Three Riders Killed

[popo]

This is a post from z400central. Happened in Lee County Al.

In this season of renewal, Tim Hicks and his wife are planting the seeds of a new beginning in the Beauregard community; a new home, a new town, and just recently married.

"We wanted to move to the country and enjoy the quiet," says Hicks.

Ironically, the couple moved to Beauregard to get away from crime in the big city. They had no way of knowing that something terrible would happen so close to home. Three young men were found dead near their 4 wheelers about a mile away in wooded area.

"It makes you a little nervous but you can't let fear run your life," says Hicks.

The sheer brutality of the crime took place a quarter of a mile behind a home off Lee County Road 401.

"This is a major shock for this area," says Sheriff Jay Jones.

The victims are 19-year old William Stephens, 24-year old Daniel Foster, and 25-year old Jason Barr. They were good friends, enjoying a spring time ride in the woods with their 4 wheelers. All found shot to death.

"We do not have a motive. The property owner is not a suspect in regards to the case at this time," says Sheriff Jones.

Tim Hicks wasn't the only one thinking about what happened. Auburn University and 8 SEC schools cycled their way through a grueling road race not far from the crime scene. During the race, Nick Angus thought about the people who died, and the person who did this, the killer who's still on the run.

"I kept looking for anything suspicious, anyone riding a 4 wheeler but I never saw it," says Angus, who by the way won his race.

It's now 24 hours after the bodies were found. Investigators say they have a few leads, but that's about it.

"At this time we don't have any definite ideas whether it was one or several individuals at this point," says Sheriff Jones.

The bodies were taken to forensics. It was a relative of one of the victims who actually discovered the bodies. Sheriff Jones says that relative is not a suspect.

If you have any information that would help investigators in this case, call the Lee County Sheriff's Department at 334-749-5651.

Lee County Coroner Bill Harris says he can't recall the count having a triple homicide ever since he took over as deputy coroner back in 1986.

[kamikaze_rzrbak]

OMG thats crazy i hope they get some help in this case:(

[Pappy]

Dannnnng:(

[seatec]

SOunds like a po'ed hunter or land owner or something. what caliber bullet was it. if its from a rifle.......

[zephead400ex]

That's bullsh*t. I would like to know how the investigation turns out.

[blondie69]

Daaamn. Could someone get so pissed off about people fourwheeling that they would wanna shoot and kill them???:confused: :eek2:

...That's sad...:(

[redroost85]

Man, WTF!:grr:

I hope they find the ackjass that pulled this bit of genious!:cuss:

[Ryan]

That sucks :( .

Let us know if any new information comes up about this case.

['03'300ex'er]

damn! I hope they get whoever is behind this.

[sickmojave]

That's scary stuff :eek: :eek:

[dirtmomma]

Dang that is very scary & I feel for the families of these guys:( I agree w/ Blondie, could someone get that pissed to kill them very sad!!

[QuadJunkies]

very,very sad.....:(

[Rebelrider4OOex]

damn that sucks .... were their quads gone?

[quadrcr161]

i heard about that this mornig but not the whole thing. then i havent really found anything else on it. if i hear something local i will post about it.

someone needs some anger managament

[seatec]

all i know is that people have been killed for less than that so YES, i believe that people can get that pissed. Especially if they have poor impulse control. I am sure that pop has seen it all and wouldn't exclude the disgruntled land owner theory.

[MOFO]

Originally posted by Jumbo747
someone needs some anger managament


little more than just anger management is needed in this case!!!!

Those SOB's need for fry!!! No questions asked!

[JOEX]

Originally posted by Ryan
That sucks :( .

Let us know if any new information comes up about this case.
:(

[alberndt]

Great, I am already paranoid about riding deep in the woods. I randomly see hunters walking with their rifles in hand and it freaks me out. This is very sad and shocking.

[Bobbs07]

Originally posted by alberndt
Great, I am already paranoid about riding deep in the woods. I randomly see hunters walking with their rifles in hand and it freaks me out. This is very sad and shocking.


Hey man, you live pretty close to me, i live in menominee, michigan, where do you ride at and what do you ride?:macho


Thats messed up how somehow would get that angry about fourwheelers.. Be careful where ya ride i guess?:confused: :eek2:

[MOFO]

Originally posted by alberndt
Great, I am already paranoid about riding deep in the woods. I randomly see hunters walking with their rifles in hand and it freaks me out. This is very sad and shocking.


I remember my first trip to H/M with a few buddys of mine... about 2 hours into the ride (in the middle of freakin nowhere) was a guy hiding behind a tree holding a sack and dressed in ripped up flannels... gave us a strange feeling...needless to say we all hauled *** out.

I can tell you this, after that atleast one of the guys in our group is prepared to deal with some wacko...

[alberndt]

I live in Appleton about fifteen minutes from Gravity Park and usually ride up by Antigo (parents live there). Ride at Tigerton a lot too. Got any cool places to ride?? Jumps???

[Bobbs07]

Originally posted by alberndt
I live in Appleton about fifteen minutes from Gravity Park and usually ride up by Antigo (parents live there). Ride at Tigerton a lot too. Got any cool places to ride?? Jumps???


Not really anything too good up here. Just a cupple little old tracks in the middle of nowhere.. I have heard of gravity park but never known anyone that went there.. How is it? How much does it cost to go in and can you ride dirtbikes on it? lol. lotta questions

[JTRtrx250r]

W T F ?:huh :eek2: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

makes ya wonder what those poor dudes had to go thru, why? and whos the EFFIN SICKO,

Also makes ya wonder if they were part of these forums, what a damn shame..

[redrunner]

I think I need to change my avatar. I have only known a few people that have died violently and can't imagine the pain of the families involved. I hope they catch the bas**rds!:mad:

[Mr.Offroad]

Off-road rage.:(

[400EX_Kid_03]

sick... just f'n sick...

I hope they catch them... I hope they get the death sentance

[WKY400EX]

This makes me sick to my stomach. Just goes to show you how evil some people are. Remember to live life to its fullest. May sound wrong, but at least those young men were doing something they loved when they died.

[Atreyu]

Stuff like this sucks to hear.


:(

Great, now I'm going to be looking over my shoulder every five seconds when I stop riding. Anyone know what it's like to find a body? Not cool...

[Bobbs07]

Back in the day around here, when people didnt like kids riding on property they would put up plastic strings so you couldnt see then and sometimes people actually would get seriously injured becuz it would get them in the kneck, Now i guess when people dont like people riding on their property they bring out the gun and shoot them:rolleyes: :huh :eek2: Not Good

[WhiteBros400ex]

Dang that sucks, About 2 months ago we where ridding some woods and my friends sister wanted to ride my 400ex so i took her 250ex for a run around the trails as i was on my way back i looked to the right over the creek, and saw a older guy with a gun so i just spead off and all i heard was a gun shot i think he shot in the air to scare me off or something but it wasnt even the farmer or anything and it just scared me and i havnt been back there scence. When i got back to where my 2 friends where ridding they where like you hear that gun shot i was like i just saw the guy so we left, lucky we were not shot.

These are such sad stories to hear:(

Hope they find the person who did this:D

[Tommy 17]

few years ago they shot a kid here in the head riding his dirt bike... people are phsyco...

[Atreyu]

A few years ago around here someone put up airplaine wire (?) on a trail and some kids was decapitated. People are insane.

[Rebelrider4OOex]

a girl that i know that ride told me that last week she try ot go riding at betsy ross a placewe go to alot and the cops stopped her and otld her that there was a body found back there but i dunno if it was shot or i they were riding or what all i know if i u get cought back there its a 1200.00 fine ofr each prson or 90days in jail so looks liek im not goin there for a while intill tihnks cool down

There was a fight back there a few years ago over a girl and 1 guy rac another guy over with a trauck or atv or osmething and killed him so we were aloud there for a lil while then they let us bakc again... i hope we can go back soon:(

[blondie69]

Originally posted by Atreyu
A few years ago around here someone put up airplaine wire (?) on a trail and some kids was decapitated. People are insane.


That's dimented!!!!:eek2: :huh :huh

[sparks400]

i cant belive ppl these days, a few guys out to enjoy a fun ride and they get killed, i dont understand what would make a person do this, i hope they get that @$$ hole

[hessianmx111]

Man, people these days are just crazy i really hope they get the guy.

[02 Red Rider]

This from WSFA Channel 12 in Montgomery:

Somewhere back in the woods off Lee County Road 401 in the Beauregard community, there was another fatal shooting over the weekend. Three men had been shot days earlier while riding 4-wheelers.

"Responding deputies discovered the body of a man identified as Bernard Vaughan. He suffered what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head," says Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones.

It was Mrs. Vaughan who found her husband's body around 4:30 Sunday morning in their backyard.

Vaughan was 69-years old, a retired Army colonel, active in the community and a member of the First United Methodist Church in Opelika. The sheriff says the focus on the triple murder investigation started to turn in Vaughan's direction late Saturday.

Vaughan left a suicide note, according to the sheriff, but Jones wouldn't say what the note says. In addition to the suicide note, authorities recovered some weapons from Vaughan's home.

"We're not saying just yet these are the weapons that were actually used in the shooting. What we're saying is that the guns may be consistent with what was used in Friday's killings," says Jones.

It's a story Carol Gardner finds a little bizarre, if it's true. "It's sad that some would kill three innocent children just because they're riding 4 wheelers on their property," says Gardner.

19-year old William Stephens, 24-year Daniel Foster, and 25 year old Jason Barr were all riding 4 wheelers when they were shot.

It's unclear whether the young men had permission to ride on the property, but Sheriff Jones says that shouldn't have mattered. "I would hesitate to say you would use violence in a situation like this," says Jones.

Lee County investigators aren't ready to say for sure that Bernard Vaughan did in fact kill those 3 men. One reason? No clear motive yet. "I'm just not ready to say what those issues are at this time," says Jones.

What is certain is that the people who live in the area are ready to put this sad story behind them and move on. "Finalize it, we've never had anything like this happen before," Gardner says.

Reporter: Bryan Henry

wow...an army colonel...prob. ahd a flashback or something :(

[SGA]

Click on the video link under the pics.
http://www.wsfa.com/Global/story.asp?S=1742592&nav=0RdDLr99

[400exdad]

Originally posted by Jumbo747
wow...an army colonel...prob. ahd a flashback or something :(

I hear what you are saying, but its prolly some demented old man on a power trip. I wonder if he still asked him to call him colonel? I feel sorry for the families of the 3 young men and the elderly mans wife. Stuff like this can destory a community.

[tclapp]

Just the other day we were riding back in my buddies woods making some new trails, and we had permission to ride on his neighbors property as well. Well we were riding making new trails when all of the sudden we saw this dog come runnign up towards us so we stopped and looked and next thing we knew there was this old man standing their with his high powered rifle screaming and yelling we had better get off his property or he was gonna shoot. We were a good 400 yards away from his property, after reading this story its scary to think that we could have been in the same situation that those poor fellas were in. After we talked to my buddies neighbor again and told them what had happened they said that he is always walking around the woods just looking for something to shoot.

[seatec]

I guess my assesment wasnt as far fetched after all.

In no way was this a measured response to the tresspassing (if this is why it happend) but it sure should wake a few people up who habitually trespass on other peoples land.

[HayWire]

Ive never herd of that type of thing happening here ... Buttttttt Ive herd of a guy being taken by a Croc whilest riding his Quad ,Happened early this year ...
Guess ya never know when your time is up ...

Thoughts to there familys

[seatec]

Originally posted by HayWire
Only in America Ive never herd of that type of thing happening here ... Buttttttt Ive herd of a guy being taken by a Croc whilest riding his Quad ,Happened early this year ...
Guess ya never know when your time is up ...

Thoughts to there familys

second chance at this thread?

[TRFOXX]

Man i hate hearing storys about people getting killed while riding! I own a little chunk of land in Vinton Co. in southern Oh. and when i go riding im always running acoss hunters and people. I used to stop and talk to the hunters but i dont stop and talk to anyone anymore! I got jumped by 5 guys and they started to drag my quad away saying that it was there quad now! Well the bad *** that I thought that i was i said your not taking my quad and at that time they all surrounded me, I was just waiting to get knifed in the back. Lucky that my older brother came back around and found me and we had a nice argument with them saying that we were messing up there turkey hunting WTF? It was 8:00 in the eve. well we got out of there but its something that i always think about when we go riding. You never know who you will come across when your deep in the woods. Now when I go i always take my Rugger 9MM, what happend to me will not ever happen to me again!

[02 Red Rider]

Originally posted by seatec
second chance at this thread?

Yeah let's try and not get it closed again.:( I don't think the mods will reopen it the next time around.

J

[400exdad]

I must have missed the "lock down"... :) I checked out the news clip link. Seemed like the old guy was normal and was a member of the church.... could have still been power tripping though... I just hope that it doesn't come out that these guys were constant tresspassers... of course, these 3 guys could have been coming through the property the first time and the old man could have really been peaved about "some other guys". Who knows? Just this past Saturday, we were in a National Forest.... the boundaries aren't very well marked and sometimes, you can wander onto private land... the same thing that happened to these 3 guys could happen to anyone.

This is just one of the reasons why I'm trying to join a hunting club so I can ride on some private land while hunting season is closed.

[dirtmomma]

Originally posted by 400exdad
I must have missed the "lock down"... :) I checked out the news clip link. Seemed like the old guy was normal and was a member of the church.... could have still been power tripping though... I just hope that it doesn't come out that these guys were constant tresspassers... of course, these 3 guys could have been coming through the property the first time and the old man could have really been peaved about "some other guys". Who knows? Just this past Saturday, we were in a National Forest.... the boundaries aren't very well marked and sometimes, you can wander onto private land... the same thing that happened to these 3 guys could happen to anyone.

This is just one of the reasons why I'm trying to join a hunting club so I can ride on some private land while hunting season is closed.

I agree w/ Dad, I musta missed the lockdown too but oh well, if people want to try to ride on ohters' land they need to join/form a club that can HELP the landowner, talk to them 1st tell them what you are willing to do for THEM if they will let you use the land as in cleaning trails & not harming anything. JMO ;)

[CowsBitePeople]

that is soo fed up, I hope the ******* who did this is gunna get cought

[popo]

Originally posted by CowsBitePeople
that is soo fed up, I hope the ******* who did this is gunna get cought

The main suspect out of the case, shot him self. Matching gun ballastic's used on the victims.

[2k2-300exnj]

and this guy is sopposed to be mentaly stable?

[Slick]

This guy threatened to shoot me and one of my friends a couple weeks back, he had our trail blocked with his truck sayin i had went through his field and all this, it wasnt even his land that we were on, he was jus some hunter that goes hunting out of season and we were riding close to his stands and he got mad and i was bout to get in a fight with him then he said somin bout a gun and i got the #### outa there. I hate that people are like they are.

[WEEZIL]

WE have this jerk off that always threatens to shoot us. he is the county cororner. Maybe he just wants to see me naked.. and dead

[northeast400]

that is so wrong. I can tell you first hand about somthing like this with a different ending.

Last year we wear out on a state trail in Antrum NH. It was an old railroad bed, down the trail in a clearing we stopped. all of a sudden someone started yelling and firing a gun. There was ten of us on quads.We all took off. No one stopped to see where they came from. After a while we had to come back through to get to the parking area. There was bullet holes in some of the trees!!:eek2: . We are all lucky. A few weeks later a couple of guys went to the same area and went down a side trail. Someone had strung fishing line across the trail. One guy i knew well hit it in third gear. He was cut to hell. The state final caught the person and all they got was a slap on the wrist!!!!