Morgan Harrington Murder: FBI, Metallica and Virginia State Police Ask You To Help Them Find Her Killer
Morgan Harrington disappeared from the John Paul Jones arena on October 17, 2009. Morgan’s remains were located and recovered the morning of January 26, 2010 on the Anchorage Farm in Charlottesville, VA.
Reported exclusively on www.blinkoncrime.com, Morgan’s alleged attacker was tied via DNA to a sexual assault in Fairfax, VA in September 2005.
With the help of a multi media campaign, the FBI, Virginia State Police and Fairfax Police are asking for the publics help to catch her killer.
Revised Sketch of Harrington Suspect
Metallica offered this public service announcement:
Metallica Statement On Harrington Case
FBI Press Release:
Authorities Launch Multimedia Campaign in Morgan Harrington Murder Case
Murder Suspect Linked by DNA to Sexual Assault in Fairfax City, Virginia
| FBI Washington June 13, 2012 |
Today, federal, state, and local law enforcement launched a multimedia campaign that includes two enhanced composite sketches of a suspect in the 2009 murder of Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington. The unknown murder suspect is also connected by DNA to a 2005 sexual assault in Fairfax City, Virginia.
Authorities recently enhanced the composite sketch created in 2005 from a description by the sexual assault victim. One of the composites shows the suspect with facial hair, as the suspect was described at the time of the attack. The second composite sketch features him without facial hair.
The two attacks were connected through DNA after a forensic profile was submitted by the Virginia Department of Forensic Science to the FBI’s national DNA database. The search found that the suspect in the Harrington murder investigation matched the DNA profile of the attacker in Fairfax City.
The multimedia campaign includes a public service announcement by Metallica lead guitarist James Hetfield appealing to the public to come forward with information concerning the Morgan Harrington investigation. The composite sketches of the suspect are being featured on bus shelters in Washington, D.C., as well as on digital billboards in Richmond, Virginia; Roanoke, Virginia; Washington, D.C.; and in 23 other states along the East Coast. Social media outreach and alerts via Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, along with a website dedicated to the Harrington case were also launched Wednesday. Podcasts are now available on iTunes, and radio spots are airing to further raise awareness of the ongoing investigation. The multi-pronged effort is designed to develop new leads and renew the public’s attention in the attacks. The campaign implements techniques similar to those that have led to the arrests of the East Coast Rapist as well as Ten Most Wanted fugitive James “Whitey” Bulger.
The Jefferson Area Crime Stoppers is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for Morgan Harrington’s murder. In addition, the band Metallica is adding $50,000 to the reward, for a total of $150,000.
Morgan Harrington Murder
On the evening of Saturday, October 17, 2009, Harrington attended a Metallica concert at John Paul Jones Arena on the University of Virginia (UVA) campus in Charlottesville, Va. At approximately 8:30 p.m., she left the arena and was unable to re-enter the facility. She was last seen hitchhiking for a ride from passing traffic.
Harrington was dressed that night in a black T-shirt with the word “Pantera” spelled out in tan letters and was wearing a distinctive Swarovski crystal necklace made of large crystal chain links, which investigators have yet to recover. Harrington’s “Pantera” T-shirt was found on November 11, 2009, in front of a row of apartments along 15th Street, NW near Grady Avenue in Charlottesville. Harrington’s skeletal remains were later discovered on January 26, 2010, in a remote field on an Albemarle County, Virginia farm along Route 29. A camera that Harrington had in her possession that night has never been recovered.
Sexual Assault in Fairfax City, Virginia
On the evening of Saturday, September 24, 2005, a 26-year-old victim was walking home from the Giant Food Store located on the 3700 block of Jermantown Road in Fairfax City, Virginia. The suspect grabbed the victim from behind as she walked down Rock Garden Drive toward her residence. He then carried the victim to a grassy area behind a maintenance shed, where he sexually assaulted her. The suspect was last seen running from the area.
The suspect is described as an African-American male with black hair and facial hair at the time of the attack. He is approximately 6’0” tall and was believed to be between the ages of 25 and 35 years old at the time of the attack.
The public is asked to review this information and consider whether they know someone who generally fits this description, who lived or had ties to the area around the times of the assaults, or who may have been known to spend considerable amounts of time in those areas.
People who know the suspect may not believe that he is capable of committing these crimes. He may not necessarily have a violent criminal history. Because investigators are in possession of DNA evidence that can either positively link the suspect to his crimes or exclude innocent parties, citizens should not hesitate to provide information, even if it is just the name of a potential suspect.
The following agencies are cooperating in the investigation of these crimes: the Virginia State Police, City of Fairfax Police, University of Virginia Police, Charlottesville Police, Albemarle County Police, Albemarle County Commonwealth’s Attorney, Virginia Tech Police Department, George Mason Police Department, and the FBI.
Law enforcement agencies are asking anyone with information to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or the Virginia State Police Tip line at 434-352-3467.
Press Contacts:
Virginia State Police
(804) 263-5547
City of Fairfax Police Department
(703) 273-2889
FBI Richmond Field Office
(804) 261-1044
FBI Washington Field Office
(202) 278-3519
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John- hahaha. No, not a crime lab. But I have been moonlighting a tad. A gorgeous girl vanished days before high school graduation…Almost 20 years ago. After basically living on BOC for 2 years, I found myself offering to help the girl’s mother…a woman I dont know!! SO PLEASE PRAY FOR THAT ONE!
If I dont step in, there is a small chance it will ever get solved.
Anyhow- miss you guys!!!!
clarification:
after 2 years living on BOC…Ive unconsciously started thinking I am a sleuth. I sent the ladie an email telling her I support her- and the next thing I knew- I was smack dab in the middle of the investigation.
: )
Dr. P
Well the lady is very fortunate to have you onboard. Twenty years will seem like yesterday to her. Look close to her place of residence.
I’m here too. Working hard and unable to participate much. I must say, though, in reference to the discussion above about why LE has not told the public where Morgan wanted the BBPs to take her: I thought that the BBPs had to be somewhere (together as a group) and Morgan probably was not supposed to be there. Surely, she asked (drunkenly or not) to be taken anywhere out of the rain and cold, and they said no. Why all the speculation about her asking to drink underage or hook up? The girl was freezing cold and drenched. The BBPs have been totally protected in this matter. Is everyone at BOC convinced that not one of them had anything to do with her disappearance? Just wondering…
and of course, JMO
Good luck with your investigation Dr. Pepper.
New eyes and new thinking can often find something that those originally on the case did not.
Dr. Pepper, you go girl! Good luck, good luck, good luck.
Olivia
Your question about the BBP is one of the things that I have always questioned. I don’t think that we have any real information about their activities that evening. Just that they interacted with Morgan. In an earlier post I questioned the possibility that one or more doubled back and possibly took her somewhere.
The problem here is that they are university athletes that are often given a pass for questionable behavior. Is it true in this case? IDK.
This would have been one of my activities if I were LE. I would have worked that angle to the point of making certain that none of them or any of their buddies had anything further to do with Morgan.
We don’t know just what direction VSP took the case. What ever it was has been inefective in solving it. By leaving out the community for so long, they lost IMO an opportunity to make considerable progress.
Olivia, Regarding your comment about the BBP’s. There was a member of the Charlottesville business community who posted, about ten months ago on fb, what he had heard (from several sources) happened during Morgan’s encounter with the bbp’s. I will not post the gist of that here because he may now wish that he had never put himself out there. But I am trying to emphasize that there are plenty of people out there who talked about it, surely some who tried to tell police about it and maybe even more who tried to contact Dan Harrington about it. Since the FBI’s increased involvement in this case, they too have had that information re-submitted. It has been taken into account and obviously doesn’t incriminate any of them so we have to trust that this subject may not prove helpful in finding her killer. I am sure what TGF said is exactly the angle LE worked …to no avail….yet….
It’s been a long time since I posted, but I visit here every day to read any news on Morgan’s case. I see the basketball team is back on the table. Remember the “Disapperd” segment that came on cable TV awhile back? Morgan’s case was featured and there was discussion why the basketball team was never mentioned on the show. Someone posted that the team had encounterd Morgan in the parking lot as they were departing after their practice. It was early in the timeline, as I recall. She may have been trying to get a ride??? But they left to attend some other event and Morgan was still on the campus and other witnesses reported seeing her walking around that area. “Kickee and the “boys in black” etc.
I have never posted one of these ” could it be Sketch?” stories but it stood out for two reasons: the violence described in the WTVD story and we are a college town ( like Fairfax and Charlottesville.)These are accounts of the same attack but each contains details missing in the other.While there have been other attacks on the trail none of the unsolved attacks match this one.
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=8817258
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/11569443/
Sorry for the two posts in a row but the above story was just on the news. The young woman Ginny Mueller was interviewed and she said something that also reminded me of the Fairfax attack.Ginny passed her attacker, they made eye contact then he followed her for almost a quarter of a mile before attacking.
The alibis for the BBPs are airtight, I’m sure.
LeeLee,
There IS a resemblance in the appearance, age, and method of this N.C. attacker but it seems to me there is a crucial difference, which is that Sketch operates at night in urban/suburban Va. areas close to 29. Of course, we have speculated that he may be responsible for a number of assaults along 29 N/S in all sorts of areas (rural, highway, etc.).
A new post from Gil Harrington quite heartbreaking. I am still here everyday checking in hoping and praying for justice for Morgan and a safer world “For TheNext Girl.”
Dan Harrington
Gil Harrington’s Thoughts from September 18, 2012
September 18, 2012
Autopsy Report
Which seat do you choose? Among all the comfortable chairs in this house, which one is the right one to support me as I open and read the Medical Examiner’s autopsy report for our slain daughter, Morgan Dana Harrington?
It is a thick envelope. The kids always said a fat envelop was a good sign; typically meaning something positive, like an acceptance to college. Thick or pancake flat envelope makes no difference in this missive; it is all bad news. It is stupid of me to be so avoidant of this written document. I have seen the damage, felt the bones, smelled the rot. Still to experience the objectivity and scientific analysis inherent in the autopsy report is going to be so disturbing. She wasn’t a 20 year old white female, 5feet7 inches…… She was Morgan, our baby girl with shiny hair, flashing eyes and such sweet silky soft skin. How could he have ended all that? I will never understand the evil, the cruelty of this killer
As time passes, Morgan, I feel mounting urgency about other young women that may fall in this predator’s path. I feel his blood lust growing and am frantic in my determination to Help Save the Next Girl.
Morgan, your papa and I are tired but remain steadfast in our search for your killer. We work diligently also to change the culture of complacency and complicity that accepts violence against young women as status quo or incidental occurrences. That indifference must be shifted. I refuse to accept the false premise that these lives don’t matter. You surely did.
241
Love Mama
Olivia — I don’t think two attacks necessarily tells us how Sketch operates. He may have numerous daytime assaults not near route 29 that have never been reported or attributed to him. It may just be that he is an irresistible impulse opportunist who “lucked” into an easy victim.
I respectfully disagree and agree in part, redly.
1. He likely has unreported assaults, although I doubt personally any occurred during the day.
2. While the 2 known assaults are technically not enough to really form a profile of any “heft”, investigatively the similarities are markers of this offender type. When that is all you have to go on, and the traits are specific, that’s all you have to go on.
B
Thank you Hummingbird for bringing Gil’s writing over to us.
Dan Harrington usually does. If Gil reads here, I wanted to let her know, that we think of Morgan and we are waiting for the evil that took her to be exposed and locked away.
I will stay with you until then.
Your welcome Alexandra. Beautifully said.
I will also stay with Morgans family until justice has been done for our shiny girl.
Hi J.me,
I’m curious as to why people will not disclose what Morgan discussed with the basketball players. Imo I don’t think the bbps have anything to do with Morgans death, so why all the secrecy? I think everyone is wanting to know where Morgan asked them to take her. It doubt she would think they would be willing to drive her hours back home. Would you be willing to point me in the direction of the conversation you referred to on f/b?
The BBP were having the first or the second practice of the season. It was also parents night.I imagine there were people with the BBP, friends and family. Redly once said it was a “closed” practice and I think there is a short video, I don’t remember if it was the 1st or 2nd. There were alot of people in the parking lot between 8:30-9:30. The BBP and whoever was with them. I am amazed at the arrests at JPJ that night. There had to be LE in the parking lot. It’s not that big of an area.
Sydneyfrog I was just about to ask j.me the same thing regarding FB.
Minnie Penny the players are towards the end of the timeline and the kickee incident happened earlier outside the arena. From what we know the players are the last people in the LE timeline we are aware of who actually spoke to Morgan.
Also ATGF wondered if perhaps one of the player’s did stay a bit longer with Morgan or dropped back after the rest of the team was gone.
In terms of airtight alibis one thing must be noted: one player may have never been questioned because he was not in the lot with the others during their interactions with MorganI realized one was missing as I noted the number of players questioned in the articles and when I looked at the number of players on the official roster I saw that one player was not questioned. I would love to know where he was parked that night and why he was not with the others?
Alexandra in terms of LE presence that night it give me the chills given the route LE likely would have taken that night coming and going from the arena to the station. The shortest route takes you right over that bridge before turning onto the road where Food of All Nations was located. And if you drove past the station you would be on 29 in a few minutes.
Sydneyfrog, I agree with you but you will notice that the subject of the bbp is taboo in every article printed by Charlottesville papers…
The post I referred to was on fb /HFMDH in Nov. 2011, so almost a year ago. It may have been removed and the person, who also wrote to others about it, may be glad it is no longer in the public eye. I mention it only to make the point that the bbp were widely discussed in the community, there is no way people weren’t coming forward to LE with what they knew or heard. Whatever that was, it wasn’t enough to charge them in her disappearance or death. I’m not positive but there may have been lie detector and/or dna tests done as well. If so, they obviously were not conclusive enough to charge anyone either. End of point being that I feel sure that everything has been done that can be done regarding that subject so that there are no loose ends.
Good to know, thanks J.me… I understand you not wanting to repeat it and I guess I need to trust that L.E. has valid reasons for not wanting certain information released. I know I am not alone in trying to figure out where she asked them to take her. I just pray the angle L.E is working will eventually pan out and an arrest/conviction is made. It always tugs at my heart strings when I think of Morgan out there so far from home just stuck.
LeeLee,
So true. There is a police station just over the bridge and to the right down 250 West past FOAN–the quickest route to and from the arena, also to 64 West.
You guys may be right, that all leads around the BBPs have been examined closely. It just seems odd. We also speculated here that a family member or friend of a BBP (due to Family Night) may have been involved.
Hello- I have been busy so please excuse the length of this post as I have alot of bottled up thoughts
I appreciate everyone still here- great posts all
re- Leelee says:
September 25, 2012 at 4:29 am
Minnie Penny the players are towards the end of the timeline and the kickee incident happened earlier outside the arena. From what we know the players are the last people in the LE timeline we are aware of who actually spoke to Morgan.
—-
Lee Lee I believe you are right- although we do not know which BBP were the last to speak with Morgan we do know that the side door group were speaking with her from the time they exited thru the side door up through aPP 9:15 when the BK saw the same group of 5 = Morgan & BIB/BBP gathered around the vehicle in the “empty” Plot-
Kickee episode happened directly after assumed last attempt at reentry – slightly before 9pm- app time- why app? since both Kickee and BK made phone calls directly after their sightings? it seems LE could pinpoint more accurately the timesbetween kickee and BK…
Kickee overheard a “commotion” at front doors some arguing etc… “moments” later at the side door he had his encounter with Morgan… (this is the door where 1 group of “students” exited -then a wobbily Morgan was spotted by BK walking “with several companions” companions it would seem were the 4 BIB or – “4 white men” or “Students” = BBP(
BK says- it was right about 9pm when Morgan walked in front of car
next
BK estimates the time at 9:05pm since she placed a phone call to a friend a minute later while still on Massie Road then again estimates rvlot sighting by vehicle at about 9:15- where same group had no business going to an “empty lot”
snipped from both Hook articles:** by me
“around 9pm when he heard a “commotion” at an entrance.
“It was some shouting”
*Minutes after* the concertgoer’s encounter, another witness says, a woman resembling Morgan was walking across the street with several companions…
“It was right about 9pm when we were driving down Massie Road with JPJ to left…..a “wobbly” blonde woman step in front of the car.
With the blonde were four young, white men— a conspicuous group, says the witness, because of the direction they were headed: away from the Arena…….The men, says the witness, were allegedly laughing.
“I thought, ‘That girl should have no business going off with those guys, walking into an *empty* parking lot when the concert is getting ready to start.”
The blonde, however, did not allegedly seem distressed and even, seemingly as a joke, shook one leg at the men, also clad in black. The witness estimates the time at 9:05pm since she placed a phone call to a friend a minute later while still on Massie Road…….
It wasn’t the last time the Richmond woman saw the young blonde. After she, her husband, and friend parked near U-Hall, she says, she saw the same group of five gathered around a vehicle in the RV Lot, or Lannigan Field overflow parking lot—…….
But LE estimates time as 9:20
further snipped:
By 9:20pm— about 10 minutes before she was last seen on the bridge— according to the police timeline, Morgan was spotted in the RV Lot, directly across Copeley Road from the U-Hall lot and adjacent to the UVA track…….
According to several sources, members of UVA’s men’s basketball team were among the last to see Harrington in the grassy, tree-shrouded parking area before she was seen with her thumb out, hitching a ride on the bridge. Emails sent to numerous team members were forwarded to UVA spokesperson Carol Wood, who directed the inquiry to State Police, but Geller declines comment on the identity of any witnesses.
“We leave it to them whether they want to speak publicly,” she says….
—-
In the Walkthru piece we have Capuzzo estimating sometime around 9pm, two separate groups of students— whom the Hook has previously reported to be members of the men’s basketball team— left John Paul Jones Arena.
—
Again why the estimates of sometime around 9pm-?
Did the side door BBP witness the kickee encounter? or did they exit after the kickee encounter and did the front door group witness the “commotion” at the front doors?
Also what of the BK accounts- according to her she never saw the exit of Morgan or the kickee encounter- but witnessed Morgan shake her leg and wobble in front of the car and make their way thru the lots…
According to CAP the “students” told police Morgan was unsteady on her feet “They described her as having to support herself on vehicles as she was walking,” he says. In the parking lot about halfway between U-Hall and the RV lot, she dropped her phone.
BK describes her as wobbily and shaking her leg and heading into an empty lot- she does not mention Morgan dropping her phone and I would amuse then picking it up… all this takes time
She estimates the gathering around vehicle time at app 9:15 but mentions no convergence of players just the same group- then we have the convergence in the RVlot- and ofcourse the behaviors of Morgan made BBP decline a ride-
then all players are gone at 9:20… Morgan then spotted by curtsy duo near PPotties– then Morgan on bridge by 9:20 NO later in order for F/D 9;23 doorstamp
It seems LE would be able to better pinpoint the times before this door stamp or did all these encounters happen simultaneously?
How could a wobbily girl leaning on cars for support who dropped her phone and retrieved it- and was with same group of 4 alone in lot wait for other BBp to converge- then ask for a ride the players decline ride all leave in separate vehicles and Morgan make her way to PPotties and curtsying and still be one the bridge by 9:20?
It seems there has to be an overlap of witness accounts-so how can LE state that all BBP were gone by 9:20? They all left in separate vehicles- they all had “another event” to attend…their alibis check out….
So they all arrived at other event at the same exact time despite all leaving in separate vehicles- there was a mass exodus of players from rvlot and they all followed oneanother in a large caravan to their event…then a valet must have took them from each vehicle and they all signed the guest books one after another and were clocked in ??
—
My point is this- LE can not make the claim that all BBP were gone from lot by 9:20 then in the same breath state its because they had another event to attend
The timeline seems to work for the BBP not towards pinpointing when Morgan was gone or with whom- how can they know that one of the players didnt have a second thought of giving Morgan a ride? then circled back to the lot or bridge and pick her up …-then drop her off safely closer to her destination-?? No one sw her enter a vehicle- but LE knows she was gone from the bridge for fathers 7-11 passby…..
TMK BBP did not come forward themselves according to Blink and the Hook pieces others palced them with Morgan -then LE went from there….Correct? Please correct me if I am mistaken
BUT if they did not come forward themselves how can we be sure or LE be sure they are being totally forthcoming about their encounters and departures?
Again Just to be clear–I am NOT trying to accuse the BBP- far from it-
I am simply trying to work the timeline and I am trying to figure out the whys of the protective language or avoidance of mentioning the BBP unless it is to state they were gone by 9:20 and they declined to give Morgan a ride due to her behavior… and they had another event to attend and their alibis checkout-…
How can an alibi check out in this case since LE has no timeline in which to use as a clearance against a persons “alibi”?
What alibis? all times are estimates except for father daughter timestamps-
So we are to believe that suddenly these players who must not have had watches all arrive together at the same time to the same event and
are clocked in at the same moment?
We can all agree that LE and UVA seem to be trying to avoid all discussion of Morgan and the BBP- we can assume they have been thoroughly checked out- I have heard many theories and much speculation about the limited interactions- and it seems LE is confident in the fact that the BBP have been cleared.. but it better be because of something more than they had another event to attend and they all arrived their safely at some point and were witnessed by others there. JMO
I hope the players were forthcoming once they were contacted- and it would be good if they once did all submit to polys and passed and it would be great if they all did get cleared by DNA…
Jme thats wonderful if they were cleared by polys and DNA although I hadnt heard that before if true then the BBP and UVA and LE can rest assured-
but I worry that that may not be the case- because if it were so wouldnt LE and UVA and the BBP or their PR representatives be yelling it from the roof tops?????
Instead all we hear is an avoidance of even referring to BBP instead we get the “students” and all the other language that seems to benefit the BBP instead of Morgan or the case….
and in truth all this LE and UVA postering and choice of language IRT the players and that night HARMS the players instead of helping to clear them of suspicion- JMO
IMO LE did the BBP NO FAVORS by handling the “limited interactions” with Kid gloves and if I were the BBP I would be upset- and I would also be upset that not once have we ever heard from or about the coaches or the assistant coaches- where were they? when did they leave- what are their recollections of times etc? Are we to believe that these players practiced alone without the guidance of a coach a coach who would likely have been wearing a watch?
AJMO
AMBR
Peace
ps adding-
Hook walkthru piece snipped:
Although that man (kickee)– cleared as a suspect, says Cappuzzo, declined to walk away with Morgan, it wasn’t long before she found a group of men to join. According to Cappuzzo, sometime around 9pm, two separate groups of students— whom the Hook has previously reported to be members of the men’s basketball team— left John Paul Jones Arena. One group left through a side door, another through the main front doors. Morgan began walking with the side-door group as they traversed Massie Road and walked through the parking lots on the west side of U-Hall, on their way to the RV lot, where student-athletes park when the Arena is busy.
The male students told police Morgan was unsteady on her feet, says Cappuzzo. “They described her as having to support herself on vehicles as she was walking,” he says. In the parking lot about halfway between U-Hall and the RV lot, she dropped her phone. The back piece of it would be recovered three days later, says Cappuzzo, but the battery has never been found……
A full 10 days after her disappearance, Cappuzzo says, a bloodhound was brought in to follow Morgan’s path. The bloodhound, says Cappuzzo, followed the exact path the witnesses described– across Copeley Road and up the grassy slope into the RV lot.
That’s where the two groups of male students converged, and although Harrington requested a ride from them– to where, Cappuzzo would not reveal– the students declined. Cappuzzo says the 14 men who saw her there have all been interviewed multiple times and their alibis have been thoroughly checked. “They had another event to attend that night,” says Cappuzzo.
After the students departed, Morgan walked along the fence that separates the lot from the UVA track, according to Cappuzzo, who says her trail was picked up by the bloodhound, which stopped near a small line of portable toilets at the lot’s rear. Cappuzzo says two non-student witnesses driving down a road that leads from the baseball stadium to the RV lot reported seeing Morgan in that area– and recalled yet another unusual behavior for a young woman alone on a dark rainy night.
“She curtsied,” says Cappuzzo, but she didn’t attempt to flag them down.
Hmm….. Mom3.0 something suddenly jumped out to me. According to the articles I have read all the bbps(except the mysterious missing player) left at the same time in separate cars. So as you put it there would have been a mass exodus of players. And chances were they didn’t leave caravan style one after the other because 1. That would been obvious to anyone on the road that night and 2. It is pointless since everyone was going to the same place and it was likely a place all team members were familiar with.
I agree with you that Morgan had to be on the bridge by 9:20.All players were apparently gone by 9:20 yet they were all ( or perhaps almost all) gathered around in the lot at 9:15. On the surface the timeline works in the players favor in terms of being the subjects of suspicions but the devil is in the details. When I really stop and think about the actions of each player it become iffy. There were 16 men on the team at the time and police questioned 15 which means 15 were at least aware of Morgan’s presence in the lot. I will be generous and assume that perhaps 3 players left as soon as they got in the lot. So that would make 12 gathered around at about 9:15. Their exit wasn’t a structured thing.If the the event they were attending required everyone to arrive at the exact same time then their bus would have been used. Therefore we can assume leaving the lot was a rather casual scene even it was directly related to their presence on the team.This means 12 men had to each walk to and get into their respective vehicles. So let’s assume it took one minute for everyone to be in their car. Once inside their car we have to consider there were 12 different people each doing something slightly different. For instance some may have immediately buckled up and turned on the car, others may have fumbled with the settings for the heat, at least one likely made a phone call, and more than one read or sent a text. Several probably took time to choose a favored radio station or CD. Some players had to back up their vehicles while others may have just been able to drive forward. Each player had a set of individual actions and each likely took a different amount of time even if the difference was only a few seconds. Also keep in mind that the team members weren’t the only ones in and out of the lot and therefore at least one was likely behind the vehicle of a non team member. We also have 12 players who had to wait there turn to be at head of the line. Once at the head of the line each had to make sure it was clear to turn since there was a bit of traffic that night. And that last one said Morgan was still in the lot when he left. The same Morgan who HAD to be on the bridge by 9:20 at the LATEST. With that in mind the latest a player could have left was 9:19. So what is the likelihood that 12 men with unique nuanced actions upon leaving managed to get in their cars, go through their little routine, and exit a parking lot onto a busy road on a busy night in FOUR minutes? It becomes even less likely if all 15 really did leave together. Hell if there were only ten it would still be questionable.
It isn’t my intention to imply guilt in the actual crime but yet again the timeline doesn’t work and it isn’t clear if this discrepancy is due to a weak story from the players or police unwilling to deviate from their original timeline. I am doubtful that everyone was given a DNA test/ lie detector. Really doubtful. And if so it was only done with 15 members of the team instead of all 16. LE probably had to jump through a lot of hoops before the lawyers for UVA agreed to an interview. College athletes are revered and protected at schools like UVA so there is no way in hell I will believe that each player was individually contacted by police and questioned. It would have been organized and tightly monitored by the UVA legal team. But I must admit if I was a college athlete involved in a case like this I would want to make sure the lawyers were watching out for my best interests especially after the Duke debacle; even if I was totally innocent. Schools like UVA often seem to value their public image more than anything so with all the bad press the school received regarding the Yeardley Love murder I would think the school would happily march out the team and brag the the school and players were not only totally cooperative but they also cleared everyone with DNA tests and polygraphs. And if I was a player who had passed a lie detector test and DNA test I would make sure the public knew.
What happened to “Sketch”? I haven’t posted for awhile but I do still read here. Didn’t his DNA show up in some way with Morgan’s remains?
LeeLee
Your post and Mom3.0 are things that make it hard for me to believe that the bbp actually did what LE thinks they did. In particular, the sequence of getting themselves out of the lot. We don’t know if some rode with another member or if they each had their own vehicle.
The question about how the bbp were interviewed by LE and its relationship with the possible liability regarding UVA. I personally think that UVA attorneys carefully monitored how the stories were to be presented to LE. Getting an admission of such is next to impossible.
One thing I could never wrap my head around, and maybe some one can help me, is why this was not a high profile case immediately when it happened, why there has been so much “secrecy” in the case from day one till present, and why was security not beefed up to protect the female students of UVA and Charlottesville knowing that Sketch is lurking.
Someone please explain what I am missing because I simply cannot grasp the logic.
She vanished from UVA
Her shirt was found appearingly placed on hedges outside a building in an area highly populated by students
She herself was a college student, not of UVA, however an example of his danger to women of that age.
Is this not reason enough for a high level of immediate concern?
But….no…..why?
TGF, Mom3.0, and LeeLee,
I was not aware that all (15-16) players on the team were in the RV lot and drove away “at the same time” around 9:20. I thought it was a group of four with Morgan and a few others in a separate group. Anyway, my impression was that perhaps three or four carloads left at about the same time. But in any case, their “alibis” would be each other’s assurances to LE that each of the others were present as they left the lot and at the gathering they went to moments later, I assume. BUT did any of them ride alone or with just one other player? Did any arrive a little bit later to the gathering than the others? How much time would it take to assault and murder Morgan and then leave her somewhere to take to AF later? Sounds farfetched, perhaps, but some monster did this…and people have passed poly tests before. IDK, I just wonder if there is a connection between the any of the BBPs and Sketch.
JMO
The Curtsy Duo and the BBPs…
Sketch…
What is Sketch’s connection to the CD or to one or two of the BBPs?
Is there a connection?
OR is Sketch a serial rapist and killer who was present at some magic moment on Copeley Bridge, as the police would have the public believe? Who attacked her just after the CD saw her at the porta-potties at 9:21 while Dad/Daughter also saw her on the bridge at 9:21? (BBPs left at 9:20, CD saw her right after that, and Dad/Daughter made it to the dorms at 9:23.) All very dubious.
Looking back at an older article I realized I had the number of players questioned wrong: it was 14 not 15. So that means two players were either not present during Morgan’s interactions with the team or did not admit to being present. Two actually bothers me more than one. If only one player wasnt there I could tell myself he may have been sick or just not in practice that night. But two players gives me a weird feeling because in my mind it is less likely that the two weren’t present at all. Unless someone you knows dies or you are unable to leave your bed you are still expected to attend practice even if you are unable to participate. So where were they?
Olivia two seperate groups of players did leave the arena. However all 14 converged in the RV lot. And according to Lt Rader the 14 questioned did leave in their individual cars. That info was from the October 28 press conference.
Your question about the Sketch connection brings up a question that I have had for a long time but it has never been answered. We know Sketch encountered Morgan and that Morgan was raped. However the type of DNA evidence and location of that evidence is unclear. If it was semen then I think Sketch is the perp or if evidence under her nails belonged to Sketch chances are he killed her. . However if it was blood then he could have been the accomplice and simply injured himself while helping her killer sneak her body onto Anchorage Farms.
You chose the perfect word for most of the witnesses in this case: dubious. We have her sorry excuse for friends who either left her on purpose or just didn’t care enough to try and find her and instead left town in her car. Then there is kickee. Something about his immediate need to call his girlfriend after being kicked really irks me. I don’t know a single man whose automatic response would be to call his girlfriend after a random person kicking him. And I also think it was weird that she told him to call the police and report it. If my boyfriend called and told me a random girl kicked him I would laugh at him and tell him that if he sees her again then could he ask her to kick him again for me. I would tell him to call the police. Next we have the curtsey duo. There is more to their story because if Morgan was as incoherent as some described I doubt she would have just randomly curtseyed at two men speeding by on their little golf cart or whatever they were using. She knew they were watching her and either the curtsey was a little flirty thing or it was a ” hey creeps I know you are watching me sort of thing. ” And we have the basketball players who were apparently moving at warp speed that night and so was the father visiting his daughter. Both that dad and the players packed a lot of action into just a few minutes. Finally we have Morgan who is placed on the bridge yet still in the RV lot at the same time. We cant forget Granny either.How does LE not see that their timeline is not feasible in reality if we are expected to believe all of the aforementioned witnesses have been totally cleared and therefore the information the provided should be true. Someone is lying. Actually multiple people are probably lying. I’m not sure who or why. And the liar(s) may not be the person who killed her it could just be someone trying to save face. I really hope someone eventually tells the truth because maybe then we could actually get justice for Morgan.
I’m with you Olivia. It really doesn’t add up. I believe that Sketch has some connection to one of those groups. I thought that the father could have had time to get back to the area of the bridge- or RV lot- after dropping his daughter off; however, he apparently has an alibi that checked out.
I still think that the basketball players, while it was a closed practice, would not be precluded from interacting with friends/family AFTER practice. Athletes, even at the amateur level have “handlers” that work with boosters and the coaching staff of schools recruiting them. I can’t imagine that it was JUST the basketball players there. Maybe one of them called somebody that they know to suggest to them that Morgan needed a ride to where she asked to be taken since they could not take her.
I don’t know what to make of the curtsey duo, although given their roles in the timeline, it is also head scratching.
It is seventeen days from being three years from Morgan’s disappearance. I can’t believe that we are still re-hashing the same events, although I’m grateful to those on here who are. Every time that I read one of Gil Harrington’s post, I feel more desperate for them and the thirst for justice.
Judi says:
September 29, 2012 at 1:25 pm
One thing I could never wrap my head around, and maybe some one can help me, is why this was not a high profile case immediately when it happened, why there has been so much “secrecy” in the case from day one till present, and why was security not beefed up to protect the female students of UVA and Charlottesville knowing that Sketch is lurking.
Someone please explain what I am missing because I simply cannot grasp the logic.
___________________________________________________
You are missing that you are starting from a false premise. It was a high profile case within a day of it happening, with high levels of immediate media coverage and significant police resources. I think we would all be stunned if we learned the value of the resources/time directed at solving this crime — certainly more by factors of ten than have been directed at other murders such as cassandra (forgot her last name) and many others around the commonwealth and nation. This is solely because it was a high profile crime, involving a popular band and a victim with highly motivated parents, and a large, powerful state entity that will have pushed police to make every effort to solve it as quickly as possible. There has not been so much “secrecy” from day one until present. For Virginia, there has been a ton of info released. None of which will help solve the crime at all at this point, as it is clear to me that it will be solved only through dna or a snitch, not by the interested public. I don’t know what was done with regard to security after morgan’s disappearance. I am sure they did somethings. Whatever was done, I think it is relatively safe to conclude that sketch has not struck again in the area since morgan’s disappearance.
I do not agree with redly that there has been a ton of info released, except to say that what has been released has all occurred to date is because it was a high profile case by the typical standard.
I do agree that sketch was outta dodge before Moran was located.
B
@Redly: My reasoning for how the cameras affected the case negatively you answered on 9/7..I do not believe/think that they would have any footage of Morgan in her seat.However,I would/will argue until this case is solved,that she has to be on vid if she was close to the tix window or the main entrance.What I mean is if everything with the cam’s was working properly how can she be in those 2 spots and not be captured on vid one way or the other? Those are two places usually monitored pretty heavily.Plus that is where she was supposedly turned away by security.Therefore,(even though policy states no admittance,after exiting)somebody could have erased,misplaced,or destroyed footage.That is how I think the whole video thing affects this case negatively.I might be completely off base too.
Morgan and her family deserve someone in LE to do a better job.Approaching 3yrs since this monster(s) destroyed a family,took a life,and damaged a community,and yet this case has not moved forward.Oh,wait a min they digitally enhanced a sketch that may or may not look like the suspect to begin with.If this idiot found god,moved out of the country,or had a sudden change in character this case will never be solved..
If Sketch was outta Dodge before Morgan was located….
who planted the Tshirt and why???
Sorry, I must disagree Redly. I feel there has been almost nothing but secrecy, unclear information and possibly even cover up in Morgans case from day one.
bp3. if this idiot “found God” he would have confessed. If he moved to Africa, he will be back. His character will never suddenly change unless I shoot him. This case will “solve” LE said so, and they know what they have.
Forgive me for how this will come across; if there are any young women in Virginia who’ve been attacked and never reported it, they need to step up now. How on earth do we convey this message and reach out to possible victims. No way there’s been just 2; 1 resulting in murder. Morgan’s killer had experience before killing her and not just 1 victim.
A big unsolved murder from 1974 (a young woman) in Canada was finally closed, due to DNA. Her killer died in a Oregon prison, in 2006. NOT FAIR. I hope it doesn’t take 38 years for Morgan’s murder to be solved, but this guy will not get away with it. Science is evolving much faster and this guy will be caught, alive.
http://tinyurl.com/92o9fph
It’s soooo great to see old friends on this friend. Never forget, Morgan rocks. 2*4*1
Anchorage Farm listing details:
http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/1864-Anchorage-Farm_Charlottesville_VA_22903_M68507-59081?source=web
I know this has been posted on a previous thread. For refresher:
http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Counties/Albemarle/002-0734_Anchorage_2001_Final_NR.pdf
Pictures of various land properties in Albemarle County. I’m posting this to offer images of the terrain and geography in this county. It’s breath taking. It also provides some insight as to what Morgan’s killer crossed to to hide her body.
Emphasizing on the idea of how well her killer had to know the the particular details of Anchorage Farm and surrounding area. Many obstacles in the dark to consider, like rolling terrain, hidden creeks, thick bush and tree lines, barbed wire fences… If you have the time, go through the different listings and click on the pics. Many pics offer clues as to how complex the journey would have been.
http://tinyurl.com/8d8jg8t
If sketch is from Albemarle county, perhaps it would be worth while to go through school year books.
Was there a reference as to how old he might be? It’s far fetched, I know…but….nothing ventured.
Hopefully someone will come forwaqrd with information after yesterday.
http://www.nbc29.com/story/19679275/help-save-the-next-girl-campaigns-in-north-garden
alexandra says:
September 30, 2012 at 7:59 pm
If Sketch was outta Dodge before Morgan was located….
who planted the Tshirt and why???
_______
I believe the shirt was recovered in November and Morgan wasn’t foun until January.
It is interesting that Blink thinks Sketch is not around the area any longer. Did he leave Fairfax after the first attack and head to Charlottesville? Is in still in VA? Another state?
http://www2.dailyprogress.com/news/2012/sep/23/uva-student-reports-being-raped-ar-2228309/
Where were the basketball players going? Do we know?
Supose that their destination was near where Morgan wanted to go. We don’t have that information or do we?
Supose that Morgan did get a ride with one or two of the BBP and they dropped her off at the desired location. Now we have a completely new site that is unknown to us. She could have encountered sketch at that location.
I am just asking some questions in looking at new possibilities. The “friends” who rode with Morgan should have information about where she wanted to go. To date, there has been zero reports to the public about the destination regarding the telephone conversation.
Despite their differing opinions I agree with Redly’s and also with Sydneyfrog’s.There are people out there with missing loved ones who would do anything for that person to receive the sort of attention Morgan’s case has gotten. In terms of getting headlines Morgan had everything going for her because she was a young,white, gorgeous, college student from a wealthy and successful family. However the way LE has handled certain information is infuriating and like Sydneyfrog I think the level of secrecy is ridiculous. We still don’t know what Morgan’s shirt actually looked like, what clothes were present with her body, why she left the arena, her cause of death, where she asked the bball players to take her, nor if Sketch’s DNA was present on her shirt, her body of both. I cannot fathom the lengthy delay of LE when it came to revealing that her shirt was found and the link to the Fairfax case. I understand that LE holds back on releasing evidence to the public in order to protect the integrity of the investigation but it this situation there was a lengthy delay on all of the most crucial pieces of evidence. For instance her shirt was found in November but it wasn’t made public until her body was found. While LE did question those who lived in the area they had no way to know who could have been a witness. Given the location of the shirt someone had to have observed what occurred even if they don’t realize it. Unfortunately that memory likely faded as time passed.
My take on the coverage Morgan has received is that while she did initially benefit from the coverage that comes with the infamous missing white girl syndrome people sort of lost interest because of the hitchhiking information and party girl rumors. Those unfamiliar with the details just blew her off because of the unfortunate tendency the public has to dig and dig until they can find a reason to blame the victim. I loathe people like that but I don’t believe they are awful or cruel, just scared of what could happen to the themselves and their loved ones. So they creat a false safety net where they tell themselves that if they don’t do x, y, or z then they won’t be in danger of ending up like the Harringtons. It is heartbreaking and scary to realize Morgan’s parents are devastated people who had it all when they went to bed the 17th but the child they brought into this world left it in the middle of the night while they were in a blissfully unaware state. So it is often easier for people to believe they can protect their own children if they just teach them to follow simple rules instead of facing that evil is always present and there is no magic formula to avoid tragedy and loss.
Yes ATG, and why is it a secret? I don’t understand why that information hasn’t been released.
I still think the friends need to be interviewed, further. I don’t believe they’re guilty, but I think they may have something they don’t even know is valuable.
They need to be interviewed separately, imho. Yeah, they made a mistake that cost Morgan her life. The buddy system failed. I don’t doubt they’re their own worst enemies when it comes to feeling guilty. At that age, the world is still very much about themselves. They haven’t had significant life experiences (until Morgan’s murder) which tends to breeds wisdom. Heck, I’m still trying to figure it out, too.
I don’t understand LE’s silence on this case. I don’t understand the stall. I believe fresh minds and new blood needs to be brought into this case and start at the beginning. Something’s been missed and/or overlooked.
We know one thing about Sketch. He comes from behind and covers the mouth. Not sure if that’s still an m.o. but it’s relative.
Oh my….part of my comment comes across as terribly insensitive. Please forgiven my ignorance and insensitivity. I made a statement that implies only a life was taken, that’s all. I didn’t mean to cheapen Megan’s horror, nor her life and death.
My deepest apologies to the Harrington’s and to BOC. Morgan is our shiny girl. She could never be less.