GUILTY GA - Lauren Giddings, 27, Macon, 26 June 2011 # 2

[Sandstorm]

Thanks Sandstorm, had not seen picture of Fridge. Picture was published July 13, so I assume this was removed this week after they got the search warrant Monday. You can tell its been dusted for prints too . If McD's prints are on it , I guess he's our boy . Maybe he snapped , or is schizophrenic.

AgentFrankLundy, how can you tell it has been dusted for fingerprints?

http://www.macon.com/2011/06/30/1615815_a1630658/body-found-at-downtown-macon-apartments.html

and

http://www.macon.com/2011/06/30/1615815_a1630659/body-found-at-downtown-macon-apartments.html

 

[currcat]

AgentFrankLundy, how can you tell it has been dusted for fingerprints?

Photos of fridge:

http://www.macon.com/2011/06/30/1615815_a1630658/body-found-at-downtown-macon-apartments.html

and

http://www.macon.com/2011/06/30/1615815_a1630659/body-found-at-downtown-macon-apartments.html

--- I cannot get the links you have posted to work-says expired or broken

However in this pic I am linking to you can visibly see the residue of what looks to be black powder.

http://www.macon.com/2011/06/30/1615...partments.html

try this link---some of them seem to be broken or expired (perhaps Macon Telegraph as taken them down or archived them)

http://www.macon.com/2011/06/30/1615815_a1630658/body-found-at-downtown-macon-apartments.html

 

[Sandstorm]

PHOTOS OF FRIDGE - these links work. I had to copy and paste from the original in edit mode:
http://www.macon.com/2011/06/30/1615815_a1630658/body-found-at-downtown-macon-apartments.html

and

http://www.macon.com/2011/06/30/1615815_a1630659/body-found-at-downtown-macon-apartments.html

 

[Sandstorm]

--- I cannot get the links you have posted to work-says expired or broken

However in this pic I am linking to you can visibly see the residue of what looks to be black powder.

http://www.macon.com/2011/06/30/1615...partments.html

I cannot get this link to work. If you copy it from the original source it will work or if you copied it from another one of your posts on WS use the EDIT then copy. thanks.

 

[Knox]

Macon, Ga., 07/13/11: Crime scene investigator Sgt. Jeffrey Woodard removes evidence from the Barristers Hall apartment underneath the one occupied by Lauren Giddings whose dismembered body was found nearby about two weeks ago.
BEAU CABELL

Read more: http://www.macon.com/2011/06/30/161...-downtown-macon-apartments.html#ixzz1SIEdZYOx
​

 

[Knox]

The residue is pretty visible in the above pic, good point AgentFrankLundy!

 

[nursebeeme]

Mom asked McDaniel if relationship with Giddings was possible

Son's goal is to become U.S. Supreme Court justice, mom says
By AMY LEIGH WOMACK -

Stephen Mark McDaniel considered Lauren Giddings, his neighbor and Mercer law school classmate, a friend, his mother says.

Glenda McDaniel said she even asked her son once whether romance was possible between him and Giddings or any other woman.

He told her that his focus was on completing law school, she said, and he didn’t have time for a relationship.

Read more: http://www.macon.com/2011/07/15/1632018/mom-asked-mcdaniel-if-relationship.html#ixzz1S90zzBIe

another snip from your link knoxy

During law school, Giddings was president of Mercer’s chapter of The Federalist Society. Stephen McDaniel was vice president, his mother said.
On one occasion, Giddings was unable to attend a Federalist Society meeting in Washington, D.C., and she asked McDaniel to go in her place. As a result, McDaniel got the chance to meet Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, his hero.


Read more: http://www.macon.com/2011/07/15/1632018/mom-asked-mcdaniel-if-relationship.html#ixzz1SIIJUlAw

 

[Knox]

Thanks Nursie, good grab!!

 

[ThinMan]

Welcome to WS AgentFrankLundy!
Just to clarify, it was not a text message that Lauren sent, it was an email.
McD Has tattoos? Can I ask where you know this from?

Thanks Sandstorm, had not seen picture of Fridge. Picture was published July 13, so I assume this was removed this week after they got the search warrant Monday. You can tell its been dusted for prints too . If McD's prints are on it , I guess he's our boy . Maybe he snapped , or is schizophrenic.

Source for "SMD has tattoos"?

And wears chain mail? (from another of AgentFrankLundy's posts)

And how can you tell the fridge has been dusted?

And, if the downstairs neighbor's fridge has SMD's prints on it . . . how does that make him "our boy"? Do you know for sure that this fridge was used for body storage? If so, how do you know?

Speculating is fine, but please identify your speculations as such for those of us trying to separate rumor from fact.

Thanks ~

 

[SmoothOperator]

Re: seasky's post about watching the video of SM very carefully and remarking that no visible bruises, scratches, etc were seen as he lifted and rotated his head in multiple angles and directions..

This infact was discussed by several of us numerous pages back(and possibly as far back as Lauren's Thread #1).. even having a close look at the mug shot as well.. Some people's opinions were that they possibly saw what looked like a scratch type of injury on his face.. I believe that in further viewing it was thought to be possibly just the shadowing Of light that caused this to appear as a scratch.. At any rate it is something that has been discussed with other people's opinions similar to yours in atleast the part that there appeared to be no injury or bruising to SM's face.. IMO while it can be a great indicator of showing that a victim did infact resist and put up a fight on their attacker(immediately comes to mind Chris Coleman who strangled his wife and two sons.. He had several of these type injuries that we are discussing).. But there are just as many instances if not more where the perp/attacker does not have any type of these injuries whatsoever.. This usually due to the fact that they chose a method of surprise, attack from behind, immediately rendering unconscious, etc.. Just to name a few..

And the reason that I bring those modes of attack up in discussing is there are indications that this was exactly the case with how Lauren was initially attacked by the perp..

I know the link to the exact quote is in this Thread(1of these 7 pages Of posts) and if someone doesn't have the link handy I will post the link when I have a few minutes to search for it.. It is a quote by Lauren's very own mother where she states that from what they know and have learned thus far from LE's investigation it looks as if Lauren were infact taken by complete and total surprise.. She makes the comment that likely Lauren never knew what hit her.. She said she hoped that infact Lauren was possibly doing something she enjoyed, and never saw it coming..

This IMO points possibly to one of the modes I described ^above^ that would leave no marks of resistance from the victim on the perp.. This is what I think most likely to have happened..*

And Laurens mom would be someone who would be privy to knowing this type of info..

As far as his receiving injuries while dismembering.. Tho it would take some strength to do.. The corpse however is not combative therefor I do not see how this would cause scratches or other injuries as was described in the post regarding SM's injuries or lack thereof..

 

[CocoChanel]

Here's a theory: SM is not the perpetrator of this horrific crime. He is an accomplished student, who after 19 years of school... the last 3 grueling law study preceded by LSAT study & passage... continues to attend an intensive week of bar exam prep and practice testing and to display in his video interview his same Mayberry decent character that he has always shown for 25 years. He is not an actor or mentally ill or a criminal. Examine the entire video, not just a 3 minute excerpt. Psychopathic dismembering murderers rarely begin with zero violent crime history. Where is the evidence, not conjecture, but the irrefutable evidence that he committed actual burglary? That his possession of a master key equals his guilt of killing and dismembering this innocent girl? Lauren Giddings respected the American justice system and committed her life to studying it and participating in its process. But our justice system is a sham and none of us are protected by its process if it is not respected and followed: innocent until PROVEN guilty. Consider the dishonor we do this particular victim if her neighbor and classmate is ruined and found guilty by public opinion while the actual murderer escapes to commit another such act. I do not know who committed this nightmare but our system must be allowed to work with as much absence of inflaming and confusing potential jurors as possible. Please post based only on KNOWN FACT. Thank you for your great vigorous discussion:twocents:

I am not well-versed in investigation techniques, but I would surmise that LE would be working on verifying SM's activities between the time LG was last seen, and the time her torso was recovered. I am wondering if cameras at locations close-by or elsewhere could help do that. Recently I have become a big advocate for cameras everywhere. I do not care if it is an invasion of my privacy. If they help uncover answers to these heartbreaking and horrific crimes, I am all for it. We would not know what happened to little Leiby if not for cameras. They could also help provide information that could rule out innocent POIs. It's win-win as far as I am concerned, but then I don't plan on trying to commit any crimes. At any rate, I'm thinking cameras are being scrutinized in this case, we just haven't heard mention of it, unless I missed something.

 

[AgentFrankLundy]

I could tell the refrigerator had been dusted from looking at the photo of it , at least that is what it appeared to be to me . Chain Mail was what I read from earlier posts , I have no direct knowledge of this , if you go thread #1 I believe someone posted a picture of it and also discussed a machete collection that McDaniel allegedly has . McDaniel having tattoos I heard second hand from what I believe to be a reliable source , but I have no personal knowledge. His mother said he's never done drugs alcohol or smoked, and his aunt said he's never been in any trouble. I believe them.
This I do find peculiar, don't know exact time frames: but consider this sequence of events
1) Macon paper reported that there was a video surveillance of the Barrister's Hall Apartment parking lot, and that MPD hoped it would yield some clues
2) Headline in Macon paper says that "they have Lauren Giddings on video!" the night she disappeared .At least two days go by
3) Macon Telegraph admits all they have is Lauren sticking her hand out to grab change at the Zaxby's drive through.
I am sure the Macon police and Macon Telegraph are working together on this, they are the only game in town. Could they have been trying to bait someone(McD) with the headline in 2) above ? He was singing like a bird in he interview, when exactly did he lawyer up and what else has he said before he did ? Seems like MPD could crack this guy pretty easily if he's our perp, unless Floyd Buford got to him first and told him to shut up.
I bet the parking lot camera was not working or it could be a fake, doubt it was disabled or we would have heard that (or would we? ) One thing for sure , there is no video of Lauren Giddings on it Sorry to be so long winded, but I have no answers only a lot of questions. Thanks for ya'lls comments and making this old guy feel welcome

 

[PDUBBY]

Thinking about why McD would confess to going into the apartments and taking the condoms:

Maybe the two law student neighbors either caught him or suspected he had gone into their apartments. Then they told this to the police who were questioning a bunch of the students after LG went missing. The police confronted McD with these allegations and McD's explanation was he just went into the apartments to grab a condom. It would explain why he offered this information.

I also have a theory on the master key: maybe it was accidentally given to him when he moved in instead of a key specific to his apartment. I remember when I was in college, I had a neighbor that was a good friend of mine and our keys just happened to match. Stranger things have happened.

 

[currcat]

I could tell the refrigerator had been dusted from looking at the photo of it , at least that is what it appeared to be to me . Chain Mail was what I read from earlier posts , I have no direct knowledge of this , if you go thread #1 I believe someone posted a picture of it and also discussed a machete collection that McDaniel allegedly has . McDaniel having tattoos I heard second hand from what I believe to be a reliable source , but I have no personal knowledge. His mother said he's never done drugs alcohol or smoked, and his aunt said he's never been in any trouble. I believe them.
This I do find peculiar, don't know exact time frames: but consider this sequence of events
1) Macon paper reported that there was a video surveillance of the Barrister's Hall Apartment parking lot, and that MPD hoped it would yield some clues
2) Headline in Macon paper says that "they have Lauren Giddings on video!" the night she disappeared .At least two days go by
3) Macon Telegraph admits all they have is Lauren sticking her hand out to grab change at the Zaxby's drive through.
I am sure the Macon police and Macon Telegraph are working together on this, they are the only game in town. Could they have been trying to bait someone(McD) with the headline in 2) above ? He was singing like a bird in he interview, when exactly did he lawyer up and what else has he said before he did ? Seems like MPD could crack this guy pretty easily if he's our perp, unless Floyd Buford got to him first and told him to shut up.
I bet the parking lot camera was not working or it could be a fake, doubt it was disabled or we would have heard that (or would we? ) One thing for sure , there is no video of Lauren Giddings on it Sorry to be so long winded, but I have no answers only a lot of questions. Thanks for ya'lls comments and making this old guy feel welcome

It is my belief that the only working video camera in the area is the one at the AT&T property (to the left if you are facing the apts). I do not know the exact distance, but I doubt that the camera over there would actually provide much coverage of the Barristers parking area or anything else for that matter.

 

[GeorgiaSunshine]

I could tell the refrigerator had been dusted from looking at the photo of it , at least that is what it appeared to be to me . Chain Mail was what I read from earlier posts , I have no direct knowledge of this.

Here is article about the chain mail he wore

http://abovethelaw.com/2011/07/grisly-scene-developing-at-mercer-law-school/

 

[Knox]

I could tell the refrigerator had been dusted from looking at the photo of it , at least that is what it appeared to be to me . Chain Mail was what I read from earlier posts , I have no direct knowledge of this , if you go thread #1 I believe someone posted a picture of it and also discussed a machete collection that McDaniel allegedly has . McDaniel having tattoos I heard second hand from what I believe to be a reliable source , but I have no personal knowledge. His mother said he's never done drugs alcohol or smoked, and his aunt said he's never been in any trouble. I believe them.
This I do find peculiar, don't know exact time frames: but consider this sequence of events
1) Macon paper reported that there was a video surveillance of the Barrister's Hall Apartment parking lot, and that MPD hoped it would yield some clues
2) Headline in Macon paper says that "they have Lauren Giddings on video!" the night she disappeared .At least two days go by
3) Macon Telegraph admits all they have is Lauren sticking her hand out to grab change at the Zaxby's drive through.
I am sure the Macon police and Macon Telegraph are working together on this, they are the only game in town. Could they have been trying to bait someone(McD) with the headline in 2) above ? He was singing like a bird in he interview, when exactly did he lawyer up and what else has he said before he did ? Seems like MPD could crack this guy pretty easily if he's our perp, unless Floyd Buford got to him first and told him to shut up.
I bet the parking lot camera was not working or it could be a fake, doubt it was disabled or we would have heard that (or would we? ) One thing for sure , there is no video of Lauren Giddings on it Sorry to be so long winded, but I have no answers only a lot of questions. Thanks for ya'lls comments and making this old guy feel welcome

Old= Lot's of life experience and wisdom.

Appreciate your insights and thoughts on Lauren's case

 

[SouthernKate]

I definitely don't think there is any video surveillance. Even if there was, that apt. complex is eerily dark and I don't think it would show much of anything. You could barely see the detectives when they were sitting on the balcony in the video when they searched McD's apt. earlier this week.

The only thing the Zazby's video has created is perhaps a timeline of where Lauren was that night and questions as to whether someone entered her apartment while she was out. It is a very short distance between that Zaxby's and Barristers Hall.

 

[SouthernKate]

http://abovethelaw.com/2011/07/an-update-on-a-mercer-law-students-untimely-death/#more-81948

Here's an interesting article I found on above the law. It says that the second person of interest was her female friend who entered the apt looking for her. (so, in other words, no one they really consider as taking part in Lauren's murder)

 

[Knox]

http://abovethelaw.com/2011/07/an-update-on-a-mercer-law-students-untimely-death/#more-81948

Here's an interesting article I found on above the law. It says that the second person of interest was her female friend who entered the apt looking for her. (so, in other words, no one they really consider as taking part in Lauren's murder)

I linked the same article and quote upstream. In most investigations it's SOP to look at the last person to be seen with or the person who reports them missing.

But as you point out, LE must have suspected him pretty much right away. FWIW, I don't think it had anything to do with his looks but rather his answers and affect during questioning. Was it a rush to judgement? IMO, no.

His Mom said "the detective asked whether her son had “a mental problem,” if he was on medication or if he had another vehicle".

Read more: http://www.macon.com/2011/07/15/163...hip.html#storylink=omni_popular#ixzz1SJ1YIp8O
​

 

[southern_comfort]

Maybe it went something like this. (*This is pure speculation... just a possible, and I think reasonable, account of how things could have gone*)

Cop 1: This kid is weird and could be the perp.
Cop 2: Yeah. Let's ask him which apartments he's been in before we start dusting them for prints. If he lies and says none, and we find his prints in LG's apartment or one of the empty ones, then we've got him. If he admits he's been in them, he'll have some 'splaining to do.

Cops: Have you been in any of the apartments here other than your own?
SM (truthfully): Oh gosh... I've been in LG's a few times when she asked me in... and... well, I've been in 2 others also.
Cops: Which 2, when, and why were you invited into them?
SM (truthfully): I've been in units B and D. It was a couple of years ago and... I wasn't exactly invited in... the tenants weren't there.
Cops: They weren't there? How did you get in?
SM (truthfully): Lots of times the doors are unlocked, and I can't remember if I just walked in, or if I used the master key I have. The old property manager gave it to me. I was the unofficial part time/off hours property manager a couple of years back and I just never returned it.
Cops: Why did you go in?
SM (truthfully): There was some water leaking in the bathrooms and I had to check the source and for damage.
Cops: Really now. BB never mentioned anything about anyone else having a master key. There's no record that you were a property manager.
SM (truthfully): I was doing it under the table. BB probably doesn't even know about it. I should have given the key back. I haven't been helping out here in a while. I just never gave it back.
Cops: Did you do anything while you were in those units? Anything at all?
SM (truthfully): I looked for the leak. And I... looked in the medicine cabinet. And I took a condom from each.
Cops: Oh, so you were dating? Can we have her name so we can interview her?
SM (truthfully): No, I wasn't dating. I'm actually a virgin. I just took them... I don't know why... in case I ever needed them or... I don't know why. I can't explain. I was stupid.

Cop 1: He's really weird. I think he's the perp.
Cop 2: Me too. The property owner and manager say he's not authorized to be inside other apartments and he admits to taking condoms. Let's charge him with burglary while we're compiling evidence that he murdered LG!