OK, let's review what we've learned today (source: CNN):
1. The police got a call on their hotline from the sniper telling them to look for a note he put behind the Ponderosa.
2. The police indeed did find a lengthy note, which, because it contained the complete text of the note left with the tarot card, they considered to not be a hoax. They also determined that the Ponderosa bullet matched the other "sniper" bullets, meaning it was shot from the same gun.
3. The note instructed the police to be at a particular number for further instructions. That number traced to a residence so the police thought perhaps the killer had inadvertently gotten the number wrong. They then played with the number (reversing the last two digits) to come up with a business they considered more in line with what the killer might have had in mind. The police then routed both numbers to their headquarters.
4. The note also "hinted at a demand for money" and threatened "more killing."
5. The police then got another call (not sure whether via the hotline or one of the provided numbers). That message, they said, was only 25% audible, and so they urged the killer to call back.
6. The police traced the origin of the original tip to a pay phone at a gas station in Richmond and staked it out. Today they pounced on two people that arrived in a white van but later admitted they were not at all associated with the killings.
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It seems to me the police figured that since the killers had used a particular pay phone once that they'd use it again. The show of force assembled 15 minutes prior to the two hapless individuals showing up was likely because they expected a phone call around a particular time. Perhaps when they saw the white van that somewhat resembled their sketch they decided they had their men. The flaw in this logic is that if they did indeed expect a call, why not first verify one had indeed been placed before moving in? The end result is that the killers can hardly now trust the police will keep their word.
Another question is whether the call to the tip line about the Ponderosa note was left before or after the Ponderosa shooting. Logically one would assume afterwards or else the police would have staked the place out. But, if afterwards, it would imply the killer either hung around the area (when all the roads were being shut down), came back to the area specifically to make the call (risky), or lives or works nearby. They say when things get tight that serial killers kill closer to home. Yet there is no denying he seemed to know the sites of his other murders quite well. My guess is he figured all the roads would be shut down so why not go find a nice bar, have a beer, and watch the hunt for him on CNN.
- Jeff |
