Please decide if you want to try to solve this crime, or continue acting as the Captain of the Debate Team -- with you reserving the right to unilaterally change the Propositions and Rules.
If there actually were rules, they'd be something like a) propose all sorts of "reasonable" scenarios, and then b) tear them apart. Yes, I've developed what I think is the most likely scenario, but not all the facts are in so of course things could change. The fact that I "defend" my position is not to stifle opposition... quite the opposite; I want people to show me another possibility is more reasonable.
If my replies are put offish, I'm truly sorry about that because my intent is to be engaging! (gg)
1. College Street
College Street in front of Phelps Gate is usually quite busy. The minibus stops there (until 12:48am), people are always dropping and picking up people, and it's the only entrance into the old campus for the entire (long) block between Chapel and Elm. Across the street from Phelps Gate and, again, running the whole length between Chapel and Elm, is the New Haven Green. People avoid the Green at night as there have been muggings there. Cars are parked on both sides of the road, and the road is two ways. College from the intersection of Elm to the Yale hockey rink is lined mostly with Yale administration buildings which would be quiet after hours. At the rink it becomes Prospect Street and a residential area.
My jogging route for years when I lived in New Haven was to run all the way up Prospect so I know the area well. I hated to run it at night because there were dead spots on the route (like by the Grove Street Cemetery). I wouldn't say the road is especially dangerous, it's just that it's not where people go for leisurely walks.
I don't think we are at disagreement here because we both don't know where on College/Prospect she entered a car. The last person to see Suzanne alive reported two others near her. That's four people walking in one small area. Yes, I doubt it possible she could have been abducted in such a scenario. The more she walked down College the better the chances she could have been abducted. Like I said, one night I was attacked on College but managed to escape while running near the hockey rink so I don't have any qualms suggesting it is possible.
One important thing to consider, though. The hockey game was scheduled to start at 7:30pm and was a 5-2 blowout early in the third period, so there certainly is a distinct possibility people could have streamed out early. Normally I think the game would have ended between 9:30-10. We know the last person to see Suzanne alive had just come from the game. People walking back from the game would have made an abduction less likely although, again, I'm not sure how many would have opted to walk back.
Lastly, we still don't know whether Suzanne took a left onto Elm and thus traffic on College would be a moot point.
2. A woman screaming. I wonder if there are any studies on how mugging victims react. Yes, woman are trained to scream... but that doesn't mean one is thinking clearly when overcome with fear, hence the expression "frozen in fear." My guess is most people react much differently in a crisis situation than how they thought they would or were trained to react.
3. "'Gang rape' occurs thousands of times a day in the U.S." Wow. That's scary. It's a sad commentary when we have to say that the fact Suzanne wasn't sexually assaulted is unusual.
Good point about what jewelry she might have been wearing. I never thought of that!
4. "...fixated on the the murderer(s) being completely unknown to Suzanne because, if known to her, the focus turns back to Jim."
Yes, I do not think Suzanne knew her killer... for many reasons. These reasons can be lumped into three scenarios: a) the meeting was prearranged, b) she was stalked, and c) the meeting was random chance.
a) The meeting was prearranged
The odds don't favor a totally top secret long-term relationship. One would presume she'd have told a friend, her sister, her diary, etc. Also, in general, people don't have top-secret relationships; they usually confide in someone. So, if there were a prearranged meeting then it would most likely have been with someone she hadn't been seeing on a regular basis. Once again, the odds don't favor someone getting killed my someone they haven't been seeing for very long. Furthermore, we can assume that Suzanne didn't fear her life was in danger if she willingly and secretly met someone. So, again, the odds don't favor a big blowup with a friend that took less than 30 minutes leading to murder.
Then we have the whole issue about why Suzanne would be walking clear across campus and then down the road to a prearranged meeting that obviously involved a car. In other words, it is much more likely she'd have arranged to get picked up a block down the road if need be to remain discrete.
b) She was stalked.
Given that a car was involved, and given that Suzanne cut across various roads and campuses, this would be highly unlikely, not to mention she had been out for hours before that and had driven someone home. I discussed all this at length in a previous post.
c) The meeting was random chance
What are the odds that a friend you meet by chance carries a knife? What are the odds you will willingly get in their car or even need to be driven somewhere in the first place? What are the odds that a chance meeting would blow up into murder in less than a half hour? Very low on all counts, IMO, and even lower you consider more than one of these would have had to occur.
As for Professor Van de Velde, his car was searched by the police and no evidence found of Suzanne being in it -- because she wasn't -- nor any evidence he tried to clean the car to cover up prints. For the suspicious out there, there was also no evidence he rented a car or stole one for that matter.
5. My interviewing of witnesses
I'm looking for facts. A fact is a fact. Yes, I do also engage in speculation and ask speculative questions, but that's more out of curiosity on my part, not for "evidence gathering". I think perhaps you are saying that if I ask "was she carrying a Yale Daily News" it is not as effective as asking "was she carrying a Yale publication" and then asking "which one" if the person says "yes". I do try to do that but even if I mess up, I'd think by now the people I'm talking to have got their stories pretty much down pat having been interviewed by the police and various media before me.
- Jeff |
