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00:00spring break is a huge deal at Ohio State University there are parties every night of
00:11the week 1994 was Stephanie's first spring break at Ohio State University she's by herself at 2 30
00:20in the morning that's when the nightmare really began there were no weapons found at the crime
00:26scene there are literally thousands of people in that campus area there's a multitude of potential
00:33suspects who want to murder armor let alone murder DNA is going to be the key to finding her killer
00:56Columbus Ohio is the capital of the Buckeye State and its biggest city in the heart of it is the
01:10Ohio State campus people here refer to it as the Ohio State University Ohio State is the place to
01:21go especially if you're an Ohioan it's also a sought-out university for students from other
01:27countries and states because Ohio State academics are second to none and of course the NCAA teams are
01:36amazing football team the baseball team the basketball team Ohio State has over 30,000 students on campus
01:46the campus has a very thriving nightlife during spring break it gets usually even busier classes are
01:57canceled during spring break but a lot of the other campus activities are open high street is the main
02:05thoroughfare through the campus area there are plenty of bars there are parties at some fraternity or
02:13sorority house every night of the week Stephanie Hummers an 18 year old Ohio State University student back at
02:25our high school Stephanie played soccer she played tennis as well she was editor-in-chief of the yearbook
02:32strong smart driven athletic very successful in life Stephanie is so outgoing that she's impossible not to like
02:43Stephanie worked part-time as a golf caddy in high school she's here at Ohio State on an Evans
02:54scholarship which is a scholarship for golf caddies with high academics and extracurricular activities
03:00she's studying landscape architecture her dream is to design golf courses someday only one in three
03:11applicants actually received the scholarship it's a big deal spring break of 1994 is Stephanie Hummers first
03:23spring break at the Ohio State University on Sunday March 6 1994 Stephanie kicks off her spring break
03:33celebration celebration on campus that particular spring break Stephanie decided to stay in town so
03:41that a couple of her friends from high school Lila Knox and Nina Corwin could come and visit from
03:48Finneytown for somewhat of a small reunion Stephanie's new friend Tracy Goldie was at the dorm room of that night
03:58Stephanie and I were floor mates and good friends the night of March the 6th the girls wanted to go out to
04:07the bars to the parties I couldn't join them because I had to work early the next morning
04:11at some point in the evening Jace Merrick and Finn Calder showed up and they hung out Jace Merrick and Finn Calder are both 18 years old and both OSU students they all went to high school together at Finneytown so it was fun for them they were all in town at OSU for spring break
04:40the group decided to go to bars on high street which was a popular place to go at that time in Columbus the legal drinking age being 21 they're set up with fake IDs
05:00after the bar closed Stephanie and several of her high school friends decided to go back to the boys fraternity to continue an after party
05:08Lila and Nina changed their mind and decided they were going to bail on the party
05:16they had enough and wanted to go to bed for the night
05:22Stephanie wanted to keep partying with the boys but she wanted to make sure that Lila and Nina made it home
05:30and then told the boys that she would meet him at the party after she walked them home
05:35Stephanie is very thoughtful and always wants to put other people's feelings first
05:39once Stephanie got her guests back to the dorm safely she leaves around 2 3 A.m. to head to the frat to join up with the boys that were there
05:51the party was on 10th Street and Evans car houses on 14th Avenue so it's just four blocks away during the day
05:59It's a safe 10-minute walk, but Stephanie is by herself at 2.30 in the morning.
06:16At 11.30 the next morning, Lila and Nina wake up and realize Stephanie never made it home.
06:25I came home from work a little after 11 a.m.
06:29The girls were concerned and they said Stephanie never made it home last night
06:34and they said she never showed up to the party.
06:37So I started going to all her friends' rooms and no one had seen her.
06:43We really didn't know what we were going to do.
06:46We couldn't call her. We didn't have cell phones.
06:49So I called my mom.
06:51I asked her what she thought I should do.
06:54She said we should probably call the hospitals to see if something had happened to her.
06:57The older Evans Scholar boys helping us, one was in pre-med and he worked in the morgue.
07:04So he even checked the morgues for us, which is terrifying.
07:07There was just no sign of her.
07:12But two and a half miles from the university,
07:14a railway worker finds a young woman's nude body near a remote stretch of tracks.
07:19He runs to the nearest phone to call 911.
07:21Columbus police officers are dispatched to that area
07:28and find the body of a young female in her late teens or early 20s.
07:35The young woman was found lying face down as though she had fallen forward.
07:42The body was found wearing only white socks and tennis shoes
07:46and there was a bra around her neck.
07:51She had reddish blonde hair and it was fanned out above her head.
07:57Her jewelry was still on and her nails were found to be well manicured.
08:03Due to the fact that she's nude,
08:08there is more than likely a sexual assault that has occurred.
08:14There was nothing found in the area on that day
08:18that would indicate who she was or where she was from.
08:22No ID, no purse.
08:28News media have access to Columbus PD radio channels.
08:32When they hear that the police are called
08:34to the scene of a deceased young woman,
08:37TV crews appear at the crime scene.
08:39Word of the story and the tragedy spreads
08:42all across the Ohio State University community immediately.
08:48Another Evans scholar said,
08:49you know, I just heard that there was a body found
08:52and that's when we're like, oh gosh.
08:54So we called the police
08:56and then that's kind of when the nightmare really began.
08:59Back at the crime scene,
09:03we got a call from the radio room
09:05that gave a description of a missing person from OSU area.
09:14When Stephanie's friend reported her missing to the police,
09:18she described Stephanie
09:20and described to the officer
09:22that she had reddish blonde hair and blue eyes
09:26and gave the officer a full description
09:28of what Stephanie had been wearing.
09:31Based upon the color of the tennis shoes,
09:33along with the trim on those tennis shoes
09:36and her hair and eye color,
09:38we were able to tentatively identify
09:40the victim as Stephanie Hummer.
09:46Police begin to process the crime scene
09:49to determine what happened to Stephanie Hummer.
09:51There was what appeared to be damage
09:55to the back of her head.
09:57There was blood spatter on her back
10:00as well as blood matted in her hair.
10:03The blood indicates that obviously
10:05there was some type of injury there,
10:07but the fact that there's blood spatter
10:09indicates to me that she was struck more than one time.
10:15There was a bruise on her neck.
10:18There was nothing else found evidence-wise
10:21near or in the area of her body.
10:24There were no weapons found at the crime scene.
10:27Her body was found in a grassy area,
10:30but very close to that grassy area,
10:33there is a driveway and a parking lot,
10:36not a lot of traffic in that particular area.
10:40The area around the body,
10:43the leaves and foliage appeared to have been pushed aside.
10:46The disturbed grass and foliage indicated
10:50that Stephanie may have been chased to that area
10:54before she was struck down.
10:57Where the foliage had been crushed down and pushed aside
11:01seemed to indicate that there was a clear path
11:04to River Street about 60 feet away
11:07from where Stephanie was found.
11:09The first question for police is,
11:11how did Stephanie end up two and a half miles
11:14from where she started on her way to the frat party?
11:16Was she still on foot or had she caught a ride?
11:21River Street runs to the east off of Souter Avenue
11:23in the area of McKinley Avenue,
11:26and River Street being a dead-end street
11:28seems to have a lot of traffic.
11:31But during that time of the day,
11:33the businesses are usually closed,
11:35so nobody would be around.
11:37The area there on the west side of Columbus
11:41is known to police.
11:44There are a lot of prostitutes
11:46that take their appointments to that area of town,
11:51somewhat of an industrial area.
11:53At night, there's not a whole lot of lighting in the area.
11:57To the north of where the body was located,
12:01there is a WBNS TV tower, very lit up.
12:04It's been there forever.
12:05That is one of the things that can be seen
12:08from that area very easily.
12:10The crime scene has now been processed,
12:13and now investigators send Stephanie's remains
12:16to the coroner's office to complete an autopsy.
12:19But before that happens,
12:21Columbus detectives make the grim call
12:23to Stephanie's parents 100 miles away.
12:26Mr. and Mrs. Hummer had to drive
12:28from Finneytown up to Columbus,
12:30and I know they had to identify Stephanie's body.
12:36We questioned the Hummers
12:37about any knowledge of anybody
12:39that might want to harm Stephanie.
12:43According to the Hummers,
12:44Stephanie was well-liked.
12:47She had no boyfriend,
12:48and they couldn't think of anybody
12:50that would want to hurt her,
12:52harm her, let alone murder her.
12:54You know, she was just their little girl.
12:57She was their only girl.
12:59And now she was deceased.
13:01Who did this?
13:03Who murdered Stephanie?
13:15The coroner's office processed the body
13:18for DNA and any other evidence
13:21that might exist to further the investigation.
13:26During the autopsy,
13:28they found semen on the body,
13:30confirming the police suspicions
13:32that there was a sexual assault that had occurred.
13:36The bruise found on Stephanie's neck
13:38was determined to have been a hickey.
13:40They did find a liquid they determined to be saliva
13:44around the hickey,
13:45and it was swabbed for evidence.
13:47A medical examiner's office
13:49sent the swabs and so forth
13:51that was obtained during the autopsy
13:53to the lab to determine
13:55if the semen and the swabs from her neck
13:59were from the same individual.
14:01The back of Stephanie's head was examined,
14:05and an attempt was made to determine
14:06what type of weapon could have been used
14:09to create the injury.
14:12The medical examiner's office
14:13was unable to determine
14:15if it was a rock or some other type of object,
14:18but the cause of Stephanie's death
14:20was determined to be blunt force trauma
14:22to the back of her head.
14:25One of the injuries appeared to have been U-shaped,
14:28as though it could have been from a flashlight
14:30or possibly a tire iron,
14:33but it appeared as though
14:34she had been struck at least two times.
14:37The time of death was determined
14:40to be narrowed down between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m.
14:45With only a three-hour window for the murder,
14:47police need to confirm with Stephanie's friends
14:49the last time she left her dorm
14:51and where she went from there.
14:52Detectives began their investigation
14:56by interviewing Stephanie's friends,
14:58Lila, Tracy, and Nina.
15:02During the interview,
15:03they confirmed that on March the 6th,
15:06Stephanie had invited Jace Merrick
15:08and Finn Calder to gather with them
15:11as part of their high school reunion that night.
15:19Lila confirmed
15:21that she last saw Stephanie walking in a southwesterly direction
15:26toward the frat house at about 2.30 a.m.
15:34Detectives surmised that Stephanie may have taken a shortcut
15:37down Pearl Alley
15:38because it pretty much is a straight route to the frat house.
15:42We used to cut through Pearl Alley all the time,
15:45but that's usually during the day.
15:47It wasn't really somewhere you'd want to be walking alone at night.
15:52Detectives need to determine whether or not Stephanie
15:55actually met Jace and Finn at the frat house
15:58or possibly elsewhere.
16:00We bring in the boys for questioning.
16:07Jace and Finn
16:08were interviewed separately
16:10as a standard police procedure
16:12so we can check
16:14if there's any inconsistencies
16:16in their stories.
16:18Both boys claimed that Stephanie
16:19never made it to the house
16:21where the party was.
16:22They stayed up partying
16:25for a little while
16:26but she didn't make it
16:28to the frat house.
16:30The next day
16:32on Sunday morning
16:33they called
16:34Evan's scholar house
16:35looking for her.
16:37No one answered their call
16:39and they assumed
16:39that she had stayed with friends
16:41rather than attend the party.
16:45Jace and Finn
16:46did not have any romantic relationship
16:49with Stephanie Hummer.
16:51We did notice
16:53during the interview
16:54that Jace Mary
16:55had an injured hand
16:56as he had a bandage
16:57on his hand.
16:59Jace explained
17:00that he had injured his hand
17:02trying to climb
17:03a chain link fence
17:04taking a shortcut
17:06back to his house.
17:09The cut is suspicious
17:10because he could have cut his hand
17:12during an assault of Stephanie.
17:14He could have cut his hand
17:16while chasing Stephanie
17:18maybe having fallen down
17:20cut his hand on something
17:21on the ground.
17:23But both boys
17:25were adamant
17:25that they had nothing
17:27to do with Stephanie's death.
17:32Jace and Finn
17:33both voluntarily provided
17:36samples of their DNA
17:37so it could be compared
17:39to samples taken
17:40from Stephanie.
17:44At the moment
17:45there was nothing
17:46we could hold them for
17:47so we let them go.
17:54While the boys' DNA
17:55is compared
17:56to the unknown suspects
17:57detectives still need
17:58to determine
17:59where along Stephanie's
18:00likely path
18:01she was abducted
18:02and assaulted.
18:08We had patrol officers
18:09working in the areas
18:10of Pearl Alley
18:11and so forth
18:12between Evans Hall
18:13and the frat house
18:14to see if they could locate
18:16any clothing
18:16that might have been
18:17Stephanie's.
18:19Finding clothes
18:20would provide an indication
18:22as to where she was
18:23actually abducted from
18:24and there might also be
18:25evidence on the clothing
18:27itself.
18:30The clothes were never found.
18:32in the area
18:35where we know Stephanie was
18:37detectives canvassed
18:39to see if they could locate
18:41any witnesses
18:42to Stephanie's abduction.
18:44There were no witnesses
18:46located.
18:48Businesses in the area
18:50were checked
18:50to see if they may have had
18:52any security cameras
18:53around their establishments.
18:55Nothing was located
18:56because it had already been
18:58past closing time
18:59for the bars
18:59and most of the security cameras
19:02for those establishments
19:03are inside
19:04and not outside
19:05where we were trying
19:06to locate activity.
19:10With the local canvas
19:11netting no new leads
19:12detectives circle back
19:13to the results
19:14from Jace Merrick
19:15and Finn Calder's DNA tests.
19:19The saliva DNA
19:21from around the hickey
19:22found on Stephanie's neck
19:24did not match
19:25her friend Finn Calder.
19:26However, the saliva
19:30did match the DNA
19:32to Jace Merrick.
19:34Jace had lied
19:36about his relationship
19:37with Stephanie.
19:39We felt that it was true
19:41that he did have
19:42some type of romantic
19:43relationship with her.
19:45Based on that,
19:46we wondered if he was
19:47also lying about
19:48how he got the cut
19:50on his hand.
19:51We began to think
19:52that perhaps
19:53Jace Merrick
19:54wanted more out
19:55of the relationship
19:56with Stephanie
19:57and she rebuffed him
19:58and that was ultimately
19:59the reason
20:00he could have murdered her.
20:12Detectives know
20:13Jace Merrick lied
20:14when he said
20:14he was never romantically
20:16involved with Stephanie Hummer.
20:17The question now is
20:18did he also lie
20:19about having sex
20:20with her
20:20on the night
20:21that she was killed?
20:22To find out,
20:23they compare
20:24his DNA
20:25to the semen sample
20:27found on her remains.
20:28There wasn't a match
20:30to the semen
20:31with Jace
20:32or his friend Finn.
20:34There wasn't a match
20:35on either student.
20:37Even though
20:38the semen found
20:39on Stephanie's body
20:41did not match
20:42Jace Merrick,
20:43his lying to us
20:44did raise a red flag.
20:46We bring in
20:49Jace Merrick
20:50again for interrogation.
20:53When detectives
20:54interviewed Jace
20:56and asked him
20:57about his relationship
20:58with Stephanie,
20:59he was adamant
21:00that the relationship
21:01was strictly platonic.
21:05But then
21:06when asked again,
21:08Jace Merrick admitted
21:09that he had
21:10a small relationship
21:11with Stephanie,
21:13they fooled around
21:14but never had gone
21:16all the way.
21:17Their most recent time
21:18was in Stephanie's
21:20dorm room
21:20on March the 6th
21:22where he gave her
21:22the hickey
21:23before the group
21:24of friends decided
21:25to go to some
21:26of the bars
21:26on High Street.
21:29When detectives
21:30asked Jace again
21:31about a cut
21:32that they could see
21:33on his hand,
21:34he told them
21:35that he cut it
21:36on a fence
21:37and he stuck
21:38to that story.
21:39We weren't sure
21:40exactly why
21:41he had lied to us
21:42so we could not
21:44fully clear him
21:45from the investigation.
21:49Detectives look
21:50into Jace Merrick's
21:52whereabouts
21:52at the time
21:53when Stephanie disappeared.
21:56Jace claims
21:57he walked with Finn
21:58back to their frat house
21:59where they both stayed
22:00the rest of the night.
22:02Finn confirms it
22:03so Jace is eliminated
22:04as a suspect.
22:06Detectives are able
22:06to clear the boys
22:08that Stephanie
22:09was supposed
22:10to meet with
22:11that night
22:11and they now turn
22:13to the public
22:14for their assistance.
22:16Notification was made
22:18through the news media
22:19that there was
22:20a special number
22:21for people to call
22:23that might possibly
22:24have information
22:25regarding the murder
22:26of Stephanie Hummer.
22:29Meanwhile,
22:30the atmosphere
22:31on campus is tense.
22:33Everyone is scared.
22:35It doesn't make sense
22:36that it could just
22:37happen like that.
22:38she's here one night
22:39and the next morning
22:40she's gone.
22:42No one saw anything.
22:43No one has any details.
22:45It's quite unbelievable.
22:46I feel like
22:47there was just
22:48no way to pinpoint
22:49who did this.
22:54Once the media bullets
22:56reaches the public,
22:57several people call in
22:58and report the same lead.
23:00From a tip line,
23:01we received reports
23:03of a white van
23:04being seen
23:05in the area
23:05of Pearl Alley
23:06during the time
23:08of Stephanie's disappearance.
23:10With only the information
23:12being a white van,
23:14no further descriptors
23:16of year
23:17or any kind
23:18of business logo,
23:20it was next to impossible
23:21to follow up
23:23and find
23:23this particular van.
23:25However,
23:26that information
23:27could potentially
23:27become useful
23:28down the road
23:29simply because
23:30if a suspect
23:31were located,
23:32we might be able
23:33to find
23:34what kind
23:34of a vehicle
23:35that that person had
23:37and match it
23:38to that information.
23:45Just weeks
23:45after Stephanie's murder,
23:47we had received
23:48another tip.
23:50Noah Trang,
23:51a Cincinnati resident,
23:53called police
23:53saying that he knew
23:54who killed Stephanie.
23:57Noah explained
23:58that his friend,
23:59Luca Ferretti,
24:00was visiting
24:00in Cincinnati.
24:02A few days
24:03after Stephanie's murder,
24:05Luca Ferretti
24:06was a student
24:07at Josephinium College
24:09about 10 miles north
24:11of the OSU campus area.
24:14Noah tells investigators
24:15that he and Luca
24:16were drinking together
24:16at Noah's house
24:17and catching up.
24:19Luca told Noah
24:20that he wanted
24:20to get something
24:21off his chest.
24:23That's when Luca
24:23confided to Noah
24:25that he was the one
24:26that killed Stephanie
24:27and he swore him
24:28to secrecy.
24:31Initially,
24:32Trang didn't believe
24:33his story
24:34and just figured
24:35it was the drink's doctor.
24:37But the next morning,
24:39Ferretti again
24:40repeats the confession.
24:42Luca even provided
24:43details of the crime scene
24:45stating that he could see
24:47the WBNS tower
24:48from the crime scene.
24:50The detail had not been released
24:52to the news media.
24:54The only way Luca
24:56could have known
24:56the WBNS tower
24:57was visible
24:58from the crime scene
24:59was if he had been there himself.
25:01Luca Ferretti's confession
25:02was a strong lead
25:04and something
25:05we definitely
25:05wanted to follow up on.
25:09We went to Noah.
25:10We provided him
25:13with a recording device,
25:15instructed him
25:16on how to use it,
25:18and encouraged him
25:19to contact Luca
25:20in an attempt
25:22to secure
25:23a confession
25:24on tape.
25:26If Luca fails
25:27to repeat the murder claim
25:28to Noah,
25:29police suspicion
25:30would turn towards Noah
25:31with the possibility
25:32of obstruction
25:33of justice charges.
25:35Noah called him
25:36on the telephone
25:37using the recording device
25:41and was able
25:42to record Luca
25:44confessing to the crime.
25:47It is a clear confession
25:49that he murdered Stephanie
25:50on her.
25:56Luca Ferretti
25:57was picked up
25:57and brought in
25:58for questioning.
26:03Initially,
26:04Ferretti denied
26:05having the conversation
26:06with his friend.
26:08During that interview,
26:10he cracked
26:10and admitted
26:12that he was just joking
26:13and that he had lied
26:15to his friend Noah
26:16about having committed
26:18the murder.
26:19When asked
26:20how he knew
26:21so much about
26:22the crime scene,
26:23he explained
26:24that he had studied
26:25news articles
26:26and was
26:27familiar with the area.
26:29He also explained
26:31that he had gone
26:32to the area,
26:33so he was fully aware
26:35about the TV tower light.
26:38He now recanted
26:39his story
26:40about doing the murder,
26:42but we wanted
26:43to make certain
26:44that his DNA
26:45was or was not
26:47a match
26:47to the semen
26:48found on Stephanie.
26:53The DNA came back
26:55as a negative match.
26:57Luca Ferretti
26:58was cleared
26:59as a possible suspect.
27:03At that point,
27:04we felt that
27:05we had reached
27:06a dead end
27:06in this investigation.
27:1020 months went by
27:12without a change
27:14or a lead
27:15in Stephanie's murder.
27:16I felt helpless,
27:19especially for her parents,
27:21and we just kept
27:22waiting for news
27:23about who
27:24her killer was.
27:26Meanwhile,
27:28Stephanie's parents
27:28started the process
27:30of developing
27:31a soccer park
27:32in Stephanie's name.
27:34The park gave us
27:36all something positive
27:37to focus on
27:38without having
27:39any change
27:40in her case.
27:41suddenly,
27:47in November
27:48of 1995,
27:49we got a call
27:50from Malik Navarro,
27:52a prisoner
27:52at Pickaway
27:54Correctional Prison,
27:55very close
27:56to OSU.
27:58He told us
27:58that a fellow prisoner,
28:00Gideon Voss,
28:01admitted to the murder
28:02of Stephanie Hummer.
28:04We ran a background
28:05check on Gideon Voss
28:07and his rap sheet
28:09is long.
28:11Gideon Voss
28:12had a violent history.
28:15Gideon Voss
28:15has a rap sheet
28:17that includes
28:18armed robbery,
28:19aggravated assault,
28:20and attempted rape.
28:22At the time
28:23of Stephanie Hummer's
28:24murder,
28:25Gideon Voss
28:26was out on parole
28:27for two months
28:28and was found
28:29to be in the Columbus area.
28:31We jump on the new lead
28:33and contact Gideon Voss'
28:35parole officer.
28:36The parole officer
28:37confirmed
28:38that Voss
28:39was taking
28:39court-ordered
28:40substance abuse counseling
28:42at a location
28:44on Pearl Alley
28:45near where
28:47it was believed
28:48Stephanie
28:48was abducted from.
28:51It was believed
28:52that Gideon Voss
28:53did have the opportunity
28:55to abduct Stephanie
28:56on that night.
28:59Could Gideon Voss
29:00be responsible
29:01for the murder
29:02of Stephanie Hummer?
29:03We reached out to
29:11Malik Navarro,
29:12the prisoner
29:13that called in the tip.
29:15Navarro tells us
29:16that he heard
29:18a confession
29:19from Gideon Voss
29:20as evidence
29:21for the case.
29:24Malik Navarro
29:25allowed us
29:26to mic him up
29:27so that he could
29:28have contact with Voss
29:30and possibly obtain
29:32a confession
29:32hoping that this might
29:34lead to a reduction
29:35in the sentence
29:36that he was serving.
29:38Police listened
29:39to Navarro's recording
29:41of Gideon Voss' confession.
29:43Voss explains
29:44that he was cruising
29:45around the campus area
29:47and saw Stephanie
29:48and determined
29:50that she was an easy target.
29:51When he offered her
29:55a ride
29:56and she refused
29:57he became enraged
29:58and pulled her
29:59into his vehicle.
30:05After nearly two years
30:06since the prior
30:07fake confession
30:08detectives are more hopeful
30:09that Voss' admission
30:10is truthful.
30:11They pay Gideon Voss
30:12a visit to find out.
30:15We meet with Voss
30:17at the prison
30:19and interrogate him
30:21about his confession.
30:24At first
30:25Voss denied
30:26all knowledge
30:27of the case
30:28but when we told him
30:30about the confession
30:31that we had
30:32his demeanor
30:33totally changed.
30:35We conducted
30:36a DNA test
30:37between Voss
30:39and the DNA
30:40found during the
30:41collection of evidence
30:42from Stephanie.
30:43It comes back
30:44as a negative.
30:46Ultimately
30:46he admitted
30:47that the entire
30:49confession
30:50was fake
30:51and it was a
30:52set up
30:52between him
30:53and Navarro.
30:54This turned out
30:55to be a giant scam.
30:57These two convicted felons
30:59put this together
31:00thinking they could
31:00make money
31:01off of a movie deal
31:02and capitalize
31:03on the notoriety
31:05of the murder
31:05of Stephanie Hummer.
31:10Investigators
31:11eliminate Voss
31:12as a suspect
31:13and send them
31:14back to his prison zone.
31:14It's now been
31:18two years
31:19since Stephanie
31:20was murdered
31:20and there is
31:22a lot of pressure
31:23on the local police
31:24to find this murder.
31:25The parents,
31:27the local politicians,
31:28they're just
31:29demanding answers.
31:30People became frustrated,
31:31people became angry.
31:33They certainly
31:33made me angry
31:34because you want
31:35justice quickly
31:35when something
31:36like this happens.
31:37Very tough situation
31:38for her family
31:39and everyone else involved.
31:41We broadened
31:42our investigation
31:43and began looking
31:45at other suspects
31:46who had been involved
31:47in similar crimes
31:49before.
31:52Sterling Knox
31:53is an auto mechanic
31:54that was brought forward
31:55as a suspect.
31:57He had a long history
31:58of assaults
32:00including a conviction
32:01for rape
32:02and kidnapping
32:03in the OSU campus area.
32:07Knox works
32:08at a transportation company
32:10that is very close
32:11to where
32:12Stephanie's body
32:13was found.
32:15That company
32:15had a fleet
32:16of white vans
32:17just like the ones
32:18tipsters had described
32:20seeing the night
32:21that Stephanie disappeared.
32:24We started off
32:25by interviewing
32:26Sterling Knox's
32:28co-workers
32:28and acquaintances.
32:31One of the co-workers
32:33stated that
32:34Sterling Knox
32:35had admitted
32:36using the company van
32:38to play a sick game
32:39with young girls
32:40in the campus area.
32:43Sterling Knox
32:44would pull over,
32:45present young girls
32:47with a fake police badge
32:49and indicate
32:50that he had to
32:51pat them down
32:51and ultimately
32:52molest them
32:54during this pat-down search.
32:56It was also learned
32:58that Sterling Knox
32:59would use the company vans
33:00to solicit prostitutes
33:02on the west side
33:03of Columbus
33:04where Stephanie's body
33:05was found.
33:06Knox's co-workers
33:07also tell Columbus detectives
33:09that in 1994,
33:10Knox had been dating
33:11an Ohio State student
33:12named Celeste Mero.
33:16Police suspicion
33:17against Sterling Knox
33:19was growing,
33:19so we contacted
33:22his ex-girlfriend,
33:23Celeste Mero.
33:26In a surprising coincidence,
33:28it was learned
33:29that his ex-girlfriend
33:31lived in the same building
33:32where Stephanie Hummer
33:33had lived,
33:34that being
33:36Evans Scholar House.
33:38Celeste Mero stated
33:40that she broke off
33:40her relationship
33:41with Sterling Knox
33:42after she found out
33:44about his police record.
33:46It was an indication
33:47that Sterling Knox
33:49had several opportunities
33:50and may have targeted
33:52Stephanie
33:53as their paths
33:54may have crossed
33:55on more than one occasion,
33:57him being in that area.
34:01Based on the information
34:03that we had developed,
34:04it was enough
34:05to obtain a search warrant
34:06to search the van
34:07that he used
34:08from the company
34:09that he worked at.
34:10During that search,
34:17we found
34:18a police-style flashlight,
34:19a set of police-style handcuffs,
34:22and a stolen firearm
34:23under the front seat.
34:30We also obtained
34:32fingerprints
34:32and swabs
34:34for processing,
34:36as well as carpet fibers
34:38from the van.
34:40At that point in time,
34:45we ultimately bring
34:47Sterling Knox in
34:48for an interview,
34:49hoping that the pressure
34:50will make him crack.
34:53During the interrogation,
34:56Sterling Knox
34:57maintains his innocence,
35:00but he refuses
35:02a polygraph test
35:03and obtains defense counsel.
35:06Based on his actions,
35:09we believed he was
35:10trying to cover up
35:11his involvement
35:12in the murder
35:13of Stephanie Hummer.
35:29We did obtain
35:30a search warrant
35:31to take a sample
35:32from Sterling Knox
35:34so that we could compare
35:36his DNA
35:37to Stephanie Hummer's
35:39samples that were collected,
35:41and that was taken
35:42to the lab
35:42for comparison.
35:44The DNA came back
35:46from the lab,
35:47and it was not a match.
35:49And on top of that,
35:50all the evidence collected
35:51from the white van
35:52yielded no ties
35:54to Stephanie Hummer.
35:55We could only conclude
35:58that Stephanie
35:59had never been inside
36:00Knox's van.
36:02Based on that,
36:03we had to let Knox go.
36:04Months go by
36:11with no new news
36:13from the police,
36:14and we're all
36:15just giving up hope
36:16that they will ever
36:17find Stephanie's murderer.
36:21Despite the disappointments
36:23and the setbacks
36:24in this investigation,
36:25Columbus police
36:26never stopped looking
36:27for Stephanie's killer.
36:29We knew that
36:30the semen DNA
36:32was the most crucial
36:33evidence found
36:34during the investigation,
36:36and that was going
36:37to be the key
36:38to finding Stephanie's killer.
36:41As the DNA sciences advanced,
36:44we submitted samples
36:45to all the new databases
36:47that had been created,
36:49including CODIS.
36:51The CODIS is
36:52a national DNA data bank
36:54which records the known DNA
36:57of convicted offenders.
36:59It allows law enforcement
37:00to compare DNA electronically
37:03and identify suspects.
37:05No hits were generated
37:07from the evidence submitted.
37:11Ultimately,
37:12the Columbus Police Department
37:14marked Stephanie Hummer's murder
37:15as a cold case
37:17as no new leads
37:18had come forward.
37:20It's very frustrating
37:21when you're trying your best
37:24to come up with something
37:26to follow up on,
37:27and there's just nothing there.
37:28Four years after
37:34Stephanie's disappearance,
37:36on Friday, July 31st, 1998,
37:41the Stephanie Hummer Memorial Park
37:42was opened.
37:46Yes!
37:47Yes!
37:49There are children's play sets
37:51where parents can bring their kids,
37:54picnic tables,
37:55several soccer fields.
37:57At the entrance to the park,
37:59there's engraving
38:01with a picture of Stephanie
38:02and the poem she wrote
38:04called When I'm Gone.
38:06The poem is about
38:08how Stephanie wanted
38:10to be remembered,
38:11for being kind,
38:12for being happy.
38:14The family hopes the park
38:16will keep the memory
38:17of Stephanie alive,
38:19but also keep it
38:20in the public's eyes
38:22to hopefully someday
38:24find Stephanie's killer.
38:26Unfortunately,
38:27the publicity generated,
38:29no new leads.
38:30The case has remained
38:31unsolved for 12 years.
38:39During the 12 years
38:41that elapsed
38:42between Stephanie's murder
38:43in 1994 and 2006,
38:45Ohio law enforcement
38:46dramatically advances
38:47how it collects
38:48and shares criminal DNA data.
38:51The state of Ohio legislature
38:53changed and required
38:55all nonviolent felons
38:57to submit DNA samples.
38:59In January of 2006,
39:02a lead was generated
39:03from the CODIS database.
39:0636-year-old Jonathan Gravely,
39:08a Columbus resident
39:09his entire life,
39:11had a DNA sample taken
39:13by his probation officer.
39:15Jonathan Gravely
39:16was behind
39:18in his child support payments.
39:20He fell into the felony level
39:21of non-support
39:23and was required
39:24to submit DNA samples.
39:29On January 17, 2006,
39:32the Columbus Police Department
39:33got notified
39:34that a DNA match
39:36had been made
39:37from DNA submitted to CODIS.
39:41The database matched
39:42the semen found
39:43on Stephanie Hummer
39:44to Jonathan Gravely.
39:47Stephanie Hummer's case
39:48was reopened.
39:50Before locating
39:51and interrogating
39:52Jonathan Gravely,
39:54investigators dig up
39:55his background information.
39:57Jonathan Gravely grew up
39:59near the Ohio State
40:01University campus.
40:02He was a former football player
40:04and a track and field star.
40:07At the time
40:08of Stephanie's murder,
40:10he was a 24-year-old
40:12father of two.
40:13He worked at that time
40:14at a location
40:15where he did have access
40:17to a white van.
40:20On January 18, 2006,
40:23we paid Jonathan Gravely
40:24a visit
40:25at his place of work.
40:28Jonathan Gravely
40:29was driven
40:30to Columbus Police Headquarters.
40:35We knew we had
40:36to confirm that DNA sample
40:38and used a search warrant
40:39to obtain the DNA sample.
40:43He did not admit
40:44to killing her,
40:45but it was obvious
40:47that Jonathan Gravely
40:48knew he was going
40:49to be charged
40:50with the murder.
40:51But based upon the fact
40:53that he stated
40:54that they were having
40:55consensual sex,
40:57he did not want
40:58to be charged
40:59with a rape.
41:01His new DNA sample
41:03matched the semen
41:04on Stephanie's body.
41:05Police charged him
41:07with her murder.
41:10What we believe happened
41:12is that on March 6, 1994,
41:14Jonathan Gravely
41:15saw Stephanie Hummer
41:17walking in Pearl Alley
41:18alone,
41:19and so he snatched her
41:21off of the road.
41:22He drove her then
41:35to the area
41:36on the west side
41:37and raped her.
41:40Stephanie was able
41:41to get out
41:42of his vehicle,
41:43and she tried
41:44to run from him.
41:47Based upon
41:48his athletic ability,
41:50he was able
41:50to easily chase
41:52Stephanie down,
41:53and he ended up
41:54striking her
41:55in the back of the head
41:56with a flashlight
41:57that killed her.
42:05When the detective
42:06told me
42:07that they got their guy,
42:08I was just stunned.
42:10I was not expecting
42:12it to ever happen.
42:13In September of 2006,
42:16Gravely took a plea deal
42:17of murder
42:18and kidnapping
42:19in order to avoid
42:20a death penalty.
42:23Jonathan Gravely
42:25got a life sentence
42:27with the possibility
42:28of parole.
42:31I was happy
42:32for her family
42:33that, you know,
42:35maybe they could put
42:35a little bit
42:36of it behind them.
42:37It took 12 years,
42:41but finally,
42:42Stephanie got justice.
42:44Stephanie Hummer
42:45did absolutely
42:46nothing wrong.
42:48Most people believe
42:49that that can't
42:50happen to them,
42:51but it can.
42:53We have to
42:54look out
42:55for ourselves,
42:57our loved ones,
42:58and each other
42:59to keep that
43:00from happening again.
43:02We'll see you next time.
43:32We'll see you next time.
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