GA - Katherine Janness, 40, fatally stabbed and dog killed, Piedmont Park, Atlanta, 28 July 2021 #2

[Atlmom]

IMO, the runner is considered a potential witness, nothing more. He’s running at a good pace, isn’t limping and has no apparent injuries. You are seeing a nice bike path on 10th street where he’s running but not all Atlanta streets are “runner” friendly; many side streets have fast traffic, potholes and low lighting. It’s common to see runners wearing head lamps at night here. I’d love to know if he heard or saw anything unusual.

 

[SleepyLabRat]

What is the general feel of the park? Does is feel different?

It doesn’t. At all. And that felt even MORE weird to me. In the exact place where the flowers were in the earlier picture (presumably where her body was left) they had a big garbage can. I know we have to “move on” or whatever, but it felt icky to me. At least there is still the memorial at the gate. It’s filled with flowers and pictures and I surprised myself by getting a little tearful as my partner and I stood at it for a bit. But most people just seemed to either be completely oblivious to it or just pretending nothing happened.

 

[Peaches96]

IMO, the runner is considered a potential witness, nothing more. He’s running at a good pace, isn’t limping and has no apparent injuries. You are seeing a nice bike path on 10th street but not all Atlanta streets are “runner” friendly; many side streets have fast traffic, potholes and low lighting. It’s common to see runners wearing head lamps at night here. I’d love to know if he heard or saw anything unusual.

Agreed! I often wear one when I run early mornings not necessarily so I can see but so that others can see me.

 

[spicyrock]

I wrote in the last thread that I thought perhaps Katie rebuffed someone's advances or comment and then they flew into a rage and attacked, and I know some folks think that isn't likely but I am still holding onto that as a possibility. Someone had mentioned it was unlikely due to this being a well-known men-looking-for-men hookup place, but that doesn't mean that is ALL that happens here or that it isn't possible a man wouldn't hit on a woman walking through at night.

I also absolutely think it's possible for a man to get this enraged if being rejected by a woman. Is that normal? No, but does it happen sometimes? Yes. I could even see a guy trying to hit on Katie, and maybe she says, "Actually I have a girlfriend," or "Actually I'm not even interested in men," and that makes him even MORE angry.

This of course is just speculation and supposition. But IMO, some sort of interaction took place before the attack or right as it started. I think that is more likely than someone jumping out of the bushes and without saying a word, just starting to stab Katie and/or her dog. Not impossible, of course, but IMO more likely something was said between them.

something being unlikely or less likely doesn’t mean it’s not possible. The nature of the crime and the choice of victim, when I first started digging in I swore this would be a white man - the Little Rock slasher stories are now giving me serious pause about that and have widened my angle.

there’s just no telling. It seems like it could be anyone. Very disconcerting.

 

[Quell]

It doesn’t. At all. And that felt even MORE weird to me. In the exact place where the flowers were in the earlier picture (presumably where her body was left) they had a big garbage can. I know we have to “move on” or whatever, but it felt icky to me. At least there is still the memorial at the gate. It’s filled with flowers and pictures and I surprised myself by getting a little tearful as my partner and I stood at it for a bit. But most people just seemed to either be completely oblivious to it or just pretending nothing happened.

I completely relate to your experience. I know hideous things take place routinely all over the world including Atlanta Parks but timing of this particular case and the Dogwood Fest occurring has got me feeling a bit whiplashed today.

 

[GeorgiaPeach1]

The timeline really has me puzzled. According to what I’ve read in the media, Katie stopped by Henry’s (Emma’s job) to say hi and let her see Bowie and left around 11:30pm? On Henry’s website, it says that they close at 10:00pm.

I’ve read in msm articles that Katie and Emma were supposed to walk home together and IMO that would make more sense for Katie to come to her job so late. I’ve also read statements from Emma’s dad that said they had dinner together that night but I wonder what time since the restaurant closed at 10pm.
The time stamps from the surveillance video are also interesting. One shot is from 11:55pm, another is 12:25am and the latest one I’ve seen is 12:46am. If she was in the rainbow crosswalk at 12:07am, I wonder why the feel people at the Charles Allen entrance at 11:55pm were witnesses? Unless maybe they have video of Katie near that entrance at that time? The cross walk is about 10 min away from the Charles Allen entrance.

Lastly, I’ve walked in Piedmont park at night and it was very creepy. We saw men coming out of bushes, men going in and out of the restrooms together, homeless people sleeping on park benches and the one thing I’ll never forget is how dark it was. We could barely see each other and we were walking right next to each other. We didn’t stay long because it was just too dark especially by the trees. I say that to say, Katie might not have even seen anyone coming to harm her and if they slit her throat, I’m not sure if she ever had the opportunity to scream. If the dog didn’t bite the perpetrator, I strongly believe it was someone the dog was familiar with and his guard was down. Just my opinion.

 

[Peaches96]

It doesn’t. At all. And that felt even MORE weird to me. In the exact place where the flowers were in the earlier picture (presumably where her body was left) they had a big garbage can. I know we have to “move on” or whatever, but it felt icky to me. At least there is still the memorial at the gate. It’s filled with flowers and pictures and I surprised myself by getting a little tearful as my partner and I stood at it for a bit. But most people just seemed to either be completely oblivious to it or just pretending nothing happened.

That is so sad. Years ago I went to a yoga festival in the park and I vividly remember how peaceful it was during the meditation part of the festival. To think of something so horrific happening to KJ in the park where I felt so calm and at peace is just absolutely heartbreaking.

 

[BGGS]

The timeline really has me puzzled. According to what I’ve read in the media, Katie stopped by Henry’s (Emma’s job) to say hi and let her see Bowie and left around 11:30pm? On Henry’s website, it says that they close at 10:00pm.

I’ve read in msm articles that Katie and Emma were supposed to walk home together and IMO that would make more sense for Katie to come to her job so late. I’ve also read statements from Emma’s dad that said they had dinner together that night but I wonder what time since the restaurant closed at 10pm.

This is another thing that's been bothering me: Emma's dad being the source of so much information, so early on, that's now being repeated like it's gospel. That happens over and over again with news stories, especially crime stories (I'm a writer and a researcher). He may have misspoken, either intentionally or non-intentionally, but what makes me uneasy is that he's a politician, and as such, knows you have to get out in front of the story and shape the narrative. So here we have this guy talking about how in love they were, how they were such a great couple, how he could see them staying together forever -- did reporters ever talk to anyone else who may have had a different opinion? He also set up the timeline by saying things that now, in retrospect, have people scratching their heads because they don't add up. But with nobody to set things straight, the waters have been muddied. Know what I mean? Again, I'm not saying he did any of this intentionally or with bad intent, but it did happen.

 

[K.jill]

It doesn’t. At all. And that felt even MORE weird to me. In the exact place where the flowers were in the earlier picture (presumably where her body was left) they had a big garbage can. I know we have to “move on” or whatever, but it felt icky to me. At least there is still the memorial at the gate. It’s filled with flowers and pictures and I surprised myself by getting a little tearful as my partner and I stood at it for a bit. But most people just seemed to either be completely oblivious to it or just pretending nothing happened.

It seems distasteful, IMO.

 

[Quell]

This is another thing that's been bothering me: Emma's dad being the source of so much information, so early on, that's now being repeated like it's gospel. That happens over and over again with news stories, especially crime stories (I'm a writer and a researcher). He may have misspoken, either intentionally or non-intentionally, but what makes me uneasy is that he's a politician, and as such, knows you have to get out in front of the story and shape the narrative. So here we have this guy talking about how in love they were, how they were such a great couple, how he could see them staying together forever -- did reporters ever talk to anyone else who may have had a different opinion? He also set up the timeline by saying things that now, in retrospect, have people scratching their heads because they don't add up. But with nobody to set things straight, the waters have been muddied. Know what I mean? Again, I'm not saying he did any of this intentionally or with bad intent, but it did happen.

Could you say a bit more about what you see as not adding up? (Btw I thought the same things as you but wondering if part of his emphasis on their tight-couplehood is an effort to stake some legitimacy for their partnership/marriage so straight folks could better relate to the impact on Emma).

 

[MntnHiker]

something being unlikely or less likely doesn’t mean it’s not possible. The nature of the crime and the choice of victim, when I first started digging in I swore this would be a white man - the Little Rock slasher stories are now giving me serious pause about that and have widened my angle.

there’s just no telling. It seems like it could be anyone. Very disconcerting.

I agree. Like I said, I personally find one way of this happening more likely but nothing is impossible and I'm not ruling anything out.

 

[K.jill]

I am speculating that Emma would not be doing interviews with the press as often as she is if the investigators had asked her not to.
So could it be possible they want her to do them for some reason?
Could it serve some purpose in helping them catch the killer?
I don’t even watch crime shows on TV but you would think I watched a lot of them with all the crazy thoughts I come up with while trying to make the puzzle pieces fit.

 

[BGGS]

Could you say a bit more about what you see as not adding up? (Btw I thought the same things as you but wondering if part of his emphasis on their tight-couplehood is to stake some legitimacy for their partnership/marriage so straight folks could better relate to the impact on Emma).

He's the one who said they met for dinner that night, and I feel like that's confusing for a lot of people because of the timeline. Was dinner at a 'regular' dinner time, or was it at 11:30? Did Katie and Bowie go to Henry's twice, then? (and again, why was Emma still at work at 11:30?) He's the one who said the police found DNA on Bowie (which I'm hoping and praying is true). He's the one who said "there's a monster loose in Atlanta" and talked about how her face was disfigured (without actually using those words). So maybe it's not so much that it doesn't add up (except for the dinner stuff), as that everything that people here and on other forums are repeating as true, are things he said. Not the police. The police aren't the ones being confusing; we're being confused because we're accepting what was said by an outsider who seems to have made sure he got his mouth in front of as many microphones as he could.

 

[Atlmom]

What is the general feel of the park? Does is feel different?

With the Dogwood Festival going on and the usual weekend activity…. was there a strong police presence today?

 

[Quell]

He's the one who said they met for dinner that night, and I feel like that's confusing for a lot of people because of the timeline. Was dinner at a 'regular' dinner time, or was it at 11:30? Did Katie and Bowie go to Henry's twice, then? (and again, why was Emma still at work at 11:30?) He's the one who said the police found DNA on Bowie (which I'm hoping and praying is true). He's the one who said "there's a monster loose in Atlanta" and talked about how her face was disfigured (without actually using those words). So maybe it's not so much that it doesn't add up (except for the dinner stuff), as that everything that people here and on other forums are repeating as true, are things he said. Not the police. The police aren't the ones being confusing; we're being confused because we're accepting what was said by an outsider who seems to have made sure he got his mouth in front of as many microphones as he could.

Gotcha! Ok Thku for that breaking down those points.

 

[Atlmom]

What is the general feel of the park? Does is feel different?

With the Dogwood Festival going on and the usual weekend activity…. was there a strong police presence today in the park?

 

[Shannon0521]

With the Dogwood Festival going on and the usual weekend activity…. was there a strong police presence today in the park?

I didn’t think there were more police officers there than normal, actually.

 

[mickey2942]

It is interesting, the police had so many theories about the Jayme Closs case. It was an "ex military" guy, who was familiar with the family. The perpetrator ended up being a loser incel, who lived in his Grandparents house. With no connection to the family. Random.

Jayme would have never been found if she had not run away.

Same with Elizabeth Smart kidnapping, tons of theories, the police practically killed Richard Ricci, because they were sure he was the "one".

I hope that the police have some better information for this case. Or some place to start. Otherwise, this case will end up a mystery, and that isn't good for Atlanta.

 

[K.jill]

I didn’t think there were more police officers there than normal, actually.

In my mind I thought they would have every possible officer there whether in uniform or plain clothes because…. Crazy killer on the loose and 100,000 people And liability issues.

 

[Counttrarian]

The timeline really has me puzzled. According to what I’ve read in the media, Katie stopped by Henry’s (Emma’s job) to say hi and let her see Bowie and left around 11:30pm? On Henry’s website, it says that they close at 10:00pm.

I’ve read in msm articles that Katie and Emma were supposed to walk home together and IMO that would make more sense for Katie to come to her job so late. I’ve also read statements from Emma’s dad that said they had dinner together that night but I wonder what time since the restaurant closed at 10pm.
The time stamps from the surveillance video are also interesting. One shot is from 11:55pm, another is 12:25am and the latest one I’ve seen is 12:46am. If she was in the rainbow crosswalk at 12:07am, I wonder why the feel people at the Charles Allen entrance at 11:55pm were witnesses? Unless maybe they have video of Katie near that entrance at that time? The cross walk is about 10 min away from the Charles Allen entrance.

Lastly, I’ve walked in Piedmont park at night and it was very creepy. We saw men coming out of bushes, men going in and out of the restrooms together, homeless people sleeping on park benches and the one thing I’ll never forget is how dark it was. We could barely see each other and we were walking right next to each other. We didn’t stay long because it was just too dark especially by the trees. I say that to say, Katie might not have even seen anyone coming to harm her and if they slit her throat, I’m not sure if she ever had the opportunity to scream. If the dog didn’t bite the perpetrator, I strongly believe it was someone the dog was familiar with and his guard was down. Just my opinion.

I would put little to no credence on when a website says a place it is closing and actual time an employee leaves. A) Hours are approx. B) CoVid has changed hours C) Emma has worked many roles at Henry's per her interview so she probably helped close D) IIRC she even mentioned it was taking longer to leave than usual due to training E) Employees that help close typically leave 1-2 hours after close.

As for those saying Piedmont Park should feel different this weekend. At the risk of not sounding empathetic, why should it? It is an inanimate object and vast majority of people there had no personal attachment to Katie or Emma. There are housing projects in the U.S. where there are 3-4+ murders per year yet life goes on. This is a very sad incident but the first in approx. 20 years there.

I encourage those interested in the case to listen to Emma's full 20min+ interview as a primary source, it will help answer many of the questions asked.