Ongoing FR Analysis: Jack Wheeler Murder

cnn.com ^ | January 9, 2011 | Susan Candiotti and Ross Levitt

[Albion Wilde]

Wilmington, Delaware (CNN) -- Police have found homicide victim John Wheeler's cell phone, according to a taxi driver who was interviewed by investigators this week.

Athel Scott told CNN National Correspondent Susan Candiotti that police told him they found the cab driver's number in the phone of Wheeler, the former Pentagon official who was found dead in a Delaware landfill. He said investigators wanted to know how his number got there. Scott... says he told the police he didn't have any idea.

"I never got a call from the man. I don't know him... He's never been in my cab. I don't know how my number got in his cellphone," Scott says he told police...

[hoosiermama]

From your link:

His eyes were the most bloodshot I have ever seen,” he told Fox News, saying that it appeared he had been wearing the same clothes for a long time, because the cuffs on his white shirt were filthy. But the clerk said when Wheeler started to talk, he appeared to interact normally and was mentally aware, ordering a cup of coffee. He told us he did not appear to be confused and disoriented as others have said, and that he sold him coffee at about 8 a.m. on the morning of Thursday, December 30th.

The fact that the next morning he did not appear "to be confused or disoriented" would IMO negated the stress possibility. He recovered in just a few hours, which can actually happen in just a few minutes if the sugar level is adjusted.

[blueplum]

Treatment of Mr. Wheeler’s widow is deplorable. Can’t give her a 30-sec phone call to prepare her for the worst? even after she hired DC attny as liason to Leo? either it’s local crime gone wild or it’s organized crime but it ain’t the widow.

[WestCoastGal]

Is it possible he had ‘something’ on some big shot and they wanted him to look like some bumbling fool in case he has something stashed elsewhere?

If something were to come out they can say - but look at him he’s a drunk, disoriented old fool. Of course, he’s NOT! But, I’m just wondering.

[WestCoastGal]

Is it possible he had ‘something’ on some big shot and they wanted him to look like some bumbling fool in case he has something stashed elsewhere?

If something were to come out they can say - but look at him he’s a drunk, disoriented old fool. Of course, he’s NOT! But, I’m just wondering.

[WestCoastGal]

Oops I had a feeling I did that twice - dang FR is so slow.

[Sacajaweau]

You had feeling...a feeling....a feeling....a feeling

[brityank]

Radell Smith at Examiner.com has a couple of new reports listed:

John P. Wheeler III: Amtrak, timeline and recommended investigative direction

~ ~ ~ ~ snip ~ ~ ~ ~
New timeline details

According to the Wheeler family’s attorney, Colm Connolly, John left his and his wife Katherine Klyce’s Manhattan New York residence on Dec. 26 in route to Washington, D.C.

On Dec. 28, two days later, John Wheeler is said to have boarded an Amtrak train when he left Washington, D.C. in route to Wilmington Delaware, according to Connolly. ~ ~ ~ ~ snip ~ ~ ~ ~

John Wheeler case: Delaware ME office and Newark PD not 'at odds'

In the break neck pace of the internet it is not unheard of to hear a news story about the John P. Wheeler III death investigation or any other high-profile crime and zip off an article in a matter of minutes. It is also just as likely that said article might reach a reading public before all the players in the investigation are brought up to speed on the investigation information disclosure "plan." The important thing to note is that when information comes to light to explain earlier comments--and counters an earlier position posited--it is a journalists responsibility to hear a matter out, weigh it for factual accuracy and to right any wrongs.
~ ~ ~ ~ snip ~ ~ ~ ~

Hit the links for the full reports.

[blueplum]

extremely bloodshot eyes is not an indicator of either high or low blood sugar events. Blood sugar affects eyes more in blurring or double-vision as sugar leaks into the viscous fluid of the eye. (other long-term effects on macula blood vessels but that’s not pertinent)

Hyperglycemia: Extreme thirst, flushed skin, greatly increased urination (leading to dehydration), craving for sugar, headache, itching, feeling hot, a fruity smell to sweat and breath. Able to communicate and complete simple tasks. Retains short term and long term recall. May become highly aggitated or cry.
Hypoglycemia: extreme hunger, pale skin, lethargy, shakiness, thick-tongued, feeling cold, lightheadedness, nausea, inability to concentrate or complete simple tasks, short term and long term recall impaired.

—

A 66yo would have naturally increased vascularization of the eyeball, it’s simply a getting-old thing. This increased vascularization would be most obvious if the eyes were subjected to an on-going irritant of some sort.

try this one on for bloodshot eyes :)

Red eyes = bear spray residue (mugging) on suit jacket?
(doesn’t smell overtly peppery like pepper spray) - slept in contaminated jacket? - eyes getting worse by the 30th, 8am super-red eyes but otherwise lucid, conversational

Does Wheeler change clothes between 8am coffee and Nemours lawyers? we think so. Why? to ditch the suit jacket for a noncontaminated hoodie-somebody’s extra gym wear?

don’t recall who first posted the link on this thread but, http://www.bpgroup.net/property_commercial.htm

but if you hunt around a few buildings there are a few 24-hr fitness besides DuPont.

24hr fitness = hoodie?

[hoosiermama]

Too many people knew Jack, knew his habits. Doubt if they'd get by with it. Could see it was a mobwanna be or someone wanting to point finger in mob direction to keep police from looking at them.

Keep wondering who pointed the finger at Jack regarding the smoke bombs...What else could they have been doing.

Culprits did not expect the body to be found. Hope LEO was left with lots of clues. Remember there is NO perfect murder, always clues.

[blueplum]

Cabbing is a very hazardous occupation, not really knowing at any given moment what’s going on with that stranger in your back seat behind your unprotected back. “See-nothing, know-nothing” is just basic self-preservation where TV-cameras are concerned - let it come from the boss back at the office, right? I’d cut them some slack.

Danny DiVito wouldn’t make it past the second day of training in a real-world cabstand - he’d freak and run screaming from the building! :P :)

[smoothsailing]

??????????

The family was told early in the investigation that Wheeler had died of a heart attack caused by an assault.

[blueplum]

He could have gone back home. He could have called his wife or kids. He could have called a buddy. He could have called the cops.

short answer: he thought he could handle it - how could he get home? robbed - no money. Wife/kids/buddies numbers in the phone on speeddial. Hospitals mandatory report assault=cops. Cops means sitting in jail, and people like Wheeler don't sit in jails. They lawyer up fast and get a very public retraction of suspicion - his livelihood-his honor was at risk. I'm guessing he had a few dollars or a credit card in his car - that's why he turned down offers of money the first day and looked so hard for his vehicle. of course, this is all jmo

By 6:30pm on the 29th, Wheeler had been hit by lightening 4 times; it would have mentally stunned anyone:
1) reputation compromised/associated with 'arson'
2) financially crippled/robbed
3) physically injured/assaulted
4) short-term memory impaired
(possible 5th - unknown activity in Wheeler home)

[blueplum]

info on the people encountered at the 5th and King garage (all info has been gleaned from articles linked in this thread):

6:41 on the 29th, Wheeler enters parking garage at 5th and King. Attendant says he smiled at her, seemed like a nice guy and stated his briefcase was stolen and his parking ticket was in the case. Attendant says really cold and snow on the ground. seemed in unfamiliar surroundings. Attendant said Wheeler wanted to get warm and she directed him to shut a door. Wheeler was able to follow those directions.

Wheeler told court employees encountered in the 5th and King parking garage about 7:30 that his wallet and briefcase were stolen and wondering if he was in the correct garage
all three court employees Wheeler encountered said Wheeler looked ‘clean and neat”
wheeler told parking attendant he was staying at an ‘old hotel’ but couldn't remember the name
Wheeler told court employees around 7:30pm that he was staying at a hotel ‘nearby’ and had “$120” (not sure if he said “had” or “has”)
Wheeler told Court employee Cathleen Boyer, that he had been robbed and asked where Front Street was, and asked what hotel was nearby. [Did Boyer tell him the Doubletree was 2 blocks up?] She reports Wheeler also said his brother dropped him off and he was here to visit his mother.
Wheeler told parking lot supervisor Sammy Abdelaziz at 7:30 on the 29th, that his car ticket was in his briefcase and ‘they’ had taken his briefcase (more than one perp) - Sammy reports Wheeler was obviously exhausted and walked slowly away.

[blueplum]

this is a “wtf” moment indeed! heart attack? Can you imagine, as a wife, hearing that first, then seeing pictures of landfills and an entirely different story on CNN, when your husband is supposed to already be in a morgue?? And these same clowns are supposed to be solving this murder? Lord help us all.

[hoosiermama]

Is the entire “story” of blunt force trauma just a “story”?

Cause of murder only known to LEO and thugs?

[blueplum]

this is maddening - if he just keeled over, then who went to the trouble of throwing him into a Newark dumpster miles away?

[bgill]

Yeah, like it’s not so unusual for heart attack victims to climb up into big dumpsters, right? Surely, the family has enough power to own these idiots’ shields. OTOH, it’s sounding more and more sinister than a random mugging. If it was a professional hit or CIA spooks then it was very, very botched and I can’t imagine spooks letting him wander around for so many hours. That, imo, leaves the crime family of the house across the street with crooked cops covering for them.

[bgill]

Thanks.

[Josephat]

might he have been involved in the creation of STUXNET?

[hoosiermama]

Or just crooked cops.

Isn’t the FBI in charge of the investigation now?

Hope the family has their own autopsy.