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

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AKWILKS said:
zodiac59.jpg
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Looks like an ee cummings fan/wannabe. The lack of capitalization and the indents is the most obvious. My degree is in English Lit and it is really sad I can't think of a better way to describe this, like the actual word for it lol, but it "sounds" like ee cummings as well, the short broken sentences, one worded sentences.

I really think that is something you should keep filed in your brain. It would make sense for a code-fan to be an ee cummings fan as it is like poem-code. If you are not familiar with ee cummings, this is a poem of his. All of those bizarre spaces are what he actually wrote, they are not an error on the webpage
http://www.poemofquotes.com/eecummings/the-sky-was.php

Of course, this style of poem is also taught in English classes and it could be as simple as that, but my initial reaction was ee cummings.
 
Something else I would like to add - someone that is considered a loner and prefers no company over some company, you know how to move around and not attract attention. You know how avoid people and how to be invisible. If Rick was the guy, it was probably very easy for him to sneak up on her and escape with hardly a notice. Most witnesses only caught a quick glance of the man that ran from the scene - he didn't attract much attention.
 
Claudette said:
Looks like an ee cummings fan/wannabe. The lack of capitalization and the indents is the most obvious. My degree is in English Lit and it is really sad I can't think of a better way to describe this, like the actual word for it lol, but it "sounds" like ee cummings as well, the short broken sentences, one worded sentences.
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Very good analysis.

The Zodiac quoted a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, specifically The Mikado. (Ironically, it is a comic opera.) That has a hugely different style than ee cummings.
 
That is true, but remember this as well - Zodiac referenced many different stories and films. He quoted from the story/film "The Most Dangerous Game", about Count Zaroff hunting men for sport. A Poe like story turned into a well done B type horror/action film. He also referenced "The Exorcist" and "Badlands" - one a hugely popular horror film about demonic possesion of a little girl, the other an arty crime film based on the Charles Starkweather murder spree.

He also did reference the opera "The Mikado".

Handwriting experts from Cal DOJ and the FBI say that the writing on the desk top poem matches the writing in the Zodiac letters. So it seems very likely Zodiac did write that poem.

My read is that it was a Red Herring ("RH"), designed to make police think the killer of Bates was a local boy, a fellow student daydreaming of killing her, writing his fantasy on a desk.

I feel the totality of the evidence shows that Ted Kaczynski was likely the Zodiac, and may have killed Aardsma.

But it is also interesting to note the poem initials match those of Richard Haefner. I did communicate this to the police.

I am not up much on poetry. I thought the desktop poem might have had elements of Japanese Haiku? Claudette, that connection you make to Cummings seems on target. Do you see any relation between the work of Cummings and TS Eliot? In particular the poem called "The Hollow Men"?

Also remember, in the Aardsma case they found a writing on the wood arm of a chair at PSU, and police thought it may have come from the killer, and it said:

HERE SAT
DEATH IN
THE GUISE
OF A MAN
RSK

Just like with Bates, we have a mordbid writing on wood, signed with an "R" initial. My thought again is it makes it look like student was the killer.

Anyone have other thoughts on what it could mean?
 
The TS Eliot poem, scanning it briefly, seems more of a "traditional" poem style, used frequently "in the good ol' days" and then when things started changing in the 20th century it became weird. ee cummings (who did many poems in a more traditional sense but he is known for his unique style with others), Jack Kerouac ("founder" of the beatnik movement), James Joyce, etc. This wasn't limited to the written arts, the 20th century gave rise to Surrealism, Dada (stupid.), Pop art. People felt more comfortable to express themselves, though I personally think most modern art is really bad, I prefer Victorian literature myself though you could cut most of that out of a mold, especially poetry. Sorry, totally just went off on a tangent there.

I would like to see a picture of the second poem on the arm chair, I would like to know if the shape of the poem is due to space or if it is where he decided to break the sentences.
 
AKWILKS said:
Also remember, in the Aardsma case they found a writing on the wood arm of a chair at PSU, and police thought it may have come from the killer, and it said:

HERE SAT
DEATH IN
THE GUISE
OF A MAN
RSK

Just like with Bates, we have a mordbid writing on wood, signed with an "R" initial. My thought again is it makes it look like student was the killer.

Anyone have other thoughts on what it could mean?
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Honestly it wouldn't surprise me if it was an English major trying to be broody. Most that I studied with were regular normal people (well....outwardly at least lol) but there were a handful that tried sooo hard to fit the stereotype of someone studying English Lit. One guy wore nothing but tweed jackets and scarves. We were in the middle of the midwest in the cornfields, not Harvard. It takes a certain type to WANT to study English Lit, and there are definitely some odd balls lol
 
Claudette said:
Looks like an ee cummings fan/wannabe. The lack of capitalization and the indents is the most obvious. My degree is in English Lit and it is really sad I can't think of a better way to describe this, like the actual word for it lol, but it "sounds" like ee cummings as well, the short broken sentences, one worded sentences.

I really think that is something you should keep filed in your brain. It would make sense for a code-fan to be an ee cummings fan as it is like poem-code. If you are not familiar with ee cummings, this is a poem of his. All of those bizarre spaces are what he actually wrote, they are not an error on the webpage
http://www.poemofquotes.com/eecummings/the-sky-was.php

Of course, this style of poem is also taught in English classes and it could be as simple as that, but my initial reaction was ee cummings.
Click to expand...
Concrete poetry is the name for the style Cummings used to have the shape of the written poem infer its meaning, and I totally agree with your assessment. The writer of the desk poem appears to mimic either Cummings or another early twentieth century visual poet. The bolded slash in the title and the commas convey the image of the knife and dripping blood.
 
Is there anything new in this case? I haven't seen any updates at the whokilledbetsy site lately.

Also, what happened to Derek Sherwood? I have not seen him post lately and see that he is inactive.

This case has always interested me.
 
GoState said:
Is there anything new in this case? I haven't seen any updates at the whokilledbetsy site lately.

Also, what happened to Derek Sherwood? I have not seen him post lately and see that he is inactive.

This case has always interested me.
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I haven't heard anything new, but I wish Derek would come back and post as well. Maybe after the article appeared in the State College Magazine that I posted above in post #76, Derek and Sascha Skucek believe Richard Haefner is the perp and consider the case solved, and are not doing much research on the case anymore.
 
I decided to email Mr. Sherwood to find out what he was working on. In my inbox this morning was the following reply:

"I left Websleuths voluntarily after a dispute about a fundraiser for a little boy with a birth defect who has since passed away. Please tell everyone who is interested that I said hello, and thanks for caring.

I am in the final editing stages of a book about the Aardsma murder that I will be releasing in the next several months. There will be an E-Book PDF version for sale, followed by the actual print release. Anyone interested can email the website: www.whokilledbetsy.org."
 
GoState said:
I decided to email Mr. Sherwood to find out what he was working on. In my inbox this morning was the following reply:
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GoState said:
"I left Websleuths voluntarily after a dispute about a fundraiser for a little boy with a birth defect who has since passed away. Please tell everyone who is interested that I said hello, and thanks for caring.

I am in the final editing stages of a book about the Aardsma murder that I will be releasing in the next several months. There will be an E-Book PDF version for sale, followed by the actual print release. Anyone interested can email the website: www.whokilledbetsy.org."[/quote]

GoState, thanks for e-mailing Derek and posting his response. I'm so happy to know he is working on a book. I will definitely get in touch with him through the whokilledbetsy website to inquire about the book at some point in the near future. Thanks again.
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Does Caroline have her own thread? I've been curious about her case since I discovered it online months ago. I don't feel it would be appropriate to talk about her case on Betsey's thread though. Except to say I don't think there is a connection. Reading the Lubbock article, I feel there are 2 and only 2 possible killers of the Harte girl.
 
Sorry for the misunderstanding, I am actually looking at the Aardsma case. I just thought this other case was similar. ie; a single stab wound to the heart, then quickly running away and only 4 months apart. Not quite sure where I am supposed to post this comment? If there is a C.Harte thread, you think I should mention betsy's case there? Absolutely no disrespect intended! Just sharing (what might be a worthless) observation.
 
Extra, you did just fine posting that information here about the Port Aransas murder as a comparison. I agree, a single stab wound to the heart does seem unusual, but the distance is great, and the MO, one in a library, the other asleep in a house are different.

It seems to me the killer who attacked Ardsma was seeking extra excitement by doing it in a public place, a real adrenalin junky pushing the edge. To me her murder seems almost like a test of will. The guy thinking, "Can I do this? Can I get a way with it with other people around?" It was a very brazen murder, but also inherently reckless for its brazenness. And it is for that reason that I believe her killer was her age or slightly younger.
Ps.

:Welcome1: to Websleuths!
 
Any updates on this case? I've been really drawn into this case - Betsy seemed like such a gracious and lovely person who had her whole life in front of her.
 
Derek was kind enough to send me an advanced copy of the book, and I must say, it is pretty good. Well worth the read if you are interested in this case. He touches on a few theories, and suspects, but it focuses on the most logical suspect, R.H.
He has certainly done his homework on the case!
 
I finally got a copy of this book and just finished it. It's a terrific book. Derek Sherwood did a great job, and he presents a rather convincing case against the primary suspect, Richard Haefner. I highly recommend anyone interested in this case to get a copy of this well-written, well-researched book.

Below is the link again to order it from amazon.com.

Amazon.com: Who Killed Betsy?: Uncovering Penn State University's Most Notorious Unsolved Crime (9780615498119): Mr. Derek Sherwood: Books
 
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