More Arrests Made in 1979 Mich. Slaying

Washington Times ^ | 9-21-06 | JAMES PRICHARD

[JZelle]

HOLLAND, Mich. (AP) -- For more than a quarter century, the brutal sex slaying of Hope College student and hotel clerk Janet Chandler baffled law enforcement officials. As the case grew colder with each passing year, it became less likely that whoever was responsible would be brought to justice.

Then, a film class at Hope produced a documentary that aired on a Grand Rapids television station in January 2004, and investigators started getting tips again.

[JZelle]

Security guards!

[Gay State Conservative]

Never heard that one before.

A few years ago,a prominent Harvard Medical School physician was charged with killing his wife in Wellesley (very posh town,it's where Hillary went to college).During the trial,the prosecutor presented irrefutable evidence of his guilt,including DNA.

During the trial his three kids,two of whom were physicians,swore up and down that Daddy was innocent.

I guess you just can't account for stupidity.

[sandbar]

>>>"My brother is innocent. My brother would not hurt a flea," said Bennett, 41, of Belle, W.Va
Never heard that one before.>>>

It's said 99% of the time an arrest is made.

[HawaiianGecko]

I"My brother is innocent. My brother would not hurt a flea," said Bennett, 41, of Belle, W.Va

Fifteen years ago, stuck in rush hour traffic and listening to a call in radio show I heard a similar line. A woman was just crying and swearing her "cannot do anything wrong son" accidentally shot a potato cannon from a moving car and it went through the living room window of guess what?  His high school principal.

You could hear a five mile long line of six across cars laughing their butts off at this mother.

[BallyBill]

A film class documentary. My hats off to them.

[F-117A]

More w/pics

[Bellflower]

What were their motives? What possessed them. How could 6 supposedly normal security guards plan and execute such a gruesome rape, beating and murder? What evil lurks in the heart of man!

[mel]

I wonder how they caught these people and what a odd mixture of people. Amazing they kept it quiet these long years out of so many it looks like someone would have blabbed sooner than this

[mel]

how do you ever get that many people to do an awful crime
hey let's go out rape and murder a young girl just bizaare

[Bonaparte]

"What were their motives?"

Motive for the kidnapping was to sexually assault her.

Motive for the sexual assault was to gratify their depraved sexual urges.

Motive for the killing was to silence the only witness against them.

Motive for dumping the body was to conceal evidence of their crime.

In a state like Michigan, murderers are coddled, so if they're convicted, they will spend the rest of their lives watching color TV and living off the tax-payer's dime.

[JZelle]

Thanks for the link. They remind me of the crew in that Clint Eastwood movie, "Sudden Impact".

[Bellflower]

It is also possible that Chandler did something to make one or more of them mad, maybe her roommate Swank. Maybe they thought she thought she was better then them and they were going to teach her a lesson. Apparently a whole group of people were motivated to do this together.

[Vn_survivor_67-68]

looks like someone would have blabbed sooner than this

my guess is the female roomate was the one.....and that there was DNA saved that was developed recently and the detectives got the exemplar DNA from the males on the sly to match it up

[wideminded]

A few years ago,a prominent Harvard Medical School physician was charged with killing his wife in Wellesley

Not the first murderer from Harvard Medical School: link

[Bonaparte]

One more comment...

Swank's motive was most likely envy or personal animosity toward JC arising from some previous incident/s.

From the Holland Sentinel --

Swank was the victim's roommate and night-shift supervisor and is accused of "enticing and encouraging the men to do what they did," Cox said.

Investigators described a situation in which transient security guards, motel staff, drugs and alcohol proved a volatile mix.

During the strike, sexual relationships developed between many of the motel staff and the security personnel, investigators said.

In documents filed in court Tuesday, investigators said jealousy and anger flared against Chandler as the six individuals charged plotted her murder.

"It was a sordid affair; it just went bad from top to bottom," said State police Lt. John Slenk, supervisor of the cold case team created in April 2004 to revisit the case, which had remained unsolved for 27 years.

Police allege the suspects duped Chandler into coming to the house, telling her they were throwing her a party early on Jan. 31, 1979.

When Chandler was brought to the house around 2 a.m. Jan. 31, she was handcuffed and blindfolded, and duct tape was placed over her mouth.

[Gay State Conservative]

Not the first murderer from Harvard Medical School

Hey,that's cool! What better place to hide the body parts of a murder victim than at a medical school.

[rintense]

This has been a huge sigh of relief in the Holland community. It's a small, conservative place and things like this are not forgotten by the community. The police, on the other hand... I'm just glad her family finally gets some closure.

[Bonaparte]

I think you've sized up the situation pretty well. A pack of drunken, drugged-out low-lifes did exactly what drunken, drugged-out low-lifes usually do.

[Bonaparte]

"The police, on the other hand..."

I've got to wonder about that too. When there are this many perpetrators who have a known association to the victim and are as stupid and as loose as this gang was, there should have been a great deal of incriminating evidence left behind. Even without DNA technology, there must have been fibers, foot- and finger-prints, blood, etc. Considering the character of these people, if that evidence had nailed even one of the perpetrators, he or she would surely have cut a deal and rolled over on the others.