Kelsey Smith - Overland Park, KS, Missing [Archive]

One2Snoop

06-04-2007, 11:47 PM

Woman missing from Oak Park Mall area
Kelsey Smith’s family expected her home by 7:30 on Saturday night.
By JOYCE TSAI
The Kansas City Star

http://i11.tinypic.com/5xj448n.jpg
Kelsey Smith

Police believe that an 18-year-old Overland Park woman who has been missing since Saturday evening might be in trouble.

Kelsey Smith last was seen about 7:10 p.m. Saturday leaving the Target store south of Oak Park Mall. At 9:15 p.m., police said someone parked Smith’s car at the mall and abandoned it with her purse inside. Her cell phone and ATM card were gone. But the card doesn’t appear to have been used, Overland Park Police Capt. Tom Fredrickson said late Sunday, and investigators aren’t sure where she kept it.

snip....
Smith is white, 5 feet 6 inches tall and about 120 pounds, police said. She has long, brown hair and brown eyes, and was last seen wearing a pink tank top and black shorts.

Smith, who just graduated from Shawnee Mission West High School, last spoke to her family by phone about items she was purchasing while she was in Target, Ingram said. She was expected home by 7:30, and her boyfriend was waiting there so they could go to a graduation party and then out to dinner, Fredrickson said.

Ingram said no one has used Smith’s phone since she was in Target. Police have been unable to find her location through her phone’s signal.

People who know Smith said it is unusual for her not to let her family know where she is, Ingram said. He said although there is always the possibility that she left on her own, “it sure doesn’t look like it.”

“This is a very unusual situation for her. She’s a real straight arrow,” Ingram said.

Anyone with information is urged to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (474-8477) or Detective Bob Miller at 913-327-6965.

http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/134999.html

One2Snoop

06-05-2007, 12:28 AM

Nancy Grace
Aired June 4, 2007 - 20:00:00 ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT.

But right now, we are looking for a missing girl. Tonight, she went to a local Target, a beautiful Kansas girl, just out of high school, had just graduated a few weeks before. Goes to target to buy graduation gifts and is never seen again. Take a listen.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kansas police are searching for 18-year-old Kelsey Smith, who disappeared this weekend while running an errand for her family. Police say Smith was last seen at around 7:00 p.m. Saturday, leaving a Target store across from Oak Park Mall. A little after 9:00 p.m., Smith`s car was found parked outside Macy`s, across the street from Target. Police found the items Kelsey bought and her purse, but her cell phone and ATM card were missing.

GRACE: Where is Kelsey? This girl, incredibly bright, holding down two jobs, goes missing from a local Target. Where is Kelsey Smith, just 18? Ed Miller with "America`s Most Wanted" has the story.

Ed, what happened?

ED MILLER, REPORTER, "AMERICA`S MOST WANTED": Well, to the best of our knowledge, we know that she went into Target to buy this scrapbook and wrapping paper to wrap up this graduation gift, and the scrapbook and the wrapping paper are in the back of the car.

So we can only surmise -- there are some holes, but because of surveillance tape here, and the gifts in the back seat of the car -- we can surmise that she somehow left the Target store, put those gifts in the back seat of the car, and then somehow, between that point and where the car showed up later across the street at Macy`s, she disappeared.

GRACE: Tell me, do we have Chief Douglass with us yet, Elizabeth? Chief John Douglass is with us from Overland Park Police. Chief, thank you very much for being with us tonight.

CHIEF JOHN DOUGLASS, OVERLAND PARK POLICE: Yes, ma`am, thank you for having us.

GRACE: Chief, also with us, Kelsey`s family. You see them all there together. Chief, isn`t it correct -- let me get these facts straight -- she goes to a Target to buy a graduation gift for somebody else, and there is actually video of her leaving the Target on time, correct?

DOUGLASS: That`s correct.

GRACE: She was supposed to be home, her home with her parents, her boyfriend waiting to take her to a graduation party, I believe it`s 7:30, yes, no?

DOUGLASS: Yes.

GRACE: Here`s my question. When she was leaving the Target, she was alone. Take a look at this video, people. There she is. There`s Kelsey, walking out. She`s got her wrapping paper. She`s got her little present in her hands. Does the video show her, Chief, turning the wrong direction out of Target?

DOUGLASS: Once she left or once her car left the Target store and out onto the street, it went the wrong direction to be going home. At that point in time, we determined or felt very strongly that, when she should have been going home, the car was going in the opposite direction.

GRACE: Joining us along with Chief Douglass, Melissa and Greg Smith. These are Kelsey`s parents. They have not given up hope. Tonight, they are asking you for help. Look at Kelsey. She`s leaving, just like she said she was, right on time, leaving a local Target to go home to her mom and dad, her boyfriend waiting to take her to a graduation party. This girl straight out of high school, dreams of being a veterinarian, working with a local vet, trying to make that dream come true. Tonight, we want to help find this little girl.

Out to Melissa. This is Kelsey`s mom. What does it mean to you, Melissa, that she took the wrong turn out of Target?

MELISSA SMITH, PARENT OF MISSING KELSEY SMITH: It means someone was in the car with her, that she would not have turned left. That`s not the way she would have gone to go home.

GRACE: Thank God for the surveillance video. Now, let me ask you this. Did she typically always lock the doors? Do you think maybe she didn`t lock the doors? Could they have been in the car?

M. SMITH: The chief has some information I`d like for him to give out.

GRACE: OK, Chief, Chief, what do you know?

DOUGLASS: Well, Miss Grace, we are, as you might imagine, we have been reviewing videotape all day long, and we have some videotape that would suggest there was another individual in the back of the car with her. Now, it`s very grainy, and it`s very difficult to see, but some who have seen it believe that there is another individual there, and we`re working very hard to substantiate that right now.
snipped

GRACE: I want to help find this girl. Won`t you help us? Joining us tonight are her parents, along with Chief John Douglass, the Overland Park Police chief. He has just told us that, after careful and hours-long review of grainy surveillance video, there may be an indication someone else was in the back of Kelsey`s car when she left that local Target.

And, listen, this girl is scrubbed in sunshine, wanted to grow up to be a veterinarian. Look at this Target video, everybody. She was working not only at a local theater, movie theater, she was also working with a vet to try to make that dream come true. Now, she came out of Target right on time, a little after 7:00 p.m., she was supposed to meet her family, her boyfriend at home, around 7:30 to go to a graduation party.

But, Chief, her car was spotted again, where?

DOUGLASS: Well, it came back to the general area of the Target store, which is by the shopping center, and was parked in the parking lot by the Macy`s store at the shopping center. It was some distance from where it originally started, but it was in the same general area.

GRACE: How do you know this?

DOUGLASS: Well, we have surveillance tape that shows the car leaving, and we have, again, very grainy surveillance tape showing the car returning, but we can`t determine exactly what the condition of the individuals or who it was in the car when it returned.

GRACE: For all we know, this girl could be in some basement somewhere right now, but still alive. She`s only been missing for a short time. And isn`t it true, Ed Miller, that there is a chance to save missing people, especially within those first three or four days?

MILLER: Absolutely, Nancy. You and I have talk about that before several times. We should point out the fact, because we`ve been critical of bad surveillance cameras. Let`s point out the fact and cut to the chase: There was a bad surveillance camera. If there would have been a better one, you could have seen exactly who was in that car. So while Target had a great surveillance camera, the camera outside of Macy`s was not so good.

GRACE: And very quickly to Bill Grady, reporter with KMBZ 980 there in Kansas City, tell me about that video of her car being parked. Wasn`t it around 9:15?

BILL GRADY, REPORTER, KMBZ 980: Well, that`s what we were told. And then, of course, the developments here, Nancy, with regard to how grainy the video was, and whether somebody was actually in the car waiting for Kelsey when she came back, that`s all stuff that is very, very new. And something that I do want to focus on here is, when we talked about Target and Macy`s, I mean, literally if you have a strong pitching arm, you could stand in the parking lot of Target and hit Macy`s. It`s in the same general area, the same shopping complex. And so, whatever happened, it was in a distance of probably 150 yards, maybe less, whatever happened to this young woman.

snipped

GRACE: Take a look at this girl. Won`t you help her come home? 816- 474-TIPS, there`s a $10,000 reward.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0706/04/ng.01.html

One2Snoop

06-05-2007, 02:31 PM

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — An 18-year-old who has been missing since Saturday was forced into her car at a Target store where she had stopped for an errand, police said Monday after seeing a surveillance video of the store's parking lot.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,278054,00.html

Good morning One2Snoop,

I started a thread up in News from the Midwest before I saw they thread you started earlier. Sorry:o

Brooke

No problem. Thanks for the link.

Here's a pic of the POI in question....

http://i11.tinypic.com/62sdymh.jpg

One2Snoop

06-05-2007, 02:46 PM

Webpage for Kelsey....

http://findkelsey.com/

Update: HELP FIND KELSEY!
Family and friends of Kelsey need your help! Whether it's being a part of a search party, passing out flyers, or just being there for moral support, we welcome any help you could offer!
Volunteers are asked to meet in the Target parking lot on 97th street behind Oak Park Mall in Overland Park, KS. Search groups will be sent out at:
10:00AM
2:00PM
6:00PM

Thank you for your support!

snip

One2Snoop

06-05-2007, 02:48 PM

Monday, June 04, 2007
Missing: Kelsey Smith, 18
UPDATED: The family is asking as many people as possible to show up at 2 p.m. outside the Target, just south of Oak Park Mall, and help pass out fliers.

UPDATED AGAIN: Police worry that foul play is involved. Smith's dad is a police officer, so she knows to call if she's even being delayed. A lot of the leads so far aren't really panning out.

snip

http://blogs.kansascity.com/crime_scene/2007/06/missing_kelsey_.html

One2Snoop

06-05-2007, 04:15 PM

Reward increased - $20,000 reward for information that leads to Kelsey's safe return.

If you were involved in Kelsey's disappearance, please consider that we who love her want her to return home safely. Please find a way to help her return to her family and friends. It's the right thing to do.

If you have something to communicate with us via the internet, please send an email message to one of these 2 email addresses:

info@findkelsey.com or
anonymous@findkelsey.com

http://findkelsey.com/

Brainstorm

06-05-2007, 04:46 PM

I saw just the last 15 minutes of NGs show last night about this.My heart just went out to her Mother,sitting there,obviously & visibly just lost without her child. Her Father ,being a trained LE , really presented himself well, IMO.
IMAGINE,because of his occupation,he has seen the worst of the worst,but this IMO is something that he probably NEVER thought about happening.
I can only sit here and pray,but I have and I will continue.I am/have been blessed that my two girls have remained safe,so far,but it is terrifying to know that this is happening more and more to our young women & girls.
jmhho

One2Snoop

06-05-2007, 05:06 PM

America's Most Wanted....

Cops: Kelsey Was Abducted
Cops in Overland Park, Kan. say 18-year-old Kelsey Ann Smith was abducted from the parking lot of a Target store. Police say a man pushed her into her car at around 7:09 p.m. Kelsey was supposed to meet her boyfriend at home to go to a graduation party, but when she didn't show up, friends and family knew that something was wrong

snip....
-----------------------------------------

Overview -

Kelsey Smith Taken From Parking Lot

Kelsey had just turned 18 and had just graduated from high school.

Cops in Overland Park say Kelsey Smith purchased a scrapbook and some wrapping paper at a Target located at 97th Quivira Rd. on June 2, 2007. At around 7:09 p.m. she walked to her car, put her purse and the items on the passenger's seat and as she was getting into her car somebody came from behind and forced her in.

Kelsey was supposed to go home and meet her boyfriend to go to a graduation party, but that never happened.

http://www.amw.com/missing_persons/brief.cfm?id=45587

One2Snoop

06-05-2007, 05:22 PM

It appears another young lady went missing one month ago. Her name is Kara Kopetsky. These locations are approximately 20 miles apart.

LAST SEEN
MAY 4, 2007
BELTON, MISSOURI

Belton Police believe Kara Kopetsky was seen on Thursday, May 21st in Louisburg, Kan. in the company of a young man. The sighting is unconfirmed.

Police released a composite sketch of the person Kopetsky was spotted with in Louisburg. He has been described as a white man about 19 years old, standing about 5-foot-8 and 130 pounds. He has medium brown hair and brown eyes.

Kara was last seen on May 4, 2007 at Belton High School around 10:30 am. Kara was wearing a blue and white polka dot top. Kara has not been seen or heard from since.

Kara's family and friends are worried given that there has been no cell phone activity or any attempt to access her bank account since she was last seen. Her cell phone is either turned off or the battery has run down according to the Belton Police Department.

Please help us find Kara. Click on one of the links above to find out more information.

http://www.findkarakopetsky.com/

TuscanDreams

06-05-2007, 09:07 PM

One2Snoop

06-05-2007, 09:18 PM

From what I have read and heard on the news, this case is going to end in tragedy. This is very sad.

The case last mentioned is most likely a runaway, JMO. Belton is a rural community and it's not a bad place, unless you are a bored kid.

I was kind of wondering about the Kara Kopetsky case and the only reason I posted it was because I read on another message board that they thought the POI was similar. Don't know if thats true or not. :shrug:

I'm very familiar with Belton and the surrounding area as well as the area Kelsey Smith was taken from and still have family living in around those area's. Someone has to recognize the picture of this young man in the photo's. I certainly hope this doesn't end in tragedy but we know all to well how things usually turn out. All I can do is pray it turns out for the good this time. For Kelsey. :rose:

One2Snoop

06-05-2007, 11:04 PM

Posted on Tue, Jun. 05, 2007
Missing woman leads top 200
By LAURA BAUER
The Kansas City Star

The Overland Park police department has received more than 200 leads regarding the disappearance of Kelsey Smith.

But investigators have yet to identify a “person of interest” who they say can provide them needed information. This person was inside Target at the same time as Kelsey around 7 pm. Saturday and was “in close proximity” to the missing teen, said Overland Park Police Chief John Douglass at a news conference this afternoon.

“A lot of calls are coming in from across the country from people who say they recognize this person,” Douglass said. “We’re trying to track down every one.”

More than 50 detectives from surrounding police departments and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are working leads.

Investigators have analyzed local sex offender registries and have identified dozens who live in this area.

Smith, a recent Shawnee Mission West High School graduate, has been missing since Saturday evening when she didn’t return home from running an errand at the Target at 97th Street and Quivira Road. Enhanced surveillance video shows someone running up behind Kelsey as she was getting in her car. The individual pushed Kelsey inside.

Smith’s family announced today that a reward for information in the case has been increased to $25,000 through donations.

snip

http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/136747.html

accordn2me

06-05-2007, 11:55 PM

One2Snoop

06-06-2007, 12:22 AM

I'm sure the police have already thought of this....but if her daddy is in LE...how many enemies do you think he may have?

One thing about this....if the guy on the video is the perp....he's not very old and probably won't have much of a record, if any. Was Kelsey's dad in juvenile LE?

IIRC he's head of Security at the local community college. I don't know if this means he's retired LE and then took that job at the CC or it could be I completely misunderstood it - but thats what I thought I heard on Nancy Grace last night. :shrug: I'll look around and see what I can find on that.

One2Snoop

06-06-2007, 01:13 AM

This is what I heard on the Nancy Grace show last night regarding Kelsey's father....

BILL GRADY, REPORTER, KMBZ 980: snip

And one of the other things that I`d like to point out is that Kelsey`s father is in law enforcement at a very large community college here, and so he is extremely knowledgeable on police procedure. They have done everything, I mean, they have dotted all the i`s and crossed all the t`s, with regard to how they`ve handled these volunteers.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0706/04/ng.01.html

One2Snoop

06-06-2007, 03:41 AM

According to the following report the reward has increased to $30,000. We all know about Texas Equisearch - a big thank you :rose: goes out for their effort to help find Kelsey. :patriot:
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Late Tuesday, OP police released a photo of a pickup caught on the Target store's surveillance camera. No license plates are visible. Appears to be a 1970s-era model, AP reports. A couple of the local stations were saying it's a Chevy. My colleague, Laura Bauer, has a report on Tuesday's developments here. (Is the truck's driver the same guy as the person-of-interest from the other day? OP police would only say they seem to be dressed similarly, but drew no further connection.)

http://i10.tinypic.com/4zlj6df.jpg

Other local media have reports here: KSHB, KMBC, WDAF, KCTV.

Texas Equusearch, a mounted search team that can search by air and water, will be joining the search with a 10-plus-person team, the Scared Monkeys blog reports. TES helped find Jodi Sanderholm; Sanderholm's parents, by the way, will also be helping. (Marcus Moore on 9 had this first, though I couldn't find a link Tuesday night.)

Also Tuesday, police released surveillance video of the parking lot. It apparently captures some kind of scuffle, though the action takes place in the distance and is not clear.

Searchers are planning to gather at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. at the store. Another media briefing is scheduled for noon at the OP fire department's training center.

By 11 p.m. Tuesday, the reward stood at $30K, according to the family's Web site. Anyone with information is asked to call the OP police at (913) 895-6300 or the Crime Stoppers TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-TIPS (474-8477). Again, if you visit the family's site, there are also email addresses available to send in tips.

http://blogs.kansascity.com/crime_scene/2007/06/update_on_kelse_1.html

One2Snoop

06-06-2007, 12:47 PM

Good morning, One2Snoop,

I hope this case doesn't end in tragedy. I hope and pray the perp realizes how precious Kelsey's life is. I just have a bad feeling about this case. JMVHO.

For Kelsey and her family:rose:

Good morning to you too Brook - :seeya:

Here's the latest updates....

Breaking News
Posted on Wed, Jun. 06, 2007

Texas group helping in search
Tim Miller, founder of Texas EquuSearch, has come to Overland Park to help in the search for Kelsey Smith, who was last seen at a Target store over the weekend.

EquuSearch has been active in the search for Natalee Holloway, who went missing while on vacation in Aruba in 2005. EquuSearch also took part in the search for Jodi Sanderholm, who went missing in Arkansas City in January.

A crew of about six other members of EquuSearch is also headed for the area with boats, all-terrain vehicles and sonar equipment.

Pleas for Kelsey Smith’s return also were made on national television this morning.

snip
http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/138680.html

One2Snoop

06-06-2007, 12:51 PM

The Kelsey Smith kidnapping | Parking lots can carry risks

Abduction points up security limitations
People can do several simple things to keep from becoming the victim of a predator.

By DAVID KLEPPER and BENITA Y. WILLIAMS
The Kansas City Star

Fliers of all sizes are blanketing a broad area around the Target store parking lot in Overland Park where Kelsey Smith, 18, was abducted Saturday evening.
Video: Look under red 'v' at left for distant view of teen's abduction VIDEO
Police seek 'person of interest' in abduction VIDEO
Parents, police chief discuss Kelsey Smith case VIDEO
Photos: The search for Kelsey Smith
New Web site for missing teen
Security videos offer hope
“No place is immune to bad things happening.”

Independence Police Officer Tom Gentry

Easy access to highways. Traffic moving in and out. Shoppers fumbling for keys while juggling purses and purchases. Lots of victims to choose from.
Parking lots of malls and shopping centers are much more likely to be the scene of fender benders and purse snatchings than abductions and carjackings.

But as police and security experts point out, retailers’ parking lots also can offer the perfect hunting grounds for predators.

snip
http://www.kansascity.com/105/story/138348.html

One2Snoop

06-06-2007, 01:17 PM

NANCY GRACE

Surveillance Video Shows Kansas Teen Abduction

Aired June 5, 2007 - 20:00:00 ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

NANCY GRACE, HOST: Tonight, breaking news in the disappearance of a Kansas girl who just graduated high school, shopping at a local Target store. Tonight, we learn new surveillance video just released in the search for 18-year-old Kelsey Smith. A beautiful Kansas girl scrubbed in sunshine, vanishes into thin air, Kelsey caught on video leaving Target for the parking lot on her way home. Did a person of interest follow Kelsey inside the store, then out to the parking lot, the person of interest on video? Tonight, that reward to find Kelsey climbing to $25,000.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police are working to enhance a surveillance videotape that shows an 18-year-old girl being abducted. Police say a man forced Kelsey Smith into her car on Saturday night in the parking lot of a Target store. She has not been seen since. Her car, though, was found just a couple of hours later abandoned, with both her purse and keys inside. Police are looking for a young man who was seen in the store at about the same time. They are calling him a person of interest.

Rest of the transcript at the link...
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0706/05/ng.01.html

One2Snoop

06-06-2007, 01:29 PM

‘We're not going to stop until you are home’
Kelsey Smith's family pleads for safe return of the missing Kansas teen

NBC News video

Search continues for Kelsey Smith
June 6: The Kansas teen was last seen Saturday evening walking out of a Target store. NBC's Ron Mott reports on the latest.
Today show

By John Springer
TODAYShow.com contributor
Updated: 5:56 a.m. PT June 6, 2007
Investigators looking for Kelsey Smith are working to digitally enhance a grainy store security video that captured the moment the 18-year-old Kansas woman was forced into her car, Smith's father said during an interview Wednesday.

“It's a longshot. It's far away and details aren't that clear yet, but I know there are at least two or three crime labs working on enhancing the tape,” said Greg Smith, appearing on TODAY by satellite from his family's home in Overland Park, Kan. “I'm confident that tape will clear up and we’ll see what is going on.”

Police secured clearer images of Kelsey Smith leaving the Overland Park Target store Saturday at 7:10 p.m.

snip
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19066025/

One2Snoop

06-06-2007, 01:45 PM

Breaking News
Posted on Wed, Jun. 06, 2007

Law officers searching south KC
More than 200 law enforcement officers are searching a 900-acre area in south Kansas City after Kelsey Smith’s cell phone signaled a tower in that vicinity Saturday night.

The phone signaled the tower at 8 p.m. Saturday. Kelsey’s car was last seen at 7:10 p.m. leaving the Target store at 97th Street and Quivira Road in Overland Park, which is about 20 miles from the search location.

Overland Park police said an analysis of cell phone data showed that the phone passed through telephone cells located on Interstate 35 to Interstate 435, then east to U.S. 71 south, and from there to an area in the vicinity of Longview Lake park.

According to a police department news release: Cell phone signals, known as “pings,” occur when a phone is in use, either receiving a call or message, or sending a call or message. Family and friends were attempting to contact Kelsey on Saturday night.

FBI spokesman Jeff Lanza said about 240 officers will be involved in the search. Officers will conduct the search by a grid.

The officers are from the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration; police departments from Overland Park, Kansas City, Grandview and Lenexa; and police academy students from Johnson County Regional Police Academy, Kansas City, Kan. and Kansas City.

Searchers have been at the location since about 11 this morning. At this point the search is being conducted on land.

snip
http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/138680.html

One2Snoop

06-06-2007, 01:52 PM

KCTV5 News
Lead Prompts Massive Search for Kelsey Smith
June 6, 2007 10:31 AM

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) -- The search for missing Overland park teenager Kelsey Smith has moved to an area around Longview Lake Park south of Kansas City, Missouri.

Police said at a noonhour news conference that experts are analyzing signals from the girl's cell phone on Saturday night after she was abducted outside an Overland Park Target store. A police spokesman estimated the signals -- "pings" -- sounded about 15 miles from the store.

He said the signals show that Kelsey's phone passed through certain sites along a route that led to an area around the park. The last signal was recorded at about 8 p-m Saturday. The signals are believed to be Kelsey's family trying to reach her.

snip
http://www.kctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6606183

One2Snoop

06-06-2007, 02:24 PM

Please take a moment to offer a prayer for Kelsey and her family. You can go to the following link and light a candle if you like....

http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=KS

imanewsjunkie

06-06-2007, 02:57 PM

I really hope for the best in this story.

One2Snoop

06-06-2007, 03:42 PM

Breaking News just now on HeadLineNews....

Body found in the area LE was searching today. The body has not been identified yet.

One2Snoop

06-06-2007, 03:46 PM

Body Found Near High Grove, Raytown Roads
Smith Disappeared Saturday From Target Parking Lot

POSTED: 11:22 am CDT June 6, 2007
UPDATED: 2:25 pm CDT June 6, 2007

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A body has been found in the area of High Grove and Raytown Roads Wednesday afternoon, police said.

It is an area north of the area where more than 200 federal agents, police officers and police academy students focused their search efforts for missing teen Kelsey Smith.

The area investigators are searching is east of U.S. 71 Highway and north of Missouri Highway 150.

Authorities have not confirmed whose body it is.

snip
http://www.thekansascitychannel.com/news/13453443/detail.html?cnn=yes

Zoey

06-06-2007, 03:58 PM

Oh no. It is hard to say that you hope it is not her, but then at least the parents know where she is. If it is not her, that means they have found the body of someone else that was murdered, and that is just sad. This is all so sad.

Zoey

06-06-2007, 04:14 PM

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,278338,00.html

This just came over Fox News. Will it ever end? :rose:

OH..that is so horrible.

One2Snoop

06-06-2007, 04:24 PM

KMBC Live feed....

http://www.thekansascitychannel.com/video/13453247/index.html

accordn2me

06-06-2007, 04:46 PM

How devastating! Prayers and deepest sympathy for Kelsey's family. :rose:

adnoid

06-06-2007, 04:52 PM

Just damn. Why why why?

I hope they find this SOB and forcibly separate his head from his shoulders. In front of his family.

Zoey

06-06-2007, 06:13 PM

:rose: My thoughts and prayers are with the family at this sad time. I just can't believe that another senseless murder has occurred. This beautiful, young girl had just graduated; she had so much more to live. I will never understand why things like this happen. :rose:

One2Snoop

06-06-2007, 07:04 PM

http://www.postchronicle.com/news/original/article_21284935.shtml

LE thinks they have their perp and are already considering the DP. I still want to know, why?

Thanks for posting the updates Brooklyn. This is just so incredibly sad. :(

For Kelsey and her family. :rose: :rose:

One2Snoop

06-06-2007, 07:23 PM

:rose: Share your condolences with Kelsey's family....

http://forums.ibsys.com/viewmessages.cfm?sitekey=kc1&forum=41&topic=16013&messageorder=DESC

Hey Paula

06-06-2007, 07:33 PM

I had hoped and prayed Kelsey would be found safe, thinking the perp decided not to harm her, fearing he'd been caught on the Target video surveillance tape. I am so sorry Kelsey fell victim to this selfish savage murderer.

:rose: In Memory of Kelsey

:rose: My thoughts and prayers are with Kelsey's family

One2Snoop

06-06-2007, 08:54 PM

Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Update on Kelsey Smith: "The case is not over"

UPDATED, from the 4 p.m. news conference: OP Police Chief John Douglass is the chief speaker, though FBI, Jackson County Sheriff, Grandview police and other agencies will be represented. (Not sure if JoCo DA Phill Kline will participate or not, but we've heard he's been to the scene.) It's being held at the OP fire training center. Will live-blog as it happens ...

Body was found about 1:30 p.m. Police believe it's Kelsey. Douglass expresses his condolences to the family, vows to solve the case. Thanks other jurisdictions.

"The case is not over." Says police still need tips, help from the public. Call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS. I missed the OP number,

snip
http://blogs.kansascity.com/crime_scene/2007/06/update_on_kelse_1.html

Zoey

06-06-2007, 08:55 PM

One very important thing I learned from this tragedy. Keep your cell phone on your person at all times when you go out. I sometimes leave mine in my vehicle when I run in the store. I will not do that anymore. I knew nothing about cell phone pings, but after watching Nancy Grace tonight, I have learned a lot.

layton59

06-06-2007, 10:42 PM

Yes, I never knew about the cellular pings until this story. I am so glad that they have stuff like this to help victims, if nothing more than to locate them and bring recovery and justice for the survivors.

I bet the pings will save others, in other cases down the road. Sorry Kelsey's pings were too little, too late.

I have been studying the Target video as played on a Kansas City TV website. It is tiny but it looks like he pushes her into the passenger seat of her car. He then he runs around the back and gets in the drivers seat and backs the car out to drive off. If the video were a clock this all happens in what would be 10 or 11 on the clock dial. You can just make out a few pixels of her pink top as she is pushed into her car.

http://www.kctv5.com/Global/story.asp?S=6606183

Women, please do not go with anyone under threat of force. And do not walk yourself. Drop to the ground become a kicking mass. It is better to be hurt in a public place like Target than in a remote location. Of course, I know I am preaching-to-the-choir on this site.

layton59

06-06-2007, 11:14 PM

I think the Kelsey kidnapper and murderer is very raw and unsophisticated. And Thank Goodness he was too. It will lead to his being captured and stopped.

A Few Mistakes He Made:

Cameras in Target store parking light show abduction and truck.
Daylight 7:00 pm.
Entered Target store and thus seen in close-up videos.
Exited Target store without making a purchase.
Other people coming and going in parking lot.
Cellphone pinging.
No disguise used.
Ran around the vehicle instead of having Kelsey slide over.
Took Kelsey to within two miles of his home (news reported).
Returned car instead of burning it to get his truck.

I am sure many other mistakes will surface like ........ lack of gloves

This should be a slam dunk for law enforcement.

And yet Kelsey lost her life. Soo very sad.

************************************************** ******************

One of my favorite lines from the movie Body Heat (1981)

William Hurt and Mickey Rourke talking in jail:

"...any time you try a decent crime, you got fifty ways you're gonna f*ck up. If you think of twenty-five of them, then you're a genius... and you ain't no genius..."

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082089/quotes

I am not meaning that Kelsey's or any crime is "decent". I just love the quote and its implications for getting caught.

One2Snoop

06-07-2007, 01:24 AM

I'm so glad they found their POI....

UPDATED, from the 11:30 p.m. news conference: Chief John Douglass, again, is the first speaker. Introduces representatives from several agencies.

Edwin R. Hall, 26, of Olathe has been arrested in the case. Charges will be filed early Thursday morning. In custody at the JoCo jail. Douglass won't talk about the evidence. Arrest made middle of the afternoon. He's the guy from the video, shown leaving the store, Douglass says. Can't say what led them to him. Won't say where they found him.

Say they believe they've located the truck. Hall has a lawyer, though we don't have a name.

Still unclear whether this involves the Belton case.

snip

http://blogs.kansascity.com/crime_scene/2007/06/update_on_kelse_1.html

One2Snoop

06-07-2007, 01:29 AM

Police: Arrest Made In Kelsey Smith Homicide
Teen's Body Found In Wooded Area Near Grandview

POSTED: 11:22 am CDT June 6, 2007
UPDATED: 12:15 am CDT June 7, 2007OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- An arrest has been made in the homicide investigation of 18-year-old Kelsey Smith, whose body was found Wednesday afternoon, police said.

Edwin R. Hall, 26, of Olathe, is being held in the Johnson County Jail in connection with the slaying of Smith, Overland Park Police Chief John Douglass said.

Douglass said Hall will be charged with first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping charges on Thursday.

Police would not elaborate on evidence in the case, but Douglass said Hall is believed to be the person of interest that was seen on surveillance video at the Target store where Smith was abducted.

Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline said it was premeditated murder and is requesting a $5 million bond for Hall.

"We are very pleased that an arrest has been made in this case," said Greg Smith, Kelsey's father.

"We can't give them their daughter back -- we can at least give them justice," Douglass said.

Douglass said a tip from the public led to the arrest of Hall. Police said Hall was questioned on Wednesday afternoon and was arrested a few hours later.

Police said Edwin R. Hall, 26, of Olathe, was taken into custody in the case.

Police have also located the pickup truck seen on surveillance video, which was in Hall's possession, Douglass said.

snip
http://www.thekansascitychannel.com/news/13453443/detail.html?cnn=yes

One2Snoop

06-07-2007, 01:32 AM

Posted on Thu, Jun. 07, 2007 Suspect arrested in Kan. teen's death
By MARIA SUDEKUM FISHER
Associated Press Writer

Charlie Riedel
snip...

Authorities said 18-year-old Kelsey Smith's body was found across the state line at a lake in Grandview, Mo.

Overland Park Police Chief John Douglass identified the suspect as Edwin R. Hall, 26, of Olathe. He was expected to be charged Thursday with premeditated first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping.

Douglass said Hall was interviewed Wednesday after police acted on a tip that matched Hall and a vehicle to surveillance video from the Target store parking lot where Smith was abducted Saturday evening.

snip
http://www.kansascity.com/449/story/138585.html

accordn2me

06-07-2007, 02:25 AM

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=2007-06-07_D8PJPF080&show_article=1&cat=breaking

One2Snoop

06-07-2007, 03:24 PM

Man charged with abducting, killing teenager
Police say tip led to arrest of 26-year-old in slaying of Kelsey Smith

AP
Edwin Roy Hall in a booking photo provided by the Johnson County (Kan.) Sheriff's Office, and released on Thursday. Hall, 26, has been charged with premeditated first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping in the death of Kelsey Smith, 18, whose body was found Wednesday.
Suspect held
June 7: A man has been arrested for the kidnapping and murder of Kansas teenager Kelsey Smith. NBC News' Ron Mott reports.

Updated: 1 hour, 58 minutes ago
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - A man videotaped leaving a store shortly before a teenager was abducted in the parking lot was charged with murder Thursday, authorities said.

Edwin R. Hall, 26, was accused of premeditated first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping in the death of 18-year-old Kelsey Smith, the Johnson County Court Web site said. Bond was set at $5 million. He was due in court later Thursday.

Hall, who was being held in a jail in nearby Gardner, was expected to appear in court later Thursday by closed-circuit video, said Brian Burgess, spokesman for the Johnson County district attorney’s office.

snip
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19065065/?gt1=10056

Booking photo
http://i8.tinypic.com/4uwssi1.jpg

One2Snoop

06-07-2007, 03:29 PM

:mad: These charges are ridiculous for such a henious crime - I think he deserves the death penalty. Does Kansas even have the DP?

Edwin R. Hall Appears in Johnson County Court
June 7, 2007 11:57 AM PDT
Charges Filed Against Edwin R. Hall

Complaint - Edwin R. Hall (.pdf)
http://kctv.images.worldnow.com/images/incoming/news/edwin_r_hall_complaint.pdf

By MARIA SUDEKUM FISHER
Associated Press Writer

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) -- A man seen on surveillance video leaving a store shortly before a teenager was abducted in the parking lot was charged Thursday, a day after her body was found in a wooded area, authorities said.

Edwin R. Hall, 26, was charged with premeditated first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping, according to the Johnson County Court Web site. Bond was set at $5 million.

Hall, looking tired and downcast, appeared Thursday in Johnson County Court via video feed from a jail in Gardner. He waived reading of the charges until he can hire his own attorney. His next appearance was scheduled for June 14.

If convicted, Hall faces a minimum sentence of 25 years to life in prison for the murder charge and more than 12 years for aggravated kidnapping, said Brian Burgess, spokesman for the Johnson County district attorney's office.
http://www.kctv5.com/Global/story.asp?S=6606183

One2Snoop

06-07-2007, 03:52 PM

It appears Kansas does have the DP although no ones been executed since 1976.

Kansas. Capital murder with 8 aggravating circumstances (KSA 21-3439).

Kansas- aggravating circumstances

(1)The murder was especially heinous, atrocious, cruel, or depraved (or involved torture)
(2) The defendant knowingly created a grave risk of death for one or more persons in addition to the victim of the offense
(3) The murder was committed for pecuniary gain or pursuant to an agreement that the defendant would receive something of value
(4) The defendant caused or directed another to commit murder, or the defendant procured the commission of the offense by payment, promise of payment, or anything of pecuniary value
(5) The murder was committed to avoid or prevent arrest, to effect an escape, or to conceal the commission of a crime
(6) The defendant has been convicted of, or committed, a prior murder, a felony involving violence, or other serious felony
(7) The murder was committed by a person who is incarcerated, has escaped, is on probation, is in jail, or is under a sentence of imprisonment
(8)The murder was committed against a witness in a criminal or civil proceeding to prevent the witness from appearing

State Abbreviation KS
State Name Kansas
Death Penalty? Yes
Number of Executions Since 1976 0
Number of Executions before 1976 57
Current Death Row Population 9
Women on Death Row 0
Date Death Penalty Re-enacted 04-22-1994
1st Execution After Re-enactment 0
Murder Rate (per 100,000) 3.7
Is Life Without Parole an Option? Yes
Can a defendant get death for a felony in which s/he was not responsible for the murder? Yes
Number of Innocent Persons Freed From Death Row 0
Number of Clemencies Granted 0
Region Midwest
Method Injection
How is the Sentence Determined? Jury
Location of Death Row(s) El Dorado (Women: Topeka)
Clemency Process Governor has sole authority to grant clemency

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/state/

One2Snoop

06-07-2007, 04:17 PM

Jun 4, 2007 10:57 PM

Parents question connection between missing teens
Posted By: Paige Heyward

BELTON, Mo. – A month ago Monday, another teenager went missing from Belton High School. And now, new details in the case of Kelsey Smith have Kara Kopetsky’s parents curious about a possible connection.
Police have not drawn a connection, but Kopetsky’s parents say there are too many similarities in the cases to believe it is just a coincidence.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with them and we know what they're going through,” Kopetsky’s parents said.

On May 4th, Kopetesky, 17, went missing. “There's been no contact she hasn't called there's been no bank activity,” her mother, Rhonda Beckford said.

Last Saturday, Kelsey Smith, 18, was abducted from an Overland Park Target store. Both teenage girls have brown hair and brown eyes.

The Beckford’s are following Kelsey’s case, hoping it will lead to answers in Kopetsky’s investigation.

“It's almost one month to the day that Kara came up missing that Kelsey came up missing,” her stepfather James Beckford said.

“They said it was abnormal for that to happen. They said she has no reason to leave or runaway. Kara had no reason to leave or runaway,” Rhonda Beckford said.

snip
http://www.nbcactionnews.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=ec7c84ec-1210-466e-959e-46e01c974c52

Kara Kopetsky
http://i11.tinypic.com/5xo6kcz.jpg

Find Kara website....
http://www.findkarakopetsky.com/

Hey Paula

06-07-2007, 07:19 PM

Another girl went missing about a month ago, 7 miles from where Keslsey's body was found. The girl was the same age, and had the same color hair as Kelsey. Perhaps Hall is responsible for her disappearance too.

IMO

Luke Davis

06-07-2007, 11:22 PM

Hi Paula! How are you today?

Are you speaking of Kara Kopetsky? Her parents have stepped forward and said they think there are too many similarities for it to be coincidence. I happen to agree. JMO.Maybe they should search that field completely.

One2Snoop

06-07-2007, 11:57 PM

Maybe they should search that field completely.

I agree. It's been awhile since I've been to that area but IIRC the area Kelsey was found in is rather large. I believe its several hundred acres.

One2Snoop

06-08-2007, 12:46 AM

:eek: :eek: :eek:

Jun 7, 2007 10:52 PM

More learned about Kelsey Smith's accused murderer
Posted By: Almitra Smith

OLATHE, Kan. – Thursday afternoon the man accused of kidnapping and murdering Kelsey Smith made his first court appearance.
Police said Edwin R. Hall followed and abducted Kelsey in an Overland Park, Kan., Target parking lot and killed her. Her body was found four days later in a field in Grandview, Mo.

Many of his neighbors said they were shocked that the married man who has one child has been charged with kidnapping and murder.

On neighbor said he spoke with Hall regularly because they both liked cars.

"His son was over here Tuesday playing and I never had any reason to suspect anything," said Cameron Migues.

But, after seeing surveillance video on the news he decided to call the police.

"It was just like…it was too much of a coincidence…where, like I said, I felt if I didn't call I wouldn't be doing what I was supposed to be doing," said Migues. "I had to call and just take the chance."

Mobile crime labs now fill the quiet neighborhood as the search for evidence centers in Hall's Olathe, Kan., home. Hall's bond is set for $5 million and District Attorney Phill Kline said more charges could follow.

"We will sit down and look at where the evidence best matches the elements, and if we believe the crime is severe enough, and we do in this instance, we will go to the jurisdiction that provides the severest penalty."

He said that includes the death penalty. (I certainly hope so!)

snip

Hall's page on MySpace.com provides some unusual details about his interests and personality. He goes by the name Jack and refers to himself as a "sweet troubled soul."

Snip

http://www.nbcactionnews.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=80e0b177-1a0f-476e-8e19-b6b5d2184573

One2Snoop

06-08-2007, 12:49 AM

Jun 7, 2007 10:52 PM

Neighbors of suspect talk about his wife, son

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) - Neighbors of the man now charged with kidnapping and killing Kelsey Smith are stunned that the man they know could have committed such a crime.

Edwin Hall, 26, is due in Johnson County District Court this afternoon for arraignment on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping.

But neighbors say Hall, his wife and their 4-year-old son were not trouble-makers. A former neighbor of the Halls in Kansas City says they were "a nice young family." At their current home in Olathe, Cameron Migues says his nextdoor neighbor seemed like a nice, normal guy.

Migues says his three children often played with Hall's boy, adding that he thinks Hall had worked in restaurants in the past and was now employed at a warehouse.
http://www.nbcactionnews.com/mostpopular/story.aspx?content_id=70d82b9d-b3a9-4a7f-8cce-43446f6793c0

One2Snoop

06-08-2007, 02:28 PM

Was suspect in Kan. teen’s killing on MySpace?
Bizarre claims on Web site include fondnesss for ‘eating small children’

AP
Edwin Roy Hall, 26, has been charged with premeditated first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping in the death of Kelsey Smith, 18, whose body was found Wednesday.
View related photos

NBC News video

Suspect in Kan. murder a family man
June 8: NBC's Ron Mott reports on Edwin Hall, who has been charged with the murder of Kansas 18-year-old Kelsey Smith.

Updated: 34 minutes ago
OLATHE, Kan. - He calls himself “Jack” and considers himself a “Sweet Troubled Soul” on his MySpace page. His interests include “eating small children and harming small animals.”

The page appears to belong to Edwin R. Hall, the man accused of kidnapping 18-year-old Kelsey Smith and killing her, lending disturbing significance to the bizarre claims in light of the charges against him.

The Johnson County District Attorney’s office said Friday that Smith was strangled with a ligature, though spokesman Brian Burgess would not say exactly what was used.

snip
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19107235/

One2Snoop

06-08-2007, 02:47 PM

Picture Emerging of Suspect in Kelsey Smith Abduction, Slaying
June 8, 2007 07:29 AM
By CARYN GRANT
Associated Press Writer

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) -- A man with a page on the popular Internet networking site MySpace.com bears a striking resemblance to Edwin R. Hall, the man accused of kidnapping and killing a teenager, and describes his interests as "eating small children and harming small animals."

The man said his favorite movies are "anything that pushes the envalope, A clockwork Orange, Srangeland and lets not forget horror movies!!!! yea scary (or cheesy)like."

He uses only the name "Jack," which Hall is known by to neighbors. The person on the MySpace page also uses the same age and location as Hall, and a person with the same name as his wife, Aletha, has a page linked to "Jack's" profile.

snip

http://www.kctv5.com/Global/story.asp?S=6628674

imanewsjunkie

06-08-2007, 03:44 PM

What a sicko. Will they be able to track whose profiles he visited on MySpace?

One2Snoop

06-08-2007, 04:25 PM

What a sicko. Will they be able to track whose profiles he visited on MySpace?

I would assume so. Forensic techs can do amazing things with your hard drive these days.

Guy_in_Georgia

06-08-2007, 07:09 PM

By JOHN MILBURN
Associated Press Writer

A man accused of kidnapping and killing a suburban Kansas City teenager pleaded no contest as a 15-year-old to threatening his sister at knifepoint, according to court records.

A judge ordered Hall removed from his home after he entered the plea to aggravated assault in May 1996, and he was placed in state custody, the court records state. A second charge of making a criminal threat was dismissed.

Hall's parents, Carol and Don Hall, of Emporia, didn't immediately return a call Friday. Carol Hall told The Emporia Gazette for Friday's editions that the couple adopted Edwin Hall when he was 7 and knew he had problems associated with his early childhood. Court records show the boy ran afoul of police several times before the attack on his sister, who a biological child of the couple, though the earlier offenses were nonviolent.

Carol Hall told the paper the boy did something when he was 15 that made the couple feel he was a danger to the family, which included three biological daughters. She did not provide details but said the couple felt they would have to give up on him. "That was the last time he was in our home," Carol Hall told the newspaper. The Halls hoped then that someone would be able "to get him the help that he needed," she said.

Hall was confined in four facilities from 1996 until 1999, according to the Kansas Juvenile Justice Authority.

http://www.bradenton.com/439/story/69227.html

One2Snoop

06-08-2007, 07:46 PM

Thanks for posting the article Guy in Georgia. :eek: Wow thats scary. It makes you wonder what his married life was like?

accordn2me

06-09-2007, 03:47 AM

Thanks for posting the article Guy in Georgia. :eek: Wow thats scary. It makes you wonder what his married life was like?Is his wife in seclusion? I hope she gets some help.

It's too bad scum like this Jack don't have the guts to take themselves out when they realize they are "sweet troubled souls" that like to eat small children and harm small animals. SICKO FREAK!

Guy_in_Georgia

06-09-2007, 10:53 AM

Iva Rath of Sioux City said Hall briefly dated her teenage daughter. She said the two broke up after Hall admitted he was married and had a 2-year-old child.

Rath said her daughter met Hall at a Sioux City shopping center. She said he was working for a cabinet-making company in Sergeant Bluff and was living with a friend at a Sioux City motel.

"He was friendly and outgoing," she said, but Hall also acted kind of nervous, "kind of twitchy like a lot of young people are."

She said he practiced paganism and had pagan-related drawings written on black paper with silver ink.

Hall told her he was from Walthill, that he was raised by his grandmother, and that his mother lived in Wichita, Rath said.

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070609/NEWS01/706090325/-1/NEWS04

Guy_in_Georgia

06-09-2007, 12:07 PM

Trouble seemed to dog Edwin Roy Hall as he grew from child to adult. Hall, accused of kidnapping and murdering 18-year-old Kelsey Smith of Overland Park, had been in the custody of the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services when, at 7, he was adopted by an Emporia family.

Juvenile and civil court records available show accusations of temporary deprivation of property, theft, aggravated assault and a civil suit alleging an attack on a younger boy.

According to case records available, Hall was 14 years old when he was charged on Dec. 2, 1994, in juvenile court with temporary deprivation of property, a 1984 Chevy van.

On June 23, 1995, Hall was charged with two counts of theft — $25 in cash and a microcassette tape recorder.

On May 22, 1996, Hall’s charges reached felony level with accusations of aggravated assault and criminal threat.

The aggravated assault happened on May 14, 1996, when he allegedly “unlawfully and intentionally place(d) another person ... in reasonable apprehension of immediate bodily harm and said act was committed with a deadly weapon, to-wit: a knife...”

He also was accused of communicating “a threat to commit violence with the intent to terrorize another” in conjunction with the aggravated assault.

The criminal threat case was dropped as a result of plea negotiations, and Hall pleaded no contest to the aggravated assault.

The late Magistrate Judge Francis Towle found Hall to be a juvenile offender, and ordered him to be returned to the northeast Kansas Regional Detention Facility in Lawrence until he could be placed by SRS.

In July 1996, Hall was transferred from Forbes Juvenile Attention Facility in Topeka to Larned Youth Center in Larned for a direct commitment, according to court records.

He escaped from the Comprehensive Evaluation and Training Unit (CETU) in Topeka on April 25, 1997. The request for an arrest warrant that had been made was cancelled and Hall apparently was returned.

He remained confined until a conditional release on March 9, 1999, from the Topeka Juvenile Correction Facility and formally discharged on June 30, 1999.

http://www.emporiagazette.com/news/2007/jun/09/suspect_had_long_juvenile_record/

Guy_in_Georgia

06-10-2007, 01:20 PM

KANSAS CITY (AP) - Kelsey Smith, the 18-year-old woman abducted from a Target store parking lot, was likely strangled to death shortly after she was kidnapped, Overland Park, Kan., Police Chief John Douglass said.

"That seems to be the most logical conclusion," Douglass said yesterday.

Smith, 18, was abducted from the parking lot in Overland Park, a suburb of Kansas City, about 7 p.m. June 2. Her body was found in a wooded area 20 miles east of the abduction site Wednesday afternoon.

Police were guided to the area where her body was found by signals from her cell phone. The last signal from Smith’s cell phone was registered at about 7:56 p.m. June 2, Douglass said. Her car was then caught on surveillance video returning to the Target store parking lot at about 9:17 p.m.

"So it makes no sense that she would have been taken back there twice," Douglass said of the area where her body was found. "Our best guess is that she was taken out there and that then she was killed shortly thereafter."

http://www.columbiatribune.com/2007/Jun/20070610News021.asp

When I first saw the videos of the killer's truck racing behind the Target and then around to the front parking lot and into the lane where Kelsey parked, I had a momentary gut feeling that this may have been an act of Road Rage. I'm beginning to feel that's a strong possibility in this case.

I believe the killer rushed into the store to see if Kelsey brought someone with her, or if she was meeting up with someone inside the store.

Looling at the history of this killer, being adopted out of a juvenile facility when he was 7, the apparent suppressed rage threatening one of the daughters with a knife, then his adoptive parents actually putting him back into the system speaks volumes. Previous articles point out how especially loving the adoptive family is, and for them to not wanting anything to do with him is significant.

Also, the amount of time between the kidnapping at 7:10 PM, the driving out 20 miles, then the return trip of 20 miles to leave Kelsey's car in the Macy's parking lot points to a quick sequence of events. The above article says that there was a video showing her car being returned at 9:17 PM.... I wish they would release that video. I haven't seen it. I don't believe it's clear as to when the car was returned to Macy's, we haven't heard of any video showing him leaving it there until the above article. All we know is that Kelsey's parents discovered it at 09:30 PM.

The killer may have strangled Kelsey in the parking lot of that store, out of an act of road rage from something that happened on the way. It would be interesting to know if there were any witnesses that may have seen any confrontation between Kelsey and the killer on the way to the store.

One2Snoop

06-10-2007, 02:30 PM

That's a very interesting theory, GNG. It's also the only thing I've seen that might provide a motive. That's the one thing that's been bothering me so much about this case. Why? Why would this guy pick this young girl out, kidnap her and just kill her? What's with that? Was this just a thrill kill? I think you may be onto something with the road rage angle. Thanks for posting your thoughts. JMVHO

You know the road rage theory could be it - but I still wonder about the other missing girl Kara Kopetsky. From my understanding she was walking outside her high school when she disappeared. I still wonder if he's connected to her disappearance in some way? :shrug:

Hey Paula

06-10-2007, 03:09 PM

Hey Paula

06-10-2007, 03:40 PM

Paula,

Another good point. I hadn't even made that association but you may be right. This is just so weird. There doesn't appear to be a sexual motive which is something you come to expect in these types of cases. Why? Why would he just abduct and kill this young girl? It's just too horrible and senseless to imagine, IMO. And, you are right, the color of the girls hair and eyes are similar. Both were beautiful young girls. I just don't know, but you and GNG bring up some very good points. JMVHO.

My heart is broken for these families.

For Kelsey:rose:

For Kara:rose:

I'm so very sorry for you, Kelsey. I hold out hope for you Kara!

May God take care of all those who have been taken so senselessly from the life they were meant to live.

If Hall is also responsible for Kara's disappearance (which he might very well be), and if they indeed were the same age, and shared the same hair and eye color, then I would be more inclined to believe the girls reminded Hall of someone who is at the center of his rage than it being a case of road rage in Kelsey's case. I don't believe in coincidence where crimes are involved.

If Hall is responsible for both, and it is revealed they were both sexually assaulted, then it might be that he prefers the features common to both girls. However, I still wonder if there is any similarity in the features of the Hall's daughter and these girls. I also wonder what Hall's biological mother looks like and if he knew her identity.

IMO

One2Snoop

06-10-2007, 04:04 PM

Police Consider Possible Links Between Missing Belton Teen, Slain Teen

June 8, 2007 03:21 PM PDT
Associated Links
FindKaraKopetsky.com

By MARIA SUDEKUM FISHER
Associated Press Writer

BELTON, Mo. (AP) -- Authorities investigating the murder of Kelsey Smith, the 18-year-old woman who was abducted from a Target store parking lot and found dead three days later, have also been looking into the disappearance of a Belton teenager who was last seen more than a month ago.

No link has been established between the disappearance of Smith and that of Kara Kopetsky, 17, who was last seen at Belton High School, blocks from her home, on the morning of May 4.

But Belton police Capt. Don Spears said two Belton detectives are assigned to work with investigators on the Smith case.

He said Belton police were examining evidence at the home of Edwin R. Hall, 26, who was charged Thursday with kidnap and murder in Smith's death and is being held on $5 million bond. Belton police were also considering an additional search of the wooded area where Smith's body was found, which is about six miles north of Kopetsky's home.

snip
http://www.kctv5.com/Global/story.asp?S=6625986

One2Snoop

06-10-2007, 04:08 PM

Family, Friends Search For Missing Belton Teen
Kara Kopetsky Missing Since May 4, Family Says

POSTED: 3:52 pm CDT June 9, 2007
UPDATED: 8:10 pm CDT June 9, 2007

BELTON, Mo. -- Parents of missing teen Kara Kopetsky said they believe someone is behind their daughter's disappearance.

"Somebody else is involved. Somebody knows -- somebody knows something out there, and they're just not saying," said Mike Kopetsky, Kara's father.

He said he wants to stress that his daughter did not disappear on her own. He said he he's tired of the runaway rumors.

"I address that as false. I don't know where that came from. That's never happened," he said.

snip

http://www.thekansascitychannel.com/news/13473865/detail.html

One2Snoop

06-11-2007, 02:46 PM

Posted on Mon, Jun. 11, 2007
Case of missing Belton teen aired on America’s Most Wanted
By KEVIN HOFFMANN
The Kansas City Star

The case of missing Belton teenager Kara Kopetsky was broadcast to a national television audience over the weekend.

Details of her disappearance aired at 8 p.m. Saturday on America’s Most Wanted, shown on the Fox network. The show reported that Kopetsky had been missing since May 4, when she was last seen at Belton High School. The show also mentioned physical similarities in Kopetsky and Kelsey Smith, who was abducted from the parking lot of an Overland Park Target and murdered.

Information about the case also is part of the show’s Web site at www.amw.com .

Belton police are continuing their investigation. Anyone with information about the disappearance is asked to call the Tips Hotline at (816) 474-TIPS (474-8477).

http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/145635.html

One2Snoop

06-11-2007, 02:50 PM

Motorcyclists ride for Kelsey Smith
By KEVIN HOFFMANN The Kansas City Star
Greg Smith throttled a 2004 Honda motorcycle down Johnson Drive this afternoon and glanced over at Old Shawnee Town.

There was something therapeutic in the moment as he drove by, surrounded by more than 100 other riders.

A little more than a week ago, he and his 18-year old daughter, Kelsey, were there to enjoy the festivities of Old Shawnee Days. It was the last time they were together before Kelsey was abducted from a Target parking lot and murdered.

Smith was buoyed again this afternoon, when he drove into that Target parking lot near 97th Street and Quivira Road and saw hundreds more bikers waiting for him and his wife, Missey. Over the next 90 minutes, the grieving parents and more than 400 other motorcyclists participated in the Kelsey Smith Benefit Ride on Interstate 435 around Kansas City.

Organizers estimated the event raised more than $4,000 that will be donated to the Kelsey Smith Fund.

snip
http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/144803.html

mu8shark

06-11-2007, 08:07 PM

Not to be contrary but this does not look like road rage at all. I have never heard of a road rage where the individual was abducted. And Douglas said yesterday they have evidence she was definitely killed in the woods in Jackson County which makes sense as ligature strangulation is not overly quick and he would have drawn way too much attention to himself trying to strangle her in the parking lot. I think and this is just my opinion, that he had the m.o. of the Ted Bundy type. Bundy would just select an area to cruise and troll and when he saw his choice if there was a good opportunity he would abduct her. If not, he would move on and come back the next day. I have a feeling he was cruising this area till the right type and right moment. On the local news a few days after a woman who runs in and around the Target area swears she was confronted by him in April. She did not call the police because basically he just made a sexual comment, followed her a bit and she ran away. I don't think it is out of the question that this guy has down this before or maybe this was his first try.but he would have tried it again. I am willing to bet he sexually assaulted her although for a lot of these lust killers they don't rape the girl, the act of killing provides them a sexual release instead of sex itself.Bundy did not rape all his victims. As for the video showing her car in the parking lot at Macy's at 9:17, it does exist. It was aired only once that I saw and it was of such poor quality all they could make out was it was her car and of course the tape had a running time stamp. Here is my question, how did he subdue her? Did he have a gun or knife? You would think it would be hard to force her to cooperate. That is my two cents but I honestly don't think it was road rage as he would have killed her right there and no need to take her away from that location. Julie

One2Snoop

06-11-2007, 09:11 PM

Thanks for posting your thoughts Mu8shark. It's so hard to say what his motive might have been and we may never know the real reason "why" he did it. It just breaks my heart to see this sort of thing happen.

I hadn't heard about the other case in April. Was there a news report on this? What do you think about the possible connection to Kara's case?

mu8shark

06-11-2007, 10:36 PM

The story about the woman who says he confronted her was on one of the local channels and she said she was running and he was behind her and said she had a nice ass. She said something about his demeanor frightened her and she moved away from him and somehow he got in front of her and ask her if he offended her. She said she ran and regrets not calling the police. Had she called the police nothing would have come of it, they don't arrest people for smart or crude remarks. She was crying on tv and seemed quite sincere. She said she did not recognize him from the video but only from his mug shot. I did not see anything about this on the national news., I live literally three blocks from that Target and I walk there all the time. This story was very frightening to me.

One2Snoop

06-11-2007, 11:49 PM

mu8shark

06-12-2007, 01:11 AM

The woman on the news who said she was confronted did not look anything like Kelsey. She was blonde, much heavier and in her 40's which led me to think perhaps this is a guy who just dislikes women period and does what he can to degrade or frighten them. She could be mistaken of course or trying to get attention, however she seemed quite genuine. On this other girl Kara, the thing about the composite is that this is a composite taken from a sighting of Kara quite a while after she was taken and it was generated when three convenience store clerks insisted they saw her with a guy. in Louisburg , KS. However, her parents insist this was not a sighting of their daughter. The local police give it a bit more credence than the parents do. IF it was not Kara and the parents are right and it was not Kara, then the composite is irrelevant . In my mind I can't imagine this Edwin Hall allowing Kara out and about even if he were with her. His m.o and the mo of most of these guys is to abduct, sexually assault and kill very quickly. And most statistics bear that out, that most of these type predators kill within the first few hours to avoid detection. And Edwin would have had a wife and child to get back to, so it was not like he could secret Kara away to his house and keep her. Also Kara has had a history of running away. I am not saying not to look for her or that she has not been harmed but the composite and its resembling Edwin Hall is only relevant if you believe Kara was indeed sighted alive and well in Louisburg many days after her disappearance.

Zoey

06-13-2007, 12:16 PM

Thanks for posting this link, One2Snoop. What wonderful people the Smiths have to support them. It's just so heartwarming to read about stories like this it actually brings tears to your eyes. I'm sure Kelsey's family and friends can feel the support they have and it must really help them through their greiving.

I so agree with you. What a wonderful thing to help this family in their time of need. Having never experienced the loss of a child, I can't imagine what this family is going through, but my thoughts and prayers are with them every day. I know when my dad passed, it was very hard. The loss of a child in such a brutal way would just be so much harder. God Bless the Smith family. :rose:

imanewsjunkie

06-13-2007, 03:47 PM

After this case a good friend convinced me to start taking a self defense class with her. The instructor teaches moved designed specifically for abduction cases, like how to get out of certain holds and turn the other person's size and weight against them (Judo). He has a 9 year old son that he teaches everything to as well- starting from what to do if a stranger grabs his arm and starts to pull him. When I have kids, I want them to learn these things at a young age too.

I can only hope that I will never be in a position to have to defend myself like that, and that if I am attacked I will have a chance to defend myself. Kelsey seems to have been overpowered so quickly, it's unclear if she had a chance to fight him off.

mu8shark

06-13-2007, 09:37 PM

An update on the woman who said she was approached by Edwin Hall in the same area. She was interviewed on fox 4 news at 5 pm , her name is Diane Ulry and basically it was what I said before except that she was running in the area of that Target and was actually confronted about 3 blocks from there at the elementary school . But she runs by Target parking lot as part of her running route. The interesting thing is that according to fox 4 news, police find her credible because in their investigation of Edwin Hall, they said that this is an approach he had used before with women. I think that the posters who said he may have a grudge against women because of something his birth mother did, are probably onto something. He may even be angry at his adoptive mother (which is a poor excuse for what he did ) He obviously enjoys offending and scaring women. Maybe he was working up to abduction and just confronting women was becoming old hat to him.Also I thought I would mention that he has another court date tomorrow where prosecutors are supposed to present more evidence. I am not sure if the national news is updating this story so I would be glad to update on this site if you all are still interested. Julie

mu8shark

06-14-2007, 12:03 AM

The way they worded it was they would be presenting more evidence. Here is my guess, Kelsey was buried yesterday and so obviously the autopsy is complete. I think if he raped her, they found that out definitely and might be going before the judge to say, Okay now we are adding rape and here is our evidence for that charge. I have also heard a rumour there may be a gag order on this case in the future, which is a bummer for the curious ones like me but I understand they have to protect their case. One thing that really upsets me about this tragic case is that Kelsey was not engaging in some , wild risky behavior like dealing drugs or in a gang, she was merely shopping like all of us do. I am not saying that those who engage in that behavior deserve to die , it's just that you do try to teach your children to live within safe bounds and this poor girl was doing nothing wrong. It makes all of us seem vulnerable. When her parents spoke out about the memorial that her high school had they were so honest about her. Her mother said she and the band leader were saying Kelsey was a good person who would help anyone but she had her moments when she could be a b i t c h . Her mother laughed when she said it, so I think it was just a kidding type reference. And her father chimed in and said ,( I am paraphrasing here) 'There is no reason for us to paint her as a saint or perfect person, she was a real human being 'and I thought it was great they realized that and did not idealize her. I mean, at a time like this how honest is that? Sad sad sad that this should happen to anyone! I will update you tomorrow on the court date after I watch the 5 and 6 o clock news.

One2Snoop

06-14-2007, 02:50 AM

One2Snoop

06-14-2007, 05:17 PM

Posted on Thu, Jun. 14, 2007
Man accused of killing Kelsey Smith to be in court today
The Kansas City Star

Edwin R. Hall, the man accused of killing Kelsey Smith, is scheduled to appear in court today.

Hall, 26, of Olathe, was charged a week ago with first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping.

Smith, 18, was kidnapped from an Overland Park Target as she was running an errand June 2. She was seen leaving the store about 7:10 p.m. Surveillance video showed a man sprinting up to her car and forcing her inside.

Hall's court appearance today is expected to be brief.

http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/149905.html

One2Snoop

06-14-2007, 05:40 PM

Dedicated to Kelsey Smith
KELSEY SMITH, 18, of Overland Park (Kansas City area) was kidnapped and murdered on Saturday, June 2, 2007. Her family and friends are grieving. Please pray for them.

Memorial/contact information listed at this site...

http://www.findkelsey.com/

One2Snoop

06-14-2007, 06:19 PM

Slain Teen's Friends Urged to Dedicate Lives to Positive Change

June 13, 2007 05:16 AM PDT

By STEVE BRISENDINE
Associated Press Writer

LEAWOOD, Kan. (AP) -- The best way for Kelsey Smith's friends to honor the slain teen is for them to dedicate themselves to positive change in themselves and society, ministers at her memorial service said Tuesday.

The 18-year-old, who had planned to attend Kansas State University and become a veterinarian, was a victim of a culture replete with violence and sexual exploitation, said the Rev. Jeff Kirby, an associate pastor at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection.

snip

http://www.kctv5.com/Global/story.asp?S=6641436

mu8shark

06-14-2007, 07:42 PM

Well the update is brief from court. They just read the charges formally which he declined to do before, because he did not have a lawyer. Also they set a new trial date for the prelimary hearing. Also though Phil Kline the district attorney said they are still deciding about the death penalty. And he said "If he kidnapped her to sexually assault her , we will seek the death penalty" My guess on this is that they may already have a strong suspicion that she was sexually assaulted but if they jump the gun before the dna comes back, a good defense attorney would just say, ' How do you know she did not have sex with the boyfriend earlier that day?' If they wait for the dna, then they can avoid that question. I like how they are taking their time and nobody seems like they want to make a name for themselves off this case by seeking lots of publicity. Also this from a crime blog, an article from a reporter in another newspaper reads, "Kelsey Smith Case: Edwin R. Hall Hunted Kelsey Like “Shark On Chum”
By Jack Ryan
Jun 14, 2007

Kelsey Smith Case - Edwin R. Hall was hunting Kelsey Smith. New surveillance video shows that Edwin R. Hall was looking at several different women inside the Target store Kelsey Smith vanished from, but when he saw her, his focus became her.

Edwin R. Hall, who was arrested last Wednesday and charged with pre-meditated, first degree murder and aggravated kidnapping in the death of Kelsey Smith on Thursday, was following several different women inside the Target store, including one woman with a baby, but his focus was turned to Kelsey Smith as soon as he saw her.

An official who viewed the video said that when Hall spotted Kelsey, it was like “a shark on chum,” and his eyes locked onto her at that very moment." End article :flamemad: I sort of figured that this guy was just trolling for a victim. Hopefully he did not kill anyone else in another community.

One2Snoop

06-14-2007, 11:41 PM

Kelsey Smith Case - Edwin R. Hall was hunting Kelsey Smith. New surveillance video shows that Edwin R. Hall was looking at several different women inside the Target store Kelsey Smith vanished from, but when he saw her, his focus became her.

Edwin R. Hall, who was arrested last Wednesday and charged with pre-meditated, first degree murder and aggravated kidnapping in the death of Kelsey Smith on Thursday, was following several different women inside the Target store, including one woman with a baby, but his focus was turned to Kelsey Smith as soon as he saw her.

An official who viewed the video said that when Hall spotted Kelsey, it was like “a shark on chum,” and his eyes locked onto her at that very moment." End article I sort of figured that this guy was just trolling for a victim. Hopefully he did not kill anyone else in another community.

Whoaaaa :eek: :eek: :eek: So if he hadn't picked Kelsey it would've been someone else. That's definitly pre-meditated. I hope you're right but something tells me this wasn't his first victim. Just a gut feeling.

mu8shark

06-14-2007, 11:48 PM

One2Snoop

06-15-2007, 12:10 AM

One2Snoop

06-15-2007, 01:44 PM

Hall Makes First Court Appearance; Hearing Set for Aug. 15

June 14, 2007 04:56 PM PDT

By MARIA SUDEKUM FISHER
Associated Press Writer

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) -- Edwin R. Hall, who has been charged with kidnapping 18-year-old Kelsey Smith from a Target store parking lot, killing her and dumping her body in a Missouri park, appeared in court Thursday, sitting within feet of Smith's parents.

~snip~

Hall made an initial first appearance June 7, but waived his right to hear the charges against him then until he had a lawyer.

Paul Cramm, who has since become Hall's attorney, attended the appearance Thursday and asked Johnson County District Judge Peter V. Ruddick to keep Hall in Johnson County and that he "not be farmed out" because of the volume of evidence in the case.~snip~

http://www.kctv5.com/Global/story.asp?S=6658159

TobyTiger

06-17-2007, 07:35 PM

You know he and his wife moved around a lot, Nebraska, Iowa, Wichita KS and Johnson County Kansas. You have to wonder if he did something in those areas they could not quite pin on him but were asking him about and he felt like those areas were getting too hot for him. Just a thought!

It is quite possible that Hall has committed other crimes of this type from analyzing the manner and speed in which he contained Kelsey inside her vehicle and exited the parking lot in a matter of seconds. Kelsey's parents described her as a fighter and yet there was no evidence of a struggle inside her car, as decribed by intial reports from LE, therefore it is fair to assume that she was immediately subdued. It is still a good question whether or not Hall knew who she was, even though she might have not known him. Ironically he listed on his My Space profile one of his favorite movies as being Strangeland in which a cop's daughter is kidnapped. Kelsey's father is a cop.

mu8shark

06-21-2007, 10:50 PM

One2Snoop

06-21-2007, 11:18 PM

New info on this case. Today KMBC announced that no one would be getting the reward. This is because what led to the arrest was that Edwin Hall saw his photo and the photo of his truck in the paper, he callled a lawyer and the lawyer and Edwin decided to turn himself in. Early on,I thought maybe he may have confessed. I suppose he could have gone just to say, "Yeah that is me but I did not do it." but I wonder if he confessed and is planning to plead guilty when and if they go for the death penalty to save his life or plead not guilty due to reason of insanity. Also his lawyer ask to be allowed to see the dna results, which I dont't quite understand as under discovery rules he would be allowed to anyway, it implies that there is dna. Again I bet they will only ask for the death penalty if there is a sexual asault. This is exactly what the prosecutor said. Aug 15 will reveal a lot,although the prosecutor and defense attorney are abiding by the gag order ,at the prelim they will present an outline of their evidence and reporters and public will be allowed to attend and a lot of info will come out. I will keep you posted on any new info before then and when the prelim occurs. I would be interested in what you all think of him turning himself in and what the defense attornery petitioned for.

Thank you mu8shark for the update.

Regarding EH turning himself in - did this occur before the neighbor made the call and this is why
there's no reward money?

Just my personal opinion but I would hope anyone who turned a criminal in wouldn't accept reward money or they'd at least donate it to a worthy cause. I think its our civic duty to turn in criminals in order to keep our communities safe. I know not everyone thinks that way and I know people won't turn someone in unless they're rewarded someway but I just find that wrong. My 2 cents on the reward money. :patriot:

Regarding the death penalty (hilighted in blue) - So the fact he sought her out with intent to kill, kidnapped her, then strangled her, isn't enough for the death penalty? The only reason they'd seek the death penatly is because of the sexual assualt? Am I understanding this correctly? :confused: If it were worded as such that she died as a result of the sexual assault that might be one thing but we know from reports that she died from strangulation. WOW. :eek: That seems so wrong, IMO.

Thanks again for the update.

mu8shark

06-22-2007, 12:38 AM

When the prosecutor spoke(Phil Kline) he said there might be further charges and that if she was kidnapped with the intention of sexually assaulting her and that was proven, it was an aggravating circumstance, they would seek the death penalty. I am with you, it seems like whether he sexually assaulted her or not what he did warrants them seeking the death penalty.:flamemad: Oddly when I looked at the KC Star the article only said a tip did not lead to their contact at all with Edwin Hall and KMBC news said they had an exclusive that he turned himself in. KBMC must have an off the record source. Is the source accurate, dont know.

One2Snoop

06-22-2007, 12:44 AM

mu8shark

06-22-2007, 02:05 AM

mu8shark

06-22-2007, 02:14 AM

Revise my story , what I heard apparently was not exactly right. This from KMBC, see story his lawyer called police to go pick him up. No Reward Will Be Given In Kelsey Smith Case
Edwin Hall Contacted Attorney After Seeing Photo

POSTED: 5:25 pm CDT June 21, 2007
UPDATED: 6:22 pm CDT June 21, 2007

Email This Story | Print This Story
Sign Up for Breaking News Alerts

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- Authorities said Thursday that no reward money will be handed out in the Kelsey Smith murder case.

KMBC's Maria Antonia reported that the $27,000 that was added to the TIPS reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction is being returned to the donors.

Surveillance video from June 2 showed Smith being abducted from a Target store parking lot in Overland Park. Smith's body was found on June 6 near Longview Lake in southern Jackson County, Mo.

Edwin R. Hall, 18, was charged with premeditated first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping.

Officials said the tips from 1,000 phone calls and e-mails did not meet the reward criteria because the information did not lead to Hall's arrest.

"Apparently, he saw himself in the paper, he then contacted an attorney, the attorney contacted Overland Park police," said Jim Fitzgerald with TIPS. "They learned his name, his address, went to house, saw him coming out and took him into custody."

Officials said most of the people who called in with information did so out of respect for Kelsey Smith -- not for the money.

Previous Stories:

One2Snoop

06-22-2007, 02:21 AM

Well pecuniary gain is did they do it for money like when spouses murder each other for life insurance, but number one is probably where the rape comes in as heinous or torture. My cousin says nobody would turn themselves to confess but people do do that. When they announced his arrest they said after talking to him, something he said led them to arrest him, could be a confession or did they catch him in a lie.? Also his wife is on the witness list. I wonder if he ask her to alibi for him or something. Surely she saw the news and saw him and with the release of the truck photo, it had to hit her. Some other lists have all kinds of sympathy for him and one or two girls even find him attractive. Huh????I mean I am of the age where I judge men more by their personality and character so I would think that would rule him out for me. Also frankly I do not find him attractive. Who in the world thinks that way about a killer?There is rumour on some boards :LE has enhanced that tape and they believe he was driving. Some others saw they have his dna or fingerprints on the steering wheel but so what, of course they know he drove the car back so his fingerprints would be on there. That does not mean he drove away from Target Will be lots of rumours.

Thank you for explaining #3 to me. Sounds like Phil Klein has a rather controversial background although he was successful in getting the death penalty re-instated from what I've read, although an execution hasn't taken place since 1976.

I know all about those message boards where woman are in love with prisoners/death row inmates, some even planning their own weddings. :eek: I seriously think most of them are sick in the head, but thats JMO.

I agree with you about the rumor's - I believe some people come on message boards just to feed the rumor mill for fun - :punch: Why? I don't think we'll ever know the answer to that question.

mu8shark

06-22-2007, 02:34 AM

Also Phil Kline said there is a strong chance it will be moved to another county because of its high profile here. Although they will not find many places who have not heard of it, it will ensure that the jurors will not know a friend of a friend who heard some rumour and not so many people will know her or him in another county, I assume Wichita (Sedgewick County) will be problematic as he lived there as well.

One2Snoop

07-09-2007, 07:26 PM

Posted on Mon, Jul. 09, 2007
Edwin Hall faces new charges
By DIANE CARROLL
The Kansas City Star

Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline filed a new case today against Edwin R. “Jack” Hall, who already is charged with first-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping in the death of 18-year-old Kelsey Smith.

In the new case, filed in Johnson County District Court, Hall is charged with two counts of aggravated indecent liberties for his alleged involvement in a sexual relationship with a girl who was 14 years old at the time, Kline said in a statement from his office. The relationship occurred in 2004 in Olathe when Hall was 23, the statement said. Kline declined to offer any information about how the new case came to light or to provide any other details.

Hall was arrested on June 6 after Smith’s body was found in a wooded area near Longview Lake in southern Jackson County. She had disappeared June 2 from a Target parking lot in Overland Park.

Hall is scheduled to be arraigned on the new charges Tuesday. He faces 55 to 61 months on each count of aggravated indecent liberties.

http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/183056.html

One2Snoop

07-15-2007, 07:01 PM

Jul 10, 2007 5:30 PM

Investigators: Edwin Hall
Posted By: Timothy Donley

EMPORIA, Kan. – It's a crime that stunned the metro making national headlines. Kelsey Smith, 18, was kidnapped and murdered. NBC Action News Investigator Keith King takes and in-depth look at her accused killer.
Since Edwin Hall's arrest, we've learned little about his past. But much of his life remains a mystery. Now, we've uncovered new information about Hall's past.

Who is Edwin Hall?

To find out, we went to Emporia, Kan., a rural community deeply rooted in patriotism, education, and taking life slow. An ideal setting for any childhood. This is where Edwin Hall grew up. He appears happy in a class photo, but those who knew him tell us there was a troubled person behind the smile.

"What I remember about him then, he certainly was an outsider," recalled former classmate Tyson Hinrichs.

Hinrichs remembers Hall from their days together at Emporia Middle School. School records confirm Hall completed the eighth grade and attended Emporia High as a freshman. Hinrichs recalls Hall as a kid who never fit in.

~snip~

http://www.nbcactionnews.com/content/investigative/story.aspx?content_id=fd746709-9874-414d-9408-e11946f83f71

TuscanDreams

07-15-2007, 09:15 PM

IF this was Hall's first crime, I'll be shocked. Murder is something offenders escalate to, in most cases.

What's his criminal history, does anyone know?

One2Snoop

07-16-2007, 12:55 AM

Bumping this for Tuscan to read about Hall's history....

By JOHN MILBURN
Associated Press Writer

A man accused of kidnapping and killing a suburban Kansas City teenager pleaded no contest as a 15-year-old to threatening his sister at knifepoint, according to court records.

A judge ordered Hall removed from his home after he entered the plea to aggravated assault in May 1996, and he was placed in state custody, the court records state. A second charge of making a criminal threat was dismissed.

Hall's parents, Carol and Don Hall, of Emporia, didn't immediately return a call Friday. Carol Hall told The Emporia Gazette for Friday's editions that the couple adopted Edwin Hall when he was 7 and knew he had problems associated with his early childhood. Court records show the boy ran afoul of police several times before the attack on his sister, who a biological child of the couple, though the earlier offenses were nonviolent.

Carol Hall told the paper the boy did something when he was 15 that made the couple feel he was a danger to the family, which included three biological daughters. She did not provide details but said the couple felt they would have to give up on him. "That was the last time he was in our home," Carol Hall told the newspaper. The Halls hoped then that someone would be able "to get him the help that he needed," she said.

Hall was confined in four facilities from 1996 until 1999, according to the Kansas Juvenile Justice Authority.

http://www.bradenton.com/439/story/69227.html

TuscanDreams

07-16-2007, 06:48 AM

Hall was confined in four facilities from 1996 until 1999, according to the Kansas Juvenile Justice Authority.

Thanks for the article, O2Snoop. That quote says it all, no telling what he's done and didn't get caught.

Little_Belgin

07-20-2007, 01:03 AM

One2Snoop

07-20-2007, 09:17 PM

Hello everyone I'm new to the board. I was doing some research on this particular case. I live in the same general area so I guess I find it sort of "close to home" as it were. I was wondering was there ever a TOD released? Thanks a lot.

Hi and welcome Little Belgin. I don't recall seeing a TOD listed. I think I posted most of the articles available although many of them may not be available anymore.

One2Snoop

07-23-2007, 03:21 PM

I guess I don't understand the point of proceeding with these charges? :confused: Once he's tried and convicted of Kelsey's murder I highly doubt he'll be going anywhere other than in a jail cell for the rest of his life or the gas chamber (needle in the arm?).

Court date set in second Edwin Hall case
Posted on Thu, Jul. 19, 2007

A Johnson County judge today set a date for a preliminary hearing for Edwin R. “Jack” Hall on charges relating to his alleged involvement in a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl in 2004.

Hall is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 5 in the case. Hall, of Olathe, is charged with two counts of aggravated indecent liberties.

Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline filed those charges after Hall, 26, was charged in connection with the kidnapping and death of Kelsey Smith in June.

Hall is charged with capital murder in Smith’s death.

Smith, 18, disappeared about 7 p.m. June 2 after buying a present for her boyfriend at an Overland Park Target store. Her body was found June 6 in a wooded area near Longview Lake in southern Jackson County. Hall was arrested the same day.

http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/196379.html

odette

08-08-2007, 05:00 AM

Suspect in Kelsey Smith Killing Indicted on Murder, Rape, Kidnapping Charges

Associated Press
Wednesday, August 01, 2007

OLATHE, Kan. — A grand jury has indicted Edwin R. Hall on charges of kidnapping, rape, aggravated sodomy and capital murder in the slaying of 18-year-old Kelsey Smith in June.

Johnson County Attorney Phill Kline said the grand jury indictment replaces charges previously filed by Kline's office.

Hall, 26, of Olathe, is accused of kidnapping Smith on June 2 from the parking lot of a Target store in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park. Grainy surveillance video from the store showed Smith being confronted and pushed into her car. .....

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,291736,00.html

odette

08-08-2007, 05:03 AM

Kline will seek death penalty in Kelsey Smith case

By DIANE CARROLL
The Kansas City Star
Posted on Wed, Aug. 01, 2007

Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline said today he will seek the death penalty against Edwin R. “Jack” Hall, who is accused of kidnapping and killing 18-year-old Kelsey Smith of Overland Park.

Hall, 26, of Olathe is charged with capital murder, rape, aggravated kidnapping and aggravated criminal sodomy.

Hall pleaded not guilty to those charges in court this afternoon. .....

http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/214441.html

One2Snoop

08-08-2007, 04:24 PM

Thanks Odette for posting these updates. I've been out of the loop for a few weeks. So glad to hear Kline is seeking the death penalty! :patriot:

odette

08-15-2007, 06:10 AM

Defense again asks for DNA in Kelsey Smith murder case

hdnews.net
8/14/2007

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) -- Lawyers for the man accused of killing an 18-year-old woman after kidnapping her from a Target store parking lot have again asked prosecutors to hand over electronic data showing how DNA was tested in the case. ...

continued at this link: SlainTeen-Evidence (http://www.hdnews.net/Story/k1024_BC_KS_SlainTeen_Evidenc_08_14_0363)

odette

08-15-2007, 06:30 AM

Kidnapping, Murder Suspect Wants Info on DNA Evidence

WIBW
Last Updated: 2:02 PM Aug 14, 2007
Reporter: AP

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) _ Lawyers for Edwin Hall, the man accused of killing 18-year-old Kelsey Smith, want prosecutors to hand over data showing how DNA was tested in the case.

Prosecutors say they'll provide the defense with an electronic copy of the D-N-A analyzed by the lab, but the data will be in a read-only format. ...

continued at this link: Kidnapping, Murder Suspect Wants Info on DNA Evidence (http://www.wibw.com/home/headlines/9155081.html)

http://i13.tinypic.com/6he2pl3.jpg
Kelsey Smith

odette

08-15-2007, 04:21 PM

"Breaking News"

Kansas City Star
Wed, Aug. 15, 2007 01:07 PM

A judge today set Jan. 14 as the tentative date that a trial will begin for Edwin R. “Jack” Hall, the Olathe man accused of kidnapping and killing Kelsey Smith. ...

continued at this link: Date set for Edwin Hall trial (http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/233012.html)

One2Snoop

08-16-2007, 01:07 AM

Thanks odette. :seeya:

Here's another article....

Trial Set For Man Accused Of Killing Teen
Edwin R. Hall's Capital Murder Trial Set For Jan. 14

POSTED: 5:33 pm CDT August 15, 2007
UPDATED: 8:07 pm CDT August 15, 2007

OLATHE, Kan. -- A judge on Wednesday set a trial date for the man accused of kidnapping, raping and strangling an 18-year-old woman, whose apparent abduction from a Target store parking lot was captured on videotape.

Johnson County District Judge Peter Ruddick set Edwin R. Hall's capital murder trial for Jan. 14. Ruddick also heard arguments from both sides about how DNA evidence in the case should be provided to the defense.

Hall, 26, Olathe, is charged with capital murder, kidnapping, rape and aggravated sodomy in the slaying of Kelsey Smith, of Overland Park. He has pleaded not guilty.

snip

More at the link
Trial Set for Edwin Hall (http://www.kctv5.com/news/13902513/detail.html)

odette

08-16-2007, 05:36 AM

Thank's 02 for posting that :seeya: .. quite a few videos and photos at that site too.

TuscanDreams

08-16-2007, 05:10 PM

Thank's 02 for posting that :seeya: .. quite a few videos and photos at that site too.

Thank you very much for the updates and 1 to Snoop as well. Discovery seems to be a game of hide and seek in this case, I hope that the prosecution doesn't get penalized for failing to fork over evidence.

Hall is in protective custody at the Jail, I heard on a news blurb. It makes sense to keep him away from the other prisoners, they want to keep him alive so he can be executed. JMO, but I say- let him hang out in general population. Not to be tortured, but to get a taste of what life is going to be like for him.

odette

08-17-2007, 02:19 PM

http://i9.tinypic.com/6f8olxj.png

This website for Kelsey Smith has much information, including links to where you can get current information about the court case, photos of Kelsey, Memorial Service Links ect. ...

http://www.kelseysarmy.com/

odette

08-24-2007, 07:56 AM

Edwin Hall's Lawyers View Evidence In Kelsey Smith Case

MYFOX Kansas City
Last Edited: Thursday, 23 Aug 2007, 5:42 PM CDT
Created: Thursday, 23 Aug 2007, 5:42 PM CD

Lawyers for the Olathe man accused of killing 18-year-old Kelsey Smith of Overland Park got to see evidence in the case on Thursday. ..

continued: Edwin Hall's Lawyers View Evidence In Kelsey Smith Case (http://www.myfoxkc.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=4155689&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1)

http://i9.tinypic.com/631idxk.jpg
Edwin Hall

odette

08-30-2007, 06:43 AM

odette

08-30-2007, 04:56 PM

Murder of Kelsey Smith

Wikipedia
* 1 Overview
- 1.1 Body identification
- 1.2 Suspect charged
* 2 Death
* 3 National media attention
* 4 External links
* 5 References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelsey_Smith

odette

08-30-2007, 05:21 PM

http://i18.tinypic.com/4uepj7p.jpg
Edwin Hall (left) in court

One2Snoop

08-30-2007, 06:06 PM

Defense asks that murder indictment against Hall be dismissed

By DIANE CARROLL
The Kansas City Star

Posted on Wed, Aug. 29, 2007 10:21 PM

Defense attorneys have filed a motion asking that the murder indictment against Edwin R. “Jack” Hall of Olathe be dismissed.

The motion, filed Tuesday in Johnson County District Court, states that the citizens petition that led to the convening of a grand jury sought an investigation only into businesses that were suspected of promoting obscenity. Issuing an indictment against Hall went beyond the jury’s mandate, defense attorney Paul Cramm said. ...

continued:
Defense asks that murder indictment against Hall be dismissed (http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/253107.html)

People like this need to be ummmm, well you know. Nothing like wasting the taxpayers money. The case against Hall is a slam dunk IMO.

Brian Burgess, a spokesman for Kline, said Wednesday that district attorneys in other counties also have presented a variety of cases when their grand juries have been called. Some of those indictments have been challenged, Burgess said, but the courts have repeatedly upheld them.

Cramm said he thought that some of those indictments have been upheld at the district court level but did not think they had been considered yet by an appeals court. Because grand juries are so rare at the district court level in Kansas, he added, it’s worth a court challenge to clarify the issue.

TuscanDreams

08-31-2007, 02:29 PM

People like this need to be ummmm, well you know. Nothing like wasting the taxpayers money. The case against Hall is a slam dunk IMO.

Sing it, sister! I'm all for due process, but I'd like to see him plead out and go straight to the penalty phase- then straight to the chair.

odette

09-05-2007, 07:56 PM

Hall pleads not guilty to having sex with minor

Eds: UPDATES with Hall being bound over for trial, not guilty plea. Will be led.
By MARIA SUDEKUM FISHER
Associated Press Writer
9/5/2007

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) -- The man who faces capital murder charges in the death of 18-year-old Kelsey Smith earlier this summer pleaded not guilty Wednesday to separate charges of having sex with a 14-year-old runaway.

Edwin R. Hall, 26, is charged with two counts of aggravated indecent liberties for allegedly having sexual intercourse with the girl in July 2004. A judge on Wednesday determined there is enough evidence for the case to go to trial, then Hall entered the not guilty plea.

No trial date was set, but a hearing is scheduled for Oct. 19. ...

CONTINUED
http://www.hdnews.net/Story/k1057_BC_KS_SlainTeen_2ndLd_Writethru_09_05_0341

odette

09-05-2007, 08:01 PM

Edwin Hall to face trial in second case

KANSAS CITY STAR
Posted on Wed, Sep. 05, 2007 04:23 PM

A Johnson County judge this afternoon bound over for trial Edwin R. Hall of Olathe on charges that he had sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old girl in 2004. ...

CONTINUED
http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/261955.html

odette

09-05-2007, 08:06 PM

Hall pleads not guilty to having sex with minor

KBSD6
Associated Press - September 5, 2007 6:04 PM ET

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) - The man charged in the June slaying of 18-year-old Kelsey Smith pleaded NOT guilty today to separate charges of having sex with a 14-year-old runaway.

Twenty-6-year-old Edwin Hall is charged with two counts of aggravated indecent liberties for allegedly having sex with the girl in 2004. The girl is now 17. ...

CONTINUED:
http://www.kbsd6.com/Global/story.asp?S=7031925

odette

09-06-2007, 04:21 AM

Hall bound over on charges of indecent liberties with a child

The Kansas City Star
By DIANE CARROLL
Posted on Wed, Sep. 05, 2007 10:41 PM

A 17-year-old girl testified Wednesday that she met Edwin R. Hall in July 2004 when she ran away from a shelter in Olathe.

She was 14. Hall — charged with capital murder in the June kidnapping and strangulation of 18-year-old Kelsey Smith of Overland Park — was 23. ....

CONTINUED
http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/262517.html

TuscanDreams

09-07-2007, 07:00 AM

I just love that Hall is escorted to court in a bullet proof vest every day. :flamemad:

One2Snoop

09-09-2007, 02:29 AM

I just love that Hall is escorted to court in a bullet proof vest every day. :flamemad:

I don't recall reading that anywhere. This must be insider info you have? ;) :cool: Have there been death threats made on his life? Not surprising. I think the best deal he could make is to accept the death penalty and get on with it. IMO, JMO.

odette

09-14-2007, 04:26 AM

Man accused in Kelsey Smith murder seeks dismissal of charges in Kansas

KANSAS CITY STAR - Diane Carroll - Posted on Thu, Sep. 13, 2007 10:15 PM

Kelsey Smith of Overland Park was raped, sodomized and killed in Missouri and those charges should not be prosecuted in Johnson County, attorneys for the murder defendant said Thursday.

Defense attorney Paul Cramm asked that the charges be dismissed from the indictment against his client, Edwin R. Hall of Olathe. If that were to happen, the only charge in Johnson County District Court would be kidnapping.

Smith, 18, was abducted June 2 from outside a Target store in Overland Park. Her body was found June 6 near Longview Lake in Jackson County.

Brian Burgess, a spokesman for District Attorney Phill Kline, said his office would review the motion and respond. Hall is charged with capital murder; prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/274616.html

One2Snoop

09-14-2007, 06:30 PM

So what does this mean? :confused: Missouri will have to file charges against Hall for rape, sodomy and murder?

odette

09-27-2007, 07:16 AM

Jurisdiction at issue in Kelsey Smith murder case

The Kansas City Star - By DIANE CARROLL - Posted on Wed, Sep. 26, 2007 10:28 PM

Kansas law allows Johnson County to prosecute Edwin R. Hall on charges that he murdered Kelsey Smith even if she was killed in Missouri, prosecutors contend in court papers.

That’s because the chain of criminal acts against Smith, 18, began with her June 2 kidnapping in Overland Park, prosecutors state in arguing against a defense motion to dismiss the murder count for lack of jurisdiction. Smith’s body was found four days later near Grandview. .....

continued:
http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/292480.html

odette

09-27-2007, 02:40 PM

Judge refuses to drop charges against Hall

By DIANE CARROLL - The Kansas City Star - Posted on Thu, Sep. 27, 2007 11:43 AM

A Johnson County judge today refused to dismiss murder and rape charges against Edwin Hall on grounds that his victim, Kelsey Smith, was assaulted and killed in Missouri.

Judge Peter Ruddick said he would issue a ruling later on another request by Hall to dismiss the entire case against him, but the judge indicated he would deny that request as well. .....

http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/292981.html

One2Snoop

09-27-2007, 03:53 PM

odette

10-11-2007, 03:09 PM

Edwin Hall’s adoptive family seeks contact

kansascity.com - Thu, Oct. 11, 2007 10:49 AM

Edwin R. “Jack” Hall’s adoptive family hasn’t seen him for two years, but this week they asked a judge to let them communicate with him while he’s behind bars. .....

Article Continues (http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/312657.html)

odette

10-26-2007, 02:47 AM

Judge In Kelsey Smith Case Delays Trial

Smith's Mother Left Courtroom In Tears

kmbc.com - October 25, 2007

OLATHE, Kan. -- The trial for Edwin Hall was delayed until June, the one-year anniversary of when 18-year-old Kelsey Smith disappeared from an Overland Park Target parking lot.

Johnson County Judge Peter Ruddick on Thursday granted a defense motion for the continuance. The trial is now set for June 2, 2008. The trial was originally scheduled to start in January. — continued: »

http://i22.tinypic.com/npj24x.jpg

http://www.kmbc.com/news/14424315/detail.html

odette

10-26-2007, 02:52 AM

Kelsey Smith Murder Trial Set On Anniversary Of Abduction

myfoxkc.com - 25 Oct 2007

Edwin Hall, the man accused of kidnapping and killing Overland Park teen Kelsey Smith, won a delay in his capital murder trial on Thursday.

The postponement of nearly six months left Smith's family fuming, especially after the new trial date selected is June 2, the anniversary of Kelsey's kidnapping and murder.

In granting the continuance, Judge Peter Ruddick said the state seeking the death penalty against Hall adds layers of complication to the case. — continued: »

http://www.myfoxkc.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=4742370&version=3&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1

odette

10-26-2007, 02:56 AM

Suspect in Kelsey Smith murder gets new trial date

kansascity.com - Oct. 25, 2007

A judge today set a new trial date for the man accused of kidnapping and killing Kelsey Smith — June 2, which would be the one-year anniversary of the day she disappeared from an Overland Park Target store.

The judge also gave permission for Edwin R. Hall’s adoptive family to reach out to him while he’s in a Johnson County jail cell. The state did not object.

Attorneys for Hall, 26, filed a motion earlier this month asking a judge to remove the “no contact” order applied to Don and Carol Hall of Emporia and their three daughters. The Halls said they would like to contact him in person, by telephone or by mail.

They are on the list of 1,200 possible witnesses who are not allowed contact with Hall. He is charged with kidnapping, raping and killing Kelsey Smith, 18. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. — continued: »

http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/332753.html

odette

08-05-2008, 12:13 AM

Defense attorneys seek evidence in slaying of Kelsey Smith

BENITA Y. WILLIAMS - The Kansas City Star - Mar. 03, 2008

Attorneys for murder defendant Edwin Hall said prosecutors were withholding evidence that was favorable to their client, including information about another suspect seen driving a car similar to the victim’s.

Hall, 27, of Olathe, is charged with the kidnapping, sexual assault and murder of Kelsey Smith, 18. The Shawnee Mission West High School graduate disappeared just after 7 p.m. June 2 from a Target store near 97th Street and Quivira Road in Overland Park. A few days later, her body was found about 20 miles away near Longview Lake in south Jackson County.

On Friday, Hall’s attorneys, Paul Cramm and Carl Cornwell, filed a motion accusing Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline of failing to give them that information and other evidence that they argue could help Hall’s defense. The attorneys are seeking sanctions in the case, possibly including continuance or dismissal of the case.

Also withheld, the defense argued, were 14 pages of an autopsy report, raw video surveillance footage that showed no one pushing Smith into her car as she left Target, and video surveillance that might place Hall at nearby Oak Park Mall just after Smith disappeared.

The victim’s mother, Missey Smith, said Monday that she remained confident about the way her daughter’s case was handled.

“The defense attorneys are just doing their job,” Smith said. “I remain 100 percent confident in what law enforcement did. … I think when all of the evidence is shown, there will be no doubt in anyone’s mind.”

Hall’s attorneys filed their motion under seal late Friday afternoon. However, the document remained in the public portion of the Johnson County court files Monday morning. The document later was removed from public view.

Cramm, Cornwell, the FBI and the Overland Park police declined to comment, citing evidentiary concerns and a gag order in the case. A district attorney’s spokesman said Kline was unavailable for comment because he was involved in a murder trial.

The evidence that Hall’s attorneys said was withheld:

• FBI documents about another man that a Grandview police employee identified as a possible suspect. On June 2, the documents stated, witnesses saw that man driving a car like Smith’s two hours after she disappeared. He also frequented a duplex less than three miles from where Smith’s body was found and sometimes was seen in a black pickup truck similar to the suspect vehicle.

According to one witness interviewed by the FBI, someone dropped that man off at the Grandview duplexes in a dark pickup truck about 3 a.m. on June 3, the morning after Smith disappeared.

• Raw security video from Target viewed by four Overland Park investigators early in the investigation. Attorneys said all four officers described Smith getting into her car and driving away undisturbed. One added that no one was seen around her vehicle while she was getting into the car. However, a later video compiled from several surveillance tapes produced images of what appeared to be someone shoving Smith into her car.

• Surveillance tapes from three stores at Oak Park Mall. Hall’s attorneys said the tapes would show someone resembling Hall at the mall just after Kelsey disappeared.

Copies of two of the tapes that Kline supplied were inoperable, and a third was damaged during the time frame that Hall claims he was in the mall, his attorneys said. According to the motion, security officials at one store said their video was fully functional when they gave it to Overland Park police.

• Fourteen pages of a Jackson County medical examiner’s report. The motion said the missing pages indicated that some marks on Smith’s body, thought to be wounds and abrasions, were caused by natural decomposition. That section also had information on time of death.

http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/515783.html

odette

08-05-2008, 12:19 AM

... http://i26.tinypic.com/9u53eb.jpg
The Accused - Edwin Hall

http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/515783.html

odette

08-05-2008, 12:27 AM

Defense motions on evidence inadvertently released to public

The Associated Press - Tue, Mar. 04, 2008

OLATHE, Kan. - Attorneys for the man accused of killing 18-year-old Kelsey Smith have filed papers under seal that accuse prosecutors of withholding evidence that could help their client, a newspaper reported Tuesday.

Paul Cramm, an attorney for Edwin R. Hall, said he found out Monday that documents he had filed Friday under seal - or intended for viewing only by legal parties in the case - were available on the court's Web site, apparently because of a clerical error. Cramm said a judge had ordered that the documents be sealed.

"I immediately brought it to the attention of the clerk's office and it was taken off," Cramm told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The Kansas City Star reported that in the documents, Cramm and co-counsel Carl Cornwell accused the local prosecutor of withholding evidence that could help Hall, including FBI documents about another man that a Grandview, Mo., police employee identified as a possible suspect.

That man, the documents stated, was seen June 2 driving a car like Smith's two hours after she disappeared, according to The Star. He also frequented a duplex less than three miles from where Smith's body was found and sometimes was seen in a black pickup truck similar to the suspect's vehicle, the documents said.

Hall, 27, is accused of abducting Smith from the parking lot of a Target store in suburban Kansas City. Grainy surveillance video from the store showed Smith being confronted and pushed into her car.

Her body was found four days later in a park about 20 miles away in Missouri. Hall was interviewed and arrested June 6, after he saw himself on television in surveillance video and contacted a lawyer, who contacted police.

The new motion also pointed to surveillance tape evidence that could place Hall at a nearby mall just after Smith disappeared. But the motion said copies of two of the tapes that Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline's office supplied were inoperable and a third was damaged during the time frame that Hall claims he was in the mall, The Star reported.

According to the motion, security officials at one store said their video was fully functional when they gave it to police.

Other claims in the documents, including that prosecutors withheld the raw security video from Target, have been made by the defense before.

Citing a gag order in the case, Cramm declined further comment about the documents Tuesday. He said he could not confirm the accuracy of reports about their contents, but Cramm has long complained in court about what he considers the lack of cooperation from the prosecutor's office about sharing evidence in the case.

"The ice is so thin as to what's going on in this case procedurally that I don't want to comment," Cramm said.

Kline did not return calls seeking comment Tuesday.

In July, Cramm said in court that the Target videotape showed Smith getting in her car and driving away. It was not until the tape was enhanced by Target store employees that Smith appeared to have a confrontation with someone at her car, Cramm said at the time.

Kline said at that hearing that he would make the tape available to the defense.

• Link No Longer Valid
http://www.kansas.com/news/updates/story/331019.html

One2Snoop

08-05-2008, 12:30 AM

Thanks for the update odette. I thought the DNA was overwhelming in this case? :confused:

odette

08-05-2008, 12:31 AM

... http://i32.tinypic.com/mmsqhy.jpg
Kelsey Smith

http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/smith_kelsey_070606_ms.jpg

odette

08-05-2008, 12:40 AM

Good website for information.

... http://i33.tinypic.com/sliblj.jpg

http://www.kelseysarmy.org/

odette

08-05-2008, 12:48 AM

Hall’s attorney seeks to exclude fingerprint evidence

By DIANE CARROLL - The Kansas City Star - Thu, Mar. 27, 2008

Defense attorneys are asking a Johnson County judge to throw out the fingerprint evidence prosecutors say they have against Edwin R. Hall, who is charged with capital murder.

In a motion filed late Wednesday, defense attorney Paul Cramm states that investigators found at least 29 partial prints on the car that 18-year-old Kelsey Smith was driving when she disappeared June 2 from the Target parking lot next to Oak Park Mall in Overland Park.

Authorities could link only one of those partial prints to Hall, Cramm wrote. The methodology used to make that determination also is subjective and untested, he stated.

The motion to exclude the evidence is supported by affidavits from three forensic fingerprint experts.

Hall, 26, is scheduled to go on trial Sept. 16 in the kidnapping, rape and murder of the Overland Park woman. Her body was found June 6 in a wooded area near Longview Lake in southern Jackson County. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

Cramm said Thursday he could not comment because of a gag order in the case. District Attorney Phill Kline, who has been prosecuting the case with Deputy District Attorney Stephen Maxwell, also declined through a spokeswoman to comment.

According to the motion, a Johnson County sheriff’s deputy processed the interior and exterior of Smith’s car for fingerprints in the garage of the Overland Park Police Department on or about June 4. A second sheriff’s deputy was there to document the process.

The first deputy collected a set of prints from Hall, who was known as the suspect, and made the identification. His work was reviewed by a member of the same agency who knew beforehand that the match had been made.

Cramm argues that the review should have been conducted by someone who was not aware of the initial finding. The methodology used to determine a match is subjective, he said, and having that prior knowledge could have influenced the review.

The methodology used has never been subjected to scientific testing, the motion states, so the error rate in latent print identification is not known. However, it says, there are enough cases of erroneous identifications to establish that a substantial error rate exists.

Judge Peter Ruddick has not yet set a hearing date on the defense request.

• Link No Longer valid
http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/story/549761.html

odette

08-05-2008, 12:58 AM

By MARIA SUDEKUM FISHER - April 09, 2008

Evidence is focus of pretrial hearing in Kelsey Smith case

OLATHE, Kan. — An initial review of a surveillance video from the store parking lot where an 18-year-old woman was last seen did not appear to show her being abducted, a police officer testified during a pretrial hearing on evidence in the case.

Sgt. James Sutterby of the Overland Park police department said that when he first watched the video of 18-year-old Kelsey Smith at the Target store and in the parking lot, it looked as if she drove off alone.

"It appeared that she was putting what she had in her hand in the passenger side, then she walked around to the driver's side of the vehicle and the vehicle leaves the parking lot," Sutterby said.

But he said that after the footage was enhanced by a media specialist at the Overland Park Fire Department, it became apparent that Smith was accosted at her car.

"I observed an individual as Kelsey was walking around to the driver's side of the vehicle. I observed that individual approach her from behind," he said.

Sutterby was testifying in a hearing in the capital murder case of Edwin R. Hall, 27, who is charged with kidnapping Smith from an Overland Park Target parking lot on June 2 and raping and strangling her. Her body was found June 6 in a wooded area in neighboring Jackson County, Mo.

Hall, of Olathe, is scheduled to go on trial Sept. 16. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

Defense attorneys have accused Johnson County prosecutors of withholding evidence that could help Hall. They have complained that they have been waiting months for prosecutors to provide raw footage of videotape from the Target store where Smith was abducted.

Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline has said his office has made available all evidence.

Defense attorney Paul Cramm has said the video shown by the media of Smith walking out of Target was made up of several camera angles, and that he wanted the raw video used to produce it.

But Eddie Burns, a forensic video analyst for the Target Corp., testified that the original videotape that showed Smith walking to her car and apparently leaving alone contained gaps because of the format in which it was viewed.

Burns said the gaps were eliminated when the footage was run on a different computer program from the one police originally used to view it

Ruddick did not rule in the matter, but said the court would continue hearing prosecutors' explanations about sharing evidence in the case on April 21.

• Link No longer valid
http://www.fortmilltimes.com/124/story/127513.html

odette

08-05-2008, 01:05 AM

By DIANE CARROLL • The Kansas City Star • Wed, Apr. 09, 2008 10:15 PM

Video from Target shows Kelsey Smith was abducted, forensic expert testifies

The video surveillance tape of Kelsey Smith leaving an Overland Park Target last June shows that the 18-year-old was abducted, a forensic video analyst testified Wednesday.

The abduction easily could have been overlooked by police officers during their initial viewings because of the format in which those viewings occurred, said Eddie Burns, who works for Target at its headquarters in Minneapolis. Once the digital tape was viewed with the appropriate display method, the abduction became visible, he said.

“All of the content was always there,” Burns testified under questioning from Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline.

The Target video, which was shown in court, was the focus of a three-hour hearing before District Court Judge Peter Ruddick. Defense attorneys for Edwin R. Hall had contended in a Feb. 29 court document that prosecutors were withholding video and other evidence that would favor their client. And Ruddick said last month he planned to get to the bottom of what was going on.

Kline said in court Wednesday that he had retained an outside auditor to ensure that all evidence and pertinent information in the case has been turned over to the defense. A report from the auditor should be available by an April 21 hearing, he said.

Hall, 27, of Olathe is charged with abducting, raping and strangling the Overland Park teen. Smith disappeared about 7 p.m. after leaving the Target store on June 2. Her body was found June 6 near Longview Lake.

Hall is scheduled to go on trial in September. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

After testimony Wednesday from a half-dozen witnesses, Ruddick said he thought progress was being made. He wants to hear more evidence at the April 21 hearing. Hopefully by then, Ruddick said, the defense will have received and examined the Target video.

Defense attorneys Paul Cramm and Carl Cornwell contended in the Feb. 29 document that they had not received any Target video, although they had been asking for it for months.

They also alleged that prosecutors were withholding Target video that Overland Park police officers saw the day after the abduction.

The officers wrote in police reports at the time that they didn’t see anything suspicious when Smith walked to her car.

Defense attorneys have been seeking a copy of what the officers said they saw.

One of those officers, Detective James Sutterby, testified that he and another officer went to the Target store the day after Smith was abducted. They did not see anything suspicious occurring when Smith walked out to her car, he said.

However, Sutterby said, when he looked at the same video later with different equipment he was able to see the abduction sequence.

Police first saw the abduction when they took the video to the Overland Park fire training center and used better equipment there.

Burns, the forensic analyst, explained that the abduction sequence was not visible on the equipment at Target because the digital file was so large that it was compressed. In that situation, he said, it was “skipping frames.”

With the right viewing equipment, the video shows Smith walking to her car, opening her passenger-side door to put her packages in and walking around to the driver’s side. A blurry figure emerges at that point and pushes her inside, Burns said.

Cramm said he had not seen the video that Burns showed in court. Prosecutors provided hours of Target videotape but never narrowed it down to the pertinent timeframe or provided it in a format that could be viewed, Cramm said.

Kline said copies of the Target video had been made available to the defense months earlier; Kline’s trial assistant testified the defense had picked up the tapes in September.

Also, Kline said, new copies have been available for pickup in the district attorney’s office since March 21, and it’s possible the defense did not realize they had the tapes because of the voluminous amount of material turned over to them.

Cramm said in court he planned to send the video to his expert immediately.

Afterward, Smith’s parents, Greg and Missey Smith, said they were pleased with the hearing.

“It’s very obvious there is just one video,” Greg Smith said, “and the defense learned that it had had it since September.”

• Link No longer valid
http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/569312.html

odette

08-05-2008, 01:18 AM

July 24, 2008

Edwin Hall Pleads Guilty in Murder of Kelsey Smith

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) - A Kansas man pleads guilty to the kidnapping, rape and murder of a suburban Kansas City teenager snatched from a store parking lot last year.

Twenty-seven-year-old Edwin Hall pleaded guilty Wednesday to capital murder, aggravated kidnapping, rape and sodomy in the June 2007 death of 18-year-old Kelsey Smith.

• Continued
http://www.kwch.com/Global/story.asp?S=8723070&nav=menu486_2_1

odette

08-05-2008, 01:26 AM

Jul. 23, 2008

Edwin Hall pleads guilty to Kelsey Smith murder

In a surprising twist to a Johnson County murder that gained nationwide attention, Edwin Hall pleaded guilty this afternoon to killing Kelsey Smith.

Hall stood before Judge Peter Ruddick as he entered guilty pleas to charges of capital murder, aggravated kidnapping, rape and aggravated criminal sodomy.

For the murder charge, he faces life in prison with no chance of parole. For each of the other three counts, the range of punishment is 147 to 653 months.

• Article Continued
http://www.kansascity.com/637/story/717067.html

SaraSidle

08-05-2008, 01:50 AM

Wonderful news Odette. THanks again.

odette

08-05-2008, 04:11 AM

. . http://i34.tinypic.com/15ouovb.jpg
Greg Smith, father of murdered teenager Kelsey Smith, consoled his wife, Missey Smith, during the plea agreement on Wednesday afternoon at the Johnson County Courthouse in Olathe, Kan., as the judge read the four counts of the plea agreement read to Edwin Hall, who pled guilty to all four counts. Hall kidnapped and killed Kelsey Smith in June 2007 and will be sentenced on Sept. 16 to life in prison with no parole and no appeals. -- DAVID EULITT/Kansas City Star

http://www.kansascity.com/images/media/072308_HallVerdict_final/

odette

08-05-2008, 04:19 AM

. . http://i35.tinypic.com/auips.jpg
Members of "Kelsey's Army," friends of murdered teenager Kelsey Smith, held up her photograph during a press conference Wednesday afternoon, July 23, 2008, following the plea agreement entered with her killer, Edwin Hall, who pled guilty to four counts of murder, rape and sodomy in the June 2007 kidnapping and killing of Smith. -- DAVID EULITT/Kansas City Star

http://www.kansascity.com/images/media/072308_HallVerdict_final/

odette

08-06-2008, 06:45 AM

By LAURA SCOTT - The Kansas City Star - Wednesday, Aug 6, 2008

Families, friends rise from tragedy to help

The confession of Kelsey Smith’s murderer brings a shudder of relief to a community that has seen young lives taken in this manner in recent years. At least we know that one more monster is off the streets, locked up for life.

We have grieved with other families in recent years, the families of Ali Kemp, Ann Harrison, Stephanie Schmidt, Lizabeth Wilson, others. … Their deaths at the hands of predators remind us that beasts travel among us, disguised as normal people. And they prey on our most vulnerable, our children and our young women.

And we have to prepare those loved ones — as well as ourselves — the best we can to avoid becoming victims.

Excerpt: Smith’s murderer watched her at the jewelry counter, casing her, before he jumped her in the parking lot.

• Article Continued
http://www.kansascity.com/281/story/722809.html

odette

08-06-2008, 06:59 AM

On the above web page @ The Kansas City Star there is a link to T.A.K.E. but it's not working .. Link Below.

• T.A.K.E. Defense Training classes

• Self Defense Tips

• Knowledge is the best defense

Excerpt: When it comes to your safety, it's important to stay sharp. Here are some tips to consider. Read them through - some you may have heard, others may be new to you. Be sure to let them all soak in, and always put them into practice. They may just save your life!

• WALKING

• Dress and behave in an appropriate manner for your surroundings

• Stay away from dark, deserted streets and alleys

• Walk with someone. Most attackers will be discouraged if you have company - male or female

• Stay in well-lit areas, and avoid parking close to alleys or bushes where someone could be hiding

• Stay near people. Avoid shortcuts through parks, vacant lots and other deserted places

• Hold your purse close to you, not dangling. Never set it down on store counters, restaurant seats or bus seats

• Don't accept rides with strangers. If a driver stops to ask you directions, avoid getting too close to car - you could be pulled inside

• If you're being followed by someone on foot, cross the street, act suspicious and keep looking behind you. This may discourage the follower. Vary your pace. If he persists, go to a well-lit store or home, and call the police

• If you're being followed by someone in a car, turn around and walk in the opposite direction or go up a one-way street the opposite direction. If he persists, record his license number, seek a safe location and call the police

• When you return home, have your key ready to open door without delay

• Leave your outside light on so you can easily see anyone who may be waiting for you when you return home

• Avoid talking on your cell phone. If you must be on the phone, keep your head up and be alert. Never text message while walking

• HOME

• Install a peephole so you can see who is outside, and ask for identification before opening the door

• Don't advertise by leaving a note on the door saying you're not at home

• Use your last name and first initial only on your door, mail box and in the phone book

• The average predator will watch you 6-12 times before they commit their crime. Be aware of who is in your neighborhood

• Buy a big dog dish, and place it by the door. Even if you don't have a dog the idea that a big dog could be inside could work as a deterrent

• Replace the locks when you move to a new house or apartment. You don't know who has keys to the old one

• Remember, the best lock in the world is no good at all if it isn't used. Lock your doors and windows

• Draw the shades after dark, and never dress in front of windows

• Strangers should stay outside. They can go someplace else to make that phone call, or you can make it for them

• Make sure your home is well-lit, and replace burnt out light bulbs immediately

• Don't allow service workers in your home when you're not there. It's best to have more than one person at home when work is being done. Ask service companies questions concerning workers who will be entering your home. Here are some question examples: their name, length of time they have worked with the company and the last time a background check was performed on them

• Know your neighbors, especially the person who is home during the day. They serve as your eyes while you're away

• Keep personal information off of the internet. A predator only needs to know your name to determine where you live

• DRIVING

• Keep your purse and other valuables out of sight - under a seat or in the glove compartment

• Always keep your windows rolled up

• Keep your doors locked at all times. Before you even fasten your seat belt, lock your doors

• When you are unlocking your car with a remote be sure to only push the unlock button once in order to only unlock the driver's door. Pressing the unlock button twice will unlock all the doors which can allow someone access to the passenger side or back seat

• Put your valuables in your locked trunk or take them with you.

• Intersections and stoplights are favorite places for potential attackers. Keep your car in gear, and if threatened, lay on your horn and drive away

• Hitchhikers shouldn't be picked up. Don't stop to help disabled drivers if you're alone. Help them by reporting them to police or service station

• If you're having car trouble, raise the hood, and stay inside with the doors locked. If strangers stop, ask them to report your predicament to nearest service station. And remember - a cell phone makes sense when you are traveling any distance alone

• If you're being followed don't drive into your driveway or attempt to leave your car. Drive to the nearest police station or open business for help

• If another driver is forcing you to a curb, don't allow it and keep driving. Write down their license number, the car and driver's description, and report the incident to police immediately

• When parking your car, park in areas that will be well-lit when you return to your car. Be sure to lock your doors. Check when you return to make sure no one is hiding in your car. Avoid parking next to vans as you could be pulled into the vehicle through the sliding door

• Never leave keys to your home on your key ring when your car is left with a valet or at a service station

• Continued
http://www.takedefense.org/tips.html

odette

08-06-2008, 07:48 AM

By MARIA KOTULA / WCNC - February 12, 2008

Fight for your life: Fending off an attack

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- They are stories that make the headlines everyday across the country -- women being raped, abducted, abused and murdered. Sometimes it happens in their own homes. Other times women become random victims of crime.

Excerpt: Before the kicks and punches ever begin, we are told to watch a surveillance video. It is chilling proof how easy an attack can happen. It shows a Target store in a Kansas City suburb on June 2, 2007. Kelsey Smith, 18, parked near the front of the store.

"A very bright sunny day," says Starr in disbelief. Cameras capture Kelsey waiting in line at the checkout and the man who was following her. The tapes then show the man leaving the store ahead of Kelsey and waiting near her car. When Kelsey walks outside to leave, the fuzzy picture shows him shoving her inside her own vehicle. After the video cuts off, investigators fill in the rest. Police say 26-year-old Edwin Hall drove Kelsey to a wooded area, raped her, then strangled her. The abduction took 16 seconds.

"If that person gets in your car and takes you from point A to point B," explains R.A.D. instructor Scott Sharp, “it's a significantly higher percentage that your not gonna come back alive."

And so the defense instruction begins. We learn to use the weapons we carry with us all the time -- hands, elbows, knees, legs, feet, and head. In this class "hitting like a girl" is encouraged.

"We teach the women to use their hips, because on most women that's where the base of their power is,” Sharp said.

No matter how an attacker comes at you, go for the most vulnerable parts of a man's body -- "the eyes, the nose, the throat," says Sharp. If he comes at you from the front, there's a secret target -- that groove at the top of the collar bone called the clavicle notch.

"It's so hyper sensitive on men, that just two fingers pressure on it," says Sharp, "it's an intense pain."

With knee strikes, kicks and elbows strikes -- go for the groin.

"I don't know a man that can take a shot to the groin and still stand there and attack you," says Sharp.

Many predators use a subtle arm grab that doesn't draw a lot of attention. The way to combat that is the hammer fist. There's a tender spot on the top of a man's forearm and if you hit it just right, he can't help but let go.

• Article Continued
http://www.wcnc.com/news/local/stories/wcnc-021108-krg-attack.b2af6436.html

odette

08-06-2008, 08:13 AM

Unsolved Mysteries

A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts :

• The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle. They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun, braid or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed . They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets.

• The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women who's clothing is easy to remove quickly . Many of them carry scissors around specifically to cut clothing.

• They also look for women on their cell phone , searching through their purse or doing other activities while walking because they are off guard and can be easily overpowered.

• Men are most likely to attack & rape in the early morning, between 5: 00a.m. and 8:30a.m.

• The number one place women are abducted from/attacked is grocery store parking lots. Number two is office parking lots/garages . Number three is public restrooms.

• The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to another location where they don't have to worry about getting caught.

• Only 2% said they carried weapons because rape carries a 3-5 year sentence but rape with a weapon is 15-20 years. If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn't worth it because it will be time-consuming .

• These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas , or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands.

Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guys you're not worth it.

• Several defense mechanisms he taught us are: If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a question , like what time is it, or make general small talk: "I can't believe it is so cold out here", "we're in for a bad winter." Now you've seen their face and could identify them in a line-up; you lose appeal as a target.

• [Spencer, Leanne Lentz] If someone is coming toward you , hold out your hands in front of you and yell STOP or STAY BACK ! Most of the rapists this man talked to said they'd leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would not be afraid to fight back . Again, they are looking for an EASY target.

• If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of it and carries it with him wherever he goes,) ! yell I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY and holding it out will be a deterrent.

• If someone grabs you , you can't beat them with strength but you can by outsmarting them . If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the arm (between the elbow and armpit) OR in the upper inner thigh VERY VERY HARD . One woman in a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands - the guy needed stitches.

Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it; it hurts.

• After the initial hit, always GO for the GROIN . I know from a particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy's parts it is extremely painful. You might think that you'll anger the guy and! make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause a lot of trouble. Start causing trouble, and he's out of there.

• When the guy puts his hands up to you , grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible . The instructor did it to me without using much pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked audibly.

• Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any odd behavior, don't dismiss it, go with your instincts!!!

http://www.unsolvedmysteries.com/usm446981.html

odette

09-15-2008, 03:16 PM

As Edwin R. Hall nears sentencing, questions remain (http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/796944.htm)

By DIANE CARROLL - The Kansas City Star

As Edwin R. Hall nears sentencing, questions remain

When Edwin R. Hall was 13, he got in trouble with the law for taking his adoptive father’s Chevy van for a ride.

Two years later, he threatened his adoptive sister with a knife.

The Olathe man — to be sentenced Tuesday in the kidnapping, rape, sodomy and capital murder of 18-year-old Kelsey Smith of Overland Park — spent three years in juvenile correctional centers. But how Hall went from juvenile delinquent to rapist and murderer is something the public may never know.

The sentence 27-year-old Hall will receive has already been determined: life in prison with no chance of parole. After pleading guilty in a deal that spared him the possibility of the death penalty, that is the only sentence available for capital murder under Kansas law.

What probably never will be determined, a forensic psychologist said, is what prompted Hall to abduct Smith as she left a Target store in Overland Park just after 7 p.m. June 2, 2007, and rape her and strangle her with her own belt. Smith’s body was found four days later in a wooded area near Longview Lake Park in southern Jackson County.

Forensic psychologist N.G. Berrill said Hall’s actions in the killing might have been the result of a “catathymic crisis.”

In such a crisis, he said, a person who has “just been sitting on tons and tons of pressure” from psychological wounds finally “blows” in an explosive violent act.

There may have been abuse in the person’s past, said Berrill, of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. Whatever the issue, he said, “there is enough there to make them very, very damaged.”

Sometimes the trigger is not all that big of a deal, Berrill said. “It might just be that last straw.”

Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline said that area law enforcement agencies have investigated whether Hall was connected to any other crime. The only evidence that surfaced was related to a minor incident that authorities did not think was worth pursuing, he said.

Little has been revealed about Hall’s early years.

Carol and Don Hall of Emporia adopted him when he was 7. They had read a newspaper article about children in state custody available for adoption and had hoped to make a difference in a child’s life.

Carol Hall, who did not return a telephone call late last week, told The Emporia Gazette a year ago that Hall had behavior problems associated with his early childhood. Some of those problems were evident at the time he lived with the Halls before they adopted him.

“You think you can give them love and all those things they didn’t get, like support,” Carol Hall said then. “It works with some, but it didn’t with him.”

Hall, who uses Jack as his first name, got out of juvenile custody when he was 18. Eight months later, he married his wife, Aletha, at the Sedgwick County Courthouse in Wichita.

The two moved around and eventually settled in Olathe. They have a son who is about 5 years old. Aletha Hall has attended virtually all of Hall’s court hearings.

At various times, Hall stayed with friends instead of his wife. He also seemed to move from job to job.

When Hall was 21, he was hanging out with a friend at a motel in Sioux City, Iowa, said Iva Rath, who met him during that time. Hall’s friend had a small business in a mall there, she said.

Rath met Hall when her daughter, who was in high school, brought him home one day. The two apparently had met at the mall, Rath said. Hall ended up staying at the Rath home for a few days after he and a friend got kicked out of the motel. He slept on the living room floor, she said.

Continued at link ...

http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/796944.htm

odette

09-17-2008, 12:42 AM

. . . . . http://i35.tinypic.com/2helf8i.jpg
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Edwin R. Hall

kctv5.com - UPDATED: 7:35 pm CDT September 16, 2008

Hall Sentenced To Life In Smith's Death

Victim's Family Makes Emotional Statements

OLATHE, Kan. -- After emotional testimony in a courtroom packed with the family and friends of his victim, a suburban Kansas City man was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison for the 2007 kidnapping, rape and murder of 18-year-old Kelsey Smith.

Edwin R. Hall, 27, of Olathe, pleaded guilty in July to capital murder to avoid the death penalty.

Hall spoke briefly after Johnson County District Judge Peter V. Ruddick sentenced him to life without parole and about 47 concurrent years for aggravated kidnapping, rape and aggravated sodomy.

"I can't find the right words to say today," Hall said through tears. "I am so sorry for what I have done. That's it. That's all I can say."

Article Continued @ Link ...

http://www.kctv5.com/news/17476710/detail.html

odette

09-17-2008, 12:56 AM

. . . . . http://i34.tinypic.com/2hfq8ec.jpg
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kelsey Smith

http://www.kctv5.com/slideshow/news/13447261/detail.html

odette

09-17-2008, 01:04 AM

myfoxkc.com - Last Edited: Tuesday, 16 Sep 2008, 6:59 PM CDT

Edwin Hall Speaks About Kelsey Smith's Murder: 'I Am So Sorry'

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) -- A suburban Kansas City man was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison for the 2007 kidnapping, rape and murder of 18-year-old Kelsey Smith.

Continued @ link ...

http://www.myfoxkc.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=7443654&version=11&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.1.1

odette

09-17-2008, 01:22 AM

myfoxkc.com - Last Edited: Tuesday, 16 Sep 2008, 10:55 PM CDT

Why Did It Take So Long to Find Kelsey Smith?

When Kelsey Smith's parents realized she was missing they did what any parent would do and called her cell phone. It was Kelsey's cell phone that gave investigators their best hope of finding her, but investigators and her parents say Kelsey's cell phone provider stood in the way. FOX 4's Rob Low has the exclusive report.

. . . . . http://i37.tinypic.com/2d2hac1.jpg (http://www.myfoxkc.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=7448788&version=5&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=3.1.1)

Investigators and the family of Kelsey Smith say a cell phone company is to blame for the body of their daughter not being found for four days.

http://www.myfoxkc.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=7448788&version=5&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=3.1.1

odette

09-17-2008, 01:44 AM

kansascity.com

Hall sentenced at emotional court hearing

. . . . . http://i33.tinypic.com/2rxgm4h.jpg
. . . . . Shane Keyser | The Kansas City Star

Greg Smith (left) listened as Missy Smith, mother of Kelsey Smith, clung to his arm during the sentencing hearing for Edwin Hall for the 2007 rape, sodomy and murder of Kelsey Smith at Johnson County Courthouse on Tuesday in Olathe.

In a packed courtroom, Edwin R. Hall was sentenced this afternoon to life in prison with no chance of parole in the abduction and murder of 18-year-old Kelsey Smith of Overland Park.

The 27-year-old Olathe man, who at one time was scheduled to go on trial today, unexpectedly pleaded guilty July 23 to capital murder, aggravated kidnapping, rape and aggravated sodomy. In exchange for the plea, Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline dropped the possibility of the death penalty.

. . . . . http://i38.tinypic.com/es90r9.jpg

Continued @ link ...

http://www.kansascity.com/116/story/799619.html

odette

09-17-2008, 01:57 AM

The Kansas City Star - By DIANE CARROLL

Kelsey Smith killer gets life in prison

Kelsey Smith’s parents wanted their murdered daughter’s voice to be heard.

On Tuesday, it was — literally — in a packed Johnson County courtroom. A video shown in honor of their 18-year-old ended with Smith’s voice-mail message from her phone: “Hi guys, can’t come to the phone right now. Leave me a message. Bye.”

The words from the Overland Park teen put an exclamation point on the case, and brought fresh tears.

Also heard for virtually the first time was the voice of Edwin R. Hall, who pleaded guilty in July to abducting Smith from a Target parking lot, raping her, then strangling her on June 2, 2007.

Just before District Judge Peter Ruddick sentenced Hall to life in prison with no chance of parole, he gave the 27-year-old Olathe man a chance to speak. Hall, who had sat through much of the 90-minute hearing with his head in hands, rose from the defense table.

. . . . . http://i36.tinypic.com/122jnea.jpg
. . . . . Edwin R. Hall

“I tried really hard to figure out the right words to say today,” Hall said haltingly. “I’m so, so sorry for what I’ve done. That’s it. That’s all I can say.”

With that, Ruddick sentenced Hall for aggravated kidnapping, rape, aggravated sodomy and capital murder. Life without parole was the only sentence available after District Attorney Phill Kline took the death penalty off the table as part of a plea deal.

Ruddick told the Smiths he knew that the judicial process was frustrating for them at times. But he said he wanted to commend everyone involved for agreeing to a sentence that he called “fair and final.”

The emotional 90-minute hearing opened with defense attorney Paul Cramm revealing that Hall had been sexually abused repeatedly by family members when he was under the age of 6.

Cramm showed a picture of Hall as a young boy and a drawing that Hall had made after he was removed from his family’s home and placed in state custody.

The drawing showed two stick figures. The small figure, which represented Hall, was on his hands and knees. The bigger stick figure was an uncle, Cramm said.

“In no way do I use this as an excuse for what happened,” Cramm said. “It is not an excuse, judge, but it’s an explanation.”

Cramm said that he and co-counsel Carl Cornwell represented Hall for about 10 months before Hall admitted in the spring that he had killed Smith. Cramm said he would never forget the fear in Hall’s voice when he confessed. And Cramm said he would never forget the anger he felt toward Hall.

“Damn it, Jack,” Cramm recalled, using Hall’s nickname. “Why did you wait so long to tell us?”

Hall told him he had waited because he was afraid that Cramm would no longer care about what happened to him if he knew what he had done.

Hall was adopted when he was 7 by Carol Hall and her husband, Don, of Emporia. The couple read a newspaper article about children up for adoption and wanted to give him a better life.

Eight years later, after Hall was convicted in juvenile court of threatening his adoptive sister with a knife, he went back into state custody. He was released at the age of 18.

In pleading guilty in July, Hall admitted that he had spotted Smith inside the Target store at 97th Street and Quivira Road about 7 p.m. on June 2, 2007. He went outside and waited for her.

The two had never met.

As Smith approached her driver’s side car door, Hall pushed her inside and threatened her with an air gun. He took her to a wooded area near Longview Lake in southern Jackson County. There he raped and sodomized her and strangled her with her own belt. Her body was found four days later.

Article Continued @ link ...

http://www.kansascity.com/105/story/800722.html

odette

09-18-2008, 06:09 AM

Editorials - kansascity.com - Posted on Wed, Sep. 17, 2008 10:15 PM

Legal chapter closes on Kelsey Smith murder

A life sentence has sent Edwin Hall off to the hard, anonymous confines of prison. He is ineligible for parole and unlikely to be heard from again by this community.

What should live on is the memory of Kelsey Smith, the vibrant young woman whom Hall abducted in the parking lot of a Target store in Overland Park. Searchers found her body near Longview Lake four days later.

Smith, 18, had graduated from Shawnee Mission West High School 10 days before she was killed on June 2, 2007. She was headed for Kansas State University that fall.

Her murder triggered an interest in safety seminars and self-defense courses. They, too, should be sustained.

Smith became a crime victim while running a routine errand in a suburb usually thought of as safe. Hall’s attack was a reminder of the need for constant vigilance.The teenager’s parents, Greg and Missey Smith, have started the Kelsey Smith Foundation. Among other things, it produces safety seminars and sponsors self-defense courses. Participants learn that it took Hall only 16 seconds to surprise Smith, shove her into her car and drive away.

A similar effort is the “TAKE Defense” program established by the family of Ali Kemp, the Leawood teenager who was murdered while working at a swimming pool in 2002. The program teaches women how to keep themselves safe.

With the sentencing of Hall, a chapter in a tragic story is finished. One way for people to honor Kelsey Smith’s memory is to learn how to decrease their own chances of becoming crime victims.

Missey and Greg Smith have demonstrated grace throughout their terrible ordeal. Their enduring gift is to use a family’s tragedy to help protect others.

http://www.kansascity.com/340/story/801807.html