GA - Katherine Janness, 40, walking dog, both fatally stabbed, Piedmont Park, Atlanta, 28 July 2021

[sixtymph]

I really don’t think this was done by a homeless person. I used to live walking distance from the park, off the portion of the Beltline on the northern side of the park and worked at one of the bars across the street. I became very familiar with the homeless population in the area and became quite close with a few of them. That part of the Beltline leads to a large homeless camp that has been occupied for at least 10 years. Everyone knows everyone and they are very weary of newcomers and those who cause trouble. They are very protective of their community and push people out if they cause trouble. They would also frequently assist the police, as they know if they offer their help, the police won’t bother them. It’s a rather large community, so I believe if it was a fellow homeless person, word would spread fast and the killer would have been already caught. Also I believe the homeless in the area would be even more inclined to assist the police in this case as Katie worked at a bar herself. The bars around the park have a good relationship with the homeless in the area, we would often give them coffee and food and they would sometimes do small jobs for us or work “security” in the parking lots. It really is a great area full of many people from all different walks of life. I’m absolutely heartbroken for Katie and her loved ones.

 

[Quest701]

Regarding jogging man...he HAD to have seen something. Emma said Bowie could be seen from the gates to the park and she didn't have the benefit of a headlamp. I understand that runners can be hyper-focused, but I still lean to believing that he:
- ran into the park for 10 seconds
- saw a creature beside the path. Checked it out. Pondered what to do. (10-15 seconds)
- ran back out of the park (10 seconds)

Can anyone tell me how to listen to a local police scanner?

Something going down?

 

[K.jill]

Something going down?

Not that I know of. I just wanted to have a quick reference in case I hear of police activity nearby.

 

[skyedaze]

I read that the park’s cameras aren’t yet tied into the city’s camera system. If the cameras at the Piedmont/12th St gate and the 10th St/Charles Allen gate are in a different system than the camera at the 10th St/Piedmont intersection (and I don’t know that they are), could there be a slight difference in time between the two systems? I guess there’s no reason to think that either system would be incorrect or that they wouldn’t at least be very close, but even 5-10 minutes might make a big difference. Does anybody know whether the cameras showing the park gates are on the city’s system?

The cameras in the park are operated by the city/parks dept. Supposedly the technology for those cameras is outdated so they are not online or working. They apparently have not worked for years and any upgrades to get them online are not planned. I would seriously hope they change that.
The cameras outside the park are part of Atlanta Police Dept and are up and running.

 

[Snoopster]

Good night all.
I can't imagine that there won't be a break in this case in the next day or two.
KJ's loved ones deserve some closure and Atlanta residents deserve some peace.

 

[Razz]

Not that I know of. I just wanted to have a quick reference in case I hear of police activity nearby.

If you go to the Playstore, download Broadcastify. I bought the Pro model at a very reasonable price. (You don't have to to listen but it eliminates ads). It's a GREAT app.

 

[ArmchairDefective]

I really don’t think this was done by a homeless person. I used to live walking distance from the park, off the portion of the Beltline on the northern side of the park and worked at one of the bars across the street. I became very familiar with the homeless population in the area and became quite close with a few of them. That part of the Beltline leads to a large homeless camp that has been occupied for at least 10 years. Everyone knows everyone and they are very weary of newcomers and those who cause trouble. They are very protective of their community and push people out if they cause trouble. They would also frequently assist the police, as they know if they offer their help, the police won’t bother them. It’s a rather large community, so I believe if it was a fellow homeless person, word would spread fast and the killer would have been already caught. Also I believe the homeless in the area would be even more inclined to assist the police in this case as Katie worked at a bar herself. The bars around the park have a good relationship with the homeless in the area, we would often give them coffee and food and they would sometimes do small jobs for us or work “security” in the parking lots. It really is a great area full of many people from all different walks of life. I’m absolutely heartbroken for Katie and her loved ones.

Thank you for saying this; people experiencing homelessness are easy scapegoats and get such a bad rap, and while it's true that many have mental health and/or substance abuse issues, neither of those things automatically makes someone dangerous.

I'm dismayed that there hasn't been an arrest yet. It seems like it the murderer was someone Katie knew, they would have been able to confirm DNA match and press charges by now. If it was a stranger, the more time that passes seems the less likely they will be able to solve this as potential witness memories fade, etc. Still praying every day for justice to be served, and soon. Katie and Bowie deserve it and the city of Atlanta needs to know that this criminal isn't still among us.

 

[Razz]

Looking at Google Earth again, I see a section designated for off leash dog area.
It's by Clear Creek. Would she have taken Bowie there to run off leash? Does anyone know if his leash was still attached to his collar? Being there could explain the time lapse.

Also, I think the runner had one goal in mind and that was to hit the head (new fangled bathroom), do his business and keep going. He had to be familiar with the park to know it was there. Depending how the bathroom door opens, he may not have seen a thing. In fact, in some of the earlier pics of him you can see the road behind him as he's coming through the gate and there was nothing there. Same thing with the earlier picture of the 3 women.

 

[cujenn81]

Thank you for saying this; people experiencing homelessness are easy scapegoats and get such a bad rap, and while it's true that many have mental health and/or substance abuse issues, neither of those things automatically makes someone dangerous.

I'm dismayed that there hasn't been an arrest yet. It seems like it the murderer was someone Katie knew, they would have been able to confirm DNA match and press charges by now. If it was a stranger, the more time that passes seems the less likely they will be able to solve this as potential witness memories fade, etc. Still praying every day for justice to be served, and soon. Katie and Bowie deserve it and the city of Atlanta needs to know that this criminal isn't still among us.

I feel certain that suspect DNA was found all over poor Bowie and that crime scene. It will take some time to collect, process, and analyze all that DNA. Identifying, locating, and interviewing the witnesses can also be time consuming — and someone does know (or saw) something that may be useful to LE. I think that’s fairly evident just based on the number of people that stumbled upon the scene during the 911 call.

It’s only been 12 days since the attack. So, I’m still feeling hopeful that LE will find this guy. The sooner the better (obviously) — but LE certainly seems to be putting forth their very best effort at the moment.

 

[Rush4087]

I also wonder if the possible witness wearing the camo hoodie has come forward. I guess the timeline is a better fit for him (as being a possible witness down near 10th St and Charles Allen) than it is for the guy with the tank top and cane.

But I still think there’s a clock or time discrepancy somewhere. If Emma got home at around 12:30 - and said she got home about an hour after she said goodbye to KJ - it means that KJ left Henry’s Midtown at around 11:30. If that’s the case though, why was KJ seen walking through the 10th St / Piedmont intersection at 12:09? That means it took her 40 min to go one block (and then 30 minutes to go the next full half mile down 10th St to Charles Allen).

I guess she could’ve just spent some time outside of Henry’s, or maybe just walked in circles for 40 minutes. But it just seems odd. She’d already been out with Bowie for some time. They were over a mile from home
- and about to head further in the opposite direction. Maybe Emma was wrong about when she said goodbye.

It would make more sense if the camera clock was perhaps wrong - if the time stamp on the 10th / Piedmont intersection camera showed 11:45 instead of 12:09 - but, it is what it is. That would’ve put her in the park closer to 12:05- 12:10. That time might explain why head lamp jogger heard nothing (though perhaps not why he saw nothing), and also might bring the guy with the possible blood stained tank top and suspicious cane back into the picture (I still don’t see a purse).

Again, I’m not saying the time stamp is wrong. I’m just struggling to understand how KJ could have left Henry’s at 11:30 and not gotten to 10th St / Piedmont intersection until 12:09?

Just trying to make it fit. All speculation.

 

[Shellinaya]

Here you go... https://mobile.twitter.com/ZacOnTV/status/1421228472748417027

The tweet shows investigators returning to the park to load into their van a "large tree branch" that was at or near the scene. We haven't really discussed how this could be related to the crime. IMO they found something at autopsy that caused them to realize it was related.

The second picture in the tweet shows the scene and it appears family or friends have left a small memorial.

I too think the runner either didn't want to run by a sick/injured animal OR he thought he saw a sexual encounter occurring just off the path and tried to avoid.

I don't think the tree branch is related. Tree branches fall off trees all the time in the Atlanta area. I have an ongoing pile on my yard of branches that have fallen from my trees. I can barely keep up with it. My guess would be the branch fell off and it took a while to pick it up because of the crime scene being near by.

 

[Yemelyan]

I don't think the tree branch is related. Tree branches fall off trees all the time in the Atlanta area. I have an ongoing pile on my yard of branches that have fallen from my trees. I can barely keep up with it. My guess would be the branch fell off and it took a while to pick it up because of the crime scene being near by.

You could be right, but if the branch just happened to fall off and had nothing at all to do with the crime, why not send the parks department staff to pick it up then? The reporters tweet says crime scene investigators were seen loading into their van:

Crime scene investigators seen loading large tree branch into van near the site of where the body of Katie Janness was found Wednesday morning in Piedmont Park.

https://mobile.twitter.com/ZacOnTV/status/1421228472748417027

 

[Shellinaya]

If it was a severely mentally ill homeless person I think they would have found them by now. I don’t think that person would be able to disappear very easily. Their clothes would be blood soaked with nowhere really to change or wash up.
I’m not sold on a targeted gay hate crime or targeted toward her specifically. It just seems too gruesome, overkill.
The thing that keeps popping into my mind is Jack the Ripper like crime.

There is a lake in Piedmont Park where he could have washed and even ditched the knife. I'm not sure how far away from the scene of the crime it is though.

To me, the idea that it was a hate crime because she's gay does not make sense. How would the killer have even known she was gay, unless they knew her personally?

I wonder if she was followed into the park by the killer, if it was someone she was trying to ditch because she felt they were following her, and that was why her walking that night took a more meandering route.

 

[Quest701]

So I have really bad insomnia and have to get this off my chest as I’ve been pretty spooked by this whole thing. I hope it’s ok if I share a weird encounter my wife and I had in Atlanta the other month.

So about 6 weeks or so ago, my wife and I were eating on the patio of a restaurant in our neighborhood (we live 4.5 miles from Piedmont Park so it’s not in our backyard, but not too far either). We’re eating away and all the sudden this guy from the kitchen pops out wearing an apron and one of those hats line cooks wear. He asks for my water. I thought it was strange but figured he might be socially awkward so I let him take it. He then sits on a chair nearby our table and starts chatting with us. He talked about normal stuff, like the weather. At one point he was wiping sweat off his brow (it was really hot) and looking up at the kitchen and telling stories about how unbearable it is cooking in the summer heat.

Totally normal stuff, right? At this point he’s waving to customers and they’re waving back and so on. Our waiter came up to check on us eventually, and the guy points to him and is like “This guy is the best waiter we have!” to which our waiter laughs and says “Thanks man”. Again, nothing unusual here.

All the sudden, a little after the waiter left, the guy pulls out a ring and tries selling it to us. “Ok this is really WEIRD.” I text my wife. She texts back that we should get the check. Our waiter is nowhere to be seen so we have to endure his increasingly erratic behavior as we wait. We rebuff his offer and tell him “no thanks”. He then apologizes and starts talking about the weather again...

At one point (we had been talking for over 15 minutes by now) he’s mid sentence and then all the sudden starts SPEAKING IN TONGUES. I’m not one to judge the mentally ill,but this was SO. JARRING because it came out of nowhere. And he honestly was otherwise articulate. He then grew more agitated and told this young man walking with his girlfriend across the street that she will leave him because she’s a “”.

My wife and I continue to stay calm and anxiously await the check. Sensing that we are leaving, the guy says “Can I have this?!” and points to my chicken wings. I oblige but maybe caution that he shouldn’t because of Covid-19. He then takes some hand sanitizer and sprays it all over the chicken wings and begins to scarf them down. We sign the check when it comes and pretty much run after our waiter apologizes. Out of the corner of our eye as we are leaving, we can see the man darting full speed across the street in his white hat and white apron.We sprint back to our place fearing that he’ll cut back and follow us.

My wife later ran into our waiter when on a walk and he pulled her aside to apologize and said “He definitely DOES NOT work here, and we were spooked that he dressed up in that apron to fool you guys. We are so so sorry. I hope your dinner wasn’t ruined.” My wife tells the waiter we know it’s not their fault etc.

We continued to see that guy behind our building about 3 days a week. Sometimes out of nowhere my wife would look up while walking one of our dogs and he would be sitting on a nearby bench, asking her to sit with him (she of course always goes back in when this happens). Other times he’d be staring at a passing train and saying cryptic things like “It’s our time to board!”. The most recent time she saw him, he barked at our dog (This was like Monday July 26thish).I caution my wife to not walk our dogs past dark but sometimes we have to walk them late. She always keeps an eye out for him though.

I guess the point to this story is, I’ve seen (and have empathy for) my fair share of mentally unstable people agitated on the streets. But I’ve never seen anything like this. What struck me most about this guy was his dedication to and execution of an elaborate plan (i.e. buying the apron and hat so he could pose as a cook) all while reaching a “speaking in tongues” level detached from reality.

I 100% don’t think this guy has anything to do with recent events but thought I’d share because this interaction made me realize that even people experiencing a mental break can have moments of lucidity and stick to a plan to achieve a goal (I know a lot of you talked about this a lot with respect to whether a person in the throes of psychosis could execute something so heinous and get away with it).

 

[scriabina]

I 100% don’t think this guy has anything to do with recent events but thought I’d share because this interaction made me realize that even people experience a mental break can have moments of lucidity and stick to a plan to achieve a goal (I know a lot of you talked about this a lot with respect to whether a person in the throes of psychosis could execute something so heinous and get away with it).

That is highly disturbing. The guy is waiting outside your building on multiple occasions and harassing your wife as she sets out to walk your dog(s)? What makes you 100% sure this guy has nothing to do with Katie's murder? Sounds like he could to me. If I were you, I would contact the authorities and tell them everything you shared here, plus provide a description of the man, and next time you see him, call the police too.

 

[Shellinaya]

I may not be the Best, most experienced poster to answer this question but I think the answer is that we have seen all sorts of reactions from loved ones. I don’t think it’s uncommon for a significant other to do interviews. I think it varies greatly by individuals.
I have noticed several times that a WS poster has brought attention to the fact that they think a spouse is being untruthful in an interview. And then days or weeks or months later it turns out they were right.
I have not seen that happen in this case.
She or her father may think that this is the best way to keep Katie‘s name out there and attention on the case.

<modsnip>

One article I read on 11Alive.com said Emma told reporters she talked to LE for six hours. Isn't that also strange? Six hours?

Piedmont Park stabbing | Katie Janness wife speaks about scene | 11alive.com

 

[TL4S]

If the dog was visible like 50 feet inside the gate, why did it take the jogger 41 seconds to see it and decide to turn around to avoid a possible tangle? That answer alone does not work for me.

If he saw the dog, he clearly spent some time inside the park entrance despite its presence. It's possible, as suggested earlier, that he stopped, checked the dog, maybe even saw the whole crime scene and just got the he** out of Dodge (although he didn't look particularly panicked when he left, imo, nor did he report anything, apparently). If he used the bathroom, he did so without worrying about the dog. He exited the park and just kept running.

It's strange, and it's why I'm open to considering the attack happened right afterwards (yeah, I get that this isn't likely based of the assumed timing). But the gf didn't get there until sometime between 1 and 1:11am, based on 911 call. Several other people were also around then. I am not convinced an injured or dead dog (and a human victim nearby, with a cell phone possibly ringing repeatedly) lay there at the entrance of the park for over 30-40 minutes without being seen and/or reported.

 

[Quest701]

That is highly disturbing. The guy is waiting outside your building on multiple occasions and harassing your wife as she sets out to walk your dog(s)? What makes you 100% sure this guy has nothing to do with Katie's murder? Sounds like he could to me. If I were you, I would contact the authorities and tell them everything you shared here, plus provide a description of the man, and next time you see him, call the police too.

I see what you’re saying, but I want to clarify that he probably doesn’t know who we are from one day to the next. We live in a pretty urban area near public transportation and will see the same homeless people regularly, so he’s not targeting us per se. The deviousness of the chef hat and apron “posing as a kitchen employee” ploy REALLY unsettled us though, and I’ve thought about writing a non-emergency report via my county’s website considering recent events. Maybe I’ll do that tomorrow.

 

[NalaJane]

Katie worked at Campagnola Restaurant & Bar. This is located 1 building southwest of 1oth & Piedmont. Is it possible she stopped in there for some reason after chatting with Emma at Henrys?

It was never mentioned that she stopped at Campagnola. She was off that day, so I would doubt it.

 

[NalaJane]

Good night all.
I can't imagine that there won't be a break in this case in the next day or two.
KJ's loved ones deserve some closure and Atlanta residents deserve some peace.

The media interviewed Emma again, and she said that she is very angry about all of this since it makes no sense. All of us feel Emma's pain and want this nightmare to end or at least be subdued to where it is bearable, especially for those personally involved with the victims (Katie and Bowie). Emma also mentioned that the police have not given her any additional information. I think this is callous of the APD and the Mayor's office especially, for not at least reaching out to Emma to give some type of update, even if they just say it is their top priority. Not saying anything to anyone gives the impression that they have no clue who did this, especially when they finally come out and say we need the public's help to solve this. I read in the AJC this morning that they submitted an open records request to the city of Atlanta to get information from the cameras "inside" the park, and they should have it in about two weeks. Why two weeks? Did they "just" submit the open records request? Does it take two weeks to extract that information from the cameras (technology)? Now, the Atlanta Dogwood Festival is set up in Piedmont Park in and around where the murder took place. It just seems so insensitive and callous to have those festivities near this area. Why don't they move it somewhere else? The handling of this case has been most bothersome to everyone.