VA - Meghan Landowski, 16, raped & murdered, Portsmouth, 10 April 2008 #1

[ceeaura]

New evidence found. Hope the link works. I have to get ready for work.

http://www.wavy.com/

Oh I hope that there are fingerprints or DNA...something found on that evidence!

 

[Blink34]

One would have to assume if she was antsy being there alone, she was making phone calls. LE should be able to narrow down the timeline further.

I wonder if this is the same neighbor who saw the stepfather come home at 4:00 pm when she was found? I find it curious that a person that "involved" in the neighborhood activity didn't see anything or anyone else. It also tells me that the neighbor knew she was there alone and what time the stepfather was due to come home, too.

I agree, I am feeling like the perp was already in the house waiting for the right opportunity, Megan may have sensed that and thus why she went to the neighbors house for the mac chee.

 

[mmmbrownies]

I started reading this thread last night, just as a guest.

I live in the neighborhood, maybe a 3 - 5 minute walk from it depending on your mood. In the time I've lived here, there's been no crime at all. It's quiet, nothing much ever happens.

I'm not sure exactly what is meant when people say that the high school was "rough", but from the areas around it, I can't really see it being any different than any other high school in this area. All the neigboring areas are pretty much like Simonsdale. I'm sure it has it's rough bunch to it, but keeping everything in perspective I think all high schools do to a point. Portsmouth public schools have had some accredation issues in the last few years though, so when someone tells you here that it's a bad school - there's a good chance that they're talking about the educational side of it.

The proximity of her house to the high school was pretty close. Probably a 10 minute walk, if that considering "shortcuts" That school did have early release that day because of exams I'm told by some people that have kids in high school there.

As far as the Portsmouth Police being tight lipped about the whole thing, I can't say for sure because I'm not one of them, but I'd imagine that it has something to do with the fact that she was a minor. Typically the police in this area aren't normally fast to give out alot of details about things like this, and it's normally worse when there's minors involved. Which really is fine, I'm sure that if anything happened to my family I don't think I'd want everything all over the news. I'm sure the Police know more than they're saying, and since there's been some updates to it yesterday, they're probably alot closer to catching whomever. The Portsmouth Police are a pretty good unit, I'm sure they'll put it all together, and probably soon. As far as them not saying anything - I'm not sure of Portsmouth, but in a neighboring city, as part of policy the police and any personnel attached to them are told to tell people to contact the police liason for details.

The fact that the local news has not run this story and the constant updates like they do with some others really does lead one to believe that it's not random.

NCIS being involved in this really only means that someone that the police talked to was military, which in this area you have about a 1 in 10 chance of someone being military. As far as them investigating it, it would be more of a cooperative effort on the one person that was in question.

 

[lizzybeth]

Mmmmbrownies, I didn't realize it would take such a short amount of time to walk from the school to her home. I guess (being old) I didn't know about any shortcuts.

I agree with you that part of the reason that the LE isn't releasing her COD is because she's a minor.

I pray every day that they know who did this and will soon arrest him. I think they do and just need more evidence. They don't want any way for this person to get out of what is (and should be) coming to him. IMO

 

[SeriouslySearching]

Andrea Warren, the Landowski's next-door neighbor, was the last person to see Meghan alive.

"She came over to my house after school. She came in to borrow some macaroni and cheese. She said she was going to go home and cook it and then come back," said Warren.

~snip~

"When she came home from school she was talking about what a great day she had. She wasn't scared of anything at all. She said she had just passed a test," said Warren.

Warren says Meghan also left a voicemail message for her mother who was at work. She told her mother the same thing, that she had a great day at school.

http://www.wavy.com/global/story.asp?s=8165018

It sounds like it wasn't anything unusual for her to have gone over to her house etc. My first thought was to rule this neighbor out...but she was the last one to see her alive.

As far as the evidence they found a block away...it sounds like it might be a weapon such as a knife. Clothing wouldn't fit. Shoes wouldn't fit. While it could be other things...it sounds like the detectives were notably excited over the find. I hope it was the murder weapon and it has a ton of evidence!! It could break this case wide open and quickly point to the suspect.

 

[mmmbrownies]

Mmmmbrownies, I didn't realize it would take such a short amount of time to walk from the school to her home. I guess (being old) I didn't know about any shortcuts.

I agree with you that part of the reason that the LE isn't releasing her COD is because she's a minor.

I pray every day that they know who did this and will soon arrest him. I think they do and just need more evidence. They don't want any way for this person to get out of what is (and should be) coming to him. IMO

Oh yeah. Portsmouth is pretty small really. I guess you can divide it into Portsmouth Proper and Churchland, since Portsmouth absorbed Churchland a number of years ago. Not to mention the geographical size, itsself it's a pretty small community, I can't go anywhere without running into someone I know or have met.

There was something found yesterday in a stormdrain. It was to the interior of the neighborhood rather than toward the main road. So, hard to say what it was or what it actually means, but hopefully it'll be soon that they find whomever is responsible.

I'll also add that being a parent myself, when they find whomever it was, he pays and pays dearly.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

Thanks and Welcome to WS, Brownies! It is even more intriguing they found it in a storm drain! It is a likely place to toss a weapon. Now...since it was a block away and on the interior of the neighborhood...did the perp have a vehicle parked there, were they on foot, or did they live nearby?

My thought is that if she were stabbed, the perp wouldn't be walking down the street in the neighborhood with blood on him/her and not be noticed. So this would mean either a vehicle there for a getaway or a neighbor close to where she lived.

Has anyone done a SO (sex offenders) search within her exact neighborhood?

 

[Blink34]

Thanks, Brownies! It is even more intriguing they found it in a storm drain! It is a likely place to toss a weapon. Now...since it was a block away and on the interior of the neighborhood...did the perp have a vehicle parked there, were they on foot, or did they live nearby?

My thought is that if she were stabbed, the perp wouldn't be walking down the street in the neighborhood with blood on him/her and not be noticed. So this would mean either a vehicle there for a getaway or a neighbor close to where she lived.

Has anyone done a SO search within her exact neighborhood?

Do we know for sure she was stabbed- apologize if I missed that

 

[SeriouslySearching]

Do we know for sure she was stabbed- apologize if I missed that

No, we don't. I heard it early on and it is the rumor in the area so it is pure conjecture at this point. (That is why I refered to it as IF she were stabbed not to imply it as a fact.)

 

[Blink34]

thanks ss, thought I may have missed it. You may have seen this on an earlier post from me but what was found was small enough to fit in a reg size manila envelope.

 

[Littledeer]

I'm confused SS, (doesn't take much) :crazy:

You quoted the neighbor in an earlier post as follows:

"When she came home from school she was talking about what a great day she had. She wasn't scared of anything at all. She said she had just passed a test," said Warren.

How does this jibe with all the reports from school friends saying Meghan was not her usual self........asking to go to their house, etc.???

To me it seems such a contradition. Am I missing something or are these two different days (which I HIGHLY DOUBT).

 

[mmmbrownies]

Well, where it was found is near an intersection of 5 streets, and it's a very awkward place. If someone parked there it would have been noticed I'm sure (I could be wrong and my wife says I normally am ). There's some sex offenders in the area, having a 10 year old I do keep an eye on that. Guessing - someone on foot. Sadly enough today I'm wondering if it was even an adult and not someone in that age group.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

I'm confused SS, (doesn't take much) :crazy:

You quoted the neighbor in an earlier post as follows:

"When she came home from school she was talking about what a great day she had. She wasn't scared of anything at all. She said she had just passed a test," said Warren.

How does this jibe with all the reports from school friends saying Meghan was not her usual self........asking to go to their house, etc.???

To me it seems such a contradition. Am I missing something or are these two different days (which I HIGHLY DOUBT).

It was the neighbor she last saw at noon right before she was murdered. Yes, it definitely is a contradiction of what her friends have said had been her demeanor that morning.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

Well, where it was found is near an intersection of 5 streets, and it's a very awkward place. If someone parked there it would have been noticed I'm sure (I could be wrong and my wife says I normally am ). There's some sex offenders in the area, having a 10 year old I do keep an eye on that. Guessing - someone on foot. Sadly enough today I'm wondering if it was even an adult and not someone in that age group.

Could they have tossed it out of a car window perhaps or was it in a place where the car could have been at a stop light or stop sign so not to have been as noticable?

It is frightening to think it could be a teen, isn't it? However, we just saw the situation where 6 girls beat up the one girl for something said on myspace. You never know anymore.

 

[DeltaDawn]

I've been watching this case with interest and thought I'd chime in here with my theory.

I think that sometime during school that morning the perp left a message on Meghan's cellphone that he was coming for her. I think that is why she seemed nervous to friends and wanted to go home with someone else.
I think her cell records may help point to the perp...as long as the phone he used can be ID as his or military.

I think that Meghan may have not appeared nervous to the neighbor because teens tend to be different with friends their own age rather then a neighbor.

What I found interesting was that after Meghan said she had a great day at school and borrowed the mac and cheese she was going to go home and cook it ...then go back over to the neighbor's house. Unless she regularly stayed with the neigbor after school this says to me she was scared..just not showing that to the neighbor.

Since she never made it back over to the neighbor's then we can assume that the perp was either in the house at that time or came in very shortly after she returned with the mac and cheese.

Was the mac and cheese ever made or was it still there waiting to be made? Had she eaten it or does it look like she had just sat down to eat? These things would help with the timeframe of the murder.

If the perp knew her well and the family..then they knew no one else would be there until after regular school dismissal (her younger sister, not taking exams) or her Dad at 4 pm.

This gave the perp the time to change clothes if needed , place his things in a trash bag concealed beneath a coat, and leave on foot to wherever his car was parked. It also sounds like if he was walking he could have concealed the weapon and then disposed of it in the storm drain. His car might have been only a few blocks or so away. The clothes could have been dumped in any dumpster slated for pick up that afternoon.

Then when LE and NCIS interviewed him he would have been as cool as a cucumber because he had disposed of everything and he looked normal.

I still think that if she was going to testify the next day..there's your perp. But if this incident was a year ago this man has had a long time to plan this crime and it will take a very thorough investigation to reel him in..I think they know who he is..now they just have to tie everything up in a neat package and add the bow.

 

[Chicogirl36]

Welcome to WS mmmbrownies, youre making hungry!

What I dont understand about the neighbor who helped her. First, she is a woman, and 90-95% of these killers are male. Second, Why was Meghan supposed to cook it at her own house, and then come back? Did the neighbor notice she didnt return, or did chalk it up to teens finding other plans? I dont get that gut feeling about the neighbor. I do think she ma have lived across the street where she would have direct access to see the comings and goings. If that is true, the POI would have known that nad broke it another way.

Mr Marine may not have been dumb enough to do this himself, but who's to say he didnt have an accomplice?

 

[SeriouslySearching]

But how could the perp have known she would be home alone that day? She frequently asked friends over according to reports.

If he had left her a message, I don't doubt she would have mentioned it to someone...at least one of her friends or she would have called her mom. I don't see it happening, but I guess it is possible.

Yes, if she were going to testify the next day...it would be the first person they would look at certainly. They still have to tie him to the location and the crime scene.

I don't see anyone taking the time to clean up as you suggested. It would be so risky for them to stay inside that house and they would want to instantly distance themselves from the scene, imo. I think rarely do you see a perp hang out after a daytime murder.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

Chico~ They refered to her as the "next door neighbor" so I don't think she lived across the street. This would also mean she didn't have a clear view of the house from her vantage point.

I know I would have offered to cook it for her, but we don't know if the neighbor was "busy" at the time (stay at home mom perhaps?) and maybe Meghan felt it was inconvenient to impose on her. Meghan strikes me as a very sweet girl who didn't want to "trouble" anyone as is reflected in the way she handled the response of not being able to go home with someone else. If she had been more assertive about not wanting to go home...she would have been with a friend.

 

[Chicogirl36]

Chico~ They refered to her as the "next door neighbor" so I don't think she lived across the street. This would also mean she didn't have a clear view of the house from her vantage point.

I know I would have offered to cook it for her, but we don't know if the neighbor was "busy" at the time (stay at home mom perhaps?) and maybe Meghan felt it was inconvenient to impose on her. Meghan strikes me as a very sweet girl who didn't want to "trouble" anyone as is reflected in the way she handled the response of not being able to go home with someone else. If she had been more assertive about not wanting to go home...she would have been with a friend.

OK SS, you got me on that one :crazy: I didnt realize she lived next door. SHe couls be a nosey neighbor, but if that was the case, why didnt she see a perp break in. Maybe he ran in while the doors were open. I saw somewhere that they usually kept their doors unlocked. I pray this isnt case, since this is how so many fall to a victim's prey.

I agree about the M & C. Why didnt that woman cook it for her. I would have since I dont like kids usuing the gas stove. I cant imagine the grief and second thoughts that all these people must be having.

I live in a cul-de-sac and I refer to my neighbor directly across from my as my next door neighbor. In fact, she is closer than my real life next door neighbor. We may be off on our terminology, but then how could she see her walk home?

 

[Littledeer]

DeltaDawn, good posts with thoughts!

I keep going back with Meghans behavior with school friends and then her behavior with her neighbor.

I feel very uncomfortable about this. Could it be possible, that when Meghan got home the perp was in the house? If so, maybe she had prepared herself for this day in case it happened, and somehow was able to get out of the house and get to the neighbors asking for macaroni and cheese (OF COURSE, hoping the neighbor gets the picture that SOMETHING is not right).

I know this sounds far fetched................but I'm trying to reconcile the two different extreme emotions that Meghan had given that day. (i.e. nervous, etc. to school friends before getting home, vs. everything is great when she gets to the neighbors house).

SS: I'm sure you can help me out!