Comments by "Glamdolly" (@glamdolly30) on "Delphi Murders - NewsNation Prime Special Report" video.

Agreed - and if Supt Doug Carter had only shared the video of the killer with the public from day one as he should have done, there was a far bigger chance of someone putting two and two together, recognising what he was wearing, knowing his work schedule that day/the fact he had a day off, etc etc, and calling police with his name. The TV interviewer should have asked Carter why he only released a single still image from the video, and sat on the video for two whole years! 14-year-old Libby bravely recorded her soon-to-be killer's video and audio, it was a gift to police. But they stupidly failed to use it for a 24 months. By the time they showed it, memories had faded and the trail was going cold. I think Carter knows full well that was a huge mistake - that's why in this latest interview he plays down the importance of the video. Libby was a better detective than he was, God bless her. Doug Carter has mishandled this double child murder all the way to cold case status. He needs to step aside while more experienced homicide detectives take over. Sadly I think the killer of Abby and Libby will only be caught when he kills again. And he will - this was a sexually driven murder, and sex offenders are the worst for repeat crimes. He must have laughed all over his face watching Supt Carter's feeble TV interview. He barely answered a single question and made it only too clear police are no nearer to catching him than they were on day one. Two little girls need justice, and ALL women and girls are at risk while that man remains at large. This crime needs to be a high priority - if I were the victims' loved ones, after five years I'd be asking some very serious questions, and demanding serious action!
50
Agreed, Supt Doug Carter only succeeded in giving Abby and Libby's killer every confidence police are still totally clueless about his identity after five years - and every reason to murder again. And he will, no question about it - if he hasn't already. He's a highly dangerous man who belongs behind bars pronto. No woman or girl is safe while he's at large. IMO Doug Carter is a buffoon, who mishandled this double child murder all the way to cold case status. By withholding every single detail of the crime, he has actively prevented the public from working out who he is, and giving him up. As a newspaper reporter, a senior police officer once told me "It's not police who solve crimes - it's the public". A fact that's clearly totally lost on Doug Carter!
26
Police have no more idea about the killer's identity today, 5 years later, than they did on day one. The reason Supt Doug Carter and his team held onto so much information, is their massive inexperience in handling a crime as big as this one. It is now crystal clear Indiana police were, and remain, way out of their depth with this double child homicide. They have mishandled it all the way to cold case status, and should be replaced forthwith as the investigating team. 14 year old Libby German bravely provided law enforcement with the best evidence they could possibly have been given - video and audio of the killer. They should have shared the full video with the public immediately, not just one single, still image from it! As a national newspaper journalist who has covered many murders over 20 years, I believe the amount of information withheld from the public in this double child murder is unprecedented. The only explanation I can find is the investigating team's inexperience , naivety and over-cautiousness. Why did police withhold Libby's video of the man who killed her and her friend Abby Williams for two whole years? There's absolutely no good reason for it! Had they shared that video with the public right after the murders, there was the best possible chance someone would have recognised him, known his movements that day (and other clues like what he was wearing), and identified him to police. After two years, memories fade and the power of that video was seriously diminished. That was one of many strategic errors by police, which include the confusion caused by the second, contrasting artists' impression of the killer (and the younger age estimate), and the disastrous police media briefing of 2019. Make no mistake, the Delphi child murders are now a cold case, despite police denials. Five years on, the time is long overdue to replace Supt Carter and his team with more experienced and adept, specialist homicide detectives. I couldn't care less if that hurts Doug Carter's inflated ego. He is clearly not up to the job. Abby and Libby, and ALL women and girls who remain at risk while this killer is at large, deserve nothing less! #JusticeForLibbyAndAbby
25
@Olo Lasinski Thanks for your response, and first off I must say your written English is excellent! As an experienced British news journalist I've a good grasp of how police murder investigations are run in the UK. But I'm not so well acquainted with the US system or critically, the personalities and hierarchies behind this notorious (and now historic), Delphi double child homicide investigation. I suspect internal systems, personalities and politics are key to understanding the failed, five year investigation into the Delphi murders. It may be many years before those issues are exposed to public scrutiny - if they ever are! The first observation I'll share is that Supt Carter was appointed head of Indiana State police back in 2012, so is about to mark 10 years in the job. From the research I've been able to do online, he got his boots under the desk, not on the ground, and hasn't set the world on fire in the role. It seems to me his style is to keep his head down, not rock the boat, and not take any decisive or left-field actions that might attract attention and potentially criticism. In short, he's a plodder, enjoying the cash and kudos attached to his role, without getting his hands dirty. Does that indicate good leadership? I would argue not. The other important thing to stress as I've previously mentioned, is his inexperience as a homicide detective. He was previously Supt in Hamilton Ohio, which has well below the national average rate of violent crime. Before that he was a state trooper. This man strikes me as a law enforcement officer first and a detective second. Compare his style with that of fellow law enforcement figurehead Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, a man so straight he even criticised fellow officers over their mishandling of killer Brian Laundrie in the murder of Gabby Petiro. See my point? Sheriff Judd's style is very different - he goes after perpetrators all guns blazing, and isn't too proud to ask for the public's help to catch them! Supt Carter's policy from February 14th 2017 when Libby and Abby's bodies were first recovered, was to hold his cards so close to his chest they were practically super-glued down. I'm well aware police must hold back many details of a crime for operation reasons (cranks coming forward with bogus confessions etc). But the amount of information Carter kept out of the public domain was in my 20 + years experience reporting on serious crimes, unprecedented and unjustifiable. What possible purpose did sitting on Libby German's video of the suspect for TWO YEARS serve? I wish this reporter had asked him that very question! It only helped the perpetrator stay hidden from those who might have joined the dots so soon after the murders, and turned him in. A senior British police officer once told me: "The police don't solve crimes - the public do". That's a fact Doug Carter seems totally oblivious to! Like everyone else, I can only speculate as to why Indiana State Police, and specifically Supt Doug Carter, are still in charge of the Delphi investigation, at least 4 years after proving their incompetence. I would argue their mishandling of the investigation was obvious within weeks of Abby and Libby's murders. Over time it became ever clearer the investigative team were out of their depth and highly unlikely to identify the killer. The embarrassingly bad media conference Carter fronted in 2019 in which he addressed the killer direct, when he should have appealed to the person/people who recognised him from the video but haven't come forward, exposed his incompetence. All that dumb stuff about the murderer being in the room right now (he wasn't), and the mind games ("You want to know what we know, and pretty soon you will") were sensationalist garbage and a total waste of time. Why talk to the freak who murdered two children in broad daylight - he isn't going to get a pang of conscience and give himself up! I hate to be proved right in a case as grave as this one, but here we are five years later, with two teen girls cold in their graves and their killer still walking free. Immediately after the murders, normal police protocol was followed. That meant local state law enforcement took precedence by default, and decided the all-important strategies for the investigation. We were told Indiana Police had some assistance from the FBI. But the media was left in no doubt Supt Carter called the shots - with disastrous consequences. If only the FBI had been in charge. That was the first, critical problem IMO, from which all others followed, for two obvious reasons: Number one, unlike the FBI, Indiana Police by their own admission are inexperienced in homicide cases. Those they do encounter are inevitably domestic murders, in which the identity of the killer is immediately known to them. The most difficult crimes to crack are stranger murders. And here we come on to the second reason this particular crime remains unsolved. Libby German and Abby Williams were not only killed by a total stranger, but even more challenging for investigators, this was no ordinary homicide. For two children to be targeted and killed by a predator on a daytime walk in a public outdoor area (with potential rescuers/witnesses close by), is a crime of uniquely extreme characteristics. The man who did this is sexually motivated, which is why he was so strongly driven to take huge risks. So confident was he of not only overpowering his target and getting away with his attack, he chose to offend against not one but two victims. My point is this is one hell of a warped and dangerous man, and this is unlikely to have been his first serious crime against females. He may well have killed before, and he must have other, surviving victims. He will kill again, and probably already has. I suspect at the very start Supt Doug Carter was complacent, assuming it was such a shocking and well-publicised crime that someone, a work colleague or even a wife, was bound to come forward and give the killer up. But by failing to release the full, 40 second video clip (with audio), Carter did not facilitate that outcome. Instead of being proactive when the trail was warm, sharing selected facts with the public to help them identify the killer, Carter followed a misguided policy of silence and withholding ALL evidence. It's Supt Doug Carter's strategies that have helped render this case unsolved after five years - if that isn't proof he needs to step aside and the team be shaken up with experienced FBI officers at the helm, I don't know what is! I really thought we would get such an announcement on the five year anniversary of the crime. I think it's a great shame Abby and Libby's families' haven't joined forces to demand Doug Carter's removal. The TV interview he gave on this show was an utter joke. He refused to answer pretty much every question, but most telling of all is his far less optimistic claims about catching the killer. His latest pledge is he'll identify him "Within 3 years" is pathetic. The killer must be laughing all over his face. In saying that, Carter revealed he hasn't a clue who he is today, any more than he did back in 2017. And why the hell did he appeal to the public about Kegan Kline aka 'Anthony Shots'. when he was eliminated as a suspect five years ago, within a week of the girls' murders? This smacks of police grasping at straws, in case the girls met another guy that day through an online contact. But forensic computer experts have studied every device both Abby and Libby used. They hadn't arranged to meet anyone that day. They were just two teens doing what 13 and 14 year old girls do - going on a walk, taking selfies, chatting and laughing. Tragically they had the horrific misfortune to catch the eye of a predator, out looking for prey. There are rumours swirling online about the crime scene, and the way the girls' bodies were left. If true, I believe some of those quirky details show a pattern of behaviour by the killer and should therefore have been shared by law enforcement. It could be a light bulb moment for someone who knows, or used to know him - an unusual, fetishist sexual act peculiar to him. If Doug Carter remains on this case even one more year, I don't believe it will be solved until the perpetrator commits another murder, and effectively identifies himself. It would be an utter travesty if another woman or girl has to die, in order to find Abby and Libby's killer. Frankly I'm not convinced Doug Carter could find his own ass with both hands if someone turned the lights out.
15
@aprilmichelle703 Hi April - I wasn't talking about members of the public at Delphi who saw the suspect on the day. I was referring to the people out there who know the killer personally - either closely, eg a partner, family member, friends, neighbours or work colleagues, or someone less closely acquainted who sees him regularly such as a bus driver, postman or a waitress who serves him coffee every week. The video is of sufficient quality that if you knew the man well, you would recognise him. My point is that had the video been shown right after the February 13th 2017 murders, there was a much higher chance of one of those people recognising him and putting two and two together while that critical date was fresh in their minds. If police had promoted the video far and wide immediately, it would have got lots of publicity (all TV and online news/true crime outlets would have loved the novelty value of showing genuine footage of the suspect in a recent high profile double child murder). At that early stage so soon after the murders of Abby and Libby, those who knew the killer well may also have known his location that day, his schedule/working hours, and maybe even the clothes he was wearing. It could have immediately sparked a memory of something suspicious - say for example, the killer's wife recognised him, and remembered that week he told her he had taken his blue jacket to the dry cleaners, or had lost his scarf, or perhaps he'd even told her he planned to walk the bridge that day. A friend or family member of the killer might think the video looks very like their loved one, and recall him acting strangely after the murders, perhaps agitated or excited, he could even have taken a day/days of work sick which is out of character. Armed with that kind of recent circumstantial evidence/detail, they may have felt more inclined to call police with his name. Remember, this man almost certainly has a history of sexual offending against girls/women (for which he's never been arrested, as police can't match his DNA to the national database). That means he's highly likely to have surviving victims out there who would have potentially recognised him from the video - especially if police had released just one or two details about his unique MO to provide a 'light bulb' moment of recognition for anyone attacked by him before. But by the time cops decided to release a section of the video two years later, all those kind of details would be long forgotten by the killer's personal circle of family, friends and acquaintances. Therefore they would be less convinced the man on the video is the person they know, and less motivated to call in with his name. The amount of information police have withheld from the public in this case is unprecedented, and is a serious strategic mistake which has only helped the killer stay undetected.
11
Agreed, the officer in charge Supt Doug Carter is a major reason this double homicide remains unsolved. His decisions right down the line have been foolhardy and betray his lack of experience and expertise. He must be replaced forthwith - he's mishandled the investigation all the way to cold case status. Supt Carter's had five years and he has failed, A highly dangerous killer remains at large and while he does, no woman or girl is safe. ENOUGH. Time for Doug Carter to go, and a more experienced officer with a solid track record in homicide drafted in to replace him.
10
Are you talking about Supt Doug Carter? He's a disaster - he mishandled the Delphi murders all the way to cold case status, and needs to be replaced forthwith. His inexperience in dealing with homicides made him over-cautious, in holding back far too much information from the public. That has played a huge role in it remaining unsolved. He only released a single still of the murderer, and sat on the longer video of him for two whole years! Why? That's the question this interviewer should have asked him. It was clearly a massive mistake by Carter. Had he shown the fuller moving images from day one, there was the best chance of someone who knew the killer coming forward with his name, recognising his clothes or remembering his schedule from that afternoon. Two years later, the trail was cold and the video had lost a lot of its power. Remember, this killer's DNA and fingerprints are not on the national database - he's never been arrested before. That and the fact he was undoubtedly a stranger to the girls, makes him especially hard to catch - and makes the video evidence crucial! Libby was only 14 years old and must have been terrified. She knew something was not right about that man. Yet she bravely recorded video and audio of him - a gift for law enforcement. And yet they inexplicably failed to make use of that gift from the very start, when it was of most evidentiary value and should have been shared far and wide. Supt Carter should not have given this five year anniversary interview, it was another strategic mistake. It only showed - very clearly - he is no closer to identifying the killer after five years, than he was on day one. All his bluff and bluster from his cringe-making 2019 media conference is gone (ludicrously addressing the killer direct with his dumb: "You want to know what we know, and some day you will" guff, saying he might be in the room right now, etc etc). He was clueless about the killer's identity then after a two year investigation, and three years on he's still no further forward! On the five year anniversary Carter is decidedly less cocky and upbeat, saying he hopes to catch the killer "within three years". That's as good as a confession of failure, that he clearly hasn't got a clue who or where he is! If the killer watched this TV interview it will only confirm to him he's got away with his audacious crime, and make him feel all-powerful. It's as good as an invitation to re-offend. Doug Carter has failed. He needs to step aside now, and let experienced homicide detectives take over. Though I fear it's already too late for this heinous double child killing to be solved. Police simply kept too much information hidden from the public for too long, not allowing them to help identify the perpetrator. Two little girls brutally abducted and murdered on a daytime walk deserve justice, and ALL women and girls deserve to be safe. This murderer is as dangerous as they come. He was prepared to kill not one but two victims in broad daylight, in a public place, potentially within reach of rescuers/witnesses. He was no doubt enacting a long-held sexual fantasy. A man prepared to take that level of risk is highly motivated and narcissistic, believing himself smarter than police. And in the case of Supt Doug Carter, he may be right! In my view the man who murdered Libby and Abby will kill again - if he hasn't already. Sadly I believe that next homicide will be the police's best chance of catching him. Frankly I'm not convinced Doug Carter could find his own ass with both hands, if someone shut the light off.
9
No mystery about 'Why'. These murders were sexually motivated, regardless of whether the girls were raped/sexually assaulted before they were killed. The perpetrator was fulfilling a long-held sexual fantasy. He may or may not have killed anyone before, but he's certainly committed prior sexual offences - though he obviously escaped arrest for them. If Indiana police only had the experience and sense to release brave Libby's video and audio recording of her and Abby's killer from day one, instead of inexplicably sitting on it for TWO WHOLE YEARS, they'd have had a far better chance of someone turning this evil freak in. Why on Earth did they only release a single, still image from the video, for 24 months? Had the video been released in February 2017 right after Libby and Abby were murdered, the chances of someone correctly identifying him to police were at their highest. Carter and co were clueless about how to conduct a homicide - and worse, a double homicide - investigation, so were crazily over-cautious. Supt Doug Carter is a buffoon. He held back every damn detail of the crime, meaning the public didn't have enough information to help police solve it. Many years ago as a young newspaper reporter just starting out, a senior police officer told me "Law enforcement don't solve crimes - the public do". How right he was. If only Doug Carter had respected that truth from day one, and given the public every opportunity to help him identify the man who murdered Abby and Libby. Five years on we are way past that golden window of opportunity. High time Doug Carter was taken off the case and replaced with an experienced, senior homicide detective who, unlike Supt Carter, has a proven track record in bringing killers to justice.
8
Agreed - the video footage was clear enough that someone who knew that man well would recognise him, his look, build, movements, maybe his clothes too. At least they would have, had the video been shown far and wide immediately after the murders. That's why police made such a disastrous error of judgement in sitting on that video for two whole years, only releasing one still image from it. The journalist should have asked Supt Doug Carter for what reason on God's Earth he thought it a good idea NOT to share the video with the public for 24 weeks! He won't have had an answer that made any sense. It was a strategic mistake by police - like so many others in this horrific double child homicide.
6
Doug Carter was complacent from the start. His inexperience in homicide cases, meant he just assumed someone would recognise 'bridge guy' from the one still image he put out (why didn't he release the whole 40 second video from day one for pity's sake???) When no one came forward he STILL sat on Libby's video of the killer for two whole years! Unbelievable! This TV interviewer should have asked him why he withheld that video from the public. There was no good reason whatsoever for holding it back. If it had only been shown when people's memories were fresh, someone could have remembered what he was wearing that day, his schedule or some other detail that linked him to the murders, and called police with his name. That 14 year old girl was scared out of her mind, her inner alarm bells ringing, telling her that man was dangerous. But still she had the courage and presence of mind to video him. Libby gave law enforcement the best ever piece of evidence they could have hoped for - moving footage and audio if the killer. And they failed to share it with the public far and wide from the get-go, as they should have. As a senior police officer once told me, when I was a national newspaper reporter: "Police don't solve crimes - the public do". How right he was. It's a truth totally lost on Doug Carter! If I were the victims' loved ones, on the five year anniversary I'd be demanding Carter and team be sidelined and replaced with FBI officers experienced in handling homicides. Abby and Libby deserve justice - and ALL women and girls are in danger while that maniac remains at large,
4
@cjwilliams6668 Nowhere did I say he's 'Superintendent of Hamilton County' - I addressed him by his correct name and title, which is Supt Doug Carter. Try reading what people actually wrote, if your literacy skills are up to the job. And you wonder why you never made the grade to even become a traffic cop!
4
@cjwilliams6668 Are you going to endlessly nit-pick over Supt Doug Carter's resume, or are you going to put on your big boy pants and engage with the discussion about his handling of the Delphi murders? That's what the original post and this thread is about - the five year anniversary of the Delphi murders, the unprecedented volume of information held back by investigators, and a failed police investigation. My point stands, Supt Doug Carter is NOT an experienced homicide detective. But even if he were, his own, plainly obvious personal deficiencies are the reason the public has no reason to have confidence in him. Do YOU have faith in him? If so, state your reasons? He hasn't identified a single person of interest in the Delphi murders in FIVE YEARS, much less a prime suspect. And his latest interviews on the five year anniversary betray the fact he's as clueless now as he was on day one! Supt Carter's farcical performance at the 2019 media conference left no one (with critical thinking skills) in any doubt he was badly out of his depth. Getting emotional was inappropriate and unprofessional - that is for the victims' loved ones, NOT senior law enforcement! Playing dumb mind games with the murderer was another red flag that showed he was enjoying the limelight rather too much. That nonsense about the murderer; "Hiding in plain sight", and even suggesting he was in the room at that very moment, were sensationalist garbage and pure invention (the killer was not present - there were around 40 people there at most, all of them journalists, law enforcement, other professionals plus victims' loved ones). Why did Supt Carter address the killer direct? Did he really think he'd suddenly get a pang of conscience and give himself up?! Ridiculous and pointless. Sex killers have no conscience and do not confess to killing children - even while wearing cuffs and sitting in a police interrogation room! What Carter should have done - as is plainly obvious to all but the most obtuse - is use victim Libby German's video of the child killer immediately, promoting that footage far and wide right after the murders. In tandem with that genuine video and audio of the killer, he should have appealed directly not to the killer, but to the people out there who recognised him. Because you can be certain at least one person could have correctly identified 'bridge guy', and put two and two together while his movements, behaviour, schedule and even outfit were fresh in their mind. Instead Supt Carter foolishly withheld that video footage from the public for two years. By the time he finally showed it, its power to identify him had diminished hugely 24 months on. People are busy, they have 101 things to think about every day. That's why the window for catching killers is so short, really days but at most weeks after the homicide. I am far from alone in my view - senior police officers are privately expressing doubts about the investigation Supt Doug Carter has run. And yes, as the man in charge, his investigative skills are critical to this case! That you stated Carter is not an 'investigator' shows how utterly clueless you are about his role and the expectations people rightly have of him. Make no mistake, Supt Doug Carter has failed the child victims and their loved-ones, and ALL women and girls, who remain at risk while this killer is loose. Supt Carter must not be allowed another five years of failure - he needs to go, and be replaced by a brand new team of senior officers to bring new eyes and strategies to the Delphi murder RIGHT NOW.
4
@mannaleldin1729 No, I would stake my life that the killer is not Doug Carter. I think we're straying into 'Columbo' territory with that theory!
3
@amandanegrete1306 Excellent, intelligent and well-informed post, bravo. There is no question the police investigation has failed in this critical double child homicide, with the result they are no closer to identifying the killer 5 years on. Doug Carter's every TV appearance only makes it clearer the man's an utter buffoon. Find the killer? Frankly I doubt he could find his own ass with both hands if someone shut the lights out.
3
@cjwilliams6668 You just defeated your own argument - as you stated, Doug Carter is in charge of the Delphi investigation. Exactly my point! He decides every investigative strategy, so of course his role is investigative! And his disastrous strategic decisions from day one all the way to 5 years later - or as it's commonly known, 'cold case status' - reflect his failure. I know this from my long experience as a national news journalist. But don't take my word for it. Ask any senior police officer (not connected with this case, so they've no reason to lie), and they'll tell you the reality. The chance of the Delphi killer being caught 5 years on is now extremely low. Stranger killers like this guy are caught by excellent, proactive detective work early on while the trail is warm, and that did not happen in this case. Why do you think Supt Doug Carter decided to sit on the video footage of the killer for two whole years, instead releasing only a single, still image from it? Do you think that was wise? It was not. It served no useful purpose and only helped the perpetrator stay undetected. That was one of many grave mistakes by Supt Carter, and in my view played a critical role in a highly dangerous child murderer remaining at large to this day.
3
@amandanegrete1306 Having Googled this, it seems Supt Carter is against moves to drop the legal requirement for a licence to carry handguns in public? Do you think such permits should be eliminated and the law relaxed to make it far easier for people to carry deadly weapons? I certainly don't. It seems likely Liberty German and Abigail Williams' killer subdued them by use of a weapon, possibly a gun. Guns create multiple tragedies every year. Statistically, carrying a firearm makes you more, not less likely to become victim of a homicide.
3
@mmells_12 Your post makes no sense whatsoever! What is your point? If you have one, please try to state it in clear English, as I have.
2
@cjwilliams6668 I use Doug Carter's current title when I write about him, which is Supt.
2
Unfortunately the police officer in charge Supt Doug Carter assumed that too, he was way too complacent, and bungled the investigation all the way to cold case status. Five years on, the chances of catching this highly dangerous double child killer are close to zero. The terrible truth is he will likely kill again, before he is caught.
1
@amandanegrete1306 I agree 100% and the Curtis Reeves travesty of justice we've just seen, in which he got away with shooting dead an unarmed man in a movie theatre, proves the importance of gun control even for ex cops! Put a handgun in the pocket of an entitled narcissist and they will, sooner or later, fire it inappropriately in a narcissistic rage. Fascinating post - as a Brit I learned a lot, thank you. I'm not a fan of Supt Doug Carter but support him on this totally.
1
@amandanegrete1306 Absolutely right!
1