VA VA - Katelin Akens, 19, Springfield, 5 Dec 2015 #3

[Nixaeagle]

also, the luggage was planted there on purpose imo. if katelin is ever found it wont be anywhere near there.

Good point . Where did James put her ? Probably left his cell at home so his location couldn’t be pinged .

 

[Tabirey]

Driving back from Virginia Beach a couple of weeks ago and I went through the areas Katelin would have been in. The whole way through, I couldn't help but think about her. Most of the areas are very, very wooded. SD definitely could have put her anywhere and it would be like trying to find a needle in a hundred haystacks.

 

[Ozoner]

Driving back from Virginia Beach a couple of weeks ago and I went through the areas Katelin would have been in. The whole way through, I couldn't help but think about her. Most of the areas are very, very wooded. SD definitely could have put her anywhere and it would be like trying to find a needle in a hundred haystacks.

I think he would have picked a totally random spot and buried her very deep.

I believe that he raped her before killing her, so he may have destroyed the body in order to destroy any evidence of the rape.
What sort of property did he live on? Was he in a suburban area, or was he in a rural area where he could have been using a burn barrel all day without anyone noticing? Did he have access to any kind of incinerator? Did he have access to any kind of excavating equipment?

(I'm getting pretty tired of these prosecutors who are too gutless bring murder charges without a body.)

 

[Tabirey]

I think he would have picked a totally random spot and buried her very deep.

I believe that he raped her before killing her, so he may have destroyed the body in order to destroy any evidence of the rape.
What sort of property did he live on? Was he in a suburban area, or was he in a rural area where he could have been using a burn barrel all day without anyone noticing? Did he have access to any kind of incinerator? Did he have access to any kind of excavating equipment?

(I'm getting pretty tired of these prosecutors who are too gutless bring murder charges without a body.)

ITA with all of this.
I don't know about his other 2 properties, but the 1 we know for sure that they searched was rural and IIRC, several acres. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Nixaeagle]

The Partlow property is 10-Acres . Quite a large area to search .

I’d think they have enough probable cause for a charge of false report and obstruction, for now .

 

[Officer Dibble]

I've just caught up and I'm now following.

 

[Tabirey]

5yrs as of Saturday. Her family needs answers. We're still thinking of you Katelin and all of her loved ones!

 

[JnRyan]

5yrs as of Saturday. Her family needs answers. We're still thinking of you Katelin and all of her loved ones!

FIVE YEARS!!! I didn't even think about that! Too long.

 

[Capstan]

(I'm getting pretty tired of these prosecutors who are too gutless bring murder charges without a body.)

There isn’t a systemic problem with prosecutors not bringing charges without a body. It’s called evidence. You need evidence of a crime. There is NO evidence a crime has been committed.

It would be a miscarriage of justice told convict an innocent person without any evidence. It’s happened so many times despite the checks and balances in our legal system.

I much rather have someone guilty not charged than have innocent people incarcerated or put to death. That is how our system is designed. Even with these safeguards it doesn’t always work and many innocent people have been and are incarcerated and even put to death.

All of the theories are just guesses. There isn’t any proof. What there is proof of is of her leaving on her own free will.

She had a troubled childhood. Hated school. Worked hard to graduated early to her credit. Moved half way across the country out of her mom’s house and left her life behind as soon as she could. Doesn’t appears to be a happy childhood. She struggled with her identity and believing she was lesbian was engaged to be married to another woman. Comes home and obviously questioning her engagement, chosen partner and her sexuality had an affair. Not just an affair but a three way with a man. No criticism of her sexuality. I don’t care and neither should anyone regarding sexual identity. My only point is that’s a hell of a stress load at a very young age. I certainly expect even a small fraction of what she was dealing with to be stressful for anyone. Add in all of the stresses and her young age it’s a massive load.

She’s an adult. It’s her right to leave without notice. It’s her right to commit suicide. She doesn’t need anyone’s permission.

Without evidence it’s equally as likely she disappeared of her own accord as it’s likely she met fowl play. This is the very definition of reasonable doubt.

Regarding her step-father everyone is a person of interest until they are not.

For him to be culpable of her death we have to consider some serious things. One, he raised her as a daughter. As far as we know there was no history of abuse from him to her. Her mom, his ex-wife, was comfortable with him driving her and being alone with her. KA was comfortable being alone with him. He has no history of committing crimes, especially violent snd / or sexual crimes.

So on this day a guy that’s been a “good” guy, her step father decides to not only become a murderer but a rapist and commit two of the most heinous crimes possible. He does so without leaving any physical evidence. I guess beginners luck. But, wait! He was so smart with committing the act and disposing of her body he really blows it with the suitcases dumped so close to him and doing it where he is the first POI and suspect.

Further since she disappeared he hasn’t committed any additional crimes. Just one and done. He’s smart enough to commit essentially, as far as we know now, literally the perfect crime but he wasn’t smart enough to do it in such a way he wasn’t the last person to see her alive.

All of the above is possible and has happened before. However, a lot more people runway and disappear than are raped and murdered by their own step-father who has never committed any abuse.

On top of KA’s stresses and confusion throw in some mental illness. It’s very possible. The statistics on people who question their sexual preferences who also experience mental illness and commit suicide and runaway is extremely high.

Finally, the argument the step-dad did it simply because she hasn’t been seen or found since then doesn’t hold to facts either. Many, many runaways (not even sure you can call someone over 18 a runaway. They don’t need to runaway. They are an adult).......but many runaways quickly fall prey to crimes including sex trafficking and homicides at an alarming rate. It’s entirely possible she left of her own accord and quickly met her demise.

She had a secret messaging app on her phone. LE has never been able to see those messages generated by using this app. Why have a super secret messaging app? She was messaging someone about something. The argument she seemed fine and normal and not hiding anything fails too because she did in fact have a threesome the previous evening. Obviously, she has the ability to not show all, not kiss-n-tell and to keep things private. Throw in this secret messaging app it leads to even more possibilities. Very possible she was meeting someone she had an affair and relationship with and / met online and meeting for the first time.

Very tragic and my thoughts are with her family and especially her mom. I cannot imagine the grief. Very sad.

 

[Capstan]

Question:

Does anyone know how far in advance her step-father knew he was driving KA to the airport? I listened to her mom on Crime Junkies. Her mom said there were plans for someone else to drive her and it fell through. So, mom reached out to her ex-husband and he agreed. The way it was presented made it seem like a very last minute change. However, there was no statement as to how far in advance he was aware he would be driving her. Certainly seems very last min maybe even the night before??

For those who think he did it do you think he had everything in place and planned just waiting for the perfect opportunity and the right person and she dropped into that slot with the change of plans? Did he quickly formulate his plan and put everything in place with short notice. Or, did he just “do it on the fly” so to speak?

Seems like to commit a crime without leaving physical evidence would take some planning unless he’s just the luckiest perp in the world........

Still think her secret and coded messaging app the cannot be broken to get the messages she was exchanging with someone is a major key-the key to what happened.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Dated 11/5/2020:

“Help find Katelin Akens” page
...
Then at 2:00 PM, she received a text from Katelin.

“I’m at the airport. Battery dying so won’t be able to text for a bit.”

For a brief moment, Lisa felt relief. But soon, Amber contacted her and informed her of the earlier text from Katelin that she’ll have to take a later flight.

Now very worried, Lisa tried calling and texting Katelin. She didn't hear back for hours, way past the time of her scheduled flight.

Finally, at 7:15 PM she received a final message from Katelin.

“I’m staying with a friend.

I need some time alone.”

Shortly thereafter, Amber received a final message from Katelin too — sent on Facebook.

“I can’t come back. I cheated on you.”
...
There is no evidence — neither surveillance footage nor witnesses — that places Katelin, James, or his vehicle, anywhere near Springfield mall, or anywhere else for that matter.

Investigators also found that James — who had told Lisa that he has to drop off Katelin earlier because he starts work at 3:00 PM — never went to work that day. He called in and said he won’t be coming.

When searching his house, police found an encrypted phone but, according to what has been shared with the public, has repeatedly refused to provide the password.

He also has repeatedly refused to take a polygraph test.

Still, despite an extensive search of his house, vehicles, and other belongings, no physical evidence was found connecting James with Katelin’s disappearance.

For the past several years, while the case remains unsolved, he’s not been a suspect.
...
At 1:52 PM, when James texted Lisa that he had dropped off Katelin at the Springfield mall, his phone pinged near his home.

At 2:00 PM, when Katelin texted Lisa that she’s at the airport, her phone pinged from the area surrounding James’ home, 30 miles away from the Springfield Metro Station.

And when the final text was sent from Katelin’s phone at 7:15 PM, pinged off a cell tower in Stafford, less than 15 miles from where her luggage was found.

Put simply, Katelin’s phone never left Fredricksburg, the area of James’ home.
...
Is this a case of insufficient proof, an inadequate investigation — or James’ innocence has been proven with evidence that has not been released to the public?

One of the theories is that Katelin ran away — presumably from guilt towards her fiancée.

But Lisa and Gabby have insisted that they were very close. Her disappearing like this without saying a word is something they believe to be impossible.
https://medium.com/the-mystery-box/...s-what-happened-to-katelin-akens-d89ebbb2036f

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Question:

Does anyone know how far in advance her step-father knew he was driving KA to the airport? I listened to her mom on Crime Junkies. Her mom said there were plans for someone else to drive her and it fell through. So, mom reached out to her ex-husband and he agreed. The way it was presented made it seem like a very last minute change. However, there was no statement as to how far in advance he was aware he would be driving her. Certainly seems very last min maybe even the night before??

For those who think he did it do you think he had everything in place and planned just waiting for the perfect opportunity and the right person and she dropped into that slot with the change of plans? Did he quickly formulate his plan and put everything in place with short notice. Or, did he just “do it on the fly” so to speak?

Seems like to commit a crime without leaving physical evidence would take some planning unless he’s just the luckiest perp in the world........

Still think her secret and coded messaging app the cannot be broken to get the messages she was exchanging with someone is a major key-the key to what happened.

*I don’t think this answers your question but may be relevant:
...
The problem? No one could give her a ride. Gabby was busy with the baby. Their mother, Lisa, had to be at work before 10:00 AM. No one else was available.

Finally, Lisa contacted James Branton — her ex-husband and the man who helped raise Katelin and Gabi. She asked him if he could do her a favor and drop Katelin off at the airport.

He agreed. And then things started getting complicated.

Leaving Katelin with James
At 9:20 AM on December 5, Lisa drove Katelin to James’ home in Partlow, Virginia.

She later said that the two were happy to see each other. They all went inside. Katelin was excitedly telling James about cosmetology school.

Lisa made sure to remind James that Katelin’s flight is at 5:40 PM.

James said that he had to be at work (Dahlgren Naval Base) at 3:00 PM — so he’ll have to drop off Katelin earlier.
Puzzling Text Messages: What Happened to Katelin Akens?

 

[imstilla.grandma]

There isn’t a systemic problem with prosecutors not bringing charges without a body. It’s called evidence. You need evidence of a crime. There is NO evidence a crime has been committed.

It would be a miscarriage of justice told convict an innocent person without any evidence. It’s happened so many times despite the checks and balances in our legal system.

I much rather have someone guilty not charged than have innocent people incarcerated or put to death. That is how our system is designed. Even with these safeguards it doesn’t always work and many innocent people have been and are incarcerated and even put to death.

All of the theories are just guesses. There isn’t any proof. What there is proof of is of her leaving on her own free will.

She had a troubled childhood. Hated school. Worked hard to graduated early to her credit. Moved half way across the country out of her mom’s house and left her life behind as soon as she could. Doesn’t appears to be a happy childhood. She struggled with her identity and believing she was lesbian was engaged to be married to another woman. Comes home and obviously questioning her engagement, chosen partner and her sexuality had an affair. Not just an affair but a three way with a man. No criticism of her sexuality. I don’t care and neither should anyone regarding sexual identity. My only point is that’s a hell of a stress load at a very young age. I certainly expect even a small fraction of what she was dealing with to be stressful for anyone. Add in all of the stresses and her young age it’s a massive load.

She’s an adult. It’s her right to leave without notice. It’s her right to commit suicide. She doesn’t need anyone’s permission.

Without evidence it’s equally as likely she disappeared of her own accord as it’s likely she met fowl play. This is the very definition of reasonable doubt.

Regarding her step-father everyone is a person of interest until they are not.

For him to be culpable of her death we have to consider some serious things. One, he raised her as a daughter. As far as we know there was no history of abuse from him to her. Her mom, his ex-wife, was comfortable with him driving her and being alone with her. KA was comfortable being alone with him. He has no history of committing crimes, especially violent snd / or sexual crimes.

So on this day a guy that’s been a “good” guy, her step father decides to not only become a murderer but a rapist and commit two of the most heinous crimes possible. He does so without leaving any physical evidence. I guess beginners luck. But, wait! He was so smart with committing the act and disposing of her body he really blows it with the suitcases dumped so close to him and doing it where he is the first POI and suspect.

Further since she disappeared he hasn’t committed any additional crimes. Just one and done. He’s smart enough to commit essentially, as far as we know now, literally the perfect crime but he wasn’t smart enough to do it in such a way he wasn’t the last person to see her alive.

All of the above is possible and has happened before. However, a lot more people runway and disappear than are raped and murdered by their own step-father who has never committed any abuse.

On top of KA’s stresses and confusion throw in some mental illness. It’s very possible. The statistics on people who question their sexual preferences who also experience mental illness and commit suicide and runaway is extremely high.

Finally, the argument the step-dad did it simply because she hasn’t been seen or found since then doesn’t hold to facts either. Many, many runaways (not even sure you can call someone over 18 a runaway. They don’t need to runaway. They are an adult).......but many runaways quickly fall prey to crimes including sex trafficking and homicides at an alarming rate. It’s entirely possible she left of her own accord and quickly met her demise.

She had a secret messaging app on her phone. LE has never been able to see those messages generated by using this app. Why have a super secret messaging app? She was messaging someone about something. The argument she seemed fine and normal and not hiding anything fails too because she did in fact have a threesome the previous evening. Obviously, she has the ability to not show all, not kiss-n-tell and to keep things private. Throw in this secret messaging app it leads to even more possibilities. Very possible she was meeting someone she had an affair and relationship with and / met online and meeting for the first time.

Very tragic and my thoughts are with her family and especially her mom. I cannot imagine the grief. Very sad.

I like the way you wrote this up. Your post makes sense to me. As far as suicide and mental illness: Has a history of either been mentioned as elements of this case? I agree with your paragraph regarding the high stats. I do believe that suicidal ideation isn’t likely to suddenly appear in her thoughts because of one mistake. Sexual confusion, relationship dysfunction, and new beginnings are so stressful. The mind is incapable of good decision making skills when so crowded with conflicting feelings and emotions. And yes, I concur ~ one has the right to disappear from life. This probably isn’t a popular statement. I don’t even like admitting I believe it. I also know with professional medical and psychological treatment plans in place ~ Life can thrive. I’ve dealt with adult suicidal ideation for over 30 years. I no longer have these impulsive thoughts. I had to learn the hard way. Thank God, I was found in time. I do hope this young woman is alive and living her best life although my hope is weak.

 

[Ozoner]

There isn’t a systemic problem with prosecutors not bringing charges without a body. It’s called evidence. You need evidence of a crime. There is NO evidence a crime has been committed.

It would be a miscarriage of justice told convict an innocent person without any evidence. It’s happened so many times despite the checks and balances in our legal system.

I much rather have someone guilty not charged than have innocent people incarcerated or put to death. That is how our system is designed. Even with these safeguards it doesn’t always work and many innocent people have been and are incarcerated and even put to death.

All of the theories are just guesses. There isn’t any proof. What there is proof of is of her leaving on her own free will.

She had a troubled childhood. Hated school. Worked hard to graduated early to her credit. Moved half way across the country out of her mom’s house and left her life behind as soon as she could. Doesn’t appears to be a happy childhood. She struggled with her identity and believing she was lesbian was engaged to be married to another woman. Comes home and obviously questioning her engagement, chosen partner and her sexuality had an affair. Not just an affair but a three way with a man. No criticism of her sexuality. I don’t care and neither should anyone regarding sexual identity. My only point is that’s a hell of a stress load at a very young age. I certainly expect even a small fraction of what she was dealing with to be stressful for anyone. Add in all of the stresses and her young age it’s a massive load.

She’s an adult. It’s her right to leave without notice. It’s her right to commit suicide. She doesn’t need anyone’s permission.

Without evidence it’s equally as likely she disappeared of her own accord as it’s likely she met fowl play. This is the very definition of reasonable doubt.

Regarding her step-father everyone is a person of interest until they are not.

For him to be culpable of her death we have to consider some serious things. One, he raised her as a daughter. As far as we know there was no history of abuse from him to her. Her mom, his ex-wife, was comfortable with him driving her and being alone with her. KA was comfortable being alone with him. He has no history of committing crimes, especially violent snd / or sexual crimes.

So on this day a guy that’s been a “good” guy, her step father decides to not only become a murderer but a rapist and commit two of the most heinous crimes possible. He does so without leaving any physical evidence. I guess beginners luck. But, wait! He was so smart with committing the act and disposing of her body he really blows it with the suitcases dumped so close to him and doing it where he is the first POI and suspect.

Further since she disappeared he hasn’t committed any additional crimes. Just one and done. He’s smart enough to commit essentially, as far as we know now, literally the perfect crime but he wasn’t smart enough to do it in such a way he wasn’t the last person to see her alive.

All of the above is possible and has happened before. However, a lot more people runway and disappear than are raped and murdered by their own step-father who has never committed any abuse.

On top of KA’s stresses and confusion throw in some mental illness. It’s very possible. The statistics on people who question their sexual preferences who also experience mental illness and commit suicide and runaway is extremely high.

Finally, the argument the step-dad did it simply because she hasn’t been seen or found since then doesn’t hold to facts either. Many, many runaways (not even sure you can call someone over 18 a runaway. They don’t need to runaway. They are an adult).......but many runaways quickly fall prey to crimes including sex trafficking and homicides at an alarming rate. It’s entirely possible she left of her own accord and quickly met her demise.

She had a secret messaging app on her phone. LE has never been able to see those messages generated by using this app. Why have a super secret messaging app? She was messaging someone about something. The argument she seemed fine and normal and not hiding anything fails too because she did in fact have a threesome the previous evening. Obviously, she has the ability to not show all, not kiss-n-tell and to keep things private. Throw in this secret messaging app it leads to even more possibilities. Very possible she was meeting someone she had an affair and relationship with and / met online and meeting for the first time.

Very tragic and my thoughts are with her family and especially her mom. I cannot imagine the grief. Very sad.

Are you personally acquainted with this suspect, James Branton? It seems like you have an agenda of running interference for him. I have yet to see a more slanted, misleading breakdown of the facts of a case from anyone other than a suspect's criminal defense attorney.

However, any criminal defense attorney would know that there can be evidence of murder without a body. There have been many no-body murder convictions in recent decades.

He didn't "blow it" with the placement of the suitcase. The suitcase did exactly what it was intended to do: mislead some people with respect to where and when Katelin met with foul play.

You've also conveniently ignored the fact that Branton has been proved a liar with respect to the timeline. Cell tower data proved that his story about dropping Katelin off was a fabrication. But maybe he was just confused, right?

You've also conveniently ignored the fact that he has refused to cooperate with law enforcement ever since they uncovered his lies. They still haven't gotten into his encrypted phone. Once they do—and they will—I fully expect charges of first degree murder with special circumstances—murder precipitated by sexual assault—and I fully expect James Branton to die by lethal injection in a Virginia prison.

(You're also assuming that he's a beginner. We don't know that he's a beginner. Most sexual assaults go unreported.)

 

[Topppps]

There isn’t a systemic problem with prosecutors not bringing charges without a body. It’s called evidence. You need evidence of a crime. There is NO evidence a crime has been committed.

It would be a miscarriage of justice told convict an innocent person without any evidence. It’s happened so many times despite the checks and balances in our legal system.

I much rather have someone guilty not charged than have innocent people incarcerated or put to death. That is how our system is designed. Even with these safeguards it doesn’t always work and many innocent people have been and are incarcerated and even put to death.

All of the theories are just guesses. There isn’t any proof. What there is proof of is of her leaving on her own free will.

She had a troubled childhood. Hated school. Worked hard to graduated early to her credit. Moved half way across the country out of her mom’s house and left her life behind as soon as she could. Doesn’t appears to be a happy childhood. She struggled with her identity and believing she was lesbian was engaged to be married to another woman. Comes home and obviously questioning her engagement, chosen partner and her sexuality had an affair. Not just an affair but a three way with a man. No criticism of her sexuality. I don’t care and neither should anyone regarding sexual identity. My only point is that’s a hell of a stress load at a very young age. I certainly expect even a small fraction of what she was dealing with to be stressful for anyone. Add in all of the stresses and her young age it’s a massive load.

She’s an adult. It’s her right to leave without notice. It’s her right to commit suicide. She doesn’t need anyone’s permission.

Without evidence it’s equally as likely she disappeared of her own accord as it’s likely she met fowl play. This is the very definition of reasonable doubt.

Regarding her step-father everyone is a person of interest until they are not.

For him to be culpable of her death we have to consider some serious things. One, he raised her as a daughter. As far as we know there was no history of abuse from him to her. Her mom, his ex-wife, was comfortable with him driving her and being alone with her. KA was comfortable being alone with him. He has no history of committing crimes, especially violent snd / or sexual crimes.

So on this day a guy that’s been a “good” guy, her step father decides to not only become a murderer but a rapist and commit two of the most heinous crimes possible. He does so without leaving any physical evidence. I guess beginners luck. But, wait! He was so smart with committing the act and disposing of her body he really blows it with the suitcases dumped so close to him and doing it where he is the first POI and suspect.

Further since she disappeared he hasn’t committed any additional crimes. Just one and done. He’s smart enough to commit essentially, as far as we know now, literally the perfect crime but he wasn’t smart enough to do it in such a way he wasn’t the last person to see her alive.

All of the above is possible and has happened before. However, a lot more people runway and disappear than are raped and murdered by their own step-father who has never committed any abuse.

On top of KA’s stresses and confusion throw in some mental illness. It’s very possible. The statistics on people who question their sexual preferences who also experience mental illness and commit suicide and runaway is extremely high.

Finally, the argument the step-dad did it simply because she hasn’t been seen or found since then doesn’t hold to facts either. Many, many runaways (not even sure you can call someone over 18 a runaway. They don’t need to runaway. They are an adult).......but many runaways quickly fall prey to crimes including sex trafficking and homicides at an alarming rate. It’s entirely possible she left of her own accord and quickly met her demise.

She had a secret messaging app on her phone. LE has never been able to see those messages generated by using this app. Why have a super secret messaging app? She was messaging someone about something. The argument she seemed fine and normal and not hiding anything fails too because she did in fact have a threesome the previous evening. Obviously, she has the ability to not show all, not kiss-n-tell and to keep things private. Throw in this secret messaging app it leads to even more possibilities. Very possible she was meeting someone she had an affair and relationship with and / met online and meeting for the first time.

Very tragic and my thoughts are with her family and especially her mom. I cannot imagine the grief. Very sad.

there’s gotta be a circumstantial case they can make. Donthe Lucas in colorado just got convicted with no body, no proof Kelsie was dead. They did it with circumstantial evidence that showed she disappeared as soon as she met with Lucas and proved his story was bs that she went to the hospital or ran off with an boy friend. Katelin wasnt dropped off at the metro station those cell pings went totally opposite direction. LE in Virginia just dont have the cojones to try a circumstantial case.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Are you personally acquainted with this suspect, James Branton? It seems like you have an agenda of running interference for him. I have yet to see a more slanted, misleading breakdown of the facts of a case from anyone other than a suspect's criminal defense attorney.

However, any criminal defense attorney would know that there can be evidence of murder without a body. There have been many no-body murder convictions in recent decades.

He didn't "blow it" with the placement of the suitcase. The suitcase did exactly what it was intended to do: mislead some people with respect to where and when Katelin met with foul play.

You've also conveniently ignored the fact that Branton has been proved a liar with respect to the timeline. Cell tower data proved that his story about dropping Katelin off was a fabrication. But maybe he was just confused, right?

You've also conveniently ignored the fact that he has refused to cooperate with law enforcement ever since they uncovered his lies. They still haven't gotten into his encrypted phone. Once they do—and they will—I fully expect charges of first degree murder with special circumstances—murder precipitated by sexual assault—and I fully expect James Branton to die by lethal injection in a Virginia prison.

(You're also assuming that he's a beginner. We don't know that he's a beginner. Most sexual assaults go unreported.)

Superb counter argument. Thank you.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

there’s gotta be a circumstantial case they can make. Donthe Lucas in colorado just got convicted with no body, no proof Kelsie was dead. They did it with circumstantial evidence that showed she disappeared as soon as she met with Lucas and proved his story was bs that she went to the hospital or ran off with an boy friend. Katelin wasnt dropped off at the metro station those cell pings went totally opposite direction. LE in Virginia just dont have the cojones to try a circumstantial case.

Oh my goodness, there are certainly countless no body convictions. Many of the cases are posted here in WS.

 

[Topppps]

Oh my goodness, there are certainly countless no body convictions. Many of the cases are posted here in WS.

List of murder convictions without a body

ive written most of these entries for the United States, Im well aware there’s many no body convictions, Virginia though is not really a state that goes after them. How many do you see on that list for Virginia? If they’re countless which ones do you be added?

 

[LietKynes]

Are you personally acquainted with this suspect, James Branton? It seems like you have an agenda of running interference for him. I have yet to see a more slanted, misleading breakdown of the facts of a case from anyone other than a suspect's criminal defense attorney.

However, any criminal defense attorney would know that there can be evidence of murder without a body. There have been many no-body murder convictions in recent decades.

He didn't "blow it" with the placement of the suitcase. The suitcase did exactly what it was intended to do: mislead some people with respect to where and when Katelin met with foul play.

You've also conveniently ignored the fact that Branton has been proved a liar with respect to the timeline. Cell tower data proved that his story about dropping Katelin off was a fabrication. But maybe he was just confused, right?

You've also conveniently ignored the fact that he has refused to cooperate with law enforcement ever since they uncovered his lies. They still haven't gotten into his encrypted phone. Once they do—and they will—I fully expect charges of first degree murder with special circumstances—murder precipitated by sexual assault—and I fully expect James Branton to die by lethal injection in a Virginia prison.

(You're also assuming that he's a beginner. We don't know that he's a beginner. Most sexual assaults go unreported.)

Ita.
Very well said, thank you !

I was going to say that the actions and subterfuge with his phone and the fact that he was not seen with Katelin at that shopping mall she reportedly wanted to be dropped off at .
James was only seen on camera in the mall parking lot alone, he didn't return to work after she was 'disappeared', and most importantly refused to let LE look at his phone --- all points to make him a #1 suspect in my opinion !
As far as I know, Katelin fully expected to be dropped off at the airport for her flight and nothing more.
Something wicked and evil happened that day that either was or wasn't planned --as in something went terribly wrong.

Speculation : It's also been mentioned that James' mother owns property and James was seen at this property the day of or the day after Katelin vanished.
And the house and outbuildings were never searched with cadaver dogs, afaik.
MOO

 

[Ozoner]

List of murder convictions without a body

ive written most of these entries for the United States, Im well aware there’s many no body convictions, Virginia though is not really a state that goes after them. How many do you see on that list for Virginia? If they’re countless which ones do you be added?

The murders of Brian Ognjan and David Tyll don't appear to be on the list.
Brothers Sentenced in Hunters' Murders