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. Sowhen DNA matching Collins turned up on Alice Kalom's clothing, it was significant. Investigators determined the knife was consistent with the weapon used to stab Kalom. She had been slashed across the throat,shot in the head and stabbed in the heart. Three days later it was discovered, and this set a strange sequence of events into effect that would eventually lead to the capture of who many had dubbed the "Ypsilanti Ripper.". Furthermore, Collins' lawyers argued issues such as the admissibility of testimony relating to the microscopic analysis of hair samples presented at his trial, and the denial of defense motions to suppress prosecution witnesses testifying against their client. Wow, Kim, this does bring back memories. When I was first arrested my Mother asked me if I had done this and I told her 'NO' and she never asked me about it again. Hurkos accurately predicted that the murderer was a strongly built white male under 25 years of age, who had been born outside the United States, and who rode a motorcycle. [168] Collins had protested his innocence on this occasion, and insisted the eyewitnesses' identifications of him had been erroneous, although he refused to return to the police station to take a polygraph test. In the case of victims Mary Fleszar and Joan Schell, investigators were able to establish he had been a neighbor of both women,[94] and that at the time of Fleszar's disappearance, Collins had actually worked in an office at the Eastern Michigan University located directly opposite the hallway from the office where Fleszar had herself worked. Shemarried William Collins. 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. Until he was an adult, Chapman said, hedidn't know the full extent of the accusations against Collins. Moreover, they added, theevidence from two Michigan victims had yetto be DNA-tested. All the victims had been sexually mutilated. She was last seen alive outside a drive-in restaurant on Washtenaw Avenue two days before her body was discovered (although autopsy reports indicated Skelton had died between 24 and 36 hours before her body was discovered). "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?" 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. Kim you have the location for Dawn Basom's murder site wrong. Mrs. Collins, incensed at the implication, immediately dismissed Ryan from the case. [11], A detailed examination of the crime scene revealed that the body had been moved three times throughout the month it had lain undiscovered:[12] initially, the body had lain upon a pile of bottles and cans obscured from view by elder trees, before being dragged five feet from this location into a field, where it had remained exposed throughout much of the time it had lain undiscovered. He cleaned the sink andwashed his face. Between the summers of 1967 through 1969, before the term serial killer was coined, a predatory killer stalked the campuses of Eastern Michigan University and the University of Michigan seeking prey until he made the arrogant mistake of killing his last victim in the basement of his uncle's home. [141], On August 13, both prosecution and defense attorneys delivered their closing arguments to the jury (these arguments concluded the following day). Now, 40 years later, I find that a close, (unnamed), old girlfriend of mine was one of the last people to speak to Karen alive. As we now know, police make mega mistakes and prosecutors have major egos and will NEVER EVER admit to being wrong. One eyewitness reported seeing the girl minutes thereafter, at approximately 7:35, although her movements thereafter were never verified. Lol, 12:41pm Mar 4didn't want to post this, detract from your wonderful honoring of the victims, but I remember this era well went to Huron Relays in ypsi shortly thereafter also I played football against JNC at Jackson Prison. [165] Moreover, a sweater found in Collins' closet was found to contain 22 pubic hairs which had not originated from Collins or any of the seven Michigan victims. "When I turned on the light and looked around, I saw a naked woman," Collins writes. [56] She had also been raped, although the pathologist was unable to determine whether this act had occurred before or after death. My brother and I, walk down the rickety steps down the basement as it explained in the book.with the cobble stone walls.let me tell you, something came over me it's hard to explain.but I cried uncontrollablyI will never forget that night ! [159] At the time of the announcement of this decision, preliminary legal maneuvers between Michigan and California authorities had been ongoing to extradite Collins to Monterey County to face trial for Phillips' murder.[160]. They took him at his word. Butin 2005, when DNA and other evidenceconvicted Gary Leitermanof killing 23-year-old Jane Mixer, itcleared Collins of suspicion in that 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. [5] The moment for a confession, Harvey said, had passed. Collins "was arrested based on a tip provided by his uncle" (Ejk), who was a Michigan State Trooper. Collinsassertshis innocence by saying that if the sheriff had caught the killer the night of the stakeout, "I wouldn't be here now.". Handsome and clean-cut, he graduated from a. Butback then, Harvey, 88, saidthere was no DNA profiling and just not enough clues for charges. July 31: John Norman Collins is placed under arrest for Beineman's murder. The driver had been aged around 20 and clean-cut with short, dark, side-parted hair. "The town collectively went into shock," Fournier said. A 3 Bedroom, 2.5 Bathroom, 2 story condo in a highly sought community RIVERVIEW Courts. [88], Evidence of culpability in remaining cases. The moment passed and they continued their ride uneventfully. "He suggested they had met within a day or so before she was murdered, and they had gone out scrambling on a motorcycle," Bundshuh said. She had made arrangements to meet Collins at her home on the evening of June 30, but Collins had never arrived. Although Collins burst into tears when informed the stains on the floor covered with paint had been varnish, he quickly regained his composure and continued to deny any knowledge of Karen Sue Beineman. A medical examination revealed Beineman had been extensively beaten about the face and body, with some lacerations inflicted being so severe sections of skin had been removed, exposing subcutaneous tissues. He was then sentenced to serve a term of life imprisonment with hard labor, in solitary confinement, at Southern Michigan Prison. Collins ends his email, with a request: "You can say whatever you want about me" butleave "my Dear Mother" out. [126], Initial jury selection began on this date, and would continue until July 9. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for this final murder attributed to the Michigan Murderer on August 19, 1970, [4] and is currently incarcerated at G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility. "Okay John, let me give you a little prelude to the 'STORY'that ended with me in here for the past 45 yrs. Leik acknowledged that the evidence thus far gathered against his nephew was compelling, although in this first interview, he did not advise officers of the items missing from his household, or the paint marks he and his wife had found upon the floor of the family basement; however, the following morning, Leik scraped away some of the black paint which had been sprayed in his basement to reveal a stain which looked ominously like human blood and immediately returned to the police station to report his findings. [49], Basom had last been seen alive at 7:30p.m. the previous evening, walking home from a friend's house located barely a mile from her own home. After his Michigan arrest, the car he drove to California was impounded where they found some important evidence for the California murder. [166] In addition, prior to his returning to Michigan, Collins is known to have visited a California hospital to receive treatment for poison oak anaphylaxis.[166]. John Collins grew up in Center Line, north of Detroit. [21] Nonetheless, the inquiry into both murders remained active, and a reward then-totaling $7,800 for information leading to the conviction of the perpetrator of both homicides remained.[22]. [72], Beineman had died of strangulation, although the pathologist noted the blunt force injuries inflicted to her skull and brain had been so extensive they would likely have proven fatal. Fournier said Karen was the only one to get on the bike. "They took the car apart and they found under one of the seats, a swatch of fabric, I think was about the size of a dime. In one of the prison interviews, Schroeder saidCollins confirmed he picked up Beineman on her way to the shop. Goshe recalled Beineman visiting her store to purchase a $20 headpiece in the early afternoon of July 23. All Rights Reserved. [91] Some acquaintances noted Collins' politeness around women, while others described him as lascivious and bad-tempered. Loretta Chapman, an American, then moved with her three children across the Detroit River. [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." [73] (The blunt instrument used to inflict these injuries to Beineman's skull and brain was never found. This spokesman indicated the reasoning being that, as Collins had already received a life sentence in Michigan, the case therefore was undeserving of "priority attention" by California authorities, in part due to the fact Collins would be returned to Michigan to serve his sentence if convicted. Police had noted (and would continue to note) common denominators in the physical characteristics of the victims, and the manner in which they died: all of the victims had been brunette Caucasians; each (excluding Mixer) had been the recipient of extensive violence inflicted with a blunt and/or bladed instrument prior to her murder; each of the victims' bodies had been found within a 15-mile radius of Washtenaw County; and each victim (excluding Mixer) had received knife wounds to the neck. 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. ", Collins, in his recent letter to the Free Press,praised Schroeder as "a good man" who "kept his 'Word' to me." [86] When questioned as to the source of these clippings, Leik (who had not been informed of the discovery of the hair clippings found upon Beineman's panties) informed investigators that his wife regularly cut their children's hair in this basement, and that she had done so shortly before the family had embarked upon their vacation. In the 1970 trial, Joan Goshe, the owner of Wig's by Joan in Ypsilanti, testified that she saw Collins and Beineman the Eastern Michigan University coed from Grand Rapids outside the shop. We have been known to play those kinds of PRANKS on each other in the Fraternity.". [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. A killer is on the loose, five women in southeast Michigan are dead, and a sixthis missing. "We've never met," said Chapman, 47, of Mississauga, Canada, near Toronto. [74]), The forensic examination of Beineman's body further revealed she had been raped prior to her murder, and that her torn panties had been forcefully placed inside her vagina; these panties revealed the presence of human semen and 509[75] human hair clippings measuring less than three-eights of an inch upon the material. In the past decade, prison records show that Collins has hadonly one misconduct report. "I looked at her for a moment. [60] She was last seen walking home towards her apartment on Thompson Street, having attended a friend's party. [121] Mrs. Collins reportedly remortgaged her home to secure their services. [153], In each appeal instance, Collins' conviction was upheld, with successive appellate judges of the Supreme Court announcing in October 1974, their refusal to review his conviction[154] and the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit announcing their own satisfaction with the earlier findings of the district court. He lured women into his clutches by exploiting a common practice at the time, women hitchhiking or arranging rides with strangers to get from Ypsilanti to Ann Arbor and beyond. Since reading this book I have been assumed by every aspect of what happen.. Next, they went to "a really PRETTY SPOT that was on the outskirts of campus," which "led to sex.". I know a woman who went bike riding with John during that period. Smdh. On August 17, 1970, John Normans Collins was found guilty by a jury. Davis wrapped the gun in a blanket and tossed them both into a garbage bin. [151] This first appeal was formally rejected on October 24, 1972. One of the men in the car Schell had entered was Collins' roommate, Arnold Davis, who later informed police the girl had indeed entered the car he had been driving, but that Collins had insisted he give Schell the lift she was seeking to Ann Arbor in his own car. They focused on Kalom, who, like Mixer, also was shot; Basom, the youngest of the cases,and Mary Fleszar, the first woman slain. In 1970, John Collins was tried for the murder of Karen Beineman. He lifted weights and I didn't," Larry said. Dr. Jervis testified as to his belief that insufficient chemical samples had existed in the samples retrieved from the basement which the prosecution scientists had worked with to form their conclusions, and that to form a conclusive neutron activation analysis, at least ten components in a hair sample must be compared, whereas only five components had been used by the prosecution's forensics experts to determine their findings. So sad. Maryann Struman is Freep Now director at the Detroit Free Press and project leader. Collins then offers a similar account, but in more detail, that he gave the detectives. Her body was found two days later in a field. Aside from being the last person seen with Karen and living directly across the street from Joan Schell, there was more to link John Collins to the murders. On Sunday, July 27, police arrived at the apartment on Emmet Street Collins shared with his roommate, Arnold Davis. Collins claims he left the house alone, but came back and foundBeineman dead. "Roxie is walking down the street, mailed a letter a block away from her house. A state prosecutor charged Collins with the first-degree premeditated murder of 18-year-old Karen Sue Beineman, a student at Eastern Michigan University. [47], One week after the murder of Dawn Basom, a detective conducting a routine examination of this farmhouse basement discovered a scrap of cloth from Basom's blouse, plus an earring later determined to belong to Maralynn Skelton. Collins' uncle, State Police Sergeant David Leik, had been on vacation with his family at the time of Beineman's disappearance, and had only returned home on July 29three days after the discovery of her body. [162] Nonetheless, the decision of the prosecution at his 1970 trial was to try Collins solely with the murder of Karen Sue Beineman. Muddy Waters, coach at Hillsdale, would take us (freshman) there to make us tough JNC was a little sh*t, smart alec and cocky wore a stocking cap under his helmet played middle linebacker and would cuss at and spit upon the offensive line men (ME) anyway, thanks for the memory, albeit sad. It is Alpha Xi Delta, I am a member and will be living in the house next year. Chapman said he and his cousin had been writing to each other since 1982 when Chapmanwas 10. As for Alice Kalom, who disappeared after a party in Ann Arbor, she got on a motorcycle. The man they led away, John Norman Collins, could not have been further removed from the public image of a killer he was a 22-year-old Eastern Michigan education student, former football . [146] He remained impassive upon hearing the jury foreman announce the verdict, although many spectators gasped audibly,[102] and his mother and sister left the courtroom in tears. Here's a link to a news photo that shows it http://oldnews.aadl.org/aa_news_19690418-last_hour_theorized_by_police, Yes you are correct cyclodan. [132] Mrs. Leik also testified to having cut her children's hair in her basement two days prior to embarking on a vacation with her family, and that when they had returned home, she had noticed that several items from her basement had been moved, that she had discovered a wet, soiled cloth containing hair aside a laundry tub, and that other itemsincluding a nearly-full bottle of ammoniawere missing.[76]. "I would 'NEVER'hurt a CHILDEVER!!!" [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. Larry turned to one of the girls he saw Collins flirting with to see if he was the same man that drove off with Karen in downtown Ypsilanti. Larry said John was memorable because he was a great athlete. And as long as Collins denies he's a killer, he still has control even from prison. A low-maintenance backyard with irrigation is the perfect place to relax and entertain guests. Collins details his discomfort at being locked up in the Washtenaw County jail before his trialand his steadfast refusalto "allow them to BREAK ME. A forensic examination of this trailer revealed it had been completely wiped of fingerprints. While waiting on Beineman on the day she disappeared, a Wig shop manager had gotten an decent look at as she road away with a man on a Triumph 650 Bonneville motorcycle. She had been raped, then stabbed 25 times with a knife estimated to have measured four inches in length. [52] (The farmhouse itself was destroyed in an act of arson on May 13; when the fire was extinguished, five clipped lilacs[53] were found arranged in an even row across the driveway to the building, leading investigators to theorize they had been placed there by the murderer to symbolize each victim. He was held without bond. She told him she had a boyfriend in Center Line. [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. because it didn't happen as you would think it did,"Collins wrote to his cousin, setting him up for a lengthy explanation that revealed he had lied for years. Then we googled the address and the Michigan Murders popped up. Collins was "six feet . She had received extensive skull and brain injuries which had been inflicted with a blunt instrument, had been forced to ingest a caustic substance,[58] and her neck, shoulders, nipples and breasts had been burned with the same caustic agent. "This source that I have says he saw Alice on the back of Collins' motorcycle, driving away," Fournier said. More often than not, we continue on our, On this edition of 89.1 WEMUS "Hidden In Plain Sight," our own Lisa Barry takes you to a west side Ann Arbor shoe store that first opened downtown in, Being a mom is hard, regardless of who you are or what your background may be. [157], The state of California postponed their requests to extradite Collins to face charges relating to Phillips' murder in June 1971. 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. This is all so fascinating.. why do dumb women want to marry inmates ?? The forensic experts who had testified on behalf of the prosecution, Dr. Jervis stated, had therefore based their conclusions on "insufficient data". 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. The circumstances surrounding this case prevented me from getting a fair trial. Although never tried for the murders of Fleszar, Schell, Skelton, Basom, Kalom or Phillips, physical and circumstantial evidence exists in each case indicating that Collins had indeed committed these murders. Evidently, despite Collins' protestations of innocence and denials of even knowing Karen Sue Beineman, she had been in the basement of Collins' uncle at the time of, shortly before, or shortly after her murder.[68]. Retired detective Sgt. He is known for being a Criminal. Your site is great and detailed really nice.In 2003 I actually live in the house right behind Mary Flezlar appartment we never understood why we always heard females crying and yelling. . One reason, Collins says, is because, in prison, snitches and rats are killed. After Kalom's body was found, Collins writes, Davis"admitted to killing her.". [130], Three days after both counsels had begun introducing witnesses, Joan Goshe was called to testify on behalf of the prosecution. [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. [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. The physical and circumstantial evidence linking Collins to this particular murder was stronger than any of the six outstanding murders then linked to him in Michigan, and authorities in Monterey did file several motions to extradite Collins to California to stand trial for Phillips' murder in 1970 and 1971. Glass particles found within this basement were of a similar consistency to those found upon the soles of Basom's shoes. [3], All the victims of the Michigan Murderer were young women between the ages of 13 and 21 who were abducted, raped, beaten and murderedtypically by stabbing or strangulationwith their bodies occasionally mutilated after death before being discarded within a 15-mile radius of Washtenaw County. But they also found something unusual, more than 500 short clipped blonde hairs. ButCollins says Davis did somethingthat would "lead right back to me.". During the trial, Collins sat more relaxed than before: He smiled at attorneys, his mother, and his family. Letters, interviews reveal dark side. Welt marks upon the chest and shoulders indicated the killer had also used restraints to hold the victim prone as he whipped her torso and upper legs with a leather belt[35] before tearing a branch from a nearby tree and inserting this instrument eight inches into her vagina. Age: 19 year-old. Davis "told me that he tried to make a move on her and she resisted," Collinswrites. [134] Although subjected to intense cross-examination by Joseph Louisell as to the reliability of his findings, Holz remained adamant the color, length, type and diameter of the hair samples found upon Beineman's panties were a precise match to those found in the Leik family basement. You can contact Patrick at734.487.3363, on twitter@WEMUPC, or email him atpcampion@emich.edu, Serving Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County, MI, PublishedOctober 30, 2017 at 6:55 AM EDT, Credit Lisa Powers (image on left) / https://lisapowers2020.smugmug.com/, Credit Lisa Powers / https://lisapowers2020.smugmug.com/, Credit Lisa Powers (image on right) / lisapowers2020.smugmug.com/, In our daily drives this time of year, we frequently encounter cyclists on the paths and roadways around town. (FOX 2) - By July 23, 1969, panic is in the hot, muggy, southeast Michigan air. The apartments have a perfect view of Dawn's home. The increase in frequency in which the killer was striking throughout the spring and summer of 1969coupled with the fact most victims had been connected to the University of Michigan or Eastern Michigan University, suggesting the killer may be a fellow studentfurther compounded the concerns of female students. Davis had reported this incident to police, and later handed them the knife Collins had allegedly asked him to hide. John Norman Collins's age is 75. Randy/Jerry--C'mon! [110] Several of Phillips' personal possessions would later be found strewn along State Route 68.[111][112]. Initially, police took him at his word, and did not seek to verify his alibi. Two of these bloodstains[75] were discovered to be type Athe blood type of Karen Sue Beineman. [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. They stood out," Sheriff Harvey said. More than two years later, Karen Beineman disappeared. Both women had agreed this composite drawing was accurate, and only disagreed as to the structure of the suspect's chin. [139], Dr. Jervis' conclusions were supported by a private consultant named Auseklis Perkons, and a Massachusetts-based Director of Forensic Research named Samuel Golub. The tiny hairs in Karen's underwear were a fit to the hairs in the basement. She wasn't upset with me and we got dressed. But as Leik walked into the basement, he found a mess of the hair and there was blood on the basement floor. [58], The victim was identified the following day[59] as a 21-year-old University of Michigan graduate student named Alice Elizabeth Kalom, who had disappeared shortly after midnight on the morning of June 8. Living with Mom, and then moved into the basement of his uncle's house. JOHN NORMAN COLLINS Born in Windsor, Canada in 1947, John Norman Collins was the youngest of 3 children. I never took her life. 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.". [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. [147] In response, Collins rose from his chair and made the following speech:[148]. I remember her telling us how shocked the aunt was at the arrest and how hard she found it to believe that her nephew was involved. [96], The basement of Sgt. 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. [123] Judge Conlin set a trial date of June 1. She said that the girl was an informant. Collins' grip of terror on our community ended officially on August 19, 1970, when he was found guilty of first-degree murder. I know for a fact that John confessed to him," Sheriff Harvey said. He has ordered to life without parole in prison. [32] A subsequent autopsy revealed the victim had died of numerous fractures covering one-third of her skull and one side of her face,[33] all of which had been inflicted with a heavy blunt instrument. In an effort to discredit Goshe's testimony, Fink diverted questioning as to the model of motorcycle she had seen outside her shop, to which Goshe conceded her initial belief as to the model being a Honda 350 was inaccurate.