"Tape Recorder Man"

[Motherof5]

Thanks for looking and for your opinion. I think I remember you saying that you believe TRM is Coffey due to your seeing TRM. You could very well be right. I'm just throwing out some other options.

Also, do you think that the TRM sketch looks like the man that you saw?

 

[Jeb]

I think that the composite sketch resembles the TRM I saw. Most composites can be close, however I've seen some on TV that were almost identical.

 

[Motherof5]

Great post, Thrasher. Very well articulated. Of course we shouldn't leap to conclusions, but on the other hand, when dealing with an unsolved case, we also shouldn't develop tunnel vision either. The fact that the Tennessee reporter does have some possible history with crimes involving children, has experience interviewing with a microphone (the perfect cover in case anyone asks why he's talking to strange children in a mall), and also has a Maryland connection during the relevant time frame, while not sufficient to make him a suspect, is intriguing.

I agree. I think he needs a closer look.

 

[Richard]

The sketch of the Tape Recorder Man (TRM) only appeared four times in the Washington Post, all four printings were in the month of April 1975.

I have found in microfilm files a late edition of the Washington Star newspaper, dated Monday 31 March 1975, which featured the origional sketch of the Tape Recorder Man on page one. The early edition for that day did not have the sketch and story. So it was released to the news media on that day, probably early in the morning, but after the early editions of the paper hit the stands.

The story which accompanied the sketch mentioned that the sketch was made on Friday, 28 March 1975 and over the weekend was shown to employees of Wheaton Plaza Shopping Center. A Montgomery Police spokesman stated that none of those employees recognized the man in the sketch, but that there were a couple of leads regarding it which he "did not want to go into at this time".

Specifics on those pre-publication "leads" were never stated. Almost immediately, police were deluged with phone calls and tips regarding the sketch, and subsequent stories were about witnesses seeing a man with a tape recorder at other shopping centers and on other days.

To my knowledge, the only persons who claimed to have seen a man with a tape recorder and microphone on 25 March 1975 (the day the girls went missing) was the 13 year-old boy referred to as "Jimmy" and his 13-year-old friend. And significantly, no other children came forward to say that they were "interviewed" by the man on that day.

"Jimmy" stated that immediately after he saw the TRM speaking with Sheila and Kate, he saw the girls walking in one direction (toward the Woodies end of the mall, and the TRM was walking in the opposite direction (toward the Montgomery Wards end of the mall).

Following publication of the sketch, a number of witnesses called police to state that they had seen a man who fit the description and sketch.

ALL of the witnesses who claimed to have seen a "Tape Recorder Man" stated that they had seen him on other earlier dates. Some of those earlier sightings were at Wheaton Plaza, and some were at other malls, including; White Oak Mall, Iverson Mall, Marlow Heights Shopping Center, and Bowie Shopping Center.

It is my own conclusion that the Wheaton Plaza TRM was only in the Plaza for a brief time and only spoke to the Lyon Sisters. It is possible that he had parked his vehicle in the parking lot between Montgomery Wards and the pathway which connected Faulkner Place with the mall access road. The girls would have walked past his vehicle as they approached the mall.

Because his appearance as TRM was so brief, I feel that he had already seen the girls and used his tape recorder to make contact with them, then left for his vehicle to await their departure from the mall.

It is most likely that he abducted them in the parking lot, just outside Montgomery Ward's, using his previous contact with them as a way of gaining their confidence and engaging them in conversation near his vehicle.

If for some reason he decided to abort an abduction attempt there, he could have quickly driven out of the mall parking lot to University Ave, turned left, and then taken another left on Drumm, or at the next street in order to intercept the girls on their route home.

 

[Motherof5]

This was taken from the 2005 Gazette article........

In talking to patrons and employees who had been at Wheaton Plaza that day, police learned that several people had seen the girls talking to a man holding a microphone attached to a tape recorder inside a briefcase. Witnesses said he was trying to record women's voices for an answering machine. When news of the man with the tape recorder broke, police were inundated with calls from other girls and women who had been approached by a similar man.

SEVERAL PEOPLE saw the girls talking to TRM?????? I thought "Jimmy" and his friend were the only ones that saw this?:waitasec: Are they considering 2 to be several?

 

[Richard]

This was taken from the 2005 Gazette article........

In talking to patrons and employees who had been at Wheaton Plaza that day, police learned that several people had seen the girls talking to a man holding a microphone attached to a tape recorder inside a briefcase. Witnesses said he was trying to record women's voices for an answering machine. When news of the man with the tape recorder broke, police were inundated with calls from other girls and women who had been approached by a similar man.

SEVERAL PEOPLE saw the girls talking to TRM?????? I thought "Jimmy" and his friend were the only ones that saw this?:waitasec: Are they considering 2 to be several?

This is a case of the facts being garbled in retransmission. Note that the date of the article is 2005, some thirty years after the girls went missing. The author of this article is probably summarizing and rewording one of my earlier case summaries, and in so doing got some of the facts mixed together.

"Jimmy" (not his real name but the one used by police and news media at the time because he was a minor) and his friend (another 13 year old boy who was not named in the press) were the only two persons to see the man with the tape recorder talking to Sheila and Kate that day, 25 March 1975. "Jimmy" knew the girls personally and so is the most reliable witness regarding this story.

"Jimmy" mentioned having seen the girls at the mall to his parents the next day, when news of their disappearance was on the radio, TV, and newspapers. It wasn't until the 28th of March that "Jimmy" mentioned the Tape Recorder Man to his parents, at which time they thought it significant enough to call the police. They went to the police station that night and spent 2 and a half hours there while "Jimmy" gave his account, looked at mug shots, and assisted with the composite drawing. He mentioned his friend, and there is indication that his friend was also questioned by police.

Police showed copies of the drawing to employees and persons at Wheaton Plaza the next day, Saturday 29 March 1975 but nobody recognized him or stated that they had seen anyone with a tape recorder on 25 March.

In a press conference on Monday 31 March, the composite drawing was released to the news media and at that time, a police spokesman stated that they had some other possible leads about the Tape Recorder Man, but no specifics were given.

AFTER the composite drawing of the TRM appeared in the media, hundreds of calls came into police headquarters, and about 15 persons claimed to have seen such a man with a tape recorder on OTHER OCCASIONS and at other malls.

One person stated that he saw such a man at Wheaton Plaza on 28 February and that a neighbor told him that such a man was seen the next day on 1 March 1975. A man with a tape recorder was seen in mid February speaking with a young girl at White Oak shopping center.

In Prince Georges County, seven different sales girls who worked at Iverson Mall and Marlow Heights Shopping Center stated that a man had approached them individually to request that they record a phone message for his phone on tape. All refused.

At least one person stated that a tape recorder man was seen at Bowie Shopping Center in PG county.

There were also two or three Wheaton Plaza employees who came forward AFTER the sketch was released to state that a man with a tape recorder was seen a day or two PRIOR to the 25th of March at Wheaton Plaza. Evidently, they had not been working or were not shown the sketch by Montgomery County Police at Wheaton Plaza on Saturday the 29th of March.

 

[Motherof5]

Thands Richard!!

 

[Motherof5]

:bang:I meant.....Thanks Richard!!

 

[Richard]

The Tape Recorder Man: some facts and observations...

The Tape Recorder Man (TRM) who was seen at Wheaton Plaza talking to the Lyon Sisters the day they disappeared has been discussed at some length in this forum.

The origional source for the information about the Tape Recorder Man was a young 13-year-old boy referred to as "Jimmy" in news reports. It was not his real name. His family lived fairly close to the Lyon family and he attended school with Sheila Lyon. His story - as reported in the Washington Star newspaper is posted in its entirety in this forum.

To summarize; "Jimmy" stated that he saw a middle aged white man with gray and black (salt and pepper) hair, dressed in a brown suit talking to the Lyon sisters in Wheaton Plaza the day they disappeared. He described the man as between 50 and 60 years old, about 6 feet tall. The man had a tape recorder which he had taken out of a tan hardshell brief case, in his hand, he held a microphone attatched to the taperecorder by a cord.

This TRM became the main focus of the Montgomery County Police investigation early on. Initially he was sought by police for the stated purpose of giving them information rather than as a suspect. When a composite sketch was released to the public, other leads were called in by people claiming to have seen him on earlier dates - at Wheaton Plaza and at other Shopping Centers. None of those witnesses knew who he was or where he came from.

As days and weeks went by with no further information on TRM, police efforts were focussed elsewhere on the hundreds of other leads which poured in daily. Ford Station Wagons became an obsession for interested persons hoping to find the girls when a man reported seeing two girls tied up in the back of such a vehicle in Manassas, VA. Sightings of suspect Fords were numerous. An attempt to extort a ransom from the Lyon family also took up police time and effort. Police located and interviewed all manner of Sexual Perverts and Child Molesters. They spoke with many Plaza employees, vendors, shoppers, and neighbors.

By May 1975, news media reporting of the Lyon case began to subside and papers no longer printed the composite drawing of TRM. Later case summaries and feature stories usually mentioned the Tape Recorder Man in passing, and police were sometimes quoted as saying things like "he might not have had anything to do with the girls' disappearance" or "he might have simply been there for some legitimate reason". They never identified TRM and never determined beyond their own doubt whether or not he was involved. Of course, they could not afford foccus only on TRM and had to consider each new lead with an open mind.

Early in the investigation (after only a few days) some officers were quoted as saying that they did not think the girls had run away. And when exhaustive search efforts failed to turn up any sign of them near the Plaza or in their neighborhood, fears were expressed that they may have been abducted. The fact that they have not turned up in the past 34 years, tends to strengthen that hypothesis.


Looking back now with the advantage of hindsight, it would seem that perhaps the strongest and most viable lead was "Jimmy's" eyewitness account of the girls talking to this Tape Recorder Man (TRM). Here are some reasons for this:

- First, the testimony of "Jimmy" is important because he immediately told his parents that he had seen the girls at the Plaza as soon as he heard the first news reports of their disappearance. The case had not yet become "front page news", and his mention of the girls was an innocent statement of what he had seen the previous day. He did not appear to be a publicity seeker or crank caller.

- "Jimmy" knew the girls personally, lived very close to them, and even rode the bus to school with Sheila. This was not a case of mistaken identity.

- "Jimmy's" story about seeing the girls talking to TRM came out in discussion about the incident with his mother a day or two later. He did not seem to be aware of the significance of the "reporter" as he called him. His parents, however, thought that it was a significant piece of information and they took their son to Police Headquarters where he related it to investigators. While there, he spent two and a half hours describing TRM in detail, and assisting Officer Morton in drawing a composite sketch of the man he had seen.

- The TRM story, as told by "Jimmy" was brief, but quite detailed and virtually every detail of it was confirmed separately by another 13 -year-old boy who had been with him at the time. The only variation in their testimony was that "Jimmy" said that he had heard the TRM ask the girls only one question; "Are any of you two involved in sports?" The other boy stated that he had not been able to hear any of the conversation between the girls and TRM.

- According to the boys, as soon as the man finished his "interview" with Sheila and Kate, he stood up and walked away from them in the direction of Montgomery Wards. The girls walked away in the opposite direction toward a fountain in the center of the mall where an Easter Bunny display was set up.

- TRM was NOT seen speaking with any other children THAT day by "Jimmy" or by anyone else.

- Although the mall was filled with children, no other children ever claimed to have been approached by TRM or "interviewed" by him on that specific day. This would tend to indicate that TRM's appearance with his tape recorder and microphone on 25 March was very brief, and perhaps intended only for Sheila and Katherine Lyon.

- At least six eyewitnesses saw Sheila and Katherine at Wheaton Plaza that day, but of those only "Jimmy" and his friend saw the girls talking to TRM. Some news stories or posts state erroneously that the girls' 14 -year-old brother Jay saw them with TRM. He was, in fact, at the mall and he saw his sisters standing at the Easter Bunny Display around 1PM and later he saw them eating Pizza at the Orange Bowl, but he never claimed to have seen them with the Tape Recorder Man.

- After 31 March (when the sketch was released to the media), at least 15 different people claimed to have seen a man with a tape recorder who either fit "Jimmy's" description, or who resembled the sketch. All of those sightings were on earlier dates. Some of the sightings were at Wheaton Plaza, and some were at other shopping centers in both Montgomery County and adjacent Prince Georges County.

- Each person who claimed to have seen a TRM was interviewed separately by police and each was asked to comment on the accuracy of the sketch. Most thought that it was a good likness and only slight modifications were made to it, resulting in a second "revised" sketch. The number of other separate eyewitness accounts about other possible sightings tended to confirm the accuracy of the sketch and give credibility to "Jimmy's" story.

- TRM was never seen after 25 March 1975 with a tape recorder and microphone attempting to interview anyone, and people were certainly looking for such a person. To clarify this statement: The guy who had the tape recorder did not just "disappear". Obviously he went on living and doing whatever it was that he did. AND this man was no doubt seen by many people after 25 March 1975. He may have even stayed in the area for a time. BUT he stopped doing his TRM "act" immediately after his "interview" with Sheila and Katherine Lyon.

- If the Tape Recorder Man was completely innocent, or a harmless nut case - as some have suggested - rather than stopping his activities, he most likely would have continued playing with his tape recorder and would have continued to approach young girls and children. Note that six days (from 25 to 31 March) passed before the story of TRM appeared in any newspaper or on TV. So this was not a case of media coverage scaring a harmless old guy into hiding.

- Also, if he was completely innocent, he could have called the police to explain himself, clear things up, and get the investigation back on the right track. It is a fact, however, that he did NOT continue with his "interviews" after 25 March and that he did NOT come forward to say that he was the man with the tape recorder that day.

The Tape Recorder Man was REAL in the sense that he was actually present at Wheaton Plaza on 25 March 1975, and he was seen talking to the Lyon sisters. But he may have been FICTIONAL in another sense because he was a character in an "act" put on by someone with evil intentions. As a character, it is quite possible that make-up was used in addition to his costume (brown suit and tan briefcase), and props (tape recorder and microphone).

Two main questions come to mind:

1. What part did the Tape Recorder Man character play in the abduction of the Lyon Sisters?

2. Who was he?

 

[Motherof5]

Thanks Richard,great post!!! I got this from courttv crime library. I know that Richard has brought these things up befor. The subject was kidnapped children and the info was under the title "Who is the suspect?"

At the time of the abduction, the offender had a valid reason for being at the scene of the crime. These reasons included a residence near the site, some type of social activity or work related duties.

Maybe focusing on TRM's "valid reason" might help answer Richards questions.
I wonder what he would have said had he been asked what he was doing? If he said reporter, would he have anything to back that up? We know that he could fool a child, but what would he say if he'd been approached by an adult or security? If not a reporter, what did he use as his valid reason for being there?

I also agree with Richard in that TRM was playing a part. I think that the TRM sightings prior to March 25th 1975 were a combination of practice runs and victim selection. By March 25th, he was confident in his character and had found his victims. TRM was very smooth,I wonder what characters he played before March 25th 1975 and since?

 

[Richard]

The Tape Recorder Man could have played a role in the abduction of Sheila and Kate Lyon on 25 March 1975. While the exact role he played might never be known, Here is one which I think is plausable.

This individual, who we call the Tape Reocrder Man (TRM) could have been parked in his vehicle outside the far end of Wards, in a small section of the parking lot, overlooking the walking path from Faulkner Place to the Mall access road.

If he were there, eating his lunch at about 11:30 AM, he would have seen any Kensington children as they walked to the Plaza. Sheila and Kate would have walked very close to his vehicle as they entered the back entrance to Wards, or if they went to the right of that entrance and walked on the sidewalk along the south side of Wards on their way to one of the Mall's main entrances.

While sitting in his vehicle, TRM could assess possible victims and then follow them into the Plaza, carrying his tape recorder and microphone inside his tan brief case.

Inside the Plaza, he was simply a shopper in a brown suit, unnoticed by other shoppers and children going about their business. He knew which way the girls had entered, and could guess that they would go out the same way.

Watching them from a distance, he stayed between them and the entrance they had used.

At some point, he sat down on a brick planter ledge in the open air corridor, near the Orange Bowl, and simply waited for the girls to walk near him. At this point, he took his tape recorder and microphone out of his briefcase and became The "Tape Recorder Man". When Sheila and Katherine passed near him, he engaged them in conversation. Watching him interview the girls were two 13-year-old boys who would later report what they saw to police.

It was a brief conversation/interview, probably only meant as a way of making contact and becoming "familiar" to them.

He may have asked questions that would be useful later, such as what their names were, whether or not their parents were at the mall that day, and when they planned to leave. But maybe he only wanted to appear friendly and interested in them.

He may have given them some information in seemingly innocent conversation. Examples might be; "I am shopping for my daughter and thinking of getting her a puppy today." or "Oh, I live just down the street from you."

Immediately after talking to the girls, to avoid witnesses watching him further, he exited the mall and waited in his vehicle for the girls to come out. One of the boys, "Jimmy", stated that he walked away in the direction of Wards within 30 seconds after talking to the girls.

When the girls came out of the mall, he could play on their confidence. He, afterall, was the nice man they had just met. And how lucky, he just happened to be leaving too and could give them a ride home.

Or he might have asked them to hold the puppy or kitten that he just bought...

If, for some reason (perhaps a passing witness or someone watching him) he decided to abort his abduction attempt, he could drive out of the parking lot to University, turn left and then turn left again on Drumm Ave. or left at another residential street in order to intercept the girls inside their subdivision, perhaps at the intersection of Drumm and McComas. But, of course, this would be far more chancy as timing and surveillance was important to him and his plan.

If no force or threats were made in the above scenario, TRM would be guilty of nothing and could easily explain away his actions as innocent conversation or maybe an offer of a ride home - should anyone have interceded to question him or his motives.

 

[Motherof5]

I was wondering if TRM took out the tape recorder before or after the girls were approaching him? It seems that if he waited until they came by then took it out when they reached him,he only intended to speak to them. I don't think that they were stalked for days prior,but I like Richard's ideas of that day. I think they were selected earlier that day when they arrived.

Also,I'm wondering if the TRM ruse was similar to or way off from what he did for a living?

I also feel like sitting on the ledge where so many would pass by,is kind of a risk unless he was talking to MANY people. Nobody else claimed to have spoken to him that day. It just seems to me that a guy sitting there and only talking to 2 young girls would be more noticed and risky. I guess it wasn't because only "Jimmy" and his friend noticed.

 

[SharetheLight]

The Tape Recorder Man could have played a role in the abduction of Sheila and Kate Lyon on 25 March 1975. While the exact role he played might never be known, Here is one which I think is plausable.

This individual, who we call the Tape Reocrder Man (TRM) could have been parked in his vehicle outside the far end of Wards, in a small section of the parking lot, overlooking the walking path from Faulkner Place to the Mall access road.

If he were there, eating his lunch at about 11:30 AM, he would have seen any Kensington children as they walked to the Plaza. Sheila and Kate would have walked very close to his vehicle as they entered the back entrance to Wards, or if they went to the right of that entrance and walked on the sidewalk along the south side of Wards on their way to one of the Mall's main entrances.

While sitting in his vehicle, TRM could assess possible victims and then follow them into the Plaza, carrying his tape recorder and microphone inside his tan brief case.

Snipped for space by me.

I think this scenerio is possible. I also think you could substitute anyone in place of the TRM in this scenerio and it also be possible.
I am of the opinion, which is not the opinion of the majority here, that TRM was a perv who was at the mall that day up to no good. Maybe he got off listnening to young girls voices. I don't know. He didn't have a valid reason to be there.
This happens to be the same day the Lyon sisters go missing. No one ever hears from TRM again, because he is scared his activities will be found out. Just because someone doesn't come forward, it doesn't mean that they are guilty of that crime, they could be guilty of a host of things unrelated to this crime, and they do not want those things discovered.
I also tend to think TRM has nothing to do with the disappearance of the Lyon sisters because that was the main focus of the MCPD. This information has got us no where in almost 34 years. It's time to refocus.
I also don't believe Coffey is the TRM. It doesn't fit. Again the MCPD has focused on Coffey and where are we 34 years later?? Granted Coffey didn't come on the radar until 1987?? So that is only 22 years, nonetheless, I don't think Coffey is TRM, nor do I believe he had anything to do with the disappearance of these girls. He is an evil being to be sure, just not the evil being that is sought in the disappearance of the Lyon sisters.
I tend to think the offender was acquainted with the lyon sister in some loose way, enough of a tie to be recognized, yet not close enough to be considered in this matter. Or it could be a random person, not yet named, who was able to convince these girls that getting in his or her car was a good idea at the time.
Jeb: Am I correct that you reported to the police that you saw the TRM twice and they did not show you a pic of the TRM who came forward from PG County? If so, this is either negligent, or they really didn't think that guy was a TRM from anywhere.
I certainly hope this family gets closure in this case.

 

[SharetheLight]

The Tape Recorder Man: some facts and observations...

(Snipped by me for space)

Two main questions come to mind:

1. What part did the Tape Recorder Man character play in the abduction of the Lyon Sisters?

2. Who was he?

Answers:

1. -He was at the mall coincidentally and had no part in the abduction of the Lyon sisters.
OR
-He was a distraction a red herring for the actual abductor.
OR
-He was a man who got into character to charm 2 sisters and appear harmless and interested in the girls. So that later he would approach them and no longer be a stranger, but someone familiar. The dance continues until he gains their trust and physical control over them, then restrains them in some fashion. Game over.

2. -He was a random stranger
OR
-He was an aquaintance of the girls
OR
-He was someone with a grudge against the Lyon family
OR
- He was a man who wanted to endear himself to young girls with the sole purpose of abducting them.

If the latter is the case, did he specifically target the Lyon girls.
Were they just at the wrong place at the wrong time, crossing paths with a child abductor? Or were they intended targets? If they were the only ones he interviewed that day it appears maybe they were intentional targets that day. Intentional in the sense that TRM went to the Plaza with the sole intent to take the Lyon girls, and not just any girls who crossed his path.

 

[SharetheLight]

If the TRM abducted the Lyon sisters, was he a local, was he in town for a few weeks, or did he come to this area just to "fish"?

If the sisters were abducted on the backstreets, I'd tend to believe it was someone with knowledge of the area. Maybe a local.

But with so many recognizing the sketches of TRM as someone they saw, and no one coming forth to identify the man with a name, or address, or workplace, then I'd tend to think he was from out of the area. In 1975 there probably wasn't national coverage of this case, so if he wasn't from the Washington DC area, no one who knew him would see the sketch to identify him.

Another possibility is the real abductor worked with TRM to gain the victims confidence and then TRM didn't have anything else to do with it after the abductor took the girls away. I tend to think that child abductors work alone. I think they coloborate with one another to get ideas, share what has worked, but I think when it comes down to it, they work alone. So I don't think a team situation is feasible.

Or maybe when in TRM mode his appearance was altered, so the sketch really doesn't depict the man that interviewed the girls at all. In which case he could be walking amongst the very people that identified the TRM as someone seen at the malls. His appearance could have been altered because he was looking for the opportunity to abduct and didn't want to be identified later, or he may have altered his appearance as part of the sick game he was playing (dual personalities, distancing himself from the monster he is, etc.), or he could have changed his appearance because he was just up to no good, but had nothing to do with the missing girls.
If indeed his appearance is altered then there is no real witness to the man who was up to no good at Wheaton Plaza on 3/25/75, who could either be local or from another area.

 

[Jeb]

Yes, the Police never showed me a picture of the so called 'other' TRM. There seemed to be some uncertainty, as to weather or not they even have a picture of this individual. I do think they 'bought into' what this guy told them, because after all, he came forward on his own free will, he had an aliby (ironclad) for 25Mar75, and he never visited Wheaton Plaza or Montg. County as a TRM.

I was supposed to get back to MCP on this matter, but have not pursued it much. The main reason is, I know they believe I'm trying to help, but I always feel like I'm wasting their time, & becoming a pest. MCP know much more than I do, & they can't solve the case, in their minds, how could I possibly solve it.

 

[Indigator]

I have to agree with Richard's scenario and I'd bet he is close to 90% accurate. To me, the key thing to consider-- normal adults do not seek out unrelated/unknown children to chat with, play with or otherwise interact. Especially adult males/young girls. That is never normal behavior. TRM was some sort of deviant and the odds of these beautiful girls interacting with two different deviants in the same day is a ridiculous notion. TRM/Abductor are without a doubt one and the same.

 

[SharetheLight]

Agreed that TRM is a deviant up to no good.
I also agree the chances of the girls encountering 2 deviants within 4 hours is unlikely.
But with so much focus on TRM and no information coming forth for 34 years it is possible that some deviant recorded the girls voices for whatever reason and then they later met with foul play elsewhere.
It is still possible that whoever took these girls did it for other reasons.
And it is possible that TRM was very organized in his abduction and seemingly left without a trace.

I just find it curious that nobody in the mall on 3/25/75 except "jimmy" reported seeing TRM in the mall on 3/25/75. At least not according to the accounts which are held to be reliable posted here in this forum.

 

[Motherof5]

This is from the April 3rd,1975 Washington Post article that contains "Jimmy's" interview about TRM.

snipped by me-

The man was sitting on the ledge next to an island of (illegible word - bushes?) in the middle of the plaza, Jimmy said. People sit on the ledge to rest during their shopping sprees or to eat a snack or pizza from the carryout.


According to "Jimmiy", TRM was sitting in a very busy spot.Jimmy was able to describe TRM's face,clothes,activites,even the fact that his brown brief case was the hard kind that stood up. How is it that the many people there that day didn't see this guy sitting right there in the middle of it all doing this very odd thing with 2 young girls?He sure caught the eyes of Jimmy and his friend,yet he was invisible to eveyone else?:waitasec:

 

[Jeb]

You & Richard have it correct. It was a simple move by TRM, & a lucky one too. Why turn this into something complex?