The Bonfire

[Madeleine74]

Since fingers have been pointed at TH's friends and LE, which one of them owns/runs a crematorium or incinerator? Who else had a bonfire going that day or evening for at least 5 hours and possibly longer, that was hot enough to burn a body to the level that TH's body was burned? As far as number of hours, we know Avery had a bonfire that night which was started somewhere around 5:30pm-ish and was still going strong at 10pm.

 

[Sustained]

Since fingers have been pointed at TH's friends and LE, which one of them owns/runs a crematorium or incinerator? Who else had a bonfire going that day or evening for at least 5 hours and possibly longer, that was hot enough to burn a body to the level that TH's body was burned? As far as number of hours, we know Avery had a bonfire that night which was started somewhere around 5:30pm-ish and was still going strong at 10pm.

Which witnesses may I ask said the bonfire started @ 5:30-ish and was still going strong @ 10 pm ? Besides Brendan ? You can toss out Tadych as well as he initially said the flames were about 3' and then at trial said they were 10' ...

 

[missy1974]

Which witnesses may I ask said the bonfire started @ 5:30-ish and was still going strong @ 10 pm ? Besides Brendan ? You can toss out Tadych as well as he initially said the flames were about 3' and then at trial said they were 10' ...

ST did not mention the fire in his first statement.
From what I heard of Brendan's first interview, he talks about a bonfire they were supposed to have on the Thursday but it got cancelled. I didn't hear about a bonfire on Halloween (if someone else hears it in rest of that interview, please correct me, I couldn't listen to it all and anything after this night from Brendan I believe is tainted and finding what is truth and fiction is hard IMO)
Blaine... no fire in his first statement.
Bobby... I dunno
Barb.... I dunno
SA.... he mentions burning brush and tires sometime before TH was there, the week before or something like that.

It isn't until later in the investigation that they all recall this bonfire. I'm not saying there wasn't one, but if there was, there was nothing remarkable about it, it didn't smell (body or tires), it didn't have 12 foot flames.

IMO people's memories are better closer to the event, not weeks or months later. A bonfire may not have been out of the ordinary, if LE suggested that the fire MUST have been that night... I could see some of them changing and going oh yeah, that must have been that night. Shoot, they got BD to admit to a brutal rape and murder, getting them to "remember" a fire that night must have been a breeze.

 

[Madeleine74]

Avery himself confirmed (eventually) there was a bonfire that night. Someone posted this last night (and no, I don't know where that post is, but it is here on WS).

 

[MysticJynx]

ST did not mention the fire in his first statement.
From what I heard of Brendan's first interview, he talks about a bonfire they were supposed to have on the Thursday but it got cancelled. I didn't hear about a bonfire on Halloween (if someone else hears it in rest of that interview, please correct me, I couldn't listen to it all and anything after this night from Brendan I believe is tainted and finding what is truth and fiction is hard IMO)
Blaine... no fire in his first statement.
Bobby... I dunno
Barb.... I dunno
SA.... he mentions burning brush and tires sometime before TH was there, the week before or something like that.

It isn't until later in the investigation that they all recall this bonfire. I'm not saying there wasn't one, but if there was, there was nothing remarkable about it, it didn't smell (body or tires), it didn't have 12 foot flames.

IMO people's memories are better closer to the event, not weeks or months later. A bonfire may not have been out of the ordinary, if LE suggested that the fire MUST have been that night... I could see some of them changing and going oh yeah, that must have been that night. Shoot, they got BD to admit to a brutal rape and murder, getting them to "remember" a fire that night must have been a breeze.

I'm listening now to this first recorded BD interview. I just caught something it was about 30-32 mins into the recording. They are discussing how BD thought SA was the last person to see her alive or something to that effect. BD said something as he is hard to hear about her going to Green Bay. The thing that struck me as odd is he said she had appointment in Green Bay she never made it to. WHAT???????

 

[missy1974]

ugggh you are going to make me go listen to it Mystic LOL

 

[ElleElle]

Since fingers have been pointed at TH's friends and LE, which one of them owns/runs a crematorium or incinerator? Who else had a bonfire going that day or evening for at least 5 hours and possibly longer, that was hot enough to burn a body to the level that TH's body was burned? As far as number of hours, we know Avery had a bonfire that night which was started somewhere around 5:30pm-ish and was still going strong at 10pm.

Even with the evidence, I still question why others were not investigated. Since the get-go SA was the target, which is not fair, IMO.

 

[missy1974]

I'm listening now to this first recorded BD interview. I just caught something it was about 30-32 mins into the recording. They are discussing how BD thought SA was the last person to see her alive or something to that effect. BD said something as he is hard to hear about her going to Green Bay. The thing that struck me as odd is he said she had appointment in Green Bay she never made it to. WHAT???????

listened.... BD said he heard there was an appointment in Green Bay that she was supposed to go to .... the cop talking to him says, that was her next scheduled stop and she never made it that far. Who was she going to see? Never heard that before.

 

[Sustained]

Avery himself confirmed (eventually) there was a bonfire that night. Someone posted this last night (and no, I don't know where that post is, but it is here on WS).

Yes, there was a post saying there was a fire but nothing about 5:30-10 ... just wondering where those times came from as there was no admission by SA to those times.

 

[Madeleine74]

From BD, although I know you don't believe anything BD said about his activities that day. I happen to believe he did attend the bonfire and we know he did help clean something in SA's garage with chlorine bleach because he not only said he did, he produced the chlorine stained pants he was wearing that evening. BD talked about his curfew/having to be home by 10pm. BD mentioned the fire had already been started by the time he made it over to help SA clean that area of the garage.

 

[Sustained]

From BD, although I know you don't believe anything BD said about his activities that day. I happen to believe he did attend the bonfire and we know he did help clean something in SA's garage with chlorine bleach because he not only said he did, he produced the chlorine stained pants he was wearing that evening. BD talked about his curfew/having to be home by 10pm. BD mentioned the fire had already been started by the time he made it over to help SA clean that area of the garage.

If chlorine bleach was used to eliminate a bloodstain in the garage, traces of hemoglobin would have remained and TH's blood would have been identifiable. Did they find any of TH's blood on BD's pants or sneakers ?

http://www.exploreforensics.co.uk/detecting-evidence-after-bleaching.html

 

[Cymbaline]

Avery himself confirmed (eventually) there was a bonfire that night. Someone posted this last night (and no, I don't know where that post is, but it is here on WS).

I posted that. http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?298578-The-Bonfire&p=12310183#post12310183

It's in the documentary. He also states (and you would know this if you listened to the minute mark that i sourced) that he was home by 9pm and he knows this because his then fiancé called his home phone from jail and that call was recorded.


MOO

 

[Sustained]

I posted that. http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?298578-The-Bonfire&p=12310183#post12310183

It's in the documentary. He also states (and you would know this if you listened to the minute mark that i sourced) that he was home by 9pm and he knows this because his then fiancé called his home phone from jail and that call was recorded also....


MOO

Yep, home by 9 and talked to Jodi twice, once @ 5:36 PM on his house phone for about 17 minutes IIRC. Who would leave a body on a "bonfire" and go inside for 20 minutes, not knowing if someone would happen by ( his mother for instance ) and see something ?

 

[Madeleine74]

If chlorine bleach was used to eliminate a bloodstain in the garage, traces of hemoglobin would have remained and TH's blood would have been identifiable. Did they find any of TH's blood on BD's pants or sneakers ?

http://www.exploreforensics.co.uk/detecting-evidence-after-bleaching.html

I don't know. According to BD, the stain in the garage was 'cleaned' with more than just chlorine bleach, I think gasoline might have been involved and 1 other substance that has slipped my memory. However, what it corroborates is BD was with SA at that time, and it helps corroborate his recollection of what he was doing, which involved helping to tend to the bonfire that was already going, after they were doing whatever they were doing in the garage. TH DNA being on any of BD's clothes (or not as the case may be) does not mean BD was not a witness to activities that involved garage spot cleaning and bonfire watching/helping.

 

[Madeleine74]

So BD went home and .... the fire was still going when he left. By that point the fire would have been burning a few hours, possibly a bit longer. That's of course if you believe the statement from BD, which I know some don't.

 

[Sustained]

I don't know. According to BD, the stain in the garage was 'cleaned' with more than just chlorine bleach, I think gasoline might have been involved and 1 other substance that has slipped my memory. However, what it corroborates is BD was with SA at that time, and it helps corroborate his recollection of what he was doing, which involved helping to tend to the bonfire that was already going, after they were doing whatever they were doing in the garage. TH DNA being on any of BD's clothes (or not as the case may be) does not mean BD was not a witness to activities that involved garage spot cleaning and bonfire watching/helping.

I have never read anywhere that BD's jeans even tested positive for bleach or gasoline. And I don't believe anything he said about the afternoon/evening of 10/31 as none of it has been corroborated.

I think the only thing that we can be sure of with Brendan is that he took the bus home from school that day.

 

[Madeleine74]

I believe BD did see and witness things that day. I don't think BD is or should be legally culpable for the crime, but he was around, he was with SA, and I do not believe everything BD knew about was spoon-fed to him by LE. BD's conviction should be vacated. That, however, doesn't change SA's case in my mind.

 

[missy1974]

So I made it through BD's first interview, in the police car on November 7th. At about the 1:10 mark, he tells them that he helped SA move a vehicle into the garage, goes home to have supper and doesn't see SA again until the next morning.

so again... we have another person, believable or not, that does not mention this remarkably huge fire on Halloween night during their first statement.

On another note... the end of that interview the cop asks him if he talked to his mom about what he seen that day, he says he hasn't told anybody, just you guys.... and then says how bout we'll keep it between us, ok. <<<< as a parent, that burns my a$$.

 

[Sinsaint]

Since fingers have been pointed at TH's friends and LE, which one of them owns/runs a crematorium or incinerator? Who else had a bonfire going that day or evening for at least 5 hours and possibly longer, that was hot enough to burn a body to the level that TH's body was burned? As far as number of hours, we know Avery had a bonfire that night which was started somewhere around 5:30pm-ish and was still going strong at 10pm.

Excellent question! Can you point me to the investigator's interviews that excluded other suspects of having access to a crematorium or bonfire around that time?

 

[Madeleine74]

Yep, I watched all 10 episodes. I don't believe everything Brendan knew was because LE fed it to him. At the same time I believe he should not have been alone for any interrogation due to his age as well as his mental slowness. Nothing vague about that.