GA - Katherine Janness, 40, fatally stabbed and dog killed, Piedmont Park, Atlanta, 28 Jul 2021 #3

[AtlantaBourne]

Here is a link to an article about this:Police investigate early morning officer involved shooting in midtown Atlanta
When i post a link i copy the address on my web browser and then paste it on my WS post. Does that make sense?

Yes. Thank you. DotR helped me out with it too. Thank u all.

 

[AtlantaBourne]

Here is a link to an article about this:Police investigate early morning officer involved shooting in midtown Atlanta
When i post a link i copy the address on my web browser and then paste it on my WS post. Does that make sense?

Yes. Thank you. DotR helped me out with it too. Thank u all.

This looks like the story here.

However the story says the object is a pipe, not a cane.
The man was hitting cars with it, like you said, and he has been arrested. The pipe looks pretty substantial in the photo.

That pic is from a different angle & better quality than the one I saw. Thanks. The pipe shown by 11alive news has some sort of black tip on 1 end. However, I don't see the height adjustment holes on it that you would see on the bottom part of an aluminum cane. So Imo not part of a cane. I had a theory about a tactical cane being used as the murder weapon & grasping at hope this person hitting cars & another had somehow ended up w/part of the murder weapon. Checking the web for these canes I found they can have a reach of 1 to 5 ft to injure or kill a person. Some of them hold rapiers/swords. I will never feel the same near someone with a cane again...or an umbrello.

 

[TL4S]

I keep thinking about that tree limb LE thought significant enough to load up as evidence. Now that we know something was apparently carved into the victim, I wonder if something was also carved into the tree. Or was a branch broken off and used as an "instrument," weapon, or for other purposes in the commission of the crime? Was there something in the autopsy which made it become important, or was something found on it during an evidence search of the park?

 

[dotr]

I’ve been reading Sexual Homicide: Patterns & Motives by Robert Ressler, Ann Burgess, and John Douglas. There’s a (somewhat) similar crime discussed in the book — it was interesting to see how the case was investigated and just thought I’d share.

*** WARNING: graphic details ***

Victim (found deceased on the rooftop of an apartment building in Chicago):

• beaten about the face and strangled with the strap of her purse
• nipples cut off after death and placed on her chest
• “You can’t stop me.” was scrawled in ink on the inside of thigh
• “F*** you” was scrawled on abdomen
• a pendant in the form of a Jewish sign (Chai), which she usually wore as a good luck piece around her neck, was missing and presumed taken by the murderer
• earrings were placed symmetrically on either side of her head
• jaw and nose broken and molars loosened
• multiple face fractures caused by a blunt force
• postmortem bite marks visible on thighs, as well as contusions, hemorrhages, and lacerations of the body

COD: strangulation (first manual, then ligature, with the strap of her purse)

“The fact that the murderer used a weapon of opportunity indicated that he did not prepare to commit this crime. He probably used his fist to render her unconscious, which may be the reason no one heard any screams.”

“This crime’s style is a single homicide with the murderer’s primary intent making it a sexually motivated type of crime. There was a degree of planning indicated by the organization and sophistication of the crime scene. The idea of murder had probably occupied the killer for a long period of time. The sexual fantasies may have started through the use and collecting of sadistic depicting torture and violent sexual acts.”

“The crime was considered very high risk for the offender. He committed the crime in broad daylight, and there was a possibility that other people might see him. It appeared that the victim happened to cross the path of the offender. The location of the crime suggested the offender felt comfortable in the area. He had been here before, and he felt that no one would interrupt the murder.”

“The crime scene indicated that the murder was one event, not one of a series of events. It also appeared to be a first-time killing, and the subject was not a typical organized offender. There were elements of both disorganization and organization; the offender might fall into a mixed category.”

“The crime scene was not staged. Sadistic ritualistic fantasy generated the sexual motivation for murder. He placed the victim in a degrading posture, which reflected his lack of remorse about the killing. The crime scene portrayed the intricacies of a long-standing murderous fantasy. The positioning of the victim suggested that the offender was acting out something he had seen before, perhaps in a fantasy or in a sadomasochistic pornographic magazine.”

“He positioned her earrings in a ritualistic manner, and he wrote on her body. This reflects some sort of imagery that he probably had repeated over and over in his mind. He took her necklace as a souvenir, perhaps to carry around in his pocket. The investigative profilers also noted that the body was positioned in the form of the woman’s missing Jewish symbol.”

“The sexual acts showed controlled aggression, but rage or hatred of women was obviously present. Although the offender might have preferred his victim conscious, he had to render her unconscious because he did not want to get caught. He did not want the woman screaming for help. The murderer’s infliction of sexual, sadistic acts on an inanimate body suggests that he was disorganized. He probably would be a very confused person, possibly with previous mental problems. The fact that he inflicted acts on a dead or unconscious person indicated his inability to function with a live or conscious person. The crime scene reflected that the killer felt justified in his actions and that he felt no remorse. He was not subtle. He left the victim in a provocative, humiliating position, exactly the way he wanted her to be found. He challenged the police in the message he wrote on the victim; the messages also indicated that the subject might well kill again.”

“The crime received intense coverage by the local media because it was such an extraordinary homicide. The local police responded to a radio call of a homicide. They in turn notified the detective bureau, which notified the forensic crime scene unit, medical examiner’s office, and the county district attorney’s office. A task force was immediately assembled of approximately twenty-six detectives and supervisors. An intensive investigation resulted, which included speaking to and interviewing more than two thousand people. Records checks of known sex offenders in the area proved fruitless. Handwriting samples were taken of possible suspects to compare to the writing on the body. Mental hospitals in the area were checked for people who might fit the profile of this type of killer.”

The FBI’s Behavorial Science Unit was contacted in order to draw up a profile. The outcome of the investigation was the apprehension of a suspect thirteen months after the discovery of the victim’s body.

Wondering now if KJ wore any type of meaningful (religious etc) jewellery and if she was Jewish or not?

 

[DobbyRN]

Horrible. I think now that we will be waiting a long time for the resolution of this murder. They don't seem to have any suspects. There is nothing in the news about it, except rehashing old stuff. But who knows what the FBI is doing ... unfortunately, they aren't talking about it.

I do hope they are working hard on this case. At times, I feel like perhaps the system is overwhelmed and they don't have enough resources or manpower to dedicate to investigating/solving this murder, however, I hope I am wrong. It would be a shame if this person claims more victims but I get the feeling that there is a high probability of this occurring if they don't identify, apprehend and convict him soon.

 

[AtlantaBourne]

I keep thinking about that tree limb LE thought significant enough to load up as evidence. Now that we know something was apparently carved into the victim, I wonder if something was also carved into the tree. Or was a branch broken off and used as an "instrument," weapon, or for other purposes in the commission of the crime? Was there something in the autopsy which made it become important, or was something found on it during an evidence search of the park?

The tree limb is a head scratcher. It was longer than the person that loaded (sortof tossed) it in to the LE van. It wasn't bagged & didn't seem to matter if leaves fell off or the wood was disturbed. I do agree that the timing of them taking it from the park was in line w/after the ME released the autopsy report. I can't imagine the significance other than your suggestions. Still considering the murderer was lying in wait in a tree to catch Katie & Bowie off guard.

 

[Mrskte83]

I’ve read websleuths for years but just joined so I could comment here. I’m an Atlanta native too and lived and worked in midtown for years and also in other parts of the city.

One thing I haven’t seen mentioned here is that there is free wifi in the park. Surely the police would be able to pull IP addresses of anyone connected during the timeframe of the murder. My husband is a police officer in a neighboring county and in his opinion they should have all info from cell phone companies by now as well. This leads me to believe they may/probably have a suspect and they are just building the case to make sure the charges stick.

Also re: fox 5- they are definitely the sloppiest reporters. So many of my husband’s arrests are reported as being arrested in the wrong county and many other discrepancies. They are known to want to be the first to report things but often do not report the correct info. My opinion only.

 

[Counttrarian]

I’ve read websleuths for years but just joined so I could comment here. I’m an Atlanta native too and lived and worked in midtown for years and also in other parts of the city.

One thing I haven’t seen mentioned here is that there is free wifi in the park. Surely the police would be able to pull IP addresses of anyone connected during the timeframe of the murder. My husband is a police officer in a neighboring county and in his opinion they should have all info from cell phone companies by now as well. This leads me to believe they may/probably have a suspect and they are just building the case to make sure the charges stick.

Also re: fox 5- they are definitely the sloppiest reporters. So many of my husband’s arrests are reported as being arrested in the wrong county and many other discrepancies. They are known to want to be the first to report things but often do not report the correct info. My opinion only.

Agree with you on FOX News, multiple posts here showing how sloppy they were. I wouldn't trust their reporting of the flesh carving either.
Disagree with you on gathering of cell phone records (IPs using city provided wifi is different, so not disagreeing with you there). LE can't simply get blanket individualized cell phone records for anyone/everyone in an area without risk of evidence being thrown out. GA courts may one thing, but the SCOTUS in Carpenter vs. United States is prevailing law.

 

[dotr]

Reminded somehow of the unsolved murder of a drama student, whose posed body was found in a park.
The killer had ''decorated '' her with flowers, proven to have come from a different area in the same park.
Similar type perp, victim? imo, speculation, fwiw.


NY Daily News
May 28, 2004 rbbm.
RING OF MYSTERY- TULIP PETALS SURROUNDED BODY IN CIRCULAR PATTERN
''The flower petals found around the nude corpse of murdered Juilliard School student Sarah Fox formed an eerie semicircle framing her left side, investigators revealed yesterday.

The probers – consulting with an NYPD cult expert, Detective Marcos Quinones – are looking into whether the killer returned later to place the flowers as a creepy personal or cult “ritual” in the woods of Inwood Hill Park in upper Manhattan.

The killer may have deliberately left her corpse on its back in a resting position with legs spread apart and arrayed the yellow flower petals from a tulip tree in a 12-foot radius from her head to her feet during a visit to the body up to five days after the murder, some investigators believe.

A botanist from the New York Botanical Gardens in The Bronx joined the probe yesterday, gardens spokesman George Shakespear confirmed.

The new evidence has left cops puzzled. Initially, they and another botanist believed that the flowers were clearly placed around the body. The botanist brought into the case yesterday could not rule out that possibility, but favors the idea that the flowers could have fallen in the unusual pattern, sources said.''

Police are checking on known sex offenders in the area, the possibility that a homeless person in the park might have killed her.

They are also probing whether Fox’s murder has links to the attempted sexual assault of a woman May 12 in a northern area of Central Park. That attack was thwarted after the woman resisted and her dog bit the fiend.''

 

[DobbyRN]

The tree limb is a head scratcher. It was longer than the person that loaded (sortof tossed) it in to the LE van. It wasn't bagged & didn't seem to matter if leaves fell off or the wood was disturbed. I do agree that the timing of them taking it from the park was in line w/after the ME released the autopsy report. I can't imagine the significance other than your suggestions. Still considering the murderer was lying in wait in a tree to catch Katie & Bowie off guard.

I have heard it suggested that perhaps bodily fluids of some sort may have been on the tree branch. I suppose anything is possible. It is perplexing. I wish we knew more.

 

[Mrskte83]

Agree with you on FOX News, multiple posts here showing how sloppy they were. I wouldn't trust their reporting of the flesh carving either.
Disagree with you on gathering of cell phone records (IPs using city provided wifi is different, so not disagreeing with you there). LE can't simply get blanket individualized cell phone records for anyone/everyone in an area without risk of evidence being thrown out. GA courts may one thing, but the SCOTUS in Carpenter vs. United States is prevailing law.

Sorry, I wasn’t clear. I agree they wouldn’t have cell phone records for everyone. I meant any that they had subpoenaed. So if they do have a suspect they have probably subpoenaed for pings to confirm his location.

 

[DobbyRN]

Sorry, I wasn’t clear. I agree they wouldn’t have cell phone records for everyone. I meant any that they had subpoenaed. So if they do have a suspect they have probably subpoenaed for pings to confirm his location.

I hope they have a suspect!!!

 

[thebodyfarm]

I keep thinking about that tree limb LE thought significant enough to load up as evidence. Now that we know something was apparently carved into the victim, I wonder if something was also carved into the tree. Or was a branch broken off and used as an "instrument," weapon, or for other purposes in the commission of the crime? Was there something in the autopsy which made it become important, or was something found on it during an evidence search of the park?

The killer carried a knife with him to stab her, didn't he? Well, maybe that knife was used to carve whatever into the body as well

 

[Rush4087]

The killer carried a knife with him to stab her, didn't he? Well, maybe that knife was used to carve whatever into the body as well

While there are many possible scenarios, my opinion at this point is that KJ’s murderer was either:

1.) somebody suffering from psychosis (mentally ill, or drug induced), or

2.) somebody known to KJ (and Bowie) who may have tried to stage the scene to make it appear to have been a hate crime

Just my opinion

 

[everybodhi]

DBM, already answered

 

[swedeheart]

Just saw this on Twitter. Anyone know what it's in reference to? No one has been ruled out?! What does that mean?!




Hayley Mason
@HayleyMasonTV

NEW: Atlanta Police Chief Rodney Bryant tells me no one has been ruled out as a suspect in the Piedmont Park murder case. He says the case is still wide open and active. The department has faced challenges accessing video from park cameras and is still working to recover images.

 

[PrairieWind]

Just saw this on Twitter. Anyone know what it's in reference to? No one has been ruled out?! What does that mean?!




Hayley Mason
@HayleyMasonTV

NEW: Atlanta Police Chief Rodney Bryant tells me no one has been ruled out as a suspect in the Piedmont Park murder case. He says the case is still wide open and active. The department has faced challenges accessing video from park cameras and is still working to recover images.

Hmmmm. Interesting.

 

[K.jill]

Just saw this on Twitter. Anyone know what it's in reference to? No one has been ruled out?! What does that mean?!




Hayley Mason
@HayleyMasonTV

NEW: Atlanta Police Chief Rodney Bryant tells me no one has been ruled out as a suspect in the Piedmont Park murder case. He says the case is still wide open and active. The department has faced challenges accessing video from park cameras and is still working to recover images.

I hope it does not mean that there is no DNA evidence. Or maybe there’s DNA from more than one person. Otherwise you think they’d be able to determine the killers sex and race.

 

[PrairieWind]

I hope it does not mean that there is no DNA evidence. Or maybe there’s DNA from more than one person. Otherwise you think they’d be able to determine the killers sex and race.

It seems to me that it either means there is no DNA or that the DNA that is there is either not complete, or they are not convinced is the killers. If they had DNA that they believed was the killers they would have been able to eliminate a lot of people. I am also considering a different angle of what this comment could mean.

 

[K.jill]

It seems to me that it either means there is no DNA or that the DNA that is there is either not complete, or they are not convinced is the killers. If they had DNA that they believed was the killers they would have been able to eliminate a lot of people. I am also considering a different angle of what this comment could mean.

Very well said, Prariewind!
Makes me think of a different angle as well.
Also, it frightens me that a person could commit this type of violent murder and not leave a good DNA sample. I hoped that the killer had cut him/her self and that either Bowie got a good bite or Katie scratched the killer.