GUILTY IL - Jacob Wheeler, 22, & Jessica Evans, 17, White County, 25 Aug 2012 - #1

[IHAVENOCLUE]

But I thought the bumper was found in a field in another county? I know I read that somebody was walking in a field or something & happens upon it, called cops bc there was blood on it.

I believe the bumper was found when LE re-searched the site where Jessie was found in the truck.

correct me, Sleuthers, if I am incorrect.

ETA... Above article says Wheeler's father found it... But we don't know exact location.

 

[iamnotagolem]

I guess we'll probably hear eventually what really happened, but one way I can see it being totally random out in the middle of nowhere is:

Jacob and Jessica are fishing a ways from where they were camping. Coston comes by on his way home and gets behind them as they're heading back to their campsite, or moving to a new fishing spot. He's irate and impatient because they're driving slowly. He pulls up and slams into the back of their truck and pushes them off the road.

Coston gets out in a rage, blaming them because they were going too slow. Jacob grabs the gun he brought, and he either just points it at him or shoots a couple times into the air to 'get his attention.' Coston goes to the front of his truck and looks at the damage, acting like he's calmed down some. Jacob goes over to look too, letting himself get caught offguard. Coston grabs the gun and shoots him in the head. Jessica starts screaming so he shoots her too, emptying the rest of the bullets from the gun.

When he pulls out to leave, his bumper is hooked on Jacob's truck and comes off. He grabs it, and Jacob's body, and throws them into the back of his truck. Then puts her body where it was found and throws some branches on her. He takes Jacob's body and dumps it, and then goes home. After the area has been searched, he brings his bumper over and throws it out there.

It is also possible that his bumper was actually under Jacob's truck and they somehow missed it when searching, but I think that's very unlikely.

BBM
You don't fire warning shots, you don't pull a gun in intimidation. I'm quite sure that Jacob knew this and would not have pulled a gun unless he needed it to defend their lives.

 

[IHAVENOCLUE]

I've got a question for locals.. What and/or where would be the nearest open store, gas station, or fast food joint, etc from where the couple were camping/fishing?

We know from Jessi's mom that Jessi was alive and well and fishing right around midnight.. What was the nearest business that would have been open after midnight of that Saturday/Sunday??

I know from personal experiences that on many occasions one or more of us that's camping has made middle of the night/wee early morning runs to a store, gas station, etc.. In thinking along those same lines I could see the two making a run to a store, gas station, fast food, etc..

And it would be at that point that they cross paths with Coston.. From there any number of different scenarios would then fit and make sense..

But the initial contact is what is unknown and imo thinking about varying different runs we've made at all hours of the night I too could easily see these two having done so as well.. This being what led to paths crossing with Coston..

Any ideas on what's open that they'd possibly have made a run to get any number of different items.. Even something like bags of ice if they were planning to take this fish with them.. I k ow a lot of people keep them on ice and I could see their having to run to gas station/convenience store, grocery store to grab such an item as ice..

So what's the nearest available store, food chain, or grocer in that area that would be open at that time?


TIA

It was written that Jessie and Jake were seen at a McDonalds that night.

 

[pinkzebra]

Does anyone know whether the sheriff said that they know of a motive? I thought I read that......and my question is, doesn't motive mean a reason? Would road rage be a motive? I just thought it strange that he called it a motive, which, in my mind anyway, means there was a reason other than like, a crime of passion or rage. Just a thought on my part......and if there WAS a motive, wouldn't calling it "random" be a mistake?

 

[Mirage]

All MOO!!

Yes, the sheriff said they did have a motive but he would not comment on it. I also heard the bumper was found in a field by someone walking.. now we know that was Jake's dad.. it would make sense to me that Jake's dad was out walking every mile he could looking for his son. I dont think the bumper was at the site of Jake's truck or it would have been found days ago.

Knowing DC had previous poaching charges, maybe he saw Jake's truck and thought he could catch him doing the same... its really reaching, but there could have been unknown resentment by DC towards the Wheelers as the "good family" that did no wrong, served their country... etc.

So much for my speculations. I'm crushed at the senseless outcome for these two promising young people.

 

[pinkzebra]

Mirage, I agree with you. Senseless. And I also think that "motive" is not "random". In my humble opinion motive means he (Coston) was deliberate about his actions. How could you have a motive by happenstance? Thats why I was confused about that. I actually still am because if I recall, the sheriff DID use both words describing this incident. Unless he, Coston, had a motive to go after someone else, and instead killed Jake by misidentification? Just rambling.....this is just so tragic I can't stop thinking about it. Those poor kids just out having a good time.......makes me so sad.

 

[Mirage]

Mirage, I agree with you. Senseless. And I also think that "motive" is not "random". In my humble opinion motive means he (Coston) was deliberate about his actions. How could you have a motive by happenstance? Thats why I was confused about that. I actually still am because if I recall, the sheriff DID use both words describing this incident. Unless he, Coston, had a motive to go after someone else, and instead killed Jake by misidentification? Just rambling.....this is just so tragic I can't stop thinking about it. Those poor kids just out having a good time.......makes me so sad.

It is possible to have a motive and be random.. such as... he left the bar totally pissed and irate, and determined to take it out on someone, anyone, just whoever crossed his path. That would make it premeditated and random. Not that this is what it was, just that it is possible.

 

[GateKeeper]

http://www.facebook.com/MemorialPageForJacobCWheeler

Memorial Page.

Looks like theyre having a prayer circle/candle light vigil tonight.

What a damn shame....

 

[pinkzebra]

I wonder if it will ever be known why this happened. I know I read that the next update from LE will be Tuesday when Coston has a court appearance because of the holiday. Do you think the sheriff gave the parents the "motive"? I believe were this to happen to me, I would HAVE to know why.

 

[GateKeeper]

I gotta say.... I my heart hurts for Costons family too. It would be truly terrible to know that your family member murdered two young people.
This is just an awful,awful tragedy.

 

[Confusion]

BBM
You don't fire warning shots, you don't pull a gun in intimidation. I'm quite sure that Jacob knew this and would not have pulled a gun unless he needed it to defend their lives.

I'm not sure why you quoted my post for this, that's not what I said. I said that if Coston was out of control, Jacob may have grabbed his gun (for protection) and pointed it at him (to get him to stop) or possibly fired into the air (to show that it was loaded).

I personally don't see most people just pulling out a gun and shooting someone if it's not necessary. I also don't imagine most rational men would continue to go after a younger, physically fit man with a gun if they were unarmed themselves. Whether my scenario is totally off base or not, it's pretty obvious that Coston was not a rational man at that point in time.

As far as that goes, it's just as possible that he attacked when Jacob reached for the gun and managed to get it away from him then. I just thought there may have been a couple of shots fired before the actual murders because 3 shots seems like an odd number. I guess it's also possible that there were only 4 bullets in the gun, but I just feel that he emptied the gun on Jessica. MOO

 

[SmoothOperator]

Thank yo so much! It's unbelievable how much I've missed! Jeesh! No idea where I got it from that the bumper was found in a field. I must have been in lala land!

Getting some shuteye bc I'm seriously seeing double! G'night everyone.

No Jersey your not in lala land as I too read exactly that of which you speak.. The open field.. Person walking in open field comes across bloody bumper, as well as even blood trail seen in this open field..

These details were stated and were exactly why some of us were of the mindset that this man could have actually hit Jake with his vehicle.. (bloody bumper, blood trail visible in open field).. Now with us learning this bloody bumper was found down the embankment I feel it not likely that Jake was actually hit with the vehicle and that the blood could have easily gotten on it from it being near the truck with Jessi's body in truck bed.. It also seems more likely that the damaged bumper was either from this drunk colliding with Jakes truck when possibly both the couple and Coston were on one of these locals roads.. Just happenstance that their paths crossed.. Or the bumper could have been damaged with Coston using his vehicle to push Jakes truck with Jessi's body over the embankment..

Anyhoo.. Just wanted to say you didn't dream up this info about individual finding bumper in open field.. It was reported and I feel still yet we're probably to learn even more details that are different than what they've initially been reported as..

Now.. Back to catching up from last night

 

[hambirg]

Since I seem to be the one to out the elephant in the room. . .anybody else feeling any anger towards the bartender that night? Good gawd, if Coston was as really drunk and obnoxious that night as been reported, then somebody over served him! :furious: Not trying to be too harsh on the bartender, it probably never crossed their mind that Coston was going to go out and kill two young kids. . .but still. . .it irritates me! :banghead:

 

[88keys]

Question about the execution style shots to Jessi:

If Coston was close to her when he pulled the trigger, wouldn't there have been 3 exit wounds to go with the 3 bullet holes? If he shot her from farther away, wouldn't the bullet lodge inside? I really don't know, that's why I'm asking...

Depends on how what caliber of gun it was, how powerful it was, and how far away he was when shooting. The bullets could have passed through, leaving the exit wounds, or they could have lodged it her head. Or they could have broken up into tiny pieces inside her head.

I've got a question for locals.. What and/or where would be the nearest open store, gas station, or fast food joint, etc from where the couple were camping/fishing?

There is a small gas station/food mart in Crossville, just a few miles away. But I don't know if it stays open all night or not. There is probably an all-night gas station in Carmi, and I know the Shell Mart next to the Interstate, just outside of Grayville (to the north of the campsite) would be open. However, nothing indicates that Jacob and Jessi went to any of these places. Someone would have seen them and remembered, I'm positive. Especially if they got in an altercation with Coston.

 

[88keys]

That was my immediate thought also. He went back after the initial investigation and search of the area and dumped the auto part (if it was the bumper) I don't think LE would have missed it, unless it was a small piece of a light cover, etc.



NOW, the question is, what was Coston doing that far north if coming from the south to go home? It make no sense to me, because he would've turned left to go home before reaching the campsite. I'll post a map of where the truck was found and Coston's home by the Centerville Cemetery...and New Haven.
http://goo.gl/maps/zJstz

Maybe he was drunk and country cruising.

Maybe he didn't take a direct route home.

Maybe he wasn't going home...maybe he was going somewhere else.

Or maybe he saw a campfire or headlights and decided to investigate. Remember, he was drunk- he's not going to do things that make sense.

 

[88keys]

Guys, I think we're misunderstanding the word "random" here. Random just means that he didn't know them in advance. He didn't spend weeks planning a murder because of some grudge. He did not know Jessi and Jacob before that night. LE has confirmed that.

If you get into a road rage incident with someone, and that someone kills you, it's still a random murder. Even if Coston did see them earlier in the night (which I think is very unlikely), and killed them later, it's still "random." It's different than when a friend or a family member kills someone; that is what they are trying to say when they say it was "random."

 

[88keys]

I'm not sure why you quoted my post for this, that's not what I said. I said that if Coston was out of control, Jacob may have grabbed his gun (for protection) and pointed it at him (to get him to stop) or possibly fired into the air (to show that it was loaded).

I agree. If someone was getting in my face and making me feel threatened, I would get out whatever weapon I had and let them know they need to back off.

Jacob was a solider, trained to keep his cool in life or death situations. I agree he wouldn't just get the gun out to be macho, and I doubt he would fire any warning shots (waste of ammunition). If the gun came out, he must have felt threatened.

Then again, we don't know yet if it was the Wheeler gun that was used, or if Coston had his own weapon.

Since I seem to be the one to out the elephant in the room. . .anybody else feeling any anger towards the bartender that night?

No...Coston is responsible for his own actions. Not the bartender. Coston is the one who chose to drink that much. I've never really understood why we expect bartenders to be the judges of when people have had too much to drink or not. Sometimes it's obvious, sometimes it's not. I would support putting breathalyzers in bars before I would support punishing bartenders for doing their jobs.

With that said, it is very possible that the bartender did stop serving him, if he was that out of control. Maybe he was told to leave the Legion, and that is what pissed him off in the first place.

 

[88keys]

No Jersey your not in lala land as I too read exactly that of which you speak.. The open field.. Person walking in open field comes across bloody bumper, as well as even blood trail seen in this open field..

Most of the fields around here have not been harvested yet. The corn is high, the beans are thick. If the bumper flew into a field (or was thrown into a field by a person), it is entirely possible that searchers missed it the first time. Walking through 7 foot corn is not easy. And who would really expect a bumper to be that far from the road, anyway?

 

[SmoothOperator]

"a random type situation that turned into a horrible event"

(Sheriff Maier)

"I really don't think Coston knew Jacob or Jessica at all," said Sheriff Maier. "It was just a random chance that they all landed in that spot at that time." "You seldom see that in a murder situation. He really didn't know these victims at all."

(Sheriff Maier)

"We've asked ourselves 10 million questions," said White County Sheriff Doug Maier. "I think we now know what happened on that riverbank."

(Sheriff Maier)

Authorities say they believe they know the motive but are not releasing those details yet.

(generalized statement supposedly derived from quote of Sheriff Maier)

The above are several different statements made by the Sheriff which lead me to believe that first of all imo there very likely is a situation that occurred which then led to the sequence of events of a double homicide.. It's in what Maier states in the first quote that leads me to believe this..

He says it was a "random type situation" that occurred imo BEFORE the murders.. Kwim?. As in for example I see it as for whatever reason Jake/Jessi were in the truck headed to/from where they were camping/fishing.. The "random situation" occurred as the two in their vehicle crossed paths with Coston in his vehicle.. And there are several scenarios that would fit such as road rage, a minor collision of some type, etc.. But something random and standard of circumstance occurred that the majority of times would have not led to harm coming to anyone..

Yet in this situation whatever that random occurrence was that took place between the couple and Coston is what thereby triggered the horrendous sequence of events that led to this maniac Killing the two.. Does that make sense?..

Because to me from what I've heard thus far it sounds as tho something similar to what I described above is what Sheriff Maier is indicating as having happened.. He is very convinced that the victims were random strangers to the murderer and he says they all "landed at that spot".. Imo that too indicating complete happenstance in their crossing paths..

He goes on to say they feel certain" they now know what happened on that riverbank".. Imo obvious he is speaking specifically of Jessi's murder and disposal of truck.. This imo is the second "spot" . Moo.. Moo.. Moo..

Let me be clear, I'm using "spot" as a word to describe the location of which an event occurred at..
So, the first spot would be the "random type situation" " that Maier speaks of that brought these two world's colliding.. Imo that first spot likely was on one of the roads in/around the fishing, camping, and home areas of Coston.. The first spot would be where they made initial contact such as a fender bender or a road rage incident.. That is what I'm calling the first spot..

Imo I find it possible that from that initial contact made at the first spot it then led to Coston following the two back into the remote area of which they were camping/fishing.. Maier indicates "they now know what happened on that riverbank".. It is that location I'm calling the second spot where imo the random type situation had taken a drastic turn culminating at that second spot, the riverbank where Jessi was killed, and Jakes truck was pushed over the riverbank, down the embankment and there it stayed along with Jessi's body in the bed of the truck along with debris of branches, leaves, etc which somewhat concealed her body..

Imo its anyone's guess as far as how and where Jake was killed.. And of those details I do not yet have any understanding.. Hopefully in days to come we will learn more to fill in the blanks especially where Jake is concerned.

But as of now with what we do have stated by the Sheriff, himself I personally believe that it was a situation similar to what I described above..a "random type situation" that led to their paths crossing and from there Coston turned it into something literally out of a horror movie nightmare where two young lives were cruelly and brutally taken with zero empathy, compassion, nor even value of their human life, period..

All in all tho these are nothing more than strictly my opinions at this time with the so very little that is known.. I'm quite certain as more info/details come to light that my opinions will likely change somewhat or even a whole lot.. Only time will tell.. All jmo..

 

[scorekeeper]

A vehicle part found Friday afternoon where Wheeler's truck containing Evans' body had been dumped led investigators to Coston.

White County Sheriff Doug Maier said investigators matched the wrecked vehicle part to Coston's vehicle and picked him up for questioning Friday

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2012/sep/01/no-headline---illinois_murder_folo/

BBM

I am reposting this. Do we have another MSM report that says "a bumper" was found?

Thanks! I confuse things enough myself!!