Please forgive me for asking this question but it keeps bugging me. Why does the bridge in this picture look so much shorter than the picture of Abby on the bridge. This may have been asked and answered already but I'm behind because I stepped away from my tablet. Is it a different bridge? Just trying to get things clear in my mind. Thanks in advance.
Sent from my SCH-I905 using Tapatalk
I don't feel like it looks like the same one either. The monon high bridge is reportedly 853' long. That doesn't look that long in the photo you referred to.
It is possible that the perp had a plan to coral the potential victims to the secluded flat area by the creek and he just needed a good opportunity. In that regard, a likely exit IMO would be across the creek by foot through the shallow creek water. His vehicle, whatever it was, would already be there beside the residential road waiting on him. This way he minimized risk by avoiding to go north and potentially run into someone or if someone would come from that direction to help the victims. If he had an accomplice waiting by the creek that would further minimize the risk.
Knowing the photo definitely occurred prior to the crime and was definitely taken as video by Liberty changes a little from my initial impression. I originally felt like he took them from the bridge or from the North end of it just as they came off of it and lead them upstream on the North side of the creek. My initial reaction was that he likely did this because he had a car at the cemetery and that was his planned escape and prevented him from having to spend any considerable time on the actual trails because the trails raise the potential to encounter witnesses. I also felt he could watch the bridge from that area of woods East of the bridge on the North bank of the creek.
What I struggled with was that I couldn't really figure out why he would go out on the bridge moving in a Southerly direction before or after the crime if they ended up on the North side. The bridge is a risky spot for him because it is so visible and you can't move on it quickly if someone came unexpectedly. I felt that there was no way he'd use the bridge to exit the area afterwards. I also felt that based on where he took them, he'd possibly have to be wet or have mud on him.
I feel like he walked onto the bridge after possibly loitering around the end for a bit oddly that caught the girls' attention? I'm not certain that Liberty isn't pretending to take a selfie in the video and the still is with her cropped out of it. That could be the reason for it being out of focus. A lot of times, phone cameras recognize a face up close and focus to it. It would explain the poor quality of the stills because they may have cropped her out and it could be why she was able to keep it recording without him being alarmed or focused on her phone. I feel like he probably walked just past them as if he was going to pass on by and then turned and produced a weapon walking them back North.
The fact that he chose the area he makes me believe he had at least scoped out the area before. It seemed they walked a decent distance and I'm not sure how he would know they wouldn't end up in someone's backyard or in view from a house. I have also held the theory that he walked them away from the bridge until he got to an area that he felt someone on the bridge couldn't see and would have a harder time hearing. The area he walked them through begins relatively flat with a steep drop to the creek and then the terrain begins to get pretty severe at the first drainage ditch south of the cemetery. How was he able to be confident that a chase wouldn't ensue in those woods which would have been very difficult for 1 guy chasing 2 teenagers. There were several options to get down to the creek and he chose the one that took the longest walk, but ended up being most isolated. Was this just chance?
I also wonder how he was sure he would be able to keep them quiet? Did this not matter to him. It is possible that he had already encountered one witness and that witness spoke of other people she saw, but not the girls. Was he just sure they would comply with commands or did he do something to cover their mouths?
I keep focusing on how well did he know the area and how prepared was he for this when he arrived that day?
There are reasons to believe he knew it quite well and that he came prepared with things to force them to comply as well as restrain them and possibly keep them quiet? We don't know the manner of death, but I've heard no reports of gunshots.
There is a lot about this crime that makes it seem like it would be very daring to initiate and difficult to pull off. It almost requires help. I'm not saying there has to be an additional guy, but I can understand why there could be reluctance to rule out an accomplice.
The thing about releasing the voice and the picture and stating that it might not be the same person, subconsciously, people are listening to the voice and trying to match it to the guy in the picture whether they mean to or not. I figure they must know that it is him and are just being vague about it to not discourage anyone who may think they recognize the guy, but not the voice or vice versa. It seems like a risky play to make, but I get it, especially if they believe he was disguising his identity.