Slightest slip-up by sniper could reveal identity
10/15/2002
With every new shooting incident, authorities expect to collect shreds of evidence or information that might bring them closer to identifying the sniper terrorizing the Washington, D.C. area.
However, the suspect could bring about a quicker resolution with just one small mistake.
Veteran Mansfield police detective Mark Malcom said authorities are likely looking for small errors as they narrow their list of possible suspects.
| Also Online | ||||||
|
Naval Academy cadet Diane Zamora confided to roommates, who later went to police, that she and her Air Force Academy boyfriend killed a girl in Tarrant County who she thought was trying to come between them. Prior to her dorm-room confession, the case went unsolved for nearly a year.
No matter how skilled a criminal, authorities said there are almost always some behavioral changes that give them away.
"They become in an increased state of paranoia," Malcom said. "They will act strange around their family because they're always trying to hide something. Anytime you go out and do something like that, you're always living with a lie."
Texas prison escapee Larry Harper lied about his identity, alleged involvement with six convicts, and the murder of an Irving police officer. However, the emotional comfort he sought with a Colorado bible study group gave members enough opportunity to detect an unusual facial skin mole and religious personality profile, which police said helped them identify the suspect.
"Those two factors in combination led us to believe immediately we had the right individual," said fugitive hunter John Moriarty.
Moriarty led the more than month-long nationwide investigation that generated more than 4,000 leads from the public.
"Some of them seem so insignificant, but could be the one that turns the case," Moriarty said.
One such clue could be the white box truck that a witness in the Washington area recalled speeding away from one of the sniper shooting sites. The vehicle description and a bullet fragment recovered will be traced back to manufacturers and dealers, who might help authorities attach a name or face to the suspect.
Despite the evidence and hundreds of tips, however, the sniper's identity apparently remains a mystery - for now.
Online at: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dallas/nation/stories/wfaa021014_am_sniperinvestigation.bda3b1f0.html