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It was teamwork: Natasha spiked the chocolates, which Carl Rose handed to Kelly to give to Trudi,
The key elements:
1. Carl did the background checks for the agency, but reported nothing on Natasha. Methinks, he did some legal work for Natasha related to her prior misadventures, and they agreed to enhance each other's bank accounts by building up the agency's business more similar to a local "Mayflower Madam", taking photos of the wealthy clients in compromising positions for blackmail. Kelly probably manned the videotaping equipment; payroll for 3 people certainly couldn't take very long.
2. Riddick not only saw Carl give a box of candy to Kelly Clinton, but Carl gave him a lot of money to leave town. If it had been an innocent box of candy, why would Carl give Riddick $20K?
3. Trudi didn't know who to believe in Corrina's case. However, when Dana informed her -- just before the murder -- that Kelly had taken some of the files, I imagine that Trudi realized that she had been duped by her partner and exploded to her. At that point, Kelly may have threatened to expose Carl's part in the underhanded dealings to his wife, but Carl couldn't stand to lose his "sterling" reputation (and lucrative side income), so he arranged to have Kelly give Trudi the box of chocolates. Just think, he mgiht keep his reputation AND receive $2 million in life insurance.
4. Once Carl became a widower, with a $2 million policy coming his way, he suddenly met Natasha's criteria for a husband. So she gave him a watch with "love" engraved on it. (Carl was smart enough not to marry her, though.)
Mystery Gal (MsTree838@aol.com)

it seems like everyone has some kind of connection..
Carl Rose and Kelly Clinton seems like they were having some kind of relationship...
there was miss communcation between Carl and Kelly how they found out Trudi's death... Carl says he called Kelly from the morgue and Kelly says Carl was on the way to the morgue.
Kelly Clinton seems like she was doing something behind Trudi's back... and before Trudi finds out.. she blamed it on Corinna Morgan and fired her...
and then there is Dana Pomeroy..who had all the access to the poison due to her family who had some kind of medical related jobs...
anyway... I still don't know who did the actual murder
a left handed person since the poison was injected on the top left side of all the chocolate.....

I think Miss.Clinton and Mr.Rose were in it together to kill Mrs.Rose. Because in the Interview of Miss.Clinton, she claimed that Mr.Rose called her from his house, where he claimed he called from the morgue. Their interviews don't add up. Plus, Mr.Rose claimed that he would not buy his wife a cheap looking box of chocolate, but the box chocolate was made to look expensive by decorating the box with red ribbon. Also, there would not be a note with the chocolate if it was received from a friend or husband, it came from someone she knew. Miss Clinton only came to the office twice a month the first and fifteenth of every month. Miss Clinton setup the secretary. The stolen files were in the bag that Miss Clinton had carried into the office and were place in the briefcase when the secretary was ask to get Mrs Rose. Miss Clinton was a part owner so why didn't she go to Mrs Rose and talk to her in private She Knew where Mrs Rose office was. And Mr Rose said that he went to Allstate to secure a policy on the dating service that his wife and he had started, When it was started by Mrs Rose and Miss Clinton before Mr Rose was ever in the picture. I think there was some skimming of some money or some bad investments made by the two of them.

i would think that bob edwards was involved
don't you?

I think that mrs clinton framed Corinna Morgan to get her fired then killed Mrs. Rose

Sat Feb 14 13:49:37 PST 1998

ARE THESE REAL MURDERS AND HOMICIDES OR IS THIS JUST FOR FUN
ON THE NET ???? PLEASE ANSWER.

Sat Feb 14 11:26:23 PST 1998

I have to wonder what has happened in the last six years that lead to the solution of this case. It appears that something must have happened or the case would have had a solution prior to this time. Is there a way that we could be informed of the activities of the suspects since the time of the crime?

I have to wonder what has happened in the last six years that lead to the solution of this case. It appears that something must have happened or the case would have had a solution prior to this time. Is there a way that we could be informed of the activities of the suspect since the time of the crime?

I think the killer was Bob Edwards. He had access to poison. He said he had lunch at Ajax's, but I can't find were anyone saw him. I delieve he poisoned all the candy because he blamed everyone at Cupid's Couples for what happened to him. If you remember in the interview he laughs when Det. Nelson ask him were he was on the day of the murder. Were he went wrong was he didn't check to see if all of the people involed were going to be there. He said he never talk to Trudi. How was he to know Trudi would eat the candy when she was by herself.

OK...Kelly Clinton, Carl Rose and Natasha Van Moore were all in it together.
Natasha poisoned the chocolates with arsenic kept or stolen from her ex-husband's farm (never know when a bit of arsenic might come in handy, do you?)
She gave them to Carl Rose who passed them on to Kelly Clinton to drop in to the office - as a small gift from a friend.
The three all split the money.
I agree with the theory that Natasha was celebrating the murder at her drunken lunch. As well, she was targetting rich men through files obtained by Kelly Clinton and both were profitting from that. She set up Corrina with allegedly stolen files because she figured Corrina would
put two and two together once the murder had taken place so she wanted a new girl in the office who did not know the relationships.
cheeky1@rocketmail.com

I believe that without a doubt it was definately Kelly Clinton who preformed this hanous crime. The reason I feel this is she had fired corrina morgan without probable cause. I feel that she planted those files in her briefcase to get her out of the picture, and the reason she wanted her out of the picture is she was afraid of her catching on to her scheme. I feel she then became concerned about Trudi Rose catching on to her scheme. When I refer to scheme I feel she was scimming off the books or keeping files to find herself a eligible wealthy man. So she found a way to get poison and kill trudi how she acquired the poison I haven't figured out yet. But I have to stick with this theory. If Iam proven wrong then so be it but when you have a gut feeling you have to go with it. Oh if I am wrong and the husband did it he is a very stupid man especially after the insurance policy he took out on her he is bound to be suspect. Well here is my theory look forward to finding out whether or not I could make a good detective I love mysteries on t.v. and usually have the murderer figured out before the end of the show we will see.
Pam

This may not have much to do with the solution of the crime; I leave the determination to others. But something about this has been bothering me...

Why were all the candies in the box poisoned? For a crime that was ostensibly planned so well, this strikes me as inane. I would think that the source of the poison had a much better chance of being obscured had there not been poisoned candies left over. Obviously not all had to be eaten in order to have a fatal effect, so why be so obtuse?

---One Jazzy Kitten, who would have poisoned only a truffle, since they *are* the best.

Ms Pomeroy was the only person able to acquire the poison but motive evades me unelss her failed romance is owed to the agency.

Response: Thanks for your theory. Don't forget to vote for your choice of the killer or killers.

Sorry to rehash a previous point, but there IS evidence that Kelly Clinton was in the Cupid's Couples office the day that Trudi was murdered - she said so herself! She said she went by at 10:00 to see if Trudi wanted to meet her for dinner later in the week.

Time of death doesn't mean much in this instance - Trudi ate the candy sometime after lunch but that doesn't mean that the candy was dropped off then. So anyone who was out of their office or unaccounted for during the day could have dropped off the candy.

A completely contradictory theory - Trudi wrote a check on the 10th to Chevron. Might she have purchased the cheap candy for herself? This would mean someone who knew that she shopped there would have to put the Wal-Mart candy there so this theory is somewhat flawed. But is Wal-Mart the only place where this candy could be purchased?

Lastly, I think that the key to solving this is in reading the detective's answers to our questions. Several of our suspects - Silver, Corrina, Patterson, Pomeroy seem to have been eliminated as suspects. It also appears that the detectives do not believe that Carl was having an affair with either Kelly or Natasha so that is two conspiracies out the window.

I think the killer was Kelly Clinton and I think she acted alone.

Response: Thanks for your theory and don't forget to vote.

NOT A HAPPY CAMPER HERE!
There have been unanswered questions posted for two days, now in their third day, and no replies! What happened to the "response every day" promise? How are we supposed to solve the case if you don't answer questions posed AND you don't give transcripts of chat sessions?

Response: Doing the best we can. Sorry.

Someone posted on the board a main clue---------------
A exspensive box of chocolate is from a lover, but a cheap one is for a friend.
This person also stated that they believe it its Ms. Clinton.
Which I agree also.
But, one clue everyone is missing.
1) Bob Edwards believes he was burned and humilated against in regards to his divorce from Natasha Van Moore.
2) He goes on a mini-vacation. He comes back from this vacation being better off.
So, my thought is he talked to someone to get it out of his system. He vented off somewhere. Came back he was calm and collective.
3) Did anyone check more into Margorie Kilgore????????
She has dated Bob Edwards on again off again over some time. If she was in love with Edwards, she would do anything to get even for him. She worked at the bank as a teller = link to = Ms. Clinton.
Example how many of us go into our bank same bank over and over again. We start to open up to our tellers. They became friends. Here is how Ms. Clinton got the Rat Posion from Bob's ranch and no one would suspect her.
Barbara (Ntlc13) aka Lefthan898

Response: Thanks for your theory. Don't forget to vote.

I do have some small observances. If Miss. Clinton only came in twice a month how did she know that Mrs. Rose liked to eat chocolate after lunch? It seems to me that the only part she had in the business was the payroll and accounting. Maybe Mrs. Rose wanted to cut her out because she was doing all the work and felt that she should have the business for herself, or maybe she found out something that was shady and was going to put a stop to it, could it be that the secretary that was fired (a premeditated gesture in itself) was about to stumble onto something so she got rid of her too.

CYNDI6653

Response: Miss Clinto and Mrs. Rose were old college friends, so we assume they knew each other's habits and schedules very well.

I just starting at this but it is really fun and exciting who did and why? What was the motive txs cher

Response: Thanks. Don't forget to vote.

I believe that my group-- the Super Sleuths have a solution for this case. We believe that Melonie Watkins is the killer.

It is evident that Woodley knew her murderer. Otherwise, the night watchman would have heard a commotion.

There are too many holes in Watkins' story. She claims that Woodley called her around 9 O'clock. the logs show this call at 10:10. Watkins claimed that the call was short, just long enough for Woodley to invite her out for a drink. The log shows that it lasted 23 minutes. Watkins also claimed that she had not seen Woodley. Why were her fingerprints in the room? On pop cans that should have been taken out at six O'clock? Her alibi doesn't cover her for the tim of the murder, as well.

Although it may not be enough for an arrest, I believe that Watkins should be questioned further.

Response: Thanks for your theory. Don't forget to vote.

let's just suppose for a minute that the candies were not meant for trudi. maybe someone left the candies in the office for kelly and being that trudi liked chocolate so much she ate them. besides she knew that kelly wasn't that big a chocholic. i think that kelly and natasha were running some kind of escort service out of cupid's couples and one of their disgruntled clients was unhappy with the service they got and sent the candies. or------trudi got wind of kelly and natasha's littel scandal and they conspired to kill her so that they could get away with the crime. it just seems to me that that is the reason that natasha wanted to be connected to carl.

Response: We believe that the candies were for Trudi. Thanks for your theory.

Hello,
After reviewing the evidence, suspects and aspects of the case my first reaction is that Kelly Clinton and Natasha Van Moore are partners in crime. I think that Kelly provided the names and information that Natasha used to build up her clientel. She probably also got a kick-back from the deal. That would increase the number of suspects by the number of names she supplied because it would not be unheard of for some of them to be blackmailed when they were tired of participating and wanted out. If Trudi had gotton wind of this and was forming a plan to disassociate herself from Kelly this would be motive enough, yet it is just possible that she was not the intended victim and the candy had been left for Kelly Clinton not by her. Which would mean that Trudi's death was accidental. The only thing that has not been made plain is who were the other promenant couples that were matched together at Cupid's Couples. One last question? Since Woodley was the reporter who wrote up the death notice and I am sure was investigating the case on her own did she find the murderer which would link this case to her death and the confession of Harold Ivy? Is it possible that Harold Ivy and his wife were once clients of Cupid's Couples? Although you have good circumstantial evidence for the suspects you want us to vote on I am not positive that the real killer is on that list. However, the person who hired the killer is.
I would have to cast one vote for Kelly Clinton and one for Natasha Van Moore since I think they are partners.
MC7LINK3@AOL.COM

Response: Thanks for your theory. Don't forget to vote for your choice of the killer or killers.

Who was the surprise guest on Wednesday night?

Bob Edwards stated that he was at ajax restaraunt aroun 12:00 the day of the murder.Natasha Van Moore also
stated that she was also at ajax we need to find out the time Natasha Van Moore was at ajax restaurant because she also stated that she have'nt seen Bob Edwards.

Response: We assume they were both there around noon, but we do know they didn't sit together, or talk to each other.

Theory #1:
Natasha and Carll were having an affair; Natasha choose Carl as her next husband based on his wealth and position.
Natasha and her two cohorts were celebrating the murder at lunch.
The candy was chosen simply to avoid detection; more expensive chocolate, sold to fewer people, would have been easier to trace.
Carl knew Trudi well enough to know she'd eat any chocolate.
The candy was left on her desk, without a note, late at night when no one was in the bldg., using Carl's key. He may have told her verbally that morning that he had left a little Valentine's Day surprise for her.
Both poisons were obtained from the university lab by Natasha, who had a client/john that worked there.
the case was eventually solved when this man stepped forward years later and told the police what he knew, since the murder had haunted him for years. He could have been either blackmailed into participation, or tricked-- Natasha could have convinced him to do a little role-play/sexual encounter in the lab late at night, asked for a tour, found out where the poisons were kept, and getting the keys from him would have been a cinch for someone in her "position."
Lucy Gayheart

Response: Thanks for your theory. Don't forget to vote.

Just a few questions.

1. Did Mr. and Mrs. Rose have a smaller Insurance Policy and then update? If so when was the update?

2. How do we know that the phone call that Mr. Rose made from the morgue was to Ms. Kelly? Did someone hear the phone call?

3. Did he make the call before or after the viewing?

4. Did Edwards or Van Moore see each other at the restaurant?

5. Did Mr. Rose gamble or have something going that he needed a lot of cash for?

Jaz

Response: No smaller insurance policy. Just that one. 2) He said so in his interview, that he called her. 3) After the viewing of the body. 4) We don't think so. Neither one mentioned it. 5) Mr. Rose did not gamble, we don't believe, or have a drug problem, or anything else that he might need a large sum of cash for.

There are several inconsistencies in this case. The writer needs to pay more attention to details and not insult the intellegence of thers. For example, Business partner Kelly Clinton is list as being born in 1971. Could she have graduated with the victim at the age of 9 in 1979? Or was this a typing error? Als in the case of Natasha Van Moore. She is listed as being born in Nashville, Tennesse in 1976. This means that she would have commited most of her prostitution before puberty? This also means that she was 13 years old when she married Edwards in 1989. In Edwards Bio, it states that he discovered that Van Moore was actual 15 years younger, which would actually place the year of birth around 1956. Is this too another typing error?
The question in this case is weither or not more physical evidence was obtained? This specifically relates to latent finger printing on the candy box, container and/or wrapper. Was this acquired or tested? Although motivation is certainly a key factor in successfully prosecuting murder cases; however, direct and physical evidence is crucial. The areas of questioning the arouse suspision are:
(1) Husbands comments to the effect that he wouldn't buy his wife cheap candy. He contriduicted himself on at least two occations. First, he stated that her usually buys his wife jelery and even a new vehicle on these type of occations. Then he claims that gifts aren't important and they just usually have dinner on valentine's day. Married only three years he has given gifts more often then not. How does he know the value of the candy? Why didn't the detective ask or question more to clarify how he knew or what he meant by this statement.
(2) The only questionable abili is in the case of Natasha Van Moore. More questioning should have been done in the interviewing of this subject. Specifically on how she met the victim. Her relationship, how long she has known the victim, has she and the victim ever had an informal friendship. Such as had drinks together, gone to dinner etc. (3) Business partner claims that chocolate usually spoils when she gives it to friends, so she normally doesn't give chocolates. This is definately a mis-statement. It doesn't even make sense. Candy is a preservative. How can it spoil? She should have been questioned more. She should have been questioned as to her relationship with Mr. Rose. Other witnesses should have also questioned as to Mr Rose and Clinton's relationship.

Moreover the note fould shpuld have been analyzed. These Three people are the most likely subjects in this case.

Paul A. Martinez
Springer, NM

Response: A typing error was made in regard to those ages. And we're really sorry. Old files, old mistakes, employees in our department gone since then, etc. As to Rose, you have to understand that Rose had just lost his wife, and that he is a very powerful man in Oxford. That doesn't mean I'm scared of him, but I do respect him. I have gone over his transcripts since then and I know what you are talking about, but I like to interview people sometimes with just a "throwaway" tecnique of just shooting the breeze. Now this may be strange, so stay with me. When I do this, often these people let things slip. I can always come back later and charge them if I think I have a case. But the thing is, we didn't have a case for six years. It was foolproof. The whole thing was orchestrated very well, so please forgive if it seems that people contradict themselves. 2) Van Moore and Rose didn't really know each other except for when Rose fixed her up with Edwards. We don't believe that they ever had a formal relationship.3) All the evidence that you have we have. I agree that chocolate does not spoil, if left in the refrigerator. I do understand what you mean, though. See why this case bothered US for six years?

Just a thought

Natasha could have had access to the poisons, when on her ex-husband's farm.

Kelly could have been supplying the files to Natasha, or using the files herself to find rich single guys.

Kelly had decided very quickly (within 2 days) what to do with an investment that was worth 1/4 of a million dollars.

Did she sell her share in Cupid's quickly, and to whom?

Or if the business continued for a period of time afterwards, who replaced Trudi in her role....

Response: Kelly ran the business after Trudi's death, with the help of interns. She still owns her share of the company.

Ironically, the biographic information on the victim list her age as 37. The year of her birth indicates 1961. In 1992, she would have been 31 years of age not 37. Therefore how is this possible? If born in 1961 one would not be 37 years of age until 1998. This year. This is merely a point of clarification.

Paul A. Martinez
New Mexico Juvenile Justice Division
Springer, NM

Response: Thanks. This information has been shuffled around and retyped so much over the last six years that one of our transcribers obviously made an error on that.

this candy is really bugging me; a box of 18 candies for just a buck twenty nine to forty nine, cheaper than the "higher end" Brach's and Whitmans-- that is some cheap candy! Candy sold to children, no less. ANd if there was ever a dearth of kiddies it's among this bunc. the candy is a mystery.

Response: The candy bothered us for a long time too, but you want to know something weird? I was in a friend's office today on the university campus and we were just talking and I looked down and there was a box of the exact same candy sitting on a stool by his desk. The exact same candy. They still sell this candy here in town, at Wal-Mart, but I don't think most people consider it a real, romantic gift. It seems to be more of a little treat you can buy someone. My friend said one of his employees gave it to him for writing her a letter of recommendation for a new job. Strange how the world works.

Hi. This is my first time here, and I had a thought or two in regards to the case. I was hoping to get some feedback on them.

Firstly, it is my belief that Kelly Clinton murdered Mrs. Rose. Corrina was set up. That much is fairly obvious. Why else would Mrs. Clinton have come in with a severance check already written out? Having been a manager in a retail store it was always our policy to catch the person in the act, send them on their way, then send them whatever renumeration was due them, if any. This leads me to suspect that Mrs. Clinton was indeed "cooking" the books. Corrina might have either found out about it, or was on the verge of it. In either case, if Mrs. Rose was on the verge of finding out, then suspicion could easily have been diverted to the ex-secretary. If you steal one thing, why not steal others?

Secondly, Mrs Clinton could easily have walked into the office without being noticed. While, yes, it is unusual for her to be there on some other date than the first or the fifteenth, she could have easily needed to "pick up" a record or two to complete the pay period's payroll. That would lull the victim into a false sense of security.

Thirdly, she knew of Mrs. Rose obsession with chocolate. Being that close to Valentine's day Kelly Clinton could have picked up a box of chocolates as a friendship present. An exspensive box of chocolates is reserved for lovers, but a cheap one is just fine for friends.

The question now is where did she get the poison. The only place I can think of is from the banker. It was said somewhere that Castor Bean oil is used in agriculture. Our banker friend has a ranch. Even if it has nothing to do with farming or the growing of anything he probably has neighbors who have parts of their properties dedicated to such a thing. It's a simple matter from there to put it into the chocolate. The arsenic could come from the rat poison he uses regularly to rid himself of rodents.

He had a motive to have or help Kelly Clinton kill Mrs. Rose. Trudi (since she was the one who handled all the match-making) had lost him a million and a half. Even to a rich man, that's not pocket change. After all, "she made a very bad business decision."

I do have a question or two:
1. Was there a detailed analysis of the chocolates? Did the experts check the chocolate and the nougat separately? If so, where was the concentration of castor bean oil?
2. When was the last time the banker was at his ranch? Can the types of poison he uses be analysed for similar content?

Thanks for the opportunity!

Response: 1) As far as we know the chocolate was not split into individual ingredients when it was tested. But there was enough arsenic and a trace of castor bean oil in each piece to cause some real problems. Trudi Rose had a well-known sweet tooth, and we think she just ate six pieces very fast and it hit her all at once, killing her. 2) The banker, Bob Edwards, lives at the ranch. That's his home. From what we understand, he uses industrial, agriculture posions, for bugs and weeds and things. Very heavy industrial stuff you buy in fifty-pound bags and add water to.

no, no, no detective what i meant was: I am unable to participate in chat, since these sessions are held during evening hours, when i am busy having a life, so will transcripts of these chat sessions be made available? I really feel that I'm missing some important clues, like this mystery woman, for god's sake, sheesh, who's she? How can I solve the case without all the information? And thanks.

I think Cupid done it ,you know love. He could have been mad It could have been an unsuccessful client. You said you already solved it,so did I guess right

Response: Thanks. Cupid's not a suspect, though. Don't forget to vote.

Husband
1. How long did they date before they got married?
2. Did either one have kids/
3. how did they get along before the murder?
4. Does the husband know Natasha?
5. If he knows Natasha how does he know her?

Kelly Clinton
1. How long were Kelly and Mrs Rose friends before they started the Business.
2. How close is Kelly and Mr. Rose?
3. Did Kelly and Mrs Rose get along?
4. Did Mr Rose and Kelly get along and how well?
5. Did kelly plan to get out of the Business before Rose was murdered?
6. How well does kelly know Natasha?
7. What does Kelly do with her time when she is not working?
8. Is Clinton married?

Bob Edwards
1. Did Bob appeal the court outcome of the law suit?
2. How well did Bob know Kelly?

Natasha
1. Does Natasha know Rose?
2. Did Mrs Rose go to the divorce hearing and say bad things about Natasha
that would of changed the hearing?

CorInna Morgan
1. Did Corinna ever comfront them about the files that were put in her brief
case?
2. Did Corinna know what was in the bag she brought in the office with her the
day she got fired?
3. How long after she was fired did the murder happen?

Dana pomeray
1. Did Dana know Natasha or Bob?
2. Did she notice any candy in Mrs rose office?

Response: Husband: 1) a few years. 2) no children before 3) They were the picture of love and happiness. 4) The husband does not know Natasha. Kelly Clinton: 1) Ten years: old college roommates. 2) Friends nothing more. 3) Yes. Very well. 4) Yes. Very well. 5) Not that we know of. 6) She knows her in passing, we believe, but not friends. 7) Parties, spends money. Couch potato during most of day. Loves soap operas, we're told. 8) No. Never has been. Bob Edwards: He did not appeal, because he did not want the extra publicity. 2) We assume that Edwards and Clinton know each other, but don't think they are close friends. Natasha: 1) We think they knew each other in passing. 2) Mrs. Rose did not testify for either party in the divorce. Morgan: 1) No. Clinton threatened to have her arrested. It would have been hard for Morgan to disprove, since Clinton, if she set up Morgan, also set up Rose, to believe the attempted theft story. It would have been two against one. 2) Clinton did not show her what was in the bag, she just walked in with it. 3) Two months later.Pomeroy: We don't think Dana knew either one. She was just a college student during the whole Van Moore/Edwards situation. She took Corinna's place. 2) When she arrived Mrs. Rose was dead. Trudi usually just worked alone from around ten to one, then grabbed a bite for lunch, and came back in till five, after Morgan was dismissed. She figured she couldwing it with one other part-time intern.

Trudi Rose and Kelly Clinton were best friends in college. Being the friends that they were I'm sure Kelly know how much Trudi's insurance policy was worth. Another thing, Carl said he called Kelly from the morgue. Kelly said he told her he was going over to the morgue identify the body.

But, we can't forget about Natasha Van Moore. Carl more then likely had seen Ms.Moore on occasion. I don't think they were having an affiar, but I do think they new each other very well. He could have on an occasion gotten her out of jail. Because he wanted her to keep her mouth closed. Natasha said she was seen around town spending money the day of the murder. But no one can varify her were abouts.
The killer could have entered the building with out being seen.

Remember Riddick Morton was outside the building. Who would pay attention to him, he was always drunk. Are maybe not. If the killer was thinking he\she would'nt have to worry about Riddick, all they would have to do is walk right in. Who is going to believe a drunk.

Is it coincidence that Morton returns from Chicago after 6 years, is arrested for driving under the influence (2/98) and now the case has been solved? Did Morton suddenly remember something from 6 years ago that helped solve this case?

Maybe he was the candy delivery person.

Response: We examined Riddick Morton in depth and did not find anything. He does not remember anything about that day (about the candy).

I noticed that some people have picked up on the contradicting testimony provided by Clinton and Rose. Rose says he called Clinton from the morgue, but Clinton claims it was prior to his identifying the body. I have no doubt that Clinton is the prime suspect. She had the secretary fired under very strange circumstances. I dont recall if anyone mentioned that Clinton had the severance check with her when she fired her. She was prepared to fire her. It was not a reactive action, but a very proactive one.

Response: Thank you for your theory. Don't forget to vote for the killer or killers.

Hi,
it's cheeky1@rocketmail.com again.
I have changed my mind from the poisoned chocs from Mark to Dana theory I advanced before.
I have nbow cast my vote for self inflicted but I believe it was Corinna Morgan sending the chocolates to Kelly Clinton..
and because Trudi always wanted chocolate after lunch she ate them and died.
I do feel strongly that the chocolates were not meant for Trudi ...and that's why you have a self-inflicted section in your murderer vote page,
you don't even list Mark so I could not vote for him and had to turn my attentions elsewhere.
It can't be the bank manager because they are always so straight and as for the hooker she is off doing other illegal things and parthing rather than murdering people.
Only problem is whether there was a card for Kellly with the chocs...maybe Trudi ate that too..or burnt it si she could socff the lot.

Response: Thanks for your theory. We do think that the chocolates were meant for Trudi. We do not consider Mark Silver a suspect in this case. He is an insignificant part of this story. We found no card anywhere, and sincerely don't believe that one came with the candy. Corinna Morgan denies everything to do with this case, and we have certain reasons to believe her.

Another question: how hard is it to obtain castor bean oil?
Did Trudi die from ingesting the arsenic, the castor bean oil, or a combination of the two? Do the two react in any special way chemically? Where can you get castor bean oil and in what professions would someone most likely use it?
Thanks,
CD

Response: Some pharmacy friends at the university tell us that castor bean is extremely hard to find. Since we are only laymen when it comes to botany and agriculture, we believe them when they tell us anyone who knows agriculture and or ranching would be able to obtain it, but no farm stores in Oxford or Lafayette County have ever dealt in it, since it is such an extreme posion. No farm stores in the area sell it. We believe that it was a mixture of both of the posions, but the arsenic greatly outweighs the trace amounts of castor bean oil. It was not an original ingredient in the candy&emdash;we know that.

Great job again, Crimescenesters! Now, some questions:
1. Det. Nelson, you seem to know Natasha Van Moore...personally, to judge by your interview with her. I don't understand how you can be so clearly distrustful of her in your interview, mention that she has a criminal file in Oxford "two inches thick" and was well known to law enforcement in and around Oxford---yet you tell Mr. Edwards in the course of your interview with HIM that you couldn't find anything on Natasha's background, even with all the resources at your disposal when you were hired by him specifically to do so. Sorry to say so, but it's clear that you are one of the clients that Natasha has threatened to blackmail if you dare expose her. This does not make you, Det. Nelson, a murder suspect--but it DOES make me wonder what else you may know about Natasha that you are afraid to say.
2. No one's ages match up. If she was born in 1961, Trudi would barely be 37 if she were alive TODAY, let alone in 1992 at the time of her demise. Likewise, Natasha is a young one but not THAT young! Is this just an oversight?
3. I agree that we can't be sure the candy was intended for Trudi. I'd like to see more info on Dr. Patterson and also on Mark Silver.
4. Riddick Morton needs to be re-interviewed, and quickly. He should be detained for as long as possible (so he can't get his hands on a drink) before his interview. I don't think he's a serious susppect but I do think he might tell something useful, and his continued alcoholism could be used to extract that information, even if that seems cruel.
5. Very interesting theories on Clinton and Van Moore acting in cahoots! However, why do they have to be in on it together? I don't think that Clinton associated with Van Moore or that Trudi or Kelly had any prior knowledge of Natasha being a call girl when she was matched with Edwards. I think both Cupid partners were innocent of any wrongdoing re Natasha. Natasha would have lied on her survey and Det. Nelson is protecting her, so how could they be expected to know better?
6. I DO suspect Kelly Clinton, though, on her own. She's been dating rich eligible Oxford men ever since. I think she had those client files, not for the purpose of blackmail, but to find HERSELF a suitable (wealthy) mate!
Like virtually everyone else, I think she set up Corinna Morgan, probably because Trudi was starting to catch on or was about to.
7. Carl Rose is a defense attorney. Who are some of the prominent (or notorious) people in town he's defended, and for what charges? He's never represented Natasha Van Moore, has he? (I don't really suspect him, but I'm curious!)
THANKS!
CD

Response: Whew. Okay, here we go. 1) I know things about Natasha now, but I didn't then. I've been around her, seen her in town, etc., over the years. She was brand new to me then, and Mr. Edwards obviously loved her, so why ruin it for him? I knew he could handle it, and he did. 2) We believe these things to be an oversight. 3) Neither Patterson or Silver have any real connection to this case. 4) You know we have to follow certain rules with suspects in our custody. I'm not going to offer Riddick a drink. But we are going to detain him. 5) I'm not protecting Natasha. I'm an officer of the law and of the court. 6) Thanks for the theory. 7) Rose has never defended Natasha. He has defended many upright people and scoundrels, though, much too many to go into here. I'm sure they'll surface someday.

Carl also said in the interview that the agent suggested the 2 million dollar policy. In the policy statement however he says that he suggested it and that the agent was surprised. Carl is implicated somehow and now trapped in his lies.
Mike Halpin

Response: We believe Carl Rose suggested the 2 million, and the agent, Johnny Starks, who has no real tie to this case besides the insurance policy, just went along with it.

the candy could have been delivered by the pizza delivery, of the pizza business owned by the hooker/divorcee. I'm not terribly enthused about this theory myself, but did they check on the pizza delivery truck's whereabouts?

Response: The pizza place has about twenty cars on the road at lunchtime. Impossible to investigate or verify with accuracy. They don't keep logs like I do when I go out to a new crime scene. Thank you, though, for your theory.

i am unable to participate in chat. Are transcripts available during this week? I want to solve this case!

Response: Chats are available during the week.

Hi Det Nelson,
I have one more Question to ask!
Have you talked with the company where the Wal-Mart purchased the candy? If So Please carefully at their eyes when they answer your question !
Let me give you my advice, Look at their eyes when the y answer your question, If they are looking through your eyes without sweating or looking around the place , they are defintantly telling the truth and had no problem answering that question and they are completely honest.

Response: Both Wal-Mart and the company that made the candy, Americo Foods, deny that they had anything to do with bad candy. They are very touchy about this, and have given their one and only statement.

It is Denise Gilhooley again,
Umm I am wondering if you have talked to every Wal- Mart co- workers.
It gives out all the nonsense! Trudi purchased the candy from Wal-Mart and brought it all the way to to the place where she worked as a boss , she opened the candy box when she felt like it. She ate it and collasped and was pronanunced Dead of the arensic poisioning in the candy which was in it. Have you talked to the company that the wal-mart purchased the candies. Trudi might be the unlucky person that purchased that candy with that arensic poision in it!
I haave an idea, Can you ask those witness if that candy was in the office when Trudi left to get a soda something like that? Ask the witnesses if Trudi did go to the office with the candy all the way from the Wal-Mart,? something like that!

Response: We don't think Trudi bought the candy herself. We really believe she was an innocent victim in all this, but thank you for your theory and don't forget to vote.

How did Carl know the chocolates were a cheap brand?

Response: We assume that he read about them in the newspaper article that said they were from Wal-Mart. You can't trust journalists to get it right.

Clinton killed Rose with the help of Van Moore.

Clinton had secretely set up a scam with Van Moore. They conspired together to exploit the dating agencey and find a rich old man, which Van Moore could then marry. The ideal man was duly found in the guise of Edwards. Edwards taste ran towards young girls (he would have admitted this in his private files). Van Moore was the ideal date (at the tender age of 13, Clinton was the only one aware of her real age). Van Moore and Edwards married, Van Moore blatantly continued with her call girl job, well aware that Edwards would find out and divorce her. Which he duly did, and in the process made Van Moore, and no doubt Clinton, a lot richer. Clinton then set about covering her tracks, first firing Morgan and removing 10 sensitive files (rich targets). The only problem left was Rose. Meeting Van Moore ( on the 10th Feb 1992, just a few short month after Morgan was fired) near Ajax, a resturant on Oxford Square, Clinton informed Van Moore that she was going to get rid of Rose. Clinton aware that Rose enjoyed eating chocolates, had previously bought some from the mart, which is across the road from the dating agencey. She had then injected each chocolate with poison. Rose who was out of the office most of the afternoon that day, "bumped" into Van Moore in the square, a short while later. Van Moore offered the chocolates as an appology for all the trouble she had caused. Rose returned to her office that evening, ate six of the chocolates and died. With her dead Clinton's and Van Moore's evil scam would remain hidden. It would also allowed Clintons affaire with Carl (Rose's Husband) to flourish, with the added possiblity of future marrage, which must have seemed attractive to Clinton as Carl was a rich man, even richer now that his wife was dead.

Response: Very interesting. Don't forget to vote for your choice of the killer or killers.

Miss Clinton and Mr. Rose have contridicting statments.
Mr. Rose said he called Miss Clinton from the morgue
to tell her that his wife was dead. But Miss Clinton says
that he called and told her he was going to the morgue to
identify the body. Is there any evidence of a possible
affair? And have you guys looked into this?

Response: We think that Miss Clinton was just confused. No evidence of an affair. We have looked into it.

This is a very complex case without much physical evidence. And it makes it all the more difficult is the amount of time that has lapsed since the crime. Here's my questions

Has Mr. Rose and Miss Clinton ever been in a relationship prior, during or since the murder?

How close to Mr. Rose's office and the place where he ate lunch at the day of the murder is Wal-Mart? Did he eat with anyone the day of the murder?

Miss Clinton had a lot of spare time since she was never at the office. And she certainly had enough money so, she didn't have to work. What did she do in her spare time?

Thanks

Response: Carl Rose and Clinton have never had a romantic relationship that we know of. Wal-Mart is on East Jackson Avenue&emdash;on the other side of town from the Square, where his office and her office were located. He stated that he ate alone on the day of the murder, that he usually ate alone. In her spare time, Kelly Clinton liked to spend money and party, like many other people in this carefree town.

I don't think it was Miss Morgan who did it because, like she said the files may have just been a misunderstanding. Because, why would kill someone just because they fired you?

Her husband is my strongest suspect for the moment. All of the evidence appears to be in.

Response: You are correct. All the evidence is in until we reveal the solution this weekend. It seems to us that Corinna Morgan has moved on from what happened to her at Cupid's Couples.

When I asked what time Pomeroy left the office I was implying to what time she left for lunch? She stated that when she usually came in in the mornings she usually heard the radio, but then she said Trudi was in and out of the office all day. Then she said she found the body at appr. 3:30. So, was she there when the murder occurred or was she out of the office for a late lunch and then returned to discover the body?

Response: Pomeroy was in school all day. She was a college student at the time of the murder and only worked part-time in the afternoons four days a week.

Carl made a call from the morgue. Kelly said that he called before the morgue. Question. Could Carl have made a call to Kelly prior to the call made at the morgue, is it possibly for him to have made two calls? Secondly, the call from the morgue, was it traced to Kelly's home?

Question. Does Kelly Clinton own a mobile phone?
Carl knew how to contact kelly, was it her home number or was it her mobile number?. Kelly said she just happened to be in when Carl called with the fateful news, where whould she be normally, shopping prehaps? If that is the case, it would seem to me that a mobile phone would have been an essentual in keeping contact with her business partener.

Response: The call was traced from the morgue to Clinton's home, and he only made one call from the morgue. Kelly Clinton may own a mobile phone, we do not know. She did not own one at the time of the murder. Thanks for your theory and don't forget to vote.

Question. How old is Van Moore. She claims to have been born in 1976. Yet she married Edwards in 1989. That means she married him aged 13! How old should applicants have to be before being allowed to join a dating agencey? Age, status and past criminal record should be top priority, in asessing the suitability of the client. If the information is unavailibale, the applicant, in this case Miss Van Moore ( a child prostitute), should have been refused. Why was she not refused? Was Morgan fired because, she had inadvertently stumbled onto Miss. Van Moore's file, was she fired by Clinton in an attempt to hide the truth about Van Moore's age and status?

Edwards & Van Moore claimed to have dined at Ajax, the new resturant in the square (on the 10th of Feb).Yet neither mention seeing each other there.odd?

Clinton was see in the (Oxford) square. Where did she have lunch?

Clinton and Van Moore. Hmmmm. I need to think this though.

Response: Van Moore, we believe, was born in 1961, making her now 37. The applicants had to be 18 for Cupid's Couples to work with them. Edwards and Van Moore dined at AJAX by coincendence. We don't think Clinton ate lunch that day&emdash;just shopped.

Xcalibur..
I did NOT do it!!!
Det Nelson won't arrest me...he's too busy looking into your background...
cheeky1

Response: You never know. If you mess up in Oxford, I will arrest you.

I was just wondering if Carl Rose and Dana Pomeroy were
involved romantically in any way?

One more question...How much money did the Van(whatever)girl get
from the lawsuit?
thanx,
Beth

Response: No romance between Rose and Pomeroy. Natasha Van Moore got a million and half dollars from her divorce settlement from Bob Edwards.

p.s.s.
Why do you keep typing &emdash;???
Its in the responces and in the site diologue!
????
Xcalibur@huron.net

Response: Document translation problems. Clear it up soon.

I think cheeky1@rocketmail did it--
He/she seems to be balminh it all on MarK?
No way! Arrest her and question her!
Xcalibur@huron.net

ps. thanks for responding Dt. Nelson

Hi Detective Nelson,
Lots of red herrings in this case and people with possible motives.
But who's to say that the chocolates were intended for Trudi Rose???
I believe they were delivered on behalf of Mark Silver (ex boyfriend of Dana Pomeroy) and Trudi, being a chocoholic, could not resist eating some after lunch...we know she ate chocolate bars after lunch.
Maybe look into Mark more.
cheeky1@rocketmail.com

Response: We believe the chocolates were for Trudi and Trudi only.

The fact that the husband declared, " I would never buy my
wife a cheap box of chocolates." clinches it for me. Being
the egotistical slob that he is, it's quite obvious that
he believes this would makes him the lesser suspect. So, I
have come to the conclusion that that is the very reason
he had bought a cheap box of chocolates, laced them with
the poison and waited to become a wealthier man than he al-
ready is. What a dork.....this guy is really stuck on him-
self. Thank-you for the opportunity to participate. This has
been quite enjoyable! Sincerely, Joni Fabela :-]

Response: Thank you for your comments. Don't forget to vote for your choice of killer or killers.

Seems a little strange that the two times that Kelly Clinton stops by the office unannounced, there is a theft of files, which she discovers, and then a murder. I think she did it and is possibly in cahoots with the husband. The bank president and the call girl aren't very good suspects - too much time has passed. Maybe the old secretary was set up so that the new secretary (maybe selected by Mrs. Clinton) could be hired and then help with some type of blackmail scheme against some wealthy clients.

Response: There is no evidence that Kelly Clinton stopped by the office on the day of the murder. As our interviewees have said, she stopped by on the first and fifteenth of each month to distribute the payroll. Morgan was fired on such a day.

Detective Nelson: It took you six years to solve this murder and you expect us to solve it in seven days, come on. First, was Trudi killed on the 10th (interviews on 2/12, 2/13, 2/14 ask where people were one, two and three days ago, respectively, press article and coroners report dated 2/11/92) or the 11th (incident report dated 2/11/92 3:34 p.m.)? Was she found on the floor (press article) or at seated at her desk (incident report)? Was Kelly born in '61 or '71? If Natasha was born in Tennessee in 1976, she would have only been 11 at the most when she came to Oxford and 12 when she attempted to cash the Social Security checks? Was she 16 when she invested in Jackson Avenue Pizza Pie? Carl says the insurance money is secondary to having Trudi, why did he turn in the death certificate within 2-3 days of her death? I think Kelly is lying in her statement to the police and she had motive and oppotunity of killing Trudi. I think Trudi found that Kelly was "cooking" the books, as we bookkeepers say. That is why the checkbook was found in her office. Now if I can just figure out how Kelly got the arsenic. Of course, you can find it in gardening supplies, are you sure that gardening isn't one of her hobbies? If she can get Carl to buy her out she would be free to travel as she pleased. Thanks for listening. MissinFish@aol.com

Response: 1) Rose was found on the 11th, and killed on the 11th. She was found at her desk, as the picture suggests (you can't always trust journalists, who work second-hand).

2) Clinton was born in 1961. If there's an error in her bio, we're sorry. She's given many contradicting statements to officials in the past that it's hard to keep track of it all.

3) Carl was attempting to get his estate straight, we think, and don't find it out of the ordinary to file the death certificate right after the death. Most people don't wait months and months to file the certificate.

Dana Pomeroy, whose father is a pathologist, mother does medical transcripts and sister is into chemistry, would know about poisons. She pledged and was a member of Chi Omega Sorority. She was responsible for functions. She had to deal with businesses and people around Oxford. Did she ever have to deal with matchmaking? Romantically, she was involved with Mark Silver, President of Kappa Alpha. They broke up soon after 11/91, Why?? How long did Mark Silver date her?

She started work 12/91, two months later her boss is murdered and she left the job shortly after. Did she quit or was she fired?

Jnerz

Response: We're not sure why Pomeroy and Silver broke up. We don't think it was anything sinister, and we don't think it very important. We think they dated about six months. Pomeroy quit the job.

Van Moore was arrested 1/14/88 for trying to cash stolen checks at a local bank. Wasn't there only one bank in town? The bank that Bob Edwards was V.P. of? She made a scene big enough in the bank to be escorted out by two officers, wouldn't Edwards remember this? Edwards has total control over day-to-day operations at the bank. He answers only to the board of directors, which he chairs. Shouldn't he have known who she was?

Jnerz

Response: Oxford had at that time seven banks. It now has nine seperate ones. It is a very rich town, so to speak. She attempted to cash the checks at United Southern Bank, which is now Union Planters Bank. Edwards was V.P. of First National Bank. He didn't know her before Cupid's Couples got them together.

I have a few questions. 1. Since the murder, what has happened with the business, Cupids Couples? 2. Has Mr. Rose remarried? 3. Has anyone other than Mr. Morton left town?

Thanks!

Response: 1) Cupid's Couples went out of business in 1994. 2) Carl Rose is presently single. 3) All of the original participants, including Mr. Morton, are still in Oxford.

I think Carl and Kelly were having a relationship and needed to get rid of Trudy so they could be married. They both had the most to loose if their relationship was discovered. Carl would loose at least half of his wealth and Kelly would loose this great business she didn't have to work that hard at keeping. Also, with the two millions insurance payment, she didn't need to work or have any business since she is planning to marry Carl. No doubt she was responsible for getting the secretary fired, which will allow her an opportunity to bring candy to Trudy. Trudy would probably only eat candy from here husband or business partner. I think they are co-conspirators in this case.

Reggie

Response: Thanks for your theory. Don't forget to vote for your choice of killer or killers.

Why did Kelly Clinton look through the former employee's briefcase?
People look in desk for pencils not briefcases.
Who owned the briefcase?

Sounds like a set-up.


Secondly; What is the financial position of the business at the time of death?

Response: 1) Morgan said that Clinton "set her up" (She believes she did) Morgan was still an employee at the time of the incident. It was Morgan's briefcase&emdash;it did not have a lock. 2) The finances of Cupid's Couples at the time of the death was in the seven figure range, due to additional investments that the three made in real estate and other things (Carl and Trudi, Kelly).

I don't think Mr. Rose was involved. He was a very wealthy man, with a wealthy family background. The life insurance would be pocket change for him. Ms. Clinton is very suspicious. It appears that she set up Corianna Morgan. She came in on an "off-day", that was unheard of for her. She had a grocery bag with her....did Corianna ever mention if she still had the bag after discovering the missing files. All the files were on prominent, wealthy men in the area. Maybe Kelly was working with Ms. Van Moore, to get money out of these men for a cut of the take. She was afraid that Mrs. Rose had discovered the plot.

The candy itself had no fingerprints on it (besides the victim). Given that there was no note attached or around, I would assume it was hand-delivered by someone wearing gloves (appropriate for the current weather conditions). It was most likely delivered early in the day, hence the drop in body temp at the time of discovery. It wouldn't have been delivered by Edwards, or Van Moore, as Rose would have been suspicious. Mr. Morton could have been paid to deliver the candy, once he realized that she was murdered from it, moved away (possibly with a pay off).

I think Kelly Clinton and Ms. Van Moore are in it together, possibly using Mr. Morton as a messenger.

Response: The grocery bag that Corinna Morgan testified to seeing Clinton walk in with is long gone. Thank you for your theories. Don't forget to vote for your choice of killer or killers.

How does Carl Rose know that the candy that killed his wife is "cheap" candy that he would never buy?

Response: Presumably from the newspaper article that described the candy as coming from Wal-Mart, which has "guaranteed low prices."

So far my suspects are the husband and the Kelly Clinton.
Why the secratary was fired i'm not so positive, but my gut feeling is something is definitivly wrong with these two. Is there a possible conspiracy between the call girl and the husband/Clinton? (There is blackmail in the air.) Also, why no interview with the other call girls? (By the way arsenic is a build up poison type, it takes time to work. So are you positive it's arsenic?) A full tox screen is needed. Tell the coroner it's easily found in hair samples. There is also a remote possibility that she was not the target. But, I dont feel strongly about it. However the comment by the call girl of "she got some bad candy" screams at me. I feel she did it or had a hand in it. But she had nothing to gain by it, and the husband/Clinton do. They have motive,ability and oppurtunity. Men when commiting murder normally use weapons, and/or physical violence. This is an act of the female mind
as normally they use guile not weapons or physical stregenth when commtiting murder.

"Detective" Kenne7

Response: We can't even nail Van Moore for being a call girl, much less her roommates, who we don't know are or aren't call girls. We are positive it is arsenic, but it was a very large dose in each piece of candy. I will pass your tip on to Yoknapatawpha County Coroner Jennifer Johnson.

1. Is a coincidence that Pomeroy's exboyfriend Mark Silver has the same last name as one of Van Moore's aliases (Kitten Silver)?
2. Have you checked the appointments/schedule for that morning to see if there were any clients that could have witnessed the "delivery" of the chocolate? Ask the mail man or Fed Ex, UPs, etc. to see if it was delivered "commercially".
3. How did Corinna attempt to blackmail the business...that is not clear to me....
4. Why did Kelly break up with Dr. Patterson?
5. Has Time of Death been established?

Sculleey

Response: 1) It is a coincedence, we think. Silver is a common name in Mississippi. 2) No one knows how the candy was delivered. It didn't come through the post office, and no commercial delivery services have a record or such. 3) Corinna says she didn't attempt to blackmail anyone- she believes she was "set up." 4) Kelly Clinton has dated and broke up with many a man. 5) Time of death is iffy-we believe it was between two and three- can't be positive.

First, can we get the full autopsy report? Did the coroner's
office run tox screens on the candy? If so, they should be
able to narrow down what kind of arsenic it was, based
on the impurities in it.

Secondly, what was the approximate time of death? Looking
at people's alibis does no good if you don't know what period of time they need to be free for.

Finally, I read a comment about someone leaving the poison to kill Mrs. Rose's partner. This seems pretty unlikely - poison requires a pretty reasonable knowledge of the party you're trying to kill, and anyone who knew the partner would realise that she only came in twice a month. Has the secretary been investigated? Perhaps the chocolates were left for her, and then picked up by Mrs. Rose and eaten.

Thanks!
darkmich@zebu.cvm.msu.edu

Response: The report you have is all we have. The coroner says arsenic and perhaps also some castor bean oil spiked in there also, which it twice as deadly and fifty times faster. The TOD is between two and three p.m., but we can't be sure.

I think there is some key info missing: 1. What is the time of death? 2. What time did Pomeray get to the office and discover the body? Did anyone see the candy beforehand? Was it sitting in the office, or perhaps was it mailed in.

There are also two inconsistencies that need to be check out. 1. Rose said it was his agent's idea to get a $2 million policy, but the agent said it was Rose's idea and then went into detail of how this was unusual and the procedures for securing such a policy.

Also, Van Moore and Edwards had lunch at the same diner. What time was she there and did they see each other there. Perhaps they were scheming to get rid of a common enemy.

Response: 1) TOD is between two and three, WE THINK. We are not sure. 2) Pomeroy got to the office at 3:30 p.m. There is no record of anyone seeing the candy before. We think it was hand-delivered by someone. Rose wanted the big policy, the agent said that he had a policy in mind and Rose quoted a figure, we believe, and they went from there. Don't even think that Johnny Starks is dirty- he's honest as the day long. He was flabergasted by this whole thing and feels very stupid. Edwards and Van Moore ate at the same restaurant by coincidence, we believe. Nothing more. They didn't talk to each other and sat at seperate tables the whole time.

Isn't it obvious?

Chase McFadden was blind drunk and left the candy thinking
he was actually at the Oxford Eagle offices killing Joan
Woodley...

Hmmmmm...

Response: Thanks for your theory. Don't forget to vote for your choice of the killer or killers.

Just how much did Ms. Morgan really know about the companythat would cause Ms. Clinton to put files in Ms. Morgan's briefcase? And on her off day at that? And did Mrs. Rose find out more than she was suppose to? Maybe Clinton was blackmailing clients and one of them desided to do her in, but Mrs. Rose got the Candy instead.

Response: Morgan knew everything. She was the first and only secretary for six years. Clinton came in to distribute payroll (1st and 15th of each month) Mrs. Rose knew it all, too, we think, in regard to the company. It was her baby. Mrs. Rose did not intone to anyone that anything fishy was going on with the business.

I too beleive that Kelly was involved in the murder somehow.
No doubt that she set up the secretary but for what reasons I am not sure. Hubby and Kelly both are my suspects.
The farthest thing from my mind would be to call my wifes business partner from the morgue.
Definately make you think.

Response: We believe that Rose called Clinton just to tell her what had happened, not to cover anything up.

Bob Edwards did it . She hook him up whit that hooker , who¥s spending all his money

Response: Thanks for your theory. Don't forget to vote for your choice of the killer or killers.

The comment was made that Kelly took care of the financial end of things, but a business checkbook was found near Trudy's body. Was it a checkbook for Cupid's Couples? And what was the last check written (date, payee, amount)?

Response: It was a business checkbook. Trudi kept a small business account for things like postage, meals, etc. The last check was to the Chevron across the street for gasoline, dated February 10th. Amount- $18.53.

I believe Mr Rose, Kelly, and DAna all have motive to kill Trudi Rose. I feel very strongly that Mr. Rose definitley had a part in it. He doesn't seem very emotionally upset about his wife and he called Kelly instead of other family members first to inform her of Trudi Rose's death. I feel his wife found out something that he or kelly didn't want her to find out..such as an affair or something to do with money in the Company and they may have paid Dana off to deliver the deadly candies. All three have medical professionals in their background.either a parent or ex-lover, which means that any of the three could most likely get access and knowledge about arsenic and other poisons. I think more info is needed on the arsenic.there must be some way to trace it to where it was bought. I was also wondering if maybe Wal-Mart has any kind of survellence cameras in their store and perhaps they have the person who bought the candy on the tape?? HAve Dana and Kelly ever met before Dana's employment with Cupids Couples? I think Kelly definitely placed the "stolen" files in corina's briefcase and purposly fired her because she wanted Dana in there or if they didn't know each other, then she wanted someone younger to be working there so Kelly could maybe make it look like Dana had something to do with the crime. As was stated in Wal-Mart letter usually young people..children purchase the chocolates in question..I think Dana either knowingly or unknowingly played a part in the victim's death. Although Natasha has a history of crime i don't feel that she had anything to do with this because she got what she wanted from Trudi...a rich husband and she became rich through that marriage and divoce so i don't believe she would hold any grudges against trudi. I also don't think Bob had anything to do with it because he still has millions and although i am sure his pride and his heart was broken I think after he realized Trudi and Kelly honestly had no idea about Natasha's colorful past he no longer held them totally responsible. And i feel Corina, the old secretary even though she was fired blames kelly and not trudi for being fired. I don't think any of these three people have anything to gain from killing Trudi..also the drunk outside he may have saw something and he may not have but either way he was probably too drunk to recall what he saw if anything and he also doesn't seem to have any sort of motive for contributing in any way to this crime. I would like to know where dana is at this time?? And what is Kelly doing also?
Thank you.
Nikki

Response: Wal-Mart doesn't have a video of the candy purchase. We asked-they said no. They've looked over the tapes going back a month and can't find anything definite. Dana and Kelly did not know each other before she started working at the service. Dana Pomeroy is living in Oxford and working for a consulting firm that handles latge corporate functions like dinners and conventions and seminars in a hundred mile radius of Oxford. Kelly is "retired" and spends much of her time zipping around Oxford, eating at the country club, etc., and dating rich single men.

I have posted a 2nd commitment,
I have checked the unsolved crime case carefully and found something that would help solve the crime.
I have checked the suspect interviews and found that Natasha Van Moore is the possible suspect,I think she is the one who murdered the vitcim.(please read carefully) When you asked her if she knows if the vitcim is murdered and here is Natasha's statement:"She got some bad candy'?
When you asked her where she was 3 days ago and she responded"I cant remember.My life seems to be more so fast, you know." And I think she was afraid to respond the question you asked her before about where she was 3 days ago, and she is either the suspect or is drunk. please put in some more facts about Natasha Van Moore.
It is possible that the candy is already poisioned when she purchased the candy. Can you ask the lab persons and ask them about the poision , ask them how long have the poision been held in the candy? something like that!
Thank you ! I will be glad to put in my name just in honor of your law enforcement. My dream is to become a detective, or be part of the law enforcement.
Denise Gilhooley
Response: Natasha's life does move fast. All you have on Natasha is what we have on Natasha. She doesn't tell the truth unless she wants to or has to. Wal-Mart strongly denies ANYTHING to do with posioned cany beforehand. They are very touchy about that subject. The lab thinks that the posion in the candy was very fresh. We have asked that question. Follow your dream of law enforcement. Call us when you graduate.

oops again, one more note: call me sexist, but I don't think that Trudy's husband's possible partnership with Kelly is likely to be romantic; Kelly sure doesn't seem like the stuff dreams are made of, and men rarely dump perfectly good wives for a woman of the same age. they may have temporarily joined forces for the murder, of course. and if keely had been intent on marrying, it would seem she was in the perfect position to find a boyfriend or husband, and yet she hadn't.

Response: Thanks for your theory-don't forget to vote for your choice of killer or killers.

Gary Patterson is a doctor, and thus would have access to poison through the pharmacies which had this particular type of poison, according to the information found here. The strange thing about poisons and explosives is that they do not always kill the intended target. Sometimes they kill other, greedy chocolate loving innocents. Perhaps the poison was intended for Ms. Clinton and her partner found it first. What was the problem with Gary Patterson which led to the ending of that relationship? If he is not excluded as a potential perp., you will have to answer to the defense lawyers in court. BTW, it could not be the husband. He would have done this crime in a different manner.

Response: Patterson is not a suspect. He's clean as a whistle, trust us. Upstanding town father, all that. We don't know why he and Clinton broke up, and don't think it very important.

oops i forgot... also need to know about the newspapers found on the desk, with the checkbook, what newspapers, and were they current, or past, open to what, etc.
was the office dusted for prints? any unexpected prints show up? what about the garbage outside the bldg, or the closest trash outside the office-- any note found that might have been attached to the candy? It is odd that she would have this cheap valentine's candy with no note; how did she know it was hers? was it left on her desk? someone who had a key, then- Kelly, the husband, Corinna, Dana- not Bob, not Natasha.

Response: Just usual daily newspapers. Nothing out of the ordinary. No note on the candy. It is odd, about no note, but it's an odd town. If you lived here you'd understand. We think it was hand delivered to Trudi. It was found on her desk (as picture suggests).

It seems clear that Trudy's partner, Kelly Clinton, had unfairly fired Corrina, probably to cover her own culpability in blackmail. Detective, what is the blackmail they refer to in some instances when they discuss the firing, but not in others? Poor Corrina, its so obvious that the evidence was planted in her briefcase. All the partner does is keep the books, while Trudy does all the real work, which appears to be substantial, in terms of hours spent at the office. When Trudy is found dead there is a business checkbook on her desk; why? if this is the Cupid's checkbook, this is irregular-- Kelly did all of this book work; I suppose that Trudy had found, or was looking for, some irregularity in the books. The candy used*, however, would seem to point to the new secretary, who is the only one young and inexperienced enough to buy this kind of candy; she would also have possible access to arsenic through her father's position at the university. Please find out who her former boyfriend, Mark SIlver, dumped Dana for; was he set up through Cupid's by any chance? Also curious about the relationship between the husband and Natasha, specifically in Tennessee, where he may have come in contact with Natasha as a defense lawyer. Please check out the relationship btw his firm and Natasha's criminal record. Carl Rose did lie about the insurance, first saying that his insurance agent had suggested the large policy, then saying that his agent was surprised at the request for such a large policy. It is suspicious.
* the cheap candy also indicates that the murderer was familiar enough with Trudy to know she was a chocoholic, and would eat the cheap stuff. Was chocolate found in her stomach contents, as well as the arsenic found in her blood? Was it enough to account for the six mixing pieces? Was there arsenci in all the candies? How much arsenic in all was in the candy? And shouldn't there be some way to analyze the arsenic in the remaining chololates looking for various trace chemicals which could be used to trace the source of the arsenic? If from the university lab, it might be fairly pure, while if it came from Bob Edward's (the banker) farm, it would probably have other inert ingredients. Need more info about the arsenic.

Response: 1) We assume that someone thought Corinna might TRY to blackmail someone in town, though she deines this. 2) Doin't know why Silver dumped Dana- nothing sinister, we don't think. Chocolate was found in Trudi's stomach, with arsenic, and castor bean oil, also. There was a substantial amount of arsenic in each piece of the candy. What we have on the candy is what you have. 3) We think Rose suggested the large policy amount and his agent followed suit. 4) We don't think Rose and Van Moore ever knew each other, in Mississippi or Tennessee.

One more from the "famous last words" commenter. Isn't this what the one who always turns out to be the killer in a Perry Mason story always say? "Who would want to kill her"? "She didn't have an enemy in the world"? (Except one!!!!!!!)

Response: Except the killer in Perry Mason jumps up at the end in the courtroom. Nobody's ever been to court for this one, yet. But thank you for your theory. Don't forget to cote for who you think is the killer or killers.

"I can't see why anyone would want to kill her". These always seem to be the "famous last words" of many a killer.
Of course there are other reasons Ms. Clinton would possibly kill Ms. Rose, but.....

Response: Thanks for your theory. Don't forget to vote for your choice of killer or killers.

Detective,
I need you to clear up a troubling inconsistancy for me. In his statement to the police, Mr Rose claimed he called Kelly from the MORGUE to tell her of his wifes murder. In Kelly's statement, she said he called her from HOME. Then, in tonights chat session, Mr Rose said he made that call from his OFFICE. Have I missed something, or are there really 3 different versions to that event? Or is there a simple and innocent explanation? Thanks for your time!
Lisa
(LAllen031)

Response: Carl called from the morgue, or at least we know he made a telephone call from the hallway outside the morgue, because the coroner saw him do so. Carl must be mixed up, or has forgotten. (It has been six years, you know.)

The only ones to gain from her death was the husband and the partner. The secretary and the former secretarty would have not benifited in any way. Mr. Edwards may have lost a million or so but he still has his reputation and quite a few million left over. the former Mrs. Edwards gained a million or so and is living on easy street anyway.

So here is the answer. Mr. Rose and Miss Clinton are partners in the crime.
Mr. Rose collects the insurance----Miss Clinton ends up with the business and Mr. Rose and Miss Clinton end up with everything, including each other. It happens every day and this case seems no different. Now!!!!Can they trust each other??????????????????????????

Response: Thanks for your theory. Don't forget to vote for your choice of the killer or killers.

I think the guy that was outside the building saw something or even was in on the murder. Even though he was a drunk he could have seen someone with a box of candy.I also think the partner was in on it. I believe she was the one who took the missing files, and blamed the ex-secratary.

Response: Thanks for your theory. Don't forget to vote for your choice of the killer or killers.

I believe Carl Rose was the killer. In the interview with detective Nelson, he tried to evade answering the insurance policy amount. He also unnecessarily emphasized his grief and love for his wife with non-genuine sounding phrases. He alluded that his insurance agent proposed the 2 million amount, and then in his insurance statement contradicted this by saying that the agent was surprised by the amount. Also it seems unusual for Rose to ask for a 2 million policy on his wife, considering his pre-existing financial independance. And in the video, he appeared deceptive by hesitating and looking down before answering, and stuttering when he said "something bad could happen".

Response: Thanks for your theory. Don't forget to vote for your choice of the killer or killers.

What im wondering is. Is that in Mr.roses' interview with the detective he states that "he would never buy her such a cheap kind of candy anyway" HOW DOES HE KNOW WHAT THEY COST! and how did he know that it was from the candy at the time of the interview.also in the interview he states that Starks recommended the 2mil policy because it was a well rounded figure,however,he says in the insurance statement that Starks was out of breath when he asked about it and that he wanted the 2mil for the extra coverage not Starks..may want to follow up on this!

Response: We assume that Mr. Rose read about the candy from the news article, which said it was probably bought at Wal-Mart. The insurance agent told us later that Rose suggested the 2 mil figure and he, as anyone would, with a fat client, went along with his wishes.

This is a quote from the Carl Rose Interview:


Q: And your agent is?

A: Johnny Stark, he's a Allstate agent, right off the square on Lamar. He helped Trudi and I, almost from the beginning with Cupids Couples. He helped us get that going--in a large part. And so I stuck with him when he suggested because our worth had grown so much that we could need more protection in case anything bad ever happened to either one of us. Now
something has happened to Trudi.

...Now, in evidence is a statement given by Mr. Rose that states that HE (Mr. Rose) made the initial contact in regards to the insurance policies...

One wonders
Greg

Response: We believe Mr. Rose was just mixed up. The agent, Johnny Starks, says that Carl suggested the figure and he went along with him. (Carl Rose is, without a doubt, one of the richest men in Oxford, insurance or no insurance). It seems like a minor point to us&emdash;here is a man who buys a new car EVERY SIX MONTHS, and it's usually a Lexus or Infiniti.

Mr.Rose said he called Ms.Clinton from the morgue. But Ms.Clinton stated that he called her and said he was going to the morgue.

Response: Miss Clinton is mixed up. We know that Mr. Rose made a telephone call from the hallway outside the morgue.

I have been working on the case,and the suspect came out to be hard to find. My guess is that you should put in some more information about Carl Rose,Corina Morgan, Dana Pomerory,and Kelly Clinton. The reason why I think these people are part of the homicide, is that my guess is that they worked as a team and possibly Dana Pomerory is the murderer .Because She is the one who found the body and was there at the time of the murder. Or possibly the company which the candies was made did put the poision in the candy box. Have you spoke with that company yet? Pls let me know . I am glad to help you with the case. Thank you.

Response: We are glad to have your help. We spoke with Wal-Mart, who spoke with the company. They deny anything to do with the posioned candy on their end, and they are very touchy about it. All the information you have is what we have.

I posted the second comment. So what if he did call from the morgue...did he make a call prior to calling from the morgue?

Response: We don't know about his calls before the morgue, but we know he made a call from the morgue.

As arule men do not use poison to kill.With that in mind, I would say Kelly is the killer,she is the one with the stronger motive. Bejo

Response: Thanks for your theory. Don't forget to vote for your choice of killer or killers.

Everyone caught the inconsistancies about the phone call between Kelly and Carl but no one has mentioned that in Carl's statement he said he went to lunch at 12:00; same time everyday he says. However, witnesses (co-workers) said he did not leave the office until 1:00. Some other things that I am curious about are 1) What time the time of death was, and 2) What time Pomeroy initially left the office.

Response: 1) Carl left at 12 and returned at 1. Co-workers were wrong. We have time-punch sheet to verify. 2) TOD was between two and three. 3) Pomeroy left the office? You mean arrived? She arrived at 3:30. She left with the police around 4:15 on the day of the death.

I think Edward's former wife did it . Read the biography about her. It said that she would do anything to get what she wants. She sounds like she would get even, since her marriage didnt work out with Edwards.
Response: Thanks for your theory. Don't forget to vote for your choice of killer or killers.

I realize that there is an inconsistency in Carl and Kelly's statements regarding the time of his phone call to Kelly. Was it really before he went to the morgue or while he was there? Was there a follow up interview with each to clarify this issue? Could Kelly explain how he could have told her that Trudi was poisoned if he had not talked to the coroner at the time he called?

Another thing which caught my attention is that Edwards and Moore were both aparently present at AJAX resteraunt at the same time and neither mentioned seeing the other at that time. Was this double checked and, if so, what was the explanation.

Thank you for your answers to these questions.
dcmontgo@aol.com

Response: Carl Rose called Kelly Clinton from a telephone in the hallway outside the morgue. We believe he just got his facts mixed up. The coroner confirmed that he did make a telephone call from the hallway after identifying the body of his wife. The fact that Edwards and Van Moore were at AJAX at the same time is just a coincidence, we believe. It was and is a very popular restaurant at lunch time in Oxford.

Ok Det,
I have a question right off the bat. Kelly said that when she spoke to Trudis husband, he said he was going down to the morgue to check out his wife. But in his statement he said that he called her from the morgue? I don't understand how one person can say that he said he was going, and one person can say he was already there? Could you clarify this for me?
EmprStrBk2

P.S. Troubles with the pages again?

 Response: Carl Rose called Kelly Clinton from a telephone located in the hallway of the morgue.

Dear Detective,
Its me xcalibur@huron.net again, I think that the husband did not do it. It was the bank manager's
wife, she got so upset when her husband found out that she had been a prostitute that she killed Trudi.
He had divorced her and she became so mad that she didnt have the bank managers income anymore.
What do you say to that?

http//expage/page/tremblaym
xcalibur@huron.net

Response: A very interesting theory we have not looked at . Thank you.

Sniff. Why did she have to die? Trudi Rose was my mommy! WAHHHHHH!!!

Response: Trudi Rose had no children.

Detective Nelson,
Here's an idea. Search Trudi's medical records. Maybe there was something in the chocolate that she was allergic to. It's just an idea.


Steve F. a.k.a. Phanto5692

Response: Just about everyone is allergic to arsenic.

I think it was the Husband & the partner. Something was going on between them. HE wanted out but, didnt want to lose 1/2 his fortune..I think he was having an affair with
His wife`s partner. She knew Trudi`s schedule. And could relay all this to the Husband.His attitude was not very
shocked aboutb his wife. He then call her partner, I think if it was me. I would have freaked, I would have called my
Family i.e Maybe her parents so they didn`t have to hear
all this on the News. Instead He Called " The Partner"
Greed is the root of all Evil.He`s actions look like that of a
Guilty Man . 2 Million is a pretty large life Insurane policy.
Evev his Ins. Agent was takken a back. Newlyweds dont usually start out that High. With no Kids, You also haave alarge policy on the Husband not the wife. My agent said
the Husband doesn`t need to collect all that money cause
"the man " is usaully the bread winner. And rebound better.
Thanks, I just think is this my opinion.

Response: Thanks for your theories on the case.Don't forget to vote for your choice of killer or killers.

I think it was the Husband & the partner. Something was going on between them. HE wanted but, didnt want to lose
1/2 his fortune. He

Response: Thank you. Don't forget to vote for your choice of killer or killers.

For someone who was barely ever at the office, how did Kelly know that Trudi usually went across the street for a candybar after lunch? I think Kelly was watching her and getting to know her usual whereabouts while planning the murder.

Response: Kelly and Trudi were old college friends&emdash;she probably knew about her diet and eating habits, and it would have been very easy fora nyone to know what Trudi was doing&emdash;the Ford office building is located at the corner of University Avenue and South Lamar in Oxford, the busiest intersection in town all day and night.

I totally agree with the last entry. Carl Rose telling police that he called Kelly Clinton from the morgue and Kelly said that Carl called her before going to the morgue. I don't feel you can screw up a fact like that unless you are trying to cover up something. Seems is though Kelly and Carl did not get their stories straight before committing the crime.

I think that possibly Carl and Kelly had an intimate relationship going on and they killed the victim for the insurance. Off to Mexico they would go...

Response: Thank you. We know that Carl Rose called from the pay phone in the hallway outside the morgue.

I suspect Carl and Kelly. Carl said he phoned kelly from the morgue. Kelly said he called her just before he went to the morgue. Maybe due to their emotional state they weren't consistent. But, I think something fishy was going on.

Carl and Kelly seemed to benefit the most from her death.

I would like to know if two of the suspects are partners in crime?
Was arsenic found at Bob Edward's home?

Response: None of our suspects seem to have an affiliation with each other besides Edwards and Van Moore, who were once married. Bob Edwards home was not searched (no one's home was searched, since no suspect was named at the time. Remember, this case is six years old).