Victim: Alexis Murphy, 17, missing from Shipman, VA, 03 August 2013 - #6

[4MYGUYS]

Am I correct that her car was not damaged? If so, it leads me to believe he was in her car and surprised her at the gas station. I think he used a knife or gun and told her to drive to his trailer. There, he incapacitated her and did whatever before killing her. Then he used her car to transport her body to its current location, leaving the car at the theater lot when he was done. I think he knows somebody at the apartment complex and dropped by asking for a ride. That acquaintance needs to come forward.

this would work if he didn't have to off road/ or go on very difficult terrain. But I don't see him abducting her at the station. Too many possible witnesses, I believe it was still light.

 

[katinva]

Am I correct that her car was not damaged? If so, it leads me to believe he was in her car and surprised her at the gas station. I think he used a knife or gun and told her to drive to his trailer. There, he incapacitated her and did whatever before killing her. Then he used her car to transport her body to its current location, leaving the car at the theater lot when he was done. I think he knows somebody at the apartment complex and dropped by asking for a ride. That acquaintance needs to come forward.

BBM: Thats what I keep thinking. If the person wasnt an accomplice then why wouldnt they have come forward already? Im not sure there is a 2nd person but he had to have found a way back home somehow.

It was light out at the gas station (7pm) and its a local hangout so Im sure there were many people there. Didnt RAT say he parked at the pumps to go in for cigarettes? So his vehicle would have been there too. It seems odd to park at the pumps instead of a parking spot but we cant believe him......or did he say that because he thinks they have him on camera?

 

[tootsiepop]

Randy Allen Taylor appears in court for probation violation hearing
1:28 PM, Aug 29, 2013

http://www.wusa9.com/news/article/272878/158/Alexis-Murphy-kidnapping-suspect-appears-in-court

 

[4MYGUYS]

BBM: Thats what I keep thinking. If the person wasnt an accomplice then why wouldnt they have come forward already? Im not sure there is a 2nd person but he had to have found a way back home somehow.

It was light out at the gas station (7pm) and its a local hangout so Im sure there were many people there. Didnt RAT say he parked at the pumps to go in for cigarettes? So his vehicle would have been there too. It seems odd to park at the pumps instead of a parking spot but we cant believe him......or did he say that because he thinks they have him on camera?

Parking at the pumps to go spend as much time as you want inside is a common occurrence in VA! :banghead:
BBM: Possibly involved in an unrelated criminal act/drug dealing. &/or simply hates LE.
Pretty sure he knows where he was caught on camera, his testimony seems to center around that and where possible DNA would be found.

 

[MainStreet]

If Randy Taylor was the man then they'd know where the girl is by now. You have to mix a little common sense in with the evidence, lack of evidence or what appears to be circumstantial evidence.

Interesting that I haven't seen this mentioned on here: the F.B.I. has photos of several people they're trying to identify & locate, because these persons are seen with Alexis Murphy on the night she (seemingly) vanished. That is, seen on various security films. However the F.B.I. absolutely refuses to release these photos to the public. But they have shown to them to certain business owners in Charlottesville.

I believe that Randy Taylor truly is a victim of his own circumstances, and bad choices, which create these 'eerie coincidences' that make people convinced he's guilty. But if he was the man they'd have found her by now. There's been more than enough time for trained investigators to get needed information from him.

 

[ArianeEmory]

If Randy Taylor was the man then they'd know where the girl is by now. You have to mix a little common sense in with the evidence, lack of evidence or what appears to be circumstantial evidence.

Interesting that I haven't seen this mentioned on here: the F.B.I. has photos of several people they're trying to identify & locate, because these persons are seen with Alexis Murphy on the night she (seemingly) vanished. That is, seen on various security films. However the F.B.I. absolutely refuses to release these photos to the public. But they have shown to them to certain business owners in Charlottesville.

I believe that Randy Taylor truly is a victim of his own circumstances, and bad choices, which create these 'eerie coincidences' that make people convinced he's guilty. But if he was the man they'd have found her by now. There's been more than enough time for trained investigators to get needed information from him.

I find the information we've been given on why he was arrested to be worryingly thin, in terms of making a case stick, but 'they haven't found the body' is not a thing that would convince me of his innocence. Murderers have a very strong incentive not to tell LE where the body is: it makes it hard to make a murder case without one. He would hardly be the first murderer who refused to cooperate about the location of the body.

 

[Justice101]

If Randy Taylor was the man then they'd know where the girl is by now. You have to mix a little common sense in with the evidence, lack of evidence or what appears to be circumstantial evidence.

Interesting that I haven't seen this mentioned on here: the F.B.I. has photos of several people they're trying to identify & locate, because these persons are seen with Alexis Murphy on the night she (seemingly) vanished. That is, seen on various security films. However the F.B.I. absolutely refuses to release these photos to the public. But they have shown to them to certain business owners in Charlottesville.

I believe that Randy Taylor truly is a victim of his own circumstances, and bad choices, which create these 'eerie coincidences' that make people convinced he's guilty. But if he was the man they'd have found her by now. There's been more than enough time for trained investigators to get needed information from him.

nah.... they have the right guy and they know it. We are just left guessing.

 

[cluciano63]

I think they have the right guy too. Too coincidental for me that he is the last known person to be in touch with two missing women. JMO

 

[CluelessWonder]

If Randy Taylor was the man then they'd know where the girl is by now. You have to mix a little common sense in with the evidence, lack of evidence or what appears to be circumstantial evidence.

Interesting that I haven't seen this mentioned on here: the F.B.I. has photos of several people they're trying to identify & locate, because these persons are seen with Alexis Murphy on the night she (seemingly) vanished. That is, seen on various security films. However the F.B.I. absolutely refuses to release these photos to the public. But they have shown to them to certain business owners in Charlottesville.

I believe that Randy Taylor truly is a victim of his own circumstances, and bad choices, which create these 'eerie coincidences' that make people convinced he's guilty. But if he was the man they'd have found her by now. There's been more than enough time for trained investigators to get needed information from him.

If police can't find a body, it automatically means that an individual is innocent? You are trying very hard to convince us of his innocence.<modsnip>

Do you have a link saying that Alexis was with someone the night she disappeared? This has NEVER been reported. Therefore, I question whether you have any grounds to make such an accusation. As for police showing photos of people to businesses in Charlottesville, the first photos shown were of RAT, and those photos contributed to his arrest. The other photos police have shown to businesses are photos of people they believe to be connected to RAT. They're merely trying to determine whether he acted alone. They are not an indication that they think someone else is singularly responsible.

I find it an odd dichotomy that you have faith in the ability of "trained investigators" to recover a body that is obviously well-hidden but don't have faith in their evidence, which was enough to get RAT arrested on an abduction charge.

 

[Ghostwheel]

So Alexis car was definitely on Cannery Loop based on what the lady mentioned. Maybe RAT was in a hurry to get Alexis to his camper, or RAT could have had an accomplice who could have been sitting in the backseat and telling Alexis where to turn from 29.

BBM: Since the woman even said she doesn't know that much about cars, unless somebody got a description of the person driving, or the license plate, I can't see how it can be interpreted that it was definitely Alexis' car. I'll go with it being a good possibility, though.

 

[Ghostwheel]

If Randy Taylor was the man then they'd know where the girl is by now. You have to mix a little common sense in with the evidence, lack of evidence or what appears to be circumstantial evidence.

Interesting that I haven't seen this mentioned on here: the F.B.I. has photos of several people they're trying to identify & locate, because these persons are seen with Alexis Murphy on the night she (seemingly) vanished. That is, seen on various security films. However the F.B.I. absolutely refuses to release these photos to the public. But they have shown to them to certain business owners in Charlottesville.

I believe that Randy Taylor truly is a victim of his own circumstances, and bad choices, which create these 'eerie coincidences' that make people convinced he's guilty. But if he was the man they'd have found her by now. There's been more than enough time for trained investigators to get needed information from him.

While I don't disagree that RAT could be a victim of his own circumstances, I definitely disagree that if RAT was the man, we'd know where the girl is by now. If he has done this, he has absolutely no incentive to tell anyone where she is. The most they could get him on right now is abduction. This carries a far lesser sentence than murder, even if he made some kind of deal. He'd have to be a moron to tell where the girl was at if he did this.

BBM: Could you tell me where you read about there being photos of several people the FBI has been trying to id and locate and showing business owners in Charlottesville? I looked in the media links, and somehow have missed that. (but I have done that before...)

 

[popsicle]

While I don't disagree that RAT could be a victim of his own circumstances, I definitely disagree that if RAT was the man, we'd know where the girl is by now. If he has done this, he has absolutely no incentive to tell anyone where she is. The most they could get him on right now is abduction. This carries a far lesser sentence than murder, even if he made some kind of deal. He'd have to be a moron to tell where the girl was at if he did this.

BBM: Could you tell me where you read about there being photos of several people the FBI has been trying to id and locate and showing business owners in Charlottesville? I looked in the media links, and somehow have missed that. (but I have done that before...)

Ghost, I posted about those pics way back. The FBI had 8-10 suspects at the time. jmo

 

[LittleMissContrary]

If police can't find a body, it automatically means that an individual is innocent? You are trying very hard to convince us of his innocence. <modsnip>

Do you have a link saying that Alexis was with someone the night she disappeared? This has NEVER been reported. Therefore, I question whether you have any grounds to make such an accusation. As for police showing photos of people to businesses in Charlottesville, the first photos shown were of RAT, and those photos contributed to his arrest. The other photos police have shown to businesses are photos of people they believe to be connected to RAT. They're merely trying to determine whether he acted alone. They are not an indication that they think someone else is singularly responsible.

BBM

Do you have a link to support this statement?

 

[CluelessWonder]

BBM

Do you have a link to support this statement?

There is a link somewhere in the 150-plus pages of posts on the Alexis Murphy threads. But I don't know which page it was on, and it would take the two of us hours and hours to find it. So I am just going by memory. And what I remember is that police were interested in finding out if anyone had seen RAT with a few people who are associated with him.

 

[Just K]

If Randy Taylor was the man then they'd know where the girl is by now. You have to mix a little common sense in with the evidence, lack of evidence or what appears to be circumstantial evidence.

Interesting that I haven't seen this mentioned on here: the F.B.I. has photos of several people they're trying to identify & locate, because these persons are seen with Alexis Murphy on the night she (seemingly) vanished. That is, seen on various security films. However the F.B.I. absolutely refuses to release these photos to the public. But they have shown to them to certain business owners in Charlottesville.

I believe that Randy Taylor truly is a victim of his own circumstances, and bad choices, which create these 'eerie coincidences' that make people convinced he's guilty. But if he was the man they'd have found her by now. There's been more than enough time for trained investigators to get needed information from him.

<modsnip> The subject of "people" seen around Alexis and photos being shown to businesses, on Angus Street, in Charlottesville have been discussed here since the week the car was discovered and search warrants were issued. I have posted on this topic at least two and maybe three times.

In addition, the search warrants and aspects of the hearing were sealed off from public scrutiny. There is no reason to believe the FBI, local authorities as well as the District Attorney do not have a lot of powerful evidence against Mr. R.A.T.

All anyone has to do is to look at Mr RAT's DOZENS of offenses to know that he is not just some unlucky SOB.

 

[Ixchel13]

If Randy Taylor was the man then they'd know where the girl is by now. You have to mix a little common sense in with the evidence, lack of evidence or what appears to be circumstantial evidence.

Interesting that I haven't seen this mentioned on here: the F.B.I. has photos of several people they're trying to identify & locate, because these persons are seen with Alexis Murphy on the night she (seemingly) vanished. That is, seen on various security films. However the F.B.I. absolutely refuses to release these photos to the public. But they have shown to them to certain business owners in Charlottesville.

I believe that Randy Taylor truly is a victim of his own circumstances, and bad choices, which create these 'eerie coincidences' that make people convinced he's guilty. But if he was the man they'd have found her by now. There's been more than enough time for trained investigators to get needed information from him.

MainStreet, the mathmatical odds of him being the last one to see/talk to two different abducted women but yet be a hapless victim of bad choices is
millions to one! Then when you see his rap sheet just loading and loading onto the screen, Wow! What a hardened, seemingly canny professional criminal. There is nothing about him that seems innocent what-so-ever. Hey my mom was really mean and critical to me, and
I have made many bad choices, but I'm not out there abducting and killing old ladies. yes, everyone is entitled to there own opinion here, and I am saying I don't agree with your's, although thanks for posting.

 

[Eclipse33]

BBM

Do you have a link to support this statement?

If you read the Media Thread about Alexis Murphy, you will find it. This was discussed a long time ago.

On another note, Bump for Alexis!

 

[Aeronomy]

If Randy Taylor was the man then they'd know where the girl is by now. You have to mix a little common sense in with the evidence, lack of evidence or what appears to be circumstantial evidence.

Interesting that I haven't seen this mentioned on here: the F.B.I. has photos of several people they're trying to identify & locate, because these persons are seen with Alexis Murphy on the night she (seemingly) vanished. That is, seen on various security films. However the F.B.I. absolutely refuses to release these photos to the public. But they have shown to them to certain business owners in Charlottesville.

I believe that Randy Taylor truly is a victim of his own circumstances, and bad choices, which create these 'eerie coincidences' that make people convinced he's guilty. But if he was the man they'd have found her by now. There's been more than enough time for trained investigators to get needed information from him.

Oy...I understand there are those who believe Taylor isn't guilty and there are those who believe otherwise. I understand when you believe something so strongly that it is sometimes hard to see past your own convictions. However, in one's conviction they are generally able to use fact or exceedingly long-held traditions to back their stance. (By the way, I am only assuming this to be your conviction because out of the three posts you've written here, the first placed suspicion on Alexis' father, the second eluded to LE looking in the wrong direction because you've seen people found quicker in the 70s and 80s with less technology and then the one I've quoted.)

I personally have no problem with your belief in Taylor being a victim of his own circumstance as it reminds me to look deeper into my own thoughts in regards to his innocence or guilt, in which areas they pertain to and of what, when it comes to Alexis being missing. Yet, I would like to know what facts you hold relating to your belief in him being a victim of circumstance...(though in general, we all are victims of circumstance; some we create, some we don't.) I'm guessing you do not feel he created this circumstance.

If I come across a bit blunt here then it's because I am being blunt. It's because I have taken offense to your first two sentences above about having to use common sense. I'm willing to look at both angles, yet it's as though you're saying because one is open to his guilt then it's a lack of their own common sense. Is that what you meant to imply?

If Taylor is the man, why would that mean they'd know where the girl is by now? Unless you are directly privy to all investigative information, there's many facts that are not known. Just as easily as he can truly not know, he can truly lie. What facts LE have that point to any truths or lies have not been revealed. They have not revealed all that was found, nor have they revealed all that has not been found.

If you are frustrated the FBI have not released any photos then I can understand that, but try to understand that releasing such photos is an action protected by law. It is to protect those which may be in them. (The general public can be an unruly bunch.) Was a photo of Taylor released prior to LE contacting him? I honestly don't recall and I could be wrong, but I don't think so. It falls under the same policy. There are only certain circumstances in which the FBI are allowed to release a photo to the public prior to contacting/locating or attempting to contact/locate the individual. If you question any of this then please refer to the procedures and policies of the FBI. That information is available on their website. Maybe it would help you to understand why certain things are done the way they are. It has helped me understand things that I initially didn't understand.

Just as there are trained investigators, there are what I'll call "trained" suspects--those who have learned, studied, observed and/or thought through what actions to display during an information gathering investigation-- and then there are those who just fear something greater than LE. I don't know if Randy is either of those types or not, no more than I know if he just happened to make some really bad decisions leading up to the night Alexis was considered missing. But what I do know is it was not law enforcement's decision to keep him in jail and unless another charge is brought against him other than abduction, then it seems within reason to believe it has something to do with him being involved in her abduction.

 

[Aeronomy]

I believe that Randy Taylor truly is a victim of his own circumstances, and bad choices, which create these 'eerie coincidences' that make people convinced he's guilty.

In an attempt to voice a possible theory around MainStreet's belief of him being a victim of his own circumstances and bad choices, could the following scenario be a possibility?

**Warning** This scenario does not shed a bright light on AM, but in no way should this theorized scenario lessen the fact of her being a victim! Again, it is only a scenario in which I question its possibility of occurring.

RAT was looking for something sexual. An individual said he could facilitate that and then such individual contacts AM for that reason. AM does not make contact directly with RAT beforehand as this is generally arranged by a facilitator, but meets up with him at an indiscreet location in a discreet manner prior to proceeding to a different location. ((I do not mean to imply sex, he could have been wanting a lap dance or whatever in this scenario, but something in a sexual connotation))

At RAT's residence the facilitator is there for whatever reason, drugs, whatever. Then...(I WILL LEAVE THIS BLANK AS IT'S POSSIBLE NOTHING COULD HAVE HAPPENED THERE OR SOMETHING NOT CONSIDERED AN ABDUCTION OR EVEN PHYSICALLY HARMFUL TO AM TOOK PLACE) AM eventually leaves... giving the facilitator a ride. AM trusts the facilitator.

RAT knows nothing more at this point.

After a day RAT hears of her missing. RAT knowing the type of person the facilitator is knows not to talk if he values his life. Yet, RAT, due to his own bad choices ends up suspect. Trying to determine a reason she would have been at his place, he decided to say it was drug related since that's a slap on the wrist compared to something underage and sexually related.

By the way---do we know what time RAT got the *advertiser censored* tapes?

Evidence revealed suggests RAT had other phones. These phones could have been stolen and unrelated.

Evidence suggests AM crossed the lot where her car was parked and went toward the apartments. No evidence has been revealed if something may have happened in the car while in the lot or if it didn't.

Evidence suggests AM's phone was shut off after leaving Liberty. How long exactly after leaving...do we know? Could this be related to leaving RAT's?

I'm all for anyone who wants to debunk this with facts. I just don't know any hard facts that would debunk it...so please feel free to rip it to shreds for me.

 

[Aeronomy]

Looking at the map again. Alexis would have turned left onto 29 going towards Cville but to get to the wrong/dangerous entrance she would have had to turn into the median and come back towards the gas station and then turn onto Cannery Loop...which would put her going back towards Cville again. I believe that the woman that was interviewed, her house is right at the 'dangerous' entrance. I can see how it would be dangerous too once I zoomed in close.

So why would she do all of that?

Could she have been originally intending on turning into RAT's, but missed the turn? Putting myself into such a situation, I'm thinking, if I were going there and missed the turn, I'd continue to the next place I could turn around...which would then put me heading back towards Lovingston. Once I got back to where I'd need to cross back over 29 to RAT's and realized I couldn't, I would probably keep going until I could do yet another u-turn. However, I can't say I wouldn't have turned onto Cannery if I'd already slowed and a tractor trailer was barreling down behind me...or if I wouldn't have turned onto Cannery during that split moment of "Well, crap."

I think if she were being followed or felt like she were being followed then she would have made different decisions or the lady would have noticed more than just the car, but a speeding car.

This is of course assuming it was her and assuming it happened during the timeframe she left the gas station.