CT CT - Suzanne Jovin, 21, Yale student, New Haven, 4 Dec 1998

[dotr]

http://www.aetv.com/blog/real-crime...the-1998-murder-of-yale-student-suzanne-jovin

Cold Case of the Week: The 1998 Murder of Yale Student Suzanne Jovin

• Apr 26, 2017

The Crime

On an unseasonably warm winter day in New Haven on December 4[SUP]th[/SUP], 1998, Jovin finished cleaning up after a pizza party for Best Buddies. A friend who saw her on campus at about 9:25 PM recalled that she said she was very tired. She also mentioned needing to pick up some borrowed GRE study materials. Around a half-hour later, she was found about two miles away from campus with multiple stab wounds to her head and neck. Passersby and neighbors said they heard a woman’s screams. The 911 call came in just before 10 PM. Jovin died at Yale New Haven Hospital later that night.

The “running man“: David Cameron, a political science professor at Yale and a member of the state’s Eyewitness Identification Task Force (established to examine issues related to criminal lineups), has studied and written about the case. “The investigation continues,” he wrote to A&E in an email. He thinks that it’s “pretty obvious” who did it: the “running man.” An eyewitness saw a man running across Whitney Avenue and told the police shortly after the murder, according to published reports. The team of former state police investigators had a police artist sketch made.

Where it Stands
Jovin’s friends and members of the Yale community have continued to commemorate the anniversary of her death, according to the Yale Daily News. In what looks like a studio yearbook photo, she smiles prettily from the cold case file on the website of the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice. The caption reads: “We are interested in all available information or leads, no matter how remote or trivial that information may seem…We want to hear from anyone who has heard something, seen something, or may even have repressed the knowledge of something” related to the murder.

Next year [2018] will be the 20[SUP]th[/SUP] anniversary of Suzanne Jovin’s death. Yale and the state of Connecticut are offering a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of her killer.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Suzanne_Jovin#/media/File:JovinPoliceSketch.jpg

 

[iron_iking]

Jovin was writing her dissertation on Al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. Remember, this was before 9/11, and the plotters were working on this far in advance, including in Germany, from where Jovin was originally from and where her parents lived.

And dissertations from Yale grad students get read by people in the mover and shaker class. I wonder if somehow Al-Qaeda supporters found out about her dissertation, and as the 9/11 plot was underway, decided that Jovin had to be killed to minimize interest in Al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden before they could strike the US?

Jovin was killed with a knife and very little physical evidence was recovered, indicating planning. And the person who was apparently involved with her regarding the study material has never come forward. He apparently spoke German, as did Jovin. Was she set up by that communication about collecting the study materials to be met, abducted and killed?

 

[dotr]

Jovin was writing her dissertation on Al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. Remember, this was before 9/11, and the plotters were working on this far in advance, including in Germany, from where Jovin was originally from and where her parents lived.

And dissertations from Yale grad students get read by people in the mover and shaker class. I wonder if somehow Al-Qaeda supporters found out about her dissertation, and as the 9/11 plot was underway, decided that Jovin had to be killed to minimize interest in Al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden before they could strike the US?

Jovin was killed with a knife and very little physical evidence was recovered, indicating planning. And the person who was apparently involved with her regarding the study material has never come forward. He apparently spoke German, as did Jovin. Was she set up by that communication about collecting the study materials to be met, abducted and killed?

The potential link to terrorism may well be an under explored theory, seems like Ms. Jovin was ahead of her time, if they can get BL, they can also get Suzanne's killer, speculation,imo.
Very lengthy link.
http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2007/12/12/nine-years-later-murder-of-yale-senior-still-unsolved/

Nine years later, murder of Yale senior still unsolved


Rachel Boyd Dec 12, 2007

Less than six hours before she was killed, Suzanne Jovin, a 21-year-old Yale student, turned in a draft of her senior essay.

It was Dec. 4, 1998, just a week before the final copy was due. In 21 single-spaced pages on “Osama bin Laden and the Terrorist Threat to U.S. Security,” she examined the terrorist’s already prominent organization. Her paper was virtually complete, except for the conclusion. In neat handwriting on the margins of page 20, she wrote about the final paragraphs: “I’m saving the conclusion for last.”

[ydn-legacy-photo-inline id=”12913″ ]
“She had a few hours more work to go,” says James Van de Velde ’82, her senior essay adviser and the instructor of her political science seminar, “Strategy and Policy in the Conduct of War.”

In the unfinished paragraphs, which were provided to the News by Van de Velde, she ended her paper with a warning to foreign-policy makers: “To ultimately defeat bin Laden in his ‘holy war’ against the United States and the non-Muslims, we must be prepared to ‘stand some more heat.’ Certainly, there is nothing to suggest that this ‘holy war’ will turn cold anytime soon.”

But Jovin would never know how true her words were. On that December night, almost three years before Sept. 11, she was stabbed to death just two miles from the Yale campus. And while al Qaeda’s holy war has certainly not turned cold since 1998, it seems to Van de Velde that Jovin’s unsolved murder investigation did — at least until two weeks ago.

Just before the final sentences of her senior essay, Jovin wrote that bin Laden’s use of terrorism “follows a self-dictated, but traceable logic, unlike the irrational acts of a fanatic or the aimless violence of a criminal delinquent.” This finding, she wrote, is reassuring, since “it suggests that bin Laden will be susceptible to the application of a judicious long-term counter-terrorist strategy.”

But as far as Van de Velde can tell, no such logic may ever have been applied to Jovin’s death, and no clear long-term strategy seems to be in the works.

Bin Laden is still on the loose. Nine years after her death, Jovin’s killer may be, too.

 

[kemo]

Suzanne Jovin was an Undergraduate , not a Grad student, who only had access to public record information. True, bin Ladin was not the public figure he later became but anyone who followed the evolving story of terrorism in the Middle East, in the periodicals that covered the topic, was well aware of him. It is pretty much inconceivable that anything a student like Suzanne would write would come to the attention of bin Laden or represent any kind of threat.

The significance of the email that Suzanne sent to a friend hours before her death was that it mentioned that she was about to go to see someone she had lent her GRE study guild to. Only a Senior who was thinking of attending Grad School would have interest in such a study guild. The email was in German and, evidently the police did not have it translated. Other leads were pursued including Van de Velde, who was already a Phd candidate, but no effort was made to identify other Seniors who might want to borrow a GRE study guild.

 

[Skigirl]

Suzanne Jovin was an Undergraduate , not a Grad student, who only had access to public record information. True, bin Ladin was not the public figure he later became but anyone who followed the evolving story of terrorism in the Middle East, in the periodicals that covered the topic, was well aware of him. It is pretty much inconceivable that anything a student like Suzanne would write would come to the attention of bin Laden or represent any kind of threat.

The significance of the email that Suzanne sent to a friend hours before her death was that it mentioned that she was about to go to see someone she had lent her GRE study guild to. Only a Senior who was thinking of attending Grad School would have interest in such a study guild. The email was in German and, evidently the police did not have it translated. Other leads were pursued including Van de Velde, who was already a Phd candidate, but no effort was made to identify other Seniors who might want to borrow a GRE study guild.

Agree about bin Laden. Even I was aware of him, and I'm hardly well-informed when it comes to personalities involved in terrorism. He was known to be involved in the first World Trade Center bombing, in 1993. I doubt she was the only one in academia who was discussing and writing about him, so the idea that someone would go to the trouble of targeting an undergrad seems pretty unlikely to me. As a side-note, there is some pretty credible speculation that the runner is a former architecture grad student, who subsequently committed suicide by jumping in front of a car on I-95.

 

[StarrChance]

Does anyone know if the police disclosure of 4,500 pages of documents was ever released?

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/15/n...hartford-ruling-favors-police-disclosure.html

Another FOI request in April 2017 http://www.ctn.state.ct.us/ctnplayer.asp?odID=13974

Its 4 hours long, should be interesting, think I'll need a coffee or two to get through ...

 

[Skigirl]

I watched a good part of it. The thing that came out that I thought was interesting, and a frustrating missed opportunity, is that there was an earlier FOIA request hearing, and the person who requested the documents prevailed on getting 45-100 pages (depending on which testimony you believe) released. The attorney (I think the one for the NHPD, the one who seemed bored and annoyed by the whole matter with the dark hair, as distinguished from the ADA who also seemed bored and annoyed by the whole matter but who had dyed blond hair with 3-inch roots) said that she prepared the documents for release and asked her boss if she should go ahead and release them, and the boss said, "no, wait for the request" (I mean, wasn't the hearing about a request -- so hadn't a request already been made?????), and the lawyer on the side of the requesting party died so no documents were ever released. Now the NHPD lawyer supposedly does not know where they are, if they are responsive to the current request (really????) and also claims they are exempt from disclosure.

I hope I have all those details right. It was so boring that there were large chunks that I basically just forgot to pay attention to, but I think I followed that part.

The whole thing was pretty infuriating. The Yale students who put in the request asked, "so, it's been 20 years and you are saying you can't release the documents because it's an active investigation. Will your position still be the same in another 20 years?" Good question. I think there should be a law saying that after 40 years, if a case is not solved, it documents should be released unless the prosecution can show that a case is actively being pursued and an arrest made in the next 12 months. LE should not be able to hide poor police work or lack of progress or just be too darn lazy to release evidence (which is often lost or disposed of) under the excuse of "ongoing investigation" in perpetuity. Certainly, any evidence that is under consideration for disposal should instead just be released, IMHO.

 

[Elley Mae]

Police using hypnotist to try to solve 1998 murder of Yale co-ed

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/09/2...-to-try-to-solve-1998-murder-yale-beauty.html

....


Strong Push On To Solve 1998 Slaying Of Yale Student Suzanne Jovin


http://www.courant.com/news/connect...ovin-murder-investigation-20170926-story.html

Sources familiar with the case said investigators have taken several steps including:

Resubmitting Jovin’s clothing to the state forensic laboratory to do new DNA testing called touch DNA on the inside of the sleeves of her shirt and other clothing in hopes her assailant may have brushed against her during the murder.
Bringing in the FBI to work on the case, although it is unclear what federal authorities are doing.
Traveling across the country to re-interview some witnesses from the original investigation as well as classmates of Jovin who had not been interviewed before.
Hiring a hypnotist to interview a key witness who may have seen Jovin walking only minutes before she was murdered.

 

[dotr]

Sept. 28 2017
http://nypost.com/2017/09/28/police-enlist-help-of-hypnotist-to-solve-cold-case-yale-murder/

Jovin was a senior at the Ivy League institution in 1998 when she was found stabbed 17 times in the back of her head and neck on a road 2 miles from campus.

Jovin’s body turned up on the night of Dec. 4, 1998, by a doctor who was taking an evening stroll who heard her screams and ran towards her to help. She was stabbed so hard that the tip of the knife had been found embedded in her skull. The killer was never found.

In recent court testimony, Assistant State’s Attorney Marcia Pillsbury confirmed that she had been working on the case and that there may be a resolution on the horizon.

rbbm

 

[JnRyan]

The Insight podcast recently covered it. http://www.insightpod.com/home-1/2018/4/6/episode-ninety-seven-suzanne-jovin

I keep hearing that fellow students and friends have been interviewed. But she had just come from a pizza party for Best Buddies, a program that matches students with mentally challenged adults. Could there have been someone there - mentor or one of the adults - that was involved?

Could her reason for being where she was be unrelated to her murder? IOW, she could have gone there to pick up the study materials and witnessed a peeping tom? I wonder if the sketch was ever compared to known sex offenders or burglars.

 

[dotr]

September 27th, 2017
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/09/2...-to-try-to-solve-1998-murder-yale-beauty.html

Police using hypnotist to try to solve 1998 murder of Yale co-ed

Sources familiar with the case told The Courant that investigators have taken several steps including resubmitting Jovin’s clothing to the state forensic laboratory for new DNA testing, bringing the FBI on board for assistance and traveling across the country to reinterview witnesses and classmates who were not previously questioned

.

Standing out most is that investigators are hiring a hypnotist to interview a key witness who saw Jovin walking only minutes before she was murdered

.
https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2017/10/03/state-to-continue-jovin-investigation/

According to the investigation team’s website, the Division of Criminal Justice is still asking the public for information on the case.

“We are interested in all available information or leads, no matter how remote or trivial that information may seem,” the website states. “We want to hear from anyone who has heard something, seen something or who may even have repressed the knowledge of something that could be related to the murder of Ms. Jovin.”

rbbm.

 

[jaejae]

I would just like to give a bump to this case. There was a suspect in this case at one time but my instincts are it was just a knife wielding maniac. It would be great to see this and other cases solved and there is new hope as the Golden State Killer case has just been solved. Here is a link to a blog about the case:

Falsely Accused Man; Forever Murdered Woman

 

[secretslob]

So this is a case I have followed for a long time, mainly because I graduated from Yale the semester before Jovin's murder. For that reason, I am very familiar with the crime scene(s), locations involved, etc. I was not a volunteer with Best Buddies, but did volunteer with another organization that used the same transportation procedures as Suzanne used for Best Buddies, including borrowing university-owned vehicles parked in a lot off Park St. I also recall the building containing the apartment Suzanne lived in at 258 Park Street, as well as the police substation that occupied the first floor of that building. A quick streetview search reveals that 258 Park St. no longer exists, and that a new building (associated with St. Thomas Moore and Yale) went up in that space in 2006.

An article I read yesterday (not specifically related to the Jovin case) has suddenly sparked in me more questions about this case -- an avenue of investigation I, for whatever reason, have never really considered up to this point. That article related the shockingly high number of sexual assaults (many of which go unreported) by police officers.

It is known that Suzanne lived above a police substation the semester she was murdered. It has also been established that Suzanne's last known act was the return of the keys to the car she had borrowed from the university for her Best Buddies party. Per university procedure (a procedure I also followed on numerous occasions), keys were returned to the Yale police substation located at Phelps Gate on Old Campus. To the best of my memory, keys were returned to the officer behind the window at Phelps Gate, along with paperwork indicating which vehicle was used, who used it, and the times keys were checked out and then returned.

Upon reading the article mentioned above, I started pondering the fact that one of the last persons to have seen Suzanne alive was likely the officer at Phelps Gate. Because she walked to Phelps Gate from her Park St. apartment, it is also possible that an officer at the 258 Park St. substation observed her leaving her apartment, potentially even with the knowledge that she was heading to Phelps Gate to return car keys. (IIRC, Suzanne had a conversation with friends on the street through her apartment window shortly before she left for Phelps Gate; it's possible that conversation included discussion of the keys and was overheard by a police employee.)

I don't want to cast unwarranted aspersions on the Yale police force, but I just can't get lingering questions about the possibility of the involvement of an officer or other employee in Suzanne's death out of my head. Perhaps someone employed by the police became obsessed with the pretty undergraduate who lived above the substation; perhaps someone employed by the police was paid to help silence the Van de Velde advisee looking into Bin Laden, or send a message to Van de Velde concerning his views on or participation in such matters.

Looking back, I can't recall much discussion over the years of possible Yale police involvement, and I'm not really sure why that is. Maybe the issue deserves a look.

 

[JnRyan]

Secretslob, maybe you can answer one question for me.
At approx. 8:45 she returns the vehicle, but not the keys. She walks to room. Sometime after 9:10 she leaves the room to drop off the keys. The keys are not dropped off at the same location as the vehicles? If a student drops off a vehicle I would think - much like a rental car return - someone would look at the vehicle for possible damage. They wouldn't return the keys to that person? Maybe for some internal control reason the keys are not maintained in the same area as the car, but that seems strange. I assume there is an entry in either the vehicle log or police station log stating exactly when she returned the keys.

 

[secretslob]

At that time, keys were all kept at the Yale police office under Phelps Gate. Vehicles were parked in parking lots located in other areas (I only remember the Park St. lot, but there may have been others around campus.) I don't recall vehicles being inspected for damage upon return, but I do remember keys being logged in and out at Phelps Gate. I think the paperwork associated with the use of the vehicle is likely what Suzanne was holding when Peter Stein interacted with her on Old Campus.

 

[secretslob]

Secretslob, maybe you can answer one question for me.
At approx. 8:45 she returns the vehicle, but not the keys. She walks to room. Sometime after 9:10 she leaves the room to drop off the keys. The keys are not dropped off at the same location as the vehicles? If a student drops off a vehicle I would think - much like a rental car return - someone would look at the vehicle for possible damage. They wouldn't return the keys to that person? Maybe for some internal control reason the keys are not maintained in the same area as the car, but that seems strange. I assume there is an entry in either the vehicle log or police station log stating exactly when she returned the keys.

I'm not sure that I replied properly to your earlier question (just getting used to this platform), but I did want to add a caveat to what I said earlier regarding keys: it is possible that a different key/vehicle return procedure happened during regular business hours (e.g., keys were returned to someone manning the parking lot), but I don't remember it. I only recall returning keys to Phelps Gate, and don't remember the parking lot being manned by any personnel.

 

[JnRyan]

I'm not sure that I replied properly to your earlier question (just getting used to this platform), but I did want to add a caveat to what I said earlier regarding keys: it is possible that a different key/vehicle return procedure happened during regular business hours (e.g., keys were returned to someone manning the parking lot), but I don't remember it. I only recall returning keys to Phelps Gate, and don't remember the parking lot being manned by any personnel.

I had always wondered why she dropped the vehicle off first and then went to drop off the keys.

 

[secretslob]

I had always wondered why she dropped the vehicle off first and then went to drop off the keys.

Yes, it was just standard procedure for volunteer organizations (at least at that time of the day).

Because a vehicle was obviously used to get Suzanne from campus to the location where she was found stabbed, I have often wondered how and why she got into that vehicle. It makes sense to me that she might willingly get into a vehicle for a ride offered by a police employee with whom she was familiar, either from her dealings at Phelps Gate or the Park St. substation under her apartment.

 

[Skigirl]

Hi Secretslob, I was a faculty member at Yale starting a year or two after Jovin's murder, so I am also familiar with the locations around campus. My office was not very far from Phelps Gate, and I had many friends who lived in the area where she was murdered. Nice to see someone else who is familiar with the area here.

 

[jaejae]

Interesting posts my feeling is it was a stranger that killed Suzanne. In simple terms a maniac who stalked strangers and liked to stab them.