Slover case focus of film crew: Discovery Channel Canada in Decatur
Anne Warfield
Slover case focus of film crew: Discovery Channel Canada in Decatur
By STEPHANIE POTTER H&R Staff Writer
DECATUR -- Detectives who investigated the Karyn Hearn Slover murder
were back together Wednesday at the former Mount Zion car lot where
they believe she was killed.
A film crew for Discovery Channel Canada is making a documentary about
the forensic techniques used in the case, once described by former
Macon County State's Attorney Larry Fichter as a "classic scientific
whodunit."
Slover, 23, disappeared Sept. 27, 1996, after leaving her job as an
advertising sales representative at the Herald & Review. Her
dismembered body was found days later in Lake Shelbyville. She had
been shot seven times in the head.
Her ex-husband, Michael Slover Jr., 33, and his parents, Michael
Slover Sr., 57, and Jeannette Slover, 56, were convicted of the
killing in 2002 and are serving 60-year sentences for the murder. They
are appealing and maintain their innocence.
Because there were no eyewitnesses and a murder weapon was never
found, evidence involving cinders, concrete and buttons found during
searches at the car lot were key evidence in the case. Prosecutors
argued those buttons came from clothing Karyn Slover was wearing when
she disappeared.
The case also marked the first time animal DNA evidence was used in a
criminal prosecution in Illinois. Prosecutors presented evidence a dog
hair found with Karyn Slover's body genetically matched the hair of a
dog the elder Slovers kept at the car lot.
A group of investigators did a loose re-creation Wednesday afternoon
of the March 1998 search at the former Miracle Motors car lot on North
Illinois 121, where police found the buttons. Back then, there was
snow on the ground as detectives completed a makeshift archeological
dig at the site.
Wednesday, a cameraman on a specialized crane shot footage as retired
Illinois State Police detective Mike Mannix and other officers sifted
through a patch of dirt in the now-grassy field. Officers from the
State Police, Decatur police, Macon County Sheriff's Office and
Moultrie County sheriff's and coroner's offices helped with the
re-creation.
"It brings back some good memories and some bad memories," said
Mannix, who was the lead detective on the case.
Mannix and retired Decatur police detective Mike Beck said they have
never been involved with a documentary like this before.
"There were a lot of frustrating times in this case, but it was also
exciting," Beck said. "We felt like we were on the cutting edge of a
lot things."
Chuck Pierce, the current owner of the lot, said he is used to the
property attracting attention. Pierce said he got several inquiries
Wednesday from people who noticed police cars on the lot.
"When the initial investigation was going on, I didn't have a problem
with them coming in and doing their jobs, and I don't have a problem
with this," Pierce said.
The crew also filmed Wednesday at the parking lot of the Herald &
Review and was expected to head to Lake Shelbyville today.
Gary Lang, director of the documentary, and associate producer Alisa
Apostle said the Slover case was chosen from among thousands for the
"F2: Forensic Factor" series. He said forensic cases can be dry, but
the story of a young mother murdered by her former husband and his
parents is compelling.
"It's our job to pick the best (stories), and this one was among the
best," he said.
It will likely air in the late fall on HDNet, a high-definition cable
network, and the TechTV cable network. At some point, it will air on
the Discovery Channel in the United States.
Jack Ahola, who prosecuted the case with Richard Current and Jay
Scott, said the 1998 search at the car lot was a turning point in the
case.
"We learned a lot from that case as far as how to approach cases of
that magnitude," Ahola said.
Attorney Joseph Vigneri, who represented Slover Jr., also expected to
be interviewed for the project. Vigneri, who unsuccessfully argued
against the admission of forensic evidence including the dog hair,
said he believes the Slovers have a good chance of a successful
appeal.
Vigneri points to a recent decision by a Washington state appeals
court that evidence of dog DNA was not reliable enough to be entered
into evidence in a murder case there.
"The validity or the viability of the canine DNA evidence is in
serious question due to the recent decision of the court in
Washington," Vigneri said.
He said the Slovers' appellate attorney will likely file a brief on
their behalf in the next couple months, but it could be as long as
four years before the appellate court issues a ruling.
Stephanie Potter can be reached at 421-7984.
http://www.herald-review.com/articles/2004/03/18/news/top_story/topstory.txt
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Anne Warfield
indigoace at goodsol period com
http://www.goodsol.com/cats/