- Publication: The Red and Black (University of Georgia student newspaper)
- Author: Kelly Daniel, Staff Writer
- Original Publication Date: Monday, January 25, 1993
Formal motions to dismiss charges against two men arrested in connection with the Jennifer Stone murder investigation were filed in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court last week, leaving police investigators frustrated by slow progress in the nine-month-old case.
Assistant District Attorney Rick Dickson filed a motion Jan. 20 to dismiss charges of theft by receiving against Athens residents Larry Darnell Brown and Donald Wilson. Both men were arrested in early July after cameras belonging to the slain University senior were found in their possession.
The cameras were stolen from Stone’s Hull Street apartment around the time of her rape and strangulation death in the early morning of April 23.
Brown, who had been in Athens-Clarke County jail since his July arrest because he could not make bond, was cleared of all charges, Dickson said. Superior Court Judge Joseph Gaines is expected to sign Wilson’s dismissal this Wednesday, Dickson said.
Police investigators working on the Stone case said they were disappointed by the dismissals.
“I hate to see any charges be dismissed,” Sgt. W.J. Smith said, “but they (in the district attorney’s office) know whether or not there is a case, and it’s their call.”
A third man, Ernest Brown, a suspended University employee, remains charged with theft by receiving, and officials say his case likely will go to trial. Ernest Brown was indicted by a grand jury in August but has not been arraigned on the charges yet.
Smith, one of the main investigators on the Stone case, said police have a taped confession from Ernest Brown, saying he knew the cameras were stolen when he got them.
However, Dickson said his office had not proceeded with setting a trial date because “the case has been on hold while he (Brown) at first attempted to cooperate with police.”
“When the police tell us they are satisfied with what he’s telling them, we’ll schedule the case for arraignment,” Dickson said.
DNA tests eliminated all three men as Stone’s rapist in late July, but Smith said he still has not completely eliminated Ernest Brown as a suspect. Police told the Red & Black two weeks ago they were trying to hypnotize Wilson and Ernest Brown to learn more about their involvement in the case. Wilson has agreed and has been very cooperative with police, Smith said, but investigators are still waiting to hear from Ernest Brown’s attorney.
“The ball is in their court,” Smith said.
The dismissals ended an interesting chapter in the investigation of Stone’s death. Police had said in July that they believed one of the three men would lead them to Stone’s killer.
“We were all very disappointed that nothing turned up on those three with the DNA tests,” Smith said. “We really thought we had something there.”
Several times during the investigation police have thought they had found the killer, only to have DNA or fingerprint analysis disprove their theories. In all, 34 potential suspects have been eliminated by DNA tests since May 1992, including a 19-year-old Louisiana man and a Houston, Texas man whom police had considered strong possibilities.
“This is one of the most frustrating cases I have ever had,” Smith said. “We’ve looked at some really good suspects and thought, ‘This is going to be him.’ We’ve been very excited over several of them, but there’s just been nothing to come to fruit yet.”
Part of the frustration for police has been the possibility that, because Stone lived directly behind the Greyhound bus station, her killer could have escaped to anywhere within a matter of minutes. However, largely because Stone’s cameras turned up locally, Smith said that police do not believe the killer left the region.
“There’s been two trains of thought on (the case) — one, that somebody was watching her and went and got her and two, that somebody just tried a door, it opened and he did it,” Smith said. “We’ve not given up on that (bus theory), but we’re operating on the premise that it’s a local individual.”
Although police said they are anxious to see an end to the case, they admitted the investigation has been slowed by a lack of funding within the police department. Smith himself bought the computer system he uses to keep up with the fast-growing piles of information and said he was forced to take a week off in October after accumulating too much overtime traveling to Houston, Texas to interview a possible suspect.
Progress in the Stone case has also been hampered by the fact that many investigators, including Smith, currently are dealing with six unsolved murders within the past eight months, something a police spokeswoman called “highly unusual.”
Public reaction to the lengthy investigation has been mostly positive, Smith said, with “generally 99 percent of the people involved in the case very willing to help.” But police said they also get more of a “morbid curiosity” from the public other than someone with solid information.
Four local psychics have called Athens police, offering their expertise, Smith said. One psychic from Atlanta called him twice, telling Smith she had had a vision about the killer’s identity. Smith said police followed up on the sensational stories as best they could, but the tips were too vague to yield any solid leads.
However, the police do have their critics, including members of Stone’s sorority, Kappa Delta.
“I feel the case should have been solved by now,” said Carrie Shaw, president of the sorority. “I feel they have had enough leads that they’ve followed up on to have solved this.”
Stone’s family has kept in close contact with police, Smith said, especially Stone’s brother-in-law, Tom Deal, an Indiana attorney. None of Stone’s family could be reached for comment Sunday afternoon.
“They’re all pretty frustrated,” Smith said of Stone’s family. “They want to see this thing come to a close, and they want to put somebody in jail.”
A $13,000 reward offer remains for anyone with knowledge or information that will help police find Stone’s killer. The money was donated by several local organizations and monies from Gov. Zell Miller’s contingency fund.
“If you can clear this thing up, I’d kick in a thousand dollars myself — if I had the money,” Smith said half-seriously. “I’m that frustrated.”
Timeline
• April 23 — Jennifer Stone raped and strangled
• April 24 — Strangulation announced as cause of death
• April 25 — Crime lab says Stone raped before killed
• April 29 — Memorial service held, 500 people attend
• July 1 — Brown is arrested and charged with theft by receiving
• July 2 — Wilson arrested, also charged with theft by receiving
• July 7 — Larry Brown charged with theft by receiving. Police call arrests a “major breakthrough in the case.”
• July 23 — DNA results eliminate the three men as suspects
• Oct. 20 — Charges against L. Brown and Wilson dismissed
• Oct. 21 — Louisiana man eliminated as suspect after DNA tests return negative
• Nov. 26 — Houston, Texas man eliminated as a suspect. Maj. Gerald Guntharp says, “we’re looking for a ghost.”
• Jan. 8 — Police tell The Red and Black they plan to hypnotize E. Brown and Wilson about the crime
• Jan. 20 — Charges dismissed against E. Brown. Dismissal filed for Wilson, expected approval this week
[Photo caption, page 3] Jennifer Stone (File)