UK - Julia James, 53, murdered, Snowdown, Kent, 27 April 2021 *ARREST*

[ApparentlyInDenial]

To repeatedly bash someone over the head until they die, you have to really mean it. The perpetrator had to want this woman dead.

This wasn't a quick stabbing, maybe she might die, maybe she won't.

This wasn't knocking her out with a quick punch and then running away.

This was pure cold-blooded intended murder. Bashing her on the head, with a heavy blunt object, repeatedly.

What possible motive could there be?

Even with a motive, the person who did this is a psychopath, no two ways about it.

Could be schizophrenic or suffering another psychosis-related disorder... possibly.

 

[Watson100]

Police hunting PCSO Julia James' killer warn locals to tell family exactly where they are going | Daily Mail Online

Good idea

 

[Watson100]

Police hunting PCSO Julia James' killer warn locals to tell family exactly where they are going | Daily Mail Online

Good idea

Perhaps police will do a reconstruction at some point. That may help with timelines and who was where. Although they don’t seem to favour these now they have scrapped evening Crimewatch programmes. (I still miss those).

See, this is what I keep coming back to. If multiple people found Julia, and they weren’t a group but random walkers coming across her by chance, again this goes back to such a small window of opportunity.

Obviously these people (the “finders”) were wandering around the area, and if they had been there seconds or minutes earlier they would have seen something. It takes brass neck to murder someone in broad daylight in an area full of people.

That,'s what I was thinking too

 

[Watson100]

Police hunting PCSO Julia James' killer warn locals to tell family exactly where they are going | Daily Mail Online

Good idea

Perhaps police will do a reconstruction at some point. That may help with timelines and who was where. Although they don’t seem to favour these now they have scrapped evening Crimewatch programmes. (I still miss those).

See, this is what I keep coming back to. If multiple people found Julia, and they weren’t a group but random walkers coming across her by chance, again this goes back to such a small window of opportunity.

Obviously these people (the “finders”) were wandering around the area, and if they had been there seconds or minutes earlier they would have seen something. It takes brass neck to murder someone in broad daylight in an area full of people.

That,'s what I was thinking too

Good spot. A subtle message to the perp(s), perhaps?

At first it said she left her house at 4 pm BST. Then 3 o'clock and now holding silence at 2:30

 

[Grouse]

Isn't 4pm around the time high school kids would be returning home? I'm wondering if she was found by kids?

The only school I can see on maps of the area is Aylesham Primary School (as in 4-11 year olds), so I think it's very unlikely that unaccompanied young children from there would be in such a location.

 

[sundaaaay]

This case is alarming because there seems to be no motive, at least we know of yet (unless being a police officer was the motive) which suggests someone has gone out with the motive to kill.

Most cases I’ve followed on here have had a sexual motive, are suicides or accidental drownings. Murders with a sexual intent likely end up being murdered to try and hide evidence of a sexual crime or
kidnap. This looks like someone has gone out on a walk solely to kill someone, hasn’t even bothered hiding the body to buy themselves some extra time- it’s either very amateur, or very confident, depends which way you look at it.

 

[Grouse]

it’s either very amateur, or very confident, depends which way you look at it.

Or very mentally ill.

 

[SocksKitty]

<quote snipped for focus>

Another possibility is train. Highly risky but I see nearby Snowdown station is on a direct line between Dover and Victoria with regular trains in each direction.

If the witness sighting at 3PM is accurate the time of the attack is probably between 3.15 and 3.45 - from there the perpetrator could probably have made it on to the 3:59 to Victoria before Julia was found at 4PM.

Edited to add: I measured the route from the crime scene to the station via the eastward path to Aylesham Road, and then turning right and continuing on that road to the station - it is 0.55 miles, about 8 minutes at a brisk walking pace.

There was a case in Southwick, UK where a man came down from London area and murdered a lady in some local fields where she was feeding the horses. It was a random attack and he hang about in the woods then set upon her with no motive for the murder. He continued his murder spree by hacking to death four strangers and trying to kill two others during a three day orgy of violence. There is always the chance like you say that the perpetrator who killed Julia may not be known to most locals and from another town far away from the crime scene. Family speak of relief at serial killer's death

 

[Watson100]

Murdered PCSO Julia James: Family hit out as chief constable describes force's deep shock' | Daily Mail Online

 

[ApparentlyInDenial]

The dognapping theory is absurd. The dog wasn't taken = it is not a dognapper. Thieves do carry weapons but they tend to be knives over bludgeoning instruments. And yes thieves do attack you if you don't give what they demand but they then take what they demanded anyway.

--

If you read the FBI's material on the various ways killers leave bodies, in particular "pathway #3" on page 36 (body is left where killed), the FBI concludes that it's overwhelmingly likely to be a stranger attack and that ~30% of attackers have a psychiatric diagnosis before the attack.

Serial Murder: Pathways for Investigations — FBI

If you look at what psychiatrists say about frenzied bludgeoning attacks, the truth is these are disorganised offenders. That usually means they don't stray too far from their own area (it's a guess but I'd say <1 mile-5 miles).

Two other observations but no conclusions as yet:

- Snowdown train station literally less than 150metres from where Julia was found, offering a very quick exit on the Chatham mainline toward Canterbury or Dover
- There is a mental hospital with both low-secure and more-secure patients a 2-mile walk across the fields from Snowdown.

 

[Redgoblin]

I find it quite a stretch to have someone that JJ knew in her work with domestic violence, but not totally out of the picture, I just think that most of these types of people are not cunning enough to plan an attack such as this, as it would require some level of surveillance and planning.

That said, looking through Google there are a couple of DV cases within the last six months in Dover, Broadstairs that made it into the local press and I'd imagine they'll be some in Canterbury too. It isn't too hard to speculate and imagine what ifs.

Especially when you consider where Aylesham is in relation to the bigger towns in the area.

There is a great deal we don't know about this case. maybe a DV perp just recognised her out and about and has followed her, or they live local in the area and planned it.

 

[Skigh]

Daughter leads candlelight vigil in 'beautiful nod' to murdered PCSO

 

[Cuko]

<quote snipped for focus>

Another possibility is train. Highly risky but I see nearby Snowdown station is on a direct line between Dover and Victoria with regular trains in each direction.

If the witness sighting at 3PM is accurate the time of the attack is probably between 3.15 and 3.45 - from there the perpetrator could probably have made it on to the 3:59 to Victoria before Julia was found at 4PM.

Edited to add: I measured the route from the crime scene to the station via the eastward path to Aylesham Road, and then turning right and continuing on that road to the station - it is 0.55 miles, about 8 minutes at a brisk walking pace.

Do you know if there is CCTV at this station?

 

[Sarahlou]

Could be schizophrenic or suffering another psychosis-related disorder... possibly.

Yep. This makes most sense to me.

 

[Grouse]

Do you know if there is CCTV at this station?

Yes it would appear so --> Snowdown Details . And also on the trains as well I would imagine.

 

[Pinkizzy]

Do you know if there is CCTV at this station?

Passengers on the train may have seen something through the train window as it travelled in or out of Snowdown

 

[tallmansix]

The dognapping theory is absurd. The dog wasn't taken = it is not a dognapper. Thieves do carry weapons but they tend to be knives over bludgeoning instruments. And yes thieves do attack you if you don't give what they demand but they then take what they demanded anyway.

--

If you read the FBI's material on the various ways killers leave bodies, in particular "pathway #3" on page 36 (body is left where killed), the FBI concludes that it's overwhelmingly likely to be a stranger attack and that ~30% of attackers have a psychiatric diagnosis before the attack.

Serial Murder: Pathways for Investigations — FBI

If you look at what psychiatrists say about frenzied bludgeoning attacks, the truth is these are disorganised offenders. That usually means they don't stray too far from their own area (it's a guess but I'd say <1 mile-5 miles).

Two other observations but no conclusions as yet:

- Snowdown train station literally less than 150metres from where Julia was found, offering a very quick exit on the Chatham mainline toward Canterbury or Dover
- There is a mental hospital with both low-secure and more-secure patients a 2-mile walk across the fields from Snowdown.

Interesting document thanks for posting the link.

It does take the statistics exclusively from serial murders and there is no evidence that this killing is a serial murder. Less than 1% of all murders are serial killings so it is quite a big assumption to make that this is a serial killer at this stage although entirely possible.

I did take a different view on reading the document because I read pathway 1 first that said that transport and burial was also majority stranger attack so I went back to the beginning and and then found that apart from prostitutes, the majority of serial killer victims are strangers anyway - only 12% were acquainted so I don't read much into the way the body was left being a strong indicator of being a stranger or not, or indeed even a serial killer.

The train station:

• Trains are only every half an hour so not really a quick getaway - 15:17, 15:59, 16:31 are the departures around the murder time of 3pm-4pm
  EDIT: 15:11 and 16:11 in other direction - thanks Grouse
• It is a bit further, about 1km is the shortest route but retraces Julia's path back to her housing estate or along the road and probably the most visible exit in terms of being witnessed
• The whole area is lacking CCTV with the exception of the train station and the trains themselves and that station would be relatively quiet so the killer would be easily identified (or rather all other travellers eliminated) if they used that station.

On the whole I personally think the offender was organised and carefully planned, they have managed to arrive in the area, commit the murder and escape without being witnessed or leaving any tangible evidence despite what I guess would be the most thorough police investigation possible given it is one of their own.

 

[lizziginne]

Could be schizophrenic or suffering another psychosis-related disorder... possibly.

People who suffer with psychosis/schizophrenia are far more likely to be victims of violence than perpetrators.
And if they are violent the most likely person they will be violent towards is themself.

The assertion is discriminatory and offensive.

I wish the media/people in general would stop thinking every 'bad' thing was done by a 'psycho' it simply isn't true.

 

[Grouse]

Trains are only every half an hour so not really a quick getaway - 15:17, 15:59, 16:31 are the departures around the murder time of 3pm-4pm

They're a bit more frequent than that if you include the ones going towards Dover, and assuming the killer might just get on any train and worry about ticketing later.

It's a high risk option as I said when I first raised the idea, but I'd imagine LE will have checked it out.

 

[Rosegold68]

theres a rather large geocache pretty much at the spot where Julia was attacked, obviously its been disabled due to police activity for now.The gallery is full of photos of that spot and theres some interesting history on the woods and previous farm which was there, misery farm its known as locally

its part of a group of caches in a circular route

could a geocacher have some knowledge? or was this person a geocacher?

hate to think that way

GC2WP2R Parish Peregrination - Acol Wood (Traditional Cache) in South East England, United Kingdom created by MeerRescue