"My parents never told me anything about the crimes.". Almost one year later on July 6, 1968, student Joan Schell was found dead in Ann Arbor with 47 stab wounds. He spilleda drink on the seat, reached for something to clean it up and grabbed a cloth wrapped around the .22 caliber pistol that "we had been shooting the day before. Sowhen DNA matching Collins turned up on Alice Kalom's clothing, it was significant. 50 years later, investigation into Michigan Murders leads to DNA revelations, Through interviews with John Norman Collins and DNA evidence, Michigan State Police look to solve the cold case Michigan Murders, a "wholesome-looking girl" with "a vivid imagination. Detectives recalled that'sabout thesame timewhen they visited Marquette to confront Collins about the new DNA evidence that linked him to Kalomand to try to turn over some new stones. On July 11, 2005, a 62-year-old former nurse named Gary Earl Leiterman was charged with the murder of Jane Mixer, Chapman is currently serving his life sentence at the, This page was last edited on 2 January 2023, at 01:56. They had set up a task force at an old seminary. [88] Later that evening, Collins informed Davis he had simply decided to "get rid of" the box and its contents. Greg takes us next to the last place 13-year-old Dawn Louise Basom from Ypsilanti was seen alive. My mother was a student at EMU then and knew John's aunt. ", But, a "cop car pulled through the driveway and he got nervous.". Moreover, a psychologist retained by the defense had testified as such on April 20, 1970. [109] She had been strangled to death and, as with several Michigan victims linked to Collins, one earring was missing. John Norman Collins, 22, of Center Line Collins, a 22-year-old Eastern Michigan University student, never fit anyone's image of a killer. One neighbor, Dr. Marjorie Barnes, saw Collins leaving State Police Sergeant David Leiks home. "The Leik children, the three boys were all white blonde little guys and that hair, color wise, the first original look at it, seemed to be a fit," Larry said. Glass particles found within this basement were of a similar consistency to those found upon the soles of Basom's shoes. [147] In response, Collins rose from his chair and made the following speech:[148]. He wrestled, played basketball, baseball, football and skied. For example, in the case of Mary Fleszar, investigators discovered that at the time of her disappearance, Collins had worked part-time in the Eastern Michigan University administration unit, and that his office had been located directly opposite the hallway from the office where Fleszar had herself worked. Three days prior to Collins' July 30 arrest, in direct breach of a Washtenaw County Prosecutor order,[167] two young Ann Arbor detectives had arrived at the Emmet Street apartment Collins shared with his roommate to question him as to the circumstantial evidence then-obtained against him. Fournierwho now lives in Santee, California,nearSan Diego added he also wasnever able to talk to Davis, but is convinced Collins is guilty. She was never seen alive again. [151] This first appeal was formally rejected on October 24, 1972. John Norman Collins eventually found his way into a Washtenaw County, Michigan, courtroom. Make your donation to WEMU todayto keep your community NPR station thriving. She also recalled having observed a young man with short, side-parted dark hair, wearing a horizontal striped sweater, waiting on a blue motorcycle outside the shop as Beineman made her purchase. No search warrant had been sought prior to Collins being questioned on this date, and his apartment would only be searched on July 30two days after Arnold Davis had observed Collins hurriedly remove a box of women's clothing and jewelry from his apartment. The girl gave him a picture, which he put in a photo lineup and went to the chocolate shop to look for the employee. The two played intramural football. [131], Although subject to intense cross-examination by defense attorney Neil Fink as to the credibility of her testimony, Goshe remained insistent in her identification of John Norman Collins as being the individual who had waited for Karen Sue Beineman to return to his motorcycle. "[14] Sternly informed a second time he would not be allowed to view the body, the young man had wordlessly exited the funeral home. [19], Kolbe later stated she had attempted to dissuade Schell from entering this vehicle, but that Schell had opted to accept the driver's offer, promising to call her roommate to assure her of her safety once she reached her boyfriend's Ann Arbor residence. Before Collins left the Golden State, he saw a doctor for a case of poison oak. During the course of the investigation, police determined that she had been killed in the basement of Collins uncles family home in the College Heights neighborhood. Hewent to Central Michigan University, thentransferred to Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti. I was in prison for seven years. "I knew we had a good case but it was going to be a lengthy trial. He has ordered to life without parole in prison. I lived on Leforge at the time and know the area well. August 1: Collins is arraigned on murder. Reading this book should be required for all college students, especially females. ", Collins writes he knew he "couldn't leave her in my uncle's basement" because "he was a State Trooper for God's sake." In 1969.my family had a coney island in Annarbor.across from the Michigan theater..we all remember it well.I read the book and took the same tour.but at that time the old farm house was still standing.my brother and I went there late at night, and we walked the property.when U drive up the short driveway..when U reach leavel.that's were the lilac plums were placed togather..one extra flower to indicate there is an other death comming soon ! ", "I started talking to him like a father would talk to his son," Harvey recalled, telling Collins:"Youve got a serious problem, son, and weve got a good case. And as long as Collins denies he's a killer, he still has control even from prison. [49] Many female students opted to arm themselves with knives, with others adopting a "buddy system" whereby they would refuse to walk anywhere unless in the company of a trusted male friend or at least three other girls. ", Chapman said when he was a teen, he asked Collins for dating advice. Prosecutor William F. Delhey agreed to a proviso that the test be conducted off the record and its results remain confidential. Enjoy dual pane vinyl windows, high 9' ceilings top & bottom floors, a spacious loft 10' x 10' that can be used as a bedroom or game room, a 10 x [70], Three days after the disappearance of Beineman, her nude body was discovered face-down in a wooded gully alongside the Huron River parkway. There were no recent updates for the slaying of 17-year-old Roxie Phillips, who was slain in Salinas,California, law enforcement officials said. Collins ends the lettersayingit is the first time he had written down his account of events, and if "I had it to do all over again I'd probably take a different route. [41] By early April, each of these law enforcement agencies had collectively assigned 20 investigators to work exclusively upon the four homicides. They combed the 100 square miles of side roads between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti for the 18-year-old who was last seen getting on a motorcycle with a stranger in Ypsilanti. It also fits with previously reported information: Awitness said he owned a .22 and bloodwas found in his car. She came up missing on July 23, 1969, and was discovered a few days later, strangled and beaten to death. "When the doctor and his wife came down here to the end of the street to get the mail, his wife looked down and said 'there's a body down there," Fournier said. Next, they went to "a really PRETTY SPOT that was on the outskirts of campus," which "led to sex.". But, again, there were marital problems, and the coupledivorced. [96], The basement of Sgt. Yet, investigators added, as Collins and any other potential suspects age, the window of time is closing on whether the casescan be prosecuted tobring justice and resolution for the victims and their families. ButCollins says Davis did somethingthat would "lead right back to me.". John Norman Collins's age is 75. Very nice job!!! Thank You for this wonderful site. Anyways, in this sad state of affairs vigilance and protection is key. The rookie cop soon found out his football fraternity's rival: it was John Norman Collins. Watch where you walk, tell people where you are going, when youre coming back, have pepper spray on your key chain, and don't go to people's houses/take rides with people that you just met. [54]), Less than two months after the murder of Dawn Basom, on June 9, three teenage boys discovered a partially nude body of a young woman in a field close to an abandoned farmhouse on North Territorial Road. Both women had agreed this composite drawing was accurate, and only disagreed as to the structure of the suspect's chin. Goshe then observed Beineman climb onto the motorcycle before the young man with whom she had accepted the ride drove away. "Was he still going to deny everything?". He spent five months reporting on the state police investigation;reviewing books on John Norman Collins and serial killers; interviewing dozens of detectives, witnesses, experts and others connected with the case; and sifting through hundreds of archived newspaper articles, police photos and records and court documents. In 1967, John Norman Collins lived in a rental about one block south of EMU's campus. The DNA evidence, combined with what Collins said in his prisoninterviews with detectives and what he wrote in never-before-published letters to his second cousin in Canada,refocused attention on Collins as a suspectin some of the unsolved cases. Upon tracing Collins' movements in relation to the dates of the disappearance and murder of the seven murder victims linked to the Michigan Murderer (which then included Jane Mixer), police discovered that, on June 21,[105] Collins and his roommate, Andrew Manuel, had traveled to Monterey in Collins' Oldsmobile Cutlass, which the pair used to tow a camper-trailer they had rented under false names, and had paid for with a stolen check, for the vacation. Following the state's closing argument, both Neil Fink and Joseph Louisell delivered separate closing arguments on behalf of the defense, describing Collins as a "young victim of circumstances" and dismissing much of the evidence presented as "fuzzy allegations," with Louisell being particularly scornful as to the testimony of Walter Holz, to whose conclusions, he asserted, the prosecution hinged its entire case. In a new twist just this week,Collins revised his story yet again. I didn't even know his name at the time," Larry said. [76] These hair clippings were predominantly blond, and as such did not belong to the victim, whose own hair color had been dark brown. Instead, theyput the body in the trunk,rolled it into a ravine, and returned to the house to clean up. [92][n 2]. They stood out," Sheriff Harvey said. My mother was friends with Maralynn Skelton. The Michigan Attorney General and the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office confirmed no litigation is in the works, and to prosecute the cases, investigators would need more evidence. Fournier, who offered the letters to the Free Press,speculated that Collins blamed Davis as revenge for testifying against him at trial. I didnt go into it thinking that hed admit to the murders," retired Sgt. The victim's right thumb had also received a gunshot wound, suggesting the woman had instinctively raised her hand to protect herself before her killer had fired the gun at point-blank range. The killer, a charismatic, athletic E.M.U. My friend, in the wig shop, told Karen to NOT go on the motorcycle with this guy..because he had just tried to pick my friend up for a ride. Her fully clothed body, covered with her own raincoat and with a copy of the novel Catch-22 placed by her side, was found the following morning atop a grave in Denton Cemetery in Van Buren Township. Although police theorized that Fleszar had been raped, the advanced state of decomposition of the corpse had erased any conclusive evidence of sexual assault. He lifted weights and I didn't," Larry said. Jim Bundshuh the 53-year-old detective whosename rhymes with gumshoe andgoes by the nickname Bunny because it's easier to remember said heinterviewedCollinsthree times. Corporal David Leik had just returned from vacation when he noticed things were amiss in the basement. Oh, wait! Despite repeatedly challenging the overturning of the 1981 decision to transfer him to a Canadian prison, a federal appellate court ruled in May 1988 that Chapman should remain incarcerated at Marquette Branch Prison. The driver had been aged around 20 and clean-cut with short, dark, side-parted hair. Sad sad fact. Collins then offers a similar account, but in more detail, that he gave the detectives. Norman Collins (1967-1969) aka "The Michigan Murderer" was a 30-year old resident of Ypsilanti, Michigan, and he killed 7 female students at Eastern Michigan University using a variety of methods -- guns, knives, blunt instruments, strangulation. That house still has a bad feeling to it, when I go by it!!! He was polite and handsome, but the boy next door image was a farce. Some know John Norman Collins, now 74 and serving a life sentence at Ionia Correctional Facility, as "the Ypsilanti Ripper," or "the Co-Ed Killer." Collins grew up in Michigan. By July 24, every cop in Washtenaw County was issued a Be On the Lookout (BOLO) for the bike and biker. With the mounting evidence, Collins was arrested on July 31, 1969. Davis informed police he had long suspected Collins had murdered Schell, but had been too afraid to report his suspicions. The moment for a confession, Harvey said, had passed. Beineman, she said, went in the store,purchased a brown hairpiece, and left with Collins on his motorcycle. The detectives made special arrangementsto allow Collins to keep one of the pictures with him in prison. In the case of California victim Roxie Ann Phillips, police had discovered that, prior to her murder, the victim had told a close friend she had met an Eastern Michigan University student named John, who owned a silver Oldsmobile Cutlass and several motorcycles; her nude, strangled body was found discarded in a patch of poison oak on July 13,[164] with the distinctive red-and-white floral patterned belt from her culotte dress knotted around her neck. [47] A handkerchief found stuffed in her mouth had likely been placed there to muffle her cries throughout her torture, and her murderer had placed her body in a location where rapid discovery was assured. [24], On March 20, 1969,[24] a 23-year-old University of Michigan law student named Jane Louise Mixer disappeared after posting a note on a college bulletin board seeking a lift across the state to her hometown of Muskegon,[25] where she had intended to inform her family of her engagement and imminent move to New York City. Its even harder for those who may not have the support they need.In our, Hidden In Plain Sight: Pedaling To Greater Independence, Hidden In Plain Sight: Ann Arbor Family Shoe Business Covering Feet With Care & Comfort For 75 Years, Hidden In Plain Sight: Support For New Moms And Young Adults Just Around The Corner In Ypsilanti. Butin 2005, when DNA and other evidenceconvicted Gary Leitermanof killing 23-year-old Jane Mixer, itcleared Collins of suspicion in that case. A 3 Bedroom, 2.5 Bathroom, 2 story condo in a highly sought community RIVERVIEW Courts. According to Davis, he had heard Collins and Kalom arguing behind closed doors, before Kalom had run out of his (Collins') apartment, with Collins chasing after her. The first motion by Collins' attorneys, contending denial of defense motions to move the trial outside of Washtenaw County and the prejudice of prosecution witnesses, was filed with the Michigan Court of Appeals on December 14, 1970. The injuries described by Collins were consistent with those inflicted upon the victims which had not been disclosed to the news media, and David Leik would inform investigators that he had not disclosed any information regarding the Michigan Murders to his nephew. Larry said John was memorable because he was a great athlete. Folklore! Both roadmap the journey of the book and John Norman Collins, who was convicted of one of the murders and linked to six of them, in the years after the original 1976 publication date. The Inside was really old and spooky, like still 1870's. Terror in Ypsilanti: John Norman Collins Unmasked Paperback - August 1, 2016 by Gregory A. Fournier (Author) 236 ratings See all formats and editions Kindle $6.95 Read with Our Free App Audiobook $0.00 Free with your Audible trial Paperback $22.95 12 Used from $12.59 15 New from $16.50 Audio CD $30.54 2 New from $28.44 [110] Several of Phillips' personal possessions would later be found strewn along State Route 68.[111][112]. He added that he "likedhim and thought well of him," but heard "he was having some HEALTH ISSUES" and asked, "if you ever come in contact with him again kindly tell him that I wish him nothing BUTT Good Health the rest of his retired years.". Then come back here for part two. Two months after Schell's murder, police inquiries produced two further eyewitnesses who stated they had observed Schell walking with a young man along Emmet Street on the evening she disappeared. Evidence fromJoan Schell, 20, of Plymouth and Maralynn Skelton, 16, of Romulus, hasyet to be tested, the detectives said. Mrs. Collins, incensed at the implication, immediately dismissed Ryan from the case. Investigators noted strong similarities between this murder and previous killings attributed to the Michigan Murderer, including the fact that a garter belt had been tied around Skelton's neck[35] and her clothes and shoes had been neatly placed beside her body. In 1967, John Norman Collins lived in a rental about one block south of EMUs campus. Leik's home was subjected to an intense forensic examination. I also know someone who was a graduate student working on a project with Alice at the time she disappeared--she was absolutely horrified to find out that she had been murdered. On July 31, the prosecution introduced two forensic witnesses to testify regarding the physical evidence indicating the victim had been killed inside the Leik family home. This former girlfriend was able to provide Mathewson with two recent photographs of Collins. The perpetrator, John Norman Chapman (then known as John Norman Collins) was arrested one week after the final murder. "This source that I have says he saw Alice on the back of Collins' motorcycle, driving away," Fournier said. Collins adds:"I like to believe that I still have some 'INTEGRITY.' Seems basic enough, but a lot of this could have been avoided (or just brought the killer behind bars faster) if these girls would have followed these basic precautions. [66] Having led investigators to the precise location where each of the victims' bodies had been discovered, Hurkos also revealed details of the murders to investigators which had not been released to the press. On August 17, 1970, John Normans Collins was found guilty. She worked alongside Witsil and Maxwell interviewing key figures into the investigation of the Michigan Murders cold case to produce a documentary video and portraits. Did I turn you on to the book Michigan Murders that had a bunch of stuff on John Norman Collins? [104] Reviewing information regarding the murder of Roxie Ann Phillips, investigators discovered that immediately prior to her disappearance, Phillips had informed a close friend that she had become acquainted with an Eastern Michigan University student named John, who drove a silver-grey Oldsmobile Cutlass and who was temporarily residing with a friend in a camper-trailer. Although Collins emphatically protested his innocence and insisted the eyewitnesses' identification of him had been an error, he refused to return to the police station to take a polygraph test. Each testified on August 6. You can't change the past, BUTT, you can HOPE for a better future.". She had been strangled. [48], Investigators found no definite evidence Basom had been subjected to a sexual assault prior to her murder. [43] These factors led police to publicly conclude the same perpetrator was responsible for at least three of the murders thus far committed. Davis "told me that 'SOMETHING' happened at my uncle's house and that I needed to see it. Sex Slayer Could be Anyone! Each item had been deliberately placed in this location, indicating that the murderer had returned to the scene of the crime and that the two homicides were definitely linked.
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