Police: Teen killed by man met at counterculture gathering

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press


Updated 11:46 am CDT, Friday, July 13, 2018



Photo: AP

This July 7, 2018 photo made available by the Elizabethtown Police Dept., KY., shows Joseph Capstraw under arrest. Capstraw was indicted Thursday, July 12, 2018, in the beating death of Amber Robinson, after both attended this year's "Rainbow Family" counterculture gathering in the Chattahoochee National Forest, Ga. (Elizabeth town Police Dept. via AP)


ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (AP) — Authorities in Kentucky used dental records to identify the woman killed after attending this year's "Rainbow Family" counterculture gathering in a Georgia forest.

Elizabethtown police spokesman John Thomas tells news outlets 18-year-old Amber Robinson was found dead on July 7, and 20-year-old Joseph Bryan Capstraw admitted beating her to death. Thomas called Robinson's homicide "the most brutal" he'd seen, and said she couldn't be identified based on photographic evidence alone. Both Robinson and Capstraw were from Florida, where Robinson was in the foster care system and Capstraw was homeless in Jacksonville Beach.

Capstraw is being held on $1 million bond after being indicted for murder Thursday. Thomas says they met at the gathering and hitchhiked from the Chattahoochee National Forest; The driver let them stay at his home.

Read more: https://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Police-Teen-killed-by-man-met-at-counterculture-13072003.php

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(Short article, no more at link.)

[marble falls]

1. What happens when kids become strays. In the US the love ends at birth......

I'm hugging my kids tight as soon as we get together again at the holidays.

[yallerdawg]

2. For people living on the alternate fringe...

Rainbow Gatherings have been an elusive Holy Grail.

I heard about them in mid-70's - never near enough - surprised this is still 'a thing.' Remarkable what sticks in our society.

Off-the-grid attracts ALL kinds, but I'm sure no more aberrant statistically than, say, rallies 4 years from the next presidential election.

No disrespect meant to the tragedy regarding this young lady.

[al bupp]

3. I went to several of them in my youth, 30 years ago

They were awesome events, where people generally brought what they could, shared what they had, and contributed when they wanted or were needed. Of course, not everyone attending always had the purest motives, but things usually went surprisingly well, considering. I have some great memories of those days.

[yallerdawg]

5. It's got to be like legendary Deadhead lifestyles...

and Burning Man events today.

A Woodstock feel to it.

1985:

[al bupp]

7. I might be in that photo!

Yes, I always said it was a little like a Dead show, but without the band. There was lots of music, though, including the infamous "drum circle" which would go pretty much non-stop for days & days. As the photo suggests, nudity was ubiquitous, even unremarkable. I suppose it might also be likened to "low-tech" Burning Man.

[moriah]

4. Sadly I don't go to Rainbow Gatherings anymore as too often...

... the primary intoxicants in use are white powders and alcohol. I prefer just green plants, fun fungi, and blotter.

And fortunately there are other groups that have twice-yearly Gatherings, embrace me, and have my same philosophy about which intoxicating substances make for more fun and less drama when you're in the woods with 300 people for two weeks.

[moriah]

6. Longer Article from Gainesville Times

https://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/police-identify-woman-killed-after-attending-rainbow-gathering/

Thomas said both Capstraw and his victim were picked up off the side of a highway between Louisville and Elizabethtown by the owner of the home where the victim was found.

<snip>

After the slaying, authorities said police officers found Capstraw in the front yard of the home. Thomas said first responders to the scene stated Capstraw admitted killing the woman, saying he blacked out during an argument and found her dead when he came to.

“… And later on in interviews with detectives, he repeated that he had beaten her to death,” Thomas said. “So he was aware of it, he just claims that he has no memory of the actual attack.”

<snip>

In May 2017, Capstraw was charged with attempted murder in the second degree by Jacksonville Beach Police. The charge was dropped later that month.

So yeah, this guy apparently picked her up at the Gathering, and has a history of being accused of significant violence before.

I really hope that people involved in all types of festivals, etc, use this not as an attack on their movements (though I still have to say my experience with Rainbow gatherings was not the best -- it must have changed since its heydey) but instead work to make their gatherings safe for everyone. Though what happened was obviously out of the event organizer's control, it would be a good start at least do a workshop on safety while not living in the rat race, enthusiastic consent and substances, etc.