Did any of you read the article called The Boogeyman Next Door?

[DawnM]

I have been fascinated and reading this today.  I hope they make a Cold Case Files of it.

 

It is quite long but a very interesting read.

 

http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2013/08/us/oldest-cold-case/?hpt=hp_c2

[readinmom]

This was an amazing piece.  Thank you so much. 

[Seasider]

Okay, so I read this and was confused. Maybe I didn't follow correctly. I couldn't tell if the gist of the article was, "hooray, justice at last!" or "are we sure, after all this time, that the right man was convicted?"

 

Interesting, though. How frightening for that community and what a terrible time for the murdered child's friend, first the experience and then the stigma.

[TravelingChris]

I am sure he killed her.  I am glad he got convicted.  What makes me so sure is not the informants or the witness, it is the history of the criminal and his behavior all these years.  And if I am wrong, I don't care anyway.  He should have been put in jail for what he did to that 15 year old runaway too.

[mom2scouts]

I started reading that late last night and I COULD NOT STOP. I finally realized that it was after 1 am and I went to bed, but the entire story was fascinating. I'm glad he was convicted and I think he probably was the murderer, but he deserves to be in jail for all the molestation and other creepy stuff he did.

[DawnM]

It seemed from the story that he killed her.    Even his mother thinks he did it.  

[Ravin]

I found the claim of biased use of hearsay allowable for prosecution and not defense troubling, the guy's actual guilt notwithstanding.

 

But I'm reading Chasing Gideon right now, so a lot of things about the criminal justice system are bothering me this week.

[Alexigail]

I think he probably did it but the investigators screwed up big time.  They told Kathy who they thought the murderer was and then asked her to pick him out of a lineup.  The lineup was ridiculous in itself - you can tell just by looking at it which one you're supposed to choose.  Like I said, I think he's guilty but will probably win his appeal.  Sad.

[Seasider]

I think he probably did it but the investigators screwed up big time. They told Kathy who they thought the murderer was and then asked her to pick him out of a lineup. The lineup was ridiculous in itself - you can tell just by looking at it which one you're supposed to choose. Like I said, I think he's guilty but will probably win his appeal. Sad.

This is what I meant - there's a paradox and I couldn't tell which angle the author was coming from. I agree that he's likely guilty, but this situation certainly points out flaws in our justice system. Poor Kathy, her whole life... She stands out as the most tragically affected person in this affair.

[naturegirl]

Okay, so I read this and was confused. Maybe I didn't follow correctly. I couldn't tell if the gist of the article was, "hooray, justice at last!" or "are we sure, after all this time, that the right man was convicted?"

 

See, I didn't think the author was going for either angle. I thought the point of the piece was to tell the story of this girl who was kidnapped and murdered and the story of the man who was arrested for the crime. I think it was up to the reader to decide if justice was served or if the wrong man was convicted.

[Alexigail]

I agree that the writer tried to give a balanced overview rather than taking a side.  

[Seasider]

Balanced overview, yes, I suppose that describes it.

[Denise in IN]

I read this a couple night ago - started reading and could not stop!  It was worth the time.  Very interesting, and so sad.

 

I too think the guy is guilty, but can't believe they were able to convict him on what they had.

[FaithManor]

Do I think he is likely guilty? Yes.

 

But, one does have to seriously question the wisdom of the judgment because the evidence was not strong.

 

He's definitely a scum bag regardless of whether or not the case was actually prosecutable.

 

Kathy, that poor woman, this has haunted her for her entire life. She may not have been the one killed, but she is most assuredly a victim of the perp.

[Murphy101]

I read it last night.

 

I think he maybe did it but I have major problems with the use of hearsay. I also thought too much credibility was given to the sister. They went on and on about how she had a degree. *eyeroll* like honesty is given with degrees?

 

If all the siblings or even more than one had heard her death bed comment? *maybe* I wouldn't have been so bothered by admitting hearsay.

 

But it comes down to he was convicted bc of his sister's hearsay, his lack of alibi (not having an alibi doesnt make someone guilty) and that they didn't like his tone of voice when mentioning Maria. (How biased might they have been with already thinking him scum? I totally think he was scum btw. But the question is whether he was murdering scum.)

 

That's ridiculously flimsy to my mind and rather horrifying little to be sent to prison for murder.

 

I was conflicted after reading it. I'm not all that bothered by him rotting in jail on general scummery. But I don't see *evidence* of murder.

 

And the article never expands on what his mother might have meant by those two other girls. Maybe that's why the justice dept isn't commenting due to an active investigation?

 

Weird.

And sad.

[Scarlett]

I was a little confused about the collect call made from Rockford....was that near where the girl's body was found?  It was found 120 miles away, so he couldn't have got all that way by 7:00 p.m.  Or did he stop to call home after he took her but before he disposed of her body? 

 

Very sad....I do believe he is guilty though. 

[Murphy101]

And I have no idea what they were thinking by bringing rape charges they knew would be tossed and would not have any baring on either case. That was stupid and the judge was justified in being pissed off at the prosecutor for it. Unprofessional to give him a loud dressing down for it on the courthouse steps, but understandable.

[Murphy101]

I was a little confused about the collect call made from Rockford....was that near where the girl's body was found? It was found 120 miles away, so he couldn't have got all that way by 7:00 p.m. Or did he stop to call home after he took her but before he disposed of her body?

 

Very sad....I do believe he is guilty though.

If he picked her up and went straight there, yes he could have. The speed limits were higher and the traffic nearly nil, so he could have made it to a pay phone on the outskirts of Rockford. Easy if he sped if a little.

 

He was saying he had been in Rockford the entire time and that's why he called.

 

The police are saying he could have just arrived and actually been calling to see if she had been missed yet.

[Scarlett]

If he picked her up and went straight there, yes he could have. The speed limits were higher and the traffic nearly nil, so he could have made it to a pay phone on the outskirts of Rockford. Easy if he sped if a little.

 

He was saying he had been in Rockford the entire time and that's why he called.

 

The police are saying he could have just arrived and actually been calling to see if she had been missed yet.

 

 

Oh, I see.  Wow. 

 

Very interesting old case.  He is scummy for sure.

[FaithManor]

One thing that is unfortunate about such a case is that investigative technics were in their infancy. What would have happened now?

 

Kathy's dad was watching a western when she came breezing into the house to grab those mittens. Investigators would have contacted the t.v.stations - especially easy back then...more complicted now with cable, but definitely doable - to find out who was airing a western between 6-8  p.m., and then sought to get dad and mom to give them an idea what was happening in the show when Kathy came into the house. This would have greatly increased their likelihood of establishing an accurate timeline.

 

Forensics evidence from the body would be preserved. As a person of interest, his clothing may have been preserved.

 

One of the things that bothered me was that what little evidence their was, such as Maria's doll, was destroyed. Though I know it's a difficult task to keep decades of cold case evidence catalogued, organized, and properly stored, I am of the  opinion that it should be kept. If the doll was still in storage and found, it's possible the perp's DNA would be present especially if Maria were struggling to get away. If she was clutching the doll and being carried by him, this could have been the item that made an airtight case against him, or more evidence suggesting his innocence.

 

But, no one knew what foresnics techniques would become available in the future, and alas, the evidence is lost.

 

The biggest moral of the story that I take away from it is hearsay is a scary, flimsy reason to incarcerate anyone, but more importantly, bag it, hermetically seal it, number it, file it, whatever...keep the evidence, find a way to take care of it. Just do it. A future investigator may be able to use it later.

 

What really disturbs me is that now that he's behind bars, the cold case of the disappearance of his very own daughter at the age of 34, someone he is likely to have molested...I consider a father who takes nude pictures of his 12 year old to be "a person of interest"...will drop. Texas SERIOUSLY needs to pull out the stops trying to find out what happened to her.