JLM Charged in Morgan Harrington murder

[Heroine]

I feel that this post is relevant here...so I'm copy and pasting this from the forensic link thread...not trying to start another debate, just want those who are asking these questions to have something to refer to.


I thought it would be a good idea to move this over here so there is no confusion on this...plus that took me some time...lol

While they raise awareness, the Murphys and Harringtons also want answers. DNA found on Morgan's body matched an open sexual assault case in Fairfax County, but the man's identity remains unknown.

http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlin...228257121.html

A man's DNA was found at the crime scene, which matched the DNA found during a rape investigation from 2005.

http://www.turnto10.com/story/264312...lved-mysteries

DNA found on Miss Harrington's body - discovered in a field three months after she disappeared while walking to a concert - was also identical to samples taken from a victim of sexual assault in 2005.

http://news.sky.com/story/1344748/ha...to-2009-murder

Morgan disappeared in 2009 and her body was found three months later, hidden at a remote farm. DNA evidence of her killer, found on her remains, has since been linked to a 2005 rape case of a Fairfax woman who survived the attack.

- See more at: http://www.coloradonewsday.com/news/....l5xs2ecu.dpuf
http://www.coloradonewsday.com/news/...nd-guilty.html

If the forensic evidence that connects the two cases holds true, there is likely another victim linked to the suspect. Virginia State Police investigating Harrington's death in 2009 determined that DNA on her body connected the perpetrator to a 2005 sexual assault of a woman in Fairfax, Va.

https://gma.yahoo.com/suspect-hannah...opstories.html
Edited to add that we have gone over this topic 1000 times, somehow it always goes back to this. DNA that was on the Tshirt was Morgan's thats how they know it is indeed hers. Also his DNA might be on it as well, but as you see the DNA came from her body. LE is not going to come right out and say these things, Morgan's parents however, have said them many times that I remember, and I don't think that if your child died in such a manner you'd be making assumptions, you would know what happened to your child. You would/could never forget. JMO
BBM bolded italicized and underlined Virginia State police for emphasis
Edited yet again to add that a couple of my links in this post no longer work because I copy and pasted from post #1151 in the previous thread, but all links still work there.

Last edited by Heroine; 10-15-2014 at 03:13 PM.

 

[Heroine]

This is my understanding too. It very much seemed to appear that LE believed that someone else was at the MH crime scene as a witness. I think the vomit theory came from the letter, like you stated. "It made you nauseous" or something similar.

I speculated earlier that maybe the vomit came from another victim that is no longer alive. Pure speculation. . .Cassandra Morton? Who really knows though?!

Yeah, but I wonder where the vomit was exactly, and can they test it for DNA? I only ask because I know when I get really upset or nervous I too get sick, which means it could have come from JM or even MH IMO. Unless they did check the DNA and it belonged to neither?

 

[Deba]

I feel that this post is relevant here...so I'm copy and pasting this from the forensic link thread...not trying to start another debate, just want those who are asking these questions to have something to refer to.


I thought it would be a good idea to move this over here so there is no confusion on this...plus that took me some time...lol


http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlin...228257121.html

http://www.turnto10.com/story/264312...lved-mysteries

http://news.sky.com/story/1344748/ha...to-2009-murder


- See more at: http://www.coloradonewsday.com/news/....l5xs2ecu.dpuf
http://www.coloradonewsday.com/news/...nd-guilty.html

https://gma.yahoo.com/suspect-hannah...opstories.html
Edited to add that we have gone over this topic 1000 times, somehow it always goes back to this. DNA that was on the Tshirt was Morgan's thats how they know it is indeed hers. Also his DNA might be on it as well, but as you see the DNA came from her body. LE is not going to come right out and say these things, Morgan's parents however, have said them many times that I remember, and I don't think that if your child died in such a manner you'd be making assumptions, you would know what happened to your child. You would/could never forget. JMO
BBM bolded italicized and underlined Virginia State police for emphasis
Edited yet again to add that a couple of my links in this post no longer work because I copy and pasted from post #1151 in the previous thread, but all links still work there.

Last edited by Heroine; 10-15-2014 at 03:13 PM.

Heroine I want to start off saying I agree with your synopsis concerning where the DNA link came from. However, there was an article within the past week from Courteney Stuart stating the DNA link was found on Morgan's shirt. Courteney has followed the Harrington Case and reported on it quite extensively (and I might add rather well, she is a good reporter).

I don't know if this is an assumption on her part or that she does have an inside to this information. I am not trying to add fuel to the fire but it took me by surprise to read this information recently.

For nearly five years, that case yielded no leads until DNA from the same unidentified assailant was discovered on the T-shirt worn by Morgan Harrington on the night she disappeared. The shirt was found by a UVA student spread on a bush in early November 2009, just a few weeks after Harrington vanished after leaving a Metallica concert at the John Paul Jones Arena on October 17 of that year.

http://www.c-ville.com/accused-hannah-graham-abductor-indicted-fairfax-sexual-assault/#.VEfrDyh1NSV

 

[Heroine]

Heroine I want to start off saying I agree with your synopsis concerning where the DNA link came from. However, there was an article within the past week from Courteney Stuart stating the DNA link was found on Morgan's shirt. Courteney has followed the Harrington Case and reported on it quite extensively (and I might add rather well, she is a good reporter).

I don't know if this is an assumption on her part or that she does have an inside to this information. I am not trying to add fuel to the fire but it took me by surprise to read this information recently.



http://www.c-ville.com/accused-hannah-graham-abductor-indicted-fairfax-sexual-assault/#.VEfrDyh1NSV

I understand what you're saying and there has been much debate about this. What I will say is you don't see a whole lot of articles state that the DNA came from her shirt, so I'm not sure if that's rumor or just something that wasn't really made all that public. It's hard to say. The only reason I believe it came from her body is because it's been stated over and over again by her parents.

 

[wall0214]

This is my understanding too. It very much seemed to appear that LE believed that someone else was at the MH crime scene as a witness. I think the vomit theory came from the letter, like you stated. "It made you nauseous" or something similar.

I speculated earlier that maybe the vomit came from another victim that is no longer alive. Pure speculation. . .Cassandra Morton? Who really knows though?!

It's taken from an open letter that Lt. Joe Rader of the VSP (Now retired) wrote - the letter could be interpreted as being written to the perp or to someone who knows what happened to Morgan, but won't come forward.

An Open Letter to The Person with Information on Morgan Harrington’s Death
You know my face and voice because you have closely followed the case. Now, I no longer speak as a COP or for the state police, but as a father, husband, brother, friend to others and person of faith. I retired from law enforcement and the case, but their hard work continues every day. I have not run away from wanting to help find the TRUTH of what happened that chilly October night at JPJA and the bridge in Charlottesville, VA. Some people evaluated every word I said in press conferences as some sort of secret coded messages, but that was never the case.

So there is no confusion for you, I will be very blunt- YOU are not the same person you were in October 2009, because you hold the TRUTH of what happened to Morgan that October night and it has consumed your conscience every day. You see, you have important information from that night! It is time for YOU to DO THE RIGHT THING and free the burden of your conscience with the information you have. It is time for YOU to stand up in the name of humanity and justice. It is time for YOU to show that you have a sympathetic and dignified place in your heart so heavily troubled, regardless of your involvement in the circumstances leading to Morgan’s death.

Money has not brought you forward, but I understand it. No amount of money can clear a conscience that hides the truth. So what has held you back from making that call? Maybe you talked to law-enforcement and they missed your message. It can happen, so pick up the phone and call the VSP, AMW, FBI, or Crime Stoppers tip line. You have no excuses of lack of options to call! Is it embarrassment, fear, stigma, or skepticism that your information might point the finger at you? YOU have the TRUTH that will lead to solving the case, and that information will set your conscience free and bring peace to a family. The facts you have can be verified, but you must be totally honest. Half-truths are no more than little lies and will not relieve your heavy burden. It is time for YOU to come full circle and DO THE RIGHT THING!

How have YOU faced your children, friends, siblings or parents these past couple of years? I bet YOU have imagined the pain of losing one of them to a death that was senseless! I bet YOU would fight every battle to bring them back or at least find the TRUTH and the person responsible. YOU would accept nothing less than for people to fight for your cause if you had suffered the same tragedy. I know YOU have a conscience because you consider these things and it makes you nauseated! What have you seen when you look in the mirror? That has to be an image that causes you shame because you have the answers and know YOU must DO THE RIGHT THING.

So, there is no option to free you of this burden except to make the call now. One day, we all will face the judgment of who we believe is our Creator. At that time, there is no second chance to clear your conscience because you failed to DO THE RIGHT THING. Maybe you are not religious, but I wonder if you haven’t sought forgiveness from a Higher Authority. If so, I am certain you haven’t found that peace because you have yet to DO THE RIGHT THING! Call the tip lines or Crime Stoppers with the information that you know will bring this case to a conclusion. Call someone that you feel comfortable will talk to you and the police to understand what happened that night with Morgan Harrington!

Do THE RIGHT THING now!
Joe Rader
Retired Lieutenant, Virginia State Police

 

[Heroine]

Okay here is a question that might answer our questions, when did they make the link between the fairfax rapist and the DNA for MH? If it was before the shirt was found then we know the DNA came from another source. Does anyone know that answer?

 

[Deba]

Okay here is a question that might answer our questions, when did they make the link between the fairfax rapist and the DNA for MH? If it was before the shirt was found then we know the DNA came from another source. Does anyone know that answer?

The information wasn't made public until July 2010. By then DNA tests had been conducted on both the shirt (found Nov. 2009) and Morgan's body (found Jan. 2010). I believe it was public in April 2010 that the shirt belonged to Morgan (which I assume was done by DNA testing).

The reason I believe the DNA came from Morgan's body is due to when the information was released re: the Fairfax rapist - in July 2010 which would be about the time the DNA results and running it through the database would be back. (IIRC this information was released very reluctantly on the part of VSP but would have to re-read archived articles to be certain.)

 

[ksj3]

https://twitter.com/AugensteinWTOP/status/524986504691871744
"Working on story with @HawesSpencer on key piece of evidence in #HannahGraham/#MorganHarrington/Fairfax cases. Will post by 3p"

 

[wall0214]

Okay here is a question that might answer our questions, when did they make the link between the fairfax rapist and the DNA for MH? If it was before the shirt was found then we know the DNA came from another source. Does anyone know that answer?

FWIW, Coy Barefoot said that the link was first announced in the summer of 2010 and he references the following article by Courtney Stuart:
http://www.readthehook.com/67132/morgans-killer-fairfax-case-connection-offers-hope-fresh-fear

Excerpt:
Why eight months?
Why did it take so long to get a DNA match? Geller has long said DNA testing can take up to six months for the overburdened Virginia state crime lab to complete, even in a high profile case like Morgan Harrington's. She declines to say exactly when police received the results or even what type of forensic evidence was tested.
Ralph Barfield, a retired Charlottesville police sergeant and founder of Blue Ridge Forensic Services, doesn't doubt her explanation.
"In Virginia, there's such a huge backlog," says Barfield. And the complexity of DNA testing can slow things down even more, he says, especially if the sample is small or of poor quality...

In April, five months after its discovery, police announced that forensic evidence revealed that the Pantera t-shirt–- which some believed was a lookalike shirt placed by someone unrelated to the case as a twisted joke–- did, in fact, belong to Morgan. That forensic evidence, says Barfield, was most likely DNA–- and, he says, a likely source for the match with the Fairfax case since extracting an assailant's DNA evidence from Morgan's decomposed remains, which were exposed to the elements for three months, would have been very difficult. (Like farm owner Bass, the UVA student who discovered the t-shirt had not yet been shown the composite sketch when a reporter showed it to him.)

 

[Heroine]

Neal Augenstein ‏@AugensteinWTOP 6m6 minutes ago

Working on story with @HawesSpencer on key piece of evidence in #HannahGraham/#MorganHarrington/Fairfax cases. Will post by 3p
Maybe this will give us more info. Another reason I keep thinking that it came from her body is because otherwise how did they determine she was raped? I'm not sure LE has said she was raped but Gil Harrington has said it quite a few times.

 

[hambirg]

Yeah, but I wonder where the vomit was exactly, and can they test it for DNA? I only ask because I know when I get really upset or nervous I too get sick, which means it could have come from JM or even MH IMO. Unless they did check the DNA and it belonged to neither?

BBM

I think that would have to be the case. They seem so sure.

 

[stillwatersc]

Yeah, but I wonder where the vomit was exactly, and can they test it for DNA? I only ask because I know when I get really upset or nervous I too get sick, which means it could have come from JM or even MH IMO. Unless they did check the DNA and it belonged to neither?

https://www.genome.gov/DNADay/q.cfm?aid=183&year=2010

DNA can be retrieved from vomit

from the skin lining your stomach and esophagus

 

[Concerned Mama]

It's taken from an open letter that Lt. Joe Rader of the VSP (Now retired) wrote - the letter could be interpreted as being written to the perp or to someone who knows what happened to Morgan, but won't come forward.

An Open Letter to The Person with Information on Morgan Harrington’s Death
You know my face and voice because you have closely followed the case. Now, I no longer speak as a COP or for the state police, but as a father, husband, brother, friend to others and person of faith. I retired from law enforcement and the case, but their hard work continues every day. I have not run away from wanting to help find the TRUTH of what happened that chilly October night at JPJA and the bridge in Charlottesville, VA.

[ . . . ]

Call someone that you feel comfortable will talk to you and the police to understand what happened that night with Morgan Harrington!

Do THE RIGHT THING now!
Joe Rader
Retired Lieutenant, Virginia State Police

What a powerful letter! I wonder if JLM ever heard it read aloud. From all we've heard about his reading difficulties, I doubt he took the time to read through it, but who knows.

And about the comment on being nauseated in the letter -- if they somehow know that the perp was sick to his stomach at the scene (and I don't think this has ever been confirmed), it could give some insight into JLM's having a conscience over what he had done, either the day he left Morgan in that field, or even sometime later, if he revisited the scene.

 

[Daae]

Maybe the person who vomited was not JLM and also was the one who planted Morgan's t-shirt.

 

[ksj3]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?....127729820712915.28623.100004276931535&type=1

New story, regarding MH's shirt - clue or taunt- and a link between all three cases.

 

[ksj3]

"The shirt. Morgan Harrington's mother calls it "pivotal" because authorities said it connected her daughter's death-- which in turn was forensically linked to the recent disappearance of Hannah Graham-- back to a 2005 rape in the city of Fairfax."

It was DNA from the shirt (according to this).

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?....127729820712915.28623.100004276931535&type=1

 

[Deba]

Doubt this will add clarity once and for all to the DNA link. Story from Hawes Spencer:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?....127729820712915.28623.100004276931535&type=1

I see we both posted the same story. To give some background - Spencer wrote for The Hook which Courteney Stuart also wrote for.

 

[mirv22]

"The shirt. Morgan Harrington's mother calls it "pivotal" because authorities said it connected her daughter's death-- which in turn was forensically linked to the recent disappearance of Hannah Graham-- back to a 2005 rape in the city of Fairfax."

It was DNA from the shirt (according to this).

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?....127729820712915.28623.100004276931535&type=1

I was just coming to post this. There have been so many arguments about this, with most people landing on the DNA coming from the body. However, this is saying otherwise. To be trusted? Is that DNA link strong enough to link him to Morgan's murder? I wouldn't think so....hmmm.

 

[Heroine]

I was just coming to post this. There have been so many arguments about this, with most people landing on the DNA coming from the body. However, this is saying otherwise. To be trusted? Is that DNA link strong enough to link him to Morgan's murder? I wouldn't think so....hmmm.

Yeah, I don't know what to make of this, honestly. I'm not saying this isn't a fact, but to just find it laying there and DNA be collected from it after all of that exposure to whoever walked by and could have touched it etc. yet it's a link to a murder? I agree mirv22. I wouldn't think so either.

 

[Deba]

Yeah, I don't know what to make of this, honestly. I'm not saying this isn't a fact, but to just find it laying there and DNA be collected from it after all of that exposure to whoever walked by and could have touched it etc. yet it's a link to a murder? I agree mirv22. I wouldn't think so either.

What if the DNA recovered was from seminal fluid or blood? If JM's DNA was recovered from either of those two wouldn't that be considered a strong link?