Posted on 08/19/2008 8:03:48 AM PDT by T-Bird45
Agents test fire weapons to narrow leads in the June 8 killing of the girls near Weleetka.
WELEETKA — More than three dozen guns from the Weleetka area were test fired over the weekend as authorities worked to narrow their leads into the June 8 slayings of two girls.
Jessica Brown, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, said more than 60 letters were sent out to registered owners of .40-caliber handguns, asking them to voluntarily submit their weapons for testing on Saturday and Sunday at the Okfuskee County Courthouse at Okemah.
Brown said about 40 of those owners showed up with their guns, which were test fired outside the courthouse.
She said about five owners contacted the OSBI to say they no longer owned the weapons, although they did provide the names of the new owners.
"We'll be checking on them," Brown said, as well as the 15 or so registered gun owners who did not volunteer for the test firings.
The fact that the OSBI is looking for a .40-cailber handgun is the newest revelation into the murders of Skyla Jade Whitaker, 11, and Taylor Paschal-Placker, 13.
Both were shot several times and left for dead about four miles northeast of Weleetka. Two guns were used in the killings, although authorities never would identify either one of the calibers used — until now.
Brown would not identify the other caliber of bullet used in the slayings.
She said OSBI agents have yet to analyze the bullets from those test firings to see if they match the bullet used in the slayings of the girls.
Also, Brown noted, agents know the make of the .40-caliber gun used in the slayings, although she would not divulge that information.
OSBI agents have also tracked the sales of .40-caliber ammunition sold in the area, "and there's been plenty," Brown said.
State agents are still working on the theory that two shooters were involved, and that they are from the Weleetka area.
Agents have already noted that given the remote location of the crime scene, the killers would have to be familiar with the area. The nearest highway is U.S. 75, about three miles away.
The girls were shot a total of 13 times. The youngest, Skyla, was shot eight times, according to the state medical examiner.
Of the two, Skyla was shot the most with the .40-caliber weapon, according to Brown. Autopsy reports released a week ago said spent bullets were recovered from both bodies.
The medical examiner noted two different sizes of bullets, which were described as small- and medium caliber.
Skyla and Taylor were described as best friends. On that Sunday afternoon, Skyla was visiting Taylor at her home when they decided to go for a walk to the Bad Creek bridge, about a half-mile north of the Placker home.
Authorities said the two had made it to the bridge and were returning to Taylor's home when they were ambushed. Their bodies were found by Taylor's father around 5:30 p.m. that day in a shallow roadside ditch, fewer than 1,000 feet from the Placker home.
A makeshift memorial of stuffed animals, flowers and crosses still marks the crime scene.
From the outset, OSBI agents have been mum on the findings of their investigation.
What was known was that they recovered spent bullet casings from the scene, along with a tire track. They've also located some witnesses who were in the general area around the time of the killings.
They are still looking for an elusive person of interest who also was seen in that area.
That person was described as a Native American male, wearing a long ponytail. He was described as in his mid-30s with a slender build. He was seen driving a white Ford or Chevy pickup truck.
Since June 8, OSBI agents, aided by the Okfuskee County Sheriff's Office, plus other state and federal officers, have been working to solve the crime.
Several weeks ago, the OSBI released part of the recording of the 911 call made by Taylor's mother in the hopes someone withholding information into the killings would come forward after hearing the tape.
The killings shocked the nation and drew international attention.
Brown would not say when or if test firings will be conducted for the other caliber gun used in the slayings.
She said anyone with information about a .40-caliber weapon should call the OSBI at (800) 522-8017.
Ah....
well, the forms I fill in have no place for that information in my state.
I’ve not purchased any guns through dealers in any other states - take that back, Oklahoma, but that was in the 1970s and I walked in, bought the rifle and showed an ID to prove I was a resident (D/L and Mil ID) and walked out. Actually bought two guns now that I think about it.
That was a long time ago. I didn’t do any paperwork for anyone.
Here in Colorado I fill in the 4473, they ask if I remember rightly, 5 questions about whether or not I use drugs or have a felony charge against me... and a couple related things. There is a front to the paper work, and no “backside”. It’s yellow.
Then again, I haven’t bought any new weapons in some time, so not sure if that has changed, but I don’t think so.
The futility of this exercise is only apparent to law enforcement when they explain why no effort whatsoever is expended to return recovered stolen weapons to the rightful owner .
Why would a murder bring his gun to the police so they can identify him... My best guess is that the murder weapons were never registered, because most criminals don’t bother to register their weapons, or follow the law.
NICS has been known to keep the data provided to them for the check rather than deleting it as required by law. In fact, IIRC, they’ve been defunded for it in the past but it hasn’t mattered.
Also, you must not have bought a firearm in a very long time, since the 4473 has had a spot on it to enter the make, model and s/n of the firearm(s) you are purchasing for quite a while now: http://www.ocshooters.com/Gen/Form-4473/ATF-Form-4473.htm
100%
I’m all for cooperating with law enforcement lord knows they have a hard job but politely asking them to go through the provisions designed to protect liberty is the correct course of action.
PA state police have been keeping an illegal database of purchased firearms for years. They were told by the judiciary to stop and they said no.
The 4473 is a Federal form and all buyers thru FFLs must complete it. Its format is standard for all states...in other words you’ll see the same form and give the same info in CO, or WY etc. Whether your dealer completes his part in front of you is up to him. However, he has a set amt of time to get his records in order. So, when you completed the 4473 in CO that info really did get recorded. BTW a correct 4473 is more than one page and they have a front and back. Depending on when you made your purchase will dictate which form was used. The new forms do have some differences from those that are older. Also some dealers took it upon themselves to add information in the form of notes etc. So, when the ATF comes calling they get a bit of a bonus.
Dear Special Agent Whateveryournameis,
Get a Warrant.
Have a nice day.
L
Thats interesting...so whats the state of the ruling? Did the court just roll over, is it on appeal or ?
They will successfully argue that failure to voluntary submit the weapon constitutes probable cause for search and seizure.
But if from other evidence, it's either me, or one of my two long-lost brothers on the east coast -- sure, I'd do it -- to let them concentrate on finding who they should be looking for.
Incidentally, the very first use of forensic DNA was when the Brits, investigating a sex murder, asked a whole village of several hundred men for samples, and they all did so -- and no one matched. Until some causal pub talk revelaed that one guy had gotten another guy to donate in his name -- they found that dude, and he matched!
You’d be surprised at the number of law abiding folks who don’t register their weapons either. They follow the law as best they can but won’t take their private sales weapons down to the BATF office to be inspected.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court says that the State Police handgun transfer database is a "non-ownership registry," Allegheny County Sportsmen's League v. Rendell, 580 Pa. 149, 860 A.2d 10, 22, n.7 (Pa. 2004).
As far as I know it's still in force.
For some reason I wonder about hoodlum teenage gang types in this deal. Or a local mental teener who knew the girls and on foot.
It’s been a fear, but it’s never been found to be true.
Failure to consent does not give probable cause.
A cop may ask you to search, even if they have PC, because it’s easier to say “he agred” (and back it up with tape) than to go through all the methodology to justify PC.
skip the letter and put it in the circular file.
You know your gun wasn’t in a crime. This reminds me the letters they send to people with warrants telling them they’ve won a prize, come down and get it...
Only this is a fishing expedition on law abiding folks.
It's still a major league fishing expedition. The probability of finding the pistol in this manner is not very good.
It’s been quite some time. I’d say... probably more than 5 years now.
My wife has bought weapons more recently than I have... but the last thing I bought was my shotgun. Before that... I bought two taurus PT-92s for her and I as “anniversary presents” :) We shopped for those together. That was... I think on our 21st or 22nd. We’ve been married 31 now. lol
Well.. no I probably bought my newer AR AFTER that so... gosh, I don’t know any more. I just know what I have, and what works for me.
What’s really sad is that these folks can’t find the murderers of this children. They are pigs and should be hanged publicly for this crime.
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