OK OK - Judy Weichert, 33, Oklahoma City, 28 July 1984

[doublestop]

On July 28, 1984, Judy Weichert got up early and went jogging; she was training for a marathon. Hours later, a passerby found her by the side of the road. She had been raped, stabbed 38 times in the chest and neck, and yet was miraculously still alive. One report says that she was able to describe her attacker to police before she died in surgery later that day. (Thirty-eight stab wounds and yet clung to live...amazing.)

Her husband was immediately cleared; the case went unsolved.

While investigating a rape two years later, police developed the theory that the alleged attacker in that rape, Jeffrey Todd Pierce, was a suspect in Weichert's attack. This was based on the Pierce's rare blood type, hair evidence, a knife and his resemblance to the man Weichert described as her attacker. This was before DNA evidence was used.

However, the hair evidence was tainted in the rape case...15 years after his conviction in the rape case, prosecutors learned neither Pierce's semen nor his hair match the evidence obtained from the crime scene.

And since they had based their interest in him for the Weichert murder on the hair and blood evidence being similar that of the evidence in the rape case, he very likely is not the killer of Judy Weichert.

The question remains...who killed Judy Weichert in such a violent attack?

 

[Richard]

I wonder if Judy's case is linked to the unsolved murder of another Oklahoma woman, also stabbed to death in 1984.

LINK to Vicki Marie Hill Cold Case, Tulsa, Oklahoma September, 1984 - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community:

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=82892&highlight=oklahoma+1984

 

[LR1]

suspect's description in 1984

Police still seek a suspect described as a white man between 24 and 26 years old, 5-feet-10 inches to 6-feet tall, with long, wavy blond hair, a mustache, slender build and a good tan. Police say they believe he drove a faded blue Volkswagen beetle.

http://newsok.com/joggers-death-unsolved-one-year-later/article/2116148

I sure hate to see this one go unsolved for so long after she fought so hard to live.

He would be in his mid 50's today, was around Oklahoma City in July 84 and had access to a faded blue VW beetle.

 

[Rachael Smith]

Judy was a friend of my parents. Her husband was my dad's best friend. She use to baby sit my sister and I. I don't exactly remember her, I was only 2 when she was murdered, but I remember the nDetective Bill Cookews ripping through my family. I remember being heart broken. I remember my older sister crying. I still to this day bawl like baby every time I listen to the song steve wrote for her. His heart break was never truly over. He died from cancer a few years ago. He was one of my favorite people to ever walk this earth.

I knew far too much about the horrid details of her death far too young. She drug her severely wounded body through a barbed wire fence into the road. I would do anything to get her justice.

 

[LR1]

Thank's for joining us Rachael, and for keeping Judy's memory alive. Yes her case made an impression on me with the fight she put up and I'd love nothing more than for it to be solved. I didn't realize her husband had passed, he no doubt carried the pain for a long time. I really wonder if they have a dna profile on this offender. I know there's been talk of hair and blood used to rule people out but that was long before they knew to properly store and maintain certain evidence. Fingers crossed that they have something to work with although I haven't seen an update in years. For a while I considered Felix Vail as a possibility. He was a serial killer that, other than the age range, kind of fit the description but his victims seemed to be limited to his wives or girlfriends. He lived in OK at one point, Tulsa I think.

 

[Rachael Smith]

I put in a call and left a message with the okc cold case unit. I'll call again on monday. I also have the phone number of an OKC sex crimes detective who i'm unfortunately very familiar with (he investigated a case I was a victim on), and I could probably get him to at least make a phone call if needed.

I worry that when Jeffrey Todd Pierce was convicted of the '86 rape that they considered Judy's closed and trashed the evidence because they assumed him guilty of her case. But since he was exonerated in '01. Hopefully not. But if Joyce Gilchrist did anything with judy's evidence, its pretty much tainted.

 

[LR1]

Let us know if you find anything out please. Yeah I don't have a good feeling about them having any workable forensic evidence left. I think the bottom line is if they have a profile we could be somewhat hopeful, especially with the current trends. Lacking that profile not so much. She didn't have children did she? Any family or siblings left?

 

[Rachael Smith]

No children, but she has siblings and her dad is alive but about to endure hospice care. Her mom died a few years ago.

I actually just got off the phone about an hour ago with one of her brothers. He said his brother got a call from a detective within the last year to let them know about something they were looking into. So that's hopeful.

There's more, but I don't really want to put it out publicly until I know more.

 

[LR1]

That's unfortunate about the parents but the bit about contacting the family I'll take as a positive. I would also agree with not putting anything out prematurely or against anyone's wishes. It would be great if they could catch a break in this 34 year old case. Thanks for the update.

 

[doublestop]

Judy was featured on the cold case story in Oklahoma City. Sounds like this is one where one of the ancestral DNA databases could help...they have DNA from the killer, but he doesn't match anyone in the criminal justice system. Years Later, OKC Jogger's Murder Remains A Mystery

 

[LR1]

Those 34 years from yesterday is a very long time without answers. It's nice to see this old case getting a little attention. I think that might be the first time in over 30 years this case has received media attention so thanks to News9 and their reporting. It's also good to see Mrs Cathy still standing up for her friend Judy after all these years. Most notably thanks to Mrs. Rachael for the effort she put in getting them to bring this story back into the light. There's a whole side story that goes with this case having to do with LE and their methodology back in the 80's which might have contributed to the length of time that has passed without resolution. Solving this case would go a long way in righting old wrongs.

 

[doublestop]

There's a whole side story that goes with this case having to do with LE and their methodology back in the 80's which might have contributed to the length of time that has passed without resolution. Solving this case would go a long way in righting old wrongs.

What is that side story?

 

[LR1]

What is that side story?

You have to dig a little to find it but Judy's case was caught up early on in what later turned out to be less than stellar work in the OKC crime lab. I think it actually goes a lot further than one lone police chemist but she's the one who ultimately was fired and rightfully so. She never admitted to any wrongdoing but the FBI determined her work to be faulty and some that spent time in prison were later exonerated and given settlements. Perhaps conveniently for some it seems blame was limited to her.

Joyce Gilchrist - Wikipedia

 

[Rachael Smith]

Doublestop, the thing that I can confidently say is that the more we learn, the more questions we have. Things do not line up and they do not make since. If you'd like to check out our page on facebook, follow and share it, there's a lot of info we've put up there. I actually was just coming here to update LR1 with the news story and a few of the posts we've written.

But definitely read through the few posts that are up. And look at the pictures and videos.

Her Last Run: The Judy Weichert Murder

And if anyone wbo comes across this has any information on Judy's life or death, please contact us: Herlastrun@gmail.com

 

[waunakeegan]

Giving this tread a bump. Please help to keep this terrible case in the spotlight in hopes that the attention can lead to it finally being solved. I mean, for God’s sake, the Facebook page for Judy’s case only has 219 likes! Her Last Run: The Judy Weichert Murder
This woman was a fighter that drug her battered and stab wounded body to find help and give a description of her attacker before she died. She deserves more than a 30+ year unsolved cold case and 219 Facebook page likes! Make it happen!

 

[waunakeegan]

Bumping again for Judy. Today marks 35 years since she was brutally raped and murdered.

 

[linzygye918]

I have some questions about this case, and one mentioned in the subthread as well. Do all OK offenders have their DNA in the system? If so, do they run DNA against all offenders? Are they using geneology in this case? Is there a tip line for these cases?

 

[notmoose86]

I have some questions about this case, and one mentioned in the subthread as well. Do all OK offenders have their DNA in the system? If so, do they run DNA against all offenders? Are they using geneology in this case? Is there a tip line for these cases?

Oklahoma has started DNA testing offenders, but only in the last year or two. Whether DNA is automatically run, I don’t have the answer for, but given the backlogs of crime labs there- I doubt it. Genealogy is not being used in this case. It was brought up with the cold case detective who holds the case and he said the crime lab told him it was useless in this case. The only tip line for these cases would either be the OSBI tip line or the Crimestoppers tip line in OKC.

 

[Kimpin]

I hope it’s ok for me to say this right here, black magic left more red dirt stains on Oklahoma. But it didn’t stop with her move to Texas. Her shoes would be filled by former crime lab employee, DNA analyst Elaine Taylor. Taylor is the Mother in law of OKC detective Rocky Gregory. Former sex crime detective, now homicide detective. Hope we don’t get murdered, he’s good at botching cases. The mom and son tag team were under the radar for 20-/+ years, they worked on cases together which isn’t something they’re supposed to do. On the contrary- that’s highly discouraged. But they did what they wanted and now even more Oklahomans that weren’t guilty as charged have been imprisoned wrongfully. It’s a known fact at this point that Elaine Taylor actually perjured herself in the trial of former OkC Police Officer Daniel Holtzclaw. She blatantly and intentionally mislead the jury with falsified DNA testimony. One of the jurors “Ron” was quoted as saying, it was Taylor’s DNA testimony that was crucial during deliberations. I won’t say DNA lies, because it doesn’t lie. But unjustly sometimes those who present DNA ...do lie.
Welcome to Oklahoma/ Oklahoma County. ✌

(And there’s mores)

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Judy Weichert | Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation

On Saturday, July 28, 1984, at 7:30 A.M. Judy Weichert left her home jogging as was her habit. She was found at 9:45 A.M. by a man and woman driving by the Sundance Air Park on Sara Road, north of the N.W. Highway in Oklahoma City, OK. Judy was on the side of the road where she had been stabbed...

osbi.ok.gov