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Savvy LI Killer Used Tech to Torment Victim's Sis

Calls from victim's cell phone show awareness of cops' methods

By Polly Davis Doig, Newser Staff

Posted Apr 9, 2011 10:45 AM CDT

(Newser) – After the suspected Long Island serial killer took Melissa Barthelemy's life, he likely took her cell phone and used it to torment her teenage sister—and he did so in a way that leads cops to think that he's no stranger to their investigative methods, reports the New York Times. "He is a guy who is aware of how we utilize technology,” one investigator says. “Frankly, people are thinking maybe he could be a cop.”

The man called Amanda Barthelemy roughly half a dozen times over six weeks from crowded, untraceable places like Times Square, and kept his taunting calls to less than three minutes—thwarting cops' efforts to track him. The Barthelemy family won't say what he said, but, “If you accept it was the killer calling, he certainly had feelings of anger towards prostitutes," says the family lawyer. He also never revealed that the victim was dead: "He kept us hopeful," says mom Lynn Barthelemy.

In this Jan. 27, 2011 file photo, Melissa Barthelemy family members Mark Szpila, front center, Elmer Barthelemy, front left, Lynn Barthelemy, front right, Dawn Barthelemy, back left, and Susan Szpila,... (AP Photo/David Duprey, File)

A policeman searches the thick brush near Oak Beach, NY, Monday, April 4, 2011. The number of victims of a suspected serial killer on Long Island has doubled to eight in the past week. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

In this Dec. 15, 2010 file photo, Lorraine Ela displays her cell phone picture of daughter Megan Waterman, 22. Waterman was one of four women whose bodies were dumped on Long Island. (AP Photo/Pat Wellenbach, File)

A police officer searches the dense growth on the side of the road near Oak Beach, NY, Monday, April 4, 2011. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Mark Szpila, father of Melissa Barthelemy, weeps as he talks about her during a news conference in Amherst, NY, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2011. (AP Photo/David Duprey)

From left, Melissa Barthelemy, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Megan Waterman, and Amber Lynn Costello. Starting in 2007, all four women disappeared shortly after booking a client for sex. (AP Photo/Suffolk County Police Department, File)

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Savvy LI Killer Used Tech to Torment Victim's Sis

Calls from victim's cell phone show awareness of cops' methods

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