Part 2: Murder, Arson, and Case Linkage in the Wildlands
This is a two part series. In our first story, we will look at an abbreviated synopsis of a complex and dynamic criminal investigation conducted by the U.S. Border Patrol and Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, Arizona. In our second story we will look at an abridged version of Ed Nordskog’s analysis of the case for the Pima County District Attorney’s Office. This case depicts a fast-moving criminal investigation using modern techniques and multiple public resources. The Lead Investigator for this case was Detective Shawn Wilson of Pinal County Sheriff’s, Arizona.
By Ed Nordskog, SWAIT Contributor
Part 2: Case Analysis
SWAIT contributor Ed Nordskog was retained by Pinal County Attorney’s Office to provide analysis and expert opinion in this case following William Randolph’s arrest in preparation for trial. The following is an abridged version of his analysis of the events.
This is an extraordinary event with multiple scenes related to the same act of body disposal. It is even more unique the suspect visited one of the scenes multiple times during this event. To avoid confusion, the major scenes are designated as follows:
1. Murder Site-remote location where the victim’s car was found, and his blood was located in holes in the dirt. This appears to be where the victim was murdered.
2. Body Dump Site-remote location where the suspect dumped and burned the victim’s body. Approximately 25 miles away from the murder site.
3. Clean up Site-desert location where the suspect cleaned branches, dirt, and blood from his truck.
In addition to these major scenes, there are also multiple smaller scenes associated with the suspect conducting anti-forensics measures following, and in support of the murder he committed. These sites include, but are not limited to:
-Location where he stored the tires he removed from his truck following the event
-Location where he washed/rinsed out the bed of this truck, and possibly used bleach
-Location(s) where he disposed of the shovel, rake and shotgun used at the murder site
-His home where the shoes he used during the event were found
Murder Site:
The suspect murdered the victim at this scene as evidenced by blood spatter on the victim’s car and significant blood in the dirt near the car. The suspect attempted to dig out and carry away bloody dirt from this scene in a crime concealment or anti-forensics gesture.
Tire Impressions and Shovel Marks
Additionally, in the same area where holes were dug, there is evidence the suspect used a rake to attempt to obliterate tire and/or foot tracks in the dirt. Based on the scene, the suspect appeared to spend an extended amount of time at this site. He also took the extra step of removing the victim’s body from this scene, again as an anti-forensics measure.
Body Dump Site:
This site was approximately 25 miles away from the murder site. This site is flat desert, with very few sparse shrubs and no trees. There was a single set of tire tracks leading from a nearby dirt road to the dump site, and then back to the dirt road. The tracks were made by the same vehicle that created the tracks at the murder scene.
At the time of the fire the body was face-up on flat dirt. It was fully clothed in denim pants, a hoody-type sweatshirt top, socks and shoes. The victim still maintained a metal watch on his left wrist. The victim’s hoody was bunched a bit behind his neck, which would be consistent with the victim being dragged by his feet out of the suspect’s truck.
Body Dump Site
The Body:
The body sustained severe, deep tissue fire damage to its upward facing areas, with the protected areas next to the ground having much less damage. The head, face, neck, torso, and upper legs sustained deep tissue damage from long duration direct flame contact, exposing muscles and bones to several areas. Based on the small amount of fuel at the scene, and the extensive damage to the body, the “wicking effect”, and a long term, low burning fire took place during this event
The Fire:
The fire in this case burned itself out, or “self-extinguished”. It was not observed during the active burning phase and was not impacted by fire suppression personnel. The scene was discovered a few days after the fire.
Slope and terrain were not significant factors in this fire. The fire occurred on flat dirt, and scene photos show no other easily combustible materials within the scene. This means all items, materials, and substances burned during this fire were either the body itself, clothing worn by the victim, material wrapped around the body by the suspect, or flammable/combustible materials brought to this scene by the suspect. Lab reports confirmed there was gasoline present within this scene. Scene photos show significant ash covering and alongside the body. This ash is consistent with either light pieces of wood or other combustibles placed on the body. There is very little natural wood at the scene, so it appears the suspect brought most of the wood fuel to the scene with him.
The weather was a minor factor in this fire. At the time of the event, it was winter and there was significant moisture in surrounding plant material and grass. In the early morning hours, the temperature was slightly below 50 degrees F; the humidity was approximately 48%, and the winds were near zero. The weather was not ideal for starting and maintaining a fire without the aid of an accelerant.
This type of fire when initially ignited would be quite fast burning due to the volatile gasoline. The flame height for poured gasoline immediately rises to 10-14 feet. However, the bulk of the gasoline vapors are quickly burned off, and the fire dies down after a minute or two to just a foot or two in height, depending on the number of branches added as fuel. Light combustible items like branches will burn away in a few minutes and then the remaining flames will only be burning the victim and his clothing. Flame height for this final phase of the fire will normally be 2-4 inches at most.
Clean Up Site:
Cleanup Site
This site is a known “party spot” where persons gather at bonfires. This area is designated the “clean up site” as it appears the suspect cleaned dirt, blood, wood, and debris from his truck at this scene. This scene is described as flat dirt surrounding a debris pile containing various burned and unburned items. There were numerous fresh and older vehicle tire tracks within this scene, along with what appears to be older bonfire remnants, indicating this location has been visited often in the past by numerous persons. At least some of the tire tracks were consistent with the tire tracks found at both the murder and body dump sites.
Chew Spit Bottle
There is a set of fresh vehicle tracks leading directly into this site and up to a pile of unburned branches and sticks. Those items are similar to the branches, twigs, and sticks found remaining at the body dump site. Within the pile of unburned sticks at the clean-up site was dirt with blood stains on it. The blood was later found to have come from the victim. The dirt appeared to have been recently brought to this scene from another location. Additionally, there were four unburned .12 ga shotgun shell casings. The AZ crime lab later determined these four casings had been fired from the suspect’s shotgun.
A chew/spit bottle was found at the clean-up site. DNA analysis on this container proved it contained suspect William Randolph’s DNA.
The Suspect’s Vehicle:
A vehicle used by the suspect would be necessary to accomplish this series of events. The terrain and remote locations make a four-wheel drive truck the best vehicle for the task. This type of vehicle would leave a significant amount of tire impressions in any of the major crime scenes. Witnesses confirm the night of the event the suspect was driving a four-wheel drive pick-up.
The suspect’s vehicle was searched a few days after the event. Investigators determined in the period between the event and the search of the truck, the bed of the truck had been cleaned at a commercial car wash, and the suspect had possibly used bleach and other cleaning products on the vehicle. Additionally, detectives learned immediately following a police inquiry about the event, the suspect researched and then purchased new tires for his truck and hid the old ones on a friend’s property. Those acts can be considered anti-forensics measures.
Despite these measures at hiding forensics, investigators located under the bed liner of the suspect’s truck, dirt contained the blood of the victim. This leaves little doubt the victim’s body had been driven in the bed of the truck at some recent time.
Comfort Zone:
Most persons involved in criminal behavior tend to operate within defined “comfort zones”, or areas where they are known and familiar. The desert areas involved in this case are quite familiar to the suspect, he possessed a vehicle that could traverse the areas, and he was known to frequently drive out into the desert to camp, shoot, hunt, and party in these areas. He had once commented to a friend the area where Virgin’s body was recovered would be a “good place to hide a body”, due to its remoteness.
Preparations Prior to the Murder:
Shotgun Shells and Bloody Dirt
The suspect appears to have planned out the murder and body disposal in a detailed manner sometime prior to the events. He took great pains to pose as a female online. He gave detailed instructions to the victim on where to meet in the desert. He was careful to admonish the victim not to bring a firearm with him. Prior to the day of the murder, the suspect attempted to borrow a lantern type light, and then eventually purchased one on his own. This indicates he knew he would need a steady source of light at the scenes to accomplish his tasks.
On the day of the murder the suspect called in sick to work. He borrowed a shovel and obtained a rake at some point. He was seen prior to the event with wood and branches in his truck that would be needed to stoke a fire. He purchased gasoline and brought it to the desert with him. He borrowed a handgun shortly before the event. Basically, in the days prior to this event the suspect obtained everything he needed to commit a murder, dig up or obliterate the evidence, transport the evidence and body to a different location, and start a fire large enough to burn the evidence. There is an extraordinary amount of pre-planning and gathering of materials for this event.
Motive:
The main fire setting categories are goal-oriented and emotionally based fire setting. The goal-oriented arsonist has a specific goal in mind before he sets his fire. The target of the fire is the actual body of the victim. The most common reasons for the body to be destroyed by fire include the desire to prohibit identification of the body, and the desire to destroy forensic evidence on or in the body. This motive is known as the “crime concealment” or “anti-forensics” motive. The crime concealment motive is most often found during fires set to cover up murders. It is my experience the arsonist in these types of cases erroneously believes the fire will destroy all forensic material at the scene.
The motive for the overall crime is jealousy/spite/revenge which fits into the emotion based category. Randolph was obsessively jealous of his past girlfriends and his ex-wife in their new relationships. He stalked them online, harassed them and their new men, and attempted to lure more than one to a remote area in the desert.
Endnote - After numerous delays, William Randolph pled Guilty to multiple charges including Murder and Arson. On October 16th, 2024, he was sentenced to Life, Without Parole.
Referenced Document:
Books available for purchase at arsonprofiler.com and firedeathbook.com.
Fire Death Scene Investigation (book) by Joseph Konefal and Edward Nordskog. 2019.
The Arsonist Profiles: Analyzing arson Motives and Behavior by Nordskog, E. 2016.
Arson Investigation in the Wildlands: Case Building and Practical Analysis by Nordskog, E.; Konefal, J., Jr. 2020.