NC - Kathy Taft, 62, Raleigh, 6 March 2010 - #3

[diphi]

If you look at JTF's post #458 in thread 2 you'll see there are some new apts. just to the right of the shopping center. It's an excellent picture, btw.

http://www.bing.com/maps/explore/#5003/o=&a=&s=w/5872/style=auto&lat=pz2bfd&lon=8fbfk0&alt=40.707325&z=19&h=175.708296&pid=5874

At the beginning of this case, there were several news reports that showed a wooden footbridge in the area. I determined to find out where that was. After I explored Glenwood Village I headed over to the apratments closest to where JG's house was. Here's what I found:

1. View of the beginning of a "path" from the apartments. This is the very last apartment building heading off into the woods.
2. View of the path heading away from the apartments.
3. JG's house about midway between the apartments and the footbridge. NOTE: there is about an 8' wide creek that runs right in front of his house - you can see it in the picture.
4. JG's house, again. It's all very leafy now but probably was not in March.
5. Standing in front of JG's house showing the footbridge. It appears it is actually a couple of houses past his house. Would require backtracking to get to his house. I walked this path after work in high heels. I cannot imagine D going this way at all - even in flats. Again, this was "posted" and I did not want to go further.

 

[unravelingthemystery]

So reading everyone's posts -am thinking here. in reply to sloothseeker's post #30 I would guess D was ...IMO... too foggy & out of it to realize SUV was stolen & to report it stolen......or could it be ....too EMBARASSED...??

--because...married... but was hanging out with another ??
--because was responsible for taking care of K --not to be partying & drinking & carousing while being resp. for sis - realized FAILED DUTY as caretaker
--& possibly in dry-out or some program for drink --AA or just checked & balanced by family members.... as one usually is when years of known problem exists...thus probably did not want anyone to "know" she had been imbibing / & ultimately screwed up while taking care of sibling -resulting indirectly in HARM & D to KT

THO AGAIN... can not imagine perp could be too calculated in that drugged out state, however, if any thought put into it by perp during drive from house to HT when leaving car behind.... then perhaps perp purposely left keys locked inside car running for reasons such as....
--1-.Perp did not want to get caught or busted w keys
--2- that would leave D having to explain keys in car looking like D acted alone in entirety & would look like D alone was responsible for the entire mess ...since if keys WERE missing this OBVIOUSLY would implicate a 2nd party present /responsible.-- "HEY WHERE ARE THE KEYS???"...This WOULD ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY implicate another perp responsible for the mess rather than D

 

[laces]

The house is a very short, easy walk.
Makes sense she did just that, rumors or not.

my thought is this: D went to the store for the second time after dark...maybe for more beer. she had already had some, and this is when she got out of the car after parking it and inadvertently left it running. she is spotted in the HT by this character and he watches her when she leaves, he sees her struggling with the car and offers a ride. she takes it. they may even have a beer together in the house, they say goodnight, he acts like he is leaving but doesnt. she goes to bed. he assaults kathy and hits her to keep her quiet. he leaves, sister gets up in the a.m. and you know the rest. D does not even know the man, and he is gone. i doubt the walk home ever occurred, but she had to tell it like that to cover that she let a stranger into the house, who killed her sister.

 

[Just the Fax]

I guess someone driving down the street would attract less attention than someone walking down the street, assuming the perp did not know about the back path.

ETA
And if anyone recognized the vehicle as having come from the Cartier house ... unless they saw who was driving, it would be assumed it was DH.

Assuming DH was stone cold passed out is too far fetched for me.
If a 'guest' was in the home, he would know full well DH could easily id him to the cops. Why not whack her dead or rape her too?
Unless such a person was just loitering, he was in HT or GG and could be identified by the staff as someone talking to her, ect.

 

[Noway]

Taft's sister says she is not a suspect

However, in a search warrant of Holton's car police wrote, "it was learned that her (Holton) personal vehicle was parked approximately one block away at the Harris Teeter. Ms. Holton advised that she had locked her keys in this vehicle earlier and had left it at this location." Holton says she forgot her car was still at the Harris Teeter in the panic over her sister. She tells ABC11 Eyewitness News that police interviewed her at length and have informed her she is no longer a suspect. Sources close to the case say Holton is essentially right, although no one can be completely eliminated as a suspect at this point in the investigation.

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=7381692


Crocus, it made me laugh when I saw the sister saying she wasn't a suspect ... saving LE some time, I guess.

 

[unravelingthemystery]

LACES ...I do think your post #43 absolutely makes pure sense. could be a variation. but think your theory could be SPOT On!

 

[Noway]

Assuming DH was stone cold passed out is too far fetched for me.
If a 'guest' was in the home, he would know full well DH could easily id him to the cops. Why not whack her dead or rape her too?
Unless such a person was just loitering, he was in HT or GG and could be identified by the staff as someone talking to her, ect.

I deleted my post after I read the updated article posted by Crocus/Raleighrez.

So ... if completely random person ...

Would the perp assume one car meant only one person in the house? That does not make sense.

 

[unravelingthemystery]

PERHAPS D is cleared by LE ...for now.... but I am not convinced. smells kinda fishy. perhaps its a ruse.

 

[Noway]

my thought is this: D went to the store for the second time after dark...maybe for more beer. she had already had some, and this is when she got out of the car after parking it and inadvertently left it running. she is spotted in the HT by this character and he watches her when she leaves, he sees her struggling with the car and offers a ride. she takes it. they may even have a beer together in the house, they say goodnight, he acts like he is leaving but doesnt. she goes to bed. he assaults kathy and hits her to keep her quiet. he leaves, sister gets up in the a.m. and you know the rest. D does not even know the man, and he is gone. i doubt the walk home ever occurred, but she had to tell it like that to cover that she let a stranger into the house, who killed her sister.

BBM

This is a good theory. What do you mean, struggling with the car?

That she locked her keys inside? With the engine running?

 

[Noway]

PERHAPS D is cleared by LE ...for now.... but I am not convinced. smells kinda fishy. perhaps its a ruse.

It seems the only person saying that DH is not a suspect is DH herself.

Sources close to the case say Holton is essentially right, although no one can be completely eliminated as a suspect at this point in the investigation.

They say that is also the case with John Geil, the man who owns the house on Cartier Drive were the incident took place, and was once Taft's boyfriend.

Holton and another one of Taft's family members also tell ABC11 that Raleigh police have retrieved DNA samples from all the men in Taft's family, as well as her male acquaintances.

ABC11 reported last week that according to sources, police have DNA that they think may belong to the killer and it appears they do not have any positive matches from the family, friends, neighbors, nor the national criminal data bases.

 

[raleighrez]

PERHAPS D is cleared by LE ...for now.... but I am not convinced. smells kinda fishy. perhaps its a ruse.

I agree, she's not a suspect... for now.... but she could be implicated later


This same LE told AM (who's husband was killed with arsenic, and boyfriend committed suicide) that she was not a suspect in her husband's death.

AM is currently at the NC Correctional Center for Women serving her sentence for killing her husband.

 

[unravelingthemystery]

a Question. does anyone know if when crime that was perpetrated as reported by LE as "rape" if that would ACTUALLY mean "sexual intercourse" forced on a woman by a man???.... or could this term actually have a meaning such as..... violated with an object??? the dna could have purely been off of a Beer bottle, but the rape could have been something other than SE -- just thinking....

 

[Just the Fax]

PERHAPS D is cleared by LE ...for now.... but I am not convinced. smells kinda fishy. perhaps its a ruse.

WTVD said the same thing....they don't normally publish this type of comment w/o solid sources (likely LE off the record).

IMO. D was out that night from before 11 PM till after 2 AM.
She had been drinking and possibly high on coke (used before she went out).
I think a random intruder was in the neighborhood, possibly behind the dark path looking for a burglary(we know this is fact)and saw D drive off. He then went inside and found KT and decided he would rape her (sudden opportunity)

 

[laces]

yes she had a bag in her hand, probably couldn't process that she didnt have the keys, didn't realize what she had done. She was looking for rescue.... wondering what to do. Human predators will look for the weak one in the pack, just like animal predators...they are easy to spot. Offering help is one of the oldest tricks in the book. If he drove her home she would have felt beholden to him, "Can I offer you a beer, at least?" She trusted a bad soul, because she was impaired.

 

[Just the Fax]

I deleted my post after I read the updated article posted by Crocus/Raleighrez.

So ... if completely random person ...

Would the perp assume one car meant only one person in the house? That does not make sense.

like i said before, perhaps the cops are thinking it could have been a neighbor that saw KT's car alone and went in with the sole purpose to kill and rape her?
They asked for immediate male neighbor's DNA for a reason.

 

[unravelingthemystery]

My guess D being cleared is undoubtedly true for now but that only means for now. my guess LE needs to find the perp 1st then see if any actual accomplice -- being cleared would allow freedom to come & go randomly all the while being closely watched. the multiple facts of the entire story by D not matching up &sounding completely Hanky....& all the foggy & numerous details over & over not adding up....seems odd for the LE to just clear D. but perhaps they have their reasons. and the actual HUNT for the PERP is CURRENTLY the HOT Seat of their investigation right now..... then back to D later.

 

[raleighrez]

I want to know whether the car was running ... and how she is going to explain that one. There is no way I'd leave my car running and not call AAA.

The manager of the grocery store told police he noticed the car running at 6am as he was coming to work. Store opens at 7am. He did not say the car was locked.

 

[Just the Fax]

The manager of the grocery store told police he noticed the car running at 6am as he was coming to work. Store opens at 7am. He did not say the car was locked.

Yes, but the cops did.

 

[sloothseeker]

After reading all the reports, listening to 911 calls and viewing the SW here is what I know with 100% certainity about all this bizareness - I did not commit this crime!

Two other murder cases keep entering the back of my mind - the Jeffery McDonald case from the 70s and the case in Raleigh a few years where the pregnant newspaper carrier was murdered - don't remember if she was raped.
JM claims his innocent and in the second case no one has been caught and there were no witnesses.

 

[Just the Fax]

*Cops passed out flyers from 11pm till 2am asking for info.
*Rumor D was at Glenwood grill bar…closed at 2am
*Cops asked immediate male neighbors for DNA swab
*Could a woman ,w/ a single blow crush her skull and damage the brain to the stem?
*Wake Med and the cops said there was evidence of a sexual assault
*DH said today she was told by the cops she was no longer a suspect…WTVD confirmed
*Evidence of attempted break-in during the same time frame, in the same neighborhood.
*KT’s daughter said this weekend she thinks the crime was random
*If D had an unknown guest, why are cops not asking the public for help finding him?
*If D had an unknown guest, would he not worry about being identified and leave her unharmed?