Nick McGuffin will go on trial in May 2011 for the murder of Leah Freeman

LOL! No you are right about that. He did claim to come by and throw a rock at her window and it seems like he said he did this at 2:30 am. Even that doesn't compute. Why would he bother going there, throwing a rock at her bedroom window (this is the second story of the house where her room was) and never bother knocking or ringing the doorbell?

Good to know I at least got something right finally. LOL!

I find it strange too Cory that he wouldn't be pounding on your door waking you up knowing he knew Leah was missing by then!

How old was Nick? Did he not have a curfew himself?

lindamarie wrote:How old was Nick? Did he not have a curfew himself?

He had just turned 18 in April. No, no curfew....his parents didn't give a sh** what he did. He was a spoiled brat. Obviously still is.

mommyof3kids wrote:Good to know I at least got something right finally. LOL!

I find it strange too Cory that he wouldn't be pounding on your door waking you up knowing he knew Leah was missing by then!

Hmm. Makes ya wonder huh?

What a GREAT article Cory!!!! for posting it!!
Man that picture they have in the article makes me want to cry all over again after witnessing Leah's precious box her picture next to your bed

Man, it's sooo friggin sad and NOT FAIR

Love you Cory!!! SOOO much!! :iluvu:

I couldn't sleep without that box there Mommy.

When you all kiss your children and tell them Good Night........ just PLEASE be thankful that you can do it to their faces.......although it's truly her - she is in there - it is not the same. But it is what I have, and I'll take that. I take it with much gratitude as there ARE those who don't even have that.

The Mustang's trunk had been stripped clean, but according to court documents, McGuffin's father told police the car had recently been repaired, necessitating the removal of everything from the trunk. The pair also apparently did not do well on polygraph tests, but when offered immunity to tell all he knew about McGuffin's role in the Leah's murder, Bartley had nothing to say.

And that, so far, is where the story ends.

That is not where the story ends. That is where LE left it. How does holding back the cause of death help catch the killer? Cory you look wonderful and I loved seeing pictures of where Leahs ashes are. Leah is always with you in spirit. Can I copy those pictures in the article?

Sure you can LM....but I do have better ones of her urn and the huge picture. You can use the ones in the article or I can send you others.

If you have better ones of her urn I would love to have them. It is beautiful. That great big picture is quite the treasure.
How can we get the DA to turn the file and evidence over the cold case detectives?

Hello all.

Could you refresh my memory? Was the shoe found near the cemetery the one with the blood on the sole?

mayhem wrote:Hello all.

Could you refresh my memory? Was the shoe found near the cemetery the one with the blood on the sole?

Hey Meyhem! - No the shoe that was found on Hudson Ridge was the one with the blood splatter.

lindamarie wrote:If you have better ones of her urn I would love to have them. It is beautiful. That great big picture is quite the treasure.
How can we get the DA to turn the file and evidence over the cold case detectives?

I sent you a couple pics LM.....hope they work for you! The huge picture was given to me by the funeral home. Nice of them huh?
As for the DA turning the file and evidence over to the cold case team - it is my understanding that HE would be the one to hire the team so therefore he would have no choice but to turn it all over, right?

How do we get him to do that? The Petition maybe?

lindamarie wrote:How do we get him to do that? The Petition maybe?

That's why we did this:
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I do think it was an excellent letter to the editor. I wonder if it is time to print the petition and send a cover letter asking the DA to PLEASE hire and turn over all the evidence to the cold case team. Frasier said he wants justice for Leah now let’s see him show that by his actions.

lindamarie wrote:I do think it was an excellent letter to the editor. I wonder if it is time to print the petition and send a cover letter asking the DA to PLEASE hire and turn over all the evidence to the cold case team. Frasier said he wants justice for Leah now let’s see him show that by his actions.

Excellent point LM!!!

I will do it if your ready. I will print it, make a cover letter and fax it to the DA office.

I think that the petition and a cover letter should definitely be sent to Coos County DA Paul Frasier, but I would suggest holding off for a little bit. When the petition and cover letter are sent to Frasier we want to send copies of them to the press and have them write about it. Since we have gotten so much coverage in the last week, the media is not likely to write another article for a while. So I suggest holding off for a little bit - wait until the new year and then hit 'em hard again. In case you haven't seen all of the coverage from the last week, which I think most of you have, here are links:

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Thanks Michelle! So you think after the new year? Also I want to tell everyone that the Oregonian article was MUCH bigger and better than it looks online. I had a friend call me from Eugene a while ago and he had the Oregonian in front of him and he was absolutely amazed. (we don't get the Oregonian in this area...only the Sunday edition)He said it took up the bottom half of the front page and more pictures on page 8. He said it was the best article he'd seen!!!

Thanks for posting all those links too Michelle....nice! :cheers:

Cory, I am very happy you received so much coverage - FINALLY!!

Hopefully, this will wake up the DA and the COP to finally do something more than sit on their asses.

I have to say, I agree with Michelle. Wait until January and hit them hard right between the eyes!!

Wrapitup wrote:Cory, I am very happy you received so much coverage - FINALLY!!

Hopefully, this will wake up the DA and the COP to finally do something more than sit on their asses.

I have to say, I agree with Michelle. Wait until January and hit them hard right between the eyes!!

Thanks Wrap! I'm pretty stoked myself!!!! Just makes me wanna stripper stripper stripper stripper stripper !!!!!!!!!!

That's right! Hard! Right between the eyes! like this.... :slugger: moon walking

This is so good for your case, Cory. About darn time.

Michelle your awesome. Thanks for helping Cory get this kind of press coverage. I read the advice and think your right. I hope to get more people to sign it before we send it out. Michelle you write beautifully would you be willing to write the cover letter? This question remains on my mind. If Nick was your Son and questions remained if he was Leahs killer would you not want his name cleared? If he was my Son I would be fighting to get his name cleared. Anyone know how they feel about getting Nicks name cleared?

I don't know LM, they not be fighting to clear his name because they are convinced of his guilt by HIS actions.

CritterFan1 wrote:I don't know LM, they not be fighting to clear his name because they are convinced of his guilt by HIS actions.

I understand that. But to me that says a lot if they are not fighting to clear his name. If I knew my Son was innocent I would be fighting to clear his name.

lindamarie wrote:Michelle your awesome. Thanks for helping Cory get this kind of press coverage. I read the advice and think your right. I hope to get more people to sign it before we send it out. Michelle you write beautifully would you be willing to write the cover letter? This question remains on my mind. If Nick was your Son and questions remained if he was Leahs killer would you not want his name cleared? If he was my Son I would be fighting to get his name cleared. Anyone know how they feel about getting Nicks name cleared?

Exactly Linda! I believe that is what the normal people would do. Try to clear their son's name. OR prove his innocense. Instead, they go out and buy him (what I understand him to be) one of the best lawyers in Oregon. THIS is why I have questions about Nicks Dad Bruce. Something about those beady eyes I never trusted. OK...I'll put it to you this way - Bruce (Nick's Dad) reminds me soooooo soooooo much of Drew Peterson. Call me nuts, but he looks like him and acts like him (you know - that ugly cocky smirky attitude). I have never trusted Bruce. Ya know how you just get a feeling about someone??? Yeah....from the very git go.
And so, to clear your son's name, what would you do? You would be at the police station with your son. Making him explain exactly what happened. And would you not continue to seek the justice that is due? Would you not help the family, go to the vigils and so on? You don't just rush out and go buy the little brat a high powered attorney. There are some real parenting skills eh??? Kinda reminds me of George and Cindy! :face:

I would be forcing my child to tell the truth, whatever it took. I would not protect a murderer. I think I need to bring a can of 'whoop a$$' up there to use on old Bruce.

CritterFan1 wrote:I would be forcing my child to tell the truth, whatever it took. I would not protect a murderer. I think I need to bring a can of 'whoop a$$' up there to use on old Bruce.

:cheers: :cheers: :cheers: C'mon Critter!!! You go girl!!!!! :woot:

Well I would make sure my Son had a lawyer. I would not break the bank to get him one. Nick was 18 and a legal adult. If he had been my Son and I truly believed in his innocence a court appt lawyer would be fine. If I believed my Son was guilty of a murder no way would I be protecting him.

Are Nick and BB still friends? Relationships change over time, and I'm curious if these two talk now. Nick wasn't the only one who failed a poly. BB was right there with him, right?

What really bothers me is driving around until 2:30 "looking" for someone without ONCE calling Leah's home (except at 10:00 from the friend's house, right? And that was at the insistance of the mother??)
That doesn't make sense. Cory, did you ever tell Nick that he couldn't call past a certain time? If not, why did he not call your home at some point btwn 10 and 2:30 to touch base with her??

To play devil's advocate, if Nick was telling the "truth", and she stood him up and he drove past her home @ 2:30 and noticed her bedroom light was on, and then just "drove home", wouldn't he be kindof ticked off that she stood him up? I would think Nick would be calling Leah first thing in the morning going, "Hey, I drove all over creation looking for you?? Why'd you ditch me?? Are you made at me??" Then again, you did call @ 8:00 a.m. -- Cory, did he sound sleepy to you, like he just got up??

Another thought, why would two teens drive around for 4 1/2 hours looking for a friend, when she could have arrived at home at anytime during those hours??
Kids that age don't have that kindof focus. 4 1/2 hours searching the town, when they could have picked up the phone at 11:00 or so and said, "Hey, is she home yet?? Can I talk to her?"

And the switching cars is really perplexing. If he was driving the mustang @ 10:00 when he called you from the Mitchells (correct me if I'm wrong!!), did he go home to get the Thunderbird so he could "sneak" up on her? Maybe Leah wasn't used to seeing him in another car and his intent (in his high state) was to play a prank on her of sorts, and she (already in an emotional state) didn't take to kindly to it and an alteration occured. Quick, ditch the parents car back home and get the mustang so if someone SAW something suspicious, they'd be looking for a Thunderbird. I don't know. Seems out there, I know. This scenario would also have to mean that her body was placed inside the Thunderbird, then transported to the Mustang. And it's probably also far-fetched b/c I think we'd established that going to his home and driving back would take close to 30 minutes, right?
On the other hand, if that WAS the reason for grabbing that Thunderbird initally (initially an innocent move, that he lied about later to make FIT), he and BB had ALL evening to clean both cars up!!

Sorry to ramble on. Just felt the need to get these thoughts out of my head!!

some very thought provoking questions, mayhem. I want to read your post again and think about a few of the things. I wish everyone and his brother had cell phones back then. The flurry of calls would have been traceable on Nick's cell.

Great post Mayhem!
I don't know if Nick and Brent are still friends. I don't know how they could be very close friends because as I have understood it, Brent has been in and out of drug rehab for years now.
Yes I did tell Nick he could not call the house after 9:00 on school nights and 11:00 on weekends. He was a spoiled brat....used to getting his own way, so he pretty much ignored my request not to call after those hours. When we first moved to my parents house (a month before Leah disappeared) was when I first noticed how disrespectful he really was. My Dad didn't allow boys upstairs.....Nick would be caught sneaking up there all the time. My Dad and him went round and round about how Nick wouldn't follow the rules at his house.

First off. I don't give a damn what Nick says.....Leah's bedroom light was NOT on. It was off when I woke up at 3:30 am. He is lying about that. Period.
Yes. I do have to say that Nick did sound like he had been sleeping when I called their home at 8:00 am.
You raise a very good point about two teens driving around looking for a teen for 4 1/2 hours when she could have arrived home within that time. Doesn't add up does it????
Actually Leah was used to seeing him drive the Thunderbird....and their pick up as well. It wasn't out of the ordinary for him to drive their rigs. And to be honest.....they had ALOT longer than just that night to clean up cars! When did they take the cars in? Can't remember right off the top of my head but it seems like it was weeks before they impounded them.

Don't be sorry Mayhem!!! I thought your post was great!!

If I were using the facts stated in this case to write a book, it would read......Leah and her boyfriend spend a fun afternoon cleaning his car, just the two of them, she believes his promises this time to stop all drug activity and associations with those friends still involved with drugs. They finish cleaning the car and plan to have an evening watching movies. They leave her house, and drive to boyfriend's friend's grandparent's house. Leah thinks this will be a good place to watch their movies and have a pizza but unknown to her the grandparents are not home to supervise. Leah is upset, but boyfriend promises he will not touch any drugs the other friends present may use. Leah sees him have a couple of beers but thinks everything is okay at first, he is to bring her to her girlfriend's house for 7 and on the ride there she notices a few tell-tell signs, but doesn't confront him, he will pick her up a 9. The girlfriend's mother is home and there is no real privacy for a conversation. Leah doesn't confide in girlfriend but is under a great deal of stress, not knowing what to do about their relationship. She fears him and what he might do if she tries to break up with him as he is very possessive. She tries to convince girlfriend to go jogging with her, to not only avoid his pick-up but also to have a little more privacy and maybe confide in her friend. The friend's mother will not allow the jog and Leah leaves their house just before the pick-up time of 9. Boyfriend arrives, finds Leah has already left and drives off looking for her. He finds her shortly as she is headed for her home. He convinces her to get in car, but she immediately realizes he has been using more during the 2 hours they were apart. She knows him well and those signs. He is very high and aggressive. He gropes her and she attempts to escape the car. Angry, he takes off before she is all the way out and drags her for a distance. One shoe is lost along the road. He puts her in the trunk, his ego and the effects of the drugs allow him to maintain his composure. He calls his father and his father arranges a meeting. His father meets him with another car, they swap cars. He advises son, nothing can be done now for Leah, it was an "accident" and you must now be concerned for yourself and your future. Boyfriend rides around town pretending to look for Leah, while father disposes of body in ravine outside town. He meets son again and they swap cars back. The mustang trunk was stripped of all contents, then oops a lost shoe and there is blood on it, no worry, we will just toss it away somewhere it will probably never be found.

Just my opinion, maybe my imagination

With the trunk being empty of everything right down to the trunk liner is very suspicious to me.

Wow, Laga... you really could be on to something.. SERIOUSLY. I mean, I have ALWAYS thought that there was a scuffle between NM and Leah where that first shoe was found. My theory is that she reached that curve on Central and NM had reached that point by then too, Leah crossed the street initially to get into the car, might have gotten in the car or could have decided NOT to and kept walking, but he didn't give up his persistence and kept following her which made her walk up that road next to the cemetery where the first shoe was found and another altercation occurs ending in Leah's death and NM freaks and calls daddy just like Laga says above!!!

Bottom line, something happened at that curve on Central.

In the end of Laga's post, she mentions in the end they find a shoe with blood on it. And so they toss it. Hmmmm......It has never been stated "whose" blood was on that shoe. WHO'S blood was on Leah's shoe?? I don't think it was Leah's blood. Doesn't it state that there was a high to medium velocity blood splatter on the bottom of her shoe?? How does blood splatter end up on the bottom of a shoe? This doesn't make sense. If the person who killed her knew there was blood on the shoe he wouldn't throw her shoe somewhere. There would be evidence like fingerprints and dna wouldn't there?? IDK?

I will say Laga has quite the scenario there!!

I always forget about the Medium to High Velocity blood splatter, I mean, I know there was blood found on the second shoe, just forgot about the Velocity part. I agree Cory, how bizarre that it is on the bottom of the shoe and not the top. Hmm.. Could that point to Laga's scenario that she had been dragged by the car, but that still wouldn't cause blood splatter on the bottom of the shoe, would it???

I wouldn't know about blood splatter being on the bottom of her shoe - whether it could be from being dragged. But this has ALWAYS bugged me. How does blood splatter end up on the bottom of a shoe?? That is IF it were Leah's blood. Almost seems more likely that it would be someone elses blood. But then again, surely that blood has been tested.? I suppose the blood splatter could have gotten on there AFTER her shoe was off her foot. UGH!! Wears me out trying to figure it out!

I know Cory. It has me re-reading all the dox AGAIN.. I like to base my theories on facts, so I needed to update myself on the timeline. I used this Affidavit for a search warrant on NM Car to get a good timeline of what happened that night [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

And it made me re-think once again the timing of when NM went to Denny's to talk to Denise. The Affidavit says that he went there twice, once at 9:30 and again at 11:00. I wish we really new if that is accurate.

I also like that in this affidavit even the police officer assigned to this case thought it was odd that NM NEVER once physically went to your house, Cory!! He only called at 10:00 because the Mitchell's made him call you!

Also in this affidavit, you can clearly see NM change in behavior up until he fails the Polygraph, he even tells the Polygrapher (sp?) "The Polygraph is not evidence. You don't have SHIT!" that too me is suspicious in it'self!!!

So you went to Leah's site?? Did you notice the facelift?????

Oh No Cory, I got them off here... But I will go there NOW to see the changes!!! :D

Oh Cory, I LOVE the facelift. They are doing a great job updated it and I see they included recent articles as well the link to the petition!!! AWESOME!! :cheers:

Yeah! Great! Glad you like it! Dan worked on it for HOURS yesterday! Bless his heart!!! I got an email from him a little while ago saying he is going to give the CVCS site an update too!!!!

THANK GOD FOR DAN AND ANGIE!!!!!!

I love the new look of Leah site.

lindamarie wrote:I love the new look of Leah site.

Me too! After this weekend Dan will probably be exhausted! Poor Guy!

YES, Thank goodness you have them to maintain Leah's site! That would be a job in it's self!

Maybe when Leah got in the car, she slipped her shoes off (I do that when my feet are tired and hot from walking)...That shoe may have been turned upside down when some violence happened and the blood splatter occurred that way..(I hate to be so blunt, but just trying to help figure out what happened... :silent:

But that would put her inside the car. Wouldn't that have made blood splatters go elsewhere in the car also? Also, surely there would have been blood at the scene of the cemetary(if in fact that is where an altercation began)...did LE investigate that?????? Sure doesn't state any investigation at the cemetary on the docs. Soooo mind boggling!!


It's ok to be blunt lisette.....one almost can't avoid it when they are trying to figure this out!!

Yes if anything happened in the car that caused blood splatter on the shoe there would be blood in the car. I might add here if it had been an accident in which a car hit Leah there would be other evidence at the scene where the shoe was found. The DA and LE holding all this information back from Cory and the public does not help solve this case. I want to see some heat on the person that did this by releasing the Autopsy results etc.