Former UVA Cop Charged With Rape: Sean Michael Horn Faces Bond Hearing Today
Charlottesville, VA- Sean Michael Horn, 42, current Albemarle County reserve deputy and former police officer for the University of Virginia as well as the Albemarle Sheriffs Office was arrested last evening for rape. The arrest follows an extensive investigation conducted by the prosecutors office.
While there has been no specifics released, and it is the policy of www.blinkoncrime not to identify alleged victims of sexual crimes, we have learned that a complaint of rape against Horn was received in the Fall of 2011.
The arrest follows what can only be described as a series of chaotic incidents and events affecting Albemarle county law enforcement officers since 2009 at a minimum.
Following the death of 18 year old Greene County resident Colby Eppard on New Years Day 2010 by police gunfire, 7 Albemarle county officers were either suspended and/or demoted. Caleb Marden, a decorated sharp-shooter who served in Iraq was fired. Denise Lunsord, prosecutor for Albemarle county and North Garden resident, cleared all officers of any wrongdoing from the incident.
Eppard allegedly stole a neighboring Greene County patrol car and traveled almost 60 miles to Albemarle county. Although off duty Greene Sgt Randall Snead was out of his jurisdiction, Snead was among the officers in pursuit of Eppard and participated in the ambush to stop the teen. Snead’s former mentor and Sherriff, Willie Morris, committed suicide on January 28th.
Although he was on desk assignment pending the investigation of Eppard’s death, Snead responded to the scene of Morris’s home where he was located and rushed to the hospital. Morris was removed from life sustaining efforts without ever regaining consciousness. A suicide note blamed his tinnitus condition.
In a recent election, Steve Smith won the Sheriff slot running against Snead, and has since met with controversy after releasing nearly all of his staff. An email criticizing Smith was received by several news outlets from a previously fired Albemarle County Lt. Scott Cox, then a Greene county deputy who has since been released. Horn has Sheriff Smith listed as a friend on his facebook profile. Cox was among the Albemarle County Officers who was demoted after 18 years of service in the scandal.
Albemarle county is also the home of The Anchorage Farm, where murdered Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington was recovered after exhaustive searches of the areas surrounding the JPJ arena, UVA campus and private LE searches failed to locate her. Harrington disappeared from a Metallica concert at the John Paul Jones Arena on October 17, 2009 after being refused re-entry by security. DNA evidence has linked the Harrington case to a suspect in an unsolved rape in Fairfax, VA in 2005. Former lead detective now retired, Lt. Rader, has only indicated that forensic link means that Morgan came into contact with that individual prior to leaving Charlottesville.
Efforts to confirm whether Sean Horn was working the event as a UVA officer that evening have not been returned.
Corrine Geller, public information officer for the Virginia State Police, whose agency leads the probe into Morgan’s homicide responded to our inquiry as to whether or not Horn was a target of their continuing investigation this morning:
“The investigation remains ongoing at this time. I’m not able to comment on who our agents have or have not looked into during the course of their investigation.”
Horn lists Virginia Tech among his educational credentials on his facebook account, where Harrington was a junior at the time of her disappearance. It is not known if the two were acquainted.
Horn is being held in the Albemarle Regional jail pending his bond hearing today.
Check back to www.blinkoncrime.com for updates.
Related Posts
Related Posts:
1,151 Comments
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI
A Texas Grandfather – You make a good point with the placing of Morgan’s body possibly after the 7 mile sleepover. We have all said that the crows would have been flying around and how could that go unnoticed? There are things that bother me about that explanation however.
1. When David Bass found Morgan’s body, he stated that it was a carcass, which to me means that it was almost all skeleton. Someone would have had to have kept a dead body laying around for two weeks. It’s not unheard of sadly.
2. VSP has stated that Morgan was taken off the Copeley bridge and taken directly out to AF. How could they possibly KNOW this as fact?
And while it’s on my mind, apparently VSP think that Morgan just dropped her purse and cell phone and ran, that it wasn’t planted, which I’ve always felt also. Now, after that gold cart incident, what would have spooked her so badly that she did that? Within minutes of curtseying?
1. I personally do not believe Morgan was kept anywhere, and I believe she was accosted in a vehicle and disposed of at AF immediately thereafter. This individual knew the clock would be ticking quickly, and I suspect he needed an alibis intact. Without being graphic, it is incredibly difficult if not impossible to maintain a deceased person outside of freezing them solid, and I can tell you at 5’8″ Morgan would only fit in a walk in freezer, and the fact that she HAD been frozen would be identifiable in a bone study. Disarticulation occurs differently in a corpse that is compacted for hiding or placement in a chest freezer as an example.
To further my opinion that Morgan was placed on AF immediately, the temperature that evening she was placed there, combined with the misting or rain would prohibit blowfly involvement. That is tantamount to a neon sign to the feathered species who can complete their tasks quickly, and limit the “signals” sent out to other predators that she was there. This result is likely because of how contained her remains were found, and a largely intact skeleton bass thought was a deer, and then identified feet. I can tell you that smaller carnivores are notorious for scavenging tarsals. Again, it would seem that was not the case here. Imo, this “hollow” was not restrictive enough, and she was not buried partially or otherwise for any other explanation to make sense.
2. I have never heard VSP say Morgan was taken from anywhere. In fact, I have only ever heard them say “logically she got into a vehicle while on the bridge because she was desperate.” They have no idea whatsoever if that is true, and again, does not match the timeline.
3. They believe she dropped her phone, more than once. True, but they cannot explain the difference in the timeline, and ultimately where the phone ends up being found. Perhaps that perspective has changed for them, but as you know, I struggle with how much they do not know, and yet that they can offer any opinion or hypothesis that contradicts verifiable information. There is some case sensitive information that has not been released that supports the purse was planted, which I believe also.
Rose7–I think what is meant by crystal necklace is to describe the embedded rhinestones on the two center links.
Do I have the correct photo here?
http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/275685
YES! Thank you Word Girl … I swear, I must have had a brain freeze!
I really have tried to keep in the know on everything on your site Blink. It seems like just when I feel I’ve learned all I can and have what I believe happened down, something else pops up to contradict it. Thanks for patience on re-visiting things. Now, WAS Morgan wearing that Swarovski neclace or not? You’re right, she did have great taste in jewelry. I contacted Swarovski on their website to inquire about that necklace and they D/C’d it sometime ago. Random searches at multiple other times on ebay, etc.. also a no. Any copy of that necklace is impossible to find.
I also felt Morgan was attacked where her cell and purse were discovered, but now I think sketch maybe came back to JPJ that night (or early morning) and dumped them where they were found? Uggg, just too many things to question. It’s maddening! I don’t think there will ever be a resolution to this case. I pray I’m wrong.
I’m sorry Blink but honestly, LE really needs to not keep such things so close to their vests because it’s not at all moving the case along. This case needs a shot in the ass and damn quickly.
It does Q.
B
So, today I was over on Massie Road right near the North Grounds Rec Center (see map: http://www.virginia.edu/ims/facilities/map.php) when right before my eyes rolled a GOLF CART (or something strongly resembling a golf cart) with two guys in it. It’s beautiful here today, nearly 60 degrees, sunny, and everyone’s out enjoying it before a winter storm is supposed to hit tomorrow. So these guys were rolling along the regular road (Massie) at about 15 mph, with their caps on and clearly enjoying themselves. I figured they must be UVA employees because who else could legally drive in such a cart along the road? (There were no golf clubs evident in the cart.) So I’ve seen a golf cart duo with my own eyes. Not to say, THE golf cart duo.
So, if we’re pretty sure the purse was planted and we’re quite sure the shirt was planted, what does this tell us about the perps? There’s some kind of struggle going on within, I think. He/they didn’t just brutally murder her, they went about planting her belongings to divert? I’m guessing. He/they thought it possible it might be obvious who they are? or just being cockeye?
yep purse planted and has always smelt that way to me.
i also agree with A Texas Grandfather wrt the shirt tells more than the person that left it there thought it would. the someone that left it there hoped she would not be found.
it is quite possible the same someone did not hope that one day a post mortem would be performed revealing the brutality Morgan endured.
I would be curious to hear from anyone with experience/knowledge of criminal investigations or LE: just how common is it for evidence to be planted like this? It just seems so strange and when I try to really think it through, it flabbergasts me. I don’t see why/how it would be worth it for a perp to risk being seen, in order to return Morgan’s purse and phone to the lot. (I’m not saying it WOULDN’T be worth it, just that I struggle to understand HOW it would be.) What would he/they REALLY get out of it? The shirt makes more sense as a possible way to divert the search from the AF area, but what about the phone/purse? How would that divert attention, and from what/where? By suggesting that Morgan was in an intoxicated/disorganized state? By suggesting that she was attacked in/abducted from the lot, or that she got into a vehicle there? What would be the gain from any of those to make it worth the risk? Or would there be an entirely different motivation besides diversion? If so, it is beyond me.
Perp would have to be calm thinking and calculating. Would a stranger perp feel the need to plant belongings? Or someone who felt it might be obvious who they are. IDK. None of this is right. Why? Could it be someone she knew was involved and they involved sketch?
WHOOPS…….all just spec. and MOO of course….
I can’t post an outright accusation, which is what your post was. I realize it is your opinion, but since these are known witnesses, if you want to create more of a hypothetical not tantamount to pointing a finger, I can post that.
B
Also with regard to the planted shirt it continues to stick in my mind that the perp must have taken it off Morgan before she was brutally attacked and bloody. Apparently no sign of out door grass stains or mud or rips, tears etc which suggests she was tortured, raped and murdered in a fairly clean dry vehicle or some sort of indoor room or location, “before” she was disposed of on AF.
If as Blink says the perp knew the clock was ticking and he/they needed an alibi, it would suggest the murder took place in a vehicle, and he knew the farm and could get her there, deposit her body and get back to where ever he was supposed to be.
This brings to mind the all nighter that was pulled by the Fire and Rescue guy and his companions,to the East Coast where they drove the car and left it. Also the Security outfit that seem to I recall advertised deep cleaning and detailing of vehicles.
If it was a vehicle, where is it now? Is it compressed in a ball at a demolition site like poor Colby Eppards’ car and or the police car that the authorities are refusing to release the dash cam of? Thank God Eppards parents managed to get some photographs before the vehicle was crushed and done way with.
I was not aware that Morgan was 5’8″ tall. Somewhere earlier it was posted that her height was 5’6″. Young women today average about 5’6″ and that does not make them a large person. IMO 5’8″ is the beginning point for a woman to be tall or large.
The rain and misty weather would have prevened the blow flys from being about. If Morgan were held somewhere else post mortem, the body could have been wrapped in plastic and sealed. There may be a way to determine if this happened. The plastic wrap could have been removed at the time the body was placed on AF.
If evidence indicates that small animals did not disturb the remains, then it would be left to crows, ravens or vultures to do the job. All three including two varieties of vultures are found in Virginia. One was to tell if vultures were present is the destruction of ligaments.
A vulture will strip a ligament from a body and swallow it whole like a kid slurping spagettie.
There was a snow storm that arrived in November. This may have prevented the body from being immediately found by birds. Vultures would give away their location by their flight patterns, but ravens and crows traveling in pairs would not.
I guess my thought for the day is, how are we suppose to get the truth when there are so many secrets in Morgan’s case? If light isn’t cast on darkness, then it stays in darkness. Who does the next girl need to be before Morgan’s death means something?
Olivia….I believe that “golf carts” are allowed on public streets where the speed limit doesn’t exceed 35 mph. Our neighbors have one that they drive around our area and to dinner in with their kids all the time in the summer. They stay within the 35 mph radius, which gives them 3 restaurants a school playground and a convenience store to access. (Not bad.)
To my knowledge, the golf carts on grounds are not licensed to be driven on the streets off campus
Lol at your neighbor who I now want to meet.
B
I know Questioner I hear you. I feel the despair that we all share when it comes to dear Morgans demise.
It is one of those awful realities we become faced with in life, where everything we thought we knew is challenged, and irrevocably changed in the saddest of ways. Our eyes are now open, but so far there has been no justice for the innocent victim and their families who we have come to know and love, post mortem.
We begin to realize justice is not a given in this world, but a random boon we can only be grateful for. WHO is there for the next girl? WHO????
It is beyond heartbreaking.
God Bless Blink and those like her, who advocate selflessly for those and their families who have been lost and forgotten.
Honestly I don’t know how you do it Blink . I would be destroyed!! Daily!!
Yes Questioner light does need to be cast onto darkness.
AMEN. J4M.
Morgans case is on my mind more now than ever before. It didn’t make sense to me previously that the purse was planted because I’ve always kind of suspected LE/security working that night may be involved, and as the old saying goes, “Don’t s*** where you eat”. BUT, it actually does make perfect sense because had he seen Morgan in that area earlier in the evening, interacting with others… After he took Morgan from whatever location?? He (I am thinking) possibly rendered Morgan unconcious and drives to AF knowing exactly what he’s doing and where to leave her, because he’s been there before. I also believe it happened in a short enough period of time he could be back at JPJ to drop Morgans purse and phone where he previously saw her with other witnesses. He had an alibi if he was working grouds security. I am still lost on where exactly he accosted her if not in the parking lot and not on the bridge. Blink, are you able to say where you think she was taken? Also just want to say, it’s nice to be posting and reading on a thread that people are intelligent,on topic, respectful and not slamming the victim and each other. I think that may be why I’ve held back. It just seems horrid for The Harringtons to have to read that sort of disgust. Morgan reminds me of myself at that age and now having a Son who just turned 18, my heart breaks for the family.I Wish there was something we could do for them.
le/security ties / involvement since the beginning …
pls refresh … sorry if has been mentioned recently … what events / concerts were going on in Fairfax the night of that incident?
so don’t look for “sketch” from the fairfax incident, but look as to what the similarities may/may not be … who may or may not have been in the surrounding peripheral
time to stop looking for “sketch” and start looking for the common denominator(s)
The way someone described the flow of the river and the hollow Morgan was found in immediately made me think of the water bringing her body there. From what I read the stream is not strong so it could have been a person following the known stream on foot to transport her. Who knows those streams?
If the tshirt is a plant to point the search elsewhere that would mean intimate knowledge of the frat area too, narrowing the suspect pool.
So if that area is the opposite of what is the real crime scene where would that lead?
Also the police never saw the purse in situ just in the lost n found bin, also remember its not normal to look at port a potties. And least of all to ‘be astounded’ by what they saw. They were not supposed to see anything, its called privacy hence the curtesy (get lost gawkers)
in my opinion Morgan was annoyed by some people tho I am not sure they are the same as the killer, it might be the killer acted as a ‘rescuer’ and was worse than a regular male with interest in her.
reputations are being protected, mostly rightly so but the question is who will help the case a long. someone must know.
Been trying to post comments for 2 days, not posting, so this is a test.
?
B
I don’t know if the last people to see Morgan was the golf cart duo. If it was the curtsey golf cart duo, do we know anything about them, like who they are? Could they be EMT/Fire Department? Was it a golf cart or a big 4 wheeler? Was it a security vehicle like a Gator or a Mule? Some of those 4 wheelers are huge and they go fast.
Lol, B, I thought you had banned me or something, but then I remembered the kittens knocked the modem out of whack the other day, the hubby the computer whiz fixed it, but changed something with my browser, and it was kicking my comments off immediately. I actually figured all this out MYSELF (NOT a computer whiz) this morning, opened a few windows, clicked some stuff, and we’re good to go! Let me gather the thoughts I was posting the last few days…
Oh, Morgan’s ep of Disappeared is airing tonight on ID at 7pm.
Georgie–lol on the kittens knocking the modem out of whack–Cute!
Ok, I had to go back and refresh my memory, so some of this was discussed several days ago.
@ Rose7, good question, why didn’t Pritchard find the purse and phone as they were cleaning the lot? When do they do this, during the concert, after the concert, or the next morning, or a combination of those? Do they have to clean up the RV lot? You would think, as it’s part of UVa property.
Redly said “They will have him dead to rights for the prior attack..” I wish too I shared your optimism for prosecution in Morgan’s case, but I’m a little skeptical of the DNA evidence here, not sure it’s going to prove Sketch as the killer. If it doesn’t, I’m afraid there’s just not enough else to convict him on….a defense attorney will be calling all those witnesses who will testify to Morgan’s condition that night, plus all the errors that were made initially in the case will leave reasonable doubt, imo.
Blink says, HYPOTHETICALLY, a scenario where “the sample origin did not indicate any linear criminal accusation, it would simply indicate contact or transfer of DNA by some means”. That’s exactly what I’m afraid of, that the DNA found with Morgan’s remains will not prove any criminal activity, in other words it was not semen/sperm which would indicate a possible rape. Is this wht LE was reluctant to release the “Sketch”, because they already know it can’t be used as useful evidence in Morgan’s case?
I found this while looking for info on DNA profiling, from a site called “how stuff works” (gotta love it): “The downside of using CODIS is that it’s only as strong as the number of profiles included, and there is a backlog of more than one million profiles to be entered.” http://science.howstuffworks.com/dna-profiling2.htm
There could be answers to alot of crimes in that backlog unfortunately.
Olivia, Amy, Questioner…..what IS up with the curtsey duo? Didn’t their testimony only enter the scene less than a year ago? I don’t remember hearing about them until much later on in the investigation. I have to wonder if word about Morgan “got around” that night via texts/cell or walkie-talkie calls between security, campus LE, and/or people just hanging around. Funny they showed up at the exact time Morgan was at the port-a-potties, yet they didn’t see anyone else. Were they looking for “the hot blonde chick who was walking or stumbling around the lots”?
So she was seen on the bridge hhiking BEFORE the curtsey duo saw her at the potties? Is this definite? Because it doesn’t really make sense…why would Morgan go back to that dark, deserted RV lot, then go back up to the bridge. I guess it’s possible the urge to pee or get sick hit her all of a sudden up on the bridge the first time, and she went back to the lot to use the loo. OR, the person who stopped to pick her up on the bridge, or stopped to talk to her, told her to meet him/them back down at the RV lot after they ran an errand.
UGH….nothing seems to make sense in this case…..so frustrating!
Golf carts are not street legal in most states. They are used on private non-dedicated streets in subdivisions.
The golf cart style ATV are often licensed for use on public streets.
In Texas, the golf cart and ATV vehicles are all the rage for ten and twelve year olds in private subdivisions. They can’t drive legally, so this gives them some experience. Makes driving in a private subdivision a little more difficult for everyone.
If you look closely at a google earth map of where Morgan was found the land to the southeast of where she was found is about ten feet higher in elevation (634 ft) than the point where she was located (624 ft).
In other words if she had been buried in the V-shaped wooded area 180 feet SE of where she was found and if she did wash out of a shallow grave she could have floated NW down to the location she was found. There were a lot of fields flooded in the days before Morgan was found.
This V-shaped section does have numerous tracks going through the wooded area. Just wondering if Morgan’s injuries were caused by farm equipment accssing the fields and crossing over where she was interred?
TG, J.me, and all,
I have a neighbor also (fully adult) who drives around in a golf cart in our subdivision but I have never seen such a vehicle on the roads around town in my life! That particular stretch of road practically IS UVA grounds althlough technically it probably is just a city road. Anyway, it’s very, very near where Morgan was last seen. I am trying to type on a phone and it isn’t going well…: )
Just some random thoughts…questions…trying to add my 2 cents along the lines of what j.me suggested a while back…just throwing stuff out there…
VSP has said all witnesses…alibis checked…not considered suspects….
My theory is the necklace was possibly in the purse and the friends know that…but it wasn’t in the purse when it was found. Who knows maybe that was what the tiff was about: Maybe Amy said that necklace doesn’t match those earrings… BTW…Blink was absolutely adamant that the necklace was not recovered with the body. It was old news to BOC when law enforcement formally released that fact.
I think there was a good deal more to Morgan’s interactions with the basketball players than what has been portrayed. I think Morgan may have sat in one of their vehicles for a time. There was obviously some type of rules infraction that caused the suspensions of Jamil Tucker and Assane Sene almost immediately following Morgan’s disappearance. Their names were the only two that stood out in the early days; Tucker eventually left the program. Just to be clear though, I do not think one of the basketball players is sketch. I simply think that there may have been someone else in the company of the basketball players, friend or kin, who was present for the entire scene from just outside JPJA to the Lannigan field lot.
I haven’t read anything in any of the “literature” that causes me to discount the lawn sighting OR the sighting in Orange. Nothing has convinced me that Morgan was immediately killed and taken to AF before midnight of the 17th. In fact I think it is very possible she was placed in a shed of some sort for a time. From the recent discussions I understand now why Blink used to say she may have been wrapped in a tarp. I remember reading an article on the location of Morgan’s body and Pat Brown said something to the effect of: a serial killer may kill very quickly, but he will take all the time he needs to dispose of the body. The only thing that causes me to think she did end up at AF before midnight on the 17th is because that’s what Dr. Harrington thinks and he is a psychiatrist with more than a passing knowledge of abnormal psychology.
When the report of the shirt first surfaced, most everyone posting here at the time did not believe it was Morgan’s and did not believe it was actual law enforcement that conducted the search at the apartment complex the day after Morgan’s body was found. There is something about that shirt that we haven’t been privy to…there was never any actual picture of what the shirt looked like. The shirt is hugely important to this case…I don’t think sketch’s DNA was on the shirt…but on the body…(gasp) or the tarp!
Just watched the Disappeared episode again…a few things before I forget:
1)They found Morgan’s hair on the t-shirt, did not say one way or the other if any other forensic evidence was found on it, but my opinion is no.
2)Was the purse actually found right next to the fence that seperates the RV lot from the athletic field? If so, it could easily be tossed over the fence by someone on the athletice field side later on. or, do the Pritchard people use any kind of “Zamboni-like” thingy to clear the lots, and the purse got pushed up against the fence? They’d most likely have to be cleaning in the dark not to see it though.
3)Again, I’m always disturbed by the statement by Dino that it was not unusual for Morgan to leave her friends for a few hours and hang out with other friends for a while, and come back the next day. I didn’t like Dino’s body language when he said this, and he sort of stumbled over it, iirc….maybe he just felt uncomfortable releasing this info, not wanting to cause the Harringtons any more pain, or maybe I’m just reading too much into it.
4)Location of the t-shirt….I rewound it a few times and got a good look at the building it was found in front of, and they distinctly said on Grady Ave….going to google that intersection again and try to see what the visibility is like right there, if that’s actually the spot where it was found.
Golf catts are not street legal in Cville. But, UVA owns these vehicles that are bigger than a golf cart and smaller than a Smart Car. They are somewhat futuristic looking and the first time I saw one was last fall at Barracks Rd. shopping center with university staff aboard (there was a gathering with UVA football coaches at a nearby table when one of these car/ts rolled up with two more people inside). Since then, I have seen them puttering in that general vicinity, which is right near JPJA. I wondered if they were for members of the athletic dept. to get around that part of town where most of the athletic facilities are or if they are more widely used for a variety of purposes. Regardless, you definitely wouldn’t drive one to AF.
I think so Georgie what I meant to say is that it would be normal for men to ‘bother’ Morgan and it could be for all kind of reasons (worry, wanting to help). It would be very abnormal if noone tried to speak or help or even just have a coffee or offer to use the phone or talk to JPJ etc.
Those people might have the answer albeit now feeling guilty for acting in a certain way. What I was trying to say considering the hitchhiking angle that the person seeming to be the polite and non agressive and helping after the BBP interaction was probably the bad guy. The same person she got in a car with? And unlikely as that seems we concluded it must have been someone with authority or projecting an aura of safety (cab driver, security, LE athlete) its not so far fetched. Add to that the planted evidence and it points to a planned, almost too calm crime.
Much in contrast to what we know of Sketch and the violence used IMO
A more sudden attack on the RV lot seems more likely but contradicts witness reports. So was it hitchhiking or abduction from the rv lot? Its like 2 different MO s 2 suspects?
Sorry Blink for pestering you again. Are you able to say where and when you think Morgan was attacked? You said she came back after being on the bride, if that sighting was legit.
I am not
B
Georgie — good posts. A couple of thoughts.
It would not surprise me if Pritchard would not clean the “RV” lot. It was not available for concert parking. Even if they were, though, the simple fact of the central virginia landscape makes it very understandable that one would overlook a purse or anything else if it was just a few feet off the parking lot proper, especially in the dark. The natural state of the landscape is woods/forest.
The curtsey due was known to LE within days of the abduction. They were not disclosed to the interested public until the walk though about a year ago. IMO, it is pretty likely they were associated with the baseball field/stadium operations as there was a game scheduled for the next day. That is just a guess though. Blink’s theory is that they saw her after she was seen hitchhiking on the bridge by the various independent witnesses. However, LE has not said this and I believe it is supposition only. It is possible of course that she tired of hitchhiking and left the bridge to go to the bathroom. It is also possible she was in the port a potty vicinity as the last players were leaving the lot and just before she went to the bridge. It doesn’t really matter in the long run IMO. Sketch either got her in the parking lot or he picked her up hitchhiking. Either way he killed her and his dna will tie him to her.
A rural Virginia jury will not believe that a violent rapist’s DNA was found on her and he did not kill her. They just won’t.
Well come to find out the science of body decomposition is hugely fascinating! I had no idea that in the absence of tisssue or fluid any insect larvae found at the scene can be tested for the presence of drugs or other toxic chemicals. WOW. How far that goes in court I have no idea. Another interesting fact I learned is that if there are certain drugs in the system of the deceased, the behavior of the insects is slowed so that decomposition does not occur at the rate one would expect. Immediate news reports at the time Morgan was found used the phrase “partially skeletonized.” Again, just throwing stuff out there.
Oh that is a big can tango, no pun intended.
I think it is safe to say given the conditions and temperature that Morgan was recovered, if any larvae was on her, it was not “that kind”.
I had the supremely grotesque opportunity to study this a few years ago, on location.
I have a man-crush on Dr. Voss
B
dda
Your comment about the special vehicles used by the athletic department of UVA. Are these vehicles enclosed? A golf cart has a wheelbase as large as a Smart Car and some are larger.
A Smart Car can reach a speed of 65 MPH on a highway. Several of the pharmacies in our area use them for deliveries. The terrain in the Texas hill country is very similar to that at Cvlle execpt we are at a higher elevation.
Redly
Virginia is not the only place that your comment about the jury would apply. Most rural areas in the counry would act the same.
These are some guys who were recently arrested for a string of vehicle break ins in the barracks road area — about a 10 minute walk from the JPJ area.
http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/139847483.html
I don’t know if this link will work or not, but this is a picture (in the shadows) that shows the type of golf cart that was likely involved.
http://lockerz.com/s/186184974
Thanks for the link Redly.
That is not an electric cart. It is driven with a small gasoline engine. One of my boys has a cart exactly like the one in the photo.
His can reach a speed of 25 MPH. It will seat four and has a place to carry bags in the rear.
UVA landscape crew has a lot of “golf cart” looking vehicles. Especially those John Deere Gators. This article says they have 9 of the six wheel and 2 of the pro.
http://www.landscapeonline.com/research/article.php?id=10983
Imagine leaving a restroom as a paying customer on uva/jpj property you think is private to be met by glaring lights *warning speculation* (from a vehicle) and people watching (shouting?) you, how would you respond? What do you say to the unwanted audience (too far to hear you?)
It not nonsensical or irrational behavior at all
Also compare this to the official recount of the event.
We only have 1 side of the story. How can someone disappear with so many people watching, is it not logical it was one of those people?
Yep, but they aren’t the folks responsible for the baseball field/stadium maintenance.
Was my link from CrimeWire with Susan Murphy not ok to post B?
Maybe went to spam? Maybe because it is a few years old is a bad link?
Not sure.
B
Amy…I’d probably do as Morgan did and curtsy. Then I’d be scared….
Hmmm, ok. If ok with you, I’ll try again. It’s a show from Blogtalk radio with Denny Griffith and Susan Murphy Malono talking with the Harringtons and the subject matter is right in line with this article you posted.
I thought maybe some of the posters might want to re-visit it. I have feeling that you and other investigators may have someone in their sights and I sooooo hope I am right! There is also some conversation regarding Kyron Horman and Josh Powell as it is from Novemeber of 2010, but if you only want the part on Morgan it starts at around 31:40. Blink, I commend you for speaking out about these things when others are not.
Anyway, I think this interview is worth listening to again if posters have not already heard it. Thanks again for all you do Blink! Hope it works this time.. If not, I also posted it on Morgans f/b page.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/insidelenz/2010/11/10/crime-wire
Yes Sydneyfrog, I do.
B
Also @ Cosmo-
cosmo says:
February 20, 2012 at 11:48 am
le/security ties / involvement since the beginning …
pls refresh … sorry if has been mentioned recently … what events / concerts were going on in Fairfax the night of that incident?
cosmo says:
February 20, 2012 at 11:53 am
so don’t look for “sketch” from the fairfax incident, but look as to what the similarities may/may not be … who may or may not have been in the surrounding peripheral
time to stop looking for “sketch” and start looking for the common denominator(s)
Do you know what events were going on the night of the Fairfax incident? I googled and must not be looking in the correct place. I’m in Oregon so not familiar with venues I should maybe look at.
Also I totally agree with your idea of looking for the common denominators. I’d love to hear your theories
Well said J.me I would probably do as Morgan did and curtsy. Then I’d be scared.For sure I would be scared.
Yep that curtsey sure feels like an act of bravado. How sad and disturbing, and how thought provoking.
It was supposedly the last thing anyone reported seeing Morgan doing. Not a cowering, desperate, falling over kind of maneuver or attitude, on her behalf. Or a wave of I need help, come help me…..Kind of a very Morgan thing to do, from what I can make out as she was a gutsy, quirky, intelligent good looking young woman. She feels herself being stared at by the porta potties, looks up and confronts their gaze in a whimsical way. “I see you looking at me …kind of rude when here I am at the bathroom”. Then what? It is dark, she is cold and all alone. Where is everybody ? Where did everybody go? Then what? Then suddenly “poof” she is gone. Attacked, abducted raped, murdered,
My thoughts exactly Hummingbird…well said.
Good links and photos, folks! Yes, the cart I saw on Massie Road resembled the one Redly posted a photo of, rather than the landscaping type.
Georgie, I’ve been to the bush where the t-shirt was found. What are your questions about visibility? The bush is right out in the open, on view through many windows and to any passers-by on foot or in vehicles. There are no shrouding tree branches or anything. That’s why I wonder who dared to drape it over the bush in such a neat and careful manner. That took some time. Anyone could have observed it without the perp seeing them. So why did the perp take such a risk? To throw off the hunt and/or to enjoy himself? Obviously, he did not really expect for her remains to be found.