State vs Jason Lynn Young 6-09-11

[raisincharlie]

Guess he needed those gloves he was carrying right before midnight to unplug the camera, open the door and grab a rock to stick in the door to prop it open.

Not buying the scenario he went out to smoke a cigar. He could have done that on his drive from the Cracker Barrel to the hotel. Interesting though, his own lawyer may have well explained the cigarette butts - saying there was a can outside that door with cigarette butts in it on a routine basis.

 

[Madeleine74]

I can't stand Mr Collins voice

Collins' voice is easier to take than HK.

 

[Madeleine74]

Did the cops try to find and interview ea. person who stayed in the hotel that night to attempt to find out who it was who left out that door around 6:15am?

Also, the clerk didn't notice if JLY's hotel room door was propped open or not?

 

[traveler]

There were fingerprints on the pipe? I wonder if they were tested? Jason would have had to jump up and grab ahold of the wire on the back of the camera to unplug it.

 

[Just the Fax]

Did the cops try to find and interview ea. person who stayed in the hotel that night to attempt to find out who it was who left out that door around 6:15am?

Also, the clerk didn't notice if JLY's hotel room door was propped open or not?

My notes from the suppression hearing
--------------------------------------------
Scott Ikard (now Lt) and Spivey (now Sgt)...both did a good job on the stand.
Kenny Blackwell...not so much.

Ikard (he was called in from vacation) and another investigator went to Hampton Inn 11-4 and interviewed staff and obtained video. They spent the night so they could encounter employees and guests that may have been there those hours the previous nights.
They were then assigned a task to canvass gas stations from Hillsville to the western edge of Greensboro (other's were assigned the same thing from Raleigh to Greensboro). They started after midnight on 11-5-06 and started checking off hwy 52-S (found 15 were open). They used a 5X7 color photo of JLY...wearing a red shirt in front of a beach landscape. At 2 AM, they had made it down to Four Brothers Grocery and asked Garcie if she worked 11-3 in the early am hours...she said yes and was shown the photo and asked if she saw the man. Without hesitation, she recognized him because of the circumstances. She said it was between 5-5:30AM. Ikard said Gracie was "almost positive". They never said what happened or why they were looking for JLY. They left their cards and said WCSO would follow up.

On 11-28-06, Kenny Blackwell finally did a follow-up interview in her home. (It is noted that is only Blackwell's 2nd year as an investigator).
This time he used JLY's DMV photo wearing a shirt and tie. Gracie said she was 90% sure that was him.

On 5-30-07, Spivey interviewed her for 3rd time. She was still not aware of the murder and had not seen any news accounts in media. At this time, she gave Spivey more details of the exact time of 5:26, as she had cash register records of the $20 cash and only $15 pumped...another unusual circumstance about the encounter that made her remember. She saw the white SUV leave and said he drove around behind the McDonalds, instead of straight out of the parking lot (perhaps to hide license tag from her view?).
She said he was "tall, blondish hair and wore blue jeans". She also volunteered she had a drug problem in the past , but was clean and sober for some time before 11/06...required to take random drug tests and always passed.

10-29-09, Spivey and Becky Holt interviewed her yet again.

 

[ncsu95]

Slipped in side door as another guest was entering or exiting?

I think the employee answered. The doors were unlocked at 6:00 am. But, the camera was fixed near there as well. This is a bit of a problem for the prosecution. He's seen on camera just before midnight.

 

[Just the Fax]

There were fingerprints on the pipe? I wonder if they were tested? Jason would have had to jump up and grab ahold of the wire on the back of the camera to unplug it.

I had a photo of that camera and can't find it now.
It would be easy for a 6' 1" fit guy like JLY to jump up and grab the wire or push it up. A ladder needed to plug it back in.

 

[azwildcat]

They don't have absolute proof he was not in his room. He was not spotted coming back in and was not seen on video and no witness has placed him at that door. Yes, we know it was HIM. But technically, there is no proof, merely inference.

Just sort of an odd question that this sparked for me. There weren't any parking lot surveillance cameras from the hotel? Or has that just not come up yet? That seems like something hotels would likely have.

 

[Just the Fax]

I think the employee answered. The doors were unlocked at 6:00 am. But, the camera was fixed near there as well. This is a bit of a problem for the prosecution. He's seen on camera just before midnight.

Sorry, not following you

 

[ncsu95]

We know he was seen on video before heading out.

We don't know how he got back in the hotel. The rock was gone. He got back in somehow. He wasn't seen coming back in (right?)

edit: he sure was "lucky" that someone came out that door that early in the morning to let him back in. I guess they never located this mystery person who left at that time?

How weird would it have been to come back, find that door closed, and then have to wait and wait and wait for someone to come out the door. Tick Tock.

Hotel doors were unlocked at 6:00 am and didn't require a card key to enter at that point.

 

[raisincharlie]

I had a photo of that camera and can't find it now.
It would be easy for a 6' 1" fit guy like JLY to jump up and grab the wire or push it up. A ladder needed to plug it back in.

JY does like to play a lot of basketball..."You came here for that " don't forget.

 

[Just the Fax]

Hotel doors were unlocked at 6:00 am and didn't require a card key to enter at that point.

FRONT DOOR only

 

[Just the Fax]

Just sort of an odd question that this sparked for me. There weren't any parking lot surveillance cameras from the hotel? Or has that just not come up yet? That seems like something hotels would likely have.

No outside video, azwc

 

[ncsu95]

Sorry, not following you

I was confused as to how he could have gotten back in without a card key. But the witness answered during cross that the doors were opened at 6:00 am (and locked at 11:00 pm). So that explains how he would have gotten back in. However, the video camera was also fixed at that point, so he should have been on camera. You showed a picture of him at the desk right before midnight. It's a 3 hour trip to Raleigh. So I just don't know how he could have gotten back into the hotel without being on camera since he had to come back after the camera was fixed.

Was he seen with a suitcase or bag when he checked in? Maybe he never came back to the hotel. Was he seen checking out at a later point? I imagine if there was no money owed, housecleaning would have simply discarded the bill receipt.

 

[ncsu95]

FRONT DOOR only

I thought he said all the doors.

 

[Madeleine74]

No, the side door was supposed to be opened at 6am, but that doesn't mean it was. It all depended on if the maint guy or whoever assigned, went down there and unlocked the door. Could have been done later, like 6:30am. Was not unlocked by 6am THAT morning, according to testimony.

 

[gracielee]

I thought he said all the doors.

No, he said 'ground floor, front door only.'

 

[Just the Fax]

I think the employee answered. The doors were unlocked at 6:00 am. But, the camera was fixed near there as well. This is a bit of a problem for the prosecution. He's seen on camera just before midnight.

Actually, the problem is for the defense

1- seen on video leaving at midnight with 2 bottles of water, gloves , newspaper , heavy pullover (clothes never recovered).
2- Defense says he went out to get papers in is car and smoke a cigar
3- Ok, he would have walked back in by 12:15AM to go back to his room (no room key card activity, but we will forget that for now)

Where is the video of him coming back in the stairwell around 12:15am?
Well, there is none because he was on the way to Raleigh at that time and JLY unplugged the camera earlier, at 11:20PM...

 

[Madeleine74]

AHHHHH. Okay. front door only. He (defense attorney) was focused on that side door and whether or not there was a garbage bin there for the smokers. The clerk said he didn't know...only knew about one near the front door.

All the focus on that side door and then "isn't there a sign on that door that it is locked from 11pm to 6am?" Got me confused. I thought they were still talking about the side door.

 

[ncsu95]

No, he said 'ground floor, front door only.'

I just called the Hillsville Hampton. They said ALL doors are unlocked from 6:00 am to 11:00 PM. Of course, the witness said they are if someone unlocks them on time. But it is all the doors, not just the front door.