AL AL - J.B. Beasley, 17, & Tracie Hawlett, 17, Ozark, 31 July 1999 #3

[jkloc420]

In my opinion, the killer(s) left it on Herring because they knew it was isolated and that drastically reduced the chances of witnesses seeing the car abandoned. Placing the car in parking lot increases visibility by someone looking out a window and being spotted. The location is also, most likely, convenient to where the killer(s) lived or associated with.

The killer in Danielle s case in Michigan parked it right back in her apartment complex at her apartment.

 

[somequestions]

The speculation regarding why the killer put the car on Herring Avenue is good speculation, but it fails to answer some important questions.

1. During the entire crime, where was the killer's vehicle? If we speculate that the killer was on foot, that might make sense. But police said no valuables were taken, money and credit cards left untouched. It would seem like a strange carjacking not to even take the car out of town.

2. Why did the killer take J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett in J.B. Beasley's car instead of his own vehicle? So maybe the vehicle was too recognizable like a police car or maybe the killer had something in his vehicle that made him choose to take them in their car? Maybe the killer had a pet?

I know I am just adding to the speculation but I think answering question #1 is very important in trying to understand how this crime may have unfolded that night.

 

[cherrymeg]

The killer in Danielle s case in Michigan parked it right back in her apartment complex at her apartment.

Camera's would have been in store parking lots in 1999, right? Now everyone would have phones uploading pics to facebook or instagram, it's weird how you get used to technology.

 

[killarney rose]

@somequestions , referring to point 2 on your post....perhaps their car was very noticeable or very well known about town. Maybe there was something unique or different about it?

 

[cherrymeg]

The speculation regarding why the killer put the car on Herring Avenue is good speculation, but it fails to answer some important questions.

1. During the entire crime, where was the killer's vehicle? If we speculate that the killer was on foot, that might make sense. But police said no valuables were taken, money and credit cards left untouched. It would seem like a strange carjacking not to even take the car out of town.

2. Why did the killer take J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett in J.B. Beasley's car instead of his own vehicle? So maybe the vehicle was too recognizable like a police car or maybe the killer had something in his vehicle that made him choose to take them in their car? Maybe the killer had a pet?

I know I am just adding to the speculation but I think answering question #1 is very important in trying to understand how this crime may have unfolded that night.

Someone could have left the car on street where they wouldn't be noticed but the car would be found (not sure why). It seems like when people don't steal or have a motive that is clear it's more confusing. People try to make sense of something that possibly isn't ever going to and they get away with murder or at least it becomes a cold case.

 

[TedMac]

The speculation regarding why the killer put the car on Herring Avenue is good speculation, but it fails to answer some important questions.

1. During the entire crime, where was the killer's vehicle? If we speculate that the killer was on foot, that might make sense. But police said no valuables were taken, money and credit cards left untouched. It would seem like a strange carjacking not to even take the car out of town.

2. Why did the killer take J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett in J.B. Beasley's car instead of his own vehicle? So maybe the vehicle was too recognizable like a police car or maybe the killer had something in his vehicle that made him choose to take them in their car? Maybe the killer had a pet?

I know I am just adding to the speculation but I think answering question #1 is very important in trying to understand how this crime may have unfolded that night.

1. Probaby parked somewhere near Herring Ave-maybe the apartments near there or maybe even at the hospital (assuming he had a vehicle).

2. He may not have wanted his vehicle (assuming he had one) to be seen with the girls in it. He may have made one of them drive the car while he was in the back seat with a gun pointed at them. I believe there was a grease spot in the back seat that was possibly left by him. Also, by using their car, there would be no blood or fingerprints in his car. So much is not known about this case, but possibly he had planned to kill them all along and had planned to shoot them in the trunk which he eventually did. If that was the case, their blood would have been in his vehicle and maybe their fingerprints, too.

 

[somequestions]

@somequestions , referring to point 2 on your post....perhaps their car was very noticeable or very well known about town. Maybe there was something unique or different about it?

It is easier if I explain. It comes down to an opinion. 1. Do you think J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett were lost after they left the Big Little gas station in Ozark, AL? or 2. Do you think they were not lost after they left the Big Little gas station in Ozark, AL?

If you think they still got lost after they left the Big Little gas station, the killer's vehicle could have been left anywhere in Ozark, AL. If you think they were not lost after they left the Big Little gas station, I think it is reasonable to assume the killer's vehicle would be left somewhere near a main road seeing as that is how J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett would have gone home. So the question is not whether the vehicle is unique or not but what parking lot or place on the girls way home could the killer have left the vehicle and not worried about it sticking out? According to the autopsy report from the article on the Haunting Evidence show the girls died between 12:30 and 2 am. How many places could the killer walk back to and feel comfortable getting in his vehicle at that hour? And he had to have either walked or had an accomplice who could drive him back to whatever place he left his car along one of the main roads, 27, 231, or 123(if it was not a carjacking).

Why would a guy feel comfortable enough to leave his vehicle near one of those main roads at some business after closing yet park J.B. Beasley's car way over on Herring Ave so he has to walk all the way back to it on one of the main roads? From a mapping perspective that is the best I can explain it.

 

[killarney rose]

If the killer was well known about Ozark, his vehicle would be well known as well, whether there was anything unique about it or not. That in itself would be reason enough not to want to draw attention to it.

It's important to remember that back then cars didn't all look so much alike as they do today.there was still some individuality among different makes and models. For example back then I drove a Nissan 300ZX. There was only one other in my town like it. They could be told apart because the other one was a turbo and mine wasn't. But my point is that if my car or the other had been connected to a crime it would've been obvious whose car it was.so if I were committing a crime I would want to hide my car and use the victim's car.

 

[SavageMarkIII]

I theorized that maybe where J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett went wrong in their directions to Midland City that night was at the southwest corner of the Headland town square. I thought they may have taken a right instead of a left and this led them out of town north.

So there actually was a witness police officer from Headland who saw what direction they turned at the square? So which way, assuming it was from the southwest corner of the square, did they turn? Did their car make a right or a left?

I am just curious to know how good my directional detective skills are or whether I am off in what I theorized. None of this probably matters because no matter how J.B. Beasley or Tracie Hawlett ended up at the Big Little gas station in Ozark, AL on July 31, 1999, what really matters is where they went after leaving that gas station. That is the mystery.

Regarding Headland, I took the Officer's statement to mean, he was in the turn lane (because he pulled into a parking space on the square) and JB was in the lane to go straight. I believe they would have left the BP station (now a Citgo) going west on E. Main Street then left onto Main St. to go past the Square. Then make a right on West King St. which turns into 134, to go west to Midland City. I would have to watch Bookie's video again to see if he is specific about the directions he gave them to get to 134.

MOO: My theory is, at some point on the way to 134 or on 134, they changed their minds and decided to go to the Skipperville party first. Also, on Route 134 there could have been directional signs to Skipperville, which made them think, let's go to that party in Skipperville first (a right on 83 gets you going towards Skipperville). Maybe they thought they had a better chance of meeting the boys later or that the boys weren't going to be available until later. As a few of us stated on thread, being young around that time with no cell phone, your nights would change course on a whim, deciding to go somewhere else entirely or re-arranging the order in which you went places.

I try not to get caught up in the specifics of their routes that night, because there are too many variables: we don't know what was discussed with the 2 Midland City boys about meeting up (what time, where, were there backup plans, how were they to communicate once leaving their respective houses with landlines?), we don't know how many stops/parties they had planned or knew about that night, and we don't really know how familiar or unfamiliar they were with direction and how to get places outside of Dothan. Maybe some places one of them knew and the other knew how to get around other places.

To me, it's what happened after leaving the Big/Little gas station, is the key. And unfortunately there may or may not be evidence of that. Do we know for sure that all the cameras in Ozark that the police looked at, gave them no further information? As we all know, some things are held back from public, so they know when they have the right people and for a possible trial.

 

[SavageMarkIII]

It is easier if I explain. It comes down to an opinion. 1. Do you think J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett were lost after they left the Big Little gas station in Ozark, AL? or 2. Do you think they were not lost after they left the Big Little gas station in Ozark, AL?

Snipped by me

My intuition is #2. They were not lost after leaving the Big/Little Station. It was one of 2 reasons, why I believe this. Either:

1) It was late and dark and JB and Tracie are HS girls, so maybe Mrs Merritt was overly worried about them (from the perspective of a teenager), so JB was talking to her, while Tracie is on the phone, and asking directions of Mrs. Merritt so she would not worry about them and distract Mrs Merritt from what Tracie was talking about with her mother...asking to stay out later.

2) The directions from Mrs Merritt refreshed JB's memory enough of Ozark and 231, so she knew where she was and where she needed to go at that point.

 

[aegis100]

The killer in Danielle s case in Michigan parked it right back in her apartment complex at her apartment.

Like I said jkloc420, in my opinion, I didn't say it was fact. Just like your statements are your opinion, not fact. We all have different theories and that's the advantage of sites like WebSleuths so different viewpoints can be expressed.

 

[somequestions]

If the killer was well known about Ozark, his vehicle would be well known as well, whether there was anything unique about it or not. That in itself would be reason enough not to want to draw attention to it.

It's important to remember that back then cars didn't all look so much alike as they do today.there was still some individuality among different makes and models. For example back then I drove a Nissan 300ZX. There was only one other in my town like it. They could be told apart because the other one was a turbo and mine wasn't. But my point is that if my car or the other had been connected to a crime it would've been obvious whose car it was.so if I were committing a crime I would want to hide my car and use the victim's car.

I made a mistake in asking my question regarding how comfortable the killer would be with leaving his vehicle parked along one of the main roads leading out of Ozark, AL versus J.B. Beasley's car parked on Herring Avenue. I think my response to my own question would be "Maybe because the car on Herring Avenue has two dead bodies in the trunk and the other car parked along the main road somewhere does not."

You make a good point about a car's individuality. I never thought of it like that. I always thought in terms of the victims car being individualistic, not the killer's. But that does make a lot of sense. Driving a Porsche or a Ferrari is going to draw more attention to yourself by the general public and by police. And with the way a lot of young people that meet up with their cars tend to be defined by them, I think that makes a lot of sense.

 

[somequestions]

Regarding Headland, I took the Officer's statement to mean, he was in the turn lane (because he pulled into a parking space on the square) and JB was in the lane to go straight. I believe they would have left the BP station (now a Citgo) going west on E. Main Street then left onto Main St. to go past the Square. Then make a right on West King St. which turns into 134, to go west to Midland City. I would have to watch Bookie's video again to see if he is specific about the directions he gave them to get to 134.

MOO: My theory is, at some point on the way to 134 or on 134, they changed their minds and decided to go to the Skipperville party first. Also, on Route 134 there could have been directional signs to Skipperville, which made them think, let's go to that party in Skipperville first (a right on 83 gets you going towards Skipperville). Maybe they thought they had a better chance of meeting the boys later or that the boys weren't going to be available until later. As a few of us stated on thread, being young around that time with no cell phone, your nights would change course on a whim, deciding to go somewhere else entirely or re-arranging the order in which you went places.

I try not to get caught up in the specifics of their routes that night, because there are too many variables: we don't know what was discussed with the 2 Midland City boys about meeting up (what time, where, were there backup plans, how were they to communicate once leaving their respective houses with landlines?), we don't know how many stops/parties they had planned or knew about that night, and we don't really know how familiar or unfamiliar they were with direction and how to get places outside of Dothan. Maybe some places one of them knew and the other knew how to get around other places.

To me, it's what happened after leaving the Big/Little gas station, is the key. And unfortunately there may or may not be evidence of that. Do we know for sure that all the cameras in Ozark that the police looked at, gave them no further information? As we all know, some things are held back from public, so they know when they have the right people and for a possible trial.

Mapping is only as good as the information you have regarding the person driving, how they interpret information, etc.

I am not from Alabama and have not driven Alabama roads so it is very hard for me to say how two people I did not know would interpret a road sign. I do not know what a "field party" is. Where I am from we had "fires", with some drinking and mingling and food. Is this the same as in Alabama?

It seems like J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett must have been very popular females if they got invited to all these parties. The only person that can truly speak as to how the car traveled that night was the driver: J.B. Beasley.

 

[iluvmua]

I think a field party is a party that is out in the field. JMO.

 

[cherrymeg]

People have mentioned that at least one girl had expensive sneakers on, would that be normal to wear at a field party?

 

[cherrymeg]

The killer in Danielle s case in Michigan parked it right back in her apartment complex at her apartment.

Is that related to the Michigan Man (and if so did I totally miss that)?

 

[dancemom]

People have mentioned that at least one girl had expensive sneakers on, would that be normal to wear at a field party?

It's not the most practical choice, but a teenage girl at a field party is still a teenage girl -- more likely to choose what's cute over what's practical. I don't think it would be too uncommon.

 

[cherrymeg]

It's not the most practical choice, but a teenage girl at a field party is still a teenage girl -- more likely to choose what's cute over what's practical. I don't think it would be too uncommon.

That is true. I wondered if field parties would involve walking through areas of mud and brush to get to. If it had been raining you would expect some mud on a field but would you expect more than that. Sneakers are more practical than sandals I'm guessing. So are jeans when you are outside. I wore shorts and sandals in the summer of 99.

 

[dancemom]

Mapping is only as good as the information you have regarding the person driving, how they interpret information, etc.

I am not from Alabama and have not driven Alabama roads so it is very hard for me to say how two people I did not know would interpret a road sign. I do not know what a "field party" is. Where I am from we had "fires", with some drinking and mingling and food. Is this the same as in Alabama?

It seems like J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett must have been very popular females if they got invited to all these parties. The only person that can truly speak as to how the car traveled that night was the driver: J.B. Beasley.

I get the feeling that they were popular girls, but I don't think you had to be popular to go to these parties. In fact, there could have been people there who were not so popular or wholesome, types that these girls might not have normally associated with.

I'm not sure how best to describe a field party. It would be a very informal gathering in a rural area with lots of young people drinking and socializing. Shorts and sandals, T-shirts and tennis shoes, jeans and boots would all be common clothing. There might be a bonfire. There might be pickup trucks with tailgates down for sitting, and music playing on car radios. It's something social to do in a place where there's not much to do (and where I grew up, a place to drink in a dry county). If the field was extremely muddy, it wouldn't be a great place for a party because (in addition to just being messy) you could have cars getting bogged down in the mud. I am rambling and not sure if this is helpful.

 

[cherrymeg]

I get the feeling that they were popular girls, but I don't think you had to be popular to go to these parties. In fact, there could have been people there who were not so popular or wholesome, types that these girls might not have normally associated with.

I'm not sure how best to describe a field party. It would be a very informal gathering in a rural area with lots of young people drinking and socializing. Shorts and sandals, T-shirts and tennis shoes, jeans and boots would all be common clothing. There might be a bonfire. There might be pickup trucks with tailgates down for sitting, and music playing on car radios. It's something social to do in a place where there's not much to do (and where I grew up, a place to drink in a dry county). If the field was extremely muddy, it wouldn't be a great place for a party because (in addition to just being messy) you could have cars getting bogged down in the mud. I am rambling and not sure if this is helpful.

Good info!