...maybe you just don't develop a game plan for what to do if the heat comes down on you? Because you never envision that you might come even close to getting caught. He never rehearsed this part in his imagination, perhaps.

Or maybe he was more unhinged by what he had done than he thought he would be? Maybe he had told himself he was just "creeping" Lauren's apartment, didn't consciously acknowledge to himself any plan for killing her?

I don't know. Very strange, all around.

 

[bessie]

Looks like a good portion of the case file has been released:

Exclusive: Documents detail McDaniel investigation

http://www.macon.com/2014/04/27/3066850/documents-detail-mcdaniel-investigation.html


Many links at the link

Thank you, D.A. Cooke, and thank Telegraph/macon.com.

Wow.

Ditto on the thanks! And thanks to you for posting the link. I've just started to look it over, and I have to say: seeing the panties lying on top of his clothes in the drawer made me queasy.

And the pantry cabinet is rather freaky, too.

JMO

 

[Sonya610]

About what you bolded in your post: Kind of rings a bit like the post about how to deal with the Westboro Baptist Church thing, huh? (I know what you're saying is a different angle, but the "what they TOLD me had happened" part is reminiscent.)

You're right! I forgot about the Westboro Baptist Church thing!

I would think they wanted to prevent a civil lawsuit possibly for SMD's parents? If he is inheriting part of Grandpa's farm then I can understand why he wouldn't want his parents drug into a lawsuit that takes some of the property or forces them to sell it. They are probably broke after all of the legal fees.

 

[bessie]

I've always believed he overestimated himself. Thought he could play it cool and avoid being caught. Baloney. When he was interviewed, it was obvious to me he was suffering high anxiety, and feeling the walls closing in on him. Seizure, my eye. He knew his butt was cooked.

 

[pearl]

Does a person have to register and pay to view the McDaniel information at the Macon paper? I can't access it.