<what bothers me most is her description of the people near Jovin. Who remembers stuff like that well after the moment has passed? She must have seen hundreds of people that night.>
Now that I have had a chance to finally get caught-up on all the posts from the past few days, Janice: That [above] is an excellent point, which has far-reaching implications.
I agree with you. Generally, a person would not remember a description of inconsequential "passerbys" on a street. This would be particularly true if he or she (hereafter, the generic "he") was not concentrating on doing so; And, IMO, if, within the same moving vista or view, he sees someone he knows, IMO, it would be even more unlikely, as the tendency would be to focus on that person.
The serious implication is: "She" [the unnamed witness with the xrayvision, hereafter "Xeyes"] used that description to subsequently identify Jim Van de Veld from his appearance on the TV news. I do not know how great a factor that was in naming Jim as a suspect; but, if the original description was flawed, any subsequent identification would be flawed even more so. I recall Xeyes' statement that, when she saw Jim on TV, with his general description of {I think} tall, blond, nicely dressed {possibly, glasses}, she thought of the description she wrote down, reviewed it, then made the identification of Jim from the details she remembered based on what she wrote, rather than what she saw. When I first read about it, I was disturbed by Xeyes' identification of Jim. You added more reason to feel that way.
I may have missed it, but I am interested in the street lighting in the area where Xeyes saw Suzanne and the two men.
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In one of Jeff's posts, he indicated that the NHPD rather suddenly changed their perception of Jim, from helpful citizen to suspect. I am curious if one of the was their interview with Xeyes.
Additionally, your post is making me realize that I am confused in my recollection of the south part of the map. If "SHE" saw Suzanne before Suzanne crossed Elm, it seems consistent with your theory regarding Suzanne possibly returning to her apartment. I will re-check the map ASAP.
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As an aside, your historical parallels and anecdotes are educational, enjoyable, and appreciated.
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Regards,
CJ |
