Janice Weston

[Dunderklumpen]

https://opcglobalnewsandmedia.com/20...ni-di-stefano/

[cobalt]

One thought on the missing tyre: it is difficult to change a tyre and not leave fingerprints, especially on the sidewalls. I am guessing that a tyre in contact with the road would not hold prints for long, especially on wet or dirty roads.

However a damaged tyre that had been taken off and put in the car boot presumably would hold prints, and might have to be jettisoned later once the guilty party realised it might incriminate him. The same would not quite apply to a car jack or wheel brace where the suspect (in this case apparently the husband) could claim any fingerprints preceded the crime.

[caz]

Another thing I meant to say...

The beauty of having the manor house was that Janice had nobody to answer to if she wanted to go there for any reason. It's pretty clear she did have a reason that night, but not at all clear what that reason was, or why it appears to have been a last-minute decision to leave London when she did.

A hotel would not have been nearly as discreet, and was fraught with other problems if the couple looked like a total mismatch, for instance, or if she would be the one paying and understandably didn't want to use her cheque book or a credit card. If he was a 'bit of rough', and this was more lust than anything else, an opportunistic adventure while hubby was safely abroad, I don't see sleeping bags and a lack of mod cons getting in the way of a naughty night of exploration. I don't suppose a good eight hours' sleep would have been uppermost in their thoughts.

I keep coming back to the manner of Janice's departure, as if she had been preparing to go to the country house and had packed a bag for the purpose [what purpose if she was going to be alone there, in a house with no comforts or facilities?], but something happened to change her plans, or else the person she was due to meet had seemingly let her down. Did something else then happen, while she was eating her meal and drinking her wine, resigned to staying in, which caused her to revert to the original plan and set off in haste, taking the bread and remaining wine with her? Did her companion suddenly make contact and give her the green light after all? Was he being a git, playing with her emotions, like bad boy Sergeant Troy does with the totally besotted, bright, wealthy and attractive Bathsheba Everdene in Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd?

Love,

Caz
X

[Abby Normal]

Hi OneRound,

Were the contents of Janice's overnight bag made public? All my female stuff, like make-up bag, brush and comb, scent, jewellery bag, toiletries, spare outfit, shoes and undies etc etc, would go in my overnight bag when I need one and I'm going anywhere by car, leaving my handbag beside me for immediate needs such as keys, cash, debit/credit card, glasses, tissues and so on.

The fact that Janice took cash and the keys to Clopton Manor with her - items she would normally put in a handbag - suggests she never intended to take one with her. If she meant to take one, but had to leave in a rush and left it behind by mistake, or even against her will, she must already have put the cash and keys somewhere else, like the pocket of a coat or the overnight bag.

I don't think we should rule out a new love interest, possibly an unreliable charmer, recently on the scene, who had turned Janice's head against her better judgement. Good looking? Gift of the gab? Charismatic? But a bad boy beneath the shiny surface? A waster or worse? It happens - far more than people probably realise.

Early days of her marriage to Tony, yes, but do we know how loved up each of them was by September 1983? Again, she was a bright, wealthy and attractive woman, so was she beginning to see Tony's character in a less attractive light by then? There is nothing like actually living with someone for a few weeks or months to learn the best and worst about them. Was Tony paying Janice enough of the right sort of attention? Was he completely happy about her career and their relative earnings and finances? That's often a big cause of problems early on. Was she flattered by the attentions of other men? Did she enjoy male company with no strings? Nobody ever really knows what goes on within a relationship, especially if one or other partner doesn't want anyone to know - including their other half - how they are feeling and what they are doing about it.

Did Janice tell Tony she had made a will? Did he know what was in it? She does seem to have thought everything through very carefully, so might she have had reason to believe Tony wasn't good with money? Did it tend to slip through his fingers? Again, something like this might only show up a few weeks or months into a marriage and cause a troublesome imbalance.

Love,

Caz
X

Hi Caz
As I just posted-Im leaning toward her killer being a worker at the other house or perhaps the tire store. (something along the lines you suggested).


maybe they were lovers. or he was wanting something more? Im envisioning a scenario where he either shows up at her apartment (or maybe lure her out), tensions are high and the tire change was the catalyst for a blow up?


if I was the police, id be checking out all these workers at their other house and the tire store.

[Graham]

That's a good post, Caz. Can't really rule out any of your suggestions as actual possibilities.

I agree that it would seem Janice was not with, or later meeting a lover, but on the other hand, although Clopton Manor was still not finished, she and Tony had stayed there overnight many times, so presumably there were basic femmy necessities kept there as well as at home.

I would like to know a lot more about Tony Weston. His background, his business interests, his first marriage, his character, his wealth or lack of it. He seems very much a mystery-man in this whole saga. He died a few years ago, but I can't recall seeing much more than an announcement of his death, and the fact he had been married to a woman who was murdered. He has children by his first marriage, two I believe. If anyone can fill some of the gaps, I'd be more than interested.

Best,

Graham

[caz]

Hi folks,

Confusing, huh.

A few random thoughts.

1. Contrary to some speculation, I very much doubt that Janice Weston was going to meet a lover.
If, as seems likely, she was heading to the manor house, wouldn't that have been too much a case of on her own other doorstep? She was a wealthy lady and could easily have afforded a nice hotel room at some other and different location.
If going to see a lover, surely she would want her handbag containing lippy and other such female stuff. Back me up here, Caz!
Following on from Spitfire's post, leftover bread and wine is far more likely intended to be consumed by oneself rather than with another before or after a night of passion.

Hi OneRound,

Were the contents of Janice's overnight bag made public? All my female stuff, like make-up bag, brush and comb, scent, jewellery bag, toiletries, spare outfit, shoes and undies etc etc, would go in my overnight bag when I need one and I'm going anywhere by car, leaving my handbag beside me for immediate needs such as keys, cash, debit/credit card, glasses, tissues and so on.

The fact that Janice took cash and the keys to Clopton Manor with her - items she would normally put in a handbag - suggests she never intended to take one with her. If she meant to take one, but had to leave in a rush and left it behind by mistake, or even against her will, she must already have put the cash and keys somewhere else, like the pocket of a coat or the overnight bag.

I don't think we should rule out a new love interest, possibly an unreliable charmer, recently on the scene, who had turned Janice's head against her better judgement. Good looking? Gift of the gab? Charismatic? But a bad boy beneath the shiny surface? A waster or worse? It happens - far more than people probably realise.

Early days of her marriage to Tony, yes, but do we know how loved up each of them was by September 1983? Again, she was a bright, wealthy and attractive woman, so was she beginning to see Tony's character in a less attractive light by then? There is nothing like actually living with someone for a few weeks or months to learn the best and worst about them. Was Tony paying Janice enough of the right sort of attention? Was he completely happy about her career and their relative earnings and finances? That's often a big cause of problems early on. Was she flattered by the attentions of other men? Did she enjoy male company with no strings? Nobody ever really knows what goes on within a relationship, especially if one or other partner doesn't want anyone to know - including their other half - how they are feeling and what they are doing about it.

Did Janice tell Tony she had made a will? Did he know what was in it? She does seem to have thought everything through very carefully, so might she have had reason to believe Tony wasn't good with money? Did it tend to slip through his fingers? Again, something like this might only show up a few weeks or months into a marriage and cause a troublesome imbalance.

Love,

Caz
X

[Abby Normal]

after reading everything again Im more baffled as ever. LOL!

The killing as I had mentioned looks to have the hallmarks of an unplanned (opportunistic) stranger killer-weapon found/used at scene, overkill, body left there. However, the events surrounding it may point to just an unplanned murder, that is she knew the killer, and was with him for some time before the murder. somewhat along Caz line of thought.


I cant help but think that the key is the spare tire/plates. Things that have to do with the car. and to me that points to someone who works at the spare tire store, or just perhaps a worker at the other house. Was something going on between her and one of the workers at her house, or at the tire store?


were they lovers? did he call her and lure her out? or show up at the apartment?


what do others think? what seems more likely if this type scenario is correct-

A worker on their other home, or a worker at the tire shop?

[Graham]

I assume that there was no possibility that the number plate seller had made a mistake either of recollection or of record keeping, if not then this is the most baffling piece of the puzzle.

I wouldn't have thought the seller made a mistake, as he contacted the police on realising that the number of Janice's car was the same as the plates he'd made and sold. I would assume that a record of plates made would be kept, maybe as a legal requirement? Don't think the police would have bothered with this puzzle had they found that the seller had made a mistake.

Graham

[Spitfire]

Yes, could be - but I spotted his deliberate mistake! He bought new plates with the same number as Janice's car! So that's either 'Whoops!' or something was going on that we don't know about, 35 years later.

Graham

I assume that there was no possibility that the number plate seller had made a mistake either of recollection or of record keeping, if not then this is the most baffling piece of the puzzle.

[Graham]

Any chance the killer wanted new plates with different numbers so he could use the car for a while?

Yes, could be - but I spotted his deliberate mistake! He bought new plates with the same number as Janice's car! So that's either 'Whoops!' or something was going on that we don't know about, 35 years later.

Graham

[Abby Normal]

Any chance the killer wanted new plates with different numbers so he could use the car for a while?

[Graham]

Hi Spitfire,

It was reported that the police made over 5,000 interviews in investigating this case, generating over 12,000 pages of reports, so we only know a fraction of what the police discovered. The police did not find a suspect and ended up in December 1983 arresting Mr Weston and detaining him for over 50 hours during which he was questioned for over 5 hours. Mr Weston applied for and was refused a writ of habeas corpus but was eventually released on police bail. The matter was referred to the DPP who decided to take no further action.

Fairly standard police practise, Spitfire. 5000 interviews sounds a lot, but in fact isn't. Other cases have generated far more, sometimes with a result; sometimes not.

The police clearly had their suspicions but I am inclined to agree that these were probably ill founded, the police assumption being that no other suspect had been found, therefore the culprit was the usual suspect, to wit the spouse.

That's the Old Bill for you, Spitfire. When in doubt, go closest to home.

Although passports would have to be shown when entering the UK there would not be a record of entry other than the ticketing of the carrier airline or shipping line. There was also some problem with the records of Mr Weston's French hotel, in that he was shown as being resident there on the Friday 9th Sept and Sunday 11th but not the night of the murder namely Saturday 10th. Mr Weston put this down to a clerical error on the hotel's part, the police might have thought otherwise.

The ticketing of the carrier would be the police's first port of call, pardon the pun. Under French law, which I think may have been changed since 1983, anyone checking into a hotel within French territory has to fill in a form which is then sent to the local gendarmerie. The forms were collected every night, and returned to the hotel when that particular guest had checked out. Typical French bureaucracy. Assuming that Tony Weston's form were sent to the local flic, then they would have been available for inspection by the UK police.

As to the benefit to Tony Weston under Janice's will, it should also be mentioned that all joint assets would pass by survivorship to Mr Weston. So if the flat in Addison Avenue and the Clopton Manor property had been in joint names then these would pass with any joint bank account and jointly held investments to Mr Weston.

Yes, but that doesn't apply to monies held by the deceased, the disposition of which is at the discretion of the person making the will. It would seem that Janice and Tony held individual bank-accounts.

Graham

[Spitfire]

In my previous post I wrote:

I meant to write 'office' instead of 'flat'. Slip of the fingers.

One question: do we know if the loaf of bread and the part-bottle of wine, along with her draft for her book, were in the car when it was found back in London? I've never seen any reference to this.

Spitfire, when you mentioned Heathrow Airport, were you perhaps implying that she may well have gone there to collect someone she knew, for example her husband? I don't think there is any question at all that he genuinely was in France at the time of her death. And if he somehow set up a double to impersonate him in Paris, which I think is extremely unlikely, then he would have had to travel back to London using a false name and a false passport. Passports were not stamped for journeys between EU countries back then, but you had to present them at airports and ferry terminals, same as now.

Personally, I am pretty well-convinced that she knew her murderer, and that he wasn't Tony Weston.

Graham

Hi Graham,

It was reported that the police made over 5,000 interviews in investigating this case, generating over 12,000 pages of reports, so we only know a fraction of what the police discovered. The police did not find a suspect and ended up in December 1983 arresting Mr Weston and detaining him for over 50 hours during which he was questioned for over 5 hours. Mr Weston applied for and was refused a writ of habeas corpus but was eventually released on police bail. The matter was referred to the DPP who decided to take no further action.

The police clearly had their suspicions but I am inclined to agree that these were probably ill founded, the police assumption being that no other suspect had been found, therefore the culprit was the usual suspect, to wit the spouse.

Although passports would have to be shown when entering the UK there would not be a record of entry other than the ticketing of the carrier airline or shipping line. There was also some problem with the records of Mr Weston's French hotel, in that he was shown as being resident there on the Friday 9th Sept and Sunday 11th but not the night of the murder namely Saturday 10th. Mr Weston put this down to a clerical error on the hotel's part, the police might have thought otherwise.

As to the benefit to Tony Weston under Janice's will, it should also be mentioned that all joint assets would pass by survivorship to Mr Weston. So if the flat in Addison Avenue and the Clopton Manor property had been in joint names then these would pass with any joint bank account and jointly held investments to Mr Weston.

[Graham]

Interesting, Spitfire. That wasn't my source!

Graham

[Spitfire]

Twas I who supplied that nugget of information, gleaned from a source which, just for now, I'd like to keep to myself. Could be that someone else will come across that source - if so, no worries.

One of her friends was reported as saying she might be prone to picking up hitch-hikers. Elsewhere it was reported that she desisted this practice on the insistence of her husband.