Rita Tangredi, 31, and Colleen McNamee, 20, 1993-94 ** John Bittrolff ARRESTED **

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I don't think "chopped wood" and woodchips found in the carpentry trade are at all similar. JMO
 
Please provide a link to the information where woodchips were found near the body of Jessica Taylor, because I sure missed that. I know that her body was dumped on top of a pile of sticks, but sticks and woodchips are not the same thing.

"discarded wood and sticks" and "wood chips" (Woodchips are a medium-sized solid material made by cutting, or chipping, larger pieces of wood source: wiki) are so similar that discarded wood and sticks could easily include wood chips. If you want to believe that John Bittrolff uses "wood chips" while a completely different killer dumps a body in Bittrolff's town with "discarded wood and sticks".....:gaah:
 
"discarded wood and sticks" and "wood chips" (Woodchips are a medium-sized solid material made by cutting, or chipping, larger pieces of wood source: wiki) are so similar that discarded wood and sticks could easily include wood chips. If you want to believe that John Bittrolff uses "wood chips" while a completely different killer dumps a body in Bittrolff's town with "discarded wood and sticks".....:gaah:

What I think is that people dump crap in remote areas.

Between the two is a path of wild grass, and today, a torn-up mattress, broken and discarded toys and ceramic statues, rusted Reddi-Wip cans probably used by kids to get high, and piles of sticks and chopped wood.

http://archive.longislandpress.com/2011/03/24/long-islands-other-serial-killer/3/

I also don't think chopped wood is the same as woodchips found in carpentry work. As to your comment about what I believe or don't believe with respect to whether Bittrolff may have murdered Jessica Taylor, I have no opinion on that. I simply don't like the bending or distortion of facts to fit a theory. Post a link that says woodchips found in carpentry work were located with the remains of Jessica Taylor, and I'll happily agree that it's a fact. Otherwise, it's merely opinion and should be stated at such.
 
I'm guessing they probably won't seek to make more of a connection to any other victims- whether there are any or not; especially ones that are part of a complicated serial killer investigation. I bet they just want to get a conviction and have him put away for life. Then they can work on making a deal (give him some wood chips) and get him to talk about other victims.

But dammit get in that house and look through his ***** for crying outloud! Have any locals seen any in the way of this? Anything at all????
 
I'm pretty sure that a neighbor said the cops arrested him early and were at the house for a while that morning, but cleared out completely after that. I have a hard time believing that they didn't go trophy hunting because finding those trophies in his possession would guarantee a conviction.
 
What's bugging me are all the discrepancies in these reports. Were they mutilated or weren't they? Where woodchips found on the bodies or in the bodies?
 
Just wondering why Kevin Kline's pic ended up next to JB? lol

:lol:

Because several people (myself included) thought there was something effeminate about that picture of Bittrolff. And Kevin Kline's character in In And Out is powerless when faced with Gloria Gaynor's dance magic. ;)
 
So would the wood chips be some weird part of his signature, or just sloppiness?

The three pieces of evidence that have been mentioned - the DNA, the incriminating comments JB made when picked up, and the wood chips - I'm hoping there's more, as I can see a defense lawyer putting on a good show with just that. And JB's attorney has said, in order, that "sex isn't murder", that he hadn't been aware that JB had said anything to LE before he was on the case (we hope the Miranda part was taken care of correctly), and that there's thousands of carpenters.

Speaking of Bittrolff's attorney, he certainly got himself the right attorney, and he must be pricey (who's paying?). William Keahon doesn't just have the bona fides (Chief of Homicide with the Suffolk DA's office before founding his private practice), but he's also defended exactly this kind of case before (still, as per that link to his home page, there's apparently no level of professional accomplishment that ensures you'll get your copy proofread. Just a peeve of mine, look at the second sentence here: "His cases range from high profile white collar crimes to murder trials and everything in between. To attempt to reference or name them all would be futile, if he is not on trial he is preparing for another one." First, it's a semi-colon needed there, not a comma, but more importantly I don't think Mr. Keahon is actually ever "on trial". Sentence should read, "To attempt to reference or name them all would be futile: when he's not at a trial, he's preparing for one". Anyway...). This 2009 Newsday article notes that Keahon is one of Long Island's most prominent defense attorney's and has represented, among others, serial killer Robert Shulman, and Evan Marshall, who beheaded a retired teacher. Keahon tried to claim that Shulman, who bludgeoned and dismembered five prostitutes in the Hicksville area in the late 90's, had confessed under duress, and then suggested that it was Shulman's brother who really committed the crimes - those attempts both failed, and he died in prison in 2006 after being sentenced to life.Marshall, a sicko of the worst order, in 2007 beheaded and dismembered his victim and stored the parts in his parent's Glen Cove home, where he also lived. Keahon tried to claim that his client couldn't have put the body parts there because he didn't really live there; the police produced a driver's license where Marshall used his parents address. So Keahon then tried to claim that there was no photographs or proper logs of the police finding the body parts at the parents address. That ploy failed as well, and Marshall received a term of 30 years.
 
What's bugging me are all the discrepancies in these reports. Were they mutilated or weren't they? Where woodchips found on the bodies or in the bodies?
Earlier tonight I posted a direct quote from the prosecutor which states woodchips were ON the bodies; and another ftom Spota who said "on or near" the bodies of Tangredi and McNamee, and at the scene with Costilla's body.

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?p=10809424
 
Doesn't it seem like there could be a conflict of interest here. If JB's lawyer was head of homicide in the DA's office and was privy to the details of the original investigations into either Colleen or Rita's case then wouldn't that be a conflict of interest? Or if he had anything to do with the 1987 or 1990 prosecutions of JB wouldn't that somehow be another conflict of interest? In court today, Mr K said to the judge, I haven't seen any previous convictions (something to that effect.) I was thinking, "WTH, why doesn't his lawyer know about his previous arrests and convictions?" Now, I'm wondering if he was just arguing that issue to get bail because the Prosecution didn't bother to present JB's previous criminal records. Hope that makes sense.
 
It will be very interesting when this goes to trial. They will have to tell the position of the bodies and what wardrobe/possibly article of clothing the killer took. I hope they find the car or truck he was using back then or his workshops and go over them with a fine tooth comb. In the Lisk sister's case, in Virginia, when a later victim escaped Richard Evonitz, his car was seized and a single hand print from years before proved that one of the sisters had been in the trunk of his car.

Fingers crossed they can come up with solid evidence of other crime scenes. Those wood chips had to come from somewhere.
 
What I think is that people dump crap in remote areas.

Between the two is a path of wild grass, and today, a torn-up mattress, broken and discarded toys and ceramic statues, rusted Reddi-Wip cans probably used by kids to get high, and piles of sticks and chopped wood.

http://archive.longislandpress.com/2011/03/24/long-islands-other-serial-killer/3/

I also don't think chopped wood is the same as woodchips found in carpentry work. As to your comment about what I believe or don't believe with respect to whether Bittrolff may have murdered Jessica Taylor, I have no opinion on that. I simply don't like the bending or distortion of facts to fit a theory. Post a link that says woodchips found in carpentry work were located with the remains of Jessica Taylor, and I'll happily agree that it's a fact. Otherwise, it's merely opinion and should be stated at such.

I admit it's not always wise to jump to conclusions...but wood chips gotta come from somewhere...and that somewhere would be discarded wood and sticks. So who knows Bittrolff might be chopping up his own sexy wood chips... just the way he likes them.... while he's slaughtering pigs and gutting dear in his backyard. I agree with fieldnotes...they probably can't prove this guy is LISK although I have a feeling we are missing a key to the puzzle

Woodchips from Wikipedia:
Raw materials

Pulpwood
Wood plantations
Waste wood and residuals from construction, agriculture, landscaping, logging, and sawmills.
Locally grown and harvested fuel crops.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodchips
and
http://www.dmt-enterprises.com/manorville-mulch-delivery/

Wood Chips

Wood chips are created by running wood through a shredder. They are small pieces of wood that is thicker and larger than mulch pieces and, due to its thick nature, provides larger ground-cover than mulch does. Wood chips are commonly used as ground cover, as they help to keep weeds out and retain the moisture in the soil below. Some gardeners use wood chips in place of mulch, while others combine the two to create a unique look. Many homeowners have wood chips delivered as a playground base, as they are softer to land on than earth is. Whatever your intended purpose, we deliver wood chips in different colors, shapes and sizes in as large a quantity as you need.
 
My opinion is that the woodchips aren't some kind of strange signature, but rather something he didn't think about. If I had to guess, I'd say it was accidental transfer from his vehicle, shop or a construction site. Just a guess, but it sure makes me wonder about that "abandoned housing development" on Esplanade Dr.
 
Earlier tonight I posted a direct quote from the prosecutor which states woodchips were ON the bodies; and another ftom Spota who said "on or near" the bodies of Tangredi and McNamee, and at the scene with Costilla's body.

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?p=10809424

Thanks, Bessie. I saw that post, but it went right over my head, I guess.

So...with respect to Costilla, it sounds as though the missing piece of evidence might be a DNA match. If that's the case, that's a bit of a head-scratcher for me.
 
You can get a really good look at him and his mannerisms on the video here: http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2014/07/31/long-island-man-pleads-not-guilty-in-cold-case-murders/
I don't know if he's cocky or arrogant, it's hard to tell - but he's a cool customer (he looks right into the camera at one point, looking completely unconcerned about anything going on). Definitely does not give me the impression of being stupid, at all, and could be bright - I'll guess he's well-spoken (he had to fool all those neighbors somehow, and he didn't win them over with good looks).
 
So...with respect to Costilla, it sounds as though the missing piece of evidence might be a DNA match. If that's the case, that's a bit of a head-scratcher for me.

It might be similar to them going after JB with a second-degree murder charge rather than a first - if they can put him away for life with the second-degree charge, and second-degree (not premeditated or planned) is easier to prove, they'll go with that. And so they might just go with the murders easiest to prove as well.
 
This might be a weird association on my part, but did anyone else think "wood chipper" when they heard "wood chips"? I mean, isn't that a common "hide the body" joke?

From the movie This is 40:
Debbie: "Have you ever thought about killing me?"
Pete: "Oh yeah"
Debbie: "Really?"
Pete: "Sure"
Debbie: "How would you do it?"
Pete: "A wood chipper"
Debbie: "A wood chipper?"
Pete: "Yeah"
Debbie: "A wood chipper?"
Pete: "Yeah"
Debbie: "Wow"
Pete: "I know. Did you see Fargo?"
Debbie: "Yeah"
Pete: "Vhoom!"
 
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