In an affluent part of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, home to the King of Prussia Mall and much of Valley Forge National Historic Park and companies like Lockheed Martin and GlaxoSmithKline, exists the Upper Merion Area school district. There's nothing special about this school district or its high school, Upper Merion Area High School, established in 1963. However, it garnered notoriety and infamy in 1979.
There was a bizarre love triangle, more like a polygon or hexagon. At the center was a narcissistic, psychopathic English teacher, William S. Bradfield, Jr. He saw himself as a sort of Bohemian imitation of Ezra Pound. Both the lifestyle and the poet are overrated in my opinion. Pound lacked meter and rhyme in his poetry. That makes it just short prose and not very good, at that. How could anyone praise or even call Pound a poet. Pel-eeze!!! This alone makes me suspect of the type of character Bradfield was. I'd like to see how the students this clown taught turned out. How many delusional characters are walking around this country in their 60s or even 70s. Probably the same idiots who aren't practicing social distancing or wearing masks during this time of the Coronavirus pandemic. I'm sniping right now. My apologies.
This story starts as far back as 1963 which culminated with a triple homicide in the summer of 1979. I'll give some details shortly. What I want to note is those that are guilty. And there are a lot of guilty people.
Let's start with the two who were convicted. William Bradfield and Dr. Jay Smith. The former English department head and former school principal, respectively. Smith's conviction was reversed due to prosecutorial malfeasance. I'm still not one hundred percent convinced Smith was actually an active participant to the murder. I believe someone else assisted Bradfield. And I one hundred percent believe he was the murderer. But he didn't do this alone. I just don't see it as a one person job. But I'll walk you through what we know and you draw your own conclusions.
First, I want to wag my finger of shame at some people because I believe to this day as bad as they may or may not fell to what happened that weekend, they had the power and ability to stop this murder. Much of this is drawn from the facts presented at the trial posted in the local papers and also captured in the Joseph Wambaugh novel Echoes in the Darkness and a podcast, Criminal Discourse Podcast by Trish & Maddi.
Those who did not actively but inactively through their inaction participated in this woman's demise. There were the fellow school teachers and others:
My opinion of WB has been plainly stated. My opinion of Dr, JCS is similar. I believe this man is a monster too. His crimes are despicable for a man holding a Ph.D. and being the head administrator to a high school. His drug addict daughter and son-in-law have been missing for 40 years, now presumed dead. I believe he had something to do with their disappearances. One piece of evidence is that his daughter's drivers license was found among his many illegal weapons and drugs. Both of these people were in their mid 20s living with the Smiths while they got clean. If I lived with my parents and my dad had my drivers license, I'd be busting a brain blood vessel from anger. Then again, I was not a drug addled loser when I was 25. I also was living independently.
This also brings up the question of how in the hell did Upper Merion school district board select these people. I guess psychopaths need jobs too? Or were they just that good at blowing smoke up people's asses? Was that all it took to be hired to teach and mold children's minds? I shudder. I'm glad I only work in that school district and not live there. I'm sure things are more under control now, but are they ever really?
Let's look at the timeline. I love timelines. I prefer pictures of maps and lines noting people's movements but that's just too much work and this BLOG is a passion but not a paying job. (Unless any of you reading want to donate, I'm glad to take PayPal payments.) The timeline includes all the players' locations and known activity during the four day period of Friday, June 22, 1979 to Monday, June 25, 1979.
Friday, June 22
SR, by this time, had received her copies of life insurance policies totaling $730,000 naming WB as beneficiary. At this time, she was under the guise that she, her kids and WB were leaving for England for an extended stay, possibly for good. She told this to fellow teachers and her psychologist. SM was also under the same impression that she and WB were going to England.
WB and CP were scheduled to start a summer course at a New Mexican university on Monday, 25th. However, the plan was for WB, VV, CP and SM to drive to the Jersey shore and spend the weekend there starting Friday returning Sunday with enough time for WB and CP to fly out Monday to NM in time for the second day of class, Tuesday. (Very strange behavior.) WB's reasoning was that Dr. Smith was going to murder SR on Saturday. They all needed alibis to protect themselves. (Again, strange thought process and behavior for college educated teachers of children.) I'm ignoring the other crimes committed this weekend by WB. I'm only concentrating on the senseless loss of life of three people.
Dr. JCS claims to be in King of Prussia at home all weekend. He was to report to Harrisburg on Monday to start his incarceration for his other crimes.
JA is in Philadelphia. It is substantiated that she was registered in a hotel. However, that whole weekend her whereabouts could not be verified until the some members of the Jersey shore trip saw her at 6 pm Monday. And here is where the police failed to investigate deeper on her activities. She couldn't produce any alibis for the weekend - not a place she attended, not even restaurants where someone might be able to verify her story. (Keep this in mind.)
7:30-8:30 pm
WB and WZ were together taking care of the previously mentioned illegal activity. WZ can alibi. She was with a friend that night, who did not know or was ever involved with WB.
8:30-11:15 pm
WB's whereabouts are unknown until he knocks on VV's door at 11:15 pm. Three hours with no alibi. Where was he? What was he doing? Who was he with? It takes about 90 minutes or less to go from Wayne to Swatara Township (Harrisburg) via the Pennsylvania turnpike depending on time of day and day of the week. Plenty of time to commit a triple murder, set-up and dispose of bodies especially if graves were dug previously on another day. I am assuming that he had been planning this for some time. His need to pull the trigger this weekend was the impending imprisonment of his scapegoat, Dr. JCS. In all likelihood, WB was already in or near Harrisburg when he phoned SR prior to her leaving at 9:30 pm. Was he alone? Where was Dr. JCS? Where was JA? There are a lot of "What Ifs?".
9:30 pm
SR and children leave for a conference she was participating in Allentown, a completely different direction from Harrisburg. Their leaving was witnessed by reliable next door neighbors. Discovered later, SR had cancelled her plans to go to Allentown prior to leaving. Nothing can be substantiated why and what made her drive toward Harrisburg. My belief I noted in the above paragraph.
Saturday, June 23
Midnight
WB,CP, VV and SM leave for the Jersey shore not returning until late Sunday night. Prior to this, the remaining players were on other chores instructed by WB. All the others were at the respective homes waiting to be picked up. Though none of them could alibi for the time between 8 and midnight as they all were either alone or with one another, they were dismissed as suspects for several reasons. I could choose one from the top. None of them had a rapport with SR other than WB. She would not have canceled her prior plans for any of them on a moment's notice except for WB.
3:30 am
The party arrives at Cape May, NJ.
5 am
The party arrives at the Heirloom Apartments but couldn't get in until 7 am. This is Saturday morning. WB would insist at check out to include Friday on the receipt even though they were not there at any time on Friday.
Sunday, June 24
7 pm
SR's car is noticed in the Host Inn parking lot in Swatara Township, Harrisburg by two Three Mile Island workers staying at the Host Inn. Both noticed the trunk slightly open but neither reported it to the office.
By this time, the Jersey shore group was still enjoying a beautiful day in Cape May since their arrival early Saturday morning.
Monday, June 25
2 am
A routine check of the Host Inn parking lot by a Swatara Township police officer discovers the car. Once he ascertains that the owner (called in from the license plate number and checking with the hotel office) wasn't staying at the hotel, he was called away to traffic accident before he could investigate the car. Had he been able to investigate, he would have discovered the deceased SR.
Sometime that morning
The time was not apparent when the Jersey Weekenders checked out and directed their travels back to the King of Prussia area. One thing to note was the hotel receipt was hand written at WB's insistence. He wanted yet another third party corroboration of his alibi.
5:20 am
A phone call is received by Dauphin County Police and Fire Radio dispatch alerting them of a "sick woman" in the Host Inn parking lot.
5:30 am
The officer that almost discovered SR on his first pass through in fact discovers her this time investigating the "sick woman" call.
Let's stop here for a moment. Phone calls in 1979 were as anonymous as you could get. If you phoned from a landline, it could be found out. However, phone calls between two pay phones meant nothing. The phone company could verify calls were made and received but not from who or to whom.
My belief is WB made the call after dropping VV home and before dropping CP and SM to their respective homes. They verified that he stopped and made a call. After having his alibi, he needed the discovery.
However, his alibi unraveled when his partners started to spill their guts to the investigators out of fear of being charged as an accessory to murder or from guilty consciences.
My theory of WB's insistence that they all went to the shore: One person is a good alibi, but two or even three would be a great alibi. "WB couldn't have murdered SR that weekend. He was with us." He went so far to pressure them, if ever asked, to state that they left for the shore by 4 pm. (Really??) There would be no way to substantiate that fabrication. However, when questioned that was the lie both SM and VV told the investigators. Luckily for them, they got their heads straight and told the truth becoming the investigation's most valuable witnesses.
WB fed them a full 7-course buffet of bullshit. He contrived and fabricated much of the Dr. JCS story. For example, Dr. JCS was a mafia hitman. Pure fabrication. Things he gave VV and CP to hide or get rid of were things that he gave them and not things he took from Smith to be rid of.
With no reasonable doubt, I believe WB murdered SR and her kids for the life insurance money. What I'm on the fence about is did he do it alone?
Based on the witnesses, the investigators were all convinced it was Dr. JCS. I'm still leaning that he was being set-up by WB for this murder. The evidence was planted and the witnesses was heresay. But I still believe someone else was involved. I don't see two psychopaths (WB and Dr. JCS) teaming up to do this. Dr. Smith has nothing to gain. He was going prison that Monday. Why would he go out and commit a murder where he had nothing to gain. He didn't owe WB any favors. WB's testimony at Dr. JCS robbery trial, if anything, helped to get him convicted.
I do believe Smith's missing daughter and son-in-law met with foul play. I strongly believe Smith had his hands in that one, but not 100% convinced there either. Anything is possible. And there is not proof of anything.
Here's where I'm going to jump to conclusions, make assumptions, and describe what happened without have anything more than my gut feeling, my "Spidey senses" as evidence.
WB would have had an accomplice because someone had to handle the children while he subdued SR. I can't see the children sitting quietly while their mother was being subdued and ultimately murdered. Someone had to been handling the children.
Once SR was dead, he could have finished-off the children in whatever manner he had planned. SR was beaten into submission before being injected with a killer dose of morphine. Being the children's bodies were never recovered, we could only speculate how they were killed.
When she was discovered around 5:30 am, there was an absence of rigor and post-mortem lividity producing bluish discoloration where the blood had settled. Rigidity from rigor mortis lasts about 24 hours. Fixed lividity on the front and back indicating she’d lain about 8 hours on each side after death, but looks to have died 24 to 36 hours after her beating. [https://criminaldiscoursepodcast.com/susan-reinert-part-2/]
The pathologist concluded that she died around late Saturday night or early Sunday morning. WB was alibied for this time frame. However, Dr. JCS and JA were not. It is also believed that she was kept alive for some time prior to her death. This puts WB and the other two right in the cross-hairs of the investigation.
As no one has a solid alibi for the 3 hour span that definitely was the time frame for the killing. This means everyone is a suspect. Let's eliminate suspects.
There was a bizarre love triangle, more like a polygon or hexagon. At the center was a narcissistic, psychopathic English teacher, William S. Bradfield, Jr. He saw himself as a sort of Bohemian imitation of Ezra Pound. Both the lifestyle and the poet are overrated in my opinion. Pound lacked meter and rhyme in his poetry. That makes it just short prose and not very good, at that. How could anyone praise or even call Pound a poet. Pel-eeze!!! This alone makes me suspect of the type of character Bradfield was. I'd like to see how the students this clown taught turned out. How many delusional characters are walking around this country in their 60s or even 70s. Probably the same idiots who aren't practicing social distancing or wearing masks during this time of the Coronavirus pandemic. I'm sniping right now. My apologies.
This story starts as far back as 1963 which culminated with a triple homicide in the summer of 1979. I'll give some details shortly. What I want to note is those that are guilty. And there are a lot of guilty people.
Let's start with the two who were convicted. William Bradfield and Dr. Jay Smith. The former English department head and former school principal, respectively. Smith's conviction was reversed due to prosecutorial malfeasance. I'm still not one hundred percent convinced Smith was actually an active participant to the murder. I believe someone else assisted Bradfield. And I one hundred percent believe he was the murderer. But he didn't do this alone. I just don't see it as a one person job. But I'll walk you through what we know and you draw your own conclusions.
First, I want to wag my finger of shame at some people because I believe to this day as bad as they may or may not fell to what happened that weekend, they had the power and ability to stop this murder. Much of this is drawn from the facts presented at the trial posted in the local papers and also captured in the Joseph Wambaugh novel Echoes in the Darkness and a podcast, Criminal Discourse Podcast by Trish & Maddi.
Those who did not actively but inactively through their inaction participated in this woman's demise. There were the fellow school teachers and others:
- Vince Valaitis, a young teacher and a Bradfield confidante and friend
- Susan Myers, his live-in girlfriend and also a fellow English teacher
- Chris Pappas, a former student and disciple of Bradfield
- Wendy Zeigler, a college student and another of Bradfield's paramours
- Joanne Aitken, a grad student also a Bradfield love interest and a suspicious character
What we know is VV, SM and CP knew that something was in the works according to WB. He had fed them all sorts of unsubstantiated information. He told stories about Smith's intentions to kill Reinert. They believed him - hook, line and sinker.
Everything Bradfield said was never corroborated by anyone. If an iota of what the puppet master stated was true, then why didn't any of his disciples on their own contact either SR or the police? The only answer I can state is they were so devoted to WB that going to Susan or the police would be equivalent to being Judas going to the Romans turning in Christ. That in itself is beyond shameful. Spineless and apathetic. I can, a little bit, understand SM's lack of caring. She saw SR as a rival. She had already invested her better years to this man. She didn't want someone who she considered an inferior to swoop in and steal her man away. I can understand her fears. If she had truly been an attractive, intelligent and self-confident woman, she would have never hooked up with this Lothario, philandering, puffed-up narcissist. How all of these people didn't see through his bullshit is beyond me.
If you have the time and desire, read Joseph Wambaugh's novel, Echoes in the Darkness. It captures the majority of what occurred. He interjects his writer's prerogative into the novel, but he also had formed his own opinion and of Dr. Smith's involvement as well as the State and local police. I believed he had an agenda. Take the book for what it's worth. I'm still not convinced.
Everything Bradfield said was never corroborated by anyone. If an iota of what the puppet master stated was true, then why didn't any of his disciples on their own contact either SR or the police? The only answer I can state is they were so devoted to WB that going to Susan or the police would be equivalent to being Judas going to the Romans turning in Christ. That in itself is beyond shameful. Spineless and apathetic. I can, a little bit, understand SM's lack of caring. She saw SR as a rival. She had already invested her better years to this man. She didn't want someone who she considered an inferior to swoop in and steal her man away. I can understand her fears. If she had truly been an attractive, intelligent and self-confident woman, she would have never hooked up with this Lothario, philandering, puffed-up narcissist. How all of these people didn't see through his bullshit is beyond me.
If you have the time and desire, read Joseph Wambaugh's novel, Echoes in the Darkness. It captures the majority of what occurred. He interjects his writer's prerogative into the novel, but he also had formed his own opinion and of Dr. Smith's involvement as well as the State and local police. I believed he had an agenda. Take the book for what it's worth. I'm still not convinced.
Let's take a step back. Let's understand the players a little more.
VV was an impressionable young (probably virgin) Catholic man in his lated 20s, who took his religion seriously. SM had entered into the live-in relationship with WB when she was a fresh out of college 23 year-old teacher thinking that they would someday wed and have children. He lied and strung her along for 16 years. Why would any self respecting person allow themselves to be strung along for so long?
CP was not as impressionable as VV but still a mid 20s young man who was impressionable enough and as a former student still admired and thought WB was an honest and decent man.
WZ was another very young barely legal aged and very impressionable and easily led woman.
We'll not discuss JA just yet.
What about Susan Reinert? Well, that is the question. What was up with her? Apparently, WB had been having this intimate relationship with her and lying to everyone else about it. He painted her to be a desperate, oversexed, neurotic and pathetic woman.
He was a masterful juggler. He continued to string all these women along and they all knew of the other women. And they believed the different stories and lies he fed each one. I found that part amazing. I have enough time juggling one woman and I've never mastered the ability to lie convincingly. This man made it an art form. A true marking and making of a psychopath.
CP was not as impressionable as VV but still a mid 20s young man who was impressionable enough and as a former student still admired and thought WB was an honest and decent man.
WZ was another very young barely legal aged and very impressionable and easily led woman.
We'll not discuss JA just yet.
What about Susan Reinert? Well, that is the question. What was up with her? Apparently, WB had been having this intimate relationship with her and lying to everyone else about it. He painted her to be a desperate, oversexed, neurotic and pathetic woman.
He was a masterful juggler. He continued to string all these women along and they all knew of the other women. And they believed the different stories and lies he fed each one. I found that part amazing. I have enough time juggling one woman and I've never mastered the ability to lie convincingly. This man made it an art form. A true marking and making of a psychopath.
Let's look at his romances.
From 1963 until 1979, when she locked him out of their apartment, SM was in a secret relationship required by WB due to some moral turpitude clause in their teaching contracts, which I find that a sketchy excuse.
From 1974 until her death, WB and SR had an on again, off again relationship, sneaking behind everyone else's backs. Another secret relationship. We know this because she told two fellow teachers and her psychologist of their 5-year plan to be married. She also gave WB $25,000 to invest, which he never did. She changed her will to make him her beneficiary stating he was her "future" husband. She purchased life insurance policies totaling $730,000. This woman was either delusional or she was be strung along and played a fool. I lean toward the second scenario. He was manipulating her into supplying the fortune he desperately wanted.
From 1978 until 1979, JA entered a WB relationship. She also believed that they were to be married some day. I still believe this relationship continued while WB was serving his life sentence.
In 1978 until 1979, WZ was probably the last fish WB hooked. A freshmen in college in California, who told CP that once she graduated college she and WB would marry. She quickly abandoned all of that once she was arrested and implicated the fraud WB committed on SR.
WB was a womanizer who preyed on unattractive women. And I've seen pictures of just about all these women. Every one of them had one thing in common. They were FUgly. And I'm not being unkind. They were truly desperate in the looks department. Not only that, I believe most of these women were insecure, lacked self-confidence and self-worth. It was the sixties. Women were just beginning to break away from that shell of being subservient to men. But for a few, they came late or not at all to the party.
My opinion of WB has been plainly stated. My opinion of Dr, JCS is similar. I believe this man is a monster too. His crimes are despicable for a man holding a Ph.D. and being the head administrator to a high school. His drug addict daughter and son-in-law have been missing for 40 years, now presumed dead. I believe he had something to do with their disappearances. One piece of evidence is that his daughter's drivers license was found among his many illegal weapons and drugs. Both of these people were in their mid 20s living with the Smiths while they got clean. If I lived with my parents and my dad had my drivers license, I'd be busting a brain blood vessel from anger. Then again, I was not a drug addled loser when I was 25. I also was living independently.
This also brings up the question of how in the hell did Upper Merion school district board select these people. I guess psychopaths need jobs too? Or were they just that good at blowing smoke up people's asses? Was that all it took to be hired to teach and mold children's minds? I shudder. I'm glad I only work in that school district and not live there. I'm sure things are more under control now, but are they ever really?
Let's look at the timeline. I love timelines. I prefer pictures of maps and lines noting people's movements but that's just too much work and this BLOG is a passion but not a paying job. (Unless any of you reading want to donate, I'm glad to take PayPal payments.) The timeline includes all the players' locations and known activity during the four day period of Friday, June 22, 1979 to Monday, June 25, 1979.
Friday, June 22
SR, by this time, had received her copies of life insurance policies totaling $730,000 naming WB as beneficiary. At this time, she was under the guise that she, her kids and WB were leaving for England for an extended stay, possibly for good. She told this to fellow teachers and her psychologist. SM was also under the same impression that she and WB were going to England.
WB and CP were scheduled to start a summer course at a New Mexican university on Monday, 25th. However, the plan was for WB, VV, CP and SM to drive to the Jersey shore and spend the weekend there starting Friday returning Sunday with enough time for WB and CP to fly out Monday to NM in time for the second day of class, Tuesday. (Very strange behavior.) WB's reasoning was that Dr. Smith was going to murder SR on Saturday. They all needed alibis to protect themselves. (Again, strange thought process and behavior for college educated teachers of children.) I'm ignoring the other crimes committed this weekend by WB. I'm only concentrating on the senseless loss of life of three people.
Dr. JCS claims to be in King of Prussia at home all weekend. He was to report to Harrisburg on Monday to start his incarceration for his other crimes.
JA is in Philadelphia. It is substantiated that she was registered in a hotel. However, that whole weekend her whereabouts could not be verified until the some members of the Jersey shore trip saw her at 6 pm Monday. And here is where the police failed to investigate deeper on her activities. She couldn't produce any alibis for the weekend - not a place she attended, not even restaurants where someone might be able to verify her story. (Keep this in mind.)
7:30-8:30 pm
WB and WZ were together taking care of the previously mentioned illegal activity. WZ can alibi. She was with a friend that night, who did not know or was ever involved with WB.
8:30-11:15 pm
WB's whereabouts are unknown until he knocks on VV's door at 11:15 pm. Three hours with no alibi. Where was he? What was he doing? Who was he with? It takes about 90 minutes or less to go from Wayne to Swatara Township (Harrisburg) via the Pennsylvania turnpike depending on time of day and day of the week. Plenty of time to commit a triple murder, set-up and dispose of bodies especially if graves were dug previously on another day. I am assuming that he had been planning this for some time. His need to pull the trigger this weekend was the impending imprisonment of his scapegoat, Dr. JCS. In all likelihood, WB was already in or near Harrisburg when he phoned SR prior to her leaving at 9:30 pm. Was he alone? Where was Dr. JCS? Where was JA? There are a lot of "What Ifs?".
9:30 pm
SR and children leave for a conference she was participating in Allentown, a completely different direction from Harrisburg. Their leaving was witnessed by reliable next door neighbors. Discovered later, SR had cancelled her plans to go to Allentown prior to leaving. Nothing can be substantiated why and what made her drive toward Harrisburg. My belief I noted in the above paragraph.
Saturday, June 23
Midnight
WB,CP, VV and SM leave for the Jersey shore not returning until late Sunday night. Prior to this, the remaining players were on other chores instructed by WB. All the others were at the respective homes waiting to be picked up. Though none of them could alibi for the time between 8 and midnight as they all were either alone or with one another, they were dismissed as suspects for several reasons. I could choose one from the top. None of them had a rapport with SR other than WB. She would not have canceled her prior plans for any of them on a moment's notice except for WB.
3:30 am
The party arrives at Cape May, NJ.
5 am
The party arrives at the Heirloom Apartments but couldn't get in until 7 am. This is Saturday morning. WB would insist at check out to include Friday on the receipt even though they were not there at any time on Friday.
Sunday, June 24
7 pm
SR's car is noticed in the Host Inn parking lot in Swatara Township, Harrisburg by two Three Mile Island workers staying at the Host Inn. Both noticed the trunk slightly open but neither reported it to the office.
By this time, the Jersey shore group was still enjoying a beautiful day in Cape May since their arrival early Saturday morning.
Monday, June 25
2 am
A routine check of the Host Inn parking lot by a Swatara Township police officer discovers the car. Once he ascertains that the owner (called in from the license plate number and checking with the hotel office) wasn't staying at the hotel, he was called away to traffic accident before he could investigate the car. Had he been able to investigate, he would have discovered the deceased SR.
Sometime that morning
The time was not apparent when the Jersey Weekenders checked out and directed their travels back to the King of Prussia area. One thing to note was the hotel receipt was hand written at WB's insistence. He wanted yet another third party corroboration of his alibi.
5:20 am
A phone call is received by Dauphin County Police and Fire Radio dispatch alerting them of a "sick woman" in the Host Inn parking lot.
5:30 am
The officer that almost discovered SR on his first pass through in fact discovers her this time investigating the "sick woman" call.
Let's stop here for a moment. Phone calls in 1979 were as anonymous as you could get. If you phoned from a landline, it could be found out. However, phone calls between two pay phones meant nothing. The phone company could verify calls were made and received but not from who or to whom.
My belief is WB made the call after dropping VV home and before dropping CP and SM to their respective homes. They verified that he stopped and made a call. After having his alibi, he needed the discovery.
However, his alibi unraveled when his partners started to spill their guts to the investigators out of fear of being charged as an accessory to murder or from guilty consciences.
My theory of WB's insistence that they all went to the shore: One person is a good alibi, but two or even three would be a great alibi. "WB couldn't have murdered SR that weekend. He was with us." He went so far to pressure them, if ever asked, to state that they left for the shore by 4 pm. (Really??) There would be no way to substantiate that fabrication. However, when questioned that was the lie both SM and VV told the investigators. Luckily for them, they got their heads straight and told the truth becoming the investigation's most valuable witnesses.
WB fed them a full 7-course buffet of bullshit. He contrived and fabricated much of the Dr. JCS story. For example, Dr. JCS was a mafia hitman. Pure fabrication. Things he gave VV and CP to hide or get rid of were things that he gave them and not things he took from Smith to be rid of.
With no reasonable doubt, I believe WB murdered SR and her kids for the life insurance money. What I'm on the fence about is did he do it alone?
Based on the witnesses, the investigators were all convinced it was Dr. JCS. I'm still leaning that he was being set-up by WB for this murder. The evidence was planted and the witnesses was heresay. But I still believe someone else was involved. I don't see two psychopaths (WB and Dr. JCS) teaming up to do this. Dr. Smith has nothing to gain. He was going prison that Monday. Why would he go out and commit a murder where he had nothing to gain. He didn't owe WB any favors. WB's testimony at Dr. JCS robbery trial, if anything, helped to get him convicted.
I do believe Smith's missing daughter and son-in-law met with foul play. I strongly believe Smith had his hands in that one, but not 100% convinced there either. Anything is possible. And there is not proof of anything.
Here's where I'm going to jump to conclusions, make assumptions, and describe what happened without have anything more than my gut feeling, my "Spidey senses" as evidence.
WB would have had an accomplice because someone had to handle the children while he subdued SR. I can't see the children sitting quietly while their mother was being subdued and ultimately murdered. Someone had to been handling the children.
Once SR was dead, he could have finished-off the children in whatever manner he had planned. SR was beaten into submission before being injected with a killer dose of morphine. Being the children's bodies were never recovered, we could only speculate how they were killed.
When she was discovered around 5:30 am, there was an absence of rigor and post-mortem lividity producing bluish discoloration where the blood had settled. Rigidity from rigor mortis lasts about 24 hours. Fixed lividity on the front and back indicating she’d lain about 8 hours on each side after death, but looks to have died 24 to 36 hours after her beating. [https://criminaldiscoursepodcast.com/susan-reinert-part-2/]
The pathologist concluded that she died around late Saturday night or early Sunday morning. WB was alibied for this time frame. However, Dr. JCS and JA were not. It is also believed that she was kept alive for some time prior to her death. This puts WB and the other two right in the cross-hairs of the investigation.
As no one has a solid alibi for the 3 hour span that definitely was the time frame for the killing. This means everyone is a suspect. Let's eliminate suspects.
- VV had nothing to gain and actually felt sympathy towards SR. And being a strict Catholic, though Catholics kill, history has shown that, I think he is exonerated.
- CP. Same thing. He didn't know SR and had nothing to gain. Exonerated.
- SM could be a good candidate because she felt threatened and hated SR...BUT she's been beaten wn all these years. She's more of the passive-aggressive type and not likely be capable of doing anything more than some kicking and scratching. I would exonerate her too.
- WZ was the only one that actually had an alibi. She was with a friend. Exonerated.
- JA. I don't like this woman. She was less than forthcoming with the police. She could not or would not verify with any evidence where she was that weekend. She was less than helpful during her time on the witness stand for Smith's trial for his part in the murders. Lack of evidence and witnesses is the only thing that keeps me from pointing the finger at her. But still, pointing I do. In a perfect world, she's the only logical ally that could gain from the deaths as she was clearly WB's main true love. All others were patsies and being used. Ultimately, she could have been a pawn in WB's plan too. It will forever remain a mystery.
- Dr. JCS. The evidence against him was so manufactured I'm shocked that the State Police and local police fell for it. He was found guilty mostly by insinuation and just being a person of ill character as well as jailhouse lies. The comb found under the body was circumstantial and planted. The 79th USARCOM stamped on the comb could be believed that Smith was involved as that was his Army Reserve division. However, what hurt Smith most in his trial was none of his alibis could be corroborated. It looked like he lied. Which he probably did. But was he in Harrisburg that weekend? Was it possible that SR met WB with either JA or Smith closer to home? The place where she was left was not where she was murdered.
I believe she was lured by WB to a location close to home. Abducted and held somewhere probably Smith's basement he was alone before being killed and then driven to Harrisburg to dump the car and body. As the car was wiped down very well, no discernible prints, DNA or anything could point to anyone other than Dr. JCS because of the evidence found on the victim that matched evidence found in Dr. JCS' home.
After all of this, we know they convicted the correct people. Whether WB committed these crimes by himself or not is still a mystery. One thing is certain: Had any of his followers said something to SR or the police about a potential threat to her life, she and her children would not have been a crime statistic.
Until next time, TTFN.
After all of this, we know they convicted the correct people. Whether WB committed these crimes by himself or not is still a mystery. One thing is certain: Had any of his followers said something to SR or the police about a potential threat to her life, she and her children would not have been a crime statistic.
Until next time, TTFN.
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