Iโm just going to say that a 22yr old cold case is now a closed case. More than 22 yrs ago I lived about a mile from the gruesome scene of a brutal, what appeared to be a cult killing from what Iโve since read.
One morning I left w/ our two kids to go to a nearby park RMP. Well as I turned right to head that way I saw an enormous crowd of bystanders next to a mobile crime lab on my side of the street. Across from it was yellow crime scene tape that sectioned of a sheet covering what must be some remains. It was adjacent to the outer perimeter wall of an apartment complex in an unkempt field which has since been converted to a well lit public park. The first thing that crossed my mind was that it was a shooting victim. Well after talking to one of them it turned out it was a young female carcass that had been decapitated and disemboweled in a ritualistic way.
With that I went on my way to the park just 1 mile due south of the complex. When we were riding our bikes on the concrete path, a guy on a womanโs bike came across the grass and cut across the bike path and lost his balance and fell off. Before I could offer help he jumped back on it as I noticed one side of his clothing was heavily spattered w/large dried blood smears/splatters. A chill came over me as I piled the kids back in my car and drove directly back to the crime lab. They allowed me in when I said I had some info that may hopefully lead to apprehension of the perp. Detective Leo Speliopolis was the lead investigator in the crime lab. He took all the details after quizzing me and said he appreciated my efforts and would call me back to let me know either way. Some hours went by and I received his call. He stated that after following my lead he heard from some others panicked witnesses who saw the same person. Apparently it was a cold lead but he assured me they scrutinized it and the womanโs bike in order to rule the guy out as a likely suspect. In as much as it was a relief that whole neighborhood remained in the grips of a possible serial killer on the loose. There are many more details in the weeks that followed regarding the missing head being recovered and a second victim on a bike ride along that canal that I need not get into.
This morning channel 3news ran a segment about DNA leading to the arrest of the โzombie hunterโ which we had heard sometime ago upon his arrest.Theyโre running a special at 10 pm revealing more details on the case and upcoming trial. Apparently he has also admitted his guilt as well as passed the insanity trial to deem him fully capable of standing trial.
It just speaks to how long a case can remain on โcoldโ status before it can be closed if at all. One other detail of note is that some of the experts on the case have said the majority of serial killers retain an item or more of their victims belongings as some sort of trophy. Itโs supposed to be part of their MO. Brrrrr! In that case it was her bike which they have also recovered since and impounded I gather. John Walsh formerly of โAmericaโs most wantedโ now has another show โIn Pursuitโ that airs on Discovery Channel as a series. Fascinating stuff that raises awareness of and safety from sick predators of other humans.
My curiosity and interest was peaked from reading Donald Rumbelowโs in the ๐Y๐s of JTR (Jack the Ripper) the White Chapel killer of 1880s E.London, England. Our Dad was a very senior cop who had also done some investigative work on the oldest unsolved mystery for Scotland Yard.
Btw the movie โFrom hellโ w/ Johnny Depp (Inspector Aberline) was another curiously fascinating look at the macabre murders of JTR. ๐ค