Teresa's life cut short on the shores of Lake Knight...1500 feet from her house next to a "pump house" pictured below. Notice that her jeans are pulled up and her shirt is tucked inside her jeans. It appears that she dressed herself.
If I were "writing" the scene about that fateful night in a story this is what I believe happened.
Teresa liked teenage boys. she was secretly talking to an older teenage boy behind the dumpster. He was one of three teenage boys that she had been talking to at the laundromat. When James Duckett pulled up in his police cruiser, two boys walked toward him but the third boy walked behind the Circle K. He never emerged. I believe Teresa told her mother she needed a pencil because she wanted to meet this boy behind the Circle K.
Then after James pulled away in his cruiser (like he stated in his testimony, and affirmed by many witnesses with the exception of Gwen Gurley who lied to get out of prison early) Teresa went around the back of the Circle K - looking like she was headed home- but went with the boy for a walk by the lake.
They walked to the "pump house" to kiss and make out (I believe it started to drizzle at that time). Things probably went too far sexually and Teresa got scared because it hurt her - but her hymen was not completely torn. Then the teenage boy probably ejaculated his semen outside her pants on her jeans. Then Teresa pulled up her own pants and tucked in her shirt while she was threatening to tell her uncles on him.
He got scared and choked her while she was standing. She put her hands on his forearms to try to protect herself. When she went unconscious he pushed her down toward his right side and the lake - and that is why her right foot is over her left foot still on the edge of the lake and she fell face down in the water. She may have still been alive but the teenage boy then ran away and she drowned.
If a man had raped her he wouldn't have tucked her shirt/blouse in her jeans, her hymen would have been completely torn, and he would have been strong enough if he were James' size to throw her into the lake not leave her on the edge of the lake.
I believe this young girl who was at the age to be interested in boys met with a tragic end...not an abduction and rape and murder. This young boy probably had no intention of killing her but was scared.
But now an innocent man is facing a death penalty because of a prejudiced investigation where the detectives picked their suspect and made their case to convict him using any means including coaching a fabricated eye witness to testify she saw Teresa drive away with James in his car.
Do the DNA test on her jeans.
