TX TX - Julie Moseley, 9, Mary Trlica, 17, Lisa Wilson, 14, Fort Worth, 23 Dec 1974 - #3

[raven9860]

Your explanation is plausible, but barely. I haven't known many mothers-in-law who would go to bat for a son-in-law. That's more difficult to understand than Cynthia Anthony's being in denial about her own daughter.
I don't know. I've never stood on my front porch and had

I do think that Tommy wrote the letter, which is difficult to explain if he didn't have some culpability.
Not hard to explain if he confesses that he wrote it to make her family calm down. According to him - maybe she had threatened to pull a stunt like this. As long as he confesses to the letter, he's just stupid. If he denies writing it, he's screwed.

Still, Cotton seems like an über-creep who hung around with other über-creeps. His possible involvement should not be dismissed out of hand. It definitely seems like there's something rotten in the state of Arnold.
Motive?
If Tommy acted alone and drowned to girls in Benbrook Lake, as you believe, he would have had to walk all the way back to the bowling alley, right? Could he have walked all that way without attracting attention to himself?
Absolutely. I did, January 5th, 1968 - after dark.
You've speculated that the army corps of engineers might already have pulled the murder car out of Benbrook Lake; perhaps a FOIA request could get you their records (probably not free of charge).
I have a simple plan.
Are there other bodies of water that might be possible grave sites? A much smaller lake or pond would work; many farms have artificial irrigation ponds deep enough to hide a submerged car.
Water, water, everywhere. This lake at that specific location fits Occam's Razor; the principle of parsinomy.

Your explanation is plausible, but barely. I haven't known many mothers-in-law who would go to bat for a son-in-law. That's more difficult to understand than Cynthia Anthony's being in denial about her own daughter.
I don't know. I've never stood on my front porch and had the police ask me questions about where my 17 year-old married child might have disappeared to along with a 14 year old "friend" and a 9 year old stranger.

I do think that Tommy wrote the letter, which is difficult to explain if he didn't have some culpability.
Not hard to explain if he confesses that he wrote it to make her family calm down. According to him - maybe she had threatened to pull a stunt like this. As long as he confesses to the letter, he's just stupid. If he denies writing it, he's screwed.

Still, Cotton seems like an über-creep who hung around with other über-creeps. His possible involvement should not be dismissed out of hand. It definitely seems like there's something rotten in the state of Arnold.
Motive?
If Tommy acted alone and drowned to girls in Benbrook Lake, as you believe, he would have had to walk all the way back to the bowling alley, right? Could he have walked all that way without attracting attention to himself?
Absolutely. I did, January 5th, 1968 - after dark.
You've speculated that the army corps of engineers might already have pulled the murder car out of Benbrook Lake; perhaps a FOIA request could get you their records (probably not free of charge).
I have a simple plan.
Are there other bodies of water that might be possible grave sites? A much smaller lake or pond would work; many farms have artificial irrigation ponds deep enough to hide a submerged car.
Water, water, everywhere. This lake at that specific location fits Occam's Razor; the principle of parsinomy.

Simply put... I haven't concerned myself with a motive for Rachel's father. His character and associations are more than enough. Folks like that don't need a reason. They ARE the reason.

 

[raven9860]

If Rachel's brother really thinks that his POI rolled a car into the lake with the girls in it, why wont he say what make and model? Why not put it out there and try to get the answers the most logical way? It's possible that had he done that, he would already have the answer to the "missing car".

And yes. I have my own answers to those questions. As I said many posts ago, "missing car" has been marked off my list. Just curious what everyone else thinks.

 

[kettlecorn]

Not exactly, LOL! It was an "OK" car, brand new - something kids like, but not the one he would have picked for himself. It was a "watered down" version of the hot-rods driven by the bad-boys. Pure speculation on my part, since I never rode around in it, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was a 3-speed automatic on the column. He would have wanted a red or black car.

I know you said you weren't friends with Rachel's husband
But did you ever meet or spend time around him?

 

[babeebluus]

How long after the letter was presented to LE did TT confess he wrote it? Fact or speculation? Sorry if this has been asked and answered.

 

[Love trumps all]

How long after the letter was presented to LE did TT confess he wrote it? Fact or speculation? Sorry if this has been asked and answered.

I for 1 don’t have facts but since they are still speculating on who wrote it I would guess it was not true just rumor

 

[raven9860]

How long after the letter was presented to LE did TT confess he wrote it? Fact or speculation? Sorry if this has been asked and answered.

As far as I can tell, that's one of those "i read it somewhere" things.

JMO
Unfortunately, that's one of the big problems with this case. It's like that game we played when I was a kid. I whisper something in your ear, you tell it to the person next to you. They tell it to the person next to them... and so on... and so on. By the time it gets all the way around and back to me, it's not even close to what I whispered in your ear.

 

[steverogers]

Can we agree the letter rules out a stranger?Nothing about a letter says stranger unless it was a ransom letter.What kind of killer tells the victims family where they can find the car.

 

[raven9860]

Somehow I missed these photos in fw-cat's 11/32017 post.

What's the story on these?

Bumping this post. I think it was just overlooked.

 

[kettlecorn]

Can we agree the letter rules out a stranger?Nothing about a letter says stranger unless it was a ransom letter.What kind of killer tells the victims family where they can find the car.

I think the letter has caused the confusion that it was wrote to cause... I don't think it implicated anyone or ruled anyone out.

 

[Deleted member 165916]

Yes and his dad was VP at the Tandy leather corporation

Is that yes to the Rambler? And his dad was a VP, but not in oil or banking? (I've heard both, but have no way of knowing.)

 

[Deleted member 165916]

Q What they knew Like about an argument at bowling center about keeping the son, about the cars

The short answers: 1) I've seen nothing that supports a public argument ever took place. 2) re: Shawn, I've seen nothing that supports he was present at all. 3) I'll take the blame for asking if a car could be missing from the original investigation - a car the police weren't aware of. I asked Rusty the first time we spoke (2009.) He wanted to call his lawyer and call me back. If it were true he should have known the answer to that question. He called back 10 minutes later. According to Rusty; yes, a car was missing. It was a Monday. I didn't believe he had talked to a lawyer. I just tried to answer his questions - mostly about people on his list. It was several years later that different people from HS supplied what I know about TT's car. People that had no reason to lie answering a question I did not ask. It just came up in conversation. I have seen nothing that supports that or any other car is missing. That's how questions become rumors and turn into "facts." I don't think out loud any more.

 

[Deleted member 165916]

Bumping this post. I think it was just overlooked.

Sorry, I meant to comment. I clicked on the them (I didn't remember.) One is the front of the envelope the other is the back of the envelope I sent to Jeremy Roden. My first "Message in a bottle" letter. Not important.

 

[Deleted member 165916]

I know you said you weren't friends with Rachel's husband
But did you ever meet or spend time around him?

yes

 

[raven9860]

Sorry, I meant to comment. I clicked on the them (I didn't remember.) One is the front of the envelope the other is the back of the envelope I sent to Jeremy Roden. My first "Message in a bottle" letter. Not important.

If you don't mind me asking, why would you write "Rachel" on the top left corner of the envelopes?

 

[Deleted member 165916]

If there was only one credible witness who saw the girls at Seminary South, how did LE come to the theory that they left with "someone they trusted"? (Yes I am back there). There was little evidence what they were doing while they were inside the mall. Let alone how they got to leave. LE better have some more witnesses that you don't know of.

Back in the day, police officers used the tools they had to size up situations. Experience was the "biggest hammer" in the toolbox. ONE police officer showed up about 10:30pm to meet 3 frantic parents at a locked '98 Oldsmobile, owned by someone who wasn't there, on the outer fringe of a shopping center - SIX HOURS after their young children could not be found. In his professional opinion, there was ZERO evidence of a struggle. It was dark. It was winter. That car was exactly as anyone would have left it - had they planned to return. It was parked over two football fields from the Sears exit. ANYONE they "knew" that offered them a ride to the car is a suspect. That locked car has never been considered a crime scene.

 

[Deleted member 165916]

If you don't mind me asking, why would you write "Rachel" on the top left corner of the envelopes?

To imitate the original envelope. To get his attention. To tie my notes together - graphically.

 

[Via Marple]

Can we agree the letter rules out a stranger?Nothing about a letter says stranger unless it was a ransom letter.What kind of killer tells the victims family where they can find the car.

Or divert attention from himself... If it's a stranger, there would have been no immediate attention on him.

There is also the suggestion that it was a hoax. Search previous posts if you're interested

 

[Via Marple]

Simply put... I haven't concerned myself with a motive for Rachel's father. His character and associations are more than enough. Folks like that don't need a reason. They ARE the reason.

Not sure... Unless he's a known serial killer.

 

[kettlecorn]

Is that yes to the Rambler? And his dad was a VP, but not in oil or banking? (I've heard both, but have no way of knowing.)

Can you please explain how you knew him. Ive read your post and everthing with exception to him being a smoker in high school is wrong. I'm just really curious where your info truly comes from? Because honestly there is a way of knowing

 

[Ozoner]

If Cotton was a violent, abusive guy--the type who would terrorize his daughters--then any challenge to his authority could have set him off. His personality--or what was likely narcissistic personality disorder--precludes the need for any specific motive.
-
TT <modsnip - discussing another poster>. Is there evidence of his being physically violent (domestic abuse allegations, assault charges, etc.)? Did he has have a short fuse back in the day? The way he's been described makes him sound somewhat aloof. Judging by other cases I've followed (and assuming the culprit wasn't a stranger), the type of person who would commit this crime is the type who would be very volatile--prone to sudden, violent mood swings.