Police link 3 slayings, and women are scared
Posted on 07/31/2002 2:20:53 AM PDT by MeekOneGOP
Police link 3 slayings, and women are scared
Public's help sought; safety classes offered in Baton Rouge
07/31/2002
BATON ROUGE, La. - Taking a routine walk seemed riskier to many women as Louisiana's capital city remained on edge Tuesday, a day after police confirmed that three unsolved slayings of women were connected to one killer.
DNA evidence linked the killings of Pam Kinamore, Gina Wilson Green and Charlotte Murray Pace, police said Monday, adding that it was obvious that all three crimes "have been committed by the same person."
"I woke up at 3 o'clock in the morning thinking about those three women," said Donna Pfefferle, 45, as she walked with friend Debra Sorel around a lake that borders Louisiana State University's campus.
"That's all we were talking about this morning. It's scary," said Ms. Sorel, 47.
The popular 4-mile path is frequented by Louisiana State University students and many area residents.
Two of the slain women lived on one of the streets that runs along the university lake.
Ms. Pace, 22, lived three doors down from Ms. Green when the 41-year-old nurse was found strangled in her home on Sept. 24. Ms. Pace was stabbed to death May 31, two days after she moved to a townhouse that she had rented for the summer. It is not known whether the two women knew each other.
Now, more women walk around the lake in pairs or don't walk near the area at all. Police officers on bicycles make frequent patrols.
"I now pay attention to who's around my neighborhood at different times so I know a safe haven to go to if I need one," Ms. Sorel said.
Ms. Pfefferle used to walk alone sometimes, but she's stopped doing that.
Karli Smith, a 19-year-old LSU senior, said she'd grown a little nervous about walking in the dark or alone, but she doesn't always have someone to walk with her each day.
"I try not to be too paranoid about things like that," she said. "I do try to stay aware of my surroundings."
Police won't discuss details of the investigation. Nearly three dozen slayings of women over the last decade remain unsolved, and police have said they were scouring the evidence to see whether any of those were connected to the Kinamore, Pace and Green cases. The FBI is working with local authorities.
Baton Rouge police said last week that they were looking for a white pickup truck in connection with Ms. Kinamore's slaying.
Ms. Kinamore, 44, a decorator and antique-store owner, was abducted from her home July 12. Her throat had been cut.
Col. Mike Barnett of the East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff's office said a motorist saw a woman slumped against the passenger door of a 1996 or 1997 white Chevrolet truck on Interstate 10. Col. Barnett said the woman was believed to have been Ms. Kinamore.
The truck, driven by a man, was on I-10 the night Ms. Kinamore disappeared and took the exit where the victim's body was later found, about 30 miles from Baton Rouge.
Police have set up a hotline for information about the cases and are offering personal safety seminars to the increasingly jittery public.
For now, many walkers and joggers around the LSU lakes are heading inside.
"We were kind of surprised today," Ms. Pfefferle said. "There's normally a lot of cars, but we were the only ones here."
I heard her mother, Ann Pace, on television news this morning. She was an incredibly clear thinker and unable to be persuaded into saying things she did not know or mean. A very refreshing interview considering the extreme ordeal the loss of her daughter must have meant to her.
Our prayers and thoughts go out to this lady in her loss. Perhaps the stage is set for personal-defense instruction and concealed carry for women in the area. If ever there has been a need for such a response this is one. A true liklihood of readiness to learn by many IMO.
I just heard Governor Foster on the radio advocating concealed carry for women. I used to walk around that lake at LSU every day. Scary. I know a lot of people who are sending their daughters to college at LSU in August and not feeling very good about it. My in-laws live in Baton Rouge and our visits have been much more infrequent since this started. My mom and I used to go shopping there once a month or so. That won't happen again for a while.
I haven't heard. I would imagine the only ones that could give one has met 
his maker?............
Hardcore stuff...
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