ATM Murder

[mastamatt]

As far as the scariest UM segments, I have seen a lot of the creepier ones and am one of those people who pretty much hate the miracles and about 3/4ths of the lost loves variety. One of the ones that's supposed to be super creepy is the California ATM murder. I have heard that a camera catches a man at an ATM late at night with a supposedly scary person next to him. Then, I guess he either is grabbed by the guy or he walks off and the guy follows him.

Any help in more details of the case, or possibly a clip of it? (And if you have a clip just PM it to me so we don't violate the site advertising). Thanks.

[LooksLikeCRicci]

I can't say for certain, but this sounds like the Matthew Chase disappearance and murder to me. I know it was included on CD's DVD collection. To my recollection, they did eventually find Matthew's body, but they are still looking for his killer, unfortunately.

The details are pretty interesting. Search the boards and you'll find more, but the bare bones of it all is that Matthew went to deposit his paycheck and never returned home. His roommates reported his ATM card stolen in an attempt to locate Matthew. It was later determined that Matthew had tried to use his ATM card at numerous locations for amounts which he knew was over the amount he had in his account. It's been hypothesized that he was signaling for help by doing this. Eventually, the card was seized and no trace of Matthew was ever seen again until his body was found.

I think that Dynoguy may also have this on that site which shall not be named... plug Matthew Chase into Google and see what you find.

[microeconomia]

Yes, this case is included on CD´s volume 1, after Mike Reimer´s case.

[mastamatt]

Sweet thanks. I just watched it on a certain video site. The freezeframe of the victim and killer was quite interesting. I still think that the scariest photo/drawing I've seen so far on UM was the weird old man that appeared in one of the haunted episodes.

[kadrmas15]

Well in this case of Chase, the guy that murdered him I am sure has done this kind of crap before. Sad to say he will probably never be caught although he has probably either been in prison or is currently in prison for another crime. Too bad there is more evidence to tie the scumbag to this. Also if you are reading this Matthew Chase killer, why dont you be a man and come forward?

[Zero]

Old thread but I was thinking about this case the other day. I've got a feeling the guy who did this was probably a gang member. Los Angeles is gang infested and the clues just seem to fit. The bandana found in the car, gang member attire. The man is shorter and seems to be darker in complexion. Probably hispanic. Being hispanic and having a bandana doesn't mean you're a gang member. Kidnapping a guy, killing him, stealing his money, leaving a bandana with initials on it in a stolen vehicle, I say the chances are high.

Also, I don't think the killer found the victim at the ATM. I think that somehow he met up with Matthew AFTER he made his initial ATM deposit. Maybe at a store. Maybe on the way to somewhere. Maybe in a parking lot. I think he held Matthew up and made him go from one ATM to another trying to withdraw money out. He probably got frustrated, got Matthew to give him his PIN, decided to dispose of Matthew and withdraw cash at another time. Probably if Matthew had four or five hundred dollars in his account the first time around, he may have just taken the money and left leaving Matthew alive. We may never know though.

The murderer himself could possibly be dead. Gang violence you know. Or he could be in jail.

Sad.

[lilmissd]

Yes, I remember this case as well. I know for a fact that when someone is using an ATM that their not going to let a person stand that close to them while depositing or withdrawing money, it would be too easy for someone to see their pin number. I think he was waylaid some how and like someone said in a previous thread and someone killed him and stole his car. Too bad that they couldn't get a better photograph of the man standing beside Mathew at the ATM, it was awful hard to make out his facial features. That's why these days we must be so careful and not flash money around cuz you never know who will see and try to rob you. I never carry cash on me anymore, all my $$ is in my bank account and I just use a debit card if I need to make purchases.

[DP1]

Sad case. I hope one day it is solved.

This segment convinced me never to visit an ATM at night.

[sdb4884]

I wonder if this is Teresa Dahl, it looks like her

http://www.facebook.com/people/Teres...?id=1154713005

[Drakken]

Originally Posted by sdb4884

I wonder if this is Teresa Dahl, it looks like her

http://www.facebook.com/people/Teres...?id=1154713005

Definitely the same person.

[synthisislab]

I don't know why the detectives didn't coordinate with the gang task force to try to identify what gang the rag came from and what members were from the local area of where Matthew was kidnapped from initially. I mean then they could have just taken DNA from the rag and identified the perp that way from the list of gang members that they found to have been from that area.

[Drakken]

In fact, I thought the first of the two coloured composites in that segment matched a profile shot of the face of George W. Bush.

[Drakken]

Originally Posted by synthisislab

I don't know why the detectives didn't coordinate with the gang task force to try to identify what gang the rag came from and what members were from the local area of where Matthew was kidnapped from initially. I mean then they could have just taken DNA from the rag and identified the perp that way from the list of gang members that they found to have been from that area.

There wasn't DNA in that period. Hell, not even all ATMs had a camera in vicinity in that period, and even those which had one produced shoddy-looking images like in the segment.

Also, the bandana is only circumstancial evidence that the perp was in a gang. We know that those who cleaned up the car, or at least one of them, was most probably part of that gang. But it doesn't mean the killer was. For what we know, the gangbangers themselves could have been hired to take that car, clean it up, and return it squeaky clean without knowing who the owner was.

In fact, it is quite possible that Matthew got whacked many days after the crime, either by someone else in an unrelated incident, with some or all of them part of the gang identified by the bandana, rr he was left alive at first but the perp got afraid he might talk and asked/hired gang allies to get rid of him.

First, a Caucasian male in his late twenties to forties who was full patch members of a street gang in Los Angeles in the early 80s? Am I the only one to find it unbelievable? While my knowledge is limited, I'd venture to say that at the time they would tend to be very, very, very few of these in LA street gangs at that time, compared to outlaw biker gangs

Second, Teresa Dahl talked to witnesses in shelters who recognized him AND told her information that put him as alive after the crime, since they said that he was a very tall and lenky guy. That gives credence to the theory that the perp only mugged me and and left him there, because why would shelter people remember him and tell Teresa something that only someone who has seen Matthew Chase would know? While mistaken witnesses can and do happen, it is hard to be mistaken when the person you are asked about is very tall.

[synthisislab]

Going by what you said, if the perp wasn't in a gang, then why would he get a gang member or gang members to clean up a car for him and have living witnesses to the crime by him being in possession of the vehicle? I can see if the perp left the car somewhere and a gang could have stolen it for some reason and dumped it (leaving the rag behind), although that would be a crazy coincidence.

Also, you can't really tell the man's age or whether or not he was a full caucasian or part caucasian, part latino from that ATM video. I just don't understand why the gang angle wasn't looked into. Or maybe it was and it didn't produce any further avenues to investigate. I mean there had to have been some sort of gang unit that specialized in knowing about the various gangs in the area and could have identified the certain set where that rag came from, then put the pressure on people from it, compared faces from that set to the profile of the face in the ATM video.

[Drakken]

Originally Posted by synthisislab

Going by what you said, if the perp wasn't in a gang, then why would he get a gang member or gang members to clean up a car for him and have living witnesses to the crime by him being in possession of the vehicle? I can see if the perp left the car somewhere and a gang could have stolen it for some reason and dumped it (leaving the rag behind), although that would be a crazy coincidence.

We do not know the suspect's acquaintances; could be as simple as him having a friend or a partner-in-crime who was part of a gang or a wannabee gang member, and whom he asked to help him and inadvertably left his bandana on the scene. It wouldn't have been the first time a third person becomes an accessory to a crime to help out a pal in trouble. Also, due to the bad quality of the camera we cannot link the bandana directly to the suspect, but only to someone who either cleaned up the car, drove it back to the crime scene, or was in the car during any of these. They could be the same individual, but it remains to be conclusively proven.

One possibility is that the guy who hijacked him could have mugged Matthew and stolen his keys and wallet. Matthew wakes up with either amnesia, confusion or shock due to trauma from the attack. Left without his keys and cards (which would account on what he wouldn't use the car), he wanders away from the crime scene. Understandably he doesn't call the police as the perp certainly threatened him not to do so, yet he does not immediately return home either, either due to amnesia or the fear that the perp might come to his home to hurt him or Teresa. So, undecided, without his papers, money, and keys, most probably shocked, and afraid the perp might be after him, he decides to remain hidden until things cool down a little bit and he moves from shelter to shelter.

In the same time, later that night, the suspect lightens up and becomes afraid he might have left fingerprints or physical evidence in the car. Having the keys, he returns to the crime scene with a gang-member pal, takes the car, cleans it, and asks his pal to drive it back to the crime scene (to prevent witnessses from linking him to the victim's car). However, when he leaves the guy forgets his bandana on the seat, hence why it was found in a car void of any fingerprint.

This would also account why Matthew was seen by witnesses in shelters throughout Los Angeles. Unless Matthew has a twin or an unlikely coincidence that a tall guy ressembles him, I'm about 90% sure that Matthew was still alive after the crime and remained so for a while until he was gunned down and left in that field outside Los Angeles.

Originally Posted by synthisislab

Also, you can't really tell the man's age or whether or not he was a full caucasian or part caucasian, part latino from that ATM video. I just don't understand why the gang angle wasn't looked into. Or maybe it was and it didn't produce any further avenues to investigate. I mean there had to have been some sort of gang unit that specialized in knowing about the various gangs in the area and could have identified the certain set where that rag came from, then put the pressure on people from it, compared faces from that set to the profile of the face in the ATM video.

Like I said, the bandana is only circumstancial evidence linked to the crime, and you can be certain the gang who owns this bandana won't talk to the police for some WASP mugged near an ATM machine. Plus the guy might be a wannabee, an orbiter, or a plain stranger who owned this bandana for whatever reason. Hell, it might even be a decoy to fool the police or to put the crime on the back of a rival gang. Without linking to an individual this evidence becomes nigh-on useless.

Also, remember that, as of now, we cannot demonstrate conclusively that the suspect is the same person who murdered Matthew Chase. The only thing we can prove is robbery (and not even armed because we see no weapon). We presume that he is the killer because Matthew ends up dead, but the evidence the police has to link the murder to the robber is very scarce.