"My Roommate, Ben Fawley" in Style Weekly 2/1

[singlesix]

I just glanced through this. It's a fairly long article, not yet on-line, written by a woman who needed a place near VCU and happened to move into his apartment on 7/31. She lived there until her new computer was confiscated and an FBI agent advised her to get out immediately.

Very interesting background.

"Poring over phone records with authorities, I would learn that his first phone call upon returning from his last night with her, made literally the minute he returned, was to UPS, to check the status of some packages." - Cesca Janece Waterfeld

And no, I'm not going to type the whole thing. It will be on-line...the 1/25 Style Weekly is available so this one should be soon.

singlesix

edited to add: now it's up www.styleweekly.com/article.asp?idarticle=11722

[protectkidz]

Thanks for the link to this, singlesix - very interesting article. I feel so sorry for his daughters.

PK

[vedder]

Now,could anybody still think it was an "accident" after reading that?

It was all Taylors fault because she liked to flirt with older guys and had "daddy issues"...This is what he is saying...

Of course he was going to act like nothing was wrong,HE wasn't to blame for this mess...TAYLOR was...

He makes me sick to my stomach...

Originally posted by vedder
Now,could anybody still think it was an "accident" after reading that?

It was all Taylors fault because she liked to flirt with older guys and had "daddy issues"...This is what he is saying...

Of course he was going to act like nothing was wrong,HE wasn't to blame for this mess...TAYLOR was...

He makes me sick to my stomach...

ITA, Vedder!

BF exhibits the hallmark signs of a sociopath, i.e., failure to take responsibility, pathological lying, lack of emotion, lack of remorse, etc, etc.

[vedder]

Originally posted by Hey Paula


ITA, Vedder!

BF exhibits the hallmark signs of a sociopath, i.e., failure to take responsibility, pathological lying, lack of emotion, lack of remorse, etc, etc.

There should absolutely be NO doubt in anyones mind that he was a PREDATOR who took advantage of a young girl...

He KNEW she had daddy issues

He KNEW she was deeply insecure and could be easily manipulated...

He knew EXACTLY what he was doing

The main theme throughout Taylors Journals was, How she desperately wanted to be accepted and loved...

I cant even imagine all the non-sense this idiot was spewing to that young girl...

Vedder, exactly what do you think happened? I'm interested in knowing.

[vedder]

Originally posted by Rowan Again
Vedder, exactly what do you think happened? I'm interested in knowing.

Hey Rowan....which part?

Originally posted by vedder


Hey Rowan....which part?

I'm interested in what you think happened from 10:20 p.m. to the arrival in Mathews. In other words, do you think that he took her off the street and forced her to let him drive her car? If so, why is there no one in a busy college town, on a night when students are returning at all hours, who can say that they saw this? Or do you think there IS someone and it's being kept on the QT?

I am, frankly, worried about the ability to make 1st degree stick.

I'm just trying to tie up some loose ends in my mind

And I'm editing my post to say the following:

I don't want anyone to misconstrue my intentions here. I know Ben Fawley killed Taylor Behl. And I believe Ben Fawley should be punished for his crime.

I have read and read and have tried to stick with all the various theories, but there seems to be (IMO) some gaping holes. LE might have them plugged and it's just not common knowledge, and if that's so, all the better. But I would like to discuss them.

THAT having been said, and I'm going way out on a limb, I know that several people have approached me and each other about feeling reluctant to discuss theory, etc. about this because Janet reads.

I can't speak for Janet, but I can say that if I were in her spot, and I came across something that was unpleasant for me, I'd avoid it. I'm sure she recognizes that this is a public message board and that differing opinions are possible.

I hope she also realizes that NO ONE on this board wishes any more pain on her, or any more discomfort. But that by the same token, people have to be free to express their views.

You may all spit on me now.

Originally posted by AvengingAngel


I'm with you on that, Row.

I just feel good knowing that LE has the evidence they need, or they wouldn't have gone for the indictment.

I also wish we could discuss that evidence here, but we can't.

I know I tried

[vedder]

Originally posted by Rowan Again


I'm interested in what you think happened from 10:20 p.m. to the arrival in Mathews. In other words, do you think that he took her off the street and forced her to let him drive her car? If so, why is there no one in a busy college town, on a night when students are returning at all hours, who can say that they saw this? Or do you think there IS someone and it's being kept on the QT?

I am, frankly, worried about the ability to make 1st degree stick.

I'm just trying to tie up some loose ends in my mind

I believe she was going to her car and ran into him on the street.
I believe he convinced her to stop in to check out some skateboards and chat etc...

He tried to make an advance,it was rejected...I believe he than grabbed her from BEHIND, pushed her to the floor and choked her with his body weight on top of her....I do not believe she agreed to go anywhere with him that nite and she was NOT there to have sex...

She was trying to work things out with a boy she really liked...
Logic would dictate that you would not want to do anything that would screw that up...

He than thought of Erins farm, A good,safe place to hide a body

I also believe he had been stalking her as well.

We know these idiots always tell half-truths right...
BF kept saying he "saw" her earlier in the day...That does not mean that SHE SAW HIM....Do you see what I am saying?

I think he hated seeing her with her new friend and lost it...

Okay, so you believe that he killed her in his apartment in Richmond by grabbing her from behind and pushing her to the floor.

How did he get her OUT of the apartment and into the car without being seen?

Again, I'm just trying to piece entire pictures together, okay? I very much respect your opinion.

[vedder]

Originally posted by Rowan Again
Okay, so you believe that he killed her in his apartment in Richmond by grabbing her from behind and pushing her to the floor.

How did he get her OUT of the apartment and into the car without being seen?

Again, I'm just trying to piece entire pictures together, okay? I very much respect your opinion.

I have no idea how his apartment was set up, so I couldn't really say....I do know that where I live, I could remove a body at 2.30 am with out being seen.I live in a city as well.

Removing the body was never an issue for me,as her car was parked right outside his door.It would have taking less than a minute to get her from the door to her car...

Okay, so we're assuming that they met on the street near her car, which was not parked far from Fawley's apartment. He persuaded her to come back to his apartment with him, where he killed her.

Now, your theory assumes he moved the car from point A to point B. Couldn't have been very far as I understand it. And that there was a parking spot available in front of his place. There were at LEAST 3-4 steps in front of his front door, I believe. And I think he lived on the 2nd floor.

So he would somehow had to have transported her from the apartment to the car.

The article that was printed today by the roommate indicates that she was freely coming and going in the apartment at that time. I don't believe she indicates in that article that she was working or otherwise not in the apartment. In fact, she says that her parents visited her on that date - so she WAS at home.

She says in her article that she spent the night of September 5 alone in the apartment. In fact, she did not go to bed until 3:30 a.m.

Which would shoot this theory.

From the above-referenced article:

I spent the night Taylor disappeared, Sept. 5, alone in the apartment setting up my new computer and was awake much later than was typical for me. I’d bought the desktop that afternoon before having to go into work, and I was excited about the purchase. But the excitement paled when it became clear that either the hardware was faulty or the configurations of the apartment’s network — Ben’s four or so computers and mine — were preventing proper setup. Finally, at close to 3:30 in the morning, I went to bed frustrated, but rose a few hours later to run errands.

This might also explain why Richmond police couldn't charge him there. Because there was no evidence that Taylor had been in Ben's apartment that evening.

Which brings us to this: if Taylor was not in Ben's apartment that evening, only one of two things could have happened ..

Either Ben somehow persuaded her to let him drive her somewhere (for coffee? skateboarding?) in her car and he abducted her that way OR he forcibly abducted her (for which there have been no reported witnesses)

or

Taylor agreed to get in the car with Ben. For what purpose we do not know.

And without witnesses to say that she was FORCIBLY taken off the street, I find a huge problem with first degree.

It worries me frankly.

[vedder]

Originally posted by Rowan Again
From the above-referenced article:

I spent the night Taylor disappeared, Sept. 5, alone in the apartment setting up my new computer and was awake much later than was typical for me. I’d bought the desktop that afternoon before having to go into work, and I was excited about the purchase. But the excitement paled when it became clear that either the hardware was faulty or the configurations of the apartment’s network — Ben’s four or so computers and mine — were preventing proper setup. Finally, at close to 3:30 in the morning, I went to bed frustrated, but rose a few hours later to run errands.

Read it again Rowan

"But that afternoon,(Sept 5) he was in great spirits. He met my parents then, and talked with my father about repairs to the heating system he had planned. I dressed for work and at "4:30 "said goodbye"

She said she left for work at 4.30

She states she WAS NOT HOME

"He made a comment that he’d been excited to see that I was out the night of her disappearance. He was able to have sex without concern of my intrusion.''

Originally posted by AvengingAngel


well he didn't abduct her and force her to drive anywhere.........not without a weapon.........

But he DID have guns Angel .. that we know. Now. Whether he had one with him or not ..

Originally posted by vedder


Read it again Rowan

"But that afternoon,(Sept 5) he was in great spirits. He met my parents then, and talked with my father about repairs to the heating system he had planned. I dressed for work and at "4:30 "said goodbye"

She said she left for work at 4.30

She states she WAS NOT HOME

"He made a comment that he’d been excited to see that I was out the night of her disappearance. He was able to have sex without concern of my intrusion.''

Not necessarily vedder.

Taylor didn't leave VCU until 10:20.

We don't know what time (according to this article) this young lady worked. We don't know what her hours were. She says she waited tables. So maybe until 9:30 or so? What time did she get home?

See, we don't know what, if any, window of opportunity there was for Taylor and Ben to be at the house alone.

AND if he killed her there, what is the window of opportunity for him to do so and get her OUT of there before this girl came home from work?

Seems dicey to me. Plus, there appears to be NO forensics or Richmond would have made that case.

[vedder]

Originally posted by Rowan Again


Not necessarily vedder.

Taylor didn't leave VCU until 10:20.

We don't know what time (according to this article) this young lady worked. We don't know what her hours were. She says she waited tables. So maybe until 9:30 or so? What time did she get home?

See, we don't know what, if any, window of opportunity there was for Taylor and Ben to be at the house alone.

AND if he killed her there, what is the window of opportunity for him to do so and get her OUT of there before this girl came home from work?

Seems dicey to me. Plus, there appears to be NO forensics or Richmond would have made that case.

If she waited tables at a bar she wouldn't have gotten back to much later...more than enough time for BF to do what he did

Bf wouldn't have made that comment(thanking her for NOT being there) if he knew she was home at 9.30....As we know, Taylor did not even leave her dorm till 10.20...

He knew she would be home late

Originally posted by AvengingAngel


So somebody track this down. Somebody local. Find out where this girl worked and what her hours were that night.

My curiosity is killing me.....

I'm sure Row will offer some financial incentive.

:lol:




vedder, I agree that it IS possible. It just doesn't sound probable.

First off, I don't believe a WORD that Ben Fawley has said. So anything he said to her is, IMO, bullsheit.

The key to this is what time she got home. We know that Taylor couldn't have gotten there before 10:30 or so.

And we know that this gal went to bed at 3:30 after working for several hours on her computer. So at the MOST conservative, can we say that she might have arrived home around midnight?

That would give Fawley 1.5 hours to execute the plan that you've outlined, which is possible. But then we have to figure in the transportation of Taylor's body down the steps and onto the street and into a car BEFORE midnight on a busy holiday evening.

I just think this has holes in it.

Okay, I'm out of here for a bit!

[vedder]

Originally posted by Rowan Again




:lol:




vedder, I agree that it IS possible. It just doesn't sound probable.

First off, I don't believe a WORD that Ben Fawley has said. So anything he said to her is, IMO, bullsheit.

The key to this is what time she got home. We know that Taylor couldn't have gotten there before 10:30 or so.

And we know that this gal went to bed at 3:30 after working for several hours on her computer. So at the MOST conservative, can we say that she might have arrived home around midnight?

That would give Fawley 1.5 hours to execute the plan that you've outlined, which is possible. But then we have to figure in the transportation of Taylor's body down the steps and onto the street and into a car BEFORE midnight on a busy holiday evening.

I just think this has holes in it.

Okay, I'm out of here for a bit!

I believe she got home after the bar closed, messed with her PC for an hour or so and than went to bed...

It would have taking less than an hour to do what he did...

I believe it happened in his apartment because HE THANKED HER for NOT being there...

[vedder]

"He made a comment that he’d been excited to see that I was out the night of her disappearance. He was able to have sex without concern of my intrusion.''

"Out for the night"...this says it all right here

He knew he had time....he knew she would be home late

He had a REASON to thank her for being out for the nite...

[vedder]

Originally posted by Rowan Again
Which brings us to this: if Taylor was not in Ben's apartment that evening, only one of two things could have happened ..

Either Ben somehow persuaded her to let him drive her somewhere (for coffee? skateboarding?) in her car and he abducted her that way OR he forcibly abducted her (for which there have been no reported witnesses)

or

Taylor agreed to get in the car with Ben. For what purpose we do not know.

And without witnesses to say that she was FORCIBLY taken off the street, I find a huge problem with first degree.

It worries me frankly.

If it would have happened some place other than his apartment,
he would not have thanked her for NOT being there...COG

[protectkidz]

I think that by the time this girl got back to the apartment, Taylor was already in Mathews County with Ben.

I think your theory sounds more plausible, vedder, than what probably happened. Ben is not an organized killer, and your theory is too organized! I know we're trying to find a first degree here, but it's been brought up that premeditation can occur during the seconds it takes to put your hands on someone's neck, to the moment of death. Those moments in between, that the hands are not removed, are the moments of premeditation.

But I can't help but feel that if LE could charge him in Richmond, they would. Richmond has better resources for handling a trial of this magnitude. They must have a witness or something that tells them that Taylor made it to Mathews alive.

I think he said, "Let's talk - let's go for a ride. We can just be friends, but let's talk it out". When Taylor agreed to go for a ride, he directed her out to Mathews and the beach, and later left her for authorities to find at Erin's parent's land.

I'm wondering where he left Taylor's car.

PK

[TN_Profiler]

Unless he was merely trying to establish that he had sexual contact with her.

By telling other people this story ..... the possibility that it could be corroborated increased.

Yes, there can be many angles with this type of statement but I do hesitate to accept anything Benny-boy has said as being the gospel.

One thing I thought of when I read the article was how easily he slips into his surroundings. Within hours of killing a person he calmly goes about his life stopping only to complain that he has some discomfort.

Sheesh, what a guy.

[TN_Profiler]

Originally posted by protectkidz


I'm wondering where he left Taylor's car.

PK

That question has been bothering me from day one. Such a small detail given the magnitude of the circumstances but for some reason I can't help but wonder what he did with her car for the 2 weeks or so it was missing.

Does that question bother anyone else?

[vedder]

Originally posted by protectkidz
I think that by the time this girl got back to the apartment, Taylor was already in Mathews County with Ben.

I think your theory sounds more plausible, vedder, than what probably happened. Ben is not an organized killer, and your theory is too organized! I know we're trying to find a first degree here, but it's been brought up that premeditation can occur during the seconds it takes to put your hands on someone's neck, to the moment of death. Those moments in between, that the hands are not removed, are the moments of premeditation.

But I can't help but feel that if LE could charge him in Richmond, they would. Richmond has better resources for handling a trial of this magnitude. They must have a witness or something that tells them that Taylor made it to Mathews alive.

I think he said, "Let's talk - let's go for a ride. We can just be friends, but let's talk it out". When Taylor agreed to go for a ride, he directed her out to Mathews and the beach, and later left her for authorities to find at Erin's parent's land.

I'm wondering where he left Taylor's car.

PK

''too organized ???"

He baited her, he attacked her,he killed her

He panicked, he fled, he left her poor body in a ditch

Im not sure what you mean by "too organized"




"

[protectkidz]

Originally posted by vedder


''too organized ???"

He baited her, he attacked her,he killed her

He panicked, he fled, he left her poor body in a ditch

Im not sure what you mean by "too organized"




"

Well, by organized, I meant that BF seemed so scatterbrained to me - that being able to do all of that in his own apartment, quietly without anyone noticing, and then leaving the apartment to drive her to Mathews without leaving a trace behind for the roommate to notice. I definitely wasn't criticizing your theory, vedder. But I don't see BF capable of being that neat, tidy and timely.

The first degree charge seems hard to prove to me - if he had done it the way you said, vedder, it would seem easier to me to prove. So they must have something that places Taylor in Mathews alive, and they must have something that shows it wasn't consensual, and that he had decided to do this.

PK

[protectkidz]

Originally posted by TN_Profiler


That question has been bothering me from day one. Such a small detail given the magnitude of the circumstances but for some reason I can't help but wonder what he did with her car for the 2 weeks or so it was missing.

Does that question bother anyone else?

Yes, it bothers me a lot.

[vedder]

Originally posted by protectkidz


Well, by organized, I meant that BF seemed so scatterbrained to me - that being able to do all of that in his own apartment, quietly without anyone noticing, and then leaving the apartment to drive her to Mathews without leaving a trace behind for the roommate to notice. I definitely wasn't criticizing your theory, vedder. But I don't see BF capable of being that neat, tidy and timely.

The first degree charge seems hard to prove to me - if he had done it the way you said, vedder, it would seem easier to me to prove. So they must have something that places Taylor in Mathews alive, and they must have something that shows it wasn't consensual, and that he had decided to do this.

PK

He was a predator and he had fantasies about doing somthing like this for years....He had played this out in his sick head a million times...He knew what he had to do and he was ready...

Don't forget LE has not givin a single bit of info...There is so much we dont know or how much THEY DO...

[protectkidz]

Originally posted by vedder

He was a predator and he had fantasies about doing somthing like this for years....He had played this out in his sick head a million times...He knew what he had to do and he was ready...

Don't forget LE has not givin a single bit of info...There is so much we dont know or how much THEY DO...

Exactly, with the gag in place there's got to be a lot we don't know. It's a strange case in that way - first, we know too much because of all of the online journals, and now we know nothing.

Originally posted by TN_Profiler


That question has been bothering me from day one. Such a small detail given the magnitude of the circumstances but for some reason I can't help but wonder what he did with her car for the 2 weeks or so it was missing.

Does that question bother anyone else?

Taylor's car could have been anywhere, including where it was found, without it being noticed because BF had switched the license plates.

IMO

I thought it might be interesting take a fresh look at the search warrant issued, and the items recovered from BF's house/trash can. IIRC, Taylor owned a bicycle chain necklace.

Fawley Search Warrant

[vedder]

Originally posted by protectkidz


Exactly, with the gag in place there's got to be a lot we don't know. It's a strange case in that way - first, we know too much because of all of the online journals, and now we know nothing.

Dont forget it is just my own theory...and could be very,very wrong...

I am as clueless as everyone as to what really happened...

But my mind is trying to make some kinda sense of this horrific nightmare...

Like I said, I am 36 years old, have come into contact with thousands of people in my life....I have NEVER even come CLOSE to killing anyone...not even close...

It makes NO sense to me whatsoever...None..

Originally posted by vedder

He was a predator and he had fantasies about doing somthing like this for years....He had played this out in his sick head a million times...He knew what he had to do and he was ready...

Don't forget LE has not givin a single bit of info...There is so much we dont know or how much THEY DO...

With all due respect vedder, how do you know this to be true? I've done some research on this and while some of the information is conflicting, what I've found seems to indicate that he had a flash temper, and could be reckless when angry - but I've seen nowhere that anyone has said that he "had fantasies about doing something like this for years".

And yes, I agree that LE is withholding much information, and I'm glad about that. But one very glaring fact stands out: they didn't have a case in Richmond or that's where this would have been tried.

I believe PK was speaking to the fact that in your theory, all of this would have required Ben to act quickly, rationally, calmly and as evidenced by his many conflicting statements concerning the events of those days, he seems incapable of organized thought.

Plus, the roommate doesn't mention seeing scratch marks or any bruises of any kind.

And we can only theorize on how long the girl was out of the apartment AFTER 10:30 p.m. that night.

I think it's just way too random.

[protectkidz]

Originally posted by vedder


Dont forget it is just my own theory...and could be very,very wrong...

I am as clueless as everyone as to what really happened...

But my mind is trying to make some kinda sense of this horrific nightmare...

Like I said, I am 36 years old, have come into contact with thousands of people in my life....I have NEVER even come CLOSE to killing anyone...not even close...

It makes NO sense to me whatsoever...None..

I've never come close, either! LOL!

You are very right about Ben working his way to this. It's obvious from his history and reading his online journals that he was becoming more twisted.

Originally posted by protectkidz


I've never come close, either! LOL!

You are very right about Ben working his way to this. It's obvious from his history and reading his online journals that he was becoming more twisted.

See, I'm not sure of that Ben Fawley is a sociopath. A chameleon. He will fit into whatever scenario he thinks will be to his advantage.

I'm just not certain that anything he says or said can be taken at face value!

I do know that there is what .. one person who says that he was violent with them? A female? That I find more credible in terms of judging his potential for violence then his journals.

[vedder]

Originally posted by Rowan Again


With all due respect vedder, how do you know this to be true? I've done some research on this and while some of the information is conflicting, what I've found seems to indicate that he had a flash temper, and could be reckless when angry - but I've seen nowhere that anyone has said that he "had fantasies about doing something like this for years".

And yes, I agree that LE is withholding much information, and I'm glad about that. But one very glaring fact stands out: they didn't have a case in Richmond or that's where this would have been tried.

I believe PK was speaking to the fact that in your theory, all of this would have required Ben to act quickly, rationally, calmly and as evidenced by his many conflicting statements concerning the events of those days, he seems incapable of organized thought.

Plus, the roommate doesn't mention seeing scratch marks or any bruises of any kind.

And we can only theorize on how long the girl was out of the apartment AFTER 10:30 p.m. that night.

I think it's just way too random.

If he threw a bag over her head and jumped on her from behind,she wouldn't have been able to scratch or bruise him..she would have been pinned down and reaching and scratching for her own throat that had his hands around them, and IIRC his hands WERE scratched and marked up(ie..faceless video)

Wait and see..again, its just my opinion

He was way sicker than anyone thinks....He had thoughts about killing someone LONG before he actually did it...

Mark my words...

I've not a clue what happened myself vedder. I honestly don't mean to give you a hard time. I really am just trying to get to the facts and see how they fit into different theories.

I appreciate your sharing, I really do