MI MI - Laurie Murninghan, 16, Lansing, 9 July 1970

[Richard]

Laurie Murninghan's name appears on the website link below as currently the oldest listed Michigan case of murdered children. No further information, however.

LINK:

http://www.tendernesstour.com/id104.html

 

[Patrick H. Murningha]

The Lansing State Journal listed an obituary last February for Kelly Clemmons, Laurie's known killer, who apparantly died in San Diego the month before;
....and a collective sigh of relief was heard across the land.

So why does it still hurt so much?

If true, at least he won't do more harm to other families, not that any authorities in Michigan cared much about that.

 

[Richard]

The Lansing State Journal listed an obituary last February for Kelly Clemmons, Laurie's known killer, who apparantly died in San Diego the month before....

That obituary evidently ran in the Lansing State Journal on February 27, 2007 •• 979 words •• ID: lan27905000

Unfortunately, I was unable to read it without purchasing it, as they only allow free viewing of their archive for 30 days.

What did the obit say? And why would the State Journal have any interest in this guy dying out in San Diego?

Was he ever charged with crimes or incarcerated?

 

[Richard]

The following Information obtained from the Michigan Inmate Locator System:

Offender Number 112333
Last Name CLEMMONS
First Name KELLY
Date of Birth 06/02/1947
Sex M
Race Black
MCL Number n/a
Location n/a
Status discharged
Earliest Release Date n/a
MaximumDischarge Date 05/22/1981
Date Paroled n/a
---------------------------------------
MDOC Number: 112333
SID Number: 0531400W
Name: KELLY LEE CLEMMONS
Racial Identification: Black
Gender: Male
Hair: Unavailable
Eyes: Unavailable
Height: n/a
Weight: n/a
Date of Birth: 06/02/1947
Age: (59)
Current Status: Discharged
Discharge Date: 05/22/1981

Michigan Record:

Sentence 1
Offense: Asslt w/Int Gr Bod Hrm Less Murder
Minimum Sentence: 5 years 0 months 0 days
MCL# 750.84
Maximum Sentence: 10 years 0 months
Date of Offense: 03/26/1976
County: not stated
Date of Sentence: 03/26/1976
Conviction Type: Unknown
Discharge Date: 05/22/1981
Discharge Reason: Offender Discharge


Sentence 2
Offense: Breaking & Entering a Building With Intent
Minimum Sentence: 3 years 0 months 0 days
MCL# 750.110
Maximum Sentence:15 years 0 months
Court File#: not available
Date of Offense: 06/01/1964
County: not stated
Date of Sentence: 06/01/1964
Conviction Type: Unknown
Discharge Date: 01/01/1972
Discharge Reason: Offender Discharge

 

[Patrick H. Murningha]

Richard,
I was wrong in describing it as an "obit" it was a simple death notice, with just the bare facts that he died in San Diego the month before, (I forgot the exact date it listed). He was buried in Lansing. If there was anything else, (979 words?), I missed it. Actually, I missed the original notice when it was published and wasn't informed of it until March, 8th.

As for his record you recently posted, it's far from complete. Notice his very first conviction back in 1964, he served little time for. Later in that decade, 1968 or 69, he was convicted for armed robbery. It was while serving this sentence when he was "mysteriously" released from in January 1970, (presumedly to become a snitch). The rest you know. A month later he took the two 14 year-old girls to a Flint hotel room.

 

[Richard]

... As for his record you recently posted, it's far from complete. Notice his very first conviction back in 1964, he served little time for. Later in that decade, 1968 or 69, he was convicted for armed robbery. It was while serving this sentence when he was "mysteriously" released from in January 1970, (presumedly to become a snitch). The rest you know. A month later he took the two 14 year-old girls to a Flint hotel room.

The record that I posted was all that is available on the Michigan Offender Website. I could tell from what it contained that it was incomplete for the two crime he was convicted of. It does not contain every brush with the law, or even crimes that he was charged with, but not prosecuted for, or not convicted of - Only the two which resulted in prison time.

Actually, not all of the states even have offender sites, and those which do usually only have a listing for those currently incarcerated. Michigan has records for anyone who ever served time (back into the 1960's), even though the person may have been released years ago and may even be long dead.

I was unable to find Mr. Kelly Lee Clemmons in any other state or federal inmate data base, but that does not mean that he didn't have records elsewhere. It is likely that he did.

Do you know when he moved to California? Perhaps he kidnapped and murdered there as well.

 

[ToddK]

Our neighbor was Elmer Weisenberg, Battalion Chief for the Lansing Fire Dept. We were at a pool part at his home when word came over his ever present radio that they had found Lauries body. I recall that whole tragedy very well. I recall Chief Weisenberg telling my parents something about her ear. So many unsolved cases from the 70's.

 

[ttrachel04]

i've heard of criminals getting away w/ murder because officials don't have enough evidence to go to trial. but after reading post #29, that seems like a load of BS to me. ive definitely seen people convicted of crimes on less evidence.

has anyone thought about going to the media and giving them a link to this post or to this forum? and AFTER going to the media, going to the cops? it seems like in the past, threatening going to the media didn't work so well, so why not just go them?

 

[Richard]

Although there may have been many leads and even some suspects, the case is still officially unsolved.

The Michigan State Police claim that it is the Lansing City Police who have jurisdiction in this matter.

 

[Richard]

Bumping case up. It has been 38 years since Laurie's murder.

 

[Richard]

This summer will mark the 40th anniversary of the abduction and murder of Laurie Murninghan. The case remains officially unsolved.

 

[Richard]

Websleuths was the first on-line site to carry the story of Laurie Murninghan's 1970 murder. Here is a link to another website which has a thread about her.


...The tragic riddle began on July 9th 1970 Laurie Murninghan was
at her summer job as a clerk at Gallagher's Gifts & Antiques at
1010 W. Saginaw St.on Lansings West Side..

Around 2:30pm Thursday,her first day back at work since returning
with her family from a vacation in New Hampshire...

A slim soft-spoken Negro man,around 25 or 30 years old,entered the
shop & asked Laurie to change a $20 bill...

When she said she couldn't change the bill..

The black male pulled a gun siezed her & struck the shop's owner
Mrs. Christine Gallagher with his gun..The gun fired into the ceiling..

Authorities believe the man thought he killed Mrs.Gallagher
So he kidnapped Laurie,the only other witness in the store..

The man grabbed $60 from the cash drawer & fled with
Laurie Murninghan -Kidnapping her at gun-point..

Since she was the only other witness in the store.

At least 4 Witnesses outside in the area of the Gift Shop say:
A black male took Miss Murninghan down an alley at gun point & disappeared...

The search for Miss Murninghan & her kidnapper was one of the
most extensive police manhunts ever held in mid-Michigan history..

But nothing was ever found by law-enforcement linked to the
Murninghan Case..

On July 20 1970 3 young boys looking for pop bottles along a rural
road20 miles southeast of Lansing discovered Laurie Murninghan's body..
16-year-old Laurie Murninghan was found on the edge of the game area
at Barnes and Meridian roads..

Miss Murninghan's badly decomposed body was lying face down
in a swampy area..

In a heavily wooded section of the game area a few feet from the road...
Several weeks later the County Coroner attributed death to Strangulation
& signs she had been Raped..

There is a suspect that matches the witnesses description
of black male gunman..

There was a drug store next to the Gift Shop in 1970..

Black male suspect left prints in the drug store on an inhaler..

The suspect's girlfriend at the time lived 3 blocks from the Crime Scene.
But police did not have enough evidence to convict him..

So her Killer has never been Charged.. ... (More at link)...

Source:

Cold Case Investigations

LINK:

Murninghan:7-9-70_Robbed_Kidnapped_Raped _Murdered - Cold Case Investigations

 

[Danaya]

Didn't her brother post that the suspect has since died?

 

[Dreamnine]

This has to be one of the saddest threads I have read - a tragic case and a real travesty of justice.

 

[Richard]

This June will mark 42 years since Laurie's abduction and murder.

 

[Richard]

The proper title of this thread should be:

Laurie D. Murninghan, 16, Murdered 9 July 1970, Lansing, MI

It was not her parents, Max and Patricia who were murdered, as is obvious in my very first post of this thread. Hope it can be corrected.

 

[Admirer]

Pat, You know how much I adored Laurie. How many times did I ring the doorbell to see if she was home...probably had you all hiding, saying "Oh no, she's back again!" To me, Laurie was a ray of sunshine, outside my life of imaginary friends. She was my protector during frightening events. Throughout the years (as happened a couple days ago when I saw her mentioned in the City Pulse Story of How Lansing Police Bury Their Cold Cases) I have become so angry and sad. The City Pulse article lead me to type her name into the computer and that is how I found this site. I WAS LIVID. I am so disgusted with everything you have been through. Had I known, I would certainly offered to help you. That offer is still there (later than it should be). What happened to Laurie in addition to the other things that went on had an effect on my life (that I didn't even realize until adulthood). Even now, there is unresolved. My husband hopes that I can find closure through this. If you do see this, Pat, I want to wish you as much peace as you can possibly find in this life. There are so many of us with you in silence. Your neighbor, Becky

 

[Patrick H. Murningha]

Thank you Becky, for your kind words.
I wish peace for you as well.

Pat

 

[Admirer]

The May 22-28 Lansing City Pulse reports that Mayor Bernero included a line item in March (after City Pulse reported little organization in LPD investigations of unsolved homicides). Mayor Bernero set aside 100,000 for a new full time cold-case investigator and promises to veto City Council excluding it. I wrote to both The Mayor's Office and City Council myself, along with others after that March article. It is my hope that others did too. It is my hope that the truth will come to all who live with the questions about Laurie, and perhaps others may be saved secondary to the continued questions and persistence surrounding her horrendous case. Becky

 

[Bluecat]

It looks like this may never be officially solved. The police believe they know who the killer was, and he died in 1992.

http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/...ase-files-Early-70s-saw-string-killings-women

The first of the killings received nationwide attention. In July 1970, Laurie Murninghan, the teenage daughter of Lansing’s onetime mayor, Max Murninghan, was abducted from the gift shop on Saginaw Street where she worked and then killed.
During the robbery, the man struck the shop’s owner in the head and his gun fired into the ceiling. Police said he may have panicked, thinking he had shot the owner. With $64 looted from the cash register, he led Murninghan at gunpoint to a car.
Eleven days later, her body was found in a wooded, swampy area off Barnes Road, south of Mason.
Police believed they identified the killer, but never had enough evidence to charge the man.
Ray Scodeller, who was Ingham County’s prosecutor at the time, said the suspect, who served prison time in an unrelated case, is now dead.
“That’s who’s always been the prime suspect,” Scodeller said.
He said investigators spent thousands of hours working the case. They injected the suspect with a so-called “truth serum,” a once-accepted practice, but it didn’t work.