IL IL - Valerie Percy, 21, Kenilworth, 18 September 1966

[chlban]

As with most homicides, you need to do a victimology assessment on the victim

I. Victimology: Why did this person become the victim of a violent
crime?
A. About the victim
Lifestyle
Employment
Personality
Friends (type, number)
Income (amount, source)
Family
Alcohol/drug use or abuse
Normal dress
Handicaps
Transportation used
ReputaThis tion, habits, fears
Marital status
Dating habits
Leisure activities
Criminal history
Assertiveness
Likes and dislikes
Significant events prior to the crime
Activities prior to the crime
B. Sexual Assault: Verbal Interaction
Excessively vulgar or abusive
Scripting
Apologetic

II. Crime Scene
How many?
Environment, time, place
How many offenders?
Organized, disorganized
Physical evidence
Weapon
Body disposition
Items left/missing
Other (for example, witnesses, escape plan, wounded victims)
III. Staging
Natural death
Accidental
Suicide

Criminal activity (i.e., robbery, rape/homicide)
IV. Forensic Findings
A. Forensic analysis
Hair/fibers
Blood
Semen
Saliva
Other
B. Autopsy results
Cause of death
Trauma (type, extent, location on body)
Overkill
Torture
Facial battery (depersonalization)
Bite marks
Mutilation
Sexual assault (when, sequence, to where, insertion, insertional necrophilia)

Toxiological results
V. Investigative considerations
A. Search warrants
Home
Work
Car
Other
B. Locating and interviewing witnesses

-Last known location, and last contacts
-Physical traits
-Education
-Has she ever been in trouble with the law ?
-Anyone in her family immediate or otherwise ever been in trouble with the law?
-Any medical history (psychological or physical)
-Did she have ay problems?
-Was she on any meds?
-For What ?
-How often administered?
-Did she do this regularly?
-How was her financial situation?
-Did she have any problems at work?
-Did anything recently happen or change in her life ?
-How was her mood in the days prior to her murder?
-Was there anything in her lifestyle that would make her a target ?
-Was she or is there any indication she was involved, with anyone either professionally, or romantically?
-Did they have any problems if she was?
-Did she keep a diary, or any writings?
-Any drug or alcohol use , if so has it increased, recently?
-Was she afraid of anything or anyone? (had she ever mentioned being stalked?)
-List of friends especially anyone who visited recently
-Any unusual occurrences prior to the disappearance?
-Past employment history
-Would anyone be willing to help with the investigation? Names ?
-Any break ins, robberies, sexual assaults, or home invasions in the area?
-Any arrests if there were?
-Was anything of value missing from the residence?
-Was there any sign of forced entry ?
-Any sign of a struggle inside the residence ?
- Is there any conflicting investigative factors?,
-Has there ever been a burglary or attempted burglary at this residence?
-If so how long ago?
-What was taken if so?
-Was this ever resolved (arrest made etc.) ?


Once we establish a baseline for the victim, in terms of behavior, we can assign a risk category for the offender in this case.

In terms of risk, per victim lifestyle her risk is elevated, due to her fathers occupation, and prominence in the media.

Primarily if she was ever featured, on TV, as an attractive woman this exposes her image to potential stalkers etc..

The area in which they lived, was a well to do area, low crime, however supposedly not all that alien to break ins at the time.

Depending on how prominent these break ins were this may or may not elevate her risk further.

Even with the factors that did elevate her risk, this was still a VERY high risk offense for her killer.

Burglarizing, a residence while people are home, at ANY time is risky, even in the 60's burglar alarms weren't uncommon, even in low crime communities, and apparently this house was equipped with a panic alarm, that was manually activated, by the victim’s mother upon discovery of the intruder

It would be interesting to find out of there was an alarm equipped on the door the killer entered, and how large the pane of glass was that was cut to provide entry.

The time of the break in is interesting as well, approx. 4:40 am, with daylight approaching, in a dwelling that is obviously occupied during the time of the break in.

So let’s look at the circumstances : her mother heard the sound of breaking glass, approx. 4:40 am, lays there for approx. 10 minutes (4:50 am) , hears a moan, walks approx. 25 paces down the hall , opens her daughter’s bedroom door sees a male figure standing over her mortally wounded daughter.

While her mother retreats, and sounds a panic alarm style device, the killer apparently retraces his path back through the house bypassing the front door, to use his point of entry to escape.

So in theory the entire attack (excluding the escape) occurs within a 10-15 minute time frame.

By the time their neighbor who is a physician arrives, he declares Valerie dead.
She’s found to have been beaten about the head at least 4 times, with a conical object, then stabbed in the neck chest and abdomen “as many as 14 times” , and there’s presence of defensive wounds to her hands and feet. Her nightshirt is pushed up exposing her nude torso

The murder weapon is determined to be a Ball peen hammer, and another sharp object, later possibly identified as a “serrated bayonet”
Police find handprints on the glass, palm and fingerprints on Valerie’s door, stairway and railing.

Oddball factors in the case,
1) They have an alarm system, but it either isn’t attached to the glass panes, in the door on the patio, which ANY entrance to the rear of the house away from the street which is a popular point of forced entry for burglars, or to the rear door itself. If it was a large pane of glass, hat was broken; I find it odd her killer would still risk entering the residence at all, after potentially waking someone by breaking the glass. It’s odd at all he would enter having broken a window at all knowing people were home.

2) Her killer successfully navigates, through a 17 room home, to arrive at Valerie’s room, only moments after breaking in, knowing full well he may’ve potentially woken someone with the breaking glass- I’d be interested to know if she slept with her door shut or open where her killer could see her, or did he have to try doors, it’s also possible she was found by chance. …unless he knew which room was hers.

3) Though her mother awoke to the sound of breaking glass, and moaning, there apparently was no sounds of a struggle, yet it was determined, Valerie “went out fighting” according to the Crime library article.

4) The killer was organized enough to bring possibly 2 weapons, a glass cutter to remove the pane, a flashlight to navigate through the dark residence, yet doesn’t wear gloves, to prevent leaving fingerprints.

5) Despite the horrific scene, their daughter murdered inside their home, her body still upstairs, their home, their home, and privacy violated, the family seems unnaturally calm when the authorities arrive.

6) The identification of a “bayonet” seems odd to me as well, as far as I can find there’s no way to differentiate, a bayonet wound from any double edged knife would, and I’ve only ever seen a bayonet, that had a serrated spine .

7) She is found with her nightshirt up however there’s nowhere that lists evidence of sexual assault, and given the short period of time between her other hearing the breaking glass, and her daughter’s moans, murder, not burglary, or rape was the primary intent of the intruder.

8) Her killer doesn’t seem to worry about creating noise, be it the sound of the glass breaking or the moaning of his dying victim, so much so he stands there until her mother actually walks in and sees him standing there.

9) Upon his escape he bypasses, an obvious exit at the front door, to utilize his original point of entry, this is with her mother screaming, and an alarm sounding outside.


Theres a good amount of overkill and rage evident at the scene, this is usually indicative of interpersonal crime, someone involved, with or close to the victim. Either method of killing the victim is adequate, bludgeoning an unconscious victim, or stabbing an unconscious victim, would provide the victim with little or no chance to defend themselves.

However we see 2 distinct types of trauma present, blunt and penetrating. One possibility was that the intruded did plan a sexual assault by beating the victim into submission or unconsciousness, then having to use the knife, to kill the victim, because she was fighting back. I find it hard to believe though this didn’t result in enough noise to wake her mother, when the sound of a broken glass and moaning did.


I keep hanging up on this because though there is evidence of a break in, no one heard anything during the attack, yet small sounds awoke her mother. Her killer, is organized enough to bring, 2 weapons and tools needed to break in, yet doesn’t do so innocuously. He doesn’t take anything of value, and either by trial and error, sheer chance, or previous knowledge, finds Valerie.
Her killer could kill her silently but instead demonstrates, his rage, by beating and stabbing her, again with NO regard, for any noise he may create brutally assaulting his victim ALL WHILE HER FAMILY IS HOME!

When he is discovered, he shines a flashlight in her mother’s eyes, which skews, her ability to identify him. Leaes, bypassing a door he could quickly exit, to go back the way he came, and he would be covered in blood which would’ve tracked blood elsewhere .



Another factor I find odd is that her nightshirt was pushed up, in my experience, without the presence of further sexual assault or attempted rape, underwear pulled aside, or removed, victim completely nude, insertational substitution…is often indicative of what someone THINKS a sexual assault is supposed to look like. Which indicates possible staging?

Id feel confident saying that this seems to be someone familiar to the victim, there’s a lot of anger, there. There seems to be prior knowledge, of the lack of security, where Valerie’s room is, comfortable enough there that they could break a window beat and stab a victim, then stand there with no worries, while she’s laying there moaning loud enough to wake her mother.
It seems unlikely this is someone unfamiliar with the victim, or the residence.

Her killer is callous enough to attack and kill a sleeping victim, but allows her mother to run away unscathed. ANYTIME YOU HAVE SOMEONE KILLED IN A RESIDENCE, YOU HAVE TO ASSESS ANY INJURIES TO THE OTHER OCCUPANTS PRESENT AT THE TIME.

No one else suffered any injuries.

This is excellent. Often it seems in these older crimes, someone will come up with a killer, usually by publishing a book about the crime, and then it seems like everyone tries to match the facts to the named "killer".

I remember this case from when I was a kid. My dad was very involved in politics on a local level, and followed the National scene closesly Although he was a liberal Democrat his hatred of LBJ (whom he believed was behind JFK'S assasination, but that's another thread) had him looking closely at the Republican party for the first (and only) time in his life. Charles Percy was someone he identified early as a Republican he could supportl.

At any rate, that is the long version of why this case has always fascinated me. Although I could not articulate the reasons any where near as well and concisely as you have here I have always, in my gut, felt this was a case that was very close to home.

I just don't buy the crazy neighbor theory. This was someone who knew that house intimately. That's as far as I will go in my theory, but you have laid out some very interesting points.

 

[chlban]

Yes Rich, I've always seen some red flags here. It seems to me that close family friends and family members themselves were taken off the table too readily.

Yeah, Power and money can do that. We have seen it happen far too many times both before and since this case.

 

[Betty P]

I finished reading "Sympathy Vote". While I'm not sure whether the crazy neighbor, Thoreson, was responsible for the murder, the book had quite a bit of information about the case and investigation.

While I highlighted and bookmarked a lot of pages in the ebook, just after finishing it, my e-reader'/tablet crashed. While I wait for a replacement, I'll note some of the information I can still recall that was helpful to understanding more about the murder. I'll probably have to add more later when I'm able to get a new tablet.

First, while the case was initially investigated by the Kenilworth village PD, they quickly called in a team of experienced detectives from Chicago PD. Joseph Di Leonardi, a renowned detective with much experience in murders and home burglaries, did a great deal of good work. Illinois State Police were also called in to coordinate the investigation, there were hundreds of LEO's who worked the case, FBI included.

It's unclear what exactly caused Mrs. Percy to awaken the first time that night. Though quotes from her statement early in the book said she was awakened by the sound of footsteps downstairs, the author later makes mention of her having heard breaking glass. So I'm still unsure what the facts are. It was noted the glass from the french door fell into drapes on the door, likely muffling the sound of breaking glass.

While the killer had to be familiar with the interior of the home, it was also noted there was a back stairway near the break-in door that they could have taken to the second floor. The perp, who left a bloody palm print on the banister, went into the living room and used the formal front stairway there. They also exited by the same door they entered when they could have left more quickly by other exits.

The neighbor two doors down, who was Sen. Percy's personal doctor (a surgeon), was the first doc to arrive at the scene. The senator called him after he called the police to see if he could help VP. He wrote a detailed statement soon after, one the police never read (they weren't interested in getting a statement from him). This doctor gave a fairly detailed description of VP's wounds and definitely stated he thought she was sexually assaulted. He felt the crime was sexual in nature and wasn't completed since the perp was interrupted in the act.

The method of entry to the house (and the evidence left there) was unusual. Blue paint on the screen and glass were matched to paint left during the break in the previous night at a neighboring home. The glass cutting technique was also unusual, done with a glass cutting tool. Again, without the book, I can't describe it exactly, but it involved scoring a circle on the glass door, making an "X" in the middle, then an incomplete cutting of the circle and breaking the glass out the rest of the way. The same technique & markings were present at a previous burglary in the area.

The police isolated the family in Sen. Percy's master bedroom most of the day of the murder while the house and grounds were searched and evidence gathered. They were questioned extensively. They seemed to do a fair job of closing off the interior crime scene as well, something that didn't always happen in those days. On the outside, people were walking all over. The Percy's were allowed to leave town, spending two weeks at the mansion of a friend in California. At the time, some investigators felt this shouldn't have been allowed.

The book has some helpful stats on the investigation (which went on for many years). Thousands of interviews, leads, etc. I do recall they conducted 41 polygraph exams, though they've not revealed who was given those exams.

VP had a boyfriend in college who lived elsewhere, but she was also dating one of the young men who worked on her dad's campaign. There was some pressure on LE to give poly exams to the young campaign workers who had dinner at the Percy home that night. It's not known if they were one of the 41 who did.

Detectives felt VP was a low-risk victim. She spent most of her time at campaign headquarters surrounded by many people. Her brother usually drove her to and from work that summer, until he left for college. She and her sister did take the light rail train sometimes. If someone wanted to attack her, they didn't have many opportunities to do so.

One person on their early list of suspects was a man who had recently broken into a home in a nearby community, Glenview, IIRC. He committed suicide in a motel room the day after VP's murder and glass cutting equipment was found in his room. They checked out his background but didn't think he was any more a suspect than any of the others on their list.

VP's step-mom never really recovered from the event. Percy updated their burglar alarm system at the Kenilworth home after the murder. The old system was only connected to a few downstairs windows. After the election, the Percys moved to DC and never returned to live in Kenilworth. They installed a state of the art alarm system at their DC home. VP's step mom still always had trouble sleeping, etc.

Back in the 90's, evidence from the crime was submitted for DNA testing. Nothing was ever released WRT results.

The glove found in bushes outside the home was wool with a leather palm. Detectives said it wasn't the typical glove that professional home burglars used.

Though neighbors looked outside as soon as they heard the Percy's alarm that night, no one saw a perp running away. It was still dark, but there were some floodlights connected to the alarm that came on.

The weapon used, the bayonet, was very unusual. It was one of the reasons detectives didn't think local professional burglars were involved. It wasn't the type of weapon they normally used, or anyone for that matter.

Thoreson was a crazy, violent, evil man. He made Charles Manson look like an upstanding citizen. He terrorized his own parents and neighbors for many years, sometimes just for the hell of it. The things he did to his own parents were terrifying, so bad they had to move out of their home for a while, leaving a private security guard there 24 hrs a day. He would cut the power & phone lines, sneak inside, throw furniture (and people) down stairs, vandalize, set the house on fire, etc. He did this stuff many, many times. He and a shady acquaintance were also suspects in the murder of a woman a year or so before VP's death. Someone killed her, cut her body up and put it in steel drums, dumping them in Lake Michigan. They never had enough evidence to arrest him for the murder, but he bragged about it to a female acquaintance. He also arranged to have his own brother killed, then later murdered the man hired to kill him when he visited Thoresen in his San Francisco mansion demanding more hush money. The murder was staged to look like a suicide, with Thoreson's gun.

Though Thoreson claimed he terrorized his parents for money, they apparently gave him a lot of it and paid his credit card and other bills. He was able to travel extensively (in the US and overseas) and buy expensive homes, including the San Francisco mansion. His father was the founder of Great Western Steel Co. and a very wealthy man. Thoreson was arrested several times, but never spent as much time in jail as he should have. He was violent and sadistic, victimizing both men and women. He liked to control people and exert power over them. While he had a terrible temper, he also liked to terrorize people just for the thrill of it. He was a suspect in VP's murder (particularly by the FBI), but there was no evidence connecting him to the crime.



I'll add more info about evidence, etc. later when I can access my e-book version. Percy's doctor's statement had more information, but I can't recall it all.

 

[Kell1]

I finished reading "Sympathy Vote". While I'm not sure whether the crazy neighbor, Thoreson, was responsible for the murder, the book had quite a bit of information about the case and investigation.

While I highlighted and bookmarked a lot of pages in the ebook, just after finishing it, my e-reader'/tablet crashed. While I wait for a replacement, I'll note some of the information I can still recall that was helpful to understanding more about the murder. I'll probably have to add more later when I'm able to get a new tablet.

First, while the case was initially investigated by the Kenilworth village PD, they quickly called in a team of experienced detectives from Chicago PD. Joseph Di Leonardi, a renowned detective with much experience in murders and home burglaries, did a great deal of good work. Illinois State Police were also called in to coordinate the investigation, there were hundreds of LEO's who worked the case, FBI included.

It's unclear what exactly caused Mrs. Percy to awaken the first time that night. Though quotes from her statement early in the book said she was awakened by the sound of footsteps downstairs, the author later makes mention of her having heard breaking glass. So I'm still unsure what the facts are. It was noted the glass from the french door fell into drapes on the door, likely muffling the sound of breaking glass.

While the killer had to be familiar with the interior of the home, it was also noted there was a back stairway near the break-in door that they could have taken to the second floor. The perp, who left a bloody palm print on the banister, went into the living room and used the formal front stairway there. They also exited by the same door they entered when they could have left more quickly by other exits.

The neighbor two doors down, who was Sen. Percy's personal doctor (a surgeon), was the first doc to arrive at the scene. The senator called him after he called the police to see if he could help VP. He wrote a detailed statement soon after, one the police never read (they weren't interested in getting a statement from him). This doctor gave a fairly detailed description of VP's wounds and definitely stated he thought she was sexually assaulted. He felt the crime was sexual in nature and wasn't completed since the perp was interrupted in the act.

The method of entry to the house (and the evidence left there) was unusual. Blue paint on the screen and glass were matched to paint left during the break in the previous night at a neighboring home. The glass cutting technique was also unusual, done with a glass cutting tool. Again, without the book, I can't describe it exactly, but it involved scoring a circle on the glass door, making an "X" in the middle, then an incomplete cutting of the circle and breaking the glass out the rest of the way. The same technique & markings were present at a previous burglary in the area.

The police isolated the family in Sen. Percy's master bedroom most of the day of the murder while the house and grounds were searched and evidence gathered. They were questioned extensively. They seemed to do a fair job of closing off the interior crime scene as well, something that didn't always happen in those days. On the outside, people were walking all over. The Percy's were allowed to leave town, spending two weeks at the mansion of a friend in California. At the time, some investigators felt this shouldn't have been allowed.

The book has some helpful stats on the investigation (which went on for many years). Thousands of interviews, leads, etc. I do recall they conducted 41 polygraph exams, though they've not revealed who was given those exams.

VP had a boyfriend in college who lived elsewhere, but she was also dating one of the young men who worked on her dad's campaign. There was some pressure on LE to give poly exams to the young campaign workers who had dinner at the Percy home that night. It's not known if they were one of the 41 who did.

Detectives felt VP was a low-risk victim. She spent most of her time at campaign headquarters surrounded by many people. Her brother usually drove her to and from work that summer, until he left for college. She and her sister did take the light rail train sometimes. If someone wanted to attack her, they didn't have many opportunities to do so.

One person on their early list of suspects was a man who had recently broken into a home in a nearby community, Glenview, IIRC. He committed suicide in a motel room the day after VP's murder and glass cutting equipment was found in his room. They checked out his background but didn't think he was any more a suspect than any of the others on their list.

VP's step-mom never really recovered from the event. Percy updated their burglar alarm system at the Kenilworth home after the murder. The old system was only connected to a few downstairs windows. After the election, the Percys moved to DC and never returned to live in Kenilworth. They installed a state of the art alarm system at their DC home. VP's step mom still always had trouble sleeping, etc.

Back in the 90's, evidence from the crime was submitted for DNA testing. Nothing was ever released WRT results.

The glove found in bushes outside the home was wool with a leather palm. Detectives said it wasn't the typical glove that professional home burglars used.

Though neighbors looked outside as soon as they heard the Percy's alarm that night, no one saw a perp running away. It was still dark, but there were some floodlights connected to the alarm that came on.

The weapon used, the bayonet, was very unusual. It was one of the reasons detectives didn't think local professional burglars were involved. It wasn't the type of weapon they normally used, or anyone for that matter.

Thoreson was a crazy, violent, evil man. He made Charles Manson look like an upstanding citizen. He terrorized his own parents and neighbors for many years, sometimes just for the hell of it. The things he did to his own parents were terrifying, so bad they had to move out of their home for a while, leaving a private security guard there 24 hrs a day. He would cut the power & phone lines, sneak inside, throw furniture (and people) down stairs, vandalize, set the house on fire, etc. He did this stuff many, many times. He and a shady acquaintance were also suspects in the murder of a woman a year or so before VP's death. Someone killed her, cut her body up and put it in steel drums, dumping them in Lake Michigan. They never had enough evidence to arrest him for the murder, but he bragged about it to a female acquaintance. He also arranged to have his own brother killed, then later murdered the man hired to kill him when he visited Thoresen in his San Francisco mansion demanding more hush money. The murder was staged to look like a suicide, with Thoreson's gun.

Though Thoreson claimed he terrorized his parents for money, they apparently gave him a lot of it and paid his credit card and other bills. He was able to travel extensively (in the US and overseas) and buy expensive homes, including the San Francisco mansion. His father was the founder of Great Western Steel Co. and a very wealthy man. Thoreson was arrested several times, but never spent as much time in jail as he should have. He was violent and sadistic, victimizing both men and women. He liked to control people and exert power over them. While he had a terrible temper, he also liked to terrorize people just for the thrill of it. He was a suspect in VP's murder (particularly by the FBI), but there was no evidence connecting him to the crime.



I'll add more info about evidence, etc. later when I can access my e-book version. Percy's doctor's statement had more information, but I can't recall it all.

Betty, other than the book where is info on Thorensen?.. NOTHING comes up in google unless its with the suspicion in this case.

 

[Betty P]

Betty, other than the book where is info on Thorensen?.. NOTHING comes up in google unless its with the suspicion in this case.

Here are some links to news stories about him, mostly regarding his murder and wife's trial. The author of SV interviewed Kenilworth Village PD and reviewed their files on Thoresen. He also talked w/ some other Chicago area detectives and reviewed Thoresen's FBI file.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...IUUyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=2bUFAAAAIBAJ&pg=860,5846339

http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...Z_1XAAAAIBAJ&sjid=C_cDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1766,814805

http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/24170346/

http://jfk.hood.edu/Collection/Whit...ellaneous II Arms Caches/Misc II-Arms 054.pdf

http://jfk.hood.edu/Collection/Whit...ellaneous II Arms Caches/Misc II-Arms 040.pdf



Old court record from his arrest in Maine in 1968 & 1967 charges related to firearms

http://openjurist.org/395/f2d/466/in-the-matter-of-william-e-thoresen-iii

http://www.leagle.com/decision/1967879281FSupp598_1794.xml/UNITED STATES v. THORESEN

When I'm able to view the book again, I'll look at the other sources noted. Thoresen's crimes against family and neighbors in Kenilworth probably didn't make the newspapers back then. His family was wealthy and influential and, while they wanted him jailed or institutionalized, they didn't want publicity.

Much of what is out there is related to his later murder and stories of the FBI tracking and arresting him for his ongoing stockpiling of huge amounts of weapons, explosives and ammunition.

As I said, I'm not sure Thoresen was the killer. I still think there's a small possibility someone close to VP was responsible for her murder, but the glass cutting stuff is important, somehow.

ETA: His wife, Louise, wrote a book some years ago detailing all the crazy things he did. She also talked of how he told her about murders he committed (though nothing about VP).

Amazon.com: Louise Thoresen: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle

Link to Google Maps street view of the home Thoresen owned in San Francisco

https://www.google.com/maps/@37.793...ata=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sMaF-SlEZiXIcKLRLk0vQGA!2e0

 

[Bargle]

Addressing points made by Rich Kelly.

2) Her killer successfully navigates, through a 17 room home, to arrive at Valerie’s room, only moments after breaking in, knowing full well he may’ve potentially woken someone with the breaking glass- I’d be interested to know if she slept with her door shut or open where her killer could see her, or did he have to try doors, it’s also possible she was found by chance. …unless he knew which room was hers.

Repeating my own earlier post on the matter. "If the news article drawings are correct (big if), from the back porch, you can see straight through the living room to the base of the starway. If you already know where Valerie's room is, directly above the living room, all you need to do at the top of the stairs is head back to the left rear corner of the house and that would be Valerie's room.

I think it is possible the killer had either done some previous surveilance of the house or waited till he was sure everyone was off the ground floor, then shined his flashlight through porch window.

All speculation, I know. Still, I don't think it would be too hard. I wish we had some interior pics from that time. The extensive remodelling after the Percys moved out makes it hard to tell how things were at the time of the murder."

3) Though her mother awoke to the sound of breaking glass, and moaning, there apparently was no sounds of a struggle, yet it was determined, Valerie “went out fighting” according to the Crime library article.

As far as we can tell, Valerie never got off the bed during the struggle. The mattress, sheets and blanket would have muffled any sounds. That Valerie didn't yell or scream when the assault began makes me think the killer woke her by putting his hand over her mouth and kept it there until he struck her on the head.

9) Upon his escape he bypasses, an obvious exit at the front door, to utilize his original point of entry, this is with her mother screaming, and an alarm sounding outside.

I think might be due to panic or the desire to get to the lakeshore to throw the bayonet in. The lake is at the rear of the house.

Another factor I find odd is that her nightshirt was pushed up, in my experience, without the presence of further sexual assault or attempted rape, underwear pulled aside, or removed, victim completely nude, insertational substitution…is often indicative of what someone THINKS a sexual assault is supposed to look like. Which indicates possible staging?

Valerie had bruises on her knees and abrasions on the instep of her left foot from struggling with her killer according to the coroner. This makes me think she tried to kick at him. I think her nightdress may have ridden up because of that.

Her killer is callous enough to attack and kill a sleeping victim, but allows her mother to run away unscathed. ANYTIME YOU HAVE SOMEONE KILLED IN A RESIDENCE, YOU HAVE TO ASSESS ANY INJURIES TO THE OTHER OCCUPANTS PRESENT AT THE TIME.

Coroner Toman's sketch of the bedroom shows that Valerie was on the twin bed farthest from the door and the killer was standing on the far side of the bed. To attack Loraine, he had to either go around the ends of the beds or over them. Either way gives Loraine time to get well on the way back down the hall. He would have to pass right by the head of the stairs to reach her. He would expect her scream to have awakened Mr. Percy, who might be armed, not to mention the other family members. He might simply have decided fleeing was his best option. It certainly seems to have worked.

Also in the one picture there's a caption about the "list of stabbing victims growing"??? -there's no indication of any stabbing victims in ANY of the articles I read other than Valerie Percy.

Laura Bernstein
Christine Rothschild
The Bricca Family
Sheryl Thompson

There's more, but as far as can be told, nothing connected any of them to Valerie's murder.

While I'm not convinced of Thoresen's guilt, I think he remains a good suspect. I don't think it was a member of the household.

 

[chlban]

I don't really think it was a member of the household either. I do think it is likely is was someone close to the family and/or Valerie though. Someone who knew the inside of the house and the habits of those inside it.

 

[Dreamnine]

I believe it was Thoresen, but that he didn't necessarily know it was Valerie whom he was killing; rather that it was Sharon he observed returning home some hours earlier.

 

[Winward1]

Asking why Thoresen stole guns, as well as just about everything else, when he had more money than 99.9 percent of the population is a good question. But he did and it's documented in pages and pages of his police record. Apparently, he did it, as well as broke into homes and businesses for the thrill and challenge.

 

[Winward1]

After the killer left, Valerie's stepmother tried to aid her and her neighbor/doctor examined her. From his notes and documentation of the scene it's pretty clear he and or someone else moved her clothing. I'm not sure where her nightdress being pulled up...that info even came from.

Thoresen was said to have killed several people. Only one of them (his brother) appears to have been premeditated. His wife said he would get into angry, like where he was blindingly pissed (in the American sense) rages. His history of being inside other's homes and businesses was motivated by theft. If nothing was stolen from Percy's home it may well have only been because an altercation that lead to an assault, of which there was an eyewitness, took place first.

 

[Dreamnine]

I think there is also a sexual element to prowling around other peoples' residences. Perhaps Thoresen got off on this as much as any stealing.

 

[Dreamnine]

Some more information on Thoresen uncovered by opinion1031 at the zodiac thread, Thoresen was considered a suspect in 1966.

http://www.buildingdemocracy.us/archive/dox/far right/000 FBI-XR-A__Z/Minutemen-NYC-9.pdf

http://www.zodiackillersite.com/viewtopic.php?f=99&t=1358

 

[Winward1]

Hi Dream, indeed, a chapter or new section was added to Sympathy Vote after the FBI Minuteman/Thoresen documents surfaced just a few months after the book was finished. Needless to say, they support a lot of what is said about Thoresen re: the Percy murder in the book, as well as the fact that the FBI, which was working the Thoresen lead, kept what they knew from the IL State Police. Interestingly enough, whomever put those documents out there doesn't seem to have been aware of just who Valerie was. Seems they were interested in researching underground militia groups. In her book, Thoresen's wife wrote that the FBI was tailing her and her husband on a domestic flight in April, '67. She thought it was merely a result of her Kennedy Airport gun bust in Dec. '66 but from what's in the documents they clearly were investigating him for the Percy murder by late Dec., '66.

 

[Dreamnine]

Interesting that Thoresen's architect recalls seeing him in his SF office 'just prior to the weekend of September 17 and 18.'

Assuming he is right, that could be Thursday or Friday with the Percy murder taking place on Sunday. Thoresen was so peripatetic, seemingly moving around the country all the time, that it's perfectly possible he travelled to Illinois that weekend.

 

[Winward1]

According to his FBI file, Thoresen wrote to American Airlines in '66 with a complaint. In it he complained he had spent $12,000 on flights with them. So, indeed, he was flying constantly.

The FBI being aware of the correspondence Thoresen had with airlines suggests the former were trying to pin down his location. However that was very hard in those days, even for airlines. The State PD knew when Valerie's ex boyfriend traveled to the UK, knew the day, airline, and cities traveled between but still had to ask the FBI several times to check it out before the latter were able to confirm it.

The same file notes that in July, '66, Thoresen brutally assaulted a waiter in AZ, broke the guy's arm and reportedly caused the man permanent injury. Thoresen's beef with the waiter? He had been served the wrong drink.

 

[Dreamnine]

You would think Thoresen's hair's breadth volatility would have earned a few beatings himself.

Perhaps his wealth insulated him somewhat.

 

[Winward1]

"Though this is a mystery its not unlike other homicides that have ever occurred many times, before."

This is a quote from Rich about the Percy case, and it's not accurate. The fact that it involved a civilian murdered with a bayonet made it an extremely rare occurance.

He also seems to imply that the Percy case was linked to other crimes via literature when it fact it was investigators who worked the case that linked two home invasions and one attempted burglary to the Percy case. The fact that these facts appear in literature doesn't mean literature is what linked them to the Percy case, numerous homicide detectives did.

 

[Kell1]

"Though this is a mystery its not unlike other homicides that have ever occurred many times, before."

This is a quote from Rich about the Percy case, and it's not accurate. The fact that it involved a civilian murdered with a bayonet made it an extremely rare occurance.

He also seems to imply that the Percy case was linked to other crimes via literature when it fact it was investigators who worked the case that linked two home invasions and one attempted burglary to the Percy case. The fact that these facts appear in literature doesn't mean literature is what linked them to the Percy case, numerous homicide detectives did.

Its perfectly accurate it was never proven that it was a bayonet that was the murder weapon, we know she was stabbed police SPECULATED it was a "serrated bayonet"... however the one recovered from the water, you know the one the felt WAS the murder weapon, wasn't even serrated.

Stabbing a victim to death is anything BUT rare.

So either the police were wrong about the weapon being serrated, or that wasn't the weapon.

I also NEVER said I believe the case was linked to any other, please, feel free show me where I said it was.

<modsnip>

 

[Winward1]

The pathologist said the victim's triangle shaped head wounds matched the triangle shaped pummel on the handle of the bayonet found 800 feet from her home. The location where it was discovered just so happened to be in the direction of footprints leading from the house which were observed by LE minutes after the offender fled. It was found in four feet of water 40 feet off of an often used beach during summer three days after the murder and was free of indications it had been in water long.

You say proof. What do you mean? If, 47 years later, a TV reporter gets a fact wrong (serrated bayonet) everything else that indicates it was the weapon is nullified?

Here's the quote from you, verbatim, that I was referring to:

"So if ANY of these are consistent this was MOST likely not tied, into a string of burglaries. If you eliminate the burglary angle from the crime, you basically eliminate, Thorensen as a potential suspect."

<modsnip>

 

[Kell1]

He also seems to imply that the Percy case was linked to other crimes via literature when it fact it was investigators who worked the case that linked two home invasions and one attempted burglary to the Percy case. The fact that these facts appear in literature doesn't mean literature is what linked them to the Percy case, numerous homicide detectives did.

Unless that's not your quote I just quoted.. but it is . WHERE DO I SAY ANYWHERE THIS CRIME IS REALTED TO OTHER CRIMES IN THE AREA???

Whether there were break ins, home invasions, or burglaries, doesn't matter, Ive stated over and over I feel this is an isolated event.

Ive backed up everything I've said with data, and plenty to support my statements

You bring opinion...and seem more eager, to want to find the "Serial Killer "...Its always a serial killer or the Psycho .

In this case a rich serial killer, who drove a Ferrari , and although could more than afford to buy guns of his own and had quite a stockpile of them, collected guns from the homes, he burglarized, yet didn't bring one to the Percy house that night .

And although this individual committed, several break ins, home invasions, whatever, he never left enough evidence, at ANY of those multiple scenes, to connect, him to anything... Even when his wife claims he committed several murders!

Sounds plausible right ??? Rich guy stealing that which he can already afford, breaking into his rich neighbors homes, only to escape in a Ferrari?....Oh and when he enters the Percy home, with that cache of weapons he he owns, does so with only a bayonet?

And ALL with NO motive, not a burglary, nothing taken, time doesn't make sense, especially if the burglaries, were to steal weapons be.. you would have to assume he knew weapons would be in the house, yet comes with a bayonet ....not a home invasion, weapon doesn't allow control of a group of people, that were obviously home.

Till those questions are answered, and many more, Ill stay with the facts, Ive posted. Regardless of what the "book" says