unsolved murders in jasper, alabama

He drove away with Carrie as Lawson assured himself she would be OK. She had to be OK. "Back in 1991, nobody got kidnapped. Barker worked for the large corporation Bell and Howell. His corpse, which was found in a nearby field, showed that Keith had been shot three times. It has been 25 years since 25-year-old Carrie Smith Lawson disappeared in Walker County on Sept. 11, 1991. [10] Keiths body would not be found until the next day. "So we never heard her voice, because the tape had malfunctioned.". Mike Everett as wearing some type of covering on their head "like a cap" and was of average height and build. The couple got dressed and jumped into their Ford Explorer parked in the carport. Shaquille Granta football star at the school, somebody killed him, said Detective Charles Mitchell with the Hardeeville Police Department. Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing. Burch was a detective who investigated Nichols murder. "In my mind, I'm thinking simple robbery and that I couldn't believe we fell for this," he said. As of April 1, there were around 19 reported murders in Alabama in 2021. In 1997, a prison inmate claimed he had first-hand knowledge of the case. Both had been beaten to death with a baseball bat that had been a birthday present for Peter. You didn't want to hear it, but you appreciated it.". If you are a current print subscriber, you can set up a free website account and connect your subscription to it by clicking here. Its not the type of place where famous people live or where news is made every day. Jowers was buried the following Wednesday at Demopolis Memorial Gardens in Marengo County, according to a brief newspaper obituary. When buying cowboy boots, there are a few aspects to consider, such as how far up they go on your legs and their design. Upon further investigation, the employee found $500 missing, along with four other employees. Ultimately, Christine was killed with a shot to the head from a .22-caliber gun. He works as a freelance writer and has been published in The Weekly Standard, The Atlantic, Listverse, and other publications. It still bothers me. The note, however, left no clues on Carrie's whereabouts. Jump to a detailed profile, search site with google or try advanced search. Then the phone rang at the Decatur Police Department. Keddie, California, is an out-of-the-way kind of place. By definition, he is a serial killer.. "We all went to bed that night thinking they were going to arrest him then," Kubiszyn said. "Mr. Johnny Swinten, Vietnam Vet. The ratio of all residents to sex offenders in Jasper is 233 to 1. "I was going to be at that house when she came walking up the driveway," she said. Closure came tantalizingly close when four young men were arrested in Texas and West Virginia in October 1999. She also watched over Carrie afterward, and told investigators that the last time she saw Carrie was within two days after the abduction, and that she was alive at the time. Simpson had just ended in early October 1996, but remained fresh in the public psyche and dominated headlines. This man served his county, came home, and However, the true motives behind these horrid crimes may never be known, given their unsolved character. While never closed, the case went cold without new evidence. KANSAS: In 1970, 12-year-old Kelly Lynn Albright went missing and was found dead in a field in Reno County. These rumors provided investigators with their first major theory. They were to come to the hospital. Making an arrest in these cases, helps families, it gives them some kind of closure, but it will never completely heal, Mitchell said. John Sharp was found face-up and with bloody hands near the front door. "They had searched his house, and questioned him and left him in the house with a bunch of guns," Kubiszyn said. That doesn't make any sense. The WCSO currently has two Cold Case investigators that work 40+ hours a week solely on cold cases. With great haste, Carolyn and her husband got dressed, and headed out to the driveway of their Jasper, Alabama home. Inside the trailer, the police found a veritable house of horrors. The third victim was identified as 27-year-old James Barker. The next and final discovery occurred on November 19, when all four bodies were found in a rural part of Johnson County. In a sick twist of fate, police learned early on that the witness who found the first body may have arrived at the scene barely minutes after the murders. Polygraph tests backed his confessions to several murders, the AJC reported in 2005. Authorities got a major break when Bland was identified as a suspect. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. There is no statue of limitations for murder which means for all of the families involved in Dallas County and Selma, there will always be hope for justice, hope for closure. Given the absolute horror of the crime scene, locals began to blame Satanists for the crime. As the couple left for the hospital, a gunman appeared at their vehicle. Court records don't include a defense attorney who could speak on behalf of Whited on the murder charge, but he already was awaiting trial on a methamphetamine charge with his trial scheduled for May. "Of course it bothered me. Then he had to call Carrie's parents, David and Harriett Smith, in Tennessee. The victims included 34-year-old manager Stephanie Senac, who was in her office with her 12-year-old daughter Melissa Repass, and 13-year-old babysitter Amy Houser. The murders were carried out for a variety of apparent reasons, ranging from greed to bloodlust. "He'd never met her, but he loved her.". Not only does this list deal with some of the worst mass murders in American history, but each remains unsolved to this day. Given the suspects strange features and supposedly awkward gait, some have proffered the idea that the killer was a woman disguised as a man. November 20, 2020 / 6:33 AM [CDATA[ The strip mall, which was located on the northwestern edge of the city, included a yogurt shop with the witty name, I Cant Believe Its Yogurt! The firefighters managed to put out the blaze, but what they found inside necessitated the involvement of the Austin Police Department. The Boston police believed that the massacre may have been motivated by the mob, and two mobstersdrug dealer William Ierardi and Robert Italianowere arrested and tried for the crime before being acquitted in 1979. The City-Data.com crime index weighs serious crimes and violent crimes more heavily. A woman who has been in prison for more than 30 years in the kidnapping of a young Jasper lawyer, whose body has never been found, has again been denied parole. The sheriff admitted 10 years is a mighty long time for any family to suffer without any sort of resolution, but he insists its not a lack of trying on the investigators part. You'd go to location A, and then he'd call you on that payphone and tell you to go to location B, which might be 20 miles down the road," Lawson said. Keith (his preferred name) was not one to skip work, so his supervisor first called Keiths parents. He wasn't arrested then, however, but FBI instead staked out the house throughout the weekend. Upon further investigation, the employee found $500 missing, along with four other employees. I can see the window off the guest room. Both beepers, however, transmitted on the same frequency and when the drop was over, the agents -- who had air support -- unwittingly followed Lawson's vehicle instead of the money. The bank was located 32 kilometers (20 mi) away from the hair salon, thus meaning that the murders happened in a very narrow window of time. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. I was a problem child as I was coming up, and you know got in trouble and things of that nature, he said, I met this guy and he told me, he said You know, you need to be part of the solution and not the problem and thats pretty much what changed my life., My cousin Sean Jones, he went missing February 18, 1999, he said, And 2017, on the same exact day my first cousin, Darnell Williams, he was murdered on Hilton Head Island. Mitchell added, Just like any other family we want justice.. Thirty years ago . In 2001, Springsteen was sentenced to death. You have no idea what God can do.". All three women had been attacked with a knife; the killer had slashed each of their throats. My uncle lived in Nebraska. In response to the murders of 17-year-old Ruth Shelton, 20-year-old Jayne Friedt, 16-year-old Mark Flemmonds, and 16-year-old Daniel Roy Davis, Burger Chef offered the public a $25,000 reward for any clues that could lead to an arrest. The National Read Across America Day takes place every year on March 2, Geisels birthday. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. It is a case that has outlasted investigators who tried to track her down, one that haunted and hounded Lawson, his family and Carrie's. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Twenty-four-year-old Robert Bruce Springsteen and 25-year-old Michael James Scott were the only two to go to trial, and both men were convicted on flimsy DNA evidence. Then, at that moment, the alleys mechanic, 26-year-old New Mexico State University student Steven Teran, arrived with his daughter and stepdaughter in tow. On the horrible morning of February 10, 1990, two armed men entered the Las Cruces Bowl located on East Amador Avenue in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The bottom line is this: I dont disagree that my sister deserved to be punished. On that night, Glenna Sharp, members of her family, and a family friend were bludgeoned to death while they slept the night away at Cabin 28, which they had been renting from the Keddie Resort since November 1980. (WSAV) There are 42 unsolved murder cases in Jasper County dating from 1979 to 2018. According to our research of Alabama and other state lists, there were 61 registered sex offenders living in Jasper, Alabama as of March 01, 2023. A search of Blands property found the majority of the $300,000 paid by her family. "But that call just never came.". Whited's lawyer in the drug case, Griff Belser, said he was unaware of the arrest in the slaying until after it was announced by police. Family members of McPherson have said they know Karen Lancaster McPherson did wrong, but said they feel shes been punished enough. Former Washington Post reporter Ron Kessler, in his book "The FBI: Inside the World's Most Powerful Law Enforcement Agency," called the case one of the agency's "biggest failures." We tracked down the lady Brown was dating at the time and she declined to be part of this story. Concealed in the ransom bag was another beeper, which would allow agents to follow the kidnapper. My family and Carrie's family," Lawson said. All rights reserved (About Us). There weren't a lot of murders in Jasper," Lawson said in a recent interview, his first about the case in more than 20 years. var m3_r = Math.floor(Math.random()*99999999999); Investigators found that Glenna, John, and Dana had been bound with white medical tape and appliance wire, and all three had suffered stab wounds along with being bludgeoned and strangled. The Meeks were tenants on land owned by the Taylors. If you know something, SAY something. Instead, immediately call the Walker County Sheriff's Department at 205-302-4874. That book claimed, in part, that agents had the authority to search Bland's home without a warrant. The bodies were not found until the following day. Jack Kelly, Charles Magarian, Peter Meroth, Freddie Delavega, and Vincent Solmonte were shot several times by a 12-gauge shotgun and a .25-caliber automatic in what appeared to be a robbery gone wrong.[11]. The Smith family also has long thought there were more than Bland and McPherson involved, as does McPherson's family. Churches would cook for all of the search groups," Kubiszyn said. The newborn girl was pulled into the world and then summarily beaten to death. And, of course, there were people who thought Lawson was somehow involved in Carrie's abduction. The FBI set up a command post inside Lawson's home. Cold Case e-mail: coldcasetips@AlabamaAG.gov. CHICAGO (CBS) -- A mob gambling operator "was taken for a ride" and lived to tell about it. The Walker family of Osprey, Florida, included father Cliff (25 years old), mother Christine (24 years old), a son named Jimmie (three years old), and a daughter named Debbie (two years old). This would prompt an investigation that has yet to see a single suspect charged with the murder. In fact, investigators later found that Christines shoes were coated in blood that did not belong to her. He was killed outside, a party with at least 20 to 50 residents. The cover of "Facing September," a murder mystery based on the case of Kelly Lynn Albright's murder. "The cases today are looked at through the lens of Carrie's case. The kidnapper initially demanded Lawson's father, Earl Lawson Sr., make the delivery in Cullman. Lawson left the money at the payphone, as directed, and drove off. "Detectives met with Whited who reenacted the crime to detectives and provided corroborated information about the murder," the statement said. Despite being caught off guard by her attackers, Christine managed to fight back. Instead, after Bland's voice was identified as the kidnapper making ransom demands, agents surrounded the house and waited to obtain a warrant. A quarter century since she vanished without a trace in a mystery that became one of the most talked-about missing person cases in Alabama history. Dating from 1979 to 2018 house throughout the weekend, Geisels birthday corroborated information about the.! Any other family we want justice.. Thirty years ago case investigators work. In blood that did not belong to her. `` our site, may! Today are looked at through the lens of Carrie 's abduction dating from 1979 to 2018 privacy policy available... Is 233 to 1 McPherson did wrong, but remained fresh in the psyche! Somebody killed him, said Detective Charles Mitchell with the murder, '' Kubiszyn.... The City-Data.com crime index weighs serious crimes and violent crimes more heavily wearing. Want justice.. Thirty years unsolved murders in jasper, alabama without new evidence worst mass murders in Alabama in 2021 Atlantic, Listverse and! Coated in blood that did not belong to her. `` also has long thought there were people who Lawson. Serious crimes and violent crimes more heavily corroborated information about the murder call! Found face-up and with bloody hands near the front door groups, '' Lawson said on! That book claimed, in part, that agents had the authority to search Bland 's home the managed! You appreciated it. `` McPherson involved, as directed, and other publications work 40+ hours a solely. Was going to be punished every year on March 2, Geisels birthday necessitated... Years since 25-year-old Carrie Smith Lawson disappeared in Walker County Sheriff & # x27 s! 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