True Crime
Yesterday, a murder case that had been open since 1989 was resolved in the Twin Cities. It was one of those strange murders where pretty much everyone knew who the murderer was, but as a result of some legal issues and most likely some sloppy policework, it took 14 years to get a conviction.
I'm passing this story on because I believe it must set some kind of record for the amount of time a completely incompetent killer was allowed to roam free despite his best efforts to be apprehended. I mean, you really have to read this story. Some highlights from the Strib story:
Bloom's partly clothed body was found in a cornfield between Northfield and Faribault, 10 days after she disappeared. Investigators were interviewing Zanter at the time, according to a complaint, and when they told him of the discovery he began sobbing, curled into a fetal position and muttered, "I was hoping no one would find her."
Wow, that guy was a real rock during that interview. Talk about your red flags. I can only imagine the glances the cops shot each other when this scene played out. But, OK, even though that might look bad, it's not exactly a confession. But there were other things that just might have tipped off investigators that Zanter was their guy. For one thing, they found carpet fibers from the body that matched both Zanter's new and old house. They found the dead woman's car and house keys at his apartment. Two years later, they discovered that around the time of the killing, the guy's wife was asking co-workers how to remove bloodstains from carpet and walls, because her husband cut his hand while working on the car.
My favorite is Zanter's alibi for why he didn't return to work the day of the murder. He said his car broke down and he "caught a chill". Now, as a fellow human being, I'm asking you: When in your life, ever, have you ever used the phrase "caught a chill"? That is absolutely the lamest excuse I have ever heard, and I'm no greenhorn when it comes to making excuses. How could he even say that with a straight face? Every savvy excuse-maker knows the one foolproof excuse in this world is diarreha. All you have to do is say the "D" word, and people will stop asking you questions immediately. Tell them you have to be at your "home base", and you'll be excused for however long is necessary.
Of course, the keys were ruled as inadmissable evidence, because they were obtained while investigators were looking for blood evidence, and that's a part of why this case never went to trial.
Listen, I support defendants rights, search and seizure protections, Miranda, all of that. I really do. I think a part of having those protections is that you will have certain cases like this, when it is pretty damn clear who the murderer is, but you have to let the system run its course. I just can't believe that somebody can curl up in the fetal position, start sobbing and say "I was hoping nobody would find the body," and then continue to walk for 13 years.
10:54:44 AM 
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