The Full Enhanced Voicemail

Tom Gasparoli has now posted the full enhanced version of the voicemail (with the transcribed words):
http://www.gaspowrites.com/2016/02/blog-post.html

Have to say I don't find the interpretation/analysis as given very convincing, especially without knowing more about the methodology/techniques used for "enhancement." May all be a red herring for naught; as others have noted the timestamp issue still needs to be resolved before taking the voicemail seriously.
Hopefully, in time we'll know enough more to ascribe proper weight (if any) to this latest bit of "evidence."

One thing I will note is that during the recent press conference regarding the indictment in the Mississippi Jessica Chambers case it was repeatedly stressed that the case was solved and driven by "forensics and data," NOT by the usual 'word on the street' or other public input. I can't help but believe that Faith's case too is likely reliant upon forensics and data -- law enforcement's repeated (almost obligatory) requests, at this late date, for new information/reports from the public, seem unlikely to advance the case. So it would be great if the voicemail indeed offered such forensic evidence; I'm just not persuaded as yet that it does.

Still, More....

Be sure to read yesterday's update, from which this one follows. Obviously, the newly-disclosed voicemail creates a flurry of new interest in Faith's case, at least for time-being.
Tom Gasparoli writes a new, more personal entry of his reactions to the tape and transcript here:

http://www.gaspowrites.com/2016/02/a-re-typed-version-of-transcript-of.html

Very telling... IF (IF, IF, IF) the purported voicemail actually emanates from the murder scene.
Again, I wish I knew exactly how this garbled voicemail was enhanced (and how much the enhancer knew of the crime story ahead-of-time?). Also, wish I understood better what the various explanations for the time-stamp discrepancy can be?

With that said... it seems like there's no reason to avoid the elephant-in-the-room here... IF the interpretation of voicemail is as some purport then clearly Faith's roommate Karena Rosario is implicated in the crime scene.
I've never leaned in that direction in the past, but of course a great many have (I have leaned toward 2-3 participants coming from The Thrill nightclub).
In the past I've avoided linking to this "statement analysis" of the Rosario's 911 call because I'm skeptical of 'statement analysis' in general (and still don't put a lot of weight in this particular analysis), but I'll link to it now and let others make up their own minds:

http://statement-analysis.blogspot.com/2015/12/911-call-faith-hedgepeth-murder-2012.html?m=1

The names "Dave" and "Big Mike" (from Gasparoli's piece) may also specifically, but more speculatively, point to certain individuals in released documents.  One certainly wishes we could know the answers that Rosario and other key figures gave to various questions under interrogation, but that's not about to happen.
Clearly, the validity of the interpretation of this voicemail needs to be resolved quickly, and with today's digital forensic tools it's hard to believe it can't be done (indeed, hasn't already been done).

Meanwhile, thanks to Tom Gasparoli for being a bulldog on this case... while LE seems to but whimper.

Gasparoli on the Voicemail

Another column from Tom Gasparoli today, now that he has heard the entire 3-minute voicemail referenced earlier, and read a transcript for it... a VERY disturbing column to read (he's also indicated he'll have more to say later):

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/community/durham-news/dn-opinion/article62000817.html

Again, without further details about the voicemail (and I haven't heard it myself, except the snippets presented on TV), I would caution readers against jumping to quick conclusions. BUT clearly, it opens many questions/concerns, including begging the question, WHAT was CHPD doing with this tape for 3 years?

Still, the time-frame issues need to be better resolved... is the phone time-stamp this far off and if so, how come, OR is the official police time-line hugely botched (and if so, how come)?
I think this voicemail story still has some distance to go... in some ways I'd be amazed if this one piece of 3-year-old evidence ends up breaking the case... but, one can hope.

A Voicemail!

Wow!, wasn't expecting to have another post this soon, but one of the local papers today carries a story of an odd, garbled voicemail from Faith's phone on the night of the murder, hitherto unreported by Chapel Hill's 'finest' -- it may indeed have nothing to do with the murder (as they seem to feel), but I suspect few trust their judgment at this point anyway. The story is here:

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/community/chapel-hill-news/article60733021.html

And more importantly it comes directly from this crime-watch show just broadcast today:

http://crimewatchdaily.com/2016/02/16/crime-watch-daily-investigates-the-murder-of-faith-hedgepeth/

(also available, in 5 parts, at YouTube):
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=crime+watch+daily+faith+hedgepeth

I haven't even had time to view it yet (nor listen to the voicemail), so may have more to write later (or perhaps not, if it only seems like overdone hype -- just peculiar that law enforcement felt a scribbled bag note was worth publicly releasing, but this voicemail was not).

ADDENDUM:  I'm late to the table on this; I see Tom Gasparoli has already posted some thoughts about the story/new-info here:

http://www.gaspowrites.com/2016/02/179-terrible-seconds-first-thoughts-on.html

(I'll withhold any thoughts 'til I've reviewed the program and tape for myself.)

ADDENDUM II:  I've given the show a once-over (and parts of it a twice-over) now...

I don't find it convincing... but that's not to say I think it's wrong. It is merely to say, that from what was shown I don't feel confident enough of the forensics and expertise involved to trust the conclusions reached. And unfortunately these type crime programs often hype/exaggerate their findings. The tape analysis and conclusions have been sent to law enforcement, so we'll see (perhaps) if they find the analysis useful or actionable. As a viewer, without knowing further details of the methods, it is simply difficult to judge the validity of the results .
Having said that, the show clearly (without using names) is pointing a finger at at least two people. Frankly, I almost hope the show is wrong, because if it is right about those two individuals who were essentially looked at closely by police early on and turned free, it would be even more damning of law enforcement's competency in this case.
Anyway, somewhere, the truth is out there... and perhaps we are drawing closer to it.....

ADDENDUM III (2/21/16) : just a quick note that local reporter Mark Schultz has now posted again on the voicemail story; nothing really additional to above information, but at least keeping the story up front:
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/community/chapel-hill-news/article61107117.html#storylink=mainstage

Personally, I remain rather skeptical of the voicemail interpretation, but perhaps time will tell otherwise.

3 1/2 Years On....

Tom Gasparoli ran another column on Faith's case a couple weeks back... nothing new, and you can sense Tom's frustration (like all of us) with law enforcement at this point. He apparently posed 20 questions to them, and received no satisfactory answers. They continue to give out little information, yet keep requesting new info from the public... 3+ years on no less... as if any new information (short of a confession or DNA evidence) at this point could even be taken as accurate or credible.

As I've indicated before, more and more it simply appears like a cover-up of a case badly-botched by small-town police and the Durham District Attorney in the first 72 hours following the murder. They continue to expend great effort on jaywalkers and speed traps, but give no sense of what effort is going into catching a murderer-on-the-loose. Perhaps they're hoping we will forget Faith Hedgepeth... despite few articles about her tragedy these days we won't. And across the country, Faith is just one of many such victims.

Tom ends his piece simply, "40 months. 20 questions. Zero answers."  Indeed.
Read it here, if you haven't already seen it:

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/community/durham-news/dn-opinion/article58109918.html