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

[Missizzy]

ITA, we WSers are "outta the box thinkers"!! Nothing is too crazy to throw on the table. For heaven's sake, the guy is stealing deer heads and pendulum clocks. All reason went out the window.

I want to be clear that I've seen NO mention of a vehicle. I only brought that up as I know he'd need to get from the airport to a house, somehow. People don't walk in small Central Texas towns if they can drive FWIW. That's something to keep in mind for any sort of examination of his MO. I don't know if I buy the idea that this guy is well off enough to own a plane at this age and a vehicle to have parked at the airport. It's a stretch but worth thinking about.

I also think that the lags in reported rapes are either connected to a change in schedule, an illness, or possibly the failure of some women to report. I still worry that some unattended deaths of elder women could be connected to this man. That really worries me. He caused one lady to have a stroke. It's certainly not hard to imagine someone having an heart attack in a situation like this.

For posters in Texas, how active is your AARP? I've wondered why they're not speaking up? As much as I want this creep caught, I also can't wait to compare notes and see what he's all about. I really want to know this guy's story.

 

[DeepThinker]

I don't know if I buy the idea that this guy is well off enough to own a plane at this age and a vehicle to have parked at the airport. It's a stretch but worth thinking about.

I

respectfully snipped by me

What if he's from a wealthy family? Then, he could have various vehicles/planes/buses etc. at his disposal. Just a thought.

 

[Texas Mist]

respectfully snipped by me

What if he's from a wealthy family? Then, he could have various vehicles/planes/buses etc. at his disposal. Just a thought.

I've thought about that, too....maybe even a "trust fund baby"....the ones I know are loners & not very happy in general.

 

[Missizzy]

Elders are stereotypically known to have poor memories. Obviously this is not true of everyone. However, have we considered the phone line cutting a month prior to the rape as a way that someone was close to the home and then was forgotten?

I still can't figure out if these women just let the phone line sit disconnected (highly unlikely IMO) or if it was cut and then repaired. Possibly, that's when the man had access to the home and premises and learned if the woman would fit his profile. Possibly, he picked a likely candidate and then did further investigation up close.

A phone repairman might spend a couple of hours at a house and maybe speak for a moment to the resident but mostly go about his work. I doubt that most women would follow him around or even speak at length to him after they'd determined he was who he said he was. They'd most likely go about their day, doing chores, etc. That would give him plenty of time to get the lay of the land. He could have even changed his appearance to some degree--wore dreads or a cap low over his face. I don't think I'd be able to give a good description of a service person who'd been to my house a full month ago unless there was something really unique about him--and I'm in my 50's and quite observant.

There's definitely some holes in this theory--why the distance between victims? How could he finagle being the service person in each town? A woman most likely would call her local phone company when she noticed the service being off. Would she just accept a man coming to her door asking if she'd lost service?

And what about the possibility that the woman did possibly remember something about him? After all, we think that these were older white women who are describing a young man of color. I wouldn't be surprised if LE asked specifically about phone servicemen that she'd remember some little detail. If LE knows that the phone lines were cut a month prior, they've obviously been checking this angle out 'til the cows come home.

Just more conjecture, more straw-grasping. I want this guy caught and locked up.

 

[jjenny]

I think if it were a phone repair service person, it would be pretty obvious and police should have figured it out already. The police could contact the phone company, see if the same person was sent to repair phone to several victims, etc.
So, I don't think it's a phone repairman, unless police really doesn't know how to do their job.

 

[jjenny]

respectfully snipped by me

What if he's from a wealthy family? Then, he could have various vehicles/planes/buses etc. at his disposal. Just a thought.

Why is he taking money from the woman in exchange for not raping her if he is rich? It doesn't fit.

 

[DeepThinker]

Why is he taking money from the woman in exchange for not raping her if he is rich? It doesn't fit.

I didn't think it really fit either, but I was just tossing it out there.

 

[Missizzy]

Why did Winona shoplift clothing when she certainly could afford it? Crime rarely makes sense to those who are logical thinkers.

We have to think illogically, like the rapist. One thing I think we're forgetting is how bold he is. I don't think he's slinking and lurking. I think he's marching right up to doors.

 

[jjenny]

Why did Winona shoplift clothing when she certainly could afford it? Crime rarely makes sense to those who are logical thinkers.

We have to think illogically, like the rapist. One thing I think we're forgetting is how bold he is. I don't think he's slinking and lurking. I think he's marching right up to doors.

I don't know why Winona was doing the thing she was doing, but I would bet that if they find this guy, he is not a rich pilot with his own plane.

 

[waltzingmatilda]

Why did Winona shoplift clothing when she certainly could afford it? Crime rarely makes sense to those who are logical thinkers.

We have to think illogically, like the rapist. One thing I think we're forgetting is how bold he is. I don't think he's slinking and lurking. I think he's marching right up to doors.

Your post got me thinking izzy. I had a friend in HS who was from a wealthy family, was Homecoming queen, and wore beautiful clothes mostly designed and sewn by her talented seamstress mother. A local dept store chose 1 girl from each local HS to represent on a 'teen board' as ambassadors for the store and this girl was chosen. They traveled around the area putting on fashion shows, etc. This girl, who was the envy of many, began to steal clothes from the store and was finally caught and arrested. Of course her wealthy family was devasted because she wanted for nothing.

We never really knew if she did it because of a sense of entitlement or if she was angry and lashing out at her mom for sewing most of her clothes.

wonder what anger/resentment this perp thrives on?

 

[eachandevery]

I'm not sure if this article has been posted; it's basically a brief rehashing of information we know, already, but I did like the question at the end because it's something I - and likely many other people - have always been wondering about.

"Now, agencies all over the state are wondering how the man knew the victim without a connection to Yoakum, and are hoping the town where it all started could hold the key to stopping the Twilight Rapist."

http://www.kbtx.com/local/headlines/83779102.html

I tend to think that this guy has some "inside information" (no reason other than the victims are elderly and live alone, plus he went after the same woman twice) on the women he attacks, but if that's the case, why is he waiting for weeks/a month before he strikes? I could see waiting one week, maybe two, but a whole month? Does he have more than one woman in mind, at the time, and something makes him settle on a specific victim?

The airport idea is a good one, IMO, but it seems like a huge amount of work on the perp's part.

 

[WholeLottaRosie]

What I don't get is if the phone lines are cut a month before the rape, why isn't the victim of the line cutting under police protection? Or family protection? Are there other people having phone lines cut and reporting it that aren't then rape victims? I am thinking as I type and I apologize if this doesn't make sense. It makes sense to me, LOL!

Surely the phone company would have a record of who did the repairs, and, it would seem to be simple to see if a) one person did them all and the if so b) haul that person in. Something is odd (to me) about this aspect.

 

[IWannaKnow]

You guys are the sharpest tacks in the box, if I do say so myself. And reading your posts makes me wonder if he is somehow picking his victim, cutting the phone lines and then doing his surveillance just to see who shows up and how coordinated the efforts are to determine what happened? In other words, he would get alot of information about how supported this woman is by the response to an upsetting and confusing event, i.e. - cutting the phone lines.... If the only person who shows up is the phone company, the perp would certainly know that this lady is truly on her own. Also, if it takes a while for her to determine the line was cut, that would also tell him this lady might not be on top of her game and an easier target. Just my jumbled thoughts for the day.

 

[A_News_Junkie]

Stay with me here for a second --- I am going outta the box again!

Reading on: http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/...elderly-women/comment-page-2/?action=late-new comments section again....... " I pray that this man is caught and faces extreme consequences. I live in Mississippi and for 2 yrs we faced a ver, very similar rapist. We do have a sketch of him and DNA, but he is still on the loose."
So............. I went looking to see if I could sleuth out info on these cases....
found a blog with sketches and I think the case this poster was referring to.
http://rapetracker.blogspot.com/2007_09_01_archive.html (there is a sketch that could fit our perp) Also, from that page:
"WDAM Hattiesburg, MS

Jones County authorities may have a serial rapist on their hands.
An 81-year-old woman was attacked Thursday night around 11 o'clock at her home inside the Sandersville city limits. The woman is at South Central Regional Medical Center but her condition is unknown at this time.
Sheriff Larry Dykes says the attack is similar to two others this summer. An elderly woman on Highway 184 was attacked by a suspect who broke into her home in late May. And two weeks later an elderly woman on Sharon Road was attacked in her home.
Dykes says in all three instances, the women lived alone and their homes were somewhat secluded.
Authorities believe the attacker is a Hispanic male, approximately 5'6 to 5'9, with a stocky build." <------------- About the only thing that doesn't fit is the stocky build, but could certainly have changed.

Anyone want to jump in and see what else we can find that might match up??? So my limb is.......maybe he is on the move and has relocated to Texas???????
:truce: be nice, it is just an idea!!!

 

[A_News_Junkie]

I would love to know if they have compared the DNA samples!
http://meridianstar.com/local/x681156425/Hunt-for-serial-rapist-continues

http://www.wtok.com/home/headlines/9699997.html?storySection=story

The sketch doesn't look like a "stocky build" person to me.

 

[Missizzy]

NJ--That's a great find. Very similar MO. I wonder if anyone can find out if the women were raped on mainly weekdays when they were getting ready to go to an early church service. One would think that states would talk to one another. After all, the US Marshalls and the FBI are on this case. ITA on the sketch of the man not looking "stocky".

We can't forget how similar the Lubbock rape was, though. That threw everyone off for days. The bottom line is that the Lubbock guy DID also rape an elder woman and steal her purse. I think these crimes are instructive and cautionary as we forget about the dangers that elders face. Rape is about terror and power and not about lithe young things in mini-skirts. Everyone is at risk.

Let's keep an eye on this. I'd wonder, once again, if the rapist might not have had some connection to the Youth Ranch and feels comfortable in both locales. I'll check that out.

 

[Missizzy]

http://meridianstar.com/local/x681156425/Hunt-for-serial-rapist-continues

"We have a case from August 2005 in which a 73-year old woman was raped in northeast Meridian by a man said to fit the description of the suspect."

"Jones County Sheriff Alex Hodge said Tuesday afternoon there were two rapes in 2005, which includes the MPD case, two in 2007 and two more this year. Recent DNA analysis results confirmed these attacks were committed by the same person. The most recent rape occurred less than two weeks ago in Ovett, in extreme southern Jones County."

and

"The majority of victims have been elderly women."


Let's look at at-risk youth ranches in the area.

http://www.sunbeltranch.org/about/history.htm

"Cookson Hills Youth Ranch established a children's home near Lake, Mississippi in 1972 on property that would eventually become Sunbelt Christian Youth Ranch. The Regis Family, who lived nearby were instrumental in helping Cookson establish the ranch.

Theron and Linda Harris became house parents under the direction of Cookson Hills and continued in that role until 1989 when Cookson decided to close the facility. With support from several congregations, Theron and Linda Harris founded Sunbelt Christian Youth Ranch at that time as a non-profit organization and acquired the property, continuing the service that had been established.

George and Grace Decker, known as Grandpa and Grandma during their time on the ranch, came to Sunbelt in 1993 as a retired couple who wanted to continue in their service. They served until August 2008."




FWIW, Lake, MS (where the Sunbelt Youth Ranch is) is about 38 miles west of Meridian, where one rape occurred. The Youth Ranch is about 45 miles due north of Jones County, where at least six rapes occurred.

 

[waltzingmatilda]

~snipped~
Hodge said the suspect could have changed his appearance since the sketch was made. He urged residents to be vigilant in paying attention to their surroundings and those of their neighbors.

http://meridianstar.com/local/x681156425/Hunt-for-serial-rapist-continues

Sounds like LE thinks he changed his appearance. Cross dressing? Did he lose weight?
Also it is ironic that the ad on the page of the news story is for St Patrick Catholic School considering we've discussed Catholic churches and the Blue Bonnet Ranch.

OT I feel I've fallen behind in my sleuthing as I've been ill the last few days but you guys are doing great work.

I am glad to see you here IWannaKnow and hope you stick with us!
I see you down there Missizzy! I'll pm you tomorrow when I'm feeling better dahlin'!

wm

 

[txsvicki]

The victim who is said to have given $10,000 for the attacker to not rape her just keeps bothering me. It seems almost like a home invasion more than a deranged solitary rapist. Then there's a rape in my town similar enough for announcements that it might be the guy and the reports of other elderly rapes in Miss. I am wondering if this rapist is in a gang where they might share criminal plots and pass it around to others. Those who go to jail for something more minor might even pass home invasion and robbery plots around there. Then there's the lady I know here who had a guy coming around asking for work or money and he ended up in her home demanding hundreds of dollars, while at the same time and very day of I had guys coming by my house asking for money and giving a sob story. Hopefully I'm making sense with my wording, but I am wondering if the rapist could be a part of some group of others who share plots except that he is also perverted and actually raped and keeps it up.

 

[Missizzy]

txsvicki--I don't think so. This guy works alone. That's my gut feeling. I think almost all Organized Rapists do. If this were a gang, they'd want money, jewelry, and electronics. They'd be in an out and violent and sloppy. They wouldn't take clocks and deer heads. They wouldn't spend their time sitting watch or frightening the victims. We can sure keep it on the table but I'm thinking a lone wolf. JMO

Hope you feel better WM!! You know I noticed the ad for that school too. WSers think alike. I think it's just a coincidence but still took me aback.