IN - Amanda Blackburn, 28, pregnant, murdered, Indianapolis, 10 Nov 2015 - #2

[bessie]

Remember when LE said something to the eff f of "you arent'a as smart as you think you are"? To me, that suggests the perp had a strategy here.

So what strategy involves a random quick robbery... Oops... Lady home... Shoot her in head, take nothing and run....

That all seems like only instinct and no strategy.


And I would think most low level criminals don't consider themselves smart...

I scratch my head on this...

What the Major actually said was, "You are not as good as you think you are. You left behind evidence."

Of course he had a strategy. The same as every other thief -- steal as much as you can, and get away undetected.

In this case, he covered his face to avoid being recognized. Thought he was "good". But although they might not have a clear picture of his face, they have other evidence which eventually will lead to his arrest, and hopefully, a conviction.

 

[bessie]

Neighbors search for justice in Amanda Blackburn murder
By Vi Nguyen Published: November 17, 2015, 11:18 pm Updated: November 17, 2015, 11:32 pm

[...]

ome people living in the Woods of North Kessler neighborhood said they are not giving up until the person responsible is caught.

They have been passing out flyers hoping to generate new tips and leads.

The neighborhood watch group held a meeting Tuesday night to talk about their efforts.

A group of more than 20 people met in front of a home on Sunnyfield Court Tuesday evening. They held hands and joined together in prayer. It’s a group bonded by a tragedy that has rocked their community.

Pizza shop near Amanda Blackburn’s home pleas for clues in murder case
Posted 11:41 PM, November 17, 2015, by Lindsey Eaton, Updated at 12:03am, November 18, 2015

[...]

“The trail is not cold. I know we all saw those pictures and we wanted to see that person’s face and we want to find him,” explains Ryan McConnell, the captain of the neighborhood crime watch.

Piezanos, a pizza shop, a few miles from the Blackburn neighborhood has started attaching the Crime Stoppers flyers to all the pizza boxes. The restaurant is making sure all their customers have the number to call if they have clues.

Neighbors are trying to increase the $1,000 reward.

If you have any information that could help detectives find Amanda’s killer call 262-TIPS.

 

[MJPeony]

"There is nothing, nothing, nothing tying this gun to this case," said Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Rich Riddle.

http://www.indystar.com/story/news/...dgun-not-tied-amanda-blackburn-case/75951782/

That's a pretty emphatic statement. Perhaps they know the type of gun is different than the one used in the murder.

I just found this: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/11/1...ed-weapon-connected-to-amanda-blackburn-case/

It was posted Nov. 18th, while the one above was the 17th.

I'm in the twilight zone... both articles are quoting Lt. Riddle. In the one from the indystar, he's quoted as saying the gun has "nothing nothing nothing" to do with this case. In the Fox one from today he's quoted here as saying “It certainly is of interest to our detectives to see if that weapon has any connection to any crime in that area,” Riddle said. “But most importantly the Amanda Blackburn case at this point.”'

Did Riddle actually say this first (that the gun is of interest re: the Blackburn case), then retract it and say the "nothing" bit, and Fox is just way behind on the latest and reporting old news? If so, why did Riddle not explain that they'd originally thought it might, but.... My understanding of the latest Fox article is that the gun is still at ballistics....

 

[Sulamith]

I just found this: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/11/1...ed-weapon-connected-to-amanda-blackburn-case/

It was posted Nov. 18th, while the one above was the 17th.

I'm in the twilight zone... both articles are quoting Lt. Riddle. In the one from the indystar, he's quoted as saying the gun has "nothing nothing nothing" to do with this case. In the Fox one from today he's quoted here as saying “It certainly is of interest to our detectives to see if that weapon has any connection to any crime in that area,” Riddle said. “But most importantly the Amanda Blackburn case at this point.”'

Did Riddle actually say this first (that the gun is of interest re: the Blackburn case), then retract it and say the "nothing" bit, and Fox is just way behind on the latest and reporting old news? If so, why did Riddle not explain that they'd originally thought it might, but.... My understanding of the latest Fox article is that the gun is still at ballistics....

How does LE know that the person seen on the home security video is a man and not a woman?

 

[bessie]

I just found this: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/11/1...ed-weapon-connected-to-amanda-blackburn-case/

It was posted Nov. 18th, while the one above was the 17th.

I'm in the twilight zone... both articles are quoting Lt. Riddle. In the one from the indystar, he's quoted as saying the gun has "nothing nothing nothing" to do with this case. In the Fox one from today he's quoted here as saying “It certainly is of interest to our detectives to see if that weapon has any connection to any crime in that area,” Riddle said. “But most importantly the Amanda Blackburn case at this point.”'

Did Riddle say this first, then retract it and say the "nothing" bit, and Fox is just way behind on the latest?

The Fox report was first published at 4:42 P.M., Nov 17, and we don't know exactly what time Riddle was interviewed. It could have been a couple of hours earlier.

The IndyStar report was published at 5:27 P.M. So, did they confirm it's the wrong caliber in the meantime? Possibly, but it's impossible to say for sure at this point. We'll have to wait and see. It would have helped if the IndyStar had printed more than just that one line.

---

Recovered handgun may be linked to Amanda Blackburn murder case
Posted 4:42 PM, November 17, 2015, by Zach Myers, Updated at 05:40pm, November 17, 2015

[...]
“It certainly is of interest to our detectives to see if that weapon has any connection to any crime in that area,” Riddle said. “But most importantly the Amanda Blackburn case at this point.”

[..]
“Our detectives are looking at the caliber of the handgun recovered, to see if it does in fact match the caliber of the weapon used in the Amanda Blackburn case,” Riddle said.

---

Police: Handgun not tied to Amanda Blackburn case
Michael Anthony Adams, michael.adams@indystar.com
5:27 p.m. EST November 17, 2015

[...]
"There is nothing, nothing, nothing tying this gun to this case," said Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Rich Riddle.

 

[DexterMorgan]

The Fox report was first published at 4:42 P.M., Nov 17, and we don't know exactly what time Riddle was interviewed. It could have been a couple of hours earlier.

The IndyStar report was published at 5:27 P.M. So, did they confirm it's the wrong caliber in the meantime? Possibly, but it's impossible to say for sure at this point. We'll have to wait and see. It would have helped if the IndyStar had printed more than just that one line.

---

Recovered handgun may be linked to Amanda Blackburn murder case
Posted 4:42 PM, November 17, 2015, by Zach Myers, Updated at 05:40pm, November 17, 2015

[...]
“It certainly is of interest to our detectives to see if that weapon has any connection to any crime in that area,” Riddle said. “But most importantly the Amanda Blackburn case at this point.”

[..]
“Our detectives are looking at the caliber of the handgun recovered, to see if it does in fact match the caliber of the weapon used in the Amanda Blackburn case,” Riddle said.

---

Police: Handgun not tied to Amanda Blackburn case
Michael Anthony Adams, michael.adams@indystar.com
5:27 p.m. EST November 17, 2015

[...]
"There is nothing, nothing, nothing tying this gun to this case," said Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Rich Riddle.

I wonder if you can use let's say bullets for a 38 in a 9mm handgun. I see they mention that on tv sometimes.

They will find lets say a 38 bullet and assume a 38 was used. But then in csi las vegas speed; They will realize that the gun was actually a 9mm.

But I guess they atleast ran a ballistics test to make sure that it definitely wasn't the gun. But you are right. The Indystar should be way on top of things than some quick 1 line mention.

 

[Matic]

I wonder if you can use let's say bullets for a 38 in a 9mm handgun. I see they mention that on tv sometimes.

They will find lets say a 38 bullet and assume a 38 was used. But then in csi las vegas speed; They will realize that the gun was actually a 9mm.

But I guess they atleast ran a ballistics test to make sure that it definitely wasn't the gun. But you are right. The Indystar should be way on top of things than some quick 1 line mention.

Absolutely. My glock 29 10mm will shoot 10mm, .40 caliber, .357 sig and 9x25 dillon with a 2 second change of the barrel using the same magazine.
The 10mm is the parent round, the other 3 were designed around its case.
It will also shoot the .40 caliber "without" changing the barrel.

.357 magnums can also shoot .38 special ammo.
And if I'm not mistaken 9mm will work I a .40 caliber. Or vice versa. My memory fails me on that one.

The Medusa M-47 can actually fire 25+ different types of ammunition.

 

[DexterMorgan]

Absolutely. My glock 29 10mm will shoot 10mm, .40 caliber, .357 sig and 9x25 dillon with a 2 second change of the barrel using the same magazine.
The 10mm is the parent round, the other 3 were designed around its case.
It will also shoot the .40 caliber "without" changing the barrel.

.357 magnums can also shoot .38 special ammo.
And if I'm not mistaken 9mm will work I a .40 caliber. Or vice versa. My memory fails me on that one.

The Medusa M-47 can actually fire 25+ different types of ammunition.

Thanks. Lol.

Note to self. Never try to break in Matic's home. Lol

But seriously. Thanks for the clarification on how a certain caliber bullet can be recovered but it doesn't mean that the particular bullet was fired from the same caliber gun.

So hopefully they will test a similar bullet to every possible gun that they find which they may feel could be related to the case even if they know that the gun caliber is different from the bullet caliber.

Thanks again for giving clarity on that. Because I don't want the police to simply automatically assume that it can't be the gun due to caliber differences.

 

[Too Curious]

Let's try this again.

Blackburn was quoted as saying that it is a very close neighborhood.

In our neighborhood, we know when each other will be out of town. We house sit for each other. We keep an eye on things.

It's so strange no neighbors noticed that SUV out of place, if anyone was out and about walking dogs or leaving for work.

If someone on that street knew those neighbors were out of town and had ill intentions towards the Blackburns, it could have been set up as a convenience burglary... To make the murder look like a botched burglary.

Also, people can know other people's pins. Maybe you grab diapers for your friend when you run a quick errand and they give you their card to pay for it? It's not out of the realm of possibility someone gave the perpetrator the PIN so they could help themselves to her bank account after committing the crime.

It's just a matter of piecing together who would want a young, pregnant mother out of the picture . I hope they figure it out soon and that no one else is in danger. So glad the baby boy was spared.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

Let's try this again.

Blackburn was quoted as saying that it is a very close neighborhood.

In our neighborhood, we know when each other will be out of town. We house sit for each other. We keep an eye on things.

It's so strange no neighbors noticed that SUV out of place, if anyone was out and about walking dogs or leaving for work.

If someone on that street knew those neighbors were out of town and had ill intentions towards the Blackburns, it could have been set up as a convenience burglary... To make the murder look like a botched burglary.

Also, people can know other people's pins. Maybe you grab diapers for your friend when you run a quick errand and they give you their card to pay for it? It's not out of the realm of possibility someone gave the perpetrator the PIN so they could help themselves to her bank account after committing the crime.

It's just a matter of piecing together who would want a young, pregnant mother out of the picture . I hope they figure it out soon and that no one else is in danger. So glad the baby boy was spared.

I think the police already knows who wanted Amanda out of the picture and its the home intruder turned murderer they are aggressively trying to locate. She isn't the only innocent person who has died by cruel, sadistic, evil home invaders and unfortunately she will not be the last victim either.

Imo, when he infiltrated her home he found her inside so he shot her and thought he killed her at that time. With Amanda being dead she wouldn't ever be able to ID him in any line up nor would she ever be able to assist them in apprehending him. That is the reason, Amanda was murdered, imo, just like others before her were under the same set of circumstances.

I doubt Amanda had an enemy in the world. They both were much loved and admired by those who knew them But a total stranger to Amanda became the enemy she had never even met before. Evil crossed paths with goodness that day but in the end goodness will always triumph over evil and justice will be done.

So sad and terrifying because it could happen to any of us no matter how moral or law abiding we have lived our lives.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

Remember when LE said something to the eff f of "you arent'a as smart as you think you are"? To me, that suggests the perp had a strategy here.

So what strategy involves a random quick robbery... Oops... Lady home... Shoot her in head, take nothing and run....

That all seems like only instinct and no strategy.


And I would think most low level criminals don't consider themselves smart...

I scratch my head on this...

BBM

Did I miss something?

Not once have I seen this police force ever say that nothing was taken from the Blackburn home. Not once. Do you have a link? In the PC they said they asked Davey to give them a list of 'what WAS taken.' So I am confused when I keep seeing this repeated.

tia

 

[Dushi]

It does not matter how you live your life. How loved you are. We are all at risk of being a victim of senseless crime.
And this one is senseless and sad.

The house AFAIK, was not broken into, no forced entry.
I do not understand why the robber did not knock on the door to assure himself that no one was home.
If, in fact he/she did, and Amanda opened the door, why not leave, run, whatever?
Why did he/she assume the house was empty at that early hour? It is not unusual for two people to leave for the day at different times.

He/she came armed. Prepared to shoot anyone who got in the way?
The "take" would hardly be worth it, IMO. The neighborhood looks average, not a place where you would expect to find a haul of expensive things.

All of this points (IMO) at a young inexperienced person.
Surprised when confronted and scared, so he/she shot her?

I will say, in the beginning (and even now) I have felt that the first robbery was to lead LE in a different direction, but I have nothing to base that on, just a feeling. Maybe because of the sheer senselessness of it all, a young mother, expecting, a little boy that will grow up without his mom.
I guess its natural to want to make some sense of it all

 

[passionflower]

The only thing that I saw was back pages ago........'how could he steal off a dead person to sell it for money'......making me think jewelry (engagement ring?) and seeing the perp walking down the street............had to fit in his pockets...........hands are free with a cell phone....(pants falling down)............**** type person.

 

[passionflower]

no break in to either a door was unlocked? Amanda left him in? or did he have a key?

1st house was it broke in to? door? window? the owners were gone. Did **** have a flashlight? Street lights? Lights on in house?

did these 2 houses 'trust' some worker with key?

question why would a thief carry a gun?

 

[oceanblueeyes]

It will be interesting to see. I believe it was hired. This board doesn't allow me to speculate further than that out loud.
Go watch her videos she took part in for her church. You can see body language and come to your own conclusions about how happy she may or may not have been.
She seems like a wonderful person who didn't DESERVE an enemy. But someone else wasn't so wonderful, and now she's gone.

I don't even think the evidence supports that notion though. Not one word has been said or inferred by LE indicating they think he is a suspect in this case. In fact the opposite has been said and LE never clears someone who later on has any involvement in a case. It just doesn't happen and it will not happen in this case either.

That is like pretending things like home invasion murders don't happen when they do.

I have never seen a hired hit man go two doors down, invade it first, steal possessions, and there are cameras inside of that home from what we have been told, and then goes on to do a hit on someone. Also hit men don't let several neighbors see them in the area nor do they let the neighbors see the stolen black suv that was involved.

I have watched the videos and as a Christian all of my life I don't find anything wrong with them at all. She may have been shy but that doesn't mean she was unhappy. I think she was very happy with her church family, hubby, Weston and they were both happy to be expecting their second baby.

Not one word has come out since Amanda was killed that has even remotely suggests this couple was anything other than a very close couple who worked together to spread the Gospel.

There always will be those who cast suspicion on family members of loved ones who have been murdered. Sadly, it happens more frequently than not.

WS moderators have had to control it here for many years now, rightly so. Because in the end in so many of those cases the victims' family members were totally innocent people while others were determined to make them guilty before the evidence was even known.

Bessie has made it very clear Davey is not to be treated in any other way other than a grieving husband who has lost his wife to a murderer. Believe me the Moderators have seen all of this playout before many times and that is why they stay on top of it like they do. They have a very valid reason for doing so. They are not only protecting WS, as they should. but they are also protecting us who post

IMO

 

[Too Curious]

NO ONE is pointing a finger at the husband. I do not see Davy's name above. This is a sleuthing board to discuss and float theories. That means we may agree to disagree on what we think MO is or what happened. There's no need to get pious. We're all here for the same reason.

 

[Too Curious]

BBM

Did I miss something?

Not once have I seen this police force ever say that nothing was taken from the Blackburn home. Not once. Do you have a link? In the PC they said they asked Davey to give them a list of 'what WAS taken.' So I am confused when I keep seeing this repeated.

tia

We see the stills of the perp walking away. Whatever was taken fit in the coat or pocket. We know an atm card was taken.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

NO ONE is pointing a finger at the husband. I do not see Davy's name above. This is a sleuthing board to discuss and float theories. That means we may agree to disagree on what we think MO is or what happened. There's no need to get pious. We're all here for the same reason.

Then I owe you an apology but when you said you didn't want to go too far etc. the only one now who Bessie specifically has said is off limits is Davey so I assumed wrongly I suppose when I thought that is who you were referring to.

Sorry.

 

[Dushi]

We see the stills of the perp walking away. Whatever was taken fit in the coat or pocket. We know an atm card was taken.

Yes, that is all we see.
I haven't heard anything about a witness seeing things being carried from the house.

Where was the SUV at this time?

 

[oceanblueeyes]

We see the stills of the perp walking away. Whatever was taken fit in the coat or pocket. We know an atm card was taken.

Have they said where that particular frame came from? Did they say he was walking away from the Blackburns or the other residence or advancing into the areas? I didn't see any detailed information given about that photo except it was in the area which would be close to both homes. But I could have missed reading those details though because I had wondered exactly where he was at the time.

IMO