GUILTY AR - Beverly Carter, 49, Little Rock, 25 Sep 2014 - # 6

[southsleuth]

Snipped by me. Answer: Manipulation.

Sociopaths and psychopaths are master manipulators. Very convincing. My ex husband is a sociopath. When I look back now, I can see all the signs and manipulation. Thank God I got out. My best friend (growing up) married a psychopath. He murdered her in cold blood at a local Kmart while she was working to support their daughters. The @#$%^ manipulated a "crime of passion" deal, evening conning his local Priest. Got a whopping 10 year sentence, served 1/2 and got out. When I went back to Mobile last year, I saw in the paper where he died. His family put a large headstone on his grave (per his wishes) with her name and his children's names. How much he loved and cared for them!
Sorry for the sort of off-topic rant but it's just a couple of examples of how manipulating they can be.

 

[beaglebrd]

Sociopaths and psychopaths are master manipulators. Very convincing. My ex husband is a sociopath. When I look back now, I can see all the signs and manipulation. Thank God I got out. My best friend (growing up) married a psychopath. He murdered her in cold blood at a local Kmart while she was working to support their daughters. The @#$%^ manipulated a "crime of passion" deal, evening conning his local Priest. Got a whopping 10 year sentence, served 1/2 and got out. When I went back to Mobile last year, I saw in the paper where he died. His family put a large headstone on his grave (per his wishes) with her name and his children's names. How much he loved and cared for them!
Sorry for the sort of off-topic rant but it's just a couple of examples of how manipulating they can be.

As someone else posted here, CL seems to be emotionally immature. It seems she would have been easily manipulated into doing whatever he wanted her to do in order to keep him. I don't know her background, does anyone know if she has family? Is she close with her parents? Is she seeking love at all costs?

 

[southsleuth]

As someone else posted here, CL seems to be emotionally immature. It seems she would have been easily manipulated into doing whatever he wanted her to do in order to keep him. I don't know her background, does anyone know if she has family? Is she close with her parents? Is she seeking love at all costs?

Quite possible, but I can't help but think that something isn't right in CL's head. I believe her behavior will be explained in the next few days. Maybe her actions at hearings and trials?

 

[Butler321]

CL has ALWAYS been able to find a man to pay her bills. I know before going back to school she worked for some insurance company..... But prior to that she was rarely employed. Remember... When they got together AL had just received a fairly large settlement check he got after failing some claim against the prison he was in.... I think it was something like he was denied medical care. I'm sure that money has been gone.... But crystal isn't going to stay with a broke unemployed guy. He had to earn or he had to go.... That I can assure you.

 

[machiado]

Yes indeed. At some point, after a number of poor choices, a different conclusion must be drawn (such as personality disorder, narcissism, or other).

Seems she made a lot of very poor choices.

 

[hagger]

Or just plain greed & stupidity ...

 

[ConnectZDots]

CL has ALWAYS been able to find a man to pay her bills. I know before going back to school she worked for some insurance company..... But prior to that she was rarely employed. Remember... When they got together AL had just received a fairly large settlement check he got after failing some claim against the prison he was in.... I think it was something like he was denied medical care. I'm sure that money has been gone.... But crystal isn't going to stay with a broke unemployed guy. He had to earn or he had to go.... That I can assure you.

Sounds like, with AL, she met her match ...

 

[SeeAlice]

Sounds like, with AL, she met her match ...

Very sad for so many others' innocent lives.

 

[ConnectZDots]

I'm thinking if we go with a motive of the need of a quick cash infusion (as opposed to the goal of getting hot goods to offload- taking more time and having higher risk of getting caught) ...the scenario might be this. The big fight just prior to could have revolved around some emergency cash flow need they had -CL/AL. CL, not having a criminal background might have put her foot down and told him HE had to come up with the cash, "get a job"! Giving a small benefit of doubt to the local newspaper editor who reported AL stopped by in response to the ad for help needed and got an application (just for a minute lets pretend that was not a fully fabricated story!)... He may have made some half-a$$ed gesture like that to appease her order to try to get a job, showed her the application but in the background already be scheming his next move. AL, by trade more of a theif and con man than anything else, may have decided to up his game one notch by trying a ransom situation and calling upon a "friend" to assist, hence the rich realtor scheme set up....

Let's say CL is still unaware at this stage. AL and tall skinny dude in grey truck set out to pull off the caper and right up front something doesn't go as planned ... We can't say what yet, but plans go south, very south. And AL and accomplice had no effective Plan B to resort to so frantically scramble to cover up and invent as they go. Somewhere in here AL needs CL to assist in the cover up and new plan. He cant hide it from her anymore. She's his wife and sees what a horrific mess he had created for her, her family, etc and everyone and rushes in to try to fix it before it's too late, not knowing she is dead or dying.... Maybe the ransom was requested maybe not, maybe the whole thing fell apart early on and they never even got to that stage. We can't know yet.

All hypothetical conjecture and NOT at all my original theory for motive since I'm still holding out on a possible outcome of AL being hired hit man by a 3rd party to scare her, rough her up, get something else from her. But with the ransom now listed as a distinct possibility .... This might fit. ?? Thinking out loud only.

 

[concernedmother]

Its not unreasonable as we dont know what roles CL or AL played in this yet other than AL says he kidnapped her.

 

[beaglebrd]

I'm thinking if we go with a motive of the need of a quick cash infusion (as opposed to the goal of getting hot goods to offload- taking more time and having higher risk of getting caught) ...the scenario might be this. The big fight just prior to could have revolved around some emergency cash flow need they had -CL/AL. CL, not having a criminal background might have put her foot down and told him HE had to come up with the cash, "get a job"! Giving a small benefit of doubt to the local newspaper editor who reported AL stopped by in response to the ad for help needed and got an application (just for a minute lets pretend that was not a fully fabricated story!)... He may have made some half-a$$ed gesture like that to appease her order to try to get a job, showed her the application but in the background already be scheming his next move. AL, by trade more of a theif and con man than anything else, may have decided to up his game one notch by trying a ransom situation and calling upon a "friend" to assist, hence the rich realtor scheme set up....

Let's say CL is still unaware at this stage. AL and tall skinny dude in grey truck set out to pull off the caper and right up front something doesn't go as planned ... We can't say what yet, but plans go south, very south. And AL and accomplice had no effective Plan B to resort to so frantically scramble to cover up and invent as they go. Somewhere in here AL needs CL to assist in the cover up and new plan. He cant hide it from her anymore. She's his wife and sees what a horrific mess he had created for her, her family, etc and everyone and rushes in to try to fix it before it's too late, not knowing she is dead or dying.... Maybe the ransom was requested maybe not, maybe the whole thing fell apart early on and they never even got to that stage. We can't know yet.

All hypothetical conjecture and NOT at all my original theory for motive since I'm still holding out on a possible outcome of AL being hired hit man by a 3rd party to scare her, rough her up, get something else from her. But with the ransom now listed as a distinct possibility .... This might fit. ?? Thinking out loud only.

It's possible. I think CL is more involved in the planning and was there at the house when the kidnapping occurred. I think it's human to want to give the female in the situation the benefit of the doubt and make her out to be some kind of victim too. I don't buy it. But I'm willing to go with whatever LE has whenever that is found out.

 

[ConnectZDots]

This wasn't gender based thinking though. Will tell you why I was musing that scenario. AL undoubtedly has access to plenty of former inmates and common criminals he could use as accomplices if he's needing a partner -and CL would seem to me a very weak and not likely choice to pick first up, not because she's female --but because she didn't have the track record as a career criminal, hence would be a newbie on the job.. Higher risk of a screw up and botching the crime....so if he were upping his game to a higher crime (kidnapping) -even as sloppy as he was, I'd think he might up his accomplice's skill set too and pick someone who maybe already had done a kidnapping or two. ?? Maybe I'm overthinking it but it makes more sense when choosing an accomplice in high risk games like kidnapping to go for someone with at least some experience, comparable to your own at least if not more? we shall see I guess. Gotta run out now but food for thought.

 

[concernedmother]

We dont know if ransom was asked for and probably wont until the trial.If this was the motive Im curious what happened to stop them if they didnt?

 

[concernedmother]

There is still a possibility that AL is not the one who actually killed her.

 

[ConnectZDots]

And he may have guilted her into it...."you told me I had to come up with X amount of cash in X amount of days!" "I tried to get a job and couldn't....I was only trying to help!". Or something. And now I am late for my appointment! Gotta run!

 

[hagger]

Or she came up with the plot...

 

[hagger]

A parolee is required to have a job-- many like AL ONLY work when PO says get a job or be revoked-- I feel like he got the cement job to appease the Po....these type of parolees only get the job for a couple of weeks then quit or force the boss to fire them...a cycle they will then continue on & on...

ETA- these parolees can go many months before the PO cracks down..

 

[Coquette]

All hypothetical conjecture and NOT at all my original theory for motive since I'm still holding out on a possible outcome of AL being hired hit man by a 3rd party to scare her, rough her up, get something else from her. But with the ransom now listed as a distinct possibility .... This might fit. ?? Thinking out loud only.

Respectfully Snipped by me. I have thought this was likely the case from the beginning, so I am really curious to see how this plays out. I still think a third party *might* be named.

 

[ZooSleuth]

What I don't get is if this was a kidnapping that was planned ahead, why would they setup an appointment to check out a house using their regular phone number and contact information? That is just beyond stupid IMO. Then again, any sort of kidnapping for ransom in the year 2014 is stupid, but that just defies common sense.

ETA unconfirmed that AL setup the appt with his own phone #/contact info

 

[concernedmother]

Think I saw on FH (consider it a rumor) that the showing was supposed to be a couple from Russellville(correct name?) Maybe someone else remembers this better than I do.