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Case Summary: The Investigation So Far |
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updated September 15, 2008 On Saturday, July 26, 2008, a time capsule sealed twenty-five years ago by the Yoknapatawpha County High School Class of 1983 was re-opened at their class reunion. Onlookers were shocked when a small knife and a brooch fell out of an old English text book when it was taken out of the time capsule. Many attendees suspected that the knife could be related to the unsolved 1983 murder of YCHS music teacher David Morgan. YCSD Sergeant Steven Spearman, who was standing near the table when the knife and brooch fell, managed to keep his former classmates back as he contacted the Sheriff's Department for assistance. Upon arrival, Detectives Murphy and Armstrong talked to the witnesses at the reunion to determine what they had seen and heard when the knife and brooch were discovered. Over the next few days, detectives interviewed additional witnesses from the Class of 1983. Gloria Reynolds Vance, the head of the reunion committee, described the events that were scheduled for the weekend. Dixie Winters was pleasantly surprised that so many people showed up for the reunion. Jen Gaudette provided information about her involvement in arranging the time capsule ceremony. Frank Daniels, who moved the time capsule to the reunion venue, said the capsule "didn't appear to have been messed with." Dale Putman described how he "lost [his] grip on [the book] for a second and then the stuff fell out of it." 1983 Case File David Morgan, who was found dead in his classroom on May 25, 1983, was well-liked by nearly all of the students and faculty at YCHS. Everyone found it difficult to think of him as deceased, let alone to ponder who could have committed such a brutal crime. Many were concerned for their own safety. The murder scene was a bloody mess, and a preliminary inspection didn’t reveal the murder weapon, but other evidence was collected, including a grade book. The victim's girlfriend and fellow teacher, Pamela Kite, was found covered in blood and cradling Mr. Morgan in her arms. Miss Kite was removed from the scene and held for questioning, when she told detectives that she did not harm Mr. Morgan and did not know who might have. Detectives David Anderson and Charles Lamar also interviewed Euell Biggers, who was the YCHS custodian and the person who made the call for help. Mr. Biggers said, “I didn’t know anything unusual happened until I heard the scream.” In the days following the murder, the detectives canvassed of the victim’s co-workers and other school employees, all of whom appeared to still be in shock. Raymond Shandley, YCHS Principal, stood behind Pamela Kite 100%. Mr. Shandley told the detectives they should not be holding her, insisting that Miss Kite "would never hurt [Mr. Morgan].” The detectives interviewed Jeff Roberts, one of Mr. Morgan’s more difficult students, who denied any knowledge of the murder. The detectives also met with Dean Adler, father of one of the victim's students, who made accusations about Morgan's behavior but could provide no corroboration. David Morgan's neighbors were canvassed to determine what Morgan was like at home and away from his job. Detectives compiled a map showing places of interest to the investigation to assess the proximity of various persons of interest to the crime scene around the time of the murder. Some of Mr. Morgan's key students, including Laura Hudson, Bruce Barnes and Jeanine Broshears, were questioned individually. Miss Broshears said she “did have private sessions sometimes” with Morgan. Miss Hudson said that Morgan "became [her] tutor... when [she] was a sophomore." The detectives were surprised when Mr. Barnes told them that “half the student body saw this coming.” After the initial interviews, the detectives compiled an alibi chart to summarize the whereabouts of persons of interest and whether those alibis could be corroborated. They also obtained a copy of the YCHS floor plan to use in their investigation. In a second interview, Jeff Roberts admitted to being with Pamela Kite in her classroom just before the victim's body was found. In her subsequent follow-up interview, Miss Kite confirmed his claim and said she "completely forgot" to mention it earlier. When detectives spoke to him again, Euell Biggers described the argument between David Morgan and Pamela Kite that he witnessed the day before the murder. Raymond Shandley provided additional information about several persons of interest during his follow-up interview. Dean Adler was less cooperative during his second conversation with Detectives Lamar and Anderson, but he did admit he slapped the victim on the afternoon of the murder. A forensics report summarized findings of fingerprint, serology and other analyses conducted on evidence collected at the scene. On June 1, 1983, the YCHS senior class sealed the time capsule they had created and placed it on display at the high school it was to remain until their 25th reunion in 2008. On August 23, 1983, Detectives Charles Lamar and David Anderson suspended active investigation of the David Morgan homicide. In their professional opinion, all avenues of investigation had been exhausted, and there was insufficient evidence to prosecute any suspect. 2008 Re-Investigation Following a thorough examination of the 1983 case file, Detectives Murphy and Armstrong set up an interview with David Anderson, who is the only surviving investigator from the original detective team. The detectives were also able to locate Jeff Roberts before he left town after the reunion.They spoke with him and found him largely uncooperative. Sadly, Detectives Armstrong and Murphy are unable to re-interview former principal Raymond Shandley, as he passed away in 2006. |
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