Nona Dirksmeyer Murder: Special Prosecutor Appointed

This is something I blogged about awhile back. Apparently there have been some new developments.

Defense team says DNA found on condom wrapper matched to “viable suspect”

More than two years after her murder — and nearly seven months after a Franklin County jury found her longtime boyfriend, Kevin Jones, not guilty of the crime — a special prosecutor has been appointed to investigate the death of Nona Dirksmeyer, according to a press release issued Friday by Dennis C. Sutterfield, administrative judge for the 5th Judicial District.

Comments

[Mother-of-Murder-Victim]

I have followed the murder of Nona a bit and caught the last 15 minutes of 48 hours last night. I have also just read all the comments which were added to your previous discussion.

First, I would like to put this link in because my daughter was murdered in New York City and the case is unsolved, and this is why.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2008/02/03/2008-02-03_highprofile_cases_are_jeopardized_by_nyp-2.html

The NYPD has failed miserably in solving my daughter's murder and much of the blame can be directed to their CS Unit. The rest of the blame can be directed to the detectives who were assigned to the case.

The CSU did a little fingerprint dusting and that was it. They failed to pick up crucial evidence, which I later found and turned over to them. They concentrated on her boyfriend for months, excluding all others. When I protested that they were looking in the wrong direction they dismissed me.

I have been fighting for years to have her murder investigated properly. I don't know where else I can turn. I just get nowhere with the whole hierarchy of the NYPD and the NY politicians who refuse to do anything.

It's not just this murder either. There are so many unsolved murders in New York City of women which are going unsolved due to the mistakes that the police have been making and their lack of training.

PC Kelly is more interested in being a terrorism czar than in doing the job he was hired to do.

[templar knight]

Mother-of-murder-victim, my thoughts and prayers go out to you, and as the father of three children, including a daughter, I can imagine, but not truly contemplate the misery you have endured over the event. To have an uncaring and unprofessional police force investigating the murder just adds insult to injury.

One of the things that is discussed almost daily on this blog is the lack of respect, and frankly, lack of any actions taken on behalf of the people who pay the salaries of these officials, whether they be police or in many instances politicians. One honestly wonders where our country is headed.

I can only advise you to keep at these people, and to attempt to get as much publicity as possible about your daughter out there, and perhaps find a reporter who might be interested in seeking justice for your daughter and you. God bless you.

[Cyndi]

I just finished watching 48 Hours and I can't help but feel as though the step father is the guilty person. I seriously hope not but did you watch, I mean really watch him during the interview with him about the cell phone, not only did that whole excuse for getting it back sound ridiculous but he looked guilty to me. Hmmm, makes ya wonder doesn't it.

[Mother-of-murder-victim]

Templar Knight - thank you.
I have been reading the comments about Nona's murder investigation and I see the police made the same mistakes that were made in my daughter's murder investigation. They focused on the most likely suspect, the boyfriend. I don't fault them for this as it certainly is a good place to start but I believe there should be parallel investigations going on.

Kevin Jones agreed to take a polygraph test and failed. That was a big mistake on his part, his lawyer never should have allowed it. Even though polygraphs are not allowed in court the information gets leaked to the press in an attempt to sway juries. Even now some people on the chat boards are swearing that he is guilty because of the polygraph.

Today, in the New York Post, there is another case of a wrongly convicted man suing for big bucks, 22 million dollars for 22 years in jail. Last week the NY Daily News had another. It's a shame that the taxpayers pay these sums and not the officials who oversaw these miscarriages of justice.

In my daughter's case the police did such a bad job at the crime scene in my opinion because they thought the boyfriend did it, and because they thought he would confess as soon as they got him down to the precinct. That didn't happen though, but they kept after him, excluding the possibility that it could be someone else.

I found evidence a few days later that shifted the time of death, which then exonerated him. However, the police answer to that evidence was that "it could have been planted".

Five months later they finally gave up on him. Now they've shifted their investigation to someone else, likely to them but very, very, very unlikely to me.
I am now on the 4th detective to look at this case. They keep retiring. The NYPD cannot keep people after 20 years anymore. Once they are eligble for their pensions they leave because if they get into any kind of trouble they are in danger of losing it, plus they are unhappy with the way the department has been operating under Kelly. They long to have Bratton back.
Me too.

[Donna]

YES! My husband and I both thought the same thing. Nona's stepfather looked creepy and guilty! What is that old saying "Me thinks thou doest protest too much!"

I hope they find the right person so that her parents are forced to apologize to this young man who did nothing but love their daughter!

[Marie]

My hinky meter went off too with the stepfather!!!

[dini]

all of us think the stepfather looks good for it too....no forced entry, she had been sexually molested by her real father (mom seemed to be looking the other way then too), the cell phone weirdness, and the condom....both Kevin and her other boyfriend said they never used condoms......we were screaming at the TV, going "no way Kevin did it!" and i usually ALWAYS side with the prosecutors. small town cops, lazy, and going for the low hanging fruit instead of truly building a solid case. had i been the prosecutor, i would have told them to no bill it until they had some solid evidence.

[Harriet Laws]

The stepfather was VERY creepy, and although his reason for wanting the cell phone was STUPID, so were the police for giving it to him. I hope they will apologize to Kevin after the real killer is found, but then, too little, too late. I have a real problem with the detectives who built a case on evidence that wasn't there - such as "tacky" blood. OMG!!!!!! Good the jury could see through that. Notice how the mom went from loving Kevin to "he did it". Think maybe it is because she doesn't wanting them looking at her husband.

[Donna]

You know I hadn't thought about it, but yeah--Nona's mom definitely has a history of "looking the other way" when it comes to the loser men she has married. I keep looking for a news update on the DNA results. I hope it is posted soon.

[sue s]

Did Nona have an inhietance from real dad that step dad and mom could lose unless she was gone$ Who benifits$$$$$

[Gene Burdick]

I wonder if the defense attorney pointed out that they had a five year relationship with no hint of any violence. As far as the motive the police tried to float, the condom, Kevin probably had many other girls along the way in our now very permissive society, thanks to Bill Clinton examples.
Why would he get angry over that. I am sure he had other clues along the way of her "playing the field."
I sympathize with the mother of the girl, but to jump to a guilty conclusiong based on no evidence is incredible to me.

[elizabeth]

hi! i just wanted to post a comment as i am from russellville, ar where this murder took place. i have acquaintances who are friends of nona and kevin. i have no idea who killed her but i can tell you i'm in the middle of the rumor mill and some of the information i have is really first hand witness accounts. what i was told right after the murder was that nona had been molested by her step-father not her biological father. i had also been told that she did have money from her biological father that was a source of contention between her and her mother. her mother basically didn't have much to do with her, her entire life. now she's stepping out in the lime light once she's dead. on the other side of the coin i have heard that kevin jones came over drunk to a friend's house and admitted to killing nona. people that have known kevin since he was a little boy told me also of his outrageous temper. all i know is that someone killed her and we'll probably never know who because the russellville police department jacked up the investigation so badly. i pray they do find the real killer and that it's not kevin jones since he can't be punished for it at this point. rip nona

[Janet]

If that were my daughter's phone I would put it in a very special place and nobody would touch it. First, of course, I would check out every number that was on it and have my own 'investigation'. And, yes, my husband and I though the step-father was very 'creepy'.
Kevin and his palm print on the light bulb: They didn't explain it very well but possibly it got there because he pushed the bulb out of the way to help his girlfriend, that would explain only his palm print on the bulb. If the killer 'grabbed' the bulb wouldn't it leave prints of a few fingers.
And stop the rumors Elizabeth - that's how urban legends start - "I heard" "someone said" please.

[Padawan]

I'll add a few comments as I also live in Russellville, AR. This was one of the most fouled up circuses I've ever laid eye's on. The rumor mill (and I'm throwing the local paper in this category, also) ran rampant. Notice the case was tried in Franklin county, not Pope where Russellville is.

First, I've talked to several officers and detectives, as my family owns a business that brought us in contact with several RPD daily, and their first response is that the officers first on the scene didn't lock down the site correctly. By the time actual investigators made the scene precious time had been lost to the before mentioned gaff.

Second, the political climate in Russellville is very interesting, to say the least. There was so much pressure to go to trial quick that they didn't get a good case built. Not that they didn't have evidence, but that they were not given the time to put it together properly. (I should mention here that I am not a very big fan of the RPD and their training and that most of these that I talked to are in the same boat as I am)

Third, one officer told me that Kevin is a big CSI fan and that he made some very interesting moves in the discovery of Nona, whom had broken up with him the week before (I haven't seen very much of the 48 hours show so I'm not sure what all they provided). First, he called his mom to go with him to check on her, something that he had never done before. Then, upon entering the room and seeing Nona dead he "flung himself over her body" and then managed to 'contaminate' every critical area of the scene before he called the police. The assumption is that he knew they would have trouble telling the difference between the two 'visits' (and knowing the RPD it was a good assumption).

Forth, I don't know anyone remotely involved that doesn't think a killer walked. One officer, who deals with murderers every day, said he had looked at the videos and talked to Kevin and said that intangible feeling he gets off of people who have killed others boiled off of Kevin. Not that it was even in cold blood, probably a crime of passion, but the cover-up was calculated.

Now, all of this is still opinions from the people that were trying the case. And I do not offer this up as proof that he did it. Only that there is more to the whole story than has gotten attention. I, personally, did not know either of them or their families. But I hope this at least balances out the lopsided views that I have heard since the 48 Hours special.

[lostone]

Whose DNA was on the condom wrapper? The stepfather looks like the guilty one to me. He is a very creepy person and I wonder if he was investigated at all.

[EJ]

I just watched the Dateline episode about this case and from the second the stepfather came on screen, I assumed it was going to turn out that he did it. I still think he did it, it will just take some time before his episode makes it to prime time T.V. He is pretty creepy.

[Karen]

I just finished watching the Dateline episode on Nona and was struck by the lack of emotion from Nona's mother. Was she actually smiling during her interviews?! Her husband was very weird, too. I agree he is creepy. I also was expecting the show to finish up by telling us he is under investigation. And what was that about after his getting Nona's phone he kept calling his wife? She mentioned that he called her 8 times at work that day or something. I wondered also about the mother's choices of men.

[bj]

We just watched Dateline too, and we KNOW the stepfather did it. In fact, I think Nona was molested by her stepfather, not her dead biological father. She was probably so tortured by her stepfather's attacks that she eventually had to talk about it to her boyfriend...but was too scared to tell the complete truth so named her dead dad to prevent legal action or retaliation. But when she was forced to tell her mom about it, the stepfather got scared and killed her. It seems so obvious! That's why she moved out of the house as soon as he moved in. That's why he took the cell phone.

[lauren]

i think it was the stepfather too!
i was just watching how the murder happened and the trials on nbc and kevins lawyers were trying to get nona's cellphone because it could have evidence on it but the stepfather got the cell before they could and he erased everything on it!
the police did a horriable job really investigating this murder!

[sc]

Just watched Dateline, and I agree the step father probably did it. This was interesting, right after the step father explained that he was Christmas shopping and had receipts to prove it:

Narrator: Besides, as Carol said about Dwayne...
Carol (Nona's mother): "And I told him that day -- you called me like 8 or 10 times which is unusual at work. He hardly ever calls me at work."

Setting up an alibi perhaps?

[Bklyn32]

I watched Dateline last night, and I STRONGLY believe the step father did it. Not just the cell phone incident, but the fact that Nona's mother said he called her an unusual number of times at work when he usually doesn't call her at work. This really stood out in my mind. He stuttered when he brought up having store receipts to prove where he was. He was REALLY was trying to alibi himself. Unfortunatly he brainwashed Nona's mother against Kevin and managed to place the police's attention elsewhere as well. The step father did it or knows who did and had something to do with it. The police were also over zealous to quickly solve the crime. Any novice would know to dust the point of entry for prints as well as the murder weapon and any surface that may have been relative to the act. The table where the lamp was, the counter where the comdon wrapper was found, the bathroom, test her clothing for the murderers DNA. He had to have handled it to remove it. Thier investigators and interigators should consider other careers.

[Susan]

I just finished watching the Dateline special on this case. I don't think that Kevin is guilty. However, based on watching the program and based on what I consider to be very excellent intuition on my part, my GUESS is that the stepfather is involved in some way. There's something wrong with him character-wise, and I feel this very strongly. I wish the police could check his computer for pornography, possible online relationships, etc. If they found any, this would begin to tell something about his character/leanings. I think it's VERY possible that he could have been sexually attracted to his stepdaughter and lusted after her. There was the mention of his "rules" and being in at 10:00pm, as well, and that's why she moved out to her own place. I wonder what types of tension were in the house BEFORE she moved out? Apparently, he was very controlling even though Nona was a sophomore in college and a great kid. Also, what was the stepfather/stepdaughter relationship like AFTER she moved out? It's quite possible that with an angry-type personality that the stepfather MAY have been quite upset with NONA for moving out. The object of his desire/control up and left. I believe there's much more to the story where the stepfather is concerned. Also, I don't believe his whole story about the cell phone at all. It just doesn't make sense that he would deign to make the decision--instead of the police in such an important matter--about erasing everything on Nona's phone. When something doesn't make sense like that, it's probably because someone is hiding something. If you smell a rat, there IS a rat!

[gem]

I am troubled by this case. It is way too obvious the stepfather had something to do with this. I think dateline knows it to and has portrayed it in this way as to let us know..but they cannot say that for fear of being sued. Good job dateline..they definitely got their point across without actually directly saying it.

[Andrea]

I watched Dateline too... I agree the stepfather seemed rather devoid of emotion. I would guess that there was "bad blood" between him and his stepdaughter... as to why.... who knows?

Dateline tried to be objective, but there is always some spin on a news story... they tried to give us both spins. There was somewhat of a suspense buildup, like I would expect from a fictional show like CSI.

If the Dateline presentation had been fiction, I would guess the perp was someone in the police department. I can't figure out any other excuse for such a shoddy investigation and their immediately pouncing on Kevin without any other possible suspects... especially since Nona was a public figure with a cause sure to annoy crazies and pedophiles!!!

Who was Nona's other boyfriend that was referred to? Someone in the PD? Sadly, life isn't always like fiction with all the ends neatly tied off.

Also,
Padawan said:
"One officer, who deals with murderers every day, said he had looked at the videos and talked to Kevin and said that intangible feeling he gets off of people who have killed others boiled off of Kevin."

Really?? Murderers every day? In Russellville??? Then it must not be the small town depicted by Dateline!!

[buckpinne]

I assume many of these recent posts here also searched "nona's stepfather killed her" and were given this page as a top priority. Yes, i agree with the last poster that the mother and stepfather both came across as very strange individuals, and I also think Dateline got that point across, because I also thought that the stepfather may have been trying to set up an alibi w/ his perfectly placed phone calls and receipts, and his erasure of the cell phone. I don't know why but I just got a starnge feeling from the moment he said, "Nothing good ever happens past 10 o' clock"

[buckpinne]

I assume many of these recent posts here also searched "nona's stepfather killed her" and were given this page as a top priority. Yes, i agree with the last poster that the mother and stepfather both came across as very strange individuals, and I also think Dateline got that point across, because I also thought that the stepfather may have been trying to set up an alibi w/ his perfectly placed phone calls and receipts, and his erasure of the cell phone. I don't know why but I just got a starnge feeling from the moment he said, "Nothing good ever happens past 10 o' clock"

[Jennifer]

Did anyone else think that is was weird that Nona's mom said her husband call her a million times at work that day, and he never normally did that? I also wonder if anyone checked to see if he got a new batterie for that phone? I know it sounds a little farfetched, but that's the kind of stupid mistake that could point a finger to him. He just didn't seem right to me.

[Jennifer]

Oh, and another thing....The first thing I thought of when they said the boyfriend had stayed the night was that the stepfather would NOT like that!! I don't even know him, but I just felt he would be very mad about that. Maybe he found out and didn't like another man being with her.

[Stefanie Nicole]

I agree with the last post on this site THE STEP-FATHER TOTALLY DID IT!!! its funny that they didnt mention him as even being a suspect why? and the whole cell phone thing is just a bit too odd, but i went to college in small town, when you know people its very easy to get away with things and for things to disappear......Not to mention what really was up with the fact that the husband called Nonas mom sooo much and it was funny how dateline said that when they questioned the step-father how he just "happened" to be out christmas shopping that day.....I really think that they should put all their time and energy into the step-father.....I think he confessed to his wife about what he did and that is why the mother suddenly changed her view so quickly from loving kevin to oh he did it and i know he did....I am eager to hear what the new evidence they have points out.

[pmt62]

Very strange... it will be interesting to see who REALLY murdered this beautiful young woman... but I must agree, the step father gave me the cold rush as the guilty one. What a cold, detached and emotionally ugly individual he appears to be ... plus controlling. The mother, a useless woman obviously controlled by two contemptuous men. As a victim of sexual assault when a child, I have to ask, as I have many times in my own situation ... how does a 'MOTHER' not know when her child has been violated!!! do the little girls wash their own clothes? It is far too easy to ignore what one does not want to see or know. The mother, not close to her BEAUTIFUL daughter, did not appear to be devastated by the loss of her ONLY child - how could she smile so frequently during this program! The police department in Russelville needs to grow a spine and get to work. Admit their failure to perform a crime scene investigation; test every possible source of evidence and get the real person responsible. It will amaze me if the step father is innocent on this one. His dim wit of a wife needs to be slapped hard to be awakened from the stupor of her life!

[OpinionJ]

Ok so I have searched all over the internet for information on the stupid stepfather. Not to say that I'm a rocket scientist or law prodigy but from the moment I saw the stepfather I knew he had to have done it! I watch law and order and CSI all the time so I try to see if I get it right in the end so all throughout the entire show I try to gather my own evidence from what's shown and make my own assumptions. But I was deeply disturbed by the smirk on the mother's face when talking about her daughters death. The boyfriend and his mother were more sympathetic than her own parents. At first my guess was the stepfather. Then when I heard he called her numerous amounts of times and he just happened to have receipts from when she was being murdered I knew he was guilty. There is absolutely no way that they can positively identify the exact time she was killed unless the clocks stopped and even if he did go shopping he was still close enough to go to her apartment and kill her. My theory is that yes he did rape her....and she felt helpless so she started cutting herself so she moved out! And when she moved out he got more angry and she had told him she was going to tell her mother because I'm sure she would've asked her why she was doing it and that's when he went psycho. I really hope with all of my heart that they convict this "murderer" with the crime he committed and he can go rot in jail and meet Bubba! I also think that the mother is in denial....she was unaware of her husband raping her daughter and she doesn't want to believe it! Or she could know something about it but he's brainwashed her so much that she won't say a word....but as soon as someone gets any new information could you please post it because all I want is REAL justice for Nona!

[Bob choat]

As a former Los Angeles Police Officer and having family in Russellville - my main concern was the incompetence of the detectives and others involved in the initial investigation. The crime scene and evidence should have been protected from the start. Any and all items at the crime scene should have been gathered as evidence and a "chain of custody" established afterwards. That includes conducting a thorough gathering - including fingerprints and blood evidence. If the RPD was not equipted to do so - then the Arkansas State Police should have been called in. I would like to have seen the crime reports as they matched up to any evidence. I can't believe that the RPD would be so stupid as to utilize an uncertified polygraph person (not expert). For the step-father who believed that Kevin showed signs of sociopathic behavior - he should first study psychology and read the DSM-IV-TR (I'm currently working on my Ph.D. in clinical psychology).

I'm not going to get involved in determining whether or not Kevin is guilty - that was already made by a jury. I'm also not going to say that the step-father is guilty or not. Emotions should not determine whether someone is guilty. Kevin is still tried and found guilty by many of the citizens of Russellville. Emotions and not rational thinking has taken over there. That includes the reporters of the Russellville Courier.

Yes, we'd all like justice for Nona. Let's let rational thinking come into play when making decisions here, okay?

[tom]

From Dateline transcript:

"Kevin Jones: And I remember her saying that she wished she would have been the one to find her so she could hold her one last time.

Duane Dipert: This time I was at this store, this time I was at this store. And that’s the time Nona was being murdered.

Duane Dipert: I had fought for several months how to get my old phone onto this other contract and be efficient about it.

Duane Dipert: I'd like to tell Kevin, I said, you know it would really help Carol’s closure if he really man up and tell us what really happened."

Hmmm....these are a biased sample because they come from a television show that is edited for content, flow, ratings, etc.

I'd like to see the police interrogation transcripts of Kevin and the step-father.

The FBI uses "statement analysis" to look for red flags when someone may be lying and it can be inferred from verbal communication, shifting usage of pronouns, mean number of words per sentence when describing activities before, after, and during crime, etc.

Anyway, a jury did not see the available evidence as good enough to convict Jones.

Kevin is not acting like other people in famous trials such as Scott Peterson:

HSawyer: "Did you murder your wife?"
Peterson: "No. No. I did not. And I had absolutely nothing to do with her disappearance.
And you use the word murder and right now every one is looking for a body. And
that is the hardest thing because that is not a possible resolution for us. To
use the word murder and -- yes, and that is a possibility. It's not one we're
ready to accept and it creeps in my mind late at night and early in the morning
and during the day all we can think about is the right resolution to find her.

I do not know of any similar question asked to Kevin Jones, but my guess is that if you asked a pointed and directed question, his answer would be less evasive indicating he was not the killer with a simple "No" and not using multiple negatives to stress denial.

a) jury found him NG
b) did jury find him NG because the evidence they saw was inappropriately collected by a small rural police dept. w/very little experience in handling murder crime scenes?
c) will further evidence be collected that either shows KJ is NG or G?

Duane Dipert strikes me as strange, his need for Nona's cellphone and his quickness to convert it to a new number for his own personal use seems bizarre, even if one is grieving a relative explained by himself being a "cheapskate". Usually something like that gets put in a memory box by grieving relatives.

After Scott Peterson killed his wife, he quickly sold his wife's Land Rover, was going to sell their house, etc. This is when there was still a search being conducted for her.

It sounds like Duane's behavior is troubling. He quickly got the cell phone back and converted it for his own use (though he says it took the phone company "several months"). He seemed very distant and cold in the Dateline interviews.

Jury in Scott Peterson trial thought Peterson's lack of emotion were strange.

but this (on Duane's part) could be because

a) he IS eccentric and old-fashioned
b) he killed Nona
c) he abused but did not kill Nona and does not want such to become public record

[Hope]

Well, I am really glad to find this message board and see that I am not the only one to watch last night's Dateline and be convinced that A) Kevin DID NOT do it and B) something is VERY strange about the mom and stepdad. I was immediately struck by the fact that the mother kept smiling and laughing while describing her daughter's murder. Also she did not talk about her daughter in any "loving" terms and also hardly seemed upset about the past molestations. How weird I thought she was was then eclipsed when the stepfather started his ramblings. However, I really thought they were just really strange and had latched on to blaming this poor Kevin until the cell phone incident was brought up. Now I firmly believe the stepfather was somehow involved in this. At the very least he tampered with evidence. Why??? And as a previous poster had stated I can see as a greiving parent wanting your daughter's stuff back but not to use it cause it will get you a cheaper cell phone contract. EWWW. Something stinks here.

[Larry]

DID ANY OF YOU CATCH what the girls mother said.. she said her husband called her the day of the murder at her work 8 times (like she was using this to prove he was Christmas shopping remember), then she followed it up by saying, "he never even called me one time at work in the past, but that day 8 times!" Sounds like he was trying hrad to make a cement excuse for the day + the weird Christmas shopping excuse where he said he could show recepits he was shopping that day. Add the cell phone and looks to me like THIS IS THE KILLER! Waht a looser Police department there! But when have cops ever wanted to back track after they screw up?

[Larry]

ONE MORE THING!! What was the weird smile the murdered girls mother kept on her face? No tears, no sadness, just that stupid grin?

[Larry]

HEY GREAT PLACE TO post here too....

http://www.topix.com/county/pope-ar/2008/02/attorneys-new-dna-findings-in-nona-dirksmeyer-murder

[Mar]

It seems to me, that if the SF called Nona's mother that day 8 times, or a million, or whatever, it was to override other calls he had made. A cell phone only stores so many dialed calls, missed calls, received calls. So he called her a bunch to overwrite what was in his, then got Nona's back and erased all her stuff. And then all the good evidence is gone.

[Crystal]

I seen the 48 hours interview with Nonas Mother and Stepfather, As soon as he spoke a few times I knew he knew more about Nonas murder than anyone. I think he killed Nona. I remember her mother saying that she thought Nona would have wanted him to have the cell phone. Really??? And why was her mother all smiles throughout the interview and she said when he arrived at her work she said to him, "She's dead isn't she?" And he said yeah. Why would that be her Mothers first question? I wouldn't be mine or a lot of others would not have asked that.. Maybe her killer will be brought to justice someday.

[gail]

I just watched the May 2, 2008 Dateline of Nona's murder, the stepfather did it. All the police have to do is arrest him, and question him as they did Kevin. That poor young man was heart broken over the loss of his darling Nona a woman he was going to marry. I think that the father and stepfather both abused Nona. The stepfather thought he could get by with it since her own father had done this to that sweet girl. Her mother should be ashamed, how could you be living is the same house and not keep a better watch over your little girl. The mother and stepfather will both pay for this terrible act that befell poor Nona.

[christina]

i had no knowledge of this murder until i saw the dateline interview on the 2nd of may. i don't know why but i can't stop thinking about this for a second. i know that the step father is the killer and i knew that he and nona's mother had something to do with the murder as soon as i looked at them both. nonas mother is probably upset because both of her husbands have shown some sort of attraction to nona and she is jealous of her. i think that she knows that her husband killed nona and that she is happy that she no longer has her as competition. this case is so sad and i will pray for nona and kevin because nona deserves to rest in peace. i just can't understand why the police department did such a horrible job in this investigation. i can't help but feel like nona's step father or mother have some kind of inside connection with the police.

[Deb]

My first thought was also that the step father had something to do with Nona's death. My sister lost her 12 year daughter in 2001 and to do this day, talking about her brings tear and hurt to her eye's, Yet Nona's mom was "smiling"? in the interview, very weird...She was such a beautiful young lady....Kevin i am glad that they found you not guilty..i dont know you but i believe in you. Hopefully one day your name will be cleared in the publics eye of your home town.

[Lisa]

How come the local paper was so quick to convict Kevin? A hometown boy that everyone knew? What about the pizza guy that supposedly went by and checked on her for Kevin? I hate it when the press convict someone who is innocent and when they are found not guilty, the person cannot go on with their life. They should not be able to do that. Nona's parents are weird. The moment I saw them on the screen, I knew something was not right there.
How come the police were so quick to ignore them?
I hope the truth comes out.

[Lisa]

Dirksmeyer case inquiry ongoing

Story date: May 2, 2008

Special prosecutor says investigators re-interviewing witnesses, “looking at everybody”

By Mary Kincy Benefield
newseditor@couriernews.com
More than two years after the brutal murder of Arkansas Tech University student Nona Dirksmeyer, and as a second nationally-televised program featuring the crime is expected to air this evening, a special prosecutor assigned to oversee an inquiry into the unsolved homicide of the 19-year-old said Thursday authorities are in the process of re-interviewing witnesses.
“Sometimes people remember things that they forgot to tell the first investigation group,” Little Rock attorney Jack McQuary, a deputy prosecutor for the 6th Judicial District, said.
McQuary, whose involvement in the case was confirmed in a Feb. 8 press release issued by 5th Judicial District Circuit Judge Dennis C. Sutterfield, declined comment on whether authorities had developed any new suspects in the case during a telephone conversation with a Courier editor Thursday.
“About all I really can say is that we’re looking at everybody on this thing,” McQuary said, adding authorities were examining the case with a “fresh eye.”
Dirksmeyer’s longtime boyfriend, KEVIN JONES, was acquitted of the murder in July 2007.
“Basically, what I can tell you is that we’re still in the process of trying to get information from crime labs on stuff that we’ve submitted to them,” McQuary said. “We also have been interviewing individuals ... people that have spoken with Nona or saw Nona on her last day. We’ve started interviewing people that lived at the apartment complex at the same time that Nona did.”
McQuary said investigators are hoping the interviews will turn up new information that may lead to a break in the case.
“Primarily, we’re wanting to recheck with everybody to see if they have remembered anything new that they may have forgotten to disclose,” he said.
McQuary declined comment on an alleged “DNA match” Michael Robbins, one of Jones’ attorneys, announced in February defense experts have since Jones’ trial made to DNA discovered on a condom wrapper found at Dirksmeyer’s apartment the night of her death.
The person to whom the DNA was allegedly matched, identified by Robbins as a “viable suspect” in the case, has never been disclosed, and both Robbins and Kenneth Johnson of Monticello, another of Jones’ attorneys, previously declined comment on the type of DNA allegedly matched.
Nuclear DNA is unique to each individual, while mitochondrial and Y-chromosome DNA are linked maternally and paternally, respectively, and can therefore only be used to exclude — not include — a particular person, according to expert testimony given at Jones’ trial.
During the trial, the prosecution’s theory was the condom wrapper was not direct evidence in the case, but was rather “a trigger” that sent Jones into “a fit of passion” in which he killed his longtime girlfriend.
“There’s new stuff that we’ve submitted to the crime labs, but we also have to go over everything again,” McQuary said without specifying what new information he was referring to.
“We’re still in the process of going through it, because we don’t want to leave any stone unturned,” he added.
Background
Dirksmeyer, a 2004 graduate of Dover High School and the reigning Miss Petit Jean Valley at the time of her death, was found slain in her Russellville apartment in December 2005. Jones was arrested in March 2006, and was found not guilty by a Franklin County jury July 19, 2007.
Following McQuary’s appointment, Sutterfield ordered the record surrounding the matter sealed “subject to further order of [the] court following completion of [the] investigation,” citing the possibility “the premature release of sensitive information surrounding [the] investigation” might jeopardize both McQuary’s and law enforcement’s ability to effectively proceed with the investigation, according to his release.
McQuary was appointed at the request of 5th Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney David Gibbons, Sutterfield’s release confirmed.
Gibbons, who unsuccessfully prosecuted Jones, previously declined comment on the matter.

I just read this. Good thing someone else is looking into it. Notice how the condom wrapper was NOT important in the first investigation? It was a trigger to make Kevin go into a rage to kill her. What kind of a**holes are these detectives? It was not important because they wanted Kevin and no one else.
I think the newspaper owes Kevin an apology for all the dirt and convicting him in the paper without proof. I don't think I would want to live in Russellville. If you piss the wrong person off, god be with you!

[Sam the super cop]

They have matched dna from the condom package.
It doesn't belong to Kevin.
Don't you think the person the dna belongs may be a likely suspect?
What is his dna doing in the apartmentvof a murdered girl located on a condom package who just happened to be found nude?
Obviously the killer had sex on his mind Nona was found nude.
In 1/3 of all sexual assaults the perp is unable to obtain an erection so intercourse never takes place.
The dna doesn't match the step father.
The investigation is still wide open.
But the police and Nona's family are convinced Kevin killed her.
They need to start investigating this case and asking the person the dna belongs too some questions.
LIKE--Where were you between the time of 10000 and 1400 hours the day Nona was murdered?
Will you take a polygraph?
His criminal background.
Check latent prints found on the lamp and see if any of the friction ridges match his.
Talk with friends of his who saw him shortly after Nona was murder and see if he had any injuries and what his demeanor was.
Check Nona's fingernail clippings and clothing again for any possible dna evidence, trace evidence, vaginal & anal swabs.
Many things can be performed in order to try and make this evidence stronger and hopefully be able to arrest the killer of Nona.
The Russellville Courier printed a crimnal profile and assessment from a Texas Investigator of the killer and the crime scene.
How accurate is this profile compared to the person of interest who's dna was located on the condom package in Nona's apartment??
JUSTICE FOR NONA!!!

[Lisa]

A cop that believes he cannot make a mistake and be wrong, is a lousy cop and should become a preacher.

[Jenny]

This case is frustrating because it sad for the death of a young woman to go by without the killer going to jail. Obviously, Kevin did not kill Nona. Yes, he tampered with the evidence by having an authentic reaction to his girlfriend's death. It may seem ridiculous that he held her body, picked up the lamp, and smeared some of the blood. However, very few people have been in that situation where they come upon a loved one who has brutally been murdered. I think he responded with out thought instead with feeling. It is terribly unfortunate that very little evidence was collected at the crime scene. As many of you mentioned, the condom wrapper was not checked for DNA. The kitchen was not fingerprinted. The phone was not taken for investigation instead it was given to her STEP father. The handling of the case seems as though it needs to go in front of an ethics board. I agree with one of the other people who posted about investigating the step father's past. He seemed controlling and abusive. He stated, "Nothing good happens after 10pm." All the while Nona's mother sat next to the step father and did nothing but smirk. Is this an appropriate response to your daughter's murder? Did the step father sexually abuse Nona? Has Nona's step father ever been in the military. Would he know the coin challenge?

Challenge coin rules only apply to other individuals who also have a challenge coin. A holder of a challenge coin may "challenge" any individual who is known to have a coin. A challenge is made by withdrawing a coin and raising it in the air or by tapping it on a bar or table. The individual who is challenged is required to produce their coin within 60 seconds. If the individual produces the coin, the challenger is obligated to buy them a drink. If the challenged individual fails to produce the coin, they are obligated to buy the drink. The reward does NOT have to be an alcoholic beverage. It can be a soda or any other reward that the two individuals agree on. If a coin is dropped and it hits the floor, the owner is obligated to buy drinks for anyone who hears or sees the coin hit the floor (provided they have their coin on them). Coin challengers are known to strike anywhere at anytime. They insidiously stalk the challenge, waiting for just the right moment to attack. An innocent bystander may never hear the challenge - only the challengee's despairing cry, "... Ah ____! I forgot mine!

I get the sense that Nona knew the coin challenge, oh too well. Is it a game that the step father played with her during his sexual indiscretions. Rolling the coin over her body.

INVESTIGATE THE STEP FATHER!

[Sam the super cop]

Remember folks they have dna on a condom wrapper and have matched it to a man who lived in Nona's apartment complex.

[Kelley]

I live in Russellville, AR and have followed this case closely from the beginning. I have always believed Kevin was innocent. My frustration is our community had tunnel vision and convicted Kevin from the start and stopped looking for the REAL KILLER of Nona once they pointed the finger at Kevin. The "bloody palm print on the lamp", I believe, came from a natural reaction from Kevin. I would have done the same thing as Kevin did - threw the lamp off her to get to her. Michael Robbins, his Defense Attorney is one of our home town attorney's who did an excellent job defending Kevin, along with Kevin's other Defense Attorneys. Our "HATS OFF TO YOU - MICHAEL ROBBINS FOR A WONDERFUL JOB - WELL DONE - WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU". Kevin, keep the faith that the truth will come out and keep holding that head high. Janice and Hiram - it was obvious how much you loved Nona as one of your own children and I know your heart breaks for Nona and Kevin but keep the faith until the real killer is found. I agree with all the other BLOGS - I have always said "LOOK AT THE STEPFATHER" but tunnel vision prevented this in our little town - they were convinced they had the killer - WRONG!!!!!! I knew it all along - Kevin was innocent!! There are still people in our community that is convinced Kevin is guilty and until the real killer is found - Kevin will never be completely free. I hope this nightmare ends soon for Kevin and his family so they, also, can put closure to a beautiful girl they loved deeply - just as their own. Nona will never be forgotten.