Jodi Arias Defense Wants Mitigation Witness List Sealed

As we patiently wait for the October 4, 2013 status hearing in the never-ending Jodi Arias penalty sentencing re-trial, "minute entries" on the Maricopa County Superior Court's website gives us a hint of what's happening behind the scenes.  In a 9/16/13 minute entry, Arias' attorneys requested that "all mitigation witness names shall be filed under seal with a copy to be provided to the state".  According to that court document, the hearing began at 9:53AM and ended at 10:26AM. Jodi Arias, Kirk Nurmi, Jennifer Willmott and prosecutor Juan Martinez were present when the meeting began at 9:53AM, but at 9:54AM the attorney for the State left the room - the remainder of the hearing was "Ex Parte" between the Court and the Defense.

Here is what was transcribed by the court reporter Mike Babicky:

IT IS ORDERED all mitigation witness names shall be filed under seal with a copy to be provided to the state.

IT IS ORDERED sealing this hearing not to be transcribed without Order of The Court.

IT IS ORDERED affirming prior custody orders.

IT IS ORDERED excluding all time.

10:26AM Matter concludes.

Interesting.  Another "minute entry" seems to point to the reason for the latest court delay.  It was requested by Jodi Arias' defense team.  In a 9/13/13 minute entry:

Discussion is held regarding the Defendant's Motion to Continue 9/16/13 Status Conference.

IT IS ORDERED continuing the Status Conference from 9/16/13 to 10/4/13 at 8:30AM.

IT IS ORDERED excluding all time.

10:55AM Matter concludes.

These minute entries are interesting, but frustrating to see how many deadlines have come and gone, and I'm wondering why this continues to happen in this particular case.  The various motions around the retrial have been known virtually since the previous mistrial was declared, or shortly thereafter.  Why hasn't Judge Stephens been able to rule on these issues and move forward? For example, a 8/26/13 minute entry from a status conference says the following:

IT IS ORDERED setting a Complex Case Management Conference on September 16, 2013 at 8:30AM in this division.

The Courts Oral Argument will be held at the next said hearing date of September 16, 2013 regarding Pending Motions filed.

JOINT CASE MANAGEMENT POINTS:

No less than two working days before each Case Management Conference, the parties shall file a Joint Case Management Report. The Report will inform the Court of:

1.  The specific progress made since the last Case Management Conference in completing activities previously previously established by the Court and the parties;

2.  Specific case preparation to be completed before the next Case Management Conference;

3.  Witnesses who have been interviewed in the preceding month;

4.  Witnesses who will be interviewed in the upcoming month;

5.  Pending issues to be resolved.

8:41AM Matter Concludes.

In a July 15, 2013 minute entry, it states that the defense had until August 5, 2013 to file a reply to the State's Response. Can this just go on forever? Back and forth, deadlines coming and going with new deadlines being set - then extended with no end in sight? At some point, don't all outstanding Motions need to be wrapped up so they can begin the jury selection? I'm really at a loss for our slow moving legal process.  Given the fact that the defense should have been ready to present mitigation during the first trial, you wouldn't think it would be too difficult to tweak it or refine it to present to the new jury panel. It just seems it shouldn't be like they are starting from scratch.

The remaining issues the defense is trying to iron out:

• NOTE: Renewing Ms. Arias' request for individualized voir dire for by counsel
• NOTE: Defendant's Motion to compel juror Twitter accounts
• NOTE: Defendant's Motion to preclude or limit live media coverage of Sentencing Phase retrial
• NOTE: Motion for Change of Venue
• NOTE: Defendant's Request to sequester her jury
• NOTE: Motion to Continue evidentiary hearing scheduled for 9/16/1

The State has objected to many of the Defense motions. Interestingly enough, the mitigation specialist name on the Case Information page for this trial still says "TBD". I guess that means Maria De La Rosa is out, and a new mitigation specialist is in? I have never seen a trial that has had so many delays, twists and turns as the Jodi Arias murder trial. Is this status quo for a death penalty case? It seems to me there have been other even higher profile cases that have gone to trial faster and more efficiently than this one.  I have a feeling the tactic all along has been to delay this thing until early 2014, hoping the public outrage over this violent murder will fade with time.  While that may be somewhat correct, the outrage will remain until Jodi Arias is sentenced one way or another.  The delay tactic may in fact backfire on the defense. A new jury may not feel sympathetic towards Jodi Arias, who was seen as public enemy number one during the first trial - rather, they may be able to take an objective look at the aggravating factors and weigh them against the mitigation and see how it balances out.

The first jury went through 5 months worth of testimony, and they had the opportunity to see Arias throughout the trial - and they heard her testify for 18 days straight. Like her or not, they may have formed a subconscious bond with her after spending so much time hearing her life story. Juan Martinez has also been given additional time to refine his arguments, which may not bode well for the defense! He may now have a better feel for the points he needs to drive home and where he may have feel short. Giving a prosecutor like Juan Martinez more time could turn out to be a very bad risk!

Until October 4th.......

Cold Justice - Rachelle Escalante Hit & Run Death Remains A Mystery

Episode 4 of TNT's Cold Justice aired last night, and the outcome was much different than the previous 3 cases they have worked on.  The Cold Justice team of Kelly Siegler, Yolanda McCleary, and Johnny Bonds were joined by former detective Orlando Martinez as they traveled to Globe Arizona in search of answers in the 1988 hit and run death of 17 year old Rachelle Escalante.

Rachelle Escalante was last seen leaving a house party on July 7, 1988 on foot.  Two police officers came across Rachelle's body in the middle of a highway on their patrol - the officers stopped and tried to help her, but they were unable to save her as they watched her take her last breath.  Rachelle's hit and run death has never been forgotten by the people in the small town who knew her and her family.  One of the Globe detectives who appeared on last night's episode was a classmate of Rachelle's and he certainly never forgot. He had hoped that the Cold Justice team could get the bottom of the suspicions and rumors that circulated for more than two decades around this case.

Watching last night's episode, one thing was clear:  there were definitely people who had their theories about who may have been involved in this crime.  A cloud of suspicion around two sisters in particular, and one of the sister's boyfriends seemed to be a reoccurring theme among those who Siegler and her team interviewed.  They went back and reinterviewed the kids who attended that house party - hoping that now, as adults they may come clean about any knowledge they had about what happened to Rachelle Escalante.  A girl who could have been a key witness in the investigation is deceased.  "Cathy" was a friend of Rachelle's, and reportedly may have been romantically involved with Rachelle but she died in an automobile accident after Rachelle's death.  It could have been helpful in this case for Johnny Bonds to have been able to interview Cathy, since she and Rachelle reportedly argued at the party the night Rachelle was killed.

Also at the center of the investigation, a 1979 black Trans Am, seen circling the highway where Rachelle's body was found at least three times by police. Police followed the suspicious Trans Am and it led them back to the house party Rachelle had been at.  Could this have simply been a coincidence? Rachelle was hit on one of the town's main highways, but there was reportedly little traffic there at that time of night.  The occupants of the Trans Am were believed to be a teenager named Laurie, her boyfriend and Cathy.  With Cathy unavailable for interview, the team set out to find people who attended that house party.  

Several people they interviewed reported a fight involving Rachelle, Cathy and possibly Laurie. Laurie was believed to have been jealous over Rachelle's involvement with her boyfriend - and Cathy may have also had jealousy issues with Rachelle if they were romantically involved. I don't recall Laurie's boyfriend's name - but he is currently serving time in an Arizona prison and was easy for Johnny Bonds and Orlando Martinez to find an interview.  The former boyfriend's story was that he was the only person who had possession of the Trans Am's keys that night, and he insisted that the Trans Am never left the party until after Rachelle had been hit.  He maintains it is not possible that Laurie or anybody else took the keys and left the party, and therefore Laurie could not have been involved in this accident.

There were conflicting stories on this point.  Several friends of Laurie told investigators that Laurie called them and asked them to lie to police, and tell them that Laurie never left the party that night.  At least three people told the same story.  She may not have been involved, but why would she ask people to lie to the police?  When the police followed the Trans Am back to the house, Laurie told the police she had not been in the car since she arrived at the party, despite the fact that several officers said they saw her in the car as it circled the crime scene at least three times.  Why would she lie about this?  Laurie may not have had anything to do with this, and it may have really been a tragic accident - but Laurie, her sister Shawna and their mother Bev seemed to be hiding something back in 1988, and they seemed to be hiding something when interviewed by Bonds and Martinez.

Several people told the team that Laurie and Shawna had a very close and unusual relationship with their mother Bev.  Bev was known to go out and party with her daughters, she acted more like their friend than their mother. People reportedly believed the three would stick together, and if one or more of them were involved it would be difficult to get one to turn against the other and tell the truth.  Of the three women, the only one who came across as credible to any degree was Shawna - when asked if she thinks her sister Laurie could have been involved in Rachelle's death she said "I really don't know". Siegler was struck by the fact that Shawna couldn't seem to say NO, Laurie was not involved.  Bev was the next person they brought in. She was completely defensive and insisted that nobody in her family was involved in what happened to Rachelle.  She further claimed that people were lying about her partying with her daughters.  Perhaps she was embarrassed of partying with her daughters, but why lie about it? In the end, she came across as more concerned about the reputation of her family than finding out the truth of what happened that night. Bev was a bust.

Laurie was interviewed last.  She was completely defensive, uncooperative and she didn't answer many questions before asking if she was free to go - and she left without giving any new information. What struck me about Laurie is that she continues to lie about things she shouldn't need to lie about. She insisted that she was not in the Trans Am, circling the crime scene as reported by the original officers back in 1988. She insisted that she never called to ask her friends to lie about whether she left the party at any time. They are all lying, according to her. When pressed by the detectives on what motive the police would have to put her in the Trans Am circling the crime scene, she asked if she was free to go and the interview was over.

There wasn't much physical evidence on this case - and what they did have could not be linked back to the Trans Am or any of the suspects in this case.  A new witness was also discovered who reported seeing a large yellow semi driving in the area during the time Rachelle was believed to have been hit.  This was a turning point in the investigation, it seems this really could have been a tragic accident and the chances of locating the yellow truck or the driver of the truck were little to none. It's possible the driver didn't even know he/she hit Rachelle.  In the end, there just wasn't enough evidence pointing to the Trans Am, other than the strange behavior of Laurie and her mother.

Sadly, it seems they may never really know what happened that night.  Short of somebody coming forward and confessing to hitting her, or a new witness coming forward with information, it seems this may remain a mystery.  I'm still curious as to why Laurie and Bev seem to have a problem telling the truth.  But that's something they both will have to live with.  The teenagers who attended that party in 1988 may have been afraid of the police because there was alcohol at the party and they were under age, but there is no reason to not tell the truth 25 years later.

Kelly Siegler got a little emotional and teared up when she talked about having to go back to Rachelle's mother and brothers to tell them they were unable to uncover anything that would help them solve this case. The family handled the news with dignity and grace, and they thanked her for taking the time to look into the case. Maybe now they can have some peace, knowing an outside independent investigation was done on this hit and run. I think there may always be suspicions in this small town around this case.

Hiccup Girl Found "Guilty" Of Murder

22 year old Jennifer Mee, who in 2007 became known as "Hiccup Girl" has been found guilty of first degree murder by a jury in Pinellas County, Florida on Friday.  

Jennifer Mee reacts to verdict

Mee was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the only sentence allowable under the law - according to Judge Nancy Moate Ley.  At age 15, Mee reportedly developed hiccups that would not go away. She had appeared on the Today Show and Inside Edition for her odd case of the hiccups.  Mee reportedly tried many therapies to rid herself of the hiccups,which stopped for a period of time and then returned. Mee disappeared from the spotlight and then in the summer of 2007 she disappeared from her family for 24 hours. Her parents found her crying on a park bench. Friends of Mee's say she was afraid her hiccups would hamper her life, and it may even prevent her from getting married. 

According to her family, she suffered from seizures and had to be placed in a psychiatric hospital and may have been beaten by her boyfriend. She eventually "withdrew" from high school and by 2010 she was living away from home on social security disability. Mee was on trial for her role in the 2010 murder of 22 year old Shannon Griffin.  The prosecution alleged that Mee met Shannon Griffon online and lured him to an vacant home under the pretense of wanting to buy marijuana.  Once at the remote location, two of Mee's friends robbed Griffin at gunpoint and during the struggle he was shot four times. LaRon Raidford, one of Mee's co-defendants was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in August.  The remaining co-defendant, Mee's former boyfriend Lamont Newton has yet to go to trial.  John Trevena, Mee's attorney argued that she did not orchestrate a robbery and he claimed there was not sufficient evidence to convict her.  Apparently the jury thought otherwise.

The prosecution argued that Mee did set the robbery up, and they used a taped jailhouse phone call between Mee and her mother as evidence at her trial. In the call Mee told her mother that she did not pull the trigger on the gun that killed Griffin, but was charged with murder "because I set everything up". She told her mom "it all went wrong mom, it just went downhill". There have been debates over whether Mee was the "mastermind" of this robbery gone bad or an innocent bystander who got caught up in a bad situation.  I don't know which one she is, but any time you plan to rob someone or lure them to a place where others are lying in wait - you are responsible for what happens to that person. It's as simple as that.  She may not have intended for him to get shot and killed, but if she knew he was going to be robbed for drugs,money or both then she is responsible.

It's amazing to me that people still don't grasp the gravity of their actions, and still seem to believe you have to be the one who pulled the trigger to be charged in something like this. Jacklynn Allen, the sister of co-defendant LaRon Raidford insisted that Mee was in control.  "If it wasn't from her, none of this would've happened", Allen told tampabay.com.  Mee argued that she and her co-defendants all had access to the phone that was used to call Griffin and direct him to the remote location.  Mee's attorney argued that if Mee didn't know about the robbery, she was not part of any "plot". A look into the mindset of Jennifer Mee from her Facebook page:

September 2, 2010:  Maken mo money than da avarage bitch...
September 5, 2010:  Bae gave me 2beans n refa..im f****d up gota work at 930am wtf

Looks like Mee forgot to use spellcheck. The Facebook messages were posted around the time Mee moved into an apartment with her boyfriend with boyfriend Lamont Antonio Newton, LaRon Raidford and a woman named Jennifer Charron.  During a formal interview with attorneys, Charron said that one night in October of 2010 Mee, Raidford and Newton all left the apartment - Mee told her they were "going to get some money", without saying exactly what that meant.  Before long, Mee ran back upstairs and was very upset. She said "somebody got shot". Then LaRon Raidford ran up the stairs and was so upset he punched the wall. He reportedly was screaming "Lamont is dead bro". But Lamont Newton was not dead, and soon after he staggered up the stairs and collapsed on the ground, out of breath. "Lamont was saying he had to do it...he had to kill the guy or he would've been killed himself". 

Lamont Newton is the only one of the three that has not yet gone on trial for this murder.  Jennifer Mee's own mother, Robin Robidoux was arrested just days before her trial began on a warrant for interference of child custody. What a story. You couldn't make this stuff up. 

"Cold Justice" Looks At 1988 Hit & Run Death of Rachelle Escalante

I have been watching and writing about this new TNT series since it aired earlier this month and I find the cases thus far have been interesting. The Cold Justice team of Kelly Siegler, Yolanda McCleary and Johnny Bonds have had some success already in the form of Ronnie Hendricks pleading guilty to the murder of his girlfriend Pam Shelley, who was packed up and ready to move out of state when she was found with a gunshot wound to the head. Her death was originally ruled a suicide, but thanks to a renewed investigation and help and attention drawn from Cold Justice's participation netted results.

Next week the team heads to Globe, Arizona to look into the suspected hit and run killing of 17 year old Rachelle Escalante.  I've been looking for news relating to the original investigation from July of 1988 but I haven't come across much at all - the information is scarce.  However, it seems that people who were familiar with this incident are posting comments that indicate the person or people involved with this hit and run are "well known" in that community.  These are only comments and I don't know if there is any validity to them, but I've seen several anonymous postings that state "everybody knows who is responsible for this crime", one even states that one of the responsible parties worked as a cashier in a local store.

Rachelle Escalante

Rachelle Escalante attended a party with friends on July 6, 1988.  A fight reportedly broke out at the party and Rachelle is believed to have left the party on foot.  Patrol Officers Lee Kinnard and Ray Hernandez came across Rachelle crawling across the road later that evening and they stopped to help her but it was too late.  Rachelle Escalante took her last breath and died in the street with the patrol officers at her side.  It certainly sounds like the fight that broke out at that party may be the key to solving this case.  If so many people knew who hit Rachelle and why, I'm curious as to why there were never any arrests made in this case. The few things I've been able to find online about this case is that a Black Trans Am is believed to be the car that was involved, and jealousy over a boy may have led to this tragic event.

I'm posting a link to an article that was published on news.gila1019.com recently that discusses Cold Justice's involvement in this cold case:
http://news.gila1019.com/1988-cold-case-murder-of-rachelle-escalante-now-open/

It's not really an article, rather more of an announcement that TNT's Cold Justice is looking into the case - but the comments linked to the announcement are what really caught my attention. Naturally there is no way to tell if the comments posted are in fact from people who legitimately know something, or if they are just pranks, but reading the details of these comments and the common theme that it was no secret who was responsible for running Rachelle Escalante down and what car was used to do it seem to be too detailed to be random prank comments. It sounds like people in that small town had a very good idea of who was involved in this hit and run and why it happened. 

Several people posted comments stating they remember when this happened and they indicate they would be willing to talk to investigators to tell them what they know. Some comments are anonymous and some have names.  An anonymous commenter points to jealousy as the motive for the crime. Rachelle Escalante's younger brother Gabriel (or someone claiming to be Gabriel) left comments asking these people who were commenting to bring their information to the Globe Police Department.

There are a few very specific themes in these comments:  In a comment left on June 2, 2013 somebody named Fawn wrote:  "Gabriel, I was in college at the time, however, when I came home and saw all the signs and markings at the crime scene I was sick and overwhelmed with sorrow for your family.  I have prayed for years that the truth would be exposed, I was ecstatic when this was brought to my attention. As the anonymous comment says above, everyone in town knew about the party, the jealousy outraged sisters, I only wish I could remember their names."

A comment left by Tabitha on June 8, 2013 says: "It's about time!!! Yes - everyone who was around at the time knows exactly who did it, and why the police didn't perform the most basic of investigating at the time, reeks of corruption, bribery and secrets.  I just hope it's not too late - that the women leading this investigation are able to get the proof they need, after the perps were allowed to wash their car and get rid of all other evidence, and the cops ignored or botched everything else".

On September 14, 2013 a comment by Xameria says:  "Wow Tabitha those are some seriously harsh words. Coming from a different perspective, there was a lot of fear surrounding this case, you know as well as I do that the responsible parties have done everything within their power to frighten and keep the people who know the truth quiet. That being said, yes the evidence on the car was washed away within hours of this happening and the police hadn't even begun to put the evidence together. 

It certainly seems that the people who lived in that small town remember this event and haven't forgotten about what happened to Rachelle Escalante. It's alarming to think that people may have known who committed this crime for all these years and law enforcement did not or could not make an arrest - but I'm hoping that a little exposure from Cold Justice is just what this case needs to uncover the truth once and for all.  If you want to see the comments I'm referring to and judge them for yourself, use the link to the announcement and then scroll down to see the various comments left in response to the announcement.

Cold Justice Uncovers 31 Year Old Murder Indictment

Episode 3 of TNT's Cold Justice uncovered a 31 year old blunder, or a mystery - depending on how you look at it.  In last night's episode, former prosecutor Kelly Siegler returned to her home town in Matagorda County with Yolanda McCleary and Johnny Bonds to look into the 1982 homicide of 48 year old Charlene Corporon, who was shot in the head in the bedroom of her Palacio Texas home.  Corporon ran a successful agricultural business in town with her son Gary, following the accidental death of her husband.

Police were called to the Corporon home after Charlene's boyfriend reportedly called her home and Gary told him "Charlene doesn't look too good". Her body was discovered on her bed, and although the bullets recovered from her head were fragmented they were later identified as .22 caliber. Back in 1982, there were two suspects in this case - Charlene's son Gary and her boyfriend. Family and friends told police that Gary was physically abusive towards his mother and he is believed to have injured her on more than one occasion.  A former employee reportedly overheard Gary threaten to kill his mother.  Her boyfriend was also a suspect early on because several of Charlene's friends reported that she planned to break off the relationship with him.

The investigation in 1982 led law enforcement to Gary Corporon, and the DA brought the case to a grand jury to seek a murder indictment against Corporon.  This is where the mystery or blunder begins - law enforcement believed that the grand jury "passed" on this case, believing the police didn't have enough evidence at that point.  Corporon had been arrested and later released on $100,000 bail. Several years, then decades went by and the case went cold.  That is until a new sheriff decided to look into 5 unsolved homicides and Kelly Siegler and Cold Justice got involved.  Their investigation uncovered something shocking - they discovered the grand jury had indicted Gary Corporon for murder on September 20, 1982!  What happened here? Why were police under the impression the grand jury had not indicted Corporon, and who is responsible for ensuring the CORRECT information gets to those who need it?

It seems to me that this would be the responsibility of the District Attorney's office.  After all, they would be prosecuting the case - did somebody drop the ball back in 1982?  This seems shocking to me.  Gary Corporon is now 58 years old and is believed to be working off-shore in Louisiana.  Former sheriff's detective Nubbin Chamblee worked the case back in 1982, and he says he was surprised to find out that Corporon had been indicted by the original grand jury. Chamblee declined to discuss the potential miscommunication that led to the embarrassing 31 year delay in bringing this case to trial.

There is no record of the indictment, according to District Clerk Becky Denn. The former district attorney and former sheriff involved with the case in 1982 declined to comment. No surprise there, given the potential issues that have come to light. I believe the current District Attorney plans to re-indict Gary Corporon, using the information gathered from the original investigation back in 1982 and what Siegler and McClary were able to add based on their look at this case.  Siegler found new witnesses who saw Gary Corporon with a .22 caliber gun just 2 weeks before his mother was killed.  Corporon reportedly showed a .22 caliber rifle to friends during a fishing trip. This could be a crucial detail, given the chances of finding the murder weapon after 31 years is not likely.

Siegler interviewed her father, the town's barber who knew Charlene, Gary and Charlene's boyfriend.  Siegler's father owns a barber shop/liquor store in this small town - Siegler's hand written signs still hang on her father's wall of the barber shop.  That is definitely a small town where everybody seems to know each other, which makes this whole thing even more odd.  You would think something as important as a murder indictment would be followed up on - I don't understand how Gary Corporon could be out on bail for 31 years. Doesn't the bail bond company follow up on people they bail out of jail? It seems there were so many missed opportunities and system failures with this murder case.  Mistakes happen, but it's truly frightening to think that this may not have even been uncovered had it not been for a new sheriff and Cold Justice.

Ryan Burns Appears On ID Show "Who The Bleep"......

It seems I've been watching too much TV these days, as evidenced by my "Cold Justice" posts.  I usually don't watch the Investigation Discovery Channel's "Who the Bleep Did I Marry", mostly because the format seems a little lame and too scripted - but after catching the first two minutes of an episode yesterday, I realized the episode was on Ryan Burns and his experience dating convicted killer Jodi Arias. Burns was a key prosecution witness who through a wrench in Arias' alibi when he told police Arias was more than a day late showing up to his house in Utah during the time Travis Alexander was killed.

I don't know how to read Burns' appearance on this show. I'm certain he was paid to appear, in fact at the end of the show it gives you information on how to contact the show if you want to appear and have a story. You can't blame a person for trying to make a buck, but I can't say it sits well when people are paid for appearances in this manner when someone was butchered. Ryan Burns had a story to tell, but I can't say he said anything we didn't hear at the trial - no "exclusive", rather just a recap of what we already have heard. No doubt there will be more stories on Jodi Arias and Travis Alexander. I wouldn't be surprised to see Jodi Arias on an episode of Oxygen's "Snapped".

I do credit Burns for cooperating with the police, despite his romantic interest in Arias and sharing what he knew about where she was or more importantly where she was not during the time it is believed the murder occurred. On the show, Burns' credited Travis Alexander for inspiring him to succeed and he felt he owed it to Travis to bust Jodi's timeline wide open and report her late arrival and unanswered phone calls and text messages during her trip to Utah. We all know where she was and what caused her delay, what is still chilling to this day is how calm and normal everyone who had contact with her reported Arias to be in the days after the murder.

Ryan Burns is now married with children - but he did say on the show that Jodi Arias wanted to go back to Utah for another visit after Travis' death and before she was ultimately arrested on July 15, 2008. He wisely heeded the advice of his close friends and told her he didn't think it was a good idea.  He still wonders where Arias was going when she was arrested and weapons were found in her car. 

Can "Cold Justice" Help Solve 33 Year Old Unsolved Homicide Of Joyce McLain?

Joyce McLain (sunjournal.com)

In Medford Maine, residents are still haunted by the unsolved homicide of 16 year old Joyce McLain, who was beaten to death on August 8, 1980. McLain was a sophomore at Schenck High School in East Millinocket.  She was last seen jogging in her neighborhood - her badly beaten body was found on school grounds.  There are reportedly a dozen suspects in this case, but no arrest has ever been made. The murder shook up the residents of this small town.  Patrick Day went to school with Joyce McLain, he was a freshman at the time of her murder. Day took the initiative and went to Joyce's mother Pamela McLain with the idea of trying to get the "Cold Justice" team to re-open her daughter's unsolved case.  She was receptive to the idea. Day is now 49 years old and recovering from throat cancer. He told the sunjournal.com how the McLain murder changed his town. Petitions have been signed by residents in an attempt to get the FBI involved in the case have not yielded much results.

Public safety spokesman Steve McCausland says the McLain investigation is still open, and while the FBI has helped on the case in the past it cannot take over the investigation because no federal laws were broken. The FBI says that despite the petitions, the case can only be directed by state investigators.

District Attorney General William Stokes confirmed his office and state police are considering getting Kelly Siegler and Yolanda McCleary's help. State police have reportedly completed online applications for "Cold Justice" and are waiting for final approval from supervisors before submitting the application to TNT's producers.  Law enforcement officials want a better understanding of how the show works before deciding whether to apply. Among their questions: Will Siegler and McClary seek total access to the case? (I would think that's an obvious YES) What impact might that have on maintaining the chain of evidence as the law requires? 

Day says Maine State Police Senior Investigator Darryl Peary, described as the primary investigator on McLain's case seemed receptive to the idea of involving Siegler and McClary. However, Peary's supervisor Sgt. Troy Gardner was "less enthusiastic".  Are state investigators fearful that their original investigation would be called into question or scrutinized publicly in front of a television audience? I don't see any downside to getting outside help in a 33 year old cold case. Seems to me that they have nothing to lose, and everything to gain. 

Of course there is no guarantee that "Cold Justice" would agree to examine the case, should they decide to apply.  Nor are there any guarantees that "Cold Justice" would uncover anything new.  The McLain case was previously featured on "Unsolved Mysteries", with no real results. Isn't it worth a try? I say submit the application and see where this takes you.  This was a 16 year old high school sophomore, beaten to death and left on school grounds. Somebody has walked the streets unpunished for 33 long years. Submit the application, for the family - and for the community! Politics should not have a place in decisions such as this.  

Ronnie Hendricks Sentenced to 22 Years

CASE UPDATE: chalk one up for the good guys - or in this case the good gals! 
Following the "Cold Justice" team's investigation into the shooting death of Cuero Texas resident Pamela Shelly, previously ruled a suicide - Ronnie Joe Hendricks plead guilty to the 2001 murder and was recently sentenced to a 22 years in prison.  I truly believe that if it hadn't been for the efforts of Kelly Siegler, Yolanda McClary and Johnny Bonds - along with the local Cuero officer who never bought the suicide theory and never forgot about Pamela.  Pamela Shelly had loaded all of her belongings onto a trailer and was 15 minutes away from pulling out and leaving Hendricks for Arkansas when she reportedly "killed herself". Who does that? Shelly's family insisted she never would have done that to her two small children. She was leaving an abusive relationship with Hendricks, always the most dangerous time for a woman in domestic violence situations.

In Esipose 3, airing next Tuesday - the team travels to Siegler's home town to look at a complicated cold case. Siegler gets to visit with her father who still lives in the same small town.