MI MI - Julia Niswender, 23, EMU student, Ypsilanti, 10 Dec 2012 - #2

[FindHG]

You betcha ROA...

Key word would = ACCESS.

But perhaps a big IF.

:moo: :cow:

And timing, flawless to a point, it seems, end of semester, exams, few people around, so whoever did this would have had to have had the time, means, capacity to blend in (a van of sorts maybe), motive, knowledge of a clean ninja type kill, and access. IIRC, it was said that Julia's apt key was missing off her chain, but I'm not at all sure, maybe Trojan1966 confirmed it?

 

[caspermi]

Aha! Hence, access to keys!

Or maybe she left mom and dad a spare set of keys to her apartment.

 

[hockeymom4]

The door was locked. It is a dead bolt type that requires a key to lock or unlock it from the outside. So whoever did this locked the door with a key when they left the room and one would assume they took the key with them.

I believe the room key was normally on her key ring and that key was missing when the LE arrived. Normally, during the day she and her room mates would lock their doors when they were not there. Just a good way to keep your "stuff" safe, you never know who will come to the apartment with a room mate. Just some of my thoughts.

Bump.
Posts explain the lock/key. Great info.

 

[dmc43613]

Bump.
Posts explain the lock/key. Great info.

Let me see if I understand this, because I was thinking that the key locked the bedroom door from INSIDE the bedroom. Meaning that the Perp could only exit from the bedroom door or a window. If the key was used to lock up, tells me that they were either too large or not agile enough to get through the bedroom window and had to exit through the main apartment door. No fingerprints on either the window or door knob? Could the disarray be from someone attempting to exit via window and couldn't?

Am I understanding this correctly?

 

[black_squirrel]

Let me see if I understand this, because I was thinking that the key locked the bedroom door from INSIDE the bedroom. Meaning that the Perp could only exit from the bedroom door or a window. If the key was used to lock up, tells me that they were either too large or not agile enough to get through the bedroom window and had to exit through the main apartment door. No fingerprints on either the window or door knob? Could the disarray be from someone attempting to exit via window and couldn't?

Am I understanding this correctly?

I am not sure why the perp would want to climb out the window. Perhaps it is less likely to be seen, but it raises immediate suspision when someone
sees him/her. Going out the front door, the perp might be seen but nobody would pay close attention. The perp could cover a good chunk of his/her face with a hat
(preferably Julia's), since it is is winter.

 

[black_squirrel]

I have the same thought process. Before the whole JT thing came to light my first thought was...almost two whole days before a welfare check Tuesday night. From what I've read Julia was close to one roommate but not so much the other. So the roommate she was close to waited two whole days before becoming worried even though Julia's car had not moved from the same parking spot? That is extremely odd to me. I have daughters away at college in apartments. If a roommate didn't see one of my daughters they would be freaking. These roommates of Julia's didn't have that reaction which is extremely odd to me. This apartment complex has outer steal doors with electronic passes and each bedroom had a key that could be locked upon leaving but had a deadbolt on the inside. They also have panic buttons. According to Jennifer, she last spoke with Julia around 10:30 pm Sunday. Did one or both roommates arrive back at the apartment that evening? I will assume the murder took place either that evening before Julia went to bed or the next morning as she missed her class on Monday. Either way, whoever murdered her was welcomed into her bedroom. I don't think it happened in the middle of the night. I think it was either when she was getting ready for bed or getting ready for class the next morning. Maybe she started a bath and was partially dressed when the perp appeared. No defensive wounds, screams, etc. so she was caught off guard. I can't come to any conclusion except that the person was welcome there. A roommate or someone Julia had no problem with being there. She was partially dressed which tells me that if it was JT she would have been fully dressed but if it was a roommate she may have felt comfortable being partially dressed. These are just thoughts and maybe I'm off base but the bottom line is that Julia lay in the tub for two days before her roommates became worried. That's a red flag for me.

I believe that Julia and Jennifer spoke earlier that evening. Then Julia send a text message (or something like tat) to Jennifer around 10:30.
Theoretically speaking, Julia could already have been dead by 10:30 if the scenario is as follows:
the perp kills Julia earlier that evening, taking Julia's key AND Julia's cell phone. Then the perp goes to a nearby social gathering (say a party) to get an
alibi. Around 10:30pm, the person sends a text message using Julia's phone. Then the perp returns much later to Julia's room (with Julia's key) to
put the phone back where it was found (removing all fingerprints of course) and leaves again with the key. If this was an Agatha Christie novel,
it would be just like this.

But this scenery, I admit, is a bit unlikely. Does Julia's phone have some type of password lock? Were there any finger prints on the phone?
One would expect Julia's finger prints, but no other finger prints.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

If a carpet cleaning company were hired to clean carpets, then the apartment manager would let the cleaning company in to that specific apartment. I highly doubt the cleaning company would be given a key. That's unlikely to happen. IMO

Partially dressed...either getting ready for bed Sunday night or getting ready for class Monday morning.
In either scenario someone came into her room while she was partially dressed. If her bedroom door was locked while she was in there then she let that person in while she was partially dressed. Who would she allow in? Or her bedroom wasn't locked and someone walked in on her partially dressed. Either way...she felt comfortable being dressed the way she was for this person. MOO

It was finals week, so I doubt students had "regular" class schedules. I'm sure LE knows if and when Julia was supposed to have an exam on Monday.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Re: the door lock. I believe it's been reported more than once and discussed here that the bedroom door had a deadbolt lock that required a key to lock it from the outside. Sounds like our front door. The lock can be turned manually indoors but requires a key to open/close from outside. We generally enter/exit the house through the garage service door, so the deadbolt key is rarely used. There are two keys for the deadbolt: I have one on my key ring; the second key is hidden in a safe spot in the house. DH doesn't have a front door key on his key ring.

 

[momof4ws]

Re: the door lock. I believe it's been reported more than once and discussed here that the bedroom door had a deadbolt lock that required a key to lock it from the outside. Sounds like our front door. The lock can be turned manually indoors but requires a key to open/close from outside. We generally enter/exit the house through the garage service door, so the deadbolt key is rarely used. There are two keys for the deadbolt: I have one on my key ring; the second key is hidden in a safe spot in the house. DH doesn't have a front door key on his key ring.

I must have misunderstood that...I thought the deadbolt was on the inside like a hotel room. Both my daughters' apartment bedrooms have the deadbolt on the inside and need a key to lock their bedroom doors from the outside. Thanks for the clarification!!!

 

[momof4ws]

I will try to find the article in which LE stated that Julia did not show up for class on Monday...I'm assuming they spoke with her Monday teacher(s) during their investigation. I wonder what time her alarm was set since it was noted that the roommates heard her alarm going off nonstop. Did she set it Sunday night for Monday morning wake up? So many questions...

 

[rosesfromangels]

So many questions, indeed.
I've been reading tons and tons of criminal profiler white papers/articles online, and they all say the same thing; focus on the "why" and work backward.
Why? If she wasn't sexually assaulted, why was she being silenced? What did she know that she was going to reveal? Perhaps this is offbase, but it rings true to me.

 

[OldSteve]

So many questions, indeed.
I've been reading tons and tons of criminal profiler white papers/articles online, and they all say the same thing; focus on the "why" and work backward.
Why? If she wasn't sexually assaulted, why was she being silenced? What did she know that she was going to reveal? Perhaps this is offbase, but it rings true to me.

Yes, motive first. Interesting to hear what you've been learning... wonder what the statistics are on something like young women killed in college where it's not a sexual attack....
Seems something rare, very rare. Cases we follow here, what are the leading causes - sex, control-freak spouse/BF/EX who can't let go, or pending divorce with custody battle...

Apart from motive, what about location of crime. Why is a crime done where it was done... what does that say... especially if not a sexual attack...

ETA - weapon used, was it brought to the crime scene of something from the crime scene used..

 

[momof4ws]

http://archive.freep.com/article/20...t-waiting-for-answers-justice-Julia-Niswender
"Police now know Julia missed class on Monday."

 

[hockeymom4]

Before JT was ever mentioned as a POI, I thought, and still do a guy that was interested in her could have been responsible. I think he could have been invited over or should up unexpectedly. Since I don't know about this part of her life, I am unsure if she was interested in him. I have no ideas of who this guy would be and if this guy then I don't think he went there with the intentions of killing her.

Some days I think that way and then I go back to JT.

 

[rosesfromangels]

hockeymom4 - yes, all possibilities should be explored. I have learned on other threads that what appears to be true can be wrong. I do have a #1 POI, but remain open to learning about other possibilities. The electronic trail in #1 POI should be quite telling.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I haven't done any serious research on crime statistics, but I've always regarded stabbing and strangulation (manual choking) as "up-close-and-personal" homicides. Even if stabbed in the back (literally) or strangled from behind (as in Dial M For Murder), the perp has to be in close contact with his/her victim. I would also include an axe murder like Lizzie Borden because she had to be in close proximity to her parents when she struck them with her weapon of choice. Unlike gunshot/s which can be done at a distance, the perp who uses "up-close-and-personal" to subdue his/her victim is no coward. These crimes are essentially face-to-face combat from which the victim cannot escape. I feel strongly that Julia knew her attacker and the reason that he/she wanted her gone/silenced. :moo:

 

[caspermi]

So many questions, indeed.
I've been reading tons and tons of criminal profiler white papers/articles online, and they all say the same thing; focus on the "why" and work backward.
Why? If she wasn't sexually assaulted, why was she being silenced? What did she know that she was going to reveal? Perhaps this is offbase, but it rings true to me.

Pure speculation on my part, she worked at Walmart, perhaps she witnessed something while at work, employee theft, harassment, etc, where the person felt she may turn them in.

 

[rosesfromangels]

Yes, motive first. Interesting to hear what you've been learning... wonder what the statistics are on something like young women killed in college where it's not a sexual attack....
Seems something rare, very rare. Cases we follow here, what are the leading causes - sex, control-freak spouse/BF/EX who can't let go, or pending divorce with custody battle...

Apart from motive, what about location of crime. Why is a crime done where it was done... what does that say... especially if not a sexual attack...

ETA - weapon used, was it brought to the crime scene of something from the crime scene used..

You summed it up well OldSteve. Criminal psychology/criminal profiling is a deep and complex science, based on the cursory research I've done. (Because the human mind, chemistry, and emotional makeup is so complex!) There is a whole study and science just around the profile of stranglers, and then subcategories of stranglers that include sexual attack, other forms of assault. It's also interesting how mental illness potentially threads in to the "why" of the motivation for these killings. Deep stuff, indeed. I found articles and interviews from Pete Klismet and Candace DeLong quite interesting, as well as some excerpts from college courses in criminal psychology; all on Google. Books from the folks I mentioned and several other experts can easily be purchased on Amazon.

So this being said, you honed in on the head scratcher. A pretty young gal is found strangled, but no sexual assault. If sexual assault/sadism was not the motive, then apparently control & punishment are a likely motive. And here's what I'm trying to think through. Coming to her apartment with the potential of detection was daring and bold. Is this person an adrenaline junkie? Do they like the "thrill" of the kill and an equal thrill of the potential of being caught? Or, were they desperate to silence her before she spilled the beans on something?

As far as the latter speculation, if she knew something "heavy", I really really think her twin would know what that was. Can you imagine twins who have been as close as J&J not sharing something important?

If forced to come up with a theory, I would say that Julia knew something so damning that the Perp risked the possibility of detection to silence her. And, I'm going to put it right out there; the fact that the POI has been arrested for child *advertiser censored* seems like the potential "reason" to silence Julia. She might have discovered this fact, and perhaps there is even more related to this charge that will be revealed.

This, of course, is all armchair speculation. I'm sure LE is on the right trail, and there will be much more to follow.

 

[momof4ws]

You summed it up well OldSteve. Criminal psychology/criminal profiling is a deep and complex science, based on the cursory research I've done. (Because the human mind, chemistry, and emotional makeup is so complex!) There is a whole study and science just around the profile of stranglers, and then subcategories of stranglers that include sexual attack, other forms of assault. It's also interesting how mental illness potentially threads in to the "why" of the motivation for these killings. Deep stuff, indeed. I found articles and interviews from Pete Klismet and Candace DeLong quite interesting, as well as some excerpts from college courses in criminal psychology; all on Google. Books from the folks I mentioned and several other experts can easily be purchased on Amazon.

So this being said, you honed in on the head scratcher. A pretty young gal is found strangled, but no sexual assault. If sexual assault/sadism was not the motive, then apparently control & punishment are a likely motive. And here's what I'm trying to think through. Coming to her apartment with the potential of detection was daring and bold. Is this person an adrenaline junkie? Do they like the "thrill" of the kill and an equal thrill of the potential of being caught? Or, were they desperate to silence her before she spilled the beans on something?

"As far as the latter speculation, if she knew something "heavy", I really really think her twin would know what that was. Can you imagine twins who have been as close as J&J not sharing something important?"

"If forced to come up with a theory, I would say that Julia knew something so damning that the Perp risked the possibility of detection to silence her. And, I'm going to put it right out there; the fact that the POI has been arrested for child *advertiser censored* seems like the potential "reason" to silence Julia. She might have discovered this fact, and perhaps there is even more related to this charge that will be revealed. "

This, of course, is all armchair speculation. I'm sure LE is on the right trail, and there will be much more to follow.

You bring up an important aspect to this....Julia and Jennifer are twins....they have a bond like no other siblings...but Jennifer stands by JT....where as Julia was not close to him. They had a falling out. She didn't stay with her mom and JT but stayed with her grandma. To me that is pretty telling of something. But we have to know what the falling out was...this may be the key to what Julia knew that Jennifer didn't....and if this had anything to do with her murder. Is there a connection to the pictures found on JT's computer and Julia's death? We don't know.

 

[rosesfromangels]

Yes, I agree 100%.
And, Jennifer (and her Mom's) actions supporting JT are confusing.