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Page Four
SHE DID NOT PUT UP A STRUGGLE. BUT I DID.
At a first glance, “SHE DID NOT PUT UP A STRUGGLE” seemingly contradicts evidence from crime scene and earwitnesses that heard screams as well as it seemingly contradicts the author’s following description of the crime. A possible interpretation is that the killer meant here that his victim went into his trap unsuspectingly and without resistance, while the killer put significant effort in building the trap that provided the platform for her following murder, the slaughter. |
Source: Wikisource.org |
Another possibility would be that he threatened her with a weapon and she complied, before he decided to physically attack and kill her.
IT WAS A BALL.
Our interpretation is that the killer meant “IT WAS A BALL” figuratively in the sense of a “dance”, as synonym for manipulating and maneuvering his victim into the following circumstances, and/or in the sense of a “feast-like” or “festivity-like” joy that the killer apparently felt when he realized how easy it had been. The killer felt excited to see his plan work. This gave him a feeling of success and superiority. With his remark, the killer brags again how smart he is.
I FIRST PULLED THE MIDDLE WIRE FROM THE DISTRIBUTOR.
The killer admits having manipulated Cheri Jo Bates’ car and details, at least in part, what exactly he did; the killer admits knowing the victim’s car; the killer admits and confirms targeted action to the victim’s car and consequently the victim herself. The killer confirms technical knowledge of cars. Indirectly, the killer admits having known his victim and having planned his actions in advance.
THEN I WAITED FOR HER IN THE LIBRARY AND FOLLOWED HER OUT AFTER ABOUT TWO MINUTS. THE BATTERY MUST HAVE BEEN ABOUT DEAD BY THEN. I THEN OFFERED TO HELP.
The intentional or unintentional misspelling of the word “MINUTES” as “MINUTS” feels like a typical Zodiac Killer spelling error. Again, possibly just another coincidence.
To wait for her in the library means that the killer knew that Cheri Jo Bates would possibly go to the library on that day. Another strong indication that the killer knew his victim before. If he was not in her social environment then he must have been stalking her for quite some time before the crime.
Apparently, the killer knew the library, either because he was a user, a school employee, worker, school supplier or similar, which would put him into the direct school environment, or he was simply a stalker that had followed Cheri Jo Bates to the library on the same day or at least one earlier occasion. Consequently, the killer must have been a person that either qualified to be a user of the library, or was permitted to enter the library for other reasons, or could pretend being qualified to enter the library without looking suspicious.
Anyway something seems to be wrong or missing here. What is it that the killer does not tell us? The killer waited in the library for her? Where was she before? The killer disabled the car before he waited for her in the library. In other words, this also means that the killer did not disable the car while Cheri Jo Bates was in the library, leaving us with the following possible explanations:
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Cheri Jo Bates parked the car at the library, but went elsewhere before coming to the library. In the meantime, the killer manipulated her car. Here it would be interesting to know how he could do that. Was the car open, did he have a key or otherwise did he break it open? How could he manipulate the car without taking a major risk being seen? |
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The killer was already at site upon Cheri Jo Bates’ arrival with the car and disabled her car in her presence directly after her arrival. This would be similar to the Zodiac Killer’s “technique” disabling the car of Kathleen Johns in 1970, pretending being a helping person, something like “your car makes a strange noise, let me check your engine …”. He then manipulates Cheri Jo Bates’ car and says that everything should be in order now |
The killer says that he “FOLLOWED HER OUT”, so consequently he must have been inside the library or at least in the building with her. So either he stayed in the library with her or at least somewhere inside the building or area where he saw her when she is leaving.
When Cheri Jo Bates finally leaves the library, the killer gives her a two minutes head start to try starting her engine and to empty the battery. He then leaves the library to appear exactly in the right moment “to offer his (further) help” to her.
The killer says “THE BATTERY MUST HAVE BEEN ABOUT DEAD BY THEN” instead of “THE BATTERY HAS BEEN DEAD BY THEN” or “HAS BEEN ABOUT DEAD BY THEN”. We find that odd and take it as a possible indication that the killer has been lying here, or has been mixing up his pre-crime fantasy with the actual events.
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