AL AL - J.B. Beasley, 17, & Tracie Hawlett, 17, Ozark, 31 July 1999 #4 *ARREST*

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TJtennispro said:
I never said "he can't be a killer because he doesn't look like one" I was answering a question based on a post I made on Feb 16, 2019.

I said I find it hard to believe that he killed these girls and then led a normal life. I'm getting fairly sick of people making assumptions on this forum on multiple threads. My statement was based on a question which I doubt you read otherwise you wouldn't just completely twist my words.

I need a break from Websleuths. I don't agree with y'all attacking Morf and I don't like having my words twisted anymore than it sounds like he did.

When did people on the forum start become so negative to other members?
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I sincerely apologize if you were offended, but it is one of the oldest tropes in true crime. Many killers have gone on to live at least on the surface "normal" lives. I recall a case in CA where they were testing computer finger print comparison for the first time. They found a guy who like 30 years before had broke into a womans house and killed her. He had moved back east, had a spotless record and was considered a pillar of the community. Look at BTK for example. It could even be that his going into the ministry might have been an attempt to "atone" for what he had done. Also in the only post I made on the matter I was defending Morf, whose worked on the Zodiacs forums and here I am quite familiar with as well as his podcasts. Once again Im sorry if my tone was overly sarcastic. sincerely ddav
 
334 said:
I suppose the point I was trying to make was: if the girls you know from Dothan know what happened, and you still question the validity of the recent arrest, it seems like someone from LE should speak with them. I’m in no way trying to call you or anyone else out on their theories. Trust me, I’ve heard them all, and like everyone else, I was shocked at learning this arrest has nothing to do with any of the more common theories.

I was friends with both J.B. and Tracie, although one more so than the other. I remember the funerals, the songs playing at the burial service, the procession that was several miles long through Dothan.

I’ve had my theories over the years, but I’ve never claimed to KNOW who killed them. If the right man was arrested, my theories were wrong. But they were only theories.
If your friends know what happened, (and you did say they know what happened) and it didn’t involve the man who was arrested, I think most would agree that they should meet with LE. I respect your decision to withhold their names, and I’m not asking you to disclose them either.

But if you actually believe your friends know the truth, as stated last month, that information could be far more useful in the rights hands rather than in passing on this forum.

I appreciate the response, and I hope you understand where I’m coming from.
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Did J.B.'s name meaning anything?

Or did she just have the initials J.B.?
 
Blacklist said:
Just J.B.

J.B. Hilton Green Beasley
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It's an unusual name. I remember reading that she was named after her father (Hilton Beasley) and a family friend (JB Green), I think. Everyone who knew her called her JB.

I can't find a link for this, although I know it's on an earlier thread, so I guess I'll call it... Speculation.
 
Here are three questions (or theories to ponder)(they most likely have already been discussed):

1. Why was Merritt and daughter at the gas station 30 minutes after it closed? It is stated that they stopped to buy a soda. So, if they bought the soda before the 11:00 closing, why did they hang around for thirty minutes? If they got there after closing was it just timing coincidence? Was there a soda machine on the outside? Why didn't they say anything to LE about the pickup truck? The store was closed for the night which means that other than cars pulling in and immediately out it was just them, JB&T, and the pickup. IMO a vehicle just parked at closed gas pumps with no driver activity would be awfully suspicious.

2. Was the pickup at the pump actually white or light-colored? Yes, I've seen the photo from the CCTV but most older gas stations in 1999 used sodium light bulbs which tends to cast a yellowish hue on objects that are illuminated. Plus, the picture is of horribly poor quality. Could the pickup at the gas station be the "infamous" black (or dark colored) pickup of theories?

3. Why wasn't Johnny Barrentine taken more seriously as a witness (other than being arrested)? Yes, he had several stories, but one could have been factual. Out of a bunch of untruths there is always a kernel of reality. I went to school with Johnny. He was not mentally-challenged like some said, but he was dimmer than most. I don't think he had anything to do with the murders but he witnessed something incidental to it. If he went to the Broad Street B/L store and found it closed at the same time as JB&T were there he could have noticed them, which would have accounted for telling LE what they were wearing. Could he then have ventured to S. Union/123 or 231 and found an open store? Could he have just hung around that open store for a short time? This would have accounted for the hour or so he was gone. If he found the open store on S. Union/123 could he have taken 123 back and turned right onto Adams/James St. (at the jail)? If he found an open store on 231 could he have taken Deese Rd. back turning left onto Matthews Ave. then turn right onto James St.? Both routes would have been the quickest from either S. Union/123 or 231 to Church Ave. across 27 and to home on Young. It also would have also put him in passing Herring where he said he had an encounter with the black pickup.....the only truth I think he told. Is the timing not right? Johnny's wife said he arrived home just before 1:00 which puts him passing Herring about 12:45. LE states the murders happened probably around 12:30, giving the killer a few minutes to tidy up before barreling out of Herring encountering Johnny. Maybe? Also, could he have been threatened by the killer after the fact??


I have three more but would like to get this community's input on the first three. Thank you.
 
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To be honest, I'm literally emotionally exhausted by the recent arrest and all the feelings that have come with this step forward after all these frustrating years. There is a huge amount of info here if you do your due diligence. Welcome to Websleuths.
 
Catmammy said:
To be honest, I'm literally emotionally exhausted by the recent arrest and all the feelings that have come with this step forward after all these frustrating years. There is a huge amount of info here if you do your due diligence. Welcome to Websleuths.
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Yes, around 208 pages worth of info. And then you got the other sites. My investigation will take a long time. It is worth it as it is personal to me now. It wasn't in the past as it should have been. My family went through something that was similar in nature almost three decades prior. Thank you for welcoming me. I was reluctant to join, but I can't stay silent with all my question. The truth is there and must be found!
 
rsanders27 said:
Yes, around 208 pages worth of info. And then you got the other sites. My investigation will take a long time. It is worth it as it is personal to me now. It wasn't in the past as it should have been. My family went through something that was similar in nature almost three decades prior. Thank you for welcoming me. I was reluctant to join, but I can't stay silent with all my question. The truth is there and must be found!
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Oh, rsanders27, now you've intrigued me. And I'm always down for a mystery. Here and now is NOT the time or place. Could/would you perhaps begin a thread about your circumstances? I'm certain we'd love to help.
 
@rsanders27

1. The Merritts were on their way home and stopped there to get a drink. The store had lights on inside just not all, so easy to overlook. I do remember there being soda machines outside.

2. It was a white pickup and they did find the owner (in 2005 I think) They were working with the railroad from out of to.

3. Barrintine killed his own credibility, with his multiple stories and trying to insert himself in the the investigation. IMO he waste a lot of the PD's crucial time in the beginning.
 
Catmammy said:
Oh, rsanders27, now you've intrigued me. And I'm always down for a mystery. Here and now is NOT the time or place. Could/would you perhaps begin a thread about your circumstances? I'm certain we'd love to help.
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shark315 said:
Agreed
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It is not a mystery and I do not write or discuss about it in an open forum. I will; however, give people a place to find it. The distinct difference is that I feel that the former is sensationalizing it for self-aggrandizing and the latter is simply research purposes and keeping my family members' memories alive. Here it is: Yahoo! search (not Google) "James Walter Winkle" and it should be the first entry.
 
As you prefer. Thank you for the information. When you've read more of this thread perhaps you can understand where we all are coming from in our dedication to see justice done.
 
shark315 said:
@rsanders27

1. The Merritts were on their way home and stopped there to get a drink. The store had lights on inside just not all, so easy to overlook. I do remember there being soda machines outside.

2. It was a white pickup and they did find the owner (in 2005 I think) They were working with the railroad from out of to.

3. Barrintine killed his own credibility, with his multiple stories and trying to insert himself in the the investigation. IMO he waste a lot of the PD's crucial time in the beginning.
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1. That explains the Merritts. I wasn't trying to insinuate. Just curious.

2. I read that about the pickup, but I've also read websites dated after 2005 that the white pickup and its driver were never found.

3. Yes, Johnny killed his credibility, but still makes me wonder. I stand by what I wrote about the Herring encounter as a possible theory.

Very good reply. I thank you.
 
rsanders27 said:
2. I read that about the pickup, but I've also read websites dated after 2005 that the white pickup and its driver were never found.
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It wasn't widely publicized, it came out in an update given by Spivey later after 2005. The link to the article is somewhere in either threads #2 or beginnings of #3 I can't remember off the top of my head.
 
shark315 said:
It wasn't widely publicized, it came out in an update given by Spivey later after 2005. The link to the article is somewhere in either threads #2 or beginnings of #3 I can't remember off the top of my head.
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I’ll eventually find it. I didn’t think it was related. I just wanted to pose the question. In my investigation (like all investigations) questions, theories, and scenarios will be posed and given that are not plausible or do not pan out.
 
rsanders27 said:
Here are three questions (or theories to ponder)(they most likely have already been discussed):

1. Why was Merritt and daughter at the gas station 30 minutes after it closed? It is stated that they stopped to buy a soda. So, if they bought the soda before the 11:00 closing, why did they hang around for thirty minutes? If they got there after closing was it just timing coincidence? Was there a soda machine on the outside? Why didn't they say anything to LE about the pickup truck? The store was closed for the night which means that other than cars pulling in and immediately out it was just them, JB&T, and the pickup. IMO a vehicle just parked at closed gas pumps with no driver activity would be awfully suspicious.

2. Was the pickup at the pump actually white or light-colored? Yes, I've seen the photo from the CCTV but most older gas stations in 1999 used sodium light bulbs which tends to cast a yellowish hue on objects that are illuminated. Plus, the picture is of horribly poor quality. Could the pickup at the gas station be the "infamous" black (or dark colored) pickup of theories?

3. Why wasn't Johnny Barrentine taken more seriously as a witness (other than being arrested)? Yes, he had several stories, but one could have been factual. Out of a bunch of untruths there is always a kernel of reality. I went to school with Johnny. He was not mentally-challenged like some said, but he was dimmer than most. I don't think he had anything to do with the murders but he witnessed something incidental to it. If he went to the Broad Street B/L store and found it closed at the same time as JB&T were there he could have noticed them, which would have accounted for telling LE what they were wearing. Could he then have ventured to S. Union/123 or 231 and found an open store? Could he have just hung around that open store for a short time? This would have accounted for the hour or so he was gone. If he found the open store on S. Union/123 could he have taken 123 back and turned right onto Adams/James St. (at the jail)? If he found an open store on 231 could he have taken Deese Rd. back turning left onto Matthews Ave. then turn right onto James St.? Both routes would have been the quickest from either S. Union/123 or 231 to Church Ave. across 27 and to home on Young. It also would have also put him in passing Herring where he said he had an encounter with the black pickup.....the only truth I think he told. Is the timing not right? Johnny's wife said he arrived home just before 1:00 which puts him passing Herring about 12:45. LE states the murders happened probably around 12:30, giving the killer a few minutes to tidy up before barreling out of Herring encountering Johnny. Maybe? Also, could he have been threatened by the killer after the fact??


I have three more but would like to get this community's input on the first three. Thank you.
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The Barrentine thing might be explained depending on how soon the police had the dna evidence. It seems to me that the dna would have revealed the ethnicity of the perpetrator if he was the one who left the sample and that might have had an impact on how seriously they took particular suspects. ps I wonder if those people who were making clearly false accusations against some of the police officers and others regarding their involvement , drug deals, love affairs , etc. will ever be asked to apologize.
 
ddav said:
The Barrentine thing might be explained depending on how soon the police had the dna evidence. It seems to me that the dna would have revealed the ethnicity of the perpetrator if he was the one who left the sample and that might have had an impact on how seriously they took particular suspects. ps I wonder if those people who were making clearly false accusations against some of the police officers and others regarding their involvement , drug deals, love affairs , etc. will ever be asked to apologize.
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The DNA could certainly have identified the race of the perp if the right DNA work was done in a lab
 
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