NC NC - Beverly Jaye Potter Mintz, 23, Raped/throat slit in front of her 2yo, Leland, 23 Feb 1987

[dotr]

Yes, it sounds abit strange. But she meant that he is a callous criminal that will never repent.

In a way, she brilliantly but subtly, cut him down, imo.

 

[Von Moltke]

In a way, she brilliantly but subtly, cut him down, imo.

You hit the nail on the head. Nothing less than that. I really love and admire that old lady.

 

[Brightchaser47]

When Doncourt refers to people saying "No", pushing away, and other strings to pull, I wonder if she's referring to POI's refusing to submit DNA. It was already stated they do have suspects.

Yes, it sounds abit strange. But she meant that he is a callous criminal that will never repent.

I believe she was referring to a particular known individual. It seems they have an idea who is responsible for this, but the individual is not cooperating with LE.

 

[Von Moltke]

This is an opinion, not wishing to push this as a fact (for all purposes I am just a layman).

But I have checked the area around the house in aerial 1985-1998 photos and it seems there was a big forest in the back of the property. The dwellers were unprotected from that side/direction as far as criminals were concerned.

Although it was February and some of the trees were without the leaves, it is reasonable to theorize that the killer at least escaped from the back of the house.

This is why the construction workers did not see anything.

I might be wrong (bear with me)but I read somewhere they found small traces of appeared to be blood in the back (worth checking on this).

My opinion (not stated as a fact), just food for thought:

He left his car in one of the lanes nearby (Close to the forest in the back), then walk his way up to the front of the house (so as to have the door more easily opened by Beverly who waited for him to say the bed was sold), and after the murder left quietly from the back wearing some kind of coverall.

He might have been someone who not only knew her behaviour very well, but was possibly stalking her from a privileged position, and knew she was alone with a little kid on the early morning of 23/02/1987. He also knew the place well.

And I dare to say, someone who knew her enough to identify her phone number in the ads so as to call and hang up when she or her cousin answered the call, and strangely might have also known her mom phone number and thus planned carefully to deceive both women into thinking he was interested in the water bed (a clever ruse).

Maybe someone she knew? It would have been even easier to open the front door for him.

But again, just a theory not wishing to state it as a fact.

Von Moltke (aka O. Levasseur)

Please see the attachment (from youtube channel Justice for Jaye and Google Earth).

Just a correction in the post quoted above: I believe the criminal entered and left the house through the back door. I was checking the area and there was a big forest in the back. This is the safest way not to be noticed.

The front door was open yes, but it might have happened by accident, carelessness or the murderer considered leaving through the front when he changed his mind for some reason.

Also checked Beverly's pics (one not available on the internet), she was a small lady and had no chance at all once the assassin entered her house.

 

[Brightchaser47]

Just a correction in the post quoted above: I believe the criminal entered and left the house through the back door. I was checking the area and there was a big forest in the back. This is the safest way not to be noticed.

The front door was open yes, but it might have happened by accident, carelessness or the murderer considered leaving through the front when he changed his mind for some reason.

I might be mistaken, but I was under the impression that the front door was unlocked, but closed. Lorene commented it was unusual for that door to be unlocked, and she knocked before entering. I'll agree the killer might've started to exit that way, then changed his mind.

Also checked Beverly's pics (one not available on the internet), she was a small lady and had no chance at all once the assassin entered her house.

Especially a prepared assassin...

 

[Brightchaser47]

On a lighter note, I love what the brother-in-law said about Lorene and Laura and how close they were-- "If one of those girls got a headache, the other one would take two aspirins and they'd both feel better". Love it.

 

[Von Moltke]

They certainly had the DNA cause this poor woman was raped and murdered. Apparently, The DNA is on the national database, obviously there was no match, perhaps he has not committed a crime. The only way to solve this crime is to put the DNA on the GED website to see if there is likely matching DNA's from long distance relatives and friends of the killer, all they have to do work on this diligently.

What if he was a foreigner? Of course there are other Americans not in the DNA files as yet, but I wouldn't rule out a foreigner, or an American of recent foreign origin (or foreign parents).

 

[ImALawyer]

See article below. The only suspect was possibly a man who was interested in a waterbed advertised in the paper.
Who Killed Beverly Jaye Potter Mintz? Nearly Three Decades Later, Murder Remains Unsolved

Very familiar with this case. I was a juror on the second trial.

What are your thoughts? As retired military I do think its entirely plausible that he slept with her but I had trouble believing he randomly murdered them. He was acquitted at one point, and the witness (Owen Breck) recanted his statement.

 

[ImALawyer]

Not sure how you can explain away the state crime lab results which showed with 12,000 million to one certainty that the semen from the swab belonged to Hennis.

Not to be disrespectful at all, but that only proves they slept together. And it would not have been all that unusual if she had.

 

[ImALawyer]

I think there is also an eyewitness account as well as dna match that was collected from Katherine. Yes, I read about that there were several other unknown dna s found that was collected from the house, but not on the victim.

There was dna found under their finger nails that they refused to test to either rule out or rule in Hennis.

 

[ImALawyer]

What if he was a foreigner? Of course there are other Americans not in the DNA files as yet, but I wouldn't rule out a foreigner, or an American of recent foreign origin (or foreign parents).

He could have also been in the military, they travel around a lot.

 

[Von Moltke]

Back to the case of Beverly Potter Mintz , there was also the murder Christine Owensby that occurred 3 days before, if anyone has a newspaper clip with more information on that I would be very thankful.

 

[HDHudson]

I can’t shake the feeling Hennis was active in the Appleton, WI area in the mid 1980s. There are unsolved homocides that match the Hennis M.O. in that time period.

 

[ImALawyer]

<modsnip - quoted post was not an approved source>
She even had dark hair like Katie Eastburn did, and bore a bit of resemblance to her.

 

[Von Moltke]

She even had dark hair like Katie Eastburn did, and bore a bit of resemblance to her.

Good day. You mentioned the late Katie Eastburn. Do you think there is some kind of connection between the two cases or coincidences?

 

[LR1]

Does anyone know the name of or episode # that dateline did on this case?
Assuming they did one.

 

[Von Moltke]

Does anyone know the name of or episode # that dateline did on this case?
Assuming they did one.

I don't know , sorry.

 

[dotr]

2018
video with 'Civilian Investigative Specialist'

#UNSOLVED: New DNA technology used to test evidence in 1987 murder - WWAYTV3

In 1987, on Village Road near Leland, detectives were called to one of the most horrific murders in Brunswick County.

www.wwaytv3.com

''In July, the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office purchased an m-vac system. They immediately used the device on evidence from Mintz’s case.

“It’s a giant vacuum cleaner,” Doncourt said. “They wet down the piece and it just sucks everything up, so it pulls out far more DNA than the old method of just swabbing.”

The Sheriff’s Office is now just waiting on the result to come back from the state crime lab.

Whether it is new technology, or old evidence, Doncourt said they will find the answer.

“Phil taught me a lot and one of the things he taught me is just don’t give up. You’re going to get pushed away, you’re going to be told no. You’re going to hit a brick wall. That’s okay. There’s another string to pull. There is always something. As long as we’re sitting here, as long as we can read these case files, as long as technology keeps advancing, we are just going to keep following that road map,” Doncourt said.''

 

[Von Moltke]

Some comments from the link provided about Mr. Godwin's story (original in quotation marks). Just guessing here.

“Her hands had been tied behind her back and a pillowcase covered her face,” Godwin said".

There seems to be an element of guilt or regret in the behavior of the murderer.

"It should be noted here that the crime scene showed signs of being well planned out, in a controlled way, then at other times it was chaotic and out of control".

Difficult to understand this. Maybe the victim resisted a bit or even he overreacted after regretting what he did.

"The clipped newspaper ad was also left at the sign leading detectives to believe it was left by the killer...to taunt the police".

I have changed my mind. Thinking better there might be two options in this case:

1) The idea (also put out in the report) that the killer might have been someone she didn't know. The paper with the ads was a way to disguise himself as a prospective buyer of the bed and get access to the house. The paper was simply disposed of after the crime was carried out.

2) He was someone she knew and he was trying to make people think otherwise.

" Her mother who has since passed away always felt somehow responsible for Jaye’s murder because she gave the caller directions to Jaye’s home that morning".

That was a ruse either to confirm the idea in item 2, or perhaps to get more information on her whereabouts and unfortunately, to have her there waiting for him .

Of course the killer knew where she lived, but wasn't around her 24/7. However, it seem he had plenty of spare time. He committed the crime on Monday, why he 's chosen that date?

Because he knew she wasn't at work but wanted to be sure she was home.

"What really baffled investigators was the killer got in and out unnoticed mid morning and that everyone in Leland was more than willing to give samples, take polygraphs, you name it the residents were all for it."

Unnoticed because the best track he could have followed back and forth was in the back of the property but would be using some time of clothing to remain unnoticed..

My final guess is that he might have been someone out of Leland (Wilmington?). A similar murder had been committed 3 days before (Christine Owensby) not too far from Leland. It could be worth checking on that case as well

 

[ImALawyer]

Good day. You mentioned the late Katie Eastburn. Do you think there is some kind of connection between the two cases or coincidences?

They are very similar cases, except Beverly’s case has never been solved and Katie’s has.