IN - Amanda Blackburn, 28, pregnant, murdered, Indianapolis, 10 Nov 2015 - #3

[bessie]

This topic is a very interesting one, and on the surface there is certainly reason to be skeptical.

If the person is lying about where they found it, then what is the motivation ? - I'm curious about that, let me know if you have an answer. Any theories ?

I personally am skeptical, but also think that if someone finds a gun and realizes it's likely been used in a murder, they are going to be like.. wtf - they are going to question me. So they might take it home and think about that. Hell, they might have even gotten home with the gun before they knew anything. I don't know details on when they claim they found the gun, but I can see plausible reasons why they might not immediately turn the gun in and be completely have no other motive than not wanting to be involved/questioned! Was it the resident ?

So, I am kind of puzzled as to what the motive would be to say they found it there, and to go 7 miles away, that is meaningful. Like, someone wanting to implicate owner of a registered gun, might do that ? Well, that again, would fit my narrative of it being the blackburn's gun.

Here's one report:

IMPD Lt. Richard Riddle says a resident in the 2900 block of West 42nd Street found the weapon in a front yard four days after Amanda Blackburn was killed. The person took the handgun to an Indianapolis fire station, and it was then turned over to police. The location of the discovery is about a block and a half away from the Blackburn home in the 3800 block of Sunnyfield Court.
http://fox59.com/2015/11/17/recovered-handgun-may-be-linked-to-amanda-blackburn-murder-case/

Assuming the "resident" actually lives in the block where the gun was found so near AB's home, s/he had to be aware of the murder. Police presence around that neighborhood has been heavy since the murder. Why not find a cop, and say, "There's a gun lying in a front yard. I'll show you where it is." What's to think about? I don't see why an innocent person would be afraid to do that.

If s/he were concerned about being questioned, then why touch it at all? S/He could have called in an anonymous tip. It just seems crazy to me that a person would pick up a gun, especially knowing a murder had recently occurred nearby. I suppose there could be a reasonable explanation, but I'm having a hard time coming up with one.

Is it plausible that the person found it elsewhere, and had reason to believe it was in the possession of a person known to them, and that person might have been involved in the crime. But because s/he didn't want to implicate that person (snitch) out of fear of retaliation, s/he lied about where it was found? Was it turned into a fire station, rather than a police station, to avoid talking to LE?

I dunno. Again, it seems very odd to me. Like Riddle said, who picks up a gun near a known crime scene? On the other hand, by now LE has checked it out, and it probably will prove to be nothing more than a foolish act on the part of a concerned citizen.

JMO

 

[Ontario Mom]

Here's a question. IF the "source" is correct, and JW is pictured in security camera images using AB's credit cards, how did LE identify him? The images weren't released, so the ID didn't come from a tip.

Two possibilities come to mind: 1) He's well known to LE, and detectives recognized him; or 2) His picture matched a suspect captured in images from Sunnyfield Ct. That wouldn't necessarily mean he's the killer. He could be one of the others involved in the burglary two doors down from AB.

JMO

I'm going to go with option #2, for the win.

 

[bessie]

#1 seems far more plausible.

If he was verified via images to be on sunnyfield Ct on the day of murder and used a card, find it really hard to believe he would not still be very much a suspect. I just find it hard to believe that anyone could make a solid link between that cctv image and a person - skin color or anything beyond height/weight, clothing, and handedness maybe ? nothing you could make a solid ID on, haha


I keep laughing at how BAD the reporting is on this case :

"No arrests have been made in the case, yet a person of interest, Jalen Watson, 21, was interrogated by police Thursday after being picked up on a patrol violation."

I think they meant to say a "parole" violation.

Has LE said he's been cleared? If you're referring to the released image, I certainly agree that no one could make a viable ID from that picture. But it's only one image. There is more we haven't seen, like the video from inside the "two doors down" home.

In any case, there has to be a reason why he was brought in for questioning, and probable cause to secure the search warrants. That's what leads me to think that LE has been on to these guys for awhile. They know their names, and where they live. And IF JW is, in fact, pictured using the credit card, that's why LE was able to ID him.

IF "source" is incorrect, and there is no image of JW using the credit card, then it might be that JW, et al, were brought in because they were being investigated for other crimes, and evidence collected in the investigation was sufficient to provide probable cause of their possible involvement in AB's murder.

JMO

ETA: Referring back to my previous post, I should have included a third possibility: both 1 and 2 are true.

 

[Ontario Mom]

Just like to check first.

https://myspace.com/392374177

I have no idea what they mean - but those are definitely gang signs.

 

[DeDee]

"He has no involvement with it whatsoever, he is not that type of person,” said Burks"

While he hasn't been charged with anything yet connecting him to this case, my heart always goes out to the family members who say this only to find out later, yes, they WERE that type of person. I'd probably say the same thing too, if someone I know and love was connected to something so heinous. It has to be a brutally hard thing to wrap your head around.

While it might be true that we hope our family members do not find themselves involved in a double homicide; there's no way on Earth that I would lie, under oath, by supplying an alibi for any stranger nor loved one.

I don't have the link handy, att; however, early on, investigators were working with Davey to discover what, if anything, was missing from the home. I feel if the firearm was missing, we would have been informed of that already. Amanda's wedding ring wasn't taken. So, this bad guy goes into her home to steal valuables; he rapes; then kills Amanda but leaves her engagement ring and wedding band on her hand?

I kept my two granddaughters, ages 3yo & 7yo, for two weeks in August. My daughter asked me to purchase a gun safe for my firearm before they came. Heck, my granddaughters are the greatest treasures that I want to protect. However, I was an obedient grandmother and locked the weapon inside a small piece of luggage and hid the luggage in a far away closet. She keeps their gun in a locked safe inside their two-story home. So, what do you do? Tell the invading crook: "Hold on a sec while I dash upstairs to open my safe and retrieve my weapon?"

JMHO, when it is said that Amanda was protecting her child when she was shot, I think this relates to her unborn child, Everette Grace. I don't know which room of the home she was found. DB said she was lying on the floor when he returned home from the gym. Didn't a cleaning crew arrive the next day to put the home back into order?

I know that I'm not the only one who has grown quite fond of Amanda and Weston, her precious son, with the dimpled smile like his mom's. I think we would be friends since she likes many of the same things that I enjoy doing such as being neighborly by baking cookies and being a craftswoman who restores stuff into something pretty or practical. May her sweet soul rest in peace while the investigation continues.

 

[Mountaingazer]

Here's a question. IF the "source" is correct, and JW is pictured in security camera images using AB's credit cards, how did LE identify him? The images weren't released, so the ID didn't come from a tip.

Two possibilities come to mind: 1) He's well known to LE, and detectives recognized him; or 2) His picture matched a suspect captured in images from Sunnyfield Ct. That wouldn't necessarily mean he's the killer. He could be one of the others involved in the burglary two doors down from AB.

JMO

Judging by his rapsheet, I would say he is well acquainted with law enforcement, but it could also be #2.

 

[bessie]

Judging by his rapsheet, I would say he is well acquainted with law enforcement, but it could also be #2.

I just edited my last post to say that both #1 and #2 could be true. lol

 

[Mountaingazer]

I just edited my last post to say that both #1 and #2 could be true. lol

I think you are definitely right! It is either 1 or 2 or both

 

[Lilibet]

Just like to check first.

https://myspace.com/392374177

It will be interesting to look back at his friends and friends-of-friends when arrests are made. Stashing screenshots anyone?

 

[MaxManning]

Here's one report:

IMPD Lt. Richard Riddle says a resident in the 2900 block of West 42nd Street found the weapon in a front yard four days after Amanda Blackburn was killed. The person took the handgun to an Indianapolis fire station, and it was then turned over to police. The location of the discovery is about a block and a half away from the Blackburn home in the 3800 block of Sunnyfield Court.
http://fox59.com/2015/11/17/recovered-handgun-may-be-linked-to-amanda-blackburn-murder-case/

Assuming the "resident" actually lives in the block where the gun was found so near AB's home, s/he had to be aware of the murder. Police presence around that neighborhood has been heavy since the murder. Why not find a cop, and say, "There's a gun lying in a front yard. I'll show you where it is." What's to think about? I don't see why an innocent person would be afraid to do that.

If s/he were concerned about being questioned, then why touch it at all? S/He could have called in an anonymous tip. It just seems crazy to me that a person would pick up a gun, especially knowing a murder had recently occurred nearby. I suppose there could be a reasonable explanation, but I'm having a hard time coming up with one.

Is it plausible that the person found it elsewhere, and had reason to believe it was in the possession of a person known to them, and that person might have been involved in the crime. But because s/he didn't want to implicate that person (snitch) out of fear of retaliation, s/he lied about where it was found? Was it turned into a fire station, rather than a police station, to avoid talking to LE?

I dunno. Again, it seems very odd to me. Like Riddle said, who picks up a gun near a known crime scene? On the other hand, by now LE has checked it out, and it probably will prove to be nothing more than a foolish act on the part of a concerned citizen.

JMO

Yeah, need more information about it. But I find it plausible that someone might pick it up to see if it was real, if they didn't know what it was at first. That's plausible. It's not like everyone is thinking about this murder every moment of the day. Hell, a kid could have picked it up and brought it to their parent. Maybe the person who found it had other reasons to not want to talk to law enforcement ? Once you picked it up and put 2 and 2 together, then maybe you wished you hadn't, haha. But I do think it's plausible to pick it up in a "What's this ??" moment. Not smart if you look and see it on the ground and think about all the implications and the murder etc first.

I don't know if you have ever seen Fargo TV series, but I like it because it puts characters in those situations where they make a plausible dumb first decision and it snowballs. It happens in real life too.

But I struggle to find a reason for someone turning in that gun to have a bad motivation in doing so, even if they didn't do a "smart" thing to start. haha.

 

[MaxManning]

Has LE said he's been cleared? If you're referring to the released image, I certainly agree that no one could make a viable ID from that picture. But it's only one image. There is more we haven't seen, like the video from inside the "two doors down" home.

In any case, there has to be a reason why he was brought in for questioning, and probable cause to secure the search warrants. That's what leads me to think that LE has been on to these guys for awhile. They know their names, and where they live. And IF JW is, in fact, pictured using the credit card, that's why LE was able to ID him.

IF "source" is incorrect, and there is no image of JW using the credit card, then it might be that JW, et al, were brought in because they were being investigated for other crimes, and evidence collected in the investigation was sufficient to provide probable cause of their possible involvement in AB's murder.

JMO

ETA: Referring back to my previous post, I should have included a third possibility: both 1 and 2 are true.

I don't know that he was cleared, but I believe he was held on charges "not related to the blackburn case" - parole violation ? maybe using that to keep him there until dna/prints come back from suv and/or house(s) burglarized ? or from the search warrant.

I think your 1 and/or 2 are plausible for sure.

I don't know for sure if he was the one on camera at an atm with the bank card. but boy oh boy if he was and he is tied to burglaries on blackburn st -- doesn't that point to either really dumb or inexperienced burglar ?? i mean, using a bankcard from a murder scene ?!?!? haha -- fits the narrative I was posing that we shouldn't expect that these guys were "smart"

 

[Hippiemomof5]

Amanda was hit in the hand, correct? Is it possible the perp left her rings because of not wanting to leave with any of her blood on him (or the goods)? Even if her right hand was shot, she may have grabbed her hand or her stomach with her left hand. Jmo

 

[Peppery]

Judging by his rapsheet, I would say he is well acquainted with law enforcement, but it could also be #2.

Can someone post his record?

If he's been convicted of a felony, won't his prints be on file? If Amanda's ATM card was reported stolen and used in an ATM, any banks ATM, the machine will retain the card and prints could be taken from it. Most machines give three tries on the pin # before retaining the card, so that's possible too. I've worked at several national banks and all are required to record and keep retained cards for a time period in case LE requests them.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Hoosgirl]

I don't know why, so don't quote me on this, but from having viewed lots of pictures and videos of Amanda on the internet, I got the impression she was left handed. So big IF, if she did put her hand over her stomach, it makes sense it would have been her dominant left hand if so. JMO

 

[MzOpinion8d]

The other part I'm having trouble with is the earlier reports that they (LE) have video of the burglars inside the other house. I know I've seen that video, but for the life of me I can't locate it now. At least some are wearing hoodies, and one is holding what looks like a woman's tote bag or very large purse. I suppose LE has better footage (and more of it) but there's no way you can make out faces in that video (at least the part that's been made public).

Can someone link me to that video/article again, if you have it handy?

I think the video you're referring to is from an unrelated burglary that occurred the same day, in a different part of town. As far as I know, only the two black and white photos of the person walking in the Blackburns' neighborhood are the only images released in that case.

 

[MaxManning]

I don't know why, so don't quote me on this, but from having viewed lots of pictures and videos of Amanda on the internet, I got the impression she was left handed. So big IF, if she did put her hand over her stomach, it makes sense it would have been her dominant left hand if so. JMO

I personally think it's plausible for someone in that situation to put both hands on their belly. I also think either hand is plausible. For example if someone grabs your right arm, you might use the left hand to hold the belly.

This aspect, in regards to it being a burglary seems to be somewhat irrelevant imo. I do understand the reason why people are asking, but in a burglary gone bad situation where someone is murdered, I'm not sure what significance that would have.

LE does seem to be releasing information that is relative to the narrative they are proposing. Introducing information such as this leads to alternative theories that they have ruled out. So they probably are choosing not to muddy the water.

imo

 

[Ontario Mom]

Can someone post his record?

If he's been convicted of a felony, won't his prints be on file? If Amanda's ATM card was reported stolen and used in an ATM, any banks ATM, the machine will retain the card and prints could be taken from it. Most machines give three tries on the pin # before retaining the card, so that's possible too. I've worked at several national banks and all are required to record and keep retained cards for a time period in case LE requests them.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

http://inmateinfo.indy.gov/IML Search by name and be sure to tick the "include released inmates" option for bonus cash and prizes.

 

[MzOpinion8d]

Since the police do absolutely believe this was a home invasion/robbery turned deadly I don't think there will be any firestorm about any of this case.

I think it's a more accurate statement to say the police are investigating this as a home invasion/robbery turned deadly than to say they absolutely believe that's what happened.

If the police absolutely believe something, that means they would essentially disregard all evidence that didn't fit their absolute belief, and no investigation should be done that way.

 

[MrsPC]

the young man that was arrested - Jalen Watson - is well known to police IMO. Per the Marion county inmate website - he had just been released from jail 9/25/15 for another burglary & has a lengthy prior history of drugs, criminal gang activity, burglary, theft/rec'g stolen property, operating a vehicle without a license, etc.

http://inmateinfo.indy.gov/IML

<modsnip>

 

[MaxManning]

I personally think it's plausible for someone in that situation to put both hands on their belly. I also think either hand is plausible. For example if someone grabs your right arm, you might use the left hand to hold the belly.

This aspect, in regards to it being a burglary seems to be somewhat irrelevant imo. I do understand the reason why people are asking, but in a burglary gone bad situation where someone is murdered, I'm not sure what significance that would have.

LE does seem to be releasing information that is relative to the narrative they are proposing. Introducing information such as this leads to alternative theories that they have ruled out. So they probably are choosing not to muddy the water.

imo

I apologize - I now understand the significance that someone was searching for. If the hand with the ring was shot, not wanting to get the blood on them in removing the ring. sorry