Murder suspect refusing to talk (Megan Holden's Murderer)

Tyler Morning Telegraph ^ | January 23, 2005 | NativeTexun

[cricket]

"This young lady failed to do something I have begged my children to always remember. SITUATIONAL AWARENESS"

. . .we live with such feelings of 'safety'. . .it is like you have to remind yourself that you must be aware. This girl was apparently just recovering from the death of her fiance' a few months ago. . .her mind may have just been 'resting' somewhere else.

That said; you have got to keep reminding the children to be just that. . .not fearful. . .just aware; and with a plan.

I wish she could have thrown the keys. . .ANYthing; besides having to be in that truck . . .

So very sad. I don't know how families cope with the kind of grief that must follow when your child or loved one is taken murdered.

[jwpjr]

Part of what I see as a problem in this case is the common requirement that employees park far from the building, to leave he closer parking places for customers. Some malls are VERY insistent about this and even fine merchants who don't enforce the rule. That's fine for daylight hours, but when employees are going to be going to their cars at MIDNIGHT it's a very dangerous thing to require. In the tape she had to walk all the way across the parking lot to get to her vehicle. Wal-Mart, if they have this rule for employee parking, is in no small part responsible for her death. It should not be left up to the employee to seek an escort to her car, the parking lot should be monitored during this time period and a guard should be required, not asked, to accompany employees to their vehicle.

[NativeTexun]

Did you know it is reported that he was a New York City firefighter? After 9/11, "don't mess with a New York City firefighter" or you might get just what you deserve.

[NativeTexun]

>>One problem I have is that cameras in a parking lot do no good if they are not monitored <<

I doubt any store has someone actually sitting there monitoring a camera 24/7. Would cost more money, ya noe, to hire such an employee! Cutting the bottom line in essential areas is not good. And even the "security loss person" isn't always that reliable when viewing a tape.

Case in point: At the local Home Depot, I had some returns (brought in in a paper grocery sack with handles). Made the returns, folded the sack flat and then proceeded to shop from my list. At the self-serve checkout, a kindly gentleman I know from shopping there helped when the "self-serve" wasn't scanning the items. He even helped me sack some of my items .. some I put in a the paper sack. Went my merry way but didn't know I'd not gotten home with that sack until I went to use something I'd bought. Searched the house and car over. Back to Home Depot asking if the sack had been left at the register. OH NO! was immediate reply before EVEN LOOKING! Their "loss prevention specialist" had to view "the tape" and they gave me "the benefit of the doubt" and gave me the items I was missing ... a mere $40 worth. I was rather incensed to have such an issue made over $40 like I was trying to pull off a scam. I asked to see the tape and I told both the store manager and loss prevention "expert" that it SURE LOOKED TO ME like a bag was at the register as I walked away with my cart. They were polite but said nothing was left behind from their observation of the tape. They "gave" me the items at no cost. Still perplexed, a few weeks later I asked a cashier I frequent if a bag had been left at one of the registers ... she pointed me a few registers over and THERE WAS MY BAG! According to her, someone had found it and put it at one of the registers thinking it belonged to "an associate." I was assured when I first asked about a "left-behind bag" that it had been a few weeks and they most certainly WOULD BE at the customer service desk.

Just proves what rocket scientists we're dealing with sometimes if the loss prevention guy and manager both view the tape and say nothing is left on the checkstand and I say it looks to me like there IS A BAG THERE and I'm walking away leaving my bag. The tape proved it as well as the appearance of the bag containing the exact items missing.

Wonder why no one in the parking lot witnessed the incident. At close to midnight, it's hard to believe that no one was entering or exiting the store. Those Wal-Mart parking lots are very big tho!

[NativeTexun]

To say she wasn't paying attention can never be accurately determined now since she is not alive to recount the seconds from the time she heard him running towards her and her attempt to escape into the safety of her truck. It is known from the tape that he began running towards her. He was perhaps crouched by a car and found his victim and made a run. There might not have been much ANYONE could do at that point but try to get inside their vehicle, lock the door and speed away. I think the reports said he knocked her to the ground.

I can tell you that here in Tyler and East Texas we have a false sense of safety .. www.kltv.com shows video clips of interviews with friends of Megan, the family of Williams and with local Saturday shoppers who say they are now rethinking their "late-night" trips out be it to Wal-Mart, Target, grocery, etc.

[NativeTexun]

Seems there is strong basis for a case in light of the fact that Williams had been noticed to be loitering and had been approached by the security guard. Someone waiting two hours for a ride should arise some suspicions. It's not known at what time the security guard approached Williams but it seems he could have been reported to local police as a potential suspicious person if he was seen walking the store and "monitoring" the parking lot for several hours not buying anything but just hanging out like a vulture waiting for prey.

[NativeTexun]

There are strange folks everywhere! The guy has a history of prior drug arrests and was reported by his mother in an interview to have been required to take "anger management" while in Iraq. I hope some bleeding-heart liberal doesn't suggest the insanity defense cuz the poor boy got "messed up" in Iraq. Lots of people come back from war scarred ... but they don't go out and murder again. We had enuf of the insanity defense when the stoning mother, turned professional actress with an outstanding performance to the jury, was found not guilty by reason of insanity. (Deanna Laney) What a travesty!

[NativeTexun]

Hate crime? What else would cause someone to murder?

As to classifying it as that, I doubt it.

The local district attorney has called it "torturous and barbaric."

[Hildy]

Yea, like a 19 year old girl is going to "pack a weapon." Give me a break, it's not the solution to everything. If this WalMart is indeed in a bad area of town, they should have armed guards in the parking lot. I bet they will from here on in.

[rudy45]

No one is saying that carrying is the solution to everything. At least, I'm not. The real question is the following: would her carrying have increase her chances of fighting off the attack? I think most here would say "yes."

[NativeTexun]

>>If this WalMart is indeed in a bad area of town, they should have armed guards in the parking lot. I bet they will from here on in.<<

Probably heightened security for awhile .. but then things will go back to usual.

Heard this story from a reliable source .. some local druggies were hanging out in front of Barnes & Noble, Circuit City, Eckerd .. a shopping strip smack in the middle of the mall area. An elderly lady was knocked off her walker in mid-day and her purse stolen. The son of the woman talked to the owner of the property about hiring security and he declined. There was another incident there but I can't recall it. And then the Barnes & Noble shooting ... but doubt security guards could have prevented that or even detected the matter before it happened. If I'd not make a u-turn due to heavy traffic, I'd have been walking in the door about the time the young man was shot.

[sweetliberty]

I thought this guy was shot and killed in an attempted robbery.

[NativeTexun]

He was wounded and stopped in Arizona at a hospital for treatment for a gunshot wound to the shoulder. Authorities noticed he was driving Megan's pickup. I think this was around 5 a.m. Friday and her body was discovered in West Texas about 3 hours later.

Where did you hear he was shot and killed? That is incorrect.

[sweetliberty]

I guess I misunderstood. Thanks.

[NativeTexun]

Express your concerns to the store manager, Darryl Flynn.

903-597-2888

[DooDahhhh]

I don't remeber that one.

[Lurker]

Why don't you throw a call into the Amarillo PD, just in case.

Do you know if the video will count as an 'eyewitness' so this freak can go to the Texas Express Lane Of Death?

This case is another good lesson in always remembering to watch six.

L

[zeaal]

>>I hope some bleeding-heart liberal doesn't suggest the insanity defense cuz the poor boy got "messed up" in Iraq.<<

Heard an interview with the kid's mom and it seems she is already starting to toss that suggestion into conversation regarding her son.

[NativeTexun]

I heard the interview as well but I didn't "get that" from it. She did say, however, that the parents had contacted the military for help back in December regarding Williams' mental state since returning from Iraq and said they'd not gotten a response. I can believe that. The woman seemed very sincere .. she said this is not the son she knows that committed the act. Any mother would say that unless they knew beforehand they really had a scoundrel on their hands. Mothers always believe the best. Imagine the devastation the parents are going thru as well. There are victims on both sides of the fence in this tragedy. An East Texas jury is not going to go lightly on this fellow. We have our share of "Bubba's" here and a few "Bubba's" are needed on this "jury of peers."

[MizSterious]

I used to work nights and the walk home from the bus stop seemed looooong. However, I did two things--I carried an umbrella (the old style that didn't fold up) and actually used it on one guy who tried to mug me, beat the daylights out of him in fact--and I made sure I had my house key in hand well before I reached the house. No way did I want to be fumbling for keys if someone was following me. In the video we've all seen too many times, it seemed she was nervously fumbling for her keys--if they had been in her hand she might have saved her life.