LA LA - Jessica Hawk, 32, New Orleans, 8 Aug 2008. CONVICTION

BCS2009

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Fellow Sleuthers,

I visited the charming city of New Orleans for the first time a few weeks ago. While there, I saw a flyer about Jessica's unsolved murder. I thought immediately about this forum. Here's hoping we can help.

Here are a few links about the case:
http://www.bestofneworleans.com/gambit/the-murder-of-jessica-hawk/Content?oid=1350151

http://humidcity.com/2008/08/14/who-killed-jessica-hawk-a-guest-post-by-steve-okeefe/

http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/08/murder_victim_identified_as_wo.html

She was stabbed multiple times, and so far DNA testing has not identified a suspect.
 
Thanks bykerladi for the additional links.

I found it interesting that the homicide detective who investigated noted there was no forced entry. It sounds like whomever stabbed her might have known her or didn't arouse her suspicion.
 
I think that's the guy who was seen peeking in her window. I don't believe LE ever did locate him.

I didn't know Jessica, but we had mutual friends and traveled in some of the same circles. Thank you for bringing her case to the forum, BCS2009, and to you, too, bykerladi. I wish that I had more to contribute, but at the moment I don't. I can ask around, though, and see if there is an update.
 
I think that's the guy who was seen peeking in her window. I don't believe LE ever did locate him.

I didn't know Jessica, but we had mutual friends and traveled in some of the same circles. Thank you for bringing her case to the forum, BCS2009, and to you, too, bykerladi. I wish that I had more to contribute, but at the moment I don't. I can ask around, though, and see if there is an update.

Thanks Bessie for the new info. on who the guy might be.
I am not in New Orleans, so if you can get any updates, that would be great.
 
I am surprised that this case only has one thread on this site, while the Jaren Lockhart and Mickey Shunick cases are pages and pages long. Were older posts lost in a server move, perhaps?

This is the latest news on Jessica's case (from Oct 2011): http://www.bestofneworleans.com/gambit/the-murder-of-jessica-hawk/Content?oid=1350151

I think about her case often. Her murder happened a month before I moved to New Orleans, and we attended the same university. I didn't know her, but I wish I had. She sounded like a great person.

My feeling (for what it's worth) has always been that the killer was a transient. New Orleans has a huge problem with "gutterpunks" who have no job and just go from city to city, panhandling. Quite often they are kids (late teens to late 20s), white, and come from good homes. They just glorified the lifestyle of being a wanderer. Bywater was a pretty sketchy area in the few years following the storm, and the wharf by her house was a haven for homeless. Perhaps one of those gutterpunks was the psycho who did this, and he quickly skipped town. It would explain why they never found a person of interest.

I hope they solve her case one day soon. They have DNA, and someone who would do something like this isn't likely to just stop. They will do it again and hopefully get caught, and CODIS will catch it.

RIP Jessica.
 
I am surprised that this case only has one thread on this site, while the Jaren Lockhart and Mickey Shunick cases are pages and pages long. Were older posts lost in a server move, perhaps?

This is the latest news on Jessica's case (from Oct 2011): http://www.bestofneworleans.com/gambit/the-murder-of-jessica-hawk/Content?oid=1350151

I think about her case often. Her murder happened a month before I moved to New Orleans, and we attended the same university. I didn't know her, but I wish I had. She sounded like a great person.

My feeling (for what it's worth) has always been that the killer was a transient. New Orleans has a huge problem with "gutterpunks" who have no job and just go from city to city, panhandling. Quite often they are kids (late teens to late 20s), white, and come from good homes. They just glorified the lifestyle of being a wanderer. Bywater was a pretty sketchy area in the few years following the storm, and the wharf by her house was a haven for homeless. Perhaps one of those gutterpunks was the psycho who did this, and he quickly skipped town. It would explain why they never found a person of interest.

I hope they solve her case one day soon. They have DNA, and someone who would do something like this isn't likely to just stop. They will do it again and hopefully get caught, and CODIS will catch it.

RIP Jessica.
The ONLY DNA found at the scene was HAWKS!!!
DNA swabs and samples were sent to Baton Rouge. Horvitz and Hawk's family waited more than six months for the results, which found only Hawk's DNA at the scene. Homicide detective Winston Harbin says there was no indication of forced entry.
http://www.bestofneworleans.com/gambit/the-murder-of-jessica-hawk/Content?oid=1350151
This is troubling! This case matches the MO of Brandon Lavergnes first rape victim.

creep.png

Jessica was killed within 24 hours of Brandon Lavergnes release from prison.
 
What day did he buy that car in 2008 and what day was Hawk killed? That would be interesting. Also, since he bought the cars and titled them in his name, there will be a record of who he bought the car from and who the notary was and where their office was -- that should be interesting information to know. Interesting that they found NO DNA other than hers.....I think it is interesting how much info those car title transfers may reveal about what exactly he was up to in 2008.
 
I would also like to know about the property he owned......and who had utilities in their names at those properties. Would be interesting to know who had access to his stash while was in the pokey. Those utility bills would tell us a lot.
 
Also, now that I think about it -- what insurance company would provide liability insurance to a guy buying a car that was currently in prison. He had to be out and about to buy a car, have the title notarized, etc. He also had to be earning money unless he paid cash for the car. If he paid cash for the car -- where did he get the money? Did the jail pay him?
 
He registered a car on 8/12/08
Description: 1992 Honda Accord - Sedan 4 Door
Registration Date: 8/12/2008
did he trade a car in?

He got a car TITLE on 10/31/08 ~purchase?
Description: Silver 2008 GMC Sierra - Crew Pickup
Title Issue Date: 10/31/2008
so did he trade it in or buy a 2nd car?

I'm not sure if it was "new" does the title transfer when you trade in on a used car?
I haven't bought a car since 2003.

8/19/03 he got a car TITLE that points to the "purchase"
Description: Red 1989 Ford Mustang - Hatchback 2 Door
Title Issue Date: 8/19/2003

IMO this points to the very real possibility that he was not incarcerated at the time
moo
 
What day did he buy that car in 2008 and what day was Hawk killed? That would be interesting. Also, since he bought the cars and titled them in his name, there will be a record of who he bought the car from and who the notary was and where their office was -- that should be interesting information to know. Interesting that they found NO DNA other than hers.....I think it is interesting how much info those car title transfers may reveal about what exactly he was up to in 2008.
Jessica Hawk was found dead on Monday, August 11, 2008. No one knows exactly when she was killed, only that it some time over the weekend. If the account of the witness who gave a description to LE is accurate, she was alive on the evening of August 8, 2008.

The discovery came after a peculiar Friday night incident that rattled a neighbor.

Shaffer was able to scare the man away with a bright spotlight and later warned Hawk.


http://www.nola.com/timespic/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-9/1218605009272350.xml&coll=1

Shaffer is the man who gave the description for the sketch. He claims to have seen that person peeking in Jessica's window on the evening of Friday, 08/08/08.

BSL was released from Avoyelles Correctional Center the next day.

...according to Pam Laborde, communications director with the Louisiana Department of Corrections.

...and was transferred to Avoyelles Correctional Center where he served through Aug. 9, 2008, Laborde said.
http://www.dailyworld.com/article/2.../Lavergne-go-before-grand-jury?nclick_check=1
 
Bumping up Jessica's case due to the recent rash of missing women in NOLA.
 
I hope the republicizing the $25,000 reward on this case will bring in some leads.
 
The ONLY DNA found at the scene was HAWKS!!!
DNA swabs and samples were sent to Baton Rouge. Horvitz and Hawk's family waited more than six months for the results, which found only Hawk's DNA at the scene. Homicide detective Winston Harbin says there was no indication of forced entry.
http://www.bestofneworleans.com/gambit/the-murder-of-jessica-hawk/Content?oid=1350151

The article does not say that only her DNA was found, it just say the tests did not reveal any suspects i.e. no match.

"There have been no arrests. The District Attorney's Office has yet to file any information. DNA tests — whose results came more than six months after her murder — yielded no suspects"
 
Yes, I just heard. This is excellent news.

NOPD identifies suspect in 2008 murder of Bywater woman
By Stephen Babcock, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
on February 05, 2014 at 9:34 PM, updated February 05, 2014 at 9:46 PM

New Orleans police issued a warrant Wednesday in connection with the cold case murder of a Bywater woman in 2008. Joseph Brant, 44, confessed to stabbing Jessica Hawk to death in her Chartres Street home in 2008, police said.


Suspect named in cold-case murder of Bywater woman
Updated: Feb 05, 2014 10:39 PM CST
Written by: FOX8Live.com Staff

In September 2013, Detective Winston Harbin received information about a possible suspect in the murder investigation. Harbin traveled to Beaumont, Texas, to speak with Brant. During the interview, police said Brant confessed to stabbing Hawk.
It does sound like they got a hit on the DNA.
 

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