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

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TedMac said:
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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Sometimes people tell parts of the truth. I was just rereading some of the Lyon Sisters case (I thought they might have arrested someone else). Lloyd Lee Welch went to police and gave them a statement saying he was at the mall and had seen the TRM kidnap them about a week or so after the kidnapping. He failed the polygraph they gave him. The sketch of a creepy guy from the mall a friend described looked almost identical to him and the police wrote him off. They disappeared in 1975 and it was until , what 2014 that he actually was looked at as a real suspect.
 
cherrymeg said:
Sometimes people tell parts of the truth. I was just rereading some of the Lyon Sisters case (I thought they might have arrested someone else). Lloyd Lee Welch went to police and gave them a statement saying he was at the mall and had seen the TRM kidnap them about a week or so after the kidnapping. He failed the polygraph they gave him. The sketch of a creepy guy from the mall a friend described looked almost identical to him and the police wrote him off. They disappeared in 1975 and it was until , what 2014 that he actually was looked at as a real suspect.
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I have always thought there is a little bit of truth in most lies. I have wondered what part of JWB's stories was the truth (assuming any of it was). I know I have said this before, but MOO he saw the girls that night somewhere and possibly with someone. Another interesting fact concerning the parties in Ozark, was "Michigan Man" was also at at least one party that night.

I followed the Lyons sisters case. Sadly, Welch did what he did and got away with it for almost 40 years. There may have been someone else involved, but we may never know. He was tied to the killings after the 3rd set of investigators that had worked the case went back and re-checked everyone who had been interviewed from the onset of the investigation. When they got to him, they ran a criminal background check and saw where he had been convicted of sex offenses in Delaware and I believe North Carolina. The interviewed him in prison and he confessed to being part of the kidnapping.
 
TedMac said:
I have always thought there is a little bit of truth in most lies. I have wondered what part of JWB's stories was the truth (assuming any of it was). I know I have said this before, but MOO he saw the girls that night somewhere and possibly with someone. Another interesting fact concerning the parties in Ozark, was "Michigan Man" was also at at least one party that night.

I followed the Lyons sisters case. Sadly, Welch did what he did and got away with it for almost 40 years. There may have been someone else involved, but we may never know. He was tied to the killings after the 3rd set of investigators that had worked the case went back and re-checked everyone who had been interviewed from the onset of the investigation. When they got to him, they ran a criminal background check and saw where he had been convicted of sex offenses in Delaware and I believe North Carolina. The interviewed him in prison and he confessed to being part of the kidnapping.
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Welch's family either knew something or participated in the crime. His neighbors didn't question what was burning or why he was carrying bloody bags around that needed to be incinerated. Maybe he did see them with a neighbor. Is The Michigan Man is the guy on youtube that talks about seeing them?
 
cherrymeg said:
Welch's family either knew something or participated in the crime. His neighbors didn't question what was burning or why he was carrying bloody bags around that needed to be incinerated. Maybe he did see them with a neighbor. Is The Michigan Man is the guy on youtube that talks about seeing them?
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I haven't seen the YouTube you are referring to, so I don't know. I wasn't aware he had made any public statements. He was the one that was riding around with friends the week following the murders and made the statement something to the effect of "Would you be surprised if I killed the two girls!" He left for Michigan soon after that and his friends reported him to LE who proceded to go to Michigan 3 times to interview him. Don't know if he told them anything or not. But for investigators to go that far on three different times to interview him, makes me think they had more than a passing interest in him.
 
TedMac said:
I haven't seen the YouTube you are referring to, so I don't know. I wasn't aware he had made any public statements. He was the one that was riding around with friends the week following the murders and made the statement something to the effect of "Would you be surprised if I killed the two girls!" He left for Michigan soon after that and his friends reported him to LE who proceded to go to Michigan 3 times to interview him. Don't know if he told them anything or not. But for investigators to go that far on three different times to interview him, makes me think they had more than a passing interest in him.
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If DNA ruled the Michigan Man out I don't feel like that is convincing enough of his innocence. The traveling to question him more than once suggests police felt he was involved or knew something about this crime. Is he still alive? If he is I wonder what he has been up to since the murders in 1999. When your friends report you for hinting that you killed two girls, it makes me think they believed it was possible. Unless they were considering the reward money and figured it couldn't hurt to give that tip.
 
cherrymeg said:
If DNA ruled the Michigan Man out I don't feel like that is convincing enough of his innocence. The traveling to question him more than once suggests police felt he was involved or knew something about this crime. Is he still alive? If he is I wonder what he has been up to since the murders in 1999. When your friends report you for hinting that you killed two girls, it makes me think they believed it was possible. Unless they were considering the reward money and figured it couldn't hurt to give that tip.
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This is what one of them has been up to, and it's no good. I don't know which one was the "Michigan Man", but the below is regarding Roger Coots.

Newton man wanted for leaving baby in car overnight
 
cherrymeg said:
If DNA ruled the Michigan Man out I don't feel like that is convincing enough of his innocence. The traveling to question him more than once suggests police felt he was involved or knew something about this crime. Is he still alive? If he is I wonder what he has been up to since the murders in 1999. When your friends report you for hinting that you killed two girls, it makes me think they believed it was possible. Unless they were considering the reward money and figured it couldn't hurt to give that tip.
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I don't know what Michigan Man said to LE. They really haven't commented much on what he told them. Lat I knew, he was still alive and had returned to the AL area. A while back, one Sleuther whose name escapes me said he was still in the AL area.
 
Reposting this summary as a refresher since the subject has come up again in multiple recent posts. —DD

Here is a collection of excerpts from media reports that illustrates the contradictions and consistencies in stories told by and about Johnny Barrentine:

  • Barrentine said at the Tuesday hearing he left his home—about a block from the convenience store where the girls were last seen—to get milk July 31, and was gone about 15 minutes. He said he drove past the store, but didn't see anything. "I wasn't paying attention," he said.

    —Times Daily, "Suspect denies involvement in teens' deaths," October 10, 1999

  • Dale County District Attorney David Emery disputed Barrentine's claims, saying he did not seek out the police, but authorities found him after talking with his wife.

    "She said he went out July 31, was gone longer than she expected, and came home looking like he was in a state of shock," Emery told Dale County Circuit Judge P.B. McLauchlin. "He told her a black truck hit him—she said he was so scared he stayed up all night and watched TV."

    Authorities said Barrentine confirmed his wife's story when questioned about the black truck. On the stand Tuesday, he said it was all a lie. "I don't know why she would say it," he said.

    —The Tuscaloosa News, "Suspect takes stand to deny involvement in teens' deaths," October 10, 1999

  • In a Sept. 21 preliminary hearing, Alabama Bureau of Investigation agent Charles Huggins testified that Barrentine told several different stories about what happened the night of July 31 when he left home to get milk for his 2 1/2-year-old son. However, he testified that in an interview at the Ozark Police Department Aug. 31, Barrentine told police he gave a ride to a tattooed man who suggested they stop at the Big/Little Store on E. Broad Street where the girls were stopped to use a pay phone. Huggins said Barrentine said the man approached the girls, got in the back seat of Miss Beasley's car and drove away with them. He testified Barrentine admitted to watching as the tattooed man struggled with the girls, pulled a gun on them, forced them into the trunk and shot them.

    According to Huggins, Barrentine was able to describe the girls' clothing and other items consistent with the girls and the crime.

    However, in the Aug. 5 bond hearing, Barrentine took the stand to say that he made up the stories because he was trying to get the substantial reward money which had been offered for information in the case.

    Barrentine, who had lived in Ozark for several years and was residing on Young Street with his wife and son, said he went to Ozark Police Chief Tony Spivey several days after the murders to tell him of a rumor. He gave Spivey a name and was told that police had already checked out the rumor and that the man Barrentine named was not a suspect.

    Also several days after the murder, Barrentine reportedly said, he and his wife and brother-in-law went to the scene on Herring Street where the Beasley car was found Aug. 1. Barrentine said they were looking for something that might help the police solve the case.

    Barrentine told McLauchlin that he never picked up a tatooed man and that he didn't see anything the night of the murders. He said he went to the BP about 11 p.m. to get milk for the little boy.

    —The Southeast Sun, "Dale County DA awaits results of DNA test," December 9, 1999

  • Police arrested Barrentine after he told them he saw a neighbor shoot the girls and failed to provide them with enough information to make an arrest. He also told them contradictory stories about his whereabouts on the night of the murders. He has since admitted that he lied about the indicent in an attempt to claim the reward.

    —The Troy Messenger, "Grand jury clears murder suspect," January 11, 2000

  • At a preliminary hearing and two bond hearings since his Sept. 1 arrest, no physical evidence was presented to link Barrentine to the killings. Authorities said his arrest was based on a statement he gave to police during a four-hour interview at the Ozark Police Department. After telling a series of false stories concerning his whereabouts on the night of July 31, Barrentine was said to have confessed to being on Herring Avenue when a tattooed man shot the girls. Barrentine later said he made up the story to get a $35,000 reward offered for information in the case.

    —The Southeast Sun, "Grand jury frees Barrentine," January 12, 2000

  • Barrentine, according to Spivey, said he had gone out for milk at 11:30—about the same time that J.B. and Tracie were on the telephone with Tracie's mom.

    At first, according to the chief, Barrentine said that on the night of the killings he'd seen a black truck speeding away from the area where the girls were found.

    As the interview wore on, Barrentine changed his story several times, finally telling investigators that he'd picked up a man he didn't know and the two drove by the Big/Little store.

    Barrentine said the man he'd given a ride got into a car with two girls—who Barrentine identified as the dead girls—and told him to follow. He said they ended up on Herring Avenue. The man got the girls out of the car. Barrentine said he soon heard two gunshots and the man returned. Barrentine gave the man a ride away from the scene, then went home.

    Police arrested Barrentine then and there, charging him with two counts of capital murder.

    —The Mobile Register, "Killer still on the loose, baffles police," July 23, 2000

  • Barrentine was charged with the murders after he told police he had been a witness to the slayings, but denied being the killer. He told police six different stories about his activities the night of July 31/Aug. 1, then said he had made them all up in order to get some $45,000 in reward money that has been collected.

    —The Southeast Sun, "Teen murders spark year-long investigation," August 3, 2000

  • Alan Daniels, who owns the service station where Barrentine had worked for about two months, said Barrentine approached the police, not the other way around. He said Barrentine had information about a suspicious car in the area the night of the girls' disappearance. "He's been trying to work with them for over a week now," Daniels said.

    Spivey said police were "confident" they had arrested the right man, but wouldn't say what led authorities to Barrentine. The $29,000 in reward money offered for the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the slayings would not come into play, he said.

    "I don't think there's anybody here that believes he did it," Daniels said. "We never had any problems with him. If all this gets resolved, he'd still be welcome back."

    Daniels and his wife, Schantal, described Barrentine as a friendly, easy-going man who was "always joking and likable" and did not have a quick or violent temper. Barrentine had a second job, loading or unloading boxes, Daniels said, but he wasn't sure where.

    "He tended to stretch the truth a little bit," said Daniels, who suspected Barrentine might have "stuck his foot in his mouth" when talking to police.

    Ms. Barrentine, who said her son was interviewed without a lawyer present, said she feared authorities might have pressured him.

    —Alt.true-crime (Undated AP story quoted)
 
The Southeast Sun, "Teen murders spark year-long investigation," Aug. 3, 2000:

For months, investigators searched for a murder site, believing that the area where the bodies were found, although isolated, was not where the murders occurred. Earlier this year, a tip led police to a barn on Ala. 123 south of Ozark, where investigators spent the next several days combing the grounds for evidence. Soil samples were taken and sent to the Alabama Department of Forensics. Also of interest was a piece of tire tread that was found at the scene, as one of the tires on Beasley's car was losing tread. Testing on the soil samples and tire tread has not been completed, Spivey said. In addition, a 9mm bullet, which had not been fired, was confiscated at the scene.

This is a very small detail, but it's one I don't remember being aware of before spotting it in this story while reviewing MSM reports recently. Did we know about the tire tread? Am I reading this correctly: actual pieces of tread were falling off the tire?
 
The following summary can be found in the archives of the official America's Most Wanted website. It corresponds with the Aug. 26, 2000, episode which featured this case. As you can see, it is stated early in the summary that "Beasley was sexually assaulted," and the information is attributed to three agencies: the Alabama Bureau of Investigation, Ozark Police, and the FBI.

The reason I'm highlighting this is to illuminate the rampant misinformation associated with this case. If this is really what was provided to (and shared by) America's Most Wanted by these agencies, it's easy to see what a difficult job it is to attempt to dispel rumors and myths in this case.

On August 1, 1999 the bodies of two Dothan, AL girls, JB Beasley, 17, and Tracie Hawlett, 17, were found in the trunk of Beasley’s Mazda on an isolated road in Ozark, AL. They were each shot once in the head at close range and Beasley was sexually assaulted. Semen was also found on Beasley’s clothes and skin.

July 31st was JB’s birthday and The Alabama Bureau of Investigations says that that night, the girls were going to a field party in Ozark to celebrate JB and another classmate’s birthday. While driving to Ozark, the girls apparently took a wrong turn and ended up at the Big/Little Convenient store around 11:30pm. Because it was getting late, they asked a woman in the parking lot, Marilyn Merritt, for directions back to the main highway to get home. Before they left the store, Tracie called her mother from the pay phone to say they were on their way, but the girls never made it. The girls were also planning to meet two boys later that evening at another gas station in Midland City and never made it to them either.

A surveillance tape from the convenient store shows a white pick up truck at the store the same time the girls were getting directions. Police say every truck matching the description has been checked out. One man was questioned but a grand jury refused to indict Johnny Barrentine on capital murder charges after DNA tests ruled him out. Police say he is mentally retarded and was consumed with the case and lied to collect the reward money. Over 400 people have been interviewed, but no other witnesses, suspects or leads have brought new clues to this murder mystery.

Data from: ABI, Ozark Police, FBI

Wayback Machine
[Summary can be found under Archives/Aug. 26, 2000.]
 
DimeDetective said:
The Southeast Sun, "Teen murders spark year-long investigation," Aug. 3, 2000:

For months, investigators searched for a murder site, believing that the area where the bodies were found, although isolated, was not where the murders occurred. Earlier this year, a tip led police to a barn on Ala. 123 south of Ozark, where investigators spent the next several days combing the grounds for evidence. Soil samples were taken and sent to the Alabama Department of Forensics. Also of interest was a piece of tire tread that was found at the scene, as one of the tires on Beasley's car was losing tread. Testing on the soil samples and tire tread has not been completed, Spivey said. In addition, a 9mm bullet, which had not been fired, was confiscated at the scene.

This is a very small detail, but it's one I don't remember being aware of before spotting it in this story while reviewing MSM reports recently. Did we know about the tire tread? Am I reading this correctly: actual pieces of tread were falling off the tire?
Click to expand...

DimeDetective said:
The following summary can be found in the archives of the official America's Most Wanted website. It corresponds with the Aug. 26, 2000, episode which featured this case. As you can see, it is stated early in the summary that "Beasley was sexually assaulted," and the information is attributed to three agencies: the Alabama Bureau of Investigation, Ozark Police, and the FBI.

The reason I'm highlighting this is to illuminate the rampant misinformation associated with this case. If this is really what was provided to (and shared by) America's Most Wanted by these agencies, it's easy to see what a difficult job it is to attempt to dispel rumors and myths in this case.

On August 1, 1999 the bodies of two Dothan, AL girls, JB Beasley, 17, and Tracie Hawlett, 17, were found in the trunk of Beasley’s Mazda on an isolated road in Ozark, AL. They were each shot once in the head at close range and Beasley was sexually assaulted. Semen was also found on Beasley’s clothes and skin.

July 31st was JB’s birthday and The Alabama Bureau of Investigations says that that night, the girls were going to a field party in Ozark to celebrate JB and another classmate’s birthday. While driving to Ozark, the girls apparently took a wrong turn and ended up at the Big/Little Convenient store around 11:30pm. Because it was getting late, they asked a woman in the parking lot, Marilyn Merritt, for directions back to the main highway to get home. Before they left the store, Tracie called her mother from the pay phone to say they were on their way, but the girls never made it. The girls were also planning to meet two boys later that evening at another gas station in Midland City and never made it to them either.

A surveillance tape from the convenient store shows a white pick up truck at the store the same time the girls were getting directions. Police say every truck matching the description has been checked out. One man was questioned but a grand jury refused to indict Johnny Barrentine on capital murder charges after DNA tests ruled him out. Police say he is mentally retarded and was consumed with the case and lied to collect the reward money. Over 400 people have been interviewed, but no other witnesses, suspects or leads have brought new clues to this murder mystery.

Data from: ABI, Ozark Police, FBI

Wayback Machine
[Summary can be found under Archives/Aug. 26, 2000.]
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This is the first I have heard of the tire tread. I had previously read of the unspent bullet that was found at the barn.

Beasley sexually assaulted? That also is news to me. Chief Spivey had stated on more than one occasion that neither girl was raped. This is really puzzling.
 
TedMac said:
Beasley sexually assaulted? That also is news to me. Chief Spivey had stated on more than one occasion that neither girl was raped. This is really puzzling.
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To be clear, I believe the America's Most Wanted information is wrong.

This may be the only place I've ever seen it reported that Beasley was sexually assaulted; every other source stresses that she was not sexually assaulted. In my opinion, a leap is probably being made here from the discovery of semen to sexual assault—which we know to be unfounded (as far as we can know anything about this case). That leap, that sloppiness in the dispersion of information, illustrates my point: the more one reads about this case, the more confused one becomes.

The most detailed reports in this case came from the media very early on; as the years have passed, very little new information has been shared by law enforcement or reported by the press. Unfortunately, those early and very detailed reports are riddled with errors, misconceptions, etc. And no real effort has ever been made to clean up the mess and present solid facts.

At the same time, an annual plea for information is made, but without any specifics. What exactly is needed from the public to solve this case? A name? A face? An eyewitness?

How can we dispel rumors, myths and misconceptions in this case? Which pieces of information are we 100% sure of as fact?
 
DimeDetective said:
To be clear, I believe the America's Most Wanted information is wrong.

This may be the only place I've ever seen it reported that Beasley was sexually assaulted; every other source stresses that she was not sexually assaulted. In my opinion, a leap is probably being made here from the discovery of semen to sexual assault—which we know to be unfounded (as far as we can know anything about this case). That leap, that sloppiness in the dispersion of information, illustrates my point: the more one reads about this case, the more confused one becomes.

The most detailed reports in this case came from the media very early on; as the years have passed, very little new information has been shared by law enforcement or reported by the press. Unfortunately, those early and very detailed reports are riddled with errors, misconceptions, etc. And no real effort has ever been made to clean up the mess and present solid facts.

At the same time, an annual plea for information is made, but without any specifics. What exactly is needed from the public to solve this case? A name? A face? An eyewitness?

How can we dispel rumors, myths and misconceptions in this case? Which pieces of information are we 100% sure of as fact?
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BBM...What is needed from the public? Good question. MOO, but it would almost require someone with knowledge of the crime or knowledge of the killer and his whereabouts of that evening and his demeanor around that time. I was contacted last winter by someone who was highly suspicious of a certain individual that acted very suspiciously the next day after the killings. I can't go into detail of what I was told, but I immediately passed the info on to the FBI and Ozark PD. who seemed very interested in the information. This sort of thing is what I feeel will take to solve the case.

How can we dispel rumors, myths and misconceptions in this case? I would really like to see LE (the FBI, Ozark PD and the Attorney General's cold case investigator) hold a preannounced joint press conference and describe to the general public what the state of the investigation actually is. During the press conference, they could state what is fact and also quash any untrue rumors they are aware of. This type of press conference would generate a lot of publicity and maybe solicit some new info. Also, it would go a long way towards differentiating fact from fiction.
 
I have not heard the tire tread mentioned before either.

DimeDetective said:
Earlier this year, a tip led police to a barn on Ala. 123 south of Ozark, where investigators spent the next several days combing the grounds for evidence. Soil samples were taken and sent to the Alabama Department of Forensics. Also of interest was a piece of tire tread that was found at the scene, as one of the tires on Beasley's car was losing tread.
Click to expand...

Does the article mean that the soil samples and piece of tire tread were taken from the area on 123 south or Herring Avenue or both? I know there was mention of soil samples taken from the car and the clothing if I recall correctly but results have never been made public.
 
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