IL IL - Maria Caleel, 21, UI student, Urbana, 6 March 1988

Originally posted by:twinkiesmom, moved to cold case board for discussion. (Maria is a highschool classmate of twinkiesmom)

IL=Maria Caleel, Urbana 1988
Years later, veterinary student's death remains a mystery
A little more than 14 years ago, Maria Caleel, a first-year student at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, was stabbed to death during the early morning hours of March 6, 1988, inside her Urbana, Ill., apartment.
Prosecutors have yet to charge anyone with Maria's murder, and with each grim anniversary of her death comes mounting desire to bring the killer to justice. Police are convinced that someone—perhaps a classmate—could provide authorities with the lead that at last breaks the case. In addition, there is a $50,000 reward for anyone offering information leading to an arrest... More...

Urbana police looking to question alumna in murder investigation
Tiffany Witte
The Daily Illini
A former University student who was arrested in Florida on March 1 might have a connection to the 1988 murder of first-year veterinary student Maria Caleel, according to Urbana police.
Caleel was stabbed in the torso in the early morning hours of March 6, 1988, at her apartment, 305 N. Lincoln Ave., Urbana. She was then taken to Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana where she died in surgery at 5:22 a.m. Caleel was 21.
Cathy Crighton, 44, was arrested in Palm Beach County, Florida, last Saturday on charges of grand theft and burglary, after she allegedly stole and painted two horses to conceal their identities. She was later charged with animal cruelty and artificially coloring an animal, according to a March 4 press release from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s office... More...

Police find murder lead
News Story by Sarah Schmidt, 11/11/93
Publicity from a recent out-of-court settlement has resulted in a new lead
in the ongoing investigation into the 1988 murder of a University
student... More...

New, very lengthy and interesting article about this case.
Looking forward to seeing if new DNA techniques, will finally reveal the killer's identity and thinking of the victim's haunting last words, , " How could he do this to me"?

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-u-of-i-maria-caleel-murder-met-20150220-story.html#page=1

Feb 20 /2015

"As her life hung in the balance, Maria Caleel crawled through the hall of her apartment building near the University of Illinois campus in search of help. Before she lost consciousness, the 21-year-old veterinary student gasped a few final words that still confound authorities nearly three decades later.

But advances in forensic technology may have yielded the most promising clue yet in the west suburban woman's unsolved 1988 fatal stabbing.

The Tribune has learned that detectives in the college town of Urbana are eagerly awaiting results from the latest batch of DNA samples they submitted to the state police crime lab with the hope one matches evidence collected at the crime scene.

Scientists gleaned the genetic profile of an unknown male a few years ago after retesting evidence with improved methods. Police hadn’t publicly disclosed the breakthrough until now so they could quietly — and at times secretly — collect samples from possible suspects for comparison.

Urbana police Sgt. Dan Morgan, the case’s lead detective, confirmed that authorities obtained samples from several “persons of interest,” some of whom cooperated, and others whom police targeted without their knowledge and while they were under surveillance.

Morgan said those efforts are ongoing and have led police across the country and included the assistance of multiple local, state and federal agencies."

The Vidocq society was consulted in this case, some analysis from an article, circa 2002.

https://www.avma.org/News/JAVMANews/Pages/s041502e.aspx

"Over the years, a ponderous case file of more than a thousand documents has been amassed. Furthermore, in the past two years, police have traveled to central Illinois and Chicago, even to Michigan, reinterviewing some of Maria's classmates.

Late last year, a forensic psychologist with the Vidocq Society in Philadelphia, a private organization of prosecutors and investigators who assist with unsolved cases, provided police with a profile of Maria's killer. The analysis described the offender as being very angry with Maria, perhaps harboring feelings of having been betrayed by her.

This person may have been waiting for Maria in her apartment the night of the attack. Consistent with the police theory, the offender may not have intended to kill her, but instead wanted to cause her "great bodily harm." What's more, there might have been a second offender in the apartment that morning. This individual may have been drawn into a plan to hurt Maria. But when she died, they became afraid, and have remained silent about the incident these many years.

Under no circumstances would Maria's killer agree to cooperate with authorities, according to the analysis. The person would be hostile toward police, even threatening legal action if asked to cooperate with the investigation. Griffet would not comment about whether a suspect fits the profile, only that it has "directed" the police investigation."

Up until now, the only account I've read about this case was in Getting Away With Murder. This evening, I'll reread it. I really hope the case gets solved although I wouldn't put much faith in the Vidocq Society.

Firstly, I could only get one of the five links on this thread to come up so please forgive me if I repeat something that's in them.

The account in the book says there was no forced entry so either she forgot to lock her door (Unlikely and, even if she did, what are the chances some miscreant would just happen upon that?) or willingly admitted her killer. She was only wearing a t shirt and panties so, if she did willingly admit her attacker, I'm pretty sure it would have had to be either a woman, a family member or a male with whom she was having some sort of intimate relationship. She got home at 1:30 am and wrote a letter in which she said she was alone and went to bed. Neighbors heard a disturbance at about 3:30 am. and shortly after that she was found mortally wounded. What's puzzling is, if the killer was someone she knew, why not give the name? From what she said it was apparent that she believed that she might die.

The last link says police think that someone might have been waiting for her but, if the book's account is true, I highly doubt that her killer would have hid somewhere for two hours then attacked her. I don't see why she would lie about being alone in the letter and it's unlikely that she would be writing a letter if she wasn't alone.

Maria's case is referenced in a couple of books, but was surprised to read about the case, in this book..
Scroll down a bit, approx. 1/4 down.

"A Sunday Horse: Inside the Grand Prix Show Jumping Circuit"
https://books.google.ca/books?id=rc...epage&q=maria caleel murder in horses&f=false

Good quality, large sized video, Feb 20/15 (short ad first.)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...na-cold-case-video-20150213-premiumvideo.html


"Sgt. Dan Morgan, of the Urbana Police Department, is hopeful that new DNA evidence will lead to the person who killed 21-year-old University of Illinois student Maria Caleel in 1988."

dotr said:

Maria's case is referenced in a couple of books, but was surprised to read about the case, in this book..
Scroll down a bit, approx. 1/4 down.

"A Sunday Horse: Inside the Grand Prix Show Jumping Circuit"
https://books.google.ca/books?id=rc...epage&q=maria caleel murder in horses&f=false

Click to expand...

Hmm sounds like the disturbed woman had a motive. She had an alibi but it was apparently only from her boyfriend.

According to the book, her final words to the officer at the scene were, "I don't want to talk. I can't believe...I'm going to die."

Another new article:

The trail police followed has never grown cold because it was never hot. Neighbors heard the sound of a struggle and then a struggling victim but never saw anything that would help investigators identify the killer.

Just as the investigation continues — in fits and starts as the years go by — so do news outlets periodically update a story that won't let go. The News-Gazette, the Chicago Tribune, even the American Veterinary Medical Foundation revisit the Caleel case, summarizing the facts, posing the questions and closing with a request for help.

Click to expand...

http://www.news-gazette.com/opinion/columns/2015-02-24/jim-dey-1988-murder-remains-mystery.html

PastTense said:

Another new article:

http://www.news-gazette.com/opinion/columns/2015-02-24/jim-dey-1988-murder-remains-mystery.html

Click to expand...

From the article, the troubled female who some considered suspicious, has since committed suicide, but this interesting tidbit, suggest a male may have been responsible, looking forward to the dna results..
rbbm.
"Given the deep mystery surrounding this case, authorities have two cards to play — scientific advances involving DNA evidence and human nature.

"Somebody is going to say something," Connolly said.

People have said something. Several years ago, authorities received an anonymous letter alerting them to a heretofore-unexamined suspect. They're waiting for results comparing his DNA to that recovered by crime scene investigators"

New, video..
rbbm.
http://www.illinoishomepage.net/sto...ar-old-cold-case/23797/My7tZTruqU6ZngYwHMVWMg

"Investigators are collecting samples from other suspects. The majority of them have no idea police even have it."

STANDREID said:

Up until now, the only account I've read about this case was in Getting Away With Murder. This evening, I'll reread it. I really hope the case gets solved although I wouldn't put much faith in the Vidocq Society.

Click to expand...

Interesting, the Vidocq Society is a name I associate with helping solve a murder at my college in my freshman year in 1984. A woman named Debbie Wilson was murdered and left in a stairway directly across from the street where I walked from an 8 AM class. The case became a cold case, and was solved later, and it was mentioned in their book that I saw online. I saw the police cars there around 9 AM wondering why they there.

TMAN2014 said:

Interesting, the Vidocq Society is a name I associate with helping solve a murder at my college in my freshman year in 1984. A woman named Debbie Wilson was murdered and left in a stairway directly across from the street where I walked from an 8 AM class. The case became a cold case, and was solved later, and it was mentioned in their book that I saw online. I saw the police cars there around 9 AM wondering why they there.

Click to expand...

Debbie Wilson is referenced in this book, The Murder Room: The Heirs of Sherlock Holmes Gather to Solve the World's ...
By Michael Capuzzo
https://books.google.ca/books?id=ZU...nepage&q=Debbie Wilson vidocq society&f=false


Maria Caleel's case is also in the book..here,

https://books.google.ca/books?id=ZU...onepage&q=maria caleel vidocq society&f=false

Oh thanks. I will take a look. I searched for a thread on here for that case. If I would have walked across the street, I might have found Debbie.

Let me take a look at both of the links.

Sounds like her girlfriend was of questionable character. Maybe her BF did it, with her help.

Maria identified a male. Why would she lie?

TMAN2014 said:

Maria identified a male. Why would she lie?

Click to expand...

No reason that I can think of. She was supposedly whispering so I suppose the cop could have mistook he for she. There's also the possibility that police could be putting out some false information in order to try to trip someone up. That has been done before and the cop in those videos didn't, to me, sound like he was being totally straight; which can be part of his job although you aren't supposed to show it. Anyway, if they do actually have male DNA then it will have to be something that can't be easily explained away. For instance, I'm sure her roommates boyfriend's DNA is in the residence. They say that she wasn't sexually assaulted so the DNA must be blood or something that a visitor would have used that night like saliva on a glass or cigarette.

Who could this mystery person be and who might have sent LE the letter, unless it is a red herring?
rbbm.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-u-of-i-maria-caleel-murder-met-20150220-story.html#page=2

"The case had stalled again when, Morgan said, an anonymous typed letter landed on his desk about four years ago. It named a suspect. The man’s name had not come up in the investigation before and detectives do not believe she knew him.

The tip sparked Morgan to examine the 2,000-page case file and interview crime lab experts about scientific advances. Some evidence was retested, Morgan said, which led to the discovery of an unknown male genetic profile."

Wondering if perp arrived at Maria's room with a knife or if it was taken from the room?
Also wondering about the " extended struggle", could that mean the perp was of equal physical strength to Maria?
Earlier in the day, Maria had been riding her horse and tending to a sick foal who ultimately died, could that event have triggered an angry or jealous reaction from someone who might not have been considered her " enemy"?


http://static.news-gazette.com/opinion/columns/2015-02-24/jim-dey-1988-murder-remains-mystery.html
" Entry. There was no sign of forced entry. Did Caleel know her attacker and allow the individual inside? Or did she leave her door unlocked? Was the person already inside the apartment when Caleel came home and went to bed?

— Motive. It's unclear. Caleel had no known serious enemies. Nothing was stolen, and there was no indication Caleel was sexually assaulted. However, police say she engaged in an extended struggle with her attacker, the noise they made started around 3 a.m. and it drew neighbors' attention.

— Wound. Caleel sustained non-fatal injuries during the melee. But the one stab wound, a deep thrust from a knife that cut the descending aorta close to her liver, was a fluke in the sense that it hit exactly the right spot to cause death."

It would seem to me that the killer brought the knife since, if I remember correctly, there wasn't a murder weapon found and there wasn't a knife missing according to her roommates.