Warrants disclose more details in Zimmermann death
MADISON, Wis. (AP) The 911 call from a college student's cell phone the day she died carried the sounds of a woman's screams and a struggle, according to search warrants obtained by a newspaper.
The warrants reviewed by the Wisconsin State Journal include police statements that describe the 911 call from UW-Madison student Brittany Zimmermann on April 2, shortly before her fiancee found her dead at their apartment.
Madison police and Dane County officials had for months refused to disclose the content of the call, which was mishandled by the 911 center. A dispatcher apparently failed to hear sounds on the other end and did not send police to the apartment, authorities have said.
"The disconnect call started with the sound of a woman screaming and the line remains active and open picking up the background sounds of a struggle for a short period of time," according to a description of the call by Madison Police Detective Marion Morgan.
The 911 call from Zimmermann's phone came at 12:20 p.m., the search warrants state. A short time later, her fiancee Jordan Gonnering found her cold and lifeless on the floor of their apartment near campus. She had been stabbed in the heart so many times that he thought she had been shot in the chest, one of the warrants revealed.
The warrants have been sealed and resealed by judges at the request of police and Dane County prosecutors, but the latest seal on them expired last week and no request was made to extend the seals.
Dane County District Attorney Brian Blanchard said police and prosecutors intended to seek a judge's order to extend the seals and the failure to do so was an oversight.
Investigators have spent months searching unsuccessfully for Zimmermann's killer, who they believe was a stranger. Gonnering was quickly ruled out as a suspect.
An autopsy report in one of the warrants said Zimmermann died from "complex homicidal violence including multiple stab wounds and strangulation." Other reports noted she had also been beaten and nearly half of the knife wounds that killed Zimmermann were to her heart.
The stab wounds were inflicted with a knife that was 2 to 5 inches long with a width of about three-quarters of an inch. The weapon had not been found as of an April 10 search warrant.
Police did obtain a long list of potential evidence from the scene, including clothing, kitchen knives, computer equipment, bedding and other items. They also took bloody women's slippers, a paper towel with an "unknown red substance," a sheet of computer paper with suspected blood drops and 18 blood samples.
Investigators also took 23 swabs for DNA and 10 fingerprints. They took nine partial footwear prints from the apartment and two sink traps and their contents.
At the beginning of the investigation, police took DNA from at least three homeless men who had come to their attention. All were ultimately cleared.
Dec 3, 2008 at 10:50 a.m.
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All of Rock County and it's Comunities respond to every 911 call even hangup and people saying it was a miss dial. Yeah it might take up time that officers could be doing other things, but it's better to respond then to have some thing like this happen.
Dec 2, 2008 at 7:12 p.m.
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I guess if you want to place blame to change the outcome of an ERROR on a 911 worker that cost a life take it to the top and blame Bush. The bottom line is the call came in and NOTHING was done to help the victim and the family has to live life without her my prayers and sympathy to all involved. The article states what was on the tape and no one LISTENED...............
Dec 2, 2008 at 6:44 p.m.
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this is the same 911 center that failed to dispatch officers to a park pavillion recently to intervene in a group scuffle that led to the death of a homeless man. Shame on you Madison, you island of liberalism that has always been surrounded by an ocean of common sense!
Dec 2, 2008 at 5:09 p.m.
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After this many years of the 911 system, how do these problems still exist?! This is a life saving service with no room for error, sometimes 911 is your only hope of survival.
Dec 2, 2008 at 5:07 p.m.
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Kathleen Falk is totally responsible for this. She is the one who oversees the County departments. A woman is dead because of the County department that she is suppose to be in charge of. I'm glad she isn't in our County screwing things up.
Dec 2, 2008 at 4:29 p.m.
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I also agree that Falk should be held responsible for the 911 failure ... she knew a long time before this tragedy occurred that experts had strongly recommended that 911 staff be increased immediately. Also, before the release of this tape, the public had been told by everyone (except the Madison Police Department) that it contained nothing of substance. Tell that to Brittany's boyfriend and family!
Dec 2, 2008 at 2:34 p.m.
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It's Dane County they pay a ton in taxes. I don't think that is what went wrong. But, nice try.
Dec 2, 2008 at 2:33 p.m.
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Falk is in charge of the County and the 911 call center is a county run department. She has been trying to cover this up and did nothing about this to bring closure to the family. She should resign. She never once said she was sorry about the death to the family or showed any remorse. we hold the President responsible for screw ups in this country why shouldn't we hold her responsible for something that went extremely wrong in her county?
Dec 2, 2008 at 2:10 p.m.
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Hmm. Let's see. Cut my taxes, cut my taxes, cut my taxes. Give me more and better services, give me more and better services... I think you get the picture.
Dec 2, 2008 at 2:08 p.m.
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The 911 employee involved no longer works there. She had previously requested a transfer out of the position. You should remember there is a lot of background noise in the 911 centers. What can be heard on the tapes later under close analysis is not necessarily what the 911 employee could have heard in real-time.
Dec 2, 2008 at 1:18 p.m.
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There are investigative reasons why the search warrants should have remained sealed. A serious screw up on the part of the DA in Dane County.
Dec 2, 2008 at 12:23 p.m.
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As to 911 tapes they are matter of public record and the only reason behind sealing them was something to hide and by the release of the press they had a whole lot to hide as what was revealed in this article.
Dec 2, 2008 at 12:19 p.m.
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It is not falks fault that a dispatcher failed to do her JOB! The 911 center is accountable for their employees and their conduct! If I fail to do my job as I am told to do I am fired... If my irresponsibility causes harm to another then it is I who is responsible......
Dec 2, 2008 at 12:14 p.m.
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Kathleen Falk should be held accountable for this tragedy and resign. What a disgrace to have this happen and could have maybe been prevented.
Dec 2, 2008 at 11:57 a.m.
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The Courts are convinced DNA evidence is absolute certainty. IT IS NOT. The DNA profiles use a small part of our DNA.
Raymond Easton suffers from Parkinson’s disease. By the year 2000 he was so disabled that he could not manage to dress himself alone.
Beyond a reasonable doubt is when you would be willing to be punished in the same way as the defendent should you be wrong and the defendent.
be exonerated.
In spite of this he was charged with a burglary which had taken place 200 miles away from his home.
Three years earlier Raymond was involved in a family dispute. He had been cautioned and a DNA sample was taken. Raymond’s DNA matched that found at the scene of the burglary.
Fortunately DNA testing offered a way out of the situation it had created. Once a fuller DNA analysis was made, differences between Raymond’s DNA and that of the burglar became clear and the charges against him were dropped.
Despite its increased resolution, DNA profiling is often not enough.
Mark Benecke, one of Europe’s leading consultant forensic biologists,based in Cologne, Germany, said, “Wrongful convictions can only be made if DNA is looked upon as the only evidence.“
The integration of different sources of forensic evidence and their combination with investigative and legal procedures are even more significant than progress in any single field, such as DNA testing.
Beyond a reasonable doubt is when you would be willing to be punished in the same way as the defendent should you be wrong and the defendent be exonerated.
Dec 2, 2008 at 11:53 a.m.
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This is a sad case that has "botched" written all over it. Based on the content of the call alone, the 911 operator should be fired. If this were my wife, daughter, sister, whatever, I'd be livid at how this was handled. Because of the mishandling of the 911 call the killer may never be found. This case should be taught in every class from here on out as an example of how NOT to do your job as a 911 operator. If lowly Rock County can afford a good system, why can't Dane County. This whole case stinks of beaurocratic BS. I'm tired of hearing about decisions being made for financial reasons rather than improving safety/protecting citizens.
Dec 2, 2008 at 11:26 a.m.
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"Dane County District Attorney Brian Blanchard said police and prosecutors intended to seek a judge's order to extend the seals and the failure to do so was an oversight." --- Unfortunately it wasn't the only oversight.
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