It's funny you should say that because I think that about Melissa. I think he made some dangerous, probably drunken , mistakes with Melissa and her phone, and that's why he convinced Amber and Megan to leave their phones behind. But I guess the same could be true of Shannan (if she was actually a victim of LISK). Maybe the fact that she was able to make that 911 call spooked him enough to go to great lengths to convince Amber and Megan not to bring their phones.
But anyway...what do you think was the mistake he made with Amber ? Or is it just a gut feeling ?
Well, for one, the courting period took place while Amber was in the presence of a potential witness (DS), so while it didn't lead to an identification on the killer, it gave an individual insight into how he operates. As far as we know, there were no people alongside Maureen, Melissa or Megan who all must've had similar negotiations with their killer.
Not only does it give insight into how he operated, but it also places him in West Babylon near America Avenue. We have more information on the exact pickup location and while not precise, the fact that Amber walked around the corner from their residence means he was right in the vicinity. That is more than we know with Maureen and Melissa for certain, whose last locations are topics of speculation and debate. Megan Waterman is another story and It's fair to say he was close enough, but far enough away from the Holiday Inn in Happauge to avoid being seen or picked up on surveillance.
Lastly, the chronology of the victims makes me wonder. While calculated, these crimes are driven by compulsion. One can say the killer is addicted to this, with addiction, often the addict will negotiate with themselves in order to get their fix. At the beginning of the addiction, they may hold themselves to certain standards but as the desire to indulge becomes stronger and to these people, irresistible, their own standards and protocols become more flexible. Think of Amber herself, if not for her addiction to opiates, she most likely would have behaved in a different manner, exercising more caution and prudence and this is not a knock on her , it's a statement that time and time again has proven to be true about the human condition of addiction.
I'm no different, you're no different. I'm sure all of us have struggled with regulating a certain behavior at points in our lives and many of us have known people who are addicts. While LISK is a sociopath and different from your standard addict, it doesn't make him immune or less prone to making poor decisions while itching for his fix. After all, sociopathy is characterized as a lack of empathy for others. While others emotions are meaningless to them, their own emotions are not. I feel after killing Megan Waterman in June, LISK may have been itching for another fix, and may have, very well, failed in between June and September.
That's my feeling as to why a mistake may have been made. Now, I wonder if Detectives spoke to neighbors to see if they recall seeing Amber get in a vehicle in that neighborhood. I wonder if cameras at nearby intersections or commercial businesses were checked. One thing is for certain, this would've been a dicier pickup location today as now nearly every homeowner has a ring doorbell camera, cctv or some kind of surveillance. This was not commonplace 10 years ago, you go into Costco now and there are multiple pallets of products, entire aisles full of this technology for homeowners at an affordable price.
Well, I've officially gone down a rabbit hole, which a hungry eagle does every now and then.
