God bless you, Meredith.

I imagine you are wishing I'd cut out my coverage of this issue, aren't you? You are wondering what on earth has gotten me so upset about this case?

What bothers me?

I was thinking about this on Saturday as we drove to the camp, and I was wondering about Ella. Why did he let Ella go? Why did he let Ella go in a public area, where she would be found? He has a dog of his own; did he feel sorry for the dog? I had hopes that perhaps Meredith was alive but being held captive - those hopes were dashed with the discovery of her bloody clothing and id cards. Did he not think that Meredith would have had a chip implanted in Ella, allowing her to be identified and identified quickly?

What runs through a man’s mind when he decides to kill? What was his motive? If he did indeed kill the couple in North Carolina, his motive wasn't sexual - there were no reports of sexual activity at the scene. Did he murder then posthumously rob them? Does he hear voices (if you could see the face I'm making; I don't care if he hears voices - remove him from the gene pool permanently)?

My conjecture is that they met on the trail, and he started talking to her about her dog. Maybe she figured he was a harmless old man, and she walked back down the trail with him to the car. She was getting ready to put Ella in the car...at some point he'd gone to his van and loaded his dog - maybe he had seen her earlier, and maybe he'd parked his van nearby. At any rate, he got lucky - maybe no one was in the parking lot to see him. So he walked up behind her as she was unleashing Ella and struck her in the head with the police baton found at the scene (let's see if there is transfer tissue present, and let's see who it belongs to. Bet there is tissue there from Meredith and the N.C. woman). He's now knocked her out, and puts her in the back seat of his van - pieces of a seatbelt containing transfer bloodstain were found in the trash at the QuickTrip in Cumming. What did he do then? He obviously took her somewhere, and I don't think she was dead...so...what? Did he take her somewhere and dump her, leaving her to slowly die as she was exposed to the elements, unconscious and suffering a brain injury? Did he take her somewhere and finish the job he started? Did he just dump her, or did he try and bury her?

To the tipster who spotted Hilton cleaning his van and called it in – anonymous as you are, you are my hero. You were aware, you saw the man, you called the police – he could have been underground forever if not for your keen eyes and sense of justice. Thank you.

I'm just livid. I can honestly say I hate this man, and I don't actually hate anyone. I hope this man dies, and I hope he dies slowly and in great pain.

Maybe some people think Meredith was at fault here, maybe she took a risk.

I’ll tell you Meredith thought: it’s the middle of the day, I have my dog, this is a busy trail with lots of people, there’s nothing to worry about. I really hope that she never regained consciousness – I hope that she had no idea that her faith and idealism in her fellow man was going to be destroyed by some lunatic. And she should have been right - she had a right to expect that she would be safe. This case talks to me because I too enjoy my walking and hiking time, especially when I can get out by myself. I find it soothing, and therapeutic, and have since I was a small child and would walk the beach for miles. In fact, I walked three miles in my neighborhood today. I didn’t give it a second thought, and I take precautions when I walk and am always aware of my surroundings. I’m a woman – we make natural victims, so I am always alert and aware. Meredith was so young, so vibrant, so pretty and was just starting her life. She had a right to freedom just like everyone else. She had a right to exist, and some brain lacking faking demented homeless freak took it away from her. She should have been looking forward to going to work, dating, and dreaming about the future.

Instead, she’s dead.

Her parents have lost a daughter.

Her friends have lost a bright smile.

Ella has lost her mommy.

For what?