PA PA - Judy Smith, 50, Philadelphia, 10 April 1997

[McSpy]

Gary Hilton was smart. He went undetected for years. They will never know how many people he murdered. He had no conscience.

He said the only thing he was sorry about is that he got caught.

LE must have his DNA now---I hope!. If they were able to get DNA from the backpack or the items in the backpack, they could compare it to Gary Hilton's DNA. I wonder if this was done? Chances are that there was no DNA, because those items were out in the elements for 6 months. Yet, it is worth checking though!

 

[McSpy]

He rode buses, hiked in the mountains, bought one sleeping bag,......lol He's guilty!

Now all we have to do it tell Buncombe County LE. :floorlaugh:

It appears he made a living by stalking/murdering hikers for their money. When he ran out of money, he went hunting for another lone or vulnerable hiker.

 

[McSpy]

Her family traveled to NC after her body was found. It was a few months after. They had never seen the backpack and the clothing was new.

She was reported to have been seen in Macy's in Philly shopping but the family didn't believe it was her. She might have shopped in Philly and purchased everything she needed. I believe she went to NC willingly and went on a bus. JMO

I really believe it is possible that Gary Hilton murdered her in the mountains.
He killed a couple in their 80's in the mountains of NC. He killed all over the US in the mountains.

I believe there will be more bodies located in years to come and they will be his victims. He admitted killing one girl for money and she had $40 on her.

I believe Judith had more money in her wallet. I think she had saved some money for this get away. Maybe she intended to call her husband the next day and didn't get the chance.

Its hard to say what went on in the hotel between them. They might have had a big argument and she left after her shower. That might be why he didn't want to take a poligraph. Of course, it really could have been because of his health and medication but he went back and forth about taking one so that seems strange.

No facts, just an opinion.....lol:floorlaugh:

This is a reasonable theory. I did read that their marriage wasn't in great shape, so it isn't a stretch that she may have left town after an argument with her husband. Maybe, he wasn't very forgiving after she apologized with the flowers, so she took off. Perhaps, he initially told the Philly police that he didn't have a fight with his wife, but when they asked him to take a polygraph, he didn't want to have to correct that statement, which would have made him look bad and like a suspect.

 

[JeannieC]

It appears he made a living by stalking/murdering hikers for their money. When he ran out of money, he went hunting for another lone or vulnerable hiker.

BINGO! That is exactly my point. He didn't begin killing at age 60. We will never know how many people were the victims of GH. That is another reason why JS would have been a target for him, if he was in the area.

He said one of his victims wouldn't give him the correct pin# for her bank card so he raped her over and over and tortured her. Kept her alive until she gave him the right pin#.

I wonder if any charges or withdrawals ever showed up on JS's accounts after here death. LE has never said but it doesn't appear that there have been any because SS was the suspect for a long time. If charges or withdrawals had been made they would know someone else killed her.
Even if SS had the cards blocked it would have shown up for Le.

The perp took her wallet. I bet there was money in it and that is why he didn't check her pockets for more money. He knew she had to have money or how was she buying things.

GH was a con artist. He might have told her he could take her up the mountain, had her buy sandwiches, then led her up the mountain and killed her.

The area where she was found was not a normal place for a tourist to hike.

moo

 

[McSpy]

Her family traveled to NC after her body was found. It was a few months after. They had never seen the backpack and the clothing was new.

Sometimes the forensic team can trace where she may have purchased these items through the tags and brand of the articles. It could at least rule out Ashville, NC as where she purchased the clothes. For example: If the jacket was a "White Stag" brand and there was no place in Asheville that sold "White Stag" clothes, she had to have purchased them somewhere else.

 

[McSpy]

BINGO! That is exactly my point. He didn't begin killing at age 60. We will never know how many people were the victims of GH. That is another reason why JS would have been a target for him, if he was in the area.

He said one of his victims wouldn't give him the correct pin# for her bank card so he raped her over and over and tortured her. Kept her alive until she gave him the right pin#.

I wonder if any charges or withdrawals ever showed up on JS's accounts after here death. LE has never said but it doesn't appear that there have been any because SS was the suspect for a long time. If charges or withdrawals had been made they would know someone else killed her.
Even if SS had the cards blocked it would have shown up for Le.

The perp took her wallet. I bet there was money in it and that is why he didn't check her pockets for more money. He knew she had to have money or how was she buying things.

GH was a con artist. He might have told her he could take her up the mountain, had her buy sandwiches, then led her up the mountain and killed her.

The area where she was found was not a normal place for a tourist to hike.

moo

I hate to get political here, but people like him are a good reminder why we need to be able to defend ourselves!

 

[JeannieC]

Several things still bother me, well more than several. She had an old red backpack that she took everywhere. I wonder if it was ever found. Did they ever find out where she bought the new one?

 

[xLiqoricex]

He rode buses, hiked in the mountains, bought one sleeping bag,......lol He's guilty!

Now all we have to do it tell Buncombe County LE. :floorlaugh:

I should read more up on this Hilton dude. I knew Judy was vulnerable; hence, making her an easy target. I can just picture Hilton convincing Judy by talking about hiking and camping. I mean this is what Judy loved and she was supposedly good at it. Did this Hilton guy ever attack by surprise? Or was it all about being a con? If it was this guy I wonder how he was able to suck Judy into his game. Makes perfect sense that the wallet was stolen but money was found in her clothing. This all should be looked into by the LE and DNA should be checked for a match :rocker:

 

[McSpy]

Several things still bother me, well more than several. She had an old red backpack that she took everywhere. I wonder if it was ever found. Did they ever find out where she bought the new one?

It seems like they haven't found anything on the blue backpack or the whereabouts of the red one. Although, LE could be withholding this info.

I had a backpack rip not to long ago. One of the straps had torn away from the main body of the pack. I had to go out and get a new one. Maybe her red backpack had started to get ratty, so she purchased a replacement. She could have thrown out the red one anywhere though. Maybe, she put it in the trash at the hotel, the store where she purchased the blue one, or she tossed it in a trash barrel on the street. She may have even thrown it in the trash at home
prior to the trip to Philly. Since the clothes in the backpack were new, perhaps she bought them at the same time she purchased the blue backpack. If the clothes were women's clothes (not men's) then I would suspect those clothes belonged to her. Unless, this is why LE mentioned the Lesbian house close by to where her body was found. Maybe, they thought a woman may have killed her. . .

 

[McSpy]

I should read more up on this Hilton dude. I knew Judy was vulnerable; hence, making her an easy target. I can just picture Hilton convincing Judy by talking about hiking and camping. I mean this is what Judy loved and she was supposedly good at it. Did this Hilton guy ever attack by surprise? Or was it all about being a con? If it was this guy I wonder how he was able to suck Judy into his game. Makes perfect sense that the wallet was stolen but money was found in her clothing. This all should be looked into by the LE and DNA should be checked for a match :rocker:

I wonder if it was possible he met her on the bus. Yet, if he was after vulnerable hikers' money. The area she was found was a perfect place to find a victim. It was near a stunning estate where tourists would be attracted to in that area.

 

[xLiqoricex]

I wonder if it was possible he met her on the bus. Yet, if he was after vulnerable hikers' money. The area she was found was a perfect place to find a victim. It was near a stunning estate where tourists would be attracted to in that area.

It's interesting you mentioned this because I posted that a while back that Judy could have picked up a man inpersonating a hitch hiker or a hitch hiker for the matter. Maybe this person was Hilton Judy picked up. Or maybe Judy really did meet this guy on a bus.

Judy could have really just bought the clothing. I really think that is what truly happened. I mean going from Philly to North Carolina and making stops like she supposedly did and went to supposed stores I'm sure she purchased something to change into.


Here is an article where someone mentions Gary Hilton linked so several cases including Judy Smiths. http://www.sickcrimes.us/2007/10/gary-michael-hilton-indicted-in-florida-slaying-2283

http://articles.philly.com/1997-10-05/news/25540618_1_detectives-medical-examiner-crime-scene Not sure how accurate this article is.

Probably won't help much and some information we've already gathered. But still doesn't hurt to put it out there.

http://articles.philly.com/1997-10-01/news/25540426_1_medical-examiner-philadelphia-police-search This article states that there was evidence that Judy was dragged to the site of where she was burried.

But some of the articles have the money wrong and how much was found.

http://articles.philly.com/1997-10-01/news/25537504_1_decomposed-body-unidentified-body-backpack This article states that LE found a paperback book by her 20 feet that she probably read. But what is strange is that the book was supposedly a medical murder mystery by Michael Palmer called Flashback. This article too states that Judy was most likely dragged a few to the burrial area.

Pretty creepy stuff.

 

[JeannieC]

I should read more up on this Hilton dude. I knew Judy was vulnerable; hence, making her an easy target. I can just picture Hilton convincing Judy by talking about hiking and camping. I mean this is what Judy loved and she was supposedly good at it. Did this Hilton guy ever attack by surprise? Or was it all about being a con? If it was this guy I wonder how he was able to suck Judy into his game. Makes perfect sense that the wallet was stolen but money was found in her clothing. This all should be looked into by the LE and DNA should be checked for a match :rocker:

Hilton wasn't caught until he was 60. He was never suspected priot to that. He was found guilty of 4 murders, suspected of another. He was a serial killer and I believe he got away with it for years by killing campers in the mountains. He was smart and admitted the only thing he was sorry about was that he got caught........his words!

 

[JeannieC]

It seems like they haven't found anything on the blue backpack or the whereabouts of the red one. Although, LE could be withholding this info.

I had a backpack rip not to long ago. One of the straps had torn away from the main body of the pack. I had to go out and get a new one. Maybe her red backpack had started to get ratty, so she purchased a replacement. She could have thrown out the red one anywhere though. Maybe, she put it in the trash at the hotel, the store where she purchased the blue one, or she tossed it in a trash barrel on the street. She may have even thrown it in the trash at home
prior to the trip to Philly. Since the clothes in the backpack were new, perhaps she bought them at the same time she purchased the blue backpack. If the clothes were women's clothes (not men's) then I would suspect those clothes belonged to her. Unless, this is why LE mentioned the Lesbian house close by to where her body was found. Maybe, they thought a woman may have killed her. . .

You might be right about the backpack. Her son even said it was old and she carried it everywhere. From the description they gave it was "ragged"!

I don't understand Le mentioning the lesbians. I don't even see why LE mentioned they were lesbians. Why not just say 2 women lived there. That has nothing to do with the case unless they were saying it wasn't the persons living in the house because only women lived there. But I could be wrong. I often am!

 

[xLiqoricex]

You might be right about the backpack. Her son even said it was old and she carried it everywhere. From the description they gave it was "ragged"!

I don't understand Le mentioning the lesbians. I don't even see why LE mentioned they were lesbians. Why not just say 2 women lived there. That has nothing to do with the case unless they were saying it wasn't the persons living in the house because only women lived there. But I could be wrong. I often am!

I thought the same when I read two lesbians. Not really professional to point out the lesbian part as if that had something to do with it. I mean really, who cares? I don't. I will keep searching for updates. I'm hungry for them.:banghead:

 

[JeannieC]

I thought the same when I read two lesbians. Not really professional to point out the lesbian part as if that had something to do with it. I mean really, who cares? I don't. I will keep searching for updates. I'm hungry for them.:banghead:

IMO it was "telling" more about himself than the realized. If he had said there were 2 drug users or ex-cons living there it might make sense. Lesbians doesn't. Sounds like he either had a brain f222 or has a thing about lesbians.

 

[xLiqoricex]

IMO it was "telling" more about himself than the realized. If he had said there were 2 drug users or ex-cons living there it might make sense. Lesbians doesn't. Sounds like he either had a brain f222 or has a thing about lesbians.

Lol, exactly! Probably not a good idea to have him on the case if he's going to focus on that.

 

[JeannieC]

I never understood why LE withheld the name of the man who located Judith's body. He and his son were hunting deer out of season and came across her remains. That seemed strange to me. (Not that they would know what happened or anything like that but usually when someone is breaking the law they give their name.)

 

[McSpy]

You might be right about the backpack. Her son even said it was old and she carried it everywhere. From the description they gave it was "ragged"!

I don't understand Le mentioning the lesbians. I don't even see why LE mentioned they were lesbians. Why not just say 2 women lived there. That has nothing to do with the case unless they were saying it wasn't the persons living in the house because only women lived there. But I could be wrong. I often am!

Since the Philly police did not find women's cosmetics in the hotel room and Judy's children claim that it was like her not to have cosmetics, maybe LE thought she could have been a closet lesbian. Maybe, they were looking at all the angles.

 

[McSpy]

Hilton wasn't caught until he was 60. He was never suspected priot to that. He was found guilty of 4 murders, suspected of another. He was a serial killer and I believe he got away with it for years by killing campers in the mountains. He was smart and admitted the only thing he was sorry about was that he got caught........his words!

Interestingly, there is no bio on him. The public has no idea where he came from or anything about his family or childhood upbringing. I think his background was sealed by the courts for some reason (please correct me, if I'm wrong). I don't understand why that is exceptable to not know anything about this serial killer! What could they be hiding! Why is it a secret? Will it embarass someone or get someone in trouble?

 

[McSpy]

It's interesting you mentioned this because I posted that a while back that Judy could have picked up a man inpersonating a hitch hiker or a hitch hiker for the matter. Maybe this person was Hilton Judy picked up. Or maybe Judy really did meet this guy on a bus.

Judy could have really just bought the clothing. I really think that is what truly happened. I mean going from Philly to North Carolina and making stops like she supposedly did and went to supposed stores I'm sure she purchased something to change into.


Here is an article where someone mentions Gary Hilton linked so several cases including Judy Smiths. http://www.sickcrimes.us/2007/10/gary-michael-hilton-indicted-in-florida-slaying- 2283

http://articles.philly.com/1997-10-05/news/25540618_1_detectives-medical-examiner-crime-scene Not sure how accurate this article is.

Probably won't help much and some information we've already gathered. But still doesn't hurt to put it out there.

http://articles.philly.com/1997-10-01/news/25540426_1_medical-examiner-philadelphia-police-search This article states that there was evidence that Judy was dragged to the site of where she was burried.

But some of the articles have the money wrong and how much was found.

http://articles.philly.com/1997-10-01/news/25537504_1_decomposed- body-unidentified-body-backpack This article states that LE found a paperback book by her 20 feet that she probably read. But what is strange is that the book was supposedly a medical murder mystery by Michael Palmer called Flashback. This article too states that Judy was most likely dragged a few to the burrial area.

Pretty creepy stuff.

Thanks for the links!

I wonder what they mean by her being dragged a short distance? Was it from the road, which was 20 minutes away or was it only a matter of yards away from the "campsite"? They found a paperback book nearby and they state that it was a campsite. To me, it seems like she was reading the book, or had it by her side when attacked. Who would take the time to bring her book to the burial area, along with the body? I also wonder if she had a fire going too. A guy like Hilton could have found her camping alone, because of the campfire. All in all, I know nobody here can answer most of these questions, but it seems that she was already camping and reading her book when someone attacked her. It seems that she was dragged from the campsite to an area off to the side somewhere. This perp must have been carrying a shovel though!