I remember being quite scared myself at the time and I still think of those girls as I pass the landmarks involved in the case. "He starts shaking.". Enjoy your days sitting under the private pergola, listening to the elegant turquoise "They said she was in the basement having lunch so I went down there and talked with her. 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 ! Right after Alice Kalom was killed in June '69, Collins and a friends took a road trip to Salinas, California. [41] By early April, each of these law enforcement agencies had collectively assigned 20 investigators to work exclusively upon the four homicides. The rookie cop soon found out his football fraternity's rival: it was John Norman Collins. He comes out and said 'take him back to jail.' Living with Mom, and then moved into the basement of his uncle's house. [75], The 47th and final witness to appear for the prosecution at Collins' trial was a University of California chemistry professor named Dr. Vincent P. Guinn, who testified on August 5 as to his conclusions that the hair samples retrieved from Beineman's panties bore "a remarkable similarity" to those retrieved from the Leik household and that, upon statistical calculations he had begun the previous month, the odds of erroneous matching of the hair samples earlier testified to by Walter Holz were quite low. [84], On July 27, Arnold Davis testified as to his being in the company of Collins throughout the late afternoon and evening of July 23, 1969 (hours after Beineman had last been seen alive). [77], At approximately 12:15a.m. the following morning,[78] in the midst of a heavy, humid storm, one officer observed a young man running from the gully;[79] the heavy rain and insect irritation had prevented the officer from observing the young man actually approaching the gully. Social work, she wrote in her application, would help her better understand social relationships. Davis wrapped the gun in a blanket and tossed them both into a garbage bin. Collins adds Davis admitted to going back toBeineman's body the night the sheriff's deputies had it andquietly tried to set a trap for the killer by replacing it with a mannequin, which matches police accounts of the failed sting. On the day Karen disappeared, Larry said John was sitting on a motorcycle, flirting with pretty college girls. At a second hearing in September, Collins refused to enter a plea; Washtenaw County Circuit Court Judge John Conlin ordered a plea of not guilty entered on his behalf. Found: August 7, 1967. What is the exact address of where Karen was murdered? [149][n 5], Upon receipt of the guilty verdict against their client, Collins' defense attorneys announced their intention to appeal upon the grounds of "tainted identification and the change of venue question." But, the dog, Prince, had a "NOT SO FRIENDLY STREAK," and Collins warnedBeineman he would bite her and to "STAY BACK. He adds:"Now I hope that you will simply leave me alone.". Evaluation of individual will and moral restraints within society, written by Collins while enrolled at Eastern Michigan University. On July 23, 1969, she was last seen alive at a wig shop in downtown Ypsilanti. Less than three hours later, Kolbe reported her roommate missing after failing to receive any contact. [97], The hairs found upon Beineman's panties and those recovered from the basement of the Leik home were subjected to a detailed forensic neutron analysis[98] to determine whether they had sourced from the same individuals. I saw your video you did on the location of where the girls went missing and where they were found.. That was haunting to me and very disturbing .. After I saw in the video the home you lived in and how you lived next door this man It had to be haunting to you to know you could of been one of his victims After watching the KELLY AND COMPANY VIDEO that i saw I have to question myself if I truly believed he could of murder these women .. After I read the book there was no doubt in my mind.. Well I just want to let you know much I had enjoy the video you had done it just put everything in perspective . Among those cops was a rookie campus police officer at Eastern Michigan University: Larry Matthewson. "We were trying to figure out not just on the Kalom casebut all the cases was, was he to the point he wanted to talk?" Both women had agreed this composite drawing was accurate, and only disagreed as to the structure of the suspect's chin. Still, in the police interviews and the letters, Collins steered clear of outrightconfessing to killing anyone, and in his email to the Free Press last week, he claims he has been exploited and wronged that in a way, he isthe victim. ", Collins writeshe "got her shorts off, BUTT, no further,"and he "did not have intercourse with her." Sowhen DNA matching Collins turned up on Alice Kalom's clothing, it was significant. [82], The description of the young man with whom Beineman had last been seen alive was heard by a patrolman named Larry Mathewson, who believed the person described by Diana Goshe and others may be John Norman Collins: a former Theta Chi fraternity brother[85] of his who had previously been interviewed but eliminated from police inquiries,[86] and who he had himself seen riding his motorcycle around the Eastern Michigan University campus on the afternoon of July 23. Still, in interviews with detectives,Collins described meetingKalom, 21, of Portage, and taking her on a motorcycle-riding date just before she was slain. I was only 5 and 6 yrs old when the murders happened so never heard about them.. Collins was "six feet . Collins has been locked up for 50 years - but that doesn't erase the pain. But back then, DNA profiling didn't exist, and. "I would 'NEVER'hurt a CHILDEVER!!!" Hewent to Central Michigan University, thentransferred to Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti. [44], At 6:30a.m. on April 16, the body of a 13-year-old schoolgirl named Dawn Louise Basom was found beside a desolate road in Ypsilanti. At his uncle's house, they went downstairs. During the trial, Collins sat more relaxed than before: He smiled at attorneys, his mother, and his family. David Leik and his wife, Sandra, following their testimony against Collins at his trial. "And nobody wanted to say anything to anybody because it was very obvious by that time that there was a serial killer working this area.". The discovery of several dried bloodstains and two buttons missing from the victim's raincoat at a Northfield Township commercial gravel pit on June 10 indicated the victim had been murdered at this location. Onone visit, the detectives brought Collins photosof his beloved motorcycle. It was a travesty of justice that took place in this courtroom. Reading this book should be required for all college students, especially females. Although police theorized that Fleszar had been raped, the advanced state of decomposition of the corpse had erased any conclusive evidence of sexual assault. The man who put the cuffs on JNC!!!). We have been known to play those kinds of PRANKS on each other in the Fraternity.". Instead, theyput the body in the trunk,rolled it into a ravine, and returned to the house to clean up. "Okay John, let me give you a little prelude to the 'STORY'that ended with me in here for the past 45 yrs. [42], Little physical evidence existed beyond eyewitness descriptions and forensic reports. [65], At the request of an Ann Arbor citizen's community, a Dutch psychic named Peter Hurkos traveled to Washtenaw County on July 21, to generate a psychic profile of the murderer. [162] Nonetheless, the decision of the prosecution at his 1970 trial was to try Collins solely with the murder of Karen Sue Beineman. Greg Fournier who attended EMU and wrote a book,"Terror in Ypsilanti: John Norman Collins Unmasked,"and blog, Fornology.com spent years gathering informationwith his researcher Ryan Place. Less than two months later, 21-year old Michigan graduate student disappeared shortly after midnight walking home from a friends party on Thompson Street. She laughed it off, but said he looked frighteningly serious. [109] Upon questioning Manuel's grandfather, investigators were informed that his grandson and one John Collins had temporarily resided in the trailerwhich they had hired from an Ypsilanti rental firmbetween June and July, before both men had abandoned the trailer and (he believed) returned to Michigan. [81] Reportedly, Beineman herself insisted Goshe observe the man with whom she had accepted a ride, stating that she had made two foolish errors in her life: purchasing a wig; and accepting a ride from a stranger,[82] before stating: "I've got to be either the bravest or the dumbest girl alive, because I've just accepted a ride from this guy." The hairs found in Karen's underwear matched hair in his uncle's basement - which is where she was believed to have been killed. And to your new HOME! John Norman Collins was born on the 17th of June, 1947. Collins also says he metKalom at an Ann Arbor bar and made a date for Saturday morning to go for a motorcycle ride. [88] Later that evening, Collins informed Davis he had simply decided to "get rid of" the box and its contents. The girl gave him a picture, which he put in a photo lineup and went to the chocolate shop to look for the employee. [135] Immediately following the testimony of Walter Holz, a colleague of his named Curtis Fluker testified that the blood type of the tissue samples recovered from the Leik family basement matched that of Karen Sue Beineman. Triad Animal torture Yes. The circumstances surrounding this case prevented me from getting a fair trial. The event took place quietly this fall, after editors searched for the right cover art and writers for the new prologue and epilogue. Victims like Mary Terese Fleszar, a 19-year-old EMU accounting major and Joan Elspetch Schell, a 20-year-old art student. ", Collins introducedBeineman and Davis and offeredBeineman the option of riding home on his bike with him or going in the car with Davis. [36], The victim was identified as a 16-year-old Romulus[37] high school student named Maralynn Skelton, who had disappeared while hitchhiking in Ann Arbor. In this cross-examination, Sheriff Harvey admitted to having driven Mrs. Goshe and her assistant to East Lansing to view the updated composite drawing of the suspect in Beineman's murder, and that he had shown photographs of various suspects, including Collins, to Goshe prior to her formally identifying Collins in a lineup. ", "Terror in Ypsilanti: John Norman Collins Unmasked,", Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. The first witness to testify was the head of the Michigan Health Department's Crime Detective Laboratory, Walter Holz, who testified as to the human hair clippings found inside Karen Sue Beineman's panties being an exact match to those recovered from the basement of Sgt. [92][n 2]. He once told a girl that he had strangled a cat with a clothesline. Five different police agencies frantically searched for Karen Sue Beinemanon July 23, 1969. On October 14, Judge Conlin rejected defense motions to dismiss the case, or suppress any evidence obtained; ruling Collins' arrest had been on the reasonable grounds he had committed a felony. I was there and you didn't get me!". LOL!! She also orchestrated the evidence locker. On August 17, 1970, John Normans Collins was found guilty. The testimony of Joan Goshe was further supported by Patricia Spaulding, who testified as to having observed Collins for between three and four minutes as he had waited for Beineman to return to his motorcycle. A 3 Bedroom, 2.5 Bathroom, 2 story condo in a highly sought community RIVERVIEW Courts. ", In the first letter, Collins explains why he denied knowingBeineman. When Mathewson questioned Collins on July 25 as to his movements two days earlier, he admitted that on the date in question he had been riding his Triumph Bonneville in the vicinity, and that he had stopped to converse with a former girlfriend of his while doing so (the point at which Mathewson had observed him). But they were striking. He once told a girl that he had strangled a cat with a clothesline. [66], Despite recovering numerous stolen items from his apartment and being informed by Arnold Davis that Collins had been in the habit of committing burglaries with a former roommate of theirs named Andrew Manuel,[100] no incriminating evidence linking Collins to Beineman or any victim of the Michigan Murders was discovered, although officers were informed by Arnold Davis on this date of the incident two days earlier in which he (Davis) had observed Collins carrying a laundry box containing women's clothing and jewelry from his apartment and towards his car. They stood out," Sheriff Harvey said. What more do you want? This is part two of our Michigan Murders series. [61][62] Investigators had publicly claimed prior to Kalom's murder they were satisfied that the third victim initially linked to the Michigan Murderer, Jane Mixer, had been killed by a separate perpetrator; the fact Kalom had also received a gunshot wound to the head led investigators to reconsider the possibility Mixer may have been murdered by the same perpetrator. Collins lived at end of our block on Emmett St and he used to speed by on his motorcycle and wave to us--we thought he was soooooo coolalmost James Dean like! I remember the day they began to extract evidence from Collins apartment and car just down the streetvery, very spooky Geez! Collins last victim was 18-year-old Karen Sue Beineman, another EMU student. Upon questioning Collins' co-workers, investigators learned that Collins had repeatedly taken delight in describing, in graphic detail, details of the injuries inflicted upon each successive victim linked to the Michigan Murderer to his female colleagues;[19] he had claimed these details had been provided to him by an uncle of his named David Leik, who served as a sergeant in the police force. Collins "was arrested based on a tip provided by his uncle" (Ejk), who was a Michigan State Trooper. [9] Her nude body was found by two 15-year-old boys on an abandoned farm at Superior Township on August 7, and was formally identified via dental records the following day. The Inside was really old and spooky, like still 1870's. He added the letters appeared to be "a desperate attempt to convince his cousin of his innocence, and the ultimate end game would be to get a Canadian prison transfer.". That would change the next day. Everything matched the belt and that swatch, which connected the two," Fournier said. They wanted to see whether they could find aDNA match with other victims. The first known victim linked to the Michigan Murderer was a 19-year-old Eastern Michigan University accounting student named Mary Terese Fleszar,[8] who was last seen alive on the evening of July 9, 1967, by a neighbor walking towards her Ypsilanti apartment. For those of us who lived here during those years, the palpable fear in the air at the time will always be a strong memory. All-American boy John Norman Collins was arrested, tried, and convicted of the strangulation . 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. Eight days later, he was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole; he will live out the remainder of his days in the maximum security wing of Marquette Branch Prison. 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 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. To go down into his basement and say 'whoa, something's different here'," Sheriff Harvey said. 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. In part three of our special series, we'll meet the women who had close calls with the killer, including one woman who says he's still luring women into his clutches today, from his prison cell. John Norman Collins committed the "Michigan Murders" as it was named by media and locals, between 1967 and 1969, during this period of time he committed eight murders of women ranging from 13 to 23 years old. [151] This first appeal was formally rejected on October 24, 1972. If police in Michigan were doubting Collins as their man, they got more evidence a few thousand miles away. Investigators also ascertained Collins had either been acquainted with most of the victims, had currently or previously lived close to their place of residence, or had likely established possible prior contact prior to their murders. 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. Moreover, if Collins believes he was wrongly accused, he can request a review. It seemed,Schroeder said, as if Collins was describing what "he had done himself. By that point, Larry had been brought in to share what he had with Michigan State Police, the Washtenaw County Sheriff, and other agencies. ", "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. [12] Kolbe later informed investigators that Schell had informed her of her intentions to hitchhike when it became apparent she had missed the last bus, and that one of the first vehicles to pass when Schell had begun hitchhiking was a red-and-black Pontiac Bonneville containing three young white men. "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. The next year, hestarted tutoringinmates on how to pass theGED exam, the test for ahigh-school equivalency diploma. Collins' attorneys also alleged these alibi witnesses had been subjected to police harassment, that the tests conducted upon the hair samples found upon Beineman's panties were unreliable, and that Collins' uncle, Sgt. Wow, Kim, this does bring back memories. "[93] before angrily walking out of her apartment. In response to questions as to her personal character, Goshe further conceded she had previously lied under oath on two occasions (one instance of which was unrelated to the trial). Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com. The following day, Washtenaw County Sheriff Douglas Harvey testified as to the discovery of Beineman's body, her subsequent autopsy, and his obtaining an updated composite drawing of the suspect with whom Beineman had last been seen alive from Mrs. Joan Goshe and her assistant, Patricia Spaulding. His nephew had stayed at the home: John Norman Collins. Chapman said he is convinced of his cousin'sguilt, and in his last letters,hewas"confessing by not really confessing. Collins claims he left the house alone, but came back and foundBeineman dead.
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