The Murder of Kathy Lynn Beatty

Richard said:

Yes, her mother and sister are still living.

Initially, police seemed to think that it was a kid or kids who killed Kathy. At least that is what a feature story in the newspaper seemed to indicate about 6 months after her death.

In 1987, Police considered Fred Howard Coffey, Jr. as a potential suspect. He only came to their attention then because of a high profile trial in which he was charged with the murder of a 10 year old girl in North Carolina.

My feeling is that Kathy was murdered by someone who was particularly sadistic, brutal, and deliberate in his attack on her. It does not seem to be the work of a child or teen ager, but rather that of someone more practiced and desensitized to killing.

Coffey worked at Vitro Laboratories from April through July in 1975. It was located immediately across Georgia Ave from the K-Mart where Kathy was found.

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Hi Richard there was a recent case where Jessica Ridgeway was murdered and dismembered by a disturbed evil late teen who started off torturing animals. It would be interesting to know the typical profile of the perps in these types of sadistic murders. It is very sad Kathy's killer has never been found.

So much unknown with no details of injuries.

I can see why they believed it was possibly some kids she knew but after all this time I just don't believe it possible.
Kids have big mouths, they can shut up to authority/parents to protect themselves and each other, but word gets around FAST with their peers.
I just can't see all of those kids growing to adulthood without a single one of them coming forward. There is no need to protect each other anymore.
I don't know, these people grew up and have their own kids now, after having my son, there is no way I could ever get a nights sleep knowing what happened to that poor girl without allowing
her Mother to get any peace.

Maybe people have come forward with what they know and there just isn't enough proof to do much yet though?

I am leaning more towards an adult serial killer as opposed to her teen friends. It is not that unusual that the ex-bf and his friend were not actually in the camper, as they told their parents they'd be. It is pretty normal behavior for kids to sneak out and run around with friends during sleepovers. I did it, my kids did, most kids do it. I don't see any other evidence that these 2 boys ever assaulted anyone, or were accused of doing so. JMO

katydid23 said:

I am leaning more towards an adult serial killer as opposed to her teen friends. It is not that unusual that the ex-bf and his friend were not actually in the camper, as they told their parents they'd be. It is pretty normal behavior for kids to sneak out and run around with friends during sleepovers. I did it, my kids did, most kids do it. I don't see any other evidence that these 2 boys ever assaulted anyone, or were accused of doing so. JMO

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You make some very good points. I agree with you about subsequet behavior of the kids who knew her.

Kathy was beaten severely. More like someone who was particularly evil, crazy, or experienced in violence. For a kid to have become this violent, previous and subsequent behavior would have been evident.

Other children DID see Kathy that evening, but there is no indication that they had anything against her or injured her in any way. They describe her as wandering around on her own and them not being "with her".

It is more likely, in my opinion, that she was attacked by an adult whose previous and subsequent behavior was consistant with the violence Kathy suffered.

Is there anyway, a detailed report on her injuries? Was she sexually assaulted-I can't remember if that was mentioned.

scriptgirl said:

Is there anyway, a detailed report on her injuries? Was she sexually assaulted-I can't remember if that was mentioned.

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A newspaper story of the time stated: "Kathy had been sexually assaulted but not raped. More specifically than that, police will not say."

It was also mentioned that she had received a blow to the head. She was unconcious when found and barely alive. Kathy died 12 days later in hospital from infection and complications from her injuries. She never regained conciousness.

How can you be sexually assualted and not raped?

scriptgirl said:

How can you be sexually assualted and not raped?

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Rape has a specific definition, and has a specific legal definition. There are some types of sexual assault that are sexual crimes, but do not correlate with the legal or technical definition of rape.

Kathy's medical record and autopsy (if one was done) have never been released to the public. The only information about her injuries came from the few news articles and from interviews given by her mother.

scriptgirl said:

How can you be sexually assualted and not raped?

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It gets even weirder when people use rape when they were really just sexually assaulted. You may remember the case of Lara Logan, the CBS reporter who was "raped" in Egypt. Various descriptions of what happened to her including phrases like "gang rape" which evoked very definite images of what happened. But in the end it seems she was pinched, groped, and had her clothes torn off, but was not actually raped in the sense of being penetrated sexually.

That doesn't diminish what happened to her, but words do have meanings.

Fukiyama said:

It gets even weirder when people use rape when they were really just sexually assaulted. You may remember the case of Lara Logan, the CBS reporter who was "raped" in Egypt. Various descriptions of what happened to her including phrases like "gang rape" which evoked very definite images of what happened. But in the end it seems she was pinched, groped, and had her clothes torn off, but was not actually raped in the sense of being penetrated sexually.

That doesn't diminish what happened to her, but words do have meanings.

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I don't think that mention of Kathy having been "sexually assulted but not raped" in any way diminishes the fact of her abduction and brutal murder. But it is a very important aspect to consider.

Some have suggested that Kathy's death might have been an accident, or the result of kids playing, or of young teens attacking her at a party.

I believe that the brutal force and the sexual assult point to a different type of assailant - one who was experienced, cold blooded, and a serial offender. He was someone who had done this sort of thing before and after. He had no feeling for anyone but himself and no remorse for what he did.

The possibility of this being the work of a serial offender should be seriously considered and other cases with similar elements should be looked into for possible links.

Richard said:

Kathy's medical record and autopsy (if one was done) have never been released to the public. The only information about her injuries came from the few news articles and from interviews given by her mother.

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Richard, has her mother or LE ever described any defensive wounds or was she hit from behind,taken by surprise?

Motherof5 said:

Richard, has her mother or LE ever described any defensive wounds or was she hit from behind,taken by surprise?

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There has never been any description of Kathy's wounds beyond what I have posted in the past.

She did have significant blunt instrument trauma to her head and injuries which indicated that a sexual assault had taken place. And statements were made indicating that the attack was particularly brutal. But no other specifics.

Kathy lived for 12 days after being left for dead near the K-Mart on Connecticut Ave. She never regained consciousness.

Your question about the nature of her wounds is a very good one. It might help to explain what happened and might allow investigators to compare and possibly link the attack on Kathy with other attacks by known persons.

It would also be interesting to know if she was clothed, and if any clothing might exist today for DNA testing.

An autopsey done 12 days after the attack might not have yielded much evidence, but there must have been an attempt to gather evidence and information when she was first brought to the hospital.

It is so awful about her death.

It probably never got the attention it deserved.

I remember going to that K-Mart many times as a kid.

It is so creepy and crime is even so much worse--
this many years later!

Thanks Motherof5 and Richard for keeping this case alive.

simplifymylife2014 said:

It is so awful about her death.

It probably never got the attention it deserved.

I remember going to that K-Mart many times as a kid.

It is so creepy and crime is even so much worse--
this many years later!

Thanks Motherof5 and Richard for keeping this case alive.

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Thank you,but Richard gets all the credit. He has really worked hard on this case.

Closure sought in decades-old case

The Sentinel
17 Jul 2014
Written by Peter Rouleau

ASPEN HILL - On July 24, 1975, 15-year-old Kathy Lynn Beatty was assaulted in the wooded area near the Aspen Hill K-Mart and 7-11. She was taken to the hospital but died as a result of her injuries on Aug. 5. Nearly 40 years later, a former classmate of Beatty’s believes that he is close to discovering the truth about that night’s tragic events.

Steve Kerpelman was a member of Beatty’s class, which had just graduated from ninth grade at Parkland Middle School – then known as Parkland Junior High School. Although he did not know Beatty well, he remembers her as “A kind, quiet girl who had a nice smile.”

Kerpelman said that her death was devastating to the community, which was still reeling from the disappearance of the Lyon sisters three months earlier, a case which also remains unsolved.

Kerpelman would pursue a career in law enforcement, spending 21 years as a member of the Prince George’s County Police department, more than half of that time as an investigator. After retiring, he became a licensed private investigator based in Gambrills.

For the past six years, as a service to Beatty’s mother, Patricia Haberman, Kerpelman has been investigating Beatty’s death free of charge. Kerpelman said his firm has received a good amount of valuable information since initiating social media outreach in March.

“We’ve gotten in touch with some people who have been harder to locate, and we’ve received a constant flow of tips,” Kerpelman said. “We’re trying to reach the older residents.” Kerpelman uses his old Parkland yearbooks as a means of beginning a dialogue with former classmates.

“It’s likely that Kathy knew the people who assaulted her, that something just got out of hand that night,” Kerpelman said. “We believe that somebody out there knows the truth about what happened.”

Kerpelman expressed optimism that the case will someday be solved. His investigation has been aided by several friends of Beatty and longtime county residents.

“Everyone involved is doing this for Kathy’s mother,” Kerpelman said.Haberman praised Kerpelman’s efforts. “Steve is a wonderful investigator,” Haberman said. “He knocked on my door six years ago and volunteered to work the case, and he won’t take a dime from me. I’m so appreciative for what everybody has done. Kathy was a sweet girl. She wouldn’t let me swat a fly that got into the house. She deserves closure.”

Haberman said she shares Kerpelman’s confidence that the truth about her daughter’s death will come to light. Kerpelman’s firm, SMK Investigations, is offering a reward of $5,000 for information leading to the identity of the person or people who were with Beatty on the night of her assault.

Anyone with any information, however trivial it may seem, is encouraged to e-mail reward@kathybeatty.com ...

... or call 240-304-8633....


LINK:

http://www.thesentinel.com/mont/ind...closure-sought-in-decades-old-case&Itemid=766

39 years later, murder of Md. teen still unsolved
WUSATV
24 July 2014

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (WUSA9) -- Kathy Beatty's bedroom is exactly how she left it nearly 40 years ago.

The red-headed, freckled-faced 15-year-old went went out one summer night and never came home.

"What happened to Kathy that night? What did they do and why?" asks Pat Haberman, Kathy's mother.

For nearly four decades, those questions have haunted Haberman.On July 24, 1975, Pat left their Montgomery County house for a few hours. While her mother was out, Kathy was supposed to stay home but, as many her age would do, she went out anyway.

"We don't know where exactly. Pat went looking for her and eventually Kathy never came home," said Steve Kerpelman, a private detective with SMK Investigations.

Kathy's older sister found her the next day, beaten unconscious in what was then a heavily wooded area by a K-Mart store just off Georgia Avenue in the Aspen Hill area of Montgomery County. Those woods were a local hangout for teens at the time and about a mile from Kathy's house.

Eleven days later, Kathy died from her injuries. Thirty-nine years later, still no answers.

"She was such a sweet girl, everybody liked her," recalled Haberman. "To think that my daughter was murdered 39 years ago and this case hasn't been solved it just doesn't make sense," she said, through tears. "Other cases get solved, why can't Kathy's get solved?"

Kathy's case hits close to home for two men working it. Kerpelman, who went to school and had classes with Kathy as well as Frank Colbert, a detective with the Montgomery County Police Department's cold case division, who grew up in the same neighborhood....

LINK:

http://www.wusa9.com/story/news/local/2014/07/23/kathy-beatty-murder-remains-unsolved/13080831/

Richard said:

Closure sought in decades-old case

The Sentinel
17 Jul 2014
Written by Peter Rouleau

LINK: http://www.thesentinel.com/mont/ind...closure-sought-in-decades-old-case&Itemid=766

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I think that is noble that Mr. Kerpelman is taking this case gratis. Nice credentials; a retired PG County investigator and current PI. This is just the type of person and activity that a cold case like this needs to get solved. I like the idea of using the yearbooks to identify people to speak with. I would not at all be surprised if the perpetrator or their acquaintances happen to be in one of those yearbooks. It would be time consuming, but likely worthwhile to look at every person in those books and what their subsequent interactions with LE and possible later crimes might be. Statistically, they likely have committed other crimes.
I got a feeling that somewhere, somebody right now is very nervous and dreadful about their past coming to catch up with them. I hope they are losing sleep as their date with justice draws near.

There are two schools of thought regarding the kind of person who attacked Kathy. One is that the perpetrator was someone known to her - perhaps someone close to her age. The other is that she was attacked by a particularly violent serial offender - older than Kathy who had experience and history of attacking women and girls.

Locating classmates and persons who had seen Kathy on 24 July 1975 is a good idea.

It has been stated that kids who had seen her that night were not particularly open and willing to help investigators.

It would be good to question them today to see what they might recall. Someone in their 50's might speak out today - when they would not back in 1975. And someone may have heard something as a kid, but never came forward.

Bumping this thread up. It has been almost 3 years since anyone posted here. The case remains unsolved. This year marks the 43 year anniversary of Kathy's death.