GUILTY IN - Jill Behrman, 19, IU student, abducted & murdered, Bloomington, 31 May 2000

Investigators are still working to solve a mystery five years after an Indiana University student vanished and two years after her remains were found.

http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3407234&nav=0Ra7aR9r

Isn't this the case that Greta van Susteren will feature tonight on her new crime show, "Murder in the Heartland?"

I didn't catch the entire promo spot, but I think it looked like the victim's name was JILL BEHRMAN, but it was only momentarily flashed on the screen.

Incidentally, Greta SEEMED to be interviewing someone who answered something LIKE, (a rough paraphrase,) "...and then we wrapped her in plastic, and..." MAYBE they allegedly dumped her in a creek or a lake.

VERY bizarre, but admittedly tiny snippet, so I've NO idea what her words really meant, since I've no context for them.

Here's the link to her entry on the NCMA web site:

http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200300591W

LONG OVERDUE UPDATE:

A man, John R. Myers, was arrested in this case in April 2006, and he's about to go to trial next week (Oct. 10, 2006)!!! They're finishing up selecting jurors right now.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061002/LOCAL/61002002

Jill's remains were found by a hunter and his son in a remote wooded area in March 2003.
http://www.theindychannel.com/news/2038843/detail.html?treets=ind&tml=ind_break&ts=T&tmi=ind_break_2839_02420103132003

I had almost forgotten about this case until I saw a news blurb on Crimenews2000.com. I hope justice will finally be served for Jill, her parents, family, and friends.

Jill's father, Eric Behrman, says that the public will be shocked when details of the case come out.
http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/3269.html

so, what's his excuse???

Don't know yet, Reb! :waitasec:

Correction on start of trial -- not until Monday, October 16th, 2006.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006610040499

First day of trial. Accused murderer John Myers.

http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5543207&nav=0Ra7aR9r

In his opening statement, Prosecutor Steve Sonega told the jury Jill Behrman died from a 12-gauge shotgun blast to the back of head at close range or contact. The prosecutor also says John Myers was known to hunt w/a 12-gauge shotgun.

In a Morgan County court Monday morning court records released show that the man on trial for the slaying of Bloomington cyclist Jill Behrman once suggested to his grandmother he was guilty of a serious crime. John Myers II of Ellettsville has pleaded not guilty to murder in the May 2000 death of Behrman.

The motion also says a former girlfriend of Myers, Carly Goodman, told authorities that he once had stripped her naked, abused her and threatened her life. An excerpt from the prosecutor's evidence said 'Carly Goodman also (said) that the Defendant would make her strip naked as a way to control her.' She told investigators 'Later, the Defendant took Carly to the scene where Jill Behrman was killed and her remains were found three years later.'

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This guy (if found guilty) should be looked at in relation to other unsolved murders in Indiana. I'll bet he has killed another/others before Jill.

50-minute verdict: Myers is guilty
Defendant faces up to 65 years in prison


MARTINSVILLE, Ind. -- Jurors say testimony from the defendant's family and a trip over the weekend to the site where Jill Behrman's body was found led them Monday to quickly conclude John R. Myers II was responsible for the IU student's death.

Jurors praised Betty Swaffard, Myers' grandmother, who in December 2004 spoke with Myers about the welfare of his youngest daughter. Swaffard testified that Myers appeared distraught.
When she asked him what was bothering him, he said: "If the authorities knew what I have done, I would go to prison for the rest of my life."
Myers' aunt, Debbie Bell, of Tennessee, also had shared with investigators concerns about comments Myers made that implied guilt in Behrman's death.
snip


Myers, 31, seemed stoic as the unanimous decision was read just after 6:15 p.m. by Superior Court Judge Christopher Burnham, who then affirmed the votes by the six men and six women. The jurors had been sequestered since the first day of trial Oct. 16.
They had listened to closing arguments from 1 to 4:30 p.m. and were expected to deliberate until 10 p.m. Instead, at 5:20 p.m., Chief Deputy Prosecutor Bob Cline called everyone back into the Morgan County Courthouse.
Myers' friends and family didn't comment to reporters immediately after the verdict. Sam, one of Myers' younger brothers, said, "Good luck, John," as Myers was handcuffed and escorted out.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061031/LOCAL/610310432/0/topstoriesrecache

Behrman case timeline
• May 31, 2000: Nineteen-year-old Indiana University freshman Jill Behrman disappears while bicycling.
• June 3, 2000: Police suspend the search for Behrman, saying they lack leads. Behrman's parents, university officials and others offer a $25,000 reward for information, which is later raised to $50,000.
• June 6, 2000: The FBI joins the search.
• Nov. 10, 2000: The Behrman story is featured on the Fox show "Million Dollar Mysteries," prompting about 50 calls to police and the FBI.
• April 18, 2001: Police and the FBI announce a new theory about Behrman's disappearance: that a passing vehicle hit her, and her body and bicycle were removed after the driver panicked.
• May 23, 2001: Officials announce they are doubling the reward for information in the case to $100,000.
• April 3, 2002: A tip leads police to scour Salt Creek southeast of Bloomington near Monroe Reservoir for clues to Behrman's disappearance.
• Aug. 1, 2002: Investigators say they retrieved items of "possible evidentiary value" in a four-day search of Salt Creek.
• September 2002: Temporary dams are built in Salt Creek so investigators can scour the bottom for more evidence. Investigators later say the evidence recovered supports a new theory that Behrman was still alive when she was taken to the creek.
• Dec. 20, 2002: Police hand over thousands of documents to the Monroe County prosecutor detailing the investigation into Behrman's disappearance.
• March 13, 2003: Officials confirm that bones found March 9 in a remote area of Morgan County near Paragon were Behrman's.
• May 31, 2003: Behrman's family has a celebration of life to memorialize her.
• March 13, 2006: A Morgan County grand jury begins an investigation into Behrman's disappearance and death.
• April 9, 2006: Police arrest John Robert Myers II, Ellettsville. He is indicted on a charge of murder by the grand jury. He pleads not guilty.
• Oct. 30, 2006: Jury of six men, six women finds Myers, 31, guilty after hearing about 55 witnesses. In addition to the detectives who investigated the case, prosecutors called Myers' family and co-workers to testify about statements he allegedly made implicating himself. Myers never confessed to the killing, and there was no forensic evidence to link him to the abduction and murder
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061031/LOCAL/610310432/0/topstoriesrecache

This is a strange case, indeed. There was no evidence to connect Myers to the murder. There was, however, quite a bit of physical evidence to connect the original three suspects. The trio actually confessed to at least 22 separate people. Eyewitness reports from the time of the disappearance placed Jill at the area at which Wendy Owings said she was struck. One of those eyewitnesses was a classmate of Jill's. The grandmother never said he (Myers) told her he killed Jill. He said that he had "done bad things" during a conversation about life in general. The grandmother went to church with the Monroe County prosecutor, and the grandmother shared this. The prosecutor asked her point blank if she thought he might have been referring to Jill. It was only then that the grandmother then thought it was possible.

When they searched the creek the first time, they found the knife, industrial plastic and bungee cords described by Wendy Owings in her confession. They have never issued a cause of death in the case. That is because they have no idea how she died. Her hyoid (neck) was broken in three pieces. In a teenager the hyoid is soft and flexible. It would have taken some force to break it. They could not determine whether or not she had been stabbed because they only recovered approximately 48% of her remains (that number could be off a bit.) They also could not determine when she had been shot. It might have been post mortem. Her clothing was likely cut off of her. She was wearing a tight fitting bicycle jersey when she disappeared. A similar on to the one she was wearing was found cut outside IU's Cyclotron facility a few days after she disappeared. The boyfriend of a woman who worked with her, who killed his girlfriend and shot himself within days of Behrman's disappearance, worked at the Cyclotron. When her partial remains were discovered, her ponytail was still intact, secured by the red elastic. All of her teeth were missing with the exception of the bridge. The bridge was what was used to identify her. It is probable that she was shot to hinder identification.

Myers telephone records also indicate that someone was in his home (he lived alone) making phone calls when she was abducted. The only thing tying him to her disappearance was that her bike was found just south of his home. However, dogs used to locate her stopped there. they did not hit on anything north of the bike dump site.

If anyone is interested in reading a bit more about this case, there has been a series of pretty good articles on the city wiki. Start here and click on some of the links.

One more odd thing about the Behrman case. Even though Myers was tried and convicted, the FBI still says it is an ongoing investigation.

Spector, Some questions about this case....
The FBI is investigating or do they say it's ongoing so they don't have to open files? Were there any tool/knife marks found on the bones? (Doesn't sound like it) I know shotgun pellets were found near her skull, were they imbedded in the skull? In the original confession from Wendy a gun was not mentioned, correct? Was the cut up bike jacket was tested for DNA? Any other ties to Jill to the girlfriend (who worked with Jill) and the guy who killed himself and her? (looks like a big red flag here)
I can not believe the jury only deliberated one hour in the trial. It sounds like there wasn't any evidence to convict Meyers.

Why destroy the helmet?

colette said:

Spector, Some questions about this case....
The FBI is investigating or do they say it's ongoing so they don't have to open files? Were there any tool/knife marks found on the bones? (Doesn't sound like it) I know shotgun pellets were found near her skull, were they imbedded in the skull? In the original confession from Wendy a gun was not mentioned, correct? Was the cut up bike jacket was tested for DNA? Any other ties to Jill to the girlfriend (who worked with Jill) and the guy who killed himself and her? (looks like a big red flag here)
I can not believe the jury only deliberated one hour in the trial. It sounds like there wasn't any evidence to convict Meyers.

Why destroy the helmet?

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I thin the FBI was saying it was ongoing so they wouldn't have to release files. This week they released the files to the family. Heavily redacted, but they finally got them.

Only about half of the skeletal remains were found. Like I said earlier, it was only about 48%. They were unclothed, probably to speed decomposition and help them blend into the surroundings. This also made it easier for animals to scatter them.

The bike jersey was not tested for DNA. It actually disappeared, much like the helmet. A walkman was found in a church parking lot identical to the one Jill's father had just bought her and that she was wearing that day. It even had the same type of generic batteries her brother had placed in it for her. They said they could not prove it was hers because they did not have her fingerprints, despite the fact that they had access to her whole house. I believe it was even claimed that they did not have her DNA either, but I would have to do some digging to confirm that.

Jill's skull was completely shattered from the shotgun blast. Dental records would not have even been possible were it not for the fact that the dental bridge survived. Wendy did not mention a shotgun, but many people believe the blast occurred post mortem as a way to hinder identification. Jill's hyoid bone (the bone right at the top of the front of the neck) was shattered into three pieces, consistent with strangulation. That bone is difficult to break, particularly in children and teenagers. There has never been an actual cause of death determined. Stabbed, strangled, shot...who knows?

No connection between Jennifer Meece and Jill Behrman was ever really made, despite the fact that Jennifer and Jill worked together at the SRSC and the jersey was found in the parking lot of Chris Thiel's place of employment, and that they all died two weeks apart.

The only evidence they had was that John had a shotgun at one time. There is no way to ever know what shotgun she was shot with, because shotgun shells do not have the type of marks bullets do after they are fired.

In her confession, Wendy Owings said they wrapped her in industrial grade palstic sheeting, secured her with black bungee cords and stabbed her with a black-handled knife with a four inch blade. All of those items were found at the creek, in the location Wendy led them to. Jill's body was the only thing not found there.

Thank you for your asking these questions, Colette.

Thank you Spector for answering my questions. It is amazing in this day and age with a case this big that they would destroy or loose evidence. Then again it's shocking that Myers was convicted with no real evidence. In reading newspaper comments after the trial from local people, most think he was innocent.

colette said:

Thank you Spector for answering my questions. It is amazing in this day and age with a case this big that they would destroy or loose evidence. Then again it's shocking that Myers was convicted with no real evidence. In reading newspaper comments after the trial from local people, most think he was innocent.

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Most people do believe he is innocent. Recently more and more awareness has been raised regarding the actual facts and evidence of the case, and the more that comes out, the clearer it is that something is seriously wrong here. John has lost two appeals thus far, but those appeals were not denied based on the actual facts of the case, but rather on his reasons for appealing.

On Wednesday, Chief Justice Randall Shepard issued a ruling in response to a Sept. 10 request that the high court review the conviction in light of alleged constitutional violations, police and prosecutorial misconduct, misapplication of the law and improper judicial rulings that occurred during Myers’ two-week-long trial in Morgan Superior Court.

Defense attorney Patrick Baker’s petition seeking supreme court review said his client was denied a fair trial. Myers, 32, received a 65-year jail sentence, and likely will serve half the time.

Baker claimed the trial should have been moved to another county where pre-trial publicity was not rampant as it was in Morgan County, that reference to a polygraph test tainted jurors, that inappropriate testimony was given by two law enforcement officers, that the judge failed to let jurors know about an FBI investigator’s report that contradicted police testimony and that “shocking jury misconduct” by the sequestered jurors prejudiced Myers’ right to a fair trial.

After oral arguments in May, the Indiana Court of Appeals issued a 44-page ruling affirming Myers’ conviction. His attorneys appealed, and last month the appeals court denied their petition for a rehearing on the matter without issuing a written opinion.

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Interesting, the mention of a polygraph alone has gotten people new trials. Can they resubmit it?

Wow! They give updates on the news every now and again about this case. I never remember hearing about 3 other suspects. I had only heard about the guy they convicted. I hope they have the right person behind bars.

Chicken Hawk said:

Wow! They give updates on the news every now and again about this case. I never remember hearing about 3 other suspects. I had only heard about the guy they convicted. I hope they have the right person behind bars.

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I honestly do not think they do. I have been reading everything I can get my hands on. It just isn't there.

Dr. Nawrocki said that there was no real indication Jill had been stabbed. The cut marks on her ribs were most likely from animals. However, like I said earlier, not all of her remains were found. Wendy also made a comment at one time that they stabbed her in the stomach. I won't detail the rest of the comment.

John was indeed distraught over the break up of his relationship that day. He had taken time off from work thinking he and Carly were going to go away together, and also to celebrate her graduation from high school. Then she broke up with him. Carly did not ask for the restraining order in April, her parents did. She was only 17 and they did not want her seeing him. She continued to see him after the order was requested. Actually, the order was dismissed because she didn't show up in court. However, at the end of May she did break up with him. I think it was the day after she graduated high school.

He did put blankets over his windows and hide his car. I have done the same things after break ups, and know other people who have, too. I know we are not talking about what I would do or anyone else, we are talking about what John did. But I have not seen anything that, to me, sounds out of character with someone who was just recently dumped by someone they had been talking about marriage to.

I have info on his aunt and her journal, and will post more about that later.

I just happened upon this case, read the thread and did a quick search for any new news. It's been seven years since anyone has posted on the thread. Myers filed another appeal in May of this year, 2015, and it was rejected.

http://www.in.gov/judiciary/opinions/pdf/05281501ehf.pdf

http://www.wbiw.com/local/archive/2...-for-john-myers-ii-in-jill-behrman-murder.php

(INDIANAPOLIS) - The Indiana Court of Appeals has rejected post-conviction relief for a man convicted of killing an Indiana University student who vanished during a 2000 bike ride.

The court on Thursday affirmed a lower court's decision denying John Myers II's petition for the civil procedure that allows people to challenge their criminal conviction or sentence after exhausting the standard appeals process.

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I am familiar with this case an I never understood why Meyer was charged, much less convicted. I will be reading up on it.