Sandstorm I went back to try and find your theory post, but got tired of looking.
I'm really conflicted about how McD could have subdued Lauren. She was a healthy, athletic young woman who I imagine could defend herself quite well. What did you come up with for a possible scenario?
Here's one theory:
I think McD really liked Lauren, but not your normal "like somebody", mind you.
I can imagine him spending his evenings with his ear against the wall.
Becoming more and more obsessed about it over the years.
After all, I don't think he'd ever had a girlfriend before.
So she (and the idea of having someone) became an obsession over something he wanted to "possess".
Take the fact that he had minimal social skills, especially when it came to girls,
throw in a strict and/or sheltered upbringing, then bake that with T.V./Movies
and a society that tends to portray women as "objects of desire"... well, it all just fed this unhealthy ideal.
He'd probably confronted her about his feelings, possibly more than once over the years.
Of course, his being her neighbor and classmate, she did not want to live next to someone with "friction" between them,
so she would let him down gently. I believe someone made the comment that "she was always nice to him".
Like, his being at that restaurant get-together, where someone said it didn't really seem like he was invited.
He probably took each of these gentle let-downs in stride, always looking at the "ok, it's still possible one day" side of it.
Probably asked her not to say anything to anyone about it, since it would embarrass him - and she didn't want that either.
She still probably confidentially told some very close friends she trusted not to say anything,
as was eluded to in that comment about her feeling uncomfortable about him.
I suspect that with her about to move away, he probably worked himself up for one last try.
He probably didn't give up nearly as easy as before.
And since she knew she was about to leave, she may not have been quite as gentle as before.
The confrontation probably got a bit heated. I could see him crying and working himself up to a panic inside.
She probably finally decided the conversation had gone far enough and said "bye", then turned to walk out.
At that moment, all that emotion he'd built up turned into a sudden rage.
He probably grabbed the closest thing he could get his hand on and clubbed her in the back of the head,
knocking her unconscious or killing her right there.
May have even beat on her some more at that point until his rage subsided.
Then, reality set in... and he realized she was dead.
At this point, you can pretty much pickup where SandStorm started:
Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - Found Deceased GA - Lauren Giddings, 27, Macon, 27 June 2011 - #4