VA VA - David Metzler, 19, & Heidi Childs, 18, fatally shot, Montgomery Co, 26 Aug 2009

[JohnTate90210]

I was thinking if they saw trouble coming, it might have been more natural to start the car and drive off rather than jump out. This makes me think that maybe the killer pulled their vehicle in behind David's car and blocked them. Then got out and went to the driver's window and either argued or started shooting. At the first shot, Heidi jumped out of the passenger side.

So, now I'm thinking it could have been something as simple as road rage. David passed a low truck or car who wasn't happy about it. Then a ways up the road, the unhappy driver spotted David's car and pulled in to confront him. I'd guess the gun ejected the bullet shells and that's where the DNA came from, thus no rape.

We do know there was a theft, though. That wouldn't particularly fit a road rage theory. So, perhaps it was just a random robbery. The killer spotted the lone car in the lot, pulled in and blocked it. Got out with the gun and attempted to rob them. Perhaps Heidi turned over her possessions but David wouldn't.

 

[AnnaGrace]

That's a good guess about the DNA being on the bullet shells. I wonder if LE has any suspects but just not enough evidence to point a finger? Could his DNA be in the system, but doesn't know who it belongs to, similar to Jesse Matthew in the FF, MH and HG cases? I'm not saying I think JM had anything to do with this and I don't at all. I'm just using him as an example. When he got Heidi's purse, would he have touched other things in the vehicle, door handle for example. Wonder if the car was four doors or two? I really don't see robbery being the motive in this case.

 

[JohnTate90210]

The vehicles police were interested in:

• A green sedan, possibly a Ford Taurus or Dodge Intrepid, was seen stopping in front of residences on Craig Creek Road around 6 p.m.

• A dark-blue Dodge Caravan was seen parked near the border of Montgomery and Craig counties, near a logging site, around 8:30 p.m.

• A dark-colored van or minivan was parked at Caldwell Fields after dark.

• A dark-colored Ford Crown Victoria of Chevrolet Caprice was seen driving on Craig Creek Road around 10 p.m.

• A red or red and white Dodge extended-cab pickup with dual exhaust, oversized tires and tinted windows was seen driving up Lee Road at about 11 p.m., directly across from Caldwell Fields.

• A gray or cream-colored early 2000s model Pontiac Bonneville, parked near Caldwell Fields around midnight.

There's interesting things there. First, a dark van was parked at Caldwell Fields after dark. Does this overlap the time the victims were there? Then the gray Pontiac parked "near" Caldwell Fields around midnight. The victims definitely should have been there by then! And then there's the extended cab pickup truck driving up the road across from Caldwell Fields at 11:00.

I'm curious about the second and third vehicles on the list because it sounds like they could be the same vehicle. One was a dark blue Dodge Caravan and the other was a dark-colored van or minivan. I'd also wonder if the first and fourth vehicles might possibly be the same car, too. Both reported as being dark but of different makes. Most people aren't going to pay that much attention to the make of cars unless there's something suspicious about them.

 

[JohnTate90210]

That's a good guess about the DNA being on the bullet shells. I wonder if LE has any suspects but just not enough evidence to point a finger? Could his DNA be in the system, but doesn't know who it belongs to, similar to Jesse Matthew in the FF, MH and HG cases? I'm not saying I think JM had anything to do with this and I don't at all. I'm just using him as an example. When he got Heidi's purse, would he have touched other things in the vehicle, door handle for example. Wonder if the car was four doors or two? I really don't see robbery being the motive in this case.

From Wikipedia, I gather there were two and four door versions of the 1992 Toyota Camry but the two door was never popular and was discontinued a few years later. It would seem more likely that David's was a four door but that's just guessing. Most Google images appear to be four door models.

 

[geojeffrey]

Some have speculated that the killing could have been retaliation towards Heidi's father who is in law enforcement. Maybe he arrested someone who wanted revenge?

 

[TedMac]

Some have speculated that the killing could have been retaliation towards Heidi's father who is in law enforcement. Maybe he arrested someone who wanted revenge?

While it is possible, I tend to doubt that was the motive. Her father was a helicopter pilot for the Va State Police, so I doubt he made a lot of arrests. Besides, I'm not sure how many people would have known Heidi was his daughter. I've never seen a stat, but it is safe to say that very few family members of LE have been killed because they are the children, siblings or parents of a policeman.

I believe these were random murders and the killer or killers probably didn't even know the identity of the victims.

http://www.wsls.com/story/20856445/h...idence-is-huge

 

[JohnTate90210]

Some have speculated that the killing could have been retaliation towards Heidi's father who is in law enforcement. Maybe he arrested someone who wanted revenge?

How about the idea that an acquaintance of Heidi or David's was turned in for something illegal and that person suspected Heidi was the informant due to her father's job? Or perhaps they weren't actually reported but simply thought it might happen. It seems highly unlikely but young people can get into things when they get away from home for the first time (I mean the killer, not the victims).

 

[geojeffrey]

I keep looking for a plausible scenario like you mentioned. Something about this event 'feels' non random to me...

 

[JohnTate90210]

I keep looking for a plausible scenario like you mentioned. Something about this event 'feels' non random to me...

To be non-random then it has to be one of two ways, I think. Either somebody followed them or knew where they were going. Apparently people did know they were going there to play guitars by a fire. I keep wondering if there actually is a place to build a fire or if they started one and it angered somebody. Still, a rifle is a bit of an odd weapon to use if it was premeditated, unless the killer had no other gun.

If premeditated, jealousy seems like a good place to investigate. Both had been away from Blacksburg for the summer, but I'd assume they were still seeing each other at home. Perhaps somebody had a crush from the previous school year and was unhappy to see the couple was still together for the new year.

 

[Pettibon Junction]

Regarding motive, my feelings are that while this wasn't a random crime, the planning had absolutely nothing to do with the victims as individuals. Rather, the killer chose the site - a popular spot for campers, picnickers and, in this case, young couples parked in cars - and went there with the intent of surprising someone who fit that last bill.

There was some evidence of physical contact with Heidi while David was essentially gunned down first in an act of cursory elimination. The purpose, then, in targeting a couple rather than a lone female can be summed up in a single word: conquest. It isn't enough for this killer to take a girl by force, a proxy retribution for all the women who haverejected him in the past. No, he had to decisively assert dominance over a perceived masculine rival. The feelings of rejection ingrained to the point of pathology are more than just romantic. This killer has been made to feel inadequate and humiliated among his male peers as well, probably from an extremely early point in his life. By unceremoniously executing David, he was, symbolically, emasculating him, and this is every bit as important as the sexual assault on the female victim in satisfying the equation for this killer.

 

[JohnTate90210]

It would be interesting to know if the spot was a lover's lane make-out sort of area in the months before the murders. One article said it had become a troublesome party area but police had cleaned it up. From the list of cars police are interested in, at least two of them were parked there after dark that same night. But still, a rifle is just an odd sort of weapon to use for robbery and/or rape. I'd also like to know if David was shot at close range or if it was from across the lot or what.

 

[Pettibon Junction]

But still, a rifle is just an odd sort of weapon to use for robbery and/or rape.

It's rare, but not unprecedented. The killer of Lindsay Cutshall and Jason Allen in California used a .45 Marlin rifle to commit a similiar murder. Plus we're looking at a rural setting where hunting is a way of life. A local driving around with a sporting rifle in his vehicle wouldn't arouse all that much suspicion in the event of a traffic stop. Plus, if this was an immature offender (i.e., late teens to mid-20s, as I suspect) it could be a matter of accessibility. Perhaps the rifle was the only gun he could get ahold of.

 

[AnnaGrace]

Some have speculated that the killing could have been retaliation towards Heidi's father who is in law enforcement. Maybe he arrested someone who wanted revenge?

I remember hearing this speculation also, geojeffrey. I think it was most likely rumor. IMO a lot of speculating has been present in this case due to the lack of information and evidence released. I know a lot of investigating has been done on the case, but very little of it has been in the news. Human nature takes over and then speculation, followed by rumors. The fact that everything has been kept quiet is so different from other cases of missing and murdered college students in Virginia. It does cause one to wonder why.

 

[AnnaGrace]

Regarding motive, my feelings are that while this wasn't a random crime, the planning had absolutely nothing to do with the victims as individuals. Rather, the killer chose the site - a popular spot for campers, picnickers and, in this case, young couples parked in cars - and went there with the intent of surprising someone who fit that last bill.

There was some evidence of physical contact with Heidi while David was essentially gunned down first in an act of cursory elimination. The purpose, then, in targeting a couple rather than a lone female can be summed up in a single word: conquest. It isn't enough for this killer to take a girl by force, a proxy retribution for all the women who haverejected him in the past. No, he had to decisively assert dominance over a perceived masculine rival. The feelings of rejection ingrained to the point of pathology are more than just romantic. This killer has been made to feel inadequate and humiliated among his male peers as well, probably from an extremely early point in his life. By unceremoniously executing David, he was, symbolically, emasculating him, and this is every bit as important as the sexual assault on the female victim in satisfying the equation for this killer.

Thank you Pettibon Junction. I don't doubt your word at all, but I'm wondering if you have a link stating the statement that I've bolded above. I've always wondered if Heidi was physically assaulted and have heard before that she was. I've also heard somewhere through the years that David was killed first. If there's a link to this I'd love to read it because I've searched over and over to try to find any information on this.

Your second paragraph is a great synopsis and could very well apply to this horrific double murder of two innocent young victims.

 

[AnnaGrace]

The vehicles police were interested in:

• A green sedan, possibly a Ford Taurus or Dodge Intrepid, was seen stopping in front of residences on Craig Creek Road around 6 p.m.

• A dark-blue Dodge Caravan was seen parked near the border of Montgomery and Craig counties, near a logging site, around 8:30 p.m.

• A dark-colored van or minivan was parked at Caldwell Fields after dark.

• A dark-colored Ford Crown Victoria of Chevrolet Caprice was seen driving on Craig Creek Road around 10 p.m.

• A red or red and white Dodge extended-cab pickup with dual exhaust, oversized tires and tinted windows was seen driving up Lee Road at about 11 p.m., directly across from Caldwell Fields.

• A gray or cream-colored early 2000s model Pontiac Bonneville, parked near Caldwell Fields around midnight.

There's interesting things there. First, a dark van was parked at Caldwell Fields after dark. Does this overlap the time the victims were there? Then the gray Pontiac parked "near" Caldwell Fields around midnight. The victims definitely should have been there by then! And then there's the extended cab pickup truck driving up the road across from Caldwell Fields at 11:00.

I'm curious about the second and third vehicles on the list because it sounds like they could be the same vehicle. One was a dark blue Dodge Caravan and the other was a dark-colored van or minivan. I'd also wonder if the first and fourth vehicles might possibly be the same car, too. Both reported as being dark but of different makes. Most people aren't going to pay that much attention to the make of cars unless there's something suspicious about them.

I wonder if all of the drivers or owners of these vehicles have been located and cleared. I'm thinking it would already be dark at 8:30 p.m. by the end of August. So I'm agreeing that the two dark colored minivans were likely the same. It almost makes me think, because of the timing of these sightings that the attack on Heidi and David didn't take place until after 11:00. I wonder if any of these people in the vehicles listed above saw anything or were able to give any info on who or what they saw while they were there?

 

[AnnaGrace]

While it is possible, I tend to doubt that was the motive. Her father was a helicopter pilot for the Va State Police, so I doubt he made a lot of arrests. Besides, I'm not sure how many people would have known Heidi was his daughter. I've never seen a stat, but it is safe to say that very few family members of LE have been killed because they are the children, siblings or parents of a policeman.

I believe these were random murders and the killer or killers probably didn't even know the identity of the victims.

http://www.wsls.com/story/20856445/h...idence-is-huge

BBM

This is my belief also. I believe that Heidi and David just showed up at the wrong time and the killer would have attacked anyone. That's why I think it's important to know if Heidi was sexually assaulted. If so, I think David was taken care of first, just to get him out of the way.

 

[TedMac]

Thank you Pettibon Junction. I don't doubt your word at all, but I'm wondering if you have a link stating the statement that I've bolded above. I've always wondered if Heidi was physically assaulted and have heard before that she was. I've also heard somewhere through the years that David was killed first. If there's a link to this I'd love to read it because I've searched over and over to try to find any information on this.

Your second paragraph is a great synopsis and could very well apply to this horrific double murder of two innocent young victims.

BBM I would like to see read that link, also. I don't believe that LE has ever stated whether or not Heidi was sexually assaulted or which of the victims was shot first. Several sleuthers on her have speculated that she was assaulted, but I don't believe that information has ever been released.

Same with David being shot first. If Heidi was assaulted, it stands to reason that David was killed first if it was just one killer. If it was more than one killer, maybe they were shot in quick succession. I'm not sure how anyone, including LE would know who was shot first. It would certainly make sense if he was the first to die, but think about this...Would a killer shoot David, assault Heidi and then kill her? A 30-30 rifle makes a lot of noise and the people that live in that area, aren't that far away. On a quiet night, they could hear gun shots. Again, if (and I know there are a lot of ifs here) it happened like this, the killer would be taking a big chance to remain at the scene after firing off the 1st round. It is so much about this case that we do not know.

The above is MOO.

 

[Pettibon Junction]

The info I cited comes from the news story posted at the very beginning of this thread which cites that Metzler was found in the truck while Childs was some distance away. On its surface, this tells me that David was shot first and there was either a short pursuit or the killer directed Heidi to where her body was later found.

That there was physical contact between Heidi and her killer is implied by the fact that her purse was taken from the scene. Several sources also indicate that DNA evidence was found, which suggests some sort of sexual assault. (Although in all honesty, I would not be surprised if the DNA came from hair follicles or skin cells and that rape, either pre or postmortem, had not occurred.)

 

[Pettibon Junction]

Again, if (and I know there are a lot of ifs here) it happened like this, the killer would be taking a big chance to remain at the scene after firing off the 1st round.

Agreed. That's why I think that Heidi's being shot outside the car may in fact represent the killer temporarily losing control of the situation. Still, this could have happened in a very narrow window with plenty of time to grab Heidi's purse and take off without arousing suspicion. It's also worth noting that despite the murders occurring in the early evening hours, the bodies weren't discovered until the next morning, which means that the killer could, conceivably, have taken his time at the scene. But like you said, there's a lot the police aren't sharing...

 

[TedMac]

http://theaquilareport.com/the-cald...t-chapter-and-churches-in-southwest-virginia/

I'm in agreement with most of what you are saying. LE indicated that the DNA was from hair. We don't know if Heidi was sexually assaulted or not, but most feel that she was. The part I am having a problem with is the killer (assuming he was acting alone) would have shot David, assaulted Heidi and then shot her. The killer would have to have been extremely brazen to fire the rifle (killing David) attacking Heidi and eventually shooting her. He or they would have to have spent at least several minutes at the scene after the first shot. The bodies weren't found until the next morning, but the killer (or killers) would not have known when the bodies would be found. The 1st shot could have prompted a 911 call that would have brought LE to the scene in a manner of minutes. That is why I have given a lot of thought to a 2nd killer. One could have held David at gunpoint while the other attacked Heidi. Afterwards, they could have shot them both within a matter of seconds and fled the scene.

http://www.wsls.com/story/20856445/h...idence-is-huge