PA PA - Barbara Jean Horn, 4, assaulted & murdered, Philadelphia, 12 Jul 1988

[Seattle1]

Barbara Jean Horn Death: Has Her Murder Been Solved Today? | Heavy.com

Aug 13, 2021

Barbara Jean Horn was just four years old when she was sexually assaulted and murdered on July 12, 1988, in Philadelphia. She was playing outside her home when she disappeared and her body was later found, naked and beaten, in a plastic bag in a cardboard television box left out in the trash, court documents show.

A review of the case showed that despite her head injuries, Horn likely died from asphyxiation, court documents revealed. Five different eyewitnesses told authorities they saw a man carrying the television box down the street on July 12. Horn’s stepfather said she was last seen at around 3:00 p.m. that day at their home and her body was found at 5:30 p.m. by a neighbor just a thousand feet away from the residence.

One of Horn’s neighbors, Walter Ogrod, was convicted of her murder and received the death penalty. He served 28 years in prison before a review of the case determined that Ogrod, who is autistic, had been coerced into confessing to authorities. Additional DNA testing also concluded that Ogrod was innocent and he was released in June 2020

[..]

Patricia Cummings, head of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Conviction Integrity Unit, said, “As of today, I don’t think that appetite exists,” NBC Philadelphia wrote.

During an investigation into Ogrod’s conviction, authorities identified two possible suspects for Horn’s murder, Cummings told NBC Philadelphia. One of the two is now dead, the outlet reported, while the other is in prison for another crime but neither has been publicly identified.

Despite that, Philadelphia police have declined to reopen the investigation due to the department’s focus on current homicides

 

[Seattle1]

Man wrongfully convicted of Barbara Jean Horn's 1988 murder in Northeast Philly does 'Dateline NBC' interview

Aug 9, 2021

The gruesome murder of 4-year-old Barbara Jean Horn, whose body was found inside of a cardboard television box in Northeast Philly, drew national headlines in the summer of 1988.

Horn had gone outside to play in her family's yard in the Castor Gardens section of the city on July 12 – now 33 years ago. When her father went to check on her, she was nowhere to be found. Investigators made the chilling discovery of her remains two hours later when they looked inside the cardboard box, which had been left out alongside trash cans about two blocks from Horn's home on the 7200 block of Rutland Street. The little girl had been bludgeoned to death.

 

[Filly]

There's a new Crime Series that will examine Barbara Jean's murder. It's on ABC 10 and appears it will be in episodes.

Just for clarification Rutland Steet doesn't have yards. Barbara Jean had a friend that lived in the same house as Ogrod, and she knocked to see if the child could come out and play.

Her dad took a he*l of alot of heat for her murder. This is my neighborhood and it still devastates the people that remain here.

Cutest little girl. Most heartbreaking case.

 

[Keith417]

So sad! Lauren Marie Pico Jackson was a little girl from Spring City Pa and she was also abducted outside her home but she was never found. She was abducted October 8, 1988 and she was only 5 years old.

 

[Bit of hope]

Barbara Jean Horn Death: Has Her Murder Been Solved Today? | Heavy.com

Aug 13, 2021

Barbara Jean Horn was just four years old when she was sexually assaulted and murdered on July 12, 1988, in Philadelphia. She was playing outside her home when she disappeared and her body was later found, naked and beaten, in a plastic bag in a cardboard television box left out in the trash, court documents show.

A review of the case showed that despite her head injuries, Horn likely died from asphyxiation, court documents revealed. Five different eyewitnesses told authorities they saw a man carrying the television box down the street on July 12. Horn’s stepfather said she was last seen at around 3:00 p.m. that day at their home and her body was found at 5:30 p.m. by a neighbor just a thousand feet away from the residence.

One of Horn’s neighbors, Walter Ogrod, was convicted of her murder and received the death penalty. He served 28 years in prison before a review of the case determined that Ogrod, who is autistic, had been coerced into confessing to authorities. Additional DNA testing also concluded that Ogrod was innocent and he was released in June 2020

[..]

Patricia Cummings, head of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Conviction Integrity Unit, said, “As of today, I don’t think that appetite exists,” NBC Philadelphia wrote.

During an investigation into Ogrod’s conviction, authorities identified two possible suspects for Horn’s murder, Cummings told NBC Philadelphia. One of the two is now dead, the outlet reported, while the other is in prison for another crime but neither has been publicly identified.

Despite that, Philadelphia police have declined to reopen the investigation due to the department’s focus on current homicides

What a terrible miscarriage of justice. How very, very sad for Ogrod....(sure the "loony" did it, djeezzz, -crying eyes-) Did LE ever questioned themselves how many other victims were made or could have been prevented, because they arrested the wrong person? And they still don't feel any obligation to parents who lost a child and are still in need to know who killed their loved one? This case and maybe others need renewed attention. This LE attitude is somehow understandable (workload, resources etc.) but also something to be ashamed of and totally unacceptable.

 

[Filly]

What a terrible miscarriage of justice. How very, very sad for Ogrod....(sure the "loony" did it, djeezzz, -crying eyes-) Did LE ever questioned themselves how many other victims were made or could have been prevented, because they arrested the wrong person? And they still don't feel any obligation to parents who lost a child and are still in need to know who killed their loved one? This case and maybe others need renewed attention. This LE attitude is somehow understandable (workload, resources etc.) but also something to be ashamed of and totally unacceptable.

Some of those homicide Detecetives worked with my dad. He was in Intelligence Division and about to retire.

There was a little girl that lived in Ogrod's house. I forget the connection. Barbara Jean supposedly knocked for her.

They looked at Barbara Jeans dad real hard because he was "stepdad". The man raised her. He's her dad, and he said she could sit on the steps. Again, we don't have yards. Google and you'll see tiny postage size lawns.

JMO I didn't think he did it. I don't think he could orchestrate moving her body like that around to St. Vincent Street.

Some snitch screwed this all up. There was some monster in Frankford at the time who murdered a child in her bed. A little girl I think her name was Coffin?

Looking forward to watching this and what got bungled. Leaving that sweet child on St. Vincent Street in a box? Heinious.

 

[Filly]

but also something to be ashamed of and totally unacceptable.

Ashamed?

 

[Bit of hope]

Some of those homicide Detecetives worked with my dad. He was in Intelligence Division and about to retire.

There was a little girl that lived in Ogrod's house. I forget the connection. Barbara Jean supposedly knocked for her.

They looked at Barbara Jeans dad real hard because he was "stepdad". The man raised her. He's her dad, and he said she could sit on the steps. Again, we don't have yards. Google and you'll see tiny postage size lawns.

JMO I didn't think he did it. I don't think he could orchestrate moving her body like that around to St. Vincent Street.

Some snitch screwed this all up. There was some monster in Frankford at the time who murdered a child in her bed. A little girl I think her name was Coffin?

Looking forward to watching this and what got bungled. Leaving that sweet child on St. Vincent Street in a box? Heinious.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — After looking over his shoulder for years, a man confessed to raping and killing a 10-year-old girl in her bed in 1987 after DNA technology caught up with him, police said.

Raymond Sheehan, 38, cried and expressed remorse when police arrested him last week for the strangulation death of his former employer’s daughter, Philadelphia Detective Chuck Boyle said.

“You carry this around for 16? years — every night you go to bed and every morning you wake up — and all you can think about is the knock on the door,” Boyle said after a court hearing Wednesday in which Sheehan, a stocky man who politely answered questions from the judge, waived his right to a preliminary hearing.

<The girl was called Heather Coffin.>

Police are now comparing Sheehan’s DNA to evidence collected from other sexual assaults, but so far have found no matches, Boyle said. He put the odds that the sperm found on Heather could have come from someone other than Sheehan at 740 million-to-1.

Man confesses to 1987 rape, murder of girl, 10

 

[Bit of hope]

Documentary takes look at 1988 murder of Castor Gardens girl - Northeast Times

Was the little girl you mentioned Barbara came to look for living with Ogrod or in the same building?

The documentary suggested several other possible killers, including Raymond Sheehan, who pleaded guilty to the 1987 rape and strangulation of 10-year-old Heather Coffin in her Frankford home. That case remained unsolved until 2003, when DNA evidence led police to Sheehan. The documentary contended that witnesses identified Sheehan as the man carrying the TV box with Barbara Jean’s body inside.

Remaining question. Was Barbara sexual assaulted, raped? She was naked and bludgeoned to death. Sounds like rage, pure hatred. What about the modus operandi?

 

[Bit of hope]

Ashamed?

Yes, for letting this go....

 

[Keith417]

I feel so sad when there is no justice for these young children. I really would love for something to come to light in the case of Lauren Maria Pico Jackson. If anyone on here could help with some sleuthing maybe we will start to get some answers about what happened to this precious child. It’s like she vanished in thin air.

 

[Bit of hope]

I feel so sad when there is no justice for these young children. I really would love for something to come to light in the case of Lauren Maria Pico Jackson. If anyone on here could help with some sleuthing maybe we will start to get some answers about what happened to this precious child. It’s like she vanished in thin air.

There is a threat for Lauren
PA - PA - Lauren Pico Jackson, 5, Spring City, 4 Oct 1988

 

[Keith417]

There is a threat for Lauren
PA - PA - Lauren Pico Jackson, 5, Spring City, 4 Oct 1988

Yes I know but everyone is stumped on what happened to Lauren. It’s so sad but thank you.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Walter Ogrod, who was convicted in the murder of 4-year-old Barbara Jean Horn, has reached a $9.1 million wrongful conviction settlement with the city of Philadelphia. Read more: https://6abc.com/walter-ogrod-philade...

 

[Bit of hope]

Walter Ogrod, who was convicted in the murder of 4-year-old Barbara Jean Horn, has reached a $9.1 million wrongful conviction settlement with the city of Philadelphia. Read more: https://6abc.com/walter-ogrod-philade...

I'm still flabbergasted how this investigation could go so very, very wrong. From the earlier stage in the investigation there was a more then obvious POI, maybe even two. I'm very happy Ogrod is free but it's very unsettling LE closed the case or a least claims to have no time to look into it again.

When Will the Search for Barbara Jean Horn's Real Killer Begin?

Barbara Jean Horn was killed in 1988 in Philadelphia, and the man convicted in her murder was exonerated last year after serving 28 years behind bars. That man, Walter Ogrod, and Barbara Jean’s family now want police to look again for the killer.

www.nbcphiladelphia.com

During its investigation into Ogrod’s conviction, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Conviction Integrity Unit found two suspects they believed may have killed Barbara Jean Horn.

“We think that there is more evidence suggesting they did it than Walter Ogrod ever,” Patricia Cummings, head of the Conviction Integrity Unit, said. “But it's not enough and at least it's not enough at this point in time.”

She said Philadelphia police detectives aren’t helping them with what she says should be a reopened case.

https://dpic-cdn.org/production/doc...nt-Stipulation-2020-02-28_JointStipofFact.pdf

Police were eventually able to trace the box to a Hitatchi television purchased on February 10, 1984, by Joseph Ward, who lived at 7208 Rutland Street, the same block as Barbara Jean.

29. On July 21, 1988, homicide detectives obtained a search warrant for the Ward home and executed it on that same day. note 9

Note 9.
9 The items identified <meaning they were looking explicitly for> in the search warrant were: Barbara Jean’s hair, blood, body tissue and fluids, fingerprints, clothing (pink shorts, pink top with horizontal stripes with spaghetti straps, panties; any and all animal hairs; any blunt instrument; any bloody clothing or rags; receipts and/or warrant card for Hitachi TV serial # S3L-043096; proof of residence of Wesley Ward; any writings of Wesley Ward; any photos of small child; news clippings of this incident or incidents of this nature; photos or sketches.

Walter Ogrod - National Registry of Exonerations

www.law.umich.edu

A search warrant was executed at the home, but nothing was found that linked him to the crime although no DNA testing was performed.

30. The break in tracing the box to the Ward home led Detectives to focus on Wesley Ward – the adult son of Ruth and Joseph Ward who lived at home with his parents and happened to be at home when the search warrant was executed.

31. During the search, police learned that during the week of Barbara Jean’s murder, Ruth and Joseph Ward were at the seashore and Wesley, an unemployed Temple University night student, was the only one at the house (other than the Ward’s cat).

32. Police collected a number of items from the Ward home and took photographs.

33. Police also investigated Ross Felice and conducted lengthy surveillance of him. <They obviously weren't able to get a search warrant for his house, or didn't ask for it?>

Neither Felice nor Ward were ever arrested.

 

[Kell1]

I remember this case, theres was a lot of pressure to solve it quickly , and theres a HUGE disparity in the Phila DA office of the past and what it is now , but that doesn't mean its better.