GA - Katherine Janness, 40, fatally stabbed and dog killed, Piedmont Park, Atlanta, 28 Jul 2021 #4

[AtlantaBourne]

Also noting the limb may have been analyzed/compared w/detritus found in stab wounds per the FCME autopsy report.
JMO

 

[Pandasleuth2]

Because LE haven't publicly identified a suspect or person of interest, does not mean they don't have one. We have to be careful not to equate what we the public know, with what the investigators know. They always know much more than they release. And they sometimes even lie about what they know to be true, if it furthers their opportunity to build their case.

Even if they were able to track the perpetrator and gain clues from that, it may not be enough to identify him on any other video. Video from the park itself seems to be nonexistent and, as mentioned upthread, there are a million ways to leave the park that don't involve strolling out of one of the exits. I think if they had video and needed the public's help, that's something that likely would be released by now.

Final thought and just my opinion...when these cases go on with no apparent movement it's often not because the perpetrator was a mastermind who planned the perfect way to commit a crime and stumped the police. Instead it's usually a perpetrator who stupidly lucked into some situation where LE just don't have the final piece of evidence they need to make an arrest or prove their theory of the crime.

I think you’re right on target. This is what I’ve been trying to say. I think it’s more of a “read between the lines” type of case at this point. I wholeheartedly believe it was 2 people, and I believe they knew who it was from the get go. They just don’t have the final piece to the puzzle to make an arrest. And just like the detective said in the last press conference, if he jumps the gun and makes that arrest without sufficient evidence, it won’t be a justified outcome.

 

[FonescaFan]

Exactly. Additionally, it was dark enough that night, and the city walkways inside the park so far from pristine, that there is very little chance that any blood trail would have been observable as such until morning, IMO.

However, this does bring up the important point that by the time morning came LE may have been able to track how the murderer left the scene (or even just the direction) by by any blood trail or bloody footprints left behind. And this would be a crucial piece of evidence for them, if they have it.

If the killer had an electric scooter, skateboard, or a bike, it would have been a fast, quiet exit and left no trail. Not sure if a scent dog can follow a scent in that manner—? IMO.

 

[Periwinkl3]

Was Bowie typically muzzled on walks? I would think not. Did the killer/accomplice bring a muzzle for Bowie? Was Katie forced to muzzle Bowie?

About the lower back tattoo: I believe the killer knew it was there. It was a flashpoint for him/her, and that's why it got so much attention during the attack. IMHO, from the autopsy description, stabbing/cutting it would not have killed her. The killer wanted to express an opinion.

I'm back to thinking the killer had martial arts training.

 

[AtlantaBourne]

IMO I see the point in regards to the numerous stab wounds to the tattoo, although, can't rule out the killer did not know it was there due to the very deep stab wound to the cleft that was perfect verticle wound (according to the FCME autopsy report). Which wounds occurred first? This also tells me, IMO, that the killer could see, somehow, in the dark.

 

[Snoop Sister]

Bump

 

[dotr]

Piedmont Park murder: Search Katherine ...
sports.yahoo.com

Piedmont Park murder: Katherine Janness stabbing investigation 1 year later​

Piedmont Park murder: Katherine Janness ...
fox5atlanta.com

A year later, no answers in killing of Katie Janness at Piedmont Park in Atlanta​

Katie Janness at Piedmont Park in Atlanta
ajc.com

Loved ones still await answers over who killed Katie Janness in Piedmont Park​

2:31
who killed Katie Janness in Piedmont Park
sports.yahoo.com

 

[DeDee]

Thank you for the sweet photos of Katie and Bowie, dotr.

To expound on AtlantaBourne's feasible suggestion that the killer could see in the dark, I was reminded of MissyBevers' unsolved murder inside the church in Midlothian, TX by an Unsub wearing full SWAT gear on Monday, April 18, 2016 before 5am.

MissyBevers' Murder
The killer may have used a cellphone to record the slaying

May 5, 2016
Slain fitness instructor Missy Bevers received 'creepy and strange' message days before death, search warrant says

So, Texas LEO thought perhaps MB's killer recorded her murder. When we took the surveillance video, frame by frame, in order to study the images, we saw the killer wore a headlight, at least, while in the Southern hallway. They also carried a flashlight and a hammer.

What if we are not searching for someone posturing as an avid jogger, an ordinary pedestrian or a psychotic mad dog killer but someone who was wearing a clever disguise? It was dark in PP as we watched the video of police using their flashlights to search the area after Katie's body was discovered. This makes AtlantaBourne's necessary light source theory rather plausible.

July 28, 2021 @ 00:48 in the video
What we know about the Piedmont Park stabbing of a woman and her dog

MB's killer wore a headlamp during portions of the crime.
Image of killer in MB's murder as they roamed the Southern hallway taken from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram YT video titled:
Extended view of Midlothian church murder suspect

I stand on the side with ATL Police who feel Katie's murderer was familiar with her and Bowie. Therefore, making this a targeted killing with aforethought and premeditation. The timing makes it even sadder to know Katie missed her flight to visit her family by just hours. Perhaps the killer knew Katie had plans to fly away the next day.

 

[DeDee]

Was Bowie typically muzzled on walks? I would think not. Did the killer/accomplice bring a muzzle for Bowie? Was Katie forced to muzzle Bowie?

About the lower back tattoo: I believe the killer knew it was there. It was a flashpoint for him/her, and that's why it got so much attention during the attack. IMHO, from the autopsy description, stabbing/cutting it would not have killed her. The killer wanted to express an opinion.

I'm back to thinking the killer had martial arts training.

I will certainly entertain Periwinkl3's concept of having a muzzle for Bowie. The released image of Katie and Bowie in the rainbow crosswalk is not clear enough for us to detect whether or not Bowie is muzzled but I'd think no, not late into the night with so few others around. This would not rule out a muzzle being brought to the scene by the killer.

A precious dog being stabbed would surely squeal from excruciating pain but not be able to do so if muzzled fairly tightly. That is a better option than the killer clamping Bowie's mouth shut with one hand while they stabbed with the other. Which begs the question: How was this horrifying double homicide committed?
.

 

[Cowabunga02]

Thank you for the sweet photos of Katie and Bowie, dotr.

To expound on AtlantaBourne's feasible suggestion that the killer could see in the dark, I was reminded of MissyBevers' unsolved murder inside the church in Midlothian, TX by an Unsub wearing full SWAT gear on Monday, April 18, 2016 before 5am.





What if we are not searching for someone posturing as an avid jogger, an ordinary pedestrian or a psychotic mad dog killer but someone who was wearing a clever disguise? It was dark in PP as we watched the video of police using their flashlights to search the area after Katie's body was discovered. This makes AtlantaBourne's necessary light source theory rather plausible.

July 28, 2021 @ 00:48 in the video
What we know about the Piedmont Park stabbing of a woman and her dog



View attachment 360121

I stand on the side with ATL Police who feel Katie's murderer was familiar with her and Bowie. Therefore, making this a targeted killing with aforethought and premeditation. The timing makes it even sadder to know Katie missed her flight to visit her family by just hours. Perhaps the killer knew Katie had plans to fly away the next day.

I believe the killer did know her travel plans and that is why it is an extra-devastating crime for all her loved ones up in Michigan. The light being necessary also makes sense.

 

[Pandasleuth2]

I believe the killer did know her travel plans and that is why it is an extra-devastating crime for all her loved ones up in Michigan. The light being necessary also makes sense.

I also believe the killer knew her travel plans. And to be quite honest, it furthers my belief that the killer(s) are people very close to her. Not many people knew of her travel plans. She was a quiet person who probably didn’t just tell everyone she was traveling.

 

[Pandasleuth2]

I will certainly entertain Periwinkl3's concept of having a muzzle for Bowie. The released image of Katie and Bowie in the rainbow crosswalk is not clear enough for us to detect whether or not Bowie is muzzled but I'd think no, not late into the night with so few others around. This would not rule out a muzzle being brought to the scene by the killer.

A precious dog being stabbed would surely squeal from excruciating pain but not be able to do so if muzzled fairly tightly. That is a better option than the killer clamping Bowie's mouth shut with one hand while they stabbed with the other. Which begs the question: How was this horrifying double homicide committed?
.

This is why I don’t believe he was stabbed. Also, no one ever confirmed he was stabbed. His autopsy has not been released. So none of us know for sure how he was killed.

In my opinion, I think he was tazed. There is a reason police are not releasing his report yet. It has info only the killer would know, example: How Bowie died.

 

[mickey2942]

There is so much speculation here. I agree, Bowie had to be taken out quickly, first, so this seems to have been planned. A taser is a good idea. And the specificity of the attack on the tattoo seems to be significant that the killer knew Katherine. A blitz attack...

I don't know, ever since the kidnapping of Jayme Closs...if she had not been able to escape, the police had zero clue who the kidnapper was...definitely didn't see some loser incel, who had zero ties to the family.

My hope is that the police have an idea of who the killer is...because having some random killer like that in Atlanta at large...wouldn't make me feel safe.

 

[Periwinkl3]

There is so much speculation here. I agree, Bowie had to be taken out quickly, first, so this seems to have been planned. A taser is a good idea. And the specificity of the attack on the tattoo seems to be significant that the killer knew Katherine. A blitz attack...

I don't know, ever since the kidnapping of Jayme Closs...if she had not been able to escape, the police had zero clue who the kidnapper was...definitely didn't see some loser incel, who had zero ties to the family.

My hope is that the police have an idea of who the killer is...because having some random killer like that in Atlanta at large...wouldn't make me feel safe.

It's so frustrating for all who want justice for KJ & B not to know what LE knows.

Many WS members know that in the LISK case, for over ten years, police held back photos of a belt with unusual initial markings on it that was found at the 2010 scene, along with four victims. When asked why they took so long, they declined to answer. New Images Of Belt Released In Gilgo Beach Serial Killing Case | Oxygen Official Site

Granted, a very different case. But IMHO in KJ's case it would help if the public could see, not the actual photos of her wounds, but instead a clearly drawn representation of the carved letters (FAT or FA T) described in her autopsy report. Maybe a visual representation of that much detail, released to the media, would trigger someone's memory about someone's graffiti habits, or a gang tag, or a nickname. Time goes by, and people move away, or pass on, or get talked out of speaking up. So the fact that no such picture has been released makes me think LE knows who did this, and is building a bulletproof case.

 

[dotr]

F A T Could that be a name or acronym for a place, bar, stage, outdoor venue- where KJ might have performed or bartended? Taken photos? An old grudge?
speculation, imo.

 

[Periwinkl3]

F A T Could that be a name or acronym for a place, bar, stage, outdoor venue- where KJ might have performed or bartended? Taken photos? An old grudge?
speculation, imo.

They all seem plausible. To me, those letters are key. Why did the killer spend the time and effort? Maybe as a kind of personal response to her mutilated multicolored tattoo?

 

[dotr]

They all seem plausible. To me, those letters are key. Why did the killer spend the time and effort? Maybe as a kind of personal response to her mutilated multicolored tattoo?

Could A stand for Atlanta?

 

[DeDee]

I watched numerous videos of dogs being tasered. They yelp like crazy even though tasing does take them to the ground; they're in immense pain while writhing, barking and yelping on the ground. One such video showed the tasing of a dog who attacked the Officer's hand while being the tased. I did not locate one video where a dog died while being tased during a cursory search.

But, some dogs have died after being tased. Most of these were large dogs, such as Pitbulls. We don’t know if these dogs had underlying medical conditions that made them more susceptible to succumb to these attacks or if the tasers could outright be blamed for their deaths.

Tasers administer an electric current to the body, causing ventricular fibrillation. In laymen’s terms, it shocks the body, causing the heart’s rhythm to change temporarily. If this shock is strong enough, the victim can die.
Can A Taser Kill A Dog? | Quality Dog Resources

This is why I cautiously feel the necropsy has not been released:

APD ordered an examination looking for potential DNA that may have ended up on, or in the mouth of Bowie


Then, we have this statement that perhaps the ATL Police have not corrected due to freedom of the press. Several news orgs report it this way:

July 31, 2021
A woman and her dog were brutally stabbed to death early Wednesday at Atlanta’s Piedmont Park in what police described as a “gruesome” scene.
Woman and her dog are fatally stabbed in Atlanta park, FBI investigating

Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic media, especially published materials, should be considered a right to be exercised freely. Source Wiki

How probable is it that the killer approached Bowie with a doggie treat and when Bowie went to accept the treat, the dog was stabbed?

 

[DeDee]

Stun Gun Laws in Georgia​

Legally, stun guns are divided into two types:

• One type requires you to make direct contact with your target before the gun discharges.
• The other type, used by police, fires a projectile (typically a wire) into the target so it can be used at a distance.

The “contact” type of stun gun is not considered a firearm in Georgia and can generally be carried without a permit. The “projectile” type stun gun is considered a firearm and is regulated by the same laws that govern the use of other types of weapons.

<> Even with a permit, you will not be able to carry a projectile stun gun into certain public places where the owner forbids firearms.

Stun Gun Penalties in Georgia​

Carrying a projectile stun gun without a permit is a criminal offense in Georgia, and a convicted felon caught carrying one can face up to 5 years in prison. <>

With or without a permit, criminal penalties can be significantly enhanced if you use a stun gun to commit a crime.
Atlanta Stun Gun Defense Lawyers | Georgia Stun Gun Laws
_____________

I don't think any of these laws would prevent a killer from using a stun gun if they wanted to do so but the additional enhanced charge is interesting to note.

 

[AtlantaBourne]

The letters are definitely important IMO as to their meaning to the killer. Solving the 'code' of them would get LE closer to an arrest, IMO. But such a wide range of possibilities. Dotr suggests several possibilities I had not thought of.
Also, standouts to me, the description of 'A' in the autopsy report with the horizontal line actually a pretty deep stab wound. IIRC about 1-1/2" deep.
The 'T' more confounding due to the horizontal line longer than verticle lines...the autopsy states two parallel lines to form the verticle part of the 'T' caused me & others to think of the pi symbol.
JMO