RETRO KIMMER'S BLOG: coed killer

7.23.2018

THE MICHIGAN COED KILLER: JOHN NORMAN COLLINS UPDATE

Just read this post from a Canadian blogger and it is great! Very historical factual and compelling.

Read it here True Crime Tuesday: The Michigan Murderer

The Michigan Murders (or "Co-Ed Killings", as local papers dubbed them) were a series of seven abductions and sexual homicides that took place in the college towns of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti from 1967 to 1969.

The murders are generally regarded to have ceased in July of 1969 with the death of Karen Sue Beineman, last seen accepting a ride on a motorcycle from a man later identified by witnesses as John Norman Collins. Collins was convicted of killing Beineman and sentenced to life in prison.

With Collins' conviction, police unofficially closed the other six homicides without prosecution. (The third murder in the series, that of Jane Mixer, was reopened in 2005 when DNA linked retired nurse and sex offender Gary Leiterman to the scene. He was also convicted. No link was established between Collins and Leiterman and both men maintain their innocence.)

Uncle's Home on Roosevelt/Cornell back in the day

Did John Norman Collins Act Alone?

Andy Manuel died in 2011, having maintained his silence for decades, and John Norman Collins remains incarcerated, protesting his innocence. Arnold Davis was granted immunity for his part in Collins' burglary ring in exchange for testifying at trial. It is unlikely that new charges will ever be brought but the question of whether Collins was the only Michigan Murderer remain.

Known Victims
Mary Fleszar, 19 [7/10/1967]
Joan Schell, 20 [7/1/1968]
Maralynn Skelton, 16 [3/26/1969]
Dawn Basom, 13 [4/14/1969] (no picture)
Alice Kalom, 23 [6/8/1969]
Karen Sue Beineman, 18 [7/23/1969]
Roxie Phillips, 17 [6/30/1969 CA]

click for larger view

This photo above is of the site where Alice Kalom (unsolved case) was found just off of North Territorial/US23 and not Leforge Rd.

The map above is mostly accurate. I think Mary Fleszar location is wrong. Hard to know really if she was found north west of Leforge and Geddes or South of Geddes and West side of Leforge. This map shows the side of road where the old barn and house once stood. This is thought to be a killing site and the site where Dawn Basom's clothing/earring was found in the basement of the Leforge Farm house.

The barn did not have a basement. The barn was built into the side of a hill so when the dairy farmer milked at 4am it was warmer in there for the cows.

The basement where they found Dawn Basom's earring/top was under the house. A friend of mine's grandparents rented this house until 1965. He mowed the grass and played in the barn. He told me the basement to the spanish style ranch house had doors that opened from the outside.

7 Victims and all are unsolved/unpursued except Karen Sue Beineman

A friend of mine on Facebook messaged me the other night. she had an interesting story to tell about Joan's Wig Shop and JNC.

I was walking on Washtenaw and JNC tried to pick me up on his motorcycle........I refused..went to the (Joan's) wig shop and Karen (Sue Beinenman) was there. Joan and I tried to talk her out of accepting ride with JNC.

I was never approached to testify......

it was my MO ( Modus Operandi) to walk to Baskin Robbins on my lunch hour, grab a cone and return to work. On this day, I stopped into Joans Wig shop to pick up my "wiglet"and watched from inside as JNC offed KSB the ride.

Joan and I both tried to discourage her.........only because of the times. Of course, we had no Idea he was the coed killer/murderer.

This is a photo of the sheriff's department/police at the intersection of Riverside and Chalmers. 1969

Riverside at Chalmers 2009

JNC residence 619 Emmett St 1969

There is a big addition now on this house and they changed the address to College Place instead of Emmett. It's a sorority house now...

McKinney Union Admin-Bookstore-Cafeteria-Bowling Alley

Carol remembers:

I was age 16 and I remember being very scared for a time. I was in a driver's ed car the day they arrested JNC (the instructor had the radio on) and we had just we had been driving around the area north of Ypsilanti where some of the girls had been found.

I remember being so relieved. My mom had been telling me not to go anywhere alone during that time period We used to like going to the EMU McKinney Union bookstore and cafeteria. We had to stop going there.

Was it better that JNC stays in Michigan or be convicted in California and possibly get the gas chamber?

JOHN NORMAN COLLINS: LETTER FROM MARQUETTE PRISON 1986

We received a detailed message tonight from Craig N from Northern California and he wrote to tell me that he had written to John Norman Collins (Chapman) for a college paper he was writing.. Craig had read Edward Keyes "Michigan Murders" book and wrote to JNC in prison and to his surprise..JNC wrote back.. Craig scanned the letter to share with my readers. See Craig's story below...RK

Story from Craig:

The Michigan Murders was required reading for my Admin of Justice course back in 1986. For extra credit I wrote a letter to inmate #126833 John Chapman as he is known now. In my letter I told him I had read the book and I was more than satisfied that he was the killer there was no doubt in my mind.

I included a narrative of the evidence and why he was guilty. I included a self addressed envelope to my attention care of the college I was attending and waited for his response.

Here in it's entirety is the transcript of the letter he wrote back to me it was type written and signed in his full hand John Chapman. Monday June 9, 1986

Dear Mr. Newton:

I received your letter several months ago but I wasn't sure if I wanted to answer you or not. As you can see from this letter I have decided to write.

You mentioned reading the book and forming a conclusion so I am curious as to why you are interested in what I have to say? you erroneously stated after reading the book detailing events of "the crimes for which you have been convicted". I was convicted of ONE murder! I was a scape goat for the key-stone Cop mentality of the society that wanted someone for the murder(s) of people in the Ann Arbor area.

If you read the book thoroughly you would have seen the tactics used by the police to obtain a conviction. Witnesses were threatened; my room-mate was kidnapped and kept locked in a motel room until he said what they wanted; I was at a place of business while the incident happened; the lady at the wig shop was shown pictures of me prior to the line-up and told by police that I was the man they had for the murder; our expert in NAA was the man that invented the entire process and he said I was not the one; the state witnesses/experts had to go to our people to learn how to measure the angles of hair samples etc. I am glad you are not in Pre-Law!! You asked for my views as to why I am innocent; that is simple-because I did not kill anyone.

You are entitled to your opinion and you have exercised that option. I don't know what else I can say to that. If you have been reading the papers and 60 Minutes etc. You will see that many people have been placed in prison by a Jury and later found to be innocent. This is one reason why there should never be the Death Penalty. Have a nice day!

Respectfully
John Chapman