The murder of 14 year-old schoolgirl Jodi Jones near Edinburgh on 30 June 2003

[sandra L]

Not going to be more specific than "large knife"?

No.

The blade only had to be large enough to reach her tonsils, not a bowie or fixed blade hunting knife by a long shot. Likely a 4 inch blade at the most. I haven't seen anyone suggest the injuries were caused by what most of us would consider a "large knife"

Why the mention of a Bowie knife? It was the police interrogators who first introduced the suggestion that a Bowie knife might have been involved in the murder, a suggestion they maintained for several months. And "fixed blade hunting knife?" Where did that come from?

I would sort of agree that the knife which pierced Jodi's tonsil (singular) could, at minimum, have been a 4 inch blade (the pathologist demonstrated such a scenario, to show how difficult it would have been for such a blade to have been the weapon which damaged the tonsil without chipping or damaging the teeth, gums or lips), but what of the other injuries? Are you seriously suggesting that those were inflicted by a "4 inch blade at the most"?

[marty]

Are we forgetting the texts they exchanged?

Not surprised Sandra didn't correct you here though.

Think she did

[sandra L]

The failed decapitation...

You make an assumption here that I do not believe can safely be made - i.e. that it was an attempted decapitation.

You speak only of the cut-throat and eyelid injuries, concluding that both were inflicted with the same weapon. What about the others?

The pathologist dempnstrated that the murderer would have to have held the knife at the end of the handle(were it a 4 inch blade) with the tips of his fingers - do you accept this as the probable method used to inflict this injury?

I don't believe it was ever ascertained what knife was used to carve the initials in the tree. They were carved before the murder at a spot Jodi and Luke were known to hang out, so I don't see the relevance of the distance from the murder scene.

The skunting knife bought after the murder was handed to the police, and bore no forensic evidence of the murder. The other lock knife claimed to have belonged to Luke was handed to police by Ferris, who in turn claimed to have stolen it from Luke, even though other witnesses insisted it was always Ferris's knife. Other knives retrieved from Luke were a swiss army toolkit (broken) and a pen knife. An old decorative sword (completely blunt and rusty) was taken from his bedroom wall, along with an array of kitchen  knives, stanley knives from the garage etc,  from the Mitchell household. The evidence of Luke's "fondness" for knives is of the same calibre as his "obsession" with Manson.

[marty]

You say this after listing several knives he owned, and that's just the ones you know about. Owning several knives isn't normal for a 14 year old boy. Again, I'm Luke's age and from the surrounding area so don't try and tell me what was and wasn't normal for 14 year old boys in 2003. Ferris was legal age for owning a knife, which in 2003 I believe was 16.

The relevance of the tree carving is that it shows this "law abiding teenager" carried knives on Roan's Dyke. Near where his girlfriend who was going to meet him there was murdered, with a knife.

Looks to me he carried a tool kit or a penknife as you are not disputing Ferris knife was his own. Obviously the pen knife for cutting pot imo. When was it ever said he met jodi in the woods, New one on me. Thought he was spotted at (supposedly )at easthouses end.
You also can not speak for every fourteen year old in the area or anywhere only yourself, the rest is speculation. We have all been fourteen at some point and had our own ways.

[sandra L]

My girls were round about Luke and Jodi's age. Their friends (male and female) were the same age. My nephews ditto. And we are all local, so I do know a bit about 14 year old boys in 2003!

 "Legal age for owning a knife?" From the government guidelines on the sale of knives to under 16s in 2010:

LACORS have also recognised that a sale to someone buying on behalf of someone that is  too young to make the purchase themselves, or so-called proxy selling, is not illegal. This reflects the fact that many young people have perfectly legitimate need for the use of knives and knife blades
http://www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk/documents/guide%20to%20knives%20scotland%20-%20july%202010.pdf

So no, the legal age for owing a knife in Scotland in 2003 was not 16.

The relevance of the tree carving is that it shows this "law abiding teenager" carried knives on Roan's Dyke. Near where his girlfriend who was going to meet him there was murdered, with a knife.

According to her mother, she and Luke were intending to muck about "up here" - i.e. Easthouses/Mayfield. According to her mother, right up to trial, there should have been no reason for Jodi to be anywhere near Roan's Dyke path that evening. Judith's evidence was inconsistent - she said if Jodi was going to Newbattle. Luke would meet her at the Easthouses entrance to the path (not the path itself) but remained adamant that, on June 30th, Jodi was not intending to go down to Newbattle. According to Luke's evidence, Jodi was coming down to Newbattle - there was no arrangement to meet on Roan's Dyke path or in the woodland strip.

None of this even suggests that the arrangement was for Jodi to meet Luke on the path or in the woodland strip, far less sets it in stone as fact.

[marty]

Legal age for buying a knife then.

How petty, and it doesn't change my point about Ferris having knives at all.

I wonder who if not her boyfriend she climbed a wall into a secluded area with.

Your deliberately posting false information.

She climbed over the wall to get away from stocky man >

[marty]

Did she realise she was being followed before she entered the path?

[marty]

If it was someone she knew which I doubt, he could have called out to her. Why wouldn't she go over the wall with them if she knew them

[marty]

The path she entered goes on for quite some distance before she would reach the break in the wall. You saying she realised while on the path someone was following her and decided to climb the wall to avoid him instead of getting out of the area asap? Who would do that?

To try and get a look at who it was perhaps. She maybe felt no reason to be afraid. From what I have read about the girl she didn't seem the type to scare easily. Only an opinion though.

[marty]

what false information's that? Surely you don't mean the buy/own thing...

Why would she swap a pathway out in the open view for a secluded woodland if she was running from someone, this isn't a b-rated horror movie. 

And if Stocky man was someone she knew why would she run?

Is this the same secluded woodland that you found it strange for luke to walk up in the pitch black...and use a torch?

[marty]

But you just said she climbed over the wall to get away from a stranger following her. This is an uncommon theory can you provide more information which leads to you believe this?

Either or is possible, both scenarios work whether she knew him or not

[marty]

no not at all he walked up the path. Please research the scene.

The woodland is on the opposite side of the wall.

And the paths under streetlights? No, it's in the dark.
I've been to the scene

[marty]

Well I've seen Stocky Man being pinned on Joey Jones and S. Kelly

I don't believe a 14 year old girl would climb a wall into the woods with her big sisters boyfriend or her own big brother. I also don't believe she'd try and run and hide from them if she encountered them behind her on the path.

I don't believe it was either of them.
Why wouldn't you climb a wall with your brother?

[marty]

So where did this stocky stranger come from and when did he decide he was going to kill Jodi? She would have only been out of her house for a few minutes before reaching the path. He encountered her in these minutes, decided he was going to follow her and murder her and to his luck happened to be carrying a knife? And even luckier for him, she climbed a wall into a secluded area to make everything so much easier for him? And this maniac who can't control his murderous impulses has never struck again?

I find it far easier to assume she was over the wall by choice and with someone she trusted. This person killed her. And if they left the path in the opposite direction, they'd be exactly where Luke was spotted hanging around acting suspiciously. It really is a "no brainer" for me.

If luke mitchell can carry a knife why can't anyone else,Ferris did.
Maybe if it hadn't been jodi that evening it could have been someone else. Obviously someone  who is capable of this and in that frame of mind, second guessing what they would and wouldn't do is impossible. As was said before there could be a number of reasons why he hasn't struck again, death,prison, whatever that means little really.
The police said themselves there were no positive sightings so I don't believe many if any of the so called sightings, which are credible? Only one witness gave a reasonable description of any of the two of them that was the witness who seen stocky man imo.

[marty]

I'm not saying she definitely didn't know her killer just tend to go with she didn't.  Maybe your right, luck was on the killers side that night. Maybe she went over the wall because she thought the moped two were there and would be safe. Just an idea