Aldrich's friend would later tell police he was certain Brunke had seen what they had been doing. But truthfully, I thought the evidence was a bit light for murder, although his confession put me over the top to say he was guilty. Thats the last time anyone saw her alive. See production, box office & company info. Noble's decision to handle the case on his own infuriated the victims' families. Mixer's case would not be solved for more than three decades. A cross rests on the side of Marquette Country Road 492 in Negaunee Township to mark the memorial site of 24-year-old Erin Taylor who was murdered 19 years ago. The 33 minute episode description says, The question of who killed Paul Girard on a sacred Native American chiefs grave may soon be answered. Police think two people might have been involved, because of Girards build. You will receive your first email soon. But, when Dorothy Kalom saw an artist's sketch of the victim, she knew who it was:Her daughter. Thanks to the Iron Daily Globe, a newspaper that pretty much documented every time a local changed his or her vacuum-cleaner bag, some anecdotal intelligence about Bruce popped up. Fleszar, a 19-year-old Eastern Michigan University accounting student, was the first of eight women and girls one as young as 13 whose lives were tragically taken and whose caseshave become known as the Michigan Murders. Get Even More Stories Like This Right In Your Inbox! WebMichigan authorities charged Cochran with Regan's death but she fled the state. Her statements to police about what happened in Brunke's house the night of April 16 had been crucial to the prosecutor's case. The victims, authorities were able to determine, were two local sisters and the older sister's boyfriend. Up Next: John Norman Collins changes his story in never-before-published letters. It was discovered in the 1950s by three surveyors who found their equipment wasnt working properly. Web1 in 202 in Michigan Michigan VIOLENT CRIMES Population: 10,050,811 United States VIOLENT CRIMES Population: 331,888,310 Property Crime Property Crime Comparison Leik called her nephew toask whetherhe had done any painting. To document the slaying and the investigation, Mixer's niece, Maggie Nelson, penned two books "Jane: A Murder," and "The Red Parts: A Memoir.". "I placed a bag over his head and duct taped it around his neck at which time he told me he couldn't breathe, and I said, 'no kidding, dummy.' Your email address will not be published. But there was no one to see it except them. In what was to be his fifth confession to police, he now said Brunke was not in the house at the time of the killings, and that he and Carlson had committed the murders. INVESTIGATION DISCOVERY TRAVELS TO MICHIGANS UPPER PENINSULA IN PURSUIT OF A SUSPECTED FEMALE SERIAL KILLER IN DEAD NORTH Two-Night Special Premieres Monday, May 28 and Tuesday, May 29 at 9/8c on ID. The pipe was barely concealed beneath pine needles and Aldrich spotted it immediately. On Jan. 21, 1994, Bruce received a sentence of life without parole. About a month later, two teen boys stumbled acrossher corpse in Superior Township on an abandoned farm. To catch Fleszar's killer, detectives created a psychological profile. And Bruce didnt observe much of a mourning period. And she called her sister, Carrie Nelson, 31, and Nelson's boyfriend, Jody Hutchinson, 42, and they all eventually met up in Germfask, at Aldrich's mother's house. Casselman pressed the false-confession claim. In the cold, isolated world of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Police Chief Laura Frizzo launches an investigation into the disappearance of Chris Regan, never expecting to come face to face wit Read allIn the cold, isolated world of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Police Chief Laura Frizzo launches an investigation into the disappearance of Chris Regan, never expecting to come face to face with a possible serial killer.In the cold, isolated world of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Police Chief Laura Frizzo launches an investigation into the disappearance of Chris Regan, never expecting to come face to face with a possible serial killer. In 1989, they had a daughter named Elise. She signed up for online university courses. A man was sentenced for his role in a drug distribution ring of seven people in Alger County. Sholander, who grew up in Schoolcraft County and heads a drug task force based in Marquette, has seen his fair share of crime, but nothing like this. standoff case, Name released of man arrested for making threats to Norway-Vulcan schools, Driver arrested after Iron Mountain rollover crash, Man Sentenced in Schoolcraft County drug case, 2 arrested in Delta County heroin, meth, ecstasy investigation, Negaunee man pleads not guilty in assault case, LSSU student has new court date for social media-related charges, Man sentenced for drug-related charges in Alger County, Marquette tire shop employee arrested for stealing tires, rims to be sold, 3 years after disappearance, investigators still confident of resolution to Renkas case, Negaunee police seek driver who ran over parked motorcycle, UPDATE: Man sentenced for Michigan, Wisconsin robberies, Eagle Harbor man sentenced on child porn charges, Hancock man arrested, arraigned on charges related to possession of child porn, UPDATE: Police seek suspect in Landmark Inn armed robbery, Overnight Helen Lake home break-in investigated, Ancient Egyptian mummy linens seized in Port Huron. A murder that inspired the horror flick Jeepers Creepers.. But, when the Leiks came home, they noticed some things weren't quite right. There's something going on here," he said. Marshals Service eventually tracked her down in Kentucky, where she was arrested and taken into custody. A man has been arrested on charges relating to an incident at the Canda Manner Apartments in the City of Ishpeming. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. But detective Bob Ball didnt buy it. And, I said, 'Well, yeah, I've seen him in a couple of different cars.' THE EVIDENCE LOCKER: What police discovered at 7 Michigan murder crime scenes, CHAPTER 1: Never-before-published letters, interviews offer clues in infamous Michigan murders, CHAPTER 2: Murders of Michigan women still unsolved 50 years later but cops had eye on 1 man. She needs justice; we need justice; I do.. Brunke, in custody, was interviewed only once by police before he hired an attorney. Crime 8 people sentenced to prison for dealing crystal meth in western Upper Michigan By Daily News staff You are the only woman he trusts.. John Chapman also was the name of his younger second cousin, now 47, who, in the early 1980s, he began a decades-long correspondence with. Like Fleszar, this victim was disfigured. He received an appendectomy in 1959, his confirmation in the Apostolic Lutheran Church in 1969, and a number of traffic citations, including two for speeding and one for improper overtaking, in the early 1970s. A jury last month took only two hours to find them guilty of murdering Brian Ognjan and David Tyll. She drove back out to the spot on River Road with two friends, and shot up the drugs. WebCrime statistics in Michigan vary widely by location. "It was a very, very scary time," said Marcia McCrary, a 70-something volunteer at the Ypsilanti Historical Museum and EMU alumnus. Today, Bruce is better known as inmate #235252 in Lakeland Correctional Facility in Coldwater, Michigan, at security level II. "We routinely provide advice and assistance to local prosecutors whenever they request such help," said Andrea Bitely, communications director for Attorney General Bill Schuette, in an email to the Free Press. ", Cordell responded, "I don't think that's any of your business. Brian Helfert, scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday, is accused of assaulting a 16-year-old boy. Audra Gamble Police Plus two 10-gallon cans of gasoline and a box of road flares. The author was able to weave a remarkably interesting story without a lot of evidence. ". Her body was so damaged, it, too, was challenging to identify. Its important that she has a voice., Thursday before she went missing she came over to my house and she said woman, thats what she called me, we have got to talk. But then she got on my computer and never talked,, I just wish I could go back and push her a little bit more., It makes me think she knew something was going on,, (There were) some things that happened when she first went missing,, These people that I thought was weird at the time, but I never suspected them, makes sense. Foreman not fooled. He then pointed it at her and she left the room. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. WebOn October 22, 1974, the authorities received an anonymous call that Goines and his common-law wife, Shirley Sailor, were dead. During Gayle Lampinens testimony, Bruce reportedly began crying. Carlson choked Aldrich to death. An Oakland township man may face up twenty years in prison after he made a social media post that was threatening to the Lake Superior State University Community. This is a good documentary ,, really well done..interesting beginning to end, Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations. After Taylor would have been 44 this year. On the following Monday, things started to feel off to Dowd. The Deer Hunting Murder, the American Justice episode about the homicide, is available online but tricky to access. A man was sentenced for meth charges in Delta County after a long investigation into a meth ring that used hotel rooms in the Escanaba area. Blank said Basom didn't look like "a typical 13-year-old," butafter her death, he started to worry about his younger sister's safety. When the police broke the news to Bruce that his silly device had failed and Gayle considered him little more than a nuisance, it crushed his ego and he confessed. "All I know is when those people left my house, they were vertical, they were fine.". 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. Like many residents of Michigans rugged Upper Peninsula, the 6-foot-tall Bruce had Finnish ancestry. "Look, my daughter was an addict. As they later passed the creepy motorist, they saw him commit a heinous murder. WebJournal photo by Trinity Carey A cross rests on the side of Marquette Country Road 492 in Negaunee Township to mark the memorial site of 24-year-old Erin Taylor who was Everything seemed fine until November 29, 1992, the Sunday after Thanksgiving, when Judy, Bruce, and Elise were visiting the Blakes. She was reported missing shortly after. He said that on the fatal day in the woods, the first two times he spotted Judy through the trees, he aimed his gun but couldnt bring himself to shoot. Handwriting analysis showed that the writing was slow and deliberate like that of a forger, and ultimately determined that Bruce, not Judy, had written the letter. WebThe murder shook up the Upper Peninsula including Ontonagon, Michigan As for Judys occupation, a Battle Creek Enquirer item identified her as a nurse at the same hospital. He then strangled Nelson, he said. In the meantime, the authorities took the scene at face value as an accident, believing that an unknown hunters errant bullet killed Judy. They were all confident that the numerous statements made by the defendants would ensure convictions. The four piled out to investigate, peered into the windows and saw what appeared to be two smoldering bodies in the back seat. Her family doesnt really do anything because of religious reasons, so Im kind of the only one left. He sustained minor injuries both as a passenger in an accident in 1974 and as a driver when he lost control of his own vehicle in 1976. The arrests happened on Saturday evening after deputies stopped a car in Hancock and found crystal methamphetamine and Buprenorphine. Blankalso recalled that the day she was found, he pedaled his bike to the crime scene. In the interview, Collins was mostly calm. Keweenaw County deputies arrested 61-year-old Michael Braman Sunday after a several-months-long investigation with assistance from the Michigan State Police Computer Crimes Unit. When they turned her on her back, they saw a bloody chest wound, and Mary Ann screamed, according to the The Sweater Letter. And almost a year later, just as the profile predicted, there was another slaying. WebAccording to archived reports, in Ingham County, there were 2 murders in 2016, 2 murders in 2017, 0 murders in 2018, and 2 murders in 2019. The killings have been the topic du jour at this longtime bar and grill, known for the homemade buns on the hamburgers. He said he couldnt imagine a grown woman writing something like that. ". I agree: buffoon but watching the recreation of the cider block incident, he should have used two blocks instead of the one. It's been eight months since the killings. For example, Dearborn has a murder rate of only 2.1 per 100,000 while sharing borders with Detroit (43.5 per 100,000) and Inkster (24.2 per 100,000), some of the highest rates in the state. 39-year-old Jeffrey Lewis Thomas was arraigned Wednesday in Ontonagon County Court. Thats why I come up here and be her voice every year because she doesnt have one. A veteran Detroit journalist, she joined the Free Press in 2012. But, partway into filming, residents who supported Collins and thought that he had been falsely accused, started disrupting the movie scenes and making threats. It is episode 88 called A Walk in the Woods. Perhaps the loudmouthed Bruce seemed too different from their quiet daughter. Carlson insisted at first that Brunke had strangled Aldrich in his bedroom, while she held Aldrich's legs to keep her from kicking and flailing. Some in attendance cried. Required fields are marked *. "How is that they can say this guy wasn't involved? Somebody took her away and it needs to be solved. Bruce went off to prison, but has made some attempts to get out on two feet, including an unsuccessful 1996 appeal claiming police shouldnt have interrogated him without counsel. On April 16, she woke that morning and found that the temptation of free morphine was too great. Prosecutor William Delhey and Ann Arbor Police Chief Walter Krasny were skeptical of psychic readings. The three loaded up the bodies into Hutchinson's SUV, then Brunke drove it into the forest, with Carlson and Cordell following in Brunke's car. That was Bruces downfall he was cheap, Bob Ball said. Frustration became so intense that residents and even some law enforcement officials were willing to try anything. "Terror in Ypsilanti: John Norman Collins Unmasked,", Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. In the photo of Fleszar that newspapers published withaccounts of her death, she is a short-haired brunette with a classic 1960s look. Indeed, there is some evidence money Brunke, or someone acting on his behalf, got money to Cordell after Cordell's last confession, exonerating Brunke. ", A section called "Farewell" features a photo of nearly 40 family members, "most of whom I did not have the pleasure of knowing or them knowing me," and includes a poem that begins: "When tomorrow starts without me ". Volumes of info. Itll cost you. To prepare for the trial, investigators had re-created the chimney block incident. "All the cop cars, ambulances, and everything was flying by the house, so we knew something was up.". Phillips, 17, from Milwaukie, Oregon, near Portland, was strangled. The long, gravel road in the woods near the Hiawatha National Forest in Michigan's Upper Peninsula was muddy with an April thaw, causing deep ruts. She researched the key suspects past, dug through hundreds of evidence photos and newspaper clippings and worked with Witsil to uncover new details in the cases. Alice Kalom, 21, was a recent University of Michigan graduate. "It was where we could all go to remember them," said Kellie Roll. Itaimed to show how the gruesome slayings had terrorized Ypsilanti residents. In 1976, Judy met Bruce Moilanen, who came into the world on March 29, 1954, the son of Mr. and Mrs. William Moilanen. They asked a psychic for help. Within days of the bodies being discovered, a witness told police she had been with Garry Cordell, Brunke's drug salesman and neighbor, when he threw items belonging to the victims in the Manistique River. The community, desperate for answers, even hired aninternationally known psychic. Worst case scenario. There also wasblack paint on the basement floor. Schoolcraft County, population 8,100, is known for its superb hunting and fishing, its blue lakes and long snow mobile trails. Thats why I come up here and be her voice every year because she doesnt have one. The debt had been paid by the time Cordell was back in court three weeks later to officially plead guilty to the three murders. Part of a trend? Deputies replaced Beineman's body in the ravine with a J.C. Penney mannequin and waited, expecting the killer to return. Macedonio was paroled after being in prison for more than 50 years. Judy and Bruce stayed in the Upper Peninsula. Victims family members continue to seek justice. And a young, inexperienced prosecutor would face allegations that he mishandled the case after he cut a plea deal with one of the remaining defendants, a move that outraged the victims' families. "To the best of our knowledge, there was no formal request for assistance from Schoolcraft County" she said. MARIE, Mich. (WLUC) - An Upper Michigan man is in custody on a charge related to the killing of Hayley Smith in Chippewa County. WebKalamazoo ; The city with highest murder rate in Michigan. Somebody took her away and it needs to be solved. He showed someemotion, however, when asked about his mother. We just want people to remember she was here and now shes not. Brunke seemed caught off guard by the question, then admitted he owed Cordell the money, but was vague about why, saying Cordell had done chores around his house, including landscaping.It was a peculiar answer, since Brunke's rural home sits on a large lot, unkempt with no sign of landscaping at all. Officials decided thatthe show would be recorded instead. The fire had been so fierce it melted the tires off the vehicle. His legal challenges made their way through the courts until, in 1988, they came to an end. The trialleft families of the other victims yearning for justice and a definitive resolutionand a killer who denied knowing his victimand the possibility that there was still someone else or multiple other people out there who committed the other slayings. "We're not getting the whole picture.". Initially, his transfer application was approved. Both were arrested Friday. He just didn't fit the profile of a killer. He also implied that staff members damaged his word processor and cassette player. Hurkos worked on the Boston strangler case, the name given to the high-profile slayings of 13 women in Boston in the early 1960s. Gary Allen Jacobs was arrested in New Mexico on three previously charged cases of criminal sexual conduct, Kelly Cochran was sentenced to life in prison for killing Christopher Regan in Caspian in 2014. It just didn't make sense.". According to American Justice, Judys parents didnt entirely approve of the union. "It sounds like he was baiting her to be honest with you," said one of her friends with her when the text came through.. Aldrich, panicked about stealing the drugs, and coming down from her high, hid her car at a nearby casino, worried Brunke was looking for her. The jealousy grew. MARQUETTE A rosary draped around the base of a white cross can be seen along Marquette County Road 492 in Negaunee Township, but another cross lies in the wooded area just beyond the roadway this one marking where a sheriffs deputy discovered the badly decomposed body of 24-year-old Erin Taylor. Web3:27. Sometime in early spring, Brunke heard about a young woman in nearby Germfask Township. He had started hitting on her before Judy died. An autopsy confirmed she had been murdered by strangulation, as a ligature remained in place around her neck. Photo by Cottonbro Studios on Pexels. The site is written as if she were telling her own story. Those of you who are combat veterans or prisoners of war might understand, he offered. He might have gotten away with that one. It was a denial, the show revealed, that kept many people in Michigan wondering even after the extensivetrial whether Collins killed the teenager and any of the other victims. The murder charges against Brunke were being dropped and he was going to be allowed to plead to obstruction of justice and lying to a police officer, convictions that could have him out of prison in five years or less. Surfer-turned actor Bob Purvey would play the good-looking, motorcycle-riding Collins. We are also glad to partner with the local prosecutor on complex and difficult cases when they ask. Or maybe they read about the speeding tickets in the IDG. The suspects face was hidden by sunglasses and a partial black mask. As it turned out, Harvey said later, Collins was born in Canada, he had Canadian dollars in his wallet, and law enforcement found a homemade ladder where one of the victims was slain. And Peter Hurkos, the psychic, had a part,playing himself. According to his October testimony, he arrived home that day to find Cordell and Carlson in his home with the three dead bodies. Brunke's neighbor, and the man selling Brunke's drugs on the street for him, Garry Cordell, a 46-year-old ex-con and addict himself, knew Aldrich and introduced her to Brunke. Thank you! Marietta Carlson had been in the Schoolcraft County jail for 47 days, awaiting trial on three counts in the murders of Heather Aldrich, Carrie Nelson and Jody Hutchinson, when she woke up June 16, and complained of stomach pain. Aldrich would later tell a friend that one day in early April she came home and found Brunke with a handgun to his head. "My mom just gave me this look like, 'Really?' Hawaii Island police launched a second-degree murder investigation in Puna on Friday. In Canada, Collins could be eligible for parole. But Bruce seemed to have even more interest in another woman, the happily married Gayle Lampinen, 35. "I was shocked," said Michigan State Police Lt. Tim Sholander, one of the investigators. Shortly after 9 pm on 3 rd August 1989, one of the famous Michigan murders took place. But, they messed up the snare. All rights reserved. UPSET says a 36-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman were arrested Friday after detectives searched a home on 6th Ave. in Trimountain Friday. There is still a faint stain of soot on the road, now almost washed away by rain. Collins never showed up for his date. 2023www.freep.com. Brunke, socially awkward, was immediately smitten by the woman with the long hair. The only other slaying case, Jane Mixer's, was solved in 2005. There also wasblood spatteron the basement floor. Judy was a tyrant at work and at home and a bad cook, Bruce claimed. He later said the sightings were likely swamp gas. Investigators made another connection: Collins also lived near the twovictims. "We very frequently take over difficult and complex cases whenever the local prosecutor asks for our assistance. On June 27, the Negaunee Police Department investigated damage in front of the Subway restaurant next to Super One Foods. Well, Bruce Moilanen was none-too-bright either, but he went even bigger than stupid: He was a buffoon. Multiple breaking and entering complaints are under investigation in Baraga County. Also known as The Dog Meadow Lights, this strange and ominous light has remained a UP mystery for more than four decades. WebThe Michigan Murders were a series of highly publicized killings of young women committed between 1967 and 1969 in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area of Southeastern Michigan by an individual known as the Ypsilanti Ripper, but with the upper third of her body exposed to natural heat. When two and half hours passed with no sign of Judy, family members got worried that she was on a fools errand searching for Streak. "We were all crying," Kellie Roll recalled about the meeting in September. The body was found in the grass off a trail in Ann Arbor. There are photos of her headstone in Saint Joseph Cemetery in Ypsilanti, and a website, MaryFleszar.com, that details moments of her life. Cordell said he was upstairs at the time, but that Brunke provided specific details of his own murderous activity in the basement. "Once talking to me and finding out that I killed all three of them and that we need to get rid of them, he is really mad at me" Cordell said in his statement. The area where the body was left was near poison oak. Timothy Noble, 39, is an affable man with an easy smile. While there has been a sharp increase in drug use in the tiny towns of the UP in recent years, he said, this was a new level of violence. Heather Aldrich, 25, was vivacious and pretty, a woman who had not lost her looks, despite 10 years of drug addiction. Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com. Several months later, the young womans costume was discovered found at an abandoned construction site. WebPaperback. Her body was found naked in a mosquito-infested, wooded ravine along the Huron River parkway on the east edge of Ann Arbor. It was significantly different from the others, and the state used new DNA evidence to convictGary Leiterman, who died in the prison system earlier this year. Bruck was dressed like Poison Ivy. Too many roomies. He said he was in fear of his life, and helped dispose of the bodies in the woods. It was about 2:20 p.m. Investigators found pantyhose tied around her neck. Police found one witness who saw Bruce hunting alone near the scene of the shooting. She was strangled with electrical wire. Hunting buddies. Erin Taylor was sweet, funny and played the violin beautifully, Dowd said. But Aldrich would disappear for days at a time, only to return for more drugs. Eric Lee Tulppo was sentenced to 12 months in jail with credit for time served. When asked by the prosecutor why he lied to police, he said, "Because I thought I could get away with something at that point. After that, he said, he became withdrawn. Deputies carried out search warrants Saturday at a home in Wells Township and at a hotel in Escanaba. Some accounts said a copy of the novel "Catch-22" also was left nearby. He tied the women up, then invited Hutchinson in. WebFleszar, a 19-year-old Eastern Michigan University accounting student, was the first of eight women and girls one as young as 13 whose lives were tragically taken and whose The 2021 podcast episode also notes that Girards family and friends say he was an openly gay man his entire life, but that he wasnt always accepted in the community because of it. "We began looking at everybody and questioning in our minds all our casual acquaintances.". The 46-year-old lived alone in a large, rambling tri-level home on rural Kendall Road and worked as a seasonal employee for the Schoolcraft Road Commission. Murders in Manistique: Brutal killings shake U.P. "He doesn't know what he's doing," said Rob Hutchinson, brother of the man smothered with the plastic bag. She never came back to her dorm. Butunlike the other two victims, Mixer had been shot twice in the head with a .22. The Ann Arbor Newsreported Chester Fleszar,Mary Fleszar's father,said:If guilty, Collins "must be sick.". And Brunke said "I didn't know but I wanted nothing to do with what happened.". Police say two people of interest have been developed, and one has not been identified. But along the way, she got her GED and, for a while, held a job at a local casino. Judy escaped unharmed. Its largest city is Manistique, a tiny town of 3,010, without a Walmart or a McDonald's. After a jail nurse examined her, she was taken to Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital. WebEighth District - Upper Peninsula. Noble could have sought help from the MIchigan Attorney General's Office, which sends in seasoned trial attorneys to help prosecute complicated or violent crimes in rural counties with limited resources. MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) - An unsolved murder, that happened in Marquette more than three decades ago, has been featured in a popular true crime podcast. After his murder, police knew then that they could be dealing with a hate crime or lovers quarrel, the podcast says. The crosses read, "mother," "sister," "daughter," "dad.". But all agreed that Brunke had lured Aldrich to his house with the promise of free drugs. Brunke had plenty of that on hand. This collection of twenty-four legendary murders spans 160 years of Upper Michigan's history and dispels the notion Bruce had said that he accidentally moved it with his foot, but they determined it was too heavy and needed a deliberate push in order to fall off the roof. Chester Fleszaralso expressed a glimmer of hope he could put his daughter to rest: The grieving father just wanted to put his teenage daughter's body back together. At some point, he worked as a support staff person at General Hospital in Marquette, Michigan. By this time, detectives had ascertained that Gayle Lampinen had no romantic interest in Bruce whatsoever regardless of how great his sexual prowess was or wasnt.
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