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.