Would welcome any insights and observations and please post them here (or after next few posts) so everyone can consider them. These documents cost me $1,729.84. There are 878 pages (there were really 880, but I missed numbering and scanning two blacked out pages that were entirely redacted and there was no indication what they were either by placement or by described exemption). So now we are probably approaching the $25K-plus mark in this case in money spent trying to get answers. The red numbers are mine–total pain in the ass when they aren’t numbered and things get tossed around. Some of the pages appear to be out of order, but I numbered them as they were presented. All of the yellow highlighting is mine.
I post them for the sake of transparency and for any insights/observations that we can share. Obviously my interest was in whether or not this man was ever investigated as a suspect in the child killings. See for yourself. Redactions were described as being on the basis of “suspect info, phone numbers, SSN, birth information.” Birmingham PD played fair with me, I have no reason to believe the redactions are not legitimate.
If you use the documents for any project, article, blog post, podcast, book, bogus work of fiction, etc., please do not even imply that you lifted a finger or spent a dime to obtain these documents. All you had to do was hit a few keys on your computer and read. If you are, for whatever reason, hesitant to post a comment here you can email me at OCCKtruth@protonmail.com.
There is a fair amount of duplication in these records, but this is how they came. Each file link is about 100 pages, give or take. Here are the first two of eight:
I’ve read the first 170 pages and I’ve got to say things don’t look great for Linda Webster. It looks like she left her husband, Doug Webster, for John McKinney only to have McKinney decide months later to break things off with her because he didn’t want to divorce his wife. Testimony says she and JM had lunch on the Sunday before his death and she was crying. Another witness driving the morning of the homicide’s discovery saw a white woman between the ages of 20-35 running from the gallery’s direction at 9:30am in silver high heel shows. Stated she fell, twisted ankle, yet got up and continued to keep running. There’s something t fishy with Linda and Doug Webster from the first 170 pages in.
He essentially stole his business partner’s wife. Convinced her to divorce her husband, then refused to follow through and divorce his wife when push came to shove. Seems like a possible motive for Linda and Doug W
I agree with both previous commenters: the Webster’s are suspicious.
However, there are obvious questions – at least two men had to be involved in subduing McKinney. He was shot in the head after being knocked to the floor (after a severe beating.)
So, it wasn’t just Doug Webster alone.
There are other possibilities.
The repeated redaction of a name that seems to begin with “J” on page 40 is mighty intriguing.
Cary Wilkie described this person as a Gallery customer of five years, a close friend.
Further, Steve A told Wilkie that this (name redacted) was “a partner in the Gallery” and a “very rich person with a lot of money and did a lot of financial backing for the work at the Gallery. However, he is not a talented artist.”
Cary Wilkie was asked if John McKinney had any homosexual tendencies. (The Birmingham P.D. seemed to believe that (redacted) was a homosexual.)
On the next page, apparently again referring to the same (name redacted) person, Wilkie was asked what kind of cigarettes (name redacted) smoked. (NOW brand).
Then Wilkie said: “John was concerned about (redacted) because (redacted) drank so much. It appears that approximately two weeks ago (redacted) got so drunk that John McKinney had to take him home and put him to bed. Supposedly they were out drinking at Peabody’s that night. The next day (redacted) did not recall anything of what happened the previous night. Last (redacted) and John McKinney took a trip to London England together. I asked Cary if (redacted) was the type of person that could get violent when drinking. He replied, yes he could.”
Whoever this person was, the Birmingham P.D. initially considered this person a possible suspect. Yet this (wealthy) person had enough clout to never face serious scrutiny.
Further, this person apparently lived near Peabody’s, had an enormous interest in art, and was seemingly McKinney’s silent partner, keeping The Gallery afloat.
The Birmingham P.D. had no problem identifying Doug or Linda Webster, Cary Wilkie, John McKinney, Jr., Ron Frey, Marty Hugazion or any other possible suspect.
Only this mysterious benefactor of McKinney’s gallery had their anonymity preserved to the present day.
This would-be artist, art lover, benefactor, wealthy, jet-setting traveler (and suspected homosexual) had some kind of . . . (political) pull to keep his name out of the Birmingham P.D. reports.
Huh.
I wonder who it could be . . .
(Not.)
Good catch! That person is John D. Blanchard. Close friend of McKinney. His father was an artist and on the Cranbrook board go figure. He and his father share the same name, I put it together from one of interviews with a rival gallery owner