Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Eastern Michigan University Stays Quiet About Student's Rape and Murder for Weeks
ABC NEWS ^ | June 20, 2007 | staff

Posted on 06/20/2007 7:58:02 AM PDT by kellynla

Laura Dickinson was always close to her family members, working beside them in their coffee shop in Hastings, Mich. Even when she was away at college at Eastern Michigan University, she spoke to her parents and boyfriend every day.

So when Laura didn't return a couple of calls in December, her parents, Bob and Deb Dickinson, thought it was strange but chalked it up to the hectic end of the semester.

"I called her on Wednesday and there was no answer," Bob said.

But after a few days, when she still hadn't called, they began to worry and called university officials, asking them to check on their daughter.

Then Bob and Deb received the worst possible news: A dorm custodian had discovered Laura's body in her room after several of her neighbors complained about an odor.

"It was pretty devastating," Bob said. "I don't know if there's a gentle way to say that."

The official word from Eastern Michigan University was that Laura had died of natural causes, that somehow the healthy 22-year-old had been killed by a freak accident.

"They said there was no evidence of foul play," Laura's mother, Deb, said.

Murder Investigation Kept Under Wraps For 10 weeks, Laura's family and friends mourned her death and believed that it was indeed a horrible accident.

The student body was assured by school officials that the campus was safe.

But in February, the Dickinsons and campus received shocking news: Orange Amir Taylor, also a student at Eastern Michigan, had been arrested and charged with raping and murdering Laura.

"This was not a freak event, but a tragedy, a murder on our campus," said Tom Sidlik, chairman of the Michigan Board of Regents, which oversees the school.

It turns out that police and school officials had been quietly investigating Laura's death for weeks, but had never told the student body that they suspected a murder had been committed on campus and that the murderer was still at large.

"They're absolutely incorrect. The university got it wrong. It's unacceptable behavior of the university administration," Sidlik said.

By keeping the investigation secret, Eastern Michigan University violated a federal law, known as the Jean Clery Act, which is named for a student killed on another college campus. The law says that colleges must inform the campus community about crimes that are considered to be a threat to students and employees.

Travis Scott, Laura's boyfriend, questioned why the campus community wasn't informed about the threat.

It's a haunting reminder of the massacre at Virginia Tech, where parents and students weren't informed of the mental troubles of student Seung-Hui Cho because of state privacy laws. Cho fatally shot 32 people at the school before killing himself.

Taylor currently is being held without bail and is scheduled to be tried in the fall in Ann Arbor.

The Michigan Board of Regents commissioned an independent investigation into Laura's death. The almost-600-page report states, "The facts show that the University failed to timely and properly warn the campus community about Ms. Dickinson's death, which was unquestionably a possible homicide."

The school did not discuss the matter with ABC News and referred reporters to the Board of Regents. But said John Fallon, president of Eastern Michigan University apologized to his board of regents Tuesday for the university's handling of the case.

"I apologized to you and say ... never again will such a confounding series of mistakes be made on my watch," Fallon said.

Sidlik has apologized for the school's failure to be more forthright, but he denied the school had engaged in a cover-up and insisted mistakes were made because of ignorance of the Clery Act.

But these revelations come all too late for a family that has lost its only daughter.

"It's still hard for me to believe that she's gone. How could this have happened?" Laura's mother, Deb, said.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Extended News; Government
KEYWORDS: academia; coverup; easternmichiganuniv; hatecrime; lauradickinson; michigan; rape
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-69 next last
To: All
Orange had 3 run-ins with police in the past year alone

"His criminal record revealed three incidents in the past year, including being caught sliding through a window into a campus building. During a police interview at that time, he said he was looking for "girls and activity." He was also arrested and plead guilty to misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia in January."

http://www.woodtv.com/global/story.asp?s=6231757

41 posted on 06/20/2007 9:10:53 AM PDT by harwood (Ann Coulter: Future SCOTUS nominee!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 39 | View Replies]

To: ridesthemiles
I am done with “students” coming from terrorist nations to this country to “study”.

bttt

42 posted on 06/20/2007 9:13:15 AM PDT by stainlessbanner
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: slappyTmonkey

Please don’t link to or post from white-supremacist sites.


43 posted on 06/20/2007 9:14:15 AM PDT by Admin Moderator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: slappyTmonkey
I really don't know why anyone bothers with higher education anymore. Illiterates and morons can find work at WTOL:

Orange Talor the-third was arrested February-23rd in the death of Laura Dickinson of Hastings.

A Washtenaw County judge ruled today (Friday)(Good! Now I know this article was written on a Friday. The month and year are umimportant and, therefore, not to be found anywhere on the web page.) there was sufficient evidence for Taylor to stand trial on charges of open murder, first-degree criminal sexual conduct, larceny and home invasion.

The body of the 22-year-old Dickinson was found December-15th in her dormitory room. The 20-year-old Taylor was arrested after his D-N-A was matched to semen on Dickinson's leg.

I'm surprised the author didn't write "on the Dickinson's-leg."

44 posted on 06/20/2007 9:17:28 AM PDT by hellinahandcart
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: kellynla
Sidlik has apologized for the school's failure to be more forthright, but he denied the school had engaged in a cover-up and insisted mistakes were made because of ignorance of the Clery Act.

Yeah, who knew that it was wrong to lie to parents about their daughter being raped and murdered by a fellow student?

45 posted on 06/20/2007 9:22:10 AM PDT by LWalk18
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: All
Email from EMU communications director Pam Young; Re: the medical examiner: "I suggest laying low on this.."

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/177/474570142_9fe6f0ac09_o.jpg

46 posted on 06/20/2007 9:23:30 AM PDT by harwood (Ann Coulter: Future SCOTUS nominee!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 44 | View Replies]

To: kellynla
Sidlik has apologized for the school's failure to be more forthright, but he denied the school had engaged in a cover-up and insisted mistakes were made because of ignorance of the Clery Act.

Translation: If it isn't a violation of a specific law it's okay to cover up a murder.

Thank you, liberals.

47 posted on 06/20/2007 9:27:34 AM PDT by aculeus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: kellynla
The school did not discuss the matter with ABC News and referred reporters to the Board of Regents. But said John Fallon, president of Eastern Michigan University apologized to his board of regents Tuesday for the university's handling of the case.

What I would like to know is what was Fallon and his staff's rationale for keeping the murder secret.

A black man raping and murdering a white girl is something liberals would normally be loathe to report. IMO. But a white male raping a black girl would fit the liberal template perfectly. And would be eagerly reported and amplified (e.g. the Duke 88).

I will speculate that John Fallon and his staff are liberals. If so then the cover-up fits my template.

John Fallon

48 posted on 06/20/2007 9:48:29 AM PDT by Donald Rumsfeld Fan (NY Times: "fake but accurate")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: eleni121; hellinahandcart
Are you implying that the university deliberately misled the media so that the perp could be captured?

I believe this would be an appropriate procedure under certain circumstances. Since I am privy neither to the crime nor to the methods used for investigation, I am hardly qualified to imply or decry much of anything in this case. It would not surprise me in the least to discover that all reporting regarding this incident is subject to correction.

As for any lack of clear communication to the parents regarding the nature of this young lady's death, I'll withhold judgment since I am not on any jury related to the matter. There may be circumstances under which it is better to remain silent for a time. I am not aware of any inherent right to know everything. One would hope there could be a way to communicate clearly and truthfully under every circumstance, but a perfect world this ain't.

49 posted on 06/20/2007 10:10:21 AM PDT by Fester Chugabrew
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: kellynla
My daughter had a class with the murdered girl. One day, she didn't come to class and everyone wondered what had happened to her! Eventually, maybe a few days or a week later, they were just told that the girl was found dead in her dorm.

The poor girl's parents did NOT EVEN KNOW that their daughter had been raped and murdered until maybe 3 months later!!

50 posted on 06/20/2007 10:19:04 AM PDT by IamHD
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: All

Butzel Long report on Dickinson murder in; BoR Chair Sidlik: “This University got it wrong. What happened was unacceptable.”

The Board has made the executive summary and full report available on line at http://www.emich.edu/regents/Butzel_Long_investigation/BL_execsum.pdf and http://www.emich.edu/regents/Butzel_Long_investigation/BL_report.pdf


51 posted on 06/20/2007 10:22:39 AM PDT by fivecatsandadog ("well-educated, successful and intelligent" is sometimes synonomous with anus.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Fester Chugabrew
There may be circumstances under which it is better to remain silent for a time. I am not aware of any inherent right to know everything. One would hope there could be a way to communicate clearly and truthfully under every circumstance, but a perfect world this ain't.

I've been reading up on this for the past 45 minutes.

The girl lay dead in her dorm room for three days. She was found naked from the waist down, her legs spread apart, bruises on her neck, a pillow over her head, and semen on her bedding and inner thigh. Yet the university sent out a letter to students saying that she had "unexpectedly passed away" and that there were no signs of foul play.

They didn't "remain silent for a time." They flat out lied.

There is no inherent right to lie either, especially when they're violating the law.

52 posted on 06/20/2007 10:29:12 AM PDT by hellinahandcart
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 49 | View Replies]

To: All

An intial police report was shredded yet it is all still being characterized as a “communications breakdown” The politics and spin of a cover-up.


Report rips EMU over dorm death Probe: Officials broke law in slaying case

Eastern Michigan University officials violated federal law and compromised campus safety by failing to warn the public about the circumstances surrounding a student’s death in December, according to a report released Friday that sharply criticizes several top administrators.

The report says EMU officials knew police immediately suspected that Laura Dickinson had been murdered, but they failed to report that possibility to the public for more than two months while the suspect remained on campus.

The independent investigation by the Detroit law firm of Butzel Long faulted EMU for a variety of systemic administrative failures, including lax reporting of crime statistics, inadequate disclosure of campus security policies and failure to update its daily crime log. Some university administrators gave investigators conflicting accounts, complicating the probe, the report said.

The university initially reported “no foul play’’ was suspected even though Dickinson was found partially clothed with a pillow over her head on the floor of her dorm room Dec. 15. Only after a suspect was arrested on Feb. 23 did the university inform the public that Dickinson had been slain. The suspect, Orange Taylor III, was another EMU student who was on campus during the investigation.

The EMU Board of Regents commissioned the independent report after students and staff criticized the university for failing to alert the public of the suspected murder.

In presenting the report at a press conference Friday, Tom Sidlik, chairman of the board of regents, was blunt in his assessment of EMU policies and officials involved in the case.

“The findings are clear,’’ Sidlik said. “The university got it wrong. What happened is unacceptable.’’

Regents promised they would take unspecified disciplinary action against those responsible sometime in the next two weeks, but would give no further details.

The report is especially critical of Jim Vick, vice president for student affairs, and Cindy Hall, public safety director. It says both knew within hours of the discovery of Dickinson’s body that it may be a homicide. But both chose to continue to call the case a “death investigation’’ rather than a “homicide investigation’’ throughout the course of the two-month investigation, the report states.

The report also says that Vick at one point directed the shredding of an initial police report that typically makes its way to campus attorneys for review. The report says attorneys likely would have been alerted to the seriousness of the criminal probe and would have advised that the campus community be warned according to the federal Clery Act, which requires institutions to give timely warnings of incidents that represent a threat to campus.

EMU President John Fallon relied on Vick for information on the death investigation, according to the report, and apparently was not told everything Vick knew about Dickinson’s death. Fallon told investigators that Vick repeatedly told him to be patient and that there was nothing new in the investigation. Fallon has maintained in previous public statements that he did not become aware that a murder investigation was under way until a suspect was charged on Feb. 23. Fallon never sought additional information from anyone other than Vick, the report said.

Regents said Friday that EMU administrators were told not to attend the press conference and not to comment on the investigation.

Contacted Friday afternoon, Vick, who was placed on paid administrative leave March 5, said that he had been busy all day and had not read the report. He said he would review it with his attorney over the weekend and make a statement early next week if appropriate.

Hall did not return a message left on her cell phone on Friday.

Fallon was not in his office Friday afternoon and did not return calls to his cell phone seeking comment.

The investigation concluded that students and staff were placed at risk as a result of EMU’s failure to change its public statement on Dec. 16 that no foul play was suspected in Dickinson’s death, despite what the report characterizes as immediate evidence that a homicide could have occurred.

The report notes the statement wasn’t removed from EMU’s Web site until student Taylor was arrested and charged with rape and murder on Feb. 23.

“Instead of providing a warning, or even no statement at all, the university’s statement dismissed the possibility of foul play and offered assurances of safety,’’ the report said.

“University officials admit they knew the statement was inaccurate. Despite those admissions, no one demonstrated sufficient initiative or took sufficient action to see that it was corrected.’’

What resulted was “regrettable and widespread anxiety and a breach of trust,’’ the report said.

Murder clues

The investigation found that circumstances surrounding Dickinson’s death showed immediately that homicide was a strong possibility. Within a few days, a drop of fluid found on the body was determined to be semen. In addition, multiple law enforcement agencies responded to the scene, and the county medical examiner believed by the end of Dec.15 that the conditions of Dickinson’s death were suspicious.

The findings say Hall also believed by the end of that day that Dickinson might have been murdered. Hall was in Dickinson’s room that day and observed the condition of her body, the report said. The report said Hall and Vick discussed the investigation numerous times over the two months before the arrest.

Regent Jim Stapleton, who chaired a board subcommittee that acted as the liaison with the law firm, said the report revealed a significant amount of miscommunication at EMU “and, quite frankly, dysfunction.’’

Through interviews and other evidence, the firm concluded that confusion existed over how to warn the campus on Dec. 15. There was no written policy or procedure and EMU officials lacked experience with such a death on campus.

Investigators said a noteworthy example of such confusion came when the university’s initial statement was crafted after a conversation between Fallon and Rhonda DeLong, then interim director of university communications. DeLong was out of town on Dec. 15 and unaware Dickinson’s body had been discovered.

The statement released the next day said, in part, that there was no reason to suspect foul play and that officials were fully confident in the safety and security of the campus environment.

“It is clear that law enforcement’s recognition that homicide was a reasonable possibility was not effectively communicated to the people who prepared and issued the December 16th statement’’ the report said. “It is also clear that those persons preparing and issuing the December 16th statement did not adequately confirm the accuracy ... with DPS or any other department prior to its issuance.’’ (See related story.)

The next week, additional events arose that pointed to murder as a possibility, according to the report.

An initial incident draft report involving the Dickinson case was circulated to the Student Affairs office. The report contained graphic details about her body and the conditions under which she was found. After several department administrators read the report, they brought it to the attention of Vick, who indicated he was aware of the details in it.

Vick said that, after consulting with Hall, he directed the document be shredded, according to the report. Hall denied that she told Vick to shred the document, adding she was not aware of the document.

Had it not been shredded, the report would be been circulated to University General Counsel Ken McKanders, who told investigators “it would have raised a flag,’’ the report said.

Vick did not inform Fallon the document had been destroyed, the report said.

Investigators say neither the original report or a copy could be found. “... Regardless of why the (document) was destroyed, it is undisputed that Mr. Vick and Chief Hall clearly understood this was an investigation of a potential homicide, no corrective action was taken despite increasing indicators that the ‘no foul play’ statement was inaccurate, and no action was taken to warn the campus community of a possible homicide,’’ the report states.

Questions asked

A variety of EMU officials at various points questioned whether the “no foul play’’ assertion should be retained. Among them was Lt. Jeff Nesmith, who said he asked Hall, “Why are we saying that?’’ Nesmith said he did not recall Hall’s response, and did not discuss the issue with anyone else.

Upon Taylor’s arrest, key players such as Vick and Hall went into “damage control mode,’’ according to the report. Among other things, officials asserted that university officials had to balance the need to disclose information against preserving the integrity of the investigation, and the label “death investigation’’ justified the lack of a warning.

“None of these justifications precluded the issuance of a warning or excuse the failure to warn the campus community about the undisputed reasonable possibility of a homicide under circumstances that included that fact that the victim’s keys were missing,’’ the report said.

Sidlik and Stapleton said the regents would decide on any personnel or policy changes resulting from the report’s conclusions in the coming weeks. They would not comment on what those moves might be, but said changes would likely come before the regents next formal meeting on June 19.

The report involved 80 interviews and more than 1,200 pages of documents. Other than Stapleton, none of the regents saw the report until Friday morning, Stapleton said.

Rich Hewlett, an attorney with Butzel Long who helped conduct the investigation, did not have an overall estimate of the cost of the probe. But he said that he had submitted invoices of between $220,000 and $225,000 to EMU for about half of the work.

Attending the press conference were four members of the law firm, including Hewlett, David DuMouchel, Michael Lavoie and Timothy Labadie.

Other regents present were Fran Parker and Gary Hawks - members of Stapleton’s committee - and Floyd Clack. EMU administrators, including Fallon, were ordered not to attend, to underscore the independent nature of the investigation, Stapleton said.

Reaction to report

Campus observers said the report was strikingly frank in its criticism of EMU’s handling of the incident.

“It’s an attempt (by the board) to be open and honest,’’ said Bert Greene, an emeritus professor who attended the press conference. “That’s refreshing.’’

“I was fearing a whitewash, and this is not that,’’ said S. Daniel Carter, vice president of a national campus crime information watchdog organization, Security on Campus.

Carter said the EMU incident is the most serious violation of the Clery Act since it was enacted in 1990. “None were a murder with a suspect at large,’’ he said.

Carter said he hoped EMU would heed the report’s recommendations. “They need to make sure this is fixed, that something like this will never happen again,’’ he said. “And if anyone deliberately withheld information ... if a person did that, they don’t deserve to work in higher education ever again. They don’t deserve to be responsible for student safety ever again.’’

The U.S. Department of Education is also conducting an investigation of whether EMU violated the Clery Act, and is expected to issue its report in the next few weeks, according to federal officials.

D.O.E. investigators have declined to comment on the probe, but Butzel Long attorneys say the government will likely cite EMU for violations and impose fines in connection with some of them.

Carter said the case demonstrates as clearly as anything that internal communications and the right hand knowing what the left is doing is critical.

The Virginia Tech shooting tragedy in April and the EMU incident “bring that home,’’ he said. “If we can’t get there after this, then what we have been doing for 20 years is pointless.’’

Steven Hiller, deputy chief assistant prosecutor for the county, said he had not had time to read the entire report, but that it was unlikely any findings would affect the criminal trial and proceedings with Taylor.

Taylor faces charges of open murder, first-degree criminal sexual conduct, first-degree home invasion and larceny. He has a pretrial hearing next Wednesday.

http://www.mlive.com/news/annarbornews/index.ssf?/base/news-23/1181371752292560.xml&coll=2&thispage=1


53 posted on 06/20/2007 10:32:16 AM PDT by Altura Ct.
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 49 | View Replies]

To: kellynla

The photos and the names explain 100% of why this was covered up.


54 posted on 06/20/2007 10:36:26 AM PDT by Leftism is Mentally Deranged
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Fester Chugabrew
The official word ...that Laura had died of natural causes, that somehow the healthy 22-year-old had been killed by a freak accident.
“They said there was no evidence of foul play,” Laura’s mother, Deb, said.

A terrible thing to do to the family.

However as to whether the coverup was to the advantage of authorities tracking down the perp-—common sense implies that misleading the public/media would help in the investigation.

Certainly laws are imperfect..and the law involved here - Jean Clery act - was instituted to make sure that the wider community knows of threats and is able to take precautions. In the Virginia tech case the public again did not know about the threats posed by the maniac and the result was more horror...another avoidance of this law.

55 posted on 06/20/2007 10:50:07 AM PDT by eleni121 ((+ En Touto Nika! By this sign conquer! + Constantine the Great)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 49 | View Replies]

To: Altura Ct.

An intial police report was shredded yet it is all still being characterized as a “communications breakdown” The politics and spin of a cover-up.

The initial police report was shredded because it was a DRAFT police report, released prematurely to the University administrators, and contained errors of fact. The MSM has picked up on this tid-bit and blown it totally out of whack.


56 posted on 06/20/2007 10:54:18 AM PDT by fivecatsandadog ("well-educated, successful and intelligent" is sometimes synonomous with anus.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 53 | View Replies]

To: harwood
The Religion Of Peace, again? Nope. Just another would-be Dem voter.

I wouldn't be so sure of that.

Orange Amir Taylor

57 posted on 06/20/2007 11:12:22 AM PDT by subterfuge (Today, Tolerance =greatest virtue;Hypocrisy=worst character defect; Discrimination =worst atrocity)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: eleni121; hellinahandcart
I don’t think the VA Tech case was willful avoidance of publishing information, but an inability to do so quickly and accurately. This case, however, appears to be different. Possibly liberals doing what they do best: willfully keeping us ignorant. OTOH, and my point: I don’t think it is necessary to hype this news beyond its value, but only to protect the public through cautious, accurate, professional dispense of information. That fairly well discounts mainstream “journalism.”
58 posted on 06/20/2007 12:53:31 PM PDT by Fester Chugabrew
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 55 | View Replies]

To: fivecatsandadog
"The initial police report was shredded because it was a DRAFT police report, released prematurely to the University administrators"

Since there is not even a copy of said document how do you know this?

59 posted on 06/20/2007 2:26:41 PM PDT by Altura Ct.
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 56 | View Replies]

To: Altura Ct.

Read the Butzel Long report. I posted the link a few posts earlier today.


60 posted on 06/20/2007 6:57:32 PM PDT by fivecatsandadog ("well-educated, successful and intelligent" is sometimes synonomous with anus.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 59 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-69 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson