PA PA - Betsy Aardsma, 22, murdered in Pattee Library, Penn State, 29 Nov 1969

[milopedes]

Check out a map at the State College Magazine article "The Last Reason," linked from my site. Should be a map at the bottom of the general layout of the core.

That doesn't do much to illuminate things for me. It shows the red X mid-way down an aisle with two open ends.

What would be nice, and I'm not sure you have it, but you might consider drawing one up would be a larger map of the core showing the following:

1. Where crime occurred.
2. Exits.
3. Where the girl was seated studying when approached by the two males.
4. Maybe even the path the Dean took, and the point he was standing when he saw the two males and Betsy at 4:30.

Probably very difficult to do, but I would think it would be worth it for the analysis of the whole incident. Sure, #4 may not shed much light on things other than to show where potential witnesses or suspects were at a given time. They probably moved around between 4:30 and the actual event, but their movements around that time are important.

I'm sure the police have something like this, but again, since they won't share you are left to fend for yourself.

 

[milopedes]

I'm just wondering if he walked up, went to flash her, heard a sound elsewhere in the core or something, then realized he might have made a mistake, and stabbed her...Just thinking out loud.

This is possible, and does not diminish the aspect of planning and the perpetrator's desire to "get away" with something. Ultimately, I'm not sure that matters too much unless we ever get to a point of having actual suspects, who have a history of exhibitionist behavior, and so on.

My point was to try and "connect the dots" as best we could, to eliminate as much extraneous bullshiznick as we can.

1. Time, place, type of weapon = planning.
2. From planning we can infer a desire to escape.
3. If this is true, then I highly doubt the killer was the "somebody better help that girl" fellow.

I arrive at #3 by using common sense. Why risk it? Unless, right after committing the crime he heard someone - the other guy seen at that time by multiple witnesses - approaching once the books fell. He would then have to act like she fainted or collapsed and help was needed. You know, feign actual concern for her.

The problem I have with this is that the Dean reported seeing the two men "skulking about", and the way it reads, it implies they were together.

 

[littlehorn]

That doesn't do much to illuminate things for me. It shows the red X mid-way down an aisle with two open ends.

What would be nice, and I'm not sure you have it, but you might consider drawing one up would be a larger map of the core showing the following:

1. Where crime occurred.
2. Exits.
3. Where the girl was seated studying when approached by the two males.
4. Maybe even the path the Dean took, and the point he was standing when he saw the two males and Betsy at 4:30.

Probably very difficult to do, but I would think it would be worth it for the analysis of the whole incident. Sure, #4 may not shed much light on things other than to show where potential witnesses or suspects were at a given time. They probably moved around between 4:30 and the actual event, but their movements around that time are important.

I'm sure the police have something like this, but again, since they won't share you are left to fend for yourself.

I just looked at that map again. I forgot how much it kind of sucks.

I don't have a larger map. I have a mental picture of the core from many visits there. Basically, it's a mirror image -- there are exits, elevators, and stairways on both the left and right hand sides of the core.

The aisle Betsy was in was a dead end, with a bookshelf at the end of it. It dead-ends against an interior wall. That much I have seen from police-released crime scene photos.

 

[milopedes]

I'm just wondering if he walked up, went to flash her, heard a sound elsewhere in the core or something, then realized he might have made a mistake, and stabbed her...Just thinking out loud.

Of course, it is quite a leap to go from "gonna flash" one minute to "uh oh, I better stab her in the chest with the knife I just so happen to have on me". Seems like a stretch.

But I wouldn't rule out - not that there is to my knowledge any factual details to back this up - a sexual nature to the crime since she was a young, attractive female.

Side note: I guess there is no way we'll even know if anything she had on her was taken by the perpetrator, huh? For one, the messed up crime scene since it was treated as a medical situation first. Plus, who would have known what she was carrying with her at the time?

 

[littlehorn]

I arrive at #3 by using common sense. Why risk it? Unless, right after committing the crime he heard someone - the other guy seen at that time by multiple witnesses - approaching once the books fell. He would then have to act like she fainted or collapsed and help was needed. You know, feign actual concern for her.

The problem I have with this is that the Dean reported seeing the two men "skulking about", and the way it reads, it implies they were together.

You're correct with your logic, 1 and 2 lead to 3.

The two men reported in the interview do seem as though they're together, but the reporter may be at fault there. We suspect he likely just phoned that interview in, so to speak, to get a short article for his senior year. It's possible it was two unrelated guys trying to decide what to do or who to ask for help.

I don't believe the "somebody better help" guy would have been the killer because there are enough other exits out of there that the killer could have gotten out without talking to anyone.

And why would anyone necessarily associate a guy walking by that aisle with her, anyway? It may have been minutes or hours until someone else wandered past and saw her. Even in the time it would have taken to get to someone and call for help, the killer could have been long gone without passing by the circulation desk.

Then again, perhaps this denotes UNFAMILIARITY with the library. To walk out past the desk and mumble something seems like an amateur trick to make it seem like you DIDN'T just kill someone...And a way to buy time, "I'll go for help, you stay with her," that would have been first in my mind if I were doing it.

 

[littlehorn]

Of course, it is quite a leap to go from "gonna flash" one minute to "uh oh, I better stab her in the chest with the knife I just so happen to have on me". Seems like a stretch.

But I wouldn't rule out - not that there is to my knowledge any factual details to back this up - a sexual nature to the crime since she was a young, attractive female.

Side note: I guess there is no way we'll even know if anything she had on her was taken by the perpetrator, huh? For one, the messed up crime scene since it was treated as a medical situation first. Plus, who would have known what she was carrying with her at the time?

There was no evidence of sexual assault of any kind. No way to know whether a trophy was taken -- her things were found locked in her graduate study carel upstairs, basically her white outer-coat, a book on Africa, and her purse.

That said, I suppose if you have dropped trou, the girl gasps, and you all of a sudden become very self-conscious that she is going to scream, you might very well decide to stab her. Who knows how ANY exhibitionist "thinks" it will go down in their mind -- "Maybe we'll just have sex right there!!" vs. what actually happens.

She could even have tried to quietly reason with him: "Please pull your pants up," or "what are you doing?" or even "I'm going to scream if you don't leave me alone." In a moderate tone of voice this would not have been discernible outside the aisle.

 

[milopedes]

I just looked at that map again. I forgot how much it kind of sucks.

I don't have a larger map. I have a mental picture of the core from many visits there. Basically, it's a mirror image -- there are exits, elevators, and stairways on both the left and right hand sides of the core.

The aisle Betsy was in was a dead end, with a bookshelf at the end of it. It dead-ends against an interior wall. That much I have seen from police-released crime scene photos.

Let me know if my mental picture correct: The aisle was in the middle of the core. It was a dead end, and if you are facing the closed end there are book shelves on the left and right side, with a building wall at the end of the aisle. Opposite the open end was another bookself?

How wide was the aisle? Enough for two people to walk shoulder-to-shoulder?

Was she indeed found mid-way down the aisle?

Also, I've read somewhere that these were the types of shelves you could see through to the next aisle (i.e., backless). Is this true?

You don't have the photos, do you?

 

[milopedes]

The two men reported in the interview do seem as though they're together, but the reporter may be at fault there. We suspect he likely just phoned that interview in, so to speak, to get a short article for his senior year. It's possible it was two unrelated guys trying to decide what to do or who to ask for help.

Quite possible. We've already seen how poorly some of the reporting was on this crime. However, the Dean is a key witness making a key statement. Other than the girl who was studying nearby, his recollections are the best that we, the police, and the media have to go on. It seems odd to think that his one statement would be misreported, but stranger things have happened.

I can see someone stretching the truth to say, "Blood was everywhere!" to sensationalize it, but saying that two men were seen at 4:30 "skulking about" and nearby he saw who he later realized was Betsy. What does that accomplish to mis-report that fact? Not sensational? Unless you want to stir a panic making people think the two murderers were on campus!

 

[littlehorn]

Quite possible. We've already seen how poorly some of the reporting was on this crime. However, the Dean is a key witness making a key statement. Other than the girl who was studying nearby, his recollections are the best that we, the police, and the media have to go on. It seems odd to think that his one statement would be misreported, but stranger things have happened.

I can see someone stretching the truth to say, "Blood was everywhere!" to sensationalize it, but saying that two men were seen at 4:30 "skulking about" and nearby he saw who he later realized was Betsy. What does that accomplish to mis-report that fact? Not sensational? Unless you want to stir a panic making people think the two murderers were on campus!

Don't forget that this interview took place almost 20 years after the fact, and Dean may or may not have remembered that much to begin with -- he left and was not contacted by police until 8:00 that evening. Nowhere is there evidence to know what he said initially to police. He was in his 30s at the time so he would have been mid to late 50s when the interview took place. Maybe the reporter even misconstrued his comments, or maybe he forgot something. Just saying, yes, Dean is a key witness with a key piece of evidence -- but the article by Mike Lenio leaves a lot to be desired as to how well it was researched and written. He may not even have called Dean at all -- since Dean has refused to talk much about it since to other reporters, it's possible he cobbled something together out of statements made at the time.

 

[littlehorn]

Let me know if my mental picture correct: The aisle was in the middle of the core. It was a dead end, and if you are facing the closed end there are book shelves on the left and right side, with a building wall at the end of the aisle. Opposite the open end was another bookself?

How wide was the aisle? Enough for two people to walk shoulder-to-shoulder?

Was she indeed found mid-way down the aisle?

Also, I've read somewhere that these were the types of shelves you could see through to the next aisle (i.e., backless). Is this true?

You don't have the photos, do you?

The core is kind of like seats on a plane. Two sets of shelves that dead end against walls, with a central aisle between them. The aisles themselves are open-backed shelves, but are not wide enough for two people to walk shoulder to shoulder. Ceiling is low enough that you have to watch your head if you're over 5'10 or so.

At the time the end of that aisle she was in was a bookshelf inset into the wall. The shelf has since been removed leaving a sort of cul-de-sac about 18" deep.

I do not have the photos but if you hunt up the original article in State College magazine the only photo police have released was in the print copy.

 

[milopedes]

It's possible it was two unrelated guys trying to decide what to do or who to ask for help.

I don't believe the "somebody better help" guy would have been the killer because there are enough other exits out of there that the killer could have gotten out without talking to anyone.

And why would anyone necessarily associate a guy walking by that aisle with her, anyway? It may have been minutes or hours until someone else wandered past and saw her. Even in the time it would have taken to get to someone and call for help, the killer could have been long gone without passing by the circulation desk.

The facts take me to the points I've already mentioned in other threads. Now, I will speculate a bit since we've placed a somewhat prepared killer in the environment of his choosing. In my theory I'll omit certain factors such as . . .

1. Level of experience of killer (i.e., killed before or not).
2. Alternate intentions (i.e., to fondle, flash, etc.).
3. Whether he was a student or not.
4. What he did later (i.e., additional crimes, taunting, etc.).

I am trying to make an "educated guess" based upon the framework of facts, and draw logical conclusions. I don't think the information we have at the moment will shed much light upon points #1 through #4 above.

Here goes . . .

The killer has a strong desire to commit a crime against a female. It is very likely sexually motivated, in some sense, and violent as well. He has thought about this and the more he does, the more "build up" occurs. The setting of his choosing is perfect, as it allows for him the type of victim of his choosing (i.e., young, attractive female) as well as a degree of risk (i.e., setting) without too much risk of being caught (i.e., holiday and secluded area). He goes prepared with his hidden pocket knife to watch for potential victims of his liking. It may or may not have been the first day he went there, as he probably may have needed to build up courage, may not have seen someone that "clicked in his head", or he determined on a given day that it was too risky.

The killer either saw Betsy elsewhere in the library and followed her into the core, or he was already waiting there (or nearby) when he saw her. I'd guess the latter, since spotting and following someone may never lead him to that secluded area of his choosing.

The Dean walks by at 4:30 p.m. and sees 2 guys "skulking about" and Betsy is nearby. He is busy, by his own admission, so he probably only glanced and didn't have much reason to "take it all in" so-to-speak. Meaning, he may not have noticed the true killer nearby.

If the killer was in the core or nearby, he was already aware of the two males, so he took precautions not to be seen by them too much if at all. He avoided them by moving down aisles and kept an eye on them through the open shelves as best he could. When the moment presented itself, he approached Besty from the front and stabbed her once in the chest sometime between 4:35 and 4:45 p.m.

She never reacted or screamed because she had no reason to fear anyone approaching her in the library. Who would? The shock of the stab prevented her from crying out, but her fall knocked books down and made a noise.

Regardless of his intentions, the killer flees upon hearing all the books come crashing down because he is also aware that the two males were in that area. He slips out unseen.

The two males see Betsy lying near a pile of books on her side, and for whatever reason, they choose to do nothing more than tell that girl "somebody better help that girl" before leaving the core. They either leave and do nothing, or actually tell someone else before they leave.

Why were they there? Who knows? It could be innocent, or it could be they were hesitant to come forward due to the fact one - or both - were engaged in some homosexual activity at some point that afternoon in that area. It was known to occur in that area, but I do not think it had anything to do with why Besty was murdered.

Thoughts?

 

[milopedes]

Don't forget that this interview took place almost 20 years after the fact, and Dean may or may not have remembered that much to begin with -- he left and was not contacted by police until 8:00 that evening. Nowhere is there evidence to know what he said initially to police. He was in his 30s at the time so he would have been mid to late 50s when the interview took place. Maybe the reporter even misconstrued his comments, or maybe he forgot something. Just saying, yes, Dean is a key witness with a key piece of evidence -- but the article by Mike Lenio leaves a lot to be desired as to how well it was researched and written. He may not even have called Dean at all -- since Dean has refused to talk much about it since to other reporters, it's possible he cobbled something together out of statements made at the time.

Good points! Man, that police file would be nice to see.

 

[littlehorn]

Why were they there? Who knows? It could be innocent, or it could be they were hesitant to come forward due to the fact one - or both - were engaged in some homosexual activity at some point that afternoon in that area. It was known to occur in that area, but I do not think it had anything to do with why Besty was murdered.

You make some interesting points. Excellent insight as well. Makes me wonder where you were in '69, LOL.

Seriously though, it's as plausible a theory as I've heard. I even have some inkling of where the killer may have been hiding that he could have observed Betsy.

Now the question becomes: How to catch the guy who did this. If he wasn't seen, it is very possible he might never be caught. The police worked under the assumption that they very much wanted to talk to "Somebody" guy because he may have seen something -- what if he didn't??

 

[littlehorn]

Good points! Man, that police file would be nice to see.

You're telling me! The keys to the case I'm sure are in there...it's just a question of sorting them out. And it would, if someone educated on the case saw it, be a really great tool for separating fact from legend with this case.

 

[milopedes]

You make some interesting points. Excellent insight as well. Makes me wonder where you were in '69, LOL.

Seriously though, it's as plausible a theory as I've heard. I even have some inkling of where the killer may have been hiding that he could have observed Betsy.

Now the question becomes: How to catch the guy who did this. If he wasn't seen, it is very possible he might never be caught. The police worked under the assumption that they very much wanted to talk to "Somebody" guy because he may have seen something -- what if he didn't??

Well, I have to admit that I think this theory has more merit than say . . .

1. A jealous female wanting her fiancee;
2. A "contract killer" hired by Durgy;
3. Ted Bundy, or
4. An ex-boyfriend from Hollland, MI.

It isn't quite as sensational as those, but is more realistic if you ask me.

I've read a lot of the varying theories posted in these links, ranging from those above to a Vietnam vet or deranged, dope-smoking hippie, and I just don't think inserting extraneous and completely off-the-wall assertions does us much good.

Could there be alterior motives? Sure. I liked the angle of someone wanting to get back at PSU. I've considered the person could have been a current or former student. Makes sense, as it would add to his familarity with the core and how many people frequent the library during the holiday break. It could have also been a PSU employee. All of this is just so difficult to say without having facts to show us whether we are right or wrong.

 

[littlehorn]

Well, I have to admit that I think this theory has more merit than say . . .

1. A jealous female wanting her fiancee;
2. A "contract killer" hired by Durgy;
3. Ted Bundy, or
4. An ex-boyfriend from Hollland, MI.

It isn't quite as sensational as those, but is more realistic if you ask me.

Could there be alterior motives? Sure. I liked the angle of someone wanting to get back at PSU. I've considered the person could have been a current or former student. Makes sense, as it would add to his familarity with the core and how many people frequent the library during the holiday break. It could have also been a PSU employee. All of this is just so difficult to say without having facts to show us whether we are right or wrong.

I agree completely, both with your theories and your explanation of the "bogus theories" that have circulated.

Unfortunately, 39 years of gossip has firmly entrenched the Durgy "angle," the Bundy myth, and other ideas like that. We've been working hard to rule them out and that's why, although I dislike doing so, I spend a lot of time answering emails explaining why Bundy couldn't possibly have done it.

 

[MaryLiz]

Those are some very interesting possible scenarios you have presented, milopedes.

For some reason, I still think whoever did this was NOT a student and possibly that they were from Michigan.

As we've said before, this is so baffling, so thanks for your input on the case.

 

[milopedes]

Those are some very interesting possible scenarios you have presented, milopedes.

For some reason, I still think whoever did this was NOT a student and possibly that they were from Michigan.

As we've said before, this is so baffling, so thanks for your input on the case.

Thank you! I'm curious, though, what makes you think the killer is not a student? Is there a fact I'm missing here? Please elaborate if you will.

As for the killer coming from Michigan, while I cannot prove that is incorrect, that is quite a leap if you are merely basing it on the fact Betsy was from Holland, Michigan and went to school in Ann Arbor. I think these facts alone diminish that possibility:

1. Someone from MI wouldn't have known her whereabout that afternoon.
2. If the killer came from MI, unless he had attended PSU or been there before, he greatly increases his chances of capture going into the unfamiliar.
3. The crime could just as easily have occurred in a less public place.
4. Being from MI increases the likelihood that they knew one another, even if in passing, and that goes against the "one stab" aspect of this crime.

As I've stated, IMO, had the killer known here there is a greater chance he would not have wanted to leave her alive to ID him; thus, I feel the killer would have done more than just stab her once.

Just my opinion on that, but I'd like to hear more about the "non-student" thoughts you have on this case.

 

[cbcrime]

I have always felt that this murder was motivated by uncontrollable desires/emotions of the perp. I think the scenario described by you milopedes is probably what happened. The only part that really throws me is this - if it was sexual why stab her?

I don't know if I will explain this really well but here goes. If this was to be a sexual attack wouldn't the knife be used as a method of control? In other words threaten and control? Yet it seems Betsy did not have an opportunity to respond prior to being stabbed. So it seems she was approached and stabbed immediately. The books falling appear to be caused by her fall after being stabbed.

I can see this attack being done out of anger - anger towards women - or anger towards authority - the university or something of that nature. Almost an "I'll show them mentality".

 

[MaryLiz]

Thank you! I'm curious, though, what makes you think the killer is not a student? Is there a fact I'm missing here? Please elaborate if you will.

As for the killer coming from Michigan, while I cannot prove that is incorrect, that is quite a leap if you are merely basing it on the fact Betsy was from Holland, Michigan and went to school in Ann Arbor. I think these facts alone diminish that possibility:

1. Someone from MI wouldn't have known her whereabout that afternoon.
2. If the killer came from MI, unless he had attended PSU or been there before, he greatly increases his chances of capture going into the unfamiliar.
3. The crime could just as easily have occurred in a less public place.
4. Being from MI increases the likelihood that they knew one another, even if in passing, and that goes against the "one stab" aspect of this crime.

As I've stated, IMO, had the killer known here there is a greater chance he would not have wanted to leave her alive to ID him; thus, I feel the killer would have done more than just stab her once.

Just my opinion on that, but I'd like to hear more about the "non-student" thoughts you have on this case.

Well, I have 2 schools of thought on this. The first is one is that I think someone could have been following Betsy. Maybe not stalking her per se, but quietly pursuing her. If that's the case, it could have very well been a student. But my second theory is that perhaps this was a thrill kill and the perp didn't even know Betsy. In that event, it could have been someone who wasn't a student, someone who just hung around the campus at different times. In the early 70s, I had a lot of friends who went to Ohio State. I didn't go there but I was on campus a lot. It was easy back then for anyone to gain access to a campus. All you had to do was just walk around and act like you knew where you were going if you wanted to blend in. No one ever gave it a second thought and security wasn't really an issue then. Maybe I was thinking of my own days of hanging around OSU and the thought came to me that whoever did this to Betsy didn't necessarily have to be a student.

I only came up with a possible Michigan connection because I thought maybe someone held a grudge against her from U of M. In trying to come up with theories in this case, mine go from halfway believable to ridiculous, with the Michigan theory definitely the latter!

But when I think about who would do this to someone like Betsy, who reportedly was just short of being a saint, I can only come up with 2 logical answers, the first one being that someone was secretly obsessed with her and the second being that it was thrill kill, with no personal connection at all.