GUILTY GA - Lauren Giddings, 27, Macon, 26 June 2011 # 3

Alliecat said:

LE knows SM isn't going anywhere. So why rush the investigation? Make sure all i's are dotted and t's are crossed. Plus, over 200 pieces of evidence? This isn't the only case the FBI is working. I also believe they have some results back which pointed them back to SM. I really don't believe they would go back to a dry well, so to speak, if the test results continued to rule out SM.

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I've worked on a case where the FBI was involved and I can say with certainty (unless there has been a huge spike in possibly serial homicide cases) that they have a turn-around rate, at least on the first piece of evidence, of 5-10 days. The GBI turnaround is about the same. MPD has most likely been getting results flowing in since the beginning of the month. Furthermore, the fact that the FBI was involved is in itself interesting. The FBI, under the US code, has the jurisdiction to investigate state matters only in cases where the murder victim is law enforcement, an interstate traveler or the perp is a (or is believed to be) a serial killer. Food for thought y'all.

Imo. The focus needs to be on the running group. Mcd wasn't the only "friend" that was interviewed two members of the running were as well a man and a woman. The link is in an earlier post I put up in thread one I believe. Bessie. Actually put in the link for me.
This running group runs trails all over middle ga, wooded trails. The man interviewed stated he had texted LG several times about a camping running Trip. the perp stops by Sunday morning early picks up LG to go scout the trail and commits the act there. No one would notice because Sunday mornings here in macon most everyone is at church.
The perp then shows up with friends Wednesday nite to search. Then comes back later and leaves the torso.
THIS IS JUST MY OPINION, TAKE IT AS YOU WILL.
It would appear after this fox show tonight The crime scene has not been found nor has the true perp.

Hi. This is my first message, but I have been following all of the threads on Lauren. My deepest condolences to all families and friends involved. I did not know her, and I am not from Macon, but she and I were involved in the same organization, so I became interested immediately. Thank you all for your interesting, insightful, and mature comments.

My question is . . . Did anyone else notice Burns roll his eyes when Womack spoke about interviewing McD's mother who "just wants to see him exonerated?" I thought that reaction was telling . . . Anyone else?

What the hello is going on in Lauren's case?

I mean, seriously, it is really simmering along here.

LE needs to do a presser, and they need to do it now. The boil over point is coming.

Do they or do they not have her killer behind bars?

Is there a search on for her killer or not?

*frustrated*

Alliecat said:

I took the profiler's comments as being a generalized procedure for how an investigation should proceed along with his theories of how it might have happened. I don't think he has personal, unpublicized knowledge of this case.

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That's how I took his comments, too -- although he has such a forceful way of speaking it would have been easy to read in that he WAS speaking specifically and authoritatively to this case -- but I don't think he really was.

cww said:

I've worked on a case where the FBI was involved and I can say with certainty (unless there has been a huge spike in possibly serial homicide cases) that they have a turn-around rate, at least on the first piece of evidence, of 5-10 days. The GBI turnaround is about the same. MPD has most likely been getting results flowing in since the beginning of the month. Furthermore, the fact that the FBI was involved is in itself interesting. The FBI, under the US code, has the jurisdiction to investigate state matters only in cases where the murder victim is law enforcement, an interstate traveler or the perp is a (or is believed to be) a serial killer. Food for thought y'all.

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BBM: Are you 100% sure on that?

FBI was involved in Hailey Dunn's case, among others, and hers fell into none of those categories. :waitasec:

Wondergirl said:

What the hello is going on in Lauren's case?

I mean, seriously, it is really simmering along here.

LE needs to do a presser, and they need to do it now. The boil over point is coming.

Do they or do they not have her killer behind bars?

Is there a search on for her killer or not?

*frustrated*

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I agree. I understand they say they don't have all the evidence back. I understand they can't show their cards & want to do a thorough investigation. But the people of Macon, Georgia need to know and have a right to know IMO whether or not a killer is walking the streets.

The people who live & work there & the parents of the college students need to start raising some cane with somebody.

The FBI involvement has puzzled me the entire time. Would LG being a Maryland resident being murdered in another state constitute their involvement?
The serial issue may not be that far fetched or maybe the perp is a high profile person and the mpd has no choice but to stay hushed and play it very close to the chest.
Imo if Mcd didn't do this he is allowing himself to be the focal point and the sacrificial lamb in order to assist le in the case. Which he would understand since he did criminal histories for the DA. office.
We should not prosecute Mcd before we have all the facts.
Chief Burns is doing exactly what he feels and other le involved feels needs to be done at this juncture, . If you go back and listen everytime he is asked about Mcd. Chief Burns says he is a poi, but then immediately states there are several other poi's. CB is not a slow dimwitted small town police chief.
He was director of the mpd crime lab and a graduate of the FBI command academy.

Wondergirl said:

What the hello is going on in Lauren's case?

I mean, seriously, it is really simmering along here.

LE needs to do a presser, and they need to do it now. The boil over point is coming.

Do they or do they not have her killer behind bars?

Is there a search on for her killer or not?

*frustrated*

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Wondergirl, I adamantly agree. I am a prosecutor and I will say that this whole thing has been handled very professionally in some ways and very unwisely in others. I think at this point, unless they've got a complete ruse going on, they don't have what they need to have (and I can say I am pretty sure they have most everything back from the FBI & GBI at this point).

Also, anything that SM said that could implicate him (and any evidence obtained from the implication) would be thrown out- poisonous tree & fruit of the poisonous tree. Until they have charged him, his statements on LG's murder are close to useless, if he ends up being the one they charge.

cww said:

I've only been an attorney for a couple of years...all I will say is it is a game we play. And it's tough. Because on one side, it does help law enforcement (who get attorneys to make these deals) solve cases, but you can't help but notice that it can occasionally ruin people's reputations and lives.

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Of the cases I can recall where a deal was cut to use a POI as a decoy, the subjects were either career criminals, or poor and uneducated (and believed they had no choice), or both. I can't imagine someone in McD's position consenting to such an agreement, not when there's a correlation between the number of days he sits in jail "looking" guilty and the years it will take to recover his life, if he's innocent. The stakes are too high. Not to mention the agonizing emotional toll on his parents. If there's a deal, they obviously are not in on it.

Haley's disappearance was an interstate possible kidnapping issue.

FWIW....I went out to eat tonight at a local Macon restaurant and my waitress mentioned that she lives a couple of houses down from both SM and Lauren's apt building. She made some interesting comments during our meal... for one, the night that Lauren is thought to have disappeared was (as she put it) a night of "rage" in downtown Macon... there were 5 cars broken into within a block or two of Barrister Hall's vicinity...and most of the vehicles had GPS units in them that were taken out of the cars and just smashed senselessly on the ground... not stolen...just ruined for no reason... The server also said that there was so much hooting and hollering that night (where the area is usually peaceful and quiet).. that she remembered that noise and ruckus right when the news first came out about Lauren's torso being found.... and wondered if there was any connection...

Also, she recalled seeing Stephen frequently around the area in his chain mail (which made him memorable to her), and said that he appeared strange, but harmless. Not that that necessarily means he is, though. As seen before, many killers can appear normal and charming. Finally, she said that the idea she is getting from Chief Burns' statements and actions is that he is desperate to make SM the killer, as that would neatly and cleanly wrap up the mystery surrounding this case. I don't agree with this necessarily... as I think CB is doing the best he can right now and in general.... We talked for quite a while, and we both think that Macon as a whole does not want the public to think a killer is still out there roaming, thus the need for SM as the perp, whether he actually is or not.

I know this information may not be pertinent whatsoever, but I found it interesting that this woman remembers that evening as one with an air of danger... and of random and senseless violence. I, along with most of the citizens here, just want to know whether we should be frightened, or whether the person who committed this horrible crime is already locked away. Could Lauren have been picked at random as well? I just want answers...like many others here.... mostly for Lauren's family...but also... for the rest of the residents of this town, who must continue living here.

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cww said:

The FBI, under the US code, has the jurisdiction to investigate state matters only in cases where the murder victim is law enforcement, an interstate traveler or the perp is a (or is believed to be) a serial killer. Food for thought y'all.

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This has also occurred to me also. IMO, it is possible that, not only the involvement of the FBI, but also the delay in releasing findings, is due to a more complicated (and frightening) situation than we are aware. At first I found it frustrating that local police were withholding evidence, particularly because Macon is a college town (several times over) and parents may be very hesitant to send their children back to school while this case is still unsolved. I couldn't think of any reason why LE wouldn't want to reassure the public if they could. Many have suggested the reason for the silence is that LE doesn't really have anything. But, I'm starting to think it might be the opposite - that there may be some details, or suspected details, that might be even more unsettling to the public than leaving the case open (with a POI incarcerated) than going public with everything until all details are absolutely confirmed. Some RUMORS have suggested that there were other persons' body parts found, and while, that seems far-fetched (any other missing persons?), all the other rumors I have heard have turned out to be true. The details of the murder and aftermath itself (sorry to allude to such horrible things, some of which we know) may also be shocking. All those details might still be being explored in those 200+ pieces of evidence.

It might just be easier to say, once they know everything, "Here's who it is and here's what he did," instead of saying, "Here's who we know killed her and we think he may have done this and this and this other crime . . still checking .." Those kind of additional possibilities outstanding might also garner the cooperation of a defense attorney, who is more than willing to wait for all the known evidence to come out at once, instead of forcing out some evidence and other very incriminating speculations . . .

JMO, of course

Maconmeanderer.....that night of rage theory is terrifying

cww said:

Wondergirl, I adamantly agree. I am a prosecutor and I will say that this whole thing has been handled very professionally in some ways and very unwisely in others. I think at this point, unless they've got a complete ruse going on, they don't have what they need to have (and I can say I am pretty sure they have most everything back from the FBI & GBI at this point).

Also, anything that SM said that could implicate him (and any evidence obtained from the implication) would be thrown out- poisonous tree & fruit of the poisonous tree. Until they have charged him, his statements on LG's murder are close to useless, if he ends up being the one they charge.

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Why would they be inadmissible if he made those statements voluntarily while he wasn't in police custody? He also made statements in that media interview. No police involvement there. And, we don't know what, if anything, he said after he was arrested and Mirandized.

NotALawyer said:

This has also occurred to me also. IMO, it is possible that, not only the involvement of the FBI, but also the delay in releasing findings, is due to a more complicated (and frightening) situation than we are aware. At first I found it frustrating that local police were withholding evidence, particularly because Macon is a college town (several times over) and parents may be very hesitant to send their children back to school while this case is still unsolved. I couldn't think of any reason why LE wouldn't want to reassure the public if they could. Many have suggested the reason for the silence is that LE doesn't really have anything. But, I'm starting to think it might be the opposite - that there may be some details, or suspected details, that might be even more unsettling to the public than leaving the case open (with a POI incarcerated) than going public with everything until all details are absolutely confirmed. Some RUMORS have suggested that there were other persons' body parts found, and while, that seems far-fetched (any other missing persons?), all the other rumors I have heard have turned out to be true. The details of the murder and aftermath itself (sorry to allude to such horrible things, some of which we know) may also be shocking. All those details might still be being explored in those 200+ pieces of evidence.

It might just be easier to say, once they know everything, "Here's who it is and here's what he did," instead of saying, "Here's who we know killed her and we think he may have done this and this and this other crime . . still checking .." Those kind of additional possibilities outstanding might also garner the cooperation of a defense attorney, who is more than willing to wait for all the known evidence to come out at once, instead of forcing out some evidence and other very incriminating speculations . . .

JMO, of course

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BBM: Unfortunately, I am positive you have that right.

Maconmeanderer, you didn't happen to eat at a wing place didyou? If so I can confirm for you that your waitress does indeed live right there at apt area. She is a very close friend of mine. If not at a wing place then I can't confirm.
Just wondering. Thanks

bessie said:

Of the cases I can recall where a deal was cut to use a POI as a decoy, the subjects were either career criminals, or poor and uneducated (and believed they had no choice), or both. I can't imagine someone in McD's position consenting to such an agreement, not when there's a correlation between the number of days he sits in jail "looking" guilty and the years it will take to recover his life, if he's innocent. The stakes are too high. Not to mention the agonizing emotional toll on his parents. If there's a deal, they obviously are not in on it.

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I wholeheartedly agree with that. As a lawyer (yes, he is a lawyer, not yet an attorney), I can't imagine him, unless being heavily medicated, agreeing to a deal like that. But the thing is, noone has to offer him a deal. The legal system is won by the people that were monopoly winners as kids. It's a game. And the law technically allows McD's holding. I would be SHOCKED if there was ANY reason why the LE charged McD with burglary other than they wanted to keep him behind bars as a potential suspect in LG's case. And all this post-jail stuff has been a lot of theatrics. Here's the thing...yes, McD falls into the whole burglary definition. Has anyone that isn't suspected of anything else been charged with entering other peoples apartments to commit a felony, when they only went in to grab a condom? No. Charging him with burglary is simply to keep him behind bars. And unless the MPD has incredible testimony from these former tenants (who were probably his guy friends), they have NO case against him. And even if they do have testimony, its circumstantial at best. Not a great burglary case...and if I was the Macon DA, I'm not sure I'd really be rushing to take the case.

They charged him just to keep him locked up. That is all. Under any other circumstances, he would not have been charged with burglary. And it's going to be ugly for them if he turns out to not have anything to do with LG's death...because he's going to have a pretty good case against them.

Alliecat said:

Why would they be inadmissible if he made those statements voluntarily while he wasn't in police custody? He also made statements in that media interview. No police involvement there. And, we don't know what, if anything, he said after he was arrested and Mirandized.

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If he was mirandized for the burglary, then anything he says about the burglary after being arrested is admissible. It does not extend to anything he says about the murder. Anything he says about the murder can essentially be thrown out. It's just the law.