First I wish to apologize to my fine Monkey Mates for some of the unanswered questions to me on here and my overall inability to get a chance to discuss her case on here.
This case has been moving so quickly in the last week I am having a difficult time managing and fact checking the developments myself.
I will be on Dana's show Tuesday evening with Clint Van Zant discussing Morgan's case, but wanted to bring over my recent response/post on BOC and the response of a poster that covers a great deal of what I am seeing y'all scratching your heads on as well:
Sorry in advance for the length, but I think it is an excellent representation of the current thought model:
From Sherlock on Boc
Hello all. Watching the snow fall and finally enjoying some brandy. It stimulates the mind and loosens pure reason enough to allow for the imagination to work as well. I recommend the Brahms Clarinet Quintet.
Thinking of the vigil held tonight for the Harrisons and knowing that everyone here has had their own private vigil for Morgan in our own way.
Now this shirt or T-shirt is found - Blink says 2 weeks ago?? I’m confused thought it was today. Case just keep getting stranger all the time. But, as a long time reader of true crime books, I can tell you that so often just as the case is developing towards a suspect or arrest, there will be lots of false leads or suspects that at the time look to be really important, only later prove to be red herrings. Some of the aspects of this case, perhaps the fire and
others will end up in the discard pile as the case nears completion.
I don’t want to sound insensitive here, but it just occurred to me what a fascinating book this will make someday, once the perp is caught and tried. Ann Rule where are you? The story behind the scene, that many of us have tried to perceive from our armchairs,
will no likely be even stranger than we think.
All of the following is based on the premise that Morgan knew or dated her killer.
_________________________________
For me, there has been two ways to grasp the Ariadne thread that leads to the center of the labyrinth of this crime. You can either start from the perp end, or the Morgan end. Since we know a lot about Morgan, and almost nothing of the perp, I have chosen to start with
Morgan, and try to understand her from the inside, her motives, where her mind and heart were at on that fateful night. Psychologically, the transition from high school to college is a very significant and
challenging time for young people.
1. They, at age 18 can vote and/or buy booze for the first time.
2. They get their first apartment or begin to move away from their role as a dependent child to their parents and experience their first taste of independence and freedom. This is especially true if it is a college away from the home town.
3. And especially pertinent to this case, many high school relationships change or break up due to college plans. Old friends may be gradually left behind as the young Freshman now has the opportunity to meet hundreds of new friends on campus - and have a wider choice in selecting friends and lovers who more closely fit with their emerging new personalities as they mature and discover more about who they are as individuals and what they want in life.
Sometimes, one high school lover goes to college, and the other stays in the hometown and gets a job instead. Thus often setting these two on different paths in life that will no longer intersect, except at high school reunions.
I am suggesting that the perp may have had a long standing emotional fix on Morgan, perhaps since high school. And that there seems to me to be an emotional element to this crime that explains why things seem so “strange” about this case and don’t fit any regular pattern. Crimes of emotion and rage due to long standing resentment are often haphazard and not well concealed, especially if they are to some degree unplanned.
Planned VS Unplanned
____________________
Another very important dividing line in this case. I tend to think that her death was unplanned, at least consciously by this perp - exBF. I do think he was in the frame of mind that he had to win her back “or else”, that he had psychologically crossed a line where
another rejection by Morgan was a “do or die” scenario. Much like so many cases we hear of today where some guy kills his wife for cheating, and then kills himself. The all too common “murder/suicide” story on the news. I’ve always thought - “hey you jerkass, why don’t you just kill yourself first and skip the wife, okay?”
I want to quote a couple of very insightful quotes by Blink on this topic (even on cold medicine she’s like the diamond in the lotus of discriminative thought !)
************************************************************
If I am hearing what I think I am hearing over the last 2 days:
1. “she was gone before the end of the concert.”
possible translation: We know this because the person we know murdered her was accounted for by around 11:30 pm.
He needed to be back to dump her purse in the melee and to be seen by her friends and act perfectly normal.
Which they would, because she was due to be with new guy. She was intercepted by jilted and they argued in the lot where she turned to go get back in. Could not. Remember my thoughts on embarrassing public man-sodes? She sets her purse on the whoevers car and in her rage of indignation she starts toward the bridge, thumb outstretched. He is
parked there and the displays are to piss him off for ruining her night. Probably many previous nights.
He pulls up next to her and says, listen, its raining, you have nowhere else to go, let’s chat or get a drink till the concert is over, and oh yeah, you dropped your purse, get in. “cept the battery had been removed already, cover back on so as not to alarm.
**************************************************************
This opens a new doorway to the labyrinth. Jealousy, that little green monster we all know so well. A new guy? Hmmm….. This also suggests the following possibility -
1. The trying on of outfits was for meeting this “new guy” and NOT for old BF.
2. She did NOT encounter old BF until the concert. which means she originally intended to stay for Metallica. The new BF was there with his buddies, not necessarily sitting near Morgan, but she hoped to be with him at some point.
3. The leaving the arena was an unplanned event due to the appearance of the old BF and an emotional conflict.
Blink seems to have some experience in “public man-sodes”
sorry couldn’t resist !
and I think Morgan being a Leo with Aries Moon, double Fire, was very prone to these types of experiences with boyfriends.
So - the old BF, seeing her talking to a new guy, maybe intervenes. She WAS going to the bathroom, or for a smoke in the concourse arena, until exBF stepped in. And she went outside to get away from him?
But the old emotional tie for Morgan is not yet broken. Lots of good memories, and the psychological association this guy represents - an earlier time in her life, when she didn’t have as many responsibilities and love was simpler.
She gets in the car with him - with the goal of talking him into “let’s just be friends” (sound familiar folks?) And to calm him down and try and explain how she’s changed, and so on.
Again, I think the change of high schools her senior year (although the family didn’t move)is part of the background to this puzzle. Why the change? What was that important? Horrible time to change psychologically and socially for most young teens. Unless …….
Another Blink post -
*****************************************************
Admittedly, my theory of a targeted, known to her offender, is asking one to believe there is an individual so brazen to methodically plan and execute the abduction and murder of Morgan with no “screaming” pingback to their identity, which is accomplished in a few hours. In that scenario, Morgan’s purse was dropped by her at the lot, and someone tried to use her card who has no involvement I guess.
I go back to this- Lt Rader is emphatic the friends and she had no plans to meet up after the concert.
Yet, they are in possession of her car. The friends when asked who she may have had plans with, were asked not to disclose. They returned to JMU without her, and never called anyone to see where she was, did not alert her parents, her car now in their parking spot.
I believe they were under the impression she was with someone, not in jeopardy, and of her own will.
**********************************************************
Very possibly the “plan” was to get together afterward with the NEW BF or wannabe, and the appearance of the old BF was the joker in the deck that set things in motion.
Now, going out on this brandy inspired limb, what if this “old BF” also was there with buddies, and he had to get back to the concert in order to not be missed? I quote from the ever excellent J2K - although I always don’t understand her language, LOL.
************************************************************
Comment by J2K — January 29, 2010 @ 11:58 am
As far as your Sudafed-inspired points last night, well-taken:
“… I do not believe it was random, thus causing the single worst cosmic bad luck in a few short moments our dear Morgan could have. Can it happen that way? It can, and you may be right, but imo that means we have a -lying in wait- predator and a highly organized
offender, which I do not believe this is…”
Here’s the thing about “lying in wait” - what would the BG have been waiting for? There was a one-in-million chance she would find herself isolated from her companions and barred from the arena halfway though a concert she planned for half-a-year. No one could have known in advance that she was gonna land outside without her keys or access to
her car. And the “luring” theory simply does not hold water - she could not have been convinced to meet someone outside in a *total vaccuum* - someone, e.g. door security, textee, witnesses, friend inside, (or, hello! - phone record) would know her intentions/predicament once outside. (No, I do not think that leaving the show was her original plan; those tix were expensive.)
********************************************************
Everyone should read this and think!! It echoes my earlier post that a perp would not choose this event to find a victim. No advance knowledge. Unplanned. What’s he gonna do, just wait around hoping to find Morgan alone?? Illogical.
There is no way Morgan was “pushed” outside through those doors. Why the push? Lots of people trying to leave before the show? In 40 degree temps and rain? Ridiculous. No, she exited those doors for a reason, not by mistake. A very important reason.
Well planned murders have an earmark of a “sudden unexplainable” event during the course of the victim’s normal flow of activities. This case has lots of chaotic, out of pattern inconsistencies (the transfer of Morgan’s car and keys, the behavior of the friends, the
sightings of Morgan emotionally upset and combative or injured) that marks it as an emotional event, spontaneous and disorganized. The heat of the moment is what counts, long term planning or consequences are not considered at the time.
Thus, I believe her death was an unplanned event, quickly covered up, and very possibly as J2K says, the perp went back to the concert, his absence explainable somehow. His unconscious was ready to kill her, but his conscious mind didn’t have a plan, he just wanted Morgan back. Morgan was the one big victory in his life, he had “THE girl” for a while back then. Now he feels like a loser, and getting her back is his solution for fixing his life, for feeling like a real man again.
Was that farm a “sentimental” place for them? Possible, even if he didn’t kill her there. Taking her there is symbolic. And - although this murder has none of the ritualistic, fetishy earmarks of a serial crime, the emotional nature of the crime makes some symbolic features of the murder likely - such as the taking of the necklace, or the placing of her body there.
There is the question of how Dan H. knew that she was dead before the end of the concert.
Blink is hiding her cards on this question, as is necessary I suppose. But it further supports the theory that both the Harringtons and LE has had this guy, exBF in their sights since the beginning, but with no solid evidence to connect him. Until now.
Someone they know returned to the concert. Someone the Harringtons had a “bad feeling” about when Morgan dated him.
We have heard nothing about this exBF because he has been such a delicate suspect. Prone to run out of state, or to cover some tracks if he knew he was being watched.
I believe LE has been very smart in playing chess with this perp. They have sacrificed some pieces (no news or leads in months) in order to checkmate this guy.
A planned killing includes a spot to dispose of the body, permanently. Buried, or in a trunk like poor Holly (Unicorn killing in the 70’s). An emotional, unplanned crime flies by the seat of the pants - decisions made in the heat of passion and without reasoned
thought. Once the victim, the cause of your unhappiness is dead, the unconscious is satisfied and the emotional energy is dispersed. Hiding her well is not important. You have no experience with killing, and you’re sure you can’t be connected since no one saw it
happen. Naive, yes, but this guy is young and no expert.
Part of him also wants to be caught, don’t forget that important aspect of these crimes, even serial killers leave clues because of this paradoxical twist in their psyche.
Have no doubts, this guy left enough DNA or other evidence at the farm to convict him.
Serial killers that have experience and confidence use knives or strangle. Guys with low self esteem and insecurity use guns, because guns so immediately put you in control with no questions, and they tend to be used in crimes of passion (husbands/wives) or in
situations where you fear loss of control. IMO, the cause of death will be a gunshot wound. Easily heard as hunters by neighbors. And, with the Aries theme again, that sign profile loves weapons and hunting, martial arts and combat fantasies. This guy owned a gun, oh
yeah you betcha.
As to the RSO many have speculated on - yeah, looks suspicious, but it’s too easy a call. Unless a connection is made between he and Morgan, I think this is a misleading red herring that is just too “pat” to fit the pattern of this twisted case.
Again, the thread of Morgan’s social life and who she DID know leads to the core of this case.
Want to also give a big thank you to Red Hill, Cville person and others who are “on the ground” there in the area and have contributed invaluable knowledge to this case that the rest of us aren’t privy to. Our eyes and ears in this case. Lucky to have you here!!
I think Blink should hold a party for all of us at her house when the guy is arrested, with goblets and refreshments all around. Blink, is your house big enough?
Thanks all for what you contribute and good night.
Sherlock
Sherlock-