GUILTY TX - Billy Joe Harris for rapes of elderly women in 6 counties, 2011

[TGIRecovered]

They don't have the DNA of the rapist on file, so that goes against him being a registered sex offender. Don't all sex offender have to submit their DNA?
So most likely he does not have a criminal record.

Or maybe the record he has is juvenile and he has always pled down from a sex charge to something that keeps him off the list.

 

[shadowraiths]

They don't have the DNA of the rapist on file, so that goes against him being a registered sex offender. Don't all sex offender have to submit their DNA?
So most likely he does not have a criminal record.

That's what I was thinking. However, not all states collect DNA. Or rather, collecting DNA is something that has only been implemented recently.

In any event, one reason I raised this angle is bc, when I was doing research on child predators, they fell into two camps. One, was the predator who was emotionally stunted, and therefore saw him (or her) self as a child (think, JMK, here). The other is those who target those who they perceive to be weak. The research indicates that the latter's victim pool is both young children and older women.

 

[Missizzy]

Not sure about Texas but in Oregon, DNA is taken in all sex offenses--adult and juvenile. They are sealed but I believe the juvenile DNA can be accessed. I wonder if it's the same in Texas.

Shadowraiths--The biggest obstacle we've encountered is lack of information from LE concerning the victims. The only thing we know are the few details we've gathered from various news sources. Please jump in and add to this list:

Females
Between the ages of mid 60's and 91
Live alone
Rapes occur in early morning hours (hence, "Twilight Rapist")
Robberies occurred before and/or during attack
Most women have been asleep
At least one woman had been bathing
Phone lines and lights had been disconnected or cut/sometimes the day before
Multiple mounted deer heads taken from at least one home
Clocks taken--at least one Asian made German replica pendulum clock
One woman was relocated by LE to another location in the same town (this would have to be Yoakum)
Women are described by one LEO as "frail, tiny little things"
One woman had a stroke following the rape
Women have been described as having problems with memory and sight
One woman reported hearing a clock ticking prior to the rape
All, except the woman in Lubbock, live in small Central or Central/Southeast Texas (I believe I read that all the towns had less than 6,000)
At least one woman's purse was stolen (Lubbock)
One woman has a job but most are described as retired
Women live in houses, apartments, and retirement villages (not sure if that might be a mobile home park)



That's really all I can come up with. I have surmised that many, if not all, of the women are white given the neighborhoods which have been shown and the people speaking about the victims. That is merely an assumption of mine, though. What I haven't seen are descriptions of:

race
body size or descriptors/common denominator (ie. silver-haired petite German ladies)
prior careers
past marital status/recent loss of spouse
family/children
medical conditions/dementia, medical fragility, mobility, vision and hearing deficits
driving or not
animals, especially dogs, in the home
socio-economic status/styles of homes/locations of bedrooms
church and club affiliations
government agency involvement

Of course, I realize that this info is privileged and we are not privy to it. Knowing the answers, though, is going to be what breaks this case. Help me flesh this out.

 

[txsvicki]

It sounds like the guy is attacking women who live in retirement apartments and in larger homes that most likely have a den (with the deer heads). I just wonder if he attacked the working woman in the retirement village thinking that she might have some savings hidden in cash. I hate to say it, but the woman may have wanted to keep some off the bank statement for her rent control purposes. The guy may have known that lone elderly women do have to worry about those sorts of things.

 

[Ruflossn]

Stephenson refused voluntary DNA sample after attack of elderly woman

http://www.kcbd.com/Global/story.asp?S=11884874

NewsChannel 11 acquired court documents Tuesday which say that Stephenson denied a request from Lubbock police to voluntarily give up a DNA sample. "I informed Josh that I did not want to ask him questions at this time, but I wanted a sample of his DNA," says Corporal Steve Cartner in a police report. "At this time Josh stated that he wanted to speak with his attorney before he did anything."

 

[Ruflossn]

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/82748067.html

Lubbock Rape Likely Not Linked To Serial Rapes Here, Investigator Says

A man photographed by a security camera as he used an ATM card stolen from an elderly Lubbock rape victim was in custody Tuesday night, but local investigators don’t think he’s the same man who’s responsible for rapes and attacks on elderly women here.

Lubbock police said they’re sharing information with Texas Rangers and are in the process of collecting forensic evidence, but a Bell County sheriff’s investigator said Tuesday that a Ranger met with Lubbock authorities and that it doesn’t appear there’s a link between the Lubbock incident and similar incidents here,

 

[Missizzy]

Well, that's what a lot of us were thinking. Texas women can't let down their guard. He's still out there. We're not looking for a drug-abusing ex-football player who just happened to find a stolen purse. The serial rapist is a far more complex fellow, IMO.

But glad they got this creep.

 

[jjenny]

Well, that's what a lot of us were thinking. Texas women can't let down their guard. He's still out there. We're not looking for a drug-abusing ex-football player who just happened to find a stolen purse. The serial rapist is a far more complex fellow, IMO.

But glad they got this creep.

Actually we don't know that he just happened to find a stolen purse. They are not saying this guy just found a purse but is not responsible for the rape in Lubbock. They are saying the Lubbock rape does not appear to be linked to other serial rapes. Right now he is just charged with the credit card fraud, but additional charges could be possible according to the article. Would they even have time to get DNA tests done already?

 

[txsvicki]

I wonder if he was proven to be in jail during some of the attacks or just how they ruled him out.

 

[jjenny]

I wonder if he was proven to be in jail during some of the attacks or just how they ruled him out.

They are saying the rape in Lubbock doesn't appear to be connected to other rapes. Maybe MO is different, even though it appears to be similar on a surface.
I don't think they would even have time to get the DNA tests results back.

 

[Missizzy]

IIRC, DNA tests can take 1-2 weeks but I've seen them rush things. I, in no way, meant that this guy isn't a criminal and a slimeball. I just don't think he's the serial rapist. I'll also be very surprised if he is the rapist of the Lubbock woman unless he's a copy-cat or the attack was very different. Sorry I didn't clarify. JMO

 

[IWannaKnow]

http://lubbockonline.com/stories/012710/loc_555291234.shtml

Police await DNA test for rape case
By Robin Pyle | Avalanche-Journal
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Story last updated at 1/27/2010 - 12:22 am


Police Sgt. Mark Wims said officers were hopeful Tuesday that DNA results from the local case would soon be ready.

The sex assault case has top priority at the forensic lab because the possibility it might be linked to the "Twilight Rapist," Wims said.

+
It's not the first time Stephenson has been behind bars, according to court records.

He was arrested April 8 on an aggravated assault charge stemming from a Jan. 3 incident. He also was arrested on a drug charge in August, 2007.
*************************************************************

 

[Ruflossn]

Concerning the possibility of the man being Hispanic/Latino, Txsvicki, remember, we have no idea if this is the rapist, a passer-by asked to use the card, or a street who found the purse or the card.

The reason I think it was a passer-by, talked into a "deal" with the rapist is we've been told that he used the card, not that he attempted to use the card. That tells me either that the rapist knew the pin number (having made the victim relay it) and gave it to the guy in the photo or that the pin was in the lady's purse which was found. the latter is quite possible as many elders (including my parents) carry their pin number in their wallets due to memory problems.

This is the first article I have read that states this creep stole the purse that contained the credit cards.


http://www.kxxv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11885766

LUBBOCK - A man police said could be the Central Texas serial rapist was arrested Tuesday.

Lubbock Police confirmed the capture of Joshua Stevenson on fraud charges. Police said he broke into a home in a similar manner to that of the serial rapist and stole a purse containing credit cards. He is also being investigated for the rape of an 87-year-old woman in connection with that break in.

Police released an ATM photograph of Stevenson last week. DNA is still being examined to see if he is the serial rapist.

If so, Stevenson would be charged in connection with assaults and rapes of elderly woman in Bell County, Leon County and Falls County.

 

[Missizzy]

Ruflossn--You're right, that's the first place I've seen that exact wording, too. And I can't imagine they'd be sloppy with their choice of words in this instance.

Something doesn't feel right about this guy, though. Notice how he's described by someone who knows him as kind of a "". That doesn't sound like someone who could go unnoticed around a neighborhood where elder ladies live. He's also been noted to use cocaine. Could the serial rapist really be strung out? I'm not thinking so.

This could be the guy. It would be fabulous to catch him. However, I'd be very interested to know why he's all over the board with the profile issues--close to home, slender, no "lingo", stealthy, stealing clocks and deer heads, "making love". So much does not fit.

Could this guy have broken in to steal the purse, and raped out of some sort of sudden anger? Not a copy-cat (although, that's a possibility) but just another set of circumstances. Most early twenties prior HS football players I know don't share personality characteristics with what we've heard about the Twilight Rapist. JMO

The one thing to celebrate is that there's a rapist and a thief off the streets. That's always good news.

 

[txsvicki]

I wonder why LE has not stated the racial make-up of the Twilight Rapist based on dna tests. They did with the bike path rapist. My local newspaper did say that Joshua was arrested last January, the same month as the rapes began, but they were not able to find out the exact dates of the rapes.

 

[Missizzy]

Does anyone know how fast they can expidite a DNA test?

 

[jjenny]

According to other articles, they've not even ruled out that in fact the Lubbock rape is related to other rapes. They don't have DNA tests back. They haven't even collected the DNA sample from this suspect for comparison, because he is refusing to donate a sample voluntarily. So they don't know anything yet, and I am not sure why the other article said authorities think the Lubbock rape is not related to the other rapes. They don't even have DNA results to say either way.

"Authorities expect to learn this week if the assault of an elderly Lubbock woman is connected to a serial rapist who has been attacking Texas women.

Police Sgt. Mark Wims said officers were hopeful Tuesday that DNA results from the local case would soon be ready."
http://lubbockonline.com/stories/012710/loc_555291234.shtml

 

[Missizzy]

I have to say that I'm getting very frustrated with the Texas media at this point. You are correct jjenny, nothing seems officially stated, at this point. It seems as if each article cancels out another.

I'm very agitated about this as I have an 85 year old mother with dementia in Central Texas. I'd like some facts.

 

[Missizzy]

http://weareaustin.com/content/fulltext/?cid=48031

"Department of Public Safety investigators have ruled out a sexual assault case in Lubbock that could have been related to a string of cases here in Central Texas.

DNA results came down on Wednesday letting investigators know that the cases were not related."



This was posted at 11:48 pm CST on Wed. Jan. 27th. I'm not finding any other news source to back it up, though.

 

[Missizzy]

Texas Mist and Txsvicki--What are you hearing down in the good state of Texas? Why is there absolutely NOTHING other than this single article about the DNA results.

This is perplexing to me. I would think that all the news sources would be picking this story up.