Hutch and the Hairdresser

[Rubyretro]

Sally -I don't know about Restivo cutting Elisa claps breasts off -but how about this :

Restivo admits meeting Elisa for a tryst alone at a lonely church

-according to the pathologist she "almost certainly reached the loft of the Most Holy Trinity Church alive and was stabbed to death when she got there, Winchester Crown Court heard"

-" The 16-year-old schoolgirl died of multiple wounds, nine from the back and three from the front, said Italian pathologist, Professor Francesco Introna".

So now we have multiple stab wounds and overkill -a different MO from Heather Barnett (well, -the 'overkill' is still there).

" some of the injuries were inflicted with a knife but others were more likely to have been caused by scissors" The pathologist went on to say, " 12 of the injuries were stab wounds and one was a cut, probably the result of the victim moving, possibly in a struggle".

He added: “The different angles of the wounds showed that she either moved or tried to escape or avoid the rapid, successive blows.”

So now we not only have multiple stab wounds but two different weapons.

Martha Tabram , anyone ?

" Elisa’s trousers and pants had been partially lowered and her bra unhooked at the back and broken at the front, between the cups". She hadn't been raped though.

Elisa's body was hidden -but it was still posed with a clump of hair in her hand..like Heather Barnett.

[Versa]

Although I am very interested in the Lechmere/Cross thread

Hiya,

Where is that thread? I keep looking for it but dont seem to be coming across it!

[Rubyretro]

Versa -the thread is 'why is no one interested in the Nichols murder ?'

Otherwise, here is yet another parallel to the murder of Mary Kelly : Heather Barnett 'lost' the keys to her house prior to her murder.

" Restivo had been in Barnett’s house to inquire about making curtains six months before her murder, according to a police report filed in a London court. After he left, she reported that her keys were missing. She changed the locks and never heard from him again. "

It is not clear at all whether Barnett made the firm connection between her missing keys and Restivo (if she had, then it's suprising that she let him into the house a second time). It's clear though, that if he took the keys, he was planning to break into the house and attack her, well before the actual murder ; He was prepared to bide his time long enough for the link between his visit to the house, the keys and the murder not to be made.

It raises the question in the Kelly murder of whether the killer had simply stolen Mary's keys and let himself into the room by the door -waiting for the right occasion.

[Rubyretro]

Well -I've been fascinated by the case of Danilo Restivo and the strong parallels with the murders of Martha Tabram and Mary Kelly -Restivo's first victim went with him to an attic in a church and was killed, with multiple stab wounds, by two different blades, and the second was killed in her own home and mutilated and 'posed' with her breasts cut off and arm arranged over her exposed lower body.

There is not much information on Restivo in Britain, since his trial is still ongoing. That is not the case in Italy where bringing Restivo to justice has been a 'cause célèbre'
since the disappearance of Elisa Claps in 1993 ; Her mummified body was only found 17 years later -and the similarities between the body found clutching locks of hair
and the body of Heather Barnett, also found clutching carefully placed locks of hair, were striking. Restivo is known to be a hair fetishist. A video link from Italy to Winchester Crown Court, was by two women -then, teenagers- who swore that Restivo masturbated as he sat behind them, and cut their hair without permission, in a cinema.

Cinemas and buses were his stalking grounds of predilection.

And it seems that Restivo may turn out to have murdered more women than Elisa and Heather. Police (for whom Restivo was always No 1. suspect for Barnett's murder), followed and videod him stalking lone women in a Bournemouth Park in 2004. A video relayed to the Court showed Restivo crouching in dense undergrowth, wearing unseasonal waterproofs, and spying on women. Police claim to have found a veritable 'serial killer's kit' in his car : other than a change of clothes and shoes, he had car seat covers, a 6" knife and two pairs of sharp scissors (Elisa was stabbed with both scissors and a knife). In the same year Erika Anseman went missing in Aosta -her photo was found on Restivo's computer.

Immediately after Elisa went missing to lots of publicity in Potenza (scene of the crime), Danilo Restivo chose to get on a bus to Naples where he was due to participate in a competition; This is despite Elisa's best friends's statement that Elisa had a RDV with Danilo at the church (where her body was later found), and that he was the last known person to have seen her alive. He didn't go to the police in Naples. When he arrived back in Potenza, police were waiting at the bus stop to interview him -but he chose to stay on the bus and present himself later as a witness to the disappearance accompanied by his father and a lawyer.

There are a number of interesting details about Restivo's personality/life history : Of course, since we don't know who 'Jack' was, we can't compare the two men,
but , for me, they share a very similar MO , and so it is worth considering certain aspects of Danilo Restivo :

-Danilo Restivo has a very dominating , arrogant, and powerful father. Infact, in Restivo's case, his father was nephew of a government minister, head of a national library and a published philosopher with possible links to the sicillian mafia ; he was instrumental in getting Danilo 'off the hook' in Italy..although Danilo never amounted to much at all.
I am not suggesting, whatsoever, that Jack had a father considered 'important' in 1888..but he could have been the son of an emasculating macho man.

-Nothing is said anywhere about Restivo's mother. However, Danilo married a "much older woman" in England.

-Danilo Restivo suffers from Basedow Disease (aka Graves) and has undergone an operation to remove his thyroid, and he takes the hormone thyroxine.

It is not at all clear from the Google translation whether he originally had an overactive , or underactive thyroid (and the mental problems associated with too much thyroxine, could be a factor to consider). He says that he has to take thyroxine because his body doesn't make any -but of course, having had his thyroid removed, it wouldn't.
Neverthess, since the hormone impalance was regulated, ordinarily, he should have been 'normal'.

An Italian collegue with whom he worked in a factory (possibly owned by his father), has described him as 'very weird' (but in the wake of Elisa Claps disappearance this could be 'gossip'). Apparently he awoke at night profusely sweating (but that may be a symptom of Grave's disease) calling "Help ! Help !". He suffered from OCD and took many long showers each day, including during work time. He became hysterical when he saw a police car.

At the same time, this is a person who has given several press interviews.

-Several years after Elisa disappeared, but before her body was found, and after being hounded by Elisa's parents (he was the last person to see her alive, but swears that he left her alive and well) -Restivo sent an e-mail purporting to be from Elisa in Brasil, but traced to him in an internet café by private detectives (he now admits this).

-He has done a bit of time for perjury -but I'm not sure exactly why (Google translate is a bugger, although I can do English/French/ and sketchily understand in Italian).

-Restivo began/threatened to start a 'strike' of the hormone thyroxine because of being actively pursued by the parents of Elisa Claps. He had already attempted suicide once before.

Danilo Restivo presents himself as an aggrieved innocent 'witness' and invokes threats to go to the European Court of Human Rights, However, DNA from saliva on Elisa's top, is Restivos, at 99.999999%

[Rubyretro]

I'm following the trial of serial killer Danilo Restivo at the moment. Given the striking parallels between the murder of Heather Barnett and MJK (killed by an intruder in her own home, with her breasts cut off and posed by her head) -and even a similarity between the murder of Elisa Claps and Martha Tabram (multiple stab wounds made by two different weapons), I think that we might very well learn what sort of minset Jack had, by studying Restivo.

Here are some more details about Restivo and the crimes of which he is accused (and early indications are that there is at least another one in Italy).

Statements from Italy pertaining to the murder of Elisa Claps :

-a school friend testified that Restivo was a 'strange' teenager, ill at ease. He began cutting girls' hair, sitting behind them on buses and in cinemas.

An Italian journalist mooted the idea that this was an attempt to 'possess' the girls themselves by possessing a little part of them. A girl with her hair cut in a cinema
said that Restivo masturbated in the seat behind her, whilst cutting her hair.

-Elisa's brother stated that Restivo had been pestering his sister all summer to start a romance (shades of MJK being scared of someone ?). Elisa's best friend said
that Elisa agreed to meet Restivo at the church , hoping to convince him to leave her alone. Restivo claims that he hadn't been persistant, but that Elisa and he were friends and confidantes.

-Restivo certainly premeditated the murder. The attic where the body was found hidden was kept locked, with a priest holding the key -he must have known where the key was kept and borrowed it (as later he would steal Heather Barnett's keys). He went to the RDV with a knife and scissors.

-Elisa walked to the attic, and was attacked from behind. She was stabbed many times with the knife, but also the scissors.The killer reached around her body to stab her from behind, and blood didn't spurt over him (maybe, if Jack did this, it started the idea that he was left handed ?) Restivo must have cut himself during the attack, and went to the doctor with a '**** and bull story', to get stitched.

-Although Elisa's body was hidden , and not found for 17 years (the reason that Restivo got away with the murder -there was no body), it was 'posed' -her bra was cut open, and top lifted, and the top of her trousers cut open. Clumps of her hair were placed in her hands.

-The murder probably took about 10 minutes -the time that Restivo claims that he was ' praying alone at the alter, Elisa having left the church alive and well'.

Two details about Heather Barnett's murder :

-Restivo constructed a false alibi. He claimed to have been at his computer course at the time of Barnett's murder. A forensic computer
expert has examined the computer that he used in 'class', and established that Restivo didn't log on until after the murder (although the teacher had turned the machine on at the appointed time). The expert did find 'deleted' articles about the Barnett murder -proof that Restivo followed the case. The two articles that he had saved and then deleted were 'Police looking for possible witness in Barnett murder' and 'Barnett's friends may be able to give clues to her killer'.

-Although the bathroom where Heather Barnett's body was mutilated was 'a bloodbath', her murderer only got blood on his shoes. He changed his shoes -Niké trainers- after the murder (tracks led to a chair and then disappeared). Police found Restivo's Niké trainers soaking in bleach. Forensic experts found that they had blood on them -invisible to the naked eye- but the bleach made it impossible to get DNA from it.

More evidence is due to be given in Court today.

[Rubyretro]

A quick update, since I've got a day off work today and am following the court proceedings on Twitter :

The remains of Elisa's jumper were divided into 9 parts and DNA tested by Italian forensic experts. None of the parts had semen on them. 6 of the parts had blood on them -both Elisa's and Restivos (we know that he had a cut hand). 4 of the parts had saliva -but this was so much that it couldn't have come from dribbling, but from direct mouth contact...

...that is very interesting....

...the DNA tested a positive match for Restivo. It was very strong even after 17 years, indicating a large quantity.

The Defence accepts the conclusion that blood and saliva from Restivo were on Elisa's jumper, but are presumably going to argue about how it got there, after lunch.

[Rubyretro]

OK -the quantity of saliva is said by the forensic expert to have only come from "mouth or tongue contact".

If JTR ate the organs (it's difficult to think otherwise with the heart of MJK) -maybe Restivo licked blood ?

At any rate, there is something pagan and 'possessive' about the harvesting of organs , or hair, from victims. Cannibalism seems to follow on. And JTR progressing to 'stealing' faces/identity may be part of all this...

[Rubyretro]

An update -forensic experts (British and Italian) have agreed that the male DNA is most likely blood -given it's 'richness' after all this time( although saliva cannot be ruled out).

[Rubyretro]

This post is for Fisherman !

Restivo refused to answer questions today on :
-why he kept a 6" knife in his car
-why he was soaking his trainers in bleach
-how he got blood on his trainers

Danilo said he couldn't answer as he had "problems with his memory due to sleep apnoea"

[Rubyretro]

For anyone who is interested in this case, I follow it on Twitter, from the court room.

Last friday, Police revealed the extent of surveillance of Restivo. They watched him for long periods between Barnett's murder in 2002, and his arrest in 2010. This began with tracking him in daylight hours, but when he was caught stalking women in a park with a 'serial killer's kit' in 2004, surveillance was increased to include 'bugging' in his home and car, and for a period he was watched 24 hours a day.

On Monday Restivo was questioned in the Court.

He first of all talked about his 'alibi' of being at his computer course on the morning of Barnett's murder (which he denies).
Forensic computer experts say that his computer was turned on by a teacher, but Restivo didn't log onto the net until
after the murder. Restivo says that he got to the course on time, but didn't log onto the net straight away as he had some administrative work 'off line' to do. The students had to write the time that they arrived in a book, and Restivos had been 'overwritten' -he says that he forgot to write his name down when he arrived, but remembered during the course, and wrote the earlier time. However there is a snippet of footage showing Restivo leaving the road of the murder at the time he said that he was at the course, and when it was shown on Crimewatch, he was identified by a witness -he maintains that it's not him on film.

He was questioned about the trainers in bleach, but maintains that he has no sense of smell, and didn't realise that it was bleach -he thought it was soap.

He was asked about the incident in the park in 2004. He was caught by Police hiding in dense undergrowth, wearing protective clothing -including a balaclava and gloves- despite fine weather, and spying on women joggers. In his car he had protective car seats, bin bags, tissues, a 6" kitchen knife and scissors. He said that he went to the park to "relax and enjoy nature" and he didn't want to get his clothes dirty. He said that he had found the knife in the park and was afraid that children might hurt themselves, so he took it. He was wearing a balaclava as he had sinus problems. The scissors were to cut out job applications from newspapers. He had tissues and was in the undergrowth as he was collecting insects for some pet lizards.

The Police called his wife to the Station and warned her that he was dangerous. They heard him -via the bugging devices-
lying to his wife and denying that he had ever cut women's hair -he said that a bag with hair found in his bedroom was a police 'plant'. He admits cutting hair (he says that he lied to his wife because he didn't want her to leave), but says that he didn't know that it was illegal. He likes the feel and smell of women's hair -but denies that it's 'sexual'. He says that he can't remember cutting the hair of witnesses since he has a bad memory due to sleep apnoea.

Restivo insists that he has never murdered anybody.

Tuesday 21 June

The prosecution (through an interpreter) state that Heather Barnett had a clump of unidentified hair in her right hand, and
a clump of her own hair under her left hand, her bra cut open and trousers lowered. Elisa claps was alwo posed with hair in her hand, her bra cut open and her trousers lowered. Restivo was asked to give an opinion as to whether there were similarities between the murders and whether the murderer appeared to like cutting women's hair -he replied "I don't know"
to every question.

Restivo was asked about the haircutting, and on what basis he chose his victims . answer " on the basis that I liked their hair". He aknowledged that he took scissors out every day with him, on buses, looking at hair. He says that he cut the hair of about 6 girls. He denies any planning or stalking elements. He says that he stopped cutting hair on buses when he bought a car in 2003.

He becomes aggrieved and agitated when talking about the Police and Press : "things should not be published in the papers that I told them (the Police)"

Restivo was questioned about how he met Heather Barnett (she lived opposite). The excuse to go to her house the first time was to choose certains for a surprise present for his partner ; Heather was a seamstress. (this was about a week before the murder). He went before his computer course, in the morning. Some confusion over whether he stayed in the hallway (as he said , under oath) or whether he was invited into the Sitting Room. (as he said in his signed statement) ("I don't remember")..

Heather showed him a catalogue of curtain models. The Prosecution suggests that Restivo now knew the lay out of her house.

Heather came across to Restivo's house the next day with a note for his wife asking if 'Dan" had taken her keys "by inadvertance' (so not ' 6 months ' before, as I think that I said ).

Restivo was asked about the colour of the curtains he wanted to buy. In his original statement he was asked about the colour, which he says he couldn't remember, and he said that he had changed his mind about the curtains and decided not to buy any.

The colour is very important.because a green towel was photographed at Heather's murder scene, and tested 'positive' for
Restivo's DNA, and he was therefore questioned about the towel for his statement, and replied "no" (he didn't know the towel).

He now says that he gave Heather the green towel in order to find a colour match for curtains. He said that the 'no' in his original statement was either a 'typing error', or he mean't 'no comment'.

The trainers : Restivo asserts that he offered to give the Police his clothes and trainers after first being interviewed as a witness, because he feared that after cuddling the children to comfort them, he was afraid that he may have been contaminated
from the murder scene. The Police say that there is no record of such an offer. Restivo : "I don't think they understood".

When the Police came to get the trainers (there were footprints at the scene of the crime), they were soaking in bleach.
Restivo claims that they were smelly (although he couldn't smell bleach and thought it was perfumed soap), and he didn't
know (since he isn't a 'forensic' expert) that bleach destroys DNA. Invisible traces of blood were found on them, but we can't say whose.

My Comment : Restivo must have been under an immense amount of pressure and proof to plead guilty, but he continues to
swear that he is innocent, and he has an answer -'plausible' or not -to explain away everything.

He portrays himself as kindly and helpful ( he didn't want children to cut themselves on a knife lying around in the park, he went to have 'surprise' curtains made up as a present for his wife, he cuddled the distraught kids at a murder scene), and a 'victim' of nasty Police planting hair in the bedroom, and nasty Press warning women about him.

He appears to be quite dim on the one hand, but very creatively inventive (I just loved the "collecting insects" in the undergrowth, in a balaclava).

[Rubyretro]

Heree is an update of the last 3 days in Court, during which Restivo has replied to direct questions about:

The Alibi
He insists that he couldn't have killed Heather Barnett, since he was at a computer course (NACRE) at the time. He insists that he got to the course on time (9am) forgot to 'log in' his time of arrival, 'remembered' at 10.30am
and then wrote that time down -before realising that he had actually got there at 9am, deciding to overwrite the log to the earlier time.
the prosecution claims that he altered the records behind the teacher's back
to create a false alibi.

The Knife
Restivo was surveilled and videoed by Police in a park, crouching in dense undergrowth, watching women, dressed in protective clothing and carrying a satchel with a 6" knife.
He says that he was collecting insects (grasshoppers ec) for a pet gecko, saw a knife on the ground and became afraid for children playing nearby (this was on a school day in school hours and the kids were aged 10-12). He bent down at the same moment as a woman jogger jogged by (there is a video), his satchel fell open and the grasshoppers all hopped out as he put the knife into the bag.
He says that it had been his intention to call the Police , or give them the knife later. To that end, he wore gloves to handle the knife , so as not to have his fingerprints on it in case it had been used in a crime (he denies being 'forensically aware').
He had protective clothing because he didn't like mud (it was fine, dry day),
and a balaclava because of sinus problems.
A similar set of knives was found in his house, which he said his wife bought for cooking.

The loft where Elisa Clap's body was found
The loft of the church was kept locked, and the Priest kept the key.
Restivo admits often helping the priest check out the church, but denies knowledge of the loft or key. He is religious, and his alibi for the TOD is that he was praying alone at the alter.
He admits ringing Elisa for a RDV -despite the fact that she rejected him-
with the sweetner of 'a present'.

His DNA on Elisa's jumper
The prosecution and defence experts argued over whether it was Restivo's blood or saliva on the back of Elisa's jumper (both agree that it was Restivo's DNA, and it wasn't semen). The prosecution plump for blood since the quantity and richness of the DNA matches Elisa's (Restivo went for stitches , saying that he had injured himself on a building site), the defense argue for saliva -although this could not have got on her back with just conversation.

[Rubyretro]

We've arrived at the summing up by the Prosecution and Defence in the Heather Barnett Murder Trial, and I must say that I was totally taken aback ! I had a 'déjà vu' feeling that I was back on Casebook forums reading the for and against George Hutchinson as the Ripper !

Here is some of what the Defence said :
-" you have heard of no evidence in his history that comes close to identifying him as a murderer"

-"This is a case of coincidences and suspicious circumstances"

-"The Prosecution have overelaborated their own evidence"

-(referring to the green towel) " He would have been incredibly stupid to have left that towel behind. Why use it and leave it ? That would have been a pretty big mistake. Yes, he has lied about it, but lying is his default position. The towel fits with a theory of guilt rather than proving it."

The Prosecution :
(amongst a recapitulation of the evidence)
- "he starts to panic a little and decides that he needs to bolster his alibi"

-"Restivo's approach is either 'can't remember', lie or ridiculous explanation".

-"some things he could not explain.() But other things he could remember very clearly".

-"He told lie upon lie"

-" He is forensically Aware because that is what he does. He plans."

-"There is a very simple reason why all the evidence points to him. It is because it is him".

The jury is out !

[Rubyretro]

[Breaking news as I write this:

Resivo was found 'Guilty'..

[Sally]

Thanks Ruby..

for this thread - it has been most interesting so far.

[Rubyretro]

Extract Dorset Police Statement :

"“I believe that this dangerous predator had watched over Heather for some time and carefully planned this horrendous crime, even attempting to construct a false alibi to deceive the police."