GUILTY TX - Billy Joe Harris for rapes of elderly women in 6 counties, 2011

[Missizzy]

Concernd validates that this little town shuts down. I wonder if there's lots of elders in the area of this attack. That might mean that lights go off and people stay inside. Brick houses are well insulated and quiet, remember, far more than a frame house. The earlier attack mentioned in the article you posted TM surprised me as I'd remembered only 4-6 am rapes. The whole thing with the ladies getting up for early mass or service.

If he's known to rummage around houses, I wonder if he's arriving in these ladies houses much earlier than we imagine, stealing, getting into stuff? Possibly, the one woman heard him earlier than the others did and confronted him. I think he rummages and steals first and then rapes. I think he has a set plan. This woman "messed " it up for him. Many of the victims have mentioned things moved, lights broken, noises. What if he's in these victims' houses far more often and longer than we've thought? Gross, but I wonder if he's masturbating in areas of the home before he even confronts the woman at a later time?

 

[Texas Mist]

Interesting reading from the UK - which I think is relevant because IME, men (including LEOs) - to a great degree - are much the same worldwide...the article also references some older US studies.


ON the face of it, the rape of the elderly should have merited more attention because it is a particularly violent crime. Between 60 and 70 per cent of all reported rapes are acquaintance rape, where the attacker is known to the victim. But the rapes of elderly women usually follow a scenario where a young man forcibly enters the woman's home, threatens or carries out physical violence, steals money or jewellery and leaves her where she may not be found for hours, or even days if she lives alone. For the victim, the physical assault can be especially devastating. Many women now in their seventies and eighties are likely to have had only one sexual partner throughout their lives, and those who are widowed may not have had any sexual contact for many years. (For women past the menopause, penetrative sex, even when desired, is often painful.) All in all, rape for an elderly woman should be particularly traumatic and therefore worthy of specialised attention.

So why isn't it? Several years ago, Ginny Jenkins, director of Action on Elder Abuse (an independent organisation set up to monitor abuse of the elderly), worked in a day hospital where five elderly women reported having been raped over the course of one winter in their homes. She believes that the lack of interest in this crime reflects society's attitudes to old people and sex. 'We can't cope with old people having sex, so we can't cope with abusive sex,' she says. 'But the woman's own embarrassment also makes it greatly under-reported. If you can't tell your daughter that you're sleeping with your husband, how can you say that you've been raped?'

The police point out that when rape is reported, elderly women make bad witnesses. 'It's very difficult to converse with an 88-year-old woman who has been raped three times,' says Chief Inspector John Dunn, who investigated the Manchester case. Poor eyesight may make identification difficult and there is a tendency for anyone under the age of 40 to be described as 'young'.
...................................................
Why does it happen? 'The issues are the same, whether it's abuse in the home or rape by a stranger,' Holt argues. 'It's about wielding power, leaving the victim totally shocked and humiliated and not willing to give evidence because they are confused and the evidence is unreliable. An American study says that sex offenders can move from children to old people. If their source of victim is denied, they find another.'

The real shame is not the kind that elderly women feel who have been raped, but our ignorance of the subject. A study of sexual assaults on elderly women would throw light on the nature of rape itself, perhaps finally removing any lingering doubt that rape is about power rather than sex. Child sexual abuse, sexual abuse of frail, elderly women, is there so much difference? At the beginning and at the end of life, the weakest, the least likely to be believed, are the rapist's most vulnerable victims.



http://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...it-seems-we-all-prefer-to-ignore-1408839.html

Keep in mind that Gov. Perry's BFD announcement of the Task Force was made 3 months before the primary elections here (and he was announced winner, BTW).....IMO, he should have specifically mandated that LE keep this story alive & get info to the public that would be helpful in generating leads!!

The Task Force should have a profile by now...surely there's something they can release w/o harming the investigation!!

Just like clarifying the age of this creep..."Young" is relative so they need to say that.

 

[concerndgdaughter]

I know that they got a lot of prints off the house- hopefully some are his, but I do know that he didn't have gloves on when he attacked her because when he hit her across the face he did so with bare hands she said. I would hate to think he masturbates in the house before hand but in some ways it would be good because maybe it gave the FBI more evidence to go on.

 

[Missizzy]

Concernd--I'm so sorry for this pain. I know, we all know, how horrid this must be. ITA, I don't think elder ladies would tell a relative if these things were happening as that might mean the beginning of the end of living alone. You have to wonder how many ladies have gone into nursing homes since this happened because their families can't deal with the worry.

A point my husband brought up is that the rapes seem to correlate with the economy bust. There've been lots of foreclosures during this timeframe. I wonder if this man could be some sort of appraiser (with a truck or car with signage)? I realize that many of these women probably own their own homes but what about foreclosures close by? Surely, there must be some. Appraisers often walk in back yards and peer in windows.

A good friend of mine is a probation officer and he's following this case through me. He told me that PO's frequently (well at least everywhere but Contra Costa County) peer into windows and go up on porches and try doors. He said that if he notices a neighbor watching, he'll go over and identify himself and hand them a card, and talk them up about the neighbor. The issue with him is that he's 6'5" and looks like LE. He looks as if he has a "right" to go up to a house.

My point is that we can't forget that this guy's got to do several things all at one time--find the victims, stalk them, break and enter, stay under the radar of neighbors and LE who are on heightened alert, and get away.

IMO, he can't be stupid or that lucky. He's got to be driven and smart.

Have we thought about mechanics at car repair shops or dealers? Do we know what kinds of cars these ladies drive? IME, in Texas, the more well off elder ladies either drive Lincoln Town cars or Cadillacs. That might be a tip off as to who might have some money stashed. A mechanic would surely know where a lady lived. He might stay in the background and just watch. If he works on the car, there's the possibility that there's paperwork in the car--grocery bags, receipts, prescriptions, church bulletins, etc. I wonder if there's been any frequent hirings and firings in Central Texas repair shops?

 

[concerndgdaughter]

Could he have anyone helping him?

 

[Texas Mist]

Texas Mist--Did you see that comment that Samuel Henderson, the Houston serial rapist, has charges dating back 20 years?? The article also says that he would leave his wife and daughters at night and go out stalking victims. Yikes, that's chilling. I can't find what his employment was. Being that he wore scrubs in one attack and seemed to target med students, is there a connection with a hospital or med school?

I've been trying to find out what his employment was also...I started reading the reader comments to the article here -- http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/crime_tracker&id=7318650 -- and ........FWIW, "friends" are saying he's a "good guy", got a family, is a hard worker, giving & helpful, & he was conceived by his mom's rape.

Yowza.

Who knows...one person's "good guy" is another person's "creepy, skeevy guy"....at any rate, I'm sure we can recall other serial rapist/killers referred to as "good guys".

I have to wonder if the CenTex rapist would give bad vibes to people, or if he's getting by on being the "nice guy who never really says too much".

 

[Missizzy]

This is kind of out there but I wonder if elder women are good candidates for hypnosis. I know some religious ladies wouldn't go for it but I would think that a lot could be gleaned by the subconscious memory. Before you came on board, Concernd, we talked a lot about physical description. You just said that the man hit your grandmother, without gloves.

Did he have a scent? We've talked about this before but women are especially attuned to scent. If they've been with the same partner for decades, they recognize another man's scent. And men of color often use different hair care and skin care products than white guys. I would think that the rapist would be giving off strong pheromones and be sweating due to escalation and excitement. I've said before that I can tell which of my boys is coming up the stairs by their scent (5 are black and 4 are white). Even my Asian daughters have a very different natural scent than my black or my white daughter. When someone is in a traumatic situation, like an attack, scent is often heightened.

Also, his skin. Was it rough (like a working man's) or smooth? Slender, slight hands or large, beefy ones? Several women have commented that he didn't have an "accent". We haven't been sure if that meant actual accent or use of dialect. He's also been called soft-spoken.

I would think that a good therapist or interviewer could get a lot of this info from your grandma. She might be blocking some of it right now but it sure would be helpful.

 

[A_News_Junkie]

One thing that I keep thinking about is that what makes this tough is that he could be coming into other women's homes without them knowing it planning for more crimes. My grandmother thought when things disappeared or moved that she was sleepwalking. Maybe there are others who think they are "losing it" when they really aren't, but have felt uncomfortable with saying anything to their families or friends. It is not like you can put an APB out saying, "Elderly ladies of Texas if your glasses aren't where you left them last night, call police." It is unfortunate but I think he takes advantage of that. They think it is their mind playing tricks on them until he strikes. I hate playing the waiting game....

Also, seniors are afraid to tell family of "forgetting", "moving things and not remembering it" etc for fear that the family will see them as having dementia or needing to be placed before they forget something on the stove and burn the house and themselves down. This fear of losing their freedom is strong and a motivator not to tell anyone these things. :-((

 

[Missizzy]

Conceived by rape? Why does that ring a bell on other serial rapists? No mention of why the scrubs?

My guess would be the TSR is a "nice" guy. I wouldn't be surprised if he's in the military or a student. I think this thing is totally hidden, just like the Houston guy. Can you imagine finding out you'd been sleeping next to a monster? My Lord, I'd never get out of the shower. I'd have to put myself through the carwash.

Concernd--Someone helping him? Hmmmm. My gut sense is not as this is very private. No victim has reported anyone else being present or the discussion that there might be someone. IMO, if he actually had someone helping him, it would have to be a woman, who also fell under his control. For some reason, I think if that were true, there'd be more memory triggers for people. You know, a home health nurse in the home recently, etc. I really think he's a lone wolf working out past "issues". He might have started out robbing elder ladies with a partner and then decided to branch off on his own as he wanted to rape. That's a possibility.

Your grandma had a caregiver/housekeeper. Has that angle been looked at? I don't remember any women reporting anyone new in their life that was either male or female. There was some discussion a while back that the rapist might be cross-dressing. I've wondered if he tries on women's clothes while they are asleep or masturbates in them or steals them. If he's not too large, I would think a lot of guys could cross dress and not concern the neighbors as much as a strange guy would.

FWIW, the guy I keep watching on MS, has lots of photos of a friend who is cross-dressed--probably for Halloween. I just find it interesting that those pics outnumber all the regular type photos on the page. Several are posed in what looks to be a high school or college math classroom. I'll check them out again.

 

[Missizzy]

I cannot agree more heartily, NJ. As a disabled person, I walk that line. I want to be safe but I hate people fussing over me. I fall a lot and always have a black eye or bruised knees. If no one if here, I rarely tell, as I know that will just increase worry. I have a strict "contract" with my husband to not go down the stairs as I've fallen down the stairs or had seizures outside. But I've broken that contract a few times (like when I really wanted a certain book).

Families naturally really worry about disabled or elderly members and those family members worry right back. They don't like to cause concern so they fail to mention things. Have you ever asked an elder relative where they got a bruise and they brush you off? They don't want you to worry as they love you. I have to tell you that these rapes have changed my way of thinking about some things. If something seems off, I ask about it.

I KNOW in my heart that there are more victims. Possibly he's not wanting to rape them all but I do think he's watching women when they sleep and getting into their stuff. Has anyone seen mention of personal items or food being gotten into?

 

[A_News_Junkie]

SNIP
I KNOW in my heart that there are more victims. Possibly he's not wanting to rape them all but I do think he's watching women when they sleep and getting into their stuff. Has anyone seen mention of personal items or food being gotten into?

I think there are possibly many that have not been reported due to the victim feeling ashamed. This age group doesn't talk about sex freely and possibly many of them have only had sex under a marriage. They are widows who probably haven't had sex in a long time. Post menopause this can be extremely painful for a women and add cruelness to the crime. I can see many of these ladies being afraid, embarrassed or ashamed (not that they should be!) to tell anyone, let alone a police officer who is most likely to be a stranger and male.

 

[Missizzy]

I would hope that a rape crisis team would converge on the hospital where each victim was taken. They can be dispatched from any of the larger towns or any city in Texas. I'm sure that Killeen, Belton, Temple and Waco all have fine teams. They are trained to stay with the victims and to ease them through the process.

While elder rape is not as common as rape of younger women, the crisis teams are still trained in working with the victims. I would assume that each woman is assigned a Victim's Advocate (she better be!!) who can handle things that can overwhelm the victim or the family (no matter the victim's age). I've always wondered if a Victims Advocacy group was actually the "LE" who helped move the one victim who got attacked a second time. There's another angle to look at I guess, as sick as it makes me. We know the Organized Rapist often likes to check back with his victim. I hope to high heck the rapist isn't involved in any sort of medical response team--a volunteer who moves around the Central Texas area helping with rape victims. Yikes.

Concernd--Even though your Grandma lives in a little town, I would really push for this. The Victim's Advocate can be a lifesaver. If I'm not mistaken it's one of a victim's rights in Texas. Let's just hope it's a person who's been known in Moody for a long time. Almost certainly it would be a female.

 

[Starry Night]

Just checking in...also to say that I have me some great nuns in Alabama that I e-mail for intercessional prayer and they are prayerfully 'on the case' as of last night.....hoping for a break really soon now.
Oh, and we have Union Pacific Railroad workers all over South Austin right now fixing tracks-been going on for a couple of weeks now. When I see them I go 'hmmmm'....ya never know.

 

[justthinkin]

Could he have anyone helping him?

concernd, of all crimes, rapists are the ones who work alone. Now, I do wonder about the height discrepancy, and the distances this guy has covered, but everything I've read tells me rapists work alone.

 

[justthinkin]

Conceived by rape? Why does that ring a bell on other serial rapists? No mention of why the scrubs?

My guess would be the TSR is a "nice" guy. I wouldn't be surprised if he's in the military or a student. I think this thing is totally hidden, just like the Houston guy. Can you imagine finding out you'd been sleeping next to a monster? My Lord, I'd never get out of the shower. I'd have to put myself through the carwash.

Concernd--Someone helping him? Hmmmm. My gut sense is not as this is very private. No victim has reported anyone else being present or the discussion that there might be someone. IMO, if he actually had someone helping him, it would have to be a woman, who also fell under his control. For some reason, I think if that were true, there'd be more memory triggers for people. You know, a home health nurse in the home recently, etc. I really think he's a lone wolf working out past "issues". He might have started out robbing elder ladies with a partner and then decided to branch off on his own as he wanted to rape. That's a possibility.

Your grandma had a caregiver/housekeeper. Has that angle been looked at? I don't remember any women reporting anyone new in their life that was either male or female. There was some discussion a while back that the rapist might be cross-dressing. I've wondered if he tries on women's clothes while they are asleep or masturbates in them or steals them. If he's not too large, I would think a lot of guys could cross dress and not concern the neighbors as much as a strange guy would.

FWIW, the guy I keep watching on MS, has lots of photos of a friend who is cross-dressed--probably for Halloween. I just find it interesting that those pics outnumber all the regular type photos on the page. Several are posed in what looks to be a high school or college math classroom. I'll check them out again.

Oh, you got me to laughing, and this is no laughing matter, but the thought of a cross dresser in a small Texas town....he'd be the latest in gossip, and it would be all over town in 20 mins. That's what made me laugh.

I don't know about some Texas towns, but I do know about some others, and if you even move to some of them, you will be considered an outsider no matter whether you've lived there 10 years or 30. That's just how some of these towns are. And working for a mechanic's shop...well, they're not going to even hire you unless 1. you're either a relative or 2. they've known you and your family forever. 3. you go to the same church 4. you're at all the football games on Friday evening. Nepotism and cronyism are big in small town Texas.

 

[justthinkin]

I would hope that a rape crisis team would converge on the hospital where each victim was taken. They can be dispatched from any of the larger towns or any city in Texas. I'm sure that Killeen, Belton, Temple and Waco all have fine teams. They are trained to stay with the victims and to ease them through the process.

While elder rape is not as common as rape of younger women, the crisis teams are still trained in working with the victims. I would assume that each woman is assigned a Victim's Advocate (she better be!!) who can handle things that can overwhelm the victim or the family (no matter the victim's age). I've always wondered if a Victims Advocacy group was actually the "LE" who helped move the one victim who got attacked a second time. There's another angle to look at I guess, as sick as it makes me. We know the Organized Rapist often likes to check back with his victim. I hope to high heck the rapist isn't involved in any sort of medical response team--a volunteer who moves around the Central Texas area helping with rape victims. Yikes.

Concernd--Even though your Grandma lives in a little town, I would really push for this. The Victim's Advocate can be a lifesaver. If I'm not mistaken it's one of a victim's rights in Texas. Let's just hope it's a person who's been known in Moody for a long time. Almost certainly it would be a female.

Missizzy, I know you mean well, but it would only be the larger cities that would have a victim's advocate. The truth is, we just don't think of rapes happening in our small towns. It doesn't happen, that's part of the reason why this has caught everyone off guard, and the LEOs in the small towns don't really like any other agency meddling in their work. Not a good attitude to take, but that's the way it goes. Heck, the realtors in these small towns still don't wholly subscribe to the idea of MLS where everyone shares the listings essentially, and can sell the property.

Most everything is handled "the good ole boy" way down here.

 

[concerndgdaughter]

I have to agree with justhinkin that the cross-dressing thing would stick out like a sore thumb. I am more willing to go with the all in black ninja thing- I just really think this all happens at night- the stalking. My grandma stays at home a lot during the week during the day and has tons of friends who come by. It would be hard to get too close during the day without arousing suspicions.

 

[Missizzy]

justthinkin--You are talking to the world's expert in fitting in (or not) in tiny Central Texas towns. My husband and I moved (at age 17) from Huntington Beach, California to Liberty Hill, Texas (pop. 450 at the time). We think that the reason we are still married, 37 years later, is that we had to cleave together to make it through.

I had no idea people shot deer. Or drank so much beer. I had no idea that the Baptist church ladies would take issue with me nursing my baby in the church nursery. I had no idea that every single person knew your business before you did. Or that every summer would bring 60 straight days of over 100 degree days. I also had no idea that I would fall in love with Texas songwriters and learn to appreciate the special brand of Texas friendliness I experienced. We made it through 14 years and finally hiked it out of there with five babies to the SF Bay Area.

But Texas will always be in my blood. My parents grew old there and my Daddy passed last year. My Mom is still in Central Texas and that's why I have such a driving interest in finding this horrible monster. I know these ladies. I lived among them for my formative adult years and I worry about them terribly.

You think you're laughing. I'm bedbound now so I don't get out. Before I go to sleep at night, I have to check out peopleofwalmart.com. Talk about cross-dressers. I live in the most liberal little town in the world but nobody beats those Texans for "what to wear to Wal-mart. My hats off to them!!

 

[Missizzy]

Justthinkin--It's there. People just need to use it:

http://www.advocacycntr.org/Home.asp

An overview of Victims' Rights in Texas:

http://www.oag.state.tx.us/victims/victim_rights.shtml

BTW, these are mandated.

 

[justthinkin]

Missizzy, I'm sorry to hear you are bed bound, and hope it isn't a permanent thing! Bless your heart.

What was I thinkin? I'd forgotten you lived here! Well even I, coming out of Dallas was surprised by my later move to a small German town. Whoa. When we moved there in the mid 80s my son started dating one of the girls whose family had lived in the town for ages and ages. On Thanksgiving, they were still running the meal where the men ate first, and the women ate after them. That blew me away it was so old fashioned.

That town also had during the 1990s an all white, public pool. They maintained that they could control who was allowed to swim there because the pool itself was on private property. Can you believe it? It was just so wrong. I can remember a black man coming to my door asking me to vote for him come election day. I just thought to myself, mister if they won't let you swim in their pool, they're sure not going to give you a public office. Of course I would've never said that to him, but he probably already knew it anyway. I don't live there anymore, and I am so glad. I do not like a small town at all except to visit. I don't know, maybe other non-German towns are different, but oh that town was really clanish.

I also was not aware that the victim advocates were mandated. I honestly don't think there was one in the town I lived in. Never read about anyone like that in the local paper, and my daughter worked for the sheriff's office. I'll ask her if we had one.