Posted on 06/16/2010 11:28:06 AM PDT by nickcarraway
The man accused of killing 3-year-old Riley Fox, Scott Eby, left a big clue at the scene of the crime six years ago.
Eby, who was living about a mile from the Foxes in 2004, left a pair of mud-covered shoes at Forked Creek, where he allegedly raped and killed Fox. The shoes had his name written on them.
Police collected the shoes and put them into evidence but never followed up. They focused their case instead on the girl’s father, Kevin Fox who confessed to her murder. Charges were later dropped thanks to DNA evidence that excluded him.
“Sheriff’s office did miss the clue, but so did the FBI and the state’s attorney’s office,” a spokesman for the Will County Sheriff’s department said. Will County Sheriff Paul Kaupas didn’t address the shoe snafu, but he did issue an apology to the family earlier this month.
"I don't think that this department is that proud where we are not going to admit any mistakes. We just want to find out how to do things better and hope it doesn't occur again," he said.
Kaupas said he plans to bring in outside investigators to review the case and their investigative protocols. "Sometimes have to bring in other people who aren't familiar with the area... to come in and show you that over a period of time you might have graduated into complacency with the way your police techniques work," he said.
Kaupas now admitted his department "obviously dropped the ball" and says he's lost sleep and agonized over this case.
"I apologize to [Kevin Fox] and the family," he said. "I don't know if he would ever see things our way, but I would try to explain... what kind of ball might have been dropped in this part of the investigation or that part of the investigation and what we are going to do to fix it." Kevin Fox's attorney, Kathleen Zellner, said she admires Kaupas' courage in coming forward and apologizing to the family. Cops said they made a mistake
"Sheriff Kaupas had nothing to do with the miscarriage of justice in this case," she said.
Note: an earlier version of this story said Kevin Fox was convicted in his daughters death. He was never convicted, but spent 8 months in jail.
Source: http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local-beat/Riley-Fox-Killer-Left-Signed-Shoe-at-the-Scene-96460849.html#ixzz0r2eve8dQ
I’m with you on this issue.
However, have you noticed that some people don’t seem to have an inner core? That they can be led to say what they think someone wants to hear?
My daughter was that way until she reached adulthood, and still may have that tendency, but in her case it was Asperger’s.
Coercion doesn’t occur as if in some 1950’s B movie. For instance, coercion occurs when the police convince the subject that someone else has given them all the information they need for a conviction, but that a confession would go a long way to soften the judge’s sentencing.
Also from the article I quoted: “The timing of the charges also seemed curious, coming just six days before a tight election for state’s attorney between Tomczak, the incumbent, and a bitter rival, James Glasgow. What’s more, Tomczak’s father, Donald, second-in-command at the City of Chicago’s water department, had just been named in a federal indictment for corruption.”
except in forced false confessions, there are no details to reveal.
Sure, people should refuse to talk to the police, but most of them don't.
Well, exactly. Until you hear those details, a confession is just another witness statement.
Not really as they can and will arrest you for a confession, false or not.
I found out the hard way that police will fabricate witness statements in order to make an arrest. It happened to me personally. I gave a statement regarding something that happened to me and I signed it without reading it thinking I could trust the police to write down what I said. Instead, they wrote a work of complete fiction. Very hard lesson to learn.
He already got it. $15.5 million dollars.
Sounds about right.
Sounds reasonable.
IF this is the case I saw on TV, they did a 14 hour interrogation, till they got a false confession. Then they told the FBI NOT to run the DNA. They ignored the house broken into next door. They never did a crime scene on where the baby was found/raped and the diapers discarded.
Keystone cops if you ask me.
They are fond of saying that most violent crimes are committed by a relative of the victim. I say it is because they go after relatives and refuse to check out any other evidence.
BS. Write down this keyword: Donutwatch. Follow it on these forums. Cameras post events on YouTube every week that disprove what you just asserted.
You are saying what you WANT TO BELIEVE . but it does not hold up against reality. In the YouTube age pollyanna fantasies like yours don't sell
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