The lawsuit is totally filled with accusations; if they are all true, then IMO heads should roll. The following one bothers me a lot. This is copied from the link found in the article I posted above.
Initial Investigation Produces Two Viable Suspects, Both of Whom Were
Ignored By Defendants in Their Quest to Frame Plaintiff
40. Defendant Todd Thayer and Detective De’Andre Christian of the
Elkhart Police Department led the initial investigation into Ms. Sailor’s death.
41. The initial investigation into Ms. Sailor’s death led to two viable
suspects: Larry Wood and Tony Thomas.
42. Larry Wood lived in the Highrise at the time of Ms. Sailor’s death
and was questioned almost immediately after her body was discovered.
43. Mr. Wood conveyed to Detective Hammel and Defendant Thayer that
on the day of the murder he saw Ms. Sailor dropped off at her apartment in the
late afternoon and opened the door to the Highrise for her. Although Mr. Wood
initially denied going into Ms. Sailor’s apartment, he later admitted that he may
have ridden the elevator with her, walked her to her apartment, and even assisted
her inside.
44. Detective Hammel and Defendant Thayer further learned during this
interview that Mr. Wood was the delivery person for Seifert Drugs and was
responsible for delivering prescription medication to Ms. Sailor and the other
residents in the Highrise.
45. Detective Hammel and Defendant Thayer searched Mr. Wood’s
residence during their initial encounter with Wood. There, the detectives
discovered a bowl on his countertop that appeared to have some residue of red
juice or punch. A reddish substance – similar to that found in Mr. Wood’s sink -
was discovered on Ms. Sailor’s body.
46. The officers also found a pair of Mr. Wood’s shoes that had an oily
residue on them—similar to that found at the crime scene—and noticed that there
was a blood stain on the inside of the shoe.
47. Luminol testing confirmed the bloodstain on Mr. Wood’s shoe.
48. Mr. Wood appeared to be “very nervous” and asked Detective
Christian and Defendant Thayer if he was in trouble.
49. Mr. Wood was taken to the Elkhart Police Department on December
12, 2002 for questioning. There, Mr. Wood “fell to his knees and began to cry” just
prior to entering the interrogation room.
50. At 9:45 a.m., Mr. Wood signed a waiver of Miranda rights form in the
presence of Defendant Coppins. That same day, Mr. Wood answered a series of
questions posed to him.
51. Mr. Wood then failed a truth verification examination.
Initial Investigation Produces Significant Evidence Implicating
Convicted Murderer Tony Thomas in Ms. Sailor’s Death
52. The initial investigation also produced evidence implicating Tony
Thomas—a convicted murderer lurking in the Highrise on the day of the
murder—in Ms. Sailor’s death.
53. Detective Christian spoke to a number of witnesses who directly
implicated Mr. Thomas in the murder and placed him on a Highrise elevator at
the same time that Ms. Sailor was last seen entering an elevator.
54. At the time of Ms. Sailor’s murder, Mr. Thomas’ grandmother,
Alberta Wolfe, lived in Apartment 300 of the Highrise complex. Ms. Wolfe was
out of state for Thanksgiving and had provided Mr. Thomas with a key.
55. By the time of Ms. Sailor’s death, Mr. Thomas had already served
more than a decade in an Arkansas prison for murder.
56. Detective Christian obtained affidavits from Eunice “Judy” Miller
and James Cassity on December 9, 2002 during the initial investigation.
57. At the time of Ms. Sailor’s death, Eunice Miller was a resident on the
Highrise. On Thanksgiving Day 2002, Ms. Miller was at her apartment with Mr.
Cassity. Detective Christian learned that Mr. Thomas was in bad shape when he
knocked on Ms. Miller’s door around 2:00 p.m. A distraught Mr. Thomas revealed
that he had been living in his car for three months.
58. Ms. Miller ultimately invited Mr. Thomas to Thanksgiving dinner.
After Mr. Thomas left, Ms. Miller asked Mr. Cassity to hide her purse because of
Mr. Thomas’ bizarre behavior. Ms. Miller revealed to Detective Christian that
“something was not right with Tony” on the day that Ms. Sailor was killed.
59. Mr. Cassity corroborated Ms. Miller’s account to Detective Christian.
60. Detective Christian was informed that when Thomas eventually
returned, he was “belligerent,” “sniffling,” and apparently high.
61. Mr. Thomas was wearing a green army jacket, jeans, and black
slippers on November 28, 2002. Ms. Miller was able to positively identify Mr.
Thomas in a photo array.
62. Mr. Cassity informed an Elkhart Detective in December of 2002 that
he believed Tony Thomas was responsible for the murder of Ms. Sailor because he
was so belligerent and irrational on the day of the murder. This information was
never documented nor disclosed in a police report.
63. Another Highrise resident, Robert Hogan, signed an affidavit for
police about a “suspicious” person on the Highrise elevator around 5:30 p.m. on
Thanksgiving.
64. At the time he arrived on the elevator, Mr. Hogan saw a black male
wearing a green army coat and army hat. Based on the descriptions provided by
Ms. Miller and Mr. Cassity, police correctly believed that the description matched
Tony Thomas.
65. Mr. Hogan informed the police that Mr. Thomas stopped on each
floor, where he poked his head out of the elevator and looked around the hallway.
After each stop, Mr. Thomas claimed he had the wrong floor and remained on the
elevator after Mr. Hogan exited. Mr. Hogan believed Mr. Thomas was a
disoriented “crack-head.”
August 2003 Report Refers to Undisclosed Interview
and Polygraph of Thomas in 2002
66. Though the State has never disclosed any report or recording
regarding questioning of Tony Thomas, according to an August 8, 2003 report, an
interview did take place.
67. Detective Christian also disclosed in this report that she believes
that Mr. Thomas was given a truth-verification exam, but no documentation has
ever been disclosed regarding such a test.
