MI MI - Ronald & Christine Jabalee, both 58, New Baltimore, 6 Oct 2006

[Taximom]

Hi Camper!

Dark_Shadows, I believe they had a son named Ron, so maybe this was his group? The group name is "The Stand" and it appears they are inactive, but were active between 1980 and 1990 according to that site you listed. Nice find!

Interesting that one of the band members names is/was "J Jarvis".

 

[norcalgirl03]

Motorcycles run on standard unleaded fuel, as do most hot rods, etc. If I'm not mistaken, in order for them to be street legal they have to run on standard gas, although more drag style cars can run on a much higher octane. They can also be mofied with Nitrous, etc. to make them run faster for racing.

FWIW, the first letter of the neck tattoo looks like a R done in a script font.

 

[Taximom]

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007708100313

Bloody scrawl from slaying scene brings police range of reader tips

August 10, 2007
BY AMBER HUNT
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
Tips were slow in coming after Ronald and Christine Jabalee were found stabbed to death in their New Baltimore garage near a message scrawled in blood.
That changed Thursday.

and

Some callers simply gave their interpretations of the handful of letters the killer hadn't mopped away. Those remaining letters likely were overlooked because they were beneath a Jeep near the couple's bodies.
Several callers said they saw "Spike."
The Free Press, which ran a photograph of the partial message in Thursday's paper and on www.freep.com, also fielded suggestions, ranging from "Jesus save me" to "suicide." (more at link)

 

[real eyes]

This is very interesting....It only makes sense that she would write who did was responsible, but then again, if she is not in her right mind, we really don't know what she could have tried to write.

My thoughts are that it is either Jeciv or J. Sevic....

There appears to be an intentional "dot" above the long line, 3rd or 4th character. This could be an "i" or a period for the first part of the letter on top (which I believe is a J).

I believe that it read somewhere that there were knives missing. I know our set of knives that came on the block have an extra hole....I thought at first that there was one missing, but when I counted the pieces that came with the set, it was all there. I don't know if this is standard or what. The kind that we have is "Sabatier" from what I remember.

 

[Taximom]

My Very dear Taximom,:blowkiss:
I say this in a very timid manner, I posted a link to that band earlier on here, (I did not see one from Camper) anyway, I am wondering if the band ever played at the 3c's and if it is the same man who was murdered or someone else. Do you have anyway to check the venues that the band played at. The last update on that site was this;
PAGE LAST UPDATED: Wednesday July 04, 2007 03:07:12 PM

All of my Love and Respect to you,
dark_shadows

:blushing: lol Oops. I messed that up, didn't I?! I see I have to do some editing. :doh: My apologies! :blowkiss:

That's a real good question, D_S......

 

[BethInAK]

I think this looks like J Seta. This could mean that the killer wanted to frame J Seta and used the womans hand to write the letters, or that the woman wrote J Seta.

I hope someone submitted J Seta to the police - while its easy to assume they already noticed the similarity, I think its better to be safe than sorry.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

If you will go check out AMW website...you will see the amount of blood they tried to clean up. There could be so more written out. It gives a better view of the case there, too. Blood on what looks to be the garage door, her slippers and a cookie on the stairs, etc.

 

[Taximom]

If you will go check out AMW website...you will see the amount of blood they tried to clean up. There could be so more written out. It gives a better view of the case there, too. Blood on what looks to be the garage door, her slippers and a cookie on the stairs, etc.

Hi SeriouslySearching!

I saw those pictures too at AMW. Don't you think it's strange how her slippers remained on the stairs as if she were just lifted out of them (maybe from behind?).

I can't figure that one out either.

 

[Mysticchic]

IMO It looked like thier last name

 

[Mysticchic]

Hi SeriouslySearching!

I saw those pictures too at AMW. Don't you think it's strange how her slippers remained on the stairs as if she were just lifted out of them (maybe from behind?).

I can't figure that one out either.

she could have taken them off for traction. If there was a fight. DId he bring money home with him from his job?

 

[SeriouslySearching]

Hi SeriouslySearching!

I saw those pictures too at AMW. Don't you think it's strange how her slippers remained on the stairs as if she were just lifted out of them (maybe from behind?).

I can't figure that one out either.

I figured that part out already, but no one seemed to have noticed. If there were a couple of their own kitchen knives missing...she obviously answered the door and let someone she "knew" in...then things escalated after that between when she let them in and towards the kitchen. The perp grabbed the knives and then the wife first...forcing her to the garage which is backed up by the slippers and cookie crumbles. (I didn't even know about the slippers when I developed this theory...but because of the knives themselves.) The interview I saw before said the perp or perps stayed in the garage or right outside...which would not make any sense. The perp did not bring anything as if this were a planned homicide of two people, IMO. Whatever escalated...happened between her opening the door and the garage...the rest was a personal attack. Like I said before...at least, SHE knew the attacker. If this were associated with the "drug business" her brother-in-law was arrested for later...it would have been "planned" and probably done with a weapon for an easy in and out situation. This was very personal.

 

[Taximom]

she could have taken them off for traction. If there was a fight. DId he bring money home with him from his job?

That's good thinking....

She enters the garage stairwell (probably after hearing something strange from the garage) and sees something (the attack on Ron) that makes her take off her slippers and drop the cookie.

If she had a cookie in her hand, I doubt she grabbed a knife on the way out. If she had brought the knife in to the garage, she probably would have put the cookie down on the kitchen counter.

Does anyone know if they were mostly bludgeoned or mostly stabbed?

I don't know about any money, but I was under the impression nothing was taken. Please correct me if that's wrong.

 

[Taximom]

I figured that part out already, but no one seemed to have noticed. If there was a couple of their own kitchen knives missing...she obviously answered the door and let someone she "knew" in...then things escalated after that between when she let them in and towards the kitchen. The perp grabbed the knives and then the wife first...forcing her to the garage which is backed up by the slippers and cookie crumbles. (I didn't even know about the slippers when I developed this theory...but because of the knives themselves.) The interview I saw before said the perp or perps stayed in the garage or right outside...which would not make any sense. The perp did not bring anything as if this were a planned homicide of two people, IMO. Whatever escalated..happened between her opening the door and the garage...the rest was a personal attack. Like I said before...at least, SHE knew the attacker.

I just read your comment after posting mine! lol

I don't know what to think. It must be difficult being in LE and just not knowing what happened.

The families must be completely devastated too, although I do wonder if they've been in the media about this, asking for the public's help finding the killer(s). I don't recall hearing anything nationally, but there could have been local coverage of the families asking for help.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

That's good thinking....

She enters the garage stairwell (probably after hearing something strange from the garage) and sees something (the attack on Ron) that makes her take off her slippers and drop the cookie.

If she had a cookie in her hand, I doubt she grabbed a knife on the way out. If she had brought the knife in to the garage, she probably would have put the cookie down on the kitchen counter.

Does anyone know if they were mostly bludgeoned or mostly stabbed?

I don't know about any money, but I was under the impression nothing was taken. Please correct me if that's wrong.

The detective said a small amount of money from "one victim's pocket" was taken and that was all...so they do not look at robbery as a motive as their jewelry was left.

The stabbings were severe, I believe, is what the detective mentioned. I could be wrong tho. They haven't released a COD yet that I have seen.

I think he had her already "under his control" with the threat of the knife when they entered the garage...then his first attack happened on those stairs while the husband was watching. The perp probably did literally...lift her out of her shoes at that point.

 

[Taximom]

The detective said money from "one subject's pocket" was taken and that was all...so they do not look at robbery as a motive.

Oh, thanks for clearing that up for me!

 

[dark_shadows]

That's a real good question, D_S......

Dear very sweet Taximom,:blowkiss:
I tried to look up the venues that the band played at and came up with nothing. Any suggestions?

All of my Love and Respect to you,
dark_shadows

 

[Taximom]

Hello again, D_S! I'm wondering how much information would be out there about this band if they haven't played since the 90's. Someone has probably written about it, but I have the same luck as you trying to find out!

Perhaps googling the other players in the band might help? Sometimes they have their own websites full of memories of the good ol' days.

 

[Summerskye1]

...The families must be completely devastated too, although I do wonder if they've been in the media about this, asking for the public's help finding the killer(s). I don't recall hearing anything nationally, but there could have been local coverage of the families asking for help.

Is it possible that the families have been the ones who put up the reward money? It's a fairly substantial amount. Maybe they don't want to get their names & faces in front of the media for fear of being the next set of targets :silenced:.

After doing some web searching, I am fairly certain that I know Joseph Polito professionally (he's listed in the obituary as the husband of Ron's sister Blenda), though not very well, from the MI legal community. If I am correct, then I can see why some members of this large family, who may be very highly regarded in their social & professional circles, would want to stay away from the spotlight when a crime such as this is rumored to be connected with motorcycle gangs and/or a drug-trafficking brother.

It is quite possible that the brother was the "black sheep" of the family and the rest of the family members - while wanting justice, hence the offering of a generous reward - want to stay as far away as possible from being associated with any organized crime activity by a close relative.

 

[Summerskye1]

I wonder if the killer was there looking for the brother or looking for information related to the brother's whereabouts. IMO, the killer must have been looking for something.

I can envision a scenario where the killer was a "business associate" or rival of the brother, and where he showed up unexpectedly at the Lalabee's garage with an empty gas can pretending that he needed gas, tried to strike up a conversation with Ron about what Ron's brother has been up to lately and where he might be, was met with a vague, untrue, suspicious, or hostile response from Ron, and then the killer got aggressive about obtaining the info he was looking for.

The wife heard casual conversation, turning into commotion, and grabbed the knives for protection as she entered the garage to tell the man to leave their property. The presence of knives escalated the killer's aggression, and he attacked & subdued the woman (probably breaking her fingers as he wrenched the knives out of her hand), leaving her bleeding on the floor (with enough time to scrawl a desperate message in her own blood) while turning his aggression back to Ron.

I've been trying to understand what the killer was doing while Mrs. Jabalee had sufficient time to write such a painstaking message with broken fingers in her own blood, especially if the killer didn't rummage through the house at all and if the entire attack took place in the garage. I could only come up with 2 explanations: either Ron was putting up an amazing struggle for his life, or the killer was still attempting to beat Ron into giving up the information the killer wanted.

I wonder if the killer took only cash from one of the victims, or if he made off with an entire wallet (with business cards, phone numbers, etc.) or possibly a cellphone or PDA.

I apologize if this post seems insensitive to any readers out there who may have known the victims. I'm just trying to put together a scenario in my head that could explain the circumstances of the crime, and I'm doing so in the hopes that the killer will be caught and brought to justice.

 

[txsvicki]

Maybe the killer, known to them, came by with a gas can asking for money to get gas claiming to have run out down the street. That could account for a small amount of missing money. Mr. Jabalee may have given it to him. Has it been determined if the houseshoes were headed up or down the stairs at the time and how far the cookie was dropped? Maybe she was coming down to garage eating a cookie or had invited the person up to have cookies before being attacked. She must have had time to get under he vehicle after being attacked. Broken fingers sounds like she was tortured. Sure hope they catch the killer/s.