AL AL - J.B. Beasley, 17, & Tracie Hawlett, 17, Ozark, 31 July 1999 #3

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somequestions said:
F.Y.I. From what I remember from the interview J.B. Beasley's sister gave to some news source, she said that when one of the girls was shot(I think Tracie Hawlett), the bullet went through the trunk. Tracie Hawlett, according to reports, was first into the trunk and first to be shot. J.B. Beasley was shot in the cheek. I suspect this is because she turned her head realizing what was about to happen. Supposedly according to J.B.'s sister, she saw a picture or was told about a picture that showed J.B. Beasley was lying in the trunk in an angellike position like she had fallen asleep. This again makes sense to me since being shot in the cheek, while a very serious injury, might not have taken her life immediately. I suspect being seriously injured J.B. Beasley fell asleep while bleeding out. The majority of the blood in the trunk may be hers for this reason since she would still be able to bleed. A doctor told me this is because while dead bodies can ooze blood from gravity or leaking, only living people can actually "bleed"(because their heart is still pumping blood was my interpretation). This is just what I think about the blood in the trunk. I have not read anything confirming this as fact.

The other misconception that J.B.'s sister talked about was the bullet casing on Tracie Hawlett's pants leg as depicted in the Haunting Evidence episode. That was wrong. The bullet casing was actually found on J.B. Beasley's clothing.

Please accept my apology in advance if I am wrong about any of this information. I am writing this from what I remember. This only goes to show you why you cannot trust the psychic information on a show like Haunting Evidence or some of the "facts" that are presented on t.v. shows like it.
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BBM...You are correct about not trusting "psychic information". Also, shows like Haunting Evidence are entertainment based and not necessarily documentaries.
 
cherrymeg said:
There wasn't a bullet hole in the trunk from the outside, right?
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I believe they were both shot in the trunk and I have never heard anything about them being shot from outside. Tracie was shot in the head and J.B. in the cheek. For two head shots, the killer would have had to looking right at them (trunk lid open) to do that.
 
If I had not seen the interview J.B. Beasley's sister Jacqui gave, I probably would still think they were most likely lost when they left the Big Little gas station in Ozark, AL on the night of July 31, 1999. Now it seems like to me that they were lost before they got to the Big Little gas station that night and had correct directions to get back to 231 to go home.

In the interview, Jacqui said that J.B. Beasley talked to a woman named Ms. Merritt and her daughter and that when describing how many lights it took to get over to 231, Ms. Merritt must have described a landmark probably at the corner of 231 where J.B. needed to turn to go back south to Dothan. I think Jacqui said that J.B. remarked, "Oh yeah, yeah, I know where that is" or something like that. I thought that was very telling because females tend to be more inclined to recognize landmark locations when following directions. I cannot remember what landmark J.B. Beasley remembered, but one can only guess that it was probably near where she needed to turn onto 231 south.

I think now that it is much more likely that something either happened to their car, they were stopped by someone else like a police officer, or they stopped somewhere themselves. So I thought maybe they stopped at the rest stop on 231 to get a map to try to see where they went wrong earlier in the trip or if they had not used to bathroom, to stop and use the bathroom before they went home.

It still does not make a lot of sense because of how far the rest stop on 231 is from where the car was found on Herring Avenue. In 1999, did police ever investigate the 231 rest stop area?
 
somequestions said:
If I had not seen the interview J.B. Beasley's sister Jacqui gave, I probably would still think they were most likely lost when they left the Big Little gas station in Ozark, AL on the night of July 31, 1999. Now it seems like to me that they were lost before they got to the Big Little gas station that night and had correct directions to get back to 231 to go home.

In the interview, Jacqui said that J.B. Beasley talked to a woman named Ms. Merritt and her daughter and that when describing how many lights it took to get over to 231, Ms. Merritt must have described a landmark probably at the corner of 231 where J.B. needed to turn to go back south to Dothan. I think Jacqui said that J.B. remarked, "Oh yeah, yeah, I know where that is" or something like that. I thought that was very telling because females tend to be more inclined to recognize landmark locations when following directions. I cannot remember what landmark J.B. Beasley remembered, but one can only guess that it was probably near where she needed to turn onto 231 south.

I think now that it is much more likely that something either happened to their car, they were stopped by someone else like a police officer, or they stopped somewhere themselves. So I thought maybe they stopped at the rest stop on 231 to get a map to try to see where they went wrong earlier in the trip or if they had not used to bathroom, to stop and use the bathroom before they went home.

It still does not make a lot of sense because of how far the rest stop on 231 is from where the car was found on Herring Avenue. In 1999, did police ever investigate the 231 rest stop area?
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Your mention of having to use the bathroom is very possible. I was on a road trip with my friend just recently and we both peed at different times outside. I went behind a gas station that was closed. We also pulled over on the side of dark pretty empty road. If you've ever had to pop a squat you know what it's like trying to find a spot that is private has a slant so the pee goes behind you and not on your shoes or pants. It also helps to have something to lean on like a tree or the car (if you are in a secluded enough area) so you don't fall into the pee. Maybe I way over think it lol. If one or both girls decided not to use a bathroom, they would have been vulnerable. They could have witnessed something they weren't supposed to see or been followed.

If they went to a rest stop to either turn around or go to the bathroom they could have ran into someone there. If they did the person could have offered directions or invited them to a party. Tracie had just gotten permission to stay out later so they wouldn't have been as pressed for time. Do you know if the 231 rest stop had a payphone? I would hope the police would have checked the car for any problems. A nail in a tire makes a noise. It can still be driven if it isn't flat but the sound might make you pull over. Is the rest stop pretty empty at night? Could someone have messed with their car at any of the places they stopped that night so they would be forced to pullover? That would involve a lot of work and possibly planning. idk.
 
cherrymeg said:
Your mention of having to use the bathroom is very possible. I was on a road trip with my friend just recently and we both peed at different times outside. I went behind a gas station that was closed. We also pulled over on the side of dark pretty empty road. If you've ever had to pop a squat you know what it's like trying to find a spot that is private has a slant so the pee goes behind you and not on your shoes or pants. It also helps to have something to lean on like a tree or the car (if you are in a secluded enough area) so you don't fall into the pee. Maybe I way over think it lol. If one or both girls decided not to use a bathroom, they would have been vulnerable. They could have witnessed something they weren't supposed to see or been followed.

If they went to a rest stop to either turn around or go to the bathroom they could have ran into someone there. If they did the person could have offered directions or invited them to a party. Tracie had just gotten permission to stay out later so they wouldn't have been as pressed for time. Do you know if the 231 rest stop had a payphone? I would hope the police would have checked the car for any problems. A nail in a tire makes a noise. It can still be driven if it isn't flat but the sound might make you pull over. Is the rest stop pretty empty at night? Could someone have messed with their car at any of the places they stopped that night so they would be forced to pullover? That would involve a lot of work and possibly planning. idk.
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My idea was not so much about them using the bathroom, but more about them not being lost after they left the Big Little Store. Basically the theory is based on exclusion. If J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett were not lost, what places could they have stopped at after 11:30 pm that would have been open and secluded enough for a crime to take place on Saturday night July 31, 1999? Broad Street and US 231 do not seem like great places to flag someone down in the middle of the road if it the person is not a police officer or posing as one. Broad Street and US 231 do not seem like great places to leave a vehicle alongside the road that you have to come back to later without taking a chance of police or the general public spotting it. And we know they never made it to Midland City to see the boys they wanted to talk to.

But that still leaves a major question. I am not an expert in abductions but it seems like many times the kidnapper choses to take the victim in their own vehicle. So why did the killer chose to take them in their own car? Maybe he had already decided to kill them or maybe he had something very important in his own car or maybe he has a really nice car which gets back to the first point about deciding to kill them.

I could come up with many ideas but the reality is that nobody knows what happened or where J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett went after they left the Big Little gas station in Ozark, AL on Saturday night, July 31, 1999.
 
somequestions said:
My idea was not so much about them using the bathroom, but more about them not being lost after they left the Big Little Store. Basically the theory is based on exclusion. If J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett were not lost, what places could they have stopped at after 11:30 pm that would have been open and secluded enough for a crime to take place on Saturday night July 31, 1999? Broad Street and US 231 do not seem like great places to flag someone down in the middle of the road if it the person is not a police officer or posing as one. Broad Street and US 231 do not seem like great places to leave a vehicle alongside the road that you have to come back to later without taking a chance of police or the general public spotting it. And we know they never made it to Midland City to see the boys they wanted to talk to.

But that still leaves a major question. I am not an expert in abductions but it seems like many times the kidnapper choses to take the victim in their own vehicle. So why did the killer chose to take them in their own car? Maybe he had already decided to kill them or maybe he had something very important in his own car or maybe he has a really nice car which gets back to the first point about deciding to kill them.

I could come up with many ideas but the reality is that nobody knows what happened or where J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett went after they left the Big Little gas station in Ozark, AL on Saturday night, July 31, 1999.
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The person that killed them knows what happened. I feel like the guy that confessed originally saw something happen that night. It's a shame we don't know what they did or who they met up with.
 
cherrymeg said:
The person that killed them knows what happened. I feel like the guy that confessed originally saw something happen that night. It's a shame we don't know what they did or who they met up with.
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BBM...If you are referring to Johnny William Barrentine, he never confessed to killing the girls. He, appaerently in an attempt to collect the reward money, clumsily went to LE approximately a month after the murders and told the investigators he had seen a man with numerous tatoos shoot the girls and he (Barrentine) gave him a ride out of town. After LE saw thru his story, he told several other stories about witnessing the girl death, all of which evidently were not true. ABI investigator (Huggins), who was present for the interrogation, testified under oath at the preliminary hearing that Barrentine was able to corretly identify the clothes the girls were wearing and "other things pertinent to the case."

MOO, but I believe he did see the girls that night and that is how he was able to describe their clothings. I don't think he saw them killed. If he had been present when the murders happened, he would have been found in the trunk with the girls with a bullet in his head just like JB & Tracie.
 
TedMac said:
BBM...If you are referring to Johnny William Barrentine, he never confessed to killing the girls. He, appaerently in an attempt to collect the reward money, clumsily went to LE approximately a month after the murders and told the investigators he had seen a man with numerous tatoos shoot the girls and he (Barrentine) gave him a ride out of town. After LE saw thru his story, he told several other stories about witnessing the girl death, all of which evidently were not true. ABI investigator (Huggins), who was present for the interrogation, testified under oath at the preliminary hearing that Barrentine was able to corretly identify the clothes the girls were wearing and "other things pertinent to the case."

MOO, but I believe he did see the girls that night and that is how he was able to describe their clothings. I don't think he saw them killed. If he had been present when the murders happened, he would have been found in the trunk with the girls with a bullet in his head just like JB & Tracie.
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You're probably right. Barrentine doesn't sound like the brightest bulb. He claimed to be a party to the crime by saying he was the driver. You usually don't get a reward for being an accessory to murder. You might get immunity if you're lucky lol. If he saw them alive did he ever say where? The car was near his house so he could have gotten details from neighbors or even from going to the crime scene. Maybe he was supposed to be blamed for the murders - that's probably way out there. It would be interesting to see what he would say now.
 
cherrymeg said:
You're probably right. Barrentine doesn't sound like the brightest bulb. He claimed to be a party to the crime by saying he was the driver. You usually don't get a reward for being an accessory to murder. You might get immunity if you're lucky lol. If he saw them alive did he ever say where? The car was near his house so he could have gotten details from neighbors or even from going to the crime scene. Maybe he was supposed to be blamed for the murders - that's probably way out there. It would be interesting to see what he would say now.
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BBM...He told several stories about where he saw the girls, but he lied so much it is hard to believe much of anything he said. As KR posted above, he stated that he had gone out to get milk. But, who knows exactly what he did or saw or where he saw it? In the end after the grand jury did not indict him, he said something to the effect that he never saw them at all! MOO, but I believe he saw them somewhere that night, but it is anybody's guess where that was.

Sadly, what his clumsy attempt to collect the reward $$ money did accomplish, was throwing off the investigation for approximately 30 days. He wasted LE's time, money and resources at a crucial stage of the investigation.
 
killarney rose said:
Barrentine died of cancer several years ago. It's possible that he too showed up at the Big Little and saw the girls. He was supposed to be out buying milk at that time and lived nearby.
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I really wish that LE had approached after he had been cleared and in a nonaccusatory manner asked him what he really saw and where he saw it. He may have told them the truth for once. But, that opportunity is now gone.
 
TedMac said:
I really wish that LE had approached after he had been cleared and in a nonaccusatory manner asked him what he really saw and where he saw it. He may have told them the truth for once. But, that opportunity is now gone.
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Is the wife or girlfriend still alive. It would be good if they could find out how long he was out for when he went to get milk. She might know what he actually did that night and where he saw the girls before he made up things to get reward money.
 
cherrymeg said:
Is the wife or girlfriend still alive. It would be good if they could find out how long he was out for when he went to get milk. She might know what he actually did that night and where he saw the girls before he made up things to get reward money.
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Not sure if she is still alive or not. I have not heard of her passing. I would certainly hope LE has already asked her about all the points you raised. But, they (LE) has never disclosed what they did or did not ask her.
 
killarney rose said:
Wasn't it reported that Barrentine's wife stated that he returned home hours after he left to get milk and he was shook up?
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I believe you are correct killarney rose. I don't recall exactly where it was stated and it seems like she later tried to recant that statement if I remember right. I think her name is Mary.
 
killarney rose said:
Wasn't it reported that Barrentine's wife stated that he returned home hours after he left to get milk and he was shook up?
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aegis100 said:
I believe you are correct killarney rose. I don't recall exactly where it was stated and it seems like she later tried to recant that statement if I remember right. I think her name is Mary.
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Yes, she, like JWB changed her story around a bit. There have been so many lies told in this case, it is hard, if not impossible to tell what actually is the truth.
 
This is not new information, but I remember Veritas posted about his (Verita's) brother sleeping with one of Johnny Barrentine's sisters (at a trailer park at Level Plaines if memory serves me) so there was a connection between he and Johnny.
 
I saw on FB when Barrentine was in the final stages of his illness, pictures the sister he was living with posted of him. He was in bed. They were living in a trailer either in Daleville or Level Plains.
 
One of the (several) stories JWB told to LE was that in addition to the "tatooed man" shooting the girls, was one of his neighbors was the killer. "Veritas" was one of JWB's neighbors. Just sayin...
 
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