State Your Case

[Danse_Macabre]

So, who was the West Mesa killer? Tell us who think it was and why. List anything, including sites, stories, etc., you need to support your theory. If you have more than one person or persons of interest (like two separate killers or one killer and a separate group of killers), please make separate entries. This is not a thread for questions; it is a comment thread only.

 

[Laughing]

OT: love your screen name:

https://youtu.be/71fZhMXlGT4

and your effort to identify the West Mesa killer.

:seeya:

 

[Chattahoochee]

While I have no idea who I think the murderer would be as far as a name, I do think the West Mesa murders are connected to the Jennings murders, and possibly the Chillicothe murders. Groups of drug addicts/prostitutes with close ties disappearing in a relatively small area and time period. The girls in both West Mesa and Jennings were reportedly afraid for their lives/knew they were targets before their deaths. There are heavy rumors of LE connections to the murders in both cases. In both cases locals in the drug scene seemed to know the girls were dead before bodies were found. West Mesa 2003-2005, Jennings 2005-2009. Reading about the cases, the details are eerily coincidental.

Could it be an officer who transferred from one PD to another? A traveling drug dealer or informant? Someone who is part of multi state sex trafficking, so has intimate knowledge of that "underground" world?

 

[the seeker]

Wow what a question! I guess that is why we are all here. My theory tends to change from time to time but the one theory that sticks in my mind the most, for reasons I don't really want to discuss in a public forum, is the LE theory. There has been way too much mentioned that I have come across about a "crooked cop" or a "corrupt cop" and the mentioning of one by "name" and the victim reportedly being TERRIFIED of this person. Also, the phone calls made to victims' families that mentioned a cop involvement. I cant ignore those things, at least not at this time. I guess if I would have to pick a theory based on what Ive read so far...that would be mine.

 

[CriminalMinds]

I have liked to believe it's Montoya, but a couple of things keeping popping up to push away from him:

***1) the dump site would probably be the closest ever(assuming the long island case isn't tied to one of the local oak beach residents) to the residence of a serial killer(other than directly on/adjacent to the actual property itself)--farther has always proved to be better for sks while they are on the run--(although that is such a convenient spot for Montoya, and maybe he never thought to dump awayyy from home)---although there is always a first for everything, it doesn't seem to fit, and something tells me he would have slipped up and left something on one of them tying him, such as the type of ligature made for the girl he was killed after killing---does anyone know how long Montoya lived at that location?-if he moved there later, maybe it was to be closer to the site that he and Reynolds might have started together

2) the statement made by the female detective about it looking like a single-dump episode---odd statement--would that mean they were some place else then moved? that would be a lot of work/trips for him w/o being noticed once time by anyone in either area--maybe they got moved after Reynolds was getting looked at?

3) the tag being found is intriguing--especially since many are trying to potentially tie it to Blea

4) the LE angle that has rumors by some other girls out there

 

[vegasdee]

I too, go back and forth on whom I believe the killer is. I want to believe it was Montoya but a couple of things stand out:
1. According to old newspaper articles Montoya's trailer was went over with a fine tooth comb an nothing was found. Nothing
2. He picked up Shericka Hill on backpage that's a different m.o. than picking up the girls walking on central. Shericka was African American which is different, Syllania was African American, but still...Shericka was tiny too.

Blea seems to prey on younger girls.

Fred Reynolds seems to be to obvious of a suspect. There aren't many pimps in Albuquerque, especially during that time frame, so if he was the killer I think he would've been caught before so many girls became victims. His apartment also was processed as a crime scene and no evidence was ever found. Supposedly he was a recovering addict and was friends with a lot of the girls so he could help them. He had been sober for a really long time, supposedly.

 

[Kasia]

In 2015, a man by the name of [FONT=&quot]Joseph Blea was convicted of raping an 8th grader 26 years earlier. He was sentenced to 36 years in prison in June 2015. It took that long for the girls rape kit to be done. The murders were done between 2001-2005. There hasn't been another one of those murders. I mean if Blea was able to rape an 8th grader; he's capable of doing this. Plus he wasn't in prison when those murders were committed. Plus two of his other victims were just 15 years old. He also has a long history of sexually assaulting women.[/FONT]

 

[buckeye05]

Out of all the unsolved serial murder cases I've looked into, this is the one that I am the most confident I know who the perp is. I am convinced that Joseph Blea is the West Mesa killer. Let's look at some facts here:

-Blea is a violent serial rapist who had exhibited predatory behavior since at least the 1980s.

-He may have started killing as early as 1985. DNA recovered from the clothing of Jennifer Shirm, a prostitute who was found dumped on a curb, was matched to Blea in 2009.

-Six years before the disappearances began, a woman walking along Central Ave identified Blea as the individual who called her over to his vehicle and proceeded to expose himself. Police later found rope and electrical tape in the passenger seat of his vehicle.

-Police did surveillance on Blea, and observed him stalking prostitutes for four consecutive days. They watched as he "slowed and circled the block in areas where prostitutes were working. He did not approach any prostitutes but appeared to be closely watching them."

-APD detectives talked to at least 20 prostitutes who recognized Blea, one which reported that he once brought her to his house and attempted to tie her up, though she didn't let him.

-His wife reported finding women's underwear and jewelry in the house that did not belong to her or their daughter, and that the daughter once reportedly found a stash of women's underwear hidden in the shed. As of February 2016, police would not comment on whether any of these items could be linked to any of the victims on the grounds of them being part of an "ongoing criminal investigation".

-Some of the victims families noticed that jewelry was missing.

-Blea's former cellmate was interviewed and stated that Blea appeared to have an interest in the West Mesa case, and that while he never admitted to being directly involved, he said that he knew and had paid for sex with some of the victims. He also reportedly referred to the victims as "trashy" when discussing the case, and even admitted to hitting one, claiming that she tried to steal his money.

-His wife has said that Blea would often express his apparent hatred for prostitutes, calling them *advertiser censored* and *advertiser censored*.

-Both of his former wives also stated that Blea would frequently leave the house late at night to dump landscaping debris out on the West Mesa and would sometimes later return with women's clothing and jewelry.

-The burial site was close to the area where Blea disposed of his landscaping debris.

-A piece of landscaping debris; a tree tag for a Spearmint Juniper, was found buried 8 feet below the surface in the grave of one of the victims. I strongly suspect that this tag got stuck to the victim's body while in Blea's vehicle.

-The tag was linked to a specific wholesale nursery in Vacaville, CA that sold to retail landscaping businesses in Albuquerque, one of which identified Blea as a regular customer.


The fact that a piece of landscaping debris was found in the grave of one of the victims, and that Blea was a landscaper with a history of sexual violence, predatory behavior, and frequenting of prostitutes, and who was known to dump his landscaping debris near the burial site is just way too much to be a coincidence. I have a feeling that police are fairly confident that Blea is their man, but don't have quite enough to charge at this point. In any case, he's going to die in prison for being a serial rapist anyway.

 

[SonOfAugustus]

I just had a few thoughts on it, but the former police officer who said that they used to tell prostitutes that they themselves were killing them is very odd. Maybe because I'm not understanding the chronology? When were they telling them these things was it before or after the dump site was found? I wish someone would have asked the working girls that, because if it WAS before the dump site was found, it would imply foreknowledge to the serial killings as the question was even posed as to why it took the police so long to figure out there was an active serial killer(s) in the area. And if they were telling the girls this before the dump site was discovered, why wouldn't they have also warned or alerted the public to be on the lookout? Another thing I find strange about it is why would you want to make your own job more difficult? If they were telling the women this, you would be opening yourself up to alot of prostitutes resisting arrest if they had a run in with them. And you're also going to cause MORE distrust amongst the citizens when you already have a horrible reputation?? It simply fails any type of logical reasoning to tell that to the people you are policing. Also, it's very possible that what you are looking at is a symbiotic relationship between the police and drug runners. It was already labeled as an out of control police department so corruption by drug runners paying off or using police is already is a possibility. And if it is a drug hub for smuggling, then more often than not, police are on their payroll. Smugglers may be ruthless, but they're not stupid. They will take the path of least resistance. Meaning if they couldn't own or bribe the police, it wouldn't BE a hub as the smugglers would move their route through a place they could buy off. So I'm hypotheizing that its a combination of two of the potential scenarios/suspects presented tonight: Crooked police working for smugglers/cartels. But I hope someone investigates alot deeper into the police officer who said that they themselves told the women that they were killing them as that fails even the most basic logic on multiple levels.

 

[Gpsywld]

I just had a few thoughts on it, but the former police officer who said that they used to tell prostitutes that they themselves were killing them is very odd. Maybe because I'm not understanding the chronology? When were they telling them these things was it before or after the dump site was found? I wish someone would have asked the working girls that, because if it WAS before the dump site was found, it would imply foreknowledge to the serial killings as the question was even posed as to why it took the police so long to figure out there was an active serial killer(s) in the area. And if they were telling the girls this before the dump site was discovered, why wouldn't they have also warned or alerted the public to be on the lookout? Another thing I find strange about it is why would you want to make your own job more difficult? If they were telling the women this, you would be opening yourself up to alot of prostitutes resisting arrest if they had a run in with them. And you're also going to cause MORE distrust amongst the citizens when you already have a horrible reputation?? It simply fails any type of logical reasoning to tell that to the people you are policing. Also, it's very possible that what you are looking at is a symbiotic relationship between the police and drug runners. It was already labeled as an out of control police department so corruption by drug runners paying off or using police is already is a possibility. And if it is a drug hub for smuggling, then more often than not, police are on their payroll. Smugglers may be ruthless, but they're not stupid. They will take the path of least resistance. Meaning if they couldn't own or bribe the police, it wouldn't BE a hub as the smugglers would move their route through a place they could buy off. So I'm hypotheizing that its a combination of two of the potential scenarios/suspects presented tonight: Crooked police working for smugglers/cartels. But I hope someone investigates alot deeper into the police officer who said that they themselves told the women that they were killing them as that fails even the most basic logic on multiple levels.

.
It is classic narcissistic behavior to be close to the investigation. And for the killer to continue to amplify his feelings of bravado by speaking about it at will. Helps to keep his ego where he needs it. I have worked a serial killer case in my area for sometime. I correspond with the killer in prison. We are continuing to try and find more of his victims , and I have to tell you it is "high times" for him as he continues his sick manipulation. However, the lead he gave us produced 3 bodies. They cannot help themselves, I would pay attention to the things this man says about the case.

 

[esbeekay]

I don't want to beat a dead horse here but I swear as I was watching the episode the very first thing I thought was "it has to be the police!" before it was even brought up. It would explain the pack theory as well because multiple officers would likely be involved, and I don't find the idea of a secluded area to offload bodies or evidence being an inside "secret" too far fetched. If one of the "sessions" got a little rough or out of control, there would be a common safe area for dumping.

The cartel theory was interesting, but police would certainly have access to that information and could certainly mutilate the bodies to make it look like a cartel was involved if they really wanted to cover their tracks.

Either way it was an extremely fascinating episode!

 

[Padron18]

I have said from the start and I still stand with my theory that all 11 girls met their fate with the Mex. Cartel out of Cidad Juarez, Mexico. The Cartel Operates up and out of
I-40, I-25 and I-10 moving Their goods. They use working girls off the streets because 10 to 1 their users. Both Michelle Valdez and Cinnamon Elks were both working and using according to their Mothers, Karen Jackson and Diana Wilhelm. Karen Jackson said her husband got a call from Michelle and ask for them to come too Kingman, Arizona to Bail her out of Jail. After picking her up and on the ride home , she kept on saying " thank goodness they didn't find what was in Gas Tank ". that says she was hauling Drugs. So if the Cartel loses their Goods, they lose Money. So someone will pay most likely with their life. As for the other Girls they all knew each other. So who would you trust best to bring into the Drug Hauling. That's why that one police officer said that he found Birth certificates in the rooms of these girls. In order to cross the Border you have to show an ID & Birth certificate or Passport . Once you get involved with the Cartel you don't get out, alive anyways. If the Police were to check they would very well likely find more. This is No Serial killer , No Nasty Cops, but the Trademark sign of the Cartel .

 

[Aaltje]

Having never heard of this case (WTH?!) until it was mentioned at the end of ep6 of the killing season, I have tried to take in as much information as I could about the case.

I dont think WM SK is Blea or Montoya. For all the same reasons stated in this thread and in the killing season episode. Montoya being too close to dumpsite, Blea preying on younger girls, etc.

I do agree that the murderer is very good at covering his tracks - the LE theory makes sense/fits with that. The lack of evidence left behind, the location of bodies,etc. Also, there may be more then one SK involved as two of the victims were taken together. There are more burial sites out there, I don't think they have stopped or will ever stop.

So to recap I think LE or two SK working together.

 

[MicroExpressions]

It seems the perfect environment for there to be multiple serial killers involved the Mesa case. When narco killings are rampant, what better cover for others to go unnoticed..?
When I watched the 7th episode, something screamed police cover up. Whether it's dirty cops and politicians protecting traffickers, someone "high up" being a killer and pulling strings, multiple people behind "the blue wall" pulling strings... Or maybe just an unwillingness to admit their poor judgment and failure to the community. It's hard to say. None of these senarios need to be exclusive either. The truth can be all of the above and more.
My basic point is, with so many serial killers in the US, there is bound to be overlapping and also potential banding together. Sick people tend to find each other the same way good people do. Law of attraction and whatnot. Just as there are hot spots for artisans and forward thinkers, same would go for the psychopaths and killers. Some of those places are one and the same.

This is my first post and I hope I can be helpful in anyway possible. I've been researching human behavior for the better portion of my life. What I see are dire times and we need as many eyes on these kinds of things as possible.

Thank you for creating this online space and accepting me in.

-Micro

 

[EliSmithsonite]

Well for me I wish they did more follow up on the guy and his son that moved to california. After getting what they belive to be a positive voice match, I feel they should have looked into it further.

Also if I'm not mistaken, they moved to San Bernardino California, at least that's what I got from the show. Which is less than an hour from Santa Ana. I find it peculiar to say the least, that now there is a believed serial killer, killing prostitutes in Santa Ana, after moving from a close proximity of the west mesa murders and being possibly suspect in the case, they move to place in california in close proximity to a similar eire series of murders.

I do understand the drug cartel idea, but to me I feel like the drug cartel would send more of a message. Another weird thing for me is the woman that disappeared with her cousin, insinuating more than one killer, possibly cartel, possibly father and son...



Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk

 

[DexterMorgan]

The wm murderer has been killed for years now. I think he was shot by the pimp of his last victim while he was trying to strangle her.

And no more were dumped in that area after that. Jmo

So I think that killer was actually that one that was killed already. At least thats what I gleaned from the dateline show that I seen on this case. Idk.

But i could be wrong.

 

[Thedarkpoet]

I simply don't think Montoya is our guy here.As it has already been pointed out here the trophy garden was far too close to home and they went over his trailer thoroughly (I do have my doubts when it comes to ABQPD.) The pack and the LE theories do interest me the most.A pack makes the most sense with number of victims in the mass grave.It also fits the rouge cops theory why else would they make such a mess of the case if it was to protect their own?

 

[Mselle]

I would check further into ABQPD and the officer that all those women mentioned. In fact, he said during his interview, he had in his possession photos of some of the women he had arrested. Why would he have them? And did any of the women interviewed mention other cops ever telling them that the cops were the killers? When he said that ABQPD would sometimes tell the women that they killed those women, just to keep them off the streets. That seems ridiculous to me. Why is he no longer with the ABQPD?
These are just a few of the questions I have about this case.

 

[dc20015]

I simply don't think Montoya is our guy here.As it has already been pointed out here the trophy garden was far too close to home and they went over his trailer thoroughly (I do have my doubts when it comes to ABQPD.) The pack and the LE theories do interest me the most.A pack makes the most sense with number of victims in the mass grave.It also fits the rouge cops theory why else would they make such a mess of the case if it was to protect their own?

Gacy and Dahmer's trophy gardens were pretty close to home...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Thedarkpoet]

Very true.But an open field? Not to mention he lived in a trailer park someone would notice or at least everyone would think so.