Firstly did Corrine have Judith’s number? I think it would have been very odd if she did. My mother didn’t have any of my boyfriend’s mother’s numbers. Did yours?
Secondly, there are two undeniable facts related to the finding of the body scenario. One, that Janine and Steven’s statements in the first month after Jodi’s murder agreed with Luke’s in that his dog alerted Luke to the break in the wall. Two that by the time the case came to court Janine and Steven, under oath, had changed their recollection completely and described a scenario where Luke, of his own volition, climbed over the wall. There is really no getting away from those facts.
Steven Kelly described in his first statements seeing the dog pulling Luke towards the wall. That couldn’t have happened if Kelly was walking on past the break and Luke was some way behind. That couldn’t have happened if Luke was over the wall and Kelly was brought back by Luke shouting. So how did it happen? Isn’t it more plausible that Kelly, Janine and Luke all walked past the break together and that’s where the dog started to pull Luke to the wall? That’s when Kelly and Janine saw what they described in their first statements, the dog ‘carrying on’ at the wall. That’s when Luke went over the wall.
And this ‘ Every action the trio described, was not a foot past that break, it was on approaching it, watching Mitchell go to it.’ Perhaps…except the pair, under oath, testified that the dog didn’t alert to the wall at all, that Luke, of his own volition, simply jumped over it….and therein lies the rub.
It did not happen, that's why. The dog was 'standing' up at the wall in one place only. The V break. The search trio did not describe what Mitchell claimed, that's why. There was no dog "alerting to" "air sniffing" "bounding" " tail and ears up! some distance past any break in the wall. There was no Mitchell "backtracking" - they all approached that break in the wall, and Mitchell with his dog went directly to it and over. And walked no more than 10ft - no unfamiliarity, no trepidation of step, he knew exactly what was there, and he had been in that woodland countless times before. Does one imagine that the Jury did not get to hear all of the accounts, of course they did. And is one forgetting the dog was up at the V, looking for it's master! who had went over! Standing there when Kelly and JaJ, then and only then walked past those 10 - 15 steps.
The author states - "that all of the earlier statements "indicated" that "Steven and Janine had overtaken Luke a couple of times" ( they did not indicate this they stated this as fact, at the Gino break and into that field a few steps) then the lies "indicated" therefore, "that they carried on walking down the path after Luke doubled back to the V point" - No they did not "indicate" this ever, and as above - They could not have witnessed anything at that break, it was as they clearly described, upon approaching it. Not once did any of that search trio state LM had "doubled back" anywhere. And yet again this "alerted to" and all else - these were Mitchells words.
And here is an excerpt from page 64 under "How the stories changed" Where she states the wall was reconstructed on the basis of "altered stories" - no it was not, it was on the basis of what they all stated at first. LM stated he was some 40ft down past with Kelly and JaJ. Kelly stated at the V, JaJ at the V and AW at the V. The reconstruction on each individual account of where they each stated,, they were.
"However on the basis of altered stories a reconstruction of the wall was built for the trial and the prosecuting QC placed each member of the search trio at the V point. He then walked 16.3 metres away (the distance Jodi's body lay from the V point) and then back towards the person standing at the V and, asking "is this what you saw?" and she states
"Not one witness (including Luke himself) had ever suggested this had happened, either in court or in statements, yet this dramatic reconstruction was used to convince Jurors that Luke was "lying" about what happened at the V"
My poor head yet again from all that shaking! The reconstruction was done on the basis of exactly what each stated happened. The trio at that V where they stated Mitchell and his dog had not walked past, and Mitchell who stated they were "parallel" to where Jodi lay in that wood. Where it was shown clearly, that they made it clear from that very first account that they had not walked past. That if Mitchell had taken the lead here again, past that V break, to where he stated he walked and his dog reacted! Then why did none of the search trio see him walking past, or state they had all walked past with him? And the AD asked at different points, not just from 16.3 meters. He stopped every few feet, and asked that same question. "from here?" until he was upon them - And SL's last part "to convince Jurors that Luke was "lying" about what happened at the V" - Really? but Ms Lean, Luke gave no account of what happened at that V with his dog, only that he had walked past it, around 16.3meters "parallel" to where Jodi lay in the woods, then and only then did his dog "alert" was his claim. It was to show that the search trio were always telling the correct account, from that first statement, "on approaching that break" that "Luke with his dog went straight to it" To show the Jury that the search trio could not have been past it with Mitchell, to then continue walking, by his claims, after he had "doubled/backtracked" to it. For it was impossible to see anything that the dog did, at that break, of him being in the woods, the lead and all else - it was to show the jury that LM was yet again telling a whole load of 'porkies!'
And the AD stated clearly to that Jury 'how could the search trio not remember such graphics as a dog doing what Mitchell claimed, and where he claimed. That "air sniffing" and all else, how could they not remember Mitchell walking back to that break?' How could they not remember him backtracking/doubling back? - in short Mitchell was lying, it mattered not a jot what he said that dog was doing at the wall, for him and his dog - were not where he claimed to be. That the only reason for Mitchell hopping over that V and going left, as he had been in that woodland with Jodi earlier in the evening. He knew every inch of those tracks. That narrow passage! - and he just kept on given and he just kept on lying.
And DF is asking SK, of that dog at the V and the Jury are thinking in reality, so what! Mitchell himself stated that SK could not have seen that dogs head level with that V, he has already stated that JaJ could not have seen him in the woods, he has already stated that the dog was not pulling to the break in the wall, he has already stated that they could not have seen that lead being handed over, he has already stated, without a shadow of a doubt, that his dog went nowhere near that break in the wall, pulling to the break, that it did not stand up at that break in the wall, - That his dog only jumped, bounded to that wall, some 40ft past it. That it's nose was twitching like b....ry and he just knew Jodi was on the other side, that he then backtracked to that V and JaJ and Kelly walked on down. - and this is from those 1st statements. The search trio were spot on, when they went over that walk a couple of weeks after the murder. There was no agreeing with Mitchell in the slightest. Not alerting, not leading them to, nothing. For they were at that V and Mitchell could not have been clearer, that his dog did nothing at that V - to alert, lead to anything. The very reason he was making it clear of some distance past, as he knew it had to look like the dog had actually picked something up, that could even scrape at explaining the ease in which he hopped over - no unfamiliarity, not trepidation of step, straight to where he had left her earlier!
And the AD had all of that on his side, he had those statements from that first one - that he could place that trio firmly at the V break and not a foot past it! No Mitchell walking back towards them, no back tracking if with them, absolutely nothing - but a dog with its master, doing what dogs do.
So Faith it does not matter a jot, if SK said he could not remember the dog up at the wall, from his first statements, of it's head up at the V. level with it - for it had naff all to do with Mitchells account, in the slightest! What Kelly, JaJ and AW were making clear, is that dog had not been alerting to anything at that break, and if the rest of those statements should be shown - one will see mention of that dog, scenting, scurrying at other areas on the way down, to that V break.
The one who prompts a search, Mitchell as he was the very first to mention, and not just to offer to search, but to search that path. Less than ten minutes from uttering those words he is on that path. And he is still on that path, and he had asked for something of Jodi's to be brought with the search trio, and they had not diverted to Judith's to get it. And the first thing he did ask, was "do you have anything of Jodi's?" And in enters the notion of that isolated woodland, by Mitchell at that Gino break. In around 7mins from commencing on that path together. He introduces the notion of the woods at the first break and he enters that wood at the second - and he shouts out. He may have been adverse to any God, but he certainly had a miracle happen, did he not?! - he knew exactly what he was doing!
And again, the "why, it does not make any logical sense?" does not come into it, at all - murdering and mutilating someone, makes no logical sense, does it? Prepped and ready, and chapping at the bit from that girls curfew time. And as soon as correspondence is made - less than 50mins later he has miraculously found her, less than ten mins with that search trio and bang!!
