Morgan Harrington Murder: A Security Check On Security- Why Did It Fail?
Charlottesville, VA-
On the afternoon of October 17, 2009, Morgan Harrington and three of her friends drove to John Paul Jones Arena, located on the University of Virginia campus, to attend a long-anticipated Metallica concert. Following an apparent fall and chin injury occurring around the time she was visiting the ladies room, Morgan ended up outside the arena and attempted to gain re-entry to the venue.
How and why she got there comes in at a baffling second only compared to what happened to her next.
Nine months ago Dr. Dan and Gil Harrington, Morgan’s parents were notified their daughter was missing which is when their nightmare began.
On November 5, 2009, the day before a search which was organized at the request of the Harrington’s was to commence, a vintage black Pantera t-shirt placed on a bush in front of an apartment complex at the intersection near 15th Street and Grady Ave. was located by a nearby resident.
While this discovery was not released publicly, Charlottesville PD knew immediately it belonged to Morgan Harrington. Sara Snead, one of the friends that accompanied Morgan to the concert, immediately confirmed the distinct vintage design that compelled Morgan to borrow the t-shirt from her a week before the show.
Subsequently, DNA analysis confirmed the t-shirt was indeed the same one Morgan was wearing the night she disappeared.
On January 26, 2010 the remains of Morgan Harrington were discovered by David Bass, owner of Anchorage Farm, located in Albemarle County. Although her cause of death has not been released, her manner of death has been classified as a homicide by the Virginia State Police.
Dan and Gil Harrington marked the nine-month anniversary of Morgan’s disappearance from her memorial on Copeley Bridge 4 days ago.
Gil Harrington’s impassioned statement made it clear that her family’s mission is to prevent what happened to Morgan from happening to another victim and their goal is to educate young women about safety and personal security.
On July 1st, based upon an article posted on blinkoncrime.com inside sources confirmed a forensic link between Morgan’s homicide and a Fairfax County Case. Research on this case indicates it was a violent sexual assault that happened in 2005. The victim assisted in the sketch of a man police wish to interview in connection with both the Fairfax assault as well as the apparent abduction and murder of Morgan Harrington. .
What did it mean to the investigation and to the parents of young women in Charlottesville? We have a serial offender on the loose in multiple jurisdictions and an immediate need to beef up personal security.
As our very vulnerable student body returns to campus next month, blinkoncrime.com provides a glimpse at current conditions.
Unregulated Regulations In Security
The 2004 General Assembly, through House Joint Resolution (HJR122), requested the Virginia State Crime Commission to study safety at Virginia’s institutions of higher education. As a result, DCJS created the Office of Campus Policing and Security (OCPS) to address the law requiring minimum training and employment standards for campus security officers.
Campus Security Regulations for Institutions of Higher Education in the State of Virginia, fall under the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) Private Security Services Advisory Board. Below is an excerpt of the unapproved draft meeting notes of their quarterly meeting held December 8, 2009; the first and only since Morgan’s disappearance from JPJ.
The issue of safety and security on college campuses was addressed in a 2006 Crime Commission Study on Campus Safety. This study resulted in the statutory requirements under Code of Virginia (Code) §9.1-102 (49).
College populations represent a large concentration of students between the ages of 18-25 years with limited supervision and life experience. In terms of homeland security, campuses are identified as “soft targets” and are frequently targeted by domestic and foreign terrorists. Campuses also house volatile materials and research facilities that are also targeted by radical elements in society. Campuses host large stadium events and concerts that are potential targets for terrorism and riots. Most campuses also have facilities that are open to the public and are relatively difficult to secure and lockdown. Campus Security Officers are primary first responders to incidents of crime and violence on campus.
Although UVA campus security officers require a certification provided by DCJS, there are ZERO regulatory standards for certification. It was NOT until Morgan Harrington disappeared from the grounds of the JPJ Arena that emergency regulations were sought from Governor Bob McDonnell.
How does a woman on the campus of a University that provides it’s very own Police Department in addition to event security simply vanish without a trace?
By the time Morgan ends up in a hay field 7 miles away, she has passed through 3 different law enforcement jurisdictions and a slew of private campus and event security agencies and personnel. While private security regulations fall under the umbrella of the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, they also require a judicial amendment only if and when they are approved via “emergency” status by the Governor.
Who’s Looking Out For The Kids, Exactly?
As the safety on campus study showed, our college age kids are at their most vulnerable in the University setting. Out from under the watchful eye of Mom and Dad and wading through the rich culture and nightlife of downtown Charlottesville, students face a host of potential safety risks.
In fact, during the very development of this article, I received an alert from UVA security that a UVA student was sexually assaulted in the area of Roosevelt Boulevard. While I commend the swift response and warning from UVA PD chief Michael Gibson, I can’t help but wonder if a similar alert upon learning Morgan disappeared from the UVA/JPJ campus would have made a difference for her.
A simple Google of “Charlottesville security” produces the front page for HH Security Services, Inc, a local private security and bail bonding firm. I am no expert but isn’t it a bit odd to claim to protect one’s security and then bond out someone that may threaten it in the first place?
Who is vetting the security that is responsible for ensuring safety?
While HH Security or it’s employees have no known ties whatsoever to the Harrington case, it is a prime example of the weakness of current security regulations, involving students and private events, 6 years in the making.
At H & H Security Services, Inc. we specialize in Private Investigation, Private Security both armed and unarmed as well as fast efficient Civil Process Service. Our full-time professional agents are well trained, well equipped, well informed, and discreet.? Owner Rod Howard is a native of Charlottesville and central Virginia, where he’s been a well respected business owner for over twenty years. H & H Security Services, Inc. is his vehicle in his effort to help serve and protect the community he grew up in. Over the years he’s assembled a team of certified and experienced personnel who share his commitment to the safety of the community.
HH Security, in a business journal ad, claims to hire members of law enforcement and be very well connected with various police departments and security agencies for nightclubs, special events and home security checks as well in 2007.
HH Security is the security firm of choice for Club 216, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Rivals, which are bars frequently visited by UVA students and athletes.
Roderick M Howard, owner of HH Security and H&H Car detailing maintains active licenses issued through the VA Dept of Criminal Justice Services for private security and as a bailbondsman.
While blinkoncrime editors were researching this piece, a review of Albemarle County Court records show Roderick Howard was arrested for felony rape in 1993, subsequently indicted for same and a year later on the first day of trial, pled guilty to misdemeanor sexual battery whereby he was sentenced to 12 months, 11 of which were suspended and two years unsupervised probation.
Howard was also arrested a few times for felony bad checks; both cases ended nolle prosequi.
How can an accused rapist and convicted sexual batterer hold a dual license in the private security sector as well as two classifications of firearms, all of which is monitored by the VADCJS? It is specifically stated in the regulations regarding moral turpitude AND sexual battery that the VADCJS MAY DENY an applicant on those grounds.
According to Mr. Howard’s own advertisement, he has been in the security industry since 1989. Would that mean he was employed in the security field when he was arrested for rape?
Shockingly, It may be perfectly legal. Although the administrative statute for licensure prohibits granting a license to someone with a misdemeanor sexual battery conviction, if Howard divulged the crime in his application and requested a waiver from the director at the time, it is possible one was granted.
Blinkoncrime.com spoke to Lisa McGee, Regulatory Program Manager for DCJS, private security advisory committee:
“…there is a code in the statute that allows the potential for both an individual convicted of a felony and the outlined misdemeanors exceptions contained therein to obtain a director’s waiver. Two felonies we would never even consider are rape and murder, but dependent upon the criminal offense, the circumstances and the length of time that has transpired with a clean record, the verbiage in the statute would allow an applicant to at least request a waiver for our consideration…” Lisa McGee
Ms. McGee was not able to address Mr. Howard’s file specifically, citing privacy laws, but she was able to verify that Mr. Howard’s registration with the agency is current.
There are however, some discrepancies in the press release written to announce the “restructuring” of both companies, announced October 19th.
For starters, there was only a name change to Mr. Howard’s business, which actually took place prior to the October 19 release date, in May, 2009.
These are not two separate businesses. In fact, the bailbondsman license issued to Mr. Howard’s agent, Anthony Halstead, leads back to Accelerated Bail Bonds, which is not a listed entity in the state of Virginia or listed as a fictitious name for H&H Security Services.
I would be willing to wager that the police departments that allow off duty security employment with this firm would appreciate some clarification on both the personnel and licensing issues.
There has been no arrest in the homicide of Morgan Harrington. In a statement released by Corrine Geller, PR manager for the Virginia State Police, VSP has received approximately 100 significant leads from the release of the sketch of the alleged perpetrator of the 2005 Fairfax County sex assault.
Dan and Gil Harrington will be meeting with new University of Virginia President, Teresa Sullivan, next month to address safety and security issues on campus.
“..People think it cannot happen to them, IT CAN– Dan Harrington.”
Editors Note: I am not a resident of Virginia. However, I think the interest of the safety of our children is a National one. Any person that is placed in a position of public trust, most especially those that come into contact with our vulnerable students, should be REQUIRED to disclose past convictions that would negate them that position without some sort of subjective “pass”. How can we know-TRULY KNOW the level of presumed safety if we really aren’t aware of the backgrounds of those in charge of it?
Blinkoncrime.com editors Jason Mateos, Elizabeth Morton and Madeline Tanner contributed to this report
Images by Klaasend
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Oops, one more thing…both suspects in Eve Carson’s murder were caught on surveillance cameras using her ATM card. Combined with the fact that someone called a tip line and told police where to find them made the case a lot easier to solve.
Also, I think it’s worth mentioning that at least one of the suspects participated in a murder of a Duke grad student in his apartment 3 months earlier. Obviously, if that case had been solved faster, Eve might still be alive.
Don’t get me wrong–I’m not knocking law enforcement in either state. I’m just saying I’m not sure it’s fair to compare how quickly two completely different cases were solved.
But I do agree the fact the Rte 29/Colonial Parkway murders are still open is an abomination. Unfortunately, I think the problem is too many hands in the pie–since each case is being handled by a separate state or federal authority.
We’ve already seen how badly that can turn out in the Chandra Levy case. Park police knew 2 other women had been attacked in Rock Creek Park but somehow that info never made it to the DC Police investigating her disappearance…although they knew she was heading to Rock Creek that day.
I don’t know how we do it, but somehow we’ve got to get all these law enforcement agencies to stop playing king of the hill and start playing in the sandbox together. It’s ridiculous that everyone’s so busy marking their territory that it’s jeopardizing more lives and keeping families from getting some degree of closure.
RE: links to louisa shootings
if i am not mistaken DM (or is it more properly DMW?)was one of the roomates at sutherland. DM is fb friends with accelerated bb and SH of the same. DM is also fb friends with a sponaugle, whom appears to be the sister of the deceased charlie sponaugle jr. which i guess would also make her the daughter of the shooter.
idk what to make of these connections, as i understand, louisa is a pretty small place, where everyone knows everyone, so i am trying to keep that in mind.
that is the most significant connection i can see, if i am right about the sutherland roomate. but on top of that, you can sprinkle some shifflet, morris and pugh names in the mix. all ngvff names too.
tangled web indeed.
^^^ oops, just realized i meant DWM.
To the Harrington’s:
We are still here for you. We will be right here until the monsters are pulled out from under the bed and shoved into the daylight!
As I have talks with my own little Morgan about safety and bad people in this world, your beautiful daughter Morgan is in my heart. Your Morgan is like a light in many of us now that guides us to look out for not only our children but other children as well. Children of all ages.
I’m sorry you had to share her with us under these circumstances, but but please know she is guiding many of us in the right direction because of who she is. And she is who she is because of her parents.
God Bless your family. I’m so, so sorry you have to live this nightmare. I do admire how gracefully you live it.
Sincerely,
Pam in Virginia
Thanks Jeez
RU MOM- its okay- please stay- We have all had post remorse- its okay- We understand
MSL- don’t step back- plow forward- you give us all much to think about
Susan- I agree that the unsolved crimes in the area are worrisome. Thanks for your well thought out post. I am, the “@someone” that you addressed in your 9:37 am comment-I was trying to smooth over your post regarding the pit bulls-
you wrote:
“Pit bulls have a bad reputation. I don;t know what would make someone want to keep one as a pet, but maybe they are gentle dogs and good pets and I am just misinformed? I am not in any way implicating the pit bull owner, I am just wondering if this group was used to living dangerously, if they had a pit bull in the house?”
I did not mean to put words in your mouth,Susan. I chose the word abomination- to sum up what bad reputation pit bulls have gotten.
I could have used different words to describe their bad reputation – However, abomination fit
abomination–noun
anything greatly disliked or abhorred. hate, object of extreme dislike ; widely condemned, ruthlessness, savagery, viciousness-
I like others here, believe pitbulls have gotten a bum rap- Viciousness depends on the dog- just like all people are not killers or miscreants. I feel sorry for the pit bull that died in that fire. I feel sorry for any pit bull owner, that had to get rid of, or put down their beloved pet- because their breed was outlawed in their town.
Pit bulls have jaws that lock down when they bite- and this makes their bite deadly & scary. Contrary to popular belief, there are more nice pit bulls than there are those that have attacked. They can be the most loving, loyal, gentle pets- they would never harm a fly- but their reputation however, is a different matter & what you were discussing-
Just so there isnt a misunderstanding, going off of only pit bulls reputations- I think your question regarding ownership of a pit-
is common and somewhat valid- Does one own one because of his love of his dog & the beauty of the breed?- Or does one choose to get a pit, because he feels he needed its reputation to scare off people?
Joseph Michael Fowler, 20, of Adamstown, Maryland, was charged with one count of felony aggravated sexual assault and one county of misdemeanor sexual battery, both of a child under the age of 15.
http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/101337294.html
This was not a he said- she said crime. This POS pleaded guilty to felony aggravated assault and misdemeanor sexual battery and he got NO jail time. Who is he assaulting and violating now? We cannot continue to look the other way. I am utterly disgusted with this Judge (Dwight D. Johnson).
The monsters who murdered Morgan most likely began with misdemeanor sexual assaults also.
actually that is not correct. He plead only to the misdemenaor, from what I can tell, the girls were minors and either did not wish to publicly testify or were advised against it, either way, that is the reason for the dropped felony.
B
to all: I know a few of you did not understand my agenda at first, and possibly thought I was against Charlottesville, in particular, which is absolutely untrue.
My agenda is that Virginia has some first rate Universities, and I am very very discouraged that these ‘public ivies’ as they have come to be called are tarnished with unsolved murders of our young people. That goes for William and Mary, with the Colonial Parkway murders, UVA with Morgan’s Murder, the Route 29 murders being so close to UVA. The couple recently killed in the western part of the state, (Tech), and so on, and so on.
I probably do not even need to mention what happened at Tech with the Cho individual. But that was “solved.”
I am not sure our General Assembly here in Virginia is getting the picture, that parents, taxpayers want excellence for their kids, and we have excellence in all of our state universities–per se. But there is too much unsolved crime around all of the universities, and that is totally unacceptable.(!)
I think we (I) need to make a big noise to my representatives, that solving the Colonial Parkway Murders, for instance, now that we have the tools, may lead to close out other serial killers still in operation in VA, and the Alicia Showalter Reynolds murder, so similar to Morgan’s, in location, why has dna analysis not revisited that crime? I could blather on with others, but the point is that crime solving is a cost not a revenue producer, and I fear that in the past several years Virginia has put state troopers on the road writing tickets for 65 in a 60 or 75 in a 70 at the expense of crime lab funding and homicide detective salaries. The tickets produce revenue for the Commonwealth, and income for the court system. ( and they certainly do promote safety, to a certain extent, there is no denying that.) But balance is needed. It would be interesting to hear Col. Flaherty discuss this issue.
I can come to no other conclusion, than that crime solving of major crimes involving young people, college students has taken a back seat. And this is a darn shame, because it compromises the Universities which we support as contributors and taxpayers, and undermines them in a very insidious way. I hope that our new Governor and the General Assembly will see to it that the funds are found to get to the bottom of this mess of unsolved crimes, and, the sooner, the better.
Dear Mrs. Harrington. We’re not going anywhere. We want justice for Morgan. We will all be here until whoever did this is caught. Many many people care about Morgan. You’re not alone.
Blink,
Did you get these and are holding or did they get lost. Sorry to be a pain.
36.Eloise says:
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
August 24, 2010 at 10:05 pm
Blink,
I came across one of our young family member’s video page on fb. Some enlightening footage here and there, though it is dark most of the time. If you are interested.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000129282316#!/profile.php?id=100001407496870&v=wall
37.Eloise says:
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
August 24, 2010 at 10:53 pm
Sorry, but I must have alot to say today. Concerned MOM thanks for bringing the carnival article over. The more times people hear about these ridiculous sentences, hopefully we can do something to rid of these idiots. Wait til his dtr or grandchild gets fondled, I imagine he might change his tune. What I dont get is that even if the law allows a range even if not substantial enough, the judges appear to lean toward leniency. Why is that?
Evening prayer:
Please let our faithful BOC members get along and get to work on finding justice to our dear Morgan. Amen
I heart you.
Your up
B
deetee says @ 1:32 8/25:
~snip
if i am not mistaken DM (or is it more properly DMW?)was one of the roomates at sutherland. DM is fb friends with accelerated bb and SH of the same. DM is also fb friends with a sponaugle, whom appears to be the sister of the deceased charlie sponaugle jr. which i guess would also make her the daughter of the shooter.
*****
I am with you on SH and I think DWM, but I cant find the other connection you are speaking of. I dont see DM as accelerated friend on fb, or either of them having the spignole person. What am I missing? Other than that, lol!, I am totally feeling your concern.
Blink- Just a head’s up that I will be posting a comment with several links- Telling you this in the hopes that it doesn’t get moved to spam- much thanks
Look forward to it. FYI, since the new server and site upgrade, the link thing has not been a problem whatsoever, link away.
B
I remember reading about the fire that claimed beloved local drummer Johnny Gilmore. However, until the recent discussion of Gilmore, I hadn’t thought to learn more about him.
I am glad that I did, as I have learned a great deal, and have even realized that I know and like many of the bands in which Mr.Gilmore played.
Anyone reading the many articles and comments on Mr. Gilmore can tell that he had many friends and was someone that had a positive impact on Charlottesville and the community.
But I must say that in reading all of these articles and their comments- I come away questioning the finding that a lit cigarette left smoldering caused the flash fire that ultimately took Mr. Gilmore’s life.
It was reported by a neighbor next to Johnny’s room that he had been talking to him no more than an hour and 1/2 before. On the Hook, another person, 91_STAR posted that he was the last person to have spoken to Johnny, in a phone conversation, and that Johnny had a gig to attend.
The Daily Progress reported that police arrived at the scene and reached the top of the steps before smoke forced them to turn back.
FF said the fire started near the foot of Gilmore’s bed, and officials didn’t find anything on the floor to indicate how Gilmore ended up there.
In a October 23rd press conference it was said that “by the time firefighters arrived on the scene about five minutes after the 9:25pm 911 call came in, the room had already “flashed over,” a condition in which the temperature has risen so high (typically 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit) that material suddenly combusts.”
This is such a sad sad tragedy. In reading the comments, I also learned that Mr. Gilmore’s 73 year old father is now without a home, and had no money and was unable to even pay for his son’s services.
I hope there was a thorough investigation. I hope that Mr. Gilmore’s father was helped by the many well wishers and memorial funds that were set up in tribute to his very talented son.
Snipped-
Friends described Gilmore as a talented, versatile musician.
“Any style you can imagine, he could just flip a switch and he could hit [it],” said Aric van Brocklin, a bandmate of Gilmore’s. Gilmore had played in countless bands, Munson said. During the 1980s, he even subbed with the Dave Matthews Band a few times” Axxording to his obituary he also played with “the Fabulous Thunderbirds, John Medeski of Medeski, Martin and Wood, David Fiuczynski of Screaming Headless Torso with Meshell Ndgeocello, Tim Reynolds of TR3/DMD, The Powerhouse Trio with Jamal Millner and Houston Ross, The Chickenhead Blues Band, Christian Breeden, Jay Pun and Mowenna, George Melvin, Raleigh Gray, Soko, Alma, Plutonium and Phatness.”
http://www2.dailyprogress.com/news/cdp-news-local/2009/oct/24/musicians_rally_in_wake_of_fatal_fire-ar-99032/
http://www2.nelsoncountytimes.com/news/2009/nov/11/obituaries_-_nov_11_2009-ar-52336/
http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2009/10/23/drummer-lost-fire-victim-was-johnny-gilmore/
I will end this with a youtube clip of Mr Gilmore playing drums with Corey Harris and the 5 by 5 band, which I found courtesy of a post on the Hook-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoBqwknGc-g&feature=related
tracylee, I wrote earlier that I was stepping back from the discussion, and for all intents and purposes I am. I do want to say though that no matter the case, LE should not be worried about protecting their turf. The concern should not be who gets the credit for solving a crime but rather doing everything possible to get bad guys off the street. Your statistics are very interesting. I believe the reason numbers are low for a lot of college campuses is because sexual assaults, regular assaults, robberies, etc, while perhaps involving student on student, do not happen on the actual grounds of the school therefore the cases fall under the jurisdiction of the surrounding communities. Even though Yeardley Love was a student at UVA and her boyfriend was also a student, her death will be listed as a crime statistic for the City of Charlottesville. If Morgan is found to have died in Albemarle County, even if her killer is proven to be a University student, the death itself, regardless of where she was taken, will be a statistic in Albemarle County. I think I am right about how statistics are recorded, but if anyone knows that I am wrong, please to not hesitate to correct me.
Cosmo you’re no longer morale leader lol.
Question: Is DWM that was a roommate at Sutherland the same security/EMT DW/DM who had the Irish-loving friend in a wheelchair??!!
There is no roomate from Sutherland that was DWM or DM, so I am confused.
B
switching gears to look at some of “sketch’s” doings:
http://www.trulia.com/homes/map/Virginia/Fairfax/sold/460260-11134-Rock-Garden-Dr-Fairfax-VA-22030
I hope this link works, it is a map showing the Giant on Jermantown RD, and if you scroll up you will (hopefully) see that I have marked Rock Garden Road, where the victim of the 2005 attack says she was dragged after she was leaving the Giant, and walking along Jermantown Road.
If you look to the east(?) side of the Rock Garden Road, it looks like a swimming pool area?? which she mentioned in one account, in another account, she was taken to a little park, probably same place.
Points to consider:
1.Sketch was on foot, no car.
2. He attacked and carried a woman some distance away, for his crime,
3. Across from Rock Garden RD, I cannot quite make out what is there, but it looks industrial,commercial, under construction maybe, and perhaps not quite complete, from the entrance roads, etc, we do not know what was there in 2005, and in fact, we do not know when this map was constructed.
4. This is subjective on my part, but it seems that Sketch is highly impulsive, maybe can;t control himself?? Or is it that he has got it all under control and planned out?
5. A lot of construction was going on in N VA in 2005, this area likely as well. Sketch, despite his limitations could possibly manage to get a job as a construction laborer, quite easily.
6. I think we would have heard about the news if Sketch had been apprehended, in the form of a police announcement. The silence in finding this guy is concerning.
7. I stumbled across some post last night that said that ‘police may think he changed his identity’ to elude. I DO NOT know if that is what police think, it may be a RUMOR.
Please add any comments to this as you think of them…..
PS: in the above, the places are most clear if you click on “hybrid” and click on “grocery stores” to highlight the Giant on Jermantown RD, the red dot I have placed on Rock Garden is just meant to highlight the street, not an actual address.
oops, I think the swmming pool area is on the left (west?) of the Rock Garden Road.
Also wanted to add, my 8:20 a.m. comment is not intended to address the issue of under-reported crime statistics for Universities and colleges. I was only commenting on crimes that are reported and recorded on and near college campuses. That’s the reason I posted earlier, when my children head off to college, I will also take a look at the statistics for the jurisdictions immediately adjoining their schools of choice. The fun places the kids will frequent are almost always going to be located off campus, or off grounds ala UVA. I don’t know the actual numbers, but a good many, if not a majority of upperclass students will also live someplace other than dormitories either by necessity or choice.
http://celebrifi.com/gossip/Morgan-Harrington-Suspect-Wanted-2894486.html
Here is the link which says that “police think suspect may have changed his identity to elude investigators.”
I do not vouch for the reliability of this link, but it is out there.
Sorry, again multiple thoughts about one topic. No matter how carefully parents investigate the safety record for their child’s college and surrounding communities, there are going to be situations completely beyond their control. College students cannot be kept in a cotton lined box of protection no matter how much we at home might wish to do just that. I am sure Dr. and Mrs. Harrington did their parental due diligence in regard to Tech. They had no way of knowing an obviously disturbed young man would create such a horror on that campus. Even with every crime statistic in hand about Tech, they could not possibly have been warned that their daughter would cross paths with a terribly evil person on or near another college campus. As parents, we do the best we can for our children and try to instill in them a sense of their own vulnerabilities without crossing the line and taking away their zest for life.
Thank you Mom3.0 – Johnny Gilmore obviously was a local treasure. I feel so very, very sad for his father. Thank you for succinctly writing what I was thinking but could not express well enough. His untimely and awful death is illogical. and puzzling.
dolce
There are people who know, I am certain of it.
I am willing to bet they read here and on FindMorgan.com
How they can read the heart-felt words of the Harringtons and the weight of knowing or being able to bring this fasmily closure not be too much to bear, I don’t understand. Not made of the same fibers as us.
Let me take a different approach.
Lt. Radar has given people the opportunity to call the tipline and annonomously tell LE what they know.
If you do not take the chance when it is given to you and LE finds out on their own that you had this knowledge, then you will be charges too.
Are you willing to take that risk to protect someone?
blink, having some trouble with your site. i hit submit, and i don’t see waiting in moderation anymore. so i try to repost, and it says looks like a duplicate. happened on several occasions now. here is what i was trying to post, hope this works:
mary says:
August 26, 2010 at 8:34 am
Question: Is DWM that was a roommate at Sutherland the same security/EMT DW/DM who had the Irish-loving friend in a wheelchair??!!
There is no roomate from Sutherland that was DWM or DM, so I am confused.
B
__________________________________
this is my bad blink, i am confused on the initials of the roomate at sutherland. i posted recently that he was a roommate there, apparently incorrectly. what are the initials of the male sutherland roomate, if you can relay?
eloise, looks like i am mixed up too, but there is in fact a DM, friends with accelerated and a sponaugle (SS). also friends with SH.
This posted fine.
I am not releasing the names or initials of the Sutherland roomates.
B
@MsL You’re right and thanks for responding to my comment. The site I gave does list stats for off-campus and public property crimes as well (public property in the midst of the campus) if anyone wants to see them. And yes, those would be important to look at when considering colleges.
The only reason I didn’t post all those numbers was b/c the post was already getting lengthy. But I did notice that Eve Carson didn’t show up in any of these categories for 2008 so I’m not exactly sure how the tabulating is done.
Susan, thanks for posting the Fairfax map. I’m at work right now but hopefully I can take a closer look tonight.
You are welcome Dolce-
I have to say if I were Mr. Gilmore’s family or friends I would certainly have questions about the fire.
I was really amazed to learn that Mr. Gilmore played with so many people and bands. It is a shame that it doesn’t seem like very many outside of Virginia know of him.
Miss Jenny Bass’s comment about everyone knowing everyone keeps ringing in my ears today- to think that Johnny Gilmore played with many of the musicians/bands that have been mentioned here. It seems the Charlottesville music scene is an even smaller world than I imagined. Especially for those with real talent.
Yes Dolce- I hope that his father is doing okay. What a horrible tragedy indeed.
Thanks for letting me know about the upgrades Blink- I’ll be sure to post away…. although,just now, I’ve got nothing.
Susan
Your map/photo of the Giant Food store area has a 2010 date. There is utility construction going on adjacent to the highway. You can see a large tracked backhoe working.
Sketch could indeed be a construction worker. These guys that have previous criminal records have a difficult time getting work in other areas. He could be working for a company that does highway and utility work with heavy equipment. These companies try to keep their crews together by moving them to a community where the work takes place. If these workers do not take a family with them, several will rent an apartment together somewere near the work area. They often stay in the area from one to six months.
If a crane is used, it requires that a person or two working in the classification of “Rigger” work on the ground to make up cables and slings to lift things. These people develop enormous strength in their upper bodies as the result of lifting and placing heavy cables and slings and other binder equipment.
We havn’t any information regarding construction projects in and around UVA and Charlettsviille in october 2009.
I am thinking that VSP should run DNA profiles, if any exist, for the rapes along hwy 29. There could have been bridge repair and construction contracted by the state or county on hwy 29.
All of what Gil writes is thought provoking and heart wrenching but
That is a pretty Sad Poem from Gil posted at Scared Monkeys..
It is no reality show for me Gil.
It is a nightmare for you and every parent or family member of every victim of violent crime.
It is your daughter and it could be anyones daughter or son or father,mother,sister,brother.
I want to see LE find the culprit that did this.
Until that time I monitor the situation from California so that you have 100-4-1 or more to support your efforts and to back you 2 up in your 2-4-1 effort to find the culprit that murdered your daughter.
I do research from here and can write letters to authorities or news media from here.
I do not get caught up in nonsense of average people posting there feelings as this is a serious situation that belongs to you.
The only feelings that matter to me are your feelings. The purpose of these forums is for research and organization of that research and Blink does and excellent job in that.
We are here for You Mr. and Mrs. Harrington 100-4-1 or more.
jmho
Tracylee
Your remarks about Eve Carson in North Carolina are not complete. LE
did do their job on the two perps. Each of them had been picked up three times prior to the attack on Eve. Each time they were able to be released by the courts for one reason or another. The last one is the most grevious of all where the paperwork was sent to another court and the judge decided to punish LE for making a mistake by letting them go.
The parole system in NC is simply non functional. Both perps would fit the profile of a career criminal, yet they were not kept in prison.
My great grandfather was born in Southern North Carolina in the early part of the 19th centry. He probably along with his contempories would have gone “judge hunting” if that had happened in his time.
We can go “judge hunting” in a different way by keeping an eye on the courts and letting them know that they are there for the protection of the people. If they do not do this, then the people will take steps to have them removed.
@ A Texas Grandfather August 26, 2010 at 2:37 pm
If I remember correctly, there was an gasoline spill in the vicinity of Anchorage Farm, contaminating the water. I can’t find the article, but this one here is on the topic in general.
http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=121304062461064&ShowArticle_ID=11802906094284217
A friend of mine works as an engineer for a company specializing in this type of contamination, and she told me that it requires extensive work.
Hi, Texas Grandfather,
Good eyes on spotting the backhoe, I’ve half a mind to call that Giant store and find out what the construction across the way may be.
I think you are right about Sketch being in construction, a rigger.
Are the types of projects on highways like RT 29 more similar to a Sketch skillset, or would any project with cranes be up his alley?
I was remembering that President Casteen remarked about all of the construction during his tenure, and so I earmarked the UVA construction webpages:
http://www.fm.virginia.edu/fpc/FeaturedProjects.htm
I suspect that UVA would screen the construction workers, though, better than a highway project, at least I hope.
Now as to how Sketch got to know AF, that is the next question.
Mom3.0: Thanks for providing that clip with J. Gilmore and friends. He was a fantastic drummer; I like what someone said about him keeping time- he hit the beat at the last possible moment of the count, which says to me that he liked to push the artistic envelope. Very cool.
Yes, I still wonder too about J Gilmore’s death and its circumstances. Although I wonder about everyone with respect to this case. Yes, Texas G, I think that is an excellent query to make re: construction sites occurring within proximity of these cases.
However, I would like to believe that LE is merely strengthening their case at this point and will have some answers for the community in good time re: MDH and her family.
RE: current construction and traffic cameras in the NW VA area, evidently our Dept of Transportation considers Charlottesville to be in the NW part of the state. I wonder if police were able to get anything from these traffic cameras? We seem to need more cameras on RT 29 south of Charlottesville.
http://www.va511.com/Home.aspx?r=3
I hope these are recording cameras, and can be enlarged, so that if LE saw something on 10/16 they could get a good image.
you can click on the icon for traffic camera and all of the traffic cameras appear, and if you click on that camera you can see the cars going by.
also, there is an icon for work zone, and there seem to be plenty of highway work zones and bridge work all over the state.
Re: Texas G’s post and construction site: There’s that quarry 1/2 mile or so from AF and I believe an asphalt contractor that is on the premises of the quarry or not far from it on the other side of 29
http://slwilliamson.com/
Now a coincidence about Sketch:
His two crimes that we know about have four things in common:
1. Fairfax abduction
2. Fairfax rape and attempted murder
http://local.yahoo.com/info-12680537-giant-food-fairfax;_ylt=AsFCkRSDrrMPyKa5TZdQd.qKNcIF;_ylv=3?viewtype=map
3. Abduction of Morgan
4. Placement of Morgan at AF
All locations are within minutes/or a very few miles of Route 29.
I think this is significant.
Sketch’s first crime that we know about was on foot, no car. It seems he has no way to get around in the cities, but just stays around RT 29.
Perhaps he is part of a highway detail for Route 29, and just keeps getting relocated up and down the highway for his job, no wife or family, (?), no home, no car, no home life, staying in motels as Texas Grandfather said, or saving the motel money and staying in hayfields??
Maybe is is one of those operators of the machines which tar the roads, and it is needed in different places on RT 29 every so often, but keeps him in tied to RT 29?
Does anyone know if state highway workers in Va always work the same detail?
Another mystery: LE says a local committed Morgan’s murder, but it is Sketch who is implicated with DNA, and the Harrington’s seem to blame Sketch, from the interviews I have heard. Is Sketch a local?
local as in Cville.
Would not be considered a local by the locals, if that makes sense.
B
Maybe Sketch works construction and knows some guys from the North Garden area through a trade like plumbing, tree service, electrician? Or maybe he has a drug connection to them?
Or maybe Sketch met some local bad guys in rehab or jail?
Thanks Mom.3 for you info on Mr Gilmore, I really didnt know much about his story. Very sad.
deetee- I had thought you meant dave morris. I guess I am lost on your train of thought.
susan- Am I right that you have moved away from the security connection? I am not against a different path, just curious.
Lastly and most importantly. Mrs. Harrington, your lastest blog post broke my heart. We may not be many, but we have definetely not forgotten. Working everyday and praying for all of you. You had a beautiful child.
AnotherB- thanks for that post regarding the gas spill- you reminded me that yes, someone posted earlier about this spill and that it did effect the water in Albemarle Cty hence Miss bass’ poetic words.
Susan- unfortunately IIRC, someone else brought up the hope that these traffic cams may have recorded something- its my understanding from the responses that these cameras do not record and if some do, the footage is not held for too long.
CentVA Native Away, no problem- I am glad that you watched the clip- I too think Mr. Gilmore was quite a talent and his presence will surely be missed.
I really hope that you and others are right when you say that LE may be just strenghthing their case.
I have to admit as of late, I am feeling very weary. I hope that LE or Blink will share some good news or further information soon.
Its hard to believe we are a few short months away from the anniversary of this horrible crime.
Sending good thoughts and prayers to The Harrington’s
AnotherB
Thanks for the link to the “gasoline spill” article. This is really not a spill, but a seapige from a set of old underground steel storage tanks. The article speaks about what the EPA found regarding leaking tanks around the country. I am going to tell you that this was more junk science by the EPA. They decided to scare the daylights out of our congress.
Myself and two others were given the task of checking the EPA findings by the API (American Petroleum Institute) for their appearance before congress in the 1970′s. This was a made up case just like the so called “Global Warming” scam.
The fiberglass tanks that were standardized by the EPA to replace the steel tanks are more fragile than the steel. Therefore, after 20 or so years, they too will have to be replaced.
What happened to the steel tanks was corrossion. This has to do with the type of soil and the type of protection placed on the steel. I have dug up steel pipe that was in electrically neutral soil placed 60 years previously and found it to look as if placed a year or two previous. Likewise, I have dug up pipe placed in soil of low potential where the pipe sacrificed its atoms to the soil and found it to be severly corroded in 30 months.
Gasoline and other hydrcarbons will follow a water course and it doesn’t matter if it is above ground or below. This is how the wells got contaminated. If the new wells are drilled in the same water sand, they too will have hydrocarbons in the water.
The only reason to use heavy equipment in this case would be to remove the old steel tanks and some of the underlying soil at the tank site.
Your steel,pipe and corrossion lesson is finished for today. Go home and think about it. LOL.
Susan
Highway 29 may be a state or a combination US and State route.
In most states, a department of highways is responsible for maintenance on such roads. These state maintenance activities are seperate from county or city maintenance. They will have their own crews that work a particular area. Sometimes this is two or more counties.
In Texas, it is possible to transfer personnel from one crew to another anywhere in the state.
There is the possibility that LE is overlooking that a member of one of these crews could be sketch or the perp involved in the unsolved cases along hwy. 29. Look at the case of BTK who hid in plain sight working as an animal control officer.
We are in the beginning stages of video survalence of our highways and streets. Often the cameras are placed and never connected to any system. Next time you see one, take a good look at where the cable goes. If it extends from the camera down to a box at the side of the roadway, it may be connected. Toll roads usually have cameras at the toll stations. These are usually placed to catch those who decide to run thru the station without paying.
If UVA were contracting for construction on the campus, they would likley place the burden of checking the contractors personnel on the contractor. It would depend if the university either hired a construction engineering firm to oversee the construction or used some of their own personnel as to how carefully these requirements were met. This is how the bad guys sometimes slip thru.
mom3.0
Don’t dispair, it sometimes takes a year or more to make all the connections sufficiently strong enough to stand up in court.
Keep praying for those working the case and for the Harringtons.
I have always been bothered by the fact that nothing was captured on the so called “state of the art” video system at JPJA. This may only refer to the type of video system used to cover the interior of the arena at the stage area and for a basketball game as on the floor and some of the stands.
In looking at photos of the building and google earth, I do not find any cameras covering the outside or the parking lots. Video is a great security tool. I am suprised that all schools are not required to have an outside security system.
Gil Harrington’s Blog for August 27th, 2010
Is the loss of life (and lesser valued female life at that) an acceptable, statistically insignificant loss?
Our veneer of civilization is so glossy and beguiling, anything that doesn’t comply or feel compatible with it we ignore because we don’t want to factor it in and we don’t like to dwell on unpleasantness. In “less civilized societies” if a cobra bites or a wild dog snatches a child or a human predator strikes, the village rises up en-mass and beats the brush and bushes and searches vigorously, diligently to find and eradicate the evil that poses danger to the integrity of the community.
Here we look aside, wait for the grieving family to compose themselves, make nice and show decorum, because it makes us uneasy in our thin skinned civility to contemplate predators in our midst. The price of this strategy, of allowing acceptable levels of human loss, is that the numbers will continue to increase. Will your wife/mother/daughter/ husband/sister/niece/son have to be part of that growing number before YOU rise up and say NO MORE!!! Primitive people with little food take up sticks and demand justice. We more civilized folks settle back in our chairs and say “too bad, pretty girl – Next” and hit the remote button.
2 4 1
Dr and Mrs. H-
The folks here are very civilized, but we can also wield a mean stick, collectively.
As you know, we stand with you. Morgan matters. The next girl matters.
We do however need the villagers with the remotes in their hands to replace it with a stick, or perhaps a phone, and do the right thing.
B
If Sketches DNA was found at AF, it is a different story than if it was found only on the tshirt.
Gil’s blog today. Strong words of truth. It takes a village.
We need to change, seriously. Maybe this internet and places like Blink’s are the beginning of socieital change. Let’s hope. Americans need to get nosey and involved with the goings on in their neighborhoods. We stay to ourselves so as not to annoy anyone, and we are all so isolated in our own circles. We need to consider our villages as our business. Just like Texas G said before. Our brother’s keepers. Easier said than done, I know. Alls I can say is “May we evolve” Arg, I’m depressed. Blink, give us some good news regarding this investigation. Making progress?
@ Eloise: I haven’t ruled out anything at this point, like the travel from UVA area to AF, did Sketch run along carrying our precious Morgan, for 10 miles, (unlikely, but this guy does drag people around), or was there an abettor with a car/truck/van?
I just decided to focus on the one link we know is involved, because the others are so open ended, and there are so many of them as possibilities.
My thinking is: finding Sketch will find the others.
The reason I believe Sketch has not been found, is because I think he would have to immediately be charged with the Fairfax crime. For the public safety, and locked up. Even if he was only a poi in the Morgan case, (and I think he is much more than a poi), they cannot just let him go on with his life and watch him, since they have got dna evidence wrt the Fairfax crime. (also presumably dna from Morgan;s case, but LE has been cryptic about that, and it was Dr.H, I believe who talked about “DNA doesn;t just rain down,,,,”
If they know who and where he is, and are watching him, I am going to be very disappointed in VA LE, there is a crime on the books that he should be charged with, in Fairfax. The minute they find him.
That is why I can’t understand why VA LE or the FBI with all of their talents can;t put their hands on this guy, after all of this time.
Something is not adding up about that point for me.
Does someone know how local LE and Security at JPJ acted the last few years when people got locked out of a concert they paid for? I found at least one account of a person being treated with disrespect (to put it mildly, she was laughed at and brought somewhere meeting point). This is almost sadistic behaviour nothing funny about distress of another human being
If one of these people (must be dozens considering the number of visitors) got ill or needed to go outside for some reason didnt notice the signs on the door that said NO REENTRY (getting something from the car etc) was mistreated badly we could have a link to the perp…
maybe this is already looked into, just being a far away armchair detective who wants to help :-/