GUILTY GA - Lauren Giddings, 27, Macon, 26 June 2011 # 5

[angelanalyzes]

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 Stephen’s 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 Stephen’s 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....'
Stephen’s 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 Lauren’s family have been forever changed:
Every holiday, every family gathering, and every birthday,
Lauren’s 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 Stephen’s 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 Stephen’s 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 Stephen’s 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 River’s 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 ….

*********************************
Lauren’s Obituary
http://donaldson.funeralplan2....

Stephen’s Inmate information
http://www.co.bibb.ga.us/BSOIn...

Stephen’s 3 part interview:
http://www.newscentralga.com/n...

Beautifully put, absolutely heart breaking.
This really is a tragedy on all sides, I cannot fully "rejoice" that the case is firming up and justice will be served, because with that comes the destruction of another promising young life. As necessary and just as it is, it's still bewildering and painful. You are so right about what his mother is up against.
Stephen is my age. Stephen worked so hard to get where he did. Some of the photos I've seen depict him in a light that is so gentle, so lovable, as a hands-on uncle and adorable son with a big smile on his face at family gatherings.
If he's guilty, that means we have to attach that innocent looking smile to the true face of violence and malice, of brutality, of slaughter.
That means we know the last face Lauren likely saw was deceptively meek and though familiar, perhaps darkened and distorted with the fury of homicide.



What a world we live in.

 

[Hyrax]

If SM has any compassion in him (which I seriously doubt due to the horrific nature of this crime), I hope he quickly tells LE the location of the rest of the body. Since Lauren and her family are very religious, I know her family wants to give her a proper Catholic burial. Although cremation is permitted, Catholic teaching continues to stress the preference for burial or entombment of the body of the deceased. This is done in imitation of the burial of Jesus’ body.

Being Catholic myself, this is very important and I think it will bring some peace to her family.

I agree with all of this. It feels like just one more thing McD took away from her, and her family.

I'm not really optimistic about the odds of recovery, but there is always a chance. If her family members are going to all the effort of snorkeling in the river to try and find her, there is a reason they are looking there. It also means that even should McD be inclined to talk, he probably can't help much, beyond giving a general idea of where along the river they were tossed.

 

[Givsmetheshivers]

Felony murder is still a capital crime, in Georgia. So they get the fullest possible punishment, but without the little hiccup of having to prove this was premeditated.

Ugh. I know that intent was going to be hard to prove here all along, but it feels like a cop out. They have not added any additional charges beyond the original burglary charges; I am assuming that the felony murder is for a murder committed in the commission of a burglary, not a rape, which would also be a harder intent to prove.

Proving an intent to commit burglary for McD will not be hard, given previous events.

I wonder if the DA is going for the "thieving almost-lawyer caught in the act" scenario. Stephen was using his key to go through Lauren's apartment to try and steal more trophies/condoms, when Lauren got home and interrupted him. Realizing that his legal career is DOA with a burglary charge, he kills her to keep her from speaking.

I don't believe it for a second, but that would be a pretty reasonable scenario to try and prove.

I agree and that is where I was going with the Bar prep thing. I was thinking that his atty might say "poor McD was stressed out beyond belief that he was snooping on Lauren's computer trying to see if there were notes from her Bar prep class and she caught him. Lauren threatened to turn him in and he snapped." I don't buy it either, but with the "felony murder" charge, I can see his atty doing this. :twocents:

 

[Alliecat]

I agree and that is where I was going with the Bar prep thing. I was thinking that his atty might say "poor McD was stressed out beyond belief that he was snooping on Lauren's computer trying to see if there were notes from her Bar prep class and she caught him. Lauren threatened to turn him in and he snapped." I don't buy it either, but with the "felony murder" charge, I can see his atty doing this. :twocents:

I hate to even think that Lauren suffered through this, but I am fearful the felony is rape.

 

[Hyrax]

I agree and that is where I was going with the Bar prep thing. I was thinking that his atty might say "poor McD was stressed out beyond belief that he was snooping on Lauren's computer trying to see if there were notes from her Bar prep class and she caught him. Lauren threatened to turn him in and he snapped." I don't buy it either, but with the "felony murder" charge, I can see his atty doing this. :twocents:

I'm not sure the defense would use that excuse -- that's pretty classic felony murder right there. I also don't see a theme of "poor little stressed out attorney" painting too sympathetic of a picture for the jury...

If McD wanted more bar notes, he could have easily asked for them, and I have a very hard time imagining any classmates saying no; the bar exam isn't on the same sort of curve as a law school exam is, even the most cutthroat student wouldn't have anything to lose by helping someone else out with studying for the bar. Anything he had from his bar course would have been substantially identical to anything from the online course, anyway.

I still wonder if they are going to try to go for some kind of insanity defense. Given the meticulous clean up, the video of his interview on the day she was found, and the fact he has been functional enough for long enough to be able to graduate from law school, that would be a really, really, really hard sell. They'd have to try to claim he killed her in some temporary psychotic break, and then when he came to had the foresight to try and cover it up. Slim odds on that one.

 

[MaconMom]

I hate to even think that Lauren suffered through this, but I am fearful the felony is rape.

I agree. I think he would have needed a weapon or at least the element of surprise to overcome her, and I don't think he would have had either of those if he was snooping in or burglarizing her apartment.

 

[Givsmetheshivers]

I hate to even think that Lauren suffered through this, but I am fearful the felony is rape.

This is going to sound crazy. If my child were killed at the hands of someone, I would be even more frustrated had it been over something as stupid as some notes.

 

[Wondergirl]

I have just heard the news, and have caught up on the thread. I have many thoughts and questions, but, I will wait until after the presser for most of my questions.

A few I have now are:

1. Colonel Mustard alluded to the fact that there are possibly ramifications due to the fact that LE did not start truly investigating until Thursday morning. My concern is the TOD. What if Lauren was still alive?

2. If the onset of Lauren's friends beginning their search Wednesday night set forth the motion for SM to begin his process of removing the evidence, then that is the time frame that LE (and, sadly, Lauren's family) is dealing with for a search radius for the rest of Lauren's remains.

3. If SM dismembered and got rid of Lauren's unrecovered remains prior to Wednesday night, then, again, the TOD will be of utmost importance in narrowing the search radius. SM's known and documented whereabouts during the time frame in question, will prove most important.

4. Where was SM known to frequent, in the Macon area? Outdoors? The river?

5. The fact that LE has not done a river search, is not a good indicator for a recovery outcome for Lauren. It suggests to me that LE does not have any good indicators of where she might be. Of course, the fact that her torso was put in a garbage bin, indicates that it's possible her other remains are in another waste bin, with a different location. But would SM have known when the garbage pick-up's were? Would his computer show a search for garbage pick-up days?

6. A key (and gruesome) question regarding the dismemberment is this. Was Lauren Giddings dismembered out of passion or for "convenience" in ridding of the evidence? The answer to that question will tell us many things. According to the renown forensic psychiatrist that was on JJP's show last weekend (summarized by me on Thread 4), a non-serial killer who dismembers almost always does so out of passion and/or rage towards the victim.

7. Now that SM has been formally charged, is the discussion about his possibly nefarious hobbies, such as knife collecting or survivalist interests open for discussion?

8. Unfortunately, it is highly unlikely that SM will reveal where the rest of Lauren's remains are. That would involve admitting guilt. In the sad and gruesome case of Matthew Hoffman, the death penalty was taken off the table, in exchange for the information on the whereabouts of his 3 dismembered victims (he had put them in a massive, hollowed out tree, he was a tree trimmer by trade). I do believe it was his mother, who was able to encourage him to disclose the whereabouts of his victims. Perhaps, in this case, it may be possible for someone close to SM to encourage him to reveal the location of Lauren's remains, appealing to his religious beliefs or otherwise. Of course, that involves his family accepting the charges, which may not be possible. I guess we will see.

9. Does Texas EquiSearch only assist families trying to find loved ones who are alive? Would they be able to help the Giddings in their search?

10. Last, but not least, are there more victims, or was this alleged heinous act SM's first?

 

[AgentFrankLundy]

Trying to wait until the press conference to post anything , but I still have a nagging question- How did McD hold onto /preserve the body for maybe four at least three days and not get caught ? Would smell to high heaven.Or if kept in Fridge(unless it was his own) how would he know no one would look or come looking for Lauren ? Some Macon PD should be in Trouble for this one , reported Wednesday and ignored until Thursday morning. Mercer cover up rumors also on macon.com comments section . Said they knew McD had mental issues as an undergraduate.

 

[Pig]

Felony Murder covers intentional and unintentional killings committed when a person cause the death of another during the commission of a felony. Most states require that it be an inherently dangerous underlying felony (I'm not sure on Georgia's rule there). In Georgia, it appears that felony murder requires a penalty of death or life imprisonment, so it doesn't seem the prosecution is losing anything by charging McD with felony murder instead of something else. According to the GA law I see here: http://law.onecle.com/georgia/16/16-5-1.html, it doesn't appear that Georgia differentiates murder by degrees at all.

Thus, regardless of the type of murder that McD is charged with, the case will develop the same way. I do wonder what the underlying felony here is... rape? burglary? kidnapping?

 

[cluciano63]

I am not shocked he has been charged with murder. I felt all along that he was the most likely suspect. I am guessing they have enough DNA to charge and will probably have much more by the time there is a trial or a plea.

 

[Jessicaleanne1992]

I'm shocked he held onto the body for so long and then deposed of it at the apartments. Why didn't someone smell something and report it? I hope we find out what was on the Walmart video.

did it say somewhere when he put it in the garbage or that he held on to her body? i must have missed it if it did.
and i want to see the walmart video too!

some questions i have are;
i wonder if he held lauren alive for sometime?
did he write the email about the macon hoodlums?
what day was her torso put in the trash bin?
how long had it been out there?
why did he talk to the media? (in one report i read it says that was when the police first became suspicious of him)
and what did he do with the rest of her?
and my biggest question is why he did it?

i doubt they will ever get a confession or answers with him being a law student. he probably knows to keep his mouth shut, just like he has all along.

 

[SurfieTX]

Link to presser: http://www.13wmaz.com/news/article/138321/175/WATCH-LIVE-News-Conference-on-Giddings-Case

 

[MaconMom]

Can someone please post anything of note from the presser? WMAZ's live videos never show on my phone.

 

[SurfieTX]

He won't talk about the evidence. Just announcing the arrest.

 

[SouthernKate]

Can someone please post anything of note from the presser? WMAZ's live videos never show on my phone.

Chief Burns says he's not going to comment on any evidence received back. I'll keep updating this reply with new info.

Said they interviewed many people and persons of interest and it all led back to McD.

Said a Deputy Patterson served the warrant last night (we'd questioned that last night - it had seemed it was served by DA Winters).

Won't answer questions as to motive.

Says both landfills (Twiggs and Bibb) are not being searched now.

Says in GA, you don't charge with first degree murder - just felony or malice (from DA Winters).

DA Winters says no timeline for when this will be brought before a grand jury.

Really - alot of "I won't answer that." No new details, for the most part.

 

[Hyrax]

My responses below, in blue...

From Jessicaleanne1992:

some questions i have are;

i wonder if he held lauren alive for sometime? No, or at least not for any length of time. Autopsy put her time of death on the 26th.
did he write the email about the macon hoodlums? Lauren wrote it, there really isn't any reason to believe someone else did, other than that it makes a good story.
what day was her torso put in the trash bin? Thursday morning is the best guess. I've never been able to figure out why the cop that was there on late Wednesday/early hours Thursday believed that it wasn't there when he first was -- it would not have been immediately obvious. But, judging from the low level of decomp, it hadn't been outside for long.
how long had it been out there? Not too long, apparently. With Georgia summers being what they are, I think it's impossible that it was out there before dark on Wednesday.
why did he talk to the media? (in one report i read it says that was when the police first became suspicious of him) Because he hadn't watched enough Law & Order to know what a stupid idea that was. Maybe he was hoping to get the "she was just gone" meme started, and failed miserably.
and what did he do with the rest of her? Disposed of it more efficiently.
and my biggest question is why he did it? I think, ultimately, this is the question we will never be able to answer. Even if he talks and explains what actually physically took place, I'm not sure he will ever give us the reason. Hopefully knowing the who, if not the why, will be enough.

i doubt they will ever get a confession or answers with him being a law student. he probably knows to keep his mouth shut, just like he has all along.
Maybe he'll plea out to avoid the capital case, who knows. If they have enough evidence, I guess they'll be trying to overwhelm his lawyer with it now, make him start focusing on finding a way to save McD's skin rather than a way to get him acquitted.

 

[clkwrks]

Stephen McDaniel was denied bond on felony murder charges,
http://www.13wmaz.com/news/topstories/article/138456/303/Stephen-McDaniel-Appears-in-Court-Bond-Denied

 

[SurfieTX]

DA said he is confident with the case. DA is thanking all agencies involved.

Why now? Why did you decide to arrest him now? They went page-by-page through the case with everyone, discussed it and decided they had enough for an arrest.

Others were eliminated by checking alibis.

Won't answer about motive, whether one was identified or not.

They will keep investigating until the day of trial. They are still asking people to call if they smell a foul odor.

 

[SurfieTX]

Oohh..big smile from the chief when asked if he expects other people to be charged.