I agree that there is not a clear-cut categorizing in this case. For me, profiling a 'type' of killer and then trying to match it with someone who’s been arrested doesn’t work. If you have a suspect, you have one due to the evidence; profiling is just a tool initially used in considering possible suspects. Profiling helps LE to try to envision who might be a likely suspect, and if the crime could be related to other unsolved crimes. And not all characteristics are always present in the person finally arrested for a particular crime. A profile is just that—a composite collection of general traits, that statistically correlate, but not a description of one specific person.
In considering this crime, now that there is a suspect, it helps to keep focus on the evidence at hand, IMO. Based on the evidence—not the ‘maybes’ from unsubstantiated people leaving comments in news articles, or theoretical profiles—here is some alternative characteristic trait listing. I’ve left off traits in this list concerning anything Holt confessed to concerning the crime, as one of his seeming indisputable traits is that he is prone to changing his story—so what he says is not a reliable source of ‘evidence’ to back up this list, IMO. I’ve put the back up evidence for each trait in parentheses.
I’ve put off writing this, as I’m generally not fond of dissecting other’s traits online, so I write this with the caveat that this is simply my own opinion, not put forth as factual about JH’s nature and being. I’ve never met him, and I’m sure there are more things I don’t know about him than things I might think I do. These impressions have been gleaned simply based on what the evidence in this case so far
suggests to me:
JH – seeming character traits based on testimony in pdf and news account interviews:
• Quiet, and not known to have been a trouble maker—in fact, the last person several would have thought would have been involved in this (news interviews with neighbors and childhood friends)
• Anxious/tentative, about marriage, pleasing his wife, job security and pleasing his boss, personal financial situation, religious faith, social interactions with others (news accounts, his testimony as corroborated by Amanda’s and others’
• Passive by nature, resistant to violence, possibly to the point of being considered weak or a ‘pushover’– (bullied in school)
• People-pleaser to those he cared about (converted to JW faith in order to marry longtime sweetheart Amanda in 2010)
• Willing to lie as a result of all of the above, but not very good at it (changing stories to LE during interviews); not a skilled or smooth liar, so likely not a habitual one. Preferring to be avoidant of people and conflict altogether, keeping thoughts and fears to himself (Amanda’s testimony).
• Generally a loner (likely as a result of the above), though he had some friends; close to his family, particularly his younger brother who he frequently hung out with (news interviews with neighbors and school friends)
• Reasonably intelligent & industrious (2006 high school GPA 3.35; trained for and received 2010 Certified Emergency Medical Technician; has held several low-to-moderate paying jobs since then, with trouble keeping jobs since his marriage in 2010; has made the effort to drive 45 min. each way in his current low-paying job and was anxious about being late)
• Frequent loss of job since conversion and marriage in 2010; frequent changing of low-cost living quarters in two years of marriage (her folks’ house in 2010 after marriage, another apt in Gresham August 2011 to 2012, Heatherwood Apts., August 2012—per news accounts and pdf)
• Escalating marital tensions and increasing personal insecurity (testimony by wife, record of gun purchase in June 2012, two months prior to move to Heatherwood Apts.)
• Depressive, low self-esteem personality type (wife’s corroborating testimony he felt like a failure; his wearing a suicide jacket, weeping visible tears, looking down, mumbling one-word answers in court appearance video)
Traits of the crime on October 16:
• WH killed by 4 gunshots while in the car in what is known as the
double-tap method of killing favored by hired hit-men. Double tap killing originated as a military maneuver of one shot to the head and one shot to the heart, which made ‘double’ certain the enemy would be left dead. (Early news accounts related she was shot twice in the face/head, and twice in chest/torso. Accounts have been pulled and LE and ME keeping mum now on the details.)
• First shot quite likely through her front passenger closed window--possibly with her facing the window while keeping the door locked against entry--this break of the window would gain access for the other 3 shots. (PDF: account of biological evidence on front windshield, car seat and console, earring back on back seat floor, pile of glass shards on floor between passenger front seat and window; single bullet casing found ‘on top of the pile,’ which would not have rolled up there with car movement. Other three bullet casings also found on the floor of the car.)
• Unknown form of DNA found on steering wheel of car implicating JH.
• WH likely killed prior to Shell station video showing front passenger window ‘gone’ (pdf: shattered glass on floor by door with bullet casing implies this).
• Cursory clean up of car was not to prevent LE from finding blood (2’x3’ pool left on back seat floor); clean up was only a cursory, “casual-glance” clean up, of the seats and front windshield area; (gas attendants did not mention seeing blood through the open passenger window, though one attendant reported to police he thought he saw someone who looked like Whitney sitting there).
• License plate purposefully left on the mountain during the trip up to leave her body there. (No loose screws also found, no broken plastic mounting also found to indicate it broke off, no loose plate dangling in the Shell video to suggest it fell off, no dirty or damaged front end of car to suggest it was pulled off in the brush.)
• Killer was aware that front plate was missing after coming back down the mountain and leaving car at Walmart (took pains to park the car by backing into the space).
Traits of WH’s Killer:
*As we don’t know the particular sexual evidence left at the scene, I’m leaving that area out, for now, since the only specific reference in the pdf is Holt’s own unreliable testimony. To complicate matters, a sociopathic, professional killer also has the inclination and the skills to purposefully plant certain types of evidence, so I’m trying to describe “the Killer” simply using the evidence that is well-documented at this point.
• Whitney’s survival and testimony was ‘not an option’ to her perp (shot 4x in vital areas of body)
• Absolute cold-blooded and callous disregard for human life (coolness and steady action under pressure; a hit man style of kill—able to shoot a terrified, beautiful woman in the face, head and chest 4x and then throw her body onto the back floor; hasty clean up of blood/biologic evidence before driving the death scene and body around her home turf over a period of time for gas, disposal of body on mountain and car in parking lot….all within a tight timeframe)
• Physically aggressive, with no fear of violence (overly aggressive kill with 4 shots/bullet casings; two guns implicated and retrieved for evidence)
• Methodical, and capable of inordinate planning for what he wants (abduction, assault/murder; license plate removal/positional parking of car; some evidence clean up/some evidence drops all around the area. *Note: A professional, experienced killer would be careful to only leave evidence that wouldn’t implicate himself.)
• Manipulates a crime scene for desired effect on people’s reactions or lack of reactions (cursory blood clean up, dropping license plate on mountain)
• Sociopathic narcissist (manner of kill, manipulates situations and people for personal gain)
*Note: A sociopathic narcissist would NEVER be suicidal. His world revolves around himself, and all of his actions are designed to further Self. The rest of the world, however, is completely dispensable, to be used for the purposes of Self. (Two psychological professionals in my family.)
