TX - Leah Martin, 22, Graham, 29 May 2015 *Arrests*

[steelman]

Oh my, if you want to watch the circus, get over to the Graham Leader page and watch the fireworks before they start deleting posts!

Yep, it's like a free-for-all in there.........nobody holding much back, that's for sure.

 

[roadrunnermt]

Who is the witness that called police? What happened to the bag of clothes? When was the backhoe returned?

I've changed my mind recently on this. I think the scorned woman, wife behind the man who is not arrested yet, is the witness who called police with the gun and clothes to try to show her "innocence". These items were presented to her as proof the deed was done (in which she likely was involved in the planning) by RH. Why else would he give these items to someone? It was obviously a woman who said they didn't want a child to get ahold of the gun. This woman did attend the memorial and funeral and even signed the casket, all pretending she loved Leah and was innocent in all this. Who would the law believe? Her or convicted felons? I hope they break and all turn on each other! All this is IMO only.

 

[Fairy1]

I've changed my mind recently on this. I think the scorned woman, wife behind the man who is not arrested yet, is the witness who called police with the gun and clothes to try to show her "innocence". These items were presented to her as proof the deed was done (in which she likely was involved in the planning) by RH. Why else would he give these items to someone? It was obviously a woman who said they didn't want a child to get ahold of the gun. This woman did attend the memorial and funeral and even signed the casket, all pretending she loved Leah and was innocent in all this. Who would the law believe? Her or convicted felons? I hope they break and all turn on each other! All this is IMO only.

This is what's bothering me....why did the "perp" give the gun and clothes to anyone? If they were going to bury Leah, why wouldn't they bury the murder weapon and evidence with her? Doesn't make any sense to involve another person unnecessarily. Something isn't right with that story. Nope.

 

[Dockins]

Lord have mercy, the entire town's dirty laundry is being aired on the Graham Leader's fb page.

 

[lalalisa]

Yeah.......reading through Facebook posts always shakes my faith in the public school system.
Are students taught now to write entire paragraphs with no punctuation whatsoever ?

Back on topic.........It is amazing that the two female companions of the suspects are being so vocal on social media. One would think they would have enough common sense to fade into the shadows and keep their mouths shut. I'm sure they've both been interviewed extensively by LE, and amazingly, their version of events seems to be in direct contrast to what the media is reporting. They continue to rattle on and on, defending the actions of their men all the way down the line.

EM is posting on just about every Facebook page I've seen, which includes the Graham PD as well as the Graham Leader newspaper. She was previously posting on the Help Find Leah Facebook page, which was hosted by Leah's family. Talk about being brazen and confrontational..........but I do see that she always ends her post with the suggestion that we all pray.

Uh-huh..........................

LOL Right? Social media brings out the best of the WORST when it comes to punctuation and grammatical errors. My OCD goes into meltdown when I read comments or posts I can't decipher. I get keyboard rage....bad.

As for EM, I think her suggestions of prayer at the end of her comments shows she's trying really hard to deter any consideration of her fiance's involvement. "Look at me! I pray! Therefore, he is innocent!" Yeah, not happening, sunshine. KH and EM's comments just make it look even worse for both of their "men." LM's family is definitely not buying into it. I also believe they definitely know what's going on in the investigation and that's why they're so adamant that ECB is behind it all. I'm thinking they're waiting on the "OK" from the DA or maybe a "rat" to spill the beans before arresting him.

I can't wait to read the book about this when it's written! Btw, I live very close to Graham. My husband and I drove through a couple of weekends ago on the way back in from West Texas. I saw the infamous auto repair shop

 

[lalalisa]

Oh my, if you want to watch the circus, get over to the Graham Leader page and watch the fireworks before they start deleting posts!

My phone is going off with notifications for those circus posts as I type this reply! lol

 

[Fairy1]

Lord have mercy, the entire town's dirty laundry is being aired on the Graham Leader's fb page.

I said this would be the way of it last week. I've followed 2 other cases in this area and I was STUNNED about what I saw.

Steelman - I'm with you on the grammar, spelling and punctuation. God help us!

 

[lalalisa]

Lord have mercy, the entire town's dirty laundry is being aired on the Graham Leader's fb page.

Small town for you! lol

 

[KateB]

Please remember to provide links for your sources. And if you can't link it, please don't post it. Leave the FB rumors on FB. Also remember family members are victims and off limits. That applies to deceased family members, as well.

Thanks.

 

[roadrunnermt]

This is what's bothering me....why did the "perp" give the gun and clothes to anyone? If they were going to bury Leah, why wouldn't they bury the murder weapon and evidence with her? Doesn't make any sense to involve another person unnecessarily. Something isn't right with that story. Nope.

My personal thought is as "proof the deed was done" as I've seen it stated this was a paid deed carried out so perhaps for their payout also. Either that or he was bragging but I can't see "clothes" comprehended even if it was just to brag. I would think burying a body would be difficult but to even take her clothes off and put in a bag? Wow. I just think he was providing his proof that it was done by giving the gun and clothes and because she was part of the planning he trusted her. She turned on them and set them up so she smells like roses.

 

[steelman]

I'm starting to think part of the foot dragging by LE is due to them having to have the video surveillance tapes enhanced.

We know there were two people at the mechanic shop the night Leah showed up. We know that everyone that worked there was interviewed and ALL OF THEM denied being there that night. This would mean that LE is going to have to figure out definitively who was there and who wasn't.

I have a couple of those infrared surveillance cameras installed here at my house. They work great at night if an individual or a car is within 20-50 feet away. Anything further away than that is going to result in far less definition and grainy images. At 200-300 feet away, you would be able to see shapes moving and the glare of headlights and taillights, but it would be virtually impossible to get a clear picture of someones face.

At that distance, the most you could hope for would be to try and analyze who was present by how they walked, certain traits such as how tall they may be, and how they carry themselves while moving around. It would be impossible to read a license plate from that distance. They should be able to ascertain what type of vehicles were pulled in and out, as long as it was within camera view. The more streetlights illuminating the area, the better the video will be. The fewer streetlights and the darker the area, the less helpful the video will be.

The reason they know two people were there is because they can see them moving around in the video. The problem is, they can't identify who those two people are from that distance. I imagine they can also see the moment that Leah arrived, and quite possibly, the moment that all the lights were turned off and everyone left.

The bottom line is, they have interviewed everyone that has ties to the mechanic shop, and none of them have admitted being present that night. That means at least two people are lying to LE in regards to their whereabouts on graduation night. Obviously, the two people in the video had no idea a camera was aimed in their direction. If LE is able to enhance the video and establish who was actually there, then they will also know who is lying to them. Unfortunately, even with the best technology available, those videos can only be enhanced so much and may still leave room for some reasonable doubt.

I think that video analysis may be a big reason why things seemed to have stalled out a little bit, as well as waiting for test results from the evidence obtained at the gravesite.



Graham Leader Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/grahamleader

Graham Police Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Graham-Police-Department/117147318322512?fref=ts

 

[roadrunnermt]

I've pulled the shop up on Google Earth. It appears it would be a darkened area. Even if they know who was at the shop that still doesn't prove murder. I think you're right. Waiting on analysis from bag, gun, clothes, body and hopefully breaking the two already arrested.

 

[BlkMtnGirl]

Is it possible that the two are in jail for their own safety? Well, I mean, of course it's possible, but what's the likelihood?

 

[steelman]

Is it possible that the two are in jail for their own safety? Well, I mean, of course it's possible, but what's the likelihood?

I think they are in jail because they are both convicted felons that were in possession of an illegal shotgun. It's an easy charge for them to be held on, and it will stick in court. This makes it extremely easy for LE to keep tabs on them, plus they already know these two guys were involved in it to some degree. One of them dug the hole she was buried in, and the other one allowed him to do it. Whether or not there is a third arrest coming is left to be seen, it's all going to depend on how the evidence shakes out.

 

[Amster]

Leah worked there.....maybe the 2 people seen on video didn't. It hasn't been said if they were inside, outside, or where have they?
And, isn't the owner of the garage the grandpa to Leahs baby? Did the baby daddy work there, also? Who is EC?

 

[lalalisa]

Leah worked there.....maybe the 2 people seen on video didn't. It hasn't been said if they were inside, outside, or where have they?
And, isn't the owner of the garage the grandpa to Leahs baby? Did the baby daddy work there, also? Who is EC?

EC is the owner of the Blair auto repair/parts store LM worked at and is also the grandfather of her daughter. I'm not sure if his son worked there or not.

 

[steelman]

Leah worked there.....maybe the 2 people seen on video didn't. It hasn't been said if they were inside, outside, or where have they?
And, isn't the owner of the garage the grandpa to Leahs baby? Did the baby daddy work there, also? Who is EC?

I haven't heard if the two subjects were inside, outside, or in and out. I've seen nothing that states if the body shop was lit up and open or if everything took place out in the parking lot. The video they have would show all of that, but of course none of us have access to it.

This is all I know about the scene:

The threatening calls Martin received came from an unknown number, Shaffer said.

“She had been getting some anonymous threats,” Shaffer said. “Threats from calls, numbers that had been blocked.”

Martin, 22, didn’t show up for her shift Saturday at EC’s Auto Repair in Graham and was reported missing by her father, Billy Martin, Saturday evening. Her Chevrolet truck was found at the shop, and Martin is listed in the Texas Department of Public Safety’s database for missing persons as an “involuntary” case. The DPS listing also states that her wallet, phone and keys to the vehicle were not located.

On Thursday, two days after missing Graford woman Leah Martin's 23rd birthday and 41 days after she was last seen, Graham police and Texas Rangers conducted a second search of Martin's workplace, EC's Auto Repair shop, in Graham, Police Chief Tony Widner confirmed Friday. The shop's owner, E.C. Blair, stated that no arrests were made and that police said the operation was a standard investigation.

The search took place only because Martin worked there and that's where her Chevrolet pickup truck was found, Blair said.

“I've got customers that think somebody got arrested — (that) I got arrested — and just that wasn't the case,” Blair said.

According to a Graham Police Department news release, the search was based on statements received from individuals during the course of the investigation into Martin's disappearance.

Martin's disappearance has been a trying and stressful experience for Blair's entire family, he said.

His son, Aaron Blair, has dated Martin for four years, has a two-year-old daughter with her and, although the two recently split up, the couple was working to reconcile their differences before her disappearance, Aaron said.

“We were working things out at the time,” Aaron said.

On Tuesday, July 7, Martin's Birthday, Aaron and three others released purple balloons — Martin's favorite color — on Graham's Downtown Square.

Aaron said he believes that Martin is still alive, she is working to come home, and that he hopes people keep sharing her story so awareness can begin to spread to the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

“She is a loving mom and she needs to come back home to her daughter. I know she is out there and that is her goal — to get back to her daughter,” Aaron said. “I have a good feeling she is alive. I know she is a strong woman and she is going to do whatever she has to to get back to her daughter.”

This is page 11 of the affidavit. Towards the end it describes the surveillance at the auto shop and what was seen.
You may have to zoom in your screen in order to read it more clearly. They don't have a "reader glasses" version I can Upload.

http://www.grahamleader.com/ci_28281871/family-missing-woman-received-threatening-calls

http://www.grahamleader.com/news/ci...ing-graford-woman-continues-following-search-

 

[steelman]

Page 12 of the affidavit. This is the information about everybody being interviewed and denying they were present that evening. Refer to my smarty-mouth comment about reader glasses in the post above.

 

[roadrunnermt]

That says "at least two people" were at the shop. Does anyone have access to the in "ink" article Graham Leader was supposed to published this past friday?

 

[steelman]

That says "at least two people" were at the shop. Does anyone have access to the in "ink" article Graham Leader was supposed to published this past friday?

I don't have access to it. I think it's sort of odd that neither the police nor the newspaper has had much to say since the middle of last week. Both of their Facebook pages are in an uproar, but not a peep out of either of them.