Murder suspect’s letter leaves many questions

>From the Walker County [GA] Messenger--

Murder suspect?s letter leaves many questions

11/29/05
Chris Reeves

RINGGOLD ? A suicide letter, left by the killer, fails to provide
concrete answers in the double murder of a grandmother and a pizza
delivery driver, authorities say.

Just after midnight on Tuesday morning, Nov. 22, officers discovered
the bodies of Doyle Dean Stier, 57, a Pizza Hut delivery driver,
83-year-old Bonnie G. Land, and Joshua Linebarger West, 23, at Land?s
home at 1838 Three Notch Road in Catoosa County.

Authorities say West beat Stier to death with a hammer on Monday, Nov.
21, when Stier went to collect money for a bad check West had written
for a pizza.

West strangled Land, his grandmother, several days before that
incident, police said, and placed her body in a bedroom closet.

After killing Stier, West drove the delivery driver?s car into the
garage and took his own life by carbon monoxide from the car?s
exhaust.

?He basically just wrote a letter of forgiveness. There is not really
much more in there,? Catoosa County Sheriff Phil Summers said. ?He
doesn?t admit to the murders or anything.?

Summers said the letter is still part of the open case file and cannot
be released until the case is finalized when West?s toxicology results
are complete, likely this week.

The sheriff said that West, in his final statements in the letter,
asks for forgiveness from his girlfriend, who has a child by West, and
said he was very sorry for putting them through all the trouble he
caused.

Questions remain

The motives behind the murders are still left to be pondered, along
with when and how exactly Land died.

Summers said it is difficult to have an accurate timeframe of Land?s
death, but it was evident that several days had passed due to the
deterioration of the body. He said how exactly she was killed is not
known.

?Manual (strangulation) could be with a device (such as a rope or
wire) or by hand,? Summers said.

Several residents of the Three Notch Road community said Land?s car,
previously parked in the driveway as normal, had been missing for
several days before the grisly discovery. Summers said authorities are
investigating the missing vehicle.

?We do not know where it is at this time,? he said last week. ?We are
aware of the car, but (West) may have drove the car and broke down
someplace and he just left it. He may have already taken the car and
tried to sell it or something.?

It is unclear how everything unfolded when Stier returned to collect
payment for the pizza. Summers said authorities have no idea how long
the time-line was once Stier arrived at the home before he was killed.

?He arrived to try and recover the money somewhere around 4:30 or 5
p.m.,? the sheriff said. ?We do not know when the crime actually
occurred, but I am assuming (it) was as soon as (West) coaxed him into
the house.?

According to authorities, Stier?s wallet was found empty within the
house.

?He was robbed,? Summers said. ?His billfold had been removed from his
pocket. We can?t say the motive was robbery because we don?t really
know what happened.?

Outstanding warrants

West had several run-ins with the law in both Catoosa County and in
Sequatchie County, Tenn.

According to Summers, West was charged with three counts of aggravated
assault against his grandmother earlier this year. The charges stemmed
from accusations that West tried to rob Land, take her prescription
drugs, and threatened to kill her.

Summers said West failed to appear in court on these charges and a
bench warrant for his arrest was issued.

The sheriff said officers had been to Land?s residence earlier this
year looking for West but did not find him there.

According to neighbors, West stayed at Land?s residence off and on.

Summers said West also had a history of violence prior to the most
recent assault charges.

Orders of protection were filed against West by Land in 2001, which
were later dropped, and another was filed in 2002 by West?s aunt. Each
order of protection was filed due to West?s threatening and harassing
attitude, the sheriff said.

Sequatchie County detective Jody Lockhart said West had two warrants
against him there, one for statutory rape and the other for failure to
appear in court on the statutory rape charge.

Lockhart said West had been on the run from Sequatchie authorities for
some time and was unable to be located.

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--
Anne
indigoace at goodsol period com
http://www.goodsol.com/cats/
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