AL AL - J.B. Beasley, 17, & Tracie Hawlett, 17, Ozark, 31 July 1999 #1

[Wondergirl]

Rest in peace, J.B. and Tracie

http://www.wtvy.com/home/headlines/12th_Anniversary_of_Unsolved_Ozark_Murder__126451888.html

 

[LR1]

Wow - I've really enjoyed reading all of the hard work that has been put into this case. Excellent sleuthing! Here are some things that I've focused in on:

1- I find it odd that the white truck sat so long at the pump without any gas purchase. For that reason alone, I can't dismiss it from this picture.
2 -The one scenario that I come up with is that it wasn't a lone person that committed this crime. I'm envisioning 2 males (but perhaps 1 male, 1 female). The girls come upon a possible arranged accident / body on road and are waved down by another person in a car. They would stop. Gun is pulled and person forces entry into their car. other "body" jumps up and follows in the perps car/truck. Girls are taken someplace remote. Girls each run trying to get away at someplace that has water element. Each male easily able to grab a girl. Only 1 male sexually attacks girl. I'm also thinking he forced her to perform oral. Wonder if LE tested her saliva in time in order to rule this out. Again, I'm thinking the same person is the one who does the shooting. Maybe even a weird relationship like John Muhammad and Lee Malvo. Handprint could belong to the younger / more innocent perp. Girls car is driven to Herring. Perp is picked up by his friend who is following.
3. I definitely think a 2nd car was involved. I don't think the 2 people were on foot else there would have been some evidence / activity reported in the rear seat.
4. I can't place the importance of the driver's license. Was it dusted for prints? The same scenario above could have taken place but 1 / both of the men were wearing MP like uniforms.
5. I found it interesting that there were rail tracks immediately behind the gas station. Hmmmm.... Was it an active line?

Thanks for listening to my thoughts.

I'm under the impression that the truck was there at some point between 11:30 and 12:00 not that it was there for the entire 30 minutes. I could be wrong though.

The thing about two people taking them someplace remote, is why bring the car back. I could see one person having to get back to his vehicle but why take the chance of traveling back into town with what was in the trunk?

I've seen speculation that this is where Barrentine comes into play. They split up and he left the car where it was found. Even with taking into consideration his reported lack of mental dexterity, some of his statements and actions highly suspicious.

 

[DimeDetective]

When my DH and I went to Depot Ln, I got this overwhelming feeling looking at the old depot building. I'm glad I wasn't alone! We took the same pics Dime Detective did, so I won't repost them.

KR, if you're up to it, I would still love to see these pictures and any others you might've taken. It would be good to see the area through your eyes. Never can have too much information!

Realistically, you really have to wonder about the timeline.

If the girls left home at 10:00 pm, and curfew was 11:30 pm, that didn't really leave alot of time for a birthday party, did it?

How long was the driving distance from their home to the field where the party was, anyway?

According to MSM reports, the field party was 10 miles north of the girls' hometown of Dothan.

 

[killarney rose]

Upon entering Depot Ln, the first building I saw was this one, an apparently abandoned house. The back faces Depot Ln.

This photo, was taken at the same spot in the street as the first one, only the camera was aimed at the Reddy Ice Co.

The back of the abandoned building taken from a bit farther down Depot Ln.

The old house- at the intersection of Depot & Jones.

The front of the abandoned building- I was standing in front of the old house with my back to it.

 

[Claudette]

Just thinking about why the girls may have stopped. They had been driving around for quite some time, in a place they didn't know---Wouldn't bodily functions have at some point forced them to pull over? The store they found was closed, and I'm guessing there isn't anywhere else to "go" in that area. Then, while pulled over, a vehicle pulls up behind them...And from here you can insert your own scenario of fake police cars (or at least the girls' belief that it was a cop that had pulled up beside them).

In that scenario, and not being a girl I'm asking the question honestly, would they have "gone" together or would one have more likely stayed with the car? And would there have been dew on the grass at that time of night?

If it was a dark scary area I imagine they would go together but look away.

 

[DimeDetective]

I'm under the impression that the truck was there at some point between 11:30 and 12:00 not that it was there for the entire 30 minutes. I could be wrong though.

ITA. As the CoE states: "The truck was parked at the store between 11:30 p.m. and 12:00 midnight on the night of July 31, 1999." (BBM)

It's important that we don't read it as saying the truck was parked at the store from 11:30 p.m. to 12:00.

Two possible reasons for the broad timeframe I can think of:

1. The surveillance footage did not feature a timestamp, or the timestamp on the footage was inaccurate. If this was the case, the 11:30 - 12:00 timeframe likely came from Marilyn Merritt and her daughter.

2. LE may have given this as a timeframe when putting the word out for the driver of the truck to please come forward, as in: "If you were at the Big/Little Store on July 31 sometime between 11:30 p.m. and midnight..." This may have been used to help jog the memory of someone who was there that night but wasn't sure of the exact moments they arrived at and left the store.

 

[DimeDetective]

KR, thank you for posting more photos of Depot Lane for us!

 

[DimeDetective]

I wonder if the abandoned building near Depot Lane & Jones St. was abandoned in 1999? If so, did LE go inside to look for a possible crime scene?

I spent some time researching this and failed to find a history of the Ozark Depot and when it may have been shut down/abandoned.

So I e-mailed the owner of this website; clearly this is a man who knows a lot about Alabama Depots:

http://stagmiesalrailpics.homestead.com/Depots.html

The Ozark (ACL/SCL) Depot is in the ninth row down, photo #2. Be sure to click on the link of the depot "in happier times" too.

I'll post here as soon as I receive a reply.

 

[CoolJ]

Couple of things swirling around in my head:

1). The white truck. I just can't fathom how LE was not able to locate the owner of this truck. How many white trucks could there have been in the local area at the time. A bit of leg work and mediocre police work should have narrowed down a pool of local white truck owners within days. Factor in the oversize tires and an average cop would have had his truck owner in one afternoon. This of course is assuming the owner is local.
2). The mud on Pants. Just so much information should have been narrowed down here. LE should have been able to narrow down and identify the area the girls travelled on foot. They also should have been able to make a clear distinction of whether the girls were walking or running. If they were made to sit, kneel or lay.
3). The first two points are just a small sample of what seems like an endless amount of forensics that should have answered a lot more questions than what we seem to have answers for. I dunno maybe it's just me but I cannot believe that this case is still cold. Something fishy going on with this case. Just too many unanswered questions, yet it is almost as if the killer(s) wanted to be caught or maybe they knew they couldn't be caught.

 

[CoolJ]

Was this killer just dumb and really lucky. Or is this the smartest dumb killer in the history of dumb killers. I mean he or they seemingly did everything they could to leave evidence up the ying yang yet here we are 14 years later utterly clueless. Hand print? DNA? Dead bodies left to be found within hours? C'mon... I feel like I'm being punked!

 

[LucyOso]

I'm under the impression that the truck was there at some point between 11:30 and 12:00 not that it was there for the entire 30 minutes. I could be wrong though.

The thing about two people taking them someplace remote, is why bring the car back. I could see one person having to get back to his vehicle but why take the chance of traveling back into town with what was in the trunk?

I've seen speculation that this is where Barrentine comes into play. They split up and he left the car where it was found. Even with taking into consideration his reported lack of mental dexterity, some of his statements and actions highly suspicious.

I have a question about the grease stain in the back...any chance at some point...either when they called friends at 10:30 or home at 11:30, someone got into the vehicle when the got out of the car to make the call. A grease stain in the seat behind the driver, could be someone who sat right there with a gun and told them to drive. While Merritt reports everything seemed fine, I guess it alludes ro gives an impression that no one was threatening them at the time. Is this her guilt speaking or hindsight? I do wonder if it was typical for Tracie to say, "I love you Mom". What is the possibility someone got into their vehicle the first time they made a call and forced them to drive while he figured out what to do? The second call made, could have be a result of one girl saying, if we are not home at this time...the cops will be called. Did both girls get out of the vehicle at Big/Little? Was one in the car with a perp at gunpoint? In situation like this most young girls would be very compliant. This was before the run like hell, or drop to the ground to prevent abduction, yell Fire, etc time...Ideas?

 

[:+:MrTT:+:]

Was this killer just dumb and really lucky. Or is this the smartest dumb killer in the history of dumb killers. I mean he or they seemingly did everything they could to leave evidence up the ying yang yet here we are 14 years later utterly clueless. Hand print? DNA? Dead bodies left to be found within hours? C'mon... I feel like I'm being punked!

From researching, it is possible that the killer parked the car where it was found hoping the killings would have been blamed on the person whom killed another woman about two years earlier, and left her car parked almost in the same area, same spot as the two girls were found. In fact when the killer of the first woman was caught, he admitted to it. carjacking i believe it was, but he denied killing the two girls. They took his DNA, and tested it with what they had, and it was not a match, so they did-not charge him with it. That would make it someone whom at least knew the going oms in the area, even if they lived in a surrounding county or town.
In 99 the killer may have not known about, or not know enough about DNA to realize when the semen was found and tested the killer of the first woman would be exonerated in the girls killing if in fact that is what he was hoping to occur. After killing the two, and now knowing his DNA has been collected, he may have stopped killing. And living off the memories of killing the two girls...........Just guessing on all the above.

 

[DimeDetective]

I do wonder if it was typical for Tracie to say, "I love you Mom."

Respectfully snipped.

From "Unsolved Ozark Murders Remembered," WSFA.com:

Carol Roberts says, "[Tracie] called me about 11:35 and said, 'Mom, we're lost. We've got directions and we're on our way home.' Nothing was wrong. We always told each other, 'I love you.' At the end of the conversation, she said, 'Mom, I love you,' and she never came home."

http://www.wsfa.com/global/story.asp?S=3663975

 

[jenstar]

I thought that all sex offenders had to produce DNA in every state.
So is it possible that if they've recently ran the DNA that the guy hasn't had a prior conviction?
Or if he has, do you think it was before it was mandatory to submit a sample to put in the database?
If I'm looking at the Offender Registry (assuming this wasn't the first and last time that he's committed this type of crime) then this man should already have a DNA sample on file and should have matched.

I have a question..was there enough DNA evidence to even run a profile on the killer? Is it still viable to use in comparison with the technology we have today? Or could it be too degraded?

Also, DNA has come so far in these few years, why haven't they sent the DNA to washington? I know that the lab there can narrow it down to which "family line" you've come from, what race you are and even what eye color you have. That could be crucial evidence that we need to narrow down our guy.

Does anyone remember the Benjamin Kyle case? That's where I've learned that info.

 

[newshound81]

I have a question about the grease stain in the back...any chance at some point...either when they called friends at 10:30 or home at 11:30, someone got into the vehicle when the got out of the car to make the call. A grease stain in the seat behind the driver, could be someone who sat right there with a gun and told them to drive. While Merritt reports everything seemed fine, I guess it alludes ro gives an impression that no one was threatening them at the time. Is this her guilt speaking or hindsight? I do wonder if it was typical for Tracie to say, "I love you Mom". What is the possibility someone got into their vehicle the first time they made a call and forced them to drive while he figured out what to do? The second call made, could have be a result of one girl saying, if we are not home at this time...the cops will be called. Did both girls get out of the vehicle at Big/Little? Was one in the car with a perp at gunpoint? In situation like this most young girls would be very compliant. This was before the run like hell, or drop to the ground to prevent abduction, yell Fire, etc time...Ideas?

I wondered this too. But then wouldn't have Merritt have seen this person? Or the person in the white truck would have.

As it was middle of summer, I'm assuming the girls had the A/C on. But is it possible they had their windows down and a car came up next to them on the road after they left the store and pointed a gun at them through the open windows? Had them turn into Depot Lane, maybe they inadvertently parked in the mud...and so on. The other idea I have is that they accidentally trespassed in one of these abandoned houses on Depot that weren't actually abandoned back then. But why would a homeowner take it so far as to sexually assault and kill two girls who happened upon his property on accident?

 

[killarney rose]

I thought that all sex offenders had to produce DNA in every state.
So is it possible that if they've recently ran the DNA that the guy hasn't had a prior conviction?
Or if he has, do you think it was before it was mandatory to submit a sample to put in the database?
If I'm looking at the Offender Registry (assuming this wasn't the first and last time that he's committed this type of crime) then this man should already have a DNA sample on file and should have matched.

I have a question..was there enough DNA evidence to even run a profile on the killer? Is it still viable to use in comparison with the technology we have today? Or could it be too degraded?

Also, DNA has come so far in these few years, why haven't they sent the DNA to washington? I know that the lab there can narrow it down to which "family line" you've come from, what race you are and even what eye color you have. That could be crucial evidence that we need to narrow down our guy.

Does anyone remember the Benjamin Kyle case? That's where I've learned that info.

I have the same questions. Of course, we don't know that LE has not done this, and they aren't telling us.

But because the technology is there, it leaves me wondering, is LE telling the public they are doing everything to solve this case, when they really are not, because they have someone to protect? Or, is it because they are really so inept that they are not taking advantage of the latest forensics?

 

[DimeDetective]

I wondered this too. But then wouldn't have Merritt have seen this person? Or the person in the white truck would have.

As it was middle of summer, I'm assuming the girls had the A/C on. But is it possible they had their windows down and a car came up next to them on the road after they left the store and pointed a gun at them through the open windows? Had them turn into Depot Lane, maybe they inadvertently parked in the mud...and so on. The other idea I have is that they accidentally trespassed in one of these abandoned houses on Depot that weren't actually abandoned back then. But why would a homeowner take it so far as to sexually assault and kill two girls who happened upon his property on accident?

BBM. A chilling and plausible scenario, especially if the girls were sitting at a red light. This would more than likely have occurred somewhere in the downtown/Hwy 123 area, as there are no stops during the 30-second drive between the Big/Little Store and Depot Lane on Broad Street/27.

 

[Wondergirl]

A few questions:

#1. How did the authorities rule out the girls being murdered at the recovery location? I keep coming back to video, I don't know how else they could do that.

#2. I believe the sexual assault was done post-mortem.

If the semen was found on J.B.'s bra and panties, but, she was found fully clothed, that means the perp disturbed her clothing to access the undergarments. That indicates a fetish component to the crime, to me.

 

[tang]

I wondered this too. But then wouldn't have Merritt have seen this person? Or the person in the white truck would have.

What if there were originally 2 people in the white truck? and 1 leaves and gets in the back of the girls car. If the girls get into the car from the front, they never see anyone in the back seat until too late. The other perp is in the white truck waiting up ahead on the road to follow them. Would the angle of the camera at the station show if someone left the passenger side of the truck? Was it a streaming video or just pics snapped every minute or so? If it wasn't a continuous feed, then it might not have been caught on film.

Also, one other question I had was whether the water on the girls pants was equally present on the front of the pants as the rear? If it was more absorbed on the front, I would question whether the girls were forced on their knees at some point. The angle of the bullet entry should have told LE the position the girls were in at the time of death. I haven't seen such details reported anywhere.

Finally, can someone clarify this for me... I thought that I read that after JB and THs murder, another murder occurred at this same site. THen I read a post that made it seem like a murder had occurred at this site PRIOR to the JB/TH murder. Can someone please correct me? Thanks.

 

[tang]

A few questions:

#1. How did the authorities rule out the girls being murdered at the recovery location? I keep coming back to video, I don't know how else they could do that.

When the bodies bled out, the blood would have just dropped out of the bottom of the car in a manner consistent with gravity and a stationary object. Instead, the police observed that the blood sprayed along the bottom of the car in a manner consistent with wind impacting the blood as left the car. This would not happen if the girls had been killed at the final resting place of the car.