Claims of innocence William Heirens

1 claims of innocence

1.1 sodium pentothal interrogation
1.2 polygraph test
1.3 handwriting evidence
1.4 fingerprint evidence

1.4.1 ransom note fingerprints
1.4.2 doorjamb print


1.5 confession
1.6 alternative suspect

claims of innocence

within days of confession in open court, heirens denied responsibility murders. mary jane blanchard, daughter of murder victim josephine ross, 1 of first dissenters, being quoted in 1946 saying:

i cannot believe young heirens murdered mother. not fit picture of mother s death ... have looked @ things heirens stole , there nothing of mother s things among them.

sodium pentothal interrogation

heirens subjected interrogation under influence of sodium pentothal, popularly known truth serum . drug administered psychiatrists haines , roy grinker. under effects allegedly stated second person named george murman committed killings.

this form of interrogation, done without warrant , administered neither heirens s nor parents consent, believed scientists today of dubious value in eliciting truth, due high suggestibility of subjects under influence of such substances. 1950s, scientists had declared notion of truth serums invalid, , courts had ruled testimony gained through use inadmissible. however, when heirens arrested in 1946, growing scientific opinion against truth serum had not yet filtered down courts , police departments.

during heirens s post-conviction petition in 1952, tuohy admitted under oath not knew sodium pentothal procedure, had authorized , paid grinker $1,000. same year, grinker revealed heirens never implicated himself in of killings.

polygraph test

in 1946, after heirens underwent 2 polygraph examinations, tuohy declared results inconclusive. however, john e. reid , fred e. inbau published test findings in 1953 textbook, lie detection , criminal interrogation, seem contradict assertion. according book, test not inconclusive, writing, murderer william heirens questioned killing , dismemberment of six-year old suzanne degnan ... on basis of conventional testing theory response on card test establishes (him) innocent person.

handwriting evidence

during degnan murder investigation, chicago police department contacted chicago daily news artist frank san hamel examine photograph of ransom note. 3 days after murder, hamel told police , public had found hidden indentation writing i.e. writing impressions note written on overlying piece of paper, leaving ghostly impression. @ news, storms broke chain of custody , provided hamel original note him examine directly. since chain of custody broken action, note rendered useless in court no matter result. after heirens arrested degnan killing, hamel reported implicated him. fbi had issued report on march 22, 1946 examined note , declared there no indentation writing @ , hamel s assertions [...] indicated either lack of knowledge on part or deliberate attempt deceive.

even actual handwriting on note has been apparently discredited. handwriting experts, both attached chicago police , independent @ time of original investigation, believed heirens had no connections either note or wall scribble. charles wilson, head of chicago crime detection laboratory, declared heirens s known handwriting exemplars obtained heirens s handwritten notes college agreed police department experts not find connection between heirens note , wall message. independent handwriting expert george w. schwartz brought in give opinion. stated flatly individual characteristics in 2 writings not compare in respect.

a third handwriting expert, herbert j. walter, credentials included working on lindbergh baby kidnapping in 1932, brought in. after examining documents written heirens, walter declared heirens wrote ransom note , lipstick scrawl on wall , attempted disguise handwriting. however, in direct contradiction said several months before, @ time said doubted 2 writings authored same person. quoted saying there few superficial similarities , great many dissimilarities.

in 1996, fbi handwriting analyst david grimes declared heirens s known handwriting did not match either degnan ransom note or infamous lipstick message , supporting 2 earlier results of original 1946 investigation , herbert j. walter s original january 1946 opinion. in addition, handwriting of notes don t match each other.

fingerprint evidence

among evidence demonstrated toward heirens s guilt fingerprint evidence on degnan ransom note , on doorjamb of frances brown s bathroom door. however, suspicions on veracity of doorjamb fingerprints found @ brown crime scene have arisen, including charges police planted fingerprint since allegedly looks rolled fingerprint, type find on police fingerprint index card. both sets of prints have come under serious question validity, faith collection , possible contamination; possibility of being planted.

ransom note fingerprints

on or june 26, 1946, state s attorney tuohy announced there can no doubt heirens s guilt after authorities linked heirens s prints 2 prints on ransom note. assertion, unchallenged heirens s defense counsel @ sentencing, helped prompt him confess murders charged with. in 2002 clemency petition, however, lawyers question validity of prints on ransom note due timing of discoveries of fingerprints on card, broken chain of evidence, handling both inexperienced law enforcement , civilians.

the degnan ransom note first examined chicago crime detection laboratory, couldn t find usable prints on note. captain timothy o connor took note fbi crime laboratory in washington, d.c. on january 18, 1946 idea of enlisting fbi s more sophisticated technology in finding latent prints. fbi subjected note advanced method of iodine fuming raise latent prints. process similar in execution today s polycyanoacrylate super glue fuming in cyanoacrylate heated vapor. vapor sticks skin oils on friction ridges of latent fingerprint. older ninhydrin method liquid sprayed on paper detect latent prints on paper similar. fbi able raise 2 prints photographed promptly because, unlike modern polycyanoacrylate, fuming prints revealed iodine process fade quickly. captain o connor later testified @ heirens s sentencing hearing saw 2 prints on front of note , did not mention existence of on back.

upon return chicago, turned on photographs of revealed prints on note sergeant thomas laffey, chicago police department s fingerprint expert. after examination stated press ... so incomplete impossible classify them. despite checking these incomplete prints arrested between january 1946 , june 29, 1946, unable find match though william heirens arrested , fingerprinted on may 1, 1946 on weapons charge. heirens arrested burglary on june 26, 1946; 3 days later sergeant laffey announced nine-point comparison match heirens left little finger 1 of prints. match announced between heirens , second print. in news conference state s attorney tuohy declared [...]there no doubt suspect s guilt incongruously stated didn t have enough evidence indict heirens.

months after fbi had returned note , photograph of note chicago police, police announced laffey had discovered palm print on reverse side of note matching heirens 10 points of comparison. no other prints found on note, prompting police chief walter storm say: shows heirens person handle note.

this declaration suspicious because:

the chicago police couldn t find prints originally, hence necessity send ransom note fbi further processing, indicating incapable of finding in first place.
captain o connor mentioned 2 prints on obverse side of note , none on reverse. further, since both sides of note photographed after fuming fbi third print on reverse side have been obvious on note , @ time of development of photograph of note. yet, despite testing occurring in mid-january, third print wasn t discovered until july, 6 months later , approximately 2 weeks after heirens arrested, despite laffey working on degnan case exclusively 6 months.
the original note given chicago daily news reporter frank san hamel previous january (after fbi had processed it) examine find hidden indentation writing heirens supposedly left. broke chain of custody, making note inadmissible evidence in court. additionally, number of people, including hamel, had compromised integrity of prints on note depositing additional prints , obscuring , corrupting prints of culprit.

indeed, before police crime lab got chance examine note, charles wilson, chief of chicago crime detection laboratory, stated when got degnan note came late after other people had photographed , handled it. in same vein, march 22, 1946 fbi report noted [...]it evident note has been handled considerably.

these statements in direct contradiction of chief walter storm s assertion no 1 else heirens handled note.

further, laffey testified during september 5, 1946 sentencing hearing 1 more fingerprint on reverse sided of note linked heirens 10 points of comparison. increased points of comparison of palm print heirens 10 fbi standard of 12.

as fingerprints on front of note discovered fbi in january 1946, laffey identified 1 , did not belonged heirens when testified @ sentencing hearing. prints not found fbi , allegedly discovered after heirens s arrest mentioned @ sentencing hearing , not 2 front prints supposedly indisputable proof of heirens s culpability. hardly mentioned, nor linked heirens, in court hearing in witnesses had testify under oath.

as further indication of called ineffective defense heirens s lawyers, none of these issues raised @ sentencing hearings , no objections made, nor did bring chain-of-custody issues.

doorjamb print

fig.1 rolled print fingerprint card



fig.2 latent print found on object, in case paper

a bloody, smudged print of end , middle joint of finger found on doorjamb of door between bathroom , dressing room in frances brown s apartment. photograph of print taken, no match made on file. after heirens arrested on june 26, prints compared degnan note. when laffey claimed match heirens , prints on degnan note, attempt made match him doorjamb print. unsuccessful, , police declared him cleared of brown murder because print @ crime scene not his. twelve days later, however, declared match heirens s prints 22 points of comparison, above fbi standard.

at heirens s sentencing, laffey testified end joint of bloody print had eight-point comparison heirens s , middle joint six-point comparison. middle joint didn t live laffey s personal standard of 7 or 8 points make positive identification match.

another source of contention brown crime scene fingerprint has appearance of having been rolled, practice of taking person s inked finger , rolling on index card, , not smudged, bloody , unreadable print reported. traditionally, after fingertip covered in ink either suspect s hand being pressed on top of ink pad or ink roller being run across it, finger placed on card on 1 edge. rolled once 1 edge finger s other edge produce large, clear print.

heirens s attorneys did not question veracity of prints, however.

confession

twenty-nine inconsistencies have been found between confession , known facts of crime. has since become understanding nature of these inconsistencies clear indicator of false confessions. details did seem match, police theory suzanne degnan dismembered hunting knife , heirens confessed throwing hunting knife onto section of chicago subway el trestle near degnan residence. however, never determined scientifically @ least dismemberment tool , heirens had alternate explanation it. further, not recovered police, members of press, recovered transit track gang found it.

alternative suspect

after degnan murder, before heirens became suspect, chicago police interrogated 42-year-old richard russell thomas, drifter passing through city of chicago @ time of degnan s murder, found in maricopa county jail in phoenix, arizona. police handwriting expert charles b. arnold, head of forgery detail of phoenix police in thomas s hometown of phoenix, noted similarities between handwritten degnan ransom note , thomas handwriting when thomas wrote left hand, , suggested chicago police investigate thomas.

upon being questioned, thomas confessed crime, released custody after heirens became prime suspect. others contend thomas strong suspect, wit:

thomas had been convicted of attempted extortion – ransom note threatened kidnapping of little girl.
as noted, handwriting experts @ time stated thomas s ransom note previous conviction of extortion bears similarity in both style in regard wording , in form of actual structure of letters formed degnan ransom note.
thomas in chicago @ time of degnan murder.
at time confessed degnan crime, awaiting sentencing molesting daughter.
thomas had history of violence, including spousal abuse.
thomas nurse known masquerade surgeon. boasted friends doctor , known steal surgical supplies. chicago police had developed profile of degnan killer having surgical skills or being butcher.
he frequented car agency near degnan residence. parts of suzanne degnan s body found in sewer across street car agency.
like heirens, known burglar.
he had confessed freely degnan murder, although later recanted.

the chicago detectives dismissed thomas claims after heirens became suspect. thomas died in 1974 in arizona prison. prison record , of evidence of interrogation regarding chicago murders have been lost or destroyed.