WV WV - Lynn Priestly, 34, Charleston, 21 March 1990

[believe09]

So we dont know if the rape kit was positive-we just know that her clothing and her purse have not been found and that she was nude and at one point she bled. (Head injury?)

Has the BF cooperated with the investigation and provided samples etc?

 

[believe09]

Denzil Shamblin, a security guard at the annex, said he was on duty when he heard an argument take place in the lot. He said he was taking out trash bags at about 12:30 a.m. when he heard a woman screaming.

“I saw this girl run over toward the federal building and up the street,” Shamblin said. He said his glasses were broken and he was unable to tell who was involved in the fight.

How was he effective as a security guard if his glasses were missing? And when were they broken? Just curious.

 

[Kanawha City Frank]

The following is the last of the Charleston Daily Mail news reports on the Lynn Priestley murder from the week she disappeared and the time her body was found. It is from the March 27, 1990 edition.

I’m waiting for a lead on reporter Frank Hutchins from James A. Haught, Editor of the Charleston Gazette-Daily Mail. Editor Haught has been with the Charleston papers since 1952 and told me “They’ll have to carry me out of here because I will never go on my own.” Mr. Haught gave me the lead on the Priestley murder and on the murder of Juliet Staunton Clark from 1953. He would love to see both cases resolved!

Police set up 24-hour hot line of Priestly slaying​

By Frank Hutchins
© Charleston Daily Mail 3-27-90

Lynn Priestly, a Charleston woman whose nude body was discovered Wednesday near Chesapeake, was strangled to death, according to a report from the state Medical Examiner’s Office.

“It appears at this time … to have been done by human hands,” Sgt. Jerry Riffe of the Charleston Police Department said in a Thursday afternoon press conference.

Sgt. Dallas Staples also announced that a 24-hour hot line had been set up to receive information on the abduction and murder of Priestley, 34, who was last seen alive Friday night.

The hot line number is 348-6480. Callers do no have to leave their names, police said.

Riffe said the Medical Examiner’s report indicated Priestley was killed not long after her disappearance, and that she was dead when her body was placed on a bank leading from W. Va. 61 to the Kanawha River.

No arrests have been made in the case, and police declined to comment on any suspect they might have. Staples said further testing is being done by the Medical Examiner’s Office to determine whether alcohol, drugs, or sexual abuse were involved.

Investigators now are trying to determine what happened between the time Priestley left the Tidewater Grill in the Charleston Town Center Friday night and when her body was placed on the river bank.

In a Tuesday interview, Priestley’s parents said they were telephoned Saturday morning by Lynn’s boyfriend, Thomas R. White. White wanted to know if Charles and Blanche Priestley had seen Lynn.

White told them he went to the Tidewater with Lynn, but the two separated about 11 p.m. when they disagreed where to go after leaving the restaurant.

White said he took a taxi home, and Lynn headed to her car in the parking lot of the Kanawha County Judicial Annex.

Ed Leonard, an investigator with the Kanawha County Prosecutor’s office, said he had information Priestley and White were involved in an argument in that parking lot around midnight Friday.

Police on Thursday declined to comment on the alleged argument, but Riffe said according to witnesses Priestley was last seen heading east on Quarrier Street about midnight Friday.

Police were led to Priestley’s body after a man looking for a fishing spot discovered her lying on the riverbank about one-half mile from Chesapeake.

Leonard was one of the first to arrive at the scene, and said it appeared Priestley’s body had been thrown over the steep embankment from the roadside not long after she was killed.

Police have not found Priestley’s clothes.

(The remainder of the story tells about Lynn’s background, where she graduated from school and university, where she attended church, and where she worked, plus the funeral arrangements and surviving members of the family).


Once again, I must point out that there was “extreme political pressure” (the retired detective’s description) upon the police to solve this case. Since Thomas R. White was neither arrested nor brought before a grand jury, I must believe there simply was not enough evidence to move forward with an arrest.

Obviously, White knew exactly where Lynn was going when she left him following the argument that the KCSO Bailiff broke up. Two witnesses say she ran from the lot eastbound on Quarrier Street. Presumably the deputy kept White from an immediate pursuit of Lynn. Did he have time after leaving the deputy to run her down; and unless he had a vehicle present nearby, it beggars the imagination that he could have done this without having being seen. Quarrier Street on a Friday night is not heavily travelled but it is not empty either.

White did not actually live with Lynn, I was just told (but not by LE, by a neighbor). I just attempted to find his address at the time in People Search and another data base, but have located three separate Thomas R. Whites and T. R. White, a Thomas White and a Tom White. Until I see the police file, I cannot tell you where the correct Thomas R. White lived.

Shamblin admitted he could not have identified the two arguing, only that it was loud, and it was a woman and a man. The bailiff certainly identified the man as Thomas R. White as he confronted him following the argument.

 

[believe09]

It caught my curiosity that a security guard who was that impaired without his glasses would be on duty anywhere.

 

[Kanawha City Frank]

shadowangel,

TW did call the parents around ten a.m. Saturday morning as the very first story tells us, as do the third and last stories in the CDM. He did not contact Tidewater employees until 6 p.m. Saturday.

believe09,

He (Shamblin) was though, without his glasses. Had he not been taking out trash at the time Priestley and White were arguing, we may never have known about the "loud" argument in the lot at all. It is also unlikely the bailiff would have become involved.

Manual strangulation is an intensely personal method of killing, often resorted to by significant other males during arguments. It is also a favorite method of rapists according to the FBI.

 

[shadowangel]

Especially if he were working in the area of the Judicial Annex. Do we know if the guard was employed by the city and was responsible for the annex area or was a contract guard assigned to a building in the area?

Wonder how he lost his glasses also... And if he was ever questioned further.

Wouldnt that area have been covered fairly extensively by surveillance cameras?

As I understand it, Believe, the blood was thought to have come from injuries sustained as a result of being tossed down the embankment. But, without reading any of the reports, thats unconfirmed.

 

[Kanawha City Frank]

Press reported the guard's "glasses were broken." He was a contract guard. The KCSO bailiff was a sworn officer.

There is extensive video security around the building now, and indeed around the entire area, as the CPD, the KCSO, and three courthouses are all within a block of each other. I have no idea of security at the time since I was not in town during any of this. But it is certainly a good question! Thank you both. I'm not a crime writer but a historian. It seems both of you are excellent historians already.

 

[shadowangel]

According to the news report, Shamblin saw a woman running and heard an argument. Due to his reported broken glasses, he couldnt tell who was who (and Im wondering if he actually saw the male involved). The KCSO bailiff allegedly spoke to the male- Why isn't it reported if he identified the person as TW?

This occured at around 12:30. If TW took a cab home, he must've immediately jumped into a vehicle and returned to the area (and knew where to find Lynn). I have no idea how close to the area TW lived, and whether or not the cab actually took him to hsi residence. Again, all questions that should be answered in the actual police reports.

A little digging on security officer DS... I found two DSs (DLS, actually) living in the Charleston area, aged 75 and 53 (father and son possibly?) Its a pretty unique name. It appears, at least in the mid 60s, that DLS the elder was involved in county politics (I found a campaign ad from the mid-60s in the Charleston Gazette archives).

 

[shadowangel]

Manual strangulation is also a method of last resort, when a person finds themself facing an unforseen situation and no other weapon is at hand. A male attempting to quiet a female he was trying to seduce but finds his advances loudly rebuked, for instance.

 

[shadowangel]

Hoping KC Frank comes back with more info from the police reports.

Not to make accusations against anyone, but hey, speculating is what we do here. I'm very curious as to whether or not a closer look was taken at the security officer. Some points that make me wonder... He was assigned to the county judicial annex, so this was a county job, and in the private security world those usually pay quite a bit more than the usual contract job. Therefore, most contract companies will put their best people there. Would a supervisor really allow a person who had trouble seeing to work-especially at night? The First Commandment of private security is "observe and report". It appears this security officer really couldn't do either. Something like that can easily put a contract company out of business. So, the question is, did anyone else know that his glasses were broken? Can anyone confirm that they were, in fact, broken before the supposed argument? What did the bailiff report as to what he directly observed? The security officer, in the article, referred to the bailiff by his first name, indicating they were on at least friendly terms (and it seems odd to refer to a member of the SO by his first name when speaking in a somewhat official capacity).
Can the security officer's actions during the night be accounted for?

Just food for thought, as they say.

 

[Kanawha City Frank]

Excellent point, shadowangel.

I've been fact checking all week and I've learned a couple of lessons, hard ones for someone whose rule is verify, verify, verify. For one, all of the dates I posted on the news reports from the Gazette and Daily Mail are incorrect! ALL OF THEM!!! Despite the fact I got the dates off of the files I saw in the Kanawha County Judicial Annex file, they are off by days.

Lynn disappeared Friday night, March 21, 1990. Her parents reported her missing on Saturday afternoon around 5:00 p.m. The first report written by Frank Hutchins was in the Sunday Gazette-Daily Mail on March 23, 1990 (parents hope and pray).

Lynn's body was found on Wednesday morning (10:30 a.m.), March 26, 1990. The Thursday morning Gazette article by Maryclaire Dale (woman's body found) ran March 27, 1990.

Frank Hutchin's report (casue of woman's death probed) appeared in the Thursday afternoon Daily Mail.

Frank Hutchin's report (24-hour hot line set up by police) ran in the Friday afternoon Daily Mail March 28, 1990.

I did not verify the dates until Wednesday. The error is entirely mine!

Now then, I have now spoken with the following detectives: Sgt. Jerry Riffe (now an investigator for the Kanawha County Prosecutor's Office). Mr. Riffe has asked for permission to comment on his recollections of the case from the new Prosecutor. Mr. Riffe was the senior detective on the case but not the lead detective. I've spoken with retired detective Rusty Flowers who has offered to get me in touch with all the retired officers involved. Detective Flowers was the contact person for the investigation. I left messages for Sgt. Dallas Staples, lead detective in the case. I've spoken numerous times with Major Jason Beckett in the chief's office at CPD, and Captain Hill, also from the chief's office. I've also spoken with Maryclaire Dale, the first reporter to cover the discovery of Lynn's body in the Charleston Gazette. Ms. Dale is now in the Philadelphia Bureau of the Associated Press (for future reference on cases in her area).

I'm putting together as accurate a timeline as is possible while waiting for permission from the Charleston City attorney to see the case file and Murder Book. And that is why I haven't posted anything in a few days. Look for my timeline this evening or tomorrow as I am at work in the archives right now and am taking a break to write this.

 

[believe09]

Hoping KC Frank comes back with more info from the police reports.

Not to make accusations against anyone, but hey, speculating is what we do here. I'm very curious as to whether or not a closer look was taken at the security officer. Some points that make me wonder... He was assigned to the county judicial annex, so this was a county job, and in the private security world those usually pay quite a bit more than the usual contract job. Therefore, most contract companies will put their best people there. Would a supervisor really allow a person who had trouble seeing to work-especially at night? The First Commandment of private security is "observe and report". It appears this security officer really couldn't do either. Something like that can easily put a contract company out of business. So, the question is, did anyone else know that his glasses were broken? Can anyone confirm that they were, in fact, broken before the supposed argument? What did the bailiff report as to what he directly observed? The security officer, in the article, referred to the bailiff by his first name, indicating they were on at least friendly terms (and it seems odd to refer to a member of the SO by his first name when speaking in a somewhat official capacity).
Can the security officer's actions during the night be accounted for?

Just food for thought, as they say.

The security guard was my go to as well-It is startling to me that he was that visually impaired but still on duty.

 

[glamourkitty1922]

Since he was taking out trash, perhaps he is really a janitor who makes sure the doors are locked, not a real security guard.
Just my opinion.

:seeya:

 

[believe09]

What was Mr Shamblin's age at the time of the incident he witnessed?

 

[Kanawha City Frank]

Sorry to be so sporadic with the information. Here is what I learned today from a retired investigator who worked the case (he asked that his name not be used):

First off, regarding Mr. Shamblin, the contract security guard: He was never even considered a suspect, and as shadowangel learned, he was well known in the community and had held office in the city and county. His glasses had broken just that day. Shamblin never claimed he saw the woman involved in the fight well enough to identify her.

Regarding Thomas R. White: he worked at a “collection agency or something like that,” said my source. Also, he was a married man whose wife had recently filed for divorce due to irreconcilable differences.” Allegedly White had a bad temper (according to the soon to be ex-wife) and “he fooled around with different women” during his marriage. “He was kind of controlling,” my source said.

“There was a hole in his story big enough to drive a truck through,” claimed the source. “He told the mother (Lynn’s mother Blanche) he took a cab home from the bar. But he had a fight with her in the lot of the annex.” However, I have not been able to verify this from any of my other sources, and I can report (again) that had the Kanawha County Prosecutor’s Investigator Leonard had sufficient evidence against White, a Grand Jury would have been empanelled.

Leonard cannot be questioned as he has since died. Sgt. Riffe, who worked the case as a CPD detective now holds Leonard’s old job, but declined to be interviewed without the permission of the KC Prosecutor’s Office.

Also according to this source, Lynn was seen alive and alone, and leaving the Judicial Annex lot following the argument (with whomever it was with) by herself. She was not seen returning to her vehicle, and even had she done so, she’d “left her keys either by mistake, or on purpose, on the bar at the Tidewater Grill.” One or more employees told police, “She’d been drinking a bit and didn’t want to drive.” You may remember that early press reports of her disappearance said she and White had been at Bennigans having dinner and drinks prior to arriving at Tidewater.

My source feels that Lynn’s clothing, shoes and purse, were taken “because there was evidence (biological?) on the clothing.” “She was choked by someone’s hands.” He refused to comment upon evidence of sexual assault saying, “the state medical examiner’s report has that information.”

The 24-hour hotline received more than 30 calls over the weekend after Lynn’s body was recovered. One, “from a woman who did not give her name, had significant information. We asked the woman to call again (in a news report), and that is one reason I think White was not charged.” However, this source believed the call “was a set up to clear White.”


From The Charleston Gazette, Tuesday, March 27, 1990 ©

Police get more information on woman’s death​

No By Line

A woman sought for information about the Lynn Priestley murder called a police hotline during the weekend and supplied additional information helpful to the case, Sgt. Dallas Staples said Monday.

The woman had originally called the police hotline, anonymously, on Thursday. Police felt she might have other relevant information, and through the media appealed for her to call back.

Staples said a number of other people also called the 24-hour hot line during the weekend.

Police have not found Priestley’s clothes – Jordache jeans, a denim shirt and white tennis shoes – or brown leather handbag.

They say the case is progressing, but so far refused to call anyone a suspect. Most of the department’s 13 detectives are working on the case, according to Staples.
___________________________________________________________________

 

[believe09]

First off, regarding Mr. Shamblin, the contract security guard: He was never even considered a suspect, and as shadowangel learned, he was well known in the community and had held office in the city and county. His glasses had broken just that day. Shamblin never claimed he saw the woman involved in the fight well enough to identify her.

I am not being obstinate, but I want to point out the BTK was all of the same.

Without the insight that LE has, it seems worth looking outside of the box at least for now. The broken glasses story and his statement raise some questions for me. Why was he never considered a suspect? Does that mean LE never verified his whereabouts and the like? Did they check into the story of him having broken glasses? If he was one of the two men who last saw her, then I figured they would do a rigorous investigation of the two of them. Just sayin.

 

[Kanawha City Frank]

Believe,

I want to think outside the box. That's why I asked you to help. If it wasn't TRW, it had to be someone who saw her walking alone up Quarrier Street. How about this: someone she knew and trusted well enough to get into a car with, turned hinky on her.

And btw, now we know Lynn was "the other woman," and that certainly gives a boatload of motive to TRW's wife and also conjures up notions of a contract hit. But I'm also certain that was closely looked at.

Also, to follow up on a question Shadowangel had earlier: Tom White had no political connections except through Lynn, who used to work for the Mayor of Charleston as had her mother Blanche. They were VERY politically connected and there was intense political pressure to close this case. All very interesting.

 

[believe09]

Political pressure can sometimes translate to "who is the most obvious." I am NOT saying that this is the case here, I am just giving a nod to the influence.

I would have to think about a woman as perp-strangling Lynn and dumping her nude...I wonder.

The discussion of the clothes being missing because of evidence also intrigues me-this was not the hey day of evolved sensitive DNA testing. Apparently she wasnt beaten to death because her injuries that caused her bleeding were a result of her being dumped, correct?

What was someone afraid of on her clothes? Maybe she caused the person to bleed, somehow.

 

[Kanawha City Frank]

Actually I meant the wife could have had her killed, but in all honesty, I like the "friend" who picked her up walking theory since White was never charged.

 

[:+:MrTT:+:]

Political pressure can sometimes translate to "who is the most obvious." I am NOT saying that this is the case here, I am just giving a nod to the influence.

I would have to think about a woman as perp-strangling Lynn and dumping her nude...I wonder.

The discussion of the clothes being missing because of evidence also intrigues me-this was not the hey day of evolved sensitive DNA testing. Apparently she wasnt beaten to death because her injuries that caused her bleeding were a result of her being dumped, correct?

What was someone afraid of on her clothes? Maybe she caused the person to bleed, somehow.

just commenting before bed.
You asked about the clothes.........they could have removed them, with the idea if they dropped her in the river,(they missed) the current would take her further downstream and without the clothes, a better chance of her not becoming entangled with debris or whatever...But I am just guessing.
Goodnight.