Before I comment, I should commit full-disclosure: I am not as "intimately" involved with Howard or Melissa as many of their friends are, but I have met them both on occasion and the speculation I have seen in the past 11 pages does not depict them truthfully at all.
This may be my first post on this forum - and the first of what I hope will be many, as I feel I have the same cynical view as most here which has helped me provide opinions that have been successful on other similar forums - but what I have read about Melissa's disappearance, murder, and opinions on Howard since the news broke of his arrest is completely out of character for both of them. I hope you will all bear with me for a few moments... I may rant, but only because I know of inconsistencies in the media reports many of you are reporting.
First of all - there was a LARGE number of people (including myself) who were at Melissa's wake that had NO idea Howard had been detained in this case. When it started to circulate (I won't go into how or why), the general concensus was "it has to be a mistake!" Most of you posting here DON'T KNOW them.... to learn Howard was arrested, questioned, and now facing murder charges - it was akin to being kicked in the groin.
Like here, and almost everywhere else this case has been discussed, speculation ran wild... as did anger, sadness, disbelief.
I can't, and won't, believe that law enforcement has the right man.... YET. You had to see them together in order to have doubt in this - I have, and do.
Second - throughout the entire investigation there has been SO MUCH misinformation reported (right down to Melissa's funeral arrangements, which is the ONE thing you'd think media would get right in such a high-profile case). I've seen so many comments about how Howard wasn't interviewed, being the spouse AND last person to see Melissa. I can personally say he HAS been interviewed - on several occasions. Yes, it has now been reported that he was interviewed as a "grieving widower", but I can assure you all that as the person who reported her missing he was definitely treated as anything but.
Third - his detention and the search warrants served and executed are part and parcel of ANY investigation (especially a high-profile one such as this) where there are no suspects within the first 48 to 72 hours. I won't go into any of my background for the time being, but I will say that I have had training in "criminal investigation". Whether Howard's detention and subsequent charge of murder is based on tactics or evidence, I can't comment, but I *do* know from past training that it has been employed as a tactic to prove or disprove a theory. Without a confession, it will be hard to determine which this is until a judge and jury has rendered a verdict.
Third - I live mere blocks from the South Keys mall that Melissa's car and body were found. If I were allowed to become a member before now on this forum I could have cleared up a LOT of the speculation since I am in this area EVERY DAY.
Before I go into any descriptions of the lot in question, I need to state that South Keys has a VERY questionable reputation - much of the area has been designated as "social housing" and with that come the "get rich quick" problems. As such, there is a heightened police presence in the area - right down to a "community police station" on the first floor of my building.
With the site - Kelsey's is not a 24-hour restaurant like Denny's is. Denny's is *maybe* 75-100 metres south of Kelsey's. What NO MEDIA OUTLET is reporting - the Loblaws grocery store (about 300 metres or so west from where Melissa was found) is open 24 hours. The WalMart located about 600-800 metres away (south-west) used to be 24-hours, but has recently started closing shop at 11pm - yet has staff on site 24 hours a day.
I am finding it hard to envision a murder (if the media reports you all are quoting are correct) being able to happen with that much risk in that area. With murder comes sound - and at that time of night, sound travels (to the residential area across the street, the Home Depot down the road with 24-hour staff, the 24-hour stores in the immediate area she was supposedly killed, and to my own balcony) if Melissa was killed, as media is reporting, in that area... without the fact that people are on that property 24-hours a day and there is a heightened police presence in this area to begin with...
Forgive me - I may be ranting here like a lunatic, but I am doing it based on what I KNOW and not on speculation. I may be biased because I know the couple, but I am also very familiar with the "how well can you really know someone" statement... It's why I have been divorced twice.
Like all of you, I'd want answers too. I just hope to get them based on fact, and not speculation.
Thank you all for welcoming me into your group. I hope I don't disappoint.
