GS, I never said that the this MUST be targeted. In fact, I very explicitly left open the option that it was an interrupted burglary gone wrong. What I said is that given what we know it is more likely that it is targeted than untargeted.
With respect to the robbery vs. burglary distinction, it is very important because it has a huge effect on the human behavior/reaction. When a person feels physically threatened/intimidated (as in the case of robbery), all bets are off. The self defense mechanism kicks in, and people are going to act in all sorts of unpredictable ways. Those types of situations are far more likely to get violent, even if that was not the intention at the outset. Crime against property is not the same thing. It's a huge violation, but it will not set up off the self defense mechanism in the same way (see Moslym3's story).
Moslym3, I am so sorry for your ordeal. I wanted to point out a few things. First, the burglar, even though he was blocked from his exit, did not KILL Moslym3. He swung his wrench at her in attempt to give him an escape route. Even with a prior history, he did not bludgeon her to death when she interrupted him. As I have said, killing someone is not a normal reflexive action to a property crime. If a person feels his life is in danger, all bets are off. If Moslym3's situation had been a crime against her person, she would have felt threatened... rather than continuing toward the source of the danger. Again, property and person crimes do not elicit the same behavioral response.
We can site all sort of studies, but they are only relevant in as much as they fit the facts of MB's case. Aside from murder, we have no evidence that there was any crime against a person, and whatever led to her death happened quickly. And it's rare that crimes committed solely against property elevate to to murder. Could MB be the exception? Sure. Is it likely? No.
(First, I hope people realize that Peach and I are not arguing. This is thoughtful discussion. I’ve known Peach since the beginning of this case when I was Cannonball3804 and we have emailed about the case. So nothing but respect here, and Peach I hope that I speak for you on this.)
Peach, I think we can agree that you lean toward targeted and I lean toward untargeted. I think we both leave open the option that something could come up that sways us the other way. That is as it should be. All of us should always be questioning, always second-guessing what we think we know, always following the evidence where it leads and hopefully not twisting it to fit a theory we formed years ago. So we’re good there, we’re just on different sides right now in terms of the conclusions we are reaching.
With that said, in reply to your most recent comments, everything you’re saying about self defense mechanisms and behaving in unpredictable ways, I agree with. But it seems you’re making assumptions that if not targeted, this must either have been a burglary OR a robbery and not both; since no one was there when SP got there then it couldn’t have been a robbery and so we’re left with burglary, and the chances of a murder occurring during a burglary are low in your estimation and so that’s why you lean toward targeted. Let me know if I summed up your thoughts correctly or not.
But it isn’t an “either/or” between burglary and robbery necessarily. The burglar when confronted can become a robber. We see this happen with home invasions. Someone burglarizes a house they think is empty, but they’re wrong and now it’s a home invasion with forcible restraint, sometimes assault, sometimes worse. And you are right when you say, “when someone feels physically threatened / intimidated, all bets are off.” Don’t you think that it’s very likely one or both people felt threatened in that moment? So can’t we agree on “all bets are off”, period?
You’re right, people behave in unpredictable ways under stress. This situation was high stress regardless of what we think the motive was. You’ve got two people and at LEAST one if not both had no idea the other was going to be there. We don’t know how Missy is going to react. We don’t know how SP is going to react. We don’t know if SP has a past history of assault, such that they react in violence as naturally as breathing for them. We don’t know if maybe they never raised a hand to anyone in their life before this. We don’t know what SP’s “normal” reaction to stress is, much less what it is when surprised by someone while committing a crime.
We also do not know what the physical choreography of the encounter was. No idea if they saw each other from a distance, or if they each came around a corner and in an instant were a foot apart. Don’t know if they each blocked the other’s path. Don’t know if either or both of them recognized the other.
And to @moslym3’s story, the intruder swung and just so happened to miss. What if he had connected? A wrench to the head might kill in one blow. If they didn’t catch the guy and it was an unsolved murder, would you think it was targeted instead of untargeted due to the fact that he connected and the victim died? Are we going to let our overriding motive in a case hinge upon the perp’s aim?
I’m going to lay this down and let the debate continue. I just encourage people to truly keep options open because there have been so many for so long with a mindset of “100% targeted!”. I’m not speaking of you, Peach, just those who are so entrenched in their position that they’ve stopped considering anything that doesn’t fit what they already decided. And talking heads who get on podcasts and with limited or flawed knowledge of the case just jump right to targeted in their “expert” opinions.
I’ll sign off with this question for all. If this is so clearly a targeted event, then why in FIVE YEARS have police failed to come up with one single POI who rises to the level of “this is our suspect and we know they did it, we’re just gathering more evidence.” And don’t tell me that maybe they actually have, blah blah blah. I have enough inside knowledge of this case to know that isn’t the case. Not with BWH and not now, 4 plus years after BWH. With the FBI involved and multiple cold case investigator associations reviewing the case, why have they swung and missed on coming up with even one real suspect? My answer: because SP probably has zero connection to Missy, wasn’t there to kill her, and has told no one. Even the very best PD in the world can’t work with that.
re the hallways and compass direction.)
