Normally, witnesses who provide information to the police are to be commended, but after watching the Dennis "The Creeper" DePue segment recently, I realized the couple that he followed in his van were REALLY dumb. They went back to the abandoned school house to look for the bloody sheet. All I could think was "What are you doing??? He can see your car from the road!! RUN! RUN!" It was totally unnecessary and completely boneheaded.:rolleyes:

I know there are more witnesses featured on UM who did something stupid/dangerous, or didn't act when they clearly should have (e.g., Crystal Spencer's neighbors who didn't want to "get involved"). There are also bogus witnesses who try to interject themselves into investigations.

Does anyone have entries for our file? Thoughts?

Also, feel free to mention especially smart and/or heroic witnesses!

Normally, witnesses who provide information to the police are to be commended, but after watching the Dennis "The Creeper" DePue segment recently, I realized the couple that he followed in his van were REALLY dumb. They went back to the abandoned school house to look for the bloody sheet. All I could think was "What are you doing??? He can see your car from the road!! RUN! RUN!" It was totally unnecessary and completely boneheaded.:rolleyes:

I know there are more witnesses featured on UM who did something stupid/dangerous, or didn't act when they clearly should have (e.g., Crystal Spencer's neighbors who didn't want to "get involved"). There are also bogus witnesses who try to interject themselves into investigations.

Does anyone have entries for our file? Thoughts?

Also, feel free to mention especially smart and/or heroic witnesses!

That one reminds me of jeepers creepers...I have to watch more and I can send in my votes!

Doyle Lovelady - well technically he's a victim but Lollar refers to him as his "18 year old witness" so I guess he qualifies.

Normally, witnesses who provide information to the police are to be commended, but after watching the Dennis "The Creeper" DePue segment recently, I realized the couple that he followed in his van were REALLY dumb. They went back to the abandoned school house to look for the bloody sheet. All I could think was "What are you doing??? He can see your car from the road!! RUN! RUN!" It was totally unnecessary and completely boneheaded.:rolleyes:


What killed me about that couple was when the guy said, "We used to make up stories about people and their license plates. When that guy DePue passed us, we noticed he had 'G-Z' in his license. I said to my wife, 'G-Z... Geez that guy is going fast.'" :crazy:

Yeah, let's go back and find the bloody blanket and poke at it with a stick. Gooood move, folks. :lol:

Yeah... I'd like to think that I'm a smart lady, but I think everyone does things that aren't exactly smart. The Dennis DePue witnesses fall into that category.

However, just the other day, I was driving through the rural town where I live and I saw some dude RUN out of a nearby bar. It looked like he was holding something in his hands. What did I do? Did I keep on driving? Noooo.... Did I turn around and try to see what he was holding and why he was running? Yes. Yes, I did. *blush*

As much as I admire Gus Hoffman's mother's guts in resolving his missing son's case, pretending to be a biker girl and infiltrate biker hangouts by herself, without any backing from authorities and protection, was so much a boneheaded move that I would call it dumb. Talk about moving in the wolfpack dressed as a sheep.

If anyone remotely linked to Stevenson had lightened out that she was the mother of the young dude his gang had tortured, killed, and disposed of only to take possession of his Harley-Davidson motocycle and had given her away, she would be rotting with the fishes as we speak. It's incredible that she made it out alive.

Very brave thing to do, yet foolishly dangerous. :)

I'd like to think that I'm a smart lady...

Too easy, so I'll refrain... for now. ;)

Ohhh, Dislimb. You slay me. :)

Ohhh, Dislimb. You slay me. :)

There you go calling me Dislimb again... :winkgrin

Yes, Dislimb. I like to call you Dislimb. :)

You know, I think another "stupid" witness would have to be all the people who saw the young Markowitz boy and knew he was being kidnapped, but didn't say anything.

I think Jet and Susan Akin Taylor who "didn't want to get involved" yet got on a nationally broadcast TV program to discuss the Crystal Spencer murder after the fact weren't exactly MENSA candidates ... wait, nevermind.

Normally, witnesses who provide information to the police are to be commended, but after watching the Dennis "The Creeper" DePue segment recently, I realized the couple that he followed in his van were REALLY dumb. They went back to the abandoned school house to look for the bloody sheet. All I could think was "What are you doing??? He can see your car from the road!! RUN! RUN!" It was totally unnecessary and completely boneheaded.:rolleyes:

I know there are more witnesses featured on UM who did something stupid/dangerous, or didn't act when they clearly should have (e.g., Crystal Spencer's neighbors who didn't want to "get involved"). There are also bogus witnesses who try to interject themselves into investigations.

Does anyone have entries for our file? Thoughts?

Also, feel free to mention especially smart and/or heroic witnesses!

These people are BEYOND dumb! I mean really, I remember watching this and saying "You are IDIOTS!"
Why would I go playing in the yard of a school looking for a bloody blanket? Following a van with a bloody panel? HELLO!
When I watch this all I can do is shake my head.

Shouldn't "dumb" be replaced by "brave"?

Shouldn't "dumb" be replaced by "brave"?

I too thought that it wasn't a wise move. If they suspected anything, they should have gone to the police first. I half expected that DePue was going to come back and terrorize them and they are lucky that he didn't.

Ok, my post is a bit off the mark, but this is still in line with the "... is it just me but...?" sentiment.

Is it just me but... In the Lizzie Borden ghost seggie... Did anyone of you find that revamping the Lizzen Borden House into a themed Bed and Breakfast, according to the decor in the actual crime scene photograph a bit morbid and errr... TACKY? :rolleyes:

I like a "good" murder story like everyone else but when I walk by an Applebees or TGI Friday's I don't think, mmm ... if they only could tap into a bit of that (insert infamous mass murder reference here) theme, I would gladly shell out 9.99$ for a soup and sandwich! :groucho

Shouldn't "dumb" be replaced by "brave"?
Where the heck are you getting "brave?"

It's "brave" until you get hurt, then it's "dumb." :lol:

I suppose it's a matter of perspective, but you have to be smart about stuff like that. How much did Dennis DePue have to lose? EVERYTHING! For that couple, they could have been killed too. I'm not saying turn a blind eye to crime, but call the people with the tools to do the job. Like I said, I guess it depends on how you look at it but I think those people were crazy for taking the risks they did. :crazy:

It's "brave" until you get hurt, then it's "dumb." :lol:

I suppose it's a matter of perspective, but you have to be smart about stuff like that. How much did Dennis DePue have to lose? EVERYTHING! For that couple, they could have been killed too. I'm not saying turn a blind eye to crime, but call the people with the tools to do the job. Like I said, I guess it depends on how you look at it but I think those people were crazy for taking the risks they did. :crazy:

The thing with the DePue witnesses is this: They saw the bloody sheet from the road. They saw the blood on the inside of the car and they had the license plate (or they at least had the first license plate). They had a description of the driver and his vehicle. They had everything they needed to go to the police. They even knew this guy would follow them and was capable of murder. There was NO reason for them to go back to the school outside of morbid curiousity. That's why they were dumb and not brave.

There was NO reason for them to go back to the school outside of morbid curiousity. That's why they were dumb and not brave.


Amen, sister! :D

Yes, Dislimb. I like to call you Dislimb. :)

:mrt:

But even know this case gets to me cause of the randomly bad luck of it but charles Holden (i think his name is) I believe the case is solved now...
But if he just would of given up his "keys" maybe it wouldnt of turned out so tragic.
The case was the one were a stranger asked him for a ride at a fast food place and he only could drive him a few miles down the road.the guy refused to get out of the car ,turned crazy ,a fight insude and charles refused to give up his car keys and drove off and the guy winded up killing charles's mother .

But even know this case gets to me cause of the randomly bad luck of it but charles Holden (i think his name is) I believe the case is solved now...
But if he just would of given up his "keys" maybe it wouldnt of turned out so tragic.
The case was the one were a stranger asked him for a ride at a fast food place and he only could drive him a few miles down the road.the guy refused to get out of the car ,turned crazy ,a fight insude and charles refused to give up his car keys and drove off and the guy winded up killing charles's mother .

I wouldn't call him stupid. Perhaps his sisters think so for letting him in, but I don't. He was just a good natured person who was really, really, really unlucky.

Like lots of citizens in smaller, more rural towns he was a good samaritan and helpful toward a person in need. He was tired from a long shift at work, probably wanting only to go back home and doze off, and was taken abash by the man's pressured request so late at night, so he relented. He surely didn't expect that the guy was high on drugs and was probably wanting to assault him from the start.

Also, it was perfectly possible that the guy could have stabbed him after taking his keys, to prevent leaving a witness. Or stab him anyway and take his keys afterwards. A man who stabs repeatedly a elderly woman in her sleep, in her own bedroom, is capable of everything. He was looking for blood.

I think that he did the right thing by escaping and driving in the opposite direction. Sadly, when he fled he was too close to his and his mother's house. The guy was probably enraged and went to the nearest house to get revenge or, having deducted that his home could be nearby, went for the nearest home to wait in ambush. If he had stopped anywhere else his mother would have remained alive, but someone else would surely have died.

I wouldn't call him stupid. Perhaps his sisters think so for letting him in, but I don't. He was just a good natured person who was really, really, really unlucky.

Like lots of citizens in smaller, more rural towns he was a good samaritan and helpful toward a person in need. He was tired from a long shift at work, probably wanting only to go back home and doze off, and was taken abash by the man's pressured request so late at night, so he relented. He surely didn't expect that the guy was high on drugs and was probably wanting to assault him from the start.

The thing about the killer being high on drugs is only speculation. The UM segment acknowledged the possibility because of the brutal nature of Dorothy Donovan's murder. The killer (who was later identified as Gilbert Cannon) may have been on drugs at the time of the murder, but I guess we will never know for sure.

By the way, Drakken, I agree with you; I don't consider Charles Holden stupid. In fact, I don't consider any of the UM witnesses dumb. If anything, however, some of them admittedly made some moves that were dumb or unwise.

Where the heck are you getting "brave?"

Maybe they figured they wouldn't let him go back and really hide the evidence.

Better than a Kitty Genovase situation