This is a very disturbing case - not least that there was clearly a long lead in time of vile behaviour that because it went unreported allowed an escalation and ultimately these two women to face untimely deaths. Reporting rape carries with it serious impacts for the victims and in party settings where alcohol and recreational drugs are involved there's clearly many reasons why women don't feel safe in reporting such crimes. Sadly, I suspect there are more victims to come forwards looking at the gap in the dates of the additional charges which have been filed. I would never victim blame other women who encountered this POI and his associates but there was also clearly a lot of people who saw his disturbing behaviour too - historically from other party goers to his former housemates. Sadly, its likely because his neighbours were used to his noisy and disruptive behaviour less notice was taken of what appears to have been a sustained period of moaning coming from his apartment than perhaps might otherwise have happened.
It also shows why 'find my phone' doesn't really provide a great deal of protection - except after the fact. My daughter and I have set this up on our phones but we've always realised that it provides limited actual protection at the time of something dangerous happening. It also reminds us that strangers we meet at clubs or parties are exactly that - complete strangers. We know nothing about their character and integrity.
Sadly IMO something like the following happened (I realise none of this is actually new or particularly insightful and my apologies if any of it causes offence. It is written with the greatest sympathy of the victims and their families):
- Hilda may have been interested in the POI or one other of the men involved and CLG went along with her to keep her company and make sure she was safe
- Something happened to make them change their plans to go to the guys apartment rather than on to the after party (if I've understood the accounts correctly - they are a little unclear on this point)
- When they decided to leave the POI or other perps decided to drug them - most likely putting something in drinks or to snort rather than injecting - so that he could sexually assault them. Other victims coming forward suggest this is a usual pattern of behaviour for the POI
- The victims were still alive for many hours before being dumped at the hospitals though incapacitated and unable to leave - if reports of the moaning heard by neighbours are true and linked to this apartment. This may have been because they were given too much drugs or because the drugs were re-administered. Wetting the bed would be symptomatic of being incapacitated.
- Heroin (if present - this seems to be unconfirmed officially) was administered later to mask the crimes so that hospitals/LE didn't look into them as suspicious deaths.
What we don't yet know is who administered the drugs or subdued them when they tried to leave, though the charges seem to focus on the POI, and to what extent the other guys were present in part or the whole of the women's ordeal or whether they returned to assist with the dumping of their bodies because they somehow felt implicated in what happened. Had they done this before and assisted in the same way?
A few thoughts on what I expect LE are now looking into:
- Full toxicology and post mortem results
- Getting complete tracking of Hilda and Christy's movements through the evening and also establishing the movements of the 3 guys and who was in the apartment throughout the period before the bodies were moved and dumped
- Tracking down all former housemates of the POI to get a fuller picture of his pattern of offending and MO
- cross examining the other two accessories to see if they give more information to clear themselves of more serious charges
- Carefully examining any video or photographic evidence from the hours in question and historic materials from all of the male participants phones and cameras
- Examining local CCTV and following up with Uber re the order of a cab during the hours in question
Just my opinion/speculations.
