12-28-2001
Monroe in Huntington Beach, CA
Laura Douglass and Sharon Wolfe
With a bottle of Tequila from her own bar.
Over Ken Kincaid and Raychel's affair. Rage, Jealousy, Revenge.
The following is a point-by-point response to the previous Theory:
1 - As far as we know, Laura did not hire Sharon Wolfe (she may have but you have not proven that - regardless, it is a minor point in your theory).
Proving who hired Sharon Wolfe is not a road traveled easy, you are correct on that note. I simply included it into my theory because of a few simple reasons. For starters, she was the one with the money and she supported Raychel from the beginning, this included supplying her with money for whatever she needed. Another thing that made me believe Laura hired Sharon is because of the fact Kyle was rather abusive. I assume that was the start of her being tossed onto the scene, though I do stand corrected by your statement of not having proof.
2 - Raychel and Ken Kincaid were sleeping together? How did I miss this? Please cite your source. Since you stated it is a motive, I would think it very important to know exactly where this is stated.
This will require some digging, so let me have a look.
For starters, we will go with this passage from Geoffrey MacIntyre's Memory "Day in Replay." (From "Fully clothed again..." to "Ken, who did you think I was before?"). The time of this call was after 1:15 am. Guessing the length on Sharon's call and his thoughts racing the call took place to Ken around 1:23 to 1:28 am.
Next, Laura states in "At Day's End" that, "Ken told me that Raychel was murdered after he received his call from Geoffrey MacIntyre."
And finally, from Sharon Wolfe's "Always Watching..." (From "Contrary to his earlier statements" to the end of the Memory).
So the basic outline is what we have, along with one person's personal intake of the environment and the people consuming. I am surprised you missed this memo but not too surprised. It is clear speculation on Sharon Wolfe's part but the fact that they were seen together on several takes makes a mental note in my book.
Placing two and two together and this is what I have filled in the blanks on. Geoff calls Ken who is wide awake at 1:28 am in the morning waiting to get someone over to his house. Safehaven doesn't close till 2am.
Quickly following Geoff's call, he turns around and calls Laura. Now... I am no brain scientist but... if you were waiting on someone to come over to your place for "any reason" and suddenly you got a call that required you too leave...wouldn't you call the person who was suppose to be coming over and explain why you wouldn't be home??? Common sense, folks! Come on...
Also, on a side note, you implicated Ken Kincaid as an accomplice at the end of your theory, but you did not mention him in the beginning of your theory. If he told Sergei to lie in order to cover up Laura's involvement, it implies that he knew what really happened. Or am I reading too much into your theory?
When I started my theory I didn't implicate Ken. Why? Because I don't believe he knowingly told Sergei not to tell he was present before the murder to protect Laura. I am sure Laura didn't say she was at Raychel's house to Ken. Sometimes people decide to give advice in a situation without knowing how many people are actually helped out in the choice. Laura benefited from Ken telling Sergei not to tell of his being at Kyle's by pure luck. This is why I didn't implicate Ken into the Theory. They were having an affair (since has ended if memory serves me correct) and I doubt they were ever in love if he was having an affair with Raychel... so I don't think he would have covered for her knowingly because of these highlights.
3- To my knowledge, Kyle never tried to get Raychel off alcohol. I thought it was only drugs.
This is hard to prove also, but just for code cracking let's examine what we do know. Addictions is something Kyle was trying to break Raychel from. Also note Kyle never said when he "kidnapped" Raychel any mentioning of an evening with wine or any other alcoholic beverages. I can say I have studied in addictions and the process of overcoming an addition and in all the classes I have witnessed it is mandatory for them to join together AA and DA patients, because alcohol is a drug though it is perfectly legal to some extent. In those classes I witnessed the DA's to tell stories of switching from Drugs to Alcohol.
The counselor makes note of this and begins working with that person not only on their DA but AA as well. I'm not saying Kyle is a AA/DA expert on running a rehab facility, but if he was a patient of these addictions then he too knows Alcohol is not a second choice of substance because it is still a drug and because any addictions consistent with a patient is not going to break one appointed substance control. Meaning if Raychel altered her drug addiction to alcohol she was still addicted to drugs so it would raise her chances of trying the drug of her choice again. I will also add, when Laura speaks of Kyle and Raychel's being in her bar after the said "kidnapping" she doesn't mention what kind of drinks they ordered or if they ordered any. Overall this is a speculation but a realistic one.
4 - You state that Laura was at the apartment around 10:30. This does not match her statement which indicated she did not arrive there until almost a full hour later. Without a contradictory statement, there is no reason to believe that she is lying (although she would have every reason to do so if she did arrive at 10:30).
Another time for fishing... Lets set this up so it is understandable as too why I came to this conclusion.
Laura is claiming she arrived at Kyle's apartment at 11:20 pm. She is also claiming in her time line that she arrived back at Safehaven at least by 11:35 pm.
Now Geoff stated that he arrived home at 12:23, by note of the clock in his bedroom.
The following is a timeline I have constructed by asking several questions to all the suspects.
Raychel is murdered around 11:30 pm (possibly sooner).
Sharon, Geoff, and Laura are at Safehaven by 7:30pm or 8pm.
Laura claims thoughts of Raychel consumed her until around 10:15pm.
Laura and Sharon have a 10 minute talk. Making the time 10:25pm. Laura continued with thoughts on Raychel till 11:05 and arrived 15 minutes later by her account at Kyle's making it 11:20.
(It is hard to believe someone as impatient as Laura, waited from 8pm till 11:20 to actually go and check on Raychel.)
Safehaven is 15 minutes to the less of 10 minutes from Kyle's apt.
This bar stays open till 2am on most accounts.
At 10:00pm Sergei states he left Raychel alone.
Geoff's apt is 35 minutes to the less of 25 minutes to Safehaven.
Adding an extra 15 minutes to Kyle's apt from there. Geoff claims the time on his clock when Sharon brought him home that night was 12:23 (give him a -5 to get into his house and into his bedroom onto the bed. Time is 12:18 So from 12:18 we subtract 35 to 25 minutes from the clock. 12:18 - 31 minutes makes it 11:40, making 11:40 when Sharon and him left the bar. Subtract 7 to 5 minutes from that making it 11:34 -because Laura and Sharon both had to enter the bar and share brief words then wake Geoff up and load his non-sober state in the car.
11:19 - subtract 15 minutes to rewind the drive to Kyle's apartment from Safehaven. Making the time 11:04. From 11:04 we subtract another 25 minutes for estimated time it took Laura to drive to Kyle's apt from Safehaven, walking the parking spot to and from Kyle's apt and trying to break the lock. 15 min drive +5 min total walk time to and from Kyle's doorway from her parking spot+5 to 7 minutes trying to break in the apartment gives a total of 25 to 27 minutes. Subtract 25 to 27 minutes from 11:07 makes the time 10:38 or 10:35. Subtract another 5 minutes to tell the appointed bartender you are leaving for a while, grab a tequila bottle and make sure no one sees you sneaking out. Making the time 10:30.
Normally we wouldn't be able to subtract the time frame without a pin point mark on time, however Geoff gave us that. Rewinding the time by chains of events is an easier way to work out a timeline because you are aware of everything the person did only after the fact. This wouldn't work had it been flipped forward and started from the said time Laura claims she left. So basically, she is lying about the time she actually left the bar. Sharon Wolfe never gave a time stance in Laura's behalf, only that Geoff and her left at 11:40 to 11:45 that night from Safehaven.
5- You believe that Laura moved Raychel's body down the hall to get it out of plain sight. It was already out of plain sight. Raychel's body was in the apartment. You are mistaking the hallway in the apartment for a hallway outside of the apartment. To correct this from happening in the future, I will include a layout of the apartment complex in my next update.
Unfortunately for you I was not getting this confused. Your statement on the inside of the apt indicates "a small like hallway from the kitchen leading into the bedroom" where the body was found. So, I called this unexplained area the "hallway" I was referring to. I know Raychel was inside the apt. Also I would like to add, an attempt to hide or move the body was assumed. I don't know what you classify hiding the body or getting it "Out of plain sight" but I was taught in crime scene investigation that if a body was noticed upon entrance to any room then it wasn't an attempt to hide, unless there is a sheet or something covering the body. If there is anything somewhat in the way of the body say, a counter or corner or doorway with a semi closing of the boor or a sheet or something so that basically when you first enter you can't just spot the body right in front of you, it was considered "out of plain sight". More so if the victim has appeared to be moved from the spot in which they actually died in. Basically I am saying because the victim had been moved to some degree toward the bedroom and that upon entering the apartment, Kyle did not say the first thing he saw was Raychel dead on the floor before him it is apparent that an attempt to hide the body or "move" the body was put into action. Understanding- "the body was "out of plain sight" upon entry way to the apartments front door."
If you still don't get this, maybe I can stretch it out just a little more... I'll wait and pray you understand this now though.
Finally, I have to say that I am angered that you consider me a tainted source. I fought very hard to ensure that my investigation, and my participation on this site, would be entirely open. Yet you assert that I wouldn't suspect a person just because they are paying me. Newsflash: This is what I do for a living. This is a matter of professionalism. If I do not solve a case because I didn't consider all of the possibilities, then I would be the person who looked like a fool, and I do not intend to look like a fool. I am suspicious of Laura's intentions, especially because of her recent admission, but I am not going to assume something just because I have a hunch. I am a professional.
I didn't mean to sound off as I was questioning your abilities as a professional, but the fact that you have missed some important details sort of makes a body wonder. Plus and overall, you were hired by Laura Douglas and like I trust her notions for bringing people into the picture... I am sorry if I twisted a nerve but you must understand being a PI that not everyone can be trusted. Again, sorry honestly it is nothing personal.
Overall, your theory may be close, but you do not have anything to contradict many points which are critical to your theory. If there is nothing to contradict a suspect's statement, why should we believe that he/she is lying? Remember, we are still innocent until proven guilty. Although in this case, innocence may be a relative term considering the backgrounds of many of the suspects.
I hope this clears any and all misunderstanding you might have toward my theory. In addition I am now curious that Sharon isn't in this as well as Laura. The two of them had been friends since Sharon entered the stage, apparent by some statements made prior and the statement that struck me odd was the one made by Sharon to Laura in the bar the night of Raychel's murder about Geoff, she said and I quote "We crossed him Laura, and I think we have a new problem." This could implicate a number of things... but note she also left the bar within the time frame Laura did and followed Laura back into the bar as well, knowing where Laura was headed. You indicated two people could be picked and so I choose to implicate Sharon along with Laura at this time.
On a side bar I will add my personal statement about a minor "quote" you have used in this letter to me.
"Innocent until Proven Guilty"
A statement by Law to secure the unfortunate within it's finding and a sugar coated line the guilty mimic when they are not innocent but would like to lead you to think so. Innocent people are victims in the real world as much as guilty parties partake to the innocent standards to less implicate themselves of their crimes. If we didn't give muscle to our hunches the world would be a first rate crime scene. Theory involves hunch and fact rolled into one big ball to piece together the puzzle. It has been hunches that has founded our nation, funded our communities, and taken men to the moon as well as scientist to the brinks and beyond, into discovery. I don't know that my theory is correct but I don't see it telling me I am wrong at this point. However if we should simply leave out hunches and "Innocent till proven Guilty" is our only implication to solving this case and thousands like it that have been plucked twice dead over, perhaps we can only sit back and wait for the day someone walks in and says "I murdered Jane Doe". Do you honestly believe, we will ever get that lucky...
I look forward to hearing any additional comments you may have.
Since I was hired to investigate the murder of Raychel Taurus, I will concede the point of drug addiction. When it comes to your theory, there is no need to discuss it further. I will therefore limit my response to the murder investigation and your theory.
Any good investigation follows three key elements in its pursuit of a criminal. These are motive, means, and opportunity.
For motive, you have clearly established that Ken Kincaid and Raychel Taurus had an affair. You also established that Ken Kincaid currently is having an affair with Laura Douglass. It is interesting to note that both affairs are acknowledged by the same person, Sharon Wolfe. In addition to the basic knowledge of the affairs, you also showed a possible crossover between the affairs (Ken's reaction to Geoffrey's call on the night of the murder and Ken's subsequent call to Laura after he learned of Raychel's murder). If both affairs were happening concurrently (and there seems to be evidence of that) then there is a clear motive of jealousy.
The means of the crime is more interesting. While the brutality of the crime seems to be beyond Laura's ability, the insertion of Sharon Wolfe into your theory bridges that gap. While I cannot believe that Laura has the ability to throw Raychel into a wall with sufficient force to break it, I have no doubt that Sharon Wolfe could do so with ease. I believe that I am correct in assuming that you believe Sharon Wolfe was paid from the start by Laura Douglass to protect her interest in Raychel. Once that interest went south, so did Laura's intentions, and she paid off Sharon to help her murder Raychel instead of protect Raychel. Also, considering Sharon's own apparent disdain for Raychel, it is possible she was self-motivated to do so. It is entirely possible that two people carried out the murder in two phases. First Sharon Wolfe beats Raychel in the living room. Then Laura Douglass goes after the kill with a broken tequila bottle. Perhaps further searches of Safehaven or Laura or Sharon's homes will find the bottle being kept somewhere as a trophy from the crime.
The addition of Sharon Wolfe to your theory also adds another dimension to the crime. Sharon Wolfe and Laura Douglass were previously providing each other's alibis for the crime. However, when this investigation began to go into serious effort (and not just for show) they changed their stories. Where the two had previously stated they were at Safehaven with Geoffrey MacIntyre, they changed their stories to provide both less and more cover for themselves. When Laura "admitted" she was at the scene of the crime, Sharon provided cover by asserting that she was watching Laura do this and she goes on to back up Laura's story that she never went into the apartment. Regardless of your timeline (which I still am not sure I understand), the only two people providing alibis are the same two people who you assert committed the crime. Geoffrey MacIntyre was in no condition to either back them up or contradict them.
This gives us a reasonable motive, means, and opportunity. Because of this, I spoke with Detective Wakefield and informed him of your theory.
Today, (January 7, 2002) the Los Angeles police arrested Laura Douglass and Sharon Wolfe in connection with the murder of Raychel Taurus. While they have not yet been officially charged with the crime, it may be only a matter of time. Thank you for your assistance.
