Moving in Circles....

I keep coming back to the section referred to earlier (pages 95 through 98 of the released documents, covering March 6, 2013 to March 12, 2013) recounting individuals who encountered Faith at The Thrill nightclub on the fatal morning.  It's amazing that these interviews came in March 2013 -- a FULL SIX MONTHS after the murder! Is there some explanation for why contacts at The Thrill weren't looked into, oh say maybe, perhaps, uhhh, within 48 hrs. of the crime??? Will law enforcement's behavior become more comprehensible once this crime is solved???... as one commenter remarked to me in a coffeehouse, 'if you want to commit a serious crime in the Triangle and not be caught, then come to Chapel Hill to do it.' Another party referred to local law enforcement as "Mayberry RFD" so low has their credibility sunk, largely I imagine due to this case. Other off-the-cuff opinions I've heard range from law enforcement being 'hog-tied by overpaid lawyers,' to 'they're in over-their-head' or 'simple small-town incompetency,' and even to 'it's all a cover-up.' Pretty harsh. My own guess (until shown otherwise) is still that law enforcement thought they had a slam-dunk case against KR's ex-bf early-on and botched the investigation in the first month, or even the first 72 hrs., by not rapidly looking at other leads. But maybe once the case is resolved everything will come together to make sense. Maybe.

Anyway, there were at least 6 people at The Thrill who had some connection to Faith on the fateful morning. I believe their initials are, DB, QB, BW, BME, JRB, and a roommate who's name I don't know. There are at least a couple different versions of how some of these persons arrived at and left The Thrill (which is suspicious in itself, though could be the result of mere faulty memories over the 6-month lapse in interrogation). Also, not clear to me if K. Rosario's ex-bf, ETJ, or her later pick-up that morning, JM, were present at The Thrill that morning (it is mentioned by at least one source that a cousin of ETJ was there, and also that a "rapper" was there; ETJ is a rapper). So we have an abundance of POIs present, but, as I've cautioned before, no telling how many others had contact with Faith that morning at the night club, who aren't even mentioned in the released documents. Again, the police likely have this all much better-sorted out through their interviews, but they ain't sayin'. And other folks have completely different theories on who the main suspects should be (not necessarily from The Thrill).
Yeah, feels like we're ambling around in circles at this point... and biggest worry of all is that we'll still be doing so come September of next year, when again, some uniformed officer will venture forth in the press and beg, 'someone in the public to please come forth with new information'... deja vu, all over again... while the Hedgepeth family and friends head into yet another Holiday season with no closure.

The 911 Call

As I expected, not much response thus far to sorting through the various Thrill comings and goings, and I'm currently thinking about some other things as well. Meanwhile though, in private communication someone has proposed a theory to me, completely, utterly different from the path I've been headed down here. It's interesting, though it certainly raises other questions and is not a path I'm persuaded of -- and, it is very largely influenced by the actual 911 call made from the crime scene. Personally, I don't find that call odd or suspicious, but others do -- so if you've listened to it, and have any thoughts one way or the other, I'm curious to hear them out.
Or, if after reviewing a lot of the released materials, you have your own fleshed-out theory about the commission of this crime (don't need to follow my ideas; I want to consider all options) I'm interested to hear different scenarios.

A New Assignment

First, THANK YOU to the few folks who sent along thoughts/ideas about the prior post (or ANY part of this case, for that matter) -- even if nothing very earth-shattering has emerged, I do appreciate any/all thoughts offered. Good to know some people will take the time and interest to at least try and solve this brutal crime.
Also, I understand why many feel more comfortable sending thoughts along in private email rather than leaving comments for the whole world to see, but open comments do sometimes generate further thoughts/ideas from others, and can be useful -- still, do whatever you're most comfortable with (by the way, for now, I do prefer using initials generally in the comments, if possible, rather than full names of parties being discussed).

Anyway, your new assignment, should you choose to accept it ;-) is as follows:

Another perplexing part of the official court documents released, comes on pages 95 through 98, covering March 6, 2013 to March 12, 2013:

http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1283962-hedgepeth-case-files.html

This section covers the individuals who arrived at and left The Thrill nightclub who likely had contact with Faith that early morning. I am very interested to discern exactly who the main 5-6 individuals referenced are, and in what combination they arrived at, and departed, The Thrill. After many, many re-readings of this section, I think I have it sorted out, but am still not certain I've got it right. So would be curious if any others have figured it out.
The last assignment, interpreting a visual hand-written note, was easy compared to this one of carefully reading through several pages of a redacted, confusing document, so I won't be surprised to get even less response on this, but if someone enjoys playing detective have at it!!

I continue to believe that in all the social media lurking out there, remains a 'smoking gun' that can tie together a lot of the dots we already have... finding it, though, is like looking for the needle in a haystack. Still, young, savvy digitally-immersed young people may be more skilled at navigating and searching that digital world than the CHPD who probably think they have scoured it (and probably have NOT).

Law enforcement continually says this is not a cold case, yet has nothing to show recently to indicate otherwise (the released documents all go back to well-over a year ago; maybe LE has more recent info that is unreleased, but gives little indication of such). It is up to we, the public, to truly keep this case ACTIVE!

The Note...

There are, as mentioned earlier, a plethora of perplexing, sometimes cryptic, aspects to this exasperating case. Perhaps it's worth focusing some posts on different single conundrums and see if any good can come from it. At least I'll give it a try.

We'll start with the confusing bag-note left behind at the crime scene, presumably by the killer(s). Right away we're starting with an assumption, since it's possible the bag and note have nothing whatsoever to do with the murder, or has something to do with it, but was NOT written by the killer. I'll trust the prevailing view though, that it is tied directly to the killer(s): Again, it reads: "I'M NOT STUPID   BITCH   JEALOUS"

There have been all kinds of possible interpretations of what it means, how it should be read, who it may be directed towards, why it was written, etc. etc. All the way from, it was written by a woman, to it is a deliberate red-herring composed to throw investigators off-track, to it is the incoherent, rage-filled scrawl of a drunken psychopath out-of-his-mind... or, of course the angry words of a devious murderer directed at a specific person.

I'm not interested in listing all the possible interpretations already mentioned elsewhere, BUT if you have what you believe to be a NEW or little-considered interpretation for the note, please let us know… OR, if, among those many decipherings already out there, you believe there is a really STRONG case to be made for one particular meaning over all others, make that case.

ALSO, beyond the meaning of the note, much has been written about other aspects of the note as well -- the fact that it's on a fast-food bag, and in particular, the letter-formations, also the possible timing of when it was written... if you wish to dissect some aspect other than the meaning, please feel free to...
Anyone?

Slightly Less Perplexed

Finally, a little clarification perhaps to one of the many perplexing aspects of this case:

One of those perplexing bits are the phone calls back-and-forth in the early morning of the crime. Two texts from Faith's phone go to BME, who had a past relationship with KR, essentially urging him to come over because KR (who supposedly left The Thrill sick) needs him (if she felt sick, seems odd that she departs the apt. in an hour instead of staying home and simply going to bed!)
Then we have 4 short calls from KR back to BME (at least that's long been my interpretation, but perhaps it is someone else)… is she confirming that he's coming over? telling him NOT to come over?? arguing??? or what…? Then KR leaves, picked up by JM, referred to in some reports, as a current boyfriend. [One emailer to me proposed that perhaps BME indeed came over that morning, only to arrive to see KR leaving with another man, possibly sending BME into a rage? I've never seen any clear indication that BME did venture back out after seeing Faith and KR at The Thrill that morning -- and am more comfortable now discounting this scenario, given what follows below.] BME is another individual who was interrogated early on, his car and apt. searched -- what his answers were to various questions, I have no idea, but he didn't seem much pursued by law enforcement later on. However, a couple of dots have finally connected for me:

Press reports mentioned a text from BME back to Faith's phone at 4:16pm asking, "Who is this?" (following FDH's 2 texts to him) -- that made no sense to me, since Faith's texts to him were a full 12+ hours earlier, and by 4:16pm Faith's death had been long-reported. SO, I simply assumed the time was a misprint, intended to be 4:16AM, which would make more sense, and I've reported it that way ever since. NO NO! It now seems clear the reports were right, and BME texted in late afternoon (keep in mind, people don't always receive texts right when they are sent). But here's the key clarification:

In his 2-yr.-anniversary tribute note on Instagram to Faith (referenced earlier: http://instagram.com/p/sp7Jcvu49F/ ) BME writes (talking about the day of the crime, 2 yrs. earlier), "I remember right at that moment when out of nowhere a text came from you saying to be there for your best friend. I was scared then but I know that message came from an angel." -- AH HAH!, apparently BME didn't receive Faith's early morning texts until late afternoon, by which time he already knew she was dead (and 'an angel'), and then, confused by receiving those texts at that time, typed back, "Who is this?" -- that inquiry, which originally seemed cryptic, now makes sense.
[I realize there are other more nefarious interpretations one could place on the whole Instagram note, but I'll opt for the simplest explanation. Having said that, it is odd that BME refers to KR as "your friend," almost as if disowning his entire prior relationship with KR.]

Anyway, what all this implies for me is that BME did not head over to KR's apt. that morning, because he didn't even receive Faith's texts/requests in time.

One perplexing element down... 1001 more to resolve... including, of course, WHO DID head over to the Hawthorne apt.?
(for other questions I'm still pondering see the Sept. 21 post)

A "Personal" Crime???

From early on, law enforcement has contended that Faith Hedgepeth's murder was a 'personal' crime, and that the public need not feel in danger. Even though this seems likely, the longer this case goes on the more one must wonder about the assessment?  Rage and sexual assault are certainly a part of strangers, as easily as of a person one knows. Even the bag-note left behind at the crime scene looks as much like a hasty, angry, drunken scrawl as it does like a personal message. And after "100s" of DNA samples, not a single match???

So one wonders what else is there to assure the public that there is not a multiple killer at loose? Was it the quick link law enforcement made to Karena's ex-boyfriend that made police think they had a slam-dunk case that would be rapidly wrapped-up? Or is there additional undisclosed evidence that points to a 'personal' crime? 'Personal' or otherwise, anyone capable of committing such a heinous act once, is capable of doing it again, especially if fueled by alcohol or drugs, as may have been the case here.

There IS a killer at loose… in our community or elsewhere. Whether he has, or will, kill again, may be uncertain, but I doubt that his treatment of his lady friends is exactly respectful and endearing. And in all reality, the brutal slaying of Faith Hedgepeth is likely not the one sole crime of this individual's lifetime. He needs to be taken off the streets.

Autopsy?????

I'm a bit dumbfounded by the "autopsy report" for this case, which is much thinner/flimsier than I was expecting, especially for a homicide case. I've only seen 1-2 autopsy reports in my entire life (and those over 30 years ago in another state) so have little to compare to, but I was anticipating 2-3 pages of typewritten material, where instead there is barely half-a-page of what seems like hastily and incompletely-written hand-scrawled narrative, only a small amount even pertaining to the condition of, or injuries to, the victim. Striking too, that no approximate-time-of-death is included, which is pretty vital information (although law enforcement has consistently implied that it was earlier, rather than later, in the morning). Again, it just doesn't lend me a lot of confidence in the investigation of this case.

Moreover, a couple of key elements referenced in press reports (that I accepted) differ from what the autopsy actually says (and could change my prior speculative analysis). Various press reports have mentioned marks to Faith's face, arms, hands, legs, and also tissue (as well as blood) under her fingernails -- this is what I have based the belief in a major struggle on -- and a major struggle has been central to my conjectures in this case. Yet the autopsy mentions none of these injuries (nor sexual assault), making note only of the "massive head trauma" and "scalp lacerations" -- ????? -- how could injuries to the rest of her body simply be ignored? -- the mind reels a bit!… and I'll put more trust in the press reports (which may stem from direct police information) than in the details (or lack of details) of this autopsy page. The report goes so far as to state, "The apartment had lots of clutter scattered around, but no obvious signs of a struggle"[emphasis added] -- again, this is hard to take seriously (it would almost imply that either sex was consensual or major restraint was employed). But IF true (and there was little struggle, in the midst of a beating and sexual attack) than my previously-painted scenario might change considerably. For now, and assuming she wasn't quickly incapacitated early on, I presume there WAS a struggle.

[If you can't get it elsewhere, the autopsy report is available through the Medical Examiner office at 919-743-9012 (they email a copy).]

The slow drip-drip-drip (and inconsistencies) of facts/information released in this case make it hard to feel firm about any theories put forth... though I still feel that somewhere out there is a smoking gun, that can be found with enough eyes looking, in enough places.

ADDENDUM:  since writing the above over two years ago I have obtained a 'fuller' copy of the autopsy (I'm not even clear why there are different versions floating around or being given out?). What still surprises me is the lack of an estimated time-of-death given... pretty important information.
There is at least more detail given to Faith's various exact injuries; the major trauma to her head (including also a chipped tooth), as well as multiple contusions to her arms, hands, fingers, legs; all of which would seem to indicate a significant struggle. Even with the added details a lot of questions remain, and there is no update on hairs, fingernail scrapings, or other specimens taken for forensic study.
She is listed, by the way, as 5'6" tall, weighing 148 lbs., and had a small amount of alcohol (0.02%) in her system.

Conjecture…

NOTE:  the below was written BEFORE I read the autopsy report for this case, which if I took seriously, might change the scenario I outline here. I discuss the autopsy report in the next post. Because I DON'T take literally the entire autopsy report, for now I stand behind the below conjectures... but that could easily change:


I've learned that there are NO further public releases of information on the Hedgepeth case forthcoming. Apparently, all the material that the press had a legal right to ask for was made available with the early September release. This is very unfortunate, since those documents open up so many more questions, several of which law enforcement certainly have answers to. In fact, reading through those sketchy documents it's easy to come away with a sense of sloppiness and negligence on the part of investigators. Given the spottiness of the information (only reluctantly divulged), it's difficult for the public to have much confidence in this 2-year crime investigation. The police will have no one but themselves to blame for any public perception of bungling and loss of confidence. CHPD may have an excuse, given budgetary and personnel constraints; it's more disheartening that even after the SBI entered the case things have moved along so slowly (though their entry may have come too late, following too many missed opportunities). One suspects that the latest, redundant police appeal to the public for information is really more an appeal to the conscience of any guilty party or accessory out there that is listening… assuming such persons are even still in the area and have a conscience.

Anyway, all we are left to do is speculate for now… so conjecture away I will:

a couple of precautionary statements first:

1) I'm not willing to assume that all DNA samples in this case have been processed properly or accurately.

2) Nor do I fully assume that ANY of those named in the released documents are the guilty parties. It could still turn out that individuals, even transients, who encountered KR/FDH that morning at The Thrill and targeted one or both of them, are responsible and unknown -- individuals who have since long-departed this area (perhaps even committing similar crimes in other states) -- MIND YOU, I DON'T believe this scenario to be the case, but am simply unwilling to rule it out based on the limited documents released, and the purported lack of a DNA match thus far.

What I do believe…:

Early on, certain persons-of-interest were looked at closely, and despite a lot of circumstantial evidence pointing their way, the police apparently could make no solid connection. Moreover, I believe the assailant (or at least one of them) must have sustained injuries (cuts, bruises, scrapes, marks, etc.) in the course of this attack which would have been noticeable in days after the crime, and which are not reported for any of the early suspects. Therefore I believe the likeliest perp-candidates come from persons NOT interviewed early on.
So far as I can tell all persons-of-interest who encountered FDH/KR at The Thrill, were, incredibly, NOT interviewed 'til ~6 months later [actually, correction, one of those individuals would've been among those interviewed early], by which time all injuries would be healed, and alibis set -- I believe this population holds the guilty party. A reading of the released documents essentially yields five (perhaps six) names who likely encountered FDH/KR at The Thrill. In light of many other factors, two of those names seem especially interesting to me, and two others are moderately interesting. ...One problem though is that there could easily be another two dozen men who interacted with Faith/KR at The Thrill that night whose names don't even appear in the documents. For now though my focus is on a small subset of individuals from that early morning at the nightclub.
The Thrill, by the way, has long since closed down, and of course gathering any new info about that particular night, at this late date, may well be an exercise in futility... though two years ago it would've been easy (it would be interesting to know, for example, what Thrill visitors, if any, were wearing long sleeve shirts in the days following the crime during the excessive summer heat of 2012... to cover any injuries/scrapes to their arms).

Having said all this, I'll close out noting that this scenario is of course subject to change, and that police almost certainly already have evidence in their hands that either lends it credence or works strongly against it.

The Alcohol...

Brandon Edwards wrote an Instagram note on the occasion of the 2nd anniversary (a few weeks back) of Faith's death:

http://instagram.com/p/sp7Jcvu49F/

One remark he makes, in reference to their last encounter at The Thrill on the morning of the crime is, "I remember you not drinking because you had a quiz the next day."

Elsewhere it's been noted that it was unusual for alcohol bottles, usually found in the kitchen, to be found in the bedroom of KR's apt. I presume, if Faith did not want to drink at The Thrill because of a quiz the next day (and technically it was illegal for The Thrill to serve her, as she was under-age), then she did not intend to drink still later in the morning at the apt. Thus, I surmise the perp(s) brought the alcohol (found at the crime scene; wine and rum) into the bedroom where she was forced, or felt great pressure, to drink (the autopsy indicating she had some alcohol in her system). Did it start off as a social occasion before spiraling into something completely different, or was it from the outset a purely criminal encounter? And did the perp(s) intend to find KR at the apt. as well, or did they know she had departed, and Faith was alone? (one theory which I don't subscribe to, but also can't entirely discount, is that KR was the original intended target).