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.
Seems like the NRA and any pro-gun groups in OK should be all over this one.
L
Sounds like they are looking for TWO guns here. A smaller caliber revolver is commonly carried as a "backup gun". Screening the LEOs .40 cal Glocks and backup guns sounds like a very reasonable angle. I wonder what the smaller caliber bullets yielded in terms of the rifling (twist, twist direction, number of grooves/landings). That is usually pretty manufacturer specific too...and MUCH harder to ditch compared to the typical barrel on a Glock.
I won’t post how it’s done but changing the impressions a barrel leaves on bullets is a very simple thing to do. I guess this is where we say thank goodness criminals aren’t known for intelligence.
I don’t remember the closure percentage rates for homocides nationwide but IMO it’s not that impressive. When you work under a budget you aren’t going to solve every case.
Yeah, because the person that was guilty is really going to bring in their firearm for ballistics testing.
If I lived in that town and could provide proof that I was out of town when the girls were murdered, I’d go there, do so, and tell them to get a warrant if they want to test my pistol.
Basically telling them to pound sand.
If they have been able with the recovered bullets to determine the caliber not hard and the make of the pistol used then they could go to the manufacture and ask for records of guns of that type sent to dealer's in that area.
no gov data base would be involved
Understand your thinking on the non-use of .gov database but it seems the legal logic breaks down when considering how they are able to get the manufacutrer's info when they have no legal authority over the out-of-state manufacturer. The only legal authority the manufacturers are likely to recognize is BATFE and they require info on a specific gun in order to initiate a trace request, not a blanket fishing expedition.
Thank you I was not aware of that.
In any case someone needs to find out how they got the owners list info and see if any constitutional rights were compromised or they will only get worse
Almost...and you want something besides a warrant.
In my case it's "I'm sorry, but I have been and am sworn to support and defend the Constitution, and since waiver of any constitutional right is a dimunitation or abrogation of that constitutional provision, it could be used as evidince that I do not take my constitutional oath seriously, or even result in a perjury charge against me.
Accordingly, any further request or demand by you that I waive any right guaranteed by me under the U.S. Constitution thereby constitutes a felonious soliticion or Subornation to commit perjury, a violation of federal law, Title 18 of the U.S. Criminal Code, §ection 1622.
Additionally, such a violation by a public servant such as yourself during the course of his duty constitutes felony Official Misconduct under state law, an Offense against Public Administration, and must be reported and charged as such to the full extent of the law.
If you have any additional questions for me, please have a written statement of transactional immunity prepared so that I can fully cooperate with your questioning without becoming in any way involved in criminal activity on your part."
"I, (NAME)(SSAN), having been appointed an officer in the Army of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of Major, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God."
--DA Form 71
That reminds me of a law I wish states would pass (though they never will): "When citizens waive rights for police, it shall be presumed that such waiver was coerced, absent evidence otherwise."
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