To my Websleuth Friends,
My feelings regarding McD's murder charge took me by surprise.
Many of you have expressed the same sentiment on your posts.
Today is a bittersweet day.
Hence, this summary of my feelings and thoughts.
When this crime first came to light, I presumed Stephens innocence.
I read every article and considered that maybe this was one of those unpredictable, random crimes in which the real killer was still on the loose. I even hoped this was the case.
However, as the facts unraveled and the events unfolded from June 30th until Aug 1,
I became more and more convinced that Stephen was the perpetrator.
On top of the facts and circumstances that were published, in the end, it was the aired interview that finally tipped the scale for me.
Many people are convinced that Stephens reaction was authentic and that he was deeply upset when he was informed that a body had been found.
I, too, believe he was deeply upset and in shock, but for entirely different reasons.
When Michelle Quesada said: 'the body
they recovered....'
Stephens only response was: 'BODY?'
He did not ask, Where?
is it Lauren? Are you sure it is Lauren?
What happened to her?
Instead, he almost fainted, had difficulty breathing, and had to sit down.
Right then and there, Stephen knew it was all over; that he had been caught.
The trash has not been picked up at Barristers Hall Apartments.
Lauren's status took an immediate turn from:
MISSING PERSON to HOMICIDE VICTIM.
Last night, when I read that Stephen was charged with the murder of Lauren, I felt relief for Lauren's family. What a deeper plunge into the hearts of her family if the person who took Lauren's life and dismembered her was never charged. Not that justice can ever be completely served for nothing can bring back Lauren, but to have her perpetrator walk free would be unbearable.
The lives of Laurens family have been forever changed:
Every holiday, every family gathering, and every birthday,
Laurens absence, her silence, will be visible and heart-breakingly tangible.
The lives of Lauren's family will never be the same.
They will never get over this.
How could they?
On the other hand, after reading the murder charge, my heart ached for Stephens family.
They cannot conceive that he actually, literally and with his hands, committed this heinous crime:
Killed a young woman and dismembered her?
No, that is impossible, law enforcement has charged the wrong person, they will say
And then there is Stephens poor heartbroken Mother.
She will never believe the son she adores, her handsome young 'lawyer - son', could do this regardless of what evidence and proof is shown to her. She will always be convinced that this was a set up, some sort of bad mistake, a mix up, and that her son is completely innocent.
Maybe the rest of his family, in time, can come to the truth, but I seriously doubt his Mother ever will.
The lives of Stephens family are also changed forever
while Stephen is away....
always hoping for the truth to be revealed
.
for the real killer to be found.
This is all so very sad and heartbreaking.
Two young people who had the world at their fingertips,
Two lives full of accomplishment, hope, and promise,
With such high accolades: law school graduates,
Both on the high road of life with bright futures....
All lost.
Completely destroyed.
One is dead and dismembered:
Lauren Teresa Giddings - age 27
A church is prepared for the funeral service as relatives scour the Ocmulgee Rivers edge looking for remains.
One is in jail charged with 1 count of murder and 2 counts of burglary:
Stephen Mark McDaniel - Inmate ID 145875 - age 25
And we sit in disbelief as we look up toward Heaven and wonder....
Why and how did this come to pass
.
*********************************
Laurens Obituary
http://donaldson.funeralplan2....
Stephens Inmate information
http://www.co.bibb.ga.us/BSOIn...
Stephens 3 part interview:
http://www.newscentralga.com/n...
