Victim: Alexis Murphy, 17, missing from Shipman, VA, 03 August 2013 - #6

[Ixchel13]

Just getting in, have lots of catching up to, but I see mention above of junk yards, etc.

This was one of the first things that came to my mind in this case and I have made a few posts concerning this. Anything to do with cars could be very significant, jmo; RAT was so closely connected to cars via the areas of repo man, auto detail, car sales store, painting, mechanic, car wash...

The aspect junkyards, scrap metal has come up in other cases...of the top of my head, we discussed this in Terrilynn Monette's case. This idea was presented to me by someone I consider to be quite insightful and knowledgeable.

yes margarita and you brought that up first in this case, I was just expounding.

 

[Nelson]

Hello Everyone I am knew here. I have been following along. Just wanted to add my :twocents:. First I wanted to say every lie has a truth. Next, I believe the FBI is involved for the following reasons and not leaking info 1. RT prior involvement in SC case 2. RT possible link to sex trafficking 3. Witness protection program. Also does anyone know how he receives his pay from job or bank account? I just wanted to know if the hundred dollar bill could be possible evidence js you can track money just like DNA. Last I believe RT did have a partner; I believe this partner new Am also I believe this man/women met him around the gas station area after RT flagged AM down while on her way to LB to tell her car was broken. Next one took her phone threw it out immediately and took her and her car back to RT trailer where RT and partner both then went to CV with AM in the car to drop car nxt they proceeded to do with AM idk. I don't think AM was ever in RT trailer unless it was just for a look over. Last I believe someone else knows what happened besides RT.:moo:

 

[Ixchel13]

The whole junk yard speculation started in this thread and I'm not entirely sure where it came from. Disregard that. RAT wasn't currently working at a used car place, but formerly worked at one in Rucker sville VA.

o.k. let me try this again. Please explain why you want us to disregard the discussion about RAT possibly replacing parts from a vehicle and possibly discarding parts from vehicles, in junkyards?

Is there a possibility that he would hide her body in one of these acres of vehicles? And if this vehicle was untraceable due to being put together from
many different cars, and then detailed after the crime as only a professional detailer/carwasher/car painter/car primer could do, wouldn't this criminal think it was the perfect crime, even if her body were found in the junkyard inside the trunk/crushed mess of the vehicle? JMO
p.s. and he could even frame someone to be even cleverer...

 

[KimC]

There are a couple of things that keep nagging at me. When looking at the assessment maps, there appears to be a few houses right around the house that RT had the trailer at. It seems to be quite bold to bring her back there and not have any fears of her screaming and being heard by neighbors, or getting away and running to Route 29, which wasn't very far away at all and very busy. Did someone hear something, did they call LE early on causing them to zero in?

Also if they did do a search and found DNA that ties him to SC, would they have to tip their hand on that right off? I really have a hard time believing they have a weak case being as quiet as they are. I think there is a lot more.

 

[21merc7]

It just occurred to me. Alexis either had an iPhone or a new Samsung according to her internet photos.

Who turned off the geolocation or took the battery out? LE could have found it quickly if geolocation was on or battery in once parents gave them the phone info, right?

 

[KimC]

It just occurred to me. Alexis either had an iPhone or a new Samsung according to her internet photos.

Who turned off the geolocation or took the battery out? LE could have found it quickly if geolocation was on or battery in once parents gave them the phone info, right?

According to her family she had an iPhone 4.

Edited to add: She wasn't reported as missing until the next day. I have an iPhone 4S and even though I'm an adult, the battery goes dead in a day for me since I use it for everything.

 

[Nelson]

On smart phones the owner or user can turn of GPS in settings in the phone and also once phone goes off or battery is out they cannot be traced by phone company. User can trace phone only if they have it set up when or if they lose it.

 

[Ixchel13]

Hello Everyone I am knew here. I have been following along. Just wanted to add my :twocents:. First I wanted to say every lie has a truth. Next, I believe the FBI is involved for the following reasons and not leaking info 1. RT prior involvement in SC case 2. RT possible link to sex trafficking 3. Witness protection program. Also does anyone know how he receives his pay from job or bank account? I just wanted to know if the hundred dollar bill could be possible evidence js you can track money just like DNA. Last I believe RT did have a partner; I believe this partner new Am also I believe this man/women met him around the gas station area after RT flagged AM down while on her way to LB to tell her car was broken. Next one took her phone threw it out immediately and took her and her car back to RT trailer where RT and partner both then went to CV with AM in the car to drop car nxt they proceeded to do with AM idk. I don't think AM was ever in RT trailer unless it was just for a look over. Last I believe someone else knows what happened besides RT.:moo:

BBM if this guy is a protected witness, he sure isn't laying low...and if he went renegade, it would only hurt him, not LE. If you are implying he is a witness for trafficking, again, only would get himself killed by organized crime, they hate a sloppy, mouthy snitch. remember, Tony Soprano killed his best friend Jackie because he was afraid of him slipping up on meds in the hospital.
Art imitates Life.
Now the hundred dollar bill is interesting...perhaps a down payment for
deeds to come from a wealthy sicko? Possibly this sicko has private property that can only be searched with a warrant. That's why, IMO, they want to try so hard to find the burner phones so badly...and that's why RAT threw them into the woods, now it's only an anonymous person talking/texting to said
wealthy sicko. They need to trace phone calls back to this person so he can rat out the RAT, and by sealing everything, maybe they can get RAT to
rat the other guy out at the same time to get them both at the same time w/o any deals being made. No deals!!!

 

[NelsonVA]

o.k. let me try this again. Please explain why you want us to disregard the discussion about RAT possibly replacing parts from a vehicle and possibly discarding parts from vehicles, in junkyards?

Is there a possibility that he would hide her body in one of these acres of vehicles? And if this vehicle was untraceable due to being put together from
many different cars, and then detailed after the crime as only a professional detailer/carwasher/car painter/car primer could do, wouldn't this criminal think it was the perfect crime, even if her body were found in the junkyard inside the trunk/crushed mess of the vehicle? JMO
p.s. and he could even frame someone to be even cleverer...

I pointed out that it was pure speculation because the poster I responded to seemed to be taking it too seriously. There is zero evidence that this is even a remote possibility, and I don't really know of many (any?) of this sort of car junk yard in Nelson. It's just very out of left field, and was more trying to direct the focus of the discussion toward the actual facts of the case.

Personally, I don't think much of RAT as a master criminal type. I suspect that worst case her body will be found in the mountains of Western Nelson, or best case maybe alive in the basement of someone's remote cabin in that area (along with Samantha Clark). Both of those being based on the previous tip of his truck seen leaving that area the following morning with mud on the side of it.

 

[NelsonVA]

$100 dollar bills might not be as weird as they sound if he doesn't have a steady job, just does odd jobs like reported. A lot of construction related jobs in the area will just pay their day laborers in cash, with hundreds being not uncommon.

 

[ArianeEmory]

It just occurred to me. Alexis either had an iPhone or a new Samsung according to her internet photos.

Who turned off the geolocation or took the battery out? LE could have found it quickly if geolocation was on or battery in once parents gave them the phone info, right?

Locals have said service is spotty in that area. If the iPhone isn't talking to ANY data or cellular connection it can't be tracked.

 

[carbuff]

Locals have said service is spotty in that area. If the iPhone isn't talking to ANY data or cellular connection it can't be tracked.

And that's not taking into account whether he smashed it, ran over it, or otherwise tried to erase or damage it.

 

[Just K]

So you'd lock up ten thousand petty criminals for life just to stop one murderer? Or am I misunderstanding your point?

No mandate minimum sentences for the types of crimes I listed. Make them felonies with a minimum of five years with no deduction in time for time served or good behavior. The way it is now...well, it isn't a punishment or a consequence at all. These creeps don't take any of their crimes and convictions seriously. Because of that, it is IMO, they go on to commit more serious offenses.

We could categorize those crimes that I listed as "Gateway Offenses" put them into a special felony category.

FGS, men who commit RAPE, with physical assaults/beatings, serve sometimes only six years in Virginia. Just look at all the SOs in Virginia. Look at the conviction date and see if they are free in society and working. Many times it is not even five years from there conviction date. RAPE is a felony yet these creeps serve less than ten years on average.

It's time for minimum sentences appropriate to the degree of the offense/crime.

 

[carterkatt]

I pointed out that it was pure speculation because the poster I responded to seemed to be taking it too seriously. There is zero evidence that this is even a remote possibility, and I don't really know of many (any?) of this sort of car junk yard in Nelson. It's just very out of left field, and was more trying to direct the focus of the discussion toward the actual facts of the case.

Personally, I don't think much of RAT as a master criminal type. I suspect that worst case her body will be found in the mountains of Western Nelson, or best case maybe alive in the basement of someone's remote cabin in that area (along with Samantha Clark). Both of those being based on the previous tip of his truck seen leaving that area the following morning with mud on the side of it.

I'm sorry you felt I was taking a speculative thought "too seriously". I thought we were here to brainstorm and discuss ideas, no matter how far-reaching they may seem to some people. My apologies.

 

[ArianeEmory]

And that's not taking into account whether he smashed it, ran over it, or otherwise tried to erase or damage it.

Well, I did the "google to see if the thing I just posted is true".

iPhones since the 3GS do have a separate GPS receiver that should function for basic navigation as long as the phone is not in airplane mode (well, and assuming you do have location services on). BUT I don't know if that information is really tracked, or at least in a sense that is quickly accessible to LE. At that point your phone is talking to navigation satellites, but not your cell provider's network. (E.g.: the GPS receiver in an iPhone will work even without a SIM card in the phone.)

 

[carbuff]

No mandate minimum sentences for the types of crimes I listed. Make them felonies with a minimum of five years with no deduction in time for time served or good behavior. The way it is now...well, it isn't a punishment or a consequence at all. These creeps don't take any of their crimes and convictions seriously. Because of that, it is IMO, they go on to commit more serious offenses.

We could categorize those crimes that I listed as "Gateway Offenses" put them into a special felony category.

FGS, men who commit RAPE, with physical assaults/beatings, serve sometimes only six years in Virginia. Just look at all the SOs in Virginia. Look at the conviction date and see if they are free in society and working. Many times it is not even five years from there conviction date. RAPE is a felony yet these creeps serve less than ten years on average.

It's time for minimum sentences appropriate to the degree of the offense/crime.

Okay, I see what you're saying.

But the vast majority of people who are committing $200 breaking and entering and driving with illegal equipment are not going to escalate to becoming rapists, kidnappers, or murderers.

 

[Ixchel13]

Just getting in, have lots of catching up to, but I see mention above of junk yards, etc.

This was one of the first things that came to my mind in this case and I have made a few posts concerning this. Anything to do with cars could be very significant, jmo; RAT was so closely connected to cars via the areas of repo man, auto detail, car sales store, painting, mechanic, car wash...

The aspect junkyards, scrap metal has come up in other cases...off the top of my head, we discussed this in Terrilynn Monette's case. This idea was presented to me by someone I consider to be quite insightful and knowledgeable.

now that I'm home from work, lol, I'm even more curious about RAT's activities in junk/salvage yards. Wonder if he's a regular/frequent/even seldom customer
at any of these places, and not just in Nelson county?

Say you're a criminal, and despite the "pettiness" of at least 3/4 of his crime, RAT is indisputably a criminal, and deviant. Anyway, if someone was in a hit and run accident, and they didn't want their local garage mechanic to fix
their car because it had paint on it from the vehicle you hit, and it was so obvious you did hit someone's vehicle, how convenient would a criminal be
who was also very good at fixing your car? This criminal mechanic/car restorer
could go to a junkyard to get a side panel or fender, etc--because ordering one might be dangerous, paper trail and all.

So this criminal car restorer could also do this for himself if he say, ran someone off the road and got a dented fender, or even junk the whole
vehicle, but in parts, after the crime.

Let's see, you would need a warrant to search for that exact thing, unless you sent people in anonymously, especially if you felt this junkyard owner wouldn't be exactly cooperative, even litigative. is that a word?

I'm an ex-marine. When someone says, "Disregard that." without qualifying,
as in, "maybe you should disregard that," or "why don't you disregard that?"
it's a direct order, military style. jus sayin Last time I checked I was honorably discharged after my tour of duty lol.
p.s. also judges say it that way to the jury when say, a defense attorney objects to something the prosecution says.

 

[carbuff]

Well, I did the "google to see if the thing I just posted is true".

iPhones since the 3GS do have a separate GPS receiver that should function for basic navigation as long as the phone is not in airplane mode (well, and assuming you do have location services on). BUT I don't know if that information is really tracked, or at least in a sense that is quickly accessible to LE. At that point your phone is talking to navigation satellites, but not your cell provider's network. (E.g.: the GPS receiver in an iPhone will work even without a SIM card in the phone.)

Thanks, that's interesting. So they might be able to track the phone's movements even if it was damaged.

 

[ArianeEmory]

Thanks, that's interesting. So they might be able to track the phone's movements even if it was damaged.

Yes...well, if damage was mostly external, and location services are on, and a perp isn't smart enough to turn on airplane mode.

I won't get into the question of whether it's trackable if the phone is OFF because I've seen that argued both ways.

Sadly, I think for the most part, modern-day perps (even at RT's level) are smart enough to turn the phone off, strip the battery (challenging but possible for an iPhone), or ditch the phone early. Sometimes all three. Tim Bosma and Whitney Heichel come to mind as recent victims where the perp ditched the phone after turning it off, but the phone was seemingly only found because it was tossed where civilians later found it.

 

[Ixchel13]

Just getting in, have lots of catching up to, but I see mention above of junk yards, etc.

This was one of the first things that came to my mind in this case and I have made a few posts concerning this. Anything to do with cars could be very significant, jmo; RAT was so closely connected to cars via the areas of repo man, auto detail, car sales store, painting, mechanic, car wash...

The aspect junkyards, scrap metal has come up in other cases...off the top of my head, we discussed this in Terrilynn Monette's case. This idea was presented to me by someone I consider to be quite insightful and knowledgeable.

now that I'm home from work, lol, I'm even more curious about RAT's activities in junk/salvage yards. Wonder if he's a regular/frequent/even seldom customer
at any of these places, and not just in Nelson county?

Say you're a criminal, and despite the "pettiness" of at least 3/4 of his crime, RAT is indisputably a criminal, and deviant. Anyway, if someone was in a hit and run accident, and they didn't want their local garage mechanic to fix
their car because it had paint on it from the vehicle you hit, and it was so obvious you did hit someone's vehicle, how convenient would a criminal be
who was also very good at fixing your car? This criminal mechanic/car restorer
could go to a junkyard to get a side panel or fender, etc--because ordering one might be dangerous, paper trail and all.

So this criminal car restorer could also do this for himself if he say, ran someone off the road and got a dented fender, or even junk the whole
vehicle, but in parts, after the crime.

Let's see, you would need a warrant to search for that exact thing, unless you sent people in anonymously, especially if you felt this junkyard owner wouldn't be exactly cooperative, even litigative. is that a word?

I'm an ex-marine. When someone says, "Disregard that." without qualifying,
as in, "maybe you should disregard that," or "why don't you disregard that?"
it's a direct order, military style. jus sayin Last time I checked I was honorably discharged after my tour of duty lol.