LA - ***ARREST*** Mickey Shunick, 21, Lafayette 19 May 2012 - #33

[andalso]

:Welcome1: to WS kclark!

 

[danzn16]

I don't know. This is still a big unanswered question for me - from the beginning. She should have been caught on HooptyCam, unless she was taken in the very short distance between Circle K and 216 St. Landry.

unless it really was a camera that only took random pics every so often??

 

[justwannahelp]

Hadn't seen this article from the DW posted yet. Quotes several of BSL's neighbors: http://www.dailyworld.com/article/20120706/NEWS01/207060316

in the last paragraph the neighbor talks about a bayou. i really think they should and probably are already checking into that bayou. someone on here named CIRCA said something about a long bayou along Ko Dupuis Road. Has anyone mapped that out? I keep trying to map it in reference to his house, but i lost the coordinates for his house (since Elaine doesn't come up)

 

[inthesouth]

With LE being on to him and watching, they most likely "manufactured" something to pull him over: no turn signal, weaving, didn't stop at a stop sign, tail light out, etc. Once pulled over, the altered license came into play, or something regarding his RSO statis, enough to detain him.

There was nothing "manufactured" to pull him over. He was pulled over because he had a warrant out for his arrest.

"State Police pulled over Lavergne on July 5th near I-49 and I-10, and he was arrested on an unrelated warrant related to sex offender registration."

"July 5, 2012: State Police stop Lavergne on a traffic stop in a new white truck and arrest him on a warrant related to registering as a sex offender."

http://www.katc.com/full-coverage/searching-for-mickey-shunick/

 

[justwannahelp]

They must have conclusive evidence that there was an aggravated kidnapping on or off St. Landry St. between W. St. Mary Blvd. and Blackham Colosseum.

The Advertiser footage must have shown her bike in the back of the truck on Bertrand.

 

[Island hopper]

But the LPD chief basically did tell us that this cannot be Mickey or the bike on or under by the Circle K, since he answered one of the reporter's who asked him where they believe Mickey was taken as "between St. Landry & St. Mary streets (I take that to mean the intersection of St. Landry & St. Mary) and Blackham Coliseum." The intersection of St. Landry & St. Mary is blocks up from the Circle K. So to me, that answers that question. Mickey made it to at least the corner of St. Landry & St. Mary before being hit and taken, so the Circle K pic of the DWT following behind Mickey cannot show us Mickey being hit. So we know from Chief Craft that Mickey was hit/taken between St.Mary & St. Landry intersection and somewhere near the coliseum. Seems to me this liekly happened around the St. Landry extension by the coliseum. Nothing but fields immediately around.

I am not saying that Mickey or her bike are under or over the truck in front of the Circle K because I just don't know. I only know that something is going on with the pic of that truck between all the weird anomalies in the pic to why they released it at that spot.

I don't know of any LE stating that she or the bike is or is not in that pic. ACI said he called and a public information officer said that she is not. I had a US Marshal friend of mine call a detective and they said they cannot rule out any scenario at that time. If there is a link that states LE disproved this theory then I will definitely change my opinion. Right now is is just speculation.

As far as the Chief stating where she was taken, it is a matter of how you interpret what he said. He didn't seem to know where she was taken but those do seem like the most likely areas.

It seems unlikely she was taken at the Circle K but this guy is obviously impulsive and not the smartest guy. He likely didn't know her and has no idea where she lives or where she was going. Maybe he thought he better grab her while he could...before she pulled into a house or business. Maybe at this point she was aware of him and he had to act or be caught. Maybe she would have gone into the Circke K and reported him do he stopped her first. Maybe he thought it would look like an accident and he was 'helping' her by taking her to the hospital. Again, he wasn't likely thinking clearly as he was being guided by this out of control impulse.

I only base my opinions on facts and statements, confirmations, made by LE only. And what I can see with my own eyes. This is absolutely not aimed at anyone in particular (because we have all done it and its how we express opinions) but members do come on and make statements that they heard this here or there and it gets quoted and commented on and then threads later people think they are facts. I have not seen any facts that prove or disprove something happened right there in that pic.

 

[mkay882]

It does, but it probably took a lot fewer back when BSL enlisted.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/13/world/americas/13iht-13recruits.6652316.html

Yep.
Spend a day in our county court house and there will be at least one headed into military service instead of jail most days.
It got worse when this war drug on for years and there were fewer volunteers to replace the dead soldiers.

 

[Boudin]

Coincidence?
http:///viewArticle.action?articleId=281474981388440

This truck was ruled out at the time by ACI.

 

[CajunCoDe]

I'm not sure he was trying to pretend it was the same truck. After all, he told the dealership his other one was stolen. You'd htink that he'd think that once the burned truck was found, they would come talk to him - and then does he want to have that GPS? Would there be a good reason at all to keep that GPS? I can't think of one benefit for him of keeping that GPS, but maybe I am overlooking some benefit?

One thing - I wonder if he filed a police report about the stolen truck?! That's a huge puzzle piece.

I spoke to someone immediately following the press conference who knows the insurance agent that gave him his claim check. Agent said he had a bandage on his arm and asked about it. Didn't put it all together until the arrest. So yes, he did file insurance claim. So, here's what I think:

He goes out Friday night, maybe looking, maybe not. Maybe he and GF were on the outs. Anyway, he sees Mickey and decides he wants her. Picks her up. Knocks her out somehow. Needs to get rid of bike, it's in the way. Drops bike at WB. He did not pick up a victim just to kill. He needs his thrill first. He takes her home. Maybe decides he is going to keep her a couple of days, set her free, maybe. Come Sunday morning, her story is everywhere. He is stuck, has the girl and can't let her go now. (I don't know how to phrase this sensitively) he kills his victim and heads to Texas. Somewhere along the way he gets rid of body, but now the truck is full of evidence. Stops in San Jacinto, TX grabs all of his personal belongings (possibly including GPS, i would cinsider that a personal item, and i also never knew that past data was stored) Finds secluded place, burns truck. Heads to Montgomery TX. Monday morning he reports his truck stolen. File insurance claim. Rents a car, heads home. Heads off shore. In the meantime, insurance working on claim. Goes to buy a new truck when he gets back. He goes on like nothing happened.

Also, regarding the video from the TDA, perhaps that was what sealed the deal fror LE. Could they have positively identified his truck with a bike in the back?

 

[danzn16]

Catching up on people's theories:

I see renewed discussion of the white truck, and distorted stills from someone's big-screen TV.

1. Regarding whether Mickey is seen on top of the truck - no. All you have to do is look at the original photo (not cropped/enlarged), and it's clear that there is not a person on top of the truck.

2. What looks like something draped over the right-rear window looks to me like classic lens flare, combined with one of the jagged vertical breaks in the still that LE released. If you compare the pic of the DWT heading right, and the DWT heading left (both at Circle K), you can see the same area of white oversaturation on the rear window of the truck heading left. Looks to me like a light source that reflected off the rear part of the roof of the truck heading right... then was both distorted by the vertical break in the still - and then spilled over through the lens-flare effect, to look like something (a tarp, etc.) hanging down over part of the window.

If you want to see what I mean, look at the picture of Mickey coming toward the camera on Versailles, then look at what looks like a big white blob ahead of Mickey. I and others have compared this blob to night-time photos a WS poster took, and agree that it was created by the bright lights of the bus overhang to her right. Now look at how the light appears to spill around the front side of the 25-mph sign, even though it's not really doing that. This apparent spillage made it look almost like LE had whited something out in the photo. But the more I looked at it, it became apparent to me that it was a lens-flare effect, falsely adding a white smear to the front of the 25-mph sign that really wasn't there.

I believe that this same effect on the 25-m.p.h. sign created the optical illusion of something hanging over the right-rear window of the truck heading right (following Mickey), when it actually wasn't there. Lens flare can do weird stuff, and then when the picture is blown up and the contrast altered, it can look like something it isn't.

3. It seems that BL's m.o. would have been to take someone alive. Note that BL didn't kill his 1999 victim. It would have taken one heck of a high-speed hit to knock Mickey up onto the hood or roof. The fronts of those trucks are tall and vertical and higher than the bike and rider. I doubt that a bump that only bent the back bike rim would have thrown her up there - and I think that at that speed, the bike would have shown a lot more damage. And if he wanted to take her alive, then a hit required to actually knock her up that far would almost certainly have had to be high-speed enough to be fatal, and so why would he hit her that hard? Seems to me he would have wanted to hit her hard enough to knock her off the bike, but not hard enough to kill her outright.

Thank you, I totally agree. Also it would make no sense for him to have an open area in his truck. 1. He would be pulled over more easily. 2. More identifiable. 3. He more than likely takes his victims alive and this hole would allow his victims screams to be heard.

We have to remember the distortion from the cameras we are seeing and that LE would have told us to look for this if it was there.

 

[Foxfire]

BSL disposed of the truck in San Jacinto county, and reported it stolen in Montgomery county. I'm thinking that he probably tried to report it stolen to his insurance company in order to get a loaner car issued so he could get back home. Insurance companies won't take any action on stolen property until you've filed a police report. Otherwise, I'm not sure he would have involved LE at all at that point. He was probably sweating it out for a few days wondering if LE was going to make a connection.
MOO

If not for an aware citizen(lady at car dealership), LE may have never made the connection due to jurisdictional linkage blindness. An aware American public is a very valuable tool in missing persons investigations. This is another excellent example of this tool's effectiveness when utilized..

Once BSL's vehicle description was posted in the media, the last thing on his mind was abducting another innocent victim. He then became the hunted, instead of the hunter/predator..

 

[A.C.I]

Yeah I saw your post after the fact. I wasn't making any wild speculations. Just throwing spaghetti at the wall

Oh no worries. Thats a viable method. Theres lots of spaghetti to be thrown in this case

 

[danzn16]

Louisiana, Tennessee, Florida and Delaware are the only states that I can find via google that designate Sex Offender on Drivers Licenses. I didn't even realize that anywhere did that! I think it's a great idea, more states should do this!!

 

[A.C.I]

This truck was ruled out at the time by ACI.

Not just me (for all those who don't like me here). Franklin parish sheriff's office as well. LPD also knew about the truck, and CS even posted on her FB it wasn't related

 

[Boudin]

Unfortunately, I find myself hoping he kept Mickey somewhere (even if she's deceased) as his trophy and her remains are somewhere he frequented so he could check on them. I still hope there's a slight possibility some of her remains (but badly decomposed, perhaps skeletonized) were recovered from his property and they are just waiting for lab tests to prove it's her.

I wonder if the PD waited long enough to see if he would go somewhere when he returned from offshore. IF he had her alive and holed up somewhere, sooner or later he would bring her some food. Now, if she is alive somewhere, either she escapes or she'll eventual starve. But LE seems to strongly believe she is no longer with us.

 

[CajunCoDe]

Just wanted to add. He tampered with his DL. That is illegal. Your DL belongs to the state, not the individual carrying it. They had a copy of it from the dealership. That In and of itself is cause for arrest.

 

[crzimmer]

Audio for the complete police PC yesterday including reporter questions. No video. Divided into four parts.

http://999ktdy.com/mickey-shunick-press-conference-audio/

 

[Island hopper]

To me, just driving the truck to Texas showed a level of planning. Also, he had a long drive to think about what he was doing. If the GPS burned up with the truck, it would cover his tracks better, just my way of thinking. On the other hand, the GPS unit being missing could be explained by a thief stripping the truck...
Which leads me to his problem: a burned "stolen" truck is more believable if it has been stripped - rims, etc.

Unless he had an accomplice - which opens up a can of worms - how would he make the truck look stripped? And how did he get from where the truck was found back home?

Did he walk back out to the road and hitchhike? Hitchhiking to me seems like about the only way to do it..... unless he took a bike to Texas and used it to get away from where the truck was found. Just brainstorming here....

I haven't read the transcript of the press release but didn't the Chief at one point state that the truck was reported stolen?

Was the truck found in some desolated area? I need to go back and look. I have never seen any exact location as to where the truck was burned. Curious about this as well.

 

[nutkin]

Who is accepted for military service depends a lot on what conditions the world is in at the time. If we are at "war" or the potential is there, waivers become available for a lot of people.

If there is peace, it is a lot harder to be accepted to join.

 

[Amster]

Would it be possible to leave the military bashing out of this? I know on this thread I'm in the minority. But, having lost more than one loved one in combat, the painting of our military with such a broad brush really hurts. If I'm out of line with this personal request, I'm truly sorry.