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

[Missizzy]

Yes, it was reported and we posted about it. The other part of that story that was odd was that somewhere it was reported that LE moved the woman. None of us could remember LE ever moving a crime victim. My theory was that possibly in a very small town, a LEO simply physically helped with a move. I also wondered at the time if the rapist could be a relative (possibly son) of LE. That way, he would know how to find the woman even after she'd been moved. He could also be a member of her church and have learned that way. Churches often help out in moving elders.

But wouldn't you think that the Rangers would have made this connection before? I also think there's been more than one comment about phones being gathered together. It always leads me back to wondering why the women couldn't access them unless he disabled them. Are they blind, tied to the bed, paralyzed?

Concernd told us that her grandmother was still quite active and driving so that theory wouldn't play with that scenario. Everything this guy does is weird!! I'm getting fed up with worrying about where he's going to strike next. Imagine how the elder ladies in Texas feel. They can't get a word they can trust from the news or LE, it doesn't seem.

 

[Texas Mist]

Hard to believe that older women can't feel safe when there's so much beauty in Central TX right now....I don't understand how a SR could drive around in the gorgeous weather we're having right now, with soooo much beauty in the area & even think about hurting other people!

there's a great slideshow at the link below -- you can get a good feel for what it looks like here & what 'rural' looks like in/near areas of attacks.

http://galleries.statesman.com/gallery/readers-wildflower-photos-2010/#

Field near Yoakum

Field in Williamson County

Just outside of Liberty Hill

Dewitt County landscape

Wildflowers on Highway 77

Wildflowers along Hwy 77 in South Texas

 

[Ruflossn]

Yes, it was reported and we posted about it. The other part of that story that was odd was that somewhere it was reported that LE moved the woman. None of us could remember LE ever moving a crime victim. My theory was that possibly in a very small town, a LEO simply physically helped with a move. I also wondered at the time if the rapist could be a relative (possibly son) of LE. That way, he would know how to find the woman even after she'd been moved. He could also be a member of her church and have learned that way. Churches often help out in moving elders.

But wouldn't you think that the Rangers would have made this connection before? I also think there's been more than one comment about phones being gathered together. It always leads me back to wondering why the women couldn't access them unless he disabled them. Are they blind, tied to the bed, paralyzed?

Concernd told us that her grandmother was still quite active and driving so that theory wouldn't play with that scenario. Everything this guy does is weird!! I'm getting fed up with worrying about where he's going to strike next. Imagine how the elder ladies in Texas feel. They can't get a word they can trust from the news or LE, it doesn't seem.

I remember discussing the fact that she had been assaulted twice but, I did not realize an attempt at assault had been made for a 3rd time. As for collecting the cell phones, I understand the reasoning but, can you imagine the personal info this creep then has access to? All the contact info on friends and family members......

 

[IWannaKnow]

Ruflossn-Thank you for that link!

We discussed early on that the Yoakum woman was attacked twice, but there were three incidence in Yoakum total, IIRC.....the first woman twice and another woman once. We determined that from the listed ages. She was the first attack on Jan 23, 2009 and attacked again Nov. 9, 2009 (this is also the victim who lost $12,000 to this creep). The other victim was Feb 27, 2009....

I will say that this is the first time I've seen or noticed the comment that he is gathering up cell phones as he leaves. Could someone remind me of when that was mentioned previously? TIA.

ETA: from your link Ruflossn

"Central Texas has not been this man's sole hunting ground. The twilight rapist's trail began in January of last year in the town of Yoakum, about two hours west of Houston. A 91-year-old woman living in a retirement community was attacked twice. When the rapist came back for a third attempt, the woman had moved."

I think this is more sloppy reporting. The only retirement village involved that I know about is in Luling, NOT Yoakum, the vict's in Yoakum were neither one 91 y.o., and google says there are no retirement communities in Yoakum proper or the outlying areas....FWIW.

 

[IWannaKnow]

TM - Thank you for those beautiful pictures!!! Make me homesick....

 

[Ruflossn]

Ruflossn-Thank you for that link!

We discussed early on that the Yoakum woman was attacked twice, but there were three incidence in Yoakum total, IIRC.....the first woman twice and another woman once. We determined that from the listed ages. She was the first attack on Jan 23, 2009 and attacked again Nov. 9, 2009 (this is also the victim who lost $12,000 to this creep). The other victim was Feb 27, 2009....

I will say that this is the first time I've seen or noticed the comment that he is gathering up cell phones as he leaves. Could someone remind me of when that was mentioned previously? TIA.

ETA: from your link Ruflossn

"Central Texas has not been this man's sole hunting ground. The twilight rapist's trail began in January of last year in the town of Yoakum, about two hours west of Houston. A 91-year-old woman living in a retirement community was attacked twice. When the rapist came back for a third attempt, the woman had moved."

I think this is more sloppy reporting. The only retirement village involved that I know about is in Luling, NOT Yoakum, the vict's in Yoakum were neither one 91 y.o., and google says there are no retirement communities in Yoakum proper or the outlying areas....FWIW.

Being attacked twice I remember. But, I remember nothing about the creep trying to assault her a 3rd time. IF that were true, it would be a huge clue as to the psych make-up of this guy. Why that woman twice and almost 3x?

I also have no memory of the cell phones being taken.

Flossie

 

[IWannaKnow]

Being attacked twice I remember. But, I remember nothing about the creep trying to assault her a 3rd time. IF that were true, it would be a huge clue as to the psych make-up of this guy. Why that woman twice and almost 3x?

I also have no memory of the cell phones being taken.

Flossie

Ruflossn - I still think this is just more sloppy reporting. I believe they messed up the description about a retirement village and this is more of the same. There were three total attacks in Yoakum, but only two victims that I know about. If someone else has other information I sure would like to know about it. If you look at the timeline I did a few pages back, he has also attacked the Marquez woman more than once....stole her clock and came back to try to take the burglar bars off the window. There is another one as well, I can't remember right now. He is wack for sure. Thanks for the verification about the cells, but since I really don't trust their other information, I'm not sure I should trust the info about taking the cell phones, KWIM?

 

[Missizzy]

Yes, thank you TM--makes me homesick too. I have pics of all my babies sitting out in those bluebonnet fields. There's nothing prettier.

A couple of thoughts. How did LE know that the rapist went back a third time? Is he shown on a video? Did he leave a "calling card"? I think there is a lot of sloppy and extrapolated reporting. Tiny details morph into something bigger. The phones being gathered together and moved showed up in some comments following an article. I can't find it in an article now. I seem to remember concernd mentioning something about phones, too.

Being that the reporting is less than stellar, it's hard to know the true details. You'll note that the reporter who responded to me yesterday defended his source as to the early March date in Moody.

"I got the date from published accounts of the attack in Moody that said March 2."

I disagree with this statement as there is this:

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/85826312.html [Note March 1st date]

It had happened, according to concernd (a relative of the victim) the day before. It's details like this which are added, changed, or missing which makes this case so crazy.

We've talked about LE moving the Yoakum victim. Where is that actually in print? I can't find it now. In fact, many of the original articles and comments seem to have disappeared. In their place are our posts!!

While searching, I came across this article which I find highly sensationalistic and objectionable. I wrote to the "editor". I think the gimmick of writing up an "ad" is deplorable.

http://www..com/contributed-news/5065438-on-the-loose-texas-serial-rapist-prefers-elderly

The video accompanying this article was originally attached to another article and is still worth watching. This is the one where there's the mention that he often attacks women in the early morning hours as they are getting ready to go to church. This statement is what led me to look into churches which had early morning services on days other than Sunday--as Sunday is not his typical attack day. I kept coming up with a single church--the local Catholic church which offered early mass every day--usually at 6:30 or 7 am. Many of the towns where there are victims are actually part of the same Diocese. Several women have also stated that their "sons are coming over to check" but the rapist disagrees with them as he knows the sons' schedules. I think he's cutting it very close for the thrill of it all.

We've looked at darkness and full moons, whether the A/C or heater would have been running to mask noise (almost always), church schedules, proximity to Youth Ranches, cell phone and land line service, newspaper delivery, home health care workers, Scott & White Medical Center Clinics, local cafes, school schedules, proximity of rail lines, cemeteries, clock repair and collectors. I'm about stumped.

 

[IWannaKnow]

Miss Izzy - I sure hope we are right if they are basing all their information off our posts! Hopefully we are doing a better job of keeping the facts straight! There certainly isn't any new news to work from....

 

[Missizzy]

IWannaKnow--My first response is to laugh but it's AWFUL!! I'm not kidding when I say that any attempt to research details brings up our posts. Imagine what is swirling in some ladies' heads--clocks, cell phones, broken lights, mounted deer heads, on and on and on. And we've never promoted ourselves as being "right" about anything. My Lord, the ladies are going to shoot the next newspaper boy who comes to the door!!

I just wrote to Mr. Long again asking him if he is aware that his article is still the lone article linking the TSR to Moody and also asking him to change his time line. I sent him two links to articles written on March 1st about the attack, so his date of March 2nd just is not correct.

Did anybody get any response from any of the larger papers? I'm considering going back over some of the earlier articles and writing to those reporters. Maybe they'd be interested in doing an update.

A thought I had concerning cell and land line phones. I know there's been some reporting of the man being in the women's homes more than once or possibly even being there before she woke up. What if he gathered up the phones and sat in a room, away from where she was sleeping, and harvested info off the phones? That way he could call her later and terrorize her. He could have done this long before the sexual assault or even just before it. An elder lady friend of mine has her daughter set up her phone with an extensive and easy to read phone list. That would give this guy so much info.

 

[KellysGal]

Ok I have a question have we discussed the possibility of someone from a chuch that these women attended? I know it is freaky to look at the possibility of someone who is attached to a church but like a traveling minister or someone who maybe travels between churches? Also another question, were these women all pretty wealthy? Has anyone looked into that? Oh and please someone post all the valuable information that someone would need for maybe tracking this guy down my friend who is in Texas wants to get this guy.

 

[KellysGal]

Ok I have been thinking about this more, do you think this guy is traveling around and doing the same thing in different states as well as TX and that is the reason for the time between the attacks? What is the number to call into if anyone has information on this case? I have a feeling that this is going to be solved pretty soon if a person I have been talking to is telling the truth. He is known for his lies though which is sad.

 

[Missizzy]

http://www.click2houston.com/news/22408386/detail.html

"The FBI and U.S. Marshals Service are also helping with the investigation. If you know anything about these crimes, you can call the Texas Department of Public Safety's hotline at 1-866-786-5972."

I've called in with two tips and I know another couple of posters have called. Please don't be concerned that your tip is "too small" or possibly unreliable. I would call anyway. The people who dealt with my tips were very helpful and polite. Call!!

 

[Missizzy]

KellysGal--We've discussed the possibility of the rapist traveling and that's certainly a theory. There have been some unsolved rapes of elder women in Mississippi. There was a serial rapist attacking elders in Virginia but he was caught a month or so ago.

Just an aside. I called in a tip from a college fraternity forum which I found a while back. It was a discussion about the issue of race in rape. I specifically called in about a post which was dated the very night of an attack and was signed Tick Tock. I found that extremely spooky. I just checked and that site has been taken down.

http://untbyx.com/black-pub-table/w...ck-women-more-than-black-men-rape-white-women

(When you open this site, make sure you note the entire url)

 

[Ruflossn]

This may have been posted before but, I did not remember reading this article. It states that the Moody victim (Concernedgrandaughters grma) was the victim of a 2nd break-in after the initial break-in and assault.

MOODY (March 4, 2010)—Someone broke into the home of an 86-year-old Moody woman for a second time Tuesday night, about 48 hours after the woman was confronted by a man who had broken into her house in a case that could be linked to a series of rapes and burglaries targeting elderly women in Central and South Texas.

Moody police confirmed the second break-in Thursday and said one of the woman’s sons was staying with her at the time.

Some of the woman’s friends told News 10 Thursday that no one was hurt in break-in Tuesday night.

It’s not clear whether anything was taken Tuesday night.

Friends said the woman walked out of her bedroom Sunday night and came face to face with a nude man who ordered her to get on the bed.

Instead, friends said, she kicked the man and locked herself in another room.

The intruder evidently feared she was using a cell phone to call police and fled.

Friends said she hid in the room for what may have been several hours until she was sure the man was gone.

http://www.kwtx.com/localnews/headlines/86429282.html?storySection=comments#commentSection

 

[Missizzy]

I don't know how to respond to this article, Ruflossn. First, the woman is not 86. We really need concernd on board to answer these questions. She's the woman's granddaughter and isn't too keen on every detail being released. I have spoken to her privately a few times and some of the information is correct but some is not. I just have no clue as to why reporters cannot get the facts straight on this case.

You'll note that this same news source stated her age as 80 here:

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/85826312.html

But even this article has inconsistencies as the woman does NOT have "caretakers". Because of so little info from official sources, small town reporters and commenters are going nuts (um and maybe some of us here, lol) trying to piece this thing together.

Note that the article I linked above is dated March 1st and the attack has already happened to an 80 year old. Sonny Long, the reporter for the Victoria Advocate, reported that the attack occurred on March 2nd.

February 28th is NOT March 2nd and an 86 year old woman is NOT 80!! Get the facts straight, reporters. This is driving me crazy!!

From what I know, there's a possibility that the man has been on or in the property more than once. But we still have absolutely NO confirmation that this is the TSR. I have a feeling that some "friends" of the Moody woman are seeking to sensationalize this case and get their 15 minutes. They must have spoken to reporters. That's my best guess.

 

[IWannaKnow]

Still, I loved this comment from Ruflossns link:

Posted by: TIRED on Mar 5, 2010 at 03:22 PM

"TO THE SICO DOING THIS, I WILL GIVE YOU MY NAME ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER. PLEASE COME TO MY HOUSE. WILL LEAVE DOOR OPEN FOR YOU. IF YOU CAN GET PAST PITT BULL YOU WILL GET FREE PRIZE. THE LUCKY NUMBER IS 357. AM WAITING FOR YOUR RESPONCE. PLEASE RESPOND." :biggrin:

 

[Ruflossn]

In June 2004, Agnes Schmidt, 92, was raped and stabbed to death in her apartment. David Ream was convicted of the crimes. Below are some of the statistics that pertained to her case. While the TSR has not murdered any of his victims, the info is still relevant. (imo)


December 28, 2005

FBI profile put police on trail of woman's killer: Baffled cops found
answers in statistics
L.L. Brasier, Detroit Free Press
Detroit Free Press

"In these cases, they are looking for an available and vulnerable
target; that's why they don't assault members of their peer group,"
Safarik said. "And once inside the house, they have unfettered access
and all the privacy they need, so when you look at it that way, you
can see how it's not difficult to explain because they're taking back
the power and control they don't have. And rape is the most intimate
way to assault a female and express your rage."

The FBI studied 110 men who raped and murdered elderly women and
found striking similarities.

* The average age of the offender is 27. The average age of his
victim is 77.

* 3% have a history of substance abuse, with 85% abusing alcohol.

* 56% percent live within six blocks of their victims; 30% live on
the same block.

* 90% have a prior criminal record, but only 21% have committed
crimes involving sexual misconduct.

* They are poorly educated and can't hold jobs; 93% are unskilled,
and 70% are unemployed.

* They frequently depend on other family members for financial support.

* They are unable to maintain long-term, healthy relationships with
women. Most are single.

Source: FBI Academy, Quantico, Va.

 

[Missizzy]

The one detail that always stays the same is the fact that the rapist lives VERY close to their first victim. Some of the profiles state that they are often married. Some say they are not. There are discrepancies about skill level and employment. But the first victim is always close by. I've read the same profile for peeping toms. They start close to home. I know this as I have one for a son. He started young, peeping at me and his sisters. Then, he moved on to neighbor girls and then on to actual stalking and public masturbation. But he started close by.

If the Yoakum victim was indeed the first victim, why can't (hopefully, they are) spreading out in a radius from her home and carefully looking at young men. Upthread a ways, we determined where that first rape occurred due to statements by a neighbor.

That neighbor and his family were members of the Catholic church in Yoakum. Being that so many, but not all, victims have been readying for church on weekdays, in the early morning hours, I have to believe that this man in somehow cognizant of the church activities. He knows when family members visit. He often enters the home more than once. If he knows the woman is at church or at a cafe or community center, what better time to go in and check out the lay of the land and to leave a few calling cards (things moved, etc.) to terrorize? Then when he comes back to commit the rape, he's far more empowered as he's in familiar territory.

 

[zinc]

I just want to say thank you to you folks keeping eyeballs on this situation. So often elderly folks aren't willing or able to advocate for themselves and don't have close caretakers who could do it for them. It's not right that sadistic crimes inflicted on certain groups of people get less attention than others. It's even worse when those groups are especially vulnerable.

I've been following this thread and I wish I had some useful information to offer. The guy doing this needs to be put away for a long, long time.