GUILTY IL - Jacob Wheeler, 22, & Jessica Evans, 17, White County, 25 Aug 2012 - #1

[hambirg]

I think I now realize what it is that's bothering me about the Jacob as culprit scenarios. It is NOT in any way conclusive, but rather just a bit suggestive.

* Three (ish) shots to the head suggests someone with self control. It's not definative, but it seems to lean that way.

* If, and this is speculation, but if Jacob did decide to murder her it seems reasonable to believe that it would have been more a crime of emotion. It seems unlikely that he was a psychopath with a great public personality.

* The guy who put three bullets into her head executed her.

* IF Jacob was that executioner, if in some cold analytical way he decided she had to die, I would almost expect him to have taken her home then killed her at some future less incriminating moment.

* IF we are to believe that Jacob executed her, we need a reason why that involves more than a simple break-up. And further, we almost have to believe that he was either an emotionless psychopath.

ALL MY OPINION, RANDOM THOUGHTS, ETC...

I don't want to believe that Jacob did this either, but I can't rule out a psychotic break aggravated by PTSD or some other underlying condition.

I just can't get past that they haven't found him yet. If Jessi was executed in the bed of the truck, I would suspect to find Jacob right next to her or very close. Since this hasn't happened, I don't know what to think.

If Jacob was armed and there was a struggle or a shoot out wouldn't he have tried to go somewhere to make contact and get help? I'd still like to know if he owns a cell phone.

MOO

 

[GateKeeper]

I want to know what evidence Jessica "holds".
I hope she somehow scratched the sh.. outta them or grabbed a handful of hair.
But, from the sounds of it..3 shots to the head..I fear she didnt get that close. Totally IMO.

 

[baseball40]

I just hope Jessica did not have to go through a major struggle or anything. I hope it was unexpected and she never saw it coming. It is terribly sad to say, but I hope it was so quick she didn't have time to realize what was going to happen.

I am sure that the police assume (and know so much more) but can't legally reveal it until they have proof. I would go out on a limb to say that they know at least a little bit more information that they are not releasing yet just to save their butts legally.

 

[Public_Hysteria]

This case is driving me nuts. I honestly don't think that Jacob did it, but I really thought he'd be found by now. I can't shake the feeling that there's a third party involved. From all the information we have, I can't see him 'snapping' and doing this. Three shots to the head seems too controlled for an emotional killing (ie. if they had a fight and he did it impulsively out of anger), but the way they were all night doesn't indicate it was something he had planned (eyewitnesses at McDonalds seeing them happy and having fun, and Jessi calling her Mum to excitedly tell her she'd caught her first fish). I really don't see him taking a gun as anything out of the ordinary, and I don't believe he 'stole' it from his parents. I think he took it as the place they were going to was remote and a bit out of the way, I believe he took it as protection from any animals they may have crossed, or potentially in case they came across some not-so-nice people (previous posters have said it's sometimes not the safest area). Unfortunately I don't believe he had the time to pull the weapon out to protect themselves, or the weapon was used against them as they slept in the back of the ute.

Although, none of this seems to fit as Jacob's body hasn't been found. Possibly Jacob was the intended victim, and Jessi was killed because she was 'in the way'? But who would have known they would be there? And was there anyone who had it in for Jacob? All accounts make it sound like he was a friendly guy with no real enemies.

Curious about this man covered in blood though. Could be a coincidence, but I feel as though he's connected to the case in some way. I just can't figure how, especially if LE are certain he wasn't Jacob. They must have some form of reliable information to be able to make this claim, but without knowing what I don't really know what to make of it.

 

[Public_Hysteria]

Further to this, could the reason LE haven't released any details about the gun that was used to kill Jessi be because it's the gun that is missing from Jacob's parents house? This doesn't mean that Jacob was the shooter though, another person could have come across them and laid their hands on the weapon. If they had the gun they could check for prints, but I have a feeling this is why the weapon hasn't been found (unless it has and I've completely missed it).

 

[Public_Hysteria]

Sorry for the triple post, but I just can't shake this case...

Assuming Jacob isn't the killer, and assuming Jessi and the ute were found in roughly the same area as she was killed... I can't help but feel that Jacob was the intended victim. Jessi's murder was done in cold blood. She was shot three times in the head, execution style, and there was no evidence of sexual assault. To shoot someone in the head like that is not messing around. They meant to kill her, and ensured she was dead (hence the three shots). It just feels to me that Jessi was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and whoever killed her took Jacob with them. It just doesn't feel like an emotional kill, and that coupled with no sign of Jacob seems to me that the shooter was interested in Jacob, not Jessi.

Just throwing around ideas, I've assumed a lot in this post and may be way off the mark. But without further information, this seems to be a possibility.

IMHO and all that jazz...

RIP Jessi, you were taken far too young. Prayers for your friends and family. <3

 

[Jersey*Girl]

Hmmm... Interesting... Apparent LEAVE from the Army?

http://www.disclosurenewsonline.com...ned-leads-are-being-followed-in-wheeler-case/

EVENING UPDATE: Video surveillance examined; leads are being followed in Wheeler case
By JACK HOWSER
Published: 8:10 pm, August 30, 2012

Snipped:
The search Monday turned up Wheeler&#8217;s truck, appearing to have been pushed down an embankment at the Little Wabash&#8230;and Evans&#8217; body in the bed, covered with limbs and vegetation in a thinly-veiled attempt, it appeared, to obscure her from view.

Snipped:
their home, where he had been staying since the split from his wife and apparent leave from the Army, has been searched and a gun has turned up missing (authorities are not saying whether they believe there is anything meaningful about this at all). Subpoenas have been obtained to track his credit card/bank access use, as well as his parents&#8217; phone records.

 

[hollyblue]

I wanna go,to
Devils Standtable, now!

geologically impressive... And aesthetically gorgeous! :great:

OT: LOL. I learned the meaning of grace twice in that place. The first was in my teens going down a carved out rock stairway that I ran down....and don't know to this day how I survived because momentum took over and I should have taken a very bad fall, but for some reason, with an angel under my wings I made it. The whole group I was with couldn't believe it. The second, I was in my early twenties and rock climbing. It was pretty closed in and I turned my head and yep, sure enough there was a snake curled up just looking at me from just inches away. Don't know what kind...didn't care...just got the hello out of there.

Look up The Garden of the Gods and Giant City State Park on You Tube.

 

[Jersey*Girl]

The words spoken say a lot. It's worth the listen to this radio interview...

WRUL's audio of their interview with Sheriff Maier:

Mobile...
http://m.soundcloud.com/jc-tinsley/maier-interview-8-30-evening/s-d1hPy

Desktop...
http://soundcloud.com/jc-tinsley/maier-interview-8-30-evening/s-d1hPy

&#8226; Have a huge amount of evidence... Processing that evidence at the crime lab.

&#8226; Confirmed there is a firearm Wheeler had access to which hasn't been found...so there's a possibility that he could still be armed.

&#8226; Have info on type of gun missing from Wheeler home & type of gun used in the killing but not releasing that info to the public.

&#8226; State Police assisting in this case, as well as several surrounding city police departments.

&#8226; There are two crime screen areas and they had crime scene techs at both - where they set up camp and there the truck with Jessica's body in it was found.

&#8226; Crimestopper's offering $2000 reward at the moment.

 

[hollyblue]

Who was the guy that called her around 11PM and tried later, but couldn't reach her? Did she tell him where she was? Would this guy or someone he knows be upset because of who she was with? Why was she out on an overnight date and calling everyone else....or taking calls from people? She could relay the first fish info the next day to her mother. Maybe times have changed with the cell phone and teen dating being decades ago for me, but if I were the guy, I'd be asking myself what kind of date I was on. IMO

 

[TxLady2]

Have read the last few pages, but may have missed a lot of information, so my thoughts:

Seems funny to me to believe so strongly that he would not abandon his truck because he loved it so much, yet discount the fact that her body was found, shot in the head execution style and hidden with branches in the bed of his truck, but he is missing. And that a guy with blood all over him shows up at another man's door at 3 a.m., 10 or 12 miles from the campsite asking for help, but LE KNOWS it wasn't Jake. How do they know this? Was there video of this encounter? How can they know unless they've spoken to the individual and can confirm it wasn't Jake. And the gun missing from his parents' home SINCE the camping trip, is just a little peculiar. Could the parents be mistaken about when the gun went missing? Or could they just be trying to throw off the suspicion of Jake? What are the chances that this is not connected somehow? I'm just not buying this as a coincidence.

The only other scenario that I can come up with is that both of them were shot, and whoever did it believed that he left them both dead. Jake was injured, but survived and finding Jessi dead, he thought he would be blamed for it, or he thought they would come back for him, so he took off and is hiding out somewhere. Being in the military, I figure he would be capable of walking for long distances and surviving in the woods for weeks... unless he is injured too. It's possible that they will find his body somewhere miles from where Jessi was found, but he got there on his own. However, many people have been shot and left for dead but somehow managed to survive.

 

[Jersey*Girl]

Who was the guy that called her around 11PM and tried later, but couldn't reach her? Did she tell him where she was? Would this guy or someone he knows be upset because of who she was with? Why was she out on an overnight date and calling everyone else....or taking calls from people? She could relay the first fish info the next day to her mother. Maybe times have changed with the cell phone and teen dating being decades ago for me, but if I were the guy, I'd be asking myself what kind of date I was on. IMO

The guy was a friend of hers. His father posts on the Disclosure FB site.

Lol Holly, so true... But today's day & time is def different from when I was growing up. I just turned 46 & think it's crazy when I get our cell bill - my sons each have over 3000 texts a piece every single month! We have an unlimited texting & Internet plan so it's not a big deal but it's ridiculous bc their minutes for voice are always under 200! Always! They text stupid stuff like hey, or <3, or wuzzup, etc. Girls come over to watch a movie & always no less than 5 times they update their FB pages, or answer another text. It's crazy but it's how kids communicate nowadays. Personally, I think it tends to be rude, but in all seriousness all teens are like this...even in restaurants out with their parents...

 

[Jersey*Girl]

I feel a little different now. The Sheriff's verbiage informing "still armed" says a lot to me. Also, Disclosure mentioned "apparent leave from the Army", so that brings me right back to when I inquired about his psych eval upon return from the war. Looks like the separation from his wife and his leave from the service may have coincided together, so was something going on in his head?

 

[Jersey*Girl]

I hate war.

 

[Jersey*Girl]

Clu, you always have good explanations as we play Devil's advocate a lot with each other... What's your take on the "leave" vs "separation"? Am I grasping? I've tried everything, need a new avenue to look...

 

[hollyblue]

LE is still saying he could be victim or perp. I'm going to take the perp POV for this post. I'm still on the fence. ;/

IF he's on the run, he either is getting help or we will soon hear about cabins or houses being broken into...and possibly a car being stolen. Wonder where any of his close army buddies are located?

The guy who murdered his xgf on vacation in NC, from Ohio, was on the run for over a month before getting caught, but he had a vehicle before dumping it and still had $500 on him when apprehended. Maybe Jake knew they would be looking for his vehicle and felt he would be more undercover with out it? He drives the truck a few miles away behind a house and down an embankment thinking it and her are secluded for enough time to make it a good distance away for his next step? jmo

Baseball, do you know how long they had been dating?

 

[TobyWong*]

I feel like Tommy Lee Jones is gonna come on scene & say "check every out house,in house,hen house with in 10 mile radius" (iirc somethin to that effect)
Imo he's hiding out. He'll have to make a move at some point.

 

[Jersey*Girl]

This was posted today online...

http://m.14news.com/autojuice?targe...for-information-on-jacob-wheelers-whereabouts

Reward offered in search for White County "person of interest"
By Beth Sweeney


Deputies say a helicopter from the Illinois Department of Transportation arrived at the Carmi Airport at 3:30 Friday morning.

The helicopter, with a 'Fleer' heat sensing system, was used to search the area where Wheeler's truck was recovered.

No one was found.

 

[88keys]

And that a guy with blood all over him shows up at another man's door at 3 a.m., 10 or 12 miles from the campsite asking for help, but LE KNOWS it wasn't Jake. How do they know this? Was there video of this encounter? How can they know unless they've spoken to the individual and can confirm it wasn't Jake

They could know simply because the guy doesn't look like Jake. Jake is 5'8", 140 pounds. Maybe that guy was six feet tall and 200 pounds. Maybe he was black. Maybe he had gray hair and a beard. They don't have to have spoken to him to know it wasn't Jake.

And I'm not sure the guy was actually COVERED in blood- I think they just said he "had blood on him." It is weird, and I probably would have called the police (of course, I don't answer the door for strangers. Ever). But it's possible that he hit a deer or something.

 

[Jersey*Girl]

Again, what rank did he reach? Does he have any special forces training?