CANADA Canada - Lindsay Buziak, 24, Victoria, BC, 2 Feb 2008

[ACG2x]

ive always been surprised that the woman wore such a distinctive. dress...it must. have. drawn peoples attention to her.

in the past, I did recognise someone from an edit sketch...I never thought it would be so distinctive...a friend. notified the police before I did...but, to be fair, the crime was in the area where we knew this person lived and it was a front face sketch...could well be her though

The police theory of why she wore such a colorful, recognizable dress is so any potential witnesses would pay attention to the dress and not notice her face as much. Another theory floated was that the woman wore the dress to draw attention to her so people wouldn't notice the male who was actually the one who committed the murder. This would lend to the theory of Leo & Hermila because he was deep in the drug game and she wasn't active in it, but did let Leo & friends use her house as a distribution spot and basically looked the other way.

One theory gathered from crumbs of info police have said in interviews is that Lindsay was attacked from behind by surprise and had no chance to fight back so the theory is the woman was there for backup and to be a lookout while the murder was actually taking place and the male was the one that stabbed her to death.

An original thought was that the dress was a high-end designer one and if there were only a few sales of it, they could track who purchased and when as a lead. However, the dress itself was a mass-produced one you could get at any area department store so that didn't pan out.

Police have noted they also suspect the male wore a wig or some kind of fake hair to appear different. I agree 100% that the description of the male isn't really useful because it was a passing glance from the side/rear.

 

[ACG2x]

Those are really good possibilities with clear motive. I've always thought Cartel related killers go to great lengths to cover up their crimes though. Meaning there wouldn't be any body to discover. The fact the woman was wearing a distinct (and memorable) dress seems a bit odd as well as it would definitely get people's attention. Not something a cartel killer would chose to wear for the crime, imo. Yet those theories fit better than any other so far. I genuinely believe Lindsay was just in the wrong place at the wrong time

Here's a comparison of the police sketch of the woman and a photo of Hermila Rojo Beltran. The images have not been altered in any way. This is for comparison purposes only. Imo, they do look similar but I personally would want to see more angles. I wish there were a front facing version of the sketch as well. We also have no idea what the man's face looked like. All we have is a basic description which could be anybody, really.
View attachment 353717

Sources for the images are here and here.

Agree on the comparison. I have never been able to gather when that photo of Hermila was taken so unsure if that's what she looked like around 2008. There are multiple resemblances IMO, but I've learned from following other cases such as Delphi how easy it is to see two pictures side by side and automatically assume that's the person.

I struggled with the murder being messy too, however my theory there is that - assuming it was Leo as the main perp - he wanted people to see/hear how violently Lindsay was attacked and murdered because it sent a message that's what happens to snitches. Basically saying if I ever find out that you talked, this is what your end will be. If Lindsay had just vanished, that's not as apparent.

Since the informant that gave the info which led to High Noon broke up so many distribution channels and cost the cartel so much money, this struck me as a message job. I think another subtle message here too was we don't care if you're a regular citizen and/or a woman. If we think you're a snitch, we will come at you and it won't be pretty.

 

[cortina]

I can't remember if they were carrying a. bag...as it turned out, the. time window may have been too short but she may have changed into something less striking. in the. house or into the car so that no one would remember. a woman wearing that dress after the. murder

 

[cortina]

I can't remember if they were carrying a. bag...as it turned out, the. time window may have been too short but she may have changed into something less striking. in the. house or into the car so that no one would remember. a woman wearing that dress after the. murder

 

[ACG2x]

For anyone who wants a reasonable theory regarding the Zailo family being involved,

I can't remember if they were carrying a. bag...as it turned out, the. time window may have been too short but she may have changed into something less striking. in the. house or into the car so that no one would remember. a woman wearing that dress after the. murder

I think the time window was too short to have changed clothes. The police are very certain the attack on Lindsay happened between 5:38 - 5:41 PM for a variety of reasons already noted earlier ITT.

IIRC, Jason arrived at the house with his buddy around 5:43 PM and allegedly saw the killers start to exit the home, then go back in and exit out the rear patio door. I seem to recall the Saanich PD confirming that partially bloody footprints confirmed this was the likely course of action. This timeline matches pretty perfectly as well:

• 5:32 PM: Enter the home with Lindsay - which I believe is confirmed via the electronic code being used on the lockbox with the key.
• 5:32 to 5:36 PM: Lindsay shows them the main level first. This has been confirmed by Saanich PD as there were three distinct sets of feet indents in the carpet on the main level. However, since they all had their shoes off which was required, it wasn't possible to gain much in the way of actual footprints because everyone walked over each other's heel indents, etc.
• 5:37 PM: The three head upstairs. Lindsay's back would've been turned to them as the realtor pointing out features of the home. They head into the master bedroom.
• 5:38 to 5:41 PM: Lindsay is attacked from behind with a sharp object and violently stabbed repeatedly in quick succession near the entrance to the master bathroom from the master bedroom.
• 5:41 to 5:42 PM: Killers make sure they have all their weapons, probably make sure Lindsay is dead and make a beeline for the front door. Saanich PD has mentioned the partial bloody footprints indicate they went right for the door after killing her and made no attempt to go to any other room upstairs. Killers would've put their shoes back on and opened the front door.
• 5:43 PM: Killers spot Jason arriving. Maybe the recognize him, maybe they don't. Either way, it's an eyewitness they don't need so they quickly re-enter, close and lock the door and head directly for the back patio exit.

As to whether or not they went back in and then out the back because they saw Jason is anyone's guess. It's definitely possible if his car was arriving they called a quick audible because there was now an eyewitness who could look them right in the eyes and ID them.

It's even possible they knew who Jason was given his loose connections to those in the drug world and if they had done their homework on Lindsay, which presumably they had since it was a targeted hit, they'd have known she had a boyfriend and likely even knew who he was so seeing Jason outside made them freak and do an immediate about face.

 

[IslandGirlTC]

There's very little photos of H or her brother online. Given their background, it's probably intentional.

 

[IslandGirlTC]

For anyone who wants a reasonable theory regarding the Zailo family being involved,

I think the time window was too short to have changed clothes. The police are very certain the attack on Lindsay happened between 5:38 - 5:41 PM for a variety of reasons already noted earlier ITT.

IIRC, Jason arrived at the house with his buddy around 5:43 PM and allegedly saw the killers start to exit the home, then go back in and exit out the rear patio door. I seem to recall the Saanich PD confirming that partially bloody footprints confirmed this was the likely course of action. This timeline matches pretty perfectly as well:

• 5:32 PM: Enter the home with Lindsay - which I believe is confirmed via the electronic code being used on the lockbox with the key.
• 5:32 to 5:36 PM: Lindsay shows them the main level first. This has been confirmed by Saanich PD as there were three distinct sets of feet indents in the carpet on the main level. However, since they all had their shoes off which was required, it wasn't possible to gain much in the way of actual footprints because everyone walked over each other's heel indents, etc.
• 5:37 PM: The three head upstairs. Lindsay's back would've been turned to them as the realtor pointing out features of the home. They head into the master bedroom.
• 5:38 to 5:41 PM: Lindsay is attacked from behind with a sharp object and violently stabbed repeatedly in quick succession near the entrance to the master bathroom from the master bedroom.
• 5:41 to 5:42 PM: Killers make sure they have all their weapons, probably make sure Lindsay is dead and make a beeline for the front door. Saanich PD has mentioned the partial bloody footprints indicate they went right for the door after killing her and made no attempt to go to any other room upstairs. Killers would've put their shoes back on and opened the front door.
• 5:43 PM: Killers spot Jason arriving. Maybe the recognize him, maybe they don't. Either way, it's an eyewitness they don't need so they quickly re-enter, close and lock the door and head directly for the back patio exit.

As to whether or not they went back in and then out the back because they saw Jason is anyone's guess. It's definitely possible if his car was arriving they called a quick audible because there was now an eyewitness who could look them right in the eyes and ID them.

It's even possible they knew who Jason was given his loose connections to those in the drug world and if they had done their homework on Lindsay, which presumably they had since it was a targeted hit, they'd have known she had a boyfriend and likely even knew who he was so seeing Jason outside made them freak and do an immediate about face.

A change of clothes is still a possibility. For example, she may have been wearing something underneath like a sheath dress. Something that wouldn't be too bulky or look unnatural. It wouldn't take long to slip off the flashy outer dress and maybe even throw on a top and/or coat. Even in a car. Women can be pretty creative with quick changes when needed.

Which makes me think - maybe the dress choice for the house showing purposes wasn't so odd. Flashy dresses like she was wearing, are often from expensive designer brands. Something you might expect from someone looking for a million dollar home. They were most likely "playing their part" disguised as a wealthy couple so as to keep Lindsay from getting suspicious, imo.

It also served as a heavy distraction. I remember news reports at the time were all saying anyone who recognized the dress or saw someone wearing one like it to contact LE. It was mostly all about finding that dress. It's the detail that sticks in my mind to this day. Were they counting on it being a distraction, I wonder? Still a pretty risky idea, imo.

 

[ACG2x]

It's also interesting that in the phone calls back and forth with the killers to set up the showing and ultimately Lindsay's murder - seven in total I believe from 02/01 when she was first contacted to her murder on 02/02 - she reportedly spoke only to to the woman.

Since she referred to the clients as "the Mexicans" in her phone and noted that the woman spoke with a heavy accent, my belief is that the male who accompanied her and in all likelihood was the actual murderer either didn't speak English or didn't speak it well enough to communicate coherently to not tip Lindsay off that something was seriously wrong which might make her back out of the showing.

I also assume that the woman doing all the talking was to offer a layer of protection to the male in the event that she did back out. The phone was a burner as we know but I believe the woman was simply a diversion so Lindsay would feel more comfortable because if she was already nervous about the circumstances of the showing, doing a 1x1 showing with a male who contacted her out of the blue was probably a bridge too far.

Female realtors often don't do 1x1 home showings with male clients they don't know in strange homes for the obvious safety reasons. In fact, I am pretty certain many realty companies have rules or at least guidelines that restrict that to keep their agents safe.

 

[ACG2x]

Interesting news clip from 11 years ago that was an interview with Jeff. In it, he describes how the family hired a PI to investigate the case and from that, they narrowed it down to five people who they believed were involved in the plot to murder Lindsay.

More interestingly, Jeff outright says one of those people is not Jason. He wouldn't say who they are but emphatically says it's not Jason. What I've noticed about Jeff in subsequent interviews, including his one with Dr. Phil, is that he never says he suspects Jason however doesn't say what he says here either.

I heard another interview where he was asked about a few of the seemingly conflicting statements over the years about who may have been involved and he basically said as new information comes to light, he reserves the right to change his mind - same as police - which is totally understandable.

From what I can tell, I believe Jeff believes that the Saanich PD know who did it but aren't making an arrest. He seems to think it's because of political and other factors, however the PD has indicated they have a pretty good idea of what happened but don't have enough hard evidence to try and convict someone so to avoid losing that chance in the future, they need to wait and see if something new develops.

As far as Jason goes, while he hasn't really outright said it, from Jeff's other interviews, I think Jeff believes wholeheartedly that while Jason and Shirley were not involved in Lindsay's murder, they do know what happened, either indirectly or outright and may even be impeding the investigation because if the drug ring theory is true then these are dangerous people and they are prioritizing their own safety over solving this crime. Jeff is a pretty direct guy and speaks his mind freely even when he's asked not to, so I think if he thought the Zailo's were prime suspects, he'd have said that.

He's being sued by Shirley Zailo right now for defamation because IIRC, there were allegedly defamatory statements about her and Jason made on his website that he didn't remove and encouraged discussion about. I still think if Jeff had to right hand to God answer truthfully "do you think that the Zailo's planned Lindsay's murder?" he would answer no. However, I absolutely think he thinks or knows they know more than they have let on.

 

[cortina]

how often do we see this...im posting on the British. Claudia Lawrence thread and it. seems. to be the. same. there....people knowing but not. speaking because they're afraid of drugs gangs...which may be. the case here.

years ago, I was. sitting on a. bench in the countryside after a. walk and someone cycled very slowly by a few times, as if he. was expecting someone....20 minutes later. the police arrived. and found. some funny stuff stuck under the bench..after they'd cleared me, they told me to watch out for. a while...stay away from. drugs. ..you never know how you might get dragged in.

 

[LynnRn53]

Whilst his mother seems a bit… overbearing and even shifty, I have never really thought it was either the boyfriend or Matt, the prior boyfriend. I heard or read that they know the burner phone came to the area like a day or two prior and that it had spent the night at Vid’s address. I really don’t remember where that information came from, but I honestly don’t understand why they haven’t solved this if they know that much. If true, it seems like he must be in on it or at the very least know who is.

Hello, I saw a video clip of a podcast/video saying that her dad made a few years back with Lordan Arts on youtube, in that, he comments on the phone being at Vid's house but I don't know how he knew that and he doesn't elaborate. If you heard anything more detailed about that? Thanks in advance

 

[ACG2x]

Hello, I saw a video clip of a podcast/video saying that her dad made a few years back with Lordan Arts on youtube, in that, he comments on the phone being at Vid's house but I don't know how he knew that and he doesn't elaborate. If you heard anything more detailed about that? Thanks in advance

Haven't heard that but it's possible he was privy to additional information early in the investigation from law enforcement. They will sometimes tell the family tidbits of info to see if their memories can be jogged. Maybe this is released to the public, maybe not.

Another possibility is Jeff has been very loud in rattling cages of law enforcement about this case and he could've gotten wind of that bit of info from some unauthorized source or could've heard it as a rumor from them and is now presenting it as fact.

The phone was activated very shortly before the events of luring Lindsay to the house and murdering her happened. If true, my guess is it showed a ping in the general vicinity of where Vid lived at the time so law enforcement made the assumption it was there or around there which fits with the drug ring theory because he would've either been involved or certainly have known about it.

 

[lonewanderer]

I see there is a very, very lengthy amount of comments for this case.

If it has not been mentioned already, I would like to discuss a case that has some similarities and what the motivation for it was in the end.

Vern Holbrook.

He was an older man that was known to be an extremely hard working real estate agent. Basically, family and real estate was his life.

He was scheduled to show a house to a Hispanic couple, and was attacked when he arrived.

His coworker found him, and he had been stabbed with his throat slashed. He eventually died from the attack.

The caller for Vern was later traced back to the Hispanic woman of the couple.

When the plot fully unfolded, Vern's ex business partner had co-conspired with his son's ex-wife (who Vern supported financially and helped her out despite her being divorced from his son).

The Hispanic couple was living in a hotel room financed by Vern's ex business partner. Vern's ex business partner had also made some scheme to pay for Vern's life insurance payments on behalf of the company they worked for.

MUCH of the case and trial was circumstantial but the ex-business partner went to prison anyways.



TL;DR version: A man was attacked by a Hispanic couple when they posed as buyers for a house. His ex-business partner and ex-daughter in law financed the entire scheme.

More on that case: What happened to Yakima real estate broker Vern Holbrook? NBC Dateline to revisit brutal murder

 

[lonewanderer]

I see there is a very, very lengthy amount of comments for this case.

If it has not been mentioned already, I would like to discuss a case that has some similarities and what the motivation for it was in the end.

Vern Holbrook.

He was an older man that was known to be an extremely hard working real estate agent. Basically, family and real estate was his life.

He was scheduled to show a house to a Hispanic couple, and was attacked when he arrived.

His coworker found him, and he had been stabbed with his throat slashed. He eventually died from the attack.

The caller for Vern was later traced back to the Hispanic woman of the couple.

When the plot fully unfolded, Vern's ex business partner had co-conspired with his son's ex-wife (who Vern supported financially and helped her out despite her being divorced from his son).

The Hispanic couple was living in a hotel room financed by Vern's ex business partner. Vern's ex business partner had also made some scheme to pay for Vern's life insurance payments on behalf of the company they worked for.

MUCH of the case and trial was circumstantial but the ex-business partner went to prison anyways.



TL;DR version: A man was attacked by a Hispanic couple when they posed as buyers for a house. His ex-business partner and ex-daughter in law financed the entire scheme.

More on that case: What happened to Yakima real estate broker Vern Holbrook? NBC Dateline to revisit brutal murder

 

[Frankie Hellis]

I see there is a very, very lengthy amount of comments for this case.

If it has not been mentioned already, I would like to discuss a case that has some similarities and what the motivation for it was in the end.

Vern Holbrook.

He was an older man that was known to be an extremely hard working real estate agent. Basically, family and real estate was his life.

He was scheduled to show a house to a Hispanic couple, and was attacked when he arrived.

His coworker found him, and he had been stabbed with his throat slashed. He eventually died from the attack.

The caller for Vern was later traced back to the Hispanic woman of the couple.

When the plot fully unfolded, Vern's ex business partner had co-conspired with his son's ex-wife (who Vern supported financially and helped her out despite her being divorced from his son).

The Hispanic couple was living in a hotel room financed by Vern's ex business partner. Vern's ex business partner had also made some scheme to pay for Vern's life insurance payments on behalf of the company they worked for.

MUCH of the case and trial was circumstantial but the ex-business partner went to prison anyways.



TL;DR version: A man was attacked by a Hispanic couple when they posed as buyers for a house. His ex-business partner and ex-daughter in law financed the entire scheme.

More on that case: What happened to Yakima real estate broker Vern Holbrook? NBC Dateline to revisit brutal murder

I remember this case. I cannot believe the murderers got one year and nothing for the other one. Only the ex-business partner received time.

Yes, this case is similar, but so far no one has connected the Hispanic couple to anyone close to Buziak. It has been reported that the burner cell phone used to make the appointment with Lindsay was with Vid the night before. For the life of me, I just don’t understand how that does not break the case. I sure would like to get my hands on this case file.

 

[lonewanderer]

I remember this case. I cannot believe the murderers got one year and nothing for the other one. Only the ex-business partner received time.

Yes, this case is similar, but so far no one has connected the Hispanic couple to anyone close to Buziak. It has been reported that the burner cell phone used to make the appointment with Lindsay was with Vid the night before. For the life of me, I just don’t understand how that does not break the case. I sure would like to get my hands on this case file.

I am leaning towards the Hispanic couple in Lindsay's case not actually being Hispanic.

What do you mean by "was with vid", I am sorry, I don't understand.

 

[ttcRider]

I remember this case. I cannot believe the murderers got one year and nothing for the other one. Only the ex-business partner received time.

Yes, this case is similar, but so far no one has connected the Hispanic couple to anyone close to Buziak. It has been reported that the burner cell phone used to make the appointment with Lindsay was with Vid the night before. For the life of me, I just don’t understand how that does not break the case. I sure would like to get my hands on this case file.

Who is Vid?

 

[lonewanderer]

Who is Vid?

I was wondering this, too.

If I had to guess, I think the OP was saying that the burner phone (which IIRC only made 2 calls in its lifetime) had it's voicemail checked by a registered phone number. It has been confirmed that the police know who this person is.

You know what? Now that I think about it.....I am also recalling a case that involved a burner phone and CCTV footage of this person purchasing it. I listened to that one a LONG time ago....but IIRC the burner phone was purchased by a friend of a friend who carried out the murder while the main suspect and person with motivation was established to have been far far away.

(Not that it matters, just recalling details) The people involved was 3 African American women IIRC. I want to say the "mastermind" was in Detroit as the plot was being taken out in DC.

***Side note*** ----- This may seem TOTALLY out of left field, but the more I discuss this case, the more I think about Missy Bevers. She was basically attacked at her job, too. The main suspects have been established to be miles away. Cases like this, the women between Detroit and DC, Vern's case, they all just go to show that (what is kinda) a "hitman" is not usually an organized and disciplined assassin with a $10K+ price tag leaving a massive paper trail. More often than not, a total doofus is paid pennies to carry out the hit. I will quit rambling, but in one other case I remember, a mentally challenged man was paid a grand total of $500 to carry out a hit. This became a major problem for many reasons. Super hard to prove, was in cash, wasn't taken out all at one time. Etc.

 

[Frankie Hellis]

Who is Vid?

Edgar Ovidio ACEVEDO

Picture is here and partial rap sheet toward bottom of post.

Sorry. I thought this was familiar to everyone. It has been going on a long time though.

 

[Frankie Hellis]

More on the phone - this article does not specifically mention Vid, but states the police know who had the phone(s). I will have to do some searching through my bookmarks to see where I read about the one phone being at Vid’s the night before the murder.

”The most important finding is police allege they know the name of whoever or whatever is ultimately responsible for that phone," Sherman said Tuesday. "I certainly think there are now many more questions than there were previously."

The real name of the owner of both phones is known to police, according to the Capital, but remains unknown to the public at this time.