GUILTY GA - Lauren Giddings, 27, Macon, 26 June 2011 # 6

[Sandstorm]

I have thought that he probably has a lot of sexual confusion, both in his own identity, and in his sexual preference. I think he was obsessed with Lauren in many ways. I think he wanted to be with her and wanted to be her, at the same time. I think he was both envious of her and attracted to her. I also think that he wanted to prove that he was smarter than all of his peers at Mercer and he could pull off the perfect crime and not get caught. And now he is strategizing how to legally get himself out of this (don't be surprised at some point if he doesn't ask to represent himself, like Ted Bundy did, again in an effort to prove that he is smarter than every one else).

Supermom,
Excellent points.
I agree with you especially on the " he wanted to be with her " that's is a given, IMO. and the "he wanted to be her" ... was he envious and jealous?
After all, she is the one with all the friends and popularity.
These feelings must have been very deep seeded to push McD to the point where he attacked and killed her.
I am anxious to know when he bought that HACKSAW because, IMO, the date of purchase could indicate premeditation. I never thought that was much of a possibility until the last 2 days. Now, I am open to any sort of scenario.

 

[angelanalyzes]

Yes. Murder is defined in the statute and the term includes both malice murder and felony murder. See below.

O.C.G.A. 16-5-1 (2010)
16-5-1. Murder; felony murder

(a) A person commits the offense of murder when he unlawfully and with malice aforethought, either express or implied, causes the death of another human being.

(b) Express malice is that deliberate intention unlawfully to take the life of another human being which is manifested by external circumstances capable of proof. Malice shall be implied where no considerable provocation appears and where all the circumstances of the killing show an abandoned and malignant heart.

(c) A person also commits the offense of murder when, in the commission of a felony, he causes the death of another human being irrespective of malice.

(d) A person convicted of the offense of murder shall be punished by death, by imprisonment for life without parole, or by imprisonment for life.

Disclaimer: These codes may not be the most recent version. Georgia may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.

[emphasis mine]

Wow. Poignant words for a statute, are those legal terms?

 

[angelanalyzes]

Gaming is not my forte either, but I don't think this is the one because it was produced in 2001 and it's a single player game. Most people don't play Playstation 2 games anymore. If I had to guess, it would be something like Halo, Call of Duty or Medal of Honor (all online, multi-player shooters). Especially if he was cussing up a storm in the apartment. I have heard some ppl doing the same when my husband plays these (you can talk to other players).

Yes but Metal Gear Solid: Sons of Liberty is a smart choice since McDaniel referred to himself as "a true son of Liberty"

 

[angelanalyzes]

That's consistent with my experience over the years. Something new I learned from reading the warrant is that he not only had a master key to all of the apartments, but also a key to LG's apartment. Now, did he have it prior to the crime? Or did he take it from her key ring after the crime? I'm thinking about the missing persons report that stated her keys were on the sofa. Did anyone check to see which keys? And if he had a master key, why did he need her key?

So many questions.

http://media.macon.com/static/graphics/0805McDanielWarrant.jpg

Could it have been her spare key she left outside?

 

[GypsiesTramps&Thieves]

Was it a padlocked storage cabinet or a metal cabinet? Or a key locked cabinet door?

Okay, I think I may have sparked the conversation about whether or not Stephen had access to the "storage room" so I'll state again what I heard.

Probably two weeks ago (before the murder charge) someone told me that police had removed a hacksaw from a storage room that was on the property. Notice I said room, so big enough that someone could walk into is the way it was described to me. The person said that Stephen's master key didn't open that room. But the person could have been wrong. Or since he had a direct key that opened Lauren's door, maybe he also had a key specifically to the room. Or maybe he's handy enough to be able to pick locks. On second thought, police stated that it was locked so I guess no picking; he wouldn't have been able to lock it back.

 

[clkwrks]

I'm pretty sure that's a chain link fence. The perspective that we're looking at it at makes it look distorted.

:floorlaugh:I'm calling my optometrist to make an apointment

 

[GypsiesTramps&Thieves]

:floorlaugh:I'm calling my optometrist to make an apointment

Hahaha! No, no, I just no that there is a fence there because I've seen it so many times. I do agree that the way it's shot in this picture makes it look like it's a solid object or structure.

 

[SuperMom1995]

Didn't he work closely with Lauren on a project? I wonder what their work relationship was like. Wasn't she president and he was VP or something like that?

She was president of a club and he was Vice-President of the same club but I am still unclear about how well they knew each other. As some have said you can be in the same club, and hold office, and still not be that close to the other officers or club members. I just don't know.

 

[angelanalyzes]

McDaniel talked about getting away with murder, says Giddings slaying warrant
Scratches on McDaniel's torso when arrested, sources say
By AMY LEIGH WOMACK and JOE KOVAC JR. - Telegraph staff

A dismemberment slaying that has generated near-unprecedented publicity in Middle Georgia continued to fascinate Thursday with the revelation, among others, that the accused killer is said to have once claimed he knew how to get away with murder.

The arrest warrant charging 25-year-old Stephen Mark McDaniel with murder includes details not previously divulged in the more than monthlong investigation, including word that at some point in the past McDaniel allegedly said “he could commit murder.”

When Macon police crime scene specialists and workers from the city’s Public Works Department removed the bathtub from Lauren Giddings’ former apartment at Barristers Hall on Georgia Avenue on Thursday afternoon, one side of the tub was taped and covered.

The warrant says he mentioned “details of methods to avoid detection” that are, the warrant states, “similar to the facts and circumstances surrounding the killing of Lauren Giddings.”

Read more:
http://www.macon.com/2011/08/05/1655484/warrant-mcdaniel-claimed-he-could.html

I would really like to know where on his torso the scratch marks were located. If they were discovered anywhere that would normally be covered by a shirt, that would likely mean he was at least partially disrobed when she scratched him...:sheesh:

 

[goodgirl65]

Could the gray object to the far left in this photo be the storage closet mentioned in the arrest warrant?
Photo #46
If the link doesn't take you straight to the photo, it's number 46 in the gallery.

Is it just me or does that apartment complex look small? Its hard to imagine all that terror took place and nobody hearing or noticing anything...I can only surmise Lauren was surprised or caught off-guard, perhaps sleeping...or coming out of the shower...

 

[GypsiesTramps&Thieves]

I would really like to know where on his torso the scratch marks were located. If they were discovered anywhere that would normally be covered by a shirt, that would likely mean he was at least partially disrobed when she scratched him...:sheesh:

I was thinking about that too. Do you think though, that if she was clawing hard enough she could scratch through, say, a t-shirt? Don't know though, I can't say that I've ever tested out that theory!

 

[goodgirl65]

I would really like to know where on his torso the scratch marks were located. If they were discovered anywhere that would normally be covered by a shirt, that would likely mean he was at least partially disrobed when she scratched him...:sheesh:

or, possibly, if she was lying down or sleeping, then reached up, her hands could have went under his shirt...seems to me hes not the type to tuck his shirt in his pants

 

[MaconMom]

Yes but Metal Gear Solid: Sons of Liberty is a smart choice since McDaniel referred to himself as "a true son of Liberty"

It's also a political reference though. Since it was in his signature on his political rant email, I doubt this particular statement has anything to do with video games. JMO though.

 

[angelanalyzes]

Is it just me or does that apartment complex look small? Its hard to imagine all that terror took place and nobody hearing or noticing anything...I can only surmise Lauren was surprised or caught off-guard, perhaps sleeping...or coming out of the shower...

I was there both in the dead of night and in the morning-noon hours. It's small but it does extend back a long ways, it's narrow. Even standing right outside a person's door, I could not hear a single sound coming from inside the apartment even though I knew the television was on. I got there on the 12th, not too long after the murder/discovery, and the place was barren of activity/tenants, it seemed. No one even seemed to notice/care that I was there skulking around at 1am, even though at least one apparent tenant in a green sedan [one of only 3 vehicles on the premises at 1am that night] got in his car and drove by me on his way out of the complex. I think it would be relatively easy for things to go unnoticed there, as empty as it was, plus it's really dark.
I agree that she must have been caught off guard though, considering the scratch marks on McDaniel's torso, which indicate that there was some struggle. In order for him to have outmatched her in a struggle, he had to have surprised her and somehow disabled her.

 

[SuperMom1995]

Supermom,
Excellent points.
I agree with you especially on the " he wanted to be with her " that's is a given, IMO. and the "he wanted to be her" ... was he envious and jealous?
After all, she is the one with all the friends and popularity.
These feelings must have been very deep seeded to push McD to the point where he attacked and killed her.
I am anxious to know when he bought that HACKSAW because, IMO, the date of purchase could indicate premeditation. I never thought that was much of a possibility until the last 2 days. Now, I am open to any sort of scenario.

Thank you. Of course, I am speculating, but I feel like he is a very complex person, who perhaps feels misunderstood and doesn't even understand his own feelings, thoughts, and urges and doesn't know how to keep those under wraps, especially with his strict religious background. So, he may have been reaching a boiling point and/or this was premeditated and he either has serial killer potential or he has already killed before...I wish we had some more details from his childhood.

 

[Sandstorm]

She was president of a club and he was Vice-President of the same club but I am still unclear about how well they knew each other. As some have said you can be in the same club, and hold office, and still not be that close to the other officers or club members. I just don't know.

My impression from what Kaitlyn ( sister) said, McD and Lauren were "Hi and bye" friends. Hyrax mentioned in thread 5 that they were classmates and interacted due to the Fed. Soc. club activities.

Quote
Giddings' sister, Kaitlyn, says McDaniel and her sister were not close friends. In describing their relationship, Kaitlyn says that her understanding is that McDaniel and Lauren were "hi and bye" friends.

http://www.newscentralga.com/news/l...s-Michelle-Quesada-126357768.html?skipthumb=Y

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hyrax They were not close friends, but they were regularly in contact. He also became VP of fedsoc when Lauren was the president, which required them to interact regularly for club duties. It also appears that she was at least an occasional topic of conversation for him with his mother.

Nothing concrete, obviously, but there is enough room there for the speculation that he was fixated on her to be plausible. Also McDaniel wasn't some "loner" or shut in with no friends, he has friends from law school.

Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - Found Deceased GA - Lauren Giddings, 27, Macon, 27 June 2011 - #5

 

[Hyrax]

[emphasis mine]

Wow. Poignant words for a statute, are those legal terms?

Believe it or not, that's actually standard legal jargon. Also known as 'depraved heart murder,' which is likewise kind of poetic sounding.

It's implying malice from someone's conduct, so that even if they did not have the subjective intent/desire to commit murder, they were knowingly doing something so stupid and dangerous that they were indifferent as to whether they ended up killing someone.

 

[angelanalyzes]

It's also a political reference though. Since it was in his signature on his political rant email, I doubt this particular statement has anything to do with video games. JMO though.

Agreed, but given his interest in gaming I could see it being a fusion of the two. I'm not saying he was still playing MGS recently, but a lot of people I know will use handles that relate to their all time favorite game and it might be a good place to start in terms of tracking down his online presence.

 

[Givsmetheshivers]

Without knowing the maintenance man and the circumstances under which he may have been terminated, why does anyone assume SD may have set HIM up? Couldn't it have been the other way around?

I've found no sign that SD was angry or frustrated about anything at all. He was a law graduate, a classmate of Lauren's studying for the bar. He was excited and happy. He GRADUATED after years of hard work and dedication to being closer to his future dreams! The way I understand it, he was so very proud of himself.

So, LG and SD have been neighbors for 3 years without a single negative issue that I'm aware of, and somebody JUST tried to break in on the Thursday prior to the week she was supposed to be moving out and people assume it was McDaniel? After 3 years of NOT A SINGLE ISSUE? Why? Why would he do that?

If McDaniel had a MASTER KEY, he woulnd't have to TRY TO BREAK IN? Maintenance man wouldn't have to break in either, if he had a key,but put yourself inside that apartment and you see a door knob wiggle? You don't think "oh it's the maintenance man...with a key." Heck no.
You think, "omg, somebody is trying to break in."
And that was what McDaniel's mother says he witnessed.

I think maintenance man backed off when McDaniel saw him out there. Who knows, maybe it scared McDaniel, as well, but it's a well known clear fact that witnesses to things such as this are in danger, which is precisely why federal witnesses are protected in extreme life threatening cases. And in many cases, if a witness cannot be killed, they are so totally maligned by innunendo, rumors, and damning evidence that it's unlikely anyone will believe him if he does point a finger in another direction.

Anyway, if a maintenance man was indeed fired from the Barrister Hall Apartments, he seems more like the likely candidate to have a chip on his shoulder and a reason to smear the landlord and her business, which would make this death nothing personal with the Giddings or McDaniel.
(And if he bought a hacksaw, he probably planned the dismemberment AFTER HER DEATH. I think he originally may have planned to rape her so she would report it and nobody would want to live in that complex, which would HURT the landlord's business, but maybe Lauren beat his azz trying to fight him off and he had to kill her to stop her? Then he had to make a new plan.

Perhaps maintenance man assumed that since he was already fired, he could return with that key and do whatever he wanted and nobody would tie anything to him because he didn't work there anymore?

So, his motive would be clear:
termination of his employment, attempt to "pay back" landlord by ruining her business, nothing personal with Giddings or McDaniel.

People have killed other people for the very shoes they are wearing on their feet, so don't try to tell me a man wouldn't kill over being angry that he lost his job to some landlord lady who could have fired him for being a creep. Maybe he was reported for going into apartments and she fired him for THAT. No idea, but getting fired is a deeply personal action that affects people in different ways. Some want revenge.

Students kill teachers for being mean to them.

Children kill their parents for not letting them play video games.

Postal workers who are upset by being fired have "gone postal" and mowed down their boss or co-workers with gunfire, so don't tell me a recently fired mad maintenance man wouldn't attempt to kidnap, rape, or actually kill and dismember a woman in the apartments he was fired from...just to send a big FK YOU to the landlord.

Stranger things have happened.

Ok...I'll bite. If I were MM and I was planning on murdering someone to ruin BB's money maker, I would certainly leave a gruesome crime scene. I would not CLEAN the apartment for BB. I would ruin her hardwood floors that she is so proud of and the new carpet that they put in when they updated them. To clean up a crime scene in order to make it seem like it is NOT the crime scene does not seem like a revenge kind of move to me. You would have to be terrible at vengeance.

SO if MM is thinking "well, I will rape someone and no one will want to live there" wouldn't he think the killing was an extra bonus? He wouldn't be like "Oh crap, I could handle possibly going to jail for rape, but murder might ruin my reputation."

Also, to the posts about the maintenance room lock possibly not fitting the keys found with McD, whose to say that it would not unlocked when he went in there. People get complacent when they are comfortable. I have walked into our office in the morning and it has been WIDE OPEN. It drives me crazy. Maybe they didn't keep it locked all the time. McD finds it open, drops the saw, pulls it shut and it locks behind him.

 

[goodgirl65]

I was there both in the dead of night and in the morning-noon hours. It's small but it does extend back a long ways, it's narrow. Even standing right outside a person's door, I could not hear a single sound coming from inside the apartment even though I knew the television was on. I got there on the 12th, not too long after the murder/discovery, and the place was barren of activity/tenants, it seemed. No one even seemed to notice/care that I was there skulking around at 1am, even though at least one apparent tenant in a green sedan [one of only 3 vehicles on the premises at 1am that night] got in his car and drove by me on his way out of the complex. I think it would be relatively easy for things to go unnoticed there, as empty as it was, plus it's really dark.
I agree that she must have been caught off guard though, considering the scratch marks on McDaniel's torso, which indicate that there was some struggle. In order for him to have outmatched her in a struggle, he had to have surprised her and somehow disabled her.

Thanks for the first-hand knowledge...there is no way i would have guessed or imagined how you described....

As for the part i bolded..If McD had some sort of psychiatric issue, etc. the fact is his strength would most likely exceed what his physical appearance might suggest...Ive seen that first hand in the mentally disturbed, so his physical appearance is not a factor of if he could have overpowered Lauren, even if she wasnt taken by surprise...