A case with parallels

Discussion in 'Justice for JonBenet Discussion - Public Forum' started by Jayelles, Nov 4, 2009.

  1. Jayelles

    Jayelles Alert Viewer in Scotland

    I didn't know quite where to post this, so Mods feel free to move it.

    In the past, I have posted about a case I'd read about in a magazine years ago which I felt had parallels to the Ramsey case. It was the case of Helen Priestley, a little girl who was murdered by her neighbour Jeannie Donald. They lived in Urquhart Rd in Aberdeen which isn't far from our flat in Old Aberdeen. The block is virtually identical though and so I can totally understand the layout and crime scene photos which I've seen.

    There hasn't been a lot written about the case. Helen had been sent on an errand by her mother at lunchtime and didn't return. Despite an extensive search, she wasn't found. Then, the following morning, a family friend who had arrived at the tenement to resume the search found a bundle in an alcove on thr ground floor of the shared stairway. When he examined it more closely, it was a sack and Helen was inside. She had been strangled and sexually assaulted. (parallels with JonBenet not being found, then being found in the basement, strangled, sexually assaulted and covered).

    I'll not go into the details of the investigation, but her neighbour Jeannie Donald, who had a daughter about the same age, was convicted of Helen's murder and she was sentences to death but this was later commuted to life imprisonment. She ultimately was released early as she was a model prisoner.

    Long story short. Last night, I was really surprised to see a documentary on TV about the case and they had exclusive interviews with several of the neighbours - some of who had been children at the time and other who were in their late teens and who had helped with the search.

    Jeannie Donald never spoke about the case, but it is now generally agreed that she didn't mean to kill Helen and that the sexual assualt was staging to make it look like a man had done it. Everyone who was interviewed on the programme agreed that Helen had been an unpleasant/irritating child who hadn't gotten on with Jeannie Donald's daughter. Helen had been in the habit of shouting names and kicking the Donald door on her way past. It is thought that Jeannie DOnald may have snapped on this occasion and perhaps opened her door suddenly giving Helen a fright. The autopsy revealed that Helen suffered from a heart condition whose name I forget, but it caused her to pass out if she was startled or had extreme physical exertion. Jeannie Donald may have thought she was dead and panicked. Then it is thought that Donald decided to do a sexual assault on the girl to make it look like a man had done it and Helen may have wakened up at this point causing Donald to panic further and strangle her.

    All of the witnesses said that Donald was a lieable and kindly woman who was nice to them and they were just stunned that she had done this. They all felt that it must have been an accident followed by a panicked cover-up.
     
  2. Moab

    Moab Admin Staff Member

    I have never heard of this case before - there are some eerie similarities aren't there? The accident, the coverup, the staging. Were they ever able to tell anything from the autopsy as to the cause of death of Helen?
     
  3. koldkase

    koldkase FFJ Senior Member

    Hello, Jayelles, good to see you. We sure have been missing your abuse! :fight:

    Yes, interesting case. It does bring up parallels.

    What I wonder is why the woman wasn't required to admit her crimes and tell what happened to the victim and why, as part of her early release. Children can be irritating personalities, of course, but adults don't get to kill them and then get off easy because of it, I'm sure you agree. How did the child's parents deal with never knowing what happened?
     
  4. Jayelles

    Jayelles Alert Viewer in Scotland

    I actually have a copy of the death certificate! Under "Cause of death", it says "Not certified". This was because of the autopsy. However, I also have a copy of the Register of Corrected Entiries and it says "Asphyxiation".

    According to the programme, this medical condition which Helen suffered from would cause her to pass clean out - as though she were dead. So if Jeannie Donald startled her then she may have thought she'd killed her then. It's not the same as fainting where the person comes round quickly.

    KK - There's so little written about thie case that we just don't know what Jeannie Donald may have said. As far as I am aware there is one book which covers the trial and which was written at the time of the trial (1930s) but it's out of print and rare copies cost a fortune!

    I'd be interested to read newspaper reports of the time. It must have been devastating for the parents and also for Jeannie DOnald's family too.

    A split second can really change a person's life forever.
     
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice